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3,948,634 |
California State Route 186
| 1,171,613,386 |
Highway in California
|
[
"Roads in Imperial County, California",
"State highways in California"
] |
State Route 186 (SR 186), also known as Algodones Road, is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that connects Interstate 8 (I-8) in Imperial County with the U.S.–Mexico border near the Colorado River. Its southern terminus is at the Andrade Port of Entry, which connects it to Los Algodones, Baja California, and its northern terminus is near Winterhaven, California in the location of Araz Junction. The route is only 2.070 miles (3.331 km) long, heading along the length of the Alamo Canal and the All-American Canal within the boundaries of the Fort Yuma-Quechan Reservation. The route was assigned in 1972 in Imperial County, and the interchange with I-8 was constructed a year later.
## Route description
SR 186 begins at the United States–Mexico border (near Avenue International) in the community of Los Algodones. The route heads to the northeast along the Alamo Canal and crosses the center of the Fort Yuma-Quechan Reservation. Most of the surroundings of SR 186 are desolate, compared to the developed region across the border in Mexico. The highway continues northward, crossing the All-American Canal, where it turns to the north. SR 186 continues northward to an interchange with I-8 in Araz Junction, where the route terminates at the northbound ramps. The route continues northward as locally maintained Araz Road. Near the interchange is a casino operated by the Quechan Native American tribe that opened in 2009.
SR 186 is part of the National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration. In 2014, SR 186 had an annual average daily traffic (AADT) of 3,800 vehicles at the southern end, and 8,200 vehicles at the junction with I-8, the latter of which was the highest AADT for the highway.
## History
A road south from the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway to the Mexican border just west of the Colorado River existed by 1917, and was paved between 1956 and 1965. The Andrade Port of Entry at the southern end of the highway was built in 1970. The current alignment of SR 186 was assigned in 1972 by the California State Legislature.
There are two bridges along the alignment of SR 186. The first one to be constructed was a concrete slab bridge over the All-American Canal, with the structure opening in 1938. The bridge is 140.09 feet (42.70 m) long, and is considered unable to sustain the traffic it was designed to handle. The second bridge is located at the interchange with I-8 in Araz Junction. This bridge, constructed in 1973 (a year after the route was assigned), is a 227.03-foot-long (69.20 m) concrete box beam structure. This structure, unlike the other, is recorded to be in usable shape.
## Major intersections
## See also
|
1,782,708 |
The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace
| 1,168,328,722 | null |
[
"1998 American television episodes",
"Television shows written by John Swartzwelder",
"The Simpsons (season 10) episodes",
"Works about Thomas Edison"
] |
"The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" is the second episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 20, 1998, and was seen in around 7.95 million households during the broadcast. In the episode, Homer, realizing his life is half over and has not accomplished anything, begins to admire Thomas Edison and decides to create inventions to follow in Edison's footsteps and make his life worthwhile.
The idea behind "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" came from Dan Greaney, who assigned John Swartzwelder to write the episode. While directing the episode, Mark Kirkland visited the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange, New Jersey, to receive inspiration for several scenes in the episode that take place in this museum. The episode's title is a play on Edison's nickname, the Wizard of Menlo Park. William Daniels made a guest appearance in the episode as the character KITT from the television series Knight Rider. In general, "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" received positive reviews from television critics, with many singling it out as a strong beginning to a season.
## Plot
Homer Simpson becomes depressed after learning he has lived past the halfway point of the average life expectancy for men, without accomplishing anything worthwhile. The Simpson family try to cheer him up by showing him a film of his accomplishments and a special appearance by the character KITT from the Knight Rider television series that Homer is a fan of. When the film projector stops working, Lisa Simpson mentions that Thomas Edison invented the projector and many other inventions. Homer decides to learn more about Edison and eventually idolizes him. In an attempt to follow his footsteps, he quits his job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to become an inventor.
The family disapproves of his first few inventions, including a make-up shotgun, electric hammer, alarm that only stops beeping when something is wrong, and reclining chair with a built-in toilet, making Homer more depressed. However, they like one particular invention, a chair with two hinged legs on the back, making it impossible to tip over backwards. Homer is encouraged until he notices his poster of Edison shows him sitting in the same type of chair. Bart Simpson points out that the chair is not featured on a list of Edison's inventions, meaning he never told anyone of this invention.
Homer and Bart travel to the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange, New Jersey, with his electric hammer to destroy the chair, but Homer notices a poster of Edison comparing himself to Leonardo da Vinci, much like how Homer compared himself to Edison. Feeling a renewed connection to Edison, he decides not to destroy the chair.
Homer and Bart return to Springfield, unaware they left Homer's electric hammer at the museum. Later when the family watches the news on television, Kent Brockman announces that the chair and electric hammer have been discovered at the Edison Museum and are expected to generate millions for Edison's already wealthy heirs, to the ire of the family.
## Production
"The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" was written by John Swartzwelder, who had a deal with the producers of the show to write five scripts for season ten. Although he was the one who wrote the episode, Dan Greaney was the one who came up with the idea for it. Greaney based Homer's intense obsession with Edison on the fact that when he himself would have an obsession with something in life, he would badger and bore people with details of it. "Homer's relationship to Thomas Edison's achievements is a version of my own experience of trying to communicate the experience of things you love by driving people crazy," Greaney said in a DVD audio commentary for the episode. The untippable chair was also an idea of Greaney's; while working on the episode, he was leaning back in his chair and fell backwards. He casually said it would be great if there were legs on the back of the chair and someone in the writing room said that would be a great invention for Homer. Soon after coming up with the story, Greaney told it to Swartzwelder so that he could turn it into a script. Greaney said "it couldn't in my best dreams have turned out as good as it did if I had written it."
Mark Kirkland was the director of "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace". He recalls that when he attended the table-read for the episode, the staff thought it was "hilarious" and they could tell it was "going to be a good one." It was the last episode to be produced during the season nine production run and because it takes several months to complete the production of a single episode, it had to air as a hold-over in the upcoming tenth season. It was decided that "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" would be the premiere episode of season ten. As a result, the annual premiere party was held at the Museum of Science and Technology in Los Angeles – it was a tradition for the premiere party to be related to the premiere episode.
Kirkland cites his assistant director Matthew Nastuk as a big influence on the episode. He became heavily involved with the animation because he had grown up in New Jersey, where the Thomas Edison National Historical Park that Homer and Bart visit is located. To help make the museum look as authentic as possible, Kirkland and Nastuk visited it and took a large number of photographs that they brought back to the animation studio. At one point in the episode, Homer writes complex math formulas on a chalkboard. The producers wanted them to be actual formulas, so writer David X. Cohen got in contact with a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who were able to provide them.
The episode features a guest appearance by actor William Daniels as KITT, a character from the Knight Rider television series of which Homer is a fan. KITT is an artificially intelligent electronic computer module installed in an automobile. In the episode, after failing to cheer Homer up with a film reel of his life, the family shows him a video featuring KITT. The automobile, seen driving in the desert, tells Homer the following: "Hello Homer. It's me, KITT, from TV's Knight Rider. Your family has asked me to invite you to a very special ..."; the film reel breaks just before KITT finishes his sentence. This of course leads to Homer becoming even more depressed. Daniels' appearance in "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" was the first and only time that he voiced KITT outside of Knight Rider and the film Knight Rider 2000. He recalls that "when I told my son in New York that I was going to be on The Simpsons, I think that was the first time that he was really impressed with what I was doing! The Simpsons is a great show and I'm glad they thought of KITT in one of their jokes."
## Reception
In its original American broadcast, "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" finished 25th in the ratings for the week of September 14–20, 1998, with a Nielsen rating of 8.0, equivalent to approximately 7.95 million viewing households. It tied with Beverly Hills, 90210 and Home Improvement for the 25th place. The episode was the third highest-rated show (tied with Beverly Hills, 90210) on the Fox network that week, following Ally McBeal and Party of Five.
"The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" has received generally positive reviews from critics. James Plath of DVD Town thought it had strong writing. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, called it "a terrific episode, full of wit and sly digs at our expectations of Homer's abilities. The fact that he invents things that other people find useful (and steal the credit for) is both amusing and a little sad. Poor Homer." Writing for DVD Movie Guide, Colin Jacobson commented that "though 'Wizard' borders on 'Homer’s wacky scheme' territory, his attempts to come up with something significant offer amusement. At no point does 'Wizard' threaten to become a particularly strong episode, but it entertains to a reasonable degree. I do like the 'Everything’s Okay Alarm' and the makeup gun, though."
Although "Lard of the Dance" aired as a teaser episode a month earlier, "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" was the official season premiere of The Simpsons' tenth season. Don Aucoin of The Boston Globe wrote that "It is gratifying to report that, based on the season premiere, The Simpsons promises to remain the most reliable half-hour of laughs on television." Similarly, David Bianculli of The New York Daily News reported that "The Simpsons is one series that, year after year, remains fresh and funny and lively and surprising. Based on tonight's season premiere, that amazing streak is in no danger of ending." Lauri Githens of The Buffalo News gave the episode a 5/5 rating, commenting that it shows that "This cynical, bleak yet somehow still hopeful comedy is nowhere near midlife crisis with Season No. 10. It's still fall-down funny. Thank God." She cited Homer's line to Marge as he and Bart leave for the Edison Museum, "I'm-taking-Bart-over-state-lines-back-soon-I-have-your-wallet-bye!", as the best line of the episode.
The Lexington Herald-Leader's Heather Svokos was not as pleased. She stated that "As always, the show is better written than most anything on TV, but for a 10th season premiere, it didn't blow me out of the water." In addition, Phil Kloer of The Atlanta Journal gave the episode a C grade, calling it an "off episode". He commented that it "doesn't have the zing that most Simpsons episodes do." Kloer did, however, enjoy Homer's inventions such as the hamburger earmuffs and the make-up gun, and Homer's line to Marge before he shoots her with it: "Try to keep your nostrils closed." Marge's response after being shot, "Homer! You’ve got it set on whore!", was commended by The Gazette, DVD Verdict, and Ian Jane of DVD Talk, who called the scene the highlight of the episode.
In his 2015 book The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets, British particle physicist Dr. Simon Singh wrote that in the episode, Homer writes an equation on a chalkboard and “If you work it out, you get the mass of a Higgs boson that’s only a bit larger than the nano-mass of a Higgs boson actually is. It’s kind of amazing as Homer makes this prediction 14 years before it was discovered.” He stated that the mathematical backgrounds of many of the show's writers made it the "most mathematical TV show on prime-time television in history", and it could "encourage and nourish" young people with an interest in mathematics.
## See also
- Thomas Edison in popular culture
|
44,785,058 |
Living for Love
| 1,167,617,858 | null |
[
"2014 singles",
"2014 songs",
"American disco songs",
"Electronic dance music songs",
"House music songs",
"Interscope Records singles",
"Madonna songs",
"Song recordings produced by Ariel Rechtshaid",
"Song recordings produced by Diplo",
"Song recordings produced by Madonna",
"Songs written by Ariel Rechtshaid",
"Songs written by Diplo",
"Songs written by Madonna",
"Songs written by Mozella",
"Songs written by Toby Gad"
] |
"Living for Love" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her thirteenth studio album, Rebel Heart (2015). It was written and produced by Madonna, Diplo and Ariel Rechtshaid, with additional writing from MoZella and Toby Gad. Originally intended for a Valentine's Day 2015 release, the song was rush-released as the lead single from the album on December 20, 2014, by Interscope Records, after demos recorded for the album leaked on to the internet. An EDM, diva house, disco and electropop track on which Madonna experimented with different musical genres, "Living for Love" contains instrumentation from percussion and piano by singer Alicia Keys, along with a gospel choir. Madonna composed the track as a break-up song, however she wanted to deviate and make the lyrics as uplifting in nature, talking about counteracting negative thoughts with positive responses.
"Living for Love" received positive reviews from critics, who praised its rhythm and lyrics, comparing it to her earlier works. They also considered the song a step-up from her last two lead singles. In the United States, it failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100, but became Madonna's 44th number-one hit on the Dance Club Songs chart, tying her with country singer George Strait as the act with most number-one singles on any Billboard chart. Although United Kingdom's BBC Radio 1 decided not to play it, the song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 26, becoming Madonna's 71st top-forty single, extending her record as the female artist with the most top-forty UK singles. "Living for Love" reached the top-twenty of the charts in Finland, Hungary, Israel, Japan and Lebanon, but was commercially unsuccessful in other nations.
An accompanying music video was directed by the French duo Julien Choquart and Camille Hirigoyen, together known as J.A.C.K., and was released in February 2015. The storyline incorporates mythological elements and shows Madonna as a matador, fighting her dancers dressed like minotaurs in a red circular stage. It had numerous costume changes, and was critically appreciated for its empowering theme and transcending gender roles. Madonna first performed the song in a similar matador theme at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards; it became the most-watched moment of the night. The second performance was at the 2015 Brit Awards, which made headlines due to the singer's wardrobe malfunction causing her to be pulled down a flight of stairs that made up part of the stage. Alternate versions of "Living for Love" were performed on Le Grand Journal, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and on Madonna's 2015–16 Rebel Heart Tour.
## Writing and development
"Living for Love" was written and produced by Madonna, Diplo and Ariel Rechtshaid, with additional writing from MoZella and Toby Gad. Madonna's collaboration with Diplo was revealed in May 2014 through an image on her Instagram showing her working on her laptop with him. She had invited him for her annual Oscar party, and he could not make it. So he began texting with her about music and sent some music. Madonna replied with a 20-page text containing her anecdotes on the music. Following this they started collaborating for the album. In an interview with Idolator, Diplo explained that Madonna had asked him to provide his "craziest record" for the album. Together they wrote and recorded seven songs and Diplo added that "Those records are gonna be crazy-sounding. We really pushed the envelope with some of the stuff we were doing... [S]he was up for anything. I love when an artist gives a producer the confidence he needs to work with them, and Madonna was very open-minded to my ideas... she was down from day one." According to Diplo, "Living for Love" had almost 20 versions ranging from a piano ballad to an EDM composition, ultimately Madonna and Diplo compromising on a middle level. Rechtshaid and British singer MNEK also joined for writing sessions with them, improving the verse of the song. Madonna denied that there were 20 versions of the song, admitting it "might be a little too high", and commented on how she wanted it to sound:
> We knew we wanted to make a dance record. But you know, there's so many different levels of dance music and even different categories of house music. So, it was really like, what's the bass line gonna sound like? Is it gonna be really stripped down and sparse, or is it going to be loaded up? Is it gonna be Chicago house? Is it gonna be U.K. house? It's like, all over the place. Is it gonna be a little bit of one vocal line? Is it gonna be a whole choir singing? So we were experimenting and trying out different things. They all sounded good, but at the end of the day, we wanted it to sound timeless, also. Not just something of the moment.
In October 2014, American singer Alicia Keys confirmed that she worked on Madonna's upcoming studio album, saying "It was good. I was in here doing a meeting or something and [Madonna] was working with Diplo. They were like, 'Oh, maybe you can play some piano on this thing'. And I was like, 'Alright. I'll try. If you hate it, you can take it off'. It was just like that, casual and cool." Annie from the London Community Gospel Choir provided the female background vocals throughout the song. Madonna also mentioned that new versions would be "coming out, but just not yet". Describing the song as "one of [Diplo's] more mellow productions", Madonna composed "Living for Love" as a break-up song, commenting, "lots of people write about being in love and being happy or they write about having a broken heart and being inconsolable. But nobody writes about having a broken heart and being hopeful and triumphant afterwards. So I thought, how can I do this? I didn't want to share the sentiment of being a victim. This scenario devastated me, but it just made me stronger". She complemented saying that "Living for Love" was "kind of like the old me and the new me all mixed in together".
## Release
The demo version of "Living for Love" leaked onto the Internet in December 2014, alongside the other twelve demo recordings for Madonna's then untitled thirteenth studio album. On December 20, 2014, the album's title was confirmed to be Rebel Heart and became available for pre-order on iTunes along with six tracks, including "Living for Love" as the album's lead single. Madonna stated that the songs were meant to be "an early Christmas gift". Originally, "Living for Love" was intended to be released on Valentine's Day 2015, with the rest of the record slated for a spring release. However, due to the leak of materials, the release date had to be pushed up. She went on to say she would prefer her fans hear the completed versions of some of the songs instead of the incomplete tracks that were circulating.
Gordon Murray from Billboard reported that two versions of the song were sent to US club DJs on December 21, 2014: the original version and the instrumental. Interscope sent the song as a "soft sell" on December 22 to radio outlets, and it failed to receive airplay at the Top 40 formats, garnering a total of 10 plays due to the rushed out release and being on a Christmas week, when most programmers were on vacation. The label decided to re-service it to radio after 2015 started, with an official adds date to Top 40/Mainstream radio stations on February 10. "Living for Love" was commercially released on February 25 in the United Kingdom. A number of remixes were released for streaming, namely those by Djemba Djemba, Offer Nissim, Mike Rizzo and Drew G.
## Recording and composition
"Living for Love" is an EDM, diva house, disco and electropop song which starts as Madonna sings over a "regal" piano line which is eventually joined by percussion. The song is set in the simple time signature of 4/4, with a tempo of 123 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of F minor, with Madonna's vocals spanning the range from E<sub>3</sub> to C<sub>5</sub>. "Living for Love" has a I–IV–V–I sequence as its chord progression, with the rhythm flowing as Fm–Cm–D–A–E/A. The song was engineered by Demacio "Demo" Castellon and Nick Rowe, while the former also mixed it. Angie Teo did the additional recording and mixing of the track, with Ann Mincieli. Along with The London Community Gospel Choir, MNEK and Santell also provided backing vocals on the track, while Keys and Gad acted as additional musicians.
Dean Piper from The Daily Telegraph explained that "Living for Love" has "some classic Madonna traits: religious references, a gospel choir, 1990s piano beats and a whirling bass", and was compared to her 1989 singles, "Like a Prayer" and "Express Yourself", by Jason Lipshutz from Billboard. Keys' piano tracks are played along with the electronic music, up to the chorus.
Unlike Madonna's previous two lead singles, "4 Minutes" (2008) and "Give Me All Your Luvin'" (2012), "Living for Love" puts the emphasis on the lyrics and vocals, with the lines on the bridge going like "Took me to heaven, let me fall down/Now that it's over, I'm gonna carry on" and a "throbbing drop" in the middle. Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine described the song as Kiesza meets "Like a Prayer", and noted that there were many changes from the leaked demo version: the throwback house music being replaced by an 808 pulse sound and Keys' piano, as well as handclaps and gospel riffing being removed towards the end of the song. For Jon Lisi from PopMatters, "Living for Love" fitted with contemporary pop music releases and the DIY ethic they displayed, starting from Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off", to Ariana Grande's "Break Free" and Katy Perry's "Roar". The survivor anthem-like nature of the track was evocative of Madonna's survival in her music career. With NRJ the singer herself explained the meaning behind the lyrics: "It's a song having your heart broken but it's about saying you know what I'm going to my life goes on, I will carry on, I won't stop believing in love, I'll pick up my crown, put it back on my head and I will walk through life proudly believing that love, true love does exist."
## Critical response
Following its release, "Living for Love" earned critical praise. Lipshutz was appreciative of the song, commending Madonna's "confident" vocal delivery. He said that the song sounded "like a giddy combination of Madonna's past and present, and represents an encouraging sign for a 2015 project that was unexpectedly thrown into jeopardy at the end of 2014." Stern compared the song to Madonna's 1992 single "Deeper and Deeper", noting that unlike the UK dance acts and the teen-pop groups paying homage to 1990s house music, Madonna had lived through that era. Calling the song a "total beast of a collaborative effort", and ended his review saying "Fuck singing about Tanqueray in the club: This is the Madonna we've always known and lived to love, with flares of the future and nostalgic nods to the past." Time's Jamieson Cox observed that "Living for Love" was tailor-made for radio, with the increase in popularity of house music and the crossover success of British house musicians. Giving the song a rating of three out of five stars, Hardeep Phull from New York Post complimented it for being an "euphoric, gospel-tinged dance track that will rejuvenate even the most beaten-down of souls thanks to its 'love's gonna lift me up' refrain." Phull expected the song to be a hit on the dance and pop charts.
Writing for USA Today, Brian Mansfield complimented the optimistic and "self-assured" nature of the song, adding that "it's the sort of determined dance anthem Madonna does so well". The Dallas Morning News' Hunter Hauk described the song as a "solid melding" of different club musics and appreciated the dance break, and Madonna's singing attitude, calling it "less prickly or defiant than we see on Instagram these days". Jeff Miers from The Buffalo News compared "Living for Love" to earlier club anthems, songs which had become commercial success for Madonna. Writing for i-D, Nick Levine described the song as a "perfectly-pitched comeback single: rather than returning with a cheap EDM banger... When she sings 'I picked up my crown, put it back on my head', it feels like a statement of intent." Lewis Corner from Digital Spy listed it as one of the top ten tracks of the week, adding that the composition made it "an euphoric first cut from... Rebel Heart". Jed Gottlieb from Boston Herald described the track's beats as contemporary, while found the chorus and the hooks to be reminiscent of "old school" Top 40 songs. "True Blue fans will hear a joy and nostalgia in [the song]". Jon Pareles from The New York Times commended "Living for Love"'s ability to transform "the breakup emotions into an uplifting redemption". He called it "one of Madonna's best singles in a decade". Writing for PopMatters, Lisi found the track to be Madonna's "most joyous" release since "Express Yourself".
Daryl Deino from The Inquisitr praised the song for being "epic and uplifting", believing that it would open up Madonna's music to a new generation. Jim Farber of New York Daily News found the song to be a return to form for the singer, describing it as "prime mix of club and pop music, with an old-school R&B piano, soaring backup vocals and a melody that keeps lifting you higher." Zel McCarthy from Vice believed that the song reflected the personalities of its songwriters, feeling that the production and the personable lyrics made it a success. Bernard Zuel from The Sydney Morning Herald believed that "Living for Love" embodied every aspect of Madonna's life, a mixture of her past, present and future. This view was shared by Lindsay Zoladz from New York, who had criticized the other five songs from the album, but called "Living for Love" as "an unexpectedly perfect balance between the ghosts of Madge past and future". Dean Piper from The Daily Telegraph called it the "most original" among the songs released, however he was critical of the lyrics saying that they failed "to penetrate your soul". Cinquemani complemented the changes in the song from the demo version, calling it Madonna's "most rousing lead single in years", but lamented the nasal vocals of the singer. Michael Jose Gonzalez from Danish music magazine, Gaffa, found the song to be melodic but reminiscent of the music from Madonna's tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005).
At their year-end ranking of the Top 25 Singles of 2015, Slant Magazine listed "Living for Love" at number 25, saying "Overworked and overthought, for sure, but the song's essence remains in tact [sic], and if Madonna's message of life after love didn't register as a commercial comeback on the scale of, say, Cher's 'Believe', it remains a pop-gospel sequel of the highest order." While ranking Madonna's singles, in honor of her 60th birthday, The Guardian's Jude Rogers placed "Living for Love" at number 23, writing that its "pulsing house piano, gospel vocals and boxfresh Diplo production sound fantastic". Chuck Arnold from Entertainment Weekly called it a "righteous return to form" for Madonna, comparing it to Gloria Gaynor's 1978 hit "I Will Survive". He listed "Living for Love" as the singer's 53rd best single. In August 2018, Slant Magazine's Ed Gonzalez placed "Living for Love" at number 56 of his ranking of the singer's singles, calling it a "straight shot of electro-fried love-as-religion theater that sounds too much like a remix of a true original for it to ever cast a lasting spell, nostalgic or otherwise".
## Chart performance
Following the pre-order release of Rebel Heart, "Living for Love" entered the Dance/Electronic Songs chart at number 16 and the Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart at numbers 12, with 10,000 digital downloads. The next week, "Living for Love" moved to number 13 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart, with further sales of 11,000 copies, and has since peaked at number 9, thereby becoming the singer's first top-ten single on the chart. It achieved 587,000 streams after the music video premiere and further sales of 17,000 copies, becoming the greatest gainer on the Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart. In January 2015, "Living for Love" debuted at number 32 on the Dance Club Songs chart, making it the singer's first appearance since her previous single "Turn Up the Radio". It then climbed to number 18 and the following week to number 11 as the greatest gainer on the chart for both weeks.
For the issue dated March 7, 2015, "Living for Love" became Madonna's 44th number-one song on the chart. She equaled George Strait—who collected 44 chart-toppers on the Hot Country Songs—as the act with most number-one singles on any Billboard chart. "Living for Love" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100 but debuted at number 8 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. It became Madonna's 29th entry in the Pop Songs chart, debuting at number 36 on February 24, 2015. Billboard reported that the debut was due to an increased radio spins from iHeartMedia stations. It also debuted at number 35 on Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. Madonna became the oldest female artist to enter the Pop Songs chart, since Carly Simon, who reached number 20 as the featured artist on Janet Jackson's 2002 single, "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)".
Across Europe, the song debuted at number 50 in France, number 12 in Hungary and number 21 in Spain, alongside the other tracks from Rebel Heart. In Japan, the song debuted at number 80 on the Japan Hot 100 for the week ending January 12, 2015, climbing to number 26 the following week. In Spain it debuted at number 21 on the Spanish Singles Chart; after the release of the remixes, they charted separately on the albums chart at number 93.
In the United Kingdom, BBC Radio 1 decided not to play Madonna's single as their playlist committee did not think the track was good enough for heavy airplay. According to their head of music, George Ergatoudis, Madonna's fans were older than station's target demographic. The station was criticized by the singer as well as musicians Diplo and Boy George for promoting age discrimination. Representatives from Radio 1 said that the songs listed on their playlists were not chosen on the basis of an artist's age but on quality. "Living for Love" was later added to the playlist of BBC Radio 2, which caters to audiences aged 35 and more. According to the Official Charts Company, the track moved towards the top-twenty of the UK Singles Chart with two days of available sales as reported in their mid-week chart report. It ultimately debuted at number 26 on the chart with sales of 17,936 copies, becoming Madonna's 71st top-forty single, and extending her record as the female artist with the most top-forty UK singles.
## Music video
### Development
In December 2014, Madonna's manager Guy Oseary announced that a music video was scheduled to be released in early February 2015. The video was directed by the French duo Julien Choquart and Camille Hirigoyen, together known as J.A.C.K. It was edited by Danny B. Tull, styled by B. Akerlund and choreographed by Megan Lawson. According to Madonna, she wanted to have a cinematic and storytelling aspect with the video adding that:
> The thing about that song, it's such a passionate song. I had to present it in a passionate way, and I used mythology to tell the story, with the story of the Minotaur, the matador, fighting for love. And the color red. And flowers. Horns, and death. And naked men. You know, the important things in life. I don't want to make every video the same. But I did love the richness of that video. To me it felt like a painting that came to life. That's what I was trying to do.
Verena Dietzel, creator of the fashion label V-Couture, who specializes in different kinds of corsets, were enlisted to create clothing for the video, as well as a Grammy Awards performance. Dietzel explained that she had initially thought Madonna's e-mail as spam, however after confirmation from the singer's assistant stylist, B. Åkerlund, she started working on the designs. Within 48 hours she sewed a new corset, as well as created two new ones, by basing them on the only information provided to her, that of Madonna's bra-size. She had to search on Google for deducing the rest of the singer's proportions. In total four different corsets were shipped off to Madonna. Lebanese designer Shady Zeineldine was also contacted by Åkerlund, who visited the designer's press conference in Los Angeles, and asked him to send his ideas and sketches for the video. After the deal was finalized, he created a custom made matador jacket which Madonna wore in the video. Another dress was a bodysuit, featuring a nude satin-stretch corset covered in three different types of lace, a black chiffon silk top and a satin tie. There was also a red velvet bolero jacket.
The corset was described by Steff Yotka from Style.com as "masculine-feminine mix... it's the sort of tight, sexy, gender-bending thing we've come to expect from [Madonna]". The singer and her team had sent matador references to Zeineldine, who wanted to give a feminine touch to the designs, utilizing numerous laces and nude color palette to highlight the singer's body curves. Amber Kallor from Style.com explained that Madonna's make-up in the video was inspired by recent runway shows of Christian Dior and Givenchy. The singer had applied parallel eye liner with her bolero jacket look, as well as sported bobby pin and Princess Leia like buns on her hair. Designer Riccardo Tisci approved of the Minotaur costumes used by the dancers, which used crystal masks designed by Marianna Harutunian and leather horns. He also gave his approval of the gemstones applied on the singer's face for one sequence in the video.
### Release and synopsis
The music video was released on picture messaging application Snapchat on February 5, 2015, where it was available for viewing on the application's "Snap Channel" platform. Madonna became the first artist to premiere her video on Snapchat. The video was deleted after 24 hours, in lieu of Snapchat's self-destructing ethos, and was later uploaded on Madonna's Vevo channel. Sara Spary from Marketing Week commended the decision, believing it to be "a major move for Snapchat and the decision by Madonna's label could pave the way for other label giants to host content on the app as well as other branded content."
The video begins with a focus light on Madonna's hand which gradually reveals a circular red stage surrounded by red curtains. Madonna, wearing the red velvet jacket moves around the stage throwing off a cape and does choreographed dance moves. Interspersed are visuals of a male dancer as a Minotaur wearing the horned mask, dancing on the ground and Madonna in the matador dress. She entices the male dancer with the cape as the chorus ends. A flock of male dancers wearing similar horned mask appear and surround Madonna around the stage.
Throughout the second verse Madonna chase the dancers and defeat them in mock fight. One of them pick her up and together they perform a second choreography atop the stage. Madonna is also shown in the bejeweled corset flapping around a red cape. For the final verses and chorus, Madonna in the nude corset dances among the Minotaurs, and ultimately slays them all. The last visual shows the singer standing among the slain bodies of the Minotaurs, throwing off the cape while holding a pair of horns in her left hand. Red roses fall around her and sound of applause is heard as a quote by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche flashes on screen, "Man is the cruelest animal. At tragedies, bullfights and crucifixions he has felt best on earth; and when he invented hell for himself that was his very heaven."
### Reception and analysis
Hugh McIntyre from Forbes commended Madonna's decision to partner with Snapchat for the video release, because he considered it to be a profit for both parties. For Madonna it would enable her to connect with the younger audience, while for Snapchat, release of a new Madonna video would lead to an older demographic to download the app. Matthew Jacobs from The Huffington Post believed that the music video and its imagery matched with the uplifting nature of the song. He compared parts of the video with "Express Yourself" and "Hung Up", saying that Madonna emerging victorious among a flock of men dressed as bulls, evoked the leaks of Rebel Heart's songs. Recalling the self-referential undertones in the videos for "Give Me All Your Luvin'" and "Girl Gone Wild", Jacobs explained that "Madonna presents herself as queen of the big top without relying on allusions to her own résumé to prove she is the master of the postmodern pop scene... This is the Madonna video we've waited a decade for." The Houston Chronicle's Joey Guerra gave another positive review, saying "we haven't already learned time and again – never underestimate Madonna" and describing the video as a "nice fit" for the song. A writer for The Guardian described the video as a "straightforward performance clip" and believed that the simplistic nature of the video suggested that it was designed for being viewed on mobile devices.
Louis Virtel from HitFix called "Living for Love" as Madonna's "best video since 'Hung Up'". He found references to older Madonna videos, like "Express Yourself" in the "unusual choreography with all of its masculine posturing and grappling", "Take a Bow" with its bullfighting theme and playing on a familiar imagery from her career, and "Open Your Heart" during the sequences where Madonna fends off the Minotaur dancers. Virtel also commended the choreography, costumes, Madonna's looks and the cinematography of the video. Along with the "Take a Bow" reference, Billboard's Joe Lynch called the video as incredible and "lush, arresting" but criticized for the misspelling of Nietzsche at the end." Rita Kokshanian from InStyle said that the video was "just as good as you could have expected... And while we were completely transfixed by her killer moves and insane physique, we were equally in awe of her outfits."
Nathan Smith from Out found the video to be transcending gender roles, with Madonna assuming the role of a matador, a title generally reserved for a man. Also he noted that Madonna demonstrated her "toned and lean physique, demonstrating her unique and unparalleled mastery of the male species". For Alyssa Tomey from E!, Madonna "transforms into a fierce and sexy matador in the clip" and dances "her butt off with some seriously acrobatic moves". Jim Farber from New York Daily News found a contrast with the song's title and the "battlefield" like portrayal in the video, saying "While it's sonically exuberant, the song's lyrics reflect the aftermath of a hard-won battle." Rachel Pilcher from Yahoo! found the video to be strange, but believed that it was to be expected from Madonna.
## Live performances
Madonna first performed "Living for Love" at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards on February 8, 2015. She confirmed her appearance at the ceremony, by uploading an image of the Grammy trophy wrapped with black strings like the Internet memes for the cover art of Rebel Heart. The singer was dressed in a one-piece outfit in matador red, surrounded by male dancers as Minotaurs similar to the song's music video. It was developed by designer Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy and styled by Akerlund. The performance was described as a "beautiful story for why the matadors fight the bulls and that also reflects life". After being introduced by singers Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj, the performance began with images of Madonna on a kabuki screen talking about starting a revolution. She emerged from the screen and started singing, surrounded by the dancers. Near the end, the singer encouraged the audience to sing-along with her, finally being pulled atop the stage on a wire. Dina Gachman from Forbes reported that Madonna's performance was the most-watched moment of the night. Brittany Spanos from Rolling Stone described it as "the legendary singer was out for blood with her first live performance [of the song]". Shauna Murphy from MTV News observed Illuminati symbolism with the performance, including rituals, organized religion homage and a metaphor for death. MuuMuse's Bradley Stern listed it as the best performance of the Grammys, saying that "this is how a major pop performance should really look". Her effort to sing live without Auto-Tune during the choreographed performance was also heavily praised.
Madonna also performed the song at the 2015 Brit Awards, on February 25. However, in the early stages of the performance, a wardrobe malfunction caused her to be pulled down a flight of stairs that made up part of the stage. It was later revealed that since her cape was tied tightly, when her dancers attempted to remove it from her neck, she fell down to the floor. However Madonna then continued the performance as planned. She later took to Instagram to confirm that she was well, posting "Thanks for the good wishes! I'm fine". Richard Smirke from Billboard praised the performance and Madonna's recovery, saying that "[the singer] didn't let the fall affect her performance and quickly recovered to deliver a slickly choreographed routine that mirrored the matador theme of her recent Grammy Awards performance." Madonna explained on The Jonathan Ross Show that she was told to start walking towards the stage further than originally planned. Hence her team thought that the cape could have slid off and tied it tightly round her neck. The singer had two choices when the cape did not come undone, "I could either be strangled or fall, and I chose to fall". Madonna endured a whiplash and added that she "smacked the back of my head. And I had a man standing over me with a flashlight until about 3 am to make sure I was compos mentis". The singer jokingly added that she would not use any cape for further performances and attributed her prompt recovery to having good core strength and her daily exercise routine. The accident led to an increase in viewership of the awards show. According to the British Phonographic Industry, the event resulted a 95% increase in Twitter activity about the show compared with the previous year, with an exchange of 7.8 million tweets, while 6.8 million viewers tuned in to watch the performance. The singer's fall was voted the most shocking "Celebrity Moment of 2015" by UK's Channel 5.
On February 26, 2015, Madonna appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show in the United Kingdom, which aired on March 14. She performed an edited version of "Living for Love" wearing a black matador dress. On March 2, Madonna appeared on France's Le Grand Journal show, where an edited version of "Living for Love" was also performed. Lionel Nicaise from MCM observed that Madonna did not wear any cape during the performance. Writing for Idolator, Bradley Stern noted that the performance used an "energetic remix" of the song, with MNEK's vocals in the background. There was also voguing and during one segment Madonna climbed atop a piano to sing the song. Two weeks later, similar performance aired on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the US, where she was joined by DeGeneres onstage at the end of the performance. Madonna added the song on the third section of the set list of her 2015–16 Rebel Heart Tour. The singer had enlisted a Spanish tailoring company from Zaragoza for creating two bullfighter traje de luces costume, along with a cape and matador related costumes for her backing dancers. Set to a remix of the song, the performance had the same choreography as that of the Brit Awards. Jordan Zivitz of Montreal Gazette said that the performance was one of "the evening's minor victories" calling it a "sulphur-scented campiness", although he saw a smooth transition from "Living for Love" to the next section of the tour. The performance of the song at the March 19–20, 2016 shows in Sydney's Allphones Arena was recorded and released in Madonna's fifth live album, Rebel Heart Tour.
## Track listings and formats
\*; CD single
1. "Living for Love" – 3:38
2. "Living for Love" (Offer Nissim Living for Drama Mix) – 6:34
\*; Digital download
1. "Living for Love" – 3:38
\*; Digital download (Remixes)
1. "Living for Love" (Djemba Djemba Club Mix) – 5:47
2. "Living for Love" (Erick Morillo Club Mix) – 6:12
3. "Living for Love" (Thrill Remix) – 5:11
4. "Living for Love" (Offer Nissim Living for Drama Mix) – 6:33
5. "Living for Love" (Offer Nissim Dub) – 7:15
6. "Living for Love" (DJ Paulo Club Mix) – 8:14
7. "Living for Love" (Mike Rizzo's Funk Generation Club) – 7:02
8. "Living for Love" (Dirty Pop Remix) – 4:58
\*; CD maxi single
1. "Living for Love" – 3:38
2. "Living for Love" (Mike Rizzo's Funk Generation Club) – 7:02
3. "Living for Love" (Offer Nissim Living for Drama Mix) – 6:33
4. "Living for Love" (Djemba Djemba Club Mix) – 5:47
\*; Digital download (The Remixes 1)
1. "Living for Love" (Mike Rizzo's Funk Generation Club) – 7:03
2. "Living for Love" (Djemba Djemba Club Mix) – 5:47
3. "Living for Love" (Erick Morillo Club Mix) – 6:12
4. "Living for Love" (DJ Paulo Club Mix) – 8:15
\*; Digital download (The Remixes 2)
1. "Living for Love" (Thrill Remix) – 5:10
2. "Living for Love" (Dirty Pop Remix) – 4:59
3. "Living for Love" (Offer Nissim Living for Drama Mix) – 6:30
4. "Living for Love" (Offer Nissim Dub) – 7:12
## Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Madonna's official website.
### Management
- MNEK appears courtesy of Virgin EMI Records, a division of Universal Music Operations.
- Alicia Keys appears courtesy of RCA Records.
- Webo Girl Publishing, Inc. (ASCAP) / Songs Music Publishing, LLC, "I Like Turtles" Music and Songs of SMP (ASCAP) / EMI April Music, Inc., MoZella Mo Music (ASCAP) / Atlas Music Publishing and Gadfly Songs (ASCAP) / Lion of God Publishing Co. (ASCAP), Kobalt Songs Music Publishing
### Personnel
- Madonna – vocals, songwriter, producer
- Diplo – songwriter, producer
- Ariel Rechtshaid – songwriter, producer
- Toby Gad – songwriter, musician
- Maureen McDonald – songwriter
- Alicia Keys – piano
- London Community Gospel Choir – background vocals
- Ann Mincieli – additional recording
- MNEK – background vocals
- Demacio "Demo" Castellon – engineer, mixer
- Nick Rowe – engineer
- Santell – background vocals
- Angie Teo – additional recording, additional mixing
## Charts
### Weekly charts
### Year-end charts
## Certification and sales
## Release history
## See also
- Artists with the most number-ones on the U.S. dance chart
- List of number-one dance singles of 2015 (U.S.)
- List of Madonna records and achievements
|
11,461,544 |
USS Curlew (1862)
| 1,167,738,721 |
Gunboat of the United States Navy
|
[
"1862 ships",
"American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States",
"Gunboats of the United States Navy",
"Ships built in Pennsylvania",
"Ships of the Union Navy",
"Steamships of the United States Navy"
] |
USS Curlew was a Union Navy stern-wheel steamer that saw service during the American Civil War. Built in 1862 in Pennsylvania as a civilian vessel, she was purchased by the Union Navy on December 17, 1862. Converted into a tinclad gunboat, she saw service from 1863 to 1865, often serving on the Mississippi River, the Ohio River, and the Tennessee River. In May 1863, she was involved in a minor action against Confederate forces on the Mississippi River off of the shore of Arkansas. July saw Curlew take part in an expedition up the Red River of the South, the Tensas River, the Black River, and the Ouachita River that captured two steamers and destroyed two more and a sawmill. On May 24, 1864, she dueled with Pratt's Texas Battery while on the Mississippi River, and on November 4 of that same year, was near the action of the Battle of Johnsonville but was unable to join the fighting. Decommissioned on June 5, 1865, she was sold in mid-August and her further career is unknown.
## Construction and characteristics
In 1862, the stern-wheel steamer Florence was constructed at either Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania or Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. She had a tonnage of 196 tons, a length of 159 feet (48 m), a beam of 32 feet 1 inch (9.78 m), and a draft of 4 feet (1.2 m). Her two engines and two boilers allowed her to move at a speed of 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph). On December 17, she was purchased by the Union Navy for military service in the American Civil War, at a cost of \$21,500 while the vessel was at Cincinnati, Ohio. She was converted into a gunboat and renamed Curlew, after a type of bird. Curlew was commissioned on February 16, 1863, with acting Master G. Hentig in command. She was initially armed with eight 24-pounder howitzers, but according to naval historian Paul Silverstone, was instead armed with six 32-pounders and one rifled 20-pounder at a later point during her service history. Curlew became a tinclad, a variant of the ironclad warship with only light metal armor, and was assigned the identification number 12, to be painted on her pilothouse.
## Service history
On February 17, 1863, Curlew left Cairo, Illinois, to join the fleet of Admiral David Dixon Porter. She served on patrol duty on the Mississippi River, and in May was reported to be serving on the White River, where she captured four Confederate soldiers. On May 29, Curlew was reported to be under the command of acting Ensign R. A. Turner, as Hentig had been arrested earlier that month. On June 2, she took part in a minor action against Confederate forces on the shore of Arkansas in a Union Army-Navy joint expedition, raiding what was believed to be the position of Confederate troops that had earlier fired on a Union transport. Over the course of a little over a week in mid-July, she was part of a multi-vessel expedition led by Lieutenant Commander Thomas O. Selfridge Jr. that moved into the Red River of the South, Black River, Tensas River, and Ouachita River. The Union ships captured two steamers (one in a tributary of the Black River and the other in the Tensas), destroyed two others, and also destroyed a sawmill, a quantity of lumber, and Confederate supplies. Turner was killed by a provost marshal in August and was replaced by acting Ensign H. B. O'Neill.
From December 23 through January 14, 1864, Curlew saw service on the Ohio River and the Tennessee River, before going to Mound City, Illinois, to be repaired. Leaving Mound City on March 12, she took members of the United States Coast Survey to Grand Gulf, Mississippi. On May 24, Curlew was engaged in an action with Pratt's Texas Battery on the Mississippi River off the coast of Arkansas. The Confederate artillerymen and the Union gunboat dueled for about 20 to 35 minutes, with Curlew taking several hits and firing 28 shots. Curlew signaled with her ship's whistle for the nearby timberclad USS Tyler to come to her aid, but the Confederate artillery left before Tyler arrived. No sailors on Curlew were injured during the fighting.
On May 31, Curlew returned to Mound City before again going on the Mississippi on June 30. Patrolling between Natchez, Mississippi, and Vicksburg, Mississippi, she sometimes skirmished with Confederate land forces. She then moved upriver on October 24 to again serve on the Ohio and the Tennessee. On November 4, Curlew was part of a group of six steamers that came to the aid of the gunboats USS Key West, USS Tawah, and USS Elfin who were heavily engaged with Confederate artillery on shore during the Battle of Johnsonville. The narrowness of the Tennessee River at that location and Confederate shore fire prevented Curlew and the other five would-be relief ships from rescuing Key West, Tawah, and Elfin, and the latter three were destroyed. From February 1865 to mid-June of that year, Curlew was tasked with making surveys of the river near Cairo and Mound City. A military return dated March 1 indicated that Curlew was assigned to the Ninth District of the Mississippi River Squadron, was armed with eight cannons, and was commanded by acting Master M. Hickey, while another dated April 1 listed her as being assigned to special duty, still under the command of Hickey. She was decommissioned on July 5 and sold at an auction on August 17 for \$7,600. Her further career is unknown.
|
24,423,243 |
Brian's Got a Brand New Bag
| 1,169,195,075 | null |
[
"2009 American television episodes",
"Family Guy (season 8) episodes",
"Television episodes directed by Pete Michels"
] |
"Brian's Got a Brand New Bag" is the fourth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It premiered on Fox in the United States on November 8, 2009. The episode follows anthropomorphic dog Brian as he dates a middle-aged woman named Rita whose daughter has stood Brian up. He becomes reluctant to continue their relationship after discovering her numerous health concerns; also, his family continually harasses him. The episode premiered during an "all–Seth MacFarlane" schedule, preceding the live-action episode Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show.
The episode was written by series regular Tom Devanney and directed by Pete Michels. It received very mixed reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings, it was viewed in 7.38 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Hart Bochner, James Burkholder, Aimee Garcia, Paul Gleason, Jack Samson, Stacey Scowley, Debra Skelton, Reginald VelJohnson, Nana Visitor, Tico Wells, Mae Whitman, and Bruce Willis, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. "Brian's Got a Brand New Bag" was released on DVD along with seven other episodes from the season on June 15, 2010. The episode is dedicated to Patrick Swayze.
## Plot
During a DVD sale at a closing video store, Peter decides to buy Road House and, after watching it, decides to start roundhouse kicking everything in sight including his family. While driving with Brian and using his feet on the steering wheel, Peter crashes into a young woman's car and Brian rushes to make sure she's all right. The woman apologizes to Brian and he asks her out. She accepts, but when he comes to her house to pick her up, her mother Rita says she has just left with somebody else. Brian keeps talking to Rita and finds himself attracted to her. After dating for several weeks, they sneak into the Griffin home late one night, but the family finds out the next morning and ridicules Rita behind her back. Brian attempts to convince the family that Rita is a wonderful, charming woman despite the fact that she is significantly older than he is, and invites her to dinner to prove his point. It does not go well: they demand that she reveal her age, and she breaks down and admits that she is 50. Infuriated with the Griffins, Brian goes to console Rita, and proposes to her. Feeling guilty for how they treated him, the Griffins give Brian their blessings.
Rita breaks her hip while she and Brian are having sex. Peter warns Brian that their relationship will not last much longer now that he must run errands for her. Brian goes out to pick up medicine for bedridden Rita, but is distracted by the sight of a group of young women entering a bar. One of them offers to have sex with Brian in the bathroom, after which he returns with her medicine. Realizing that he still loves Rita, he admits his infidelity. However, Rita decides he is far too young for her and breaks off their engagement, which a regretful Brian understands that it is for the best.
## Production and development
The episode was directed by former Simpsons artist Pete Michels, and written by Tom Devanney, shortly after the conclusion of the seventh production season. Both are series regulars for the show, who joined in its third and fourth seasons, respectively. Prior to providing minor voice-over roles for the series, actress Nana Visitor portrays the episode's featured character, Rita. Series regulars Peter Shin and James Purdum served as supervising directors, with series creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane and David Zuckerman serving as staff writers for the episode.
"Brian's Got a Brand New Bag", along with the seven other episodes from Family Guy's eighth season, were released on a three-disc DVD set in the United States on June 15, 2010. The sets included brief audio commentaries by Seth MacFarlane and various crew and cast members for several episodes, a collection of deleted scenes, a special mini-feature which discussed the process behind animating "Road to the Multiverse", and mini-feature entitled Family Guy Karaoke.
In addition to Visitor and the regular cast, actor Hart Bochner, James Burkholder, actress Aimee Garcia, Paul Gleason, Jack Samson, actress Stacey Scowley, Debra Skelton, Reginald VelJohnson, actor Tico Wells, actress Mae Whitman, and actor Bruce Willis guest-starred in the episode in both voice and live-action appearances. Recurring guest voice actors Alexandra Breckenridge, writer Steve Callaghan, voice actor Ralph Garman, writer Danny Smith, writer Alec Sulkin, and writer John Viener also made minor appearances. Recurring guest cast members Adam West and Patrick Warburton also made appearances in the episode.
## Cultural references
The title is a reference to the James Brown song "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag." Peter buys the film Road House starring Patrick Swayze. While at the movie store's going out of business sale – where Mayor West buys The Garbage Pail Kids Movie – Peter refuses to take the Robin Williams' film What Dreams May Come, even though it's free, causing the DVD to wistfully sing the song "Maybe" from Annie, alongside DVD copies of Harlem Nights, Enemy Mine, Mad Dog and Glory, and Deconstructing Harry. Meanwhile, Brian buys Dan in Real Life, which Stewie mocks. In another scene, Joe is dragged away by shadowy figures, a reference to a second Patrick Swayze film, Ghost.
One cutaway gag features Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown romantically bonding over their shared love for crack cocaine. Another cutaway gag features Peter in the famed Peanuts bit in which Lucy pulls the football away from Charlie Brown, with Peter attacking her until she cries and promises to never pull the same stunt. Brian brags over his previous work as an actor, which he proves by showing a scene from Die Hard in which the animated Brian is inserted into the live action next to Reginald VelJohnson and Paul Gleason. When Rita is introduced to the Griffins, Peter jokes about her age by asking if anyone has made any "Jessica Tandy jokes" yet. Charlotte Rae from Facts of Life later appears in the Griffins' living room to say, "Whaaaaat?" Peter flips through Playboy's "Women of the Olympics" issue, which Peter finds full of unattractive, manly women.
## Reception
In a significant decline from the previous week's show, and despite being heavily promoted as an "all-Seth MacFarlane" night, the episode received a Nielsen Rating of 4.3/7 in the 18–49 demographic, and was viewed in 7.38 million homes.
The episode received mostly mixed reviews from critics. Ahsan Haque of IGN gave it a 6.5/10, saying that the "episode felt very formulaic and a bit of a wasted opportunity" Emily VanDerWerff from The A.V. Club gave it a B, saying, "it's weird to see a Family Guy episode that has something approaching an actual story and even the cutaway gags were more muted than usual." In a subsequent review of Family Guy's eighth season, Ramsey Isler of IGN listed "Brian's Got a Brand New Bag" as "remarkably unfunny, with lazy and unoriginal writing."
|
28,672 |
Oswald of Northumbria
| 1,169,020,211 |
King of Northumbria from 634 to 641/42; Christian saint
|
[
"604 births",
"640s deaths",
"7th-century Christian martyrs",
"7th-century English monarchs",
"Anglican saints",
"Anglo-Saxon warriors",
"Anglo-Saxons killed in battle",
"Burials at St Oswald's Priory, Gloucester",
"Christian royal saints",
"Converts to Christianity from pagan religions",
"Idings",
"Monarchs killed in action",
"Northumbrian folklore",
"Northumbrian monarchs",
"Northumbrian saints",
"Roman Catholic royal saints",
"Royal House of Northumbria"
] |
Oswald (; c 604 – 5 August 641/642) was King of Northumbria from 634 until his death, and is venerated as a saint, of whom there was a particular cult in the Middle Ages.
Oswald was the son of Æthelfrith of Bernicia and came to rule after spending a period in exile. After defeating the Welsh ruler Cadwallon ap Cadfan, Oswald brought the two Northumbrian kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira once again under a single ruler, and promoted the spread of Christianity in Northumbria. He was given a strongly positive assessment by the historian Bede, writing a little less than a century after Oswald's death, who regarded Oswald as a saintly king; it is also Bede who is the main source for present-day historical knowledge of Oswald. After eight years of rule, in which he was the most powerful ruler in Britain, Oswald was killed in the Battle of Maserfield while fighting the forces of Penda of Mercia, who then himself was defeated by Oswald's brother Oswiu.
## Background, youth, and exile
Oswald's father Æthelfrith was a successful Bernician ruler who, after some years in power in Bernicia, also became king of Deira, and thus was the first to rule both of the kingdoms which would come to be considered the constituent kingdoms of Northumbria. It would, however, be anachronistic to refer to a "Northumbrian" people or identity at this early stage, when the Bernicians and the Deirans were still clearly distinct peoples. Oswald's mother, Acha of Deira, was a member of the Deiran royal line whom Æthelfrith apparently married as part of his acquisition of Deira or consolidation of power there. Oswald was apparently born in or around the year 604, since Bede says that he was killed at the age of 38 in 642; Æthelfrith's acquisition of Deira is also believed to have occurred around 604.
Æthelfrith, who was for years a successful war-leader, especially against the native British, was eventually killed in the battle of the River Idle around 616 by Raedwald of East Anglia. This defeat meant that an exiled member of the Deiran royal line, Edwin (Acha's brother), became king of Northumbria, and Oswald and his brothers fled to the north. Oswald thus spent the remainder of his youth in the Scottish kingdom of Dál Riata in northern Britain, where he was converted to Christianity. He may also have fought in Ireland during this period of exile. It has been considered that Oswald is one of the three Saxon princes mentioned in the Irish poem Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, being named as 'Osalt' in that work.
## Victory over Cadwallon
After Cadwallon ap Cadfan, the king of Gwynedd, in alliance with the pagan Penda of Mercia, killed Edwin of Deira in battle at Hatfield Chase in 633 (or 632, depending on when the years used by Bede are considered to have begun), Northumbria was split into its constituent kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira. Oswald's brother Eanfrith became king of Bernicia, but he was killed by Cadwallon in 634 (or 633) after attempting to negotiate peace. Subsequently, Oswald, at the head of a small army (possibly with the aid of allies from the north, the Scots and/or the Picts), met Cadwallon in battle at Heavenfield, near Hexham. Before the battle, tradition says Oswald had a wooden cross erected; he knelt down, holding the cross in position until enough earth had been thrown in the hole to make it stand firm. He then prayed and asked his army to join in.
Adomnán in his Life of Saint Columba offers a longer account, which Abbot Ségéne had heard from Oswald himself. Oswald, he says, had a vision of Columba the night before the battle, in which he was told
> Be strong and act manfully. Behold, I will be with thee. This coming night go out from your camp into battle, for the Lord has granted me that at this time your foes shall be put to flight and Cadwallon your enemy shall be delivered into your hands and you shall return victorious after battle and reign happily.
Oswald described his vision to his council and all agreed that they would be baptised and accept Christianity after the battle. In the battle that followed, the Welsh (Brytons) were routed despite their superior numbers; Cadwallon himself was killed.
## Overlordship
Following the victory at Heavenfield, Oswald reunited Northumbria and re-established the Bernician supremacy which had been interrupted by Edwin. Bede says that Oswald held imperium for the eight years of his rule (both Bede and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle say that Oswald's reign was actually considered to be nine years, the ninth year being accounted for by assigning to Oswald the year preceding his rule, "on account of the heathenism practised by those who had ruled that one year between him and Edwin"), and was the most powerful king in Britain. In the 9th-century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle he is referred to as a Bretwalda. Adomnán describes Oswald as "ordained by God as Emperor of all Britain".
Oswald seems to have been widely recognized as overlord, although the extent of his authority is uncertain. Bede makes the claim that Oswald "brought under his dominion all the nations and provinces of Britain", which, as Bede notes, was divided by language among the English, Britons, Scots, and Picts; however, he seems to undermine his own claim when he mentions at another point in his history that it was Oswald's brother Oswiu who made tributary the Picts and Scots. An Irish source, the Annals of Tigernach, records that the Anglo-Saxons banded together against Oswald early in his reign; this may indicate an attempt to put an end to Oswald's overlordship south of the Humber, which presumably failed.
The Mercians, who participated in Edwin's defeat in 633, seem to have presented an obstacle to Oswald's authority south of the Humber, although it has been generally thought that Oswald dominated Mercia to some degree after Heavenfield. It may have been to appease Oswald that Penda had Eadfrith, a captured son of Edwin (and thus a dynastic rival of Oswald), killed, although it is also possible that Penda had his own motives for the killing.
Oswald apparently controlled the Kingdom of Lindsey, given the evidence of a story told by Bede regarding the moving of Oswald's bones to a monastery there; Bede says that the monks rejected the bones initially because Oswald had ruled over them as a foreign king. To the north, it may have been Oswald who conquered the Gododdin. Irish annals record the siege of Edinburgh, thought to have been the royal stronghold of the Gododdin, in 638, and this seems to mark the end of the kingdom; that this siege was undertaken by Oswald is suggested by the apparent control of the area by his brother Oswiu in the 650s.
Oswald seems to have been on good terms with the West Saxons: he stood as sponsor to the baptism of their king, Cynegils, and married Cynegils' daughter. Her name is reported by only one source, Reginald of Durham's 12th century Vita S. Oswaldi, which says that it was Kyneburga. Although Oswald had one known son, Æthelwald, it is uncertain whether this was a son from his marriage to Cynegils' daughter or from an earlier relationship—since Æthelwald began ruling in Deira in 651, it has been argued that a son from this marriage would have been too young at the time to be trusted with this position, and therefore may have been older, the product of a relationship Oswald had during his exile.
## Christianity
Although Edwin had previously converted to Christianity in 627, it was Oswald who did the most to spread the religion in Northumbria. Shortly after becoming king, he asked the Irish of Dál Riata to send a bishop to facilitate the conversion of his people. The Irish at first sent an "austere" bishop who was unsuccessful in his mission, and subsequently sent Aidan, who proposed a gentler approach. Oswald gave the island of Lindisfarne to Aidan as his episcopal see. Aidan achieved great success in spreading the Christian faith. Bede mentions that Oswald acted as Aidan's interpreter when the latter was preaching, since Aidan did not know English well and Oswald had learned Irish during his exile.
Although Oswald could be interpreted as a martyr for his death in battle, Bede puts a clear emphasis on Oswald being saintly as a king. Bede does not focus on his martyrdom as being primary to his sainthood—indeed, it has been noted that Bede never uses the word "martyr" in reference to Oswald. Bede's portrayal of Oswald stands out as unusual as a king regarded as saintly for his life while ruling, in contrast to a king who gives up the kingship in favour of religious life, or who is venerated because of the manner of his death. Bede recounts Oswald's generosity to the poor and to strangers, and tells a story highlighting this characteristic: on one occasion, at Easter, Oswald was sitting at dinner with Aidan, and had "a silver dish full of dainties before him", when a servant, whom Oswald "had appointed to relieve the poor", came in and told Oswald that a crowd of the poor were in the streets begging alms from the king. Oswald, according to Bede, then immediately had his food given to the poor and even had the dish broken up and distributed. Aidan was greatly impressed and seized Oswald's right hand, stating: "May this hand never perish." Accordingly, Bede reports that the hand and arm remained uncorrupted after Oswald's death.
## Downfall
It was a conflict with the pagan Mercians under Penda that proved to be Oswald's undoing. He was killed in 642, by the Mercians at the Battle of Maserfield, in Oswestry (although other candidates for the location of the battle have been suggested) and his body was dismembered. Bede mentions the story that Oswald "ended his life in prayer": he prayed for the souls of his soldiers when he saw that he was about to die. Oswald's head and limbs were placed on stakes.
The traditional identification of the battle site with Oswestry, probably in the territory of Powys at the time, suggests that Penda may have had British allies in this battle, and this is also suggested by surviving Welsh poetry which has been thought to indicate the participation of the men of Powys in the battle. It has also been considered that, if the traditional identification of the site as Oswestry is correct, Oswald was on the offensive, in the territory of his enemies. This could conflict with Bede's saintly portrayal of Oswald, since an aggressive war could hardly qualify as a just war, perhaps explaining why Bede is silent on the cause of the war—he says only that Oswald died "fighting for his fatherland"—as well as his failure to mention other offensive warfare Oswald is presumed to have engaged in between Heavenfield and Maserfield. Oswald may have had an ally in Penda's brother Eowa, who was also killed in the battle, according to the Historia Britonnum and Annales Cambriae; while the source only mentions that Eowa was killed, not the side on which he fought, it has been speculated that Eowa was subject to Oswald and fighting alongside him in the battle, in opposition to Penda.
## Veneration and legacy
Oswald soon came to be regarded as a saint. Bede says that the spot where he died came to be associated with miracles, and people took dirt from the site, which led to a hole being dug as deep as a man's height. Reginald of Durham recounts another miracle, saying that his right arm was taken by a bird (perhaps a raven) to an ash tree, which gave the tree ageless vigour; when the bird dropped the arm onto the ground, a spring emerged from the ground. Both the tree and the spring were, according to Reginald, subsequently associated with healing miracles. Aspects of the legend have been considered to have pagan overtones or influences—this may represent a fusion of his status as a traditional Germanic warrior-king with Christianity. The name of the site, Oswestry, or "Oswald's Tree", is generally thought to be derived from Oswald's death there and the legends surrounding it. His feast day is 5 August. The cult surrounding him even gained prominence in parts of continental Europe; cf. Ožbalt in Slovenia.
Bede mentions that Oswald's brother Oswiu, who succeeded Oswald in Bernicia, retrieved Oswald's remains in the year after his death. In writing of one miracle associated with Oswald, Bede gives some indication of how Oswald was regarded in conquered lands: years later, when his niece Osthryth moved his bones to Bardney Abbey in Lindsey, its inmates initially refused to accept them, "though they knew him to be a holy man", because "he was originally of another province, and had reigned over them as a foreign king", and thus "they retained their ancient aversion to him, even after death". It was only after Oswald's bones were the focus of an awe-inspiring miracle—in which, during the night, a pillar of light appeared over the wagon in which the bones were being carried and shone up into the sky—that they were accepted into the monastery: "in the morning, the brethren who had refused it the day before, began themselves earnestly to pray that those holy relics, so beloved by God, might be deposited among them".
In the early 10th century, Bardney was in Viking territory, and in 909, following a combined West Saxon and Mercian raid led by Æthelflæd, daughter of Alfred the Great, St Oswald's relics were translated to a new minster in Gloucester, which was renamed St Oswald's Priory in his honour. Æthelflæd, and her husband Æthelred, ealdorman of Mercia, were buried in the priory, and their nephew, King Æthelstan, was a major patron of Oswald's cult.
Oswald's head was interred in Durham Cathedral together with the remains of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (a saint with whom Oswald became posthumously associated, although the two were not associated in life; Cuthbert became bishop of Lindisfarne more than forty years after Oswald's death) and other valuables in a quickly made coffin, where it is generally believed to remain, although there are at least four other claimed heads of Oswald in continental Europe. One of his arms is said to have ended up in Peterborough Abbey later in the Middle Ages. The story is that a small group of monks from Peterborough made their way to Bamburgh where Oswald's uncorrupted arm was kept and stole it under the cover of darkness. They returned with it to Peterborough and in due time a chapel was created for the arm—Oswald's Chapel. Minus the arm, this can be seen to this day in the south transept of the cathedral. When creating this chapel the monks of Peterborough had thought of how they had acquired it and built into the chapel a narrow tower—just big enough for a monk to climb to the top by an internal stair and stand guard over Oswald's arm 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The monk had to stand because the tower is not large enough for him to sit—sitting could lull him to sleep—and they knew what could happen when no-one was watching.
Several churches bear the name of St Oswald, including The Church of Saint Oswald on the location of the wooden cross left by Oswald at Heavenfield, the night before the battle. This was rebuilt in 1717. The site is visible from the B6318 Military Road. St Oswald's Grasmere is purportedly on one of the sites he preached on, on a bank of the River Rothay. William Wordsworth's grave is located in the cemetery here. St Oswald's Church, Compton Abdale in Gloucestershire was dedicated to St Oswald following Æthelflæd's foundation of St Oswald's Priory in 909. St Oswald's Catholic Church lies to the north of Peterborough City Centre.
Some English place names record his reign, for example it has been claimed that Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire—meaning the twistle of Oswald—is linked to the saint, although it's more likely to be the name of the owner of the land. Kirkoswald in Cumbria is so named because it is believed that his body was taken there after his death. The local church is ascribed to him. Another Kirkoswald in Scotland also commemorates him.
Oswald is remembered in the Church of England with a Lesser Festival on 5 August.
|
43,223,809 |
Fountain for Company H
| 1,147,676,915 |
1914 fountain and war memorial in Portland, Oregon
|
[
"1914 establishments in Oregon",
"1914 sculptures",
"Bronze sculptures in Oregon",
"Drinking fountains in Oregon",
"Fountains in Portland, Oregon",
"Limestone sculptures in Oregon",
"Monuments and memorials in Portland, Oregon",
"Outdoor sculptures in Portland, Oregon",
"Plaza Blocks",
"Spanish–American War memorials in the United States",
"Vandalized works of art in Oregon"
] |
Fountain for Company H, also known as Second Oregon Company Volunteers, is a 1914 fountain and war memorial designed by John H. Beaver, installed in Portland, Oregon's Plaza Blocks, in the United States. Dedicated to the men of Company H of the 2nd Oregon Volunteer Infantry Regiment killed in service during the Spanish–American War, the limestone and bronze memorial was installed in Lownsdale Square in 1914. It is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council. The memorial has been included in published walking tours of Portland.
## Description
The limestone and bronze memorial is installed on the west side of Lownsdale Square, facing the Multnomah County Courthouse along Southwest 4th Avenue between Main and Salmon Streets, in Downtown Portland's Plaza Blocks. It features a drinking fountain within a clamshell-shaped canopy and measures approximately 89 x 63 x 31 in. The memorial commemorates the men of Company H of the 2nd Oregon Volunteer Infantry Regiment killed in the Philippines during the Spanish–American War. An inscription on the west side reads:
## History
### Design selection and unveiling
The memorial was gifted by an auxiliary group of women relatives (mostly mothers) of the men in Company H, who held meetings to organize the effort and raise funds. To select a design, a city competition was announced in January 1914, with \$450 appropriated for a fountain "to be executed in bronze and stone"; contestants were required to submit "front and side elevations, section and plan" using "simple monotone wash renderings or pen and ink". On February 13, an auxiliary meeting was held for "all present members and all women who joined at the time of the close of the war or since that time... whether they are members now or not", so final arrangements could be made. Beaver's design was chosen by a committee under city commissioner William L. Brewster on February 17, earning the artist a \$50 prize.
The fountain was erected by August 30, and unveiled on September 2. Henrietta White, great-granddaughter of the auxiliary's first president Diana McDonell, unveiled the fountain by removing a flag presented to the company by girls from Portland High School. The program included: a speech by Colonel Charles E. McDonell, a captain in the company who served as chairman of the ceremony and described the history and activities of the auxiliary; a poem written by auxiliary member June McMillan Ordway and read by Josephine Burns Hoben; the drum corps of the Sons of Spanish–American War Veterans; and an opening prayer and closing benediction by Reverend C. E. Cline. Brewster accepted the memorial on behalf of mayor H. Russell Albee and the city, and the program ended with the singing of "America".
### Subsequent maintenance
The fountain was surveyed by the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in 1993.
During Occupy Portland (2011), the fountain was screened off and displayed a sign reading "Please respect this fragile monument". Keith Lachowicz, the Regional Arts & Culture Council's art collections manager, assessed the memorial's condition multiple times during the demonstration, along with the nearby monuments Thompson Elk Fountain (1900), Spanish–American War Soldier's Monument (1906), and The Promised Land (1993). He said the war memorials sustained graffiti, which was removed by veterans within the group of occupiers, and confirmed all the public artworks on the site had received no major damage, as of late November. The screen had to be replaced by the city once after being removed. Lachowicz said of the protesters: "We had some very interesting philosophical debates about war monuments, but they ended up being pretty respectful."
The memorial is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.
## See also
- 1914 in art
- List of Spanish–American War monuments and memorials
- Spanish–American War Veterans Memorial, River View Cemetery
|
3,044,607 |
Wet market
| 1,173,873,640 |
Market selling perishable goods, including meat, produce, and food animals
|
[
"Animal trade",
"Food markets",
"Retail markets",
"Wholesale markets"
] |
A wet market (also called a public market or a traditional market) is a marketplace selling fresh foods such as meat, fish, produce and other consumption-oriented perishable goods in a non-supermarket setting, as distinguished from "dry markets" that sell durable goods such as fabrics, kitchenwares and electronics. These include a wide variety of markets, such as farmers' markets, fish markets, and wildlife markets. Not all wet markets sell live animals, but the term wet market is sometimes used to signify a live animal market in which vendors slaughter animals upon customer purchase, such as is done with poultry in Hong Kong. Wet markets are common in many parts of the world, notably in China, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. They often play critical roles in urban food security due to factors of pricing, freshness of food, social interaction, and local cultures.
Most wet markets do not trade in wild or exotic animals, but some that do have been linked to outbreaks of zoonotic diseases including COVID-19, H5N1 avian flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and monkeypox. Several countries have banned wet markets from holding wildlife. Media reports that fail to distinguish between all wet markets and those with live animals or wildlife, as well as insinuations of fostering wildlife smuggling, have been blamed for fueling Sinophobia related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
## Background
### Terminology
The term "wet market" came into common use in Singapore in the early 1970s when the government used it to distinguish such traditional markets from the supermarkets that had become popular there. The term was added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in 2016, as a term used throughout Southeast Asia. The OED's earliest cited use of the term is from The Straits Times of Singapore in 1978.
The "wet" in "wet market" refers to the constantly wet floors due to the melting of ice used to keep food from spoiling, the washing of meat and seafood stalls and the spraying of fresh produce that are common in wet markets.
The term "public market" may be synonymous with "wet market", although it may sometimes refer exclusively to state-owned and community-owned wet markets. Wet markets may also be called "fresh food markets" and "good food markets" when referring to markets consisting of numerous competing vendors primarily selling fresh produce like fruits and vegetables. The term "wet market" is frequently used to signify a live animal market that sells directly to consumers, although the terms are not synonymous.
Although the term "wet market" may refer to markets that sell wild animals and wildlife products, it is not synonymous with the term "wildlife market" which exclusively refers to markets that contain wildlife products.
### Types
The term "wet market", which specifies markets that sell fresh produce and meat, includes a broad variety of markets. Wet markets can be categorized according to their ownership structure (privately owned, state-owned, or community-owned), scale (wholesale or retail), and produce (fruits, vegetables, slaughtered meat, or live animals). They can be further subcategorized based on whether the meat inventory originates from domesticated or wild animals.
Traditional wet markets are typically housed in temporary sheds, open-air sites, or partially open commercial complexes, while modern wet markets are housed in buildings often equipped with improved ventilation, freezing, and refrigeration facilities.
## Economic role
Wet markets are less dependent on imported goods than supermarkets due to their smaller volumes and lesser emphasis on consistency. Wet markets have been described in a 2019 food security study as "critical for ensuring urban food security", particularly in Chinese cities. The roles of wet markets in supporting urban food security include food pricing and physical accessibility.
Academic papers in urban studies, studies on food distribution, and the Singapore National Environment Agency have noted lower prices, greater freshness of food, and the facilitation of both bargaining and social interaction as key reasons for the persistence of wet markets. The persistence of wet markets has also been attributed to "culinary traditions that call for freshly slaughtered meat and fish as opposed to frozen meats".
In developing countries with agriculture-based economies, fresh meat is mainly distributed through traditional wet markets or meat stalls. Wet markets selling fresh meat are often attached to, or located near, slaughter facilities.
## Wildlife markets and zoonoses
If sanitation standards are not maintained, wet markets can spread disease. Those that carry live animals and wildlife are at especially high risk of transmitting zoonoses. Because of the openness, newly introduced animals may come in direct contact with sales clerks, butchers, and customers or to other animals which they would never interact with in the wild. This may allow for some animals to act as intermediate hosts, helping a disease spread to humans.
Outbreaks of zoonotic diseases including COVID-19, H5N1 avian flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and monkeypox have been traced to live wildlife markets where the potential for zoonotic transmission is greatly increased. Wildlife markets in China have been implicated in the 2002 SARS outbreak; it is thought that the market environment provided optimal conditions for the coronaviruses of zoonotic origin that caused both outbreaks to mutate and subsequently spread to humans. The exact origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to be confirmed as of February 2021 and was originally linked to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China due to reports that two-thirds of the initial cases had direct exposure to the market, although a 2021 WHO investigation concluded that the Huanan market was unlikely to be the origin due to the existence of earlier cases.
Due to unhygienic sanitation standards and the connection to the spread of zoonoses and pandemics, critics have grouped live animal markets together with factory farming as major health hazards in China and across the world. In March and April 2020, some reports have said that wildlife markets in Asia, Africa, and in general all over the world are prone to health risks.
### Disease control intervention
Due to the suspicions that wet markets could have played a role in the emergence of COVID-19, a group of US lawmakers, NIAID director Anthony Fauci, UNEP biodiversity chief Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, and CBCGDF secretary general Zhou Jinfeng called in April 2020 for the global closure of wildlife markets due to the potential for zoonotic diseases and risk to endangered species. In April 2021, the World Health Organization called for a total ban on the sale of live animals in food markets in order to prevent future pandemics.
Planetary health studies have called for disease control intervention measures, in lieu of outlawing live-animal wet markets, to be implemented in wet markets. These include proposals for "standardised global monitoring of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions", which the World Health Organization announced in April 2020 that it was developing as requirements for wet markets to open. Other proposals include less homogeneous policies that are specialized for local social, cultural, and financial factors, as well as new proposed rapid assessment tools for monitoring the hygiene and biosecurity of live animal stalls in wet markets.
### Media coverage
During the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Chinese wet markets were heavily criticized in media outlets as a potential source for the virus. Media reports urging for permanent blanket bans on all wet markets, as opposed to solely live animal markets or wildlife markets, have been criticized for undermining infection control needs to be specific about wildlife markets and distracting public attention from local public health threats. Some Western media portrayed wet markets without distinguishing between general wet markets, live animal wet markets, and wildlife markets, using montages of explicit images from different markets across Asia without identifying locations. These depictions have been criticized by other journalists and anthropologists as sensationalist, exaggerated, Orientalist, and fueling Sinophobia and "Chinese otherness".
## Around the world
There are wet markets throughout the world, with the largest concentration in Asia followed by Europe and North America according to touristic social network data in 2019.
### Africa
#### Ethiopia
According to a 2013 study on agricultural value chains, approximately 90% of households in Ethiopia across all income groups purchase their beef through local butchers in wet markets.
#### Kenya
The most common agricultural supply chain in Kenya involves farmers selling their produce to collectors who then sell the produce to retailers in wet markets. A 2006 study in the areas around Nairobi and Kisumu found that 21% of farmers sold to collectors, 17% sold directly to wholesalers, and 14% sold directly to wet market vendors. The collectors and wholesalers both predominantly sold their produce inventory to wet market vendors. The customers of the wet markets in the study were predominantly end consumers, although a small share of the wet markets also sold to restaurants.
#### Nigeria
According to a 2011 USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report, most of the clientele of traditional open-air wet markets in Nigeria are low and middle income consumers.
From 2008 to 2009, a group of food safety researchers launched an initiative working with a small group of butchers in the wet market section of Bodija Market in Ibadan to promote positive food safety practices and peer-to-peer training. The initiative led to 20% more meat samples being of acceptable quality. A follow-up study in 2019 on the same group of butchers found that, while many of the butchers still remembered the food safety practices, "none of the butchers reported that they continued to buy and replace the materials after the exhaustion of those distributed during the intervention programme". The follow-up study found that the microbiological sanitation in 2018 was even worse than before the 2008–2009 intervention.
In 2014, the license of the slaughterhouse in the wet market section of Bodija Market was revoked due to unhygienic meat handling practices. In its place, the local government opened the Ibadan Central Abattoir in Amosun Village, Akinyele through public-private partnerships. The new facility is equipped with modern facilities for slaughter and processing of meat were provided in 2014 through public-private partnerships and is one of the largest abattoirs in West Africa, consisting of 15 hectares of land with stalls for 1000 meat sellers, 170 shops, administrative building, clinic, canteen, cold room, and an incinerator. In June 2018, local newspapers reported that five people were killed in the Bodija Market abattoir when a security team attempted to enforce the forcible relocation of Ibadan abattoirs to the new facilities as ordered by the local government.
#### Uganda
The most common agricultural supply chain in Uganda involves farmers selling their produce to wholesalers, who in turn sell to retailers in wet markets. A 2006 study in the areas around Kampala and Mbale found that 51% of farmers sold to wholesalers and 18% sold directly to wet market vendors, while 34% of the wholesalers sold to wet market vendors. The customers of the wet markets in the study were predominantly end consumers, although a small share of the wet markets also sold to restaurants.
### Americas
#### Brazil
In Brazil, regulations on wet markets are handled at the municipal level. The regulations widely vary across Brazil, with zoning rules prohibiting wet markets in some municipalities.
A 2003 study found that wet markets were losing ground in food retail to supermarkets, which had an overall food retail market share of 75%. The gains of supermarkets over traditional food retailers in Brazil were predominantly in meat and seafood retail, with the supermarkets' fresh meat & seafood market shares typically three times greater than their fresh fruits & vegetables market share.
#### Colombia
According to a 2010 USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report, each small town in Colombia typically has a wet market that is supplied by local production and opens at least once a week. The report described both retail wet markets and wholesale wet markets that provide food products for "Mom'n Pop stores". It estimated the number of wet markets at around 2,000, but noted that the number was slowly decreasing in large cities despite the presence of large wet markets like Corabastos [es] in Bogotá.
#### Greenland
In Greenland, local wet markets known as brætter sell food from wild animals, including seal meat, whale meat, reindeer meat, and polar bear meat. Brætter do not sell live animals, but most meat sold in brætter is fresh and recently butchered. While larger towns have purpose-built facilities, the brætter in smaller towns and village settlements sell seafood in open-air stands without running water or electricity. Only fresh meat was allowed to be sold in Nuuk at Kalaaliaraq Market, the largest fresh food market in Greenland, until 2018 when the government of Greenland began permitting the sale of dried and salted meat at Kalaaliaraq.
Trichinosis is a common problem in Greenland due to the consumption of wild polar bear meat. In 2016, several people were infected with Trichinella roundworms from eating polar bear meat from a local brætter even though the meat had initially passed inspections. As of 2017, Trichinella inspections for seal and polar bear meat sold at brætter is not mandatory.
#### Mexico
Some traditional Mexican open-air markets called tianguis, such as the Mercado Margarita Maza de Juárez in Oaxaca, are separated into a wet market (zona húmeda) and a dry market (zona seca). A 2002 study observed a trend that Mexican consumers, especially those in the middle class, increasingly prefer supermarkets for beef purchases as opposed to traditional wet markets. In 2014, a study of Mexican beef retail also noted an ongoing transition from traditional full-service wet markets to self-service meat display cases in supermarkets.
In Mexico, conflicts between traditional and modern retailers are handled at the municipal and state levels. Some local zoning rules, such as those in the central districts of Mexico City and Morelia, have prohibited wet markets from operating in urban districts without providing further assistance to the retailers.
#### United States
In April 2020, The Hill reported that wet markets were still operating in the United States and that animal rights activists were calling for the closure of wet markets, in addition to their existing calls to close live animal markets and factory farms.
Wet markets were common in New York City until refrigeration became commonplace in the 20th century. From the 1990s to 2020, the number of live animal wet markets in New York City nearly doubled. As of 2020, there are more than 80 wet markets in New York City that stock live animals and slaughter them on-demand for customers. They are mostly poultry markets located in outer-borough immigrant communities where they are culturally significant and pose low public health risks relative to wildlife markets and other types of exotic wet markets.
### Asia
#### China
Since the 1990s, large cities across China have moved traditional outdoor wet markets to modern indoor facilities. As of 2018, wet markets remained the most prevalent food outlet in urban regions of China despite the rise of supermarket chains since the 1990s. During the 2010s, "smart markets" equipped with e-payment terminals emerged as traditional wet markets faced increasing competition from discount stores. Wet markets also began facing competition from online grocery stores, such as Alibaba's Hema stores.
The trade of wildlife is not common in China, particularly in large cities, and most wet markets in China do not contain live or wild animals besides fish held in tanks. In the early 1980s, small-scale wildlife farming began under the Chinese economic reform. It began to expand nationwide with government support in the 1990s, but was largely concentrated in the southeastern provinces. In 2003, wet markets across China were banned from holding wildlife after the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak, which was directly tied to such practices. Some poorly-regulated Chinese wet markets provided outlets for the wildlife trade industry after the ban, although the illegal wildlife trade in China was predominantly in fur rather than in food or medicine. The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was linked to the origin of COVID-19 due to its early cluster of cases, leading to further restrictions and enforcement in 2020. In April 2020, the Chinese government unveiled plans to further tighten restrictions on wildlife trade.
##### Hong Kong
Large centralised wet markets have existed in Hong Kong since at least 16 May 1842, when Central Market was opened. Wet markets are most frequented by older residents, those with lower incomes, and domestic helpers who serve approximately 10 percent of Hong Kong's residents. Most neighbourhoods contain at least one wet market. Wet markets have become destinations for tourists to "see the real Hong Kong".
Prior to 2000, many of Hong Kong's wet markets were managed by the Urban Council (within Hong Kong Island and Kowloon) or the Regional Council (in the New Territories). Since 2000, wet markets in Hong Kong have been regulated by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD). Under the Slaughterhouse Regulation, the slaughtering of live bovine animals, swine, goats, sheep or soliped for human consumption must take place in a licensed slaughterhouse, None of the wet markets in Hong Kong hold wild or exotic animals.
In 2018, the FEHD operated 74 wet markets housing approximately 13,070 stalls. In addition, the Hong Kong Housing Authority operated 21 markets while private developers operated about 99 (in 2017).
#### India
The Indian meat, poultry, and seafood industries are largely dependent on wet markets. According to Food & Beverage News, domestic consumers prefer freshly cut meat from wet markets over processed and frozen meats despite use of outdated and unhygienic facilities by the majority of Indian wet market abattoirs.
In Delhi, the food retail system consists of the traditional informal food retail sector (wet markets, pushcarts, and kirana "mom-and-pop" stores), rent-free-subsidized retailers' cooperatives, government-owned food distribution channels, and private modern supermarkets. Delhi wet markets generally consist of a number of small retailers that cluster together to sell their produce during daily fixed hours. A 2010 study of Delhi food retail found that 68% to 75% of the total quantity of fruits and vegetables sold to consumers were distributed by wet market retailers. The same study surveyed consumers at 518 wet market retailers in Delhi and found that their transactions included relatively little bargaining, with only a 3% average difference between the final price and the initially quoted price.
#### Indonesia
Traditional wet markets, called pasars (including pasar malam and pasar pagi), are found across in Indonesia in both urban and rural areas. Wet markets face increasing competition from supermarkets as well as e-commerce companies like Shopee and Tokopedia. As of 2020, there are 12.3 million traders across 13,450 wet markets in Indonesia.
In 2016, the Indonesia government's policy to stabilise beef prices required importers to sell cheaper-priced meats in wet markets instead of in supermarkets and hypermarkets. In Greater Jakarta, Indian buffalo meat is predominantly sold in wet markets, with limited market penetration from supermarkets and hypermarkets as of 2018. In contrast, only 7% of consumers in Jakarta purchase Australian beef from supermarkets in 2018. In 2018, Indonesian wet market vendors that import goods expressed concerns over the decrease in value of the Indonesian rupiah.
Wet markets throughout Indonesia have undergone major renovations in the 2010s under a government program. In 2018, the first modern wet market opened in Jakarta with a laboratory as well as freezing and refrigeration facilities. Through June 2020, health protocols and mobility restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia resulted in a 65% reduction in revenue for wet market traders, according to the Traditional Market Traders Association (IKAPPI). In mid-2020, wet markets in several provinces accounted for several major clusters of COVID-19 cases. An Airlangga University survey from May to June 2020 found that people in East Java wet markets followed health protocols, including social distancing and mask-wearing, the least relative to other public places in East Java.
#### Malaysia
In March 2020, the Malaysian government temporarily banned the operation of all wet markets (including pasar malam and pasar pagi) as a national response to the coronavirus pandemic.
#### Philippines
In the Philippines, wet markets are managed by cooperatives according to legislation such as the Cooperatives Code (RA 7160) and the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (RA 8435). The Philippine government has control over the price of some commodities sold in palengkes, especially critical foods such as rice.
In July 2017, the digital wet market Palengke Boy was launched in Davao City to compete against traditional wet markets. In March 2020, the Pasig local government launched a mobile wet market to ensure access to basic goods during the COVID-19 pandemic.
#### Singapore
Wet markets in Singapore are subsidized by the government. The Tekka Market, Tiong Bahru Market, and Chinatown Complex Market are prominent wet markets containing seasonal fruit, fresh vegetables, imported beef, and live seafood.
In the early 1990s, the slaughter of animals was banned in 12 inner-city markets and 22 wet market centers in Singapore. In early 2020, the National Environment Agency issued advisories for "high standards of hygiene and cleanliness" for the 83 markets that it oversees in a response to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
#### Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, where poultry is the leading livestock industry and constitutes the only meat export industry, the majority of broiler chickens are mechanically processed in semi-automated plants. However, poultry is still slaughtered in wet markets that generally cater to specific groups of customers and ethnic groups. A 2017 study of 102 semi-automated poultry processing plants and 25 poultry-slaughtering wet markets found that 27.4% of the broiler neck skin samples from the semi-automated processing facilities tested positive for Campylobacter contamination, while 48% of broiler neck skin samples from the wet market processing facilities tested positive for Campylobacter contamination.
#### Taiwan
Many wet markets in Taiwan originated as groups of peddlers and roadside stalls that organized into informal physical structures. By 2020, wet markets had been in decline throughout Taiwan for decades and revitalization efforts have been largely unsuccessful.
In 1997, a report by the Taipei city government indicated that the city had 61 major wet markets with almost 10,000 registered vendors. The report also indicated that most of the city's wet markets were in serious need of repair and that almost 3,500 of the vendor stalls lay vacant. The Nanmen Market in Taipei is a government-owned traditional wet market that was opened in 1907 during the Japanese colonial rule. The market building was demolished in October 2019 and the market temporarily relocated until its replacement modern 12-floor building is completed in 2022.
One of the largest wet markets in Taiwan, the Jianguo Market in Taichung, was torn down and replaced by a new facility in 2016. The new facilities provided better hygiene, disability accessibility, and refrigeration, but the relocation was initially met with hesitation from the local vendors before a grassroots outreach campaign led to greater acceptance.
#### Thailand
Wet markets are the dominant preferred venue for grocery shopping in Thailand due to the local preference for fresh food, as well as lower prices and familiarity with shopkeepers.
#### United Arab Emirates
In October 2018, a Meat & Livestock Australia report said that while the United Arab Emirates's grocery retail sector is highly developed, wet markets are still prominent throughout the country.
#### Vietnam
In 2017, there were approximately 9,000 wet markets, 800 supermarkets, 160 shopping malls and 1.3 million small family-owned stores across Vietnam according to government estimates.
In 2017, the Hanoi city government planned to renovate the city's wet markets and transform them into modern shopping malls. The plan was met with resistance from wet market vendors after significant declines in sales figures from other markets that were moved to the basements of high-end shopping centers.
In 2020, Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyễn Xuân Phúc announced proposals to ban wildlife trade in Vietnam.
### Europe
#### France
Rungis International Market in the Île-de-France region, created in 1969, is the largest market for fresh food in the whole of Europe, selling food from both within and without Île-de-France. The largest wholesale food market in the world, and perhaps even the largest fresh food market, various foods are offered, including sheep and eel. By 1972, 6000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables were shipped to the market daily.
#### Italy
The Porta Palazzo Market in the northwestern city of Turin is the largest street market in Europe, having about a hundred fresh food producers sell their goods at the height of the season in the city's historic district. The Turinese authorities, working alongside those of the market, have increasingly attempted to reconfigure the public's perception of the market as a multicultural space and a site for tourism, featuring cuisine from around the world.
#### Ireland
The Iveagh Markets in Dublin, Ireland was an indoor market that was divided into a dry market that sold clothes and a wet market that sold fish, fruit, and vegetables. The market operated from 1906 and had become dilapidated by the 1980s. The last stalls closed in the 1990s and the building is still derelict as of 2018 despite failed attempts to redevelop the site into a new food market complex.
### Oceania
#### Australia
In 2020, SBS reported that wet markets were once common in Australia and were gradually shut down over time as abattoirs were centralised and moved away from cities. Media outlets Daily Mercury and Herald Sun, as well as Agriculture Minister David Littleproud and Leader of the Labor Party Anthony Albanese, have described various fresh meat, seafood, and produce markets in Australia, such as the Sydney Fish Market and Melbourne Fish Market, as wet markets in response to international calls to ban wet markets.
## See also
- Animal–industrial complex
- Bazaar
- Pasar malam
- Meat market
- Night market
- Ye wei (southern China)
|
10,410,684 |
Tropical Storm Jerry (2001)
| 1,171,832,894 |
Atlantic tropical storm in 2001
|
[
"2001 Atlantic hurricane season",
"Atlantic tropical storms",
"Hurricanes in Barbados",
"Hurricanes in Martinique",
"Hurricanes in Saint Lucia",
"Hurricanes in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines",
"Hurricanes in the Windward Islands",
"Tropical cyclones in 2001"
] |
Tropical Storm Jerry was a short-lived tropical storm that formed in the latter half of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season. Forming as a tropical depression from a tropical wave on October 6 near Barbados, Jerry intensified into a tropical storm early the following day on October 7 while initially located under an environment of weak vertical wind shear. After reaching its peak of 50 mph (80 km/h), Jerry passed just south of Barbados late on October 7 and through the Windward Islands on October 8. Shortly after entering the eastern Caribbean Sea, moderate upper-level wind shear affected Jerry's upper-level outflow, and the cyclone weakened to a depression shortly afterwards. Deterioration in organization continued, and Jerry dissipated while moving rapidly westward well south of Puerto Rico. Jerry caused minimal effects in the Lesser Antilles.
## Meteorological history
A tropical wave moving westward off the African coast on October 1, 2001, entered the tropical Atlantic. The wave's organization changed little until October 4 as it moved westward, when curved banding features began to increase. However, little improvement in the wave's organization occurred until October 6 after continuing to move westward for two days, when an area of low pressure was identified by the National Hurricane Center. Afterward, the cloudiness became more concentrated, and the system organized into a tropical depression by noon on October 6, shortly after the first advisory from the NHC was issued at 11 a.m. AST.
Located 620 mi (1,000 km) east-southeast of Barbados, the twelfth depression of the season moved just north of due west, steered quickly at 20 to 25 mph (40 km/h) by a ridge of high pressure in the lower to middle troposphere. At 5 p.m. AST later on October 6, the NHC noted that the depression was nearing tropical storm strength. Shortly after, a burst of heavy convective thunderstorms developed over the ill-defined low-level center, and as organization improved, the system was upgraded to 40 mph (64 km/h) Tropical Storm Jerry around midnight on October 7. Located within an environment of weak vertical wind shear, Jerry strengthened further, with its maximum sustained winds reaching their estimated peak of around 50 mph (80 km/h) as Jerry approached the Windward Islands later on October 7. Jerry passed just south of Barbados at its peak intensity, followed by a slowing of forward speed and jog to the northwest as Jerry entered the Windward Islands early on October 8. Reconnaissance aircraft also indicated a possible reformation of the center, as data indicated multiple low-level rotations on a northeast to southwest axis.
As Jerry entered the eastern Caribbean Sea early on October 8 after bypassing St. Vincent, its forward speed increased to 25 mph (40 km/h), and reconnaissance aircraft observations indicated a broad circulation with several small rotations but an ill-defined low-level center. Later, satellite observations indicated that the storm was poorly organized, with an elongated cloud mass and displaced secondary center to the northwest. Moderate vertical wind shear from the northwest developed, disrupting Jerry's upper-level outflow. Jerry continued to deteriorate, and later on October 8, aircraft data indicated the system had weakened into a broad area of low pressure with scattered squalls mainly to the east of the remnant center. Jerry then dissipated shortly afterward approximately 230 miles south of Puerto Rico, with the remnants moving westward.
## Preparations and impact
Due to the tropical cyclone's short life, overall track errors in model guidance were not significant, and most models accurately indicated Jerry's westward to west-northwest course into the Caribbean Sea. Most models and official forecasts did not anticipate Jerry's dissipation, and numerous models indicated the system would reach hurricane status within two to three days under favorable conditions. Prior to Jerry's formation, a tropical storm watch was issued for Barbados at 5 p.m. EDT on October 6 because of forecasts that indicated the depression could intensify to tropical storm intensity. As the depression intensified to tropical storm status and moved closer to the Windward Islands, a tropical storm watch was issued for Tobago by the government of the island nation and for nearby Grenada by the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service at 5 a.m. EDT on October 7. A tropical storm warning was issued for Barbados at 8 a.m. EDT.
Jerry caused minimal damage as it moved through the Windward Islands and Lesser Antilles. A station at Martinique reported sustained ten-minute winds of 44 mph (71 km/h) on October 8. The outer bands of Jerry delivered light rainfall to Grenada on October 8, but no damage was reported. Some downpours and high winds were reported. No ships reported tropical storm-force winds, though Barbados reported a minimum pressure of 1007 mb.
|
21,895,874 |
1936 World Snooker Championship
| 1,055,611,860 |
Snooker tournament
|
[
"1936 in English sport",
"1936 in snooker",
"1936 sports events in London",
"World Snooker Championships"
] |
The 1936 World Snooker Championship was a snooker tournament that was held at the Burroughes and Thurston's Halls in London, England from 23 March to 2 May 1936. There were 13 entries; a significant increase from five in the previous year and just two in 1934. Defending champion Joe Davis won the Championship for the tenth consecutive time, defeating Horace Lindrum in the final 34–27. Horace Lindrum became the first Australian to compete at the World Championship and made the only century break of the tournament, a 101 in his semi-final match against Stanley Newman.
## Overview
The World Snooker Championship was created in 1927 by Joe Davis and the Billiards Association and Control Council (BA&CC). The defending champion of the event was Davis, who had won the 1935 event by defeating Willie Smith 28–21 in the final. The championship was contested over several weeks in two locations, at the Thurston's Hall and Burroughes Hall in London, England. The final was played between 27 April and 2 May 1936 at Thurston's Hall. The event had 13 participants, with three players receiving a bye to the second round. Tom Dennis, who had received a bye, later withdrew. His scheduled opponent Stanley Newman's first game was in the semi-finals. Matches were played as the best-of-31 until the final, which was played as the best-of-61 frames. "Dead frames", after a player has already won the match were also played.
### Schedule
Below was the schedule for the event.
## Summary
The Championship started on 23 March, following the 1935/1936 Daily Mail Gold Cup English billiards tournament two days earlier which has fully occupied Thurston's Hall since the beginning of the year. Sessions were extended to five frames, compared to the four frames that had been played in 1935. The first match was between Clare O'Donnell and Sydney Lee. O'Donnell led 6–4 after the first day and 11–9 after two days. Lee won the last two frames on the final afternoon to reduce O'Donnell's lead to 13–12 and then won the first three in the evening to lead 15–13 before O'Donnell won the last three frames to win the match 16–15.
Horace Lindrum met Bert Terry in the second match. The score was level at 5–5 after the first day but Lindrum won 8 frames on the second day to lead 13–7. Terry won the first frame on the final day but Lindrum won the next three to comfortably clinch the match 16–8. The match ended with Lindrum leading 20–11. Joe Davis met Tom Newman in the first match of the second week. Davis won all 10 frames on the first day and the first 6 on the second to win the match 16–0. Newman won frame 18 to end Davis's run of 17 successive frames but the match ended with Davis 29–2 ahead.
Willie Smith met Sidney Smith in the second match of the week. Sidney Smith won the first four frames and the day end with him leading 6–4. The second day was level and Sidney Smith ended the day 11–9 ahead. Willie Smith made a break of 92 in frame 18, the highest of the Championship at that stage. Sidney Smith won four of the five frames on the final afternoon to lead 15–10, needing just one frame for victory. However, Willie Smith won all six frames in the evening to win the match 16–15. Frame 30 was the closest frame on the final evening; Willie Smith winning the frame 57–54 on the final black.
Con Stanbury met Alec Mann in the final first round match at Burroughes Hall. Stanbury led 6–4 and 12–8. He then won the first four frames on the final day to win the match 16–8. The final score was 22–9. In the first of the quarter-final matches Tom Dennis had to withdraw after having an operation on his right eye. As a result, Newman received a bye to the semi-final.
After a break for Easter, Lindrum met O'Donnell at Burroughes Hall. Lindrum led 8–2 and 15–5 after the first two days. O'Donnell won frame 21 but Lindrum won the match in the next frame, winning 16–6. The afternoon session ended with Lindrum 19–6 ahead. O'Donnell did not appear for the evening session and Lindrum played an exhibition match against Bert Terry. At the same time Davis played Willie Smith at Thurston's Hall. Davis led 7–3 after the first day. He extended his lead to 10–5 and then won all five frames on the second evening to lead 15–5. Davis won the first frame on the third day to win the match 16–5, the final score being 22–9.
Brown played Stanbury in the last quarter-final match. Brown led 7–3 after the first day but Stanbury had the better of the second day and Brown's lead was reduced to 11–9 after two days. Stanbury won three frames in the afternoon and only trailed by one frame, Brown leading 13–12. Stanbury won three of the first four frames in the evening to lead 15–14 but Brown won frame 30 to level the match. In the final frame Stanbury led 45–30 with just the colours left but Brown gained points from a number of snookers and won the frame 65–45 with just the black remaining.
Lindrum met Stanley Newman in the first semi-final. Newman, the younger brother of Tom Newman, had got to this stage without playing a match. Lindrum dominated throughout, leading 9–1 and 19–1; the match finishing with the score at 29–2. Having already won the match 16–1, Lindrum made a break of 101 in frame 18, which included 13 reds, 10 blacks and 3 pinks, the only century break of the event. The second semi-final was between Davis and Brown. Brown won the first frame to great applause but Davis led 7–3 at the end of the day. He extended the lead to 14–6 after two days, needing just two frames on the final day. The match ended quickly on the third day, Davis taking the first two frames to win 16–6. The match ended with the score at 21–10.
The final was played between Lindrum and defending champion Davis. Lindrum led 6–4 and 11–9, before Davis won four out of the next five frames with top breaks of 75 and 78 to lead 13–12. However, Lindrum levelled the match at 15–15, before winning six out of ten frames to lead 21–19, and led at the conclusion of the penultimate day 26–24. He then won the first frame of the final day, before Davis won the last ten frames in a row to win 34–27, having already won the match 31–27. The popularity of the event proved that snooker had become a major game, with the Daily Mail Gold Cup switching from English billiards to snooker and The Billiard Player changing its name to Billiards and Snooker in October 1936.
## Main draw
Players in bold denote match winners.
### Final
|
26,211,832 |
Training Day (Archer)
| 1,127,738,008 | null |
[
"2010 American television episodes",
"Archer (2009 TV series) episodes"
] |
"Training Day" is the second episode of the animated comedy Archer. It was written by Archer creator and co-executive producer Adam Reed and directed by Mack Williams. In the episode, Archer's mother Malory assigns her son the task of training Cyril to be an agent. Meanwhile, secretary Cheryl and human resources representative Pam take advantage of Malory being temporarily blinded by an allergic reaction.
"Training Day" was produced at Floyd County Productions and animated at Radical Axis studio in Atlanta, over the course of approximately one month. FX had initially planned on airing the series alongside the fifth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in 2009, but production constraints led to it being pushed back to January 2010. The episode features cultural references to the films Rain Man and James Bond, and stand-up comedian and actor Dane Cook. In its original broadcast, the episode was met with 1.8 million viewers and positive reviews.
## Plot
After Archer recklessly foils an Irish terrorist's attempt to assassinate a British nobleman, Malory begins to suspect that Lana's feelings for her son are resurfacing. Hoping to readjust Lana's desires so they are steered towards her current boyfriend, Cyril, she asks Archer to train him to be a field agent. Archer is wise to their scheme though, and tries to set Cyril up to fail to sabotage his relationship with Lana, Archer's ex. At one point, Cyril inquiries about Archer’s lack of ethics, and ease of deception. To which Archer’s replies “lying is, like, 95% of what I do.” One of his sessions involves trying to kill an assassin (portrayed by Archer's butler, Woodhouse) and using a dance partner (played by a prostitute Archer has befriended) as a human shield. During the session, however, Cyril accidentally poisons the prostitute and both he and Archer pronounce her deceased.
The pair put the prostitute in Archer's trunk and drive off, hoping to dispose of the body in an undisclosed location. On the way, however, Archer reveals he is aware of Malory's plan and has been attempting to discourage Cyril from becoming a field agent, presumably due to his own feelings for Lana, and had orchestrated the whole fiasco to this end (revealing the prostitute was merely tranquilized). At this point, the car is rammed by a pursuing vehicle. Cyril believes this is part of Archer's hoax, until their pursuer opens fire on them. In a true show of his character, Archer threatens to eject from the car and leave the hysterical Cyril behind. Their mystery attacker then ceases fire and reveals herself to be Lana, who has discovered Archer's assignment and decided to put a stop to it. Despite Cyril's concern about being caught with a dead hooker, Lana reveals she is only upset he felt the need to keep secrets from her, so she punishes Cyril by forcing him to buy interracial pornography from "the sweet old Korean lady" at the video store. Archer releases the prostitute in the trunk after Cyril and Lana depart, who reveals she was not in on the plan. Archer is forced to not only pay her obscene amounts of money as collateral, but also give her his car, leaving him stranded.
Meanwhile, Malory becomes temporally blinded after having an allergic reaction to zucchini. Seeing this as an opportunity to help themselves, secretary Cheryl and human resources representative Pam hack into the ISIS computer mainframe from Malory's office and alter their files, allowing them better health care and other perks they can not afford themselves. The whole time, Malory rants about how disgruntled she is about her own and others' life choices.
## Production
"Training Day" was written by Archer creator and co-executive producer Adam Reed, while the series' animation director Mack Williams directed it. In 2009, FX network had officially greenlit production of the series, ordering six episodes and an additional four scripts. Over the course of approximately one month, "Training Day" was produced at Reed's Floyd County Productions studio in Atlanta, Georgia, and animated at the Radical Axis Studio, also located in Atlanta.
FX originally planned on pairing Archer with the fifth season of the network's situation comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Thursday nights in the Fall. However, the network learned of the month-long production period needed to create the necessary six episodes, and realized that there was not enough time to have all of the episodes ready before Philadelphia began its new season. FX instead decided to release a sneak airing of the pilot episode "Mole Hunt" on September 17, 2009, without any promotion or announcement, and began broadcast of the first season with "Training Day" on January 14, 2010.
## Cultural references
The episode featured multiple cultural references. Cyril asks Archer if he'll get to learn karate. Archer replies that karate is the Dane Cook of martial arts. Archer explains that ISIS agents get trained by a former member of Mossad to use Krav Maga, an eclectic hand-to-hand combat system developed in Israel.
After Trinette is accidentally poisoned by Cyril, Archer argues his point of reasoning by introducing "Chekhov's Gun." It is believed that Chekhov once stated that if a gun is introduced in the first act, then we should expect it to go off in the last act. Thus, inviting Woodhouse to comment that Archer's reference was woefully esoteric.
While Archer and Cyril are being shot at by an unknown vehicle behind them, Archer refers to Cyril as "Rain Man," a 1988 drama film starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Cyril believes that Archer is calling himself a better spy than James Bond from the James Bond film series, to which Archer pronounces "I don’t like to invite that comparison but... yeah, basically." Several critics have noted satirical comparisons between Archer and the Bond films. Reed, himself, based the Archer character on Bond, perceiving Bond as misogynistic and racist.
## Reception
In its original broadcast on FX, "Training Day" was watched by 1.8 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings. 1.2 million of these viewers were aged between the ages of 18 and 49, the core demographic for Archer. A re-airing of the pilot episode "Mole Hunt" preceded it and attracted a slightly lower number of viewers, with 1.4 million viewers, only 950,000 being between 18 and 49.
"Training Day" received generally positive reviews from television critics. Annie Wu applauded the episode in her review for TV Squad. Wu dispensed that the best part was the writing, and acted as "a prime example of how ridiculously rapid-fire the conversations can get." She singled out the scene where Archer gives an "oddly specific" situation as to when he would utilize a gun hidden in his underwear. Wu opined that she "loved" Jessica Walter's performance as Malory, declaring that she "wins this episode" with lines such as "Immigrants! That's how they do, y'know. Just drive around, listening to raps and shooting all the jobs."
Brian Zoromski of IGN rewarded the episode a 9.0 out of 10, signifying it as "Outstanding." Zoromski called the voice cast "absolutely excellent," writing that H. Jon Benjamin's delivery as Archer was "brilliantly over-the-top, from his drunken outburst and almost-accidental stopping of a terrorist, to his education of all things spy-related," and noted that both the series satirical themes and character development were "alternately obvious and subtle" and "Archer's biggest strength." Salon.com's Heather Havrilesky called the exchange between Archer and Cyril concerning the latter's martial arts training a "[zinger that flies] by pretty quickly."
|
31,968,743 |
Minneapolis wireless internet network
| 1,102,742,263 |
Overview of wireless internet in Minneapolis
|
[
"Communications in Minnesota",
"Community networks",
"Government of Minneapolis",
"Municipal wireless networks",
"Wireless network organizations"
] |
The city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is covered by a citywide broadband wireless internet network, sometimes called Wireless Minneapolis. The network was first proposed in 2003, at which point only a few other cities nationwide had such systems in place. Local firm US Internet beat out EarthLink to build and operate the network, with a guaranteed ten-year, multimillion-dollar contract from the city itself as the network's anchor tenant. Construction began on the project in 2006, but encountered several delays. Most of the city was covered by the network by 2010, and USI Wireless, the subsidiary of US Internet responsible for the system, set up numerous free internet access points at public locations around Minneapolis.
The network, which offers speeds of one to six megabits per second at a rate of about \$20 per month, had about 20,000 residential subscribers by the end of 2010. Municipally, the network is used by city inspectors and employees, with plans in place for the police and fire departments to use it in the future. In 2007, when the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapsed, the wireless system helped coordinate rescuers and emergency services. The city and USI Wireless have won praise for the network, which has been singled out for being one of the few successful municipal wireless ventures nationwide among a number of stalled or failed projects.
## Background
At the time when the wireless network was under consideration, various other American cities already had such networks or were in the process of constructing them. Chaska and Moorhead, both in Minnesota, had city-owned and -operated wireless networks, while Philadelphia was considering building its own and Corpus Christi, Texas, was experimenting with a specialized government-use-only network.
Before the network was built, Minneapolis's city services were run on a combination of fiber optics and other services, with city inspectors, who worked throughout the city, using Sprint Cellular while working in the field. Around the same time, in 2005, Popular Science ranked Minneapolis as the "Top Tech City" in America, citing factors such as the city's 110 wireless hotspots, compared to the national average of 61 at the time.
## History
The initiative to construct a citywide wireless internet network, initiated in 2003 by city councilmember Gary Schiff, aimed to both offer city residents with wireless access for around \$20 per month, and also to improve city services such as fire and police by giving them greater access to information while en route or on-site anywhere in the city. Bridging the digital divide in the city was also a stated goal for the network.
Several ownership schemes were considered in the process of building and running the system. One plan, which named city officials as the owners and operators of the network, was scrapped because the city lacked the core competency to do it on its own, as well as the \$25–30 million capital investment required for the initial construction. The plan which was ultimately adopted entailed a private company building and running the network. This plan met opposition from the Institute for Local Self Reliance, an organization that stated that it believed that the city should build the network itself, and then contract a private company to maintain it.
The city opened up bidding for the construction of the network in 2005, eventually receiving bids from eight different internet service providers. Of these eight, Atlanta-based EarthLink and Minnetonka-based US Internet were selected as semifinalists, and each company set up a trial program in Minneapolis before the final decision was made. During this process, outcry arose from both members of the Institute for Local Self Reliance about the lack of public hearings on the subject of the network, and from Qwest, another internet service provider who had placed a bid to build and run the network, about the city's plan to be involved in the wireless internet business at all. The deputy chief information officer of Minneapolis, Bill Beck, stated that the city was worried about legal restrictions and lawsuits, which were key reasons for the lack of transparency in the process.
US Internet was selected by the Minneapolis City Council to build the city's network late in the summer of 2006. The firm was guaranteed a 10-year, \$12.5 million contract with the city as its anchor tenant. USI Wireless, a wholly owned subsidiary of US Internet, was tasked with installing 1,800 radio transmitters for the wireless network upon light poles, telephone poles, buildings, and other structures. Construction was slated to begin three to four weeks after the city selected US Internet, around the beginning of October 2006, and was expected to be completed by the following autumn. The network is sometimes referred to as Wireless Minneapolis.
US Internet also provides wired fiber optic connections that were available, as of April 2014, to around 12,600 residents of Minneapolis. Connections ran as quickly as 1Gbit/s for \$99 per month, about half the price of a 25 Mbit/s connection from Comcast. Later that year, the company announced plans to bring its internet services farther afield to the broader Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area and nationally. US Internet announced in December of the same year that it would bring 10 Gbit/s service to Minneapolis making it the first municipality in the world to have access at that speed.
## Availability and usage
Minneapolis was intended to be covered in its entirety by the wireless network, with certain exceptions (such as the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, which lacked the infrastructure to support such a system). The city's numerous lakes were also ruled out for network coverage, since sending and receiving signals on them would require transmission poles in the water. The first area of the city to receive the service was Downtown Minneapolis, though it was delayed two weeks there due to technical challenges posed by the skyscrapers in the area, as well as the uneven terrain of the Mississippi River on the east side of the area. The goal was to blanket the entire city with the network by November 2007 and in spite of delays, USI Wireless expected that the next area for installation, a residential neighborhood, would be easier thanks to its flat terrain. In late 2008, however, the completion of the network was stuck at 82% because of a misunderstanding between the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, who stated that USI Wireless could not install their radio transmitters on park land without the proper permits, and USI Wireless, who had been unaware of this. A further delay in 2008 came in the form of light poles that were breaking under the stress of the wireless transmitters being placed upon them in neighborhoods in the Calhoun-Isles area of the city. In response, the city paid \$1 million to install new light poles in the area that would be capable of supporting the transmitters. By 2009, almost the entirety of the city's 59 square miles (152.8 km<sup>2</sup>) was covered by the network, with certain "Challenge Areas" being fitted with special equipment.
In 2006, when US Internet was selected to construct the network, plans existed for the wireless service to be available to residents for a subscription of \$19.95 per month, for speeds of one to three megabits per second, which were comparable to the speeds being offered by other internet service providers in the area at the time but at half the cost. USI Wireless has been marketing the service since then, including with billboards featuring local personality Fancy Ray McCloney.
By December 2010, USI Wireless had approximately 20,000 subscribers, according to the company's CEO, Joe Caldwell. The company's original target was 30,000 subscribers by 2012; Caldwell expected the company would reach this milestone by 2013, due to delays in setting the network up. Nonetheless, the firm made a \$1.2 million profit in 2010 and counted 27,000 subscribers by 2014. Meanwhile, in 2010, the city of Minneapolis was paying \$1.25 million annually for the wireless service but using only six percent of the capacity which it had purchased. Some complaints were raised by various municipal departments from whose budgets the cost of the network subscription was being deducted, regardless of whether they were utilizing it. More departments, however, were beginning to use the network, including city inspectors and 90 other city employees, a trend which was expected to lead to a usage of fourteen percent of the city's purchased capacity by the end of 2011.
The city of Minneapolis had connected 30 security cameras and 35 electronic street signs to the network by the end of 2010, with the intention to connect 50 network-enabled parking meters and 10 garbage trucks to the system in the near future. Fire and police conversion to the citywide network was also underway, though the city was taking necessary precautions to ensure that the two services, who will ultimately have their own dedicated frequency, continue to offer uninterrupted public safety service.
About 200 free wireless access points were set up around the city to aid with the city's goal of increasing access to the internet. US Internet paid \$500,000 up front and agreed to pay five percent of its yearly revenues for seven years to maintain them, totaling about \$10 million. By 2010, 44 such points had been set up at community centers around Minneapolis, out of a total of 117 which had also gone up in parks and on street corners around the city. Per the request of law enforcement officials who were concerned about the potential ability to surf the internet anonymously, the free login points require the user to enter a username, password, and credit card number.
### Emergency preparedness
Minneapolis's wireless network was built with emergency preparedness in mind, a consideration which Caldwell noted was always a part of the proposals for such networks. It was not until the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge on August 1, 2007, however, that this application of the network was truly tested. By that point, USI Wireless had managed to cover about 18 square miles (46.6 km<sup>2</sup>) of the city with its network. Conveniently, much of this area was in Downtown or along the Mississippi River, near where the bridge collapse site was. Shortly after the collapse, USI Wireless opened up the network to anyone (not just subscribers) and hastily added more wireless transmitters to the area to give additional speed to the network. With cell phone service overwhelmed in just 30 minutes, it was Caldwell's goal that people would use smartphones to communicate via the network instead. Whether or not voice communications traffic jumped in that period was unclear, but the network's usage did expand from 1,000 users before the collapse to 6,000 afterwards.
The network was also used heavily by government officials and rescue personnel, who used PDAs or laptops to log on to the network. It was used by rescue workers who were floating in the middle of the river and who could receive the signal to communicate with the headquarters in charge of the rescue operations. The wireless service was integral in sending large GIS files to the scene for rescuers to use in locating survivors. It was also utilized by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the American Red Cross, and media outlets, both local and national. Retroactively, various Minneapolis officials deemed the presence of the network essential to the success of the response to the collapse.
## Reception
In a report on municipal wireless networks by The Wall Street Journal, Minneapolis's was singled out as being "a success story", with the publication explaining that the concept of having the city as the anchor tenant was a good one. The article cited the wireless network in Philadelphia that was being set up around the same time that Minneapolis's was, but was being run and built by EarthLink, the other finalist in the bidding process to select a network for Minneapolis. EarthLink had relinquished control of its partially complete network in 2008, in part due to a low subscription rate of only 5,000 customers in May of that year. Minneapolis, meanwhile, had 10,000 subscribers, and the network was nearing completion. In reference to the variety of stalled or failed wireless projects across the country, PC World cited USI Wireless as "the only firm that got the numbers and engineering to add up for them so far." A 2009 article in Computerworld noted that "Minneapolis is one of the few large cities that has deployed Wi-Fi successfully." The wireless network was tested in December 2007 by wireless testing firm Novarum, and was found to be the fastest metro wireless internet network in America.
The network received the W2i Digital Cities Wireless Communities Best Practices Award in 2007.
|
61,835,547 |
Billiards and Snooker Control Council
| 1,153,281,276 |
Former governing body for snooker and English billiards
|
[
"Snooker governing bodies",
"Snooker in the United Kingdom",
"Sports organizations established in 1919"
] |
The Billiards and Snooker Control Council (B&SCC) (formerly called the Billiards Association and Control Council (BA&CC)) was the governing body of the games of English billiards and snooker and organised professional and amateur championships in both sports. It was formed in 1919 by the union of the Billiards Association (founded in 1885) and the Billiards Control Club (founded in 1908).
The B&SCC lost control of both the amateur and professional games in the early 1970s, following a dispute with professional players over challenge matches for the World Billiards Championship, and dissatisfaction from snooker associations outside the UK about the balance of voting power in the organisation, with a large proportion of votes being held in a small number of English areas. Following the loss of its government funding, the B&SCC went into voluntary liquidation in 1992 and its assets were later acquired by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.
## The Billiard Association
On 31 January 1885, a meeting took place at The Sportsman's offices to consider revising the rules of billiards, chaired by a Mr. A. H. Collins-Orme and attended by the majority of the prominent professional billiards players. This followed an article written by journalist Alf Burnett criticising the existing rules. Burnett and Peter Jennings contacted the players with a view to getting together to rewrite the rules.
Collins-Orme proposed that an association be created. This was agreed, and "The Billiard Association of Great Britain and Ireland, India and the Colonies" (known as the Billiard Association) was formed. Ten players were tasked with authoring a new set of rules for English billiards. They were John Roberts Jr. (Chairman), Joseph Bennett, Fred Bennett, George Collins, William Cook, John Roberts Sr., Billy Mitchell, John North, W. J. Peall, Joe Sala and Tom Taylor. The group met weekly in a dining area at the Royal Aquarium, and finished writing the rules on 21 September 1886. The rules were published soon after that. Sydenham Dixon, a staff member at The Sportsman was the driving force behind the formation of the Billiards Association, and the newspaper retained a strong influence over the association's affairs. The influence of the paper over the Association later led to prominent player John Roberts Jr. (who became the Billiards Champion in 1886 when Cook failed to respond to Roberts' challenge for the title) refusing to recognise the Association's authority.
The Association came to be recognised as the governing body for billiards, and organised amateur and professional championships. They also produced templates for standard sizes, which tables had to conform to if made on them were to be recognised in official records. The March 1885 match between John Roberts Jr. and Cook, which Roberts won 3,000-2,980 was the first to be held under the rules of the Association. An amateur championship under the "all in" rules, with no restrictions on the number of consecutive scoring shots that could be played, was organised by the Association in 1892, when Sam Christey beat Sidney Fry 1,500–928. The competition was restricted to players from Great Britain before 1917, which was the first year that champions from other Commonwealth countries were allowed to enter. From 1926, only English and Welsh players were allowed to participate, and the event was renamed the English Amateur Championship. The first snooker competition organised by the Billiard Association was the English Amateur Championship of 1916, which was played to benefit the British Sportsmen's Motor Ambulance Fund.
## Billiards Control Council and amalgamation
The Billiards Association's control over the professional game of billiards was challenged by the Billiards Control Council (BCC), formed in 1908, which issued a different set of rules. The key differences in the BCC's version were that a player could not make more than two miss shots successively, and a simpler explanation of penalties. The professional players changed their allegiance to the newer Control Council, and the professional championships were played under BCC rules, whilst most amateurs continued to play under Billiards Association rules. The two organisations decided that it was in their mutual interest to amalgamate, and formed the Billiards Association and Control Club, later renamed the Billiards Association and Control Council (BA&CC), in 1919. Willie Smith defeated Claude Falkiner 16,000-14,500 to win the first BA&CC title, in May 1920. There were many variations of the rules of snooker at the time, and the new Association codified the rules of snooker in 1919. The new rules included the concept of a in the event of points being level at the end of a frame, and having a instead of playing from when there was no clear shot at the after a .
Professional billiard player and billiard hall manager Joe Davis had noticed the increasing popularity of snooker in the mid-1920s, and Davis and Birmingham billiard equipment manager Bill Camkin persuaded the Billiards Association and Control Council to recognise an official professional snooker championship in the 1926–27 season. The final of the first snooker world championship in 1927 was held at Camkin's Hall, and Davis won the tournament by beating Tom Dennis 20–11 (although Davis had reached the winning margin at 16–7 before "dead frames" were played to take the total to the agreed 31 frames) in the final.
In 1935, the Women's Billiards Association (WBA) affiliated to the BA&CC and on 10 June 1936, the Billiards Association and Control Council agreed to take over management of the WBA. Lord Lonsdale, president of the BA&CC, also became president of the WBA.
## Loss of control of the professional game
Leslie Driffield, a member of the BA&CC Council, was present at a meeting where the Council nominated him as the challenger to Rex Williams for the professional Billiards Championship. Williams declined to play Driffield within the five months time limit that the BA&CC Council had set, which expired on 7 July 1970, and forfeited the title, which was then contested between Driffield and Jack Karnehm in June 1971. On 1 October 1970, the Professional Billiard Players Association, which had been reestablished in 1968 Williams and seven other players, disaffiliated from the BA&CC. The Professional Billiard Players Association changed its name to the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association on 12 December 1970, and declared itself the governing body for the professional game, recognising Williams as champion. Driffield and Karnehm were, at first, the only two professionals to recognise the BA&CC as continuing to have authority over the game. From 1972, the WPBSA organised the World Snooker Championship.
The BA&CC had its own premises for the first time in 1970, when it opened offices and a match room, based in Haringey. Vera Selby and Alf Nolan were among the players who took part in exhibition matches at the official opening. On 21 January 1971 the Billiards Association and Control Council changed its name to the Billiards and Snooker Control Council (B&SCC).
## Loss of control of the international amateur game
The B&SCC had a proportional representation system of delegate voting that meant that the representatives from just two English counties, Lancashire and Yorkshire, could outvote the rest of the world. A World Billiards and Snooker Council (WB&SC) was established in 1971, following a meeting of a number of national associations at a hotel in Malta during the IBSF World Billiards Championship. The associations were dissatisfied that the B&SCC was controlling both the UK and international games. Player and journalist Clive Everton served as the first secretary, and his office served as the first office of the WB&SC. In 1973, the WB&SC renamed itself as the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) and began to control non-professional billiards and snooker championships.
## Decline
From 1967 to 1989 the B&SCC had received Sports Council grants, but this was, according to Everton, stopped "on the grounds of limited efficiency", and at the beginning of the 1990s, the B&SCC was struggling financially as a result of the removal of this funding. The London and Home Counties Billiards and Snooker Association cut links with the B&SCC in 1990, to start a new English Billiards and Snooker Federation.
In 1992, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) was expected to take over the B&SCC, but following a vote of the B&SCC members approving this, the WPBSA discovered that the B&SCC had undeclared contingent liabilities of £100,000 and cancelled the planned takeover. The B&SCC then went into voluntary liquidation.
The WPBSA took over the running of tournaments that had been organised by the B&SCC, and paid the prize money originally announced. It also bought the B&SCC's trophies and other assets from the liquidator and ran the amateur game whilst looking to support the establishment of successor bodies to the B&SCC.
## Successor organisations
### International
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association is responsible for governing professional billiards and snooker, whilst the International Billiards and Snooker Federation governs the amateur game.
### England
The English Partnership for Snooker and Billiards has been the governing body for non-professional snooker in England since June 2019, when a resolution was passed by the English Association of Snooker and Billiards, the previous governing body, to transfer its assets and operations to the EPSB. The English Amateur Billiards Association governs amateur billiards.
|
44,725,804 |
Furniture & Meat
| 1,151,201,019 | null |
[
"2014 American television episodes",
"Adventure Time (season 6) episodes"
] |
"Furniture & Meat" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series Adventure Time. The episode was written by Cole Sanchez and Andy Ristaino from a story by Kent Osborne, Pendleton Ward, Jack Pendarvis, and Adam Muto.
The series follows the adventures of Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada), a human boy, and his best friend and adopted brother Jake (voiced by John DiMaggio), a dog with magical powers to change shape and grow and shrink at will. In this episode, BMO (voiced by Niki Yang)—concerned that Finn and Jake's hoard of gold is threatening the structural integrity of their treehouse—talks Finn into spending the money in Wildberry Kingdom.
The episode was viewed by 1.9 million viewers, and ranked as the 52nd most-watched cable show on the day of its airing. Many reviews complimented the humor and tone of the episode, and Jason Krell of io9 Animation appreciated the return of the Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant.
## Plot
Outside their tree house, Finn and Jake snooze, while BMO (Niki Yang) and N.E.P.T.R. (Andy Milonakis) play out a spoof of Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham. The two break open Finn and Jake's treasure room, pouring their massive stash of gold out into the yard, as well as the Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant (Steve Agee). BMO talks Finn into spending the money at an expensive resort at Wildberry Kingdom. When they arrive in the town square, Jake unloads their treasure into the city's fountain. A guard scolds them for this, but they bribe him with a few shillings and a crown, freeing them from the law. Chaos follows shortly after Jake uses wealth to control the residents. When they disrespect her authority, Wildberry Princess (Maria Bamford) orders Finn and Jake to be arrested and for their money to be seized and melted down. Her punishment is for them to be covered in the molten gold, but BMO and N.E.P.T.R. arrive just in time and save the two.
## Production
"Furniture & Meat" was written and storyboarded by Cole Sanchez and Andy Ristaino. It was adapted from a story by Kent Osborne, Jack Pendarvis, Adam Muto, and series creator Pendleton Ward. Like most episodes of the season, the episode was produced in approximately nine months. Muto, Osborne and Pendarvis crafted a two-page outline, which was then sent to Sanchez and Ristaino for storyboarding in the course of two weeks (Sanchez and Ristaino are one out of four main storyboarding teams for the series). The final storyboard was drafted on December 17, 2013. Stamped with the production code "1025-171", the storyboard was then sent back to Osborne, for any final feedback, and to the network, for any final notes. The network approved it three weeks later.
## Broadcast and reception
"Furniture & Meat" first aired in the United States on June 19, 2014, on Cartoon Network. The episode was watched by 1.9 million viewers, receiving a Nielsen rating of 0.4 for adults in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic. It was 52nd most-watched television episode on the date of its airing, according to TV by the Numbers.
For io9 Animation, Jason Krell called it "pretty solid", albeit lacking in relation to the season's story arc. In his "additional musings" section, he hoped that the war elephant will make a "more meaningful" return, while questioning why nobody in the episode commented on the return of Finn's arm from "Breezy". Oliver Sava of The A.V. Club gave it a B+, referring it as a throwback to early episodes of the show where specific lessons were taught without dealing with the serial elements of surrounding episodes. He wrote that, while "not quite as substantial as recent installments, it's still very entertaining". Ryley Trahan of the online Entertainment Weekly praised the use of Ward's "best, most subversive humor", calling it a "great one-shot look" into the main duo's mischief; in the print publication, Ray Rahman summarized, "it's never too early to start saving, kids".
### Home video
The episode first saw physical release on the Finn the Human DVD set on November 25, 2014, containing 16 episodes from assorted seasons. In Geek Smash, Colin O'Boyle considered it one of many "great" episodes included in the release.
## See also
- "The Limit", an episode of the second season of Adventure Time that introduced the Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant
- "Something Big" (Adventure Time), his latest appearance this season
## Explanatory notes
|
21,346,014 |
Rita Bennett
| 1,168,458,997 |
Fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay
|
[
"American female characters in television",
"Characters in American novels of the 21st century",
"Dexter (series) characters",
"Female characters in television",
"Fictional characters from Miami",
"Fictional characters from Michigan",
"Fictional housewives",
"Fictional murdered people",
"Fictional real estate brokers",
"Fictional victims of domestic abuse",
"Fictional victims of sexual assault",
"Literary characters introduced in 2004"
] |
Rita Morgan (née Brandon; previously Ackerman and Bennett) is a fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay for his book series about a vigilante serial killer named Dexter Morgan. She also appeared in the television series Dexter, based on Lindsay's books. She was the girlfriend and later wife of Dexter in both media. Portrayed by Julie Benz, Rita was a series regular in the first four seasons. The character made her last television appearance in 2010; she was a special guest star in Dexter's season five opener entitled "My Bad". The character appeared in seven of the eight Dexter novels.
In the novels, Dexter initially considers Rita little more than part of his disguise as a normal human being, and the perfect cover for his secret life as a serial killer. He later admits to growing quite fond of Rita, whom he married in the third book, Dexter in the Dark. In the television series, Rita is portrayed as a loving and caring mother who is emotionally damaged due to physical abuse by her former husband, Paul Bennett. Rita is the mother of Astor Bennett (Christina Robinson) and Cody Bennett (Preston Bailey), and later in the television series, gives birth to Dexter's son, Harrison. In the book series, she and Dexter have a daughter, Lily Anne.
Benz received positive reviews for her portrayal of Rita, winning a Satellite Award and Saturn Award, and receiving a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. Her character was killed by a serial killer in the final episode of season four. Dexter executive producer Clyde Phillips claimed the staff did not know how Rita would leave until late in the fourth season, but that it began to feel inevitable as the story evolved. Benz was notified the day before the script was distributed to the cast and was disappointed, but found the scene revealing her departure to be "very poetic". The character's departure was considered controversial by some reviewers; E! writer Kristin Dos Santos said that it "might go down as one of the most shocking ever on television."
## Appearances
### Literature
Rita Bennett was a character in the Dexter series of novels written by author Jeff Lindsay. Rita first appears in the original novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter. In the book series, Dexter Morgan primarily considers her a part of his "disguise", but he does care for her in his own emotionless way.
In Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the two are already together, but it is explained that Dexter started dating her solely to improve his "disguise" as a normal person. Because she was brutalized by her now-jailed ex-husband, Rita fears intimacy and does not expect much of Dexter; this suits the asexual Dexter perfectly. By the novel's climax, Dexter admits that he is fond of her children, Astor and Cody, the closest he can get to feeling love. By a humorous misunderstanding, the couple become engaged in Dearly Devoted Dexter and married at the end of Dexter in the Dark. In the books, Rita is scatter-brained and easily upset, prone to speaking in disjointed, rambling sentences that Dexter often finds incomprehensible. The only quality that Dexter truly appreciates about her is that she is an excellent cook. She is a physical fitness buff; she and Dexter regularly go for 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) runs, long bike rides, and weightlifting sessions together. In the fifth book, Dexter is Delicious, she gives birth to Dexter's daughter Lily Anne. In Dearly Devoted Dexter, Dexter discovers that Cody and Astor are budding sociopaths and decides to provide them with the same "guidance" that his adoptive father Harry gave to him; namely, to teach them how to be careful, efficient killers of those who "deserve it". Rita is kept in the dark about the true nature of their relationship. She suspects that something is wrong with the children when she discovers them torturing a cat, but Dexter is able to reassure her that they didn't understand what they were doing. The television series is based on Darkly Dreaming Dexter. In Dexter's Final Cut, Dexter has an affair with TV star Jackie Forrest, and briefly considers leaving Rita. At the end of the novel, however, both Rita and Jackie are murdered by Robert Chase, a pedophile intent on kidnapping Astor.
### Television
Rita Bennett appears in the premiere episode of Dexter, entitled "Dexter" and is introduced as Dexter Morgan's girlfriend. It is revealed early on that Rita was physically and sexually abused by Paul Bennett (Mark Pellegrino), her ex-husband and the father of her children, Astor (Christina Robinson) and Cody (Preston Bailey). Dexter's sister Debra Morgan answered a domestic violence call and saved her life. Rita, who is ignorant of Dexter's secret life as a serial killer, appears regularly throughout the first season as his main source of support. She plays a much larger role in the episode "Return to Sender", in which Paul is released from prison and demands to be at Astor's birthday party. Rita asks that he not come to the party. In "Circle of Friends", Rita tells Paul he can see his children only through supervised visits for six months before she will consider letting him have unsupervised visitation rights. She hands him divorce papers that include that clause, and Paul signs them. In "Father Knows Best", however, Paul begins threatening Rita again when she prevents him from seeing the children. He forces his way into her house, where she defends herself by hitting him over the head with a baseball bat. In "Seeing Red", Paul presses charges against Rita for assault. When Paul visits Rita's house, he threatens Dexter when they are alone in the kitchen; Dexter reacts by hitting him with a frying pan. After Paul loses consciousness, Dexter drives him back to his hotel and plants drugs on him. Dexter alerts the police and Paul is sent back to prison.
In the second season premiere Rita takes Astor and Cody to see Paul in prison. He insists that Dexter dragged him out of Rita's house before drugging him and tipping off the police — and that if she could find his missing shoe it would prove his innocence. Rita tells him that there is no shoe, despite having found it more than a month previously. She later admits that she found the shoe, but refuses to acknowledge that Dexter is involved. That night she receives a call from the prison and learns that Paul was killed in an inmate altercation. In "Waiting to Exhale", after Paul's funeral, Rita confronts Dexter about his involvement in Paul's death, and he is forced to admit to having a heroin addiction in order to cover up his real secret. Rita threatens to leave Dexter if he does not commit to a program to deal with his "addiction". He starts attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings, where a mysterious woman named Lila Tournay (Jaime Murray) volunteers to be his sponsor. In "See-Through" Rita's visiting mother, Gail (JoBeth Williams), suspects that Dexter is hiding something from the family. In "Dex, Lies, and Videotape", Rita breaks up with Dexter after a phone call from Lila reveals, he lied to her.
In "That Night, a Forest Grew," Rita stands up to her mother and insists that she move out of the house. Rita tells Dexter that he is no longer welcome to visit her house or her children. He apologizes, admitting that his affair with Lila was a mistake, but she is still hesitant to forgive him. When Dexter breaks up with Lila, she retaliates by pursuing his co-worker and friend, Angel Batista (David Zayas). In "There's Something About Harry," Rita and Dexter reconcile and visit the beach together. In the second-season finale, Dexter is forced to lie about running away with Lila, in front of Debra. Lila, feeling hurt, leaves with what she recognizes as Dexter's bag of murder equipment. She goes to Rita's house and drugs the babysitter in order to abduct the children. When Dexter realizes that Astor and Cody are missing, he goes to Lila's apartment. She starts a fire and locks the three of them inside. Rita calls Debra for help and Debra decides to skip her flight to Oregon, with her boyfriend Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine). Dexter manages to pass Astor and Cody through a small window to the outside, and escapes after breaking down a thin wall.
In the season three opener "Our Father," Rita realizes that she is pregnant with Dexter's child. In "All In The Family", after an unsuccessful marriage proposal, Dexter tries to convince Rita that he is looking for more than a convenient merger of finances and parenthood. In "Turning Biminese," Rita is hospitalized after a medical emergency and Dexter cannot be found. Dexter is hesitant when Rita suggests that they buy a house and move in together. Rita becomes angry at Dexter's refusal to help organize their wedding. In the third-season finale, "Do You Take Dexter Morgan?", Rita and Dexter get married.
In the fourth season opener, Rita and Dexter are living happily together in a suburban neighborhood with Astor, Cody, and new baby Harrison. In "Remains to be Seen" Dexter is in a terrible car accident, and Rita demands that he give her his keys so that she can drive him. In "If I Had a Hammer," friction begins to develop in the couple's relationship, and Dexter seeks guidance from Arthur Mitchell (John Lithgow), a family man who appears to balance his responsibilities with his secret life as the "Trinity Killer". In "Hungry Man," Rita works hard to prepare Thanksgiving dinner. She shares a kiss with the next door neighbor, Elliot Larson (Rick Peters), when she asks if she can use his stove. Dexter arrives for an appointment with Rita for marriage counseling, but gets called to a crime scene as soon as he arrives. Soon after, Rita confesses that she and Elliot kissed, although Dexter tries to brush it off. Rita later admits that she felt hurt that he did not seem to care about her indiscretion. Dexter then punches Elliot and warns him to stay away from Rita, which reassures her that Dexter loves her. In the fourth season finale, Dexter asks her to go out of town so they can have a belated honeymoon; in reality, Dexter wants to keep her safe from Mitchell, who has learned his real identity and threatened to kill him and his family. After killing Mitchell, Dexter returns home and finds a message from Rita that she returned to pick up her identification for the flight. Dexter finds her dead in the bathtub — Mitchell's last victim. In the fifth season premiere "My Bad", Dexter realizes, much to his own surprise, that he genuinely loved Rita and is devastated by her death. Julie Benz reprised her role as Rita as a special guest star in a flashback to her and Dexter's first date, and as a corpse.
## Development
### Casting and characterization
The character of Rita Bennett was originally invented by Jeff Lindsay for his series of novels about Dexter Morgan, and she is featured in all but the final book in the series. Clyde Phillips and Melissa Rosenberg wanted to bring the character into the television series when casting for the TV version, Dexter. Julie Benz was given a copy of the script in 2005 and was asked to audition for the part. She was surprised because the script was "one of the best pilot scripts [she] ever read." She also read for the part of Debra and joked that she would have auditioned for Dexter's role. Benz had been a fan of Michael C. Hall from his role in Six Feet Under. She said in an interview with Vanity Fair, "I was such a fan, to the point where my cell-phone ring was the show's theme song. I had to change it once I got cast!". Benz performed for four seasons, until her character was killed in the series.
Rita is presented in the series as a loving and caring mother. As a result of being abused by her husband, Rita has no interest in sex, which suits the asexual Dexter perfectly. She developed a strong character. At the beginning of season two, the producers approached Benz about character growth. They wanted to make Rita stronger and less shattered than she was in the first season. Benz has said that she was "very sad to hear that. Because I loved playing her in season one where she was this very damaged, fragile bird who was just struggling so hard to make a better world for her kids, but just could not do it."
### Death
Rita was killed by Arthur Mitchell in the season four finale "The Getaway".
Rita's death was alluded to by Dexter producers, who told media outlets "The Getaway" included a series-changing twist, leading to widespread speculation about it. Security precautions were taken to prevent the finale's secrets from becoming exposed. Network staff members were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements, and decoy scripts were drafted and disseminated to protect the twist ending. In one of the alternatives, Dexter learned about a child murderer escaping from prison, and tried to decide whether to join Rita on vacation or go after the escaped killer. Nobody but essential cast and staff were allowed on the set during filming of the episode, and the scripts and DVDs of the episode were watermarked before they were taken off the set.
Clyde Phillips claimed the Dexter staff did not know how the finale would conclude until late in the season, but he said Rita's death began to feel inevitable as the story evolved. Benz said she had been told that Lithgow knew about it from the beginning of the season. Phillips said the staff felt obligated to do more than kill the Trinity Killer in the final episode, especially because he felt the death of the third season antagonist (played by Jimmy Smits) was not handled "as well as we could have". The writers discussed the idea of having Debra find out about Dexter's secret life, but decided they could not anticipate how drastically the series would be changed by that. Benz heard rumors from David Zayas that her character would be killed in the episode, but she was not notified until much later. The producers met with her the day before the season finale script was distributed to the cast. She said, "It was a tough meeting. In a bizarre way, it felt like a scene from Defending Your Life." Benz described the death scene as "very poetic". Clyde Philips said, "She wasn't happy. She loved being with us. We loved having her with us. She took it... professionally. She was greatly disappointed. She's a professional. She works in television. She knew that this was a possibility."
The mystery writer J.A. Jance wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "Yes, it's a bit of a shock to discover that some of the TV series' characters who died last season or the season before are back among the living between the covers of Lindsay's new book. Rita, Dexter's long-suffering wife who died a terrible death in a bathtub in last year's season finale, is alive and well and having a baby in Dexter Is Delicious. But my advice to readers is this: Don't quibble. Get over it. After all, fiction is an alternate universe to begin with, and Lindsay's dark, comedic fiction is an alternate universe once removed."
## Reception
### Critical reaction
The character of Rita has been well received by critics, who praised Benz's portrayal. Eric Goldman of IGN has said, "Dexter does a solid job of developing the roles of the supporting cast, with Rita, Deb, Doakes and LaGuerta all getting a good amount of development". He added, "There were a couple of forced moments in "Popping Cherry", most notably the drug dealer who came to Rita's house, in broad daylight, demanding money for her ex-husband's debts; it was all a bit over the top and cliché. On the other hand, it was interesting to note Dexter's inaction in that scene, making one wonder if perhaps he fears that any public display of physical defense, even for Rita, might result in him going too far and revealing what he is." Jarett Wieselman of the New York Post has said, "Rita always felt like the light in that dark show", and "In the beginning Rita was the vessel through which the audience could love Dexter." UGO.com placed Rita Bennett 7th on a list of "Top 11 Girlfriends on TV". Zap2it created a poll entitled "Best Mom" as part of their "Greatest TV Characters" series of polls; Rita was voted 12th on a list of 14 characters.
The TV.com staff were less appreciative, listing her as 7th out of the "Ten Most Annoying Characters on TV". They noted that "While we mostly love the beatific Julie Benz, her complaining wifey character has been reduced to little more than whimpering and murmuring about Dexter's commitment to the family..." and summarised with "Might Rita die next week? For the first time since the series began, we really feel like we wouldn't miss her."
Rita was killed in the fourth season finale "The Getaway." This was a subject of controversy since the character continuing living in the books. E! writer Kristin Dos Santos called the ending "horrifying" and said, "This death just might go down as one of the most shocking deaths ever on television." Claire Zulkey said that the twist ending was intense, and the teleplay was woven with feature several moments that had led him to expect different conclusions. He praised what he expected to be a "re-set" of the series after Rita's death. Marcia White of The Express-Times declared Dexter "one of the best cable dramas on TV" and called the final scene between Dexter and Rita completely shocking. Mark Dawidziak of The Plain Dealer said the episode was shocking and suspenseful, calling Dexter "a series that leaves you guessing as the psychological ambiguities run deeper and darker".
### Accolades
Julie Benz has been well received for her portrayal of Rita Bennett, winning and being nominated for a multitude of awards. These including one Satellite Award win for Best Supporting Actress and a Saturn Award win for Best Supporting Actress. She was also nominated for a Scream Award for Best Horror Actress and was jointly nominated, in 2009 and 2010, for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series.
|
8,840,173 |
Ciara: Live in Concert
| 1,165,919,433 |
2006 concert tour by Ciara
|
[
"2006 concert tours",
"Ciara concert tours"
] |
Ciara: Live in Concert was the debut concert tour of American recording artist Ciara. It supported her second studio album, Ciara: The Evolution (2006) and visited venues in the United States and Canada. The 16-city tour began on October 26 and ended on December 10, 2006. Previously unreleased tracks from her then-upcoming second album were previewed during the tour. The singer described the tour as an exclusive event for fans to showcase the album's musical direction. Ciara: Live in Concert was accompanied by various radio concerts and a concert with hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas.
The tour's set list consisted of tracks from Ciara: The Evolution and Ciara's debut studio album Goodies (2004), along with three featured singles. The show held at Nokia Theater in New York City was broadcast live via streaming on AOL Music's website and it was later made available on demand. The tour received mixed to positive reviews; critics were divided regarding the pre-recorded backing tracks and remarked that Ciara was slightly under-prepared to host her own headlining tour, but ultimately praised her energetic choreography.
## Background and development
Ciara: Live in Concert was announced by Jive Records on October 10, 2006, via a press release. It was Ciara's first tour as a headliner; she had previously performed as the opening act for Gwen Stefani at the Harajuku Lovers Tour (2005). Ciara: Live in Concert previewed previously unreleased tracks from the singer's then-upcoming second album Ciara: The Evolution (2006). The tour began on October 26, 2006, at the club Love in Washington, D.C. and ended on December 10 at the Nokia Theater in New York City. It was accompanied by several radio concerts and a concert with American hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas in Los Angeles on December 1, 2006, as part of the group's Monkey Business Tour. Regarding the tour, Ciara stated:
> Previewing the new record in a small setting gives my fans an exclusive experience where they can truly hear and see exactly where I'm going with Ciara: The Evolution. It's about so much more than just my personal growth — it's about the evolution of music, the evolution of dance, the evolution of fashion. I want to bring a taste of all that to the fans in a one-on-one environment to get them excited for [the album].
## Concert synopsis
The set list for the tour consisted of songs from Ciara: The Evolution and Goodies. As featured artists did not appear on the tour, their part of the songs were edited out, namely on "Oh" and "That's Right" and the featured singles "Like You" by Bow Wow and "Lose Control" by Missy Elliott. The set decor included risers and multicolored lights. The show began with Ciara appearing on a platform one story above the stage floor. She performed her debut single "Goodies", which was quickly followed by "Oh". She wore tight metallic pants, a cut-up white T-shirt and sunglasses. The tempo of "Make It Last Forever" was increased and the backup dancers performed "old-school" breakdancing. The performance ended with Ciara and her dancers freezing in "Vogue poses".
While performing "Lose Control", Ciara took off her shirt and revealed a silver bra underneath. The male back-up dancers also took their shirts off. Ciara performed her part in Bow Wow's "Like You" while appearing alone on stage. For "Like a Boy", Ciara and her female dancers switched to military-style clothing and performed male-oriented choreography. Later in the show came "Promise", for which Ciara recreated dance moves from the music video while sporting black pants, a jacket and a hoodie. She ended the song by lying face down while pounding on the stage with her fists. She closed the set with "Get Up". No musicians appeared on stage throughout the show and Ciara wore a headset microphone to fully focus on her dance moves. The show lasted 45 minutes.
## Reception and recordings
The tour received mixed to positive reviews from critics. The Morning Call's Dalondo Moultrie was positive in his review of the tour and wrote that Ciara "put on one of the best performances I have seen yet at [Crocodile Rock]". Moultrie called her dance steps "incredible", noting that it was in sync with the music, "each pelvic thrust or body-bending twist" and the periodic bursts of light. In conclusion, Moultrie praised the concert and its "high-energy songs, sexy dance moves, flawless vocals and a top-flight light show". Bill White of Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote that due to Ciara's high energy, "it hardly mattered that she was singing to backing tracks". Regarding the pre-recorded vocals, he said: "Usually this type of performance seems cut-rate and dishonest, but Ciara, with the help of slick lighting and sharp choreography, made it work". White concluded: "It may have been a 45-minute infomercial for her second release, 'Evolution', but Ciara's explosive display of crunk was a minispectacle in its own right." Sia Michel of The New York Times wrote a positive review, stating: "Ciara led a squad of hip-hop dancers through stylishly choreographed routines. Striding about in a headset, she was a commanding and relentlessly professional presence."
Vincent Jackson of The Press of Atlantic City wrote that Ciara "exhibited a great deal of self-confidence during the course of the night". Jackson commented that Ciara is a "limited vocalist", stating that she made a "good decision to put most of her energy into her almost nonstop, aerobic dance performance". Newsday critic Glenn Gamboa was more critical, writing that "Pop concerts require strong personalities and, at 21, Ciara hasn't quite perfected hers yet". Gamboa called the show "as slick as an ice patch and often just as cool", but noted that sometimes she "got dwarfed by her surroundings" of eight dancers and recorded backing vocals. He praised the up-tempo songs and "Promise", but criticized the ballad "I'm Just Me" for "nearly halt[ing]" the set. He ended on a more positive note, writing that "Ciara shows that she is well on her way to becoming a superstar herself". Jon Gilbertson of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was largely critical of the show and criticized the singer for relying on backing tracks, stating that she failed to stand out as none of the songs "brought forth any recognizable vocal signatures".
AOL Music announced on December 8, 2006, that it would broadcast Ciara's concert at the Nokia Theatre. The concert was available worldwide for free via live streaming on AOL Music's website. When the show had ended, viewers could access it via an on demand service.
## Tour dates
|
35,502,847 |
Goodbye Mr. Fish
| 1,157,609,818 | null |
[
"1984 American television episodes",
"Fish in popular culture",
"Television episodes about funerals",
"The Cosby Show"
] |
"Goodbye Mr. Fish" or sometimes "Good-bye Mr. Fish", "Goodbye, Mr. Fish" or just "Mr. Fish" is the second episode of the first season of the American sitcom The Cosby Show. The episode was directed by Jay Sandrich and written by Earl Pomerantz. "Goodbye Mr. Fish" originally aired in the United States on NBC on Thursday September 27, 1984, at 8:00 PM Eastern time.
The episode focuses on the death of Rudy's pet goldfish, which was difficult to explain to her and difficult for her to deal with. The episode was a critical and commercial success, achieving both high ratings and positive critical feedback. Its viewer ratings placed it third for the opening week of the 1984–85 United States network television season and it earned Primetime Emmy Award and Writers Guild Award nominations for its writing.
Several critics either describe this as the most memorable episode of the series or mention it first when describing the series' memorable episodes. Other critics as well as Bill Cosby include it on short lists of series highlights. Clips of this episode are included in the season 4 two-part "Looking Back" episode.
## Plot
Cliff (Bill Cosby) comes home from a long day at work and tries to take a nap. Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe) disturbs him to say that Rudy's (Keshia Knight Pulliam) goldfish, Lamont, has died, but she does not realize it yet. They have a hard time explaining to Rudy what has happened. Once they do, Rudy becomes depressed. Later that day, the older kids start making fun of Lamont's death, Theo saying they should hold a memorial service for the fish around the family toilet. When Cliff feels that the rest of the family is insensitive to Rudy's loss, he requires the entire family to participate in a memorial service for Lamont in the bathroom in proper funeral attire. Rudy loses interest in the funeral and leaves to watch television, ending the ceremony abruptly. She later returns to the bathroom and asks for privacy, not because she wants to say goodbye to Lamont as Cliff thinks, but because she needs to use the toilet.
## Cast
- Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable
- Phylicia Ayers-Allen as Clair Huxtable
- Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Theo Huxtable
- Keshia Knight Pulliam as Rudy Huxtable
- Tempestt Bledsoe as Vanessa Huxtable
- Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable
## Production
This was first episode taped and produced for the show, on August 1, 1984, following the "Pilot" taped much earlier in May 1984. The show originated at the NBC studio in Brooklyn before a live studio audience with six different sets: a living room, a master bedroom, a kitchen, a child's bedroom, a hallway, and a bathroom. The taping endured so many retakes that it took three times as long as was scheduled. The set used was notably different from the one used during the pilot. In the first episode, the first floor has extra rooms that it does not have in the rest of the series, beginning with this episode. As of 1987, this was one of the few sitcom episodes that showed the bathroom, according to Patricia Leigh Brown of The New York Times.
## Reception
In 2009, TV Guide created TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time, with this episode ranked number 15. Earl Pomerantz was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay - Episodic Comedy and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for this episode. The episode was also nominated for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects for a Series. The episode finished third in the Nielsen Media Research ratings for the week with a 19.1 million person viewership and a 22.5 share for the week ending September 30 behind Dallas (22.4 million) and Falcon Crest (19.8 million). This followed a first-place ranking for the "Pilot" the week before. This was the first episode of the series to air after the September 24 date that marked the official beginning of the 1984–85 United States network television season.
David Hinckley of the Daily News describes Rudy as "impossibly cute" in this episode. Producer Marcy Carsey considered the episode to be an example of how the series dealt with the "reactions to small-scale events". According to Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly, this is considered by many to be the most memorable episode of the series. Other critics consider it to be among the highlights of the series including Allison Samuels of Newsweek who remembered Cosby for two performances in the series in which he "hid his potato-chip habit from his wife and delivered a deadpan eulogy as he flushed his daughter's goldfish down the toilet". William Raspberry of The Washington Post and Graham Jefferson of USA Today considered the episode to be a highlight of the series. Cosby was quoted in Ebony as counting the episode on the short list of highlights from the series. This was the first episode mentioned by several writers discussing the series, including Renee Graham of the Boston Globe, Matt Roush of USA Today (in 1987 after the first 81 episodes), and Candace Murphy of the Oakland Tribune. In the fourth season two-part November 12, 1987 "Looking Back" episode, the family tries to help the newlywed Sondra Huxtable and Elvin reconcile after their first fight. The episode recounts highlights of the first 81 episodes to help Elvin understand Sondra and her family and this episode is highlighted. According to TBS, the following lines in the funeral part of the script were among the most memorable in the entire series:
Cliff: "We're here to say goodbye to a cherished friend: Lamont, the goldfish."
Vanessa: "I always felt safe with him around."
|
28,770,619 |
Runaway Baby
| 1,171,065,847 |
2010 song by Bruno Mars
|
[
"2010 songs",
"American pop rock songs",
"Bruno Mars songs",
"Doo-wop songs",
"Song recordings produced by the Smeezingtons",
"Songs written by Ari Levine",
"Songs written by Bruno Mars",
"Songs written by Christopher Brody Brown",
"Songs written by Philip Lawrence (songwriter)"
] |
"Runaway Baby" is a song by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars from his debut studio album Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010). It was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine and Brody Brown. The former three produced the track under their alias, the Smeezingtons. "Runaway Baby" is a funk, pop rock, doo-wop and soul record. Its lyrics detail a playboy who is willing to break every woman's heart regardless of their feelings. Instrumentally, the track relies on finger snaps, police sirens, hand claps and raspy guitar lines. It received mixed reviews from music critics, who considered it one of the standouts in the album, but criticized its lyrical content.
"Runaway Baby" debuted and peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart after The X Factor performance, and it peaked at number 35 and 50 in New Zealand and on Billboard Hot 100, respectively. It was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The singer performed "Runaway Baby" at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, at the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show and on all his concerts since 2010. The performances included an extra break with a James Brown dance and singing through a megaphone.
## Composition and production
"Runaway Baby" is a retro funk, pop rock, doo-wop soul, and bubblegum R&B track. Ken Tucker of NPR found it hard to categorize the recording. Its instrumentation includes 60's soul finger snaps, police sirens, hand claps and "scratchy guitarlines". The song was composed in the key of E♭ minor with a tempo of 144 beats per minute. Jon Caramanica from The New York Times felt that Mars was trying to "channel" Little Richard and called the track "jumpy" and "salacious". Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone found the song to have "an electric riff as rapidly talk-sings" and to be inspired by James Brown. Lyrically, "Runaway Baby" conveys the message for women to avoid Mars since he is willing to break their hearts due to being a playboy and a "rolling stone" ("Lord knows I'm a rolling stone"). Moreover, there is a comparison established between Mars's penis and a carrot, "So many eager young bunnies...and they all got to share it."
"Runaway Baby" was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine and Brody Brown. The former three produced the track under their alias, the Smeezingtons. Mars, Levine and Brown played all the instruments on the song. Levine was in charge of engineering the song, which he did at Levcon Studios, in California. The mixing of "Runaway Baby" was done at Larrabee Sound Studios, in North Hollywood by Manny Marroquin, with Christian Plata and Erik Madrid serving as assistants. It was mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California.
## Critical reception
"Runaway Baby" has received mixed reviews from music critics. Luke Gibson from HipHopDX and Entertainment Weekly' Leah Greenblatt considered "Runaway Baby" one of the standouts in the album. The former added that Mars shows his writing skills, despite being so different from the other recordings. Yahoo!'s music critic, Sherri Thornhill, had a mixed opinion towards the track, calling it a "catchy" and "gets your toes tapping", despite not being one of her favorites. Blues & Soul publication found "Runaway Baby" to be inspired in The Jacksons, and "60s rock groove" from Eric Clapton and Cream; dubbing it as "enjoyable even though it's completely vacuous!". Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone described the track as one of Mars's "catchiest and most infectious".
On the other hand, Tim Sendra of AllMusic gave it a negative analysis, "is a pretty cheesy rocker, suffering from clichéd lyrics and production." Alexis Petridis from The Guardian went on to analyze some verses and gave them a harsh review, "Mars compares his penis to a carrot", which could not only lead to speculation regarding its meaning, but also "it's an image that haunts the rest of the song." He continued criticizing as the lyrics tell that "the object of his affections" should not try to connected Mars which could be related to his "carrot-like penis". MusicOMH'''s Jamie Milton felt that the recording was one of the things wrong with the album as at its core "involves throwing everything into the fire", mainly due to its "bad-boy pop-punkrealms".
## Commercial performance
Following Mars's performance on The X Factor on October 22, 2011, "Runaway Baby" debuted in three different charts according to the Official Charts Company, on the issue date of October 30, 2011. It entered at number 18 on the United Kingdom, spending 11 weeks on the chart. Moreover, it debuted at number 19 in Scotland and number five at the United Kingdom R&B chart. The song was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In 2012, it entered and peaked at number 66 and 50 on the Canadian Hot 100 and on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. "Runaway Baby" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In New Zealand, the single debuted at number 40, peaking at number 35 in its fourth week on the chart.
## Live performances and other usage
Mars performed "Runaway Baby" live for the first time on June 24, 2011, at the NBC's Today Show as he danced along with his band. The choreography was inspired by James Brown, and Mars picked up a megaphone to sing some of the lyrics. On October 22, 2011, Mars and his band wore matching red velvet Dolce & Gabbana suits during the song's performance on the results show of The X Factor UK. Robbie Daw of Idolator called the live show "rowdy", while a writer for Rap-Up praised the performance, writing that it "rocked the house" due to his "James Brown funky moves" and singing into a megaphone.
On February 12, 2012, Mars performed "Runaway Baby" during the 54th Annual Grammy Awards along with his band, wearing matching shining black-and-gold tuxedos. The stage, which was revealed during the rehearsals, included a wall with light bulbs and a giant marquee, which spelled "Live on Stage Bruno Mars." Furthermore, pyro and giant spotlights were used. The Grammys' executive producer Ken Erhlich wanted Mars to perform the track on the Grammys since he had seen it live. Mars's performance was dedicated to the soon deceased Whitney Houston. Claire Suddath of Time dubbed it as "retro Motown" and enjoyable. She found the James Brown-inspired choreography "spot-on". However, Suddath considered the singer to be "too perfect". She rated his performance a B+. MTV's Jocelyn Vena thought the performance was energetic and "triumphant". At the 2012 Met Gala, Mars performed "Runaway Baby", wearing Prada, with the James Brown breakdown, followed by a medley of covers, which included "Ni\*\*as in Paris", "Roxanne" and "Rock the Boat".
Mars also performed a shortened version of the song as part of his Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show, with a reference to The Isley Brothers' "Shout" and the James Brown-inspired choreography. Mars rapped the words "give it away, give it away, give it away now" as the Red Hot Chili Peppers made their cameo. Idolator's Carl Williott complemented the singer's "strong live vocals and stellar footwork". American singer and actress Carly Rose Sonenclar covered the song on her YouTube channel. In 2017, Anatalia Villaranda covered "Runaway Baby" during her Blind Audition at The Voice.
Mars also performed the song during The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour (2010–12), the Hooligans in Wondaland Tour (2011) and on The Moonshine Jungle Tour (2013–14). He also sang it on his debut concert residency, Bruno Mars at The Chelsea, Las Vegas (2013–15), the 24K Magic World Tour (2017–18) and with Anderson .Paak, as Silk Sonic, during An Evening with Silk Sonic at Park MGM (2022). In 2011, the track was used as the opening theme for the film Friends with Benefits. In 2017, Dwayne Johnson chose the song to be used in the video game WWE 2K18. In 2019, "Runaway Baby" was used in a commercial for Goal.
## Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Doo-Wops & Hooligans''.
- Bruno Mars – lead vocals, songwriting, instrumentation
- Philip Lawrence – songwriting
- Ari Levine – songwriting, instrumentation, engineer
- Brody Brown – songwriting, instrumentation
- The Smeezingtons – production
- Manny Marroquin – mixing
- Erik Madrid – mixing assistant
- Christian Plata – mixing assistant
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering
## Charts and certifications
### Weekly charts
### Certifications
|
12,230,956 |
1 Hanover Square
| 1,171,093,182 |
Building in Manhattan, New York
|
[
"1854 establishments in New York (state)",
"Commodity exchanges in the United States",
"Financial District, Manhattan",
"Historic district contributing properties in Manhattan",
"Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in New York (state)",
"National Historic Landmarks in Manhattan",
"New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan",
"Office buildings completed in 1854",
"Office buildings in Manhattan",
"Office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan"
] |
One Hanover (formerly known as India House, Hanover Bank Building, and New York Cotton Exchange Building) is a commercial building at 1 Hanover Square, on the southwestern edge of the square, in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It was the site of the United States' first cotton futures exchange, the New York Cotton Exchange.
One Hanover is composed of four originally separate structures. The main structure is a three-story brownstone building designed in the Italian Renaissance style and completed in 1854. The brownstone contains the building's main entrance facing Hanover Square. Adjoining the brownstone are three brick structures at 60–64 Stone Street, which date to 1836 and were built as commercial stores. The brick buildings are four stories tall but are the same height as the brownstone. Inside are maritime-themed spaces that are used by Harry's Bar, Ulysses Folk House, and the India House club.
The brownstone initially served as the headquarters of the Hanover Bank, while other commercial tenants occupied the brick buildings. The New York Cotton Exchange, founded in 1870, occupied the building from 1872 to 1885. The building subsequently served as the headquarters of W.R. Grace and Company until the early 1910s. In 1914, the structures were purchased by the India House, a private club for gentlemen involved in foreign commerce, which continues to occupy the building. The building is now owned by SomeraRoad Inc., and houses their New York City HQ. Over the years, various architects have made renovations to One Hanover Square, with the three Stone Street stores being gradually combined with the brownstone structure between the 1870s and 1910s. Restaurants have also been housed in various portions of One Hanover Square throughout its history.
One Hanover's design, especially in regard to its later use as the India House clubhouse, has received critical acclaim. The building was designated a city landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) in 1965 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1972. The building also became a National Historic Landmark in 1977. It is a contributing property to the Stone Street Historic District, which was designated by the LPC in 1996 and by the NRHP in 1999. 1 Hanover Square has also been depicted in works of popular culture, including the 2001 film Kate & Leopold.
## Site
One Hanover is in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. It occupies the northeastern side of a block bounded by Stone Street to the northwest, Hanover Square and William Street to the northeast, Pearl Street to the southeast, and Coenties Slip to the southwest. The building carries the alternate addresses 2 Hanover Square, 60–66 Stone Street, and 95–105 Pearl Street. 1 Hanover Square contains frontage of 72 feet (22 m) on Hanover Square, 123 feet (37 m) on Stone Street, and 114 feet (35 m) on Pearl Street. The building is near 1 William Street to the northwest and the British Garden at Hanover Square to the northeast.
The site was historically part of New Amsterdam, a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement in modern-day Lower Manhattan; the building's site was acquired by Richard Smith in the 1640s. By the next decade, the southern portion of the lot was sold to Evert Duyckingh (also "Duyckinck"), who developed a house on the site. The northern portion was given to Abraham Martens Clock, who also developed a house on his site; after 1673, town official Nicholas Bayard bought the western end of Clock's land and built a house there. There were numerous buildings on the site by 1812, occupied by various dwellings and businesses. These structures were all destroyed in the Great Fire of 1835, which leveled a large portion of the neighborhood.
## Architecture
One Hanover is composed of four formerly separate buildings. The main structure, completed in 1851, is a three-story masonry structure atop a raised basement, built out of brownstone in the Italian Renaissance style. Although Lower Manhattan formerly contained many Italianate commercial structures, 1 Hanover Square is the only remaining such structure. The building extends southwest to 60–64 Stone Street (also known as 95–101 Pearl Street), a set of Greek Revival commercial structures completed in 1836. These three structures are made of brick and are four stories tall. The additional commercial structures are the same height as the main brownstone structure. The architects for all of these structures are not known, although Richard F. Carman may have been involved in the design of the brownstone.
The lot comprising One Hanover was formerly six separate parts. Each of the four-story brick structures at 60, 62, and 64 Stone Street comprise one part extending the depth of the block to 95–97, 99, and 101 Pearl Street respectively. The main structure is composed of a three-story brownstone section on Hanover Square, a three-story brick section on 66 Stone Street, and a three-story brownstone section on 103 Pearl Street. All of the constituent structures occupy the same land lot. The building as a whole is roughly rectangular but has longer frontage on Pearl and Stone Streets.
One Hanover serves as the headquarters of the SomeraRoad Inc. and contains restaurant and bar space. While the building has had numerous occupants in its history, it was particularly known for being the first headquarters of the New York Cotton Exchange, founded in 1870. The exchange was the second cotton futures exchange in the world behind the International Cotton Association, as well as the first such exchange in the United States.
### Facade
The main brownstone structure has its primary frontage on Hanover Square. There are eight vertical bays facing Hanover Square, of which the center two contain the main entrance. The Pearl and Stone Street facades incorporate the additional structures at 60–64 Stone Street. The Pearl Street facade contains four brownstone bays, similar to those on Hanover Square, as well as eleven brick-clad bays. The Stone Street facade has two brownstone bays and twelve brick bays. There is a flat roof atop the brownstone structure and slightly sloped roofs atop the brick structures.
The brownstone structure sits atop a slightly raised basement with rectangular sash windows and a facade of rusticated brownstone blocks. The Hanover Square facade is set behind a recessed area with an iron railing. One stair on each side of the main entrance leads down to the recessed area and the basement. The main entrance is through a brownstone stoop leading up from the street to double doors. The covered entrance portico is flanked by two Corinthian-style columns on either side and is topped by a balustrade. The tall windows on the first floor are each flanked by paneled pilasters, which are topped by console brackets that support segmentally arched pediments. Second-floor windows are smaller, set beneath gabled pediments. The third floor windows are smaller still, with simpler rectangular surrounds. The facade is crowned by a cornice supported by modillions; it was once topped by a parapet with a balustrade.
The brick sections are largely four stories tall. The three easternmost bays at 66 Stone Street are three stories tall, similar to the main brownstone section. Along the brick sections of the building, the first story on both sides contains stone piers supporting a stone lintel. The upper stories contain rectangular windows with granite piers and lintels. Numerous alterations have been made to the first-story facades on either side, and there are various types of windows on the upper stories. There are ornate iron fire escapes on both sides of the building's brick sections. In addition, an iron basement hatch is at 95–97 Pearl Street, and there is a stoop leading to the basement at 99 Pearl Street.
### Interior
Inside the main entrance is a vestibule measuring 10 by 12 feet (3.0 by 3.7 m). A set of doors leads to a hallway, which connected to the India House library on the right and the India House's lobby, waiting area, reception area, and coat room on the left. At the end of the hall is a central stairway that splits into two perpendicular flights. The first floor contained the onetime trading floor of the Cotton Exchange, which extended 65 by 75 feet (20 by 23 m) across nearly the whole footprint of the brownstone. The brick structures to the west contain offices, bars, and dining areas. Ulysses' Folk House is within the ground floor space at 95 Pearl Street and the adjacent 53 Pearl Street.
The upper floors of the main structure contain plaster walls, as well as several fireplaces with wood or marble mantelpieces. The second floor includes three dining rooms arranged around an opening that overlooks the hallway on the first floor. The third floor includes four dining rooms. The westernmost structure at 60 Stone Street contains a ballroom, the Marine Room, on its upper floor. The Marine Room was built in 1924 to designs by W. A. Delano and is connected to the second-floor landing of the building's central stairway. The room is decorated with shells, fish, and seahorses atop its columns and frieze; it is also lit by lamps shaped like shells and spheres. On the third floor, there is a wooden model of the merchant vessel Gladiator under an oval skylight.
The modern interior generally includes nautical decoration and Oriental art. The maritime decorations include paintings, engravings, and models of ships. The maritime artifacts include a pair of cannons flanking the first-floor staircase banisters and a bell from the luxury ship SS Leviathan. In Harry's Steakhouse and Restaurant, which occupies the building's basement, are murals with images of drunken monks making wine.
## History
### Initial occupants
In 1836, the year after the Great Fire, the 60–66 Stone Street and 95–105 Pearl Street lots were redeveloped with four-story brick commercial structures. Some of the occupants of the buildings by 1839 included merchant Edward Gould, hardware vendor F. T. Luqueer, and three or more dry-goods companies. The lots on 105 Pearl Street and 66 Stone Street, facing Hanover Square, were combined by 1851. Richard F. Carman sold the Hanover Square lots for \$25,000 to Hanover Bank (later Manufacturers Hanover Corporation), a bank that had been incorporated that year.
The three-story brownstone for Hanover Bank was developed at 1 Hanover Square and completed by 1854. The four-story brick facade at 66 Stone Street was reconfigured so its fenestration, or window arrangement, matched that of the brownstone. The Hanover Bank did not extend into any of the commercial structures at 95–101 Pearl Street or 60–64 Stone Street, nor did it initially occupy 103 Pearl Street. Maps indicate that two additional brownstone bays at 103 Pearl Street were added sometime between 1862 and 1879 to designs by an unidentified architect. In addition, early prints show that the structure resembled a pair of brownstone townhouses with two entrance stoops. According to the India House club, part of 1 Hanover Square was also occupied by Robert L. Maitland, while an 1869 directory listed Meadows T. Nicholson & Son as another occupant of the brownstone. The Hanover Bank moved to Nassau and Pine Streets in 1872 or 1877. Sometime before its relocation, the Hanover Bank had sold the building to Maitland.
### New York Cotton Exchange
The New York Cotton Exchange, founded in 1870, was initially housed in rented quarters nearby at 142 Pearl Street. The Cotton acquired the building from Maitland in February 1871 at a cost of \$115,000. To accommodate the exchange, the building was renovated starting in June 1871. The architect Ebenezer L. Roberts reconfigured the interior and added the present main doorway with a clock face and a "Cotton Exchange" name identification sign. In addition, a dome was installed atop the roof. The Cotton Exchange quarters were officially opened on May 4, 1872; the exchange occupied the first floor and rented out sixteen offices on the other two floors. According to an exchange history, "the transactions increased rapidly in size and importance" after the relocation.
The Cotton Exchange's space was extended into the commercial building at 64 Stone Street/101 Pearl Street in 1876. A 16-year-old errand boy was killed the next year after falling from the top floor to the basement. The Third Avenue elevated train line on Pearl Street opened in 1878, overshadowing 1 Hanover Square. By the end of the decade, the Cotton Exchange decided to expand its quarters. Finding it impossible to purchase the brick rowhouses adjoining 1 Hanover Square, the exchange decided instead to look for sites for a new structure. The Cotton Exchange ultimately built a new headquarters on an adjacent block bounded by Hanover Square, Beaver Street, and William Street. The Cotton Exchange officially moved to its new building on April 30, 1885.
### W. R. Grace and Company
One Hanover became the headquarters of W. R. Grace and Company. Shortly after W. R. Grace and Company had moved to the building, Julius Kastner designed and constructed the fire escapes on Stone and Pearl Streets. By the 1890s, images show the sign above the entrance was changed to "Old Cotton Exchange". George Ehret acquired the brownstone structure and adjacent brick structures in three separate transactions in the 1880s and 1890s. In 1899, 1 Hanover Square was merged with the commercial building at 62 Stone Street/99 Pearl Street, which previously had been owned by the estate of Manley B. Boardman.
At the beginning of the 20th century, One Hanover contained a Haitian consulate and the Stuetzle Brothers liquor sellers. Sometime between 1899 and 1914, the final brick commercial building at 60 Stone Street/95–97 Pearl Street was combined with 1 Hanover Square. W. R. Grace and Company had moved out by 1912 or 1913, opening a new headquarters on the block immediately to the southeast.
### India House
The India House, a private club for gentlemen involved in foreign commerce, was founded by James A. Farrell and Willard Straight in July 1914. It was so named because, at the time, merchants of the Western world were focused on trade with the Far East. Over the years, its members came to include politicians such as U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt; U.S. secretary of commerce Harry Hopkins; U.S. treasury secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr.; U.S. secretaries of state George C. Marshall, James F. Byrnes and Cyrus Vance; New York governor W. Averell Harriman; U.S. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge; and mayors John P. O'Brien and William Adams Delano.
#### 1910s to 1960s
The club obtained a ten-year lease on 1 Hanover Square and an option to buy it at any point during the lease. To accommodate the clubhouse, George Ehret renovated the structure, removing the parapet atop the brownstone and adding a light-colored coating to the facade. In addition, maritime artifacts were moved to the clubhouse. The collection included ship models and Chinese art donated by Straight, as well as models, engravings, and paintings of ship donated by Farrell. The club moved into the building on November 16, 1914.
In 1915, plans were filed with the Manhattan Bureau of Buildings for a 20-story office building on the site. The filing was a preparatory measure rather than an indication that the site was to be redeveloped. The building was sold in January 1917 for \$750,000, with J. Reuben Clark reported as the buyer. 1 Hanover Square was subsequently bought by Straight in 1918, and his widow Dorothy Payne Whitney continued to hold the property after his death the same year. In 1921, India House Inc. decided to purchase 1 Hanover Square for \$650,000. William Adams Delano and Chester Holmes Aldrich further renovated 1 Hanover Square between 1924 and 1925. During this renovation, a skylighted third-floor meeting room was added with nautical decoration. As part of the renovation, the basement and cellar were also altered or expanded. The building's basement restaurant was damaged in a 1925 fire; engine crews had gotten confused while simultaneously trying to fight another fire across the street. The club installed soundproofing in the building's dining rooms in 1937.
The Third Avenue Elevated was closed in 1950 and subsequently removed. The line's demolition allowed both greater sunlight and quieter meetings; according to the India Club's president, the passing trains were loud and had shaken the foundations of the building. In 1951, shortly after the elevated line's removal, the India House club decided to renovate the exterior of 1 Hanover Square to plans by Nicholson & Galloway. The sheet metal balustrade was removed from the cornice during this time. Members of the India House proposed a maritime-themed park on Hanover Square, which was dedicated that November. By the 1960s, the basement contained a German-American tavern called Hanover Square.
#### 1970s to present
In 1972, Harry Poulakakos and his wife Adrienne opened Harry's Bar within the basement of 1 Hanover Square. By the 1980s, the bar typically served hundreds of patrons during lunch and dinner, and it had private telephone lines connecting to nearby brokerage houses. Following the financial crisis of 1987, the Broad Street Club merged with the India House and moved to 1 Hanover Square. Through the early 1990s, Harry's was popular among the area's bankers, brokers, and traders. The Poulalakos' son Peter opened Bayard's Restaurant on the upper stories in 1998, named for Nicholas Bayard, one of the site's 17th-century occupants. At the time, the India House still met at 1 Hanover Square during the day, so Bayard's only operated at night. Meanwhile, India House had sold off much of its collection of maritime artwork by then. The India House Foundation, created in 1999, unsuccessfully attempted to save the collection.
Harry's survived the September 11 attacks in 2001, as did Bayard's. After Adrienne Poulakakos died in August 2003, and amid a general decline in patronage, Harry's suddenly closed that November, but Bayard's and the India Club continued to operate. Around that time, the India House began to restore 1 Hanover Square's facade, which had long been covered with brown stucco. The project was completed in 2005 and received the New York Landmarks Conservancy's Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award. Harry and Peter Poulakakos opened Harry's Steakhouse and Restaurant in May 2006. Also in the mid-2000s, Peter Poulakakos opened and co-operated Ulysses Folk House and Adrienne's Pizza Bar within 1 Hanover Square and the adjacent buildings on Pearl and Stone Streets. Bayard's had been closed by the 2010s. SomeraRoad bought the building in March 2022 and began looking for tenants for the upper stories; this was the first time in the building's history that the upper floors were available for lease.
## Critical reception and landmark status
The main structure was described by the AIA Guide to New York City as having "unfluted Corinthian columns and pedimented windows [that] give an understated enrichment to the dour brownstone". After the India Club moved into 1 Hanover Square, a reporter for The New York Times said in 1929 that the "quiet dignity of the nineteenth century architecture [...] furnishes a sharp contrast with the massive towers of banks and commercial structures in the Wall Street district" nearby. The architect Alexander Trowbridge characterized the building in 1926 as among the city's most attractive clubs, while Antiques magazine called the interior of the India Club "a kind of collector's paradise" in 1938. By the 1960s, it was described in the New York Daily News as a "well-preserved" structure "that contrasts sharply with many of its dilapidated neighbors". A Times reporter wrote in 2001 that the India Club building "evokes the heyday of Manhattan's waterfront" despite being one block inland.
One Hanover's exterior was designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) as an official city landmark on December 22, 1965. It was one of the first landmarks to be designated by the LPC in Manhattan, as well as the first luncheon club in Lower Manhattan to be designated as a landmark. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and was re-added to the NRHP as a National Historic Landmark in 1977. 1 Hanover Square is also part of the Stone Street Historic District, which was designated as a New York City historic district in 1996 and as an NRHP district in 1999.
One Hanover and its occupants have also been depicted in works of popular culture. The building was used in the 2001 film Kate & Leopold as Leopold's family home. Harry's Bar in the basement was depicted as a traders' favorite hangout in the 1987 novel The Bonfire of the Vanities. The art and artifacts at the India House were the subject of a 2014 book by historian Margaret Stocker.
## See also
- Economy of New York City
- New Orleans Cotton Exchange, also a National Historic Landmark
- List of National Historic Landmarks in New York City
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan below 14th Street
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan below 14th Street
|
10,674,776 |
Egardus
| 1,157,129,631 |
Musician (composer)
|
[
"Ars subtilior composers",
"Belgian male classical composers",
"Flemish composers",
"Medieval male composers",
"Musicians from Bruges",
"Year of birth unknown",
"Year of death unknown"
] |
Egardus (; also Engardus or Johannes Echgaerd) was a European Medieval composer of ars subtilior. Almost no information survives about his life, and only three of his works are known. A certain "Johannes Ecghaerd", who held chaplaincies in Bruges and Diksmuide, may be a possible match for Egardus. The extant works—a canon and two Glorias—appear to be less complex than music by mid-century composers, possibly because they date from either very early or very late in Egardus' career.
## Biography
Little is known with certainty about his life. The enigma of his biography stems from a difficulty in knowing whether he was Flemish or Italian. A northern origin is suggested by his name, a copy of one of his works in a Flemish manuscript, and a possible citation of his music by Thomas Fabri. But with only one other exception, all of his works are found in Northern Italian manuscripts, and that exception, a Polish manuscript, has strong Italian connections. The most important biographical research on the composer was conducted by Reinhard Strohm, who notes that it was more common for Northern works (and composers) to travel to Italy than the opposite.
Strohm identifies a "Magister Johannes Ecghaerd" appointed as succentor of St Donatian's Cathedral (Sint-Donaaskathedraal) in Bruges in 1370 as a possible match for the composer. This appointment suggests to Strohm that Echgaerd would have been born by or before 1340. Strohm also finds connections to a work by Thomas Fabri, a Dutch composer, in the text of Furnos reliquisti, an unlikely coincidence if they were not working in close proximity to each other. Johannes Egardus held chaplaincies in Diksmuide and Bruges. The number of his pieces in Paduan manuscripts suggested to Strohm that he may have been resident there. Nino Pirrotta had suggested that he may have been one of the musicians in the papal court of Bologna c.1410. However, Pirrotta's evidence was based on the position of Egardus's works within the manuscript Mod A—a connection between manuscript and court now considered more tenuous, and not from the lists of singers in the Italian papal chapels: lists from which Egardus is absent.
## Works
Only three works by Egardus survive. A canon, Furnos reliquisti quare; Equum est et salutare is found in a single source, Mod A (Modena, Biblioteca Estense e Universitaria alpha.M.5.24). His other two works have a somewhat wider distribution. The Gloria with the trope "Spiritus et Alme" appears in three sources, Utrecht, Universiteitsbibliotheek 1846 (olim 37, independently discovered by Schmid and Strohm) and two sources from Padua, Biblioteca Universitaria: MSS Ba 2.2.a (formerly 1225, part of Pad D) and 1475 (part of Pad A). Both of the Paduan sources originally come from the Paduan abbey of Santa Giustina. An untroped Gloria appears in five independent sources: Warsaw, Biblioteka Narodowa, MS III.8054 (olim Biblioteka Krasiński 52, commonly called Kras.) f. 204v-205r, Mod A f. 21v-22r, a collection of sources in Grottaferrata and at Dartmouth College (f. Dv-4r), Padua Ba 2.2.a (1225), f. 1v, and, recently identified, in Udine, Archivio di Stato framm. 22 recto (part of Cividale A). In the Warsaw source, the work is labeled "Opus Egardi." In Mod A, "Egardus" is used. In no other source of this work is there an attribution. Strohm notes that Egardus's music is less complex than other mid-century composers, but this lack of complexity can either be attributed to an early date for its composition, contemporaneous with Philippe de Vitry, or a far later date, just prior to Johannes Ciconia).
### Editions of music
Additional editions are listed in the critical notes of the Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century editions:
- Fischer, Kurt von and F. Alberto Gallo, editors. Italian Sacred and Ceremonial Music, Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century 12 (Monaco: Éditions de l'Oiseau-Lyre, 1976), p. 21 (untroped Gloria).
- Fischer, Kurt von and F. Alberto Gallo, editors. Italian Sacred and Ceremonial Music, Polyphonic Music of the Fourteenth Century 13 (Monaco: Éditions de l'Oiseau-Lyre, 1987), p. 90 (Gloria, "Spiritus et Alme"), 214 (Furnos reliquisti).
|
34,630,675 |
Dreamtime (book)
| 1,153,722,116 |
Book by German anthropologist Hans Peter Duerr
|
[
"1978 non-fiction books",
"Academic studies of ritual and magic",
"Academic studies of shamanism",
"Anthropology books",
"Books about consciousness",
"Entheogens",
"German non-fiction books",
"History books about witchcraft",
"Neoshamanism books"
] |
Dreamtime: Concerning the Boundary between Wilderness and Civilization is an anthropological and philosophical study of the altered states of consciousness found in shamanism and European witchcraft written by German anthropologist Hans Peter Duerr. First published in 1978 by Syndikat Autoren-und Verlagsgesellschaft under the German title of Traumzeit: Über die Grenze zwischen Wildnis und Zivilisation, it was translated into English by the Hungarian-American anthropologist Felicitas Goodman and published by Basil Blackwell in 1985.
Dreamtime opens with the premise that many of those accused of witchcraft in early modern Christendom had been undergoing visionary journeys with the aid of a hallucinogenic salve which was suppressed by the Christian authorities. Duerr argues that this salve had been a part of the nocturnal visionary traditions associated with the goddess Diana, and he attempts to trace their origins back to the ancient world, before looking at goddesses associated with the wilderness and arguing that in various goddess-centred cultures, the cave represented a symbolic vagina and was used for birth rituals.
Later in the book, Duerr looks at ethnographic examples of shamanism, focusing on the shamanic use of hallucinogens and the experiences which such entheogens induce. He argues that "archaic cultures" recognize that a human can only truly understand themselves if they go to the mental boundary between "civilization" and "wilderness", and that it is this altered state of consciousness which both the shaman and the European witch reached in their visionary journeys. Believing that the modern western worldview failed to understand this process, Duerr criticizes the work of those anthropologists and scientists who had tried to understand "archaic" society through a western rationalist framework, instead advocating a return to "archaic" modes of thought.
Dreamtime was a controversial best-seller upon its initial release in West Germany, and inspired academic debate leading to the publication of Der Gläserne Zaun (1983), an anthology discussing Duerr's ideas, edited by Rolf Gehlen and Bernd Wolf. Reviews in the Anglophone world were mixed, with critics describing Dreamtime as unoriginal, factually inaccurate, and difficult to read, but also innovative and well referenced.
## Background
According to his own account, the idea for writing Dreamtime first came to Duerr when he was in New Mexico in the summer of 1963. He had spent the day visiting the Puye Cliff Dwellings and was returning to the Albuquerque Greyhound Bus Station, where he met a Tewa Native yerbatero (herbalist) buying a cup of coffee, and struck up a conversation. Duerr asked the yerbatero if he could help him find a Native family living in one of the pueblos north of Santa Fe with whom he could stay, to conduct anthropological research into the nightly dances that took place in the subterranean kivas. The Native told him that if he wanted to find out about the dances in the kivas, then he should go to the Pueblo of Our Lady of the Angels and study at the University of California. Duerr would later relate that this blow to his vanity first provided him with the idea of writing Dreamtime.
Duerr presented some of his ideas in a lecture given to the members of a philosophy seminar at the University of Constance in the autumn of 1975, which he repeated at a housewives' club in Mannheim. He was "greatly encouraged" in his preparation for the work by the noted English anthropologist E. E. Evans-Pritchard (1902–1973), who died before its publication.
The anthropologist Rik Pinxten noted that Dreamtime was published at a time of new advancements in German anthropology. After a period of intellectual stagnation during the preceding decades, the 1970s saw the rising popularity of the discipline, with a dramatic increase in the number of students enrolling to study ethnography at West German universities. It also saw increasing interdisciplinary collaboration between anthropologists and philosophers, with several scholars arguing that ethnography was relevant to "philosophical analysis". This increase in philosophical discussion within German anthropology was largely rejected by the "official academic representatives" of the discipline, who believed that it exceeded the "limits of scientific respectability", but it was nonetheless adopted by Duerr in Dreamtime.
## Publication
When the book was first published in West Germany in 1978, it sold hundreds of thousands of copies, becoming a bestseller and arousing both popular and academic interest. According to the American Indologist Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty, Dreamtime became "the canon of a cult for intellectual former hippies", dealing as it did with issues such as "drugs, sex, anarchy, [and] lurid religions". British anthropologist Charles Stewart noted that it was popular among members of the alternativer German subculture, and for this reason believed that the book could tell anthropologists "a considerable amount about the strivings of modern German society".
The book was translated into English by Felicitas D. Goodman (1914–2005), a Hungarian-born American anthropologist who had written several books of her own on the subject of religious trance journeys. Duerr noted that of all the translators he had worked with, Goodman showed the greatest dedication to her work. For the English-language translation, Duerr included a new preface, in which he noted that he had refused to make changes to the original text despite the insistence of the publisher. Explaining his reasoning, he remarked that "a book is not a dishwasher, where it is advisable to change malfunctioning parts." He accepted that the book had faults, and expressed his hope that the reader would forgive him for leaving them intact in the English translation. In the English-language edition, the main text takes up the first 133 pages of the book, while the footnotes and bibliography occupy the next 324 pages.
## Synopsis and arguments
Duerr examines the use of flying ointment in early modern witchcraft and draws ethnographic parallels from accused witches among the Shona people of Rhodesia and witchcraft beliefs of the Normanby Archipelago in the South Pacific. He concludes that some of those accused of witchcraft in early modern Europe had applied hallucinogenic ointments to their skin to make themselves believe that they were flying to the so-called witches' sabbat, a ritual gathering of witches. Noting the apparent lack of recipes for this salve in the witch trial records, Duerr posits the view that the Christian authorities intentionally covered up the existence of hallucinogenic ointments, fearing that their existence would cast doubt on various aspects of the witches' accounts, including their alleged encounters with the Devil. Duerr maintains that this knowledge might have ultimately led people to cast doubt on even the Devil, a key aspect of early modern Christian cosmology. Although the use of hallucinogenic ointments was not a factor in every witch trial, it was more prevalent in the earlier trials of the Alpine region. Duerr connects its use to the nocturnal visionary traditions associated with the goddess Diana in that region.
Duerr then looks into the origins of the nocturnal visionary traditions, beginning with the ancient Greek deity Artemis and her influence on the Roman goddess Diana. In Alpine lore, Diana survived Christianization as the leader of the nocturnal procession. Duerr goes further back into the Palaeolithic, where Venus figurines are interpreted as a "prototype" for the later Greek Artemis, a goddess who was "the unrestrained mistress of animals and plants". Duerr then describes the relationship between ancient goddesses and caves as a symbol of the female vagina and explores stories involving caves in Greek mythology, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Yakut folklore. Duerr proposes that the association between caves and the vagina is global in scope, as societies around the world use caves in rituals symbolizing birth.
Various folk traditions across Europe are analyzed, such as the Alpine Perchtenlaufen, where women broke social conventions by attacking men or engaging in lesbianism. Duerr compares these traditions to the benandanti of early modern Friuli, and to the Livonian werewolf, viewing them as representing the clash between order and chaos. Christian society in the Late Middle Ages began to construe the witch as a creature inside of society rather than outside it, which partly led to the witch trials of the early modern period. Duerr argues that the societies of European Christendom began to increasingly accept female nudity in art and fashion during the Late Middle Ages.
Examples in the historical European folk tradition where criminals have been declared to be outside of the law and banished from the community are illustrated. Duerr connects these outsiders to executioners and warriors who were also outside the law because they had entered the world of the dead. Similarly, the witches of the early modern period also left the everyday world, and like the shamans of Siberia experienced their "wild" or "animal aspect" in order to understand their human side. Duerr uses ethnographic examples from around the world to show that many cultures have used hallucinogenic substances to reach states of consciousness beyond ordinary societal boundaries.
Duerr provides additional ethnographic examples showing how societal rules were reversed at special times of the year. In shamanic terms, societies which espouse an "archaic mentality" understand who they are by understanding who they are not; according to Duerr, modern societies fail to understand this concept. Datura, a plant that contains toxic hallucinogens is discussed. The plant was introduced to Europe in the early modern period. Among the Huichol people of central Mexico, shamans have told anthropologists that Datura is used by malevolent witches. Duerr makes note of the anthropologists who have undertaken shamanic experiences with the people they are studying, such as Barbara Myerhoff and Carlos Castenada, but argues that such ethnographers have failed to truly understand what shamans mean when they describe their experiences as "flying". In Duerr's view, shamans learn to evaporate their "ego boundaries", thereby experiencing themselves in a different way; it is this feeling that can be described as shamanic flying. Duerr ties these shamanic practices into the werewolves of early modern Europe, arguing that these werewolves did not physically transform into wolves, but that they embraced their "wolf nature" by crossing over the boundary from "civilisation" to "wilderness".
Duerr then offers a philosophical discussion on the nature of reality, criticizing psychiatrists like George Devereux for their beliefs that shamans were mentally ill. Instead he champions the idea that the visionary experiences of shamans should be treated as real rather than illusionary, drawing from the ideas of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein to support his argument. The author then examines the role of animals in shamanic visions, paying particular reference to the experiences of the Peruvian anthropologist Carlos Castaneda. Duerr argues that the conversations between the animal and the individual undertaking the vision are neither literal nor delusional, but that the only way to understand this is to situate oneself "on the fence", between the worlds of civilisation and wilderness.
Duerr argues that modern Western society lacks important facets found in "archaic" societies who adhere to shamanic beliefs, and he asserts that the majority of Western anthropologists who have performed ethnographic fieldwork in these cultures have failed to truly understand them. To correct this, Duerr argues that anthropologists must understand that people in such societies take a "mythic perspective" to the world, often comparing objects and places in the material world to objects and places that exist "outside of time", in the eternal realm of mythology. He connects this with the Indigenous Australian concept of Dreamtime, an otherworld outside of ordinary space and time.
Finally, Duerr once again criticises the approach of Western society and its anthropologists to studying "archaic" spiritual beliefs. He asserts that in these "archaic" cultures, people "have a much clearer idea about the fact that we can not be only what we are if at the same time, we are also what we are not, and that we can only know who we are if we experience our boundaries". He denounces Western scientists and anthropologists for their approaches to the study of such cultures, arguing that they have misrepresented them by attempting to fit them within the Western ideas of objectivity. He argues that in future, anthropologists must reach their own boundaries, and recognize the wilderness of their consciousness before they can truly understand the worldview of "archaic" humans.
## Reception
### Academic reviews
Writing in The Journal of Religion, Gail Hinich claimed that Duerr's Dreamtime had a "maverick whimsy and passion" that stemmed from its argument that Western society had unfairly forced the "otherworld" into "an autistic tyranny of the self". On a critical note, Hinich believed that despite Duerr's extensive bibliography, he had failed to understand the "critical context in which the intellectual history of the demonized outsider continues to be examined", ignoring the ideas put forward by Edward Dudley and Maximilian Novack in their edited volume The Wild Man Within (1972) or John Block Friedman in his The Monstrous Races in Medieval Art and Thought (1981). In a review published in the journal Forest & Conservation History, Paul Fayter praised Dreamtime, considering it to be a "groundbreaking ethnographic study" that invites the reader to consider what Western society has lost in its over-reliance on science and rationalism. Fayter also commented positively on Goodman's translation, noting that she had successfully conveyed Duerr's dry humour and self-deprecating wit.
Joseph J. Valadez of the Harvard School of Public Health reviewed Duerr's Dreamtime for the journal Contemporary Sociology. He felt that the book had brought him to the "edges of [his] own logics", but that this had not been the result of any intellectual argument posed by Duerr; indeed, he suggested that there were "crucial scholarly weaknesses" that made much of Duerr's argument suspect. He ultimately felt that because Duerr had refused to correct his factual mistakes for the English translation, the book had left the realms of scholarship and instead become an "obscure cultural artifact", one which was "represented by the myriad descriptions of cryptic symbols" that are discussed within its pages. Going on to comment on Duerr's main argument regarding the relationship between Wilderness and Civilization, Valadez also expressed his opinion that Duerr had made a "fundamental error" in assuming that Wilderness is not accessible to everyone "by virtue of genetic heritage."
In the Comparative Civilizations Review journal, Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo proclaimed that it was easy "to get lost" in Dreamtime, believing that the multitude of ethnographic and historical facts presented by Duerr often distracted from the book's main arguments. Although praising the book's contents, Stevens-Arroyo expressed his annoyance at Duerr's use of humour, believing that it was inappropriate in such a serious work of scholarship. He also remarked that Duerr "practices what he preaches", noting that the book was something of an apologia for his involvement in the counter-cultural and drug subcultures of the 1960s and his continuing advocacy of the use of mind-altering substances, in the same style as Timothy Leary. Considering the work to be an attack on social convention, he believes that Duerr has made use of mind-altering drugs to cross boundaries into altered states of consciousness and that Dreamtime is his invitation for others to join him. Stevens-Arroyo did praise Goodman's English translation, but argued that the index was too limited.
In a commentary piece for the Journal of the Anthropological Society of Oxford, Charles Stewart expressed his opinion that Dreamtime is best described as "the sort of book that Carlos Castaneda might have written if he were a German philosopher." He identifies a series of commonalities between Duerr's work and Castenada's, claiming that Duerr's description of his encounter with the Native American yerbatero in the book's preface is an "allusion" to Castenada's meeting with Don Juan Matus, which he described in The Teachings of Don Juan (1968). Praising Duerr's use of source material, Stewart notes that many anthropologists would be critical of using ethnographic data to "construct a moral parable" for Western society, and he went on to question whether it was really necessary for Westerners to return to "archaic" modes of thought.
### Press reviews
The American Indologist Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty of the University of Chicago published a review of Duerr's Dreamtime in The New York Times. She expressed her opinion that Duerr had put forward a "bold hypothesis" but that Dreamtime was a "paradigm of borderline academia", consisting of chapter titles written with "charm and wit" that hid "a mountainous scholarly apparatus – 236 pages of 827 notes, with an 86-page bibliography of some 2,400 titles, to support 133 pages of text." She also identified multiple influences on Duerr's thinking, including historian and philosopher of science Paul Feyerabend, the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, the historian of religions Mircea Eliade, and the anthropologist Carlos Castenada.
Ultimately, Doniger O'Flaherty was critical of Dreamtime, commenting that "Duerr is attempting to hunt with the hounds and run with the hare, and his book is likely to infuriate both ordinary readers and scholars." Although initially appearing suitable for the average reader, she felt that most would be put off by the "daunting scholarly apparatus" he had employed, and the "heaviness of the argument". Believing that the book was difficult to read, she felt that Duerr had hidden his arguments in the footnotes, and that reading the first third of the book was akin to "wandering stoned through the stacks of a very fine European library, browsing in the sections devoted to witchcraft, hallucinogens and orgiastic cults. It is good fun, but it is not for all tastes." She equally felt that the book would be criticized by academics and other scholars working in the fields of witchcraft history and the history of religion, who would recognize that the book not only contained multiple factual errors, but also that many of Duerr's arguments were unoriginal, having previously been made by Mircea Eliade and Victor Turner.
Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Atchity described Duerr's book as being "outstanding for its weirdness and provocation" despite the fact that its "anthropology is neither original nor precise." Atchity maintains that Dreamtime offers nothing new except "the energy of its serendipity", noting similarities with books such as James Frazer's The Golden Bough (1890), Robert Graves' The White Goddess (1948), and the works of Carlos Castenada. Although of the opinion that it contained "patches of brilliant illumination", Atchity ultimately considered Dreamtime to be an "obscure essay on the human experience."
### Wider influence
In 1983, German academics Rolf Gehlen and Bernd Wolf published Der Gläserne Zaun: Aufsätze zu Hans Peter Duerrs "Traumzeit" ("The Glass Fence: Essays on Hans Peter Duerr's Dreamtime"), an edited volume of papers discussing Duerr's work. Duerr's theories were evaluated by Belgian anthropologist Rik Pinxten in an academic paper entitled "Dreamtime: Relativism and Irrationality in the Work of Hans Peter Duerr" (1992), published in the Cognitive Relativism and Social Science volume. Pinxten discussed the role of German anthropology within academia and its influence on philosophy and described Dreamtime as "the most important publication" to emerge from the interaction between the two disciplines.
In her study of feminist-orientated Wicca in New Zealand (2004), the anthropologist Kathryn Rountree remarked that along with historian Carlo Ginzburg's Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath (1989), Dreamtime offered "perhaps the most detailed investigation so far" of the witches' sabbath. Similarly, Duerr's work was referenced by anthropologist Susan Greenwood in her study of the Wiccan and ceremonial magical communities of London, Magic, Witchcraft and the Otherworld (2000).
According to Dutch historian Willem de Blécourt, Dreamtime was responsible for first introducing the 1692 case of Thiess of Kaltenbrun, the 'Livonian werewolf', to Anglophone scholarship. Prior to this, he noted, scholarly debate on the case had been restricted to German-speaking scholars. Duerr had briefly discussed the case in the chapter "Wild Women and Werewolves", in which he compared it with various European folk traditions in which individuals broke social taboos and made mischief in public, arguing that they represented a battle between the forces of chaos and order.
|
2,326,062 |
Evita (soundtrack)
| 1,172,848,284 | null |
[
"1996 soundtrack albums",
"Albums produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber",
"Albums produced by Nigel Wright",
"Madonna soundtracks",
"Musical film soundtracks",
"Warner Records soundtracks"
] |
Evita is the soundtrack album to the 1996 musical film of the same name, performed mostly by American singer Madonna. It was released by Warner Bros. Records on November 12, 1996. Directed by Alan Parker, the film was based on Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1978 musical Evita about First Lady of Argentina Eva Perón, portrayed by Madonna. The soundtrack consists of reworked songs from its original 1976 concept album as well as a new song, "You Must Love Me". Additional performers on the soundtrack include Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce and Jimmy Nail.
After securing the title role in Evita, Madonna underwent vocal training in order to enhance her singing abilities. The actors were tense during the recording sessions for Evita, since they were from a non-musical background. The musical style for Evita differed from Madonna's previous works and she was not comfortable in recording her vocals inside the studio alongside the orchestra. After an emergency meeting with the principal personnel, it was decided she would record in a separate location. It took almost four months for the soundtrack to be finished. Rice and Lloyd Webber had employed the classical technique while creating the music, taking the central theme, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", and tweaking it to cater to a variety of settings. Through the songs, the soundtrack tells the story of Eva Perón's beginnings, her rise to fame, political career and gradually her death.
The soundtrack was released in two different versions. Evita: The Complete Motion Picture Music Soundtrack, a two-disc edition that included all the tracks from the film, and Evita: Music from the Motion Picture, a single-disc edition with a selection of song highlights. Evita was promoted by the release of three singles—"You Must Love Me", "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and "Another Suitcase in Another Hall"; the first won the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1997. Critical reception towards the soundtrack was mixed, with AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine calling it "unengaging" while Hartford Courant's Greg Morago praised Madonna's singing abilities. Evita peaked at number two in the US Billboard 200 chart, and was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It topped the charts in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and has sold over seven million copies worldwide.
## Background and development
In 1996, Madonna starred in the film Evita, playing the role of Eva Perón, the Spiritual Leader of the Nation of Argentina. For a long time, Madonna had desired to play Eva and even wrote a letter to director Alan Parker, explaining how she would be perfect for the part. Madonna had already enlisted the help of composers Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, who had originally created the musical Evita. Rice believed that the singer would suit in the title role since she could "act beautifully through music".
However, Lloyd Webber was still wary about Madonna's singing, so after securing the role, she undertook vocal training with coach Joan Lader. Since Evita required the actors to sing their own parts, the training helped in increasing Madonna's confidence in the songs. Lader noted that the singer "had to use her voice in a way she's never used it before. Evita is real musical theater — it's operatic, in a sense. Madonna developed an upper register that she didn't know she had." She taught Madonna how to sing using her diaphragm rather than just her throat, enabling her to project her voice in a more cohesive manner. Madonna was thrilled to find the newly discovered nuances in her voice and would go home every night, practicing by telephoning her friends and singing to them.
Parker finished writing the script for the film by May 1995. He then visited Lloyd Webber's home in France, and tried to bring him and Rice together for working on the film; the duo had not worked with each other for years after the musical Cricket (1986). While drafting the script, Parker had re-written the last act, removing the repetitive content of the original play. This resulted in Rice and Lloyd Webber composing new music, including the new song "You Must Love Me". Parker knew that the pre-recorded playback would be the main backbone for the filming, hence he was wary about the decisions he had to make in the recording studio. He pored over the script and the music, anticipating the questions he expected the actors to ask during filming.
## Recording sessions
Recording sessions began in September 1995, and took place at the CTS Studios in London, with Madonna and co-actors Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Pryce. Engineer David Reitzas performed the mixing of the track at Larrabee North Studios, utilizing their Solid State Logic 9000 J series consoles for the mix. For the first day's sessions, music supervisor David Caddick suggested to record "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" with the 84 piece orchestra backing Madonna's vocals. However, Lloyd Webber was critical of the recording arrangements done in the studio. The cast was also nervous. Flick noted that Banderas found the experience "scary" while Madonna was "petrified" when it came to recording the songs. "I had to sing 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber ... I was a complete mess and was sobbing afterwards. I thought I had done a terrible job", the singer recalled. Conductor John Mauceri remembered another challenge the production faced was adapting the stage numbers into a feature film; "On film, it's different than being on stage because the person on the screen in front of you is never farther than someone on the pillow in bed next to you". Parker declared the first day of recording as "Black Monday", since it was "filled with trepidation and nerves ... All of us came from very different worlds—from popular music, from movies, and from musical theater—and so we were very apprehensive".
According to producer Nigel Wright, the lead actors would first sing the numbers backed by a band and orchestra, "then they would go off with Alan and David in a more intimate recording environment and perfect their vocals". However, more trouble arose as Madonna was not comfortable with laying down a "guide vocal" simultaneously with an 84 piece orchestra inside the studio. Also, unlike her previous soundtrack releases, she had little to no control over the project; "I'm used to writing my own songs and I go into a studio, choose the musicians and say what sounds good or doesn't ... To work on 46 songs with everyone involved and not have a big say was a big adjustment", she recalled.
An emergency meeting was held between Parker, Lloyd Webber and Madonna where it was decided that the singer would record her part at Whitfield Street, a contemporary studio, while the orchestration would take place somewhere else. She also had alternate days off from the recording to save and strengthen her voice. Recording the soundtrack was a slow process and took almost four months before it was completed. But Parker noticed at the end of recording that they did not have the new song in place. Recalling in his The Making of Evita essay:
> Finally, while I was visiting Andrew at his country estate in Berkshire to play him the tracks we had recorded, he suddenly sat down at the piano and played the most beautiful melody, which he suggested could be our new song. Needless to say, I grabbed it. However, we still needed lyrics and Tim dutifully began to put words to the music. The vast majority of the original Evita score had been done this way: music first, lyrics afterwards. After many weeks of nail biting, Tim was finally cajoled into writing the lyrics that now accompany the music to "You Must Love Me".
## Music and lyrical interpretation
The soundtrack is generally considered a Madonna album since her vocals are featured on most of the songs. Other principal vocalists include Banderas, Pryce and Jimmy Nail. Rikky Rooksby noted in The Complete Guide to the Music of Madonna that Evita was stylistically different than the music Madonna had recorded previously. The soundtrack was her most challenging endeavor since the Stephen Sondheim songs recorded for the 1990 film, Dick Tracy. Rice and Lloyd Webber employed the classical technique while creating the music, where a composer takes a central theme and adapts it to a variety of settings, keys and tempos. The central backbone and theme of the soundtrack is "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", and through the songs it tells the story of Eva's beginnings, her rise to fame, political career and gradually her death.
The soundtrack begins with the tracks "A Cinema in Buenos Aires, 26 July 1952" and "Requiem for Evita", both conducted by John Mauceri, dealing with the announcement of Eva's death. Following this "Oh What a Circus" begins, where Banderas takes the lead vocals. Built on the uptempo melody of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", the song has rock influences and piano sounds. After a short interlude by Nail, "On This Night of a Thousand Stars", a distorted electric guitar and bass heralds "Eva and Magaldi / Eva Beware of the City". Here the lyrics talk about warning Eva from strangers in the big city. The sound of train horns, Latin percussion, drums, and light guitars introduce "Buenos Aires", talking about Eva finally arriving in the city. The melody finds Madonna singing in a higher range, and the song has a heavy composition in the middle with guitar, trumpets and discordant music. "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" begins with soft strummed guitar in broken chords, and consists of strings and acoustic guitar played in a subdued manner. Madonna sings about Eva moving from one home to another, portraying an image—the suitcase in the hall—"to express the nomadic nature of modern civilization".
In "Goodnight and Thank You", Madonna and Banderas trade verses, talking about ending Eva's love affairs, followed by Banderas' solo "The Lady's Got Potential", musing about Eva's gradual rise on the society ladder. The gentle ballad, "I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You", is about Eva meeting her husband Juan Perón; its composed of flutes, classical guitar and subdued strings. Military drum beats and a brass section start off "Peron's Latest Flame", where Banderas sings loudly about the general population disapproving of Eva. In the middle of a male backing chorus, Madonna sings her lines, accompanied by stereo tom-tom drum and synth sounds. For "A New Argentina", electric guitar and chorus form the main backbone. Composed as an "uprising hymn", Rooksby noted that Madonna's vocals sounded "aggressive and growling".
The second disc begins with "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", whose lyrics are described as a "string of meaningless platitudes" by Rice, adding that it worked as a speech by a "megalomaniac woman" like Eva, trying to win the favor of the people of Argentina. The composition consists of pizzicato strings, and the song jumps from being light to heavy and extravagant, with one section of it being hummed by choral voices. "High Flying, Adored" has an Elton John style according to Rooksby, who described the lyrics as narcissistic and a parallel with Madonna's life. "RainBow High" features instrumentation from drums, guitars, horns and strings, with the lyrics being about Eva's materialistic needs.
With "Waltz for Eva and Che", the soundtrack's atmosphere becomes tense, as Banderas and Madonna sing on top of bass and timpani. The bittersweet song "You Must Love Me" starts with orchestra and piano. Lyrically it talks about Eva's discovery that her husband Juan had actually loved her all along, not merely seeing her as a political prop. As the song moves towards the chorus, the piano stops and the cello plays with Madonna belting out the lyrics: "Deep in my heart, I'm concealing, Things that I'm longing to say", when the piano and the orchestra come back again. It proceeds in the same way and gradually fades out. The final track, "Lament", finds Madonna singing in a whispered tone, about Eva looking back at her life on her deathbed. Accompanied by classical guitar and harp, Banderas also sings over Eva's grave, and the track gradually fades out as an anti-climax.
## Release and promotion
The soundtrack was released in the United States on November 12, 1996, almost two weeks before the release of the film. It was already in huge demand prior to its release, according to Tim Devin, manager of Tower Records. "People are seriously clamouring for it. We are getting more inquiries about this record than anything else right now," Devin explained to Billboard's Larry Flick. Warner Bros. depended on pre-release press reviews, consumer curiosity and the singles from the soundtrack to keep the interest afloat, until the album was released. Jeff Gold, VP/GM of Warner Bros. declared the release a "worldwide event" that had "ignited public interest throughout each stage of its evolution".
Evita consisted of two formats, a two-disc edition titled The Complete Motion Picture Music Soundtrack, containing all the tracks used on the film, and a single-disc edition, Music from the Motion Picture, which contained only a selection of highlights. The international release strategy of the soundtrack was similar to that of the United States, with November 25 as the date, and the single-disc edition planned for release later in December. An Evita EP, containing remixed versions of "Buenos Aires", "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" and "Another Suitcase in Another Hall", was supposed to be released but was cancelled.
### Singles
"You Must Love Me" was released as the soundtrack's lead single on October 21, 1996. It was written specifically for the film with the hopes of obtaining an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. According to Lloyd Webber, the song's main inspiration was to showcase Eva's emotional state at the time as well as her relationship with Juan. The song garnered positive responses from music critics, many of them highlighting Madonna's enhanced singing ability. It went on to win the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1997. It was also a moderate commercial success, becoming a top-ten hit in some countries including Finland and the United Kingdom, while reaching the top-twenty in the United States, where it achieved a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was released as the second single from the album on December 16, 1996. A separate version called the "Miami Mix", which included re-recorded vocals in English and Spanish and an Argentinean bandoneon in the song's intro, was promoted to radio. Madonna's vocals received positive critical response and the song reached the top-ten of the charts a number of nations, including the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and received gold certifications from five of them.
"Another Suitcase in Another Hall" was the third and final single released on March 18, 1997. Upon its release, the song reached the top ten of the charts in the United Kingdom.
The track "Buenos Aires" received remix treatment from DJ duo Pablo Flores-Javier Garza. Warner Bros. was initially reluctant to release the remixes, but decided to finally release it to coincide with the home video release of Evita the film. Flores and Garza kept the Latin composition of the track, while "flattening" the groove to make it suitable for playing in dance floors. They also added live percussion and keyboard lines to the remix. Larry Flick from Billboard commented that "Buenos Aires" displayed Madonna's "increased comfort and dexterity as a stylist". Following its promotional release in October 1997, "Buenos Aires" peaked at number three on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
## Critical reception
Evita has received generally mixed reviews from music critics. The staff of Music Week called the soundtrack a "well-arranged album". Anthony Violanti from The Buffalo News deemed the album a "bold move" and "sign of artistic maturity for Madonna." He noted that although she lacked musical theater experience, Madonna "displays a broad vocal range and, though it may be hard for those who remember 'Like a Virgin' to believe, an operatic sensibility." J. Randy Taraborrelli, author of Madonna: An Intimate Biography, felt that Madonna's singing sounded "supple and strong", and believed her to be not "at all out of place". Jim Farber from Entertainment Weekly praised Madonna's performance on the album, writing: "Aided by impeccable orchestrations (and some coaching), her vocals are years ahead of anything she'd sung before." Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune wrote that "the two-CD soundtrack casts Madonna in a new light. To put it simply, the Material Girl can sing. [...] comparing her performance [on the soundtrack] to that of Patti LuPone, one comes away with a new admiration for her vocal skills. In many ways, she does more with less than her predecessor."
Authors Allen Metz and Carol Benson wrote in their book The Madonna Companion that the soundtrack gave Madonna "some of the post-disco queen/sex machine credibility she so desperately crave[d]". Spin's Annie Zaleski noted that the soundtrack demonstrated Madonna's "astronomical growth as a vocalist ...Evita marked the start of Madonna's Serious Phase, one where she balanced youthful coquettish-ness with a more mature, introspective outlook". In her review of the film, Janet Maslin from The New York Times complimented Madonna's ability to emote the songs, calling them "legitimately stellar and full of fire". Writing for the Hartford Courant, Greg Morago complimented Madonna's "remarkable understanding of the material ... While some of the numbers have lost their sharp edge ('A New Argentina' lacks requisite anger), the recording benefits from its concentration on the characters' voices. There is a vibrant, contemporary energy and fearless cinematic sweep to this welcome new stamp on the mythic life of Eva Duarte de Perón". Stefan A. Meyer, from The Herald Journal, felt that "there's a little something for everyone in Evita. It's a pop-culture clash that is sometimes quite annoying (especially in Rice's left-field rhymes) but still works like a charm".
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the soundtrack "exquisitely produced and expertly rendered", but "curiously unengaging." Although he commended Madonna's singing as a "startlingly accomplished and nuanced performance", Erlewine felt that she was "trying really hard to be credible, which makes it difficult to connect with her". While reviewing the film, the San Francisco Chronicle's Octavio Roca said that the "delicious irony of Rice's lyrics remains intact, as does the freshness of Lloyd Webber's music". But Roca believed that the Latin influences present in the original songs were missing, due to John Mauceri's "languid conducting of the soundtrack, and most of all by Vincent Paterson's choreography". Barbara Shulgasser, from the same newspaper, was more negative, writing that "all of Evita's songs are slightly above Madonna's limited range. With her thin voice, she peeps out a series of mournful sounds that are painful to endure". The Baltimore Sun's J. D. Considine felt the soundtrack would disappoint the singer's fans "because Evita just isn't pop music—or, at least, not the kind of pop music Madonna usually makes on her own ... As a result, slogging through Evita is like listening to an opera written by someone who never got beyond learning how to write recitativo". Considine was also disappointed with the vocal abilities of Madonna and co-star Antonio Banderas; "they lack the power and tone to lend this intoned dialog a patina of musicality".
## Commercial performance
In the United States, Evita debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 chart for the issue dated November 30, 1996. It was the first entry on the chart for a "Broadway musical transitioned into film soundtrack" since Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture in 1978. With opening sales of 97,000 units, it also represented the largest debut for a dual soundtrack until the release of Dreamgirls in 2006. The soundtrack fell to number 28 the next week, before beginning to rise again when the film was released into theaters. Within five weeks it crept back into the top ten of the Billboard 200 and for the issue dated February 8, 1997, reached a peak of number two on the chart. This was spurred by Madonna winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Sales increased by 17.5% to 122,000 sold for that week according to Nielsen SoundScan. It remained there for two weeks, being kept from topping the chart by No Doubt's album Tragic Kingdom, which only had an 8% sales decline to 143,000 copies.
Evita spent a total of 30 weeks on the Billboard 200, and ranked at number 26 on the year-end chart. Along with the Billboard 200, Evita reached the top of the Soundtracks Albums chart. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the soundtrack quintuple platinum, for shipment of 2.5 million copies across the country (or 5,000,000 "units" as the RIAA counted each disc of the double album as a separate unit). As of December 2016, the album had sold 2,025,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan. The single-disc edition of the soundtrack charted separately on the Billboard 200, reaching a peak of number 167.
In Canada, Evita debuted at number 27 on the RPM Top Albums/CDs chart. It reached a peak of number five on the chart, and stayed for a total of 27 weeks. The single-disc edition also charted separately, reaching a peak of number 91. In Australia, the soundtrack debuted on the ARIA Charts at number six. After fluctuating down the charts for the next few weeks, it climbed into the top-ten in March 1997, and peaked at number five. The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) certified the two-disc edition as gold and the single-disc edition as platinum for shipment of 35,000 and 70,000 copies respectively. The soundtrack had a similar trajectory in New Zealand, where it peaked at number six on the albums chart, and was present for a total of 18 weeks. The Recorded Music New Zealand (RMNZ) certified it platinum, for shipment of 15,000 copies.
Evita debuted at number seven on the UK Albums Chart and ended up reaching the top of the charts in February 1997, becoming Madonna's fifth number one album in the country. It was present on the chart for a total of 44 weeks and ranked at number 23 on the year-end chart. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified it double platinum for shipment of 600,000 copies. It has sold 733,000 copies as of January 2018 according to the Official Charts Company. Across Europe, Evita reached the top of the charts in Austria, Belgium (both Flanders and Wallonia), Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Scotland and Switzerland, as well as the top ten in Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden. Its performance across the European markets resulted in the soundtrack reaching the top of the pan-European Top 100 Albums chart.
## Track listing
## Personnel
Credits and personnel adapted from the 2-CD edition of the soundtrack's liner notes.
### Musicians
- Madonna – principal artist, vocals
- Antonio Banderas – principal artist, vocals
- Jonathan Pryce – principal artist, vocals
- Jimmy Nail – principal artist, vocals
- Andrea Corr – vocals
- Julian Littman – vocals, background vocals
- Gary Brooker – vocals
- Peter Polycarpou – vocals
- John Gower – vocals
- Angeline Ball – background vocals
- Nick Holder – background vocals
- Lorenza Johnson – background vocals
- George Little – background vocals
- Gordon Neville – background vocals
- Laura Pallas – background vocals
- Mark Ryan – background vocals
- Alex Sharpe – background vocals
- Linda Taylor – background vocals
- Fredrick Warder – background vocals
- Andrew Wood-Mitchell – background vocals
- Julia Worsley – background vocals
- Andrew Lloyd Webber – orchestration
- David Caddick – conductor
- Nick Curtis – conductor
- Michael Dixon – conductor
- John Mauceri – conductor
- David Cullen – orchestration
### Technical
- Nigel Wright – record producer, audio mixing
- Alan Parker – record producer
- Andrew Lloyd Webber – record producer
- David Caddick – record producer
- Lawrence Dermer – record producer
- Madonna – audio mixing
- Dave Reitzas – engineer, audio mixing
- Dick Lewzey – engineer
- Robin Sellars – engineer
- Mark "Spike" Stent – engineer
- Jake Davies – assistant engineer
- Lee McCutcheon – assistant engineer
- Gustavo Moratorio – assistant engineer
- Matt Silva – assistant engineer
- Dave Wagg – assistant engineer
- Toby Wood – assistant engineer
- Dave Collins – mastering
- Mark Graham – music copyist
- Nick Mera – music copyist
- David Appleby – photography
## Charts
### Weekly charts
### Year-end charts
## Certifications and sales
## See also
- List of European number-one hits of 1997
- List of number-one hits of the 1990s (Switzerland)
- List of Scottish number ones of 1997
- List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 1990s
- List of best-selling albums in Austria
|
6,126,316 |
Young at Heart (The X-Files)
| 1,159,349,109 | null |
[
"1994 American television episodes",
"Fiction set in 1989",
"Television episodes set in Massachusetts",
"Television episodes set in Pennsylvania",
"Television episodes written by Chris Carter (screenwriter)",
"The X-Files (season 1) episodes"
] |
"Young at Heart" is the sixteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, premiering on the Fox network on February 11, 1994. It was written by Scott Kaufer and series creator Chris Carter, and directed by Michael Lange. The episode featured guest appearances by Dick Anthony Williams, William B. Davis and Alan Boyce, and saw Jerry Hardin reprise his role as Deep Throat. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Young at Heart" earned a Nielsen household rating of 7.2, being watched by 6.8 million households in its initial broadcast, and received mostly negative reviews from critics.
The show centers on FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files. When they aid a former colleague of Mulder's in an investigation into a series of robberies, it becomes apparent that the culprit is an old nemesis of Mulder's—who had seemingly died in prison several years previously.
"Young at Heart" originated as a script from freelance writer Scott Kaufer, who was a friend of Carter and former employee of the comedy development department at Warner Bros. Pictures. Carter rewrote the script, which included the addition of Barnett's salamander hand. Director Michael Lange felt the episode offered him excellent scope to try new techniques, noting that the series producers "encourage cinematic stuff". Davis makes his second appearance of the series in this episode, although his role is simply credited as "CIA Agent" rather than the more well-known "Smoking Man".
## Plot
In 1989, Joe Crandall, an inmate at a federal penitentiary in Pennsylvania, hears screaming from the infirmary. Inside, he discovers the prison's doctor, Joe Ridley, amputating the hand of fellow inmate John Barnett. Ridley tells Crandall that Barnett is dead, threatening him with a scalpel. However, as Crandall leaves the room, he sees Barnett blinking.
Four years later, Fox Mulder is notified by his former FBI supervisor, Reggie Purdue, about a note from a jewelry store robbery mocking Mulder by name. Mulder recognizes the message as being from Barnett, a sociopathic multiple murderer whom he helped capture on his first case with the Bureau. Even though Barnett supposedly died in prison, the note bears his handwriting. Purdue shows Dana Scully a video of Barnett's capture, which shows that Mulder didn't fire on Barnett due to him having a hostage, per FBI procedure. Mulder's hesitancy allowed Barnett to kill both the hostage and a fellow agent.
Scully looks into Barnett's cause of death and discovers that despite it being listed as heart attack, he had no history of heart problems; he had been sent to the infirmary over problems with his hand. Meanwhile, Barnett leaves Mulder another note in his car, along with photos of him and Scully. The agents visit the prison and meet Crandall, who recounts his experiences with Barnett and Ridley. Barnett makes taunting phone calls to Mulder and strangles Purdue with a disfigured hand. Scully looks into Ridley's past and finds that his medical license was revoked for performing illegal medical trials on children with progeria, a disease that causes premature aging. Mulder theorizes that Ridley's experiments helped him find a way to reverse the aging process.
Scully summons Mulder when Ridley suddenly appears at her apartment. He tells the agents that he succeeded in making Barnett age in reverse after replacing his hand using salamander cells. However, Barnett stole Ridley's government-sponsored research. Deep Throat meets with Mulder and confirms Ridley's story, saying that the government is negotiating with Barnett to purchase Ridley's work. Scully hears someone dialing into her answering machine and spots Barnett's fingerprint on it. After Barnett calls again, Mulder decides to set up a sting operation at the cello recital for a friend of Scully's, which Barnett learned about from her answering machine.
That night, FBI agents wait at the concert hall for Barnett's arrival. Barnett, who goes completely unseen due to his youthful appearance, poses as a piano tuner. He shoots Scully in the chest during the recital and flees, taking the cellist hostage. Mulder doesn't hesitate this time and fires at Barnett, fatally wounding him. Scully is revealed to have survived the attack, having worn a bulletproof vest. Despite the efforts of doctors and a mysterious CIA agent to resuscitate Barnett, he dies, and takes the secrets of Ridley's research to the grave. The episode ends with a close-up of a locker in a train station, implying the secrets are contained within and will one day be discovered.
## Production
This episode originated as a script from freelance writer Scott Kaufer, who was an acquaintance of series creator Chris Carter and former employee of the comedy development department at Warner Bros. Pictures. Carter rewrote the script, which included the addition of Barnett's salamander hand. The Fox network's standards and practices department fought with the producers over the scene where Barnett strangles Purdue, and as a result, the producers were forced to reduce the length of the scene. The footage of the young girl with progeria was filmed after the production crew contacted the Progeria Society and were put in touch with the family of Courtney Arciaga, who was a young girl with the disease. She and her family were fans of the series and were flown from their San Diego home to Vancouver to shoot the scene.
Director Michael Lange felt the episode offered him excellent scope to try new techniques, noting that the series producers "encourage cinematic stuff". He felt a highlight of this approach was in shooting the episode's climactic stand-off, explaining that "instead of shooting at a normal eye level as the Salamander Man takes the gun, I tilt up, and now I'm shooting up his nose almost, and it was kind of like very disorienting. The show's got a certain ennui that appeals to me, the film noir-y movies of the '40s look, an undercurrent of tension and anxiety 'cause of all the weird things going on".
William B. Davis makes his second appearance of the series in this episode, although his role is simply credited as "CIA Agent", rather than "Smoking Man", as per his credit in the pilot episode. The character of Reggie Purdue would later be referenced in the fourth-season episode "Paper Hearts", and the fifth-season episode "Unusual Suspects".
## Broadcast and reception
"Young at Heart" premiered on the Fox network on February 11, 1994, and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on January 12, 1995. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 7.2 with an 11 share, meaning that roughly 7.2 percent of all television-equipped households, and 11 percent of households watching TV, were tuned in to the episode. A total of 6.8 million households watched this episode during its original airing.
Lange said that he "liked the script very much, and I think I stayed fairly close to the original draft. I liked it because it had a good spookiness to it. To me, the intriguing part was the doctor's research into being able to reverse the aging process, which I wish we could have explored more." Executive Producer Robert Goodwin considered the episode one of the most emotional episodes of the first season, due to the time spent working with Courtney Arciaga, the young girl with progeria. In a retrospective of the first season in Entertainment Weekly, the episode was rated a C, being called "far-fetched" and criticized for its unoriginal themes. Zack Handlen, writing for The A.V. Club, described it as "sloppy, poorly edited" and "thoroughly unexciting", pointing out the "forced" nature of the supporting characters' past involvement with Fox Mulder. Matt Haigh, writing for Den of Geek, expressed mixed feelings over the episode, comparing it to Quincy, M.E. and stating that it "just wasn't weird enough" for an episode of The X-Files. "Young at Heart" has been cited, along with the fourth season episode "Paper Hearts", as representing "the supreme irony and the hidden agenda of the series"—in both cases, Mulder, directly through his work on the X-Files, puts information permanently beyond reach by killing those who hold it, showing that "despite the fact that Mulder drives the car, he frequently ends up—and goes—nowhere".
|
152,447 |
Sean Combs
| 1,173,612,226 |
American rapper and record executive (born 1969)
|
[
"1969 births",
"20th-century African-American businesspeople",
"20th-century American businesspeople",
"20th-century American rappers",
"21st-century African-American businesspeople",
"21st-century American businesspeople",
"21st-century American male actors",
"21st-century American rappers",
"Actors from Mount Vernon, New York",
"African-American fashion designers",
"African-American film producers",
"African-American male actors",
"African-American male rappers",
"African-American record producers",
"African-American television producers",
"American chairpersons of corporations",
"American chief executives in the media industry",
"American chief executives of fashion industry companies",
"American contemporary R&B singers",
"American corporate directors",
"American cosmetics businesspeople",
"American drink industry businesspeople",
"American fashion businesspeople",
"American hip hop record producers",
"American hip hop singers",
"American landlords",
"American male film actors",
"American male rappers",
"American male television actors",
"American marketing businesspeople",
"American mass media owners",
"American music industry executives",
"American music publishers (people)",
"American music video directors",
"American philanthropists",
"American reality television producers",
"American restaurateurs",
"American retail chief executives",
"American television company founders",
"American television executives",
"Arista Records artists",
"Atlantic Records artists",
"Bad Boy Records artists",
"Businesspeople from New York City",
"East Coast hip hop musicians",
"Epic Records artists",
"Former Roman Catholics",
"Grammy Award winners for rap music",
"Howard University alumni",
"Hype men",
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"Male actors from New York City",
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"Participants in American reality television series",
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"Pop rappers",
"Rappers from Manhattan",
"Record producers from New York (state)",
"Remixers",
"Sean Combs",
"Songwriters from New York (state)",
"Television producers from New York City"
] |
Sean Love Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy, or Diddy, is an American record executive, rapper, actor, and record producer. Born in Harlem, Combs worked as a talent director at Uptown Records before founding his own record label, Bad Boy Records, in 1993. Combs has produced and cultivated artists such as the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher.
Combs' debut album, No Way Out (1997), has been certified seven times platinum. The album was followed by Forever (1999), The Saga Continues... (2001), and Press Play (2006), all of which were commercially successful. In 2009, Combs created and produced the musical group Diddy – Dirty Money; they released their successful debut album Last Train to Paris in 2010.
Combs has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards and is the producer of MTV's Making the Band. In 1998, Combs founded the clothing retailer Sean John. He was nominated for the Council of Fashion Designers of America award for Menswear Designer of the Year in 2000 and won in 2004. He has been the brand ambassador for vodka retailer Cîroc since 2007, and co-founded the television network and news website Revolt in 2013. In 2022, Forbes estimated his net worth at US\$1 billion.
## Early life
Sean John Combs was born in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City on November 4, 1969. Raised in Mount Vernon, New York, his mother Janice Combs (née Smalls) was a model and teacher's assistant, and his father, Melvin Earl Combs, served in the U.S. Air Force and was an associate of convicted New York drug dealer Frank Lucas. At age 33, Melvin was shot to death while sitting in his car on Central Park West, when Sean was two years old.
Combs graduated from Mount Saint Michael Academy in 1987. He played football for the academy, and his team won a division title in 1986. Combs said he was given the nickname "Puff" as a child, because he would "huff and puff" when he was angry.
Combs was a business major at Howard University but left after his sophomore year. In 2014, he returned to Howard University to receive an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities and to deliver the University's 146th Commencement Address.
## Career
### 1990–1996: Career beginnings
Combs became an intern at New York's Uptown Records in 1990. While working as a talent director at Uptown, he helped develop Jodeci and Mary J. Blige. In his college days Combs had a reputation for throwing parties, some of which attracted up to a thousand participants. In 1991, Combs promoted an AIDS fundraiser with Heavy D held at the City College of New York (CCNY) gymnasium, following a charity basketball game. The event was oversold, and a stampede occurred in which nine people died.
In 1993, after being fired from Uptown, Combs established his new label Bad Boy Entertainment as a joint venture with Arista Records, taking then-newcomer Christopher Wallace, better known as the Notorious B.I.G., with him. Both Wallace and Craig Mack quickly released hit singles, followed by successful LPs, particularly Wallace's Ready to Die. Combs signed more acts to Bad Boy, including Carl Thomas, Faith Evans, 112, Total, and Father MC. The Hitmen, his in-house production team, worked with Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil' Kim, TLC, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, SWV, Aretha Franklin, and others.
Mase and the Lox joined Bad Boy just as a widely publicized rivalry with the West Coast's Death Row Records was beginning. Combs and Wallace were criticized and parodied by Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight in songs and interviews during the mid-1990s. During 1994–1995, Combs produced several songs for TLC's CrazySexyCool, which finished the decade as number 25 on Billboard's list of top pop albums of the decade.
### 1997–1998: "Puff Daddy" and No Way Out
In 1997, under the name Puff Daddy, Combs recorded his first commercial vocal work as a rapper. His debut single, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", spent 28 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number one. His debut album, No Way Out, was released on July 22, 1997, through Bad Boy Records. Originally titled Hell up in Harlem, the album underwent several changes after the Notorious B.I.G. was killed on March 9, 1997. Several of the label's artists made guest appearances on the album. No Way Out was a significant success, particularly in the United States, where it reached number one on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release, selling 561,000 copies.
The album produced five singles: "I'll Be Missing You", a tribute to the Notorious B.I.G., was the first rap song to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100; it remained at the top of the chart for eleven consecutive weeks and topped several other charts worldwide. Four other singles – "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", "It's All About the Benjamins", "Been Around the World", and "Victory" – were also released. Combs collaborated with Jimmy Page on the song "Come with Me" for the 1998 film Godzilla.
The album earned Combs five nominations at the 40th Grammy Awards in 1998, and would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. On September 7, 2000, the album was certified septuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over 7 million copies. In 1997, Combs was sued for landlord neglect by Inge Bongo. Combs denied the charges. By the late 1990s, he was being criticized for watering down and overly commercializing hip hop, and for using too many guest appearances, samples, and interpolations of past hits in his new songs.
### 1999–2000: Forever, and Club New York shooting
In April 1999, Combs was charged with assaulting Steve Stoute of Interscope Records. Stoute was the manager for Nas, with whom Combs had filmed a video earlier that year for the song "Hate Me Now". Combs was concerned that the video, which featured a shot of Nas and Combs being crucified, was blasphemous. He asked for his scenes on the cross to be pulled, but after the video aired unedited on MTV on April 15, Combs visited Stoute's offices and injured Stoute. Combs was charged with second-degree assault and criminal mischief, and was sentenced to attend a one-day anger management class.
Forever, Combs' second solo studio album, was released by Bad Boy Records on August 24, 1999, in North America, and in the UK on the following day. It reached number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, where it remained for one week before being knocked off by Mary J. Blige's fourth album, Mary. The album received positive to mixed reviews from music critics and spawned three singles that have charted on the Billboard charts. It peaked at number four on the Canadian Albums Chart, Combs' highest-charting album in that country.
On December 27, 1999, Combs, his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, and his protégé rapper Shyne were at Club New York in Times Square in Manhattan when gunfire broke out. A prosecutor said that the incident was sparked by an argument at the club between Combs and another patron. After a police investigation, Combs and Shyne were arrested for weapons violations and other charges. Combs was charged with four weapons-related charges and with bribing his driver, Wardel Fenderson, to claim ownership of his gun.
With a gag order in place, the highly publicized trial began. Combs' attorneys were Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. and Benjamin Brafman. Combs was found not guilty on all charges; Shyne was convicted on five of his eight charges and sentenced to ten years in prison. Combs and Lopez broke up shortly after. A lawsuit filed by Fenderson, who said he suffered emotional damage after the shooting, was settled in February 2004. Lawyers for both sides, having agreed to keep the settlement terms secret, said the matter had been "resolved to the satisfaction of all parties".
### 2001–2004: "P. Diddy" and The Saga Continues
Combs changed his stage name from "Puff Daddy" to "P. Diddy" in 2001. The gospel album, Thank You, which had been completed just before the beginning of the weapons trial, was due to be released in March that year, but remains unreleased as of October 2018. He appeared as a drug dealer in the film Made and starred with Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, and Billy Bob Thornton in Monster's Ball (both in 2001).
He was arrested for driving with a suspended license in Florida. Combs began working with a series of atypical (for him) artists. For a short period of time, he was the manager of Kelis; they have a collaboration titled "Let's Get Ill". He was an opening act for 'N Sync on their Spring 2002 Celebrity Tour, and he signed California-based pop girl group Dream to his record label. Combs was a producer of the soundtrack album for the film Training Day (2001).
In June 2001, Combs ended Bad Boy's joint venture with Arista Records, gaining full control of Bad Boy, its catalogue, and its roster of artists. The Saga Continues..., released on July 10 in North America, was the last studio album released by the joint venture. The album reached number 2 on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, and was eventually certified Platinum. It is the only studio album under the P. Diddy name, and the first album by Sean Combs not to feature any guest appearances by Jay-Z or Lil Kim. Combs was executive producer of the reality TV show Making the Band, which appeared on MTV from 2002 to 2009.
The show involves interviewing candidates and creating musical acts that would then enter the music business. Acts who got their start this way include Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang. In 2003, Combs ran in the New York City Marathon, raising \$2 million for the educational system of the city of New York. On March 10, 2004, he appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss the marathon, which he finished in four hours and eighteen minutes. In 2004, Combs headed the campaign "Vote or Die" for the 2004 presidential election. On February 1, 2004, Combs (as P. Diddy) performed at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.
### 2005–2009: "Diddy" and Press Play
On August 16, 2005, Combs announced on Today that he was altering his stage name yet again; he would be calling himself "Diddy". Combs said fans did not know how to address him, which led to confusion. In November 2005, London-based musical artist and DJ Richard Dearlove, who had been performing under the name "Diddy" since 1992 – nine years before Combs started using even "P. Diddy" – sought an injunction in the High Court of Justice in London. He accepted an out-of-court settlement of £10,000 in damages and more than £100,000 in costs. Combs can no longer use the name Diddy in the UK, where he is still known as P. Diddy. An assault charge against Combs filed by Michigan television host Rogelio Mills was resolved in Combs' favor in 2005.
Combs starred in the 2005 film Carlito's Way: Rise to Power. He played Walter Lee Younger in the 2004 Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun and the television adaptation that aired in February 2008. In 2005, Combs sold half of his record company to the Warner Music Group. He hosted the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards and was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2005 by Time magazine. He was mentioned in the country song "Play Something Country" by Brooks & Dunn: the lyricist says he "didn't come to hear P. Diddy", which is rhymed with "something thumpin' from the city".
In 2006, when Combs refused to release musician Mase from his contractual obligations to allow him to join the group G-Unit, 50 Cent recorded a diss song, "Hip-Hop". The lyrics imply that Combs knew the identity of the Notorious B.I.G.'s murderer. The two later resolved the feud.
Combs released his first album in four years, Press Play, on October 17, 2006, on the Bad Boy Records label. The album, featuring guest appearances by many popular artists, debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with sales of over 173,009. Its singles "Come to Me" and "Last Night" both reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. The album became available to preview on MTV's The Leak on October 10, 2006, a week before being sold in stores. Press Play received mixed to positive reviews from critics, and was certified Gold on the RIAA ratings. On September 18, 2007, Combs teamed up with 50 Cent and Jay-Z for the "Forbes I Get Money Billion Dollar Remix".
In March 2008, the Los Angeles Times claimed that the Notorious B.I.G. and Combs orchestrated the 1994 robbery and shooting of Tupac, substantiating the claim with supposed FBI documents; the newspaper later retracted the story, acknowledging that the documents had been fabricated. Dexter Isaac, an associate of record management executive Jimmy Henchman, confessed in 2012 that he had shot Tupac on Henchman's orders.
In June 2008, Combs' representative denied rumors of another name change. Combs ventured into reality television in August 2008 with the premiere of his VH1 series I Want to Work for Diddy. He appeared—credited under his real name—in two episodes of Season 7 of CSI: Miami: "Presumed Guilty" and "Sink or Swim", in the role of lawyer Derek Powell.
### 2010–2013: Diddy – Dirty Money and acting
Combs created a rap supergroup in 2010 known as the Dream Team. The group consists of Combs, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Red Café, and Fabolous. Combs made an appearance at comedian Chris Gethard's live show in January 2010 at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City. In June 2010, Combs played a role (credited as Sean Combs) in the comedy film Get Him to the Greek, as Sergio Roma, a record company executive. An Entourage series representative announced that Combs would guest star on an episode during the 2010 season.
Recruiting singers Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper, Combs formed the female duo Diddy – Dirty Money in 2009. The duo's first album, Last Train to Paris, was released by on December 13, 2010. The release was preceded by four singles "Angels", "Hello Good Morning", "Loving You No More", and "Coming Home", which experienced mixed success on the Billboard Hot 100. "Coming Home" was the most successful of the songs, peaking at number eleven on the U.S. Hot 100, number four in the UK, and number seven in Canada. Combs produced the group, and often performed with them. On March 10, 2011, Diddy and Dirty Money performed "Coming Home" live on American Idol.
On April 18, 2011, Combs appeared in season one of Hawaii Five-0, guest starring as an undercover NYPD detective. In November 2012 Combs appeared in an episode of the eighth season of the American sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
### 2014–present: MMM (Money Making Mitch), No Way Out 2, and The Love Album: Off the Grid
On February 26, 2014, Combs premiered "Big Homie", featuring Rick Ross and French Montana, as the first single from his mixtape MMM (Money Making Mitch), which was originally scheduled to be released that year. The song was released for digital download on March 24, and two days later the trailer for the music video was released. The full version of the music video was released on March 31. Combs used his former stage name Puff Daddy for the album. MMM was released as a free mixtape album of 12 tracks on November 4, 2015. In 2014 Combs and Guy Gerber announced that their joint album 11 11 would be available for free download. A new single called "Finna Get Loose" featuring Combs and Pharrell Williams was released on June 29, 2015.
In July 2015, Bad Boy Entertainment artist Gizzle told the press that she is collaborating with Combs on what she describes as his last album, titled No Way Out 2, a sequel to his 1997 debut. She describes the music as unique: "The mindset is to just be classic and to be epic. And to really live up to that ... we know it's a tall order, but we welcome the challenge." In April 2016, Combs announced that after this last album and tour, he plans to retire from the music industry to focus on acting.
On May 20 and 21, 2016, Combs launched a tour of Bad Boy Records' biggest names to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the label. The documentary Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story, covering the two shows at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as well as behind-the-scenes events, was released on June 23, 2017. The show toured to an additional twenty venues across the United States and Canada.
On November 5, 2017, Combs announced that he would be going by the name Love, stating "My new name is Love, aka Brother Love". Two days later, he told the press he had been joking, but on January 3, 2018, he announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he had changed his mind again, and will be using the new name after all. The change became official in 2022.
In 2019, Combs announced on Twitter that Making the Band would return to MTV in 2020.
Combs executive-produced Nigerian singer Burna Boy's album, Twice as Tall, released on August 14, 2020.
In 2022, Combs hosted the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. Shortly afterwards, he announced the startup of a new record label, Love Records as a one-album recording deal with Motown.
On August 22, 2023, Combs released a teaser trailer on social media for his sixth studio album The Love Album: Off the Grid, to be released on September 15, 2023.
## Business career
Fortune magazine listed Combs at number twelve on their top 40 of entrepreneurs under 40 in 2002. Forbes Magazine estimated that for the year ending May 2017, Combs earned \$130 million, ranking him number one among entertainers. In 2022, his estimated net worth was US\$1 billion.
### Sean John
In 1998, Combs started a clothing line, Sean John. It was nominated for the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) award for Menswear Designer of the Year in 2000, and won in 2004. California billionaire Ronald Burkle invested \$100 million into the company in 2003.
Also in 2003, the National Labor Committee revealed that factories producing the clothing in Honduras were violating Honduran labor laws. Among the accusations were that workers were subjected to body searches and involuntary pregnancy tests. Bathrooms were locked and access tightly controlled. Employees were forced to work overtime and were paid sweatshop wages. Charles Kernaghan of the National Labor Committee told The New York Times that "Sean Puff Daddy obviously has a lot of clout, he can literally do a lot overnight to help these workers."
Combs responded with an extensive investigation, telling reporters "I'm as pro-worker as they get". On February 14, 2004, Kernaghan announced that improvements had been implemented at the factory, including adding air conditioning and water purification systems, firing the most abusive supervisors, and allowing the formation of a labor union. In late 2006, the department store Macy's removed Sean John jackets from their shelves when they discovered that the clothing was made using raccoon dog fur. Combs had not known the jackets were made with genuine fur, but as soon as he was alerted, he had production stopped.
In November 2008, Combs added a men's perfume called "I Am King" to the Sean John brand. The fragrance, dedicated to Barack Obama, Muhammad Ali, and Martin Luther King Jr., featured model Bar Refaeli in its advertisements. In early 2016, Sean John introduced the brand's GIRLS collection.
### Other ventures
Combs is the head of Combs Enterprises, an umbrella company for his portfolio of businesses. In addition to his clothing line, Combs owned two restaurants called Justin's, named after his son. The original New York location closed in September 2007; the Atlanta location closed in June 2012. He is the designer of the Dallas Mavericks alternate jersey. In October 2007, Combs agreed to help develop the Cîroc vodka brand for a 50 percent share of the profits. Combs acquired the Enyce clothing line from Liz Claiborne for \$20 million on October 21, 2008.
Combs has a major equity stake in Revolt TV, a television network that also has a film production branch. It began broadcasting in 2014. In February 2015, Combs teamed up with actor Mark Wahlberg and businessman Ronald Burkle of Yucaipa Companies to purchase a majority holding in Aquahydrate, a calorie-free beverage for athletes. John Cochran, former president of Fiji Water, is CEO of the company.
In 2019, Combs became a major investor in PlayVS, which provides an infrastructure for competitive gaming in US high schools. The company was also backed by Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin.
## Personal life
### Family
Combs is the father of 7 children. His first biological child, Justin, was born in 1993 to designer Misa Hylton-Brim. Justin attended UCLA on a football scholarship.
Combs had an on-again, off-again relationship with Kimberly Porter (1970–2018), which lasted from 1994 to 2007. He raised and adopted Quincy (born 1991), Porter's son from a previous relationship with singer-producer Al B. Sure! Together they had a son, Christian (born 1998), and twin daughters, D'Lila Star and Jessie James (born 2006). Porter died of pneumonia on November 15, 2018.
Five months before the birth of his twins, Combs' daughter Chance was born to Sarah Chapman. He took legal responsibility for Chance in October 2007.
Combs was in a long-term relationship with Cassie Ventura from 2007 to 2018.
Combs' sons Quincy and Justin both appeared on MTV's My Super Sweet 16. Combs threw Quincy a celebrity-studded party and gave him two cars as his 16th birthday present. For Justin's 16th birthday, Combs presented him with a \$360,000 Maybach car.
His seventh child was born on October 15, 2022, a daughter named Love Sean Combs. The mother is Dana Tran.
Combs owns a home in Alpine, New Jersey, which he purchased for \$7 million.
### Charity work and honors
Combs founded Daddy's House Social Programs, an organization to help inner city youth, in 1995. Programs include tutoring, life skills classes, and an annual summer camp. Along with Jay-Z, he pledged \$1 million to help support victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and donated clothing from his Sean John line to victims. He has donated computers and books to New York schools.
In 1998, he received a Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley named October 13, 2006, as "Diddy Day" in honor of Combs' charity work. In 2008, Combs was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first male rapper to be so honored.
In 2014, Combs received an honorary doctorate from Howard University, where he gave the commencement speech for its 146th commencement ceremony. In his speech, Combs acknowledged that his experiences as a Howard student positively influenced his life. In 2016, Combs donated \$1 million to Howard University to establish the Sean Combs Scholarship Fund to help students who are unable to pay their tuition.
In 2022, Combs announced during his BET Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech that he will be donating \$1 million each to Howard University and Jackson State University.
### Wardrobe style
Combs describes his wardrobe style as "swagger, timeless, diverse". On September 2, 2007, Combs held his ninth annual "White Party", at which guests are limited to an all-white dress code. The White Party, which has also been held in St. Tropez, was held in his home in East Hampton, New York. Combs stated, "This party is up there with the top three that I've thrown. It's a party that has legendary status. It's hard to throw a party that lives up to its legend."
### Religious views
Combs was raised Catholic, and was an altar server as a boy. In 2008, he told The Daily Telegraph that he does not adhere to any specific religious denomination. He said, "I just follow right from wrong, so I could pray in a synagogue or a mosque or a church. I believe that there is only one God."
On July 3, 2020, Combs invited his Twitter followers to view a 3-hour YouTube video posted by Louis Farrakhan. In the video Farrakhan made multiple comments and repeatedly used the phrase "Synagogue of Satan". The video was removed from YouTube for violating its policy against hate speech.
In response to comedian Nick Cannon being fired on July 14, 2020, from ViacomCBS for espousing anti-Semitic views, Combs tweeted that Cannon should "come home to RevoltTv" saying "We got your back and love you and what you have done for the culture."
## Discography
### Studio albums
- No Way Out (1997)
- Forever (1999)
- The Saga Continues... (2001)
- Press Play (2006)
- The Love Album: Off the Grid (2023)
## Awards and nominations
### NAACP Image Awards
\|- \| 2009 \| A Raisin in the Sun \| Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie,
Mini-Series or Dramatic Special \| \|- \| 2011 \| Diddy – Dirty Money \| Outstanding Duo or Group \|
### BET Awards
\|- \| rowspan="2" \| 2002 \|\| "Bad Boy for Life"
(featuring Black Rob & Mark Curry) \|\| rowspan="2" \| Video of the Year \|\| \|- \| "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II"
(with Busta Rhymes & Pharrell Williams) \|\| \|- \| 2003 \|\| "Bump, Bump, Bump" (with B2K) \|\| Coca-Cola Viewer's Choice Award \|\| \|- \| rowspan="2" \| 2007
\|\| "Last Night" (featuring Keyshia Cole) \|\| Best Collaboration \|\| \|- \| Diddy \|\| Best Male Hip-Hop Artist \|\| \|- \| 2010 \|\| rowspan="3" \| Diddy – Dirty Money \|\| rowspan="4" \| Best Group \|\| \|- \| 2011 \|\| \|- \| 2012 \|\| \|- \| 2016 \|\| Puff Daddy and the Family \|\|
### BET Hip Hop Awards
\|- \| rowspan="2" \| 2008 \|\| "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)..." \|\| Track of the Year \|\| \|- \| rowspan="2" \| Sean Combs \|\| rowspan="2" \| Hustler of the Year \|\| \|- \| 2009 \|\| \|- \| rowspan="4" \| 2010 \|\| "All I Do Is Win (Remix)" \|\| rowspan="2" \| Reese's Perfect Combo Award \|\| \|- \| rowspan="2" \| "Hello Good Morning (Remix)" \|\| \|- \| Best Club Banger \|\| \|- \| rowspan="2" \| Sean Combs \|\| rowspan="2" \| Hustler of the Year \|\| \|- \| 2011 \|\| \|- \| 2012 \|\| rowspan="2" \| "Same Damn Time (Remix)" \|\| rowspan="2" \| Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse \|\| \|- \| rowspan="2" \| 2013 \|\| \|- \| rowspan="2" \| Sean Combs \|\| rowspan="2" \| Hustler of the Year \|\| \|- \| 2017 \|\|
### MTV Europe Music Awards
\|- \| rowspan="4" \| 1997 \|\| rowspan="2" \| "I'll Be Missing You" \|\| MTV Select \|\| \|- \| Best Song \|\| \|- \| rowspan="8" \| Sean Combs \|\| Best New Act \|\| \|- \| Best Hip-Hop \|\| \|- \| rowspan="2" \| 1998 \|\| Best Male \|\| \|- \| rowspan="5" \| Best Hip-Hop \|\| \|- \| 1999 \|\| \|- \| 2001 \|\| \|- \| 2002 \|\| \|- \| 2006 \|\| \|- \| 2011 \|\| Diddy – Dirty Money \|\| Best World Stage Performance \|\|
### MTV Movie & TV Awards
\|- \| 2018 \|\| Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story \|\| Best Music Documentary \|\|
### MTV Video Music Awards
\|- \| rowspan="2" \| \|\| rowspan="2" \| "I'll Be Missing You" \|\| Best R&B Video \|\| \|- \| Viewer's Choice \|\| \|- \| rowspan="3" \| \|\| rowspan="2" \| "It's All About the Benjamins" (Rock Remix) \|\| Video of the Year \|\| \|- \| Viewer's Choice \|\| \|- \| "Come with Me" (from Godzilla) \|\| Best Video from a Film \|\| \|- \| \|\| "Bad Boy for Life" \|\| Best Rap Video \|\|
### Grammy Awards
!Ref. \|- \| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="7" \| 1998 \| Puff Daddy \| Best New Artist \| \| rowspan="7"\|
\|- \| No Way Out \| rowspan="2"\|Best Rap Album \| \|- \| Life After Death (as producer) \| \|- \| "Honey" (as songwriter) \| Best Rhythm & Blues Song \| \|- \| "I'll Be Missing You" (featuring Faith Evans & 112) \| rowspan="7"\|Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group \| \|- \| "Mo Money Mo Problems" (with the Notorious B.I.G. & Mase) \| \|- \| "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" (featuring Mase) \| \|- \| style="text-align:center;"\| 2000 \| "Satisfy You" (featuring R. Kelly) \| \| \|- \| style="text-align:center;"\| 2002 \| "Bad Boy for Life" (with Black Rob & Mark Curry) \| \| \|- \| style="text-align:center;"\| 2003 \| "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II" (with Busta Rhymes & Pharrell) \| \| \|- \| style="text-align:center;"\| 2004 \| "Shake Ya Tailfeather" (with Nelly & Murphy Lee) \| \| \|- \| style="text-align:center;"\| 2016 \| "All Day" (as songwriter) \| Best Rap Song \| \|
### Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
### Other awards
In 2021, Combs was among the inaugural inductees into the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame.
In June 2022, Combs received the BET Lifetime Achievement Award.
## Filmography
- Made (2001)
- Monster's Ball (2001)
- 2005 MTV Video Music Awards (2005)
- Seamless (2005)
- Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (2005)
- A Raisin in the Sun (2008)
- CSI Miami: episode "Sink or Swim" (2009)
- CSI Miami: episode "Presumed Guilty" (2009)
- Notorious (2009): Archive footage
- Get Him to the Greek (2010)
- I'm Still Here (2010)
- Hawaii Five-0: episode "Hoʻopaʻi" (2011)
- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (TV series) (2012)
- Draft Day (2014)
- Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
- Black-ish (TV series) (2015)
- Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story (2017)
- The Defiant Ones (2017)
- Mary J. Blige's My Life (2021)
- 2022 Billboard Music Awards (2022)
## Tours
- No Way Out Tour (1997–1998)
- Forever Tour (2000)
|
4,597,726 |
Pacific electric ray
| 1,134,425,327 |
Species of cartilaginous fish
|
[
"Fauna of California",
"Fish described in 1855",
"Fish of Canada",
"Fish of Mexican Pacific coast",
"Fish of the Gulf of California",
"Fish of the Pacific Ocean",
"Fish of the Western United States",
"Strongly electric fish",
"Tetronarce",
"Western North American coastal fauna"
] |
Tetronarce californica also known as the Pacific electric ray is a species of electric ray in the family Torpedinidae, endemic to the coastal waters of the northeastern Pacific Ocean from Baja California to British Columbia. It generally inhabits sandy flats, rocky reefs, and kelp forests from the surface to a depth of 200 m (660 ft), but has also been known to make forays into the open ocean. Measuring up to 1.4 m (4.6 ft) long, this species has smooth-rimmed spiracles (paired respiratory openings behind the eyes) and a dark gray, slate, or brown dorsal coloration, sometimes with dark spots. Its body form is typical of the genus, with a rounded pectoral fin disc wider than long and a thick tail bearing two dorsal fins of unequal size and a well-developed caudal fin.
Solitary and nocturnal, the Pacific electric ray can generate up to 45 volts of electricity for the purposes of subduing prey or self-defense. It feeds mainly on bony fishes, ambushing them from the substrate during the day and actively hunting for them at night. Reproduction is aplacental viviparous, meaning that the embryos are initially nourished by yolk, later supplemented by histotroph ("uterine milk") produced by the mother. Females bear litters of 17–20 pups, probably once every other year. Care should be exercised around the Pacific electric ray, as it has been known to act aggressively if provoked and its electric shock can potentially incapacitate a diver. It and other electric rays are used as model organisms for biomedical research. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed this species under Least Concern, as it is not fished in any significant numbers.
## Taxonomy
The Pacific electric ray was described by American ichthyologist William Orville Ayres, the first Curator of Ichthyology at the California Academy of Sciences, who named it after the U.S. state where it was first discovered by science. Ayers published his account in 1855, in the inaugural volume of the Academy's Proceedings; no type specimens were designated. In 1861, Theodore Gill placed this species in his newly created genus Tetronarce, on the basis of its smooth-rimmed spiracles. Later authors have generally regarded Tetronarce as a subgenus of Torpedo. Closely similar electric rays found off Peru, Chile, and Japan may be the same as this species. Other common names used for this ray include California torpedo ray, Pacific torpedo, or simply electric ray or torpedo ray. This species is placed in the genus Tetronarce.
## Distribution and habitat
The only electric ray found off western North America, the Pacific electric ray occurs as far south as Sebastian Vizcaino Bay in Baja California, and as far north as the Dixon Entrance in northern British Columbia. It is most common south of Point Conception, California, with the rays north of the Point perhaps representing one or more separate populations.
Off California, the Pacific electric ray is generally encountered at a depth of 3–30 m (10–100 ft), while off Baja California it is typically observed at a depth of 100–200 m (330–660 ft). It has been reported from as deep as 425 m (1,394 ft). This species prefers temperatures of 10–13 °C (50–55 °F). It frequents sandy flats, rocky reefs, and kelp forests. However, one individual has been videotaped 17 km (11 mi) west of Point Pinos, Monterey County, California, swimming 10 m (33 ft) below the surface in water 3 km (1.9 mi) deep; this and other observations suggest that this species makes periodic excursions away from shallow coastal habitats into the epipelagic zone.
## Description
The Pacific electric ray has a soft, flabby body devoid of dermal denticles. It has an oval pectoral fin disc about 1.2 times as wide as long, with a nearly straight front margin and a pair of kidney-shaped electric organs visible beneath the skin. The eyes are small and followed by smooth-rimmed spiracles; the space from the spiracles to the snout tip is about 1.8 times the distance between the spiracles. There is a curtain of skin between the nostrils that almost reaches the mouth, which is arched with deep furrows at the corners. The distance between the mouth and the snout tip is about equal to the mouth width, and three times that of the distance between the nostrils. There are 25–28 upper tooth rows and 19–26 lower tooth rows; each tooth is tiny and smooth, with a single sharp cusp. Pacific electric rays are founded in Japan, south Kuril Islands, and Kinmei Seamount; Wiah Point, Graham Island, northern British Columbia to Todos Santos, southern Baja California, including Isla Guadalupe, central Baja California, and Peru. Although there was one record from the Gulf of California. Common from about San Francisco Bay southward into southern Baja California. Pacific electric rays can grow up to a length more than 140 cm (55.1 in), and 18–23 cm (7.1-9.1 in) at birth. Pacific electric rays are able to swim to a depth from the surf zone to 1,079 m (3,539 ft), usually shallower than 300 m (984 ft).
Two dorsal fins are present, with the first more than twice the size of the second and positioned opposite the large pelvic fins. The tail is short and stocky, terminating in a large, triangular caudal fin with a nearly straight trailing margin. This ray is dark gray, slate, or brown above, sometimes with small darker spots that increase in number with age; the underside is white. Males attain a maximum known length of 0.9 m (3.0 ft), and females 1.4 m (4.6 ft). The maximum recorded weight is 41 kg (90 lb).
## Biology and ecology
With a sizable oily liver and low-density tissues, the Pacific electric ray is almost neutrally buoyant and can hover in the water column with very little effort. Propulsive power is provided by the muscular tail, while the disc is held rigid. Telemetry studies have shown that this species swims primarily at night, when it enters reefs and other habitats with high terrain relief, and spends most of the day in nearby open areas buried in sediment. It is nomadic and solitary, though several individuals may rest within the same area.
Like other members of its family, the Pacific electric ray produces powerful electric shocks for attack and defense. Its paired electric organs are derived from muscle and comprise approximately 15% of its total weight, consisting of many thousands of jelly-filled "electric plates" stacked hundreds-high into vertical hexagonal columns. These columns function essentially like batteries connected in parallel; a large adult ray can generate some 45 volts of electricity with a power output of one kilowatt, due to low internal resistance. The electric organs discharge direct current in pulses, each lasting 4–5 ms. When attacking prey, in the first few moments the ray normally produces pulses at a rate of 150–200 per second, slowing down over time. Over a thousand pulses may be produced in all, depending on how long it takes for the prey to be subdued. The pulse rate increases with water temperature.
Because of its large size and formidable defenses, The Pacific electric ray seldom falls prey to other animals. There is a record of one being fed upon by a killer whale (Orcinus orca) off Santa Catalina Island. The Cooper's nutmeg (Cancellaria cooperi) is a specialized parasite of this ray, and possibly other bottom-dwelling fishes such as the Pacific angelshark (Squatina californica). The snail is attracted to the chemicals contained in the ray's surface mucus; it makes a small cut on the ventral surface of the ray and uses its proboscis to suck blood. Other known parasites of this species include the copepod Trebius latifurcatus, the fluke Amphibdelloides maccallumi, and the tapeworm Acanthobothrium hispidum.
### Feeding
The Pacific electric ray feeds mainly on bony fishes, including anchovies, herring, hake, mackerel, croakers, rockfishes, surfperches, kelp bass, and flatfishes, but will also take cephalopods and invertebrates given the opportunity. Its jaws are highly distensible, allowing it to swallow surprisingly large prey: one female 1.2 m (3.9 ft) long has been observed ingesting a silver salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) nearly half her length. During the day, the Pacific electric ray is an ambush predator: when a fish approaches its head, the ray "jumps" forward from its resting place and folds down its disc to envelop it, while delivering strong shocks. Once the fish is subdued, the ray repositions itself to swallow it head-first. The entire process takes about two minutes.
At night, when many diurnal fishes descend from the water column and become inactive a short distance above the bottom, the Pacific electric ray switches to an active hunting strategy. It stalks fish by slowly swimming or simply drifting through the water; when it closes to 5 cm (2.0 in) of the prey, it lunges forward and again envelops the prey within its disc while delivering shocks. To better secure the fish within its disc, the ray will make short kicks with its tail that sometimes send it into barrel rolls or somersaults. Finally, the stunned prey is maneuvered to the mouth with ripples of the disc. In one recorded case, a 75 cm (30 in) long female captured and consumed a 20 cm (7.9 in) long jack mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus) in under ten seconds. Nighttime seine net sampling at the surface of Monterey Bay has captured Pacific electric rays in surprising numbers, suggesting that they rise upward from the bottom to feed on small fishes.
Though the Pacific electric ray will feed at any hour, it responds to prey much more quickly at night than during the day. Most prey captures occur in darkness or turbid conditions, when its eyes are largely useless. Instead, it relies on electroreception via its ampullae of Lorenzini to locate food. Experiments in the field have shown that it will attack artificially generated electric fields and conductive metal electrodes. Mechanical sensory cues, detected via the lateral line, also play an important role: this species has been observed preferentially attacking faster-moving prey even if a closer food item was available.
### Life history
The Pacific electric ray exhibits aplacental viviparity, with the developing embryos at first receiving nourishment from yolk, and later from histotroph ("uterine milk", enriched with proteins, fat, and mucus) produced by the mother and delivered through specialized outgrowths of the uterine lining. Mature females have two functional ovaries and uteruses. Reproduction occurs year-round, with males apparently capable of mating every year and females every other year. The gestation period is unknown. Reported litter sizes range from 17 to 20; at least the number of ova, and perhaps also the number of young, increases with the size of the female.
The newborns measure 18–23 cm (7.1–9.1 in) long and double their size in the first year of life, adding around 25 cm (9.8 in) to their length. Male grow faster than females but reach a smaller ultimate size. Sexual maturity is attained at a length of 65 cm (26 in) and age of seven years for males, and a length of 73 cm (29 in) and age of nine years for females. The oldest documented individuals are 16 years of age, and extrapolating from growth curves the maximum lifespan of this species may be upwards of 24 years.
## Human interactions
The shock generated by the Pacific electric ray can be enough to knock down an adult human. It should be treated with caution, especially at night when it is active, and has been known to charge at divers with its mouth agape if harassed. It is not known to be responsible for any fatalities, but may have been involved in several unexplained, fatal diving accidents. This species fares poorly in captivity, as it usually refuses to feed when first introduced into an aquarium. Since 2000, the Aquarium of the Bay and the Monterey Bay Aquarium have had some success keeping Pacific electric rays by offering them moving food.
The Pacific electric ray and its relatives are used as model organisms for biomedical research, because their electric organs contain an abundance of important nervous system proteins such as nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and acetylcholinesterase. In the 1970s and 1980s, acetylcholine receptors from this species and the marbled electric ray (T. marmorata) became the first neurotransmitter receptors to be isolated and sequenced, in what is considered to be a landmark success in the field of neurobiology. This led to a number of further advances, one of the most significant being the elucidation of the pathophysiology underlying the disease myasthenia gravis. A small commercial fishery in southern California supplies Pacific electric rays for research purposes; as of 2005 this fishery may have employed as few as two fishers. Otherwise, this ray has no economic value. It is caught incidentally by commercial trawl and gillnet fisheries, and on hook-and-line by sport anglers. These activities appear to have little impact on its population, leading it to be listed under Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Fishing for this ray is not managed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council.
|
36,574,437 |
Pilar Shimizu
| 1,167,050,282 |
Guamanian swimmer
|
[
"1996 births",
"21st-century American women",
"Guamanian female breaststroke swimmers",
"Guamanian people of Japanese descent",
"Guamanian women",
"Living people",
"Olympic swimmers for Guam",
"People from Tamuning, Guam",
"Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics",
"Swimmers at the 2016 Summer Olympics"
] |
Pilar Shimizu (born May 27, 1996 in Tamuning, Guam) is a Guamanian breaststroke swimmer. While qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics she broke the 20-year-old national record set by Tammie Kaae, another Olympian from Guam. At these Olympics she became the youngest Olympian ever from Guam at age 16. She finished 42nd in the 100 meter breaststroke event and did not advance to the semifinals. Shimizu also competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Internationally, Shimizu has earned three bronze medals at the Oceania Games and two silver medals at the Pacific Games.
## Early life and education
Pilar Shimizu was born in the Guamanian city of Tamuning, Guam on May 27, 1996. She attended Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School. Shimizu learned to swim at age four and started training at age seven.
Shimizu is studying public health at Johns Hopkins University, with a goal of working in public health administration.
## Collegiate career
Shimizu swam for Johns Hopkins University for two seasons, from 2013 to 2015. During her freshman season, she was part of the 200 yard medley relay team that won the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championship and the NCAA championship. The team received First Team All-America honors as well, and holds the school record, with a time of 1:41.94.
In her second season, the 200 yard medley team took home bronze at the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championship, and competed for the NCAA Championship.
## Olympic career
Shimizu participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London at the age of 16. She was the youngest Guamanian Olympian in history at the time of competition. Shimizu established the national record for the 100 meter breaststroke (set 20 years prior by Tammie Kaee) during the Games, with a time of 1:15.76. Shimizu placed 42nd in the event.
After swimming for Johns Hopkins for two years, Shimizu decided to train with a private club that would better prepare her for the Olympics. Shimizu competed in the 100 meter breaststroke during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, with the goal of setting a personal and national record. She held the Guamanian national record for the event at the time of competition. She finished her event with a time of 1:16.65, which was not sufficient to advance. She set a personal best for the year, but did not surpass the national record. Shimizu said that although this was her second Olympics, she was just as nervous as the first time.
Following the 2016 Olympiad, Shimizu returned to Guam and was a project coordinator at the Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence. Her project was to increase infrastructure for sexual assault victims in colleges in the Pacific. Shimizu decided to put her swimming career on hiatus while she finishes her degree. She volunteers at a summer camp as a swimming instructor.
## International career
Shimizu's first international appearance was at the 2009 East Asian Games. Her first international success came in 2010, when she won the first medal for Guam at the Oceania Swimming Championships, a bronze in the 100 meter at the age of 14. Two years later, she won two more bronze medals, in the 50 meter and 100 meter events.
In the 2015 Pacific Games, Shimizu earned the 50 meter silver medal with a time of 33.35. She also earned a silver medal in the 100 meter breaststroke, with a time of 1:16.05. Adeline Williams won the 100 meter breaststroke with a Pacific Games record time of 1:11.05.
|
33,988,523 |
One Thing (One Direction song)
| 1,162,876,622 | null |
[
"2011 songs",
"2012 singles",
"One Direction songs",
"Song recordings produced by Carl Falk",
"Song recordings produced by Rami Yacoub",
"Songs written by Carl Falk",
"Songs written by Rami Yacoub",
"Songs written by Savan Kotecha"
] |
"One Thing" is a song by English-Irish boy band One Direction from their debut studio album, Up All Night (2011). It was released in various countries by Syco Music on 6 January 2012, as their second single, and as their third single in the UK on 13 February 2012. Additionally, Columbia Records sent it to contemporary hit radio playlists on 22 May 2012 as their second single in the United States. Written by Savan Kotecha and its producers, Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub, initially, the upbeat pop rock number was written as two different songs. As both tracks had elusive attributes, the trio decided to merge the two into one song. The lyrical content regards the narrator's infatuation with a significant other.
"One Thing" garnered mostly positive reviews from music critics, who generally commended the track's catchiness. The single reached the top ten in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom, while attaining top-forty positions in Belgium (Flanders), Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. The number has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of one million copies. Directed by Declan Whitebloom, the accompanying music video depicts One Direction performing in and around London. The group performed "One Thing" on televised programmes and four major concert tours: Up All Night Tour (2011–12), Take Me Home Tour (2013), Where We Are Tour (2014) and On the Road Again Tour (2015).
## Background and release
After being formed and finishing third in the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010, One Direction were signed to Syco Music. Recording for their debut studio album, Up All Night, began in January 2011. In February 2011, the boy band and other contestants from the series participated in the X Factor Live Tour. After the tour concluded in April 2011, the group continued working on their debut album. Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub produced three songs on the album: "What Makes You Beautiful," "One Thing" and "I Wish," all of which were co-written by Falk, Yacoub and Savan Kotecha. Initially, "One Thing" was written as two different songs: "One had a really, really good verse" and the other track "had a really, really good chorus", as noted by Falk in a 2012 interview with Examiner.com. Falk quipped that when they merged the two songs, "everything fell into place". Additionally, Falk deemed it the perfect accompaniment to "What Makes You Beautiful" and selected it as his favourite "out of the three tracks [that I have on the Up All Night album]".
It premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 21 November 2011. One Direction confirmed that "One Thing" would be released as the third single from their debut studio album, Up All Night, on 22 November 2011. Syco Music described the song as an "epic pop smash-in-waiting, featuring soaring vocal harmonies, powerhouse guitar riffs and an anthemic chorus that refuses to leave your head." The track was released digitally in various European countries on 6 January 2012. "I Should Have Kissed You", the B-side to "One Thing", was confirmed on 25 January 2012. CD singles, containing "One Thing" and "I Should Have Kissed You", were released on 13 February 2012 in the United Kingdom. In addition, "One Thing" was released as the second US single from Up All Night; Columbia Records sent it to contemporary hit radio (CHR) playlists on 22 May 2012.
## Composition
"One Thing" is an upbeat, uptempo pop rock number that runs for three minutes and ten seconds. Its instrumentation includes piano lines, vocals, and guitar strings. The lyrical content regards the protagonist's infatuation with a significant other, while the lead vocals are predominantly sung by members Harry Styles and Liam Payne. According to the digital sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, One Direction's vocal range in the span from the note of B<sub>3</sub> to D<sub>5</sub>. Written in the key of D major, the song set in the time signature of common time at a fast-paced tempo of 128 beats per minute. The track incorporates rock music influences and a simplistic guitar riff. The chorus of the song is predominantly featured alongside the bridge and is backed by wordless chants. The song has been noted as musically similar to the Backstreet Boys song "I Want It That Way" and to the group's debut single, "What Makes You Beautiful".
## Critical reception
Due to its resemblance to the aforementioned Backstreet Boys number, PopMatters's Zachary Houle suggested that there could occur "a pretty compelling case to launch a plagiarism lawsuit", concluding: "Homage or theft? You decide". Brian Mansfield from USA Today felt the song's Backstreet Boys-references "may or may not be intentional," but noted that the attribute "is the same." Lewis Corner from Digital Spy awarded the song four out five stars, complimented the song's guitar riff, its "forceful" chorus, and the melody as memorable, and summarised it as an "arena-ready hit". A Newsround reviewer gave the song four and half stars out five stars, praising the group's vocal performance and its sonic palette. Billboard correspondent Jason Lipshutz hailed "One Thing" as "perfectly executed pop rock" and opined that it "could own radio for months". Cosmopolitan'''s Sophie Goddard lauded "One Thing" as an "upbeat, catchy, hit-in-waiting," and Entertainment Weekly writer Adam Markovitz commended it as "irresistibly bouncy".
## Commercial performance
"One Thing" peaked at number six on the Irish Singles Chart in the week ending 16 February 2012, becoming the band's third top ten appearance in Ireland. The single bowed at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart dated 22 January 2012. Buoyed by weekly sales of 31,602 copies in the week of 19 February 2012, it peaked at number nine in the United Kingdom and marked the group's third consecutive top ten hit. "One Thing" was One Direction's second best-selling song in the UK by August 2012, denoting sales of 154,000 copies. Due to strong digital downloads from its parent album, "One Thing" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 90 on 21 March 2012, and had sold 300,000 copies in the US by 21 May 2012. After being serviced to radio formats on 22 May 2012, "One Thing" peaked at number 39 for the week ending 20 June 2012. On 21 September 2012, "One Thing" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and as of November 2013, the song had sold 1,486,000 copies in the US.
It peaked at number 17 on the Canadian Hot 100 and was certified platinum by Music Canada on 10 July 2012, denoting sales of 80,000 copies. The song debuted at number 34 on the New Zealand Singles Chart on 23 January 2012. After fifteen weeks of fluctuation around the top forty, "One Thing" rose from number 28 to 16, signifying its peak position. "One Thing" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for sales of 7,500 units. The single bowed at number 32 on the Australian Singles Chart of 12 February 2012. "One Thing" peaked at number three in its tenth charting week, becoming One Direction's highest-peaking single in the country at the time and their second top ten hit. One Direction became the second act of 2012 to have two singles simultaneously occupying the chart's top ten when "One Thing" was at number six and "What Makes You Beautiful" at number ten for the chart week ending 22 April 2012. The single has been certified quadruple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), indicating shipments of 280,000 copies.
## Music video
The accompanying music video was directed by Declan Whitebloom in London on 28 November 2011. Whitebloom approached shooting the clip with a "what you get, is what you get" sentiment, which, as he noted, "can create some real magic." In regard to its concept, Whiteboom characterised the clip as "kind of Monkees or Beatles-esque", elaborating that it revolves around "five lads go[ing] crazy in London, it's like a big day out in London." In a December interview with Capital FM, member Harry Styles reflected that the shoot was a fun, careless romp. Premiering on YouTube on 13 January 2012, the music video depicts the band performing in and around London. As of June 2023, the music video has garnered more than 770 million YouTube views. One Direction surged 35-10 from the previous week on Billboard's Social 50 chart. Alex Hughes of The Huffington Post commented that the music video has an effortless element of happiness, proclaiming: "if you fail to crack a smile, there is a 100 percent chance that you are the devil."
## Live performances
One Direction performed "One Thing" live for the first time at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball on 4 December 2011, at The O<sub>2</sub> Arena. The group performed "One Thing" and "What Makes You Beautiful" on Dancing on Ice on 5 February 2012. In the United States, One Direction performed the song along with "More than This" and "What Makes You Beautiful" for the first time on The Today Show at the Rockefeller Center on 12 March 2012. An estimated 15,000 fans descended on the plaza. On 7 April 2012, One Direction performed "What Makes You Beautiful" and "One Thing" and appeared in a comedy sketch with Sofia Vergara on comedy television show Saturday Night Live''. The group played "What Makes You Beautiful" and "One Thing" and presented an award for "Most Popular New Female Talent" at the 54th Logie Awards on 15 April 2012. On 6 September 2012, One Direction performed "One Thing" at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. It was included on the set list of the group's headlining sold-out show at Madison Square Garden on 3 December 2012. Additionally, One Direction performed the song on four of their major concert tours: Up All Night Tour (2011–12) and Take Me Home Tour (2013). After Malik's departure in 2015, Payne took the first pre-chorus and did the high harmony along with Tomlinson doing the lead on the second pre-chorus.
## Track listing
\*; UK CD single
1. "One Thing" – 3:19
2. "I Should Have Kissed You" – 3:34
\*; Digital download
1. "One Thing" – 3:19
2. "I Should Have Kissed You" – 3:34
3. "One Thing" (acoustic) – 3:04
4. "One Thing" (acoustic; music video) – 3:08
## Charts
### Weekly charts
### Year-end charts
## Certifications
## Release history
|
18,507,235 |
St. Peter's Church (Queenstown, Maryland)
| 1,055,164,526 |
Historic church near Queenstown, Maryland, United States
|
[
"1827 establishments in Maryland",
"19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States",
"Churches in Queen Anne's County, Maryland",
"Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington in Maryland",
"Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland",
"Gothic Revival church buildings in Maryland",
"National Register of Historic Places in Queen Anne's County, Maryland",
"Roman Catholic churches completed in 1827",
"Roman Catholic churches completed in 1877"
] |
St. Peter's Church, also known as the Church of St. Peter the Apostle, is a nearly 200-years-old Roman Catholic church located in Maryland's Eastern Shore near Queenstown. It is a prominent landmark along U.S. Route 50 in Maryland, which is part of the main route from Washington and Baltimore to Atlantic beach resort towns in Maryland and Delaware.
Catholics came to Kent Island around 1639, and moved to what became the Queenstown area shortly afterwards. They originally practiced their religion discreetly in their homes. The parish of St. Peter's was established in 1765, and the original chapel was constructed some time in the next 20 years. This was the third permanent mission on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Construction of the present church began in 1823 and was completed in 1827. The building was expanded in 1877 after fundraisers were unable to raise enough money to build a completely new building in town. A portion of the church's exterior shell is the only part remaining from the 1827 structure.
The church, which is built in the Victorian-Gothic style, has a steep roof and rose windows, and is located very near to the road. The interior is mostly the same as it was in the 1877 Victorian construction period, and contains all of the stained glass and altar furniture from that period. The church was placed in the National Register of Historic Places on March 10, 1980.
## Geography and setting
St. Peter's Church is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Queenstown, Maryland. The region is part of a large peninsula that separates the Chesapeake Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. The peninsula, which contains the entire state of Delaware and the eastern shores of Maryland and Virginia, is often called the Delmarva Peninsula. Nearby Kent Island is the location of the first permanent European settlement in what is now Maryland, and it was established in 1631. The church is positioned a few steps from the road on the north side of U.S. Route 50. Although the immediate area around the church is rural, Route 50 can have considerable traffic during the summer as travelers from the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area use the road to get to Atlantic coast summer resort destinations such as Maryland's Ocean City and several beaches in Delaware.
Although Catholicism was the dominant religion for Spanish and French possessions in the colonial Americas, Catholics were "an insignificant minority in a state of practical outlawry" in the 13 English colonies. Prior to the American Revolution, Catholic church and school buildings in the English American colonies were prohibited except in Pennsylvania. The Maryland colony was unique in English colonization because of its attempt to have Catholics and Protestants live together as equals. This attempt had some significant failures.
Catholics arrived at Maryland's Eastern Shore on Kent Island around 1639. They are thought to have moved from Kent Island to what became Queenstown during the 1640s, possibly during a conflict between Lord Baltimore (a Catholic) and William Claiborne (a Protestant) over control of the island. During this time, the region around Queenstown north to Piney Point and south to the area along the Wye River (including communities that became Morgan's Neck and Wye Neck) became populated mostly by Roman Catholic land owners. Continuing to practice their religion discreetly, Catholic families in the area typically used a room in their house as a chapel room.
## Establishment of St. Peter's
The parish of St. Peter's was established in 1765. The chapel, which was constructed some time before 1784, was the third permanent mission on Maryland's Eastern Shore. In 1765, Reverend Joseph Mosley was pastor at nearby St. Joseph's (the second permanent mission) in Talbot County and ministered to five regular mission stations in the area in addition to St. Joseph's. Over time, he came to do more work in Queen Anne's County, and Queenstown became his "chief congregation". He was succeeded by Father John Bolton in 1787.
## Construction
In 1760, Edward Neale of Bowlingly died, and his will provided for two daughters and other family members. It also left "the sum of 50 pounds" for a Catholic clergyman to purchase land nearby so he "may live convenient to the congregation". Bowlingly was adjacent to the village of Queenstown. Catholic leaders purchased 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) of land from Edward Rogers for the price of 28 pounds. The land was located about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Queenstown along the road to Easton and Wye Mills. A surviving baptismal register kept by Mosley shows that the original church was already built in 1784, but no records remain that list the exact year construction was completed. This small structure looked more like a house than a church. In 1819, Archbishop Marechal described this church as “a most miserable old house”, and it was too small for its congregation.
### New church
In the early 1820s, the parrish was again the beneficiary of generous provisions in the wills of its members. These donations enabled Reverend James Moynihan to begin preparations for construction of a new church in 1823. During this time, Moynihan had health issues and was replaced by Reverend Peter Veulemans, who became the first resident priest at St. Peters. The new building was 45 feet long by 30 feet wide, and made of brick. After construction of the new church was completed in 1827, the old structure was converted to a parsonage that lasted until it was demolished in 1960.
### Today's church
By 1868, Bishop Becker of the Diocese of Wilmington described all seven of the Catholic churches in Maryland's Eastern Shore as “old and wretched”. In 1869, Reverend Edward Henchy made plans to build a new church, with a rectory and resident pastor, in downtown Queenstown. Festivals and tournaments were held to raise money. However, fundraising for the new church was not as successful as hoped. In 1877, church leadership decided to expand the current church instead of building an entirely new one in Queenstown. Materials were brought close to the site by boat, and the contractor was John Stack of Baltimore. Costs were \$5,000 () to \$6,000 ().
The expanded version of the church kept some of the brick walls from the 1820s church. An estimated 2,000 people attended a dedication ceremony held on December 23, 1877. This church is basically the church that stands today. A brick sacristy and meeting room were added to the northeast side during the 1960s.
### Renovations and additions
For the next 100 years, the church received various upgrades and improvements. During the 1930s, the cemetery was leveled, restored, and seeded with grass. During the 1930s and 1940s, Reverend Francis J. Fisher was responsible for replacing a cast iron stove with an oil burning furnace and electrifying the church.
During the 1950s the State Roads Commission made plans to widen U.S. Route 50 and condemned the church to be torn down. An appeal saved the church when it was agreed that the church would build a brick wall between the road and the church. Members of the Friel family were involved with the wall's funding and design. They were also later involved with extensions of the wall along the sides of the church.
By 1959, it was decided that the old rectory was a fire hazard and would be torn down. Two additions on the site of the old rectory were completed in 1967: a sacristy and a meeting room. The children of Helena Green Raskob provided funding for the meeting room, and it was named the Raskob Memorial Room in her honor. Members of the Friel family were involved with the new sacristy. The designers of the additions were James R. Friel and architect John Walton. During the 1970s, the church was refurbished and air conditioning was added.
## Description
`Henchy is credited as the designer of the 1877 church. The 1820s church was changed from a rectangle to a cruciform by adding a nave on one side of the original structure and projecting an apse on the other. The interior ceiling was raised to be about double its original height. Various local families helped with renovations by providing either labor or transportation of materials. The rose windows were donated by Nannie Willson and designed by Katie Bordley.`
### Church exterior
The church building is made of brick and uses portions of the 1820s church exterior walls. The most noticeable exterior features are the steep slate roofs; large rose windows in the east, north, and west gables; a Victorian bell cupola on the south side closest to the road; and Victorian-Gothic vergeboards on the projecting gables of the roof. In a newspaper article describing the dedication ceremony, it was mentioned that the "exquisitely toned bell" could be heard 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away in Queenstown.
### Church interior
The church interior, using the cruciform plan, has a nave, a transept, and an apse. One enters the nave from a small vestibule (also known as a narthex) on the south side. A central aisle, with pews on each side, runs through the nave, ending at the walnut communion rail. A gallery supported by chamfered pillars is located at the back of the nave. The transept is what remains from the 1820s church. At each end of the transept is a rose window with two windows below it—all containing original stained glass. The apse is octagonal and contains the altar. A newspaper article describing discussing the dedication ceremony described the altar as "variegated marble, chiseled into quaint and beautiful designs". The door to the left of the altar leads to a small confessional, while the door to the right leads to the sacristy constructed in the 1960s. Much of the interior woodwork is from the 1877 expansion. Several pews in the gallery are from the 1820s church. The paneled wainscoting was added during a 1927 centennial celebration, and is made to look similar to the 1877 gallery railing. All stained glass and altar furniture is from 1877.
### Cemetery
Over 300 people are buried at St. Peter's Cemetery. Not all burial sites are marked by tombstones, but they are listed in parish records. The oldest grave is for Joseph King, who died in 1820. His gravestone is located close to a tall boxwood shrub. Reverend Henchy, who died in 1895, is also buried in the cemetery. His gravestone says "Pastor of the church for 20 years".
## Current use
The St. Peter's Church in Queenstown is one of two churches that are part of the same parish. The other church, Our Mother of Sorrows, is located less than 10 miles away in Centreville, Maryland. The parish has about 620 families. It has a wide range of ministries, including religious education and hospitality programs. Mass times at St. Peter's are 5:30 pm on Saturdays and 7:30 am on Sundays. In 2019, the church received donations that enabled it to begin refurbishing the structure's windows, and more work is expected to be done on the building's exterior.
## National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form for the church was prepared on April 28, 1978. The form's statement of significance begins with "St. Peter's Church has played an important role in the history the Roman Catholic Church in Maryland. A Catholic community was established in this area soon after Claiborne founded his colony on Kent Island in 1631, and this group, with the communities in St. Mary's and Charles Counties, formed the earliest enclave of Catholicism in the American colonies." The church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on March 10, 1980.
## See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Queen Anne's County, Maryland
|
4,400 |
Bear
| 1,173,564,579 |
Family of carnivoran mammals
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[
"Articles containing video clips",
"Bears",
"Extant Eocene first appearances",
"Predators",
"Taxa named by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim"
] |
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae (/ˈɜːrsɪdiː, -daɪ/). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere. Bears are found on the continents of North America, South America, and Eurasia. Common characteristics of modern bears include large bodies with stocky legs, long snouts, small rounded ears, shaggy hair, plantigrade paws with five nonretractile claws, and short tails.
While the polar bear is mostly carnivorous, and the giant panda is mostly herbivorous, the remaining six species are omnivorous with varying diets. With the exception of courting individuals and mothers with their young, bears are typically solitary animals. They may be diurnal or nocturnal and have an excellent sense of smell. Despite their heavy build and awkward gait, they are adept runners, climbers, and swimmers. Bears use shelters, such as caves and logs, as their dens; most species occupy their dens during the winter for a long period of hibernation, up to 100 days.
Bears have been hunted since prehistoric times for their meat and fur; they have also been used for bear-baiting and other forms of entertainment, such as being made to dance. With their powerful physical presence, they play a prominent role in the arts, mythology, and other cultural aspects of various human societies. In modern times, bears have come under pressure through encroachment on their habitats and illegal trade in bear parts, including the Asian bile bear market. The IUCN lists six bear species as vulnerable or endangered, and even least concern species, such as the brown bear, are at risk of extirpation in certain countries. The poaching and international trade of these most threatened populations are prohibited, but still ongoing.
## Etymology
The English word "bear" comes from Old English bera and belongs to a family of names for the bear in Germanic languages, such as Swedish björn, also used as a first name. This form is conventionally said to be related to a Proto-Indo-European word for "brown", so that "bear" would mean "the brown one". However, Ringe notes that while this etymology is semantically plausible, a word meaning "brown" of this form cannot be found in Proto-Indo-European. He suggests instead that "bear" is from the Proto-Indo-European word \*ǵhwḗr- \~ \*ǵhwér "wild animal". This terminology for the animal originated as a taboo avoidance term: proto-Germanic tribes replaced their original word for bear—arkto—with this euphemistic expression out of fear that speaking the animal's true name might cause it to appear. According to author Ralph Keyes, this is the oldest known euphemism.
Bear taxon names such as Arctoidea and Helarctos come from the ancient Greek ἄρκτος (arktos), meaning bear, as do the names "arctic" and "antarctic", via the name of the constellation Ursa Major, the "Great Bear", prominent in the northern sky.
Bear taxon names such as Ursidae and Ursus come from Latin Ursus/Ursa, he-bear/she-bear. The female first name "Ursula", originally derived from a Christian saint's name, means "little she-bear" (diminutive of Latin ursa). In Switzerland, the male first name "Urs" is especially popular, while the name of the canton and city of Bern is derived from Bär, German for bear. The Germanic name Bernard (including Bernhardt and similar forms) means "bear-brave", "bear-hardy", or "bold bear". The Old English name Beowulf is a kenning, "bee-wolf", for bear, in turn meaning a brave warrior.
## Taxonomy
The family Ursidae is one of nine families in the suborder Caniformia, or "doglike" carnivorans, within the order Carnivora. Bears' closest living relatives are the pinnipeds, canids, and musteloids. Modern bears comprise eight species in three subfamilies: Ailuropodinae (monotypic with the giant panda), Tremarctinae (monotypic with the spectacled bear), and Ursinae (containing six species divided into one to three genera, depending on the authority). Nuclear chromosome analysis show that the karyotype of the six ursine bears is nearly identical, each having 74 chromosomes (see Ursid hybrid), whereas the giant panda has 42 chromosomes and the spectacled bear 52. These smaller numbers can be explained by the fusing of some chromosomes, and the banding patterns on these match those of the ursine species, but differ from those of procyonids, which supports the inclusion of these two species in Ursidae rather than in Procyonidae, where they had been placed by some earlier authorities.
### Evolution
The earliest members of Ursidae belong to the extinct subfamily Amphicynodontinae, including Parictis (late Eocene to early middle Miocene, 38–18 Mya) and the slightly younger Allocyon (early Oligocene, 34–30 Mya), both from North America. These animals looked very different from today's bears, being small and raccoon-like in overall appearance, with diets perhaps more similar to that of a badger. Parictis does not appear in Eurasia and Africa until the Miocene. It is unclear whether late-Eocene ursids were also present in Eurasia, although faunal exchange across the Bering land bridge may have been possible during a major sea level low stand as early as the late Eocene (about 37 Mya) and continuing into the early Oligocene. European genera morphologically very similar to Allocyon, and to the much younger American Kolponomos (about 18 Mya), are known from the Oligocene, including Amphicticeps and Amphicynodon. There has been various morphological evidence linking amphicynodontines with pinnipeds, as both groups were semi-aquatic, otter-like mammals. In addition to the support of the pinniped–amphicynodontine clade, other morphological and some molecular evidence supports bears being the closest living relatives to pinnipeds.
The raccoon-sized, dog-like Cephalogale is the oldest-known member of the subfamily Hemicyoninae, which first appeared during the middle Oligocene in Eurasia about 30 Mya. The subfamily includes the younger genera Phoberocyon (20–15 Mya), and Plithocyon (15–7 Mya). A Cephalogale-like species gave rise to the genus Ursavus during the early Oligocene (30–28 Mya); this genus proliferated into many species in Asia and is ancestral to all living bears. Species of Ursavus subsequently entered North America, together with Amphicynodon and Cephalogale, during the early Miocene (21–18 Mya). Members of the living lineages of bears diverged from Ursavus between 15 and 20 Mya, likely via the species Ursavus elmensis. Based on genetic and morphological data, the Ailuropodinae (pandas) were the first to diverge from other living bears about 19 Mya, although no fossils of this group have been found before about 11 Mya.
The New World short-faced bears (Tremarctinae) differentiated from Ursinae following a dispersal event into North America during the mid-Miocene (about 13 Mya). They invaded South America (≈2.5 or 1.2 Ma) following formation of the Isthmus of Panama. Their earliest fossil representative is Plionarctos in North America (c. 10–2 Ma). This genus is probably the direct ancestor to the North American short-faced bears (genus Arctodus), the South American short-faced bears (Arctotherium), and the spectacled bears, Tremarctos, represented by both an extinct North American species (T. floridanus), and the lone surviving representative of the Tremarctinae, the South American spectacled bear (T. ornatus).
The subfamily Ursinae experienced a dramatic proliferation of taxa about 5.3–4.5 Mya, coincident with major environmental changes; the first members of the genus Ursus appeared around this time. The sloth bear is a modern survivor of one of the earliest lineages to diverge during this radiation event (5.3 Mya); it took on its peculiar morphology, related to its diet of termites and ants, no later than by the early Pleistocene. By 3–4 Mya, the species Ursus minimus appears in the fossil record of Europe; apart from its size, it was nearly identical to today's Asian black bear. It is likely ancestral to all bears within Ursinae, perhaps aside from the sloth bear. Two lineages evolved from U. minimus: the black bears (including the sun bear, the Asian black bear, and the American black bear); and the brown bears (which includes the polar bear). Modern brown bears evolved from U. minimus via Ursus etruscus, which itself is ancestral to the extinct Pleistocene cave bear. Species of Ursinae have migrated repeatedly into North America from Eurasia as early as 4 Mya during the early Pliocene. The polar bear is the most recently evolved species and descended from a population of brown bears that became isolated in northern latitudes by glaciation 400,000 years ago.
### Phylogeny
The relationship of the bear family with other carnivorans is shown in the following phylogenetic tree, which is based on the molecular phylogenetic analysis of six genes in Flynn, 2005.
Note that although they are called "bears" in some languages, red pandas and raccoons and their close relatives are not bears, but rather musteloids.
There are two phylogenetic hypotheses on the relationships among extant and fossil bear species. One is all species of bears are classified in seven subfamilies as adopted here and related articles: Amphicynodontinae, Hemicyoninae, Ursavinae, Agriotheriinae, Ailuropodinae, Tremarctinae, and Ursinae. Below is a cladogram of the subfamilies of bears after McLellan and Reiner (1992) and Qiu et al. (2014):
The second alternative phylogenetic hypothesis was implemented by McKenna et al. (1997) to classify all the bear species into the superfamily Ursoidea, with Hemicyoninae and Agriotheriinae being classified in the family "Hemicyonidae". Amphicynodontinae under this classification were classified as stem-pinnipeds in the superfamily Phocoidea. In the McKenna and Bell classification both bears and pinnipeds are in a parvorder of carnivoran mammals known as Ursida, along with the extinct bear dogs of the family Amphicyonidae. Below is the cladogram based on McKenna and Bell (1997) classification:
The phylogeny of extant bear species is shown in a cladogram based on complete mitochondrial DNA sequences from Yu et al. (2007) The giant panda, followed by the spectacled bear, are clearly the oldest species. The relationships of the other species are not very well resolved, though the polar bear and the brown bear form a close grouping.
## Physical characteristics
### Size
The bear family includes the most massive extant terrestrial members of the order Carnivora. The polar bear is considered to be the largest extant species, with adult males weighing 350–700 kilograms (770–1,500 pounds) and measuring 2.4–3 metres (7 ft 10 in – 9 ft 10 in) in total length. The smallest species is the sun bear, which ranges 25–65 kg (55–145 lb) in weight and 100–140 cm (40–55 in) in length. Prehistoric North and South American short-faced bears were the largest species known to have lived. The latter estimated to have weighed 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) and stood 3.4 m (11 ft 2 in) tall. Body weight varies throughout the year in bears of temperate and arctic climates, as they build up fat reserves in the summer and autumn and lose weight during the winter.
### Morphology
Bears are generally bulky and robust animals with short tails. They are sexually dimorphic with regard to size, with males typically being larger. Larger species tend to show increased levels of sexual dimorphism in comparison to smaller species. Relying as they do on strength rather than speed, bears have relatively short limbs with thick bones to support their bulk. The shoulder blades and the pelvis are correspondingly massive. The limbs are much straighter than those of the big cats as there is no need for them to flex in the same way due to the differences in their gait. The strong forelimbs are used to catch prey, excavate dens, dig out burrowing animals, turn over rocks and logs to locate prey, and club large creatures.
Unlike most other land carnivorans, bears are plantigrade. They distribute their weight toward the hind feet, which makes them look lumbering when they walk. They are capable of bursts of speed but soon tire, and as a result mostly rely on ambush rather than the chase. Bears can stand on their hind feet and sit up straight with remarkable balance. Their front paws are flexible enough to grasp fruit and leaves. Bears' non-retractable claws are used for digging, climbing, tearing, and catching prey. The claws on the front feet are larger than those on the back and may be a hindrance when climbing trees; black bears are the most arboreal of the bears, and have the shortest claws. Pandas are unique in having a bony extension on the wrist of the front feet which acts as a thumb, and is used for gripping bamboo shoots as the animals feed.
Most mammals have agouti hair, with each individual hair shaft having bands of color corresponding to two different types of melanin pigment. Bears however have a single type of melanin and the hairs have a single color throughout their length, apart from the tip which is sometimes a different shade. The coat consists of long guard hairs, which form a protective shaggy covering, and short dense hairs which form an insulating layer trapping air close to the skin. The shaggy coat helps maintain body heat during winter hibernation and is shed in the spring leaving a shorter summer coat. Polar bears have hollow, translucent guard hairs which gain heat from the sun and conduct it to the dark-colored skin below. They have a thick layer of blubber for extra insulation, and the soles of their feet have a dense pad of fur. While bears tend to be uniform in color, some species may have markings on the chest or face and the giant panda has a bold black-and-white pelage.
Bears have small rounded ears so as to minimize heat loss, but neither their hearing or sight are particularly acute. Unlike many other carnivorans they have color vision, perhaps to help them distinguish ripe nuts and fruits. They are unique among carnivorans in not having touch-sensitive whiskers on the muzzle; however, they have an excellent sense of smell, better than that of the dog, or possibly any other mammal. They use smell for signalling to each other (either to warn off rivals or detect mates) and for finding food. Smell is the principal sense used by bears to locate most of their food, and they have excellent memories which helps them to relocate places where they have found food before.
The skulls of bears are massive, providing anchorage for the powerful masseter and temporal jaw muscles. The canine teeth are large but mostly used for display, and the molar teeth flat and crushing. Unlike most other members of the Carnivora, bears have relatively undeveloped carnassial teeth, and their teeth are adapted for a diet that includes a significant amount of vegetable matter. Considerable variation occurs in dental formula even within a given species. This may indicate bears are still in the process of evolving from a mainly meat-eating diet to a predominantly herbivorous one. Polar bears appear to have secondarily re-evolved carnassial-like cheek teeth, as their diets have switched back towards carnivory. Sloth bears lack lower central incisors and use their protrusible lips for sucking up the termites on which they feed. The general dental formula for living bears is: . The structure of the larynx of bears appears to be the most basal of the caniforms. They possess air pouches connected to the pharynx which may amplify their vocalizations.
Bears have a fairly simple digestive system typical for carnivorans, with a single stomach, short undifferentiated intestines and no cecum. Even the herbivorous giant panda still has the digestive system of a carnivore, as well as carnivore-specific genes. Its ability to digest cellulose is ascribed to the microbes in its gut. Bears must spend much of their time feeding in order to gain enough nutrition from foliage. The panda, in particular, spends 12–15 hours a day feeding.
## Distribution and habitat
Extant bears are found in sixty countries primarily in the Northern Hemisphere and are concentrated in Asia, North America, and Europe. An exception is the spectacled bear; native to South America, it inhabits the Andean region. The sun bear's range extends below the equator in Southeast Asia. The Atlas bear, a subspecies of the brown bear was distributed in North Africa from Morocco to Libya, but it became extinct around the 1870s.
The most widespread species is the brown bear, which occurs from Western Europe eastwards through Asia to the western areas of North America. The American black bear is restricted to North America, and the polar bear is restricted to the Arctic Sea. All the remaining species of bear are Asian. They occur in a range of habitats which include tropical lowland rainforest, both coniferous and broadleaf forests, prairies, steppes, montane grassland, alpine scree slopes, Arctic tundra and in the case of the polar bear, ice floes. Bears may dig their dens in hillsides or use caves, hollow logs and dense vegetation for shelter.
## Behavior and ecology
Brown and American black bears are generally diurnal, meaning that they are active for the most part during the day, though they may forage substantially by night. Other species may be nocturnal, active at night, though female sloth bears with cubs may feed more at daytime to avoid competition from conspecifics and nocturnal predators. Bears are overwhelmingly solitary and are considered to be the most asocial of all the Carnivora. The only times bears are encountered in groups are mothers with young or occasional seasonal bounties of rich food (such as salmon runs). Fights between males can occur and older individuals may have extensive scarring, which suggests that maintaining dominance can be intense. With their acute sense of smell, bears can locate carcasses from several kilometres away. They use olfaction to locate other foods, encounter mates, avoid rivals and recognize their cubs.
### Feeding
Most bears are opportunistic omnivores and consume more plant than animal matter, and appears to have evolved from an ancestor which was a low-protein macronutrient omnivore. They eat anything from leaves, roots, and berries to insects, carrion, fresh meat, and fish, and have digestive systems and teeth adapted to such a diet. At the extremes are the almost entirely herbivorous giant panda and the mostly carnivorous polar bear. However, all bears feed on any food source that becomes seasonally available. For example, Asiatic black bears in Taiwan consume large numbers of acorns when these are most common, and switch to ungulates at other times of the year.
When foraging for plants, bears choose to eat them at the stage when they are at their most nutritious and digestible, typically avoiding older grasses, sedges and leaves. Hence, in more northern temperate areas, browsing and grazing is more common early in spring and later becomes more restricted. Knowing when plants are ripe for eating is a learned behavior. Berries may be foraged in bushes or at the tops of trees, and bears try to maximize the number of berries consumed versus foliage. In autumn, some bear species forage large amounts of naturally fermented fruits, which affects their behavior. Smaller bears climb trees to obtain mast (edible reproductive parts, such as acorns). Such masts can be very important to the diets of these species, and mast failures may result in long-range movements by bears looking for alternative food sources. Brown bears, with their powerful digging abilities, commonly eat roots. The panda's diet is over 99% bamboo, of 30 different species. Its strong jaws are adapted for crushing the tough stems of these plants, though they prefer to eat the more nutritious leaves. Bromeliads can make up to 50% of the diet of the spectacled bear, which also has strong jaws to bite them open.
The sloth bear is not as specialized as polar bears and the panda, has lost several front teeth usually seen in bears, and developed a long, suctioning tongue to feed on the ants, termites, and other burrowing insects. At certain times of the year, these insects can make up 90% of their diets. Some individuals become addicted to sweets in garbage inside towns where tourism-related waste is generated throughout the year. Some species may raid the nests of wasps and bees for the honey and immature insects, in spite of stinging from the adults. Sun bears use their long tongues to lick up both insects and honey. Fish are an important source of food for some species, and brown bears in particular gather in large numbers at salmon runs. Typically, a bear plunges into the water and seizes a fish with its jaws or front paws. The preferred parts to eat are the brain and eggs. Small burrowing mammals like rodents may be dug out and eaten.
The brown bear and both species of black bears sometimes take large ungulates, such as deer and bovids, mostly the young and weak. These animals may be taken by a short rush and ambush, though hiding young may be sniffed out and pounced on. The polar bear mainly preys on seals, stalking them from the ice or breaking into their dens. They primarily eat the highly digestible blubber. Large mammalian prey is typically killed with raw strength, including bites and paw swipes, and bears do not display the specialized killing methods of felids and canids. Predatory behavior in bears is typically taught to the young by the mother.
Bears are prolific scavengers and kleptoparasites, stealing food caches from rodents, and carcasses from other predators. For hibernating species, weight gain is important as it provides nourishment during winter dormancy. A brown bear can eat 41 kg (90 lb) of food and gain 2–3 kg (4–7 lb) of fat a day prior to entering its den.
### Communication
Bears produce a number of vocal and non-vocal sounds. Tongue-clicking, grunting or chuffing many be made in cordial situations, such as between mothers and cubs or courting couples, while moaning, huffing, snorting or blowing air is made when an individual is stressed. Barking is produced during times of alarm, excitement or to give away the animal's position. Warning sounds include jaw-clicking and lip-popping, while teeth-chatters, bellows, growls, roars and pulsing sounds are made in aggressive encounters. Cubs may squeal, bawl, bleat or scream when in distress and make motor-like humming when comfortable or nursing.
Bears sometimes communicate with visual displays such as standing upright, which exaggerates the individual's size. The chest markings of some species may add to this intimidating display. Staring is an aggressive act and the facial markings of spectacled bears and giant pandas may help draw attention to the eyes during agonistic encounters. Individuals may approach each other by stiff-legged walking with the head lowered. Dominance between bears is asserted by making a frontal orientation, showing the canine teeth, muzzle twisting and neck stretching. A subordinate may respond with a lateral orientation, by turning away and dropping the head and by sitting or lying down.
Bears also communicate with their scent and will rub it against trees and other objects. This is usually accompanied by clawing and biting the object. Bark may be spread around to draw attention to the marking post. Pandas establish territories by marking objects with urine and a waxy substance from their anal glands. Polar bears leave behind their scent in their tracks which allow individuals to keep track of one another in the vast Arctic wilderness.
### Reproduction and development
The mating system of bears has variously been described as a form of polygyny, promiscuity and serial monogamy. During the breeding season, males take notice of females in their vicinity and females become more tolerant of males. A male bear may visit a female continuously over a period of several days or weeks, depending on the species, to test her reproductive state. During this time period, males try to prevent rivals from interacting with their mate. Courtship may be brief, although in some Asian species, courting pairs may engage in wrestling, hugging, mock fighting and vocalizing. Ovulation is induced by mating, which can last up to 30 minutes depending on the species.
Gestation typically lasts 6–9 months, including delayed implantation, and litter size numbers up to four cubs. Giant pandas may give birth to twins but they can only suckle one young and the other is left to die. In northern living species, birth takes place during winter dormancy. Cubs are born blind and helpless with at most a thin layer of hair, relying on their mother for warmth. The milk of the female bear is rich in fat and antibodies and cubs may suckle for up to a year after they are born. By 2–3 months, cubs can follow their mother outside the den. They usually follow her on foot, but sloth bear cubs may ride on their mother's back. Male bears play no role in raising young. Infanticide, where an adult male kills the cubs of another, has been recorded in polar bears, brown bears and American black bears but not in other species. Males kill young to bring the female into estrus. Cubs may flee and the mother defends them even at the cost of her life.
In some species, offspring may become independent around the next spring, though some may stay until the female successfully mates again. Bears reach sexual maturity shortly after they disperse; at around 3–6 years depending on the species. Male Alaskan brown bears and polar bears may continue to grow until they are 11 years old. Lifespan may also vary between species. The brown bear can live an average of 25 years.
### Hibernation
Bears of northern regions, including the American black bear and the grizzly bear, hibernate in the winter. During hibernation, the bear's metabolism slows down, its body temperature decreases slightly, and its heart rate slows from a normal value of 55 to just 9 beats per minute. Bears normally do not wake during their hibernation, and can go the entire period without eating, drinking, urinating, or defecating. A fecal plug is formed in the colon, and is expelled when the bear wakes in the spring. If they have stored enough body fat, their muscles remain in good condition, and their protein maintenance requirements are met from recycling waste urea. Female bears give birth during the hibernation period, and are roused when doing so.
### Mortality
Bears do not have many predators. The most important are humans, and as they started cultivating crops, they increasingly came in conflict with the bears that raided them. Since the invention of firearms, people have been able to kill bears with greater ease. Felids like the tiger may also prey on bears, particularly cubs, which may also be threatened by canids.
Bears are parasitized by eighty species of parasites, including single-celled protozoans and gastro-intestinal worms, and nematodes and flukes in their heart, liver, lungs and bloodstream. Externally they have ticks, fleas and lice. A study of American black bears found seventeen species of endoparasite including the protozoan Sarcocystis, the parasitic worm Diphyllobothrium mansonoides, and the nematodes Dirofilaria immitis, Capillaria aerophila, Physaloptera sp., Strongyloides sp. and others. Of these, D. mansonoides and adult C. aerophila were causing pathological symptoms. By contrast, polar bears have few parasites; many parasitic species need a secondary, usually terrestrial, host, and the polar bear's life style is such that few alternative hosts exist in their environment. The protozoan Toxoplasma gondii has been found in polar bears, and the nematode Trichinella nativa can cause a serious infection and decline in older polar bears. Bears in North America are sometimes infected by a Morbillivirus similar to the canine distemper virus. They are susceptible to infectious canine hepatitis (CAV-1), with free-living black bears dying rapidly of encephalitis and hepatitis.
## Relationship with humans
### Conservation
In modern times, bears have come under pressure through encroachment on their habitats and illegal trade in bear parts, including the Asian bile bear market, though hunting is now banned, largely replaced by farming. The IUCN lists six bear species as vulnerable; even the two least concern species, the brown bear and the American black bear, are at risk of extirpation in certain areas. In general these two species inhabit remote areas with little interaction with humans, and the main non-natural causes of mortality are hunting, trapping, road-kill and depredation.
Laws have been passed in many areas of the world to protect bears from habitat destruction. Public perception of bears is often positive, as people identify with bears due to their omnivorous diets, their ability to stand on two legs, and their symbolic importance. Support for bear protection is widespread, at least in more affluent societies. The giant panda has become a worldwide symbol of conservation. The Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, which are home to around 30% of the wild panda population, gained a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 2006. Where bears raid crops or attack livestock, they may come into conflict with humans. In poorer rural regions, attitudes may be more shaped by the dangers posed by bears, and the economic costs they cause to farmers and ranchers.
### Attacks
Several bear species are dangerous to humans, especially in areas where they have become used to people; elsewhere, they generally avoid humans. Injuries caused by bears are rare, but are widely reported. Bears may attack humans in response to being startled, in defense of young or food, or even for predatory reasons.
### Entertainment, hunting, food and folk medicine
Bears in captivity have for centuries been used for entertainment. They have been trained to dance, and were kept for baiting in Europe from at least the 16th century. There were five bear-baiting gardens in Southwark, London, at that time; archaeological remains of three of these have survived. Across Europe, nomadic Romani bear handlers called Ursari lived by busking with their bears from the 12th century.
Bears have been hunted for sport, food, and folk medicine. Their meat is dark and stringy, like a tough cut of beef. In Cantonese cuisine, bear paws are considered a delicacy. Bear meat should be cooked thoroughly, as it can be infected with the parasite Trichinella spiralis.
The peoples of eastern Asia use bears' body parts and secretions (notably their gallbladders and bile) as part of traditional Chinese medicine. More than 12,000 bears are thought to be kept on farms in China, Vietnam, and South Korea for the production of bile. Trade in bear products is prohibited under CITES, but bear bile has been detected in shampoos, wine and herbal medicines sold in Canada, the United States and Australia.
### Cultural depictions
Bears have been popular subjects in art, literature, folklore and mythology. The image of the mother bear was prevalent throughout societies in North America and Eurasia, based on the female's devotion and protection of her cubs. In many Native American cultures, the bear is a symbol of rebirth because of its hibernation and re-emergence. A widespread belief among cultures of North America and northern Asia associated bears with shaman; this may be based on the solitary nature of both. Bears have thus been thought to predict the future and shaman were believed to have been capable of transforming into bears.
There is evidence of prehistoric bear worship, though this is disputed by archaeologists. It is possible that bear worship existed in early Chinese and Ainu cultures. The prehistoric Finns, Siberian peoples and more recently Koreans considered the bear as the spirit of their forefathers. Artio (Dea Artio in the Gallo-Roman religion) was a Celtic bear goddess. Evidence of her worship has notably been found at Bern, itself named for the bear. Her name is derived from the Celtic word for "bear", artos. In ancient Greece, the archaic cult of Artemis in bear form survived into Classical times at Brauron, where young Athenian girls passed an initiation rite as arktoi "she bears".
The constellations of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the great and little bears, are named for their supposed resemblance to bears, from the time of Ptolemy. The nearby star Arcturus means "guardian of the bear", as if it were watching the two constellations. Ursa Major has been associated with a bear for as much as 13,000 years since Paleolithic times, in the widespread Cosmic Hunt myths. These are found on both sides of the Bering land bridge, which was lost to the sea some 11,000 years ago.
Bears are popular in children's stories, including Winnie the Pooh, Paddington Bear, Gentle Ben and "The Brown Bear of Norway". An early version of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", was published as "The Three Bears" in 1837 by Robert Southey, many times retold, and illustrated in 1918 by Arthur Rackham. The Hanna-Barbera character Yogi Bear has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows and films. The Care Bears began as greeting cards in 1982, and were featured as toys, on clothing and in film. Around the world, many children—and some adults—have teddy bears, stuffed toys in the form of bears, named after the American statesman Theodore Roosevelt when in 1902 he had refused to shoot an American black bear tied to a tree.
Bears, like other animals, may symbolize nations. The Russian Bear has been a common national personification for Russia from the 16th century onward. Smokey Bear has become a part of American culture since his introduction in 1944, with his message "Only you can prevent forest fires".
### Organizations
The International Association for Bear Research & Management, also known as the International Bear Association, and the Bear Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission, a part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature focus on the natural history, management, and conservation of bears. Bear Trust International works for wild bears and other wildlife through four core program initiatives, namely Conservation Education, Wild Bear Research, Wild Bear Management, and Habitat Conservation.
Specialty organizations for each of the eight species of bears worldwide include:
- Vital Ground, for the brown bear
- Moon Bears, for the Asiatic black bear
- Black Bear Conservation Coalition, for the North American black bear
- Polar Bears International, for the polar bear
- Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, for the sun bear
- Wildlife SOS, for the sloth bear
- Andean Bear Conservation Project, for the Andean bear
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, for the giant panda
## See also
- List of fictional bears
- List of individual bears
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Richard von Weizsäcker
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President of Germany from 1984 to 1994
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Richard Karl Freiherr von Weizsäcker (; 15 April 1920 – 31 January 2015) was a German politician (CDU), who served as President of Germany from 1984 to 1994. Born into the aristocratic Weizsäcker family, who were part of the German nobility, he took his first public offices in the Protestant Church in Germany.
A member of the CDU since 1954, Weizsäcker was elected as a member of parliament at the 1969 elections. He continued to hold a mandate as a member of the Bundestag until he became Governing Mayor of West Berlin, following the 1981 state elections. In 1984, Weizsäcker was elected as President of the Federal Republic of Germany and was re-elected in 1989 for a second term. As yet, he and Theodor Heuss are the only two Presidents of the Federal Republic of Germany who have served two complete five-year-terms. On 3 October 1990, during his second term as president, the reorganized five states of the German Democratic Republic and East Berlin joined the Federal Republic of Germany, which made Weizsäcker President of a reunified Germany.
Weizsäcker is considered the most popular of Germany's presidents, held in high regard particularly for his impartiality. His demeanor often saw him at odds with his party colleagues, particularly longtime Chancellor Helmut Kohl. He was famous for his speeches, especially one he delivered at the 40th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe on 8 May 1985. Upon his death, his life and political work were widely praised, with The New York Times calling him "a guardian of his nation's moral conscience".
## Early life
### Childhood, school and family
Richard von Weizsäcker was born on 15 April 1920 in the New Palace in Stuttgart, the son of diplomat Ernst von Weizsäcker, a member of the Weizsäcker family, and his wife Marianne von Graevenitz, a daughter of Friedrich von Graevenitz (1861–1922), a General of the Infantry of the Kingdom of Württemberg. Ernst von Weizsäcker was a career diplomat and a high-ranking official in the Foreign Ministry in the 1930s. The youngest of four children, Weizsäcker had two brothers, the physicist and philosopher Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker and Heinrich von Weizsäcker who fell as a soldier in Poland at the beginning of World War II. The sister Adelheid (1916–2004) married Botho-Ernst Graf zu Eulenburg-Wicken (1903–1944), a landowner in East Prussia. Richard's grandfather Karl von Weizsäcker had been Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Württemberg, and was ennobled in 1897 and raised to the hereditary title of Baron (Freiherr) in 1916. His term in office ended in 1918, shortly before the monarchy was abolished in the German Revolution of 1918–1919. However, during the following years, he still occupied an apartment in the former royal palace where his grandson was born in an attic room.
Because his father was a career diplomat, Weizsäcker spent much of his childhood in Switzerland and Scandinavia. The family lived in Basel 1920–24, in Copenhagen 1924–26, and in Bern 1933–36, where Richard attended the Swiss Gymnasium Kirchenfeld. The family lived in Berlin, in an apartment in the Fasanenstraße in Wilmersdorf, between 1929 and 1933 and again from 1936 until the end of the Second World War. Weizsäcker was able to miss the third class of his elementary school, and entered a secondary school at the young age of nine, the Bismarck-Gymnasium (now the Goethe-Gymnasium) in Wilmersdorf. When he was 17 years old, Weizsäcker travelled to England to study philosophy and history at Balliol College, Oxford. In London, he witnessed the coronation of King George VI. He spent the winter semester of 1937/38 at the University of Grenoble in France to improve his French. He was mustered for the army there in 1938 and moved back to Germany the same year to start his Reichsarbeitsdienst.
### Second World War
After the outbreak of the Second World War, Weizsäcker joined the Wehrmacht, ultimately rising to the rank of captain in the reserves. He joined his brother Heinrich's regiment, the Infantry Regiment 9 Potsdam. He crossed over the border to Poland with his regiment on the very first day of the war. His brother Heinrich was killed about a hundred meters away from him on the second day. Weizsäcker watched over his brother's body through the night, until he was able to bury him the next morning. His regiment, consisting in a large part of noble and conservative Prussians, played a significant part in the 20 July plot, with no fewer than nineteen of its officers involved in the conspiracy against Hitler. Weizsäcker himself helped his friend Axel von dem Bussche in an attempt to kill Hitler at a uniform inspection in December 1943, providing Bussche with travel papers to Berlin. The attempt had to be called off when the uniforms were destroyed by an air raid. Upon meeting Bussche in June 1944, Weizsäcker was also informed of the imminent plans for 20 July and assured him of his support, but the plan ultimately failed. Weizsäcker later described the last nine months of the war as "agony". He was wounded in East Prussia in 1945 and was transported home to Stuttgart, to see out the end of the war on a family farm at Lake Constance.
### Education, marriage and early work life
At the end of the war Weizsäcker continued his study of history in Göttingen and went on to study law, but he also attended lectures in physics and theology. In 1947, when his father Ernst von Weizsäcker was a defendant in the Ministries Trial for his role in the deportation of Jews from occupied France, Richard von Weizsäcker served as his assistant defence counsel. He took his first legal Staatsexamen in 1950, his second in 1953, and finally earned his doctorate (doctor juris) in 1955. In 1953 he married Marianne von Kretschmann. They had met when she was an 18-year-old schoolgirl and he was thirty. In 2010, Weizsäcker described the marriage as "the best and smartest decision of my life". They had four children: Robert Klaus von Weizsäcker, a professor of economics at the Technical University of Munich, Andreas von Weizsäcker, an art professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich, Beatrice von Weizsäcker, a lawyer and journalist, and Fritz Eckhart von Weizsäcker [de], chief physician at the Schlosspark-Klinik in Berlin. In the late 1970s, his son Andreas was a student at the Odenwaldschule. When reports about sexual abuse there surfaced in 2010, it was speculated in the media that Andreas might have been one of the victims, but this was denied by the family. Andreas died of cancer in June 2008, aged 51. Weizsäcker's son Fritz was murdered by a man armed with a knife on 19 November 2019, while holding a lecture at the Schlosspark-Klinik in Berlin, where he worked.
Weizsäcker worked for Mannesmann between 1950 and 1958, as a scientific assistant until 1953, as a legal counsel from 1953, and as head of the department for economic policy from 1957. From 1958 to 1962, he was head of the Waldthausen Bank, a bank owned by relatives of his wife. From 1962 to 1966, he served on the board of directors of Boehringer Ingelheim, a pharmaceutical company. It was involved in production of the Agent Orange. This fact is speculated to be the motive behind the murder of his son in 2019, though the suspect has been sent to a secure hospital unit due to a "delusional general aversion" against the victim's family.
## German Evangelical Church Assembly
Between 1964 and 1970, Weizsäcker served as president of the German Evangelical Church Assembly. He was also a member of the Synod and the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany from 1967 to 1984. During his early tenure as president, he wrote a newspaper article supporting a memorandum written by German evangelical intellectuals including Werner Heisenberg and his brother Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker who had spoken out in favour of accepting the Oder–Neisse line as the western border of Poland as an indispensable precondition for lasting peace in Europe. While this was met by negative reactions from politicians, especially in Weizsäcker's own party, he nevertheless led the Evangelical Church on a way to promoting reconciliation with Poland, leading to a memorandum by the Church in both West and East Germany. The paper was widely discussed and met with a significantly more positive response.
## Political career
Weizsäcker joined the CDU in 1954. Some years later, Helmut Kohl offered him a safe seat for the 1965 elections, even going so far as to have Chancellor Konrad Adenauer write two letters urging him to run, but Weizsäcker declined, due to his work in the German Evangelical Church Assembly, wanting to avoid a conflict of interest. However, he became a member of the Bundestag (Federal Diet) in the 1969 federal elections, serving until 1981.
In 1974, Weizsäcker was the Presidential candidate of his party for the first time, but he lost to Walter Scheel of the FDP, who was supported by the ruling center-left coalition. Ahead of the 1976 elections, CDU chairman Helmut Kohl included him in his shadow cabinet for the party's campaign to unseat incumbent Helmut Schmidt as chancellor. Between 1979 and 1981, Weizsäcker served as Vice President of the Bundestag.
### Governing Mayor of West Berlin (1981–84)
Weizsäcker served as the Governing Mayor (Regierender Bürgermeister) of West Berlin from 1981 to 1984. During his years in office, he tried to keep alive the idea of Germany as a cultural nation, divided into two states. In his speeches and writings, he repeatedly urged his compatriots in the Federal Republic to look upon themselves as a nation firmly anchored in the Western alliance, but with special obligations and interests in the East. Weizsäcker irritated the United States, France and Britain, the half-city's occupying powers, by breaking with protocol and visiting Erich Honecker, the East German Communist Party chief, in East Berlin.
From 1981 to 1983, Weizsäcker headed a minority government in West Berlin, after the CDU had only won 48 percent of seats in the state assembly. His government was tolerated by the Free Democratic Party, who were in a coalition with the Social Democrats at the federal level at the time. After Helmut Kohl had won the federal election in 1983 and had formed a government with the Free Democrats, Weizsäcker did the same in West Berlin.
### President of the Federal Republic of Germany (1984–94)
In 1984, Weizsäcker was elected as President of West Germany by the German Federal Convention, succeeding Karl Carstens and drawing unusual support from both the governing center-right coalition and the opposition Social Democratic Party; he defeated the Green party candidate, Luise Rinser.
#### First term (1984–89)
Richard von Weizsäcker took office as president on 1 July 1984. In his inaugural address, he appealed to his nation's special consciousness, saying: "Our situation, which differs from that of most other nations, is no reason to deny ourselves a national consciousness. To do so would be unhealthy for ourselves and eerie to our neighbors." He dedicated his first years in office mainly to foreign policy, travelling widely with Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and choosing former Foreign Office employees as his personal advisors.
##### Speech on the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II
Weizsäcker, who was known as a great speaker, delivered his most famous speech in 1985, marking the 40th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe on 8 May 1945. This came at a difficult time in West German politics. The country was caught up in a debate about whether Holocaust denial should be criminalized. At the same time, chancellor Helmut Kohl had accepted an invitation to visit a congress of the Silesian association of expellees which was to take place under the slogan "Silesia is ours!" ("Schlesien ist unser!"). This seemed to contradict the official position of the federal diet and government so that Kohl needed to lobby for the intended slogan to be changed.
It was originally planned that United States President Ronald Reagan should take part in the Second World War memorial event in the Bundestag, shifting the emphasis from remembering the past to highlighting West Germany in its partnership with the Western Bloc. On Weizsäcker's strong urging, the occasion was marked without Reagan, who visited West Germany several days earlier instead, surrounding the G7–summit in Bonn. Reagan's visit nevertheless sparked controversy, especially in the United States. In an attempt to reproduce the gesture made by Kohl and French President François Mitterrand a year earlier at Verdun, the chancellor and Reagan were set to visit the military cemetery in Bitburg. This raised objections, since the cemetery included the last resting place for several members of the Waffen-SS.
It was in this climate that Weizsäcker addressed parliament on 8 May 1985. Here, he articulated the historic responsibility of Germany and Germans for the crimes of Nazism. In contrast to the way the end of the war was still perceived by a majority of people in Germany at the time, he defined 8 May as a "day of liberation". Weizsäcker pointed out the inseparable link between the Nazi takeover of Germany and the tragedies caused by the Second World War. In a passage of striking boldness, he took issue with one of the most cherished defenses of older Germans. "When the unspeakable truth of the Holocaust became known at the end of the war," he said, "all too many of us claimed they had not known anything about it or even suspected anything."
Most notably, Weizsäcker spoke of the danger of forgetting and distorting the past. "There is no such thing as the guilt or innocence of an entire nation. Guilt is, like innocence, not collective but personal. There is discovered or concealed individual guilt. There is guilt which people acknowledge or deny. [...] All of us, whether guilty or not, whether young or old, must accept the past. We are all affected by the consequences and liable for it. [...] We Germans must look truth straight in the eye – without embellishment and without distortion. [...] There can be no reconciliation without remembrance."
Weizsäcker declared that younger generations of Germans "cannot profess a guilt of their own for crimes they did not commit." With his speech, Weizsäcker was also one of the first representatives of Germany to remember the homosexual victims of Nazism as a "victim group." This was also the case with his recognition of the Sinti and Roma as another victim group, a fact that was highlighted by the long-time head of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, Romani Rose.
Weizsäcker's speech was praised both nationally and internationally. The New York Times called it a "sober message of hope to the uneasy generations of young West Germans". The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Werner Nachmann, thanked Weizsäcker for his strong words, as did Karl Ibach, a former member of the German Resistance, who called his speech a "moment of glory (Sternstunde) of our republic". Weizsäcker was however criticized for some of his remarks by members of his own party. Lorenz Niegel, a politician of the sister party CSU, who had not taken part in the ceremony, objected to the term "day of liberation", referring to it instead as a "day of deepest humiliation". The Greens were also absent during the speech, choosing instead to visit Auschwitz. A year later, the Green politician Petra Kelly called the speech "correct, but not more than self-evident", pointing to speeches president Gustav Heinemann had made during his presidency. The harshest criticism came from the Federation of Expellees, whose president Herbert Czaja, while thanking the president for highlighting the expellees' fate, criticized his remark that "conflicting legal claims must be subordinated under the imperative of reconciliation".
The speech was later released on vinyl and sold around 60,000 copies. Two million printed copies of its text were distributed globally, translated into thirteen languages, with 40,000 being sold in Japan alone. This does not include copies of the speech printed in newspapers, such as The New York Times, which reproduced it in full.
##### Role in the historians' dispute
Speaking to a congress of West German historians in Bamberg on 12 October 1988, Weizsäcker rejected the alleged attempts by some historians to compare the systematic murder of Jews in Nazi Germany to mass killings elsewhere – such as Stalin's purges – or to seek external explanations for it. Thereby he declared an end to the Historikerstreit ('historians' dispute') that had sharply divided German scholars and journalists for two years, stating "Auschwitz remains unique. It was perpetrated by Germans in the name of Germany. This truth is immutable and will not be forgotten."
In his remarks to the historians, Weizsäcker said their dispute had prompted accusations that they sought to raise a "multitude of comparisons and parallels" that would cause "the dark chapter of our own history to disappear, to be reduced to a mere episode." Andreas Hillgruber, a historian at Cologne University, whose 1986 book in which he linked the collapse of the eastern front and the Holocaust was one of the subjects of the dispute, declared himself in full agreement with Weizsäcker, insisting that he had never tried to "relativize" the past.
#### Second term (1989–94)
Unification of Germany
Because of the high esteem in which he was held by Germany's political establishment and in the population, Weizsäcker is so far the only candidate to have stood for elections for the office of President unopposed; he was elected in that way to a second term of office on 23 May 1989.
Weizsäcker took office for his second presidential term on 1 July 1989, and in the course of it he oversaw the end of the Cold War and the Reunification of Germany. Thereupon, Weizsäcker became the first all-German Head of State since Karl Dönitz in May 1945. At midnight on 3 October 1990, during the official festivities held before the Reichstag building in Berlin to mark the moment of the reunification of Germany, President Weizsäcker delivered the only speech of the night, immediately after the raising of the flag, and before the playing of the National Anthem. His brief remarks, however, were almost inaudible, due to the sound of the bells marking midnight, and of the fireworks that were released to celebrate the moment of reunification. In those remarks he praised the accomplishment of German unity in freedom and in peace. He gave a longer speech at the act of state at the Berliner Philharmonie later that day.
##### President of a unified Germany
In 1990, Weizsäcker became the first head of state of the German Federal Republic to visit Poland. During his four-day visit, he reassured Poles that the newly unified German state would treat their western and northern borders, which included prewar German lands, as inviolable.
In 1992, Weizsäcker gave the eulogy at the state funeral of former Chancellor Willy Brandt at the Reichstag, the first state funeral for a former chancellor to take place in Berlin since the death of Gustav Stresemann in 1929. The funeral was attended by an array of leading European political figures, including French President François Mitterrand, Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.
Weizsäcker stretched the traditionally ceremonial position of Germany's president to reach across political, national, and age boundaries to address a wide range of controversial issues. He is credited with being largely responsible for taking the lead on an asylum policy overhaul after the arson attack by neo-Nazis in Mölln, in which three Turkish citizens died in 1993. He also earned recognition at home and abroad for attending memorial services for the victims of neo-Nazi attacks in Mölln and Solingen. The services were snubbed by Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who dismayed many Germans by saying it was not necessary for the government to send a representative.
In March 1994, Weizsäcker attended the Frankfurt premiere of the film Schindler's List along with the Israeli ambassador, Avi Primor, and the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Ignatz Bubis.
During the debate over the change of the seat of the German government from Bonn to Berlin, the president spoke out in favor of Berlin. In a memorandum released in February 1991, he declared that he would not act as a mere "decoration of a so-called capital", urging the diet to move more constitutional organs to Berlin. To compensate for a delay in the transfer to Berlin of the government and the federal parliament, Weizsäcker declared in April 1993 that he would be performing an increased share of his duties in Berlin. He decided not to wait for the renovation and conversion as the presidential seat of the Kronprinzenpalais (Crown Prince's Palace) at Berlin's Unter den Linden boulevard, and to use instead his existing official residence in West Berlin, the Bellevue Palace beyond Tiergarten park.
##### Critique of party politics
In an interview book released in 1992, midway through his second term, Weizsäcker voiced a harsh critique of the leading political parties in Germany, claiming that they took a larger role in public life than was awarded to them by the constitution. He criticized the high number of career politicians (Berufspolitiker), who "in general are neither expert nor dilettante, but generalists with particular knowledge only in political battle". The immediate reactions toward this interview were mixed. Prominent party politicians such as Rainer Barzel and Johannes Rau criticized the remarks, as did Minister of Labour Norbert Blüm, who asked the president to show more respect towards the work done by party members. Former chancellor Helmut Schmidt, on the other hand, conceded that Weizsäcker was "essentially right". While comments from politicians were mainly negative, a public poll conducted by the Wickert-Institut in June 1992 showed that 87.4 percent of the population agreed with the president. Political commentators generally interpreted the remarks as a hidden attack on the incumbent chancellor Helmut Kohl, since Weizsäcker's relationship with his former patron had cooled over the years. In a column for the German newspaper Der Spiegel, chief-editor Rudolf Augstein criticized the president for his attack, writing: "You cannot have it both ways: on the one hand giving a right and seminal political incentive, but on the other hand insulting the governing class and its chief".
##### Travels
On his trip to Israel in October 1985, Weizsäcker was greeted on arrival by his Israeli counterpart, President Chaim Herzog. The president was given a full honor-guard welcome at Ben-Gurion Airport; among Cabinet ministers who lined up to shake his hand were right-wingers of the Herut party, the main faction of Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir's Likud party, who had previously refused to greet German leaders. Weizsäcker's visit was the first by a head of state, but not the first by a West German leader, as Chancellor Willy Brandt had paid a visit to Israel in June 1973. During a four-day state visit to the United Kingdom in July 1986, Weizsäcker addressed a joint session of the Houses of Parliament, the first German to be accorded that honor.
In 1987, he travelled to Moscow to meet Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in what was perceived as a difficult time in West German-Soviet relations, after chancellor Kohl had angered Moscow by comparing Gorbachev to Joseph Goebbels. During a speech at the Kremlin, Weizsäcker said: "The Germans, who today live separated into East and West, have never stopped and will never stop to feel like one nation." His speech was, however, censored in the official Communist Party newspaper Pravda. However, when German foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher protested against this to his Soviet counterpart Eduard Shevardnadze, the speech was then printed unabridged in the lesser paper Izvestia. Weizsäcker also appealed to the Soviet authorities to agree to a pardon for the last inmate in the Spandau Prison, former Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess. This proved unsuccessful, and Hess committed suicide six weeks later. The visit was nevertheless considered a success, as Gorbachev was quoted afterwards saying that "a new page of history was opened", after the two had discussed matters of disarmament. Also in 1987, Erich Honecker became the first East German leader to visit the Federal Republic. While state guests in Germany are usually welcomed by the President, Honecker was still not greeted officially by Weizsäcker, but by chancellor Kohl, since the Federal Republic did not consider the GDR a foreign state. Weizsäcker did however receive Honecker later at his seat of office, the Hammerschmidt Villa.
## Post-presidency
As an elder statesman, Weizsäcker long remained involved in politics and charitable affairs in Germany after his retirement as president. He chaired a commission established by the Social Democratic-Green government of the day for reforming the Bundeswehr. Along with Henry Kissinger, in 1994 he supported Richard Holbrooke in creating the American Academy in Berlin. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
Weizsäcker served as a member of the Advisory Council of Transparency International. In a letter addressed to Nigeria's military ruler Sani Abacha in 1996, he called for the immediate release of General Olusegun Obasanjo, the former head of state of Nigeria, who had become the first military ruler in Africa to keep his promise to hand over power to an elected civilian government but was later sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
Weizsäcker also served on many international committees. He was chairman of the Independent Working Group on the future of the United Nations and was one of three "Wise Men" appointed by European Commission President Romano Prodi to consider the future of the European Union. From 2003 until his death, he was a member of the Advisory Commission on the return of cultural property seized as a result of Nazi persecution, especially Jewish property, led by the former head of the Federal Constitutional Court, Jutta Limbach. In November 2014, Weizsäcker retired as chairman of the Bergedorf Round Table, a discussion forum on foreign policy issues.
### Death and funeral
Weizsäcker died in Berlin on 31 January 2015, aged 94. He was survived by his wife, Marianne, and three of their four children. Upon his death, there was general praise for his life and political career. In its obituary, The New York Times called Weizsäcker "a guardian of his nation's moral conscience", while The Guardian commented that Germany was "uniquely fortunate" in having had him as a leader.
He was honored with a state funeral on 11 February 2015 at Berlin Cathedral. Eulogies were given by incumbent president Joachim Gauck, foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD), finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) and former vice president of the Bundestag Antje Vollmer (Green Party). Steinmeier praised Weizsäcker's role in foreign relations, where he had worked towards reconciliation with France and Poland and supported a dialogue with the communist regimes in the East, often against his own party. The funeral was attended by many serving high-ranking politicians in Germany, including chancellor Angela Merkel. Also in attendance were former presidents Roman Herzog, Horst Köhler, and Christian Wulff, as well as former chancellors Helmut Schmidt and Gerhard Schröder. Princess Beatrix, former Queen of the Netherlands, was also present, as was former Polish president Lech Wałęsa. After the ceremony, soldiers stood to attention as Weizsäcker's coffin was brought to its resting place at Waldfriedhof Dahlem. In the subsequent days, many Berliners visited Weizsäcker's grave to pay tribute and lay down flowers. On 15 April 2020, von Weizsäcker's 100th birthday, incumbent Governing Mayor of Berlin Michael Müller and Ralf Wieland, president of the Abgeordnetenhaus, Berlin's state parliament, laid down a wreath at his grave in honour of his services to the city of Berlin.
## Relationship with his party and Helmut Kohl
Weizsäcker, who had joined the CDU in 1954, was known for often publicly voicing political views different from his own party line, both in and out of the presidential office. While he was himself sceptical of Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik, he urged his party not to block it entirely in the lower house, the Bundestag, since rejection would be met with dismay abroad. When the CDU gained a sweeping victory in the state elections in Baden-Württemberg in April 1972, his party decided to take the opportunity to dispose of chancellor Brandt with a vote of no confidence, replacing him with Rainer Barzel, and Weizsäcker was one of only three elect CDU politicians to speak out against the proposal. He maintained an easy-going and open demeanor towards members of all other parties. In 1987, at a time when the CDU actively tried to label the Green Party as unconstitutional, the President had regular contact with high-ranking Green politicians such as Antje Vollmer, who was also active in the Protestant Church in Germany, and Joschka Fischer, who said that with his understanding of state "he [Weizsäcker] is closer to the Green Party than to Kohl, not NATO, but Auschwitz as reason of state (Staatsräson)."
Helmut Kohl, who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998, was an early patron of Weizsäcker's, effectively helping him into parliament. However, their relationship took a first strain in 1971, when Weizsäcker supported Rainer Barzel over Kohl for the CDU-chairmanship. Subsequently, Kohl unsuccessfully tried to deny Weizsäcker the chance to become president in 1983. After he had taken office, Weizsäcker criticized Kohl's government on numerous occasions, taking liberties not previously heard of from someone in a ceremonial role such as his. For instance, he urged the chancellor to recognize the Oder–Neisse line and spoke out for a more patient approach to the journey towards German reunification. Other examples include the aforementioned speech in 1985 and his critique of party politics in 1992. Following a critical interview Weizsäcker gave to Der Spiegel magazine in September 1997, Kohl reacted during a meeting of his parliamentary group by saying that Weizsäcker (whom he called "that gentleman") was no longer "one of us". This was followed by CDU spokesman Rolf Kiefer stating that the CDU had removed Weizsäcker from its membership database, since the former president had not paid his membership fees in a long time. Weizsäcker then took the matter to the party's arbitrating body and won. The tribunal ruled that he was allowed to let his membership rest indefinitely. After his death, Spiegel editor Gerhard Spörl called Weizsäcker the "intellectual alternative medicine to Kohl".
After his presidency came to an end, Weizsäcker remained vocal in daily politics, e.g. speaking for a more liberal immigration policy, calling the way his party handled it "simply ridiculous". He also spoke out in favour of dual citizenship and a change of German citizenship law from jus sanguinis to jus soli, a view not generally shared by his party colleagues. Towards the former East-German leading party, the PDS (today called Die Linke), Weizsäcker urged his party colleagues to enter into a serious political discussion. He went as far as speaking in favor of a coalition government between Social Democrats and the PDS in Berlin after the 2001 state election.
## Publications
Weizsäcker's publications include Die deutsche Geschichte geht weiter (German History Continues), first published in 1983; Von Deutschland aus (From Germany Abroad), a collection of speeches first published in 1985; Von Deutschland nach Europa (From Germany to Europe, 1991) and his memoirs Vier Zeiten (Four Times), published in German in 1997 and in English as From Weimar to the Wall: My Life in German Politics in 1999. In a review in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Friedrich Karl Fromme wrote that the memoirs tell nothing new about the times he lived in, but "something about the person". In 2009, he published a book on his recollections of German reunification, titled Der Weg zur Einheit (The Path to Unity). German newspaper Die Welt dismissed the book as "boring", accusing the account of being too balanced.
## Other activities and recognition
Weizsäcker received many honors in his career, including honorary membership in the Order of Saint John; an honorary doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in 1993; creation of the Richard von Weizsäcker Professorship at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University and the Robert Bosch Foundation of Stuttgart in 2003; and more than eleven other honorary doctorates, ranging from the Weizmann Institute in Israel to Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard universities, the Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Law (1995) at Uppsala University and the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, the Leo Baeck Prize from the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and the Buber-Rosenzweig Medallion from the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation. After his death, deputy director of Poland's international broadcaster, Rafal Kiepuszewski, called Weizsäcker "the greatest German friend Poland has ever had".
Both Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck praised Weizsäcker, with the latter declaring upon the news of his death: "We are losing a great man and an outstanding head of state." French president François Hollande highlighted Weizsäcker's "moral stature."
Weizsäcker's many awards and honors include:
- 1986: Knight Collar of the Order of Charles III (Spain)
- 1987: Honorary Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm (Malaysia)
- 1987: Order of the Quetzal of Guatemala
- 1987: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
- 1987: Atatürk International Peace Prize
- 1988: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Falcon, Iceland (4 July 1988)
- 1988: Knight of the Swedish Royal Order of the Seraphim
- 1990: Harnack medal
- 1990: Honorary citizenship of Berlin
- 1991: Heinrich Heine Prize of the City of Düsseldorf
- 1992: The Royal Victorian Chain (United Kingdom)
- 1992: Nansen Refugee Award of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- 1994: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (1994)
- 1997: Honorary citizenship of the City of Gdansk (Danzig)
- 2005: Mercator-Professorship Award, University of Duisburg-Essen
- 2003: Collar and Grand Cross of the Czech Order of the White Lion
- 2009: Henry A. Kissinger Prize of the American Academy in Berlin
- 2012: Prize for Understanding and Tolerance of the Jewish Museum, Berlin
His post-presidency activities include:
- Aktion Deutschland Hilft, Patron (2003–2013)
- Bergedorf Round Table, Chairman (1994–2014)
- Club of Budapest, Honorary Member
- Club of Rome, Honorary Member
- Freya von Moltke Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Hannah Arendt Center of the University of Oldenburg, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Humboldt University of Berlin, Member of the Board of Trustees (2006–2010)
- Humboldt-Viadrina School of Governance, Member of the Advisory Board
- International Commission on the Balkans, Member (2004–2006)
- International Nuremberg Human Rights Award, Member of the Jury (1995–2000)
- Philharmonic Orchestra of Europe, Member of the Advisory Board
- Political Science Quarterly, Honorary Member of the Board of Directors
- Theodor Heuss Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Viktor von Weizsäcker Society, Member of the Advisory Board
## Ancestry
|
39,060,188 |
Anya's Ghost
| 1,173,352,989 |
Graphic novel by Vera Brosgol
|
[
"2011 American novels",
"2011 graphic novels",
"American bildungsromans",
"American novels adapted into films",
"American young adult novels",
"Eisner Award winners",
"First Second Books books",
"Ghost comics",
"Harvey Award winners",
"comics about women",
"fiction about murder",
"ghost novels",
"novels set in New England",
"supernatural novels"
] |
Anya's Ghost is a coming-of-age ghost story in graphic novel format. The first book by cartoonist Vera Brosgol, Anya's Ghost was published on June 7, 2011.
In the novel, unpopular Anya befriends the ghost of Emily, a girl around Anya's age who died 90 years earlier. After failing to make Anya popular and happy, Emily becomes manipulative and controlling, leading Anya to discover the truth about Emily's death.
Anya's Ghost took four years from inception to publication, and is drawn predominantly in hues of violet. Well received by critics, Anya's Ghost is the recipient of Cyblis, Harvey, and Eisner awards. Production on a film adaptation of the novel was supposed to begin by the end of 2017.
## Plot
Annushka Borzakovskaya (Anya) is a Russian émigré living in the United States with her mother and brother (Sasha). Unpopular at her New England private school, Anya skips school and walks through a nearby forest. She falls into a dry well and finds herself alongside a human skeleton. The skeleton's ghost—a shy, homely girl named Emily—appears and explains that she too fell down the well and died of dehydration after breaking her neck ninety years ago. Emily wishes to befriend and help Anya, but cannot move far from her bones. Anya is soon rescued by a passerby, but Emily's skeleton remains undiscovered.
Emily later appears to Anya at school, Anya having inadvertently taken a finger bone from Emily's skeleton. Anya decides to keep the bone after Emily helps her cheat on a biology exam and spy on her crush, Sean. Emily gives her full name as Emily Reilly and explains that her fiancé died fighting in World War I, and that her parents were murdered at home. She was running from the killer when she fell down the well. Anya promises to find Emily's killer, while Emily agrees to help Anya fit in at school and win over Sean. As their friendship develops, Anya drifts away from her one friend at school, Siobhan, while Emily becomes disinterested in discovering her murderer's identity.
At Emily's insistence, Anya dresses up and goes to a party attended by Sean and his girlfriend Elizabeth. There, Anya discovers that Sean habitually cheats on Elizabeth with her knowledge. Distraught, Anya leaves the party, which makes Emily angry and confused as she believed Anya and Sean were destined for each other. Anya later notices Emily becoming more controlling and adjusting her appearance by straightening her hair and smoking ghostly cigarettes. Anya goes to the library without Emily to research the killer; there she learns that Emily had no fiancé, but had instead murdered a young couple in their home after her unrequited love rejected her, and then died running from the authorities.
When Anya returns home, the finger bone is missing. After being confronted with the truth, Emily shows that she is capable of moving solid objects, implying that she put her finger bone in Anya's bag. Emily begins threatening Anya's family to make Anya comply, even causing Anya's mother to fall down the stairs. After Emily appears before Sasha, he reveals that he found the bone earlier. Anya retrieves it and runs to the well, pursued by Emily.
Once there, Anya confronts and accuses Emily of trying to live vicariously through her. Emily rebukes Anya, saying that she is no better, and that the two of them are more alike then she wants to admit. After Emily fails to push Anya into the well, Anya drops the bone back in. Emily then possesses her own skeleton and climbs out to give further chase. Anya stops and convinces Emily of the futility of her situation, causing the tearful ghost to dissipate, and the skeleton to fall back into the well. Later, Anya convinces her school to fill the well and rekindles her friendship with Siobhan.
## Development
### Writing
Brosgol conceived the character of Anya when she was working on Put the Book Back on the Shelf (2006), a comics anthology based on the music of the Scottish indie pop band Belle and Sebastian. She wrote a short story about a disaffected schoolgirl to accompany the song "Family Tree" (from the band's 2000 album Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant). Brosgol didn't finish the story, but enjoyed drawing "that character with her fat little legs and cigarettes." Then, after reading Haruki Murakami's novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, she decided her unnamed character should fall down a well. The rest of the story came later, drawn from the author's own life and other inspiration. Brosgol started work on Anya's Ghost in 2007.
### Production
As Anya's Ghost was her first book, Brosgol said that its production was an exercise in trial and error. Brosgol does not work from a script, saying that "the art and the dialogue come at the same time and one suggests the other". She prefers to illustrate events rather than use dialogue in her comics. Working from a detailed outline, Brosgol drew thumbnails of each panel—two to a page in a Moleskine notebook—and wrote the dialogue as she went along.
From her thumbnails, Brosgol used her Wacom Cintiq to draw a rough version of the ultimate art. This rough version of Anya's Ghost went to her editor for approval. After approval, Brosgol went back through her rough draft and "tightened the roughs up just enough so that [she] could ink them". She then used paintbrushes (being especially particular about her Winsor & Newton Series 7s) to paint on Canson translucent vellum atop her printed-out rough draft. Brosgol inked the panels and speech balloons first, adding in the lettering digitally later with a custom font developed for her by John Martz; she colored the novel in Adobe Photoshop.
Anya's Ghost is drawn in what Pamela Paul called a "deep violet palette" that Brosgol called "purpley-blue". The artist herself said she chose the colors "for no other reason than I like purpley-blue and I think it feels right for the story". Susan Carpenter of the Los Angeles Times interpreted the colors as "a subtle underscoring of Anya's bruised ego".
### Publication
Having worked on Kazu Kibuishi's Flight comics, Brosgol contacted his talent agent Judith Hansen who had agreed to look at the work of anybody involved. After completing the art for Anya's Ghost in 2009, Brosgol brought it to Hansen, who agreed to represent the artist. Brosgol finished the cover art in 2010, and then "there's a full year on the end for printing, and marketing, and all of that which comes with a book publisher." The book was published on June 7, 2011 by First Second Books.
## Reception
Anya's Ghost won the 2011 Cybils literary award in the Young Adult category. It also won the 2012 Harvey Award for "Best Original Graphic Publication for Younger Readers" and the 2012 Eisner Award for "Best Publication for Young Adults (Ages 12–17)". Anya's Ghost was nominated for the 2011 Bram Stoker Award for Best Graphic Novel, but lost to Neonomicon by Alan Moore.
The Los Angeles Times' Susan Carpenter reviewed the graphic novel and described it as "a well-paced story that feels dynamic and also intimate." She further lauded the work, calling it "humorous" and "beautifully drawn". Pamela Paul of The New York Times compared Anya's Ghost positively to Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, saying that the novel felt real (even with its supernatural elements) and that Anya was "a smart, funny and compassionate portrait of someone who, for all her sulking and sneering, is the kind of daughter many parents would like to have." Wired's Kathy Ceceri also noted an artistic similarity to Persepolis; she not only liked how Anya's Ghost intertwined the teenage angst and fantasy elements of the novel, but praised how Anya's desire for a boyfriend doesn't overwhelm the story. Cory Doctorow reviewed Anya's Ghost for Boing Boing, calling it "really sweet, really funny and really scary, [with] a powerful message about identity, fitting in, and the secret selfish bastard lurking in all of us and whether having such a goblin inside makes us irredeemable or merely human." Whitney Matheson with USA Today wrote that Anya's Ghost is a "funny, creepy and a delightful page-turner" and cited author Neil Gaiman who called the novel "a masterpiece". Steve Duin of The Oregonian praised the inventiveness of Brosgol's storytelling, and called her art "[a] little uneven, but ... at its best when the lights go out." Almost six years after its publication, Paste listed Anya's Ghost as a comic having "the potential to mean something special, to offer something valuable and important, whether that’s revelatory depth or escapist fun, to a young reader."
## Film adaptation
Andy and Barbara Muschietti, director and producer of the 2013 horror film Mama, bought the film rights to Anya's Ghost in 2015. That October, they were speaking with scriptwriter Patrick Ness for a screenplay, and in August 2017, Deadline Hollywood announced that, with a script by Ness, production of the Anya's Ghost film would "begin before year’s end." Dan Mazer would direct, Jeremy Bolt and Benedict Carver would produce, and Entertainment One was financing the film. Bolt described Ness as "passionate about the source material", having written a "fresh and distinctive" screenplay; Bolt went on to describe the film as a "classic high school comedy with a supernatural twist." According to Deadline Hollywood, Emma Roberts had been cast to star in the film.
## See also
|
74,576,843 |
Russ Winnie
| 1,172,748,578 |
American sports commentator (1906–1956)
|
[
"1906 births",
"1956 deaths",
"American sports announcers",
"Green Bay Packers announcers",
"University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni",
"Wisconsin Badgers football announcers"
] |
Russell Griffith Winnie (August 17, 1906 – March 30, 1956) was an American sports commentator. A pioneer in his field, he was the first broadcaster for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), announcing their games for WTMJ from 1929 to 1946. He also announced games for the Wisconsin Badgers football and basketball teams, as well as for the minor league Milwaukee Brewers baseball team.
## Early life
Winnie was born on August 17, 1906, in Racine, Wisconsin. He was the son of Professor Alonza Winnie, a superintendent at the Wisconsin School for the Deaf. At the age of seven, his family moved to Milwaukee. He attended Riverside High School and graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, being president of the university's dramatic group. Winnie initially had no interest in sports broadcasting or radio.
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Winnie sold real estate for a year before the market began to decline in 1928. His broadcasting career occurred by accident. He attempted to get a job in the advertising department of the Milwaukee Journal but was declined. "But on his way downstairs in an elevator he heard music coming from WTMJ studios, then located in the Journal Building," sportswriter Ray McBride said. "He applied for a job, received an audition and was hired."
## Broadcasting career
Winnie initially only handled routine announcing jobs before receiving an opportunity to announce games for the minor league Milwaukee Brewers baseball team in the summer of 1929. In the fall, Wadham's Oil and Grease Company, who helped broadcast WTMJ, wanted to sponsor sports, and Winnie was named their official announcer. He did play-by-play commentary for the Wisconsin Badgers football team across their 1929 season and also announced games for their basketball team.
In November 1929, Winnie served as the announcer for the first commercially broadcast game of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rather than report from the stadium's press box, he was in a studio at another location, and announced based on telegrams he received from Milwaukee Journal reporter Pat Gannon, who was at the game. The Packers won the game, 20–6, and went on to win their first league championship that season.
Winnie went on to serve as the Packers' play-by-play radio announcer for 18 years, retiring after the 1946 season. He was their announcer as they won their first six championships in franchise history, all under head coach Curly Lambeau. During his tenure with the team, Winnie became highly popular among fans, being known for his "dramatic style and extensive vocabulary." Green Bay Packers historian Cliff Christl said of him: "One of pro football's pioneer announcers, Winnie was the voice of the Packers when their games were first broadcast on radio and helped build the team's vast statewide fan base. Thanks to his untamed exuberance and dramatic flair, Winnie turned many of his listeners into fiercely loyal, lifelong Packers fans. Although this was before anyone could watch the games on television, Winnie's captivating play-by-plays painted images almost vivid enough to seem real."
Winnie had such popularity with fans that he would often receive extended ovations when introduced at events, similar to what would happen when Packers players were introduced. In a 1934 poll held by a Milwaukee newspaper, Winnie was voted the "most popular sports announcer." At a banquet following the Packers' 1936 championship, he re-enacted one of his touchdown calls, and a Green Bay Press-Gazette reporter noted afterwards that "the crowd rocked with pleasure." While announcing was usually a one-man task in his era, he was assisted by his wife Evelyn in the broadcast booth for the last 14 years of his career, even though women were not allowed in the press box at the time.
Winnie often said that his favorite game to call was the Packers' 17–14 comeback win over the Chicago Bears in 1935. He retired from announcing in December 1946, after having been the voice of the Packers for 18 seasons, the announcer for the Wisconsin Badgers football and basketball teams for 16 years and the Milwaukee Brewers for six years. He had also run a daily-except-Sunday sports talk show named "Sports Flash" for 18 years. He totaled between 7,000 and 8,000 sports broadcasts in his career.
At Winnie's retirement, Packers president W. Webber Kelly said "I would like to testify to the great value your broadcasts of the Packer games were in stimulating interest and building up attendance during those early trying days. Your contribution to our success in your personal interest and encouragement of the individual players must never be forgotten." Additionally, sportswriter Ray McBride wrote that "When it is considered that commercial broadcasting is only 26 years old, Winnie's 18-year career is phenomenal. No announcer in radio history has rolled up a record of sports broadcasting to match Winnie's. Some of them, like Ted Husing, have been in the game longer, but even Husing calls Winnie, 'The man who has broadcast more sports events than any other man in America.'" After retiring from announcing, Winnie worked in an administrative role at WTMJ until his death. He became manager for the radio station in 1946 and was also the assistant manager for the television station starting in 1953.
## Personal life and death
Winnie had two children with his wife Evelyn. He died while on vacation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 30, 1956, at the age of 49. He had dealt with heart problems prior to his death. 70 years after his retirement from broadcasting, Winnie was posthumously inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2016.
|
12,084,691 |
Mirror's Edge
| 1,169,239,939 |
2008 video game
|
[
"2008 video games",
"3D platform games",
"Action-adventure games",
"D.I.C.E. Award for Adventure Game of the Year winners",
"Digital Illusions CE games",
"Dystopian video games",
"Electronic Arts franchises",
"Electronic Arts games",
"Fiction about assassinations",
"First-person adventure games",
"Mirror's Edge",
"Parkour video games",
"PlayStation 3 games",
"Propaganda in fiction",
"Single-player video games",
"Unreal Engine games",
"Video game franchises introduced in 2008",
"Video games about mass surveillance",
"Video games adapted into comics",
"Video games developed in Sweden",
"Video games featuring female protagonists",
"Video games set in the future",
"Video games using PhysX",
"Video games with cel-shaded animation",
"Windows games",
"Xbox 360 games"
] |
Mirror's Edge is an action-adventure platform game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2008, and for Microsoft Windows in 2009. Set in a near-future city, the game follows the story of Faith Connors, an underground parkour courier who transmits messages while evading government surveillance. To progress through the game, the player must control Faith from a first-person perspective and complete a series of levels that involve performing a sequence of acrobatic manoeuvres, including jumping between rooftops, running across walls, and sliding down zip lines.
Inspired by chase scenes featured in Casino Royale and the Bourne films, Mirror's Edge features hundreds of first-person animations to convey Faith's movement and interactions with the environment. Although the game is powered by Unreal Engine 3, a new lighting solution, which is able to reflect colors and create a lot of soft shadows, was created to give the game a unique art style. The game deliberately makes use of strong primary colors, with outdoor environments predominantly featuring white and distinctively lacking in green. The game was written by Rhianna Pratchett, and its score was composed by electronic music artist Solar Fields, while the main theme song was composed by Swedish producers Rami Yacoub and Arnthor Birgisson and performed by Swedish pop star Lisa Miskovsky.
Upon release, Mirror's Edge received generally favorable reviews. Critics praised its visuals and immersive first-person perspective, but some criticized its trial and error gameplay and restrictive levels. The game sold more than two million copies worldwide and won Adventure Game of the Year at the 2009 Interactive Achievement Awards. Retrospectively, the game has grown in esteem and developed a passionate fanbase due to its unique style. A prequel to the game, also titled Mirror's Edge, was released for mobile devices in 2010. A reboot that explores a new origin story for Faith, titled Mirror's Edge Catalyst, was released in 2016.
## Gameplay
Mirror's Edge is an action-adventure platform game where the player must control the protagonist, Faith Connors, from a first-person perspective and navigate a city. To progress through the game and its storyline, the player needs to complete a series of levels that involve performing a linear sequence of acrobatic manoeuvres. These include jumping between rooftops, running across walls, climbing pipes, walking along ledges, sliding down zip lines, and getting past opponents controlled by the game's artificial intelligence. Faith's arms, legs, and torso are prominent and their visibility is used to convey her movement and interactions with the environment. Her momentum is an important aspect of the gameplay, as preserving it through multiple obstacles allows the player to run faster, jump farther and climb higher. To help players chain moves seamlessly, the game employs a navigation system, called Runner Vision, which turns certain objects in a bold red color as Faith approaches them, allowing the player to instantly recognize paths and escape routes.
Although the player can perform melee attacks and disarm opponents, using weapons is generally discouraged as they slow Faith down and hinder her acrobatic abilities. For example, carrying a weapon that is heavier than a pistol prevents the player from being able to jump and grab ledges. Weapons have a finite magazine and must be discarded when they run out of ammunition. If Faith has preserved enough momentum, the player may use an ability called Reaction Time, which temporarily slows the gameplay down and allows the player to time their next move. Faith has a certain amount of health which automatically regenerates when she does not take damage for a brief period. If Faith falls off a significantly high position or her health is fully depleted, the player must start the level again from the latest checkpoint. In each level, the player may also find and collect three hidden yellow bags. These encourage the player to explore the game and unlock achievements.
In addition to the game's story mode, Mirror's Edge features a time trial mode where the player must complete courses as fast as possible. Each course is divided into multiple sections and has three qualifying times to beat. Although the first courses are unlocked as the player progresses through the story mode, additional courses can be unlocked by beating qualifying times. Records can be uploaded to online leaderboards, where the player can compare their performance with others. The player may also download recordings of other players, called Ghosts, to show them the path they took through a course and help them improve their records. Additional achievements can be unlocked by reaching certain milestones.
## Plot
Mirror's Edge is set in a near-future city where life is comfortable and crime is almost non-existent. The city's state of bliss is achieved by an oppressive regime that controls the media and its citizens. An underground crew of parkour couriers, called Runners, operate independently from the city's security and surveillance measures, delivering private goods and sensitive information across the city. At the same time, a new candidate, Robert Pope, is challenging the incumbent Mayor Callaghan on a platform of deregulation. The game follows the story of Faith Connors, a 24-year-old Runner who lost her mother when she was campaigning against the city shifting from its vibrant atmosphere to its current regime 18 years before the events of the game. Faith was trained by former Runner Mercury "Merc", who now provides her with intelligence and radio support. Faith's twin sister, Kate, is a disciplined police officer who has a lot of affection for Faith but is also committed to protecting the city.
After completing a delivery to fellow Runner Celeste, Faith learns that Pope has been killed and that her sister has been framed for his murder. Faith tries to get Kate to flee with her, but she refuses, saying it would only make her look guilty. After making her way through the city's storm drains, Faith learns from former Runner Jacknife that Pope's head of security, Travis "Ropeburn" Burfield, may be connected to Pope's murder. She then infiltrates Ropeburn's office, where she overhears him setting up a secret meeting at an unfinished building. Faith informs Kate's wary superior officer, Lieutenant Miller, of what she has learned, but he refuses to help her. Later at the meeting, Faith confronts Ropeburn, who admits that he framed Kate and hired someone to kill Pope, but he is killed by a sniper shortly afterwards. Before he dies, Ropeburn tells Faith that he was going to meet the assassin at the New Eden Mall. Faith heads there, but the killer flees once they see Faith. Lacking other leads, Faith investigates the security firm that has begun aiding the police forces in capturing Runners. She finds that they are behind Project Icarus, a program designed to train special forces to eliminate Runners and control the city. Faith follows the trail of Ropeburn's killer to a boat that is docked at a nearby wharf. There, she learns that the assassin is Celeste, who decided to collude with Project Icarus to live a more comfortable life. She also explains that Pope had to be killed because he was seen as a threat, especially once he discovered Project Icarus.
With Kate convicted for Pope's murder, Merc helps Faith find a way to ambush the police convoy that is transporting her to prison. Faith succeeds and sends Kate to Merc's hideout while she leads the police forces away. Upon her return, Faith finds Merc critically injured and his hideout completely ransacked. Before he dies, Merc tells Faith that Kate has been taken to the Shard, the tallest skyscraper in the city and Callaghan's fortress. With Miller's help, Faith breaks into the Shard, destroying the servers that run the city's surveillance systems. On the rooftop helipad, she finds Kate held at gunpoint by Jacknife, who reveals that he is also part of Project Icarus. As Jacknife takes Kate onto a departing helicopter, Faith jumps onto it and knocks him out to his death. Faith and Kate then jump off to safety before the helicopter crashes. During the game's end credits, the media reports that Faith's actions have only served to intensify the city's security and that the location of both Faith and Kate remains unknown.
## Development
Mirror's Edge was developed by the Swedish company DICE as part of an effort to create something fresh and interesting, anticipating a need to diversify away from the successful Battlefield franchise the studio was known for. The game was conceived in July 2006, when the studio decided to create a first-person game that would not be like a traditional first-person shooter, a genre that was considered very crowded at the time. Because first-person shooters typically focus on weapons and technology, the studio wanted Mirror's Edge to focus on the player character and their physicality. The opening chase scene of Casino Royale and the way Jason Bourne fights and runs in the Bourne film series were major inspirations for the game. Originally, the development team experimented with the player being able to drive vehicles, but the idea was ultimately dropped because they felt it would break the flow of the game. The game's protagonist emerged from a sketch illustrating an athletic female hacker, who art director Johannes Söderqvist felt suited the game very well. He explained that he was interested in a strong female character that would appeal to both women and men, and who became a hero not because of high-tech weapons, but because of her physical abilities.
Although some of the game's first-person mechanics were first prototyped in the Battlefield 2 engine, Mirror's Edge was built using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 because DICE's own Frostbite engine was still in the early stages of its development cycle when production of the game started. Creating all the first-person animations proved to be an ambitious task, but it was considered essential to help orient players in the game world. The game has hundreds of first-person animations and simple moves like using a ladder has over 40 animations alone. These include interactions such as jumping into it from multiple positions, climbing it up or down, or hanging on it with one hand. Although the game has a believable first-person perspective, it is not meant to be a simulation. For example, the player is able to stop quickly after a full sprint because the development team felt that keeping the inertia would make the gameplay irritating. To animate the character's in-game shadows, a different animation system runs simultaneously. The only information that is visible in the game's heads-up display is a small reticle in the center of the screen, which was added to lessen the simulation sickness associated with the free movement of the camera in first-person view.
Mirror's Edge deliberately makes use of strong primary colors, with outdoor environments predominantly featuring white and distinctively lacking in green. According to senior producer Owen O'Brien, this stylistic choice grew out of the gameplay, as it allows the player to focus on the Runner Vision guidance. It also serves as a health meter because the colors become less saturated as Faith starts to take damage. A new lighting solution, called Beast, was developed by Illuminate Labs, a company based in south of Sweden, in association with DICE. This technology is able to reflect colors and create a lot of soft shadows, giving the game a unique art style. Getting the lighting right was a difficult process for the development team, as it involved a lot of hand tweaking and a considerable amount of time to render each level. To speed up the rendering process, DICE invested in around 400 CPU cores, which were kept cool in a separate room by a very big air conditioning unit. The storm drains in the game's third level were inspired by Tokyo's Underground Discharge Channel. The game's animated cutscenes were created by an external agency because DICE had no experience with 2D animations, while some of the game's art assets were created by a company based in Shanghai, China.
The game's working title was "Project Faith" until it was changed to its current one in mid 2007, suggesting that the game's city is a mirror to its inhabitants. American TV series Firefly and its film spin-off Serenity were cited as major influences on the setting. Writer Rhianna Pratchett, who was hired a year and a half before the game was released, described the society portrayed in the game as somewhere between an anti-utopia and a nanny state, stating that the game explores the contrast between citizens who give up their personal freedom for a comfortable life and those who prefer to live on the edge freely. O'Brien deliberately chose not to give the city a proper name because it was considered an amalgamation of many different cities, blending both East and West aesthetics. Around two and a half hours of in-game music were composed by electronic music artist Solar Fields. To ensure there was a good flow between the player and the game world, the score was designed to be very interactive and different parts transition seamlessly. The game's main theme song, "Still Alive", was composed by Swedish producers Rami Yacoub and Arnthor Birgisson and performed by Swedish pop star Lisa Miskovsky. The game went gold on November 6, 2008 and took nearly two years to complete.
## Marketing and release
Mirror's Edge was first revealed to be in development when an image of Faith holding a pistol was released in June 2007. The game was formally announced by Electronic Arts at E3 in July 2007, where DICE stated that they wanted to bring innovation to established first-person mechanics. A video featuring in-game footage was presented at the Game Developers Conference in February 2008, while a playable demonstration of the game was showcased at E3 in July 2008. At that year's E3 Game Critics Awards, Mirror's Edge won Best Original Game. New in-game footage showing a portion of the game's third level was subsequently presented at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany in August 2008. To stimulate interest in the game's universe, Electronic Arts partnered with WildStorm to produce a six-issue comic book adaptation drawn by artist Matthew Dow Smith and written by Pratchett. A demo comprising a small portion of the game was released on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live services in October 2008. If the game was pre-ordered at certain retailers, buyers could gain access to a time trial portion of the demo and get a Mirror's Edge T-shirt by Fenchurch.
Mirror's Edge was first released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in North America on November 11, 2008, followed by a European release on November 14, 2008. Alongside the standard edition, a collector's edition, which included a red bag manufactured by Timbuk2, was made available for purchase. A remix album, Still Alive: The Remixes, featuring the Mirror's Edge theme song "Still Alive", was also released. Contributing artists include Benny Benassi, Junkie XL, Paul van Dyk, Teddybears and Armand van Helden. A Microsoft Windows version of the game was released in North America on January 13, 2009, and in Europe on January 16, 2009. Unlike its console counterparts, the Microsoft Windows version supports Nvidia's PhysX technology, which improves graphical effects such as glass shattering, debris, and smoke. It also includes the SecuROM digital rights management software, unless bought on Steam.
A new downloadable map for the game's time trial mode was exclusively released on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3 users on January 29, 2009. Seven additional time trial maps, which take place in surreal-looking stages outside of the game's city, were released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows versions of the game on February 19, 2009. This was followed by Mirror's Edge 2D, a browser game adaptation by The Fancy Pants Adventures developer Brad Borne. A prequel to the game, also titled Mirror's Edge, was released for mobile devices in 2010. Due to the use of the "Mirror's Edge" trademark, Electronic Arts was in conflict with California-based development studio Edge Games, who claimed the true legal ownership of the word "Edge" and its variations, including the phrases "Cutting Edge", "The Edge", and "Gamer's Edge". Ultimately, Edge Games settled with Electronic Arts and surrendered many of its trademarks on April 17, 2013.
## Reception
Upon release, Mirror's Edge received generally favorable reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. The Microsoft Windows version was considered superior to its console counterparts due to its more accurate controls and extra graphical features such as PhysX effects. Game Informer described Mirror's Edge as an inspiring and "genre-defining" game, while Computer and Video Games called it "an extraordinary and special game", stating that it takes fatigued first-person mechanics into a new and daring direction. Other reviewers were not as positive towards the game. Eurogamer considered Mirror's Edge a very divisive game, with both gaping flaws and moments of brilliance. Edge felt that the game lacks depth because it forces the player to follow a predefined path, thus failing to capture anything that made parkour popular, while GameRevolution found the game to be very frustrating and unforgiving.
The game's visuals and soundtrack were praised very positively. Game Informer felt that the mix of protuberant white environments with solid primary colors creates "one of gaming's finest spectacles, and a surreal world for gamers to navigate." The Runner Vision guidance system was said to fit the game's art style, and the setting alone was considered powerful enough to make up the game's story, with The Guardian stating that Mirror's Edge is more about the environment than the people who inhabit it. Critics remarked that the game's interactive soundtrack makes Faith's runs more fluid, while sound effects such as her breathy heaves and noisy footsteps were said to enhance the sense of speed and tension. The voice acting was also highlighted, with IGN noting that characters never sound "cheesy or unbelievable". However, the story was criticized for its confusing plot points and the stylistic choice of animated cutscenes were said to lack the dramatic flair of the gameplay.
The gameplay was praised for its responsive controls and immersive first-person perspective. Game Informer noted Faith's fluid acrobatic maneuvers, stating that the game succeeds at making the player feel like they are part of the game world. IGN editor Nate Ahearn agreed, saying that Faith's movement is accentuated by little nuances on-screen, which together "produce the best feeling of movement and momentum that I've gotten my hands on in a [video game]." The game's trial and error gameplay frustrated some critics. GameSpot remarked that the scenarios that involve getting past opponents are particularly annoying and require careful planning because Faith is extremely vulnerable to gunfire. Some reviewers also felt that the levels were too restrictive and linear, offering only a few branching routes for the player to uncover. Although the game was considered to be relatively short, 1Up.com felt that the option to download Ghosts in the time trial mode adds some longevity to the game.
At the 2008 Spike Video Game Awards, Mirror's Edge was nominated for Best Action Adventure Game, but lost to Grand Theft Auto IV. At the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the game won Adventure Game of the Year; it was also nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction, but ultimately lost to LittleBigPlanet.
### Sales
DICE marketing director Martin Frain initially projected a total of three million copies of Mirror's Edge to be sold across all platforms. According to Electronic Arts, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions had combined sold over one million copies as of February 2009. In October 2010, a court document pertaining to the legal conflict between Electronic Arts and Edge Games revealed that Mirror's Edge had sold more than two million copies worldwide, with more than 750,000 of those copies having been sold in North America. Electronic Arts revealed the game had sold around 2.5 million copies by June 2013.
## Legacy
Although Mirror's Edge received satisfactory reviews upon release, the game has since grown in esteem and developed a passionate fanbase, reaching cult classic status. In a retrospective analysis, Eurogamer considered Mirror's Edge a brave and bold game, stating that no other game at the time tried to expand the potential of first-person action in so many directions. The publication also remarked that, when the game was first released, many people "didn't really 'get' it" because it uses the same template as that of first-person shooters. Game Informer stated that, while the game is not perfect, it "perfectly balanced innovation and entertainment", and described it as a "more grounded and plausible" platformer than the likes of Tomb Raider or Prince of Persia, mainly because it took the genre into a new perspective. Kotaku editor Luke Plunkett went so far as to call the game a masterpiece, stating that its unique architecture, colors, characters, perspective, acrobatics, and music give the game a timeless quality. The game's moderate success led DICE to develop Mirror's Edge Catalyst, a reboot that explores a new origin story for Faith. Catalyst was released in 2016 to mixed reviews.
DICE has paid tribute to Mirror's Edge in a content update for Battlefield 2042, titled "Eleventh Hour", where Faith's red shoes can be found as an easter egg hidden atop the arm of a mobile crane on the newly released map, "Flashpoint".
On March 21, 2023, Electronic Arts announced that Mirror's Edge will be delisted from digital stores, among several Battlefield games, with the last day to purchase being April 28, 2023. However, Electronic Arts later removed all references to Mirror’s Edge in an addendum and stated that it was an error and they do not have plans to delist the title.
|
48,737,252 |
You Don't Know Anything
| 1,166,128,138 | null |
[
"1997 songs",
"1999 singles",
"Atlantic Records singles",
"Ivy (band) songs",
"Songs written by Adam Schlesinger",
"Songs written by Andy Chase",
"Songs written by Dominique Durand"
] |
"You Don't Know Anything" is a song by American indie rock band Ivy. It was released by Atlantic Records on April 29, 1999 as the fourth and final single from their second studio album, Apartment Life (1997). The single was made available exclusively in Europe and featured the same two B-sides as previous single, "This Is the Day", which had been released by 550 Music in Austria. The track was written by Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase while production was handled by the latter two and Peter Nashel.
Released alongside "This Is the Day", "You Don't Know Anything" received promotion by Atlantic Records after the former track was included on the soundtrack for the 1998 film, There's Something About Mary. The recording received generally favorable reviews from music critics who compared the song to the works of Irish rock group My Bloody Valentine.
## Background and composition
"You Don't Know Anything" was written by Ivy band members Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase. The production of the track was handled by Chase and Schlesinger, with additional production provided by Peter Nashel. Musically, "You Don't Know Anything" is a pop rock/indie rock song, also incorporating elements of indie pop and guitar accords. Lyrically, the song discusses a lover being "clueless" and "in the wrong".
The single was heavily compared to My Bloody Valentine; in their review of the track, Sputnikmusic stated that it "comes off like a My Bloody Valentine song with intelligible vocals, with a sliding, reverb heavy hook and pummeling drums", while AllMusic writer Jack Rabid drew similar comparisons. Patrick Carmosino of West Net stated that with "You Don't Know Anything", Ivy "have an indie-ethic rock side that compliments their pop sensibilities to the tee".
## Release
The recording was released simultaneously with the release of the single "This Is the Day"; this occurred after the latter track was featured in the 1998 film, There's Something About Mary. "You Don't Know Anything" was released as a CD single exclusively in European countries; the CD included two B-side tracks, "Sleeping Late" and "Sweet Mary".
## Critical reception
"You Don't Know Anything" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club praised the track and Apartment Life for "sound[ing] slickly pretty and mannered". AllMusic named the song "a knockout" and praised it for allowing "the guitars [to] get mean". Reviewer Scott Floman was more mixed with his review, finding the track to "pass by pleasantly but unremarkably".
## Track listing
## Credits and personnel
Credits and personnel adapted from "You Don't Know Anything" liner notes and Andy Chase's discography.
Recording
- Recorded at The Place, New York City; Duotone Studios, New York City; and Compositions, New York City
Personnel
- Andy Chase – engineering, executive producer, mixing
- Dominique Durand – lead and background vocals
- Matthew Ellard – assistant mixing
- Philippe Garcia – photography
- Josh Grier – legal advisor
- James Iha – background vocals, additional production
- Paul Q. Kolderie – mixing
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Q Prime – management
- Brenda Rotheiser – art direction, design
- Adam Schlesinger – engineering, executive producer, mixing
- Sean Slade – mixing
## Release history
|
28,520,836 |
WindSeeker
| 1,158,635,604 |
Swing ride at several Cedar Fair parks
|
[
"Amusement rides introduced in 2011",
"Amusement rides introduced in 2012",
"Amusement rides introduced in 2014",
"Amusement rides manufactured by Mondial",
"Amusement rides that closed in 2012",
"Carowinds",
"Cedar Fair attractions",
"Cedar Point",
"Swing rides",
"Towers in California",
"Towers in North Carolina",
"Towers in Ohio",
"Towers in Ontario",
"Towers in Virginia"
] |
WindSeeker is a 301-foot-tall (92 m) swing ride at several Cedar Fair parks. The rides are Wind Seeker models manufactured by Mondial. They opened for the 2011 season at Canada's Wonderland in Ontario, Cedar Point and Kings Island in Ohio, and Knott's Berry Farm in California. Carowinds in North Carolina and Kings Dominion in Virginia opened their WindSeekers in 2012. The first four each cost US\$5 million, while the remaining two each cost \$6.5 million. Cedar Fair relocated the Knott's Berry Farm WindSeeker to Worlds of Fun in 2014, where it reopened as SteelHawk.
The three-minute ride features 32 suspended twin seats – 64 seats total – spinning around a central tower. A lighting package was installed on all four WindSeekers, consisting of LED light strips mounted on the arms that support the swings and, with the exception of SteelHawk,) colored floodlights to illuminate towers from above.
WindSeeker at Canada's Wonderland was the first of the four parks to open on May 24, 2011. Problems soon after the ride opened led to a closure for repairs; it reopened several weeks later. The second WindSeeker opened to the public at Cedar Point on June 14, 2011, followed by the third at Kings Island on June 21, 2011, and the fourth at Knott's Berry Farm in August 2011. The following season, the fifth WindSeeker opened at Carowinds' on March 31, 2012, along with the sixth at Kings Dominion on April 6, 2012.
On September 21, 2012, Cedar Fair announced the temporary closure of all WindSeekers in response to two incidents at Knott's Berry Farm. All the installations, excluding Knott's Berry Farm, later reopened. The Knott's Berry Farm installation remained closed and was eventually relocated to Worlds of Fun.
## History
On their Facebook pages throughout August 2010, several Cedar Fair amusement parks hinted frequently at a new ride to be opened in 2011. On August 24, 2010, Canada's Wonderland, Cedar Point, Kings Island, and Knott's Berry Farm all announced that they would be adding a Mondial WindSeeker, to open sometime in spring 2011.
Construction of the WindSeekers at Canada's Wonderland, Cedar Point, and Kings Island began in late October and early November 2010. To install them, Canada's Wonderland's Jet Scream ride was removed and Cedar Point's Ocean Motion was moved to the former Demon Drop site. Construction was scheduled to begin around the same time at Knott's Berry Farm, where the Sky Cabin observation tower was to be removed to make way for it. On January 7, 2011, however, it was announced that their WindSeeker would not replace Sky Cabin but instead be located in the Fiesta Village section of the park. Work began almost immediately after this announcement.
Kings Island's WindSeeker was originally scheduled to be the first to open, on April 30, 2011, but the opening was delayed because of bad weather and eventually took place on the morning of June 21, 2011. It was the first WindSeeker to use the Fast Lane program.
The WindSeeker at Canada's Wonderland was originally scheduled to open on May 8, 2011, one week after that of Kings Island. On May 24, 2011, after problems were discovered during testing, Canada's Wonderland announced on their Facebook page that it would open to the public later that day, but it was quickly closed again when further mechanical problems were discovered. From May 24 to mid-June 2011, the ride was intermittently closed because of a variety of problems, most of which have since been resolved. At the beginning of October 2011, the hydraulic dampers used on the Knott's Berry Farm model were added to reduce the amount of swing movement even more.
Cedar Point's WindSeeker was originally scheduled to open on May 14, 2011, two weeks after that of Kings Island. After almost a month delays in construction and testing due to bad weather, it opened on June 14, 2011.
Before the decision to keep the Sky Cabin at Knott's Berry Farm and to place its WindSeeker elsewhere, their WindSeeker was to have the same color scheme as others. Also, instead of there being the red "UFO" on the top of the tower, original promotional materials show that a large purple "K" was to be placed on the top of the ride. The ride opened in mid-August 2011 after three months of delays. In late 2011, Fast Lane became available on the Knott's Berry Farm WindSeeker. On September 7, the ride stalled for nearly three hours, and on September 19, it stalled again at the top of the tower for three and a half hours. Both incidents prompted Cedar Fair to close all other WindSeekers until an internal investigation is completed. After the investigation was complete, all WindSeekers reopened except Knott's' model which was dismantled by December 11, 2013 to be sent to Worlds of Fun.
Throughout August 2011, the Carowinds web site had six different QR codes, each of which led the user to a website giving a clue as to what the 2012 attraction might be. When all six clues were put together, they made a picture that read "Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters, fun soars to new heights... August 24". On August 24, 2011, it was officially announced that Carowinds would receive the fifth WindSeeker, and on September 1, 2011, Kings Dominion officially announced that the sixth would open at the park in 2012. The WindSeekers at Carowinds and Kings Dominion have the same appearance as those at Canada's Wonderland, Cedar Point, and Kings Island and opened in 2012. Their construction started in early November 2011, after the parks closed for the season. At Carowinds, a section of the lake was filled near Nighthawk during construction to accommodate the ride's large footprint. At Kings Dominion, El Dorado was removed at the end of the 2011 season to make room for WindSeeker. Much like El Dorado, WindSeeker would sit in the same former spot as Hypersonic XLC. The first WindSeeker tower piece was installed there on January 20, 2012, and at Carowinds on January 23, 2012. Carowinds soft-opened their version on March 30, 2012 to media and invited guests; it opened to the public on March 31, 2012. Kings Dominion officially opened their model on April 6, 2012.
On August 30, 2013, Worlds of Fun announced that they would be adding SteelHawk, the relocated WindSeeker from Knott's Berry Farm.
## Structure
All six WindSeekers consist of the same parts in an identical structure. The 301-foot-tall (92 m) center tower is made up of eight parts. The base section is different from the other seven tower pieces because it supports the rest of the tower. On top of the eighth tower piece, there is a steel platform where workers and mechanics can observe the operation of the ride and perform maintenance. Above this platform is an element called the "red UFO" or the "Crown". The gondola itself has a number of parts. In the middle of the structure there are wheels that allow the swings to rotate as they go up and down the tower. The gondola is raised and lowered by cables linking the gondola structure to four sets of yellow wheels, each attached to a different section of the steel platform at the top of the tower. Hydraulic dampers that were not in the original design were added to all the WindSeeker installations to reduce the movement of the swings while in operation.
### Tuned Mass Damper inside "red UFO" or "Crown"
Inside the "red UFO" or the "Crown", a Tuned Mass Damper is hidden which is to counteract vortex shedding vibrations. Vibrations due to vortex shedding occurs at the critical wind speeds where the vortexes in the wake of the structure coincides with the structures natural frequency which causes resonance. The tuned mass damper adds damping which limits the vibrations.
## Ride features
All the WindSeekers have speakers mounted to the inside of the gondola structure. They play 18 different tracks, among which are Hedwig's theme from the Harry Potter films, the theme songs from E.T., Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and Superman, as well as songs from Flight of the Valkyries. At Cedar Point and Kings Island, the WindSeeker sign changes colors during night operation. At Cedar Point, as the gondola makes its way up the tower, the LED lights at the top of the tower go out, making the tower invisible, though the LED lights on the gondola remain lit. When the gondola comes back down, the lights at the top of the tower come on again. At Canada's Wonderland, the LED lights at the top of the tower remain on throughout the cycle, keeping the tower visible at all times.
The WindSeeker at Knott's Berry Farm differed from the other five in several ways. Rather than white, blue, and green on the tower, Knott's adopted a color scheme using orange, purple, and yellow to reflect the Spanish California theme of the Fiesta Village section of the park. The tower at Knott's had no lights at the top. The ride's sign had a Mexican theme and did not light up.
## Ride experience
Riders sit in one of 64 seats placed around a central tower, which brings the gondola up and down. A restraint bar is fixed over the rider's lap to keep them firmly in their seat. There is no seat belt across the rider's lap, but there is one from the seat to the restraint bar in case the lock on the restraint bar fails. After the operators determine that it is safe to proceed, the gondola rises to the top of the tower to a musical accompaniment, beginning to spin slowly around the central tower and picking up speed as it ascends further.
By the time it reaches the top, it is rotating around the tower at its full speed of approximately 30 miles per hour (48 km/h). The gondola remains at the top of the tower for just over a minute before starting its descent and immediately beginning to slow down. By the time it reaches the bottom of the tower, all rotation ceases. One cycle of the ride lasts three minutes.
## Problems and accidents
The four WindSeekers opened in 2011 are based on the same prototype design by Dutch amusement ride manufacturer Mondial Rides. The WindSeeker at Canada's Wonderland was the first to be completed and thus the first to be tested. It was discovered during testing that the swings could rock back and forth once rotation reached full speed, and were close to hitting each other in some cases. Therefore, hydraulic dampers not included in the original design were added to all four WindSeekers to reduce this rocking. Nevertheless, there were still incidents: on June 14, 2011, the swings on Cedar Point's WindSeeker began to sway in different directions, and some seats almost collided with each other. In one reported case, a rider had to extend his leg to stop the seat in front from hitting him. In another, a seat collided with the kneecap of a rider who had closed their eyes. Official explanations suggested that the hydraulic dampers could fail under high winds: apparently, high winds and the imbalance arising when some swings are full and others not could cause the swings to collide. On June 29, 2011, Jennifer Valentyne of Breakfast Television Toronto rode the WindSeeker at Canada's Wonderland for her "Live-Eye" spot on the show. When the swings reached the top of the tower, the seats began swinging and hitting each other. As the ride continued, Breakfast Television hosts Kevin Frankish and Dina Pugliese asked whether the seats were supposed to touch each other, but received no response.
Additional problems were discovered when the ride opened to the public. The WindSeeker at Canada's Wonderland underwent repairs for just over a week when it was discovered that one of the 32 pairs of seats had been removed for an unstated reason. They were replaced and testing began shortly after. In another case at the same installation, riders were stuck at the top of the WindSeeker tower for 20 minutes when the swings did not come down. Since these incidents, ride operations are suspended during high winds or heavy rain.
Aside from the many minor problems all WindSeekers had in 2011, the first major accident occurred on June 2, 2012, on the Cedar Point installation. According to numerous news and rider reports, WindSeeker operated normally as the gondola made its way up the tower. Attached to the tower and gondola are a set of electrical cables that are located inside a plastic casing and are secured by two side panels to prevent the cables from moving around. At the top of the tower, winds were reportedly strong enough to push the electrical cables out of the socket on the tower causing the cables to move around freely. According to a rider riding WindSeeker at the time of the accident, as the gondola made its way back down the tower, the cables got stuck in the rotating gondola. The plastic casing began to be ripped apart as well as the cables causing the ride to come to a complete stop just over halfway up the tower. Because the electrical cables had been damaged, Cedar Point employees had to manually bring down the gondola. Riders were stuck on the ride for over an hour and no one was injured. WindSeeker at Cedar Point remained closed until the cause of the accident was found and fixed. The ride reopened on June 5, 2012.
During the 2012 season, all of the WindSeekers except Kings Island's experienced incidents in which the ride stopped, stranding riders in the air. Two such incidents occurred in September at Knott's Berry Farm, in one case leaving riders stranded at the top of the ride for nearly four hours, prompting the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration to order the ride shut down indefinitely on September 19 pending investigation of both the length of time riders were stranded and the actual causes of the incidents. Two days later on September 21, Cedar Fair announced the closure of all other WindSeekers to conduct an internal review. The company said that until the review concludes, none of the rides would operate again. The rides remained closed through the remainder of the 2012 season at the five seasonal parks but reopened at all parks in 2013, excluding Knott's Berry Farm's version which was relocated to Worlds of Fun.
## Reception
One week after the officially opening at Cedar Point, attraction reviewer Brian Krosnick of Theme Park Tourist submitted an online review saying that it was "truly breathtaking". The review applauded "the inclusion of on-ride audio and such an exemplary lighting package", commenting that it was "more than anyone expected or could've asked for". Krosnick pointed out that, because of the location of the ride beside Lake Erie and the hot summers, the lights on the ride attract massive "clouds" of bugs. He felt the ride cycle might be too short for the type of ride, particularly the time spent at the top. On July 13, 2011, Nick Sim, also from Theme Park Tourist, reviewed the ride at Kings Island and made similar remarks.
Los Angeles Times blogger Brady MacDonald complimented the "impressive nighttime spectacular from anywhere in the park". He reported having thoroughly enjoyed the ride at Knott's Berry Farm and said that he would ride it every time he visited the park. Tom Sherer of the Sandusky Register praised Cedar Point's WindSeeker for having one of the best views of the park and commented that it "isn't as extreme as a lot of people fear, unless you're afraid of heights." He criticized the name WindSeeker, pointing out that the ride closes in high winds. Another reviewer called the view from Knott's Berry Farm's version "simply breathtaking" and urged readers to "get a ride on it as soon as you can". The same reviewer, however, also criticized the choice of music, suggesting that the park should have used "themes from more 'southwestern' films" to fit with the overall theme of the Fiesta Village area. Members of the general public have also applauded the addition.
## See also
- SkyScreamer, a similar ride by Funtime at Six Flags theme parks
- 2011 in amusement parks
- 2012 in amusement parks
|
14,445,264 |
HMS Forester (H74)
| 1,147,293,966 |
Destroyer
|
[
"1934 ships",
"E and F-class destroyers of the Royal Navy",
"Ships built on the Isle of Wight",
"Spanish Civil War ships",
"World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom"
] |
HMS Forester was one of nine F-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy during the early 1930s. Although assigned to the Home Fleet upon completion, the ship was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1935–36 during the Abyssinia Crisis. A few weeks after the start of World War II in September 1939, she helped to sink one German submarine and then participated in the Second Battle of Narvik during the Norwegian Campaign of 1940. Forester was sent to Gibraltar in mid-1940 and formed part of Force H where she participated in the attack on the Vichy French ships at Mers-el-Kébir and the Battle of Dakar between escorting the aircraft carriers of Force H as they flew off aircraft for Malta and covering convoys resupplying and reinforcing the island until late 1941. During this time the ship helped to sink another German submarine.
Converted into an escort destroyer midway through the war, Forester was assigned to escort convoys to Russia for the next year and a half and then in the North Atlantic until mid-1944. The ship helped to sink another German submarine before she was transferred to the English Channel to protect convoys during the Normandy landings. Forester assisted in sinking a German submarine before returning to the North Atlantic for a few months. The ship was under repair for the first half of 1945 and was then reduced to reserve in November before being scrapped in early 1946.
## Description
The F-class ships were repeats of the preceding E class. They displaced 1,405 long tons (1,428 t) at standard load and 1,940 long tons (1,970 t) at deep load. The ships had an overall length of 329 feet (100.3 m), a beam of 33 feet 3 inches (10.1 m) and a draught of 12 feet 6 inches (3.8 m). They were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by three Admiralty three-drum boilers. The turbines developed a total of 36,000 shaft horsepower (27,000 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 35.5 knots (65.7 km/h; 40.9 mph). Forester carried a maximum of 470 long tons (480 t) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 6,350 nautical miles (11,760 km; 7,310 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The ships' complement was 145 officers and ratings.
The ships mounted four 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX guns in single mounts, designated 'A', 'B', 'X', and 'Y' in sequence from front to rear. For anti-aircraft (AA) defence, they had two quadruple Mark I mounts for the 0.5 inch Vickers Mark III machine gun. The F class was fitted with two above-water quadruple torpedo tube mounts for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes. One depth charge rack and two throwers were fitted; 20 depth charges were originally carried, but this increased to 35 shortly after the war began.
### Wartime modifications
Forester had her rear torpedo tubes replaced by a 12-pounder (76 mm) AA gun when she returned to England in October 1941. In April–June 1943, she was converted into an escort destroyer. A Type 286 short-range surface search radar was fitted and a Type 271 target indication radar was installed above the bridge, replacing the director-control tower and rangefinder. The ship also received a HF/DF radio direction finder mounted on a pole mainmast. Her short-range AA armament was augmented by four 20 mm (0.8 in) Oerlikon guns and the .50-calibre machine guns were replaced by a pair of Oerlikons. A split Hedgehog anti-submarine spigot mortar was installed abreast 'A' gun and stowage for a total of 70 depth charges meant that 'Y' gun and the 12-pounder had to be removed to compensate for their weight. By 1944 the ship carried 115 depth charges.
## Construction and career
Forester was built by J. Samuel White at its Cowes shipyard under the 1932 Naval Programme. The ship was laid down on 15 May 1933, launched on 28 June 1934, as the eleventh ship to carry the name, and completed on 19 April 1935. The ship cost 248,898 pounds, excluding Admiralty supplied equipment such as armaments and communications sets. Forester was initially assigned to the 6th Destroyer Flotilla (DF) of the Home Fleet, but was sent to reinforce the Mediterranean Fleet, together with most of her sister ships, during the Abyssinian crisis in June and remained here until February 1936. She was deployed to protect neutral shipping to the Bay of Biscay from April to September 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. On 6 April, she escorted the British-flagged freighter Jenny to Santander assisted by the heavy cruiser HMS Shopshire. On 27 April, Forester attempted to shepherd the British merchant Consett to Santander, but the cargo ship was shelled by the battleship España and forced out of the territorial waters. Forester accomplished the same mission off Gibraltar in September–October of the same year. The ship then returned home and spent the next two years with the 6th DF. The flotilla was renumbered the 8th Destroyer Flotilla in April 1939, five months before the start of World War II. Forester remained assigned to it until June 1940, escorting the larger ships of the fleet.
After a pair of fishing trawlers were sunk by a submarine off the Hebrides after the start of World War II in September 1939, the 6th and 8th DFs were ordered to sweep the area on 19 September. The following day, Forester and three of her sisters sank the and then resumed their normal escort duties. On 11 February 1940, she helped to tow the damaged tanker to port after she was torpedoed by . Two months later, Forester escorted the battleship Warspite during the Second Battle of Narvik on 13 April and engaged several German destroyers. Only lightly damaged herself, she escorted the badly damaged destroyer Cossack to Skjelfjord for temporary repairs after the battle. Two days later, Forester was one of the screen for the battleship Rodney and the battlecruiser Renown as they sailed back to Scapa Flow to refuel. In early June, the ship was escorting the battlecruiser Repulse and two cruisers as they searched for illusory German commerce raiders off Iceland; they were recalled to Norwegian waters on 9 June after the Germans launched Operation Juno, an attack on the Allied convoys evacuating Norway, but the Germans had already returned to base by the time the ships arrived.
### Force H
In late June, the 8th DF was ordered to Gibraltar where they were to form the escorts for Force H. A few days later, they participated in the attack on Mers-el-Kébir against the Vichy French ships stationed there. During Operation MA 5, a planned air attack on Italian airfields in Sardinia, the destroyer Escort was torpedoed by the Italian submarine Guglielmo Marconi on 11 July after the attack had been cancelled due to lack of surprise. The torpedo blew a large hole in the ship, but the British tried to salvage her. Despite their efforts, she foundered later that morning after Forester and the flotilla leader Faulknor took off the survivors. A month later Forester was one of the escorts for Force H during Operation Hurry, a mission to fly off fighter aircraft for Malta and conduct an airstrike on Cagliari on 2 August. On 13 September, Force H rendezvoused with a convoy that was carrying troops intended to capture Dakar from the Vichy French. Ten days later, they attacked Dakar, but were driven off by the Vichy French defences. In early October, Forester escorted a troop convoy from Freetown, Sierra Leone, to French Cameroon.
She then returned to Gibraltar and escorted the aircraft carriers Argus and Ark Royal during Operations Coat and White in November. On 21 November, the light cruiser Despatch, Forester and Faulknor intercepted the Vichy French blockade runner and escorted her to Gibraltar. The ship escorted Force F to Malta during Operation Collar later in the month and participated in the inconclusive Battle of Cape Spartivento on 27 November. In early January, she screened Force H during Operation Excess and rescued the crew of a shot-down Italian bomber on 9 January.
Later that month, Forester and Faulknor temporarily relieved some of the escorts for Convoy WS 5B bound for Egypt via the Cape of Good Hope and stayed with the convoy to Freetown. Before arriving there on 26 January, they were detached from Force H to reinforce the Freetown Escort Force. This did not last long as they were ordered to escort Convoy SL 67 and the battleship Malaya en route back to Gibraltar. On 7 March, the German battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst spotted the convoy, but Admiral Günther Lütjens declined to attack when Malaya was spotted. Their report caused attacks by two U-boats that sank five ships from the convoy before Force H rendezvoused with it three days later. The following month Forester was part of the escort screen, with five other destroyers, for the battleship Queen Elizabeth and the light cruisers Naiad, Fiji and Gloucester which were joining the Mediterranean Fleet. This was part of Operation Tiger which included a supply convoy taking tanks to Egypt and the transfer of warships to and from the Mediterranean Fleet. Forester and her sisters had their Two-Speed Destroyer Sweep (TSDS) minesweeping gear rigged to allow them to serve as a fast minesweepers en route to Malta. Despite this, one merchant ship was sunk by mines and another damaged. Later that month, she participated in Operation Splice, another mission in which the carriers Ark Royal and Furious flew off fighters for Malta.
Force H was ordered to join the escort of Convoy WS 8B in the North Atlantic on 24 May, after the Battle of the Denmark Strait on 23 May, but they were directed to search for the German battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen on 25 May. Heavy seas increased fuel consumption for all of the escorts and Forester was forced to return to Gibraltar to refuel later that day before rejoining the capital ships of Force H on 29 May, after Bismarck had been tracked down and sunk. In early June the destroyer participated in two more aircraft delivery missions to Malta (Operations Rocket and Tracer). While returning to Gibraltar to refuel, after covering another WS convoy west of Gibraltar, she participated in the sinking of U-138, together with four of her sisters on 18 June. In late June, Forester screened Ark Royal and Furious as they flew off more fighters for Malta in Operation Railway.
On 23 July, during a Malta supply convoy (Operation Substance), Forester rescued survivors from her sister Fearless, which had been attacked by Italian torpedo-bombers, and then sank the wrecked and burning ship with torpedoes. A week later she screened the capital ships of Force H as they covered another Malta convoy (Operation Style). Over the next several months, Forester participated in Operation Halberd, another Malta convoy and escorted Ark Royal and Furious as they made several trips to fly off aircraft for Malta (Operations Status, Status II and Callboy). Upon her return to the UK on 26 October, the destroyer was briefly assigned to the 11th Escort Group before rejoining the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow in November. She then began a lengthy refit and work up that lasted until April 1942.
### Russian convoys, 1942
In mid-April, Forester was part of the close cover for Convoy PQ 14 to Murmansk. On 28 April, Forester joined the escort of returning Convoy QP 11, and two days later, when the light cruiser Edinburgh was torpedoed, she and her sister Foresight were detached to escort the crippled cruiser back to Murmansk. On 1 May Edinburgh and her escorts were attacked by the German destroyers Z24, Z25 and Z7 Hermann Schoemann. Forester fired her torpedoes at Z25, but was almost simultaneously hit by three shells. They disabled 'B' and 'X' guns and the hit in No. 1 boiler room temporarily disabled her propulsion machinery. Twelve crewmen were killed, including her captain, and nine were wounded. Foresight was also temporarily disabled and the Germans put another torpedo into Edinburgh, crippling her, before breaking off the engagement to rescue the crew of the crippled Z7 Hermann Schoemann. The two British destroyers took off the survivors from the cruiser and Foresight scuttled the cruiser with a torpedo before heading back to Murmansk for temporary repairs. She sailed on 13 May with Foresight and the destroyers Somali and Matchless as escorts for the light cruiser Trinidad that had been damaged while escorting Convoy PQ 13. The next day the ships came under heavy air attack, and Trinidad was further damaged and set on fire. Forester took off the wounded and other survivors, and Trinidad was sunk by Matchless. Forester arrived at Scapa Flow on 18 May and immediately took passage to a shipyard on the Tyne for repairs that lasted until October. That month, she rejoined the 8th DF and resumed escorting convoys to Russia until April 1943. The ship was then refitted at Leith until June.
### Later service, 1943–45
In June 1943, Forester joined the 1st Canadian Escort Group for Atlantic convoy duty. On 10 March 1944, while escorting Convoy SC 154, Forester, along with the destroyer HMCS St. Laurent, the frigate and the corvette sank the German submarine U-845. The ship remained on convoy duty in the North Atlantic until 29 May when she was transferred to the English Channel to support the Normandy landings for the next several months. On 20 August, Forester, and the destroyers Wensleydale and Vidette sank the U-413 off Beachy Head. The next day she engaged and drove off E-boats with the destroyers Melbreak and Watchman while defending a Channel coastal convoy. In October, the ship was transferred to the 14th Escort Group at Londonderry Port for convoy defence. On 1 December 1944 Forester arrived at Liverpool for repairs, returning to service in May 1945, and joining the Rosyth Escort Force.
Forester was paid off in August and reduced to reserve at Dartmouth on 2 November. She was turned over to the British Iron & Steel Corporation on 22 January 1946 for disposal and arrived at Rosyth to be broken up for scrap on 26 February by Metal Industries, Limited.
|
65,808,747 |
Ruth Cupp
| 1,145,555,694 |
American judge and politician (1928-2016)
|
[
"1928 births",
"2016 deaths",
"20th-century American judges",
"20th-century American lawyers",
"20th-century American women",
"21st-century American women",
"Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives",
"Lawyers from Charleston, South Carolina",
"Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina",
"Politicians from Fort Worth, Texas",
"South Carolina state court judges",
"University of South Carolina School of Law alumni",
"Winthrop University alumni",
"Women state legislators in South Carolina",
"Writers from Charleston, South Carolina",
"Writers from Texas"
] |
Ruth Cupp (née Williams; December 16, 1928 – July 9, 2016) was an American lawyer, legislator, judge, and author in South Carolina. She was the first woman admitted to the Charleston County Bar Association. She served as an associate probate judge, and was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. She was also a columnist for Charleston's The Post and Courier.
## Early life
Williams was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on December 16, 1928, to Eva Lou and Ollie Williams. She had two sisters, Eddie Lou Garvin and Patsy Williams Hughes Mizell, and one brother, Ray Williams. In 1941, she and her family moved to North Charleston, South Carolina.
## Education
Williams attended Winthrop College in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where she earned a scholarship and majored in sociology and political science. During her college years, she worked at the Charleston Orphan House. She completed the constitutional law course of professor Ruth Toettinger, who inspired her to pursue graduate work in the law.
In 1954, Williams graduated from the University of South Carolina Law School. She was the lone woman in a class of 44 students. She said that the law school would admit only one female student per entering class, but also that she got along well with her male classmates.
## Law career
Williams was admitted to the South Carolina bar on December 14, 1954; in her book about women lawyers in South Carolina, Portia Steps up to the Bar, she indicated she was the sixty-fifth woman attorney admitted to the South Carolina bar.
Of her time entering the legal profession, she said, "I was among the relatively few women who entered the professional world during the [1950s]. At the time, I felt that I was getting some mixed signals about legitimacy as a female wage earner. Certainly there were occasions when I felt socially out of place."
After graduation from law school, Williams practiced law at Broad Street in Charleston. In 1954, she became the first of the area's female attorneys to join the Charleston County Bar Association. Her law practice spanned 61 years.
When Williams began to practice law, there were still many antiquated requirements. She wrote that from 1895 to the 1950s all South Carolina lawyers and certain officeholders, "had to swear, upon their admission to the bar, not to settle disputes by dueling." She said this requirement was eliminated after James F. Byrnes was inaugurated as Governor of South Carolina and he was teased about promising not to duel by his friends who attended the inauguration. The South Carolina Code at the time also provided that "a child under the age of ten or a totally blind person is qualified to draw the jury, whose names of individuals are encased in a capsule and placed in a drum". She stated that most "courts used a boy under the age of ten to draw their juries, although few used a blind man ... On one occasion, I nodded to the blind juryman as I took a step to join him in the courthouse elevator and strangely, he nodded back. The only South Carolina jury girl child that I have been able to identify is Pamela Hughes, now a school principal in Berkeley County." She said that at the time, all court sessions opened with a prayer.
She practiced law with the president of the Charleston Bar, Robert Figg, and then later worked for the office of Hope and Cabaniss.
## South Carolina House of Representatives
Williams served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1962 to 1964. She was unmarried at the time that she ran for office, and in an apparent attempt to emphasize her focus on family values, a niece of hers was photographed in a baby carriage with the campaign sign "Vote for My Aunt Ruth".
Of her time in the House of Representatives, she recalled: "I was the only woman out of 124 members. It wasn't daunting. I was there to make sure that the issues important to me, such as those affecting women, children, lawyers, and Charleston, were addressed."
According to Williams, in the 1920s, South Carolina passed laws that both allowed for women's suffrage but also denied women the ability to serve on juries, since they were selected from the ranks of registered voters. She said that, "the issue of allowing women to serve on juries was considered and defeated by each General Assembly from 1949 until 1966".
> I was a member of the 95th General Assembly in 1963 and 1964 and recall that at the time there was no expectation of sufficient votes for passage. (Allegedly, the major objection was the cost to provide jury lavatories, two for males and two for women, one each for "Coloreds" and "Whites.") I concluded that the reason for the defeat of this measure was that the plaintiff's attorneys controlled the House and Senate. They did not want women on their juries because they assumed women could not think in terms of big money (i.e., large verdicts).
Williams said that this ban on women serving on juries persisted in South Carolina until after the Federal case of White v. Crook in 1966, which made it unconstitutional to bar women from juries, and that this case prompted the legislature to pass an amendment to the South Carolina constitution to allow women to serve. South Carolina would be the second to last state to allow women to serve on juries in 1967, with Mississippi being the last in 1968.
She lost her bid for re-election in 1964 in part for supporting Lyndon Johnson in his bid for re-election. After her loss, Congressman L. Mendel Rivers called to console her.
## Later life
In 1971, after serving in the South Carolina House, Williams was asked by Winthrop College President Charles Davis to "lead a committee of alumni" to work towards making Winthrop a coeducational institution by lobbying for a legislative change to the college's charter. The Winthrop charter had established the college as a women's only college. She stated that her time "serving in the General Assembly gave [her] a good understanding of how the lobbying process works."
As a result of these efforts, the South Carolina government passed a law giving the Winthrop Board of Trustees the authority to decide the coeducation issue and the Board decided to change the charter to allow for coeducation. She later said that she considered this endeavor and achievement her "biggest contribution" in her life to Winthrop.
At age 45, Ruth Williams married Claude Murphy Cupp, a retired Army doctor, and changed her name into Ruth Cupp. After ending her time in the House, she went on to practice at "one of the largest law firms in the state, Sinkler, Gibbs, and Simons", and later worked as in-house counsel for the Medical University of South Carolina, then started her own practice after leaving MUSC. She became an Associate Judge of Probate and practiced from 1990 to 1994.
In her 60s, Cupp began to focus on writing, ultimately publishing three books. She also wrote about the city of North Charleston in a weekly column for The Post and Courier. A collection of her 68 articles was later bound into a North Area Scrap Book and the City of North Charleston website states that it serves as the "definitive source" for local North Charleston lore. In the foreword to the book, Cupp wrote: "While I was not born here, my heart and soul were."
## Memberships and affiliations
Cupp served on the Executive Committee of the Charleston County Bar, as a member of the Executive Committee of the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, and on the Executive Committee of the Senior Lawyers Division of the South Carolina Bar. She later commented, "I did not know until I arrived that I was the first female to attend [the Charleston County Bar], and I did not know until almost 50 years later that a senior member objected to my presence." She also chaired the South Carolina Children's Bureau.
## Awards and honors
In 2015, the Charleston County Bar honored Cupp with the James Louis Petigru Award. The Bar's highest award is not given annually but at the discretion of the association's standing committee for demonstrating sterling principles as a lawyer. Cupp said about receiving the award:
> I would say that the comradery at this Bar is superior to any other Bar group anywhere. When I graduated from law school in 1954, my class was the last new group that had to stand before the South Carolina Supreme Court and swear we would not settle any disputes by dueling. During my 61 years practicing law, I am pleased to say I have never settled one dispute against a fellow attorney by dueling.
## Works
Cupp authored three books. Portia Steps up to the Bar is about the history of South Carolina women lawyers. Cupp said she owed her success to those that came before her. Attorneys from Charles Town to Charleston is about the history of Charleston lawyers. Miracles on St. Margaret Street discusses the history of the Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina; Cupp was involved with this organization, which assisted single expectant women.
## Personal life
Cupp's sister, Patsy Williams Hughes Mizell, followed her lead entering politics and becoming the first woman elected to the North Charleston City Council in 1974 and the only woman to serve in the office during her 21 years. Cupp traveled extensively, going with family to England, Spain, and Ireland, as well as traveling on her own to Antarctica, Tibet, and India; late in her life, her favorite destination was Oxford and she would travel there yearly well into her 80s. Cupp died on July 9, 2016. Her funeral was held at St. Michael's Episcopal Church, one of the Four Corners of Law in downtown Charleston.
|
1,891,319 |
Blue Murder (album)
| 1,171,443,400 | null |
[
"1989 debut albums",
"Albums produced by Bob Rock",
"Albums recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios",
"Blue Murder (band) albums",
"Geffen Records albums"
] |
Blue Murder is the debut album by English hard rock band Blue Murder, released on 24 April 1989 by Geffen Records. It was produced by Bob Rock. The band was formed by guitarist John Sykes after his dismissal from Whitesnake. He was eventually joined by bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice. The band entered Little Mountain Sound Studios in early 1988 to begin recording their debut album. After several unsuccessful attempts at finding a lead singer, John Sykes took up the role, having already sung the band's first demos. Following the record's release, Blue Murder embarked on tours supporting Bon Jovi and Billy Squier.
Despite a positive reception from music critics, who touted the band's musicianship and Rock's production, the album underperformed commercially, only peaking at number 45 in the UK and number 69 in the US. Its failure has since been attributed to a variety of internal problems, including a lack of proper promotion, mismanagement and poor business decisions by the band. However, the record has garnered a small cult following since its release. In 2013, it was reissued and remastered by Rock Candy Records.
## Background
In 1986, guitarist John Sykes was fired from the English hard rock group Whitesnake by the band's lead vocalist David Coverdale. Sykes had recently finished recording the group's eponymous album, which he co-wrote with Coverdale. The album would go on to achieve multi-platinum status and peak at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. Sykes retreated to his home studio in Blackpool, England, where he started writing new material. Eager to prove himself, Sykes began putting together a new band in February 1987. First to join was drummer Cozy Powell, who had played with Sykes in Whitesnake from 1984 to 1985. Next came bassist Tony Franklin, formerly of The Firm. He was one of Sykes' top choices for the band and, as it happened, the husband of Franklin's cousin was working at Sykes' studio. Through him, they were able to get in touch with one another and, after a brief jam session, Franklin agreed to join the band. Last was singer Ray Gillen, who had previously fronted Black Sabbath for a short time. After solidifying their line-up, the band headed to Spain to record some demos, which were then sent to Geffen Records, with whom Sykes had worked with while in Whitesnake. A&R executive John Kalodner was unimpressed by Gillen's performance, preferring the initial demos that Sykes had sung. Kalodner also expressed doubts over Gillen's songwriting abilities. At the same time, Sykes and Gillen were having disagreements over the vocal approach. Ultimately, Gillen left after only a few months in the band. In mid-1987, the group signed a recording contract with Geffen Records.
As the band began their search for a new lead singer, Cozy Powell, who had become frustrated with the group's lack of progress, left to join Black Sabbath. The band were then approached by drummer Carmine Appice, who had previously worked with Rod Stewart, Vanilla Fudge and King Kobra, among others. Eager to work with both Sykes and Franklin, Appice got in touch with them through music journalist Chris Welch after a Dio concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in December 1987 (Appice's brother Vinny was the drummer for Dio at the time). Appice was invited to Blackpool for a jam session, after which he formally joined the band. English drummer Aynsley Dunbar (ex-Journey, and Sykes' former bandmate in Whitesnake) also auditioned, but ultimately Sykes and Franklin felt that he wasn't the right fit for the group. With a drummer now in place, the band continued their search for a new lead singer. Former Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin was eventually chosen, but as the band were about to fly to Vancouver to begin recording their debut album in early 1988, Martin pulled out. The group decided to push forward, figuring they could always find a singer later.
## Production and composition
The band entered Little Mountain Sound Studios in February 1988 to record their debut album. Bob Rock was chosen to produce, having previously worked with Sykes on Whitesnake's eponymous album. Acting as engineer was Mike Fraser, who mixed the record as well. David Donnelly supervised the mastering process. Keyboardist Nik Green was also brought in to play on the album. Due to Rock's prior engagements with Bon Jovi and The Cult, recording was halted after six weeks, which allowed the band to audition more singers. Among them were David Glen Eisley and Derek St. Holmes. Unable to agree on a frontman, Sykes was eventually persuaded by John Kalodner and the rest of the band to take up the role of lead singer. Having had no proper vocal training, Sykes initially struggled to sing the tracks, but eventually eased into it, drawing upon what he had learned working with David Coverdale and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott.
The band was named Blue Murder at Tony Franklin's suggestion, after the British idiom "scream blue murder". Their logo was designed by graphic artist Margo Chase. The album's packaging featured photographs of the band dressed in pirate attire. Originally, the group had wished for a simple black and white photo, but Geffen insisted on shooting in colour. When asked why they were dressed as pirates, Sykes jokingly responded: "You know, now there are so many album covers with shiny photos of fashionable clothes; better pirate clothes then!" The album was dedicated to Phil Lynott, who died in 1986. While not initially planned, Sykes felt "it was the right thing to do" after the record was finished.
### Music and lyrics
Blue Murder has been described by music critics as hard rock and glam metal. Sykes described the band's sound in an interview with Raw magazine as having elements of both Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy, as well as the blues. Tracks such as "Sex Child", "Valley of the Kings" and "Ptolemy" have also drawn comparisons to Led Zeppelin. Sykes' intent with Blue Murder was to create a heavier record than Whitesnake's eponymous album, while still retaining some of the same groove and vibe. In an interview with Metal Shock magazine, Sykes referred to the band's music as "heavy funk". The song "Billy" was described by Sykes as his "Thin Lizzy track", with lyrics inspired by the 1949 film White Heat. The album's title-track he characterised as a "police story". He also remarked how the song reminds him the most of his time with Thin Lizzy. "Valley of the Kings" draws from Egyptian culture, while "Jelly Roll" was inspired by a former relationship of Sykes'. When asked to name his favourite track from the album, Sykes chose "Jelly Roll" as it was one of the easiest ones to write. By contrast, "Sex Child" took approximately five weeks to complete. Despite being credited as a co-writer on "Valley of the Kings", Tony Martin has stated that he actually co-wrote a significant portion of the record with Sykes, but was not credited.
## Release and promotion
Blue Murder was released on 24 April 1989. To promote the record, the band made appearances on MTV's Hard 60 and The Big Al Show, hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic. They then embarked on an American tour supporting Bon Jovi. Later they performed on a triple-bill tour with Billy Squier and King's X. Blue Murder also played several headline dates in America and Japan. Due to unspecified management issues, a European tour never materialized.
Blue Murder reached number 45 on the UK Albums Chart. It debuted at number 172 on the Billboard 200 chart, eventually peaking at number 69 in June 1989. According to Carmine Appice, the album only sold around 150,000 copies in the United States. Worldwide, the record sold approximately 500,000 copies, according to John Sykes. In 2013, Blue Murder was reissued by Rock Candy Records. The reissue featured a remastered version of the album, a 3,500 word essay by Malcolm Dome and an interview with John Sykes. The initial pressings listed a tenth song, titled "Cold Harbor", as part of the content. This was, however, a misprinting and no such song appears on the album.
Blue Murder's success fell short of expectations, as the sales for their debut album disappointed both the band and label. Sykes felt that Geffen did not properly promote the group, stating in 1999: "I think they were trying to get me and David [Coverdale] back together. They wanted me to get back with the 'winning formula'. But the wounds were too fresh. I stayed with the same label. In hindsight, I would have done better with a different label." Sykes also speculated that the heaviness of the record and a lack of a clear hit single contributed to its failure. Carmine Appice pointed to a lack of clear management as another contributing factor. Initially, the band were managed by a three-person team led by Sykes' stepfather. As Blue Murder were about to go on tour, however, they were fired. Eventually, the band hired Bruce Allen to manage them, but by this point Appice said "it was too late" and the album had already underperformed. John Kalodner felt that Blue Murder's failure boiled down to John Sykes not being a strong enough frontman.
### Singles
"Valley of the Kings" was released as a promotional single from the album. A music video, directed by Mary Lambert, was also shot for a reported \$150,000. The video was later featured as MTV's "Hip Clip of the Week". The initial plan put forth by John Kalodner was to release "Valley of the Kings" first to "get a buzz going". This would have then been followed up by "Jelly Roll", which would have received a greater push on MTV and radio. However, as the band were on tour, they began demanding a greater push for "Valley of the Kings". In retrospect, Carmine Appice called this a "dumb mistake", as the song was deemed "too long" and "not commercial enough" for MTV. The single was not available to purchase by the general public, something Tony Franklin felt also hurt its success.
"Jelly Roll" was released as the second single from the album. A music video, directed again by Mary Lambert, was shot over the course of two days in North Los Angeles. The video featured model Meg Register, who had a small role in the 1986 film Running Scared. The song became a minor hit, reaching number fifteen on the Album Rock Tracks chart. However, due to the failure of "Valley of the Kings", MTV refused to play the video for "Jelly Roll", which Franklin felt prevented it from becoming a crossover hit.
## Critical reception
Contemporary reviews for the album were mostly positive. Raw's Paul Suter gave Blue Murder a ten out of ten rating, and called it one of "the finest records in an age". He gave special praise to Bob Rock's production and commended the band's musicianship, particularly Sykes' guitar playing, which he thought elevated him to the same level as Ritchie Blackmore and Jimmy Page. Rock Hard's review was similarly voiced, with "Riot", "Valley of the Kings" and "Blue Murder" being singled out as particular highlights. The record was also described as a must-have for fans of rock music. Warren J. Rhodes, writing for The California Aggie, called the album "excellent", while Neil Jeffries of Kerrang! hailed it as a "masterpiece", giving it a perfect score. Spin's Jon Young, meanwhile, gave the record a scathing review, calling it a "disaster" and the band "aimless". He characterized Sykes' vocals as "shrill" and his guitar playing "hyperactive", while tracks like "Jelly Roll" and "Out of Love" were described as "bloated" and "weepy", respectively. Hi-Fi News & Record Review'''s review pointed to the lyrics as a particular source of criticism: "Blue Murder are just heavy enough to let you ignore the words to 'Sex Child'". Andrew Martin of Music Week compared the band's music to Cream by saying that "it's a full-on stomp of a heavy rock album."
Retrospective reviews for the album have been largely positive, and the record has garnered a small cult following. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic praised the band's musicianship, and remarked how the album has "endured far better than most similarly styled heavy metal albums of the era". He also touted the production as one of Rock's best alongside his work with Metallica. Rivadavia was, however, critical of the perceived Led Zeppelin influences found on some of the tracks. Author Martin Popoff awarded Blue Murder a score of seven out of ten in his 2005 book Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal, while Record Collector's William Pinfold gave the album four stars out of five. White Wizzard guitarist Will Wallner, writing for Guitar World, called the album "phenomenal", with special praise being given to Sykes' playing. White Wizzard's Jon Leon, meanwhile, named Blue Murder one of his favourite obscure heavy metal records of the 1980s. Ultimate Classic Rock named Blue Murder the sixth best album produced by Bob Rock, while MetalSucks included it on a list of essential hair metal albums not included on a similar list by Rolling Stone. Radio and television personality Eddie Trunk also highlighted the album in his 2011 book Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal''.
## Track listing
All songs written and composed by John Sykes, except where indicated.
## Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.
## Charts
### Album
### Singles
|
7,765,099 |
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
| 1,170,020,512 |
2005 controversy surronding the depiction of Muhammad
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"2007 in Denmark",
"2008 in Denmark",
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"Caricature",
"Cartoon controversies",
"Censorship in Islam",
"Counter-jihad",
"Editorial cartooning",
"Events relating to freedom of expression",
"Islam-related controversies",
"Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy",
"Obscenity controversies in art",
"Religious parodies and satires",
"Satirical comics",
"Works about censorship"
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The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy (or Muhammad cartoons crisis, Danish: Muhammed-krisen) began after the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 editorial cartoons on 30 September 2005, most of which depicted Muhammad, a principal figure of the religion of Islam. The newspaper announced that this was an attempt to contribute to the debate about criticism of Islam and self-censorship. Muslim groups in Denmark complained, and the issue eventually led to protests around the world, including violence and riots in some Muslim countries.
Islam has a strong tradition of aniconism, and it is considered highly blasphemous in most Islamic traditions to visually depict Muhammad. This, compounded with a sense that the cartoons insulted Muhammad and Islam, offended many Muslims. Danish Muslim organisations that objected to the depictions responded by petitioning the embassies of Islamic countries and the Danish government to take action in response, and filed a judicial complaint against the newspaper, which was dismissed in January 2006. After the Danish government refused to meet with diplomatic representatives of the Muslim countries and—per legal principle and in accordance with the Danish legal system—would not intervene in the case, a number of Danish imams headed by Ahmed Akkari visited the Middle East in late 2005 to gather support around the issue. They presented a dossier containing the twelve cartoons from the Jyllands-Posten, and other depictions of Muhammad alongside them, some real and some fake, including one where they claimed he was portrayed as a pig, seen as forbidden and unclean in Islam. This last image was proven to be an Associated Press photograph of a contestant in a pig-squealing contest and, when presented with this and other falsehoods, the delegation's press spokesman admitted the goal of the tour had been to stir up hostility.
The issue received prominent media attention in some Muslim-majority countries, leading to protests across the world in late January and early February 2006. Some escalated into violence, resulting in more than 250 reported deaths, attacks on Danish and other European diplomatic missions, attacks on churches and Christians, and a boycott of Denmark. Some groups responded to the intense pro-aniconist protests by endorsing the Danish policies, launching "Buy Danish" campaigns and other displays of support for freedom of expression. The cartoons were reprinted in newspapers around the world, both in a sense of journalistic solidarity and as an illustration in what became a major news story.
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen described the controversy as Denmark's worst international relations incident since the Second World War. The incident came at a time of heightened political and social tensions between Muslim majority countries and Western countries, following several, high-profile radical Islamic terrorist attacks in the West—including the September 11 attacks—and Western military interventions in Muslim countries, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The relationship between Muslims in Denmark and broader society was similarly at a low point, and the conflict came to symbolize the discrepancies and idiosyncrasies between the Islamic community and the rest of society. In the years since, jihadist terrorist plots claiming to be in retaliation for the cartoons have been planned—and some executed—against targets affiliated with Jyllands-Posten and its employees, Denmark, or newspapers that published the cartoons and other caricatures of Islamic prophets, most notably the Charlie Hebdo shooting in 2015.
Supporters said that the publication of the cartoons was a legitimate exercise in free speech: regardless of the content of the expression, it was important to openly discuss Islam without fear of terror, also stating that the cartoons made important points about critical issues. The Danish tradition of relatively high tolerance for freedom of speech became the focus of some attention. The controversy ignited a debate about the limits of freedom of expression in all societies, religious tolerance and the relationship of Muslim minorities with their broader societies in the West, and relations between the Islamic world in general and the West.
Notably, a few days after the original publishing, Jyllands-Posten published several depictions of Muhammad, all legitimately bought in Muslim countries. This, however, drew little attention.
## Timeline
### Debate about self-censorship
On 16 September 2005, Danish news service Ritzau published an article discussing the difficulty encountered by the writer Kåre Bluitgen, who was initially unable to find an illustrator prepared to work on his children's book The Qur'an and the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Danish: Koranen og profeten Muhammeds liv). Three artists declined Bluitgen's proposal out of fear of reprisals.
One artist agreed to assist anonymously; he said that he was afraid for his and his family's safety. According to Bluitgen, one artist declined due to the murder in Amsterdam of the film director Theo van Gogh the year before; another cited the attack in October 2004 on a lecturer at the Carsten Niebuhr Institute [da] at the University of Copenhagen; he was assaulted by five assailants who opposed his reading of the Qur'an to non-Muslims during a lecture. The story gained some traction, and the major Danish newspapers reported the story the following day.
The supposed refusals from these first three artists to participate was seen as evidence of self-censorship out of fear of violence from Islamists, which led to much debate in Denmark. The Danish newspaper Politiken stated on 12 February 2006, that they had asked Bluitgen to put them in touch with the artists, so the claim that none of them dared to work with him could be proved. The author refused, and nobody has ever been able to confirm whether the incident was accurately described.
### Publication
At an editorial meeting of Jyllands-Posten ('The Jutland Post', Denmark's largest daily newspaper) on 19 September, reporter Stig Olesen put forward the idea of asking the members of the newspaper illustrators union if they would be willing to draw Muhammad. This would be an experiment to see the degree to which professional illustrators felt threatened. Flemming Rose, culture editor, was interested in the idea and wrote to the 42 members of the union asking them to draw their interpretations of Muhammad.
15 illustrators responded to the letter; three declined to participate, one did not know how to contribute to what he called a vague project, one thought the project was stupid and badly paid, and one said he was afraid. 12 drawings had been submitted—three from newspaper employees and two which did not directly show Muhammad. The editors thought that some of the illustrators who had not responded were employed by other newspapers and were thus contractually prohibited from working for Jyllands-Posten. In the end, editor-in-chief Carsten Juste decided that given its inconclusive results, the story was better suited as an opinion piece rather than a news story, and it was decided to publish it in the culture section, under the direction of editor Flemming Rose.
Peter Hervik, a professor of Migration Studies, has since written that the results of this experiment disproved the idea that self-censorship was a serious problem in Denmark because the overwhelming majority of cartoonists had either responded positively or refused for contractual or philosophical reasons. Carsten Juste has said that the survey "lacked validity and the story fell short of sound journalistic basis." Hervik said that this, along with the fact that the most controversial cartoons were drawn by the newspaper's staff cartoonists, demonstrates that the newspaper's "desire to provoke and insult Danish Muslims exceeded the wish to test the self-censorship of Danish cartoonists."
Rose wrote the editorial which accompanied the cartoons in which he argued there had been several recent cases of self-censorship, weighing freedom of speech against the fear of confronting issues about Islam, so he thought it was legitimate news story. Among the incidents he cited were: the translators of a book critical of Islam did not want their names published; the Tate gallery in London withdrew an installation by the avant-garde artist John Latham depicting the Quran, Bible and Talmud torn to pieces, and comedian Frank Hvam said in an interview with Jyllands-Posten that he would hypothetically dare to urinate on the Bible on television, but not on the Quran. Rose also mentioned the case of a Danish imam who had met with Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and "called on the prime minister to interfere with the press in order to get more positive coverage of Islam."
On 30 September 2005, Jyllands-Posten published an article entitled "Muhammeds ansigt" ('The face of Muhammad') incorporating the cartoons. The article consisted of the 12 cartoons and an explanatory text, in which Rose wrote:
> Modern, secular society is rejected by some Muslims. They demand a special position, insisting on special consideration of their own religious feelings. It is incompatible with contemporary democracy and freedom of speech, where one must be ready to put up with insults, mockery and ridicule. It is certainly not always attractive and nice to look at, and it does not mean that religious feelings should be made fun of at any price, but that is of minor importance in the present context. ... we are on our way to a slippery slope where no-one can tell how the self-censorship will end. That is why Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten has invited members of the Danish editorial cartoonists union to draw Muhammad as they see him.
Later, Rose explained his intent further in The Washington Post: "The cartoonists treated Islam the same way they treat Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and other religions. And by treating Muslims in Denmark as equals they made a point: We are integrating you into the Danish tradition of satire because you are part of our society, not strangers. The cartoons are including, rather than excluding, Muslims." The publication of the cartoons was also accompanied by an editorial titled "Truslen fra mørket" ('The Threat from the Darkness') condemning Islamic spiritual leaders "who feel entitled to interpret the prophet's word, and cannot abide the insult that comes from being the object of intelligent satire." In October 2005, Politiken, another leading Danish newspaper, published its own poll of thirty-one of the forty-three members of the Danish cartoonist association. Twenty-three said they would be willing to draw Muhammad. One had doubts, one would not be willing because of fear of possible reprisals, and six artists would not be willing because they respected the Muslim ban on depicting Muhammad.
### Description of the cartoons
The 12 cartoons were drawn by 12 professional cartoonists in Denmark. Four of the cartoons have Danish texts, one deliberately evades the issue and depicts a school child in Denmark named Muhammad rather than the Islamic prophet, one is based on a Danish cultural expression, and one includes a Danish politician.
### Response
The immediate responses to the publication varied, including some newspaper sellers refusing to distribute that day's paper. In the following days, the cartoons received significant attention in other Danish press outlets. According to Jytte Klausen, "most people groaned that the newspaper was at it again, bashing Muslims. The instinct was to split the blame." Berlingske-Tidende criticised the 'gag', but also said that Islam should be openly criticised. Politiken attacked Rose's account of growing self-censorship; it also surveyed Danish cartoonists and said that self-censorship was not generally perceived as a problem. On 4 October, a local teenager telephoned the newspaper offices threatening to kill the cartoonists, but he was arrested after his mother turned him in.
Shortly after the publication, a group of Islamic leaders formed a protest group. Raed Hlayhel called a meeting to discuss their strategy, which took place in Copenhagen a few days after the cartoons appeared. The Islamic Faith Community and four mosques from around the country were represented. The meeting established 19 "action points" to try to influence public opinion about the cartoons. Ahmed Akkari from a mosque in Aarhus was designated the group's spokesman. The group planned a variety of political activities, including launching a legal complaint against the newspaper, writing letters to media outlets inside and outside Denmark, contacting politicians and diplomatic representatives, organising a protest in Copenhagen, and mobilising Danish Muslims through text messages and mosques. A one-day strike and sleep-in were planned, but never took place. A peaceful protest, which attracted about 3,500 demonstrators, was held in Copenhagen on 14 October 2005.
Having received petitions from Danish imams, eleven ambassadors from Muslim-majority countries—Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Libya, Morocco—and the Head of the Palestinian General Delegation asked for a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen on 12 October 2005. They wanted to discuss what they perceived as an "on-going smearing campaign in Danish public circles and media against Islam and Muslims." In a letter, the ambassadors mentioned the issue of the Muhammad cartoons, a recent indictment against Radio Holger, and statements by MP Louise Frevert and the Minister of Culture Brian Mikkelsen. It concluded:
> We deplore these statements and publications and urge Your Excellency's government to take all those responsible to task under law of the land in the interest of inter-faith harmony, better integration and Denmark's overall relations with the Muslim world.
The government answered with a letter without addressing the request for a meeting:
> The freedom of expression has a wide scope and the Danish government has no means of influencing the press. However, Danish legislation prohibits acts or expressions of blasphemous or discriminatory nature. The offended party may bring such acts or expressions to court, and it is for the courts to decide in individual cases.
The refusal to meet the ambassadors was later prominently criticised by the Danish political opposition, twenty-two Danish ex-ambassadors and the Prime Minister's fellow party member, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Uffe Ellemann-Jensen. Hervik wrote:
> While it is certainly true that the prime minister did not have a legal right to intervene in the editorial process, he could have publicly (as an enactment of free speech) dissociated himself from the publication, from the content of the cartoons, from Rose's explanatory text, from Jyllands-Posten's editorial of the same day, and from the general association of Islam with terrorism. Rasmussen did none of those. Instead, he used his interview [on 30 October 2005] to endorse Jyllands-Posten's position and the act of publishing the cartoons.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League also wrote a joint letter to the Prime Minister expressing alarm about the cartoons and other recent incidents and insults committed by Danish politicians. The Muslim countries continued to work diplomatically to try to have the issue—and the other issues mentioned in their initial letter—addressed by the Danish government. Turkey and Egypt were particularly active. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Copenhagen in November in an encounter which the Turkish press described as a crisis. Erdogan clashed with Rasmussen over the cartoons as well as Roj TV—a television station affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party—being allowed to broadcast from Denmark. After trying to engage the Danish government diplomatically, Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and the secretary-generals of the OIC and the Arab League sent letters to the OSCE, OECD, and EU foreign policy coordinator complaining about Danish inaction.
### Judicial investigation of Jyllands-Posten (October 2005 – January 2006)
On 27 October 2005, representatives of the Muslim organisations which had complained about the cartoons in early October filed a complaint with the Danish police claiming that Jyllands-Posten had committed an offence under sections 140 and 266b of the Danish Criminal Code, precipitating an investigation by the public prosecutor:
- Section 140 (aka the blasphemy law), prohibits disturbing public order by publicly ridiculing or insulting the dogmas of worship of any lawfully existing religious community in Denmark. Only one case, a 1938 case involving an anti-Semitic group, has ever resulted in a sentence. The most recent case was in 1971 when a programme director of Danmarks Radio was accused in a case involving a song about the Christian god, but was found not guilty.
- Section 266b criminalises insult, threat or degradation of natural persons, by publicly and with malice attacking their race, colour of skin, national or ethnic roots, faith or sexual orientation.
On 6 January 2006, the Regional Public Prosecutor in Viborg discontinued the investigation as he found no basis for concluding that the cartoons constituted a criminal offence because the publication concerned a subject of public interest and Danish case law extends editorial freedom to journalists regarding subjects of public interest. He stated that in assessing what constitutes an offence, the right to freedom of speech must be taken into consideration, and said that freedom of speech must be exercised with the necessary respect for other human rights, including the right to protection against discrimination, insult and degradation. In a new hearing resulting from a complaint about the original decision, the Director of Public Prosecutors in Denmark agreed with the previous ruling.
### Danish Imams tour the Middle East
In December, after communications with the Danish government and the newspaper, the "Committee for Prophet Honouring" decided to gain support and leverage outside of Denmark by meeting directly with religious and political leaders in the Middle East. They created a 43-page dossier, commonly known as the Akkari-Laban dossier (Arabic: ملف عكّاري لبن; after two leading imams), containing the cartoons and supporting materials for their meetings.
The dossier, finalised for the group's trip to Lebanon in mid-December, contained the following:
- An introduction describing the situation of Muslims in Denmark (from the point of view represented by the imams), the country itself, background on the cartoons, and the group's action plan;
- Clippings of the articles and editorials from 30 September 2005 that accompanied the cartoons and a copy of the page with cartoons translated into Arabic;
- An 11-point declaration by Raed Hlayhel against alleged Western double standards about free speech; he wrote that Islam and Muhammed are ridiculed and insulted under the guise of free speech while parallel insults would be unacceptable;
- 11 of the 12 cartoons from the paper itself blown up to A4 size and translated. The cartoon with Muhammad and the sword was not shown here, only in the overview page;
- Copies of letters and the group's press releases;
- Arabic translation of the Jyllands-Posten editorial of 12 October discussing the early controversy and refusing to apologise;
- 10 satirical cartoons from another Danish newspaper, Weekendavisen, published in November 2005 in response to the Jyllands-Posten controversy, which Kasem Ahmad, spokesman for Islamisk Trossamfund, called "even more offensive" than the original 12 cartoons despite being intended as satire. He said that they were part of a broader campaign to denigrate Muslims and were gratuitously provocative;
- Three additional pictures that the dossier's authors alleged were sent to Muslims in Denmark, said to be indicative of the "hate they feel subjected to in Denmark"'
- Some clippings from Egyptian newspapers discussing the group's first visit to Egypt.
The dossier also contained "falsehood about alleged maltreatment of Muslims in Denmark" and the "tendentious lie that Jyllands-Posten was a government-run newspaper".
The imams said that the three additional images were sent anonymously by mail to Muslims who were participating in an online debate on Jyllands-Posten's website, and were apparently included to illustrate the perceived atmosphere of Islamophobia in which they lived. On 1 February, BBC World incorrectly reported that one of the images had been published in Jyllands-Posten. This image was later found to be a wire-service photograph of a contestant at a French pig-squealing contest in the Trie-sur-Baise's annual festival. One of the other two additional images (a photograph) portrayed a Muslim being mounted by a dog while praying, and the other (a cartoon) portrayed Muhammad as a demonic paedophile.
Experts—including Helle Lykke Nielsen—who have examined the dossier said that it was broadly accurate from a technical point of view but contained a few falsehoods and could easily have misled people not familiar with Danish society, an assessment which the imams have since agreed to. Some mistakes were that Islam is not officially recognised as a religion in Denmark (it is); that the cartoons are the result of a contest; and that Anders Fogh Rasmussen in his role as Prime Minister gave a medal to Ayaan Hirsi Ali (he gave one in his capacity as party leader of the Liberal Party).
The imams also claimed to speak on behalf of 28 organisations, many of which later denied any connection to them. Additions such as the "pig" photograph may have polarised the situation (the association of a person and a pig is considered very insulting in Islamic culture), as they were confused for the cartoons published in the newspaper. Muslims who met with the group later said Akkari's delegation had given them the impression that Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen somehow controlled or owned Jyllands-Posten.
Delegations of imams circulated the dossier on visits to Egypt, Syria and Lebanon in early December 2005, presenting their case to many influential religious and political leaders and asking for support. The group was given high level access on these trips through their contacts in the Egyptian and Lebanese embassies. The dossier was distributed informally on 7–8 December 2005 at a summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Mecca, with many heads of state in attendance. The OIC issued a condemnation of the cartoons: "[We express our] concern at rising hatred against Islam and Muslims and condemned the recent incident of desecration of the image of the Holy Prophet Mohamed." The communique also attacked the practice of "using the freedom of expression as a pretext for defaming religions." Eventually an official communiqué was issued requesting that the United Nations adopt a binding resolution banning contempt of religious beliefs and providing for sanctions to be imposed on contravening countries or institutions. The attention of the OIC is said to have led to media coverage which brought the issue to public attention in many Muslim countries.
### International protests
Protests against the cartoons were held around the world in late January and February 2006. Many of these turned violent, resulting in at least 200 deaths globally, according to the New York Times.
Large demonstrations were held in many majority-Muslim countries, and almost every country with significant Muslim minorities, including:
- Nigeria,
- Canada,
- India,
- United States,
- United Kingdom (see: 2006 Islamist demonstration outside the Embassy of Denmark in London),
- Australia,
- New Zealand,
- Kenya, and
- throughout continental Europe.
In many instances, demonstrations against the cartoons became intertwined with those about other local political grievances. Muslims in the north of Nigeria used protests to attack local Christians as part of an ongoing battle for influence, radical Sunnis used protests against governments in the Middle East, and authoritarian governments used them to bolster their religious and nationalist credentials in internal disputes; these associated political motives explain the intensity of some of the demonstrations.
Several Western embassies were attacked; the Danish and Austrian embassies in Lebanon and the Norwegian and Danish representations in Syria were severely damaged. Christians and Christian churches were also targets of violent retribution in some places. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Iran and Syria of organising many of the protests in Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. However, Hezbollah, ally of Syria and Iran in Lebanon, has condemned the attack on the Danish Embassy. Several death threats were made against the cartoonists and the newspaper, resulting in the cartoonists going into hiding. Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen called it Denmark's worst international relations incident since the Second World War.
Peaceful counter-demonstrations in support of the cartoons, Denmark, and freedom of speech were also held. Three national ministers lost their jobs amid the controversy: Roberto Calderoli in Italy for his support of the cartoons, Laila Freivalds in Sweden for her role in shutting down a website displaying the cartoons, and the Libyan Interior Minister after a riot in Benghazi in response to Calderoli's comments, which led to the deaths of at least 10 people.
In India, Haji Yaqub Qureishi, a minister in the Uttar Pradesh state government, announced a cash reward for anyone who beheaded "the Danish cartoonist" who caricatured Mohammad. Subsequently, a case was filed against him in the Lucknow district court and eminent Muslim scholars in India were split between those supporting punishment for the cartoonists and those calling for the minister's sacking. As of 2011, legal action was ongoing.
#### Boycott
A consumer boycott was organised in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other Middle Eastern countries against Denmark. On 5 March 2006, Ayman al-Zawahiri of Al-Qaeda urged all Muslims to boycott not only Denmark, but also Norway, France, Germany and all others that have "insulted the Prophet Mohammed" by printing cartoons depicting him. Consumer goods companies were the most vulnerable to the boycott; among companies heavily affected were Arla Foods, Novo Nordisk, and Danisco. Arla, Denmark's biggest exporter to the Middle East, lost 10 million kroner (US\$1.6 million, ) per day in the initial weeks of the boycott. Scandinavian tourism to Egypt fell by between 20 and 30% in the first two months of 2006.
On 9 September 2006, BBC News reported that the Muslim boycott of Danish goods had reduced Denmark's total exports by 15.5% between February and June. This was attributed to an approximated 50% decline in exports to the Middle East. The BBC said, "The cost to Danish businesses was around 134 million euros (\$170m), when compared with the same period last year, the statistics showed." However, The Guardian newspaper in the UK said, "While Danish milk products were dumped in the Middle East, fervent right-wing Americans started buying Bang & Olufsen stereos and Lego. In the first quarter of this year Denmark's exports to the US soared 17%." Overall the boycott did not have a significant effect on the Danish economy.
### Response to protests and reprintings
In response to the initial protests from Muslim groups, Jyllands-Posten published an open letter to the citizens of Saudi Arabia on its website, in Danish and in Arabic, apologising for any offence the drawings may have caused but defending the right of the newspaper to publish them. A second open letter "to the honourable Fellow Citizens of the Muslim World", dated 8 February 2006, had a Danish version, an Arabic version, and an English version:
> Serious misunderstandings in respect of some drawings of the Prophet Mohammed have led to much anger ... Please allow me to correct these misunderstandings. On 30 September last year, Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten published 12 different cartoonists' idea of what the Prophet Mohammed might have looked like ... In our opinion, the 12 drawings were sober. They were not intended to be offensive, nor were they at variance with Danish law, but they have indisputably offended many Muslims for which we apologise.
Six of the cartoons were first reprinted by the Egyptian newspaper El Fagr on 17 October 2005, along with an article strongly denouncing them, but this did not provoke any condemnations or other reactions from religious or government authorities. Between October 2005 and early January 2006, examples of the cartoons were reprinted in major European newspapers from the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia, Romania, and Switzerland. After the beginning of major international protests, they were re-published around the globe, but primarily in continental Europe. The cartoons were not reprinted in any major newspapers in Canada, the United Kingdom, or many in the United States where articles covered the story without including them.
Reasons for the decision not to publish the cartoons widely in the United States—despite that country's permissive free speech laws—included increased religious sensitivity, higher integration of Muslims into mainstream society, and a desire to be tactful considering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Numerous newspapers were closed and editors dismissed, censured, or arrested for their decision or intention to re-publish the cartoons. In some countries, including South Africa, publication of the cartoons was banned by government or court orders.
The OIC denounced calls for the death of the Danish cartoonists. The OIC's Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said at the height of crisis that the violent protests were "un-Islamic" and appealed for calm. He also denounced calls for a boycott of Danish goods. Twelve high-profile writers, among them Salman Rushdie, signed a letter called "Manifesto: Together Facing the New Totalitarianism" which was published in a number of newspapers. It said that the violence sparked by the publication of cartoons satirising Muhammad "shows the need to fight for secular values and freedom."
### Later developments
Numerous violent plots related to the cartoons have been discovered in the years since the main protests in early 2006. These have primarily targeted editor Flemming Rose, cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, the property or employees of Jyllands-Posten and other newspapers that printed the cartoons, and representatives of the Danish state. Westergaard was the subject of several attacks or planned attacks and lived under special police protection until his death in 2021. On 1 January 2010, police used firearms to stop a would-be assassin in Westergaard's home. In February 2011, the attacker, a 29-year-old Somali man, was sentenced to nine years in prison. In 2010, three men based in Norway were arrested on suspicion that they were planning a terror attack against Jyllands-Posten or Kurt Westergaard; two of the men were convicted. In the United States, David Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana were convicted of planning terrorism against Jyllands-Posten and were sentenced in 2013.
Naser Khader, a Muslim Danish MP, founded an organisation called Democratic Muslims in Denmark in response to the controversy. He was worried that what he believed to be Islamists were seen to speak for all Muslims in Denmark. He said that there is still a sharp division within the Danish Muslim community between Islamists and moderates, and that Denmark had become a target for Islamists. He said that some good came from the crisis because "the cartoon crisis made clear that Muslims are not united and that there is a real difference between the Islamists and people like myself. Danes were shown that talk of 'the Muslims' was too monolithic." He also said that the crisis served as a wake-up call about radical Islam to European countries.
In 2009, when Brandeis University professor Jytte Klausen wanted to publish a book about the controversy titled The Cartoons that Shook the World, Yale University Press refused to publish the cartoons and other representations of Muhammad out of fear for the safety of its staff. In response, another company published Muhammad: The "Banned" Images in what it called "a 'picture book'—or errata to the bowdlerized version of Klausen's book." Five years to the day after the cartoons were first published in Jyllands-Posten, they were republished in Denmark in Rose's book Tyranny of Silence. When the book's international edition was published in the United States in 2014 it did not include the cartoons.
Around 2007 the international counter-jihad movement began to appear as a reaction partly influenced by the Jyllands-Posten cartoon crisis.
### Regrets
In 2013, The Islamic Society in Denmark stated that they regretted their visit to Lebanon and Egypt in 2006 to show the caricatures because the consequences had been much more serious than they expected. In August 2013, Ahmed Akkari expressed his regret for his role in the Imams' tour of the Middle East, stating "I want to be clear today about the trip: It was totally wrong. At that time, I was so fascinated with this logical force in the Islamic mindset that I could not see the greater picture. I was convinced it was a fight for my faith, Islam." Still a practising Muslim, he said that printing the cartoons was ok and he personally apologised to the cartoonist Westergaard. Westergaard responded by saying "I met a man who has converted from being an Islamist to become a humanist who understands the values of our society. To me, he is really sincere, convincing and strong in his views." A spokesman for the Islamic Society of Denmark said "It is still not OK to publish drawings of Muhammad. We have not changed our position."
#### Charlie Hebdo controversies and attacks
The French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo was taken to court for publishing the cartoons; it was acquitted of charges that it incited hatred. The incident marked the beginning of a number of violent incidents related to the cartoons of Muhammad at the newspaper over the following decade.
On 2 November 2011, Charlie Hebdo was firebombed right before its 3 November issue was due; the issue was called Charia Hebdo and satirically featured Muhammad as guest-editor. The editor, Stéphane Charbonnier, known as Charb, and two co-workers at Charlie Hebdo subsequently received police protection. Charb was placed on a hit list by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula along with Kurt Westergaard, Lars Vilks, Carsten Juste and Flemming Rose after editing an edition of Charlie Hebdo that satirised Muhammad.
On 7 January 2015, two masked gunmen opened fire on Charlie Hebdo's staff and police officers as vengeance for its continued caricatures of Muhammad, killing 12 people, including Charb, and wounding 11 others. Jyllands-Posten did not re-print the Charlie Hebdo cartoons in the wake of the attack, with the new editor-in-chief citing security concerns.
In February 2015, in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris, a gunman opened fire on attendants and police officers at a meeting discussing freedom of speech with the Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks among the panelists, and later attacked a synagogue killing two people in Copenhagen in the 2015 Copenhagen shootings.
## Background, opinions and issues
### Danish journalistic tradition
Freedom of speech was guaranteed in law by the Danish Constitution of 1849, as it is today by The Constitutional Act of Denmark of 5 June 1953. Danish freedom of expression is quite far-reaching—even by Western European standards—although it is subject to some legal restrictions dealing with libel, hate speech, blasphemy and defamation. The country's comparatively lenient attitude toward freedom of expression has provoked official protests from several foreign governments, for example Germany, Turkey and Russia for allowing controversial organisations to use Denmark as a base for their operations. Reporters Without Borders ranked Denmark at the top of its Worldwide Press Freedom Index for 2005. Danish newspapers are privately owned and independent of government.
At the time, section 140 of the Danish Penal Code criminalized mocking or insulting legal religions and faiths. No-one had at that time been charged under section 140 since 1971 and no-one had been convicted since 1938, even though there have been several convictions since then - notably Danish politicians Mogens Camre and Rasmus Paludan, but also Fadi Abdullatif [da], spokesman for the Islamic organization of Hizb ut-Tahrir. A complaint was filed against Jyllands-Posten under this section of the law, but the Regional Public Prosecutor declined to file charges, stating "that in assessing what constitutes an offence under both section 140 and section 266 b [discussed below] of the Danish Criminal Code, the right to freedom of expression must be taken into consideration"; he found that no criminal offence had taken place in this case. Section 140 was repealed in 2017.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions said, "there is, therefore, no free and unrestricted right to express opinions about religious subjects. It is thus not a correct description of existing law when the article in Jyllands-Posten states that it is incompatible with the right to freedom of expression to demand special consideration for religious feelings and that one has to be ready to put up with 'scorn, mockery and ridicule'." Utterances intended for public dissemination deemed hateful based on 'race, colour, national or ethnic origin, belief or sexual orientation' can be penalised under section 266 b of the criminal code. Some people have been convicted under this provision, mostly for speech directed at Muslims.
#### Jyllands-Posten
While Jyllands-Posten has published satirical cartoons depicting Christian figures, it rejected unsolicited cartoons in 2003 which depicted Jesus on the grounds that they were offensive, opening it to accusations of a double standard. In February 2006, Jyllands-Posten refused to publish Holocaust cartoons, which included cartoons that mocked or denied the Holocaust, offered by an Iranian newspaper which had held a contest. Six of the less controversial images were later published by Dagbladet Information, after the editors consulted the main rabbi in Copenhagen, and three cartoons were later reprinted in Jyllands-Posten. After the competition had finished, Jyllands-Posten also reprinted the winning and runner-up cartoons.
Jyllands-Posten has been described as conservative and it was supportive of the then-ruling party Venstre. It frequently reported on the activities of imams it considered radical, including Raed Hlayhel and Ahmed Akkari. Peter Hervik has argued that anti-Islamic positions and discourse dominated Jyllands-Posten's editorial leadership from at least 2001 until the cartoon crisis.
### Islamic tradition
#### Aniconism
The Qur'an condemns idolatry, and various hadiths also forbid depictions of living beings. This has led major Islamic scholars and legal schools to prohibit figurative representation; this is known as aniconism. However, since Islam has many centres of religious authority, opinion and tradition about this is not uniform. For mainstream Islamic scholars, all pictorial representations of Prophets are prohibited. In popular practice today there is no general injunction against pictorial representation of people outside of religious contexts. Generally, images of Muhammad have been prohibited throughout history. In practice, images of Muhammad have been made on many occasions, generally in a restricted and socially regulated way; for example, they are often stylised or do not show Muhammad's face. Within Muslim communities, views about pictorial representations have varied: Shi'a Islam has been generally tolerant of pictorial representations of human figures while Sunni Islam generally forbids any pictorial representation of living beings, albeit with some variation in practice outside a religious context. Some contemporary interpretations of Islam, such as those followed by adherents of Wahhabism, are iconoclastic. The movement strongly upholds Tawhid (monotheism), advocate direct return to Scriptures in rejection of Taqlid and view various practices associated with grave veneration as idolatry. Based on these principles, its followers designated themselves as Muwahhidun (Unitarians) and destroyed tombs and shrines of Awliyaa (saints) in regions under their rule. These ideas have influenced contemporary movements such as the Taliban, known for its aniconist views that condemn all forms of pictorial representations and advocate the destruction of idols; most notably the 2001 Destruction of Bamiyan statues.
#### Insulting Muhammad
In Muslim societies, insulting Muhammad is considered one of the gravest of all crimes. According to Ana Belen Soage of the University of Granada, "The Islamic sharî'a has traditionally considered blasphemy punishable by death, although modern Muslim thinkers such as Mohammad Hashim Kamali maintain that, given that the Quran does not prescribe a punishment, determining a penalty is left to the judicial authorities of the day." In the Quran itself, "God often instructs Muhammad to be patient to those who insult him and, according to historical records, no action was taken against them during his years in Mecca." Many Muslims said their anti-cartoon stance is against insulting pictures and not so much as against pictures in general. According to the BBC, "It is the satirical intent of the cartoonists and the association of the Prophet with terrorism, that is so offensive to the vast majority of Muslims." This link played into a widespread perception among Muslims across the world that many in the West are hostile towards Islam and Muslims.
### Political issues
The cartoon controversy became one of the highest profile world events in 2006. It attracted a great deal of coverage and commentary, mostly focusing on the situation of Muslims living in the West, the relationship between the Western world and Islamic world, and issues surrounding freedom of speech, secularism, and self-censorship.
#### Situation of Muslim minority in Denmark
Approximately 350,000 non-Western immigrants lived in Denmark in 2006, representing about 7% of the country's population. According to figures reported by the BBC, about 270,000 of these were Muslim (ca. 5% of the population). In the 1970s Muslims arrived from Turkey, Pakistan, Morocco and Yugoslavia to work. In the 1980s and 90s most Muslim arrivals were refugees and asylum seekers from Iran, Iraq, Somalia and Bosnia. Muslims are the second-largest religious group in Denmark behind Lutherans.
Peter Hervik said that the cartoon controversy should be seen in the context of an increasingly politicised media environment in Denmark since the 1990s, increasingly negative coverage of Islam and the Muslim minority in Denmark, anti-Muslim rhetoric from the governing political parties, and government policies such as restrictions on immigration and the abolishment of the Board for Ethnic Equality in 2002. Hervik said these themes are often ignored in international coverage of the issue and that they render conclusions that Jyllands-Posten and the Danish government were innocent victims in a dispute over freedom of speech inaccurate. Against this background, Danish Muslims were particularly offended by the cartoons because they reinforced the idea that Danes stigmatize all Muslims as terrorists and do not respect their religious beliefs.
Heiko Henkel of British academic journal Radical Philosophy wrote:
> the solicitation and publication of the 'Muhammad cartoons' was part of a long and carefully orchestrated campaign by the conservative Jyllands-Posten (also known in Denmark as Jyllands-Pesten – the plague from Jutland), in which it backed the centre-right Venstre party of Prime Minister Fogh Rasmussen in its successful bid for power in 2001. Central to Venstreʼs campaign, aside from its neoliberal economic agenda, was the promise to tackle the problem of foreigners who refused to 'integrate' into Danish society.
Kiku Day, writing in The Guardian said, "We were a liberal and tolerant people until the 1990s, when we suddenly awoke to find that for the first time in our history we had a significant minority group living among us. Confronted with the terrifying novelty of being a multicultural country, Denmark took a step not merely to the right but to the far right." Professor Anders Linde-Laursen wrote that while the controversy "should be understood as an expression of a growing Islamophobic tendency in Danish society," this is just the latest manifestation of a long-standing and particularly deep conflict between traditionalists and agents of modernity in Denmark, and should not be seen as a major departure for Danish society.
Danish Muslim politician Naser Khader said, "Muslims are no more discriminated against in Denmark than they are elsewhere in Europe ... Generally, Danes give you a fair shake. They accept Muslims if you declare that you are loyal to this society, to democracy. If you say that you are one of them, they will accept you. If you have reservations, they will worry." His concern has centred on the power of "Islamism" or fundamentalist political Islam in Denmark's Muslim community, which he has tried to fight, especially in the wake of the controversy, by forming an association of democratic, moderate Muslims.
#### Relationship between the West and Muslims
The incident occurred at a time of unusually strained relations between parts of the Muslim world and the West. This was a result of several things combined, decades of Muslim immigration to Europe, recent political struggles, violent incidents such as September 11 and a string of Islamist terrorist attacks and Western interventions in Muslim countries. The cartoons were, however, also used as a tool by different political interests in a wide variety of local and international situations, Muslim and otherwise. Some debate surrounded the relationship between Islamic minorities and their broader societies, and the legal and moral limits that the press should observe when commenting on that minority or any religious minority group.
##### Cartoons as a political tool in the West
Some commentators see the publications of the cartoons as part of a deliberate effort to show Muslims and Islam in a bad light, thus influencing public opinion in the West in aid of various political projects. Journalist Andrew Mueller wrote, "I am concerned that the ridiculous, disproportionate reaction to some unfunny sketches in an obscure Scandinavian newspaper may confirm that ... Islam and the West are fundamentally irreconcilable". Different groups used the cartoon for different political purposes; Heiko Henkel wrote:
> the critique of 'Muslim fundamentalism' has become a cornerstone in the definition of European identities. As well as replacing anti-communism as the rallying point for a broad 'democratic consensus' (and, in this shift, remaking this consensus), the critique of Islamic fundamentalism has also become a conduit for imagining Europe as a moral community beyond the nation. It has emerged as a banner under which the most diverse sectors of society can unite in the name of 'European' values.
Notably, though, political cartoons do not just target Islam. Any subject can be treated, and the political cartoon culture found in many media often give a poignant comment for current events—comparable to a court jester, pointing out uncomfortable or un-tellable truths in a comic fashion
##### Use by Islamists and Middle-Eastern governments
Some commentators believed that the controversy was used by Islamists competing for influence both in Europe and the Islamic world. Jytte Klausen wrote that the Muslim reaction to the cartoons was not a spontaneous, emotional reaction arising out of the clash of Western and Islamic civilisations. "Rather it was orchestrated, first by those with vested interests in elections in Denmark and Egypt, and later by Islamic extremists seeking to destabilise governments in Pakistan, Lebanon, Libya, and Nigeria." Other regimes in the Middle East have been accused of taking advantage of the controversy and adding to it to demonstrate their Islamic credentials, distracting from their domestic situations by setting up an external enemy, and according to The Wall Street Journal, "[using] the cartoons ... as a way of showing that the expansion of freedom and democracy in their countries would lead inevitably to the denigration of Islam."
Among others, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed a Zionist conspiracy for the row over the cartoons. Palestinian Christian diplomat Afif Safieh, then the Palestine Liberation Organization's envoy to Washington, alleged the Likud party concocted the distribution of Muhammad caricatures worldwide in a bid to create a clash between the West and the Muslim world.
##### Racism and ignorance
One controversy that arose around the cartoons was the question of whether they were racist. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) Special Rapporteur "on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance", Doudou Diène, saw xenophobia and racism in Europe as the root of the controversy, and partly criticised the government of Denmark for inaction after the publication of the cartoons.
However, Aurel Sari has since said that the special rapporteur's interpretation was wrong and that "neither the decision to commission images depicting the Prophet in defiance of Islamic tradition, nor the actual content of the individual cartoons can be regarded as racist within the meaning of the relevant international human rights instruments" although "some of the more controversial pictures may nevertheless be judged 'gratuitously offensive' to the religious beliefs of Muslims in accordance with the applicable case-law of the European Court of Human Rights." This means that the Danish authorities probably could have prohibited the drawings' dissemination if they had chosen to. Randall Hansen said that the cartoons were clearly anti-Islamic, but that this should not be confused with racism because a religion is a system of ideas not an inherent identity. Tariq Modood said that the cartoons were essentially racist because Muslims are in practice treated as a group based on their religion, and that the cartoons were intended to represent all of Islam and all Muslims in a negative way, not just Muhammad. Erik Bleich said that while the cartoons did essentialise Islam in a potentially racist way, they ranged from offensive to pro-Muslim so labelling them as a group was problematic. The Economist said Muslims were not targeted in a discriminatory way, since unflattering cartoons about other religions or their leaders are frequently printed. For Noam Chomsky, the cartoons were inspired by a spirit of "ordinary racism under cover of freedom of expression" and that they must be seen in the context of Jyllands-Posten agenda of incitement against immigrants in Denmark.
On 26 February 2006, the cartoonist Kurt Westergaard who drew the "bomb in turban" cartoon—the most controversial of the 12—said:
> There are interpretations of [the drawing] that are incorrect. The general impression among Muslims is that it is about Islam as a whole. It is not. It is about certain fundamentalist aspects, that of course are not shared by everyone. But the fuel for the terrorists' acts stem from interpretations of Islam ... if parts of a religion develop in a totalitarian and aggressive direction, then I think you have to protest. We did so under the other 'isms'.
Some Muslims saw the cartoons as a sign of lack of education about Islam in Denmark and in the West. Egyptian preacher and television star Amr Khaled urged his followers to take action to remedy supposed Western ignorance, saying, "It is our duty to the prophet of God to make his message known ... Do not say that this is the task of the ulema (religious scholars)—it is the task of all of us." Ana Soage said, "the targeting of a religious symbol like Muhammad, the only prophet that Muslims do not share with Jews and Christians, was perceived as the last in a long list of humiliations and assaults: it is probably not a coincidence that the more violent demonstrations were held in countries like Syria, Iran and Libya, whose relations with the West are tense." Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a prominent Islamic theologian, called for a day of anger from Muslims in response to the cartoons. He supported calls for a UN resolution that "categorically prohibits affronts to prophets—to the prophets of the Lord and His messengers, to His holy books, and to the religious holy places". He also castigated governments around the world for inaction on the issue, saying, "Your silence over such crimes, which offend the Prophet of Islam and insult his great nation, is what begets violence, generates terrorism, and makes the terrorists say: Our governments are doing nothing, and we must avenge our Prophet ourselves. This is what creates terrorism and begets violence."
##### Double standards
Ehsan Ahrari of Asia Times accused some European countries of double standards in adopting laws that outlaw Holocaust denial but still defended the concept of freedom of speech in this case. Other scholars also criticized the practice as a double standard. Anti-holocaust or genocide denial laws were in place in Austria, Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Israel, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, and Romania in 2005. However, Denmark has no such laws and there was—and still is—no EU-wide law against holocaust denial. Randall Hansen said that laws against holocaust denial were not directly comparable with restrictions on social satire, so could not be considered a double standard unless one believed in an absolute right to freedom of speech, and that those who do would doubtless oppose holocaust denial laws. Columnist Charles Krauthammer wrote that there was a double standard in many protesters' demands for religious sensitivity in this case, but not in others. He asked, "Have any of these 'moderates' ever protested the grotesque caricatures of Christians and, most especially, Jews that are broadcast throughout the Middle East on a daily basis?"
##### Relationship between the liberal West and Islam
Francis Fukuyama wrote in the online magazine Slate that "while beginning with a commendable European desire to assert basic liberal values," the controversy was an alarming sign of the degree of cultural conflict between Muslim immigrant communities in Europe and their broader populations, and advocated a measured and prudent response to the situation. Helle Rytkonen wrote in Danish Foreign Policy Yearbook 2007 that most of the debate around the cartoon controversy was over-simplified as a simple matter of free speech against religion. She said that the actual dispute was more nuanced, focusing on the tone of the debate and broader context of Western-Islamic relations.
Christopher Hitchens wrote in Slate that official reaction in the West—particularly the United States—was too lenient toward the protesters and Muslim community in Denmark, and insufficiently supportive of Denmark and the right to free speech:
> Nobody in authority can be found to state the obvious and the necessary—that we stand with the Danes against this defamation and blackmail and sabotage. Instead, all compassion and concern is apparently to be expended upon those who lit the powder trail, and who yell and scream for joy as the embassies of democracies are put to the torch in the capital cities of miserable, fly-blown dictatorships. Let's be sure we haven't hurt the vandals' feelings.
William Kristol also wrote that the response of Western leaders, with the exception of the Danish Prime Minister, was too weak and that the issue was used as an excuse by "those who are threatened by our effort to help liberalize and civilize the Middle East" to fight back against the "assault" on radical Islamists and Middle Eastern dictatorships.
Flemming Rose said he did not expect a violent reaction, and talked about what the incident implies about the relationship between the West and the Muslim world:
> I spoke to [historian of Islam] Bernard Lewis about this, and he said that the big difference between our case and the Rushdie affair is that Rushdie is perceived as an apostate by the Muslims while, in our case, Muslims were insisting on applying Islamic law to what non-Muslims are doing in non-Muslim countries. In that sense, he said it is a kind of unique case that might indicate that Europe is perceived as some kind of intermediate state between the Muslim world and the non-Muslim world.
#### Freedom of speech, political correctness and self-censorship
One of the principal lines of controversy surrounding the cartoons concerned the limits of free speech, how much it should be legally or ethically constrained and whether the cartoons were an appropriate expression for a newspaper to print. The cartoons were first printed in response to the perception of some journalists at the newspaper that self-censorship was becoming a problem; the ensuing reaction did nothing to dispel that idea. Rose said:
> When I wrote the accompanying text to the publication of the cartoons, I said that this act was about self-censorship, not free speech. Free speech is on the books; we have the law, and nobody as yet has thought of rewriting it. This changed when the death threats were issued; it became an issue of the Sharia trumping the fundamental right of free speech.
Rose also highlighted what he believed to be a difference between political correctness and self-censorship—which he considered more dangerous. He said:
> There is a very important distinction to be made here between what you perceive as good behavior and a fear keeping you from doing things that you want to do ... A good example of this was the illustrator who refused to illustrate a children's book about the life of Mohammed. He is on the record in two interviews saying that he insisted on anonymity because he was afraid.
Christopher Hitchens wrote that it is important to affirm "the right to criticize not merely Islam but religion in general." He criticised media outlets which did not print the cartoons while covering the story. Ralf Dahrendorf wrote that the violent reaction to the cartoons constituted a sort of counter-enlightenment which must be defended against. Sonia Mikich wrote in Die Tageszeitung, "I hereby refuse to feel badly for the chronically insulted. I refuse to argue politely why freedom of expression, reason and humour should be respected". She said that those things are part of a healthy society and that deeply held feelings or beliefs should not be exempt from commentary, and that those offended had the option of ignoring them.
Ashwani K. Peetush of Wilfrid Laurier University wrote that in a liberal democracy freedom of speech is not absolute, and that reasonable limits are put on it such as libel, defamation and hate speech laws in almost every society to protect individuals from "devastating and direct harm." He said that it is reasonable to consider two of the cartoons as hate speech, which directly undermine a group of people (Muslims) by forming part of an established discourse linking all Muslims with terrorism and barbarity:
> [The cartoons] create a social environment of conflict and intimidation for a community that already feels that its way of life is threatened. I do not see how such tactics incorporate people into the wider public and democratic sphere, as Rose argues. They have the opposite effect: the marginalised feel further marginalised and powerless.
In France, the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was taken to court for publishing the cartoons; it was acquitted of charges that it incited hatred. In Canada a human rights commission investigated The Western Standard, a magazine which published the cartoons, but found insufficient grounds to proceed with a human rights tribunal (which does not imply criminal charges, but is a quasi-judicial, mandatory process) against the publication. These government investigations of journalists catalysed debate about the role of government in censoring or prosecuting expressions they deemed potentially hateful.
Tim Cavanaugh wrote that the incident revealed the danger of hate speech laws:
> The issue will almost certainly lead to a revisiting of the lamentable laws against 'hate speech' in Europe, and with any luck to a debate on whether these laws are more likely to destroy public harmony than encourage it.
## Comparable incidents
The following incidents are often compared to the cartoon controversy:
- The Satanic Verses controversy (novel, 1988, global)
- The Calcutta Quran Petition (a controversy about a petition to ban the Quran, 1985, India)
- Mohammad, Messenger of God (film, 1977, United States, Libya, UK and Lebanon)
- Capitalist Piglet (cartoon, published in response to the Jyllands-Posten incident, generating national attention, 2006, Canada)
- Gregorius Nekschot (cartoons, 2008, Netherlands)
- Innocence of Muslims (film, 2012, United States)
- Charlie Hebdo (cartoon controversies, 2011 and 2012; terror attack, 2015)
- Fitna, 2008 Dutch film about Islam, which led to worldwide Muslim protests and a hate speech trial
- Behzti, (2004 play, United Kingdom)
- Submission (film, 2004, the Netherlands)
- 2005 Cronulla riots
- Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy
- 2015 Copenhagen shootings
- Murder of Samuel Paty
- South Park Muhammad controversy
- Everybody Draw Muhammad Day
## See also
- Blasphemy Day is celebrated on 30 September to coincide with the anniversary of the publication of the cartoons
- Dove World Outreach Center Quran-burning controversy
- Everybody Draw Mohammed Day
- The First Temptation of Christ
- The Messenger of God, a 2015 film the creation of which was inspired by the cartoons
- Murder of Samuel Paty
- Depictions of Muhammad
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Master Sword
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Fictional weapon
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[
"Fictional elements introduced in 1991",
"Fictional swords",
"Magic items",
"The Legend of Zelda",
"Video game objects"
] |
The Master Sword (マスターソード, Masutā Sōdo) is a fictional divine magic sword in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. It is also known as "The Blade of Evil's Bane", the "Sword of Resurrection", the "Sword that Seals the Darkness" and the "Sacred Sword". It was introduced in the 1991 action-adventure video game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and has since appeared in most other games in the series.
The sword is the signature weapon of Link, the series protagonist, and has become an integral part of the character's visual identity and also a core element of Zelda iconography. In the narrative of the series, it is a powerful, sacred weapon that Link repeatedly uses to defeat the main antagonist, Ganon and other forces of evil. Throughout the Zelda series, it is shown to have various magical powers, including the capability to repel evil, alter the flow of time, and emit light beams to attack surrounding enemies.
In addition to The Legend of Zelda series, the Master Sword has also appeared in various other video games, media, and merchandise. These include Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 8, and Hyrule Warriors. It has been recreated in fan art, cosplay, and weaponry and has become a widely recognizable object in video gaming.
## Characteristics
The Master Sword is a divine, magic sword and the signature weapon of Link, the hero of The Legend of Zelda series. It has become a defining aspect of Link's identity alongside the Hylian Shield and a prominent icon used to market the franchise. The majority of The Legend of Zelda video games follow a similar story arc that involves Link embarking on a journey that eventually leads him to recovering the Master Sword. The blade is traditionally found in its stone pedestal and must be pulled from the pedestal by Link to retrieve it. Although it is not always the strongest sword in Zelda games, the Master Sword is superior to other in-game weapons as it is the only weapon in most games that has the capability of defeating Ganon.
The Master Sword has been referred to by various names. In several games, it is named as the "Blade of Evil's Bane". In Breath of the Wild, the Master Sword is described as "the legendary sword that seals the darkness". It is also named the "Master Sword of Resurrection". In Hyrule Warriors, it is called "The Sacred Sword". In the mythology of the series, the Master Sword is a divine object. In Skyward Sword, it originates in the Goddess Sword, created by the goddess Hylia, and is inhabited by a humanoid spirit named Fi. Over the course of the game, the Goddess Sword is transformed into the Master Sword, a powerful blade that has the magical ability to repel evil.
The design of the sword has evolved over the course of each Zelda title, but it has become identifiable by its purple and silver design. It is a one-handed longsword blade featuring a blue or purple hilt with green grip, purple spread-winged handguards and a yellow gem inlaid in the centre. A defining feature of the sword is that it displays the Triforce, which is engraved on the blade just above the ricasso.
The sword possesses various magical abilities, such as generating fire attacks and lightning attacks in A Link to the Past. In Ocarina of Time, it acts as a seal that protects the Sacred Realm and the Triforce. It can also alter time by placing it in its pedestal to send Link back to his childhood or by removing it again to travel to the future. In The Wind Waker, the sword blocks the powers of Ganondorf and freezes time around Hyrule Castle, so that removing the blade from its pedestal restores Ganondorf's minions. In Twilight Princess, Link uses it to open a path in time. In Skyward Sword, it can be pointed towards the sky to gather energy from the heavens and launch a light beam known as a Skyward Strike. In A Link Between Worlds, the Master Sword is the only weapon that can break the magical barrier that is placed on Hyrule Castle. In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, it emits light beams that deal high damage to surrounding enemies. In Breath of the Wild its superior qualities are indicated by its high durability, as it is the only weapon that is unbreakable and must be recharged before being wielded again. When in close proximity to enemies associated with Calamity Ganon, it glows blue and doubles its attack strength. In Tears of the Kingdom, it possesses similar characteristics and emits higher powered attacks in proximity to enemies associated with Ganondorf.
## Development
Takashi Tezuka, the director of A Link to the Past credited screenwriter Kensuke Tanabe for conceiving the moment in the game when Link obtains the Master Sword. The scene established the mythological importance of the blade within the series as the only sword with the power to repel evil, but also emphasised its symbolic significance. Tezuka noted that in this moment the sword recognises Link as a hero. He explained that "our main aim was to show the birth of a hero in a scene fitting of The Legend Of Zelda, and overlap this with a sense of achievement for the player that they have been recognised as a hero after having overcome many challenges".
In 2011, Nintendo released Skyward Sword, which aimed to develop an early fictional history of Hyrule and create an origin story for the Master Sword. Producer Eiji Aonuma said that the premise was built around the game's motion controls: "This time, the theme is the sword which makes use of the Wii MotionPlus accessory..." The plot suffered from inconsistencies in the pre-existing timeline. Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi explained: "We settled on having the sky and surface world, and on top of that, it was going to tell the story of the creation of Hyrule, with the untold story of the origin of the Master Sword... So, looking back at the series so far, we began knitting together the various elements. And then all sorts of contradictions arose". A television commercial for the game's release prominently featured the Master Sword to advertise the game's motion controls, which involved using the Wii MotionPlus to control the sword's movements on screen.
## Appearances
### The Legend of Zelda series
In the original The Legend of Zelda (1986), a fantasy weapon appears without any defining features, but was the precursor for future iterations of the Master Sword. It was not until 1991 that the Master Sword was introduced in the series with the release of A Link to the Past. The game involves Link setting out to rescue Princess Zelda by retrieving the blade from its pedestal in the Lost Woods and using it to defeat the main antagonists, the evil wizard Agahnim and finally, Ganon. Link must obtain three pendants to prove himself worthy of claiming the sword.
The sword reappeared in Ocarina of Time, and was the first iteration of the longsword design in 3D. As well as being the only weapon that is capable of defeating Ganon, it also acts as a seal to protect the Sacred Realm and the Triforce. In this iteration, it is located in the Temple of Time, locked behind the Door of Time. Link must collect three Spiritual Stones to open the Door of Time and claim the Master Sword from its pedestal. Due to his youth, the sword seals him in the Temple of Time for seven years until he is ready to be the Hero of Time. Link can then use the Master Sword to travel back to his childhood by placing it in the pedestal.
In The Wind Waker, Link finds the Master Sword inside the sunken Hyrule Castle. It is once again presented as the only sword capable of defeating Ganondorf. The sword blocks Ganondorf's magical powers and freezes time around the castle. When the blade is removed from its pedestal, it restores Ganondorf's minions and magic and it loses its power to repel evil. Once Link has replenished the Master Sword's power, he is able to destroy Ganondorf by plunging it into his forehead and turning him to stone.
When Link seeks out the Master Sword in Twilight Princess, it is located on its pedestal deep in the woods in the Sacred Grove within the ruined Temple of Time. Retrieving the sword is the only way to break the sorcerer Zant's magic, which has turned Link into a wolf. When he returns to the Sacred Grove later in the game, he uses the sword to open a path in time. The sword becomes more powerful when it is infused with the divine power of the Sols. As in previous games, the Master Sword is finally used to kill Ganondorf.
In Skyward Sword, the Master Sword plays a central role in Link's journey to defeat the main antagonist, Demon King Demise and prove himself as the hero. The plot charts the weapon's transition from the Goddess Sword, a weapon left by the goddess Hylia, into the Master Sword. Link uses three Sacred Flames to forge the Goddess Sword into the Master Sword and, after defeating Demon King Demise, seals him inside the sword by placing it in its pedestal. In the finale, a humanoid spirit named Fi, who acts as Link's companion throughout the game, is placed in an eternal slumber within the Master Sword.
Link again retrieves the sword from its pedestal in the Lost Woods in A Link Between Worlds, after collecting three Pendants of Virtue and then rescues Seven Sages and Princess Zelda. During the game, the Master Sword is upgraded by blacksmiths in Hyrule and Lorule after Link collects master ore from various locations, making it a more powerful weapon.
Throughout Breath of the Wild, Link can obtain the Master Sword once he is strong enough to pull it from its pedestal. It is located deep in the Lost Woods within Great Hyrule Forest. In this game the sword is heavily damaged and covered in Malice after being used in battle against Calamity Ganon 100 years before the events of the game. After successfully retrieving the Master Sword and purchasing the DLC, the player is given the opportunity to tackle one of the end game challenges named "The Trial of the Sword", which is aimed at advanced players. Upon successfully completing all of the levels, the Master Sword is permanently upgraded to its highest attack level.
In Tears of the Kingdom (2023), the sequel to Breath of the Wild, Link begins the game wielding the Master Sword, only for it to be shattered by Ganondorf's power. After he awakens on the Great Sky Island with the broken sword, he sends it back in time to Zelda, who time-traveled back to the era of Hyrule's founding. To defeat Ganondorf, Zelda chooses to consume a secret stone to transform into a dragon, allowing the Master Sword to regain its sacred energy over millennia. In the present day, Link finds Zelda in her draconified form and pulls the Master Sword from her skull. Like other weapons in the game, the Master Sword can be fused with various materials to make it more powerful in combat.
### Other media
The Master Sword has made appearances in various other video games. Link appears with the Master Sword as a playable character in the original 1999 Super Smash Bros. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Link also appears as a playable character in eight different costumes that include the Master Sword and Hylian Shield. The Master Sword has also made an appearance in Animal Crossing games and Soulcalibur II. In Nintendo Land, players can wield the Master Sword as part of The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest. Link makes a cameo appearance with the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield in Scribblenauts Unlimited. In Bayonetta 2, Bayonetta is able to use the Master Sword after equipping Link's costume. In the racing game Mario Kart 8, the Master Sword was introduced with Link in the first DLC. It also makes an appearance in the Hyrule Circuit as a statue inside the castle. It is also obtainable as gear alongside the Hylian Shield in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The Master Sword was also introduced in Super Mario Maker 2 with a Zelda update in 2019. The sword transforms Mario into Link and bestows a range of special abilities. In the hack and slash video game Hyrule Warriors (2014), the Master Sword appears as a prominent weapon. Link can use it in battle alongside the Hylian Shield, and after completing certain tasks, the sword has the capability of emitting the sword beam. In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020), Link is able to use the Master Sword throughout the game after defeating an antagonist named Astor and retrieving the blade from its pedestal. Once obtained, Link is able to level up the sword by fusing other weapons into it and add unique effects by equipping it with Seals. The fully maxed out Master Sword then unlocks an additional sword beam attack when Link is at full health. The Master Sword has also been featured prominently in Zelda-related media, including books and other merchandise.
## Reception
Since its introduction in The Legend of Zelda series, the Master Sword has become a recognisable object in video gaming. It has been recreated in the form of fan-made replicas and also used as a functioning weapon. Critics have observed that the Master Sword and other Zelda plot elements have been heavily influenced by Celtic mythology. Cian Maher of Eurogamer drew comparisons between the Master Sword and a sword in Irish mythology called Claíomh Solais, also known as The Sword of Light. This sword was similar to Cú Chulainn's sword, known as Cruadín Catuchenn, one of the legendary god-killing weapons in Irish mythology. He noted the similarity of the heroes completing three tasks before obtaining the Sword of Light and that the weapon is capable of killing an enemy that is impossible to defeat, which resembles Link's quest and the Master Sword's capability of killing undefeated enemies like Ganon. Aaron Greenbaum writing for Den of Geek commented on the contradictory origins of the sword within the series. He noted that the story of who forged the sword has been retconned since A Link to the Past, due to the "confusing" nature of The Legend of Zelda timeline and that Skyward Sword corrected this by introducing the idea that Link forges the sword, providing a "superior in-game explanation".
Nintendo Power described the Master Sword as one of the best weapons in gaming, citing that it is more than just a powerful sword, but also integral to Link's adventures and development as a character. Writing for Paste, Khee Hoon Chan commented on the significance of the Master Sword in the narrative of the Zelda storyline: "There are few scenes in entertainment as iconic as the image of young Link pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal, a virtual, modern retelling of The Sword and the Stone. More than just a weapon, the Master Sword came to be a symbol of Link's destiny". The Master Sword was ranked as one of the coolest swords in gaming by Ron Whitaker for The Escapist magazine, who commented, "the Master Sword doesn't look all that special. It's not that big, it doesn't have flames rising from it, and it doesn't look all that intimidating. But in the hands of the right person, it can save the world". He also listed it as one of the most iconic video game weapons.
In a review of Skyward Sword, GamesRadar described the Master Sword as "the unspoken star of The Legend of Zelda", and praised the game for placing it directly in the hands of the player through the MotionPlus and making the sword a focal point of the game. Jim Norman of Nintendo Life thought that obtaining the Master Sword in Tears of the Kingdom was a "series defining moment" due to the cinematic spectacle of pulling the sword from the Light Dragon's head and the tension involved in performing the act. He also noted that the sword's role as an integral part of the storyline means that finding its location provides a "special melancholic twist". Matthew Byrd writing for Den of Geek considered the Master Sword to be "the most important weapon in gaming history", due to the way it is obtained in A Link to the Past. He opined that the moment when the player obtains the sword is significant because it provides the player with a sense of fulfilling their destiny, which had not been achieved by any previous piece of gear in gaming. He commented, "Few weapons in gaming history until that point had been treated with such reverence, and few felt so good to finally acquire."IGN staff consider the Master Sword to be the greatest or most iconic video game weapon of all time, and the act of pulling it out in Ocarina of Time the most unforgettable video game moment of all time. Destin Legarie from IGN wrote: "This beautiful sword is an icon to gamers everywhere, as well as an instantly recognizable item of central importance in the Zelda franchise. Sure, there have been plenty of great weapons and items in The Legend of Zelda series, but only the Master Sword has endured since the days of A Link to the Past. Each story since the Super Nintendo entry has been crafted around Link's quest to obtain this legendary blade".
|
27,131,429 |
Tropical Storm Rachel (1990)
| 1,055,173,642 |
Pacific tropical storm in 1990
|
[
"1990 Pacific hurricane season",
"Eastern Pacific tropical storms",
"Pacific hurricanes in Mexico"
] |
Tropical Storm Rachel was the only tropical cyclone to make landfall during the 1990 Pacific hurricane season. The twenty-fourth tropical depression and eighteenth named storm, Rachel developed on September 27 from a tropical wave southwest of mainland Mexico. After becoming a tropical depression, the system tracked slowly southwestward and eventually curved northwestward. The depression intensified into a tropical storm after three days and was named Rachel by the National Hurricane Center. Rachel continued to steadily strengthen, and peaked as a strong 65 mph (100 km/h) tropical storm on October 2. After attaining peak intensity, Rachel re-curved to make a landfall in southern Baja California Sur and again in the Mexican Mainland on October 3. The storm produced heavy rainfall across northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Thousands of people were left homeless and 18 fatalities were reported.
## Meteorological history
The origins of Rachel can be traced back to a tropical wave that moved off the west coast Africa in mid-September 1990. It moved westward into the Caribbean Sea without significant development. Poorly organized, the wave entered the Eastern Pacific on overnight September 22. The thunderstorm activity became more concentrated two days later. Dvorak classifications, a technique used to estimate a tropical cyclone's intensity, began late September 25.
Early on September 27, the twenty-fourth tropical depression of the season had developed; however, operationally it was not warned upon until the system was located 540 mi (870 km) south of Baja California Sur on September 30. Post-analysis later confirm that Rachel was already a minimal tropical storm by that time. Although convection initially remained displaced from the center, Rachel steadily intensified. Early on September 30, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) operationally upgraded the depression into Tropical Storm Rachel. While intensifying, an upper-level trough over California allowed Rachel to re-curve towards Mexico. On October 2, it reached its peak intensity of 65 mph (100 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 994 mbar (hPa; 29.35 inHg).
After maintaining its intensity for 24 hours, Rachel made landfall at peak intensity near the southern tip of Baja California Sur. Strong wind shear prevented additional intensification, despite moving into the warm waters of the Gulf of California. After weakening slightly, Rachel made a second landfall midway between Las Mochis and Culiacán. Upon moving inland, the system rapidly weakened as the forward speed increased. Rachel dissipated several hours later on October 3. By that time, the winds had decreased to 30 mph (45 km/h). The remnants of Rachel entered the United States, and were last noted over Texas.
## Preparations and impact
Prior to the arrival of Rachel, the Mexican government issued a tropical storm watch for southern Baja California Sur, encompassing areas south of La Paz on October 1. As Rachel moved closer to the area, the watch was replaced with a tropical storm warning. In the mainland, a tropical storm watch was issued for the state of Sinaloa south of Los Mmochis. Six hours later, the watches was replaced with a tropical storm warning. By the end of October 2, all the watches and warnings were discontinued.
The two highest rainfall totals were 9.85 in (250 mm) and 6.5 in (170 mm) at Santa Anita and San Jose Del Cobe, near the southern tip of Baja California Sur. Two weather stations in Mexico reported barometric pressure of 1005 and 1006 mbar (hPa; 29.68 and 29.71 inHg) during the passage of Rachel. In all, precipitation was measured at 996 different places across the country. Throughout northern Mexico, significant flooding was reported with the worst effects felt in the states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila and Durango. Thousands were homeless, and 18 people died. In Monterrey, rescue workers freed dozens of trapped people.
The moisture associated with the Rachel and a cold front produced rainfall in Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas, while it was located southwest of Baja California Sur. After Rachel had dropped heavy rains, a flash flood watch was issued for several counties in New Mexico on October 1, where rainfall had reportedly been 2 in (51 mm) since the last day of September. The remnants of the storm produced additional precipitation across the state. Heavy rains fell on almost all of western Texas, and a flash flood warning had been issued after some areas experienced rainfall over 1 in (25 mm). With heavy rains falling in the western portion of Texas, some roads were washed out, especially in Big Bend National Park and Lubbock; several car accidents were also reported on the roads. Several locations in Texas measured at least 0.5 in (13 mm) of rain, and the highest amount of rainfall was 1.5 in (38 mm) in Lubbock.
## See also
- 1990 Pacific hurricane season
- Other storms of the same name
[1990 Pacific hurricane season](Category:1990_Pacific_hurricane_season "wikilink") [Eastern Pacific tropical storms](Category:Eastern_Pacific_tropical_storms "wikilink") [Pacific hurricanes in Mexico](Category:Pacific_hurricanes_in_Mexico "wikilink")
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560,884 |
Early Wynn
| 1,155,802,353 |
American baseball player (1920-1999)
|
[
"1920 births",
"1999 deaths",
"20th-century American journalists",
"American League All-Stars",
"American League ERA champions",
"American League strikeout champions",
"American League wins champions",
"American male journalists",
"Baseball players from Alabama",
"Charlotte Hornets (baseball) players",
"Chicago White Sox announcers",
"Chicago White Sox players",
"Cleveland Indians coaches",
"Cleveland Indians players",
"Cy Young Award winners",
"Journalists from Alabama",
"Major League Baseball broadcasters",
"Major League Baseball pitchers",
"Major League Baseball pitching coaches",
"Minnesota Twins coaches",
"Minnesota Twins scouts",
"Minor league baseball managers",
"National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees",
"People from Hartford, Alabama",
"Sanford Lookouts players",
"Springfield Nationals players",
"Toronto Blue Jays announcers",
"United States Army personnel of World War II",
"Washington Senators (1901–1960) players"
] |
Early Wynn Jr. (January 6, 1920 – April 4, 1999), nicknamed "Gus", was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox, during his 23-year MLB career. Wynn was identified as one of the most intimidating pitchers in the game, having combined his powerful fastball with a hard attitude toward batters. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
Wynn signed with the Senators at the age of 17, deciding to forgo completing his high school education to begin pursuing a baseball career. He spent three seasons in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) before achieving his first MLB stint in 1939. Wynn returned to the big leagues two years later and in 1942 pitched his first full MLB season. The following year, he won 18 games for the Senators. Drafted into the military in 1944, Wynn missed all of 1945 and a portion of the 1946 season while serving in the United States Army during World War II. He spent all of 1947 and 1948 with the Senators before getting traded to the Indians after the 1948 season.
With Cleveland, Wynn was a member of what historian David Fleitz called "one of the greatest pitching rotations of all time," along with Bob Feller, Mike Garcia, and Bob Lemon. Pitching coach Mel Harder taught him a curveball, slider, and knuckleball, which Wynn credited with helping him become a better pitcher in the 1950s. He won 20 or more games in four of his seasons with the Indians, helping them set an American League (AL) record with 111 total wins in 1954. He started Game 2 of the 1954 World Series, which the New York Giants won in four games. In 1955, he was selected to his first of eight straight All-Star Games. Traded to the White Sox after the 1957 season, Wynn won the 1959 Cy Young Award, leading the AL with 22 wins as the team won the AL pennant. At 39, he became the oldest pitcher to win the award, and he was not passed for 19 years. In Game 1 of the 1959 World Series, Wynn struck out six in seven innings, allowing no runs as the White Sox won 11–0. He made two other starts in the Series but failed to pitch past the fourth inning in either, as the Los Angeles Dodgers won the series in six games. Towards the end of his career, Wynn began to rely more heavily on the knuckleball, as the velocity of his pitches declined. The White Sox released him after the 1962 season, but Wynn signed with the Indians in 1963 because he was determined to win 300 games. He picked up his 300th victory against the Kansas City Athletics on July 13, his last major league win, though he remained on the roster for the rest of the season. As of August 2020, he is one of 23 MLB pitchers to win 300 games.
After his retirement as a player, Wynn served as a pitching coach for the Indians from 1964 to 1966 and the Minnesota Twins from 1967 to 1969. He later was a broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays and White Sox. Wynn lived in Nokomis, Florida, for many years, operating the Early Wynn Steak House and Bowling Lanes in Venice, Florida, during the 1960s. In 1999, he was included on The Sporting News list of the 100 greatest players in baseball history. Wynn died that year in an assisted living facility following heart-related problems and a stroke.
## Early life
Wynn was born January 6, 1920, in Hartford, Alabama, the son of Blanche Wynn and Early Wynn Sr., an automobile mechanic and former semi-professional baseball player. Wynn described his ancestry as being Scottish, Irish, and Cherokee; sportswriter Lew Freedman speculates that Wynn was no more than 1⁄8 Cherokee. As a youth, Wynn lifted 500-pound bales of cotton one summer for 10 cents an hour; the experience left him determined to make a different living for himself. Excelling at both football and baseball, Wynn was about to become the top running back at Geneva County High School as a sophomore, but he suffered a broken leg on a punt return that year. The injury forced him out of football and focused his attention on baseball. Wynn later described it as "my best break ever."
When he was a teenager, Wynn attended a tryout session in Florida for the Washington Senators. He impressed Senators coach Clyde Milan enough that the organization offered him a minor league contract. Wynn signed with Washington for \$100 per month and decided not to finish high school. Between 1937 and 1939, Wynn pitched minor league baseball in the Florida State League and the Piedmont League.
## MLB career
### Washington Senators (1939, 1941–1944, 1946–1948)
Wynn made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 1939, when he was a September callup by the Senators. He threw a complete game in his first outing on September 13, allowing four runs (three earned) in a 4–2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Wynn made three starts, posting an 0–2 record and a 5.75 earned run average (ERA) before returning to the minor leagues for 1940 and most of 1941. David Fleitz of the Society for American Baseball Research wrote, "Wynn was not yet ready for major-league action." He made it back to the major leagues in 1941, when he was again a September callup. In his first start of the year, the second game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics, he gave up two runs and six hits, earning his first major league win in a 4–2 Senator victory. He started five games this time, completing four of them and finishing with a 3–1 record and a 1.58 ERA.
In 1942, Wynn was named to Washington's four-man pitching rotation and spent the whole season in the major leagues for the first time. He threw a shutout on April 30 against the White Sox, allowing the Senators to win by scoring just one run. In the second game of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on September 6, he gave up several runs–11, though only five were earned. The Senators lost 15–2. He pitched 30 games that season, finishing with a 10–16 record and a 5.12 ERA. The 16 losses ranked fifth in the American League (AL).
Wynn opened the 1943 season as the number two starter in the Senators' rotation, behind Dutch Leonard. On April 27, he threw 13 scoreless innings but received a no decision as Philadelphia defeated the Senators 2–1 in 16 innings. Against the Cleveland Indians on July 10, he allowed only four hits and threw a shutout in a 4–0 victory. He pitched 13+1⁄3 innings on August 18, losing the game 3–2 in the 14th to the White Sox when Guy Curtright singled to drive in a run; however, the two runs Wynn had allowed earlier were unearned. Four days later, in the second game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Browns, Wynn hit his first major league home run against Bob Muncrief. He was less successful on the mound, allowing seven runs in six innings as the Browns won 8–5. On September 10, he held Philadelphia to three hits in a 5–0 victory. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Yankees on September 19, Wynn gave up two runs in 10 innings as the Senators won 3–2. In 37 games, he finished 18–12 with a 2.91 ERA and 89 strikeouts, leading the AL with 33 starts. Wynn finished 18th in AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting.
On April 20, 1944, Wynn threw a two-hit shutout against the Philadelphia Athletics. He held the Indians to three runs (two earned) over 13 innings on May 26 in a 5–3 victory. On June 18, he threw a four-hit shutout against the Boston Red Sox in a 1–0 victory. He had a 6–7 record entering June 29 but would lose 10 decisions in a row starting from that date and lasting through August 13, when he finally won another game. One of those losses in the second game of a doubleheader on July 4 came after Wynn had held the White Sox to two runs in 11 innings; he gave up a third run in the 12th, and Chicago defeated Washington by a score of 3–2. Though his season ended in late August, he led the league in losses in 1944, compiling an 8–17 record and a 3.38 ERA.
Wynn's 1944 season ended early, as he joined the United States Army on August 21. He underwent 17 weeks of training at Fort Knox before going to the Philippines to serve in the Tank Corps during World War II. Though he missed the 1945 major league season, Wynn continued to play baseball, pitching for a Pacific Army team known as the Manila Dodgers.
Returning to the United States in June 1946, Wynn was able to resume pitching for the Senators on July 16. He pitched 11 innings against the Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader on September 8, allowing only one run (unearned) and earning the victory in Washington's 2–1 triumph. In 17 games that year, he finished with an 8–5 record and a 3.11 ERA.
In 1947, Wynn was the Senators' Opening Day starter. He came within one out of completing the first game he won that season on April 23, getting relieved by Tom Ferrick with two outs in the ninth inning but still earning the win in a 4–3 triumph over Philadelphia. On June 5, he shut out the Indians in a 3–0 victory. Wynn was selected to the 1947 AL All-Star team for the first time as a replacement for an injured Bob Feller, but he did not pitch in the AL's 2–1 victory. In the first game of a doubleheader on July 10, he gave up 10 hits but threw a shutout in a 4–0 victory over the White Sox. On July 22, he gave up only two hits and one run (unearned) in a 6–1 victory over the Detroit Tigers. He pitched 33 games that year and earned a decision in almost every game, totaling 17 wins with 15 losses and a 3.64 ERA. After the season, he finished 23rd in AL MVP voting.
Wynn made the Opening Day start again for the Senators in 1948 but gave up 12 runs (10 earned) over 8+1⁄3 innings in a 12–4 loss to the Senators. On May 6, he limited Cleveland to three hits in a shutout as the Senators beat the Indians by a score of 5–0. He had a 7–7 record through the end of June but only won one more game the rest of the season (against the Indians on August 29), losing 12 games and posting a 6.96 ERA in the season's second half. In 1948, Wynn was the victim of inconsistency, posting an 8–19 record and a 5.82 ERA. He gave up a league-high 128 earned runs, and his 19 losses were third in the league (behind Fred Sanford's 21 and Bill Wight's 20). When hitting, though, he had a career-high 16 runs batted in (RBI).
During the offseason, the Senators made Wynn available for trade. The Boston Red Sox offered Johnny Pesky to Washington for Wynn in November, but the trade did not go through. However, Bill Veeck, who owned the Indians, had been trying to acquire Wynn since before the 1948 season. In December, Wynn and Mickey Vernon were sent to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Joe Haynes, Ed Klieman and Eddie Robinson.
### Cleveland Indians (1949–1957)
The Indians were excited about Wynn's potential, but they felt he needed more pitches to be truly successful. Though he threw a changeup, Wynn relied almost exclusively on his fastball and did not have any other pitches available at his disposal. Pitching coach Mel Harder, a four-time All-Star with the Indians in the 1930s, taught Wynn how to throw a curveball, slider, and knuckleball; Wynn had the curveball and slider "mastered" by the middle of the 1949 season, according to Fleitz. "I could throw the ball when I came here [to Cleveland],” remembered Wynn, “but Mel made a pitcher out of me." With Cleveland, he developed into a key part of what Fleitz called "one of the greatest pitching rotations of all time," joining Feller, Bob Lemon and Mike Garcia. Cleveland manager Al López later called those four pitchers "the greatest pitching staff I ever saw during 33 years in the majors."
Wynn pitched all 11 innings of a game against the White Sox on May 28, allowing two runs as the Indians prevailed 3–2. On June 3, Wynn held the Red Sox to four hits and one run as the Indians prevailed 8–1. Interestingly, though he was perfecting his new pitches as the 1949 season wore on, Wynn had more success earlier in the year. He had a 7–1 record with a 3.60 ERA through July 17; thereafter, he posted a 4–6 record with a 4.62 ERA. On August 2, he held his former team to one run in an 8–1 victory. Wynn's 23 starts were his fewest in a season not interrupted by military service since 1941; he posted an 11–7 record and a 4.15 ERA.
By 1950, Wynn was the number two starter in Cleveland's rotation, behind Lemon and ahead of Feller (third). From June 16 through July 9, he won six straight appearances, including a game on July 9 in which he pitched five shutout innings of relief. Wynn struck out a season-high 11 batters on July 6 in a 5–2 win over the White Sox. He limited the Tigers to two runs over 10 innings on August 14 in a 3–2 victory. Five days later, he held the White Sox to three hits and no runs in a 1–0 triumph. He shut out the White Sox again in his last start of the year on September 26, allowing six hits in a 2–0 victory. In 1950, he recorded 18 wins and led the AL with a 3.20 ERA. Wynn also surpassed the 100-strikeout mark for the first time, finishing the year with 143. 1950 was the first of seven straight seasons in which Wynn would win at least 17 games.
On April 18, 1951, Wynn held the Tigers to two runs in 10 innings, earning the win in a 4–2 victory. Though he had a 3.62 ERA through June 17, Wynn's record was merely 4–8; he won 16 games after that date to earn his first 20-win season. On July 14, he held the Yankees to two hits and threw a shutout in an 8–0 victory. Five days later, Boston scored four runs against him in 11 innings, but Cleveland rallied from a 4–3 deficit in the 11th to win 5–4. In the first game of a doubleheader on August 19, he shut out the White Sox in a 4–0 victory. On August 28, he held the Athletics scoreless in a 1–0 victory. The victory started a streak of six straight decisions won by Wynn, lasting until his loss to the White Sox on September 25. Wynn tied for the AL lead in starts (34) and led the league with 274+1⁄3 innings pitched, finishing tied for fourth with 20 wins (along with Ned Garver and teammate Garcia), third in ERA (3.02, behind Saul Rogovin's 2.78 and Eddie Lopat's 2.91), and second in strikeouts (133, behind only Vic Raschi's 164). He finished 16th in AL MVP voting.
Wynn made his first Opening Day start as an Indian in 1952. He held Boston to four hits on June 5, striking out eight batters as the Indians won 5–0. In the first game of a doubleheader against Detroit on July 4, he allowed just two hits as Cleveland won 11–0. Wynn was 16–9 through August 15, but he lost three appearances in a row to fall to 16–12 on August 24. He would not lose another game in 1952, winning all seven of his final starts. On September 5, he held the White Sox to four hits in a 3–0 victory. He shut out the Red Sox again on September 12, holding them to three hits in a 5–0 triumph. Wynn finished the year among AL leaders in several categories. He allowed the most home runs (23) and walks (132) of any AL pitcher, but his 2.90 ERA ranked tenth. His 23 wins ranked second to Bobby Shantz's 24, and his 153 strikeouts were topped only by Allie Reynolds's 160. This season, Wynn finished fifth in AL MVP voting.
In 1953, Wynn was the fourth starter in the Indians' rotation. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Senators on May 3, he allowed just three hits in a 7–0 shutout victory, striking out eight and also hitting a home run against Connie Marrero. On June 28, he held the Yankees to three hits and one run, hitting a home run against Tom Gorman in a 4–1 victory over the Yankees. Against the Yankees again on July 23, he struck out seven and allowed two runs in a 10–2 victory. He recorded 10 strikeouts in eight innings against the Red Sox on September 1, allowing three runs as the Indians won 13–3. In 36 games (34 starts), he had a 17–12 record and a 3.93 ERA. His 17 wins ranked ninth in the AL, and his 138 strikeouts ranked third (behind Billy Pierce's 186 and Virgil Trucks's 149).
Wynn made the Opening Day start for the Indians in 1954, his last of two he would make during his tenure with the team. On May 1, he held the Yankees to two runs and drove in two runs himself with an RBI single against Gorman as the Indians prevailed 10–2. Wynn held the Tigers to two hits on May 28 in a 3–0 victory. On July 15, he held the Athletics to three hits in a 4–0 shutout victory. He threw a second shutout against Detroit on August 18, allowing six hits in a 4–0 victory. In the second game of a doubleheader against New York on September 12, he struck out 12 Yankees in a 3–2 victory. Wynn finished the season with a 2.73 ERA (fourth in the AL), won 23 games (most in the AL) and struck out 155 batters (second to Bob Turley's 185). He led the AL in starts and innings pitched and finished sixth in MVP voting. The Indians won 111 regular season games during 1954, breaking an AL record previously held by the 1927 New York Yankees and earning Wynn his first playoff appearance. In the 1954 World Series against the New York Giants, Wynn started Game 2. He allowed three runs in seven innings, as the Giants defeated the Indians 3–1. That was Wynn's only appearance in the series, as the Giants won four straight games against Cleveland.
Afflicted by pneumonia to begin the 1955 season, Wynn did not earn his first win until May. On May 22, he threw a shutout against the Tigers, allowing just one hit when Fred Hatfield singled in the fourth inning. On June 22, he struck out 10 batters in a 5–0 shutout victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Four days later, in the first game of a doubleheader, he recorded eight strikeouts and allowed just three hits in a 5–0 victory over the Yankees. On July 1, he threw a third shutout in a row as the Indians defeated the White Sox 1–0. He was an All-Star for the second time in his career and pitched three scoreless innings in the game. This selection marked the start of eight consecutive All-Star Games he would be selected to over the next six seasons. He finished the 1955 season with a 17–11 record and a 2.82 ERA. Wynn's 17 wins were tied with Turley for fourth in the AL (three pitchers had 18), his 2.82 ERA was third (behind Pierce's 1.97 and Whitey Ford's 2.63), and his 122 strikeouts ranked seventh. Also, his six shutouts were tied with Pierce and Turley for second, behind Billy Hoeft's seven. That season, Wynn began writing a column for The Cleveland News entitled The Wynn Mill, he did it without any assistance from ghostwriters despite the fact that he had never finished high school. He gave his opinions concerning everything from umpires to Indians coaches, to the frustration of Indians' general manager Hank Greenberg. Wynn donated his payment for the column to the Elks Club in Nokomis, Florida, where he lived during the offseason.
Wynn threw a shutout against the Yankees on June 8, 1956, allowing five hits in a 9–0 victory. He shut out the Red Sox on June 21, limiting them to four hits in a 5–0 victory. On July 18, he was struck in the face by a sharp line drive off the bat of Senators shortstop Jose Valdivielso. Replaced by Hank Aguirre on the mound, Wynn lost seven teeth from the impact. The facial wound required 16 stitches. He was pitching again four days later, holding the Orioles to six hits in an 8–0 shutout. On July 31, he shut out the Yankees for the second time that year, allowing three hits in a 5–0 victory. He picked up his 20th win of the year with a ten-inning effort against the Kansas City Athletics in a 4–1 victory. His 20 wins put him in a five-way tie for second in the AL, behind Frank Lary's 21. Wynn finished third in ERA (2.72, behind Ford's 2.47 and teammate Herb Score's 2.53) and seventh with 153 strikeouts. In AL MVP voting, Wynn ranked 13th.
In the first game of a doubleheader against the Tigers on April 28, 1957, Wynn took the loss but allowed just two runs and struck out a season-high 10 hitters. He struck out nine Yankees on June 27 in a 2–0 shutout. Seven days later, he had nine strikeouts again, allowing three hits and one unearned run in a 3–1 triumph over Detroit in the first game of a doubleheader. He struck out nine hitters on August 3 as well but gave up 10 hits and four runs in seven innings of a 5–3 loss to the Yankees. Wynn led the AL with 37 starts, but the 1957 season was his first losing season with Cleveland. His record was just 14–17, and his ERA of 4.31 was his highest as an Indian. He led the league in strikeouts (with a career-high 184), but he also led the league in hits (270) and earned runs (126) allowed. After the season, Wynn and Al Smith were traded to the Chicago White Sox for Minnie Miñoso and Hatfield. The trade reunited him with López, who had managed him with the Indians through the 1956 season.
### Chicago White Sox (1958–1962)
Wynn's new contract with the White Sox forbade him from writing for newspapers (thus ending The Wynn Mill), but his salary was raised to make up for lost revenue. In his first start against Cleveland since the trade, Wynn threw a two-hit shutout on May 9, 1958. He held the Orioles scoreless on May 23, the necessary total for the White Sox to prevail 1–0. On June 19, he gave up just two hits against Boston in a 4–0 victory. He threw another two-hit shutout on August 31 in a 3–0 victory over Detroit. He had a winning record on September 9 but lost three of his final four starts to finish the year with a 14–16 record. In 1958, Wynn became the first MLB pitcher to lead his league in strikeouts in consecutive years with different teams (184 with Cleveland, 189 with Chicago). His ERA was 4.13.
Fleitz writes that in 1959, "everything clicked for both Wynn and the White Sox." He began relying further on the knuckleball, since his fastball was losing velocity. "For years they've been accusing me of throwing it when I didn't even know how to hold it ... I can't throw as hard as I did six, seven years ago. And I get tired quicker. I find that you can throw the knuckler with a little more effort and no strain", Wynn said. On May 1, Wynn became the second pitcher in major league history to win a game 1–0 while recording at least ten strikeouts and hitting a home run; Red Ruffing had done the same for the Yankees in 1932. He also allowed just one hit to Boston in the game. Wynn served as the starting pitcher in the first All-Star Game of the year on July 7, allowing one run in three innings and receiving a no-decision as the National League defeated the AL 5–4. He threw back-to-back shutouts on August 9 (second game of a doubleheader) and August 13, allowing three hits in each as the White Sox won both games 9–0. On September 8, he pitched 10 innings, allowing two runs to the Athletics as Chicago prevailed 3–2. Facing the Indians on September 22, Wynn picked up his 21st win, a victory that clinched the AL pennant for the White Sox. Wynn won the Cy Young Award in 1959 at the age of 39, posting a record of 22–10, with 179 strikeouts and a 3.17 ERA. He became the third-oldest MLB pitcher to win 20 games in a season, following Cy Young and Grover Cleveland Alexander. Wynn's 22 wins led the AL, his 3.17 ERA ranked ninth, his 179 strikeouts were third (behind Jim Bunning's 201 and Camilo Pascual's 179), his 255+2⁄3 innings pitched led the league, and his 37 starts tied Paul Foytack for most in the AL. He also ranked second in shutouts with five, one fewer than Pascual's total. Wynn was third in AL MVP voting, trailing teammates Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio.
Wynn was "magnificent" in Game 1 of the 1959 World Series, according to Sports Illustrated. He allowed no runs, merely singles, to the Los Angeles Dodgers for seven innings before exiting because the cold weather was affecting his elbow; the White Sox defeated Los Angeles 11–0. In Game 4, he kept the Dodgers scoreless for the first two innings but allowed four runs (three earned) in the third inning before getting replaced with two outs by Turk Lown; the Dodgers won that game 5–4, though Wynn had a no-decision. He gave up a two-run home run to Duke Snider in the third inning of Game 6, then allowed three runs in the fourth inning, taking the loss in the 9–3 defeat as the Dodgers clinched the Series victory in six games.
In the first game of a doubleheader on May 15, 1960, Wynn shut out the Indians, limiting them to five hits in a 4–0 triumph. He lost five straight decisions from May 25 through June 18, but he won 11 of his next 15. In 1960, Wynn was selected to the All-Star Games for his seventh and last year, pitching two scoreless innings in the second All-Star Game, which the AL lost 6–0. On August 19, he shut out the Athletics, allowing seven hits as Chicago defeated Kansas City by a score of 10–0. His final two wins of the season were shutouts thrown within 12 days of each other in September, the first coming in a 1–0 victory over Boston on September 11. He finished the 1960 season with a 13–12 record (his fewest wins since 1949), a 3.49 ERA, and 158 strikeouts, the third-highest total in the AL (behind Bunning's 201 and Pedro Ramos's 160). Wynn also tied Ford and Jim Perry for the AL lead in shutouts, with four.
Wynn struck out a season-high seven batters in back-to-back wins on May 12 and May 16, 1961. He held Baltimore scoreless and pitched seven shutout innings with six strikeouts on July 22 but received a no-decision; the White Sox won 7–4. In 1961, Wynn was 8–2 but his season ended after the start against the Orioles because his gout, which had affected him since 1950, finally became too much for him to pitch through. He had 64 strikeouts and a 3.51 ERA. Wynn missed the rest of the season, even giving up eating meat in an attempt to get the ailment under control.
By 1962, Wynn had started pitching mainly with the slider and the knuckleball. By that season, he was the oldest player in the AL. Facing the Indians on May 28, he threw a three-hit shutout as Chicago won 2–0. His next win (over a month later) was also a shutout, when he struck out eight batters and allowed only five hits in a 7–0 victory over Cleveland. 24 days later, Wynn had another shutout in a five-hit, 6–0 victory over the Washington Senators. He pitched to a 7–15 record in 1962, with a 4.46 ERA (his highest since 1948) and just 91 strikeouts. The 15 losses were tied with Don Schwall's total for fourth in the AL, and his 4.46 ERA was 0.49 over the league average. Thinking he was finished, the White Sox released him after the season.
### 1963: The pursuit of win \#300
Wynn, however, had picked up his 299th victory before the end of 1962, and he was determined to get to 300 career wins. He attended spring training with the White Sox in 1963 but failed to make the team. Several teams offered him one-game contracts, but Wynn held out for a full-time deal, which he got from the Indians on June 21. Cleveland then added him to the starting rotation to give him the opportunities he needed. He failed to win in his first three starts with the Indians that year, and the nine months and seven starts that had elapsed from 1962 to 1963 are still, as of 2023, the longest gap between any pitcher's 299th and 300th wins in MLB history.
The night before his fourth start of the year, against the Athletics on July 13, Wynn struggled to sleep due to gout-related pain. In that outing, Wynn finally picked up the milestone. Opposing Kansas City batter Ed Charles recalled Wynn's performance: "His fastball, if it reached 80, that was stretching it. He was laboring, throwing nothing but bloopers and junk." He left the game with a 5–4 lead after pitching five innings. "Jerry Walker relieved me and saved the game for me. He was my roommate and pitched like a man possessed", Wynn recalled. Long after his retirement, which came at the end of the 1963 season, Wynn reflected on his 300th win and said that he was not proud of the milestone. "If I had pitched a good game and gone nine innings, that would be something. But that's not the way it was", Wynn said. He is one of only 24 pitchers to win 300 games.
Following the 300th win, Wynn made just one more start, a 3–2 win over Kansas City on July 27 (though Wynn received a no-decision because he was removed from the game in the fifth inning). He did make several relief appearances for the Indians before the end of the season. His last of these came on September 13, when he entered a game against the Los Angeles Angels in relief of Jack Kralick with two outs in the sixth inning but runners on first and second. Wynn gave up an RBI single to Jim Fregosi, then got Charlie Dees to line out to shortstop to end the inning. Lifted in favor of pinch-hitter Willie Kirkland in the bottom of the inning, Wynn had pitched his last game. In 20 games (five starts), Wynn had a 1–2 record, a 2.28 ERA, and 29 strikeouts. After the season, he retired.
## Legacy
Wynn approached the game with passion, sometimes throwing chairs in frustration after losses. He also hated getting removed from games, once throwing a baseball at López when the manager walked to the mound to remove him (though Wynn apologized to López after the game). First afflicted by gout in 1950, he endured pain through much of the second half of his career. Nevertheless, he was the first player to pitch at least 23 seasons in the major leagues, and he appeared in games over four decades. His durability helped him lead the AL in innings three times (1951, 1954, 1959) and propelled him to an AL record for most years pitched (23). Wynn won an even 300 games, 23rd most by any major leaguer. He registered five 20-win seasons, 2,334 strikeouts, 290 complete games, 49 shutouts, and 4,556 innings pitched in 691 games.
In the 1950s, Wynn had more strikeouts (1,544) than any other pitcher in the major leagues. He was one of the best hitting pitchers of his day as well. A switch hitter, Wynn batted .214 (365-for-1,704), with 17 home runs and 173 RBI. His 90 pinch-hit appearances included a grand slam (which he hit with the Senators on September 15, 1946), making him one of five MLB pitchers to record a grand slam as a pinch-hitter.
As of 2023, Wynn still ranks among the Indians' career leaders in many categories. He is fifth in wins (164), tied for fourth in strikeouts (1,277, equal to Lemon's total), seventh in shutouts (24), and seventh in total games started (296). In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Wynn number 100 on their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.
## Later life
Wynn remained with the Indians following retirement, becoming their pitching coach in 1964. Several of his players – including Sam McDowell, Sonny Siebert, Luis Tiant and Steve Hargan – were still with the team in 1967 when they set a record for team strikeouts in a season with 1189. Tommy John considered him "abrasive" and not "very informative or helpful," though Wynn did teach John how to throw a slider. In August 1965, Wynn flirted with the idea of making a comeback as a knuckleball pitcher. Wynn left Cleveland after the 1966 season and joined the Minnesota Twins as pitching coach. He later served as a minor league manager for the Twins. Off the field, Wynn advocated for better pensions for retired baseball players.
Wynn proposed the idea of a one-game comeback to the Twins in 1970. In 1972, the Twins considered activating the 52-year-old Wynn to pitch one inning if retired star Ted Williams would hit against him. The move would have made Wynn the first player to pitch in five different decades, but Williams was not interested and the team dropped the idea. Williams called him "the toughest pitcher I ever faced."
In 1972, Wynn was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Sandy Koufax and Yogi Berra. He was disappointed that he had not received the required votes on his first three ballots, but he was grateful for the honor. "I'd been hoping for it, but I didn't want to build up my hopes too high," he said. "It's like being placed up there on a pedestal, not like getting a gold watch for your longtime efforts. It's recognition I was waiting for a long time." He was inducted as a member of the Indians on his plaque.
From their inaugural 1977 season through the end of the 1981 season, Wynn provided the color commentary for radio broadcasts of Toronto Blue Jays games, working alongside Tom Cheek. He also provided color commentary for Chicago White Sox radio broadcasts in 1982 and 1983, paired with Joe McConnell. When he was replaced by Lorn Brown in December 1983, White Sox president Eddie Einhorn described Wynn as "a link to baseball's past."
In the last years of his life, Wynn suffered a heart attack and a stroke. His health had declined after the death of his second wife in 1994. He moved to an assisted living facility in Venice, Florida, where he died in April 1999. Wynn's body was cremated, and his family kept his ashes.
In 2013, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award honored Wynn as one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame members for his service in the United States Army during World War II.
## Personal
Wynn married Mabel Allman in 1939. She was killed in a car accident in 1942. They had one child together, son Joe, whom Wynn's relatives helped to raise after Mabel's death. In the fall of 1944, just after entering the Army, Wynn married his second wife, Lorraine Follin. They later had a daughter, Sherry. Early and Lorraine resided in Nokomis, Florida. Wynn had several hobbies, including flying his Cessna 170, hunting, and operating powerboats. In the 1960s, he owned the Early Wynn Steak House and Bowling Lanes in Venice, Florida.
## Toughness
Wynn was remembered for his toughness and for the frequency with which he threw at batters. He once stated, "I'd knock down my own grandmother if she dug in on me." He also said to reporters: "Why should I worry about hitters? Do they worry about me? Do you ever find a hitter crying because he's hit a line drive through the box? My job is getting hitters out. If I don't get them out I lose. I don't like losing a game any more than a salesman likes losing a big sale. I've got a right to knock down anybody holding a bat." When he was then asked whether he would have the same opinion if the batter were his own mother, he paused, then responded, "Mother was a pretty good curveball hitter."
In fact, when Wynn was with the Indians, he actually threw a pitch at his own 15-year-old son, Joe. Wynn was throwing pre-game batting practice to Joe, and Joe hit two long drives in a row. Ushers in the nearly empty stadium began to clap. Moments later, Joe was lying flat on his back in the batting cage, frightened by his father's knockdown pitch. Wynn said later, "He was leaning in on me, and I had to show him who was boss."
His attitude was encouraged early in his career by manager Bucky Harris, who ordered Wynn to throw brushback pitches when he got two strikes on a batter. Otherwise he faced a \$25 fine. "I was making \$350 a month. I couldn't afford giving up \$25", Wynn said. Whenever an opposing batter lined one of his pitches back toward the mound, Wynn would retaliate by throwing a brushback pitch at the batter the next time the batter faced him. "That space between the white lines – that's my office, that's where I conduct my business,” he said in an interview with sportswriter Red Smith. “You take a look at the batter's box, and part of it belongs to the hitter. But when he crowds in just that hair, he's stepping into my office, and nobody comes into my office without an invitation when I'm going to work."
In 1962, when Wynn was with the White Sox, he was throwing batting practice and his teammate Joe Cunningham hit a line drive that missed Wynn by inches. Wynn responded by throwing three straight pitches under his teammate's chin. Whenever one of his teammates was knocked down by an opposing pitcher, Wynn would retaliate by knocking down two of the opposing pitcher's teammates. According to Minnesota Twins player Rod Carew, Wynn's competitiveness did not end when his playing career did. As the Twins pitching coach from 1967 to 1969, "Early would knock you down in batting practice. If you hit a ball good off of him, he'd knock you down and then challenge you. He told you to expect it when you stepped in the cage against him."
## See also
- 300 win club
- List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball all-time leaders in home runs by pitchers
- List of Major League Baseball players who played in four decades
- List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders
- TSN Pitcher of the Year (1959)
|
43,196,822 |
The Boat Race 1989
| 1,081,894,573 | null |
[
"1989 in English sport",
"1989 in rowing",
"1989 sports events in London",
"March 1989 sports events in the United Kingdom",
"The Boat Race"
] |
The 135th Boat Race took place on 25 March 1989. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Oxford won by 2+1⁄2 lengths. It was the seventh occasion that the race was umpired by Ronnie Howard, and the first time in the history of the race that both crews were coxed by women.
In the reserve race, Oxford's Isis won, while Cambridge won the Women's Boat Race.
## Background
The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). First held in 1829, the race currently takes place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities, followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won the 1988 race by 5+1⁄2 lengths, with Cambridge leading overall with 69 victories to Oxford's 64 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877). The event was sponsored by Beefeater Gin; prior to the race, it was announced that the company would be sponsors for the following three years in a deal worth £700,000. Former Oxford Blue Ronnie Howard was the umpire for the race for the seventh occasion.
Cambridge were coxed by Leigh Weiss while Oxford's cox was Alison Norrish – it was the first time in the history of the Boat Race that both crews had female coxes. Prior to the race, Oxford coach Pat Sweeney criticised Weiss: "Their cox is so useless she might hit us. It's not her fault, but Cambridge should have chosen someone who knows the river." Weiss responded "I feel confident that I will make the decisions to make Cambridge win."
The first Women's Boat Race took place in 1927, but did not become an annual fixture until the 1960s. Until 2014, the contest was conducted as part of the Henley Boat Races, but as of the 2015 race, it is held on the River Thames, on the same day as the men's main and reserve races. The reserve race, contested between Oxford's Isis boat and Cambridge's Goldie boat has been held since 1965. It usually takes place on the Tideway, prior to the main Boat Race.
## Crews
Cambridge were pre-race favourites, as their crew weighed an average of almost 12 pounds (5.4 kg) per rower more than their opponents, the largest difference since the first Boat Race. Cambridge's Toby Backhouse weighed in at 16 st 11 lb (106.3 kg) making him the heaviest rower in the history of the event. The Oxford boat featured three former Blues while Cambridge's contained five. Cambridge's chief coach was Mike Lees while Oxford University Boat Club selected Sweeney as coach, and Steve Royle to be their full-time director.
## Races
Cambridge won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey station. After an early clash of blades, Oxford crept ahead and held a lead of three seconds by the Mile Post. Two minutes later Oxford had a clear water advantage and continued to pull away, holding a six-second lead at Hammersmith Bridge. The lead had extended slightly by the Chiswick Steps; Cambridge failed to make any ground on Oxford who swept under Barnes Bridge eight seconds ahead. Oxford maintained the lead to pass the finish post 2+1⁄2 lengths clear.
In the reserve race, Oxford's Isis won by 1+1⁄4 lengths, their first victory in three years. while Cambridge won the 44th Women's Boat Race by one length in a time of 6 minutes and 20 seconds, their second victory in three years.
## Reaction
Umpire Ronnie Howard said "It was a damaging race, and I was looking for possible breakages". Oxford's stroke Richard Thorp explained "We expect it [clashing] but Ali [Norrish] has so much more experience of the Tideway". Former Oxford coach Dan Topolski suggested that "the race is a battle of guts and willpower, and Cambridge settled to a steady rhythm too soon."
|
58,976,136 |
Laurent Eketebi
| 1,151,412,512 |
Congolese politician
|
[
"1936 births",
"2006 deaths",
"21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people",
"Democratic Republic of the Congo politicians convicted of crimes",
"Governors of provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo",
"Governors of Équateur (former province)",
"People of the Congo Crisis"
] |
Laurent-Gabriel Eketebi, later Eketebi Moyidiba Mondjolomba (13 May 1936 – February 2006), was a Congolese politician who served as President of Équateur Province from June 1960 until September 1962 and as President of Moyen-Congo Province from then until June 1964. He later served as State Commissioner of Transport and Communications from July 1972 until January 1975, when he was dismissed and charged with various financial crimes. Eketebi was convicted, but received a pardon in 1994. He died in 2006.
## Early life
Laurent Eketebi was born on 13 May 1936 in Coquilhatville, Belgian Congo to a Ngombe father and a Mongo mother. He attended the administrative and commercial section of the Groupe Scolaire Officiel Congréganiste, run by the Frères des Ecoles Chrétiennes in Coquilhatville, where he received six years of primary education and six years of secondary education, graduating in 1954. He later married Béatrice Lifela Y'Aekesako and had nine children with her.
Eketebi worked in the colonial administration, initially serving as a clerk for the Équateur provincial finance service in the third class of the sixth grade of the civil service. In 1957 he was promoted to a position in the fourth grade, a level normally reserved for Belgians. He held the post until 1960. From 1952 to 1955 he was a member of the council of the Centre Extra-Coutumier de Coquilhatville, an organisation with the responsibility of overseeing the activities of native Congolese in Coquilhatville. Eketebi was a member of the Association du Personnel Indigene de la Colonie, a labour union, and in 1958 he served as its provincial secretary. He also served as secretary-general of the Coquilhatville section of the Fedération du Nord de l'Equateur. Eketebi obtained a prominent position in the Équateur branch of the Mouvement National Congolais, a political party, but later left it to join Jean Bolikango's Parti de l'Unité Nationale (PUNA).
### Political career
### Provincial government
In March 1960 Eketebi was appointed to the Équateur Executive College, a transitional body meant to administer the region until the Congo's independence on 30 June. Together with its two other members, he monitored the disorders that occurred during the subsequent general elections. He used his multi-ethnic background to broker a compromise that resulted in a coalition between PUNA, the Parti National du Progrès, and the Union des Mongo. The Équateur Provincial Assembly subsequently elected him president of the province. After the elections PUNA gradually divided into two different wings, one led by Eketebi and the other by Bolikango.
Eketebi took office on 30 June. Despite the secessions of Katanga and South Kasai in July and August, respectively, he actively discouraged separatist activities in Équateur. His government undertook development projects during its tenure. He approved of Colonel Joseph-Desiré Mobutu's coup in September which overthrew the central government and the subsequent installation of the College of Commissioners-General. Eketebi participated in the Coquilhatville Conference in May 1961. That year increasing tensions between Ngombe and Mongo factions in the provincial assembly brought about an administrative breakdown. Eketebi worked intensively to improve relations between the two groups. An attempt by several deputies in October to censure his government and force his dismissal failed. His tenure ended in September 1962. Équateur was subsequently broken up into smaller provinces.
On 14 September 1962 Eketebi filed his candidacy for president of the new province of Moyen-Congo. The new provincial assembly subsequently elected him to the post. He was unanimously reelected by the assembly in April 1963 and was invested with the public functions portfolio. In December, Eketebi, in a dispute with Bolikango, defected from PUNA and joined the Parti démocratique congolais. The following month Bolikango called a PUNA congress to Lisala to reorganise his party, despite such political conventions being prohibited by the central government. On 26 January conflict broke out when gendarmes attempted to disperse the attendees. By the end of the next day 19 people were shot and killed. Bolikango and Eketebi both denied responsibility, but the local population held the latter at fault. He became increasingly politically isolated and faced disagreement in his own cabinet; his vice-president requested that the central government depose him. An investigation by a public prosecutor did not hold anyone responsible for the 26/27 January incident, but nevertheless concluded that Moyen-Congo was in crisis. The central government subsequently proclaimed an état d’exception in the province and placed it under the control of a special commissioner. Opposition deputies from Lisala and Bumba were thus able to meet to discuss the dismantling of Eketebi's government.
In early June the Lisala-Bumba deputies replaced the pro-Eketebi President of the Assembly and forced all of the ministers of the government to resign. Eketebi narrowly escaped a censure vote only due to his popular support in the Bomongo and Lisala territories. Then on 21 June the provincial deputies brought up a motion of censure. Accusing him of partisan and discriminatory politics, disorganisation, lacking in an effective government programme, misappropriating public funds for personal purposes, encouraging corruption, stoking conflict between the Bumba and Lisala regions, and holding responsibility in the January incident, they voted to dismiss him. Still in possession of the support of some riverine peoples, he challenged the legitimacy of the government that replaced his. However, in the 1965 elections Bolikango was reelected to his seat in the national Parliament by a wide margin, thus eclipsing Eketebi's popularity in the region.
### National government
Eketebi served as deputy director of the Office of the Head of State from December 1965 until 1969. From 1969 until 1970, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Tanzania. From January to July 1971, he served as Ambassador to the Conseil de l'Entente with residence in Abidjan.
On 2 July 1971 Eketebi was appointed Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs by President Mobutu. In July 1972 he was made State Commissioner of Transport and Communications. On 7 January 1975 he was dismissed from his post. Later that month Eketebi was stripped of the National Order of the Leopard and a criminal investigation was opened against him. The government accused him of misappropriating 14 million zaires, 58 million Belgian francs, and 727,000 United States dollars, and filed 48 charges of corruption and financial crimes against him. The Supreme Court of Justice dismissed his attempts in limini litis to halt the proceedings by claiming immunity under Amnesty Law no. 74/023 of 27 November 1974. He was convicted on several counts of misappropriation of public funds and his property was seized by the government.
## Later life
Eketebi was pardoned on 18 October 1994. He died in February 2006.
|
42,784,574 |
Yasss Bish
| 1,146,052,057 |
2014 song performed by Nicki Minaj
|
[
"2014 songs",
"Nicki Minaj songs",
"Songs written by Nicki Minaj",
"Songs written by Soulja Boy",
"Soulja Boy songs"
] |
"Yasss Bish" is a song recorded by rapper Nicki Minaj for her third studio album The Pinkprint (2014), which did not make the final cut. It was written by Minaj along with the song's producers, Joseph DaVinci & Soulja Boy, who is also credited as a guest vocalist. The track was released through her official SoundCloud account as the album's third promotional single on May 3, 2014 following "Lookin Ass" and "Chi-Raq".
Musically, "Yasss Bish" is a drill song with a trap beat. Its stripped back hip hop production encompasses intense Roland TR-808 drum hits, a "sinister, echo-y" vocal loop, "eerie" shimmering synthesizers, foreboding snares, and the sound of church bells ringing in an ominous tone. Lyrically, Minaj addresses her detractors, and references several celebrities including Donald Sterling and Will and Jada Smith.
Minaj performed the song live for the first time along with Soulja Boy on May 18, 2014 at the Power 106's Powerhouse, Minaj performed the song again on June 2 at Hot 97 Summer Jam 2014.
## Background
In September 2013, Minaj began working on her third studio album, The Pinkprint (2014). For the album, Minaj desired to return to her hip-hop roots, calling the album's sound "a continuation of The Re-Up with a lot more". Minaj told MTV News that the sound of The Pinkprint would be "next level" and will have "so much to talk about", saying: "I'm really excited and the people that have been working with me now, have been people that I haven't worked with before so it's like they're bringing a new sound to the album that I've never experimented with."
In April 2014, Minaj posted a picture on Instagram of herself with Soulja Boy in a studio. Later that month, he posted a Vine of him singing the song's chorus. Originally, Joseph DaVinci & Soulja Boy created the song's beat but according to him, it lacked a hook. However, he later came up with the idea for the hook while making a Vine, and added it into the song. He then brought the unfinished version of "Yasss Bish" to Minaj, who was impressed by the song and recorded her vocals. After Minaj sent the track back to him, it took "about a day" for Soulja Boy to finish mixing the record. In May 2014, Minaj spoke of the meaning behind the word "yasss": "When I watch 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' I live for the way they speak. Females, we adopted it and it makes us feel like very cocky and very just like sexy and feminine. So saying 'yass' as opposed to 'yes,' it's just putting on a billion times more attitude to the word 'yes'." On May 3, 2014, Minaj posted the song on her official SoundCloud shortly after midnight.
## Composition
Musically, "Yasss Bish" has been described as a "bouncy drill anthem" with a trap beat. It features a stripped back hip hop production that encompasses intense Roland TR-808 drum hits, a "sinister, echo-y" vocal loop, "eerie" shimmering synthesizers, foreboding snares, and the sound of church bells ringing in an ominous tone. Minaj's vocals in "Yasss Bish" have been described as "melodic" with a "fierce" message, while her rapping has been compared to the works of Southern hip hop group Migos. Several critics including Kyle Harvey of The Grio and Emma Goddard of Bustle noted the change in sound to be the beginning of a new image for Minaj. Harvey said the song continued her goal of shedding her image of a pop act, while Goddard said: "Although this song is definitely NSFW and it's completely improbable that we'll hear British sisters Sophia Grace and Rosie rapping her song anytime soon, Minaj has come back strong with a new image."
Lyrically, she addresses her detractors and all those who don't believe in her. The song opens with Soulja Boy singing "yasss bish" repeatedly for thirty seconds before Minaj begins her rap with "Me I'm just me/Me I'm just real/Me I'm that bitch that be footing the bill." In the line "I don't fuck with you niggas/I own the Clippers/I own some homes/I own my own liquor" Minaj references ex-Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was banned from the NBA after leaked recordings of him making racist comments were made public. She also mentions Will and Jada Smith in the lyrics: "Bitches can't beat me they ain't got the skill/Eye of the tiger they ain't got the kill/Look up to Jada/I love her and Will."
## Critical reception
Upon release, "Yasss Bish" received positive reviews from music critics. Lewis Corner of Digital Spy named "Yasss Bish" one of the "10 tracks you need to hear", praising Minaj's vocal delivery, the inclusion of Soulja Boy, and the line "Fix it, Jesus." Colin Joyce of Spin called the song an "unbridled joy", and noted that while it may not be included on The Pink Print, the album would be "lucky, however, to feature any track half as exuberant as this one." A writer for MTV News UK praised both the production and vocals on "Yasss Bish", saying that Minaj's "melodic" vocals and "fierce" rap delivery were the best part of the song. Several critics noted a musical departure from the pop and dance-pop stylings of her second studio album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012). MTV News writer Emilee Lindner said "Yasss Bish" found Minaj going back to her original sound, saying: "Nicki Minaj is letting her rapping speak for itself. She's left her colorful wigs, fancy robes and tutus behind — along with the hyper-pop production of some of her biggest hits — and now she's getting back to her roots." Emma Goddard of Bustle praised the chemistry between the two rappers and saw the song as a change from the more upbeat sound found in Minaj's catalogue, which she credited with "show[ing] her rapping prowess much more". Writing for The Source, Khari said of "Yasss Bish": "[Minaj] sheds the wig and the excessive make-up, we get the most gorgeous Nicki we've seen in her career. Now, she grabs Soulja Boy & Joseph DaVinci for the hook and the beat. You guessed it, score again."
## Release history
|
4,652,237 |
Taftan (volcano)
| 1,160,553,662 |
Volcano mountain in Iran
|
[
"Landforms of Sistan and Baluchestan Province",
"Mountaineering in Iran",
"Mountains of Iran",
"Mountains of Sistan and Baluchestan Province",
"Pleistocene stratovolcanoes",
"Stratovolcanoes of Iran",
"Tourist attractions in Sistan and Baluchestan Province"
] |
Taftan (Balochi: تپتان) (Persian: تفتان, Taftân, Balochi & also in Persian for "blistering, smoldering, fuming") is an active stratovolcano in south-eastern Iran in the Sistan and Baluchestan province. With variable heights reported, all around 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) above sea level, it is the highest mountain in south-eastern Iran. The nearest city is Khash.
Taftan has two main summits, Narkuh and Madehkuh, and various heights have been reported for both summits. The northwestern Narkuh has two craters and is the older of the two summits. The southeastern Madehkuh summit is surrounded by fresh-looking lava flows and has at least three craters. The principal rock at Taftan is andesite.
Reports of historical volcanic activity are unclear and the youngest radiometric dates are 6,950 ± 20 years before present. Currently, the volcano features vigorous fumarolic activity that is visible from a great distance and involves numerous vents on Materkuh. Taftan appears to be part of a geothermal area, and a number of hot springs can be found around the volcano.
Taftan is part of a volcanic arc in Iran, together with Bazman, also in Iran, and Koh-i-Sultan in Pakistan. This volcanic arc has formed on Cretaceous-Eocene sedimentary layers and has resulted from the subduction of the oceanic Arabian plate beneath Iran at the Makran trench.
## Geography and geology
Taftan is in Iran's Sistan and Balochistan province. Closest cities are Khash 45 kilometres (28 mi) south and Zahedan c. 100 kilometres (62 mi) north north-west. In 1844, Abdul-Nabi reported of the existence of the mountain, as well as its volcanic activity. In 1971, it was reported that some Beluch tribes camp on Taftan's slopes outside of winter.
### Regional setting
Volcanic activity has occurred in parts of Iran since the Cretaceous period. During the Eocene and Oligocene epochs, volcanic activity reached its maximum, with thick pyroclastic layers being deposited in central Iran and the Alborz mountains. The area around Taftan volcano belongs to a tectonic zone which is variously referred to as the Sistan suture or the Zabul-Baloch zone. There, after a previous episode of rifting and subsequent formation of an ocean, the Neh and Lut tectonic blocks collided during the Eocene epoch after a subduction episode that commenced in the Maastrichtian age.
Volcanic activity at Taftan itself appears to relate to the subduction of the Arabian plate beneath the Central Iran plate, occurring at a pace of 2.5–3.0 centimetres per year (0.98–1.18 in/year) or 3.5–4.2 centimetres per year (1.4–1.7 in/year) at the Makran trench. This subduction is also responsible for volcanism at Bazman in Iran and Koh-i-Sultan in Pakistan; this chain is known as the Baluchistan volcanic arc. The volcanism appears to not align with pre-existent structural trends in the basement. This subduction has also created an accretionary wedge that forms the Makran region.
The convergence of the two blocks continued even after their collision, generating strike-slip faults. The Saravan fault east of Taftan is one such fault; the 2013 Saravan earthquake occurred on this fault. From some of these faults it has been inferred that the mass load from the Taftan edifice has measurable effects on tectonic stress within the region.
### Local setting
Taftan is the highest mountain in southeast Iran. The topography is overall steep. Deep valleys with U and V shapes have developed on Taftan, and the volcano has a strongly eroded appearance. One of these valleys, Tamindan, may be the Damindan valley in the Avesta religious texts. One series of ignimbrites surrounding Taftan which reaches thicknesses of 50 metres (160 ft) and reaches distances of 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the edifice may be 2 million years old.
The basement of Taftan is formed by various sedimentary rocks, along with some mafic volcanic rocks and metamorphic rocks. At Taftan, the Nehbandan-Khash flysch borders the Makran zone. The oldest rocks are limestones from the Cretaceous period. The crust beneath Taftan is approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) thick. The main edifice is constructed on top of the Eocene flysch, although some Cretaceous sediments are also part of the basement. Much of these rocks is coloured pink by haematite. The 19 mya old Mirabad granite pluton may be associated with Taftan; it could be the remnant of a Miocene volcano. Volcanic rocks of Quaternary age are widespread in the area.
Taftan is a volcano with several summits; the highest two are separated by a saddle and are named Narkuh or Narkooh and Materkuh or Madekooh, which are 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) apart. Narkuh is 4,100 metres (13,500 ft) high and Materkuh 3,950 metres (12,960 ft). There are different heights reported for the summits, some of them placing Materkuh as the higher of the two: for example more recent Iranian maps cited in 2004 show Narkuh with a height of 3,840 metres (12,600 ft) and Materkuh with a height of 3,940 metres (12,930 ft), while Gansser in 1964 indicated a summit height of 4,050 metres (13,290 ft). Another report from 1931 claimed a summit height of 3,973 metres (13,034 ft), a report in 1976 stated 4,032 metres (13,228 ft), and a map in 2004 claimed a measurement of 4,061 metres (13,323 ft). These summits rise 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above the surrounding plains.
Narkuh has two craters, the northern of which is lower and is the source of more lava flows than the southern. The northwest Narkuh cone from the Pleistocene age is highly eroded, while the southeastern Materkuh cone has fresh appearing lava flows and displays solfataric activity. Materkuh has three principal craters, although the eastern side of the eastern crater has also been affected by erosion. Alternatively, an explosive eruption removed the eastern side and generated a steep ravine. The northern crater has been the source of lava flows, some of which are well preserved and reach lengths of 12 kilometres (7.5 mi). In general, thick andesitic lava flows cover Materkuh. In 1893 and 1914, Percy Sykes described a summit plateau with a surface of 370 metres (400 yd), at the side of which lay the two summits Ziaret Kuh ("Hill of Sacrifice", where pilgrims sacrificed goats) and Madar Kuh ("Mother Hill", containing fumaroles according to the 1893 report). Fumarolic alteration of the summit area has generated sulfur and clay deposits which resemble snowcap. One report in 1893 indicated that the summit area of the volcano was covered with ash from 3,400 metres (11,000 ft) upwards.
The bulk of the volcano is formed by lava flows, along with volcaniclastic rocks, with dacites and pyroclastics lying on top of the Cretaceous-Eocene basement. These loose rocks formed by erosion, explosive activity and hot avalanches and are deposited in a large apron at the base of the volcano that extends over 30 kilometres (19 mi) away from the central vents. Several fans of pyroclastic material, cemented by andesitic tuffs, surround the base of Taftan. Ignimbrites and pyroclastic flows are also present, including breccias, nuee ardentes and tuffs. Volcanic rocks cover a surface of 1,050 square kilometres (410 sq mi). There is also evidence of southeastern migration of the craters of Taftan, with Anjerk and Sardarya being more westerly vents. These preceding centres have left andesitic lava flows that are partially dissected and agglomerates. The existence of a caldera at Taftan has been inferred. The table mountain Takht-i-Rostam 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of Taftan may be the remnant of a basalt extrusion, but it doesn't appear to be related to Taftan. A magma chamber may lie beneath the volcano.
### Composition
Taftan has erupted lavas ranging from basaltic andesite to dacite. The dominant rock is andesite, with SiO
<sub>2</sub> content ranging from 49.8 to 63.5%. Grey andesites form the youngest rocks on the main summit and contain chlorite schist and biotite gneiss inclusions. The andesites are vesicular. The magma of Taftan volcano is very oxidized, as can be inferred from the composition of the surrounding ignimbrite and fumarole gases.
The lavas of Taftan are porphyritic. Mineral components include biotite, clinopyroxene, hornblende, orthopyroxene, plagioclase and quartz. Other components are chalcopyrite, haematite, ilmenite, magnetite and pyrite. Complex phenocryst assemblages found in a sample indicate that the magma formation is a complex process. Taftan rocks overall are potassium-rich calc-alkaline, of sub–alkaline affinity. The magma that formed these rocks was influenced by crystal fractionation and mixing processes. Its composition has characteristics of volcanic arc magmas. Crustal materials were involved in the formation of the magma, with strontium isotope data indicating crustal assimilation.
Fumarolic activity affects surrounding rocks and pyroclastics. Carbonates, opal, and white covers of possibly aluminum sulfate and calcium sulfate have been formed. Gypsum formed from the sulfur of the volcano is found in the form of crystals in the upper valleys of Taftan. Sinter and hydrothermally altered rocks are found farther down. Minerals formed by alteration processes include alunite, calcite, cristobalite, illite, jarosite, kaolinite, pyrophyllite, quartz, smectite, sulfur and tridymite. Some epithermal mineralizations have been identified around Taftan. Other secondary factors at Taftan include lahars.
### Eruptive history
About five different active eruption periods have been discovered at Taftan volcano. Activity first involved lava and pyroclastics of dacitic to rhyodacitic composition. Later, upper Pliocene lavas were erupted along with agglomerates. These can be found up to 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away from the cone. Three phases have been dated at 6.95 ± 0.72, 6.01 ± 0.15 and 0.71 ± 0.03 million years ago; an even older phase west-northwest of the current volcano occurred 8 million years ago, while a Quaternary ignimbrite has produced an age of 404,000 ± 82,000 years before present. The youngest dates have been obtained on lava flows and indicate ages of 6,950 ± 20 years ago, by radiometric dating. Research published in 1897 indicated the absence of very fresh lava flows but the authors inferred from the fresh ash that volcanic activity had occurred during the present geological epoch. That the name "Taftan" may be derived from an ancient Iranian word "taft" for "semi solid liquid material" could indicate that effusive activity was witnessed by the people of that time period around the volcano.
Eruptions are recorded in 1902, 1970 and 1993. A report of smoke emission in 1877 may have confused clouds for volcanic activity. In 1914, the volcano was described to be "belching out clouds of smoke", although a report in 1971 indicated the absence of historical activity. These eruptions were accompanied by earthquake activity. During the eruption of 1902, heavy smoke and a night time glow on the volcano were observed. The eruption in 1993 involved a c. 60 metres (200 ft) long lava flow, but it may have been a flow of molten sulfur. The volcano is currently classified as a dormant volcano. Satellite imagery indicates, however, that ground deformation occurs at Taftan. Unofficial volcano hazard maps have been developed.
#### Fumarolic and geothermal activity
Taftan displays vigorous fumarolic activity, with high temperature vents found around the crater. Fumaroles are found chiefly in the eastern and at the edge of the western crater, with minor fumaroles within the western crater, along some minor craters and along the major lava flow. These gas exhalations are known as "Dood" by local peoples and they appear as yellow-white clouds with a strong smell. The vents they come from have the shape of fissures, cracks and crevices. The larger fumaroles can reach diameters of 1 metre (3 ft 3 in). The occurrence of hydrothermal explosions has been inferred from the presence of breccia made up by volcanic rocks.
Reportedly in 1897 the smell of the fumaroles was so strong as to be unbearable when one was close to the vents. One report mentioned in a magazine of 1899 indicated the presence of seven steam vents at an altitude of 3,700 metres (12,000 ft), produced audible noise. Their steam plumes were visible at distances of 16–24 kilometres (10–15 mi); later reporting indicated visibility to distances of 100 kilometres (62 mi). Another report in 1999 found a 1.5 by 5 metres (4 ft 11 in × 16 ft 5 in) solfatara surrounded by clay and sulfur deposits that looked like a snowcap. A fumarole field was described on the west side of the southeast cone, the venting clearly visible from a refuge farther down the mountain and covering a surface area of c. 10 square metres (110 sq ft). The name "Taftan" is derived from these exhalations, which make the mountain appear to be burning.
The overall gas composition found at Taftan includes CO
<sub>2</sub>, H
<sub>2</sub>S, SO
<sub>2</sub> and water. Sulfur is present in high quantities in fumarolic gases, which also contain arsenic. These gases are hence extremely acidic. The fumaroles have altered rocks, forming highly colourful exposures especially on Taftan's eastern flank. Ammonium chloride (salmiak) and sulfur has been collected around fumaroles. The thick sulfur layers on the southeastern summit were formerly extracted for use in Iran and Pakistan. Sulfur and sulfate deposits are also found lower on the volcano, from hot springs around Gooshe, at Sangān and Torshāb.
Hot springs are also found at Taftan, especially at over 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) altitude. An analysis of five springs in May 2012 indicated temperatures of 11–56 °C (52–133 °F) and flow rates of 0.5–11 litres per second (0.018–0.388 cu ft/s). The waters are very acidic due to the formation of H
<sub>2</sub>SO
<sub>4</sub> from magmatic gases, including the oxidation of H
<sub>2</sub>S. The hot waters around Taftan contain large quantities of boron, probably because the hydrothermal system of Taftan is young and receives input of host rocks containing boron. They are influenced by the fumarolic gases, as well as by volcanic rock composition. Some of the water in the area is juvenile, with magmatic water forming up to 20% of the water. Temperatures in the hydrothermal system are estimated to be between 104–210 °C (219–410 °F) and 75–185 °C (167–365 °F). The composition of the water in various springs around Taftan varies in terms of elemental composition, probably reflecting the mixing between volcanic and meteoric waters and interaction with host rocks and brines. The geothermal area of Taftan is among the largest in the Makran zone of Iran; it covers a surface area of 4,310 square kilometres (1,660 sq mi). Other geothermal manifestations in southeastern Iran have been found at Bazman. Mud pools are also found at Taftan. Probably due to decreased precipitation, before 2002 a trend to increased steam and decreased water release has been observed, especially in the upper part of the geothermal system.
Hot springs and other geothermal manifestations are widespread in Iran and using them to gain geothermal energy has been studied; according to a report of 2002 hot springs at that time were mainly used for therapeutic purposes and bathing. A report in 2002 indicated that Taftan may be a feasible place to install a binary cycle power plant.
## Climate and vegetation
The climate at Taftan features cold winters accompanied by snowfall when temperatures drop below freezing between December and February, and hot summers with temperatures during July and August exceeding 30 °C (86 °F). Taftan is located in an arid locale but has more precipitation than the surrounding area, thus providing water to the surrounding terrain. Average precipitation is 150 millimetres (5.9 in) per year.
Owing to the height of the mountain, there are distinct vegetation belts at Taftan. The lowlands around the mountain are covered with Artemisia steppe and occasional shrubland. Open scrubs occur in a higher altitude belt of 1,800–2,500 metres (5,900–8,200 ft) where the terrain is rocky, and thorn-cushion vegetation at elevations of 2,600–3,700 metres (8,500–12,100 ft); there is little vegetation in the summit area. The summit of Taftan and several other Iranian volcanoes were deemed national natural monuments in 2002.
## See also
- List of volcanoes in Iran
- List of Ultras of West Asia
|
37,176,093 |
Somerset County Cricket Club in 1882
| 1,118,695,475 |
Events of the 1882 cricket season
|
[
"1882 in English cricket",
"English cricket seasons in the 19th century",
"Somerset County Cricket Club seasons"
] |
Somerset County Cricket Club made their debut in first-class cricket in the 1882 English cricket season. They were captained by Stephen Newton, and played eight first-class matches, five against county opposition, two against the Marylebone Cricket Club and one against the touring Australian team. They only won one of the eight contests, that against Hampshire at Taunton. Of the other matches, one was drawn and the other six were all losses for Somerset. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack described the season as "disastrous", but the publication qualified this statement with mild optimism for 1883.
Part of the reason for Somerset's poor performances was their inability to consistently field their best players; at least four of their better cricketers were unable to commit to the full fixture list, and in all the county played 30 different people in their eight matches. Faint praise was offered to the batting of William Herbert Fowler, Newton and Edward Sainsbury in The Sportsman, but the bowling was considered by Wisden to be sub-standard, particularly that of Arnold Fothergill.
## Background
Somerset County Cricket Club was formed in 1875, and played irregular county fixtures in the years after that, during which time they struggled to remain financially solvent. Upon their formation, the club had no fixed home ground, and it was declared that they would play "on any ground in the county that may be selected by the committee." However, in 1881, they moved into the newly built Athletic Grounds in Taunton. Although it is widely accepted that Somerset's debut first-class match came in 1882, some records do include earlier matches in 1879 and 1881 against Gloucestershire as being of first-class status.
## Squad
In their eight first-class matches in 1882, Somerset fielded 30 different players. Only three appeared in all eight matches: Arnold Fothergill, William Herbert Fowler, and Edward Sainsbury, while fourteen players appeared in only one match that season. The club captain, Stephen Newton, missed the first three matches of the season as he was a schoolmaster in London, and was not available until the summer holidays. Newton was not the only talented player to only make limited appearances for the side; in their review of the season, the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack explained that Alfred Evans, Robert Ramsay and Bill Roe were all unavailable at various points, and that these absences were among "many good reasons to account for a disastrous season."
The following players made at least one appearance for Somerset in first-class cricket in 1882. Age given is at the start of Somerset's first match of the season (8 June 1882).
Key
- denotes that the player appeared as a wicket-keeper for Somerset in 1882
- Apps denotes the number of appearances made by the player for Somerset in 1882
- Ref denotes the reference for the player details
## County cricket
### Summary
#### First half of the season: away matches
Somerset made their debut in first-class cricket against Lancashire on 8 June 1882. The Western Daily Press noted that Somerset were not able to field a full-strength team in the match, missing Evans, Ramsay and Roe. However, the Lancashire team which faced them was described by the same paper as being "very second-rate". The weather was showery most of the day, and play was abandoned at half five because of the rain, with Lancashire on 231 for 8 having won the toss and batted first. Heavy rain overnight made the ground unplayable on the second day, so play resumed the following day, although rain continued to threaten. The original wicket was badly damaged, being described in the York Herald as "a puddle", and so the stumps were moved to enable play to begin. Somerset took the final two Lancashire wickets in the first ten minutes, bowling them out for 237. Fowler and Sainsbury opened the batting for Somerset, and put on eighteen runs together before being dismissed in quick succession. The Western Daily Press recorded that "after this disaster waited on the visitors." Only two other batsmen scored any runs for Somerset, and they were all out for 29 runs, the second lowest first-class total at the time. Somerset followed-on, and their second innings proceeded in much the same fashion as the first; the pair scored 35 runs, while the rest of the team only added a further 6. Somerset lost the match by an innings and 157 runs. The Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette defended Somerset's performance on the third day slightly, noting that the poor condition of the pitch favoured the Lancashire bowlers. Lancashire's George Nash took eight wickets in the first innings, including four in one four-ball over, while fellow spin bowler Jack Crossland collected six in the second innings.
In Somerset's second match, they faced their nearest opposition, Gloucestershire. Once again, the weather was poor, and the Spa Ground in Gloucester, which was hosting the match, was specially looked after during the heavy rain preceding the match to ensure that it would be in a good condition for the game. As it was, the Bristol Mercury described the wicket as being "in fairly good order", and play started just over half-an-hour late on the first day. Somerset's batting failed to make a significant total; Fowler was the only batsman to reach double figures, totalling more than half of his team's runs with 39. W. G. Grace took eight wickets for Gloucestershire to bowl Somerset out for 62. In Gloucestershire's reply, E. M. Grace and Billy Midwinter scored centuries to help them establish a lead of 286 runs. In their response, Somerset scored 109, including a partnership of 61 between Sainsbury and Fred Welman which was praised in the Birmingham Daily Post. Despite an improved batting performance, Somerset lost the match by an innings and 177 runs.
Facing Hampshire in Southampton for the third match, Somerset won the toss and opted to bat first. The pitch was soft, due to the heavy rainfall through the morning, and play started shortly after midday. Sainsbury was yet again one of few Somerset players to reach double figures, and they were bowled out for 101. Cecil Currie, a spin bowler for Hampshire, collected eight of the wickets. Somerset managed to restrict Hampshire's lead to 46 runs; Francis Reed took four wickets, and Fothergill three. Fowler and Fothergill were Somerset's most successful batsmen in their second innings, played mostly in light rain, helping the county to reach 118 runs. That left Hampshire requiring 73 runs to win, which the hosts achieved without losing any wickets, to beat Somerset with ten wickets to spare.
The Somerset team travelled to Lord's in London in early August to face the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Somerset batted first after winning the toss, but lost three batsmen for ducks early in the innings. Somerset's captain, Newton – playing his first match of the season for the county, batted for the rest of the innings to score 57 runs, and shared a large partnership with Francis Reed. The MCC started well in their innings, but the introduction of Fowler into the bowling attack brought their batting to a quick conclusion; Fowler took four wickets while only conceding eight runs, and claimed a hat-trick by bowling Edward Hawtrey, Charles Burke and Thomas Mycroft in successive deliveries. Somerset had a 25-run lead going into the second innings, in which Newton once again top-scored. In addition to his total of 67, Lyonel Hildyard made an unbeaten 59, and Fowler scored 23 runs from just six scoring shots, including a six which went out of the ground. The Western Daily Press described Fowler as "possibly the hardest hitter amongst English cricketers", while his history of the county, David Foot suggests that Fowler was "perhaps the earliest Somerset batsman to parade the fundamental skills of slogging." Somerset totalled 219, to leave the MCC needing to score 245 runs to win. Principally due to the batting of John Russel, the MCC reached the target, but only had one wicket remaining; Fothergill having taken five wickets and Charles Winter four.
#### Second half of the season: home matches
A few days later, Somerset played their first home fixture, at the Taunton Athletic Grounds, hosting Hampshire. In contrast to many of their previous game, the weather was good, and on winning the toss, Hampshire decided to bat first. Charles Seymour batted well for the visitors, accruing 57 out of Hampshire's 146 runs, but Fowler was again the best of the Somerset bowlers, collecting four wickets for nine runs to help restrict the Hampshire total. Ramsay top-scored for Somerset in their reply, accumulating 71 runs before being bowled, while a number of other batsmen made useful scores to help Somerset to their total of 214. Edward Western, the Somerset secretary batted in his only innings of the season for the county, coming in as the last man, but he failed to score a run. Somerset struggled to collect wickets when Hampshire batted again, and tried eight different bowlers without much success. Their fielding was described by the Bristol Mercury as being "loose", but when the sixth wicket was taken, with 232 runs scored, the rest followed reasonably quickly, and Hampshire finished on 290. Fowler was dismissed early in Somerset's chase, but Newton and Sainsbury put on 118 runs together to help their towards victory. Sainsbury was dismissed for 63, but Newton continued to bat, putting on 80 runs before being dismissed. Somerset eventually reached the required total with five wickets remaining to achieve their first win of the season.
The next day after defeating Hampshire, Somerset faced the MCC at Taunton. The MCC had brought a strong team, including eight professionals, and on winning the toss they elected to bat. After a cautious start, the second-wicket partnership of Billy Gunn and William Hearn put on 173 runs together, and according to the Western Daily Press, "the Somerset bowling was completely mastered." Somerset tried eight different bowlers to try to get a wicket, but the partnership was eventually broken when Hearn was run out for 91. Frank Hearne then joined Gunn at the crease, and the pair continued the MCC's dominance, adding a further 130 runs. Another run out, again due to the fielding of Newton, brought Gunn's innings to an end, after the MCC batsman had scored 188 runs. Wickets then began to fall more frequently; Roe collected three, while Fothergill and Winter had two apiece, and the MCC were eventually all out for 506 on the second morning. In their response, Somerset lost the early wickets of Sainsbury and Newton, but then a partnership between Fowler and Roe took the score up to 181, during which Fowler reached his century, coming in just 55 minutes. Once that partnership was ended with the dismissal of Roe, Somerset regularly lost wickets. Fowler was caught in the slips for 139, which had included three sixes, and Somerset ended their innings on 286. They followed on, and lost five early wickets before a partnership between Francis Terry, who scored 77 runs, and Fothergill steadied the innings and help Somerset secure a draw.
Somerset's final county match of the season came against the same opposition as their first, Lancashire. The low attendance at the match was criticised in the press, and the Western Daily Press in particular described that "it was painfully obvious that Tauntonians, as a body, take no interest in first-class cricket." Six wickets from Evans helped Somerset to limit Lancashire to 178 runs in their first innings, but Somerset failed to capitalise; Fowler and Newton scored 24 and 23 runs respectively, but no other batsman reached double figures. Somerset were dismissed for 74 runs, more than 100 behind, and were asked to follow on by Lancashire. Batting again, the Somerset players put in an improved performance, and reached 157 runs, of which Roe scored 45. Lancashire were required to bat again, but reached the winning target of 53 runs for the loss of only one wicket.
Towards the end of August, the touring Australian team visited Taunton, attracting the largest crowd of the season, roughly 1,500 people. Somerset were not considered to have much chance in the match, though Australia were missing three of their better players. The Leeds Mercury offered Somerset faint praise, suggesting that they had "no great cause to be dissatisfied with their performances." The Australians batted first, and were restricted to 245 by Somerset. Alick Bannerman was the highest scorer for the tourists, with 50 runs, while Evans and Fothergill took three wickets each. In their response, Somerset's batsmen struggled against the bowling of Fred Spofforth, who was known as the "Demon". Spofforth took nine wickets, while conceding only 51 runs, and Somerset were forced to follow-on; no batsman scored more than 17 runs in the first innings for the county. In the second-innings, Somerset performed slightly better; Newton scored 32 runs, and five other batsmen reached double figures. The Australian bowling once again proved too much though, and Somerset lost the match by an innings and 19 runs. The Western Daily Press praised the accurate bowling of both Spofforth and Harry Boyle during the match.
### Season record
### Match log and statistics
|
101,141 |
Governor of Maryland
| 1,162,944,188 |
Head of state and of the executive branch of government of the U.S. State of Maryland
|
[
"1777 establishments in Maryland",
"Governor of Maryland"
] |
The governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers in both the state and local governments, as specified by the Maryland Constitution (1867, and revisions/amendments). Because of the extent of these constitutional powers, the governor of Maryland has been ranked as being among the most powerful governors in the United States.
The current governor is Wes Moore, who has been in office since 2023.
## Selection and qualifications
Like most state chief executives in the United States, the governor is elected by the citizens of Maryland to serve a four-year term. Under the Constitution of Maryland, the governor can run any number of times, but not more than twice in a row. This makes it possible for a two-term governor to run for the office again after remaining out of office for at least one term. An eligible candidate for governor must be at least 30 years old, and also a resident of and a registered voter in Maryland for the five years preceding the election. Candidates meeting this minimum requirement must file his or her candidacy with the Maryland State Board of Elections, pay a filing fee, file a financial disclosure, and create a legal campaign financial body. The governor, like all statewide officials in Maryland, is elected in the even-numbered years in which the election for president of the United States does not occur.
## Functions and responsibilities
As the chief executive of the State of Maryland, the governor heads the executive branch of government, which includes all state executive departments and agencies, as well as advisory boards, commissions, committees, and task forces. The main constitutional responsibility of the governor of Maryland, and any other state's chief executive, is to carry out the business of the state and to enforce the laws passed by the legislature. The governor also has some say in these laws, since the governor has the ability to veto any bill sent to his or her desk by the Maryland General Assembly, though the assembly may override that veto. The governor is also given a number of more specific powers as relates to appropriations of state funds, the appointment of state officials, and also a variety of less prominent and less commonly utilized powers.
### Appropriations
Every year, the governor must present a proposed budget to the Maryland General Assembly. After receiving the proposed budget, the assembly is then allowed to decrease any portion of the budget for the executive branch, but it may never increase it or transfer funds between executive departments. The assembly may, however, increase funds for the legislative and judicial branches of government. The governor has the power to veto any law that is passed by the General Assembly, including a "line item veto", which can be used to strike certain portions of appropriations bills. The legislature then has the power to override a governor's veto by vote of three-fifths (60%) of the number of members in each house.
The governor also sits on the board of public works, whose other two members are the comptroller and the treasurer. This board has broad powers in overseeing and approving the spending of state funds. They must approve state expenditures of all general funds and capital improvement funds, excluding expenditures for the construction of state roads, bridges, and highways. It has the power to solicit loans on its own accord either to meet a deficit or in anticipation of other revenues, in addition to approving expenditures of funds from loans authorized by the General Assembly.
### Appointment powers
The governor appoints almost all military and civil officers of the state government, subject to advice and consent of the Maryland State Senate. The governor also appoints certain boards and commissions in each of the 24 counties and in Baltimore City, such as local Boards of Elections, commissions notaries public, and appoints officers to fill vacancies in the elected offices of attorney general and comptroller. Should a vacancy arise in either of the two houses of the General Assembly, the governor also fills that vacancy, though the governor must choose from among the recommendations of the local party organization to which the person leaving the vacancy belonged. Any officer appointed by the governor, except a member of the General Assembly, is removable by him or her, if there is a legitimate cause for removal. Among the most prominent of the governor's appointees are the 24 secretaries and heads of departments that currently make up the governor's Cabinet, also known as the executive council.
### Executive council
The governor of Maryland is the chairman of the governor's executive council (or Cabinet) which coordinates all state government functions. This is composed of the following members, all of whom, except the lieutenant governor, are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Maryland State Senate as heads of executive departments:
- Lieutenant governor – Aruna Miller
- Secretary of State – Susan C. Lee
- Secretary of Aging – Carmel Roques
- Secretary of Agriculture – Kevin Atticks
- Secretary of Budget and Management – Helene Grady
- Secretary of Commerce – Kevin Anderson
- Secretary of Disabilities – Carol Beatty
- State Superintendent of Schools (appointed by the State Board of Education to direct the Maryland State Department of Education) – Mohammed Choudhury
- Secretary of Environment – Serena McIlwain
- Secretary of General Services – Atif Chaudhry
- Secretary of Health and Mental Hygiene – Laura Herrera Scott
- Secretary of Housing and Community Development – Jacob R. Day
- Secretary of Human Resources – Rafael López
- Secretary of Information Technology – Katie Savage
- Secretary of Juvenile Services – Vincent Schiraldi
- Secretary of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation – Portia Wu
- Secretary of Natural Resources – Josh Kurtz
- Secretary of Planning – Rebecca Flora
- Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services – Carolyn Scruggs
- Secretary of State Police (commanding officer of the Maryland State Police) – Roland Butler
- Secretary of Transportation – Paul Wiedefeld
- Secretary of Veterans Affairs – Anthony Woods
- Secretary of Higher Education (head of the Maryland Higher Education Commission) – Sanjay Rai (acting)
- Secretary of Service and Civic Innovation - Paul Monteiro
- Adjutant General (head of the Maryland Military Department) – Janeen L. Birckhead
Other members of the governor's staff may be invited to Cabinet meetings as "attendees".
The governor also oversees several sub-cabinets that coordinate the activities of a certain function of state government that involves several state departments or agencies. Currently, these are the Base Realignment and Closure Subcabinet, BayStat Subcabinet, Chesapeake Bay cabinet, Children's Cabinet, Governor's Subcabinet for International Affairs, Smart Growth Subcabinet, and Workforce Creation Subcabinet.
### Other powers and responsibilities
The governor is the commander-in-chief of the military forces of the state: the Maryland Army National Guard and Air National Guard and the Maryland Defense Force, except when the former of these forces have been called into federal service, which the President of the United States has the authority to do. In times of public emergency, the governor may exercise emergency powers, including the mobilization of these military forces. In the area of criminal justice, the governor may grant pardons to criminals, commute the sentences of prisoners, or remit fines and forfeitures imposed on people who have been convicted, jailed, or fined for violations of state laws.
In both these areas, and a variety of others, the governor sits on state and interstate boards and commissions with varying powers. The governor is also obligated to report on the conditions of the state at any time during the year, though this traditionally happens in a "State of the State" address each January at the beginning of the annual General Assembly session.
### The governor's staff
In addition to the various departments and agencies under gubernatorial control, the governor has an executive administrative staff that assist in coordinating the executive duties. This staff is led by a chief of staff, and includes five offices: Intergovernmental Relations, Legal Counsel, Legislative and Policy, Press, and the Governor's Office in Washington, D.C. The chief of staff has a number of deputies to assist in running these departments. The governor's staff is appointed and therefore largely exempt from state civil service laws.
## History and evolution of the office
### 1600s–1800s
During the colonial period, Maryland's proprietors, the Barons and Lords of Baltimore, who generally remained in the Kingdom of England, chose who would serve as the proprietary governor of Maryland on their behalf. Leonard Calvert (1606–1647), youngest brother of the second Lord Baltimore, Cecilius Calvert (1605–1675), and the first lord proprietor, came with the first settlers in March 1634 to serve as the first governor of the colonial Province of Maryland until his death in 1647. Between 1692, when the Baltimores lost control, and 1715, Maryland was a direct royal colony, and the governor was appointed by the British monarch. The Lords of Baltimore regained their royal charter in 1715, under the British monarchs of the House of Hanover, and then under the fifth and sixth Lord Baltimores, they resumed choosing the governors until the beginning of the American Revolution (1775–1783). The first governor of an independent state chosen to break this chain of colonial governors was Thomas Johnson (1732–1819) of Frederick County, who took office on March 21, 1777.
Under the first Maryland Constitution of 1776 for the independent state, the governor was chosen for one-year terms by both houses of the General Assembly. An 1838 constitutional amendment allowed voters to elect the governor to a three-year term from one of three rotating gubernatorial districts: eastern, southern, and western parts of the state. At each election, only voters from a single gubernatorial election district selected the governor. A four-year term was established by the second Maryland Constitution of 1851, and geographic requirements were removed by the third Constitution of 1864 during the American Civil War. The fourth and current constitution was ratified by the people after the war in 1867. An amendment in 1922, added article XVII, title "Quadrennial Elections", to the 1867 state constitution and set the next election year to be 1926 and every four years thereafter, thereby shifting from the historical off-year cycle (...1915, 1919, 1923) to the present mid-term election cycle.
From 1777 to 1870, the governor resided in the Jennings House in Annapolis. Located on the site of the future expanded campus of the adjacent United States Naval Academy (founded 1845), the house was later sold to the academy in 1869 after it returned from its northern hiatus in Rhode Island during the American Civil War (1861–1865). It was razed in 1901 for additional USNA buildings. Since 1870, the governor of the Old Line State has resided in the Government House, originally a Victorian style architecture red brick mansion (later rebuilt/renovated in the 1930s into a Georgian-styled mansion to match other colonial/Georgian-Federal era styled architecture state buildings and residences in the historic city). It is located on State Circle adjacent to the colonial era Maryland State House built 1772–1797. In addition to being the residence of the governor and his family, Government House has a number of public rooms that are used by the governor on official occasions.
### 1900s–present
Spiro Agnew, who was the 55th governor of Maryland from 1967 to 1969, later served as the 39th vice president of the United States under President Richard M. Nixon. Agnew is, thus far, the highest-ranking Marylander (along with 19th-century chief justice Roger B. Taney) in public service in the history of the United States. He resigned after pleading "no contest" to federal legal charges of corruption during his terms as Baltimore County executive, Maryland governor and vice president. In 1979, his gubernatorial portrait was removed from the Maryland State House Governor's Reception Room. In 1995, then-governor Parris Glendening re-included the portrait, stating that it was not up to anyone to alter history, whether for good or bad, citing the famous novel by George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four.
As of 2023, Maryland has not yet had a female governor. However, women were the runners-up in four gubernatorial elections (in 1974, 1994, 1998, and 2002), three Republicans and one Democrat. In addition, two women have been the lieutenant governor; Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, under Democratic governor Parris Glendening from 1995 to 2003; and Aruna Miller, under Democratic governor Wes Moore since 2023. Another woman, Kristen Cox, who was the Secretary of Disabilities, unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor as the running mate of then incumbent Republican governor Robert Ehrlich, when the lieutenant governor at that time, Michael Steele, left office to run for the U.S. Senate. Cox was a unique person to run for that office, not only because she is a woman, but also because she is legally blind.
## Lieutenant governor
In 1971, the office of Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, which had existed for only a few years in the 1860s, was re-instituted by an amendment to the Maryland Constitution. The lieutenant governor is a weak office compared to other counterparts (in other states including Texas, the lieutenant governor is the president of the state's Senate, while in California the lieutenant governor assumes all of the governor's powers when the sitting governor is out of the state), as it only possesses the powers and duties that the governor assigns to him or her. The lieutenant governor is elected on the same ballot with the governor, and to the same term of office as the governor. The lieutenant governor succeeds to the governorship only if there is a vacancy in that office.
Despite the governor and lieutenant governor being elected on the same party ticket, very often there have been public rifts between the two; for instance Gov. Marvin Mandel and Lt. Gov. Blair Lee III; Gov. Harry R. Hughes and Lt. Gov. Samuel W. Bogley III; Gov. Schaefer and Lt. Gov. Melvin A. Steinberg., and Gov. Parris Glendening and Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.
`No lieutenant governor of Maryland has yet been elected as the governor in future elections, or permanently succeeded to the governor's office due to a vacancy (which would be created by the resignation, death, or removal of the sitting governor), although Blair Lee III served as acting governor from June 4, 1977, until January 15, 1979, while Governor Marvin Mandel was serving a sentence for mail fraud and racketeering (consequently, in a modern example of Damnatio memoriae, Mandel's official gubernatorial portrait was not hung in the Maryland State House Governor's Reception Room until 1993).`
## See also
- Government of Maryland
- Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
- Maryland gubernatorial elections
- List of colonial governors of Maryland
|
1,826,123 |
Star Goose
| 1,135,946,736 |
1988 video game
|
[
"1988 video games",
"Amiga games",
"Atari ST games",
"DOS games",
"Logotron games",
"Single-player video games",
"Vertically scrolling shooters",
"Video games developed in the United Kingdom",
"Video games scored by Fred Gray"
] |
Star Goose (stylized with an exclamation mark and sometimes Stargoose) is a vertically scrolling shooter that was published for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS by Logotron in 1988. The player controls Scouser-Gitt, who pilots the eponymous Star Goose, a vessel that has been commissioned to scour the planet Nom and collect 48 crystals. Players must collect all six crystals in each of the game's eight levels to advance, while at the same time avoiding or destroying enemies and maintaining their shield, ammunition, and fuel levels. The game's surfaces are contoured, which affects the way that bullets travel, and contain tunnels that switch modes to a three-dimensional perspective where the player can replenish their resources.
Developed by Steve Cain and Graham Everett, the original concept was a racing game based on the three-dimensional tunnel mode, but this idea was scrapped after the designers became unsatisfied with the results. Originally priced at £19.95, the game received mixed reviews for its Amiga release, and negative ones for the Atari ST version, with reviewers praising the graphics, but criticizing the lack of variety in the gameplay, its difficulty, and the audio. Re-releases in 1991 at budget prices were better received.
## Gameplay
Star Goose is a single-player vertically scrolling shooter where the player controls the character of Scouser-Gitt, a pilot who flies the eponymous Star Goose vessel. In the game's background story, Scouser-Gitt is an experienced, but disgraced fighter pilot who is recruited by a Tribal Elder to recover 48 crystals from the planet Nom by raiding the military's ammunition dumps. There are six crystals located on each of the game's eight levels, and the player must retrieve all of them to advance. To do so, they must either bypass or destroy the planet's defense systems, which include missile launchers, gun turrets, mines, and vessels piloted by enemy warriors.
Star Goose begins with a mother ship dropping off Scouser-Gitt directly above the surface of the area in a Star Goose ship. Each level wraps-around, and thus the player returns to the start of the level once they have traveled through it and will do so again unless all six crystals have been collected. The player begins with four lives and receives an extra life with every 100,000 points. When the player runs out of lives, they have the option to restart the game on the level they were playing previously. The default weapon is a forward-facing gun, but the Star Goose is also equipped with a limited supply of missiles that can be fired from either side of the vehicle and destroy enemies on contact. These can be replenished at missile gates located in each level. Each level in the game constantly scrolls the screen upwards and contains contoured hills and valleys that the ship navigates automatically, but affect the direction of the player's bullets. Shots fired will only hit enemies when the ship is traveling at the same level; otherwise they go above or below their targets depending on whether the player is climbing a hill or descending into a valley.
The player must also keep track of three gauges: shields, ammunition, and fuel. The former decreases every time the Star Goose collides with an enemy or is hit by their fire, while the latter two are depleted with use. To replenish these metres, the player must enter a tunnel labelled with the resource that they wish to recover; these tunnels are spread across the level on the sides of hills. Upon entering a tunnel, the game switches to a three-dimensional perspective, viewing the Star Goose inside a circular space from behind. These areas contain hovering eyes that can be collected to replenish the gauge. The player can climb the sides of the tunnel, reach the ceiling, and travel in a loop, depending on their speed. If the Star Goose is upside down upon exiting the tunnel, however, it will crash and the player will lose a life. Similar tunnels in the ground at the start of each level serve as a means to connect each level and contain eyes that can be collected for points.
## Development and release
Star Goose was developed by artist Steve Cain and programmer Graham Everett, who previously developed the platform game Black Lamp from Firebird Software. Cain also worked on the graphics for 1985's Frankie Goes to Hollywood from Denton Designs. Everett intended Star Goose to be a first-person perspective racing game through the same tunnels that were used in the finished product. Everett claimed that he was "inspired [...] by the kind of car race, often seen in movies, where the cars race around a basin-like track with curved sides." Unsatisfied with the result, the concept was modified into a shoot 'em up.
Star Goose was published by Logotron for the Atari ST and Amiga computers in 1988 and was ported to MS-DOS at the end of the year. A Commodore 64 version was planned, but never released. The music and sound effects were ported from the Atari ST to the Amiga, which limited their impact. Depending on the system, the game can be played with the mouse, joystick, or keyboard. Logotron claimed that the graphics featured "Full-Beef Scroll," meaning that it was meant to look an arcade screen with the graphics taking up the entire screen and the playing information placed directly in the game area, rather than having it at the edge of the screen.
## Reception and legacy
Star Goose received mixed reviews for its Amiga release. Reviewing the game for Amiga Computing, Chris Holmes argued that the game was difficult and that once the player has learned to overcome this, "the game becomes a touch monotonous as the action does not vary." He rated the game at 66%, docking points for the sound in particular. Steve Jarratt of Commodore User complained that in the Amiga version "the gameplay fails to fulfil [sic] the promise of the graphics" and gave it a 4 out of 10. The following month, the French gaming magazine Génération 4 rated it at 45%, criticizing its similarity to other games in the genre and calling it a "pale copy of Zaxxon", although praising its graphics. Conversely, Richard Silsby of Australian Commodore and Amiga Review, in the July 1989 issue, recommended the Amiga version due to its graphics and music. Tomas Hybner, in the October 1988 edition of the Swedish Datormagazin, gave the game 3.75 out of 5 and called it "original", also highlighting its graphics.
Reviews for Star Goose on the Atari ST were more negative. Andy Wilton of ACE, writing in October 1988, noted that "[a] host of unusual features make it stand out" but "[o]riginality is no substitute for gameplay", as well as the fact that the contouring element did not mesh will with the rest of the game. The publication's final assessment gave Star Goose 517 out of 1000 for the Atari ST version. That same month, Julian Rignall of The One gave it a similar rating of 51% and mentioned that "compared with today's high standards it lacks the polish, playability and challenge of many similar priced games". The assessment from October 1988's issue of Zzap!64 was even lower, highlighting the game's general presentation as positive, but criticizing the graphics and gameplay for a lack of variety and the sound for its lack of originality, with an overall rating of 37%. In November 1988, Matt Bielby of Computer and Video Games gave the game a 72%, but held the graphics and music in low esteem and referred to the game overall as one with good potential that "botches the job". In giving the game a 68% in November 1988, ST/Amiga Format praised its graphics, but criticized the gameplay and the audio, while ST Action scored it at 71% the same month.
Star Goose was re-released by Prism Leisure Corporation in late 1991 for £2.99 and received more favourable reviews. Stuart Campbell, writing for Amiga Power, gave the re-release an 82%, referring to it as "limited", but arguing that it was a good value for the price. Around that time it was also distributed by Pactronics' Budget Series, albeit for £12.95. Australian Commodore and Amiga Review, which had recommended the game when it was first released, upheld its recommendation with a 77% for the re-release, praising the graphics and gameplay.
|
30,998,464 |
Cyclone Kathy
| 1,151,847,763 |
Category 5 Australian region cyclone in 1984
|
[
"1983–84 Australian region cyclone season",
"Category 5 Australian region cyclones",
"Retired Australian region cyclones",
"Tropical cyclones in 1984",
"Tropical cyclones in Queensland",
"Tropical cyclones in the Northern Territory"
] |
Severe Tropical Cyclone Kathy was a powerful tropical cyclone that devastated the Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands in March 1984. Originating from a tropical low off the southern coast of Papua New Guinea. Tracking westward, the system attained gale-force winds by 18 March before striking the Cape York Peninsula. After crossing the area, Kathy entered the Gulf of Carpentaria where environmental conditions favoured significant development. On 22 March, the storm attained its peak intensity as a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone (Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale) with ten-minute sustained winds of 205 km/h (125 mph). By this time, the storm had been tracking towards the southwest and struck the Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands later on 22 March before moving over the Australian mainland as a slightly weaker system. Once over land, Kathy rapidly degraded, losing gale-force winds within 24 hours; the storm dissipated over the Northern Territory on 24 March.
Moving through the Pellew Islands as a powerful cyclone, Kathy generated a maximum storm surge of 4.2 m (14 ft) and winds exceeding 232 km/h (144 mph). Offshore, 20 vessels were affected, one of which sank and resulted in the death of its captain. In mainland Australia, the system struck a relatively sparsely populated area, with only Borroloola being significantly impacted by the cyclone. Additionally, mangroves at along the McArthur River sustained substantial damage. Overall, losses from the storm were placed at A\$12 million (A\$30.5 million 2011 AUD; US\$24.1 million 2011 USD). Following its usage, the name Kathy was retired and will never be used again to name an Australian cyclone.
## Meteorological history
On 16 March 1984, the Bureau of Meteorology began monitoring a tropical low off the southern coast of Papua New Guinea for possible development into a tropical cyclone. Over the following day, the system quickly developed and attained gale-force winds as it neared the Cape York Peninsula. Attaining a pressure of 990 hPa (mbar; 29.23 inHg), the weak system made landfall just north of Weipa, Queensland on 19 March before losing strength. Though already considered a tropical cyclone for two days by the Bureau, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued their first advisory on the system just prior to its landfall; however, they considered it to be a tropical depression rather than a storm. After roughly 12 hours over land, a weakened Kathy emerged over the warm waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria on 20 March. Once over water, the JTWC classified the system as a tropical storm. Turning southwestward, the storm entered a region favoring significant development and soon began a period of rapid intensification.
Intensification took place through 22 March as convection deepened around Kathy's centre and a well-defined eye formed. The system reached its peak strength as a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale with ten-minute sustained winds of 205 km/h (125 mph). Operational analysis of the storm indicated a minimum pressure of 920 hPa (mbar; 27.17 inHg); however, a reassessment in 2009 concluded that Kathy's pressure had been slightly lower, bottoming out at 916 hPa (mbar; 27.05 inHg). Additionally, the JTWC assessed the system to have been slightly stronger, estimating peak one-minute sustained winds at 250 km/h (155 mph). At this time, the storm was estimated to have a Dvorak technique rating of 7.0, equivalent to a Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale;
As Cyclone Kathy neared the Australia coastline later on 22 March, it began to weaken as it interacted with land. Radar imagery depicted the system as having an eye 10.8 km (6.7 mi) in diameter. Roughly 5 hours after peaking, the storm passed directly over the Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands, resulting in a degrading structure. Near midnight, the system weakened to a Category 4 cyclone and made landfall in a remote region near Borroloola. Based on a wind gust to sustained ratio of 1.4, Kathy was estimated to have moved onshore with winds between 165 and 185 km/h (105 and 115 mph). In the hours after landfall, Kathy rapid weakened, no longer retaining gale-force winds once 200 km (120 mi) away from the Gulf on 23 March. Later that day, the system turned south-westward and persisted for another 24 hours before dissipating.
## Impact
In Far North Queensland, Kathy brought moderate rainfall and strong winds to much of the region. No measurements from the centre of the storm were made, although a wind gust of 60 km/h (37 mph) was recorded in Batavia Downs, Queensland, about 55 km (34 mi) south-southeast of the cyclone. Between 18 and 21 March, a total of 126.7 mm (4.99 in) of rain fell near Batavia Downs. Due to the relatively low intensity of the storm, damage was minimal and mainly confined to trees.
Striking the Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands as a high-end Category 4 cyclone, Kathy wrought significant damage in the region. A storm surge of 4.2 m (14 ft) struck Vanderlin Island, destroying much of the nesting ground for sea turtles. Winds were recorded up to 232 km/h (144 mph) on Centre Island before the station's anemometer failed. Several camps across the islands were destroyed. Offshore, 20 vessels were caught in the storm. One of these was the 23 m (75 ft) prawn trawler Lindeman which capsized off the coast of Skull Island on 23 March. A fisherman on board drowned, with his body discovered three days later washed up on Centre Island. Three other trawlers ran aground on Vanderlin Island. Losses sustained by the ships were placed at A\$5 million. The only population center significantly affected by the storm was Borroloola, where moderate to severe damage took place. Of the 90 homes in the town, only 10 were left undamaged. In all, losses from the storm were placed at A\$12 ,million.
Though a powerful storm, only light to moderate rains fell along the cyclone's path with totals generally less than 100 mm (3.9 in). The remnants, however, triggered thunderstorms near Tennant Creek that produced 325 mm (12.8 in) of rain in 24 hours. Reports indicate that several sea turtles and dugongs were washed up to 8 km (5.0 mi) inland by Kathy's surge. Along the mouth of the McArthur River, near where Kathy struck the mainland, the combination of severe winds and storm surge killed 80% (±20%) of the Rhizophoraceae mangrove trees in the region. Along the entire length of the river, 45% (±15.3%) of the Rhizophoraceae, Bruguiera and Ceriops as well as 18.5% (±11.4%) of the Exoecaria agallocha, Lumnitzera racemosa and Avicennia marina perished.
In the wake of the storm, Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke promised residents of Borroloola that they would receive all possible help from the government. About 400 people in the town were left homeless by Cyclone Kathy. By 25 March, a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft was sent to the region carrying emergency supplies for sheltering displaced persons. Two patrol boats from the Royal Australian Navy were also sent to assist in relief efforts. One brought fuel and medical supplies and the other assisted trawlers set adrift or grounded by the storm.
## See also
- List of retired Australian region cyclone names
|
55,642,492 |
Durio graveolens
| 1,173,848,188 |
Species of tree that has an edible durian fruit
|
[
"Durio",
"Flora of Malesia",
"Flora of Thailand",
"Fruits originating in Asia",
"Night-blooming plants",
"Non-timber forest products",
"Plants described in 1889",
"Taxa named by Odoardo Beccari",
"Tropical agriculture",
"Tropical fruit"
] |
Durio graveolens, sometimes called the red-fleshed durian, orange-fleshed durian, or yellow durian, is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae. It is one of six species of durian named by Italian naturalist Odoardo Beccari. The specific epithet graveolens ('strong smelling' or 'rank') is due to the odor. Although most species of Durio (most notably Durio dulcis) have a strong scent, the red-fleshed type of D. graveolens has a mild scent. It is native to Southeast Asia.
D. graveolens is an edible durian, perhaps the most popular 'wild' species of durian, and it is sold commercially regionally. However, its congener Durio zibethinus is the typical species eaten and dominates sales worldwide.
## Names
This species should not be confused with the popular durian clones from Malaysia known as 'Red Flesh' (D164) and 'Red Prawn' (D175), as both of those belong to D. zibethinus.
However, D. graveolens does have one registered variety, 'DQ2 nyekak (DK8)'. The color of the fruit's flesh denotes other varieties–an orange-fleshed, a red-fleshed one, and yellow-fleshed. These varieties may be different species, but currently there is no consensus. The yellow-fleshed kind is sometimes called durian simpor.
In the scientific name Durio graveolens, graveolens means 'strong smelling', although it has been described as having a "mild" or "slight" odor or even, in a book published by the US National Research Council, as "odorless".
In Malay, the fruit is called durian burong, durian burung (literally "bird durian"), durian rimba ("jungle durian"), durian kuning ("yellow durian"), durian merah ("red durian"), or durian otak udang galah ("crayfish brain durian"). In Iban, it is durian isu. The Bidayuh call it durian umot. Among the Kenyah and Dayak peoples, it is known as durian anggang ("hornbill durian"), durian ajan, pesang, tabela or ta-bela, tabelak, taula, tuala, tuwala. On Sumatra, the Batak call it tinambela. In Karo, it is called meraan. In Thailand, it is referred to as thurian rak kha (Thai: ทุเรียนรากขา) or thurian khua tit (ทุเรียนขั้วติด; sources differ on which name refers to this species, with the other being attributed to D. kutejensis). In Aceh Tamiang Regency, it can be called durian batu ("stone durian"), and elsewhere in Sumatra, it known as durian adjan. Other regional names include durian dalit (but this can apply also to Durio oxleyanus) alau, dujen, durian alau, durian daun dungoh, durian hutan ("forest durian"), durian pipit, lai bengang, merang kunyit, pasang, and tongkai.
A natural hybrid of D. graveolens and D. zibethinus is called durian siunggong or durian suluk. It has the texture and flavour of the popular D. zibethinus and the burnt caramel overtones of D. graveolens.
After its initial description in 1889 by Odoardo Beccari, in 1924, Dutch botanist Reinier Cornelis Bakhuizen Van Den Brink reduced it to a synonym of D. conicus. British botanist John Wyatt-Smith combined it all under D. dulcis in 1953. Indonesian botanists André Joseph Guillaume Henri Kostermans and Wertit Soegeng-Reksodihardjo separated D. graveolens back to its own species in 1958.
## Distribution
Wild D. graveolens grows in Peninsular Malaysia (states of Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Penang, Perak, Selangor, and Terengganu), Indonesian Islands of Borneo and Sumatra, Palawan, and Southern Thailand. It is cultivated in Brunei, Sarawak, Sabah, and the Northern Territory of Australia. In Brunei, its popularity outshines D. zibethinus, which is not cultivated in the country.
It is occasionally grown outside the tropics. In Florida, it has been seen to survive two consecutive nights at 0 °C (32 °F), albeit shrouded in cloth.
## Description
D. graveolens is a large tree, sharing many features with D. dulcis. It inhabits the upper canopy, growing up to 50 m (160 ft) tall. The trunk is 85–100 cm (33–39 in) in diameter and can have no branches until about 25 m (82 ft) high. The trunk will be smooth or flaky, grey/mauve to ruddy brown with steep buttress roots. The buttresses reach 3 m (9.8 ft) and extend out 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in).
The oblong leaves are 10–26 cm (3.9–10.2 in) long without the petiole (leaf stalk), and 4–10 cm (1.6–3.9 in) wide. They are perfectly rounded on both ends, rigid, and slightly coriaceous (leather-like in feel or texture). On the top, they are glabrous (smooth and hairless) and crisp, almost vernicose (varnished). Underneath, the leaves are copper-brown and lepidote (scaly), with large scales of up to 2 mm (0.079 in) in diameter, which are not very noticeable, at least when dry. The leaf scales are peltate (shield-shaped), ciliate-radiated (fringed), and deeply-lobed in three to five parts. In addition to the scales, long strands of stellate hairs and other trichomes of varying size form a soft tomentose (fuzzy) surface. The leaf midrib is very prominent on the underside and forms a crease on top. The leaf stipules are caducous (drop early). Leaves have 10-12 lateral veins per side (with some smaller ones intermixed), which are tiny and superficial above and more distinct, but still barely visible. The petiole is very large, 15–18 mm (0.59–0.71 in) long, and tumescent (swollen) from the middle up.
Flowers grow on the branches on short cymes and a thin calyx. The base is sac-like with three to five connate lobes. It has white, spatulate (spoon-shaped) petals that are 25–35 millimetres (0.98–1.38 in) long. Inside are five separate bundles of staminodes and stamens, fused for less than half of their length. The anther has small clusters of four or five elongated pollen locules that open with longitudinal slits. Ovaries are ovoid to globose (roughly spherical) and possess a yellow capitate (shaped like a pinhead) stigma and white to greenish style about 48 mm (1.9 in). The pollen is psilate (relatively smooth), spheroidal, and 54 μm (0.0021 in) in diameter. The surface of the pollen includes three colporate apertures, meaning the apertures have a combined colpus (or furrow) and pore. The pollen grains are monad and do not cluster.
The fruits are up to 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in) in diameter, and weigh about 757.5 grams (26.72 oz). The greenish- to orange-yellow outside is densely covered with long (1 cm (0.39 in)) and thin angular-subulate spines which are straight or slightly curved, and prickly yet slightly soft. The fruit easily breaks into five fibrous-coriaceous valves (sections) with 5–6 millimetres (0.20–0.24 in) thick walls. Typically the fruit opens on the tree, but some varieties do not until they are on the ground or harvested. There are 2 bulbous or chestnut-shaped seeds per section, each completely enveloped by fleshy aril. These glossy brown seeds are 2 cm × 4 cm (0.79 in × 1.57 in). The pungent aril is the part consumed as food, though some sources note the odor is sometimes very mild. It ranges in color from light yellow to orange to lipstick red.
## Taxonomy
D. graveolens is in the core clade Palatadurio of the genus Durio. It is most closely related to Durio kutejensis.
## Ecology
D. graveolens is a tropical plant species that needs high heat and humidity. Typically, it is found on clay-rich soils in wet lowland dipterocarp forests, frequently along riverbanks and swamps. Because of its tolerance for wet habitats, it is possibly resistant to infection by the oomycete Phytophthora palmivora. It can also be found on hillsides and shale ridges up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in elevation.
It is pollinated by bats. As it is one of the only species to naturally hybridize with D. zibethinus, they are thought to share a pollinator, likely the cave nectar bat (Eonycteris spelaea). Pollen from both of these durian species has been found in cave nectar bat feces, and possibly in that of the long-tongued fruit bat (Macroglossus sobrinus).
After harvest, fruit can be set upon by fungi such as Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Glomerella cingulata, Geotrichum candidum, Calonectria kyotensis, and occasionally Gliocephalotrichum bulbilium. Secondary or opportunistic fungal infection can be from species such as Aspergillus niger and other Aspergillus spp., Candida spp., Gibberella intricans, and Penicillium spp.
The fruit is fed on by Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), Prevost's squirrels (Callosciurus prevostii), crab-eating macaques (Macaca fascicularis), black hornbills (Anthracoceros malayanus), possibly viverrids and sun bears (Helarctos malayanus). Black hornbills are also effective seed dispersers for the tree, and this is referenced in a few of the regional names for the tree .
## Biochemistry
The fatty acids in the fruit are 30% saturated and 70% unsaturated. The saturated fats include myristic acid (14.49%), arachidic acid (7.08%), pentadecanoic acid (3.61%), heptadecanoic acid (2.2%), decanoic acid (1.62%), and lauric acid (1.31%). Unsaturated fats include oleic acid (22.18%), palmitoleic acid (13.55%), linolelaidic acid (12.39%), γ-linolenic acid (12.23%), linoleic acid (4.95%), elaidic acid (2.50%), and myristoleic acid (1.89%).
## Uses
The fruit's pulp is typically eaten raw and has the fragrance of roasted almonds or burnt caramel. The taste is described as sweet and cheesy or similar to eating an avocado or pimento cheese. Sometimes, it is fermented into the condiment tempoyak. The red-fleshed type is used with freshwater fish to make a type of sayur (a traditional Indonesian vegetable stew).
The seeds can also be ground into flour (tepung biji durian dalit), which then can be used to make, for example, fish crackers.
The tree is also harvested for lumber in Sarawak. The Iban people there also bathe day-old infants (especially for preterm birth) in a tisane of mature bark, as they believe it strengthens the skin.
## See also
- List of Durio species
- Durian Burung, a town in Malaysia
|
62,002,254 |
Broe helmet
| 1,153,704,146 |
Iron Age helmet
|
[
"1904 archaeological discoveries",
"6th-century artifacts",
"7th-century artifacts",
"Archaeological discoveries in Sweden",
"Germanic archaeological artifacts",
"Individual helmets",
"Medieval helmets"
] |
The Broe helmet (also known as the Broa helmet) is a decorated iron helmet from around the Vendel Period. Discovered around 1904 in a cremation grave in Broe, a farm on the Swedish island Gotland, it was located alongside other items including fragments of shields, weapons, bridles, and game pieces. Due to its extremely fragmented condition, only an incomplete reconstruction of the helmet is possible, but it appears to have been an example of the "crested helmets" that flourished in England and Scandinavia from the sixth through eleventh centuries.
A full speculative reconstruction was attempted in 1969, suggesting a cap made in segments, with brow and nose-to-nape bands; pieces of metal attached to the brow band likely provided neck, cheek, and face protection. The nose-to-nape band was decorated with ornamental bronze sheeting, and an eyebrow piece, which survives in full and also featured animal-head terminals, was inlaid with strips of a material such as silver. This appearance is generally consistent with the contemporaneous Vendel XIV helmet, which the Broe example may have looked somewhat similar to.
The helmet is hard to date by itself, but the style and type of the grave goods suggests a date in the second half of the 7th century AD. This is consistent with the Vendel XIV grave, which is variously dated between 520 and 625 AD, and shares similarities with the Broe grave even beyond the helmets; in particular, decorated iron fragments from the graves share an identical design.
## Description
The Broe helmet survives in a fragmentary state, with a speculative artistic reconstruction. When whole, it included an iron cap, likely constructed in sections, with both a brow band and a nose-to-nape band. The latter band, to which may belong a fragment with traces of ornamental bronze sheeting, terminated above the eyebrows with an animal head, its eyes formed with inlaid garnets. A fragment of the nose-to-nape band retains an animal-head impression that does not match the surviving head, suggesting that a second animal head terminal adorned the rear of the helmet. Strips of iron hanging from the brow band provided neck and cheek protection. The one surviving cheek piece is fragmentary, but appears to have extended deeply. Further strips extended from the nose-to-nape band to cover the nose, and encircled the eyes to protect the face. Over the eyes ran an ornamental eyebrow piece, made of iron inlaid with thin strips of another material—possibly silver—and terminating in an animal head on either side.
The helmet may once have appeared similar, in some respects, to the Vendel XIV helmet. Both had deep hinged plates protecting the cheeks and neck, a flat crest terminating in animal heads, and ornamented eyebrows. The Broe example is too fragmentary, however, for its exact design to be determined.
## Discovery
The helmet was discovered around 1904 in a grave in Broe, a farm in the community of Högbro, located within Halla socken in the central region of the Swedish island Gotland. The grave was uncovered while digging a garden; the excavation measured approximately 0.30 metres (1 ft) in depth, and half a kappland (about 154 square metres [1,660 sq ft]) in area. All but one object, a round bronze clasp with three animal heads, was damaged by fire.
In addition to the clasp with three animal heads, bronze objects from the grave included an inlaid round clasp, two ring-shaped items with animal-head decoration, parts of handle to a ring-sword, seven large hemispherical rivet heads, four smaller rivets, and around 35 types of fragmentary strap fittings, several with animal ornamentation; two of these were iron with bronze ornamentation, and five were hat shaped. Several of the fittings, and perhaps the ring-shaped items, belonged to shield handles. Iron objects included three two-edged swords, two wide and four slim one-edged swords, eight spearheads, four shield bosses, several shield handles, four bridles, a knife, a pair of scissors, and several fittings—including some for the edges of shields—in addition to the helmet. Non-metal objects from the grave included pieces of a green glass cup, mostly melted away, seven fragments of bone game pieces, and some burnt pieces of bone, possibly from a horse.
The items were acquired by the Statens historiska museum in 1904, where they were collectively given the inventory number 12,291. In 1907 the finds were published along with sketched illustrations of some of the items in Månadsblad, a monthly publication of the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities. Illustrations of a number of the finds, including a speculative reconstruction of the helmet, were published in volume II of Birger Nerman's book on the Vendel Period finds from Gotland, Die Vendelzeit Gotlands—followed six years later by volume I, the textual companion.
## Typology
Difficult to date by itself, the Broe helmet and finds from the same site appear characteristic of early Migration Period style. Certain features of the Broe helmet, particularly its eyebrow piece, are similar to helmets and fragments found in Gotland, such as the Lokrume helmet fragment, and on the mainland, in Uppland. In particular, the Broe helmet's similarities to the Vendel XIV helmet, which has been variously dated from 520 to 625 AD, may suggest a comparable date; ornamented iron fragments in each burial, unrelated to the helmets, even bear the same stamped design. Other objects from the Broe grave, likewise, suggest a date in the second half of the 6th century AD.
The Broe helmet fits into the corpus of "crested helmets" known in Northern Europe from the 6th through the 11th centuries AD. Such helmets were characterized by a rounded cap and usually a prominent nose-to-nape crest. Other than a Viking Age fragment found in Kyiv, they uniformly originate from England or Scandinavia. More than half of the known examples are from Sweden; up to twenty are from Gotland alone, although these were typically found in cremation burials and comprise only a fragment or two.
## Gallery
|
45,457,971 |
Stakes (miniseries)
| 1,173,822,694 |
2015 Adventure Time miniseries
|
[
"2010s American LGBT-related animated television series",
"2010s American animated television miniseries",
"2015 American television episodes",
"Adventure Time (season 7) episodes",
"Lesbian-related television shows",
"Science Saru"
] |
Stakes is an American animated television miniseries comprising eight episodes from the television show Adventure Time, created by Pendleton Ward. It aired as part of the show's seventh season from November 16, 2015 to November 19, 2015 on Cartoon Network. Adventure Time follows the adventures of Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada), a human boy, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake (voiced by John DiMaggio), a dog with magical powers to change shape, grow and shrink at will. In this limited event series, Princess Bubblegum (voiced by Hynden Walch) removes the vampiric essence from Marceline the Vampire Queen (voiced by Olivia Olson), which unleashes five recently resurrected vampires into The Land of Ooo. Marceline, Bubblegum, Finn, Jake, and Peppermint Butler (voiced by Steve Little) are forced to deal with the fallout.
The miniseries' story was developed by series creator Pendleton Ward, showrunner Adam Muto, head writer Kent Osborne, and staff writer Jack Pendarvis. The eight episodes were storyboarded by Ako Castuera, Jesse Moynihan, Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Herpich, Steve Wolfhard, Seo Kim, Somvilay Xayaphone, Lyle Partridge, and Luke Pearson. Andres Salaff, Elizabeth Ito, and Muto handled supervising direction, and Sandra Lee served as art director. Former Adventure Time storyboard artist Rebecca Sugar returned briefly to the show to voice Marceline's mother and to contribute a song entitled "Everything Stays".
Stakes was a ratings success, and was met with mostly positive reviews, with Sugar's song in particular being met with critical applause. Conversely, a few commentators felt that the miniseries did not meet expectations. For his work on the Stakes finale, Herpich won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation at the 68th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards in 2016. Stakes was released on DVD on January 19, 2016.
## Plot
After losing her umbrella leaving her stuck in the shade of a tree in the desert, Marceline the Vampire Queen (voiced by Olivia Olson) approaches Princess Bubblegum (voiced by Hynden Walch) and asks her to cure her of her vampirism, as she no longer wants to be immortal. Bubblegum agrees and extracts the vampiric essence from Marceline's body. As Marceline recovers, the extracted essence gains sentience and escapes. Meanwhile, Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada) and Jake (voiced by John DiMaggio) are called out to investigate livestock being attacked by a bloodsucking creature. Suspecting Marceline, they confront her, only to discover the extracted essence is behind the attacks. However, as Finn and Jake chase the vampiric essence, a mob of angry villagers capture Marceline and tie her to windmill, hoping that the rising sun will kill her. As the light hits her body, Marceline's life flashes before her eyes: Marceline first recalls a time when her mother (voiced by Rebecca Sugar) comforted her by singing a lullaby entitled "Everything Stays". Marceline then remembers Simon (voiced by Tom Kenny) leaving her before he is fully corrupted by the ice crown. She also remembers when she hunted vampires as a teenager and thereafter befriended a tribe of humans who survived the Mushroom War. Back in the present, the sunlight does not hurt Marceline, indicating that she has been cured.
Meanwhile, Jake encounters Marceline's freed vampiric essence, which has divided into five vampires whom Marceline had previously slain: the Fool (voiced by Ron Funches), the Empress (voiced by Rebecca Romijn), the Hierophant (voiced by Paul Williams), the Moon (voiced by Beau Billingslea), and the Vampire King himself (voiced by Billy Brown). As of a disagreeance of how to reestablish dominance, Hierophant goes to the forest, Empress goes to the Ice Kingdom to gather new troops, and Moon retreats to a marsh-like area. Witnessing this, Jake warns Finn and Marceline—the latter of whom recalls when she slew the Vampire King but was turned into a vampire in the process. Marceline tracks down and confronts the resurrected Vampire King, killing the Fool and reabsorbing his power of flight. However, before she can battle the Vampire King, he warns her that the Empress is headed for the Ice Kingdom. Fearing for the safety of the Ice King, Marceline gives chase, and with the help of Finn and Bubblegum, slays the Empress, reabsorbing her powers of invisibility. Finn, Jake, Marceline, and Bubblegum then encounter the shape-shifting Hierophant. When notified by Peppermint Butler (voiced by Steve Little) that the Hierophant cannot enter houses without permission, Jake shapeshifts into a house and the group takes shelter inside. The Hierophant manages to injure Marceline, but he is accidentally knocked into Jake and dies due to his entering a house uninvited. Marceline reabsorbs his shapeshifting powers but falls ill due to the Hierophant's wound. Princess Bubblegum takes Marceline to the Candy Kingdom to try to cure her. Meanwhile, Finn and Jake track down the Moon in hopes of using her powers to heal Marceline. Finn and Jake lure the Moon back to Marceline, who manages to reabsorb the vampire's healing power, thereby allowing her to recover from her injury.
Marceline and the group prepare for their final confrontation with the Vampire King. However, when he appears before them, he declares that he no longer wishes to be a vampire. The group reluctantly agrees to remove the King's vampiric essence. Bubblegum places the Vampire King in the same contraption that she used on Marceline, turning him into a relatively harmless lion. The vampiric essence, on the other hand, is placed in a bucket, which accidentally detonates and forms a new monstrosity: the Dark Cloud. This looming essence begins ambling towards the Candy Kingdom, causing Finn, Jake, and Bubblegum to go on the offensive. Marceline, however, loses the will to fight. The Ice King arrives and briefly talks to Marceline, instilling in her a sense of purpose; Marceline then realizes that it is her destiny to stop the Dark Cloud. Marceline flies into the Dark Cloud and, using her soul-sucking abilities, drains it from the inside out. However, she does so at the cost of once more becoming the Vampire Queen. Once the incident is over, Marceline comes to terms with her vampiric nature. The miniseries concludes with Marceline singing a rendition of "Everything Stays"; as she sings, the audience is presented with short sequences showing Ooo returning to normalcy.
## Production
Stakes was announced in February 2015 alongside news of Long Live the Royals, a separate miniseries created by Sean Szeles, at an upfront regarding Cartoon Network's programming for the 2015 to 2016 television season. Writing for Cartoon Brew, Amid Amidi speculated that both were commissioned following the success of Over the Garden Wall, the network's first miniseries created by Patrick McHale (a former writer for Adventure Time). Michael Ouweleen, the chief marketing officer of the network, later said that "miniseries provide the network with more opportunities to try different creative textures and give new properties a chance to get on air." Despite being touted by some outlets as a "spin-off", Adventure Time showrunner Adam Muto later clarified that Stakes was considered part of the series' seventh season.
At the 2015 New York Comic Con, Muto revealed that the miniseries originated with ideas that were initially developed during the show's second season. He remarked, "There was this idea from season two about Marceline and ... how she got her powers to begin with. We kind of rolled with that and expanded that into eight episodes." In a 2020 interview, former series creative director and storyline writer Patrick McHale clarified what exactly this original idea had been:
> I realized [sometime during the production of season two] that we'd never actually had Marceline and Ice King interact with each other in the same episode, and we’d also established that they were both 1000 years old. I thought that was meaningful, and so I started coming up with this whole elaborate backstory [explaining that] Marceline was the daughter of a demon and a human ... [and that roughly one thousand years prior to the start of the show] Marceline and Ice King were working together to save humanity [from vampires]. But Ice King was losing himself [to the ice crown], and it all landed on Marceline to fight off the vampires as the humans were escaping on an ark, set for some unknown shore. ... So in the final struggle, as a mutated horde of monsters and vampires come to kill the last remaining humans ... [Marceline] goes and fights the vampires with her demon powers so that the boat can leave. The humans make it, but Marceline is turned into a vampire. So she's stuck looking [like a teenager] forever, and Ice King is stuck being crazy ... and it's too heartbreaking for [Marceline] to ever even go near him, so she avoids him and lives in a cave ... Anyway, I pitched this whole huge elaborate thing to the writers room and they were like, "That's cool, Pat." But it was too much plot. Nobody was very excited about it.
Olson was not aware that the producers and writers were working on a Marceline-centric miniseries until the series' head writer, Kent Osborne, casually mentioned it to her in a conversation; when she learned of this, she reportedly cried because she was so excited. Due to the Marceline-centric nature of the miniseries, a new opening was created that features Olson singing the theme song over a bass guitar. This intro was storyboarded by Tom Herpich and was animated by Masaaki Yuasa's company Science SARU.
The miniseries' story was developed by head writer Kent Osborne, series creator Pendleton Ward, Jack Pendarvis, and Muto. The eight episodes were storyboarded by Ako Castuera, Jesse Moynihan, Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Herpich, Steve Wolfhard, Seo Kim, Somvilay Xayaphone, Lyle Partridge, and Luke Pearson. Andres Salaff, Elizabeth Ito, and Muto served as the miniseries' supervising directors, and Sandra Lee served as art director. Notably, the miniseries saw the return of several artists who had previously left the series, like Castuera (a storyboard artist who had left the series after working on the fifth season finale "Billy's Bucket List"), and Rebecca Sugar (a storyboard artist and songwriter, who had left the series after working on the fifth-season episode "Simon & Marcy"). Castuera storyboarded the first, sixth, and seventh parts of Stakes alongside Moynihan, and Sugar wrote a new song for the miniseries entitled "Everything Stays" and voiced Marceline's mother.
In regards to the miniseries' cynosural song "Everything Stays", Nyström revealed that, during the storyboarding of the episode of the same name, she found herself unable to write a lullaby for the scene between Marceline and her mother. She relayed her issue to Muto, who contacted Sugar and asked if she would be willing to pen the song. Sugar agreed and based the song on an incident in which she lost a stuffed animal in a garden. A year later, she found it; the sun had bleached the exposed surfaces, but the underside was still the same. She explained, "[The stuffed animal] wasn’t better, or worse, just different. It was the first time I realized that things will change no matter what, even if they’re left alone, and stay completely still." Muto was excited to have Sugar return to work on the show, and noted at the 2015 Adventure Time San Diego Comic-Con International panel that "because [Stakes] was a Marceline miniseries, it wouldn't really feel complete unless Rebecca Sugar wrote a song for it." At San Diego Comic-Con, Sugar and Olson performed the song live.
Ghostshrimp, a background artist who worked on the series during seasons one through four, also returned to draw around 70 background pieces for this miniseries. Ghostshrimp, who had left the series during the middle of season four, noted: "I was super pumped that they wanted me to work on it, [and] it was great to return to that world for another go around."
## Cast
The miniseries features vocal performances courtesy of the show's regular crew: Jeremy Shada (who voices Finn the Human), John DiMaggio (who portrays Jake the Dog), Olivia Olson (who portrays Marceline), Tom Kenny (who lends his voice to the Ice King), Hynden Walch (who voices Princess Bubblegum), Steve Little (who plays Peppermint Butler), and Pendleton Ward (who voices Lumpy Space Princess). The Adventure Time cast records their lines together as opposed to doing it individually. This is to capture more natural sounding dialogue among the characters. Hynden Walch has described these group session as akin to "doing a play reading—a really, really out there play."
The miniseries also features several guest actors lending their voices to various characters. Sugar, in addition to her role as songwriter, was also brought on board to voice Marceline's mother; this role marks her first foray into voice acting. Other guest stars include Rebecca Romijn as the Empress, Billy Brown as the Vampire King, Paul Williams as the Hierophant, Ron Funches as the Fool, Beau Billingslea as the Moon, Kyle Kinane as Cloud Dance, and Ava Acres as Young Marceline and the rabbit-hatted child.
## Release and reception
### Broadcast
Although several sources suggested that the miniseries would air in October 2015, the miniseries instead debuted on Cartoon Network on November 16, 2015. An exclusive sneak peek was screened at the New York Comic Con on October 9. The first two episodes of Stakes debuted on November 16, and, following this, two episodes aired every day for three days. On November 20, the entirety of the miniseries re-aired. On January 18, 2016, preceding the miniseries' January 19, 2016 DVD release in the United States, Cartoon Network aired Stakes as an 88-minute standalone movie.
The miniseries made its international debut on Cartoon Network in Australia and New Zealand on January 18, and concluded airing on January 21, 2016. Stakes premiered on Cartoon Network UK and Ireland on March 14, 2016, and concluded on March 17, 2016.
### Ratings
According to a Cartoon Network press release distributed prior to Stakes being available on DVD, the miniseries was a "success" for the network, "ranking as the \#1 program in its time period with all key kids and boys audiences." The premiere episodes, "Marceline the Vampire Queen"/"Everything Stays", were collectively watched by 1.87 million viewers and they both scored a 0.45 in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic according to Nielsen (Nielsen ratings are audience measurement systems that determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States); this means that 0.45 percent of all households with viewers aged 18 to 49 years old were watching television at the time of the episodes' airing. This made the two episodes the most-watched installments of the series, in terms of viewers, since the sixth season episode "The Diary", which was viewed by 1.91 million viewers. The miniseries' final two episodes, "Checkmate"/"The Dark Cloud", were collectively viewed by 1.7 million viewers, and they both scored a 0.4 in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic.
### Critical reception
Stakes was met with mostly positive reviews, although a few commentators felt that the miniseries did not meet expectations. Charlie Jane Anders of io9 applauded the miniseries, noting that it is an interesting meditation on the concept of change, as well as the on philosophical idea that everything is cyclical. In regards to the art and direction of the miniseries, Anders wrote: "There is so much insane gorgeous imagery in this [miniseries], including a ton of really fantastic dream sequences. This show is really pushing its limits in terms of pure visual artistry." Anders noted that, while some fans of the show have been suffering from "Adventure Time fatigue"—largely based on the belief that the show has not moved forward since Finn met his father—Stakes "really feels like a rejoinder to the people who complain the show isn’t moving fast enough with its plots". Writing for Vox, Emily VanDerWerff wrote highly of the miniseries, arguing that it was an excellent example of the coming-of-age story that "shows off the kids series' emotional maturity". She did note that the miniseries is "less a cohesive whole than a bunch of short stories that feel as if they accidentally add up to something bigger", and that the need for every installment to exist as a self-contained unit made Stakes "a little clunky". With that being said, she felt that it ended up being "suitably epic" and "rich with metaphor". Ultimately, VanDerWerff felt that the moral message of the miniseries was: "Change is good. Growth is good. Supporting others' growth is good. And accepting others when they need to change is the best thing you can do."
Heather Hogan of Autostraddle lauded the miniseries for "color[ing] in some of Marceline's past, answer[ing] lots of questions about her relationship with Bonnie, and promis[ing] her a richer future." She argued that the miniseries as a whole was a commentary on depression, and that at the conclusion of Stakes, while Marceline had not vanquished depression, "fighting it helped her grow." Brandon Russell of TechnoBuffalo wrote, "The miniseries does an excellent job of exploring themes of depression, change, and forgiveness." Russell praised the miniseries for showing Marceline's emotional transformation, noting that Marceline's momentary depression in "The Dark Cloud" at the futility of her plight is "a reminder that, although change is hard, it's necessary for growth." However, Russell critiqued the fact that, due to the individual episodes' lengths, some of the miniseries' more poignant material was not explored to its full extent.
Oliver Sava of The A.V. Club awarded the miniseries a "B", noting that the event "loses steam when it moves away from the introspective personal elements of the past to detail Marceline and her friends' vampire hunting adventure in the present." He also bemoaned the fact that only "Everything Stays" features flashbacks, arguing that "rushing through those past events is a missed opportunity to offer a more comprehensive look at where Marceline comes from and how those circumstances have shaped her". With that being said, Sava was highly complimentary towards the voice acting, with praise being directed towards Olson and the actors who voice the villains; Sava wrote, "The new characters' personalities are quickly solidified by the guest stars' expressive performances." Eric Thurm of Pitchfork Media opined that Stakes "includes all sorts of cool action sequences and, best of all, it focuses on the backstory of the show's most musical character: Marceline [...] But Stakes, as fun as it is, ultimately fails to fully deliver, mostly because of a lack of, um, stakes."
Sugar's "Everything Stays" was met with critical praise. VanDerWerff described it as "beautiful". Russell argued that it is "arguably the most beautiful and poignant song in the Adventure Time canon." Sava called it "poignant", noting that "Olson brings a mournful quality to the song when Marceline reprises it later, and the combination of her somber vocals with Sugar's delicate songwriting gives the song a quiet power that highlights the importance of this melody in Marceline's story." Likewise, Thurm called it the "most exciting moment" in the miniseries and that the song "is pretty much a perfect Adventure Time song. It's quiet, beautiful, and heartfelt—a lullaby for children at heart, no matter their age."
### Accolades
For his work on "The Dark Cloud", Tom Herpich won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation at the 68th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards in 2016, making it the series's fourth win in this category.
## Episodes
## Home media
Warner Home Video released the entire miniseries on DVD on January 19, 2016. The episodes were later re-released as part of the complete seventh season DVD on July 18, 2017. The individual episodes can also be downloaded from both the iTunes Store and Amazon.com.
### DVD release
## See also
- Islands, the second Adventure Time miniseries, which aired as part of the show's eighth season in early 2017
- Elements, the third Adventure Time miniseries, which aired as part of the show's ninth season in April 2017
|
6,526,910 |
Ohio State Route 368
| 1,160,324,691 |
State highway in Logan County, Ohio, US
|
[
"State highways in Ohio",
"Transportation in Logan County, Ohio"
] |
State Route 368 (SR 368) is a short north–south state highway in western Ohio, a U.S. state. SR 368 travels from its southern terminus at SR 366 approximately 1.75 miles (2.82 km) east of Russells Point to its northern terminus on Seminole Island in the eastern half of Indian Lake, at an intersection where it meets Logan County Road 272 (CR 272) and CR 286. Having made its debut in the late 1930s, SR 368 is a two-lane spur route that serves both Indian Lake State Park and communities of cottages that are on two eastern Indian Lake islands: Shawnee and Seminole.
## Route description
SR 368 is located exclusively in northwestern Logan County. About 3,100 vehicles travel on SR 368 on average each day.
The route begins at a T-intersection (formerly a Y-intersection) with SR 366 in McArthur Township about 1.75 miles (2.82 km) east of Russells Point. From there, it heads due north, abutted by a subdivision of cottages on the west side and open fields on the east side. After entering into the property of Indian Lake State Park, SR 368 bends to the northwest, passing amidst a blend of fields and trees as it crosses into Washington Township. The highway next passes an access road to a state park boat launch for Indian Lake.
As it turns to the north, SR 368 traverses into a heavily wooded area. Along this stretch, SR 368 passes into Stokes Township. It curves to the northeast as it departs the forest and enters into a neighborhood of cottages along a very narrow strip of land as it travels further out onto Indian Lake. After it travels through an S-curve, SR 368 continues to the northeast, then bends to the northwest, crosses over an inlet and enters Shawnee Island. Turning to the west-northwest, SR 368 passes amidst numerous houses and cottages on Shawnee Island. The highway then passes onto Seminole Island, on which the highway comes to an end as it arrives at an intersection where it meets CR 272, which heads north from the intersection, and CR 286, which departs to the southwest.
## History
SR 368 made its debut in 1934. It was originally routed along the exact alignment that it utilizes today. The only difference was that at the time, the route SR 368 met at its southern terminus was known as SR 32, which a few years later would become US 33.
In 1961, US 33 was moved to a new alignment further south. Consequently, the SR 366 designation was applied to the former alignment of the U.S. highway. However, at the same time, SR 368 was extended east, running concurrent with SR 366 east to SR 117 north of Huntsville, where both routes arrived at a shared terminus. This remained the case until 1979, when SR 368 was restored back to its original alignment, leaving SR 366 as the solo route between SR 368 and SR 117.
## Major intersections
|
28,041,891 |
Saadanius
| 1,156,357,818 |
Extinct genus of primates
|
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Saadanius is a genus of fossil primates dating to the Oligocene that is closely related to the common ancestor of the Old World monkeys and apes, collectively known as catarrhines. It is represented by a single species, Saadanius hijazensis, which is known only from a single partial skull tentatively dated between 29 and 28 million years ago. It was discovered in 2009 in western Saudi Arabia near Mecca and was first described in 2010 after comparison with both living and fossil catarrhines.
Saadanius had a longer face than living catarrhines and lacked the advanced frontal sinus found in living catarrhines. However, it had a bony ectotympanic and teeth comparable to those of living catarrhines. The discovery of Saadanius may help answer questions about the evolution and appearance of the last common ancestors of Old World monkeys and apes.
## Discovery
Saadanius is known from a single specimen, the holotype, named "SGS-UM 2009-002", stored in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at the Paleontology Unit of the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS). Its type locality was on top of an oolitic ironstone fossil bed of the middle Shumaysi Formation located in the southwest corner of Harrat Al Ujayfa, in western Saudi Arabia, close to Mecca. The specimen was discovered in February 2009 by paleontologist Iyad Zalmout, who had traveled to the region to search for ancient whale and dinosaur fossils. While looking for dinosaur fossils in an area that, according to the maps he was working from, contained rock layers that dated to the Cretaceous, Zalmout found the jawbone of an anthracotheriid, which dated to the Eocene or Oligocene. This indicated that the rock layers were much younger than what was dated on the maps. The following day, he noticed fossil teeth, which he immediately recognized as those of a primate. Zalmout emailed a photo of the teeth to paleontologist Philip D. Gingerich, with whom he was working as a postdoctoral fellow. Gingerich, an expert on ancient primates and whales, confirmed that it was indeed a primate. Due to a tight schedule, Zalmout had to leave the exposed fossil embedded in the rock for the next few days because collecting it would require days of work. The fossil was soon recovered by a joint expedition involving the SGS and the University of Michigan.
The fossil was not formally described until 2010 when its discovery was announced in the journal Nature. The fossil was dated to about 28 or 29 million years ago based on comparisons of fossils of anthracotheriids and paenungulates found nearby with fossils from similarly aged African deposits. However, the date has yet to be confirmed by other dating techniques. The genus name, Saadanius, comes from the Arabic word, saadan (Arabic: سَعدان), which is the collective term for apes and monkeys. The species name, hijazensis, is a reference to the al Hijaz region, in which it was discovered.
## Type specimen
Saadanius had a longer face than living catarrhines, more closely resembling New World monkeys in appearance, although it was larger—possibly the size of a gibbon. Its enlarged, deep-rooted canine teeth, the diastema between its canine teeth and second incisors, and its sagittal crest suggest that the specimen was a male. These features are shared among male Old World monkeys. Saadanius lacks the advanced frontal sinus found in living catarrhines, but it does possess an ectotympanic, found in living catarrhines. Propliopithecoids, the oldest stem group of catarrhines, which date back 35 to 30 mya, lacked a fully developed ectotympanic.
The specimen had serious puncture wounds on the front of the skull, indicating that it had been preyed upon by a large carnivore. One puncture wound was on the right side of the braincase and may have been the fatal blow. There was also a bite mark on the frontal trigone.
Like other catarrhine primates, Saadanius was probably a tree-dweller. During the time it would have lived, the Red Sea had not yet formed, and new plant and animal species would have been arriving from nearby Eurasia as it converged with the Afro-Arabian landmass.
## Phylogeny and significance
Comparative anatomy and cladistic analysis indicate that Saadanius is more closely related to the last common ancestor of crown catarrhines than any other known fossil catarrhines, placing the common ancestry of Catarrhini in Arabia and Africa. Other stem catarrhines include propliopithecoids, such as Aegyptopithecus, and pliopithecoids, such as Pliopithecus. The closer similarities between Saadanius and crown catarrhines, particularly its ectotympanic, suggest Saadanius of all known fossil primates most closely resembled the last common ancestor of living catarrhines. Its discovery has provided new details about human evolution, particularly the split between the Old World monkeys and the ape lineage that eventually led to humans.
The discovery of Saadanius provides new evidence for competing hypotheses about the facial appearance of the ancestral crown catarrhines, or common ancestor. One reconstruction is based on living catarrhine traits and predicts a short face and a rounded braincase, similar to that of a gibbon. Another reconstruction, based on the morphology of early Miocene apes and the basal cercopithecoid Victoriapithecus, predicts that the last common ancestor had a projecting snout and tall face, like that of living baboons and the oldest fossil apes and Old World monkeys. The conservative features of Saadanius, similar to those of the older stem catarrhines, support the latter hypothesis, according to Zalmout et al. However, one palaeontologist, Eric Delson, has cautioned that geological pressure may have distorted the shape of the skull.
According to Zalmout et al., Saadanius may also help resolve the age of the hominoid–cercopithecoid split. Paleoanthropological work has typically placed the divergence between 25 and 23 mya, but genetic-based estimates have placed it in the early Oligocene, approximately 33 mya. Despite the predictions from the genetic tests, little fossil evidence has been found for a last common ancestor between 30 and 23 mya, favoring a later split. Only isolated teeth of Kamoyapithecus hinted at the existence of potential basal hominoids in the late Oligocene (between 24 and 27.5 mya), while the oldest fossil Old World monkey, Victoriapithecus macinnesi, dates to 19 mya. With the discovery of Saadanius, Zalmout et al. suggested a later split than the genetic data, dating between 29–28 and 24 mya. However, Pozzi et al. later argued that although Saadanius is a significant discovery, because it is a stem catarrhine, it could not be used to date the divergence of the crown group. The presence of stem taxa in the fossil record does not indicate that crown groups have evolved, and stem taxa may survive for millions of years after the crown taxa appear. For this reason, the fossil record can only suggest a hard minimum boundary for divergence dates, which corresponds to the first appearance of a crown taxon. Furthermore, Pozzi et al. pointed out that the supplementary material published by Zalmout et al. demonstrated that Pliopithecoidea were more closely related to living catarrhines than Saadanius.
The fossil find has also been seen by the SGS as an important find for Saudi Arabia, because it enriches the fossil record for the region. As a result of the find, both the SGS and the University of Michigan are considering more collaborative field explorations in the country.
|
2,872,345 |
Lupe Fiasco
| 1,173,290,988 |
American rapper and record producer
|
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"African-American male rappers",
"African-American male singers",
"African-American record producers",
"Alternative hip hop musicians",
"American anti-poverty advocates",
"American anti-war activists",
"American fashion businesspeople",
"American fashion designers",
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"American music industry executives",
"American wushu practitioners",
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"Atlantic Records artists",
"Businesspeople from Chicago",
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Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco (/ˈluːpeɪ/ LOO-pay), is an American rapper and record producer. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. He also performs as the frontman of rock band Japanese Cartoon under his real name. As an entrepreneur, Fiasco was the chief executive officer of 1st and 15th Entertainment.
Raised in Chicago, Jaco developed an interest in hip hop after initially disliking the genre for its use of vulgarity and misogyny. After adopting the name Lupe Fiasco and recording songs in his father's basement, 19-year-old Fiasco joined a group called Da Pak. The group disbanded shortly after its inception, and Fiasco soon met rapper Jay-Z who helped him sign a record deal with Atlantic Records. In September 2006, Fiasco released his debut album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor on the label, which received three Grammy nominations. He released his second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, in December 2007. The lead single "Superstar" became his first top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. After a two-year delay, his third album, Lasers, was released in May 2011 to mixed reviews; however, it became his first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. The album was preceded by his highest charting single, "The Show Goes On", which peaked at number 9. His latest album, Drill Music in Zion, was released in June 2022.
In addition to music, Fiasco has pursued other business ventures, including fashion. He runs two clothing lines, Righteous Kung-Fu and Trilly & Truly; he has designed sneakers for Reebok. He has been involved with charitable activities, including the Summit on the Summit expedition, and in 2010 he recorded a benefit single for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Fiasco is also noted for his anti-establishment views, which he has expressed in both interviews and his music.
## Life and career
### 1982–1999: Early life
Fiasco was born Wasalu Muhammad Jaco on February 16, 1982, in Chicago, Illinois. Fiasco is of West African descent, one of nine children of Shirley, a chef, and Gregory, an engineer. His father, a member of the Black Panther Party, was a prolific African drummer, karate teacher, operating plant engineer, and owner of karate schools and army surplus stores. Fiasco was raised Muslim on the West Side of Chicago on Madison Terrace housing project. At the age of three, Fiasco began taking martial arts classes. His parents divorced when he was five, and he went on to live with his mother, but his father still remained an important part of his life. He described his father's influence over the family by saying, "After school, my father would come and get us and take us out into the world—one day, we're listening to N.W.A, the next day we're listening to Ravi Shankar, the next day, he's teaching us how to shoot an AK-47, the next day, we're at karate class, the next day, we're in Chinatown...".
In sixth grade, he went to live with his father full-time in Harvey, Illinois. His father lived next door to a crack house and taught Fiasco to use guns to defend himself from drug dealers. Despite his unstable upbringing, Fiasco states that he was well-educated as a child, asserting that his parents exposed him to a diverse array of subjects and that reading was highly encouraged in his household. As a teenager, Fiasco participated in Academic Decathlon competitions. His mother described him by saying, "He was a great spirited child. Smart, a bit complex; he kind of was a loner; he didn't hang with a lot of people...He always had the glasses. Always had a book bag over his shoulder and some type of a writing tablet." Fiasco initially disliked hip hop music for its use of vulgarity, and preferred to listen to jazz; he idolized clarinet player Benny Goodman. His struggle to learn to play an instrument led him to create poetry instead, which led to his interest in the lyrical aspects of music.
He began rapping his poems in the eighth grade, and upon hearing Nas' 1996 album, It Was Written, began to pursue hip hop. While attending Thornton Township High School, Fiasco met gang member Bishop G. The two became friends due to their shared interest in music. Fiasco's father allowed him and Bishop to make mixtapes in his basement, and the two gained notoriety at the school for their music. However, they were kicked off stage during their first performance because their eclectic musical style was not embraced by the hip hop community. Early in his career, he went by stage names Little Lu and Lu tha Underdog. Growing up, Fiasco was given the nickname "Lu", the last part of his first name, by his mother. "Lupe" is an extension of this nickname, which he borrowed from a friend from high school. "Fiasco" is a reference to The Firm song "Firm Fiasco"; the rapper "liked the way it looked on paper." He also said of his name, "You know how rappers always have names like MC Terrorist—like they're 'terrorizing' other rappers? I knew fiasco meant a great disaster or something like that, but I didn't realize that the person named Fiasco would be the disaster, and that you should be calling other MCs fiascos—not yourself...it kind of humbled me in a sense. It taught me like, 'Yo, stop rushing, or you're going to have some fiascos.'"
### 2000–2005: Career beginnings
When Fiasco was 18, he began creating music as a solo artist in his father's basement, even though his parents were not keen on having their son be a rapper. He scoured flea markets and secondhand stores, where he was able to find an old mixing board and a record player, stacks of vinyl records, and mic stands. At age 19, Fiasco joined a group called Da Pak, which was influenced by other California gangsta rappers such as Spice 1 and Ice Cube. Da Pak signed to Epic Records and released one single before splitting up. Fiasco later described the experience, saying "We had a song out about cocaine, guns, and women, and I would go to a record store and look at it and think, 'What are you doing?' I felt like a hypocrite. I was acting like this rapper who would never be judged, and I had to destroy that guy. Because what Lupe Fiasco says on this microphone is going to come back to Wasalu Jaco. When the music cuts off, you have to go home and live with what you say."
After turning away from gangsta rap, he developed a greater appreciation of the lyricism of Jay Z and Nas. His mother also gave him a record of the influential group The Watts Prophets, one of the first bands to use spoken words with music. Although he was without a group for the first time, Fiasco continued to record music. One of these first self-recorded tracks was "Could Have Been", which described the career options he could have pursued had he not begun rapping. He viewed the song as a turning point in his career that marked a drastic change in the subject matter of his music. "Could Have Been" was released as a demo tape and discovered by MTV despite the fact that no video was created for the song.
Fiasco later signed a solo deal with Arista Records, but was dropped when president and CEO L.A. Reid was fired. During his short tenure at Arista, he met Jay-Z, who was the president of Def Jam Recordings at the time. Jay-Z referred to him as a "breath of fresh air", saying that he reminded him of a younger version of himself. Jay-Z later helped him get a record deal at Atlantic Records. While Fiasco was working on his debut solo album, he released his mixtape series Fahrenheit 1/15 over the internet, which gained notoriety by word-of-mouth.
He remixed Kanye West's song, "Diamonds from Sierra Leone", renaming the new version as "Conflict Diamonds". With this remix, Fiasco wished to raise awareness of the conflict diamond business. This caught West's attention, and he asked Fiasco to perform on the song "Touch the Sky" for West's album Late Registration. The song, which sampled Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up", became a hit in the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number forty-two. After this success, Fiasco's first single "Kick, Push" was released earlier than expected. The song was a love story about two people sharing a passion for skateboarding, a topic generally not discussed in hip-hop. Fiasco explained, "[Skateboarding culture is] just as deep as hip-hop. I'm not the greatest skateboarder, but I'm a damn good rapper, so I made a damn good skateboarding song." The single, and its accompanying music video, helped Fiasco get attention in the hip-hop community, and was later nominated for two 2007 Grammy Awards. During this time, he recorded guest performances on Tha' Rayne's "Kiss Me" and "Didn't You Know" singles, and also on K Foxx's 2004 "This Life".
### 2006–2008: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor and The Cool
Jay Z assisted him in the production of what would become his debut album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. The title of the album is a reference to 'Food and Liquor' stores common in Chicago. He explains, "The store is where everything is at...Food to me represents growth and progression. You eat food and you get strength. You need it to live. Liquor is not a necessity; it is a want. It destroys you. It breaks you down. I can see why it's prohibited in Islam...I've always felt like liquor represents the bad, the food represents the good, and everyone is made up of a little of both." Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor was officially released on September 19, 2006. The album featured production from Jay-Z, Kanye West, Mike Shinoda, The Neptunes, Prolyfic, among others. The record spawned the singles "Kick, Push", "I Gotcha" and "Daydreamin'" featuring Jill Scott. The critically lauded album was later nominated for three Grammy Awards including Best Rap Album. Fiasco won "Best Urban/Alternative Performance" for "Daydreamin'". In the same year, he was voted by GQ magazine as the "Breakout Man of the Year." He also received four BET Hip Hop Award nominations, and it made it to number eight on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. That same year he participated in the first Cypher at the BET Hip-Hop Awards.
In 2007, Fiasco announced his second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, a concept album that expands on the story of the track of the same name on his first album. While recording this album, Fiasco's father died of type II diabetes and his business partner, Charles "Chilly" Patton, was convicted of attempting to supply heroin to a drug ring and was eventually sentenced to 44 years in a correctional facility. These events greatly affected Fiasco and the subsequent themes discussed on the record. The disc was released in December 2007 in United States while the first single and video from the album, "Superstar" featuring Matthew Santos was released the first week of November 2007. Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, a concept album that expanded upon recurring themes in Food & Liquor, is about "a hustler who dies and comes back to life, only to get robbed by two little kids with the same gun that killed him." For the record, Fiasco decided not to work with well-known producers as he considered it to be "too expensive", noting the commercial failure of his Pharrell collaboration, "I Gotcha".
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool was very well received by critics and was referred to as "one of the year's best hip-hop albums" by The New York Times. "Superstar", a semi-autobiographical account of his rise to fame, was released as the first single from the album, and peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Baseball's Hanley Ramírez, Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Zimmerman, Gerald Laird and Ryan Braun have used "Superstar" as their at-bat song. The album's second single (released in the UK in April 2008) was "Paris, Tokyo" – a song based around Fiasco's experiences of touring the world between his first and second albums. Moreover, in 2007 it was revealed that Fiasco, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams had formed a group called Child Rebel Soldier. CRS initially released one single, entitled "US Placers" and featuring a Thom Yorke sample. In an interview with The Village Voice, Fiasco revealed that he was writing a novel about a window washer, aptly titled Reflections of a Window Washer. In 2008, Fiasco and his band 1500 or Nothin joined Kanye West's Glow in the Dark Tour which also featured Rihanna and N.E.R.D. The tour stopped in several cities, including his hometown of Chicago. In 2008, MTV named Fiasco the 7th Hottest MC in the Game and announced that he was remixing The Cool with French electro house act Justice.
### 2009–2011: Lasers
At a performance in New Zealand in February 2010, Fiasco performed new material from the then-titled We Are Lasers for the first time. He claimed that the album was complete and waiting for a release date from his label, Atlantic Records. However, Atlantic feared that the record lacked commercial singles, and presented Fiasco with songs the label wanted him to record. Fiasco declined, as he was told he would not have any ownership of the songs. He explained, "I don't think the label cares about an album...People just want their number-one record." For six months, the cause of the album's delay remained unclear to the public. In response, Fiasco's fans created an online petition demanding that Atlantic Records release Lasers. The petition garnered considerable attention on hip hop blog sites as well as over 16,000 signatures. Fiasco stated that the petition "brought [him] to tears", and in response to the petition, Fiasco released a song titled "B.M.F-Building Minds Faster" to thank his fans.
While waiting for Lasers to be released, Fiasco completed another album, titled Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album. He was unsure if the Food and Liquor II would ever be released, though he released the song "Go To Sleep" from the record "out of desperation" to put out new music. He also pursued numerous side projects in the midst of the delay. In April 2010, Fiasco formed the hip hop collective All City Chess Club along with Pharrell, Asher Roth, B.o.B, The Cool Kids, Charles Hamilton, Blu, Diggy Simmons, Wale, J. Cole, & Dosage. The group has so far made one song, a remix of Fiasco's "I'm Beamin". Additionally, On July 16, 2010, Fiasco released his rock side-project Japanese Cartoon's debut EP In The Jaws of the Lords of Death. Japanese Cartoon was influenced by a variety of musical genres, with Fiasco saying, "I've always been a fan of all music...Hip hop is just something I actually know how to do but I always had aspirations to participate in other forms of music. Once I got to create some hip hop, it was like, 'Okay, what am I going to do now?' So my artistic side was like, 'Yo, let's do some rock music.'"
More than two and a half years after the album's completion, Lasers was released on March 8, 2011. The first single from the record was "The Show Goes On", which samples "Float On" by Modest Mouse. "The Show Goes On" debuted at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. The lead single peaked at number 9 since then. The producers involved on the album include Alex Da Kidd, King David "The Future" and Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis, while featured artists include Skylar Grey, Trey Songz, and John Legend. Upon the album's release, Lasers debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 204,000 copies. Despite the album's commercial success, Lasers received mixed reviews from most music critics. Writing for AllMusic, editor Andy Kellman gave the record three out of five stars and criticized its "lumbering, overwrought choruses", writing that "If there is one MC whose rhymes should not be dulled for the sake of chasing pop trends, it's Lupe Fiasco". Lasers, however, was nominated Best Rap Album, with "The Show Goes On" nominated for Best Rap Performance, and Best Rap Song at the 2012 Grammy Awards. Lupe Fiasco later involved himself at the Occupy Wall Street movement where he donated tents and released a poem in support of the protesters. He also released his "Friend of the People: I Fight Evil" mixtape on Thanksgiving Day.
### 2012–2013: Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album
Fiasco subsequently released Food & Liquor 2, as well as put work into a joint album with fellow Child Rebel Soldier & All City Chess Club member Pharrell. Prior to the album's release, he revealed that there would be no more mixtapes after "Friend Of The People: I Fight Evil" prior to Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, which was planned to be a double-disc with Part I set to release in fall 2012. Its lead single, the Simonsayz and B-Side produced track Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free), was released on May 21, which stirred controversy from an infuriated Pete Rock for using a sample from They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.). Rock said that he felt "so violated" by the use of the sample, although the original track itself used samples from Tom Scott and James Brown.
In 2012, Fiasco also collaborated with Australian singer Guy Sebastian on the single "Battle Scars". The single was recorded in Sebastian's Sydney studio when Fiasco was in Australia for Supafest, and is featured on Sebastian's album Armageddon. It debuted at number one in Australia in its first week, becoming Fiasco's first number one single. On 21 August it was announced "Battle Scars" would be included on Fiasco's fourth album, Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1, and was released as the fourth single in the United States on 28 August 2012. It reached number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, number 23 on the Billboard Digital Song Chart and number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Chart. The song spent 20 nonconsecutive weeks in the Billboard Hot 100, and reached platinum certification. "Battle Scars" spent six weeks at number one in Australia, and has been certified 9× platinum by ARIA. It also reached number two and double platinum in New Zealand and number two in Norway.
Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 was released on September 25, 2012. The songs "Go to Sleep" and "Bitch Bad" were also released as singles. The album received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 70, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 18 reviews. It was also nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Grammy Awards. Originally, the album was set to be released as a double-disc album, but Atlantic Records did not allow this arrangement, so the album was divided into two. It was confirmed that a Part 2 will be released in Spring 2013. Lupe has said the album showcases more of his dexterity and lyrical substance. S1 has confirmed to be producing on the album. On January 17, 2013, he canceled the plan for the release of the second part of the original double disk. He then said that he would release another studio album in 2013.
### 2013–2015: Tetsuo & Youth
On February 10, 2013, on the red carpet for the Grammy Awards he announced his fifth studio album would be titled Tetsuo & Youth. Since then, he has released songs that are not slated to be on Tetsuo & Youth. These songs are "Light Blue" and "Jonylah Forever." Upon hearing her name in Lupe's song Form Follows Function, Imogen Heap reached out to Lupe on Twitter to give a thank you which led to Fiasco asking her to appear on his next album making her a possible guest artist on Tetsuo and Youth. On August 4, 2013, Lupe Fiasco revealed a new song would be released on September 11, titled "Peace of Paper/Cup of Jayzus".
On August 24, 2013, Fiasco revealed the first song from Tetsuo & Youth, "Crack", featuring Chris Brown. Then on October 3, 2013, Fiasco announced the Tetsuo & Youth Preview tour to take place between November 2 and December 15, 2013. The tour featuring label-mate Stalley as a supporting act, and The Boy Illinois as an opening act. He also revealed the album Tetsuo & Youth would be released in early 2014, but was later postponed to 2015. On October 14, 2013, Fiasco released the first supposed song from the album, "Old School Love", featuring singer Ed Sheeran. Then on October 21, 2013, Fiasco revealed that Big K.R.I.T. and Rick Ross would also be featured on the album.
On May 19, 2014, Fiasco released the first promotional single before the announcement of the album's track list. "Mission" is a track to empower those facing cancer, revere cancer survivors, and remember those who have passed due to cancer-related illnesses," he explains. He has teamed up with Stand Up to Cancer as a celebrity ambassador. Together, they are planning collaborations tied to the track that will be unveiled the same year. On June 24, 2014, Fiasco released a second promotional single titled "Next to It" which features Ty Dolla Sign on the hook.
Most recently due to the Ferguson riots of 2014, Lupe Fiasco has ended up on Twitter feuds with fellow rappers Azealia Banks and Kid Cudi. The feud between Kid Cudi and Lupe Fiasco has not been resolved and has reportedly become worse, with Lupe Fiasco making threats on MTV.
On August 29, 2015, Lupe surprised fans with a new free mixtape, entitled Pharaoh Height, featuring six new tracks that carry Egyptian-themed titles with cuts like "Valleys," "Kings," and "Pyramid."
### 2016–2018: Drogas Light and Drogas Wave
In April 2016, Fiasco announced that he would release a final three albums (Drogas, Skulls, and Roy), later becoming Drogas, Drogas Light, and Skulls, but in October 2016, he announced he wouldn't release those albums between October and January and past 2017 would release new music.
On December 12, 2016, Lupe released his "N.E.R.D" freestyle (named after the funk rock duo of that name and over the instrumental to J. Cole's "Everybody Dies"), which included the line "Artist gettin' robbed for their publishing/By dirty Jewish execs that think his alms from the covenant." Brian "DJ Z" Zisook of hip-hop website DJBooth, who is Jewish, wrote an editorial denouncing that line for its alleged anti-Semitism. After "N.E.R.D" was apparently removed by SoundCloud for "hate speech," Lupe ultimately tweeted that he saw the situation as a sign from God to retire from music for good, announcing the cancellation of Drogas, Drogas Light and Skulls. However, he announced DROGAS light would be released on 10 February 2017. The new album will be distributed through the record label Thirty Tigers.
In March 2018, Fiasco premiered a three-part television documentary called Beat N Path where he embarked on a journey around China to follow his passion for martial arts. This documentary is a tribute to his late father who was a grand master and ran a martial arts school in Chicago. His experiences will help him write his next single called "Air China". The documentary aired exclusively on KIX in Southeast Asia.
On September 13, 2018, Fiasco announced that Drogas Wave will be released on September 21, 2018. The album is the second part of a planned trilogy of albums, with Drogas Light as its predecessor followed by Skulls.
### 2022–Present: Drill Music in Zion
Fiasco released Drill Music in Zion on June 24, 2022, through 1st & 15th Too and Thirty Tigers. It was preceded by two singles, "Autoboto" and "Drill Music in Zion". On 9 December 2022, Fiasco was featured on Aesop Rock's song "Pumpkin Seeds", produced by Blockhead. The song is a fundraiser for the Collaboratory, an organization promoting two local DIY skateparks in Dayton, Ohio.
On 28 April 2023, Fiasco released the song "SentRock" in collaboration with the Chicago visual artist SentRock. The song was written and produced by Fiasco, while SentRock painted a piece with references to the song's lyrics.
## Artistry
### Influences
Jaco's influence include Nas, Jay Z, Common, AZ, De La Soul, N.W.A, Mos Def, Pharrell Williams, A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip, Linkin Park and Gang Starr.
### Lyrical style
Fiasco, along with rappers Common, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, has been credited as a pioneer of the conscious hip hop movement, which focuses on social issues. Subjects touched upon on Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor include absent parents, terrorism, Islam and religion, war, and prostitution. Fiasco attributes his interest in social issues to his highly cultured upbringing, as he describes his mother as "very intellectual" and his father as a "Renaissance man". He rejects the misogyny common in hip hop, which he discusses in the song "Hurt Me Soul". Despite this, Fiasco is opposed to censorship in music: "If we're going to [censor things] that are offensive, then we are going to have to blind and deafen everyone. Come on, man. Let's focus on education and literacy and poverty."
Fiasco employs various lyrical techniques in his songwriting. The rapper views hip-hop as a medium conducive to storytelling, a primary element of his lyrics due to his background in theater. He wrote plays as a child, which had a strong effect on his songwriting approaches. Fiasco utilizes both metaphors and literal statements in his work, which he describes as "getting from point A to point B in as few words as possible". His use of metaphors is exemplified by the song "Gotta Eat" from Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, which is told from the perspective of a cheeseburger and addresses the poor nutrition in black communities in the United States, while using a continuous metaphor of drug dealing and hustling.
## Philanthropy and business ventures
In 2001, Fiasco co-founded 1st & 15th Entertainment with Charles "Chilly" Patton. 1st & 15th is an independent record label separate from Atlantic Records named after the traditional twice-monthly paycheck dates. Although his albums are released by Atlantic since he is under contract with it, most of his works are usually produced by 1st & 15th and its in-house producers. Although Fiasco was initially to serve as vice-president, he became CEO after Patton was convicted on drug charges. Fiasco and singer Matthew Santos were two of the most recognizable signed artists. In November 2009, Fiasco announced he would discontinue the 1st & 15th label: "It was just such a 'this isn't right for you right now. This isn't gonna work for you right now. You need to be focused on you. Do you really want that, do you really have the capacity to do it?'" In March 2013 Fiasco took to Twitter to announce that he had become the Creative Director at Higi, a scoring system based in the Chicago area that helps you to discover more about yourself so you can look, live and feel better.
In 2005, he founded Righteous Kung-Fu, a company that designs fashions, sneakers, toys, video games, comic books, and graphics for album covers and skateboard decks. Fiasco also runs a fashion line out of Righteous Kung-Fu called Trilly & Truly. He has sponsored a skateboard team and has endorsements from DGK Skateboards. In January 2006, Fiasco signed with major footwear and apparel corporation Reebok, becoming part of the "O.G" marketing campaign where rap artists such as Lil Wayne and Mike Jones designed their own personal colorway of the Reebok "O.G" model.
In 2009, Fiasco performed in The People Speak, a documentary feature film that employs musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. On January 7, 2010, Fiasco joined musician Kenna, actress Jessica Biel, and other celebrities and activists for an expedition to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro called Summit on the Summit to raise awareness of the billions of people worldwide who lack access to sanitary drinking water. On January 20, 2010, Fiasco released a track called "Resurrection" with Kenna in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The song, part of a compilation released through the charity Music for Relief, aimed to encourage donations for immediate relief and long-term recovery following the disaster.
Between 2020 and 2023, Fiasco has been a visiting scholar and artist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, often in collaboration with Professor of Digital Media Nick Montfort.
## Personal life
### Gaming
Lupe Fiasco is an avid gamer and likes to play the Street Fighter series of fighting games. He surprisingly won an exhibition match of Street Fighter V against professional player Daigo Umehara in 2016, defeating him 3–2 using Ken.
### Mixed Martial Arts
During a 2008 interview with methodshop, Lupe Fiasco revealed that he has "a black belt in karate, two black belts in the styles of samurai sword fighting, kendo and aido" as well as "the equivalent of a black belt in Chinese wushu."
Fiasco is such a fan of Martial Arts, he named one of his companies "Righteous Kung-Fu," a brand that does fashion design, sneakers, toys, video games, comic books and more. He also once revealed on Facebook that his family is "three generations deep in the martial arts" and they have 5 Karate schools in Chicago.
### Religion
Lupe Fiasco has stated on MTV's Rap Fix, as well as in various other media, that he is Muslim and that Islam "plays a part in my life and everything I do, to a certain extent... I don't like putting my religion out there, I don't like wearing it like that, because I don't want people to look at me as the poster child for Islam. I'm not. I don't want them to look at my flaws and be like, 'oh, that's the flaws of Islam'." His mixtape series Fahrenheit 1/15 featured a remix of Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" entitled "Muhammad Walks", which went on to become very popular in the Muslim community. He can be heard using Islamic recitals in "Hurt Me Soul", "Little Weapon", "Hi-Definition" as well as the intro and outro tracks to Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. Lupe Fiasco has endorsed the idea that Islam will some day "be the world's religion and conquer the world."
### Political views
In an interview with Stephen Colbert on the satirical news show The Colbert Report, Fiasco stated his credo on political philosophy: "You should criticize power even if you agree with it." In another interview in June 2011 on the CBS program What's Trending, Fiasco discussed the political content of his music, stating, "My fight against terrorism, to me, the biggest terrorist is Obama and the United States of America. I'm trying to fight the terrorism that's actually causing the other forms of terrorism. You know, the root cause of terrorism is the stuff the U.S. government allows to happen. The foreign policies that we have in place in different countries that inspire people to become terrorists." He additionally criticized Obama for his stance on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Fiasco says he did not vote in U.S. elections until 2018. He said on Twitter that he now votes due to the racial views of Donald Trump, and that he generally votes for Democratic candidates. On January 20, 2013, he was removed from the stage by the security for refusing to move onto the next song after performing a 30-minute version of "Words I Never Said", which contains anti-Obama lyrics, in Washington D.C., during Obama's second presidential inauguration. In June 2015, Lupe Fiasco wrote an open letter about white supremacy.
### Visual Arts
Having did the artwork for Tetsuo & Youth, Drogas Wave and Drill Music In Zion, Fiasco has also spoken on his interest in visual arts via interviews and his infamous Instagram Lives, specifically in photography, acrylic painting, chiaroscuro and pencil drawing.
On October 11, 2020 via His Official Instagram, Fiasco shared that he had held his first art exhibition at SOHO House Chicago. On October 15, 2022 Fiasco shared images via his official Twitter account of an alleged soon to be released graphic novel themed around the Atlantic Slave Trade titled Longchains
## Discography
- Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (2006)
- Lupe Fiasco's The Cool (2007)
- Lasers (2011)
- Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 (2012)
- Tetsuo & Youth (2015)
- Drogas Light (2017)
- Drogas Wave (2018)
- Drill Music in Zion (2022)
## Filmography
### Television
## Awards
In 2006, Lupe was named one of GQ's Men of the Year along with being awarded one Grammy in 2008 along with 12 nominations. He has been nominated for numerous other awards and has also been awarded the Character Approved Award for a Musician by USA in 2009.
|
50,426,351 |
Bidni
| 1,141,780,454 |
Olive cultivar from Malta
|
[
"Flora of Malta",
"Olive cultivars"
] |
The Bidni, which is also referred to as Bitni, is an olive cultivar from the Mediterranean island of Malta. The fruit is small in size, hearty with a "violet colour", and is renowned for its superior oil which is low in acidity. The latter is generally attributed to the poor quality alkaline soil found on the Maltese Islands. As an indigenous olive cultivar, the Bidni has developed a unique DNA profile, and is believed to be among the most ancient species on the island, triggering local authorities to declare some of these ancient trees as "national monuments", and as having an "Antiquarian Importance", a status which is enjoyed by only a handful of other species.
## Etymology
According to the "Maltese-English Dictionary", the word "Bidni" is derived from "badan", which means "corpulent", "robust", "to grow stout". Bidni ("żebbuġ", olive), is a "large olive tree producing very small olives". Therefore, the tree is called Bidni because it is "corpulent". This contradicts several online sources that suggest that the word Bidni originated from the rural hamlet of Bidnija, or that the word means "hunchback" in the Maltese language.
## Characteristics
In a landmark publication entitled, "Cultivation and Diseases of Fruit Trees in the Maltese Islands", John Borg (1922), Professor of Natural History, Superintendent of Agriculture, and founder of the Government's Experimental Farm at Għammieri, described the Bitni as follows:
> The tree is a vigorous grower and of strong constitution. The leaves are broad and rather short, of a lively shining green colour on the upper surface. The fruit is very small, nearly elliptical, with a comparatively very small stone, and turns to a beautiful shining dark violet at maturity, which takes place towards the close of October or early in November. It is very rich in oil of excellent quality, but the fruit though very small is often pickled or salted and has a rich flavour free from bitterness. The fruit is produced in clusters, and the production is sometimes astonishing, the tree becoming literally black with fruit. The tree and its fruit are very resistant to disease, the fruit presents also the advantage that it is never attacked by the olive-fly Dacus Oleae and is therefore always allowed to ripen on the tree. This is a variety which seems to be best suited for large plantations, with a view to the production of oil.
Decades later, the Bitni's disease resistant qualities still baffle scientists. Described by the Olive Oil Times as a "peculiar local variety", the Bidni's high levels of polyphenols, particularly oleuropein, which is a natural antibiotic produced by the tree to protect its fruit and leaves, may be behind this remarkable characteristic. The Bitni's oil has been described as "spicy" and "peppery", a characteristic which differentiates it from other oils. Once fully established, fruit is produced in abundance, up to 60 kilos per tree.
## Protection
The antiquity of Malta's ancient Bidni olive trees has been confirmed through carbon dating. Although the exact dates have been contested, with some noting that the trees were established during the mid-late Medieval period, others have argued that some of these olive trees date back to the 1st century A.D. The Bidni olive trees which are located just below an area known as Ġebel Għawżara have been protected since 1933, and are also listed in UNESCO's Database of National Cultural Heritage Laws. In 2011, after recognising their historical and landscape value, and in recognition of the fact that "only 20 trees remain from 40 at the beginning of the 20th century", local authorities declared this site as a Tree Protected Area, under the provisions of a regulation made in 2018. In 2021, two local entities were entrusted with the maintenance and protection of one of the olive groves located in Bidnija. These highly protected Bidni olive trees, with some measuring between five and eight metres in height, still bear fruit, and are often revered by visitors. Other Bidni olive trees in the vicinity can be found in the private grounds of Qannotta Castle in Wardija.
Since the Government of Malta has recognised the olive tree as forming an integral part of the traditional landscape, heavy pruning, felling, and uprooting of olive trees, including that of the Bidni variety, is subject to a permit from the relevant authorities.
Although the Bidni olive has no PDO status, there are a number of initiatives, which include studies on its genetic composition, to attain this certification. Apart from legally protecting its name, this status of authenticity is typically used by marketing professionals to gain a competitive advantage at both European and international markets.
## Revival
In January 2006, the Project for the Revival of the Indigenous Maltese Olive (PRIMO), was launched. Apart from reviving indigenous cultivars, such as the Bidni, one of the aims of this project was to substantially increase production levels in a bid to obtain the much coveted PDO status. As a direct result of PRIMO, some 30,000 Bidni olive trees were grafted and planted, thereby setting the necessary groundwork for the creation of a niche industry. The methodology behind this process consisted of several steps. After olive pips were collected from the ancient Bidni olive grove of Bidnija, these were then sowed at the Government of Malta's Experimental Farm in Għammieri and left to germinate for use as rootstock. Once the rootstocks were viable, cuttings were then taken from the millennia-old Bidni olive trees and carefully grafted to the rootstocks. Efforts to plant more Bidni olive trees are ongoing.
## Gastronomy
The Maltese use their olive oil quite generously. In 2012, they ranked 8th in the world in per capita olive oil consumption. With olive oil processing equipment dating back to the Roman Empire, and possibly even before this period, the consumption of oil has since become an integral part of the Maltese diet. For instance, in 1804, French writer Louis de Boisgelin noted that, "a clove of garlic, or an onion, anchovies dipped in oil, and salted fish", was the "usual diet" of the Maltese. Nowadays, the use of oil in Maltese cuisine is still predominant. The popular Maltese snack "ħobż biż-żejt", which literally translates to "bread with oil", is testimony to this.
Although the Bidni is mostly known for its superior oil, the small fruit can also be enjoyed as a table olive. One popular method is to crush Bidni olives in garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil, and then eat them with Maltese bread. Another method is to gently fry Bidni olives after preserving them in brine, and then serve them with seasonal herbs such as parsley or mint. The leaves of the Bidni tree have also been used to make tea which is believed to lower high blood pressure. This ancient remedy is "still used in rural communities in Malta".
|
16,029,864 |
US House and Senate career of John McCain (until 2000)
| 1,162,086,917 | null |
[
"1980s in American politics",
"1990s in the United States",
"2000 in American politics",
"John McCain",
"Tenures in U.S. Senate by individual",
"Vietnam War POW/MIA issues"
] |
John Sidney McCain III retired from the United States Navy in April 1981. His last four years in the service had been spent as the Navy's liaison to the United States Senate. He moved to Arizona with his new wife and, aided by a job from his father-in-law and the contacts it gave him, soon began a new career in politics.
In 1982, he was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 1st congressional district. After serving two terms there and making an impression as a rising political figure, he was elected U.S. Senator from Arizona in 1986. He became one of the senators entangled in the Keating Five scandal of the late 1980s, but survived it and was re-elected in 1992 and 1998.
While generally adhering to American conservatism, McCain established a reputation as a political maverick for his willingness to defy Republican orthodoxy on several issues. In reaction to his Keating Five experience, he made campaign finance reform one of his signature concerns. He was also a leader in normalizing diplomatic relations with Vietnam. His national visibility as a senator gave him the basis to begin a campaign for the 2000 Republican nomination for President of the United States.
## Entry into politics and 1982 House campaign
Having moved to Phoenix in March 1981, McCain went to work for Hensley & Co., his new father-in-law Jim Hensley's large Anheuser-Busch beer distributorship, as Vice President of Public Relations. McCain had little interest in the beer business itself, instead preferring to talk to colleagues about current events. In carrying out his job, he was able to gain political support among the local business community, meeting powerful figures such as banker Charles Keating Jr., real estate developer Fife Symington III, newspaper publisher Darrow "Duke" Tully, and locally-well-known auto dealer Lou Grubb, all the while looking for an electoral opportunity.
McCain's original plan was to run for a new U.S. House of Representatives seat from Arizona, created by reapportionment following the 1980 census, but that was too distant from Phoenix. Then John Jacob Rhodes Jr., the longtime Republican congressman from Arizona's 1st congressional district, announced his retirement in January 1982 after 30 years in Congress. This seat encompassed the East Valley portion of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The district was heavily Republican. It was very close to where the McCains lived; his wife Cindy McCain bought a house in the district the same day as Rhodes' announcement. Rhodes suggested that McCain first run for the Arizona Legislature to gain more experience, but McCain had no interest in slowly working his way up.
McCain ran for the seat as a Republican, and formally announced his candidacy in late March 1982. He faced three candidates in the Republican nomination process, all of whom had entered the race before him: State Senator Jim Mack, State Representative Donna Carlson-West, and veterinarian and active civic figure Ray Russell. The others were all given a good chance to win the primary election; McCain ranked at best third in early polls.
During the spring and the 110 °F heat of the Phoenix summer, McCain and his wife campaigned door-to-door six hours a day, six days a week. The exhausting schedule combined with his hair color led to him being nicknamed "The White Tornado". He was assisted by George "Bud" Day, his former POW cellmate, and Day's wife, who were familiar with legal and procedural matters. His supporters were dubbed "McCain's navy", and he stressed his familiarity with "the ways of Washington" and how his role as Navy Senate liaison had helped bring a defense contract to the district. Still, as a newcomer to the state, McCain was hit with repeated charges of being a carpetbagger. Finally, at a candidates forum, he gave a famous refutation to a voter making the charge:
> Listen, pal. I spent 22 years in the Navy. My father was in the Navy. My grandfather was in the Navy. We in the military service tend to move a lot. We have to live in all parts of the country, all parts of the world. I wish I could have had the luxury, like you, of growing up and living and spending my entire life in a nice place like the First District of Arizona, but I was doing other things. As a matter of fact, when I think about it now, the place I lived longest in my life was Hanoi.
Phoenix Gazette columnist John Kolbe would later label this "the most devastating response to a potentially troublesome political issue I've ever heard."
McCain's campaign fell into early debt; his wife began loaning him tens of thousands of dollars to keep it alive. Donations also came in from Jim Hensley and other Hensley & Co. executives, but the amounts grew large enough that the Federal Election Commission forced return of some of it. By the close of the primary, McCain would outspend his opponents; more of than half of his primary expenditures were financed by the eventual \$167,000 that his wife lent to the campaign. (The McCains had made a prenuptial agreement that kept most of her family's assets under her name; they would always keep their finances separate and file individual income tax returns. In the end, \$93,000 of the 1982 loan was forgiven.) The spending advantage made itself felt in television advertising, including a highly effective two-minute mini-documentary that presented him as a new leader for Arizona with a record of service to the country. Rival Mack later called that ad the best political commercial he had ever seen.
McCain was endorsed by Senator John Tower, a friend and mentor from his liaison stint who in turn got McCain the endorsement of former Arizona Governor and Senator Paul Fannin. Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, the state's most powerful political figure, was officially neutral in the race, but many of his aides were working for McCain's opponents. Goldwater himself was said to view McCain as a political opportunist, despite admiring his military service. Late in the race, Goldwater made a public statement that was thought critical of McCain, but Tower persuaded Goldwater to avoid public confirmation of it to reporters and limit any damage. McCain benefited from the support of Duke Tully's The Arizona Republic, the state's most powerful newspaper.
McCain won the highly contested primary election on September 7, 1982, getting 32 percent of the vote compared to Russell's 26 percent, Mack's 22 percent, and Carlson-West's 20 percent. Two months later, he would win the general election in the heavily Republican district, defeating Democrat William E. "Bill" Hegarty by a 66 percent to 31 percent margin.
## U.S. Congressman
### House years
McCain made an immediate impression in Congress. His POW background, social skills, and contacts from his Navy Senate liaison job made him popular and a star among new House members. He was elected the president of the 1983 Republican freshman class of representatives. After strenuously lobbying the Republican leadership, he was assigned to the Committee on Interior Affairs. He coveted this assignment because he wanted to develop expertise on issues relevant to his state, including water rights, public land management, and Native American affairs. He was also assigned to the Select Committee on Aging, important due to Arizona's large retired population, and eventually to the chairmanship of the Republican Task Force on Indian Affairs. He fulfilled a campaign pledge to return to his congressional district every weekend, making 47 such trips in his first year. On them, he met frequently with constituents and make many public appearances. This, combined with his wife Cindy's decision to live in Arizona rather than move to Washington, helped solidify his political base in Arizona.
McCain sponsored a number of Indian affairs bills, dealing mainly with distribution of lands to reservations and tribal tax status; most of these bills were unsuccessful. In August 1983, he voted against a bill making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday, saying it would be too expensive and that there were already enough federal holidays. The measure, which had failed four years earlier, now passed the House 338–90 and was signed into law later that year.
McCain's politics at this point were mainly in line with those of President Ronald Reagan, whom McCain would later describe as his greatest political influence: "I embraced all of the core Reagan convictions: faith in the individual; skepticism of government; free trade and vigorous capitalism; anticommunism; a strong defense; robust internationalism that championed our values abroad; and most important, his eloquently stated belief in America's national greatness ..." McCain supported Reaganomics. He was in favor of school prayer and opposed abortion. He subscribed to most aspects of the foreign policy of the Reagan administration, including its hardline stance against the Soviet Union. He supported the Reagan administration's policy towards Central American conflicts, including the invasion of Grenada in 1983 and U.S. support for the Contras in Nicaragua. During the early 1980s, he served on the board of the U.S. Council for World Freedom, a chapter of the World Anti-Communist League which was an international group that, among other things, aided the rebels in Nicaragua; McCain suspected the council of illegal activity and resigned in 1984.
McCain voted against a 1983 resolution allowing President Reagan to keep U.S. Marines deployed as part of the Multinational Force in Lebanon, on the grounds that he "[did] not foresee obtainable objectives in Lebanon." After the catastrophic Beirut barracks bombing a month later, this stance against his party and president gained him national media exposure and started his reputation as a political maverick. McCain sided with Newt Gingrich's group of young conservatives in some of their battles against the House Democratic leadership, but declined to join Gingrich's Conservative Opportunity Society. McCain felt personal affection for Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, and established good relations with some Democrats in the House, such as Paul Simon and especially Mo Udall.
McCain won re-election to the House easily in 1984, facing no Republican primary opposition and defeating Democratic energy analyst Harry W. Braun with 78 percent of the vote to 22 percent in the general election. In this and subsequent Arizona campaigns, McCain rarely emphasized his Vietnam and prisoner of war experiences.
In the new term, McCain gained a spot on the House Foreign Affairs Committee in addition to his existing assignments. McCain got the Indian Economic Development Act of 1985 signed into law, and the following year worked on early attempts at legislation regarding Indian gaming. He took moderate stands on the environment and on social issues, and applauded Jack Kemp's concerns for African Americans and other underprivileged groups. In 1985 he returned to Vietnam with Walter Cronkite for a CBS News special, and saw the monument put up next to where the famous downed "air pirate Ma Can" had been pulled from the Hanoi lake; it was the first of several return trips McCain would make there. In 1986, McCain voted to override Reagan's veto of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act that imposed sanctions against South Africa.
In December 1985, McCain visited Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and junta member Admiral José Toribio Merino. McCain told the U.S. Embassy in Santiago that both meetings were friendly and warm, but described Pinochet as obsessed with the dangers of communism and likened him to the John Birch Society. Merino's statement to McCain that the junta would not support a Pinochet bid to remain president was made publicly known (but McCain's meeting with Pinochet was not declassified until 2008, upon which it was widely reported in the Latin American mainstream press). McCain did not visit opposition leaders during the 1985 trip, as the U.S. Ambassador had recently been doing. Both Pinochet and his ministers refused to meet in January 1986 with a U.S. Senator who visited opposition leaders. McCain later called upon the Chilean government to respect the upcoming Chilean national plebiscite of 1988.
### More children
In 1984 McCain and his wife Cindy had their first child together, daughter Meghan. She was followed in 1986 by son John Sidney IV (known as Jack), and in 1988 by son James. In 1991, Cindy McCain brought an abandoned three-month-old girl, who badly needed medical treatment for a severe cleft palate, to the U.S. from a Bangladeshi orphanage run by Mother Teresa; the McCains decided to adopt her, and named her Bridget. A drawn-out adoption process began, slowed down by uncertainty over the exact fate of the girl's father, but in 1993 the adoption was ruled final. McCain then stood by his wife when she disclosed in 1994 a previous addiction to painkillers and said that she hoped the publicity would give other drug addicts courage in their struggles. Beginning in the early 1990s, McCain began attending the 6,000-member North Phoenix Baptist Church in Arizona, part of the Southern Baptist Convention, later saying "[I found] the message and fundamental nature more fulfilling than I did in the Episcopal church. ... They're great believers in redemption, and so am I." Nevertheless, he still identified himself as Episcopalian, and while Cindy and two of their children were baptized into the Baptist church, he was not.
### 1986 Senate campaign
McCain decided to run for United States Senator from Arizona in 1986, when longtime senator, American conservative icon, 1964 Republican presidential nominee, and Arizona native Barry Goldwater retired after 30 years in the Senate. No Republican would oppose McCain in the primary, and according to his press secretary Torie Clarke, McCain's political strength convinced his most formidable possible Democratic opponent, Governor Bruce Babbitt, not to run for the seat. Instead McCain faced a weaker opponent, former state legislator Richard Kimball, a young politician with an offbeat personality who slept on his office floor and whom McCain's allies in the Arizona press characterized as having "terminal weirdness." McCain's associations with Duke Tully, who by now had been disgraced for having concocted a fictitious military record, as well as revelations of father-in-law Jim Hensley's past brushes with the law, became campaign issues.
In the end, McCain won the election easily with 60 percent of the vote to Kimball's 40 percent. A New York Times profile at the time said that McCain seemed "poised to emerge as a significant figure in national politics". At the same time, McCain's increasing involvement in Arizona state party politics caused resentment on the part of some other Republicans. This led to McCain falling out with Congressman Bob Stump and powerful state legislator Jane Hull.
## U.S. Senator
### Senate career starts
Upon entering the Senate in 1987, McCain kept a low profile. He became a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, with which he had formerly done his Navy liaison work; he was also given positions on the Commerce Committee and the Indian Affairs Committee. For his first two years in the Senate, he sat at the Candy desk.
McCain was a strong supporter of the Gramm-Rudman legislation that enforced automatic spending cuts in the case of budget deficits. He voted in favor of Reagan's failed 1987 nomination of Robert Bork to the U.S. Supreme Court.
McCain often supported the Native American agenda, advocating economic development and self-governance, as well as sovereignty and tribe control of adoptions. "Never deceived them," McCain once said, "They have been deceived too many times in the last 200 years." Along with Senator Daniel Inouye and Representative Mo Udall, McCain was one of the main drafters of the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which codified rules regarding Native American gambling enterprises and established the balance between Indian tribal sovereignty and regulatory oversight by the states of such activity. After its passage, McCain stated his personal opposition to Indian gaming, but said that when communities under poverty "are faced with only one option for economic development, and that is to set up gambling on their reservations, then I cannot disapprove." The Act enabled the growth of what would become, two decades later, the \$23 billion Indian gaming industry, and one scholar has referred to McCain as "one of the founding fathers of Indian gaming."
Martin Luther King Jr. Day had become a big issue in McCain's home state, with Governor Evan Mecham making opposition to it his signature stance. McCain had continued his opposition to the holiday by supporting Mecham's rescinding of the Arizona holiday for King in 1987. In 1988, Mecham was impeached and removed from office due to felony charges. McCain told Mecham, "You should never have been elected. You're an embarrassment to the party." By 1989, McCain reiterated his opposition to the federal holiday, but reversed position on the state holiday, due to the economic boycotts and image problems Arizona was receiving as a result of it not having one. He told Republicans opposing the state holiday, "You will damn well do this. You will make this a holiday. You're making us look like fools." In 1990, a state referendum on enacting the holiday was held; McCain persuaded Ronald Reagan to support it. However, Mecham led an effort that year that defeated the referendum.
During the late 1980s, McCain gained some national visibility. He delivered a speech, about a fellow Hanoi Hilton prisoner's persistence in making an American flag despite beatings, that drew audience tears and a standing ovation at the 1988 Republican National Convention. He was mentioned by the press as being on the short list for Republican nominee George H. W. Bush's vice-presidential running mate, and was named chairman of Veterans for Bush. In 1989, he became a staunch defender of his friend John Tower's doomed nomination for U.S. Secretary of Defense; McCain butted heads with Moral Majority co-founder Paul Weyrich, who was challenging Tower regarding alleged heavy drinking and extramarital affairs. Thus began McCain's difficult relationship with the Christian right; he would later write that Weyrich was "a pompous self-serving son of a bitch."
McCain supported the United States invasion of Panama in 1989. McCain partnered with Senator Al Gore on the 1989 Missile and Proliferation Control Act, which established sanctions on companies and nations that engaged in the trade or development of long-range missile systems, and the 1992 Iran-Iraq Arms Nonproliferation Act (commonly known as the Gore-McCain Act), which established penalties for persons and companies assisting Iraq or Iran in acquiring missile technology.
### Keating Five scandal
John McCain's upward political trajectory was jolted when he became enmeshed in the Keating Five scandal, a highly visible part of the Savings and Loan crisis of the 1980s. Charles Keating Jr.'s Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, a subsidiary of his American Continental Corporation, was insolvent as a result of some bad loans. In order to overcome its debt, Lincoln violated "direct investment" rules by directing accounts by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation into commercial real estate ventures. This caught the eye of federal regulators, who were looking to shut Lincoln down. Keating contacted five senators to whom he made contributions, looking for them to intervene with the regulators on his behalf.
McCain and Keating had become personal friends following their initial contacts in 1981. Between 1982 and 1987, McCain had received \$112,000 in lawful political contributions from Keating and his associates. In addition, McCain's wife Cindy and her father Jim Hensley had invested \$359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators. McCain, his family, and their baby-sitter had made nine trips at Keating's expense, sometimes aboard the American Continental jet.
By March 1987, Keating was asking McCain to travel to meet with regulators regarding Lincoln Savings; McCain refused. Keating called McCain a "wimp" behind his back, and on March 24 the two had a heated, contentious meeting. On April 2 and April 9, 1987, McCain and the other senators met at the Capitol with regulators, first with Edwin J. Gray, chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, and then members of the FHLBB San Francisco branch, to discuss the government's investigation of Lincoln. McCain would write in 2002 that attending the two meetings was "the worst mistake of my life".
News of the meetings first appeared in National Thrift News in September 1987, but was only sporadically covered by the general media through April 1989. Towards the end of that period, after learning Keating was in trouble over Lincoln, McCain paid a total of \$13,433 for his air trips.
The regulators backed off Keating, and Lincoln stayed in business. Still desperate for cash, it convinced customers to replace their federally-insured certificates of deposit with higher-yielding junk bond certificates of American Continental. In April 1989, Lincoln failed; about 23,000 customers were left with worthless bonds, and many elderly investors lost their life savings. Federal regulators filed a \$1.1 billion civil racketeering and fraud suit against Keating. The five senators came under investigation for attempting to influence the regulators.
In the end, none of the senators was charged with any crime. Instead, the Senate Ethics Committee investigated them. Robert S. Bennett, who was the special investigator for the committee, wanted to drop any action against McCain and Senator John Glenn, on the grounds of insufficient evidence, but the committee disagreed. After public hearings, McCain was mildly rebuked by the committee for exercising "poor judgment" in intervening with the federal regulators on Keating's behalf, but its 1991 report said that McCain's "actions were not improper nor attended with gross negligence and did not reach the level of requiring institutional action against him. ... Senator McCain has violated no law of the United States or specific Rule of the United States Senate." (In later years, several retrospective accounts of the controversy reiterated a contention that McCain was included in the investigation primarily so that there would be at least one Republican target.) On his Keating Five experience, McCain said: "The appearance of it was wrong. It's a wrong appearance when a group of senators appear in a meeting with a group of regulators, because it conveys the impression of undue and improper influence. And it was the wrong thing to do."
The Senate Ethics Committee did not pursue, for lack of jurisdiction, any possible ethics breaches in McCain's delayed reimbursements to Keating for trips at the latter's expense, because they occurred while McCain was in the House. The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct said that it too lacked jurisdiction, because McCain was no longer in the House. It said it did not require that McCain amend his existing financial disclosure forms for his House years, on the grounds that McCain had now fully reimbursed Keating's company. McCain and his staff were suspected of having leaked to the press sensitive information about the investigation that came from some of the closed proceedings of the Ethics Committee. McCain denied doing so under oath, although several press reports, and later one of the investigators, concluded that McCain had been one of the main leakers during that time.
McCain survived the political scandal in part by becoming friendly with the political press. He held a lengthy press conference in which he answered all questions. With his blunt manner, he became a frequent guest on television newscasts and talk-oriented news shows, especially once the 1991 Gulf War – which he had voted in favor of – began and his military and POW experience came into demand. McCain began campaigning against lobbyist money in politics from then on.
McCain's 1992 re-election campaign found his opposition split between Democratic community and civil rights activist Claire Sargent and impeached and removed former Governor Evan Mecham running as an independent. Although Mecham garnered some hard-core conservative support, Sargent's campaign never gathered momentum and the Keating Five affair did not dominate discussion. Sargent, who had a failed race for the Arizona Legislature in her background, was slow getting her campaign underway and, although 1992 was the Year of the Woman in American politics, failed to get the endorsement of organizations such as Emily's List. McCain outspent Sargent, \$3 million to \$350,000.
McCain again won handily, getting 56 percent of the vote to Sargent's 32 percent and Mecham's 11 percent. McCain's victory put a final end to Mecham's political career. During the same election Arizona finally passed a referendum, which McCain supported, enabling the state Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
### Vietnam redux
McCain was a co-sponsor of the Agent Orange Act of 1991, which enabled disability benefits for Vietnam veterans afflicted with Agent Orange-related diseases and established periodic scientific reviews to determine what levels of exposure and diseases would be covered. In January 1993, McCain was named chairman of the board of directors of the International Republican Institute, a non-profit democracy-promotion organization with informal ties to the Republican party. The position would allow McCain to bolster his foreign policy expertise and credentials as well as his future fundraising prospects. At the same time, he was named head of recruiting and fund-raising for Republican senatorial candidates. Further in 1993, a melanoma was discovered on his shoulder and removed. In 1990, McCain voted to confirm David Souter as a Supreme Court justice, and in 1991, he supported the contentious but eventually successful nomination of Clarence Thomas. In 1993 and 1994, McCain voted to confirm President Clinton's nominees Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, whom he considered to be qualified for the Supreme Court despite differing judicial philosophies from his. He would later explain that "under our Constitution, it is the president's call to make."
McCain was a key member of the 1991–1993 Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, chaired by Democrat and fellow Vietnam War veteran John Kerry, which was convened to investigate the Vietnam War POW/MIA issue: the fate of U.S. service personnel listed as missing in action during the Vietnam War. The committee's work included more visits to Vietnam and persuading the Department of Defense to declassify over a million pages of relevant documents. The committee's final report, which McCain endorsed, stated that, "While the Committee has some evidence suggesting the possibility a POW may have survived to the present, and while some information remains yet to be investigated, there is, at this time, no compelling evidence that proves that any American remains alive in captivity in Southeast Asia." After many years of disliking Kerry due to his actions with Vietnam Veterans Against the War, McCain developed "unbounded respect and admiration" for him during the hearings.
The actions of the committee were designed to allow for improved ties between the two countries, although that goal was not shared by a large segment of Republicans. McCain pressed for normalization of diplomatic relations with Vietnam, partly because it was "a time to heal ... it's a way of ending the war; it's time to move on," and partly because he saw it in the U.S. national interest to do so, in particular envisioning Vietnam as a valuable regional counterbalance against China. In 1994 the Senate passed a resolution, sponsored by Kerry and McCain, that called for an end to the existing trade embargo against Vietnam; it was intended to pave the way for normalization. During his time on the committee and afterward, McCain was vilified as a fraud, traitor, or "Manchurian Candidate" by some POW/MIA activists who believed that large numbers of American servicemen were still being held against their will in Southeast Asia. They were angry that McCain did not share their belief and that he sought to normalize relations with Vietnam. McCain's high-profile on the Vietnam issue also cost him the friendship of some fellow former POWs; McCain and 1992 independent presidential candidate Ross Perot, who had helped McCain's wife Carol during her husband's captivity, also had a falling out over the POW/MIA issue, which then extended to Perot blasting McCain's remarriage to Cindy McCain. In return, McCain attacked those he saw as profiteers exploiting the families of those missing in action.
In response to the criticism of the committee's findings, McCain said that he and Kerry had convinced the Vietnamese to give them full access to their records, and that he had spent thousands of hours trying to find real, not fabricated, evidence of surviving Americans. McCain's push for normalization was opposed by some leading Senate Republicans, including Phil Gramm and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole. In 1995, President Bill Clinton normalized diplomatic relations with Vietnam. McCain's and Kerry's visible support during the announcement gave Clinton, who came of age during Vietnam but did not serve in the military, some political cover.
These actions were of a piece with McCain's attitude towards domestic reconciliation from the Vietnam era; unlike many who went to Vietnam (some of whom were his best friends), he did not hold grudges against those who did not go. In 1993 he had offered to escort Clinton on a speaking visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at a time when some veterans were angrily challenging Clinton's moral right to go there. He also struck up a friendship with an anti-war leader, David Ifshin, who had once traveled to Hanoi to make an anti-American propaganda broadcast that McCain had heard in his cell.
### A maverick senator
Having survived the Keating Five scandal, McCain made attacking what he saw as the corrupting influence of big money on American politics his signature issue. Starting in late 1994 he worked with Democratic Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold on campaign finance reform; their McCain-Feingold bill would attempt to put limits on "soft money", funds that corporations, unions, and other organizations could donate to political parties, which would then be funneled to political candidates in circumvention of "hard money" donation limits. From the start, McCain and Feingold's efforts were opposed by some of the interests targeted, by incumbents in both parties, by those who felt spending limits impinged on free political speech, and by those who wanted to lessen the power of what they saw as media bias. On the other hand, it garnered considerable sympathetic coverage in the national media, and from 1995 on, "maverick Republican" became a label frequently applied to McCain in stories. He had used the term himself, and one of the chapters in his 2002 memoir Worth the Fighting For would be titled "Maverick". The first version of the McCain-Feingold Act was introduced into the Senate in September 1995; it was filibustered in 1996 and never came to a vote.
In 1993, McCain opposed military operations in Somalia, saying it was "an unfocused mission that lacks an objective"; after 18 American deaths in the Battle of Mogadishu, he introduced a resolution to bring U.S. forces home immediately, but it was defeated in the Senate. McCain similarly opposed Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti in 1994. He was initially opposed to U.S. military involvement in the Bosnian War, voting against the George H. W. Bush administration on a 1992 resolution that would have authorized "demonstrations of force" in conjunction with the Operation Provide Promise humanitarian relief effort there. McCain's view changed after the 1995 Srebrenica Massacre, and he voted in favor of the resolution authorizing the 1995 NATO bombing in Bosnia and Herzegovina against the Bosnian Serb Army.
McCain attacked what he saw as pork barrel spending within Congress, believing that the practice did not contribute to the greater national interest. Towards this end he was instrumental in pushing through approval of the Line Item Veto Act of 1996, which gave the president the power to veto individual expenditures. Although this was one of McCain's biggest Senate victories, the effect was short-lived as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the act unconstitutional in 1998. In a more symbolic attempt to limit congressional privilege, he introduced an amendment in 1994 to remove free VIP parking for members of Congress at D.C. area airports; his annoyed colleagues rejected the notion and accused McCain of grandstanding.
He was the only Republican senator to vote against the Freedom to Farm Act in 1996, saying that it catered to special interests rather than representing true reform of farm subsidies policy. He was one of only five senators to vote against the Telecommunications Act of 1996, on the grounds that it put the economic interests of corporations ahead of those of consumers.
McCain became chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in 1995, and would hold that position into 1997. McCain's visibility was increased by the 1995 publication of Robert Timberg's well-received The Nightingale's Song, a joint biography of five graduates from the Naval Academy who had served in Vietnam and whose subsequent public fame and problems illuminated the role of Vietnam and the military in American life. At the start of the 1996 presidential election, McCain served as national campaign chairman for the highly unsuccessful Republican nomination effort of Texas Senator Phil Gramm. After Gramm dropped out, McCain endorsed eventual nominee Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, and was again on the short list of possible vice-presidential picks. McCain formed a close bond with Dole, based in part on their shared near-death war experiences; he nominated Dole at the 1996 Republican National Convention and was a key friend and advisor to Dole throughout his ultimately losing general election campaign.
In 1997, McCain became chairman of the powerful Senate Commerce Committee; he was criticized for accepting funds from corporations and businesses under the committee's purview, but responded by saying that, "Literally every business in America falls under the Commerce Committee" and that he restricted those contributions to \$1,000 and thus was not part of the big-money nature of the campaign finance problem. In that year, Time magazine named McCain as one of the "25 Most Influential People in America". McCain used his chairmanship to challenge the tobacco industry in 1998, proposing legislation that would increase cigarette taxes in order to fund anti-smoking campaigns and reduce the number of teenage smokers, increase research money on health studies, and help states pay for smoking-related health care costs. The industry spent some \$40–50 million in national advertising in response; while McCain's bill had the support of the Clinton administration and many public health groups, most Republican senators opposed it, stating it would create an unwieldy new bureaucracy. The bill failed to gain cloture twice and was seen as a bad political defeat for McCain. During 1998 a revised version of the McCain-Feingold Act came up for Senate consideration; in addition to banning soft money, it sought to restrict "issue ads" run by independent groups within 60 days of an election. While having majority support, it was fiercely opposed by Senator Mitch McConnell on free speech and partisan threat grounds, and it again fell victim to a filibuster and failed to gain cloture.
McCain easily won re-election to a third senate term in November 1998, gaining 69 percent of the vote to 27 percent for his Democratic opponent, environmental lawyer Ed Ranger. Ranger was a motorcycle enthusiast whose Harley-Davidson was painted as the flag of Arizona and a political novice who had only recently returned from four years of working and living in Mexico. McCain carried Democratic stronghold Apache County by 54–42 percent and won Hispanic votes statewide by 52–42 percent. McCain took no "soft money" during the campaign, but still raised \$4.4 million for his bid, saying that he had needed it in case the tobacco companies or other Washington special interests mounted a strong effort against him. One of Ranger's campaigning points had been that McCain was really more interested in running for president; McCain indeed created a presidential exploratory committee the following month.
McCain had been uncomfortable and largely silent during the 1998 Lewinsky scandal, partly because his own personal life had not been without blemishes, and partly because his upcoming presidential nomination run restricted his political options. During the early 1999 Impeachment of Bill Clinton, McCain voted to convict the president on both the perjury and obstruction of justice counts. In his remarks on the Senate floor, McCain said: "Although I may admit to failures in my private life, I have [always] kept faith with every oath I have ever sworn to this country. I have known some men who kept that faith at the cost of their lives. I cannot – not in deference to public opinion, or for political considerations, or for the sake of comity and friendship – I cannot agree to expect less from the President."
During 1999, the McCain-Feingold Act once again came up for consideration, this time with soft money prohibition features in but the issue ads provision out. McConnell challenged McCain to name specific senators who had been corrupted by existing campaign finance practices, but McCain refused. In the end, the same failure to gain cloture befell the legislation again. During that year, McCain shared the Profile in Courage Award with Feingold for their work in trying to enact this campaign finance reform; McCain was cited for opposing his own party on the bill at a time when he was trying to win the party's presidential nomination. Indeed, by April 1999 aspects of McCain's 2000 presidential campaign were underway, and his stance regarding the Kosovo War and other issues would take place in that context.
## Election results
\* Write-in notes: According to the Clerk's office, there were 106 write-in votes registered in 1986; 26 write-in votes in 1992; and 187 write-ins in 1998.
## See also
- List of bills sponsored by John McCain in the United States Senate
|
18,886,266 |
Paterson's worms
| 1,167,635,079 |
Family of cellular automata to model feeding behaviour
|
[
"Cellular automaton rules"
] |
Paterson's worms are a family of cellular automata devised in 1971 by Mike Paterson and John Horton Conway to model the behaviour and feeding patterns of certain prehistoric worms. In the model, a worm moves between points on a triangular grid along line segments, representing food. Its turnings are determined by the configuration of eaten and uneaten line segments adjacent to the point at which the worm currently is. Despite being governed by simple rules the behaviour of the worms can be extremely complex, and the ultimate fate of one variant is still unknown.
The worms were studied in the early 1970s by Paterson, Conway and Michael Beeler, described by Beeler in June 1973, and presented in November 1973 in Martin Gardner's "Mathematical Games" column in Scientific American.
Electronic Arts' 1983 game Worms? is an interactive implementation of Paterson's worms, where each time a worm has to turn in a way that it lacks a rule for, it stops and lets the user choose a direction, which sets that rule for that worm.
## History
Paterson's worms are an attempt to simulate the behaviour of prehistoric worms. These creatures fed upon sediment at the bottom of ponds and avoided retracing paths they had already travelled because food would be scarce there but, because food occurred in patches, it was in the worm's interest to stay near previous trails. Different species of worm had different innate rules regarding how close to travelled paths to stay, when to turn, and how sharp a turn to make. In 1969 Raup and Seilacher created computer simulations of the fossilized worm trails, and these simulations inspired Paterson and Conway to develop a simple set of rules to study idealized worms on regular grids.
Conway's original model was a worm on an orthogonal grid but this produced only three different species of worm, all with rather uninteresting behaviour. Paterson considered worms on a triangular grid. Paterson's worms were described by Beeler in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology AI Memo (#) and were presented in November 1973 in Martin Gardner's "Mathematical Games" column in Scientific American, and later reprinted in . These simulations differed in approach from other cellular automata developed around the same time, which focused on cells and the relationships between them. Simple computer models such as these are too abstract to accurately describe the behaviour of the real creatures, but they do demonstrate that even very simple rules can give rise to patterns resembling their tracks.
## Rules
The worm starts at some point of an infinite triangular grid. It starts moving along one of the six gridlines that meet at each point and, once it has travelled one unit of distance, it arrives at a new point. The worm then decides, based on the distribution of traversed and untraversed gridlines, what direction it will take. The directions are relative to the worm's point of view. If the worm has not encountered this exact distribution before it may leave along any untraversed gridline. From then on, if it encounters that distribution again, it must move in the same way. If there are no untraversed gridlines available, the worm dies and the simulation ends.
## Discussion
There are many different types of worm depending on which direction they turn when encountering a new type of intersection. The different varieties of worm can be classified systematically by assigning every direction a number and listing the choice made every time a new type of intersection is encountered.
The six directions are numbered as follows:
So direction 0 indicates the worm continues to travel straight ahead, direction 1 indicates the worm will make a right turn of 60° and similarly for the other directions. The worm cannot travel in direction 3 because that is the gridline it has just traversed. Thus a worm with rule {1,0,5,1} decides to travel in direction 1 the first time it has to make a choice, in direction 0 the next time it has to make a choice and so on. If there is only one available gridline, the worm has no choice but to take it and this is usually not explicitly listed.
A worm whose ruleset begins with 0 continues in a straight line forever. This is a trivial case, so it is usually stipulated that the worm must turn when it encounters a point with only uneaten gridlines. Furthermore, to avoid mirror-image symmetrical duplicates, the worm's first turn must be a right hand turn. A worm dies if it returns to its origin a third time, because there are then no untraversed edges available. Only the origin can be lethal to the worm.
There are 1,296 possible combinations of worm rules. This can be seen by the following argument:
1. If the worm encounters a node with no eaten segments, other than the one it has just eaten, it can either make a sharp turn or a gentle one. This is the situation shown in the figure above. Since the initial choice of left or right produce combinations that simply mirrors of each other, they are not effectively different.
2. If it encounters a node with one eaten segment, it can leave along any of the remaining four. Only the worm's first return to the origin has this character.
3. For two eaten segments, the location of the eaten segments is important. The only type of two-segment intersections that can exist is that produced by the first rule, for which there are four distinct approach directions, each of which offers a choice of three departure directions. This allows for 81 different alternatives in choosing rules.
4. If the worm returns to the origin, it will encounter three eaten segments and must choose between the two remaining uneaten ones regardless of their distribution.
5. For four eaten segments, there is only one uneaten segment left and the worm must take it.
There are therefore 2×4×81×2x1=1,296 different combinations of rules. Many of these are mirror-image duplicates of others, and others die before having to make all the choices in their ruleset, leaving 411 distinct species (412 if the infinite straight-line worm is included). 336 of these species eventually die. 73 patterns exhibit infinite behaviour, that is, they settle into a repeating pattern that does not return to the origin. A further two are strongly believed to be infinite and one remains unsolved. Eleven of the rules exhibit complicated behaviour. They do not die even after many billions of iterations, nor do they adopt an obviously infinite pattern. Their ultimate fate was unknown until 2003 when Benjamin Chaffin developed new methods of solving them. After many hours of computer time, nine of the eleven rules were solved, leaving the worms with rules {1,0,4,2,0,2,0} and {1,0,4,2,0,1,5}. The first of these was solved by Tomas Rokicki, who determined that it halts after 57 trillion (5.7×10<sup>13</sup>) timesteps, leaving only {1,0,4,2,0,1,5} unsolved. According to Rokicki, the worm is still active after 5.2×10<sup>19</sup> timesteps. He used an algorithm based on Bill Gosper's Hashlife to simulate the worms at extraordinary speeds. This behaviour is considerably more complex than the related rectangular grid worm, which has a longest path of only 16 segments.
It is possible for two different species of worm to produce the same path, though they do not necessarily traverse it in the same order. The most common path is also the shortest: the seven point MOT test/fallout shelter symbol. One example of this path is shown in the animated figure above. In total there are 299 different paths, and 209 of these are produced by just one species.
## See also
|
17,744 |
Lanthanum
| 1,173,017,776 | null |
[
"Chemical elements",
"Chemical elements with double hexagonal close-packed structure",
"GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators",
"Lanthanides",
"Lanthanum",
"Reducing agents"
] |
Lanthanum is a chemical element with the symbol La and atomic number 57. It is a soft, ductile, silvery-white metal that tarnishes slowly when exposed to air. It is the eponym of the lanthanide series, a group of 15 similar elements between lanthanum and lutetium in the periodic table, of which lanthanum is the first and the prototype. Lanthanum is traditionally counted among the rare earth elements. Like most other rare earth elements, the usual oxidation state is +3, although some compounds are known with oxidation state +2. Lanthanum has no biological role in humans but is essential to some bacteria. It is not particularly toxic to humans but does show some antimicrobial activity.
Lanthanum usually occurs together with cerium and the other rare earth elements. Lanthanum was first found by the Swedish chemist Carl Gustaf Mosander in 1839 as an impurity in cerium nitrate – hence the name lanthanum, from the Ancient Greek λανθάνειν (lanthanein), meaning 'to lie hidden'. Although it is classified as a rare earth element, lanthanum is the 28th most abundant element in the Earth's crust, almost three times as abundant as lead. In minerals such as monazite and bastnäsite, lanthanum composes about a quarter of the lanthanide content. It is extracted from those minerals by a process of such complexity that pure lanthanum metal was not isolated until 1923.
Lanthanum compounds have numerous applications as catalysts, additives in glass, carbon arc lamps for studio lights and projectors, ignition elements in lighters and torches, electron cathodes, scintillators, gas tungsten arc welding electrodes, and other things. Lanthanum carbonate is used as a phosphate binder in cases of high levels of phosphate in the blood seen with kidney failure.
## Characteristics
### Physical
Lanthanum is the first element and prototype of the lanthanide series. In the periodic table, it appears to the right of the alkaline earth metal barium and to the left of the lanthanide cerium. Lanthanum is generally considered the first of the f-block elements by authors writing on the subject. The 57 electrons of a lanthanum atom are arranged in the configuration [Xe]5d<sup>1</sup>6s<sup>2</sup>, with three valence electrons outside the noble gas core. In chemical reactions, lanthanum almost always gives up these three valence electrons from the 5d and 6s subshells to form the +3 oxidation state, achieving the stable configuration of the preceding noble gas xenon. Some lanthanum(II) compounds are also known, but they are usually much less stable. Lanthanum Monoxide (LaO) produces strong absorption bands in some stellar spectra.
Among the lanthanides, lanthanum is exceptional as it has no 4f electrons as a single gas-phase atom. Thus it is only very weakly paramagnetic, unlike the strongly paramagnetic later lanthanides (with the exceptions of the last two, ytterbium and lutetium, where the 4f shell is completely full). However, the 4f shell of lanthanum can become partially occupied in chemical environments and participate in chemical bonding. For example, the melting points of the trivalent lanthanides (all but europium and ytterbium) are related to the extent of hybridisation of the 6s, 5d, and 4f electrons (lowering with increasing 4f involvement), and lanthanum has the second-lowest melting point among them: 920 °C. (Europium and ytterbium have lower melting points because they delocalise about two electrons per atom rather than three.) This chemical availability of f orbitals justifies lanthanum's placement in the f-block despite its anomalous ground-state configuration (which is merely the result of strong interelectronic repulsion making it less profitable to occupy the 4f shell, as it is small and close to the core electrons).
The lanthanides become harder as the series is traversed: as expected, lanthanum is a soft metal. Lanthanum has a relatively high resistivity of 615 nΩm at room temperature; in comparison, the value for the good conductor aluminium is only 26.50 nΩm. Lanthanum is the least volatile of the lanthanides. Like most of the lanthanides, lanthanum has a hexagonal crystal structure at room temperature. At 310 °C, lanthanum changes to a face-centered cubic structure, and at 865 °C, it changes to a body-centered cubic structure.
### Chemical
As expected from periodic trends, lanthanum has the largest atomic radius of the lanthanides. Hence, it is the most reactive among them, tarnishing quite rapidly in air, turning completely dark after several hours and can readily burn to form lanthanum(III) oxide, La<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, which is almost as basic as calcium oxide. A centimeter-sized sample of lanthanum will corrode completely in a year as its oxide spalls off like iron rust, instead of forming a protective oxide coating like aluminium, scandium, yttrium, and lutetium. Lanthanum reacts with the halogens at room temperature to form the trihalides, and upon warming will form binary compounds with the nonmetals nitrogen, carbon, sulfur, phosphorus, boron, selenium, silicon and arsenic. Lanthanum reacts slowly with water to form lanthanum(III) hydroxide, La(OH)<sub>3</sub>. In dilute sulfuric acid, lanthanum readily forms the aquated tripositive ion [La(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>9</sub>]<sup>3+</sup>: this is colorless in aqueous solution since La<sup>3+</sup> has no d or f electrons. Lanthanum is the strongest and hardest base among the rare earth elements, which is again expected from its being the largest of them.
Some lanthanum(II) compounds are also known, but they are much less stable. Therefore, in officially naming compounds of lanthanum its oxidation number always is to be mentioned.
### Isotopes
Naturally occurring lanthanum is made up of two isotopes, the stable <sup>139</sup>La and the primordial long-lived radioisotope <sup>138</sup>La. <sup>139</sup>La is by far the most abundant, making up 99.910% of natural lanthanum: it is produced in the s-process (slow neutron capture, which occurs in low- to medium-mass stars) and the r-process (rapid neutron capture, which occurs in core-collapse supernovae). It is the only stable isotope of lanthanum. The very rare isotope <sup>138</sup>La is one of the few primordial odd–odd nuclei, with a long half-life of 1.05×10<sup>11</sup> years. It is one of the proton-rich p-nuclei which cannot be produced in the s- or r-processes. <sup>138</sup>La, along with the even rarer <sup>180m</sup>Ta, is produced in the ν-process, where neutrinos interact with stable nuclei. All other lanthanum isotopes are synthetic: with the exception of <sup>137</sup>La with a half-life of about 60,000 years, all of them have half-lives less than two days, and most have half-lives less than a minute. The isotopes <sup>139</sup>La and <sup>140</sup>La occur as fission products of uranium.
## Compounds
Lanthanum oxide is a white solid that can be prepared by direct reaction of its constituent elements. Due to the large size of the La<sup>3+</sup> ion, La<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> adopts a hexagonal 7-coordinate structure that changes to the 6-coordinate structure of scandium oxide (Sc<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) and yttrium oxide (Y<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) at high temperature. When it reacts with water, lanthanum hydroxide is formed: a lot of heat is evolved in the reaction and a hissing sound is heard. Lanthanum hydroxide will react with atmospheric carbon dioxide to form the basic carbonate.
Lanthanum fluoride is insoluble in water and can be used as a qualitative test for the presence of La<sup>3+</sup>. The heavier halides are all very soluble deliquescent compounds. The anhydrous halides are produced by direct reaction of their elements, as heating the hydrates causes hydrolysis: for example, heating hydrated LaCl<sub>3</sub> produces LaOCl.
Lanthanum reacts exothermically with hydrogen to produce the dihydride LaH<sub>2</sub>, a black, pyrophoric, brittle, conducting compound with the calcium fluoride structure. This is a non-stoichiometric compound, and further absorption of hydrogen is possible, with a concomitant loss of electrical conductivity, until the more salt-like LaH<sub>3</sub> is reached. Like LaI<sub>2</sub> and LaI, LaH<sub>2</sub> is probably an electride compound.
Due to the large ionic radius and great electropositivity of La<sup>3+</sup>, there is not much covalent contribution to its bonding and hence it has a limited coordination chemistry, like yttrium and the other lanthanides. Lanthanum oxalate does not dissolve very much in alkali-metal oxalate solutions, and [La(acac)<sub>3</sub>(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>2</sub>] decomposes around 500 °C. Oxygen is the most common donor atom in lanthanum complexes, which are mostly ionic and often have high coordination numbers over 6: 8 is the most characteristic, forming square antiprismatic and dodecadeltahedral structures. These high-coordinate species, reaching up to coordination number 12 with the use of chelating ligands such as in La<sub>2</sub>(SO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>3</sub>·9H<sub>2</sub>O, often have a low degree of symmetry because of stereo-chemical factors.
Lanthanum chemistry tends not to involve π bonding due to the electron configuration of the element: thus its organometallic chemistry is quite limited. The best characterized organolanthanum compounds are the cyclopentadienyl complex La(C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)<sub>3</sub>, which is produced by reacting anhydrous LaCl<sub>3</sub> with NaC<sub>5</sub>H<sub>5</sub> in tetrahydrofuran, and its methyl-substituted derivatives.
## History
In 1751, the Swedish mineralogist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt discovered a heavy mineral from the mine at Bastnäs, later named cerite. Thirty years later, the fifteen-year-old Wilhelm Hisinger, from the family owning the mine, sent a sample of it to Carl Scheele, who did not find any new elements within. In 1803, after Hisinger had become an ironmaster, he returned to the mineral with Jöns Jacob Berzelius and isolated a new oxide which they named ceria after the dwarf planet Ceres, which had been discovered two years earlier. Ceria was simultaneously independently isolated in Germany by Martin Heinrich Klaproth. Between 1839 and 1843, ceria was shown to be a mixture of oxides by the Swedish surgeon and chemist Carl Gustaf Mosander, who lived in the same house as Berzelius and studied under him: he separated out two other oxides which he named lanthana and didymia. He partially decomposed a sample of cerium nitrate by roasting it in air and then treating the resulting oxide with dilute nitric acid. That same year, Axel Erdmann, a student also at the Karolinska Institute, discovered lanthanum in a new mineral from Låven island located in a Norwegian fjord.
Finally, Mosander explained his delay, saying that he had extracted a second element from cerium, and this he called didymium. Although he didn't realise it, didymium too was a mixture, and in 1885 it was separated into praseodymium and neodymium.
Since lanthanum's properties differed only slightly from those of cerium, and occurred along with it in its salts, he named it from the Ancient Greek λανθάνειν [lanthanein] (lit. to lie hidden). Relatively pure lanthanum metal was first isolated in 1923.
## Occurrence and production
Lanthanum is the third-most abundant of all the lanthanides, making up 39 mg/kg of the Earth's crust, behind neodymium at 41.5 mg/kg and cerium at 66.5 mg/kg. It is almost three times as abundant as lead in the Earth's crust. Despite being among the so-called "rare earth metals", lanthanum is thus not rare at all, but it is historically so named because it is rarer than "common earths" such as lime and magnesia, and historically only a few deposits were known. Lanthanum is considered a rare earth metal because the process to mine it is difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. Lanthanum is rarely the dominant lanthanide found in the rare earth minerals, and in their chemical formulae it is usually preceded by cerium. Rare examples of La-dominant minerals are monazite-(La) and lanthanite-(La).
The La<sup>3+</sup> ion is similarly sized to the early lanthanides of the cerium group (those up to samarium and europium) that immediately follow in the periodic table, and hence it tends to occur along with them in phosphate, silicate and carbonate minerals, such as monazite (M<sup>III</sup>PO<sub>4</sub>) and bastnäsite (M<sup>III</sup>CO<sub>3</sub>F), where M refers to all the rare earth metals except scandium and the radioactive promethium (mostly Ce, La, and Y). Bastnäsite is usually lacking in thorium and the heavy lanthanides, and the purification of the light lanthanides from it is less involved. The ore, after being crushed and ground, is first treated with hot concentrated sulfuric acid, evolving carbon dioxide, hydrogen fluoride, and silicon tetrafluoride: the product is then dried and leached with water, leaving the early lanthanide ions, including lanthanum, in solution.
The procedure for monazite, which usually contains all the rare earths as well as thorium, is more involved. Monazite, because of its magnetic properties, can be separated by repeated electromagnetic separation. After separation, it is treated with hot concentrated sulfuric acid to produce water-soluble sulfates of rare earths. The acidic filtrates are partially neutralized with sodium hydroxide to pH 3–4. Thorium precipitates out of solution as hydroxide and is removed. After that, the solution is treated with ammonium oxalate to convert rare earths to their insoluble oxalates. The oxalates are converted to oxides by annealing. The oxides are dissolved in nitric acid that excludes one of the main components, cerium, whose oxide is insoluble in HNO<sub>3</sub>. Lanthanum is separated as a double salt with ammonium nitrate by crystallization. This salt is relatively less soluble than other rare earth double salts and therefore stays in the residue. Care must be taken when handling some of the residues as they contain <sup>228</sup>Ra, the daughter of <sup>232</sup>Th, which is a strong gamma emitter. Lanthanum is relatively easy to extract as it has only one neighbouring lanthanide, cerium, which can be removed by making use of its ability to be oxidised to the +4 state; thereafter, lanthanum may be separated out by the historical method of fractional crystallization of La(NO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>3</sub>·2NH<sub>4</sub>NO<sub>3</sub>·4H<sub>2</sub>O, or by ion-exchange techniques when higher purity is desired.
Lanthanum metal is obtained from its oxide by heating it with ammonium chloride or fluoride and hydrofluoric acid at 300-400 °C to produce the chloride or fluoride:
La<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> + 6 NH<sub>4</sub>Cl → 2 LaCl<sub>3</sub> + 6 NH<sub>3</sub> + 3 H<sub>2</sub>O
This is followed by reduction with alkali or alkaline earth metals in vacuum or argon atmosphere:
LaCl<sub>3</sub> + 3 Li → La + 3 LiCl
Also, pure lanthanum can be produced by electrolysis of molten mixture of anhydrous LaCl<sub>3</sub> and NaCl or KCl at elevated temperatures.
## Applications
The first historical application of lanthanum was in gas lantern mantles. Carl Auer von Welsbach used a mixture of lanthanum oxide and zirconium oxide, which he called Actinophor and patented in 1886. The original mantles gave a green-tinted light and were not very successful, and his first company, which established a factory in Atzgersdorf in 1887, failed in 1889.
Modern uses of lanthanum include:
- One material used for anodic material of nickel-metal hydride batteries is La(Ni
<sub>3.6</sub>Mn
<sub>0.4</sub>Al
<sub>0.3</sub>Co
<sub>0.7</sub>). Due to high cost to extract the other lanthanides, a mischmetal with more than 50% of lanthanum is used instead of pure lanthanum. The compound is an intermetallic component of the AB
<sub>5</sub> type. NiMH batteries can be found in many models of the Toyota Prius sold in the US. These larger nickel-metal hydride batteries require massive quantities of lanthanum for the production. The 2008 Toyota Prius NiMH battery requires 10 to 15 kilograms (22 to 33 lb) of lanthanum. As engineers push the technology to increase fuel efficiency, twice that amount of lanthanum could be required per vehicle.
- Hydrogen sponge alloys can contain lanthanum. These alloys are capable of storing up to 400 times their own volume of hydrogen gas in a reversible adsorption process. Heat energy is released every time they do so; therefore these alloys have possibilities in energy conservation systems.
- Mischmetal, a pyrophoric alloy used in lighter flints, contains 25% to 45% lanthanum.
- Lanthanum oxide and the boride are used in electronic vacuum tubes as hot cathode materials with strong emissivity of electrons. Crystals of LaB
<sub>6</sub> are used in high-brightness, extended-life, thermionic electron emission sources for electron microscopes and Hall-effect thrusters.
- Lanthanum trifluoride (LaF
<sub>3</sub>) is an essential component of a heavy fluoride glass named ZBLAN. This glass has superior transmittance in the infrared range and is therefore used for fiber-optical communication systems.
- Cerium-doped lanthanum bromide and lanthanum chloride are the recent inorganic scintillators, which have a combination of high light yield, best energy resolution, and fast response. Their high yield converts into superior energy resolution; moreover, the light output is very stable and quite high over a very wide range of temperatures, making it particularly attractive for high-temperature applications. These scintillators are already widely used commercially in detectors of neutrons or gamma rays.
- Carbon arc lamps use a mixture of rare earth elements to improve the light quality. This application, especially by the motion picture industry for studio lighting and projection, consumed about 25% of the rare-earth compounds produced until the phase out of carbon arc lamps.
- Lanthanum(III) oxide (La
<sub>2</sub>O
<sub>3</sub>) improves the alkali resistance of glass and is used in making special optical glasses, such as infrared-absorbing glass, as well as camera and telescope lenses, because of the high refractive index and low dispersion of rare-earth glasses. Lanthanum oxide is also used as a grain-growth additive during the liquid-phase sintering of silicon nitride and zirconium diboride.
- Small amounts of lanthanum added to steel improves its malleability, resistance to impact, and ductility, whereas addition of lanthanum to molybdenum decreases its hardness and sensitivity to temperature variations.
- Small amounts of lanthanum are present in many pool products to remove the phosphates that feed algae.
- Lanthanum oxide additive to tungsten is used in gas tungsten arc welding electrodes, as a substitute for radioactive thorium.
- Various compounds of lanthanum and other rare-earth elements (oxides, chlorides, triflates, etc.) are components of various catalysis, such as petroleum cracking catalysts.
- Lanthanum-barium radiometric dating is used to estimate age of rocks and ores, though the technique has limited popularity.
- Lanthanum carbonate was approved as a medication (Fosrenol, Shire Pharmaceuticals) to absorb excess phosphate in cases of hyperphosphatemia seen in end-stage kidney disease.
- Lanthanum fluoride is used in phosphor lamp coatings. Mixed with europium fluoride, it is also applied in the crystal membrane of fluoride ion-selective electrodes.
- Like horseradish peroxidase, lanthanum is used as an electron-dense tracer in molecular biology.
- Lanthanum-modified bentonite (or phoslock) is used to remove phosphates from water in lake treatments.
- Lanthanum telluride (La<sub>3</sub>Te<sub>4</sub>) is considered to be applied in the field of radioisotope power system (nuclear power plant) due to its significant conversion capabilities. The transmuted elements and isotopes in the segment will not react with the material itself, thus presenting no harm to the safety of the power plant. Though iodine, which can be generated during transmutation, is suspected to react with La<sub>3</sub>Te<sub>4</sub> segment, the quantity of iodine is small enough to pose no threat to the power system.
## Biological role
Lanthanum has no known biological role in humans. The element is very poorly absorbed after oral administration and when injected its elimination is very slow. Lanthanum carbonate (Fosrenol) was approved as a phosphate binder to absorb excess phosphate in cases of end stage renal disease.
While lanthanum has pharmacological effects on several receptors and ion channels, its specificity for the GABA receptor is unique among trivalent cations. Lanthanum acts at the same modulatory site on the GABA receptor as zinc, a known negative allosteric modulator. The lanthanum cation La<sup>3+</sup> is a positive allosteric modulator at native and recombinant GABA receptors, increasing open channel time and decreasing desensitization in a subunit configuration dependent manner.
Lanthanum is an essential cofactor for the methanol dehydrogenase of the methanotrophic bacterium Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum SolV, although the great chemical similarity of the lanthanides means that it may be substituted with cerium, praseodymium, or neodymium without ill effects, and with the smaller samarium, europium, or gadolinium giving no side effects other than slower growth.
## Precautions
Lanthanum has a low to moderate level of toxicity and should be handled with care. The injection of lanthanum solutions produces hyperglycemia, low blood pressure, degeneration of the spleen and hepatic alterations. The application in carbon arc light led to the exposure of people to rare earth element oxides and fluorides, which sometimes led to pneumoconiosis. As the La<sup>3+</sup> ion is similar in size to the Ca<sup>2+</sup> ion, it is sometimes used as an easily traced substitute for the latter in medical studies. Lanthanum, like the other lanthanides, is known to affect human metabolism, lowering cholesterol levels, blood pressure, appetite, and risk of blood coagulation. When injected into the brain, it acts as a painkiller, similarly to morphine and other opiates, though the mechanism behind this is still unknown.
## Prices
The price for a (metric) ton [1000 kg] of Lanthanum oxide 99% (FOB China in USD/Mt) is given by the Institute of Rare Earths Elements and Strategic Metals as below \$2,000 for most of the period from early 2001 to September 2010 (at \$10,000 in the short term in 2008); it rose steeply to \$140,000 in mid-2011 and fell back just as rapidly to \$38,000 by early 2012. The average price for the last six months (April to September 2022) is given by the Institute as follows: Lanthanum Oxide - 99.9%min FOB China - 1308 EUR/mt and for Lanthanum Metal - 99%min FOB China - 3706 EUR/mt.
## See also
\| CASNo_Ref = \| CASNo = 7439-91-0 \| UNII_Ref = \| UNII = 6I3K30563S
|
45,473,724 |
Not Guilty (1910 film)
| 1,105,401,276 | null |
[
"1910 drama films",
"1910 films",
"1910s American films",
"American black-and-white films",
"American silent short films",
"Silent American drama films",
"Thanhouser Company films"
] |
Not Guilty is a 1910 American silent short drama produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film focuses on Harry Martin who bids goodbye to his blind mother before he leaves the house and soon encounters a fleeing thief. The thief deposits a stolen purse into Harry's pocket and the police promptly discover and arrest Harry. They take him back to his home where he bids goodbye and is jailed. His blind mother becomes ill, under the false belief that her son is away on a journey. After he learns of this, he breaks out and returns home. The police surround and search the house and Harry flees to another building on a clothesline. Successfully having eluded the police, Harry buys a paper the following morning and discovers that the real thief has turned himself in. The film is known for its early use of a close-up shot to portray the complex action of the thief depositing the purse into Harry's pocket. The film was released on September 20, 1910 and met with mixed reviews. The film survives in the Library of Congress archives.
## Plot
The film begins with Harry Martin saying goodbye to his blind mother before leaving the house. About this time Joinville, a thief, has committed a robbery and is being chased down the street by the policemen. Harry and the thief encounter each other on the street and a struggle ensues, Joinville slips the stolen purse into his pocket before fleeing. The police encounter Martin and find the stolen purse before promptly arresting him. Harry's sweetheart visits Martin's mother and the police take Harry to his apartment. Harry bids his mother and his sweetheart goodbye, an inter-title car states that Harry does not want his mother to know he has gone away on a journey instead of to jail.
Time passes and Harry receives a note from Kate, his sweetheart, that his mother is very ill and wants him to return. In the note, Kate states that it is impossible to prove his innocence. Harry escapes on a passing wagon, concealed in corn or hay, and returns home. The police gather and surround search the home, Harry escapes via a clothesline to another building, successfully eluding the police. The following morning, Harry buys a newspaper from a newspaperboy and reads of his innocence after the real thief confesses to the crime. The three rejoice at his proven innocence.
## Cast
- Frank H. Crane as Harry Martin
- Marie Eline as the newspaper boy
## Production
The writer of the scenario is unknown, but it was most likely Lloyd Lonergan. He was an experienced newspaperman employed by The New York Evening World while writing scripts for the Thanhouser productions. The film director is unknown, but it may have been Barry O'Neil. Film historian Q. David Bowers does not attribute a cameraman for this production, but at least two possible candidates exist. Blair Smith was the first cameraman of the Thanhouser company, but he was soon joined by Carl Louis Gregory who had years of experience as a still and motion picture photographer. The role of the cameraman was uncredited in 1910 productions. Some of the cast credits are unknown, but most of the 1910 Thanhouser productions are fragmentary. The film survives in the Library of Congress, but the other actors in the production are not listed.
The film shows novel techniques in film production that were used to assist the viewer in understanding the narrative. In the beginning of the film, when Harry and the thief struggle, a closeup shot is used to show the thief placing the purse into Harry's pocket. While the two struggle in the previous scene, the close-up shot has both men standing still. Charlie Keil, author of Early American Cinema in Transition, cites this as an attempt to improve the narrative by allowing a complex sequence of events to be examined intelligibly by the viewer. Keil also states that shot may have been done to lessen trade press objections to the close-up views by showing the value to the narrative development. When Harry is in jail, he imagines his mother, and this is shown by an inset at the upper right of film. Months after the film had been released, Robert Grau wrote a column in the Moving Picture World which praised the attention to detail in the production for a newspaper which was shown on camera for only a few seconds. Grau states, "I was unable to discern in the few seconds the effect was on view, what means were taken to create the illusion ... and it is consoling to know that the producers of photoplays are aspiring to reach great heights in such matters." An analysis of the frame shows that it was not so much an illusion as pasting the headline on the edition of August 27, 1910 of the New York City Herald Tribune. The film also shows a real and dangerous stunt executed by Crane, where he is seen "sliding 40 feet down a washline to liberty in a scene that couldn't have been faked."
## Release and reception
The single reel drama, approximately 1,000 feet long, was released on September 20, 1910. The film likely had a wide national release, similar to other Thanhouser productions, theater advertisements are known in Missouri, Minnesota, Indiana, and Kansas. In 1915, years after its national release, the Pennsylvania State Board of Censors of Moving Pictures reviewed the film and approved its content without modification.
The film received mixed reception by trade publications. Walton of The Moving Picture News stated, "The tender end, mother, is good; it's well acted. What I said about The Doctor's Carriage I repeat. This theme is far-fetched; the convict stripes unnecessary. Whoever was at the helm in this picture was just a little bit mixed - as to the course." The Moving Picture World's review was more neutral and stated the film was rather engaging and it will keep the audiences interest. The reviewer did not find either specific praise or fault in the actual production itself. The New York Dramatic Mirror was the most detailed in its review. The reviewer states, "There are very strong situations in this picture story, based on the efforts of a young man and his sweetheart to prevent the young man's mother from knowing that he has been sent to prison. ... In a series of melodramatic scenes that are not as convincing as they might be, we see the son elude the penitentiary officers, and later he returns openly to his home with a newspaper in which is printed the confession of the criminal who had committed the offense of which the son had been convicted. Some of the scenes were handled too abruptly for the best results, but otherwise the acting appears satisfactory." Bowers notes that the Mirror was not without its detractors and was accused of being a tool of the Edison Trust companies, but reviews for Thanhouser films were amongst the most perceptive.
## See also
- List of American films of 1910
|
34,430,247 |
Keith Lindsay Stewart
| 1,160,646,315 |
New Zealand military leader
|
[
"1896 births",
"1972 deaths",
"Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley",
"New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order",
"New Zealand Companions of the Order of the Bath",
"New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire",
"New Zealand generals",
"New Zealand military personnel",
"New Zealand military personnel of World War I",
"New Zealand military personnel of World War II",
"New Zealand prisoners of war in World War II",
"Officers of the Legion of Merit",
"People educated at Napier Boys' High School",
"People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School",
"People from Timaru",
"Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates",
"World War II prisoners of war held by Germany"
] |
Major General Sir Keith Lindsay Stewart, (30 December 1896 – 13 November 1972) was a professional soldier in the New Zealand Military Forces. He served during the First and Second World Wars and was Chief of the General Staff of the New Zealand Military Forces from 1949 to 1952.
Born in 1896 in Timaru, New Zealand, he joined the New Zealand Military Forces in 1914 as a cadet and served with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force from 1916 in the Middle East for the last two years of the First World War. After the war he held a number of staff positions in New Zealand and abroad. He saw active service during the Second World War as part of the 2nd New Zealand Division. He was made a prisoner of war in August 1944 and spent most of the final months of the war in captivity in Germany. After the war he commanded J Force while it was engaged in occupation duties in Japan. While Chief of General Staff, he oversaw the deployment of New Zealand's military personnel to Korea to assist the United Nations during the Korean War. He retired from the military in 1954 and died in Kawakawa, in 1972.
## Early life
Keith Lindsay Stewart was born in Timaru, South Canterbury on 30 December 1896. His father, David Stewart, was a bank manager. He had a stutter and was educated at Napier Boys' High School and then Wanganui Collegiate.
## Military career
In 1914, Stewart entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Australia, having passed its entrance exams. He graduated early to volunteer for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) in 1916.
### First World War
Stewart did not embark for the Middle East until June 1917. Most of his war service was in Egypt, where he was the adjutant of the New Zealand Training Units and Depots there. He also spent a period of time with the headquarters of the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division, which was serving in the Sinai and Palestine campaign. By the end of the war, he had been promoted to captain and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services. He returned to New Zealand in December 1919 and his service with the NZEF was terminated.
### Interwar period
After arriving back in New Zealand, Stewart joined the New Zealand Staff Corps. After serving as a staff officer, firstly to the commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces and then in the Central Military District, he attended the Staff College at Camberley, England, for several years. In 1931, he was seconded to the Ceylon Defence Force, where he spent three years as a staff officer. He returned to New Zealand in 1934 and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services in Ceylon. He held staff positions in Southern Command, the military district that covered the South Island of New Zealand, until 1939.
### Second World War
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Stewart was posted to Army Headquarters in Wellington, with responsibility for training and staff duties. Now a lieutenant colonel, he was seconded to the Second Expeditionary Force (2NZEF) in late 1939 and embarked for the Middle East in early 1940 as General Staff Officer for the 2nd New Zealand Division. He worked closely with Major General Bernard Freyberg, the divisional commander during the Battle of Greece. After the end of the campaign in Greece, most of the division, including Stewart and Freyberg, was evacuated to Crete. Here, Stewart was promoted to brigadier and served with Creforce as Freyberg's Brigadier General Staff. His services on Crete were recognised with the Distinguished Service Order.
Stewart returned to New Zealand in late 1941 to take up an appointment as deputy chief of staff, firstly under Major General John Duigan and then Lieutenant General Edward Puttick. His poor health was also a factor in his return. He assisted in preparations to defend New Zealand against an attack by the Japanese Empire. He remained in this position for 18 months before returning to the 2NZEF in August 1943 as commander of the 5th Infantry Brigade.
Stewart commanded the brigade through the early stages of the Italian campaign before handing over responsibility to Brigadier Howard Kippenberger in November 1943. Stewart then took over command of the 4th Armoured Brigade while its nominal commander, Brigadier Lindsay Inglis, was on furlough in New Zealand. When Kippenberger became temporary commander of the 2nd New Zealand Division, Stewart returned to the 5th Infantry Brigade as its commander. He led the brigade through the Battle of Monte Cassino and up until early August 1944, when he was captured by German forces while visiting the front line. He was held in Germany as a prisoner of war until March 1945, when his camp was liberated by Allied Forces. He was mentioned in despatches twice during the course of the war as well as being awarded the United States Legion of Merit and the Greek Military Cross.
### Postwar career
Stewart returned to New Zealand in July 1945, and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He commanded the 9th Infantry Brigade from October 1945 to July 1946. The brigade was originally based in the Middle East, but in early 1946 moved to Japan as part of J Force, New Zealand's contribution to the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF). After Stewart's period in command ended he returned to New Zealand and was appointed adjutant general of the New Zealand Military Forces. The following year, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1947 New Year Honours.
In April 1949, Stewart replaced Major General Norman Weir as Chief of the General Staff, New Zealand Military Forces. He reestablished compulsory military training and advanced plans for the government's commitment to deploy military forces to the Middle East in the event of hostilities with the Soviet Union. This led to a clash with Prime Minister Sydney Holland in 1950 over the rate of progress of these plans for which he later apologised. He also oversaw the deployment of New Zealand forces to Korea following the outbreak of the Korean War.
## Later life
Stewart retired from the military in 1954 but, in a break with convention, he was not rewarded with a knighthood for his services. This was most likely due to his previous clashes with Holland. He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire four years later by the newly elected Labour Government in the 1958 Queen's Birthday Honours. He retired to Northland and died in the small town of Kawakawa on 13 November 1972. He was survived by his wife Rita, who he had married in 1922, and the couple's two children. He is buried in the servicemen's section of Wellington's Karori Cemetery.
|
62,449,679 |
Caryodendron orinocense
| 1,171,563,214 |
Species of tree
|
[
"Acalyphoideae",
"Flora of northern South America",
"Flora of western South America",
"Plants described in 1858"
] |
Caryodendron orinocense, commonly known as cacay, inchi or orinoconut, is an evergreen tree belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae.
This species of flowering plant is indigenous to the north-west of South America, particularly from the drainage basins of the Orinoco and Amazon rivers located in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. Originally described by Hermann Karsten in 1858, the cacay tree distinguishes itself by its dense and leafy top, as well as its production of fruits, each one containing three edible nuts. Cacay is notable for the oil extracted from its nuts, which is edible and is also used in cosmetics.
## Description
Caryodendron orinocense is a tree which can grow to 30–40 metres (100–130 ft) tall in the forest. In plantations, the tree reaches heights of up to 15 metres (50 ft). Its trunk is straight and cylindrical before separating into numerous branches. Its outer bark is smooth, and is periodically shed as laminar plates. It possesses a wide and superficial root system, such that its thick roots are sometimes visible above ground. The longevity of the species exceeds 60 years.
Cacay is an evergreen tree and has a dense and leafy crown. Its leaves are simple and are arranged in an alternate pattern on the stem. Their shape is elliptical or oval, between 12–25 centimetres (4.7–9.8 in) long and 4–10 centimetres (1.6–3.9 in) wide.
It is a dioecious plant, with male and female specimens. Its male inflorescence is a terminal raceme with small greenish flowers between 2.5–3.5 millimetres (0.098–0.138 in) in diameter. Neither male nor female flowers display any petals. Its female inflorescence is a terminal ear, also with greenish flowers ranging between 2.5–3.5 millimetres (0.098–0.138 in) in diameter, containing large and persistent bracts.
Its fruit is a brownish/grey oval and woody capsule between 3.2–4.5 centimetres (1.3–1.8 in) in diameter. Each fruit contains three nuts or kernels (rarely two or four), which are slightly convex and have three faces. Each nut contains a single seed covered by a testa and weights approximately 2.7 grams (0.095 oz).
## Taxonomy and etymology
The species Caryodendron orinocense was described in 1858 by the German botanist Hermann Karsten, and was published in Florae Columbiae. In its scientific name, the term Caryodendron is derived from the ancient Greek káryon, meaning "nut", and déndron, meaning "tree". Its epithet orinocense suggests that the species was first identified near the Orinoco river.
Caryodendron orinocense is found under the following phylogenetic tree within the Caryodendreae tribe. The number in parenthesis represents the year in which the species was described.
### Common names
The vernacular names of Caryodendron orinocensese include:
- Cacay
- Inchi
- Tacay
- Orinoconut or Orinoco nut
- Maní de árbol
- Nuez or nogal de Barquisimeto
- Nuez de Barinas
- Meto huayo or Metohuayo
- Palo de nuez
- Nueza criolla
## Distribution, habitat, and ecology
Cacay is an indigenous species to the drainage basins of the Orinoco and Amazon rivers, and can be found in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. In Colombia, cacay is distributed across the Piedemonte llanero in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains. It is also found in the watershed of the Magdalena River. The species has been reported in five Colombian departments (Antioquia, Caquetá, Cundinamarca, Meta, Putumayo) with influence over three Colombian natural regions (Andean, Orinoquía or Eastern Plains, and Amazon). In Venezuela, the plant grows in the states of Apure, Lara, y Barinas. Cacay can also be found in Ecuador, Peru and Brazil in the western part of the Amazon river watershed.
The tree grows in the transition between tropical moist forest and tropical wet forest, receiving an average annual precipitation of 2,000–5,000 millimetres (80–200 in). It develops preferably in terrains with good drainage that do not easily flood. It tolerates a few months of moderate drought, but does not support long dry periods. The species is also able to support short periods of water saturation, but cannot withstand permanent waterlogging. Cacay prospers in fertile soils originating from alluvial deposits, but can adapt to ultisol and oxisol soils which are acidic and poor in nutrient content.
Cacay develops best in warm climates and in low-altitude plains, with average temperatures of 22–28 °C (72–82 °F) and relative humidity of 70-90%. However, cacay is found in altitudes ranging from sea level to 2300 m a.s.l.
## Propagation
Under natural conditions, the reproduction of cacay is sexual; its seeds germinate well on the ground, one to two weeks after falling from the tree. The species' seeds are recalcitrant, as the seeds quickly lose their viability when under storage. A study conducted in 2012 by Judith García and Carmen Basso concluded that cacay seeds tolerate up to eight days of storage before losing viability, preferably in temperatures of 12–13 °C (54–55 °F).
The species can also reproduce through vegetative (asexual) means, especially through grafting, which is commonly used in cacay farming. Conversely, propagation by plant cutting does not yield satisfactory results, as even when the plant shows callus growth, it does not produce any new development of roots or buds.
## Farming
The cultivated cacay tree initially grows slowly. During this stage, moderate shade favorably contributes to its development. Cacay can be planted in bags in a nursery for approximately one year, until the tree reaches a height of about 50 centimetres (20 in). When the tree is actively producing fruits, the cacay plant is a heliophyte, although it tolerates some shade. Cacay should be planted in parallel with another plant that grows rapidly and that possesses a small crown which may provide shade to the juvenile cacay tree, but which does not compete for sunlight during the cacay's adult stage. Some plantations associate the cacay tree with another crop that may provide a live vegetable groundcover, for example kudzu.
The ripe cacay fruit physiologically separates itself from the plant and falls to the ground. Cacay trees begin to produce fruit at ages 4-7 years. A single 10-year-old cacay tree may produce 100–250 kilograms (220–550 lb) of nuts per year, although some trees have been reported to produce up to 800 kilograms (1,760 lb) of nuts per year.
## Properties and uses
### Cacay oil
Cacay is renowned for the quality of its plant oil. Each cacay fruit generally produces three nuts, from which a liquid oil with a yellow-greenish color can be extracted. This oil comprises between 40-60% of the seed's weight. Several studies (Pérez 2001, Cisneros Torres 2006) report that the cacay oil is composed of 71-75% of linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid from the omega-6 fatty acid family, which is important for skincare purposes. Other studies have reported linoleic acid content of 58% (Medeiros de Azevedo 2020) and 85% (Radice 2014). This high concentration of polyunsaturated fats (in this case, of linoleic acid) is superior to that of soybean oil (60%), corn/maize oil (55.5%), sesame oil (42%), peanut oil (26%), coconut oil (14%), olive oil (9.5%), and palm oil (8%).
Cacay oil is used in the production of cosmetic products such as soaps, sunscreens, and skincare creams. The full value proposition of this oil for cosmetic purposes is still being developed; however, various studies (Pérez 2001, Ortega Álvarez 2014) have already remarked on the future potential of cacay in this field. The cacay oil is also used directly as an edible oil.
### Nutrition
The cacay nut is rich in phosphorus, calcium, and iron. About 15-19% of the nut is composed of protein, while the press cake (the dry organic matter after the oil is extracted) is composed 43-46% of protein. The nuts from ripe cacay fruits are edible and have a pleasant taste, similar to that of peanuts. Nuts can be eaten uncooked, toasted, fried, or boiled with salt. The nuts can also be used to prepare foods such as cakes, turrón, beverages, and cookies. After grinding down the nut, its flour can be used to produce vitamin supplements, as well as to elaborate functional foods.
### Other uses
Its lumber can be used for woodworking structures, and may be utilized as firewood and in the production of charcoal. Cacay trees may also be used to provide shade to other crops that need it (as possibly coffee plantations) and for other animals. Within the domain of agroforestry, cacay trees may be introduced into areas that are not adequate for intense agricultural and cattle raining activities. Furthermore, the tree also attracts bees through the nectar excreted from its leaves, aiding in the tree's pollination. Lastly, the nut's press cake can also serve as food for cattle due to its high content of proteins and minerals.
## Ecological value
Cacay has been identified as one of the several trees indigenous to the Eastern Plains region of Colombia that may serve in the ecological restoration of areas of the savanna containing invasive species of grasses such as brachiaria humidicola. Crops of Caryodendron orinocense, as well as those of other native trees, may help in the conservation and reforestation of their area's ecosystem.
|
18,848,411 |
Fly on the Wall (song)
| 1,171,707,665 | null |
[
"2008 singles",
"2008 songs",
"Hollywood Records singles",
"Miley Cyrus songs",
"Music videos directed by Philip Andelman",
"Songs about the media",
"Songs written by Antonina Armato",
"Songs written by Devrim Karaoglu",
"Songs written by Miley Cyrus",
"Songs written by Tim James (musician)"
] |
"Fly on the Wall" is a song by American singer Miley Cyrus. It was released on November 4, 2008, as the second and final single from her second studio album, Breakout. The song's lyrics have been interpreted in a number of ways, such as a description of an abusive boyfriend. In actuality, Cyrus says the song describes paparazzi and their extensive personal privacy invasions.
The song received acclaim from music critics, with many claiming it defied teen pop expectations and was Breakout's best track. "Fly on the Wall" reached its highest international peak on the UK Singles Chart, at number 16. The single's music video was directed by Philip Andelman and premiered on FNMTV. The "Thriller" inspired video takes place mainly in a parking garage in which Cyrus encounters and attempts to escape the paparazzi. Cyrus promoted the song through several venues, including a performance on her second headlining tour, the Wonder World Tour, that incorporated a short segment of the "Thriller" dance. Cyrus also performed the song on her Gypsy Heart Tour.
## Background
The song's lyrics, written by Cyrus, Antonina Armato, Tim James and Devrim Karaoglu, have been mistakenly interpreted in a variety of ways. The song's protagonist sings in first person perspective while condemning an unspecified subject for wanting to invade her privacy. The majority of reviewers thought the protagonist was referring to a "controlling boyfriend". Ben Ratliff of The New York Times sided with the boyfriend, and believed the song's protagonist was "bullying some poor boy for the sin of wanting to know what she talks about with her friends". Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe believed the song could have described a number of subjects, such as "a former boyfriend, the media, and even her fans". However, in an interview with Jocelyn Vena of MTV News, Cyrus said the song was about "the media" and "how they think they know everything about [her], when they don't. They want to be a fly on [her] wall and watch [her] 24/7." Cyrus elaborated on the concept in an interview with Nancy O'Dell of Access Hollywood. She stated,
> "Paparazzi. I wrote it for the media, always feeling like they need to be in my life. Sometimes they just wish that they could blend in and be there all the time. And that they might know me a little bit better if they were in my house, in my room and my different places. So, it's like going to different spots and trying to get away from them and it's not going away like little annoying flies."
## Composition
"Fly on the Wall" is a song with strong uses of electric guitars, keyboards and soprano vocals. Influences derive from electronic music and industrial music. It is set in common time with a moderately fast rock tempo of 143 beats per minute. The song is written in the key of G minor. Cyrus' vocal range spans two octaves from the low note of G<sub>3</sub> to the high note of D<sub>5</sub>. The song has the following chord progression, G5—D—Gm7. The song's chorus has the use of a vocal hook; the hook sings, "fly on the wall".
## Critical reception
Upon its release, "Fly on the Wall" received critical acclaim. Heather Phares of AllMusic said the song was a "G-rated version" of Britney Spears' song "Toxic" and provided hints of Cyrus' future musical direction. Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe said "Fly on the Wall" was a change of pace for Cyrus and called it "the album's most interesting tune". Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times said the song is a result of regular Walt Disney Company standards, yet "the CD's best cut". Along with "Full Circle", Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine said the song was a "more worthy" follow-up to "See You Again". Mordechai Shinefield of The Village Voice stated the song was "blazingly brilliant" and that it was "the best, angriest song [on Breakout]". Johnny Dee of Virgin Media said the song and "7 Things" were "feisty pop belters" that would encourage a long-term career. Ratliff negatively compared "Fly on the Wall" to the Pussycat Dolls and said that although Cyrus' voice is generally rich with a deep range, it became "pinched and stingy" in the single. However, he also said the song was "teen-accurate".
## Chart performance
For the week ending August 9, 2008, "Fly on the Wall" charted at number 69 on Digital Songs due to the release of Breakout, but failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100; the following week, the song completely fell from the sales chart. For the week ending January 10, 2009, the song debuted and peaked at number 84 in the Hot 100 due to airplay, leaving the chart after two weeks. The song also reached number 64 on the now-discontinued Pop 100 chart. In the Canadian Hot 100, the peaked and debuted at number 73 on the week ending August 9, 2008, due to digital downloads. It then ascended and descended the Canadian Hot 100 before reaching its last week, ending on February 7, 2009.
The song was more successful in European nations. For the week ending January 31, 2009, "Fly on the Wall" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 90. Throughout February, the song moved up, finding new peaks for three consecutive weeks. For the week ending February 28, the song ascended to number 16 and became Cyrus' second best charting single in the United Kingdom at the time. It then slid several spots down, until its last week on the singles chart at number 86, for the week ending April 4. In the European Hot 100, "Fly on the Wall" peaked at number fifty-seven on the week ending March 7, 2009 and spent a total of five weeks on the chart. The song spent two weeks and peaked at number 23 on the Irish Singles Chart. In Austria, the song debuted and peaked on the week ending March 18 at number 57 and fell from the chart after two weeks. It spent seven weeks in Germany, where it debuted and peaked at 62.
## Music video
In an interview with MTV News, director Philip Andelman explained that Cyrus was already determined to poke fun at the paparazzi when she contacted him for a "Fly on the Wall" music video. Andelman did not want to create "something too serious" and worked to give the video a "playful" aspect. Cyrus elaborated on the concept of the music video in an interview with Nancy O'Dell of Access Hollywood. Cyrus said,
> "The concept is kind of 'Thriller'-esque [sic]. It's kind of like where the paparazzi become these zombies and they're all like attacking me. And my boyfriend is trying to save me, but I don't know if he's a paparazzi too. So, it's like me trying to hide and get away. It's really fun, but I'm escaping from my boyfriend and escaping from the paparazzi and trying to find my way through the whole video."
The video commences with a short segment of dramatic music. It then focuses on Cyrus, wearing a white tank top, jeans, boots and a black leather jacket, and her boyfriend leaving a theater and discussing the film they saw. Suddenly, Cyrus' boyfriend begins to cough as a full moon emerges from behind the clouds. Cyrus is confused, then horrified as she watches him transform into a paparazzo, and runs away from him as he shouts "Miley, come here! I just want a couple of shots!" and tries to snap pictures of her. The music of "Fly on the Wall" begins as Cyrus runs into a parking garage and tries to hide behind a pillar and a black Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. As soon as Cyrus tries to move away from the car, a mob of paparazzi begins to chase her with their cameras. Throughout much of the video, Cyrus runs and hides from the mob. Clips interspaced throughout the video feature her in a long silver shirt and jeans singing and dancing in front of the Mercedes. Eventually, Cyrus is cornered by the paparazzi. She is scared, but then surprised and perplexed when the mob unexpectedly begins to dance in a synchronized manner. Her boyfriend, appearing normal, then arrives in the Mercedes to rescue her. Inside the car, Cyrus describes her strange encounter with the paparazzi to him. Unbeknownst to Cyrus, he has planted a video camera in the car; the video concludes with a shot of the website he posts the video on beneath the headline, "Miley Cyrus Bugs at Paparazzi!!!" The "Fly on the Wall" music video was first seen on December 5, 2008, on MTV's FNMTV. The video is inspired by Michael Jackson's iconic music video, "Thriller", but trades zombies for paparazzi. MTV also compared the "Fly on the Wall" video to those for Britney Spears' "Circus" and Lindsay Lohan's "Rumors".
## Live performances
Cyrus first performed the song at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Disney Channel Games on May 4, 2008. The performance had Cyrus in a red coat and was later used a promotional music video on Disney Channel. On May 17, 2008, she performed the song at the 2008 Zootopia. On July 18, 2008, the song was performed in a concert series for Good Morning America along with "Breakout", "7 Things" and "Bottom of the Ocean". During the performance, Cyrus wore a plaid shirt, mini-shorts and boots. On August 1, 2008, Cyrus performed "Fly on the Wall" on FNMTV. On November 21, it was sung at the American Music Awards of 2008. A critic from ABC stated that Cyrus "fearlessly embraced new creative directions" with her performance of "Fly on the Wall". On November 25, Cyrus performed the song on the season finale of Dancing with the Stars. On New Year's Eve of 2008, Cyrus wore a white T-shirt, pants, boots and a plaid jacket to present FNMTV's New Year's Special with Pete Wentz. She opened the episode by performing the song, paired with "7 Things". On January 19, 2009, the song was performed at the Kids' Inaugural: "We Are the Future" event in celebration of Barack Obama's inauguration. For the event, she had an abundance of background dancers, and Cyrus wore a casual patterned gray T-shirt, black pants, and boots. On February 14, 2009, Cyrus performed the song live on the British television variety show Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway where she momentarily forgot the lyrics, reportedly mouthing "I forgot the words!" to one of her backup dancers, and prompting media coverage over the blunder. She also performed the song in London in an Apple Store. The set, with some songs by Cyrus' father, was sold exclusively by the United Kingdom iTunes Store as an extended play titled iTunes Live from London. On June 7, 2009, at the twentieth annual A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival, Cyrus performed "Fly on the Wall".
"Fly on the Wall" was one of the songs on the setlist of Cyrus' first international concert tour, the Wonder World Tour (2009). The performance began with two overhead screens displaying a frog catching a fly while two acrobats scaled imaginary walls. Cyrus and her dancers then emerged from a green tractor to begin the song. She wore an extravagant white dress with a feathered back and used elaborate choreography. At one point during the performance, Cyrus unexpectedly flew over the crowd for a few seconds. At the conclusion, Cyrus and her background dancers grouped together to perform a segment of the dance from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video. She performed it at the Rock in Rio concert in Lisbon, Portugal on May 29, 2010 and Madrid, Spain on June 4, 2010.
Cyrus last performed the song during her Gypsy Heart Tour (2011) and more recently during the South America part of her Attention Tour (2022).
## Track listing and formats
CD
1. "Fly on the Wall" – 2:31
2. "7 Things" (Bimbo Jones radio edit) – 2:58
3. "Fly on the Wall" (Jason Nevins remix; radio edit) – 2:52
Digital download (2 track single)
1. "Fly on the Wall" – 2:31
2. "Fly on the Wall" (Jason Nevins remix; radio edit) – 2:52
Digital download (Digital Dog remix)
1. "Fly on the Wall" – 2:31
2. "Fly on the Wall" (Digital Dog remix) – 5:40
Digital download (extended play)
1. "Fly on the Wall" – 2:31
2. "Fly on the Wall" (Jason Nevins remix; radio edit) – 2:52
3. "7 Things" (Bimbo Jones radio edit) – 2:58
## Charts
## Release history
|
666 |
Alkali metal
| 1,173,887,581 |
Group of highly reactive chemical elements
|
[
"Alkali metals",
"Articles containing video clips",
"Chemical compounds by element",
"Groups (periodic table)",
"Periodic table"
] |
The alkali metals consist of the chemical elements lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), caesium (Cs), and francium (Fr). Together with hydrogen they constitute group 1, which lies in the s-block of the periodic table. All alkali metals have their outermost electron in an s-orbital: this shared electron configuration results in their having very similar characteristic properties. Indeed, the alkali metals provide the best example of group trends in properties in the periodic table, with elements exhibiting well-characterised homologous behaviour. This family of elements is also known as the lithium family after its leading element.
The alkali metals are all shiny, soft, highly reactive metals at standard temperature and pressure and readily lose their outermost electron to form cations with charge +1. They can all be cut easily with a knife due to their softness, exposing a shiny surface that tarnishes rapidly in air due to oxidation by atmospheric moisture and oxygen (and in the case of lithium, nitrogen). Because of their high reactivity, they must be stored under oil to prevent reaction with air, and are found naturally only in salts and never as the free elements. Caesium, the fifth alkali metal, is the most reactive of all the metals. All the alkali metals react with water, with the heavier alkali metals reacting more vigorously than the lighter ones.
All of the discovered alkali metals occur in nature as their compounds: in order of abundance, sodium is the most abundant, followed by potassium, lithium, rubidium, caesium, and finally francium, which is very rare due to its extremely high radioactivity; francium occurs only in minute traces in nature as an intermediate step in some obscure side branches of the natural decay chains. Experiments have been conducted to attempt the synthesis of element 119, which is likely to be the next member of the group; none were successful. However, ununennium may not be an alkali metal due to relativistic effects, which are predicted to have a large influence on the chemical properties of superheavy elements; even if it does turn out to be an alkali metal, it is predicted to have some differences in physical and chemical properties from its lighter homologues.
Most alkali metals have many different applications. One of the best-known applications of the pure elements is the use of rubidium and caesium in atomic clocks, of which caesium atomic clocks form the basis of the second. A common application of the compounds of sodium is the sodium-vapour lamp, which emits light very efficiently. Table salt, or sodium chloride, has been used since antiquity. Lithium finds use as a psychiatric medication and as an anode in lithium batteries. Sodium, potassium and lithium are essential elements, having major biological roles as electrolytes, and although the other alkali metals are not essential, they also have various effects on the body, both beneficial and harmful.
## History
Sodium compounds have been known since ancient times; salt (sodium chloride) has been an important commodity in human activities, as testified by the English word salary, referring to salarium, money paid to Roman soldiers for the purchase of salt. While potash has been used since ancient times, it was not understood for most of its history to be a fundamentally different substance from sodium mineral salts. Georg Ernst Stahl obtained experimental evidence which led him to suggest the fundamental difference of sodium and potassium salts in 1702, and Henri-Louis Duhamel du Monceau was able to prove this difference in 1736. The exact chemical composition of potassium and sodium compounds, and the status as chemical element of potassium and sodium, was not known then, and thus Antoine Lavoisier did not include either alkali in his list of chemical elements in 1789.
Pure potassium was first isolated in 1807 in England by Humphry Davy, who derived it from caustic potash (KOH, potassium hydroxide) by the use of electrolysis of the molten salt with the newly invented voltaic pile. Previous attempts at electrolysis of the aqueous salt were unsuccessful due to potassium's extreme reactivity. Potassium was the first metal that was isolated by electrolysis. Later that same year, Davy reported extraction of sodium from the similar substance caustic soda (NaOH, lye) by a similar technique, demonstrating the elements, and thus the salts, to be different.
Petalite (Li Al Si<sub>4</sub>O<sub>10</sub>) was discovered in 1800 by the Brazilian chemist José Bonifácio de Andrada in a mine on the island of Utö, Sweden. However, it was not until 1817 that Johan August Arfwedson, then working in the laboratory of the chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius, detected the presence of a new element while analysing petalite ore. This new element was noted by him to form compounds similar to those of sodium and potassium, though its carbonate and hydroxide were less soluble in water and more alkaline than the other alkali metals. Berzelius gave the unknown material the name "lithion/lithina", from the Greek word λιθoς (transliterated as lithos, meaning "stone"), to reflect its discovery in a solid mineral, as opposed to potassium, which had been discovered in plant ashes, and sodium, which was known partly for its high abundance in animal blood. He named the metal inside the material "lithium". Lithium, sodium, and potassium were part of the discovery of periodicity, as they are among a series of triads of elements in the same group that were noted by Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner in 1850 as having similar properties.
Rubidium and caesium were the first elements to be discovered using the spectroscope, invented in 1859 by Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff. The next year, they discovered caesium in the mineral water from Bad Dürkheim, Germany. Their discovery of rubidium came the following year in Heidelberg, Germany, finding it in the mineral lepidolite. The names of rubidium and caesium come from the most prominent lines in their emission spectra: a bright red line for rubidium (from the Latin word rubidus, meaning dark red or bright red), and a sky-blue line for caesium (derived from the Latin word caesius, meaning sky-blue).
Around 1865 John Newlands produced a series of papers where he listed the elements in order of increasing atomic weight and similar physical and chemical properties that recurred at intervals of eight; he likened such periodicity to the octaves of music, where notes an octave apart have similar musical functions. His version put all the alkali metals then known (lithium to caesium), as well as copper, silver, and thallium (which show the +1 oxidation state characteristic of the alkali metals), together into a group. His table placed hydrogen with the halogens.
After 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev proposed his periodic table placing lithium at the top of a group with sodium, potassium, rubidium, caesium, and thallium. Two years later, Mendeleev revised his table, placing hydrogen in group 1 above lithium, and also moving thallium to the boron group. In this 1871 version, copper, silver, and gold were placed twice, once as part of group IB, and once as part of a "group VIII" encompassing today's groups 8 to 11. After the introduction of the 18-column table, the group IB elements were moved to their current position in the d-block, while alkali metals were left in group IA. Later the group's name was changed to group 1 in 1988. The trivial name "alkali metals" comes from the fact that the hydroxides of the group 1 elements are all strong alkalis when dissolved in water.
There were at least four erroneous and incomplete discoveries before Marguerite Perey of the Curie Institute in Paris, France discovered francium in 1939 by purifying a sample of actinium-227, which had been reported to have a decay energy of 220 keV. However, Perey noticed decay particles with an energy level below 80 keV. Perey thought this decay activity might have been caused by a previously unidentified decay product, one that was separated during purification, but emerged again out of the pure actinium-227. Various tests eliminated the possibility of the unknown element being thorium, radium, lead, bismuth, or thallium. The new product exhibited chemical properties of an alkali metal (such as coprecipitating with caesium salts), which led Perey to believe that it was element 87, caused by the alpha decay of actinium-227. Perey then attempted to determine the proportion of beta decay to alpha decay in actinium-227. Her first test put the alpha branching at 0.6%, a figure that she later revised to 1%.
<sup>227</sup>
<sub>89</sub>Ac
<sup>223</sup>
<sub>87</sub>Fr
<sup>223</sup>
<sub>88</sub>Ra
<sup>219</sup>
<sub>86</sub>Rn
The next element below francium (eka-francium) in the periodic table would be ununennium (Uue), element 119. The synthesis of ununennium was first attempted in 1985 by bombarding a target of einsteinium-254 with calcium-48 ions at the superHILAC accelerator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California. No atoms were identified, leading to a limiting yield of 300 nb.
<sup>254</sup>
<sub>99</sub>Es
+ <sup>48</sup>
<sub>20</sub>Ca
→ <sup>302</sup>
<sub>119</sub>Uue
\* → no atoms
It is highly unlikely that this reaction will be able to create any atoms of ununennium in the near future, given the extremely difficult task of making sufficient amounts of einsteinium-254, which is favoured for production of ultraheavy elements because of its large mass, relatively long half-life of 270 days, and availability in significant amounts of several micrograms, to make a large enough target to increase the sensitivity of the experiment to the required level; einsteinium has not been found in nature and has only been produced in laboratories, and in quantities smaller than those needed for effective synthesis of superheavy elements. However, given that ununennium is only the first period 8 element on the extended periodic table, it may well be discovered in the near future through other reactions, and indeed an attempt to synthesise it is currently ongoing in Japan. Currently, none of the period 8 elements has been discovered yet, and it is also possible, due to drip instabilities, that only the lower period 8 elements, up to around element 128, are physically possible. No attempts at synthesis have been made for any heavier alkali metals: due to their extremely high atomic number, they would require new, more powerful methods and technology to make.
## Occurrence
### In the Solar System
The Oddo–Harkins rule holds that elements with even atomic numbers are more common that those with odd atomic numbers, with the exception of hydrogen. This rule argues that elements with odd atomic numbers have one unpaired proton and are more likely to capture another, thus increasing their atomic number. In elements with even atomic numbers, protons are paired, with each member of the pair offsetting the spin of the other, enhancing stability. All the alkali metals have odd atomic numbers and they are not as common as the elements with even atomic numbers adjacent to them (the noble gases and the alkaline earth metals) in the Solar System. The heavier alkali metals are also less abundant than the lighter ones as the alkali metals from rubidium onward can only be synthesised in supernovae and not in stellar nucleosynthesis. Lithium is also much less abundant than sodium and potassium as it is poorly synthesised in both Big Bang nucleosynthesis and in stars: the Big Bang could only produce trace quantities of lithium, beryllium and boron due to the absence of a stable nucleus with 5 or 8 nucleons, and stellar nucleosynthesis could only pass this bottleneck by the triple-alpha process, fusing three helium nuclei to form carbon, and skipping over those three elements.
### On Earth
The Earth formed from the same cloud of matter that formed the Sun, but the planets acquired different compositions during the formation and evolution of the solar system. In turn, the natural history of the Earth caused parts of this planet to have differing concentrations of the elements. The mass of the Earth is approximately 5.98×10<sup>24</sup> kg. It is composed mostly of iron (32.1%), oxygen (30.1%), silicon (15.1%), magnesium (13.9%), sulfur (2.9%), nickel (1.8%), calcium (1.5%), and aluminium (1.4%); with the remaining 1.2% consisting of trace amounts of other elements. Due to planetary differentiation, the core region is believed to be primarily composed of iron (88.8%), with smaller amounts of nickel (5.8%), sulfur (4.5%), and less than 1% trace elements.
The alkali metals, due to their high reactivity, do not occur naturally in pure form in nature. They are lithophiles and therefore remain close to the Earth's surface because they combine readily with oxygen and so associate strongly with silica, forming relatively low-density minerals that do not sink down into the Earth's core. Potassium, rubidium and caesium are also incompatible elements due to their large ionic radii.
Sodium and potassium are very abundant in earth, both being among the ten most common elements in Earth's crust; sodium makes up approximately 2.6% of the Earth's crust measured by weight, making it the sixth most abundant element overall and the most abundant alkali metal. Potassium makes up approximately 1.5% of the Earth's crust and is the seventh most abundant element. Sodium is found in many different minerals, of which the most common is ordinary salt (sodium chloride), which occurs in vast quantities dissolved in seawater. Other solid deposits include halite, amphibole, cryolite, nitratine, and zeolite. Many of these solid deposits occur as a result of ancient seas evaporating, which still occurs now in places such as Utah's Great Salt Lake and the Dead Sea. Despite their near-equal abundance in Earth's crust, sodium is far more common than potassium in the ocean, both because potassium's larger size makes its salts less soluble, and because potassium is bound by silicates in soil and what potassium leaches is absorbed far more readily by plant life than sodium.
Despite its chemical similarity, lithium typically does not occur together with sodium or potassium due to its smaller size. Due to its relatively low reactivity, it can be found in seawater in large amounts; it is estimated that seawater is approximately 0.14 to 0.25 parts per million (ppm) or 25 micromolar. Its diagonal relationship with magnesium often allows it to replace magnesium in ferromagnesium minerals, where its crustal concentration is about 18 ppm, comparable to that of gallium and niobium. Commercially, the most important lithium mineral is spodumene, which occurs in large deposits worldwide.
Rubidium is approximately as abundant as zinc and more abundant than copper. It occurs naturally in the minerals leucite, pollucite, carnallite, zinnwaldite, and lepidolite, although none of these contain only rubidium and no other alkali metals. Caesium is more abundant than some commonly known elements, such as antimony, cadmium, tin, and tungsten, but is much less abundant than rubidium.
Francium-223, the only naturally occurring isotope of francium, is the product of the alpha decay of actinium-227 and can be found in trace amounts in uranium minerals. In a given sample of uranium, there is estimated to be only one francium atom for every 10<sup>18</sup> uranium atoms. It has been calculated that there are at most 30 grams of francium in the earth's crust at any time, due to its extremely short half-life of 22 minutes.
## Properties
### Physical and chemical
The physical and chemical properties of the alkali metals can be readily explained by their having an ns<sup>1</sup> valence electron configuration, which results in weak metallic bonding. Hence, all the alkali metals are soft and have low densities, melting and boiling points, as well as heats of sublimation, vaporisation, and dissociation. They all crystallise in the body-centered cubic crystal structure, and have distinctive flame colours because their outer s electron is very easily excited. The ns<sup>1</sup> configuration also results in the alkali metals having very large atomic and ionic radii, as well as very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Their chemistry is dominated by the loss of their lone valence electron in the outermost s-orbital to form the +1 oxidation state, due to the ease of ionising this electron and the very high second ionisation energy. Most of the chemistry has been observed only for the first five members of the group. The chemistry of francium is not well established due to its extreme radioactivity; thus, the presentation of its properties here is limited. What little is known about francium shows that it is very close in behaviour to caesium, as expected. The physical properties of francium are even sketchier because the bulk element has never been observed; hence any data that may be found in the literature are certainly speculative extrapolations.
The alkali metals are more similar to each other than the elements in any other group are to each other. Indeed, the similarity is so great that it is quite difficult to separate potassium, rubidium, and caesium, due to their similar ionic radii; lithium and sodium are more distinct. For instance, when moving down the table, all known alkali metals show increasing atomic radius, decreasing electronegativity, increasing reactivity, and decreasing melting and boiling points as well as heats of fusion and vaporisation. In general, their densities increase when moving down the table, with the exception that potassium is less dense than sodium. One of the very few properties of the alkali metals that does not display a very smooth trend is their reduction potentials: lithium's value is anomalous, being more negative than the others. This is because the Li<sup>+</sup> ion has a very high hydration energy in the gas phase: though the lithium ion disrupts the structure of water significantly, causing a higher change in entropy, this high hydration energy is enough to make the reduction potentials indicate it as being the most electropositive alkali metal, despite the difficulty of ionising it in the gas phase.
The stable alkali metals are all silver-coloured metals except for caesium, which has a pale golden tint: it is one of only three metals that are clearly coloured (the other two being copper and gold). Additionally, the heavy alkaline earth metals calcium, strontium, and barium, as well as the divalent lanthanides europium and ytterbium, are pale yellow, though the colour is much less prominent than it is for caesium. Their lustre tarnishes rapidly in air due to oxidation. They all crystallise in the body-centered cubic crystal structure, and have distinctive flame colours because their outer s electron is very easily excited. Indeed, these flame test colours are the most common way of identifying them since all their salts with common ions are soluble.
All the alkali metals are highly reactive and are never found in elemental forms in nature. Because of this, they are usually stored in mineral oil or kerosene (paraffin oil). They react aggressively with the halogens to form the alkali metal halides, which are white ionic crystalline compounds that are all soluble in water except lithium fluoride (Li F). The alkali metals also react with water to form strongly alkaline hydroxides and thus should be handled with great care. The heavier alkali metals react more vigorously than the lighter ones; for example, when dropped into water, caesium produces a larger explosion than potassium if the same number of moles of each metal is used. The alkali metals have the lowest first ionisation energies in their respective periods of the periodic table because of their low effective nuclear charge and the ability to attain a noble gas configuration by losing just one electron. Not only do the alkali metals react with water, but also with proton donors like alcohols and phenols, gaseous ammonia, and alkynes, the last demonstrating the phenomenal degree of their reactivity. Their great power as reducing agents makes them very useful in liberating other metals from their oxides or halides.
The second ionisation energy of all of the alkali metals is very high as it is in a full shell that is also closer to the nucleus; thus, they almost always lose a single electron, forming cations. The alkalides are an exception: they are unstable compounds which contain alkali metals in a −1 oxidation state, which is very unusual as before the discovery of the alkalides, the alkali metals were not expected to be able to form anions and were thought to be able to appear in salts only as cations. The alkalide anions have filled s-subshells, which gives them enough stability to exist. All the stable alkali metals except lithium are known to be able to form alkalides, and the alkalides have much theoretical interest due to their unusual stoichiometry and low ionisation potentials. Alkalides are chemically similar to the electrides, which are salts with trapped electrons acting as anions. A particularly striking example of an alkalide is "inverse sodium hydride", H<sup>+</sup>Na<sup>−</sup> (both ions being complexed), as opposed to the usual sodium hydride, Na<sup>+</sup>H<sup>−</sup>: it is unstable in isolation, due to its high energy resulting from the displacement of two electrons from hydrogen to sodium, although several derivatives are predicted to be metastable or stable.
In aqueous solution, the alkali metal ions form aqua ions of the formula [M(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>n</sub>]<sup>+</sup>, where n is the solvation number. Their coordination numbers and shapes agree well with those expected from their ionic radii. In aqueous solution the water molecules directly attached to the metal ion are said to belong to the first coordination sphere, also known as the first, or primary, solvation shell. The bond between a water molecule and the metal ion is a dative covalent bond, with the oxygen atom donating both electrons to the bond. Each coordinated water molecule may be attached by hydrogen bonds to other water molecules. The latter are said to reside in the second coordination sphere. However, for the alkali metal cations, the second coordination sphere is not well-defined as the +1 charge on the cation is not high enough to polarise the water molecules in the primary solvation shell enough for them to form strong hydrogen bonds with those in the second coordination sphere, producing a more stable entity. The solvation number for Li<sup>+</sup> has been experimentally determined to be 4, forming the tetrahedral [Li(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>4</sub>]<sup>+</sup>: while solvation numbers of 3 to 6 have been found for lithium aqua ions, solvation numbers less than 4 may be the result of the formation of contact ion pairs, and the higher solvation numbers may be interpreted in terms of water molecules that approach [Li(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>4</sub>]<sup>+</sup> through a face of the tetrahedron, though molecular dynamic simulations may indicate the existence of an octahedral hexaaqua ion. There are also probably six water molecules in the primary solvation sphere of the sodium ion, forming the octahedral [Na(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>6</sub>]<sup>+</sup> ion. While it was previously thought that the heavier alkali metals also formed octahedral hexaaqua ions, it has since been found that potassium and rubidium probably form the [K(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>8</sub>]<sup>+</sup> and [Rb(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>8</sub>]<sup>+</sup> ions, which have the square antiprismatic structure, and that caesium forms the 12-coordinate [Cs(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>12</sub>]<sup>+</sup> ion.
#### Lithium
The chemistry of lithium shows several differences from that of the rest of the group as the small Li<sup>+</sup> cation polarises anions and gives its compounds a more covalent character. Lithium and magnesium have a diagonal relationship due to their similar atomic radii, so that they show some similarities. For example, lithium forms a stable nitride, a property common among all the alkaline earth metals (magnesium's group) but unique among the alkali metals. In addition, among their respective groups, only lithium and magnesium form organometallic compounds with significant covalent character (e.g. LiMe and MgMe<sub>2</sub>).
Lithium fluoride is the only alkali metal halide that is poorly soluble in water, and lithium hydroxide is the only alkali metal hydroxide that is not deliquescent. Conversely, lithium perchlorate and other lithium salts with large anions that cannot be polarised are much more stable than the analogous compounds of the other alkali metals, probably because Li<sup>+</sup> has a high solvation energy. This effect also means that most simple lithium salts are commonly encountered in hydrated form, because the anhydrous forms are extremely hygroscopic: this allows salts like lithium chloride and lithium bromide to be used in dehumidifiers and air-conditioners.
#### Francium
Francium is also predicted to show some differences due to its high atomic weight, causing its electrons to travel at considerable fractions of the speed of light and thus making relativistic effects more prominent. In contrast to the trend of decreasing electronegativities and ionisation energies of the alkali metals, francium's electronegativity and ionisation energy are predicted to be higher than caesium's due to the relativistic stabilisation of the 7s electrons; also, its atomic radius is expected to be abnormally low. Thus, contrary to expectation, caesium is the most reactive of the alkali metals, not francium. All known physical properties of francium also deviate from the clear trends going from lithium to caesium, such as the first ionisation energy, electron affinity, and anion polarisability, though due to the paucity of known data about francium many sources give extrapolated values, ignoring that relativistic effects make the trend from lithium to caesium become inapplicable at francium. Some of the few properties of francium that have been predicted taking relativity into account are the electron affinity (47.2 kJ/mol) and the enthalpy of dissociation of the Fr<sub>2</sub> molecule (42.1 kJ/mol). The CsFr molecule is polarised as Cs<sup>+</sup>Fr<sup>−</sup>, showing that the 7s subshell of francium is much more strongly affected by relativistic effects than the 6s subshell of caesium. Additionally, francium superoxide (FrO<sub>2</sub>) is expected to have significant covalent character, unlike the other alkali metal superoxides, because of bonding contributions from the 6p electrons of francium.
### Nuclear
<div style="float: right; margin: 5px;">
<table>
<caption>Primordial isotopes of the alkali metals</caption>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th><p>Z<br />
</p></th>
<th><p>Alkali metal<br />
</p></th>
<th><p>Stable<br />
</p></th>
<th><p>Decays<br />
</p></th>
<th><p>unstable: italics</p></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td><p>3</p></td>
<td><p>lithium</p></td>
<td><p>2</p></td>
<td><p>—</p></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td><p>11</p></td>
<td><p>sodium</p></td>
<td><p>1</p></td>
<td><p>—</p></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td><p>19</p></td>
<td><p>potassium</p></td>
<td><p>2</p></td>
<td><p>1</p></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td><p>37</p></td>
<td><p>rubidium</p></td>
<td><p>1</p></td>
<td><p>1</p></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td><p>55</p></td>
<td><p>caesium</p></td>
<td><p>1</p></td>
<td><p>—</p></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td><p>87</p></td>
<td><p>francium</p></td>
<td><p>—</p></td>
<td><p>—</p></td>
<td><p>No primordial isotopes<br />
('' is a radiogenic nuclide)</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td><p>Radioactive: <sup>40</sup>K, t<sub>1/2</sub> 1.25 × 10<sup>9</sup> years; <sup>87</sup>Rb, t<sub>1/2</sub> 4.9 × 10<sup>10</sup> years; <sup>223</sup>Fr, t<sub>1/2</sub> 22.0 min.</p></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Primordial isotopes of the alkali metals
</div>
All the alkali metals have odd atomic numbers; hence, their isotopes must be either odd–odd (both proton and neutron number are odd) or odd–even (proton number is odd, but neutron number is even). Odd–odd nuclei have even mass numbers, whereas odd–even nuclei have odd mass numbers. Odd–odd primordial nuclides are rare because most odd–odd nuclei are highly unstable with respect to beta decay, because the decay products are even–even, and are therefore more strongly bound, due to nuclear pairing effects.
Due to the great rarity of odd–odd nuclei, almost all the primordial isotopes of the alkali metals are odd–even (the exceptions being the light stable isotope lithium-6 and the long-lived radioisotope potassium-40). For a given odd mass number, there can be only a single beta-stable nuclide, since there is not a difference in binding energy between even–odd and odd–even comparable to that between even–even and odd–odd, leaving other nuclides of the same mass number (isobars) free to beta decay toward the lowest-mass nuclide. An effect of the instability of an odd number of either type of nucleons is that odd-numbered elements, such as the alkali metals, tend to have fewer stable isotopes than even-numbered elements. Of the 26 monoisotopic elements that have only a single stable isotope, all but one have an odd atomic number and all but one also have an even number of neutrons. Beryllium is the single exception to both rules, due to its low atomic number.
All of the alkali metals except lithium and caesium have at least one naturally occurring radioisotope: sodium-22 and sodium-24 are trace radioisotopes produced cosmogenically, potassium-40 and rubidium-87 have very long half-lives and thus occur naturally, and all isotopes of francium are radioactive. Caesium was also thought to be radioactive in the early 20th century, although it has no naturally occurring radioisotopes. (Francium had not been discovered yet at that time.) The natural long-lived radioisotope of potassium, potassium-40, makes up about 0.012% of natural potassium, and thus natural potassium is weakly radioactive. This natural radioactivity became a basis for a mistaken claim of the discovery for element 87 (the next alkali metal after caesium) in 1925. Natural rubidium is similarly slightly radioactive, with 27.83% being the long-lived radioisotope rubidium-87.
Caesium-137, with a half-life of 30.17 years, is one of the two principal medium-lived fission products, along with strontium-90, which are responsible for most of the radioactivity of spent nuclear fuel after several years of cooling, up to several hundred years after use. It constitutes most of the radioactivity still left from the Chernobyl accident. Caesium-137 undergoes high-energy beta decay and eventually becomes stable barium-137. It is a strong emitter of gamma radiation. Caesium-137 has a very low rate of neutron capture and cannot be feasibly disposed of in this way, but must be allowed to decay. Caesium-137 has been used as a tracer in hydrologic studies, analogous to the use of tritium. Small amounts of caesium-134 and caesium-137 were released into the environment during nearly all nuclear weapon tests and some nuclear accidents, most notably the Goiânia accident and the Chernobyl disaster. As of 2005, caesium-137 is the principal source of radiation in the zone of alienation around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Its chemical properties as one of the alkali metals make it one of the most problematic of the short-to-medium-lifetime fission products because it easily moves and spreads in nature due to the high water solubility of its salts, and is taken up by the body, which mistakes it for its essential congeners sodium and potassium.
## Periodic trends
The alkali metals are more similar to each other than the elements in any other group are to each other. For instance, when moving down the table, all known alkali metals show increasing atomic radius, decreasing electronegativity, increasing reactivity, and decreasing melting and boiling points as well as heats of fusion and vaporisation. In general, their densities increase when moving down the table, with the exception that potassium is less dense than sodium.
### Atomic and ionic radii
The atomic radii of the alkali metals increase going down the group. Because of the shielding effect, when an atom has more than one electron shell, each electron feels electric repulsion from the other electrons as well as electric attraction from the nucleus. In the alkali metals, the outermost electron only feels a net charge of +1, as some of the nuclear charge (which is equal to the atomic number) is cancelled by the inner electrons; the number of inner electrons of an alkali metal is always one less than the nuclear charge. Therefore, the only factor which affects the atomic radius of the alkali metals is the number of electron shells. Since this number increases down the group, the atomic radius must also increase down the group.
The ionic radii of the alkali metals are much smaller than their atomic radii. This is because the outermost electron of the alkali metals is in a different electron shell than the inner electrons, and thus when it is removed the resulting atom has one fewer electron shell and is smaller. Additionally, the effective nuclear charge has increased, and thus the electrons are attracted more strongly towards the nucleus and the ionic radius decreases.
### First ionisation energy
The first ionisation energy of an element or molecule is the energy required to move the most loosely held electron from one mole of gaseous atoms of the element or molecules to form one mole of gaseous ions with electric charge +1. The factors affecting the first ionisation energy are the nuclear charge, the amount of shielding by the inner electrons and the distance from the most loosely held electron from the nucleus, which is always an outer electron in main group elements. The first two factors change the effective nuclear charge the most loosely held electron feels. Since the outermost electron of alkali metals always feels the same effective nuclear charge (+1), the only factor which affects the first ionisation energy is the distance from the outermost electron to the nucleus. Since this distance increases down the group, the outermost electron feels less attraction from the nucleus and thus the first ionisation energy decreases. (This trend is broken in francium due to the relativistic stabilisation and contraction of the 7s orbital, bringing francium's valence electron closer to the nucleus than would be expected from non-relativistic calculations. This makes francium's outermost electron feel more attraction from the nucleus, increasing its first ionisation energy slightly beyond that of caesium.)
The second ionisation energy of the alkali metals is much higher than the first as the second-most loosely held electron is part of a fully filled electron shell and is thus difficult to remove.
### Reactivity
The reactivities of the alkali metals increase going down the group. This is the result of a combination of two factors: the first ionisation energies and atomisation energies of the alkali metals. Because the first ionisation energy of the alkali metals decreases down the group, it is easier for the outermost electron to be removed from the atom and participate in chemical reactions, thus increasing reactivity down the group. The atomisation energy measures the strength of the metallic bond of an element, which falls down the group as the atoms increase in radius and thus the metallic bond must increase in length, making the delocalised electrons further away from the attraction of the nuclei of the heavier alkali metals. Adding the atomisation and first ionisation energies gives a quantity closely related to (but not equal to) the activation energy of the reaction of an alkali metal with another substance. This quantity decreases going down the group, and so does the activation energy; thus, chemical reactions can occur faster and the reactivity increases down the group.
### Electronegativity
Electronegativity is a chemical property that describes the tendency of an atom or a functional group to attract electrons (or electron density) towards itself. If the bond between sodium and chlorine in sodium chloride were covalent, the pair of shared electrons would be attracted to the chlorine because the effective nuclear charge on the outer electrons is +7 in chlorine but is only +1 in sodium. The electron pair is attracted so close to the chlorine atom that they are practically transferred to the chlorine atom (an ionic bond). However, if the sodium atom was replaced by a lithium atom, the electrons will not be attracted as close to the chlorine atom as before because the lithium atom is smaller, making the electron pair more strongly attracted to the closer effective nuclear charge from lithium. Hence, the larger alkali metal atoms (further down the group) will be less electronegative as the bonding pair is less strongly attracted towards them. As mentioned previously, francium is expected to be an exception.
Because of the higher electronegativity of lithium, some of its compounds have a more covalent character. For example, lithium iodide (Li I) will dissolve in organic solvents, a property of most covalent compounds. Lithium fluoride (LiF) is the only alkali halide that is not soluble in water, and lithium hydroxide (LiOH) is the only alkali metal hydroxide that is not deliquescent.
### Melting and boiling points
The melting point of a substance is the point where it changes state from solid to liquid while the boiling point of a substance (in liquid state) is the point where the vapour pressure of the liquid equals the environmental pressure surrounding the liquid and all the liquid changes state to gas. As a metal is heated to its melting point, the metallic bonds keeping the atoms in place weaken so that the atoms can move around, and the metallic bonds eventually break completely at the metal's boiling point. Therefore, the falling melting and boiling points of the alkali metals indicate that the strength of the metallic bonds of the alkali metals decreases down the group. This is because metal atoms are held together by the electromagnetic attraction from the positive ions to the delocalised electrons. As the atoms increase in size going down the group (because their atomic radius increases), the nuclei of the ions move further away from the delocalised electrons and hence the metallic bond becomes weaker so that the metal can more easily melt and boil, thus lowering the melting and boiling points. (The increased nuclear charge is not a relevant factor due to the shielding effect.)
### Density
The alkali metals all have the same crystal structure (body-centred cubic) and thus the only relevant factors are the number of atoms that can fit into a certain volume and the mass of one of the atoms, since density is defined as mass per unit volume. The first factor depends on the volume of the atom and thus the atomic radius, which increases going down the group; thus, the volume of an alkali metal atom increases going down the group. The mass of an alkali metal atom also increases going down the group. Thus, the trend for the densities of the alkali metals depends on their atomic weights and atomic radii; if figures for these two factors are known, the ratios between the densities of the alkali metals can then be calculated. The resultant trend is that the densities of the alkali metals increase down the table, with an exception at potassium. Due to having the lowest atomic weight and the largest atomic radius of all the elements in their periods, the alkali metals are the least dense metals in the periodic table. Lithium, sodium, and potassium are the only three metals in the periodic table that are less dense than water: in fact, lithium is the least dense known solid at room temperature.
## Compounds
The alkali metals form complete series of compounds with all usually encountered anions, which well illustrate group trends. These compounds can be described as involving the alkali metals losing electrons to acceptor species and forming monopositive ions. This description is most accurate for alkali halides and becomes less and less accurate as cationic and anionic charge increase, and as the anion becomes larger and more polarisable. For instance, ionic bonding gives way to metallic bonding along the series NaCl, Na<sub>2</sub>O, Na<sub>2</sub>S, Na<sub>3</sub>P, Na<sub>3</sub>As, Na<sub>3</sub>Sb, Na<sub>3</sub>Bi, Na.
### Hydroxides
All the alkali metals react vigorously or explosively with cold water, producing an aqueous solution of a strongly basic alkali metal hydroxide and releasing hydrogen gas. This reaction becomes more vigorous going down the group: lithium reacts steadily with effervescence, but sodium and potassium can ignite, and rubidium and caesium sink in water and generate hydrogen gas so rapidly that shock waves form in the water that may shatter glass containers. When an alkali metal is dropped into water, it produces an explosion, of which there are two separate stages. The metal reacts with the water first, breaking the hydrogen bonds in the water and producing hydrogen gas; this takes place faster for the more reactive heavier alkali metals. Second, the heat generated by the first part of the reaction often ignites the hydrogen gas, causing it to burn explosively into the surrounding air. This secondary hydrogen gas explosion produces the visible flame above the bowl of water, lake or other body of water, not the initial reaction of the metal with water (which tends to happen mostly under water). The alkali metal hydroxides are the most basic known hydroxides.
Recent research has suggested that the explosive behavior of alkali metals in water is driven by a Coulomb explosion rather than solely by rapid generation of hydrogen itself. All alkali metals melt as a part of the reaction with water. Water molecules ionise the bare metallic surface of the liquid metal, leaving a positively charged metal surface and negatively charged water ions. The attraction between the charged metal and water ions will rapidly increase the surface area, causing an exponential increase of ionisation. When the repulsive forces within the liquid metal surface exceeds the forces of the surface tension, it vigorously explodes.
The hydroxides themselves are the most basic hydroxides known, reacting with acids to give salts and with alcohols to give oligomeric alkoxides. They easily react with carbon dioxide to form carbonates or bicarbonates, or with hydrogen sulfide to form sulfides or bisulfides, and may be used to separate thiols from petroleum. They react with amphoteric oxides: for example, the oxides of aluminium, zinc, tin, and lead react with the alkali metal hydroxides to give aluminates, zincates, stannates, and plumbates. Silicon dioxide is acidic, and thus the alkali metal hydroxides can also attack silicate glass.
### Intermetallic compounds
The alkali metals form many intermetallic compounds with each other and the elements from groups 2 to 13 in the periodic table of varying stoichiometries, such as the sodium amalgams with mercury, including Na<sub>5</sub>Hg<sub>8</sub> and Na<sub>3</sub>Hg. Some of these have ionic characteristics: taking the alloys with gold, the most electronegative of metals, as an example, NaAu and KAu are metallic, but RbAu and CsAu are semiconductors. NaK is an alloy of sodium and potassium that is very useful because it is liquid at room temperature, although precautions must be taken due to its extreme reactivity towards water and air. The eutectic mixture melts at −12.6 °C. An alloy of 41% caesium, 47% sodium, and 12% potassium has the lowest known melting point of any metal or alloy, −78 °C.
### Compounds with the group 13 elements
The intermetallic compounds of the alkali metals with the heavier group 13 elements (aluminium, gallium, indium, and thallium), such as NaTl, are poor conductors or semiconductors, unlike the normal alloys with the preceding elements, implying that the alkali metal involved has lost an electron to the Zintl anions involved. Nevertheless, while the elements in group 14 and beyond tend to form discrete anionic clusters, group 13 elements tend to form polymeric ions with the alkali metal cations located between the giant ionic lattice. For example, NaTl consists of a polymeric anion (—Tl<sup>−</sup>—)<sub>n</sub> with a covalent diamond cubic structure with Na<sup>+</sup> ions located between the anionic lattice. The larger alkali metals cannot fit similarly into an anionic lattice and tend to force the heavier group 13 elements to form anionic clusters.
Boron is a special case, being the only nonmetal in group 13. The alkali metal borides tend to be boron-rich, involving appreciable boron–boron bonding involving deltahedral structures, and are thermally unstable due to the alkali metals having a very high vapour pressure at elevated temperatures. This makes direct synthesis problematic because the alkali metals do not react with boron below 700 °C, and thus this must be accomplished in sealed containers with the alkali metal in excess. Furthermore, exceptionally in this group, reactivity with boron decreases down the group: lithium reacts completely at 700 °C, but sodium at 900 °C and potassium not until 1200 °C, and the reaction is instantaneous for lithium but takes hours for potassium. Rubidium and caesium borides have not even been characterised. Various phases are known, such as LiB<sub>10</sub>, NaB<sub>6</sub>, NaB<sub>15</sub>, and KB<sub>6</sub>. Under high pressure the boron–boron bonding in the lithium borides changes from following Wade's rules to forming Zintl anions like the rest of group 13.
### Compounds with the group 14 elements
Lithium and sodium react with carbon to form acetylides, Li<sub>2</sub>C<sub>2</sub> and Na<sub>2</sub>C<sub>2</sub>, which can also be obtained by reaction of the metal with acetylene. Potassium, rubidium, and caesium react with graphite; their atoms are intercalated between the hexagonal graphite layers, forming graphite intercalation compounds of formulae MC<sub>60</sub> (dark grey, almost black), MC<sub>48</sub> (dark grey, almost black), MC<sub>36</sub> (blue), MC<sub>24</sub> (steel blue), and MC<sub>8</sub> (bronze) (M = K, Rb, or Cs). These compounds are over 200 times more electrically conductive than pure graphite, suggesting that the valence electron of the alkali metal is transferred to the graphite layers (e.g. M<sup>+</sup>C−8). Upon heating of KC<sub>8</sub>, the elimination of potassium atoms results in the conversion in sequence to KC<sub>24</sub>, KC<sub>36</sub>, KC<sub>48</sub> and finally KC<sub>60</sub>. KC<sub>8</sub> is a very strong reducing agent and is pyrophoric and explodes on contact with water. While the larger alkali metals (K, Rb, and Cs) initially form MC<sub>8</sub>, the smaller ones initially form MC<sub>6</sub>, and indeed they require reaction of the metals with graphite at high temperatures around 500 °C to form. Apart from this, the alkali metals are such strong reducing agents that they can even reduce buckminsterfullerene to produce solid fullerides M<sub>n</sub>C<sub>60</sub>; sodium, potassium, rubidium, and caesium can form fullerides where n = 2, 3, 4, or 6, and rubidium and caesium additionally can achieve n = 1.
When the alkali metals react with the heavier elements in the carbon group (silicon, germanium, tin, and lead), ionic substances with cage-like structures are formed, such as the silicides M<sub>4</sub>Si<sub>4</sub> (M = K, Rb, or Cs), which contains M<sup>+</sup> and tetrahedral Si4−4 ions. The chemistry of alkali metal germanides, involving the germanide ion Ge<sup>4−</sup> and other cluster (Zintl) ions such as Ge2−4, Ge4−9, Ge2−9, and [(Ge<sub>9</sub>)<sub>2</sub>]<sup>6−</sup>, is largely analogous to that of the corresponding silicides. Alkali metal stannides are mostly ionic, sometimes with the stannide ion (Sn<sup>4−</sup>), and sometimes with more complex Zintl ions such as Sn4−9, which appears in tetrapotassium nonastannide (K<sub>4</sub>Sn<sub>9</sub>). The monatomic plumbide ion (Pb<sup>4−</sup>) is unknown, and indeed its formation is predicted to be energetically unfavourable; alkali metal plumbides have complex Zintl ions, such as Pb4−9. These alkali metal germanides, stannides, and plumbides may be produced by reducing germanium, tin, and lead with sodium metal in liquid ammonia.
### Nitrides and pnictides
Lithium, the lightest of the alkali metals, is the only alkali metal which reacts with nitrogen at standard conditions, and its nitride is the only stable alkali metal nitride. Nitrogen is an unreactive gas because breaking the strong triple bond in the dinitrogen molecule (N<sub>2</sub>) requires a lot of energy. The formation of an alkali metal nitride would consume the ionisation energy of the alkali metal (forming M<sup>+</sup> ions), the energy required to break the triple bond in N<sub>2</sub> and the formation of N<sup>3−</sup> ions, and all the energy released from the formation of an alkali metal nitride is from the lattice energy of the alkali metal nitride. The lattice energy is maximised with small, highly charged ions; the alkali metals do not form highly charged ions, only forming ions with a charge of +1, so only lithium, the smallest alkali metal, can release enough lattice energy to make the reaction with nitrogen exothermic, forming lithium nitride. The reactions of the other alkali metals with nitrogen would not release enough lattice energy and would thus be endothermic, so they do not form nitrides at standard conditions. Sodium nitride (Na<sub>3</sub>N) and potassium nitride (K<sub>3</sub>N), while existing, are extremely unstable, being prone to decomposing back into their constituent elements, and cannot be produced by reacting the elements with each other at standard conditions. Steric hindrance forbids the existence of rubidium or caesium nitride. However, sodium and potassium form colourless azide salts involving the linear N−3 anion; due to the large size of the alkali metal cations, they are thermally stable enough to be able to melt before decomposing.
All the alkali metals react readily with phosphorus and arsenic to form phosphides and arsenides with the formula M<sub>3</sub>Pn (where M represents an alkali metal and Pn represents a pnictogen – phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, or bismuth). This is due to the greater size of the P<sup>3−</sup> and As<sup>3−</sup> ions, so that less lattice energy needs to be released for the salts to form. These are not the only phosphides and arsenides of the alkali metals: for example, potassium has nine different known phosphides, with formulae K<sub>3</sub>P, K<sub>4</sub>P<sub>3</sub>, K<sub>5</sub>P<sub>4</sub>, KP, K<sub>4</sub>P<sub>6</sub>, K<sub>3</sub>P<sub>7</sub>, K<sub>3</sub>P<sub>11</sub>, KP<sub>10.3</sub>, and KP<sub>15</sub>. While most metals form arsenides, only the alkali and alkaline earth metals form mostly ionic arsenides. The structure of Na<sub>3</sub>As is complex with unusually short Na–Na distances of 328–330 pm which are shorter than in sodium metal, and this indicates that even with these electropositive metals the bonding cannot be straightforwardly ionic. Other alkali metal arsenides not conforming to the formula M<sub>3</sub>As are known, such as LiAs, which has a metallic lustre and electrical conductivity indicating the presence of some metallic bonding. The antimonides are unstable and reactive as the Sb<sup>3−</sup> ion is a strong reducing agent; reaction of them with acids form the toxic and unstable gas stibine (SbH<sub>3</sub>). Indeed, they have some metallic properties, and the alkali metal antimonides of stoichiometry MSb involve antimony atoms bonded in a spiral Zintl structure. Bismuthides are not even wholly ionic; they are intermetallic compounds containing partially metallic and partially ionic bonds.
### Oxides and chalcogenides
All the alkali metals react vigorously with oxygen at standard conditions. They form various types of oxides, such as simple oxides (containing the O<sup>2−</sup> ion), peroxides (containing the O2−2 ion, where there is a single bond between the two oxygen atoms), superoxides (containing the O−2 ion), and many others. Lithium burns in air to form lithium oxide, but sodium reacts with oxygen to form a mixture of sodium oxide and sodium peroxide. Potassium forms a mixture of potassium peroxide and potassium superoxide, while rubidium and caesium form the superoxide exclusively. Their reactivity increases going down the group: while lithium, sodium and potassium merely burn in air, rubidium and caesium are pyrophoric (spontaneously catch fire in air).
The smaller alkali metals tend to polarise the larger anions (the peroxide and superoxide) due to their small size. This attracts the electrons in the more complex anions towards one of its constituent oxygen atoms, forming an oxide ion and an oxygen atom. This causes lithium to form the oxide exclusively on reaction with oxygen at room temperature. This effect becomes drastically weaker for the larger sodium and potassium, allowing them to form the less stable peroxides. Rubidium and caesium, at the bottom of the group, are so large that even the least stable superoxides can form. Because the superoxide releases the most energy when formed, the superoxide is preferentially formed for the larger alkali metals where the more complex anions are not polarised. (The oxides and peroxides for these alkali metals do exist, but do not form upon direct reaction of the metal with oxygen at standard conditions.) In addition, the small size of the Li<sup>+</sup> and O<sup>2−</sup> ions contributes to their forming a stable ionic lattice structure. Under controlled conditions, however, all the alkali metals, with the exception of francium, are known to form their oxides, peroxides, and superoxides. The alkali metal peroxides and superoxides are powerful oxidising agents. Sodium peroxide and potassium superoxide react with carbon dioxide to form the alkali metal carbonate and oxygen gas, which allows them to be used in submarine air purifiers; the presence of water vapour, naturally present in breath, makes the removal of carbon dioxide by potassium superoxide even more efficient. All the stable alkali metals except lithium can form red ozonides (MO<sub>3</sub>) through low-temperature reaction of the powdered anhydrous hydroxide with ozone: the ozonides may be then extracted using liquid ammonia. They slowly decompose at standard conditions to the superoxides and oxygen, and hydrolyse immediately to the hydroxides when in contact with water. Potassium, rubidium, and caesium also form sesquioxides M<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, which may be better considered peroxide disuperoxides, [(M<sup>+</sup>)<sub>4</sub>(O2−2)(O−2)<sub>2</sub>].
Rubidium and caesium can form a great variety of suboxides with the metals in formal oxidation states below +1. Rubidium can form Rb<sub>6</sub>O and Rb<sub>9</sub>O<sub>2</sub> (copper-coloured) upon oxidation in air, while caesium forms an immense variety of oxides, such as the ozonide CsO<sub>3</sub> and several brightly coloured suboxides, such as Cs<sub>7</sub>O (bronze), Cs<sub>4</sub>O (red-violet), Cs<sub>11</sub>O<sub>3</sub> (violet), Cs<sub>3</sub>O (dark green), CsO, Cs<sub>3</sub>O<sub>2</sub>, as well as Cs<sub>7</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. The last of these may be heated under vacuum to generate Cs<sub>2</sub>O.
The alkali metals can also react analogously with the heavier chalcogens (sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and polonium), and all the alkali metal chalcogenides are known (with the exception of francium's). Reaction with an excess of the chalcogen can similarly result in lower chalcogenides, with chalcogen ions containing chains of the chalcogen atoms in question. For example, sodium can react with sulfur to form the sulfide (Na<sub>2</sub>S) and various polysulfides with the formula Na<sub>2</sub>S<sub>x</sub> (x from 2 to 6), containing the S<sup>2−</sup>
<sub>x</sub> ions. Due to the basicity of the Se<sup>2−</sup> and Te<sup>2−</sup> ions, the alkali metal selenides and tellurides are alkaline in solution; when reacted directly with selenium and tellurium, alkali metal polyselenides and polytellurides are formed along with the selenides and tellurides with the Se<sup>2−</sup>
<sub>x</sub> and Te<sup>2−</sup>
<sub>x</sub> ions. They may be obtained directly from the elements in liquid ammonia or when air is not present, and are colourless, water-soluble compounds that air oxidises quickly back to selenium or tellurium. The alkali metal polonides are all ionic compounds containing the Po<sup>2−</sup> ion; they are very chemically stable and can be produced by direct reaction of the elements at around 300–400 °C.
### Halides, hydrides, and pseudohalides
The alkali metals are among the most electropositive elements on the periodic table and thus tend to bond ionically to the most electronegative elements on the periodic table, the halogens (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine), forming salts known as the alkali metal halides. The reaction is very vigorous and can sometimes result in explosions. All twenty stable alkali metal halides are known; the unstable ones are not known, with the exception of sodium astatide, because of the great instability and rarity of astatine and francium. The most well-known of the twenty is certainly sodium chloride, otherwise known as common salt. All of the stable alkali metal halides have the formula MX where M is an alkali metal and X is a halogen. They are all white ionic crystalline solids that have high melting points. All the alkali metal halides are soluble in water except for lithium fluoride (LiF), which is insoluble in water due to its very high lattice enthalpy. The high lattice enthalpy of lithium fluoride is due to the small sizes of the Li<sup>+</sup> and F<sup>−</sup> ions, causing the electrostatic interactions between them to be strong: a similar effect occurs for magnesium fluoride, consistent with the diagonal relationship between lithium and magnesium.
The alkali metals also react similarly with hydrogen to form ionic alkali metal hydrides, where the hydride anion acts as a pseudohalide: these are often used as reducing agents, producing hydrides, complex metal hydrides, or hydrogen gas. Other pseudohalides are also known, notably the cyanides. These are isostructural to the respective halides except for lithium cyanide, indicating that the cyanide ions may rotate freely. Ternary alkali metal halide oxides, such as Na<sub>3</sub>ClO, K<sub>3</sub>BrO (yellow), Na<sub>4</sub>Br<sub>2</sub>O, Na<sub>4</sub>I<sub>2</sub>O, and K<sub>4</sub>Br<sub>2</sub>O, are also known. The polyhalides are rather unstable, although those of rubidium and caesium are greatly stabilised by the feeble polarising power of these extremely large cations.
### Coordination complexes
Alkali metal cations do not usually form coordination complexes with simple Lewis bases due to their low charge of just +1 and their relatively large size; thus the Li<sup>+</sup> ion forms most complexes and the heavier alkali metal ions form less and less (though exceptions occur for weak complexes). Lithium in particular has a very rich coordination chemistry in which it exhibits coordination numbers from 1 to 12, although octahedral hexacoordination is its preferred mode. In aqueous solution, the alkali metal ions exist as octahedral hexahydrate complexes ([M(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>6</sub>)]<sup>+</sup>), with the exception of the lithium ion, which due to its small size forms tetrahedral tetrahydrate complexes ([Li(H<sub>2</sub>O)<sub>4</sub>)]<sup>+</sup>); the alkali metals form these complexes because their ions are attracted by electrostatic forces of attraction to the polar water molecules. Because of this, anhydrous salts containing alkali metal cations are often used as desiccants. Alkali metals also readily form complexes with crown ethers (e.g. 12-crown-4 for Li<sup>+</sup>, 15-crown-5 for Na<sup>+</sup>, 18-crown-6 for K<sup>+</sup>, and 21-crown-7 for Rb<sup>+</sup>) and cryptands due to electrostatic attraction.
### Ammonia solutions
The alkali metals dissolve slowly in liquid ammonia, forming ammoniacal solutions of solvated metal cation M<sup>+</sup> and solvated electron e<sup>−</sup>, which react to form hydrogen gas and the alkali metal amide (MNH<sub>2</sub>, where M represents an alkali metal): this was first noted by Humphry Davy in 1809 and rediscovered by W. Weyl in 1864. The process may be speeded up by a catalyst. Similar solutions are formed by the heavy divalent alkaline earth metals calcium, strontium, barium, as well as the divalent lanthanides, europium and ytterbium. The amide salt is quite insoluble and readily precipitates out of solution, leaving intensely coloured ammonia solutions of the alkali metals. In 1907, Charles A. Kraus identified the colour as being due to the presence of solvated electrons, which contribute to the high electrical conductivity of these solutions. At low concentrations (below 3 M), the solution is dark blue and has ten times the conductivity of aqueous sodium chloride; at higher concentrations (above 3 M), the solution is copper-coloured and has approximately the conductivity of liquid metals like mercury. In addition to the alkali metal amide salt and solvated electrons, such ammonia solutions also contain the alkali metal cation (M<sup>+</sup>), the neutral alkali metal atom (M), diatomic alkali metal molecules (M<sub>2</sub>) and alkali metal anions (M<sup>−</sup>). These are unstable and eventually become the more thermodynamically stable alkali metal amide and hydrogen gas. Solvated electrons are powerful reducing agents and are often used in chemical synthesis.
### Organometallic
#### Organolithium
Being the smallest alkali metal, lithium forms the widest variety of and most stable organometallic compounds, which are bonded covalently. Organolithium compounds are electrically non-conducting volatile solids or liquids that melt at low temperatures, and tend to form oligomers with the structure (RLi)<sub>x</sub> where R is the organic group. As the electropositive nature of lithium puts most of the charge density of the bond on the carbon atom, effectively creating a carbanion, organolithium compounds are extremely powerful bases and nucleophiles. For use as bases, butyllithiums are often used and are commercially available. An example of an organolithium compound is methyllithium ((CH<sub>3</sub>Li)<sub>x</sub>), which exists in tetrameric (x = 4, tetrahedral) and hexameric (x = 6, octahedral) forms. Organolithium compounds, especially n-butyllithium, are useful reagents in organic synthesis, as might be expected given lithium's diagonal relationship with magnesium, which plays an important role in the Grignard reaction. For example, alkyllithiums and aryllithiums may be used to synthesise aldehydes and ketones by reaction with metal carbonyls. The reaction with nickel tetracarbonyl, for example, proceeds through an unstable acyl nickel carbonyl complex which then undergoes electrophilic substitution to give the desired aldehyde (using H<sup>+</sup> as the electrophile) or ketone (using an alkyl halide) product.
LiR \\ + \\ [Ni(CO)4] \\ \longrightarrow Li^{+}[RCONi(CO)3]^{-}
Li^{+}[RCONi(CO)3]^{-}-\>[\ce{H^{+}}][\ce{solvent}] \\ Li^{+} \\ + \\ RCHO \\ + \\ [(solvent)Ni(CO)3]
Li^{+}[RCONi(CO)3]^{-}-\>[\ce{R^{'}Br}][\ce{solvent}] \\ Li^{+} \\ + \\ RR^{'}CO \\ + \\ [(solvent)Ni(CO)3]
Alkyllithiums and aryllithiums may also react with N,N-disubstituted amides to give aldehydes and ketones, and symmetrical ketones by reacting with carbon monoxide. They thermally decompose to eliminate a β-hydrogen, producing alkenes and lithium hydride: another route is the reaction of ethers with alkyl- and aryllithiums that act as strong bases. In non-polar solvents, aryllithiums react as the carbanions they effectively are, turning carbon dioxide to aromatic carboxylic acids (ArCO<sub>2</sub>H) and aryl ketones to tertiary carbinols (Ar'<sub>2</sub>C(Ar)OH). Finally, they may be used to synthesise other organometallic compounds through metal-halogen exchange.
#### Heavier alkali metals
Unlike the organolithium compounds, the organometallic compounds of the heavier alkali metals are predominantly ionic. The application of organosodium compounds in chemistry is limited in part due to competition from organolithium compounds, which are commercially available and exhibit more convenient reactivity. The principal organosodium compound of commercial importance is sodium cyclopentadienide. Sodium tetraphenylborate can also be classified as an organosodium compound since in the solid state sodium is bound to the aryl groups. Organometallic compounds of the higher alkali metals are even more reactive than organosodium compounds and of limited utility. A notable reagent is Schlosser's base, a mixture of n-butyllithium and potassium tert-butoxide. This reagent reacts with propene to form the compound allylpotassium (KCH<sub>2</sub>CHCH<sub>2</sub>). cis-2-Butene and trans-2-butene equilibrate when in contact with alkali metals. Whereas isomerisation is fast with lithium and sodium, it is slow with the heavier alkali metals. The heavier alkali metals also favour the sterically congested conformation. Several crystal structures of organopotassium compounds have been reported, establishing that they, like the sodium compounds, are polymeric. Organosodium, organopotassium, organorubidium and organocaesium compounds are all mostly ionic and are insoluble (or nearly so) in nonpolar solvents.
Alkyl and aryl derivatives of sodium and potassium tend to react with air. They cause the cleavage of ethers, generating alkoxides. Unlike alkyllithium compounds, alkylsodiums and alkylpotassiums cannot be made by reacting the metals with alkyl halides because Wurtz coupling occurs:
RM + R'X → R–R' + MX
As such, they have to be made by reacting alkylmercury compounds with sodium or potassium metal in inert hydrocarbon solvents. While methylsodium forms tetramers like methyllithium, methylpotassium is more ionic and has the nickel arsenide structure with discrete methyl anions and potassium cations.
The alkali metals and their hydrides react with acidic hydrocarbons, for example cyclopentadienes and terminal alkynes, to give salts. Liquid ammonia, ether, or hydrocarbon solvents are used, the most common of which being tetrahydrofuran. The most important of these compounds is sodium cyclopentadienide, NaC<sub>5</sub>H<sub>5</sub>, an important precursor to many transition metal cyclopentadienyl derivatives. Similarly, the alkali metals react with cyclooctatetraene in tetrahydrofuran to give alkali metal cyclooctatetraenides; for example, dipotassium cyclooctatetraenide (K<sub>2</sub>C<sub>8</sub>H<sub>8</sub>) is an important precursor to many metal cyclooctatetraenyl derivatives, such as uranocene. The large and very weakly polarising alkali metal cations can stabilise large, aromatic, polarisable radical anions, such as the dark-green sodium naphthalenide, Na<sup>+</sup>[C<sub>10</sub>H<sub>8</sub>•]<sup>−</sup>, a strong reducing agent.
## Representative reactions of alkali metals
### Reaction with oxygen
Upon reacting with oxygen, alkali metals form oxides, peroxides, superoxides and suboxides. However, the first three are more common. The table below shows the types of compounds formed in reaction with oxygen. The compound in brackets represents the minor product of combustion.
The alkali metal peroxides are ionic compounds that are unstable in water. The peroxide anion is weakly bound to the cation, and it is hydrolysed, forming stronger covalent bonds.
Na<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> + 2H<sub>2</sub>O → 2NaOH + H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>
The other oxygen compounds are also unstable in water.
2KO<sub>2</sub> + 2H<sub>2</sub>O → 2KOH + H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> + O<sub>2</sub>
Li<sub>2</sub>O + H<sub>2</sub>O → 2LiOH
### Reaction with sulfur
With sulfur, they form sulfides and polysulfides.
2Na + 1/8S<sub>8</sub> → Na<sub>2</sub>S + 1/8S<sub>8</sub> → Na<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub>...Na<sub>2</sub>S<sub>7</sub>
Because alkali metal sulfides are essentially salts of a weak acid and a strong base, they form basic solutions.
S<sup>2-</sup> + H<sub>2</sub>O → HS<sup>−</sup> + HO<sup>−</sup>
HS<sup>−</sup> + H<sub>2</sub>O → H<sub>2</sub>S + HO<sup>−</sup>
### Reaction with nitrogen
Lithium is the only metal that combines directly with nitrogen at room temperature.
3Li + 1/2N<sub>2</sub> → Li<sub>3</sub>N
Li<sub>3</sub>N can react with water to liberate ammonia.
Li<sub>3</sub>N + 3H<sub>2</sub>O → 3LiOH + NH<sub>3</sub>
### Reaction with hydrogen
With hydrogen, alkali metals form saline hydrides that hydrolyse in water.
2 Na \\ + H2 \\ -\>[\ce{\Delta}] \\ 2 NaH
2 NaH \\ + \\ 2 H2O \\ \longrightarrow \\ 2 NaOH \\ + \\ H2 \uparrow
### Reaction with carbon
Lithium is the only metal that reacts directly with carbon to give dilithium acetylide. Na and K can react with acetylene to give acetylides.
2 Li \\ + \\ 2 C \\ \longrightarrow \\ Li2C2
2 Na \\ + \\ 2 C2H2 \\ -\>[\ce{150 \\ ^{o}C}] \\ 2 NaC2H \\ + \\ H2
2 Na \\ + \\ 2 NaCCH \\ -\>[\ce{220 \\ ^{o}C}] \\ 2 Na2C2 \\ + \\ H2
### Reaction with water
On reaction with water, they generate hydroxide ions and hydrogen gas. This reaction is vigorous and highly exothermic and the hydrogen resulted may ignite in air or even explode in the case of Rb and Cs.
Na + H<sub>2</sub>O → NaOH + 1/2H<sub>2</sub>
### Reaction with other salts
The alkali metals are very good reducing agents. They can reduce metal cations that are less electropositive. Titanium is produced industrially by the reduction of titanium tetrachloride with Na at 400<sup>0</sup>C (van Arkel–de Boer process).
TiCl<sub>4</sub> + 4Na → 4NaCl + Ti
### Reaction with organohalide compounds
Alkali metals react with halogen derivatives to generate hydrocarbon via the Wurtz reaction.
2CH<sub>3</sub>-Cl + 2Na → H<sub>3</sub>C-CH<sub>3</sub> + 2NaCl
### Alkali metals in liquid ammonia
Alkali metals dissolve in liquid ammonia or other donor solvents like aliphatic amines or hexamethylphosphoramide to give blue solutions. These solutions are believed to contain free electrons.
Na + xNH<sub>3</sub> → Na<sup>+</sup> + e(NH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>x</sub><sup>−</sup>
Due to the presence of solvated electrons, these solutions are very powerful reducing agents used in organic synthesis.
Reaction 1) is known as Birch reduction. Other reductions that can be carried by these solutions are:
S<sub>8</sub> + 2e<sup>−</sup> → S<sub>8</sub><sup>2-</sup>
Fe(CO)<sub>5</sub> + 2e<sup>−</sup> → Fe(CO)<sub>4</sub><sup>2-</sup> + CO
## Extensions
Although francium is the heaviest alkali metal that has been discovered, there has been some theoretical work predicting the physical and chemical characteristics of hypothetical heavier alkali metals. Being the first period 8 element, the undiscovered element ununennium (element 119) is predicted to be the next alkali metal after francium and behave much like their lighter congeners; however, it is also predicted to differ from the lighter alkali metals in some properties. Its chemistry is predicted to be closer to that of potassium or rubidium instead of caesium or francium. This is unusual as periodic trends, ignoring relativistic effects would predict ununennium to be even more reactive than caesium and francium. This lowered reactivity is due to the relativistic stabilisation of ununennium's valence electron, increasing ununennium's first ionisation energy and decreasing the metallic and ionic radii; this effect is already seen for francium. This assumes that ununennium will behave chemically as an alkali metal, which, although likely, may not be true due to relativistic effects. The relativistic stabilisation of the 8s orbital also increases ununennium's electron affinity far beyond that of caesium and francium; indeed, ununennium is expected to have an electron affinity higher than all the alkali metals lighter than it. Relativistic effects also cause a very large drop in the polarisability of ununennium. On the other hand, ununennium is predicted to continue the trend of melting points decreasing going down the group, being expected to have a melting point between 0 °C and 30 °C.
The stabilisation of ununennium's valence electron and thus the contraction of the 8s orbital cause its atomic radius to be lowered to 240 pm, very close to that of rubidium (247 pm), so that the chemistry of ununennium in the +1 oxidation state should be more similar to the chemistry of rubidium than to that of francium. On the other hand, the ionic radius of the Uue<sup>+</sup> ion is predicted to be larger than that of Rb<sup>+</sup>, because the 7p orbitals are destabilised and are thus larger than the p-orbitals of the lower shells. Ununennium may also show the +3 and +5 oxidation states, which are not seen in any other alkali metal, in addition to the +1 oxidation state that is characteristic of the other alkali metals and is also the main oxidation state of all the known alkali metals: this is because of the destabilisation and expansion of the 7p<sub>3/2</sub> spinor, causing its outermost electrons to have a lower ionisation energy than what would otherwise be expected. Indeed, many ununennium compounds are expected to have a large covalent character, due to the involvement of the 7p<sub>3/2</sub> electrons in the bonding.
Not as much work has been done predicting the properties of the alkali metals beyond ununennium. Although a simple extrapolation of the periodic table (by the aufbau principle) would put element 169, unhexennium, under ununennium, Dirac-Fock calculations predict that the next element after ununennium with alkali-metal-like properties may be element 165, unhexpentium, which is predicted to have the electron configuration [Og] 5g<sup>18</sup> 6f<sup>14</sup> 7d<sup>10</sup> 8s<sup>2</sup> 8p<sub>1/2</sub><sup>2</sup> 9s<sup>1</sup>. This element would be intermediate in properties between an alkali metal and a group 11 element, and while its physical and atomic properties would be closer to the former, its chemistry may be closer to that of the latter. Further calculations show that unhexpentium would follow the trend of increasing ionisation energy beyond caesium, having an ionisation energy comparable to that of sodium, and that it should also continue the trend of decreasing atomic radii beyond caesium, having an atomic radius comparable to that of potassium. However, the 7d electrons of unhexpentium may also be able to participate in chemical reactions along with the 9s electron, possibly allowing oxidation states beyond +1, whence the likely transition metal behaviour of unhexpentium. Due to the alkali and alkaline earth metals both being s-block elements, these predictions for the trends and properties of ununennium and unhexpentium also mostly hold quite similarly for the corresponding alkaline earth metals unbinilium (Ubn) and unhexhexium (Uhh). Unsepttrium, element 173, may be an even better heavier homologue of ununennium; with a predicted electron configuration of [Usb] 6g<sup>1</sup>, it returns to the alkali-metal-like situation of having one easily removed electron far above a closed p-shell in energy, and is expected to be even more reactive than caesium.
The probable properties of further alkali metals beyond unsepttrium have not been explored yet as of 2019, and they may or may not be able to exist. In periods 8 and above of the periodic table, relativistic and shell-structure effects become so strong that extrapolations from lighter congeners become completely inaccurate. In addition, the relativistic and shell-structure effects (which stabilise the s-orbitals and destabilise and expand the d-, f-, and g-orbitals of higher shells) have opposite effects, causing even larger difference between relativistic and non-relativistic calculations of the properties of elements with such high atomic numbers. Interest in the chemical properties of ununennium, unhexpentium, and unsepttrium stems from the fact that they are located close to the expected locations of islands of stability, centered at elements 122 (<sup>306</sup>Ubb) and 164 (<sup>482</sup>Uhq).
## Pseudo-alkali metals
Many other substances are similar to the alkali metals in their tendency to form monopositive cations. Analogously to the pseudohalogens, they have sometimes been called "pseudo-alkali metals". These substances include some elements and many more polyatomic ions; the polyatomic ions are especially similar to the alkali metals in their large size and weak polarising power.
### Hydrogen
The element hydrogen, with one electron per neutral atom, is usually placed at the top of Group 1 of the periodic table because of its electron configuration. But hydrogen is not normally considered to be an alkali metal. Metallic hydrogen, which only exists at very high pressures, is known for its electrical and magnetic properties, not its chemical properties. Under typical conditions, pure hydrogen exists as a diatomic gas consisting of two atoms per molecule (H<sub>2</sub>); however, the alkali metals form diatomic molecules (such as dilithium, Li<sub>2</sub>) only at high temperatures, when they are in the gaseous state.
Hydrogen, like the alkali metals, has one valence electron and reacts easily with the halogens, but the similarities mostly end there because of the small size of a bare proton H<sup>+</sup> compared to the alkali metal cations. Its placement above lithium is primarily due to its electron configuration. It is sometimes placed above fluorine due to their similar chemical properties, though the resemblance is likewise not absolute.
The first ionisation energy of hydrogen (1312.0 kJ/mol) is much higher than that of the alkali metals. As only one additional electron is required to fill in the outermost shell of the hydrogen atom, hydrogen often behaves like a halogen, forming the negative hydride ion, and is very occasionally considered to be a halogen on that basis. (The alkali metals can also form negative ions, known as alkalides, but these are little more than laboratory curiosities, being unstable.) An argument against this placement is that formation of hydride from hydrogen is endothermic, unlike the exothermic formation of halides from halogens. The radius of the H<sup>−</sup> anion also does not fit the trend of increasing size going down the halogens: indeed, H<sup>−</sup> is very diffuse because its single proton cannot easily control both electrons. It was expected for some time that liquid hydrogen would show metallic properties; while this has been shown to not be the case, under extremely high pressures, such as those found at the cores of Jupiter and Saturn, hydrogen does become metallic and behaves like an alkali metal; in this phase, it is known as metallic hydrogen. The electrical resistivity of liquid metallic hydrogen at 3000 K is approximately equal to that of liquid rubidium and caesium at 2000 K at the respective pressures when they undergo a nonmetal-to-metal transition.
The 1s<sup>1</sup> electron configuration of hydrogen, while analogous to that of the alkali metals (ns<sup>1</sup>), is unique because there is no 1p subshell. Hence it can lose an electron to form the hydron H<sup>+</sup>, or gain one to form the hydride ion H<sup>−</sup>. In the former case it resembles superficially the alkali metals; in the latter case, the halogens, but the differences due to the lack of a 1p subshell are important enough that neither group fits the properties of hydrogen well. Group 14 is also a good fit in terms of thermodynamic properties such as ionisation energy and electron affinity, but hydrogen cannot be tetravalent. Thus none of the three placements are entirely satisfactory, although group 1 is the most common placement (if one is chosen) because of the electron configuration and the fact that the hydron is by far the most important of all monatomic hydrogen species, being the foundation of acid-base chemistry. As an example of hydrogen's unorthodox properties stemming from its unusual electron configuration and small size, the hydrogen ion is very small (radius around 150 fm compared to the 50–220 pm size of most other atoms and ions) and so is nonexistent in condensed systems other than in association with other atoms or molecules. Indeed, transferring of protons between chemicals is the basis of acid-base chemistry. Also unique is hydrogen's ability to form hydrogen bonds, which are an effect of charge-transfer, electrostatic, and electron correlative contributing phenomena. While analogous lithium bonds are also known, they are mostly electrostatic. Nevertheless, hydrogen can take on the same structural role as the alkali metals in some molecular crystals, and has a close relationship with the lightest alkali metals (especially lithium).
### Ammonium and derivatives
The ammonium ion (NH+4) has very similar properties to the heavier alkali metals, acting as an alkali metal intermediate between potassium and rubidium, and is often considered a close relative. For example, most alkali metal salts are soluble in water, a property which ammonium salts share. Ammonium is expected to behave stably as a metal (NH+4 ions in a sea of delocalised electrons) at very high pressures (though less than the typical pressure where transitions from insulating to metallic behaviour occur around, 100 GPa), and could possibly occur inside the ice giants Uranus and Neptune, which may have significant impacts on their interior magnetic fields. It has been estimated that the transition from a mixture of ammonia and dihydrogen molecules to metallic ammonium may occur at pressures just below 25 GPa. Under standard conditions, ammonium can form a metallic amalgam with mercury.
Other "pseudo-alkali metals" include the alkylammonium cations, in which some of the hydrogen atoms in the ammonium cation are replaced by alkyl or aryl groups. In particular, the quaternary ammonium cations (NR+4) are very useful since they are permanently charged, and they are often used as an alternative to the expensive Cs<sup>+</sup> to stabilise very large and very easily polarisable anions such as HI−2. Tetraalkylammonium hydroxides, like alkali metal hydroxides, are very strong bases that react with atmospheric carbon dioxide to form carbonates. Furthermore, the nitrogen atom may be replaced by a phosphorus, arsenic, or antimony atom (the heavier nonmetallic pnictogens), creating a phosphonium (PH+4) or arsonium (AsH+4) cation that can itself be substituted similarly; while stibonium (SbH+4) itself is not known, some of its organic derivatives are characterised.
### Cobaltocene and derivatives
Cobaltocene, Co(C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)<sub>2</sub>, is a metallocene, the cobalt analogue of ferrocene. It is a dark purple solid. Cobaltocene has 19 valence electrons, one more than usually found in organotransition metal complexes, such as its very stable relative, ferrocene, in accordance with the 18-electron rule. This additional electron occupies an orbital that is antibonding with respect to the Co–C bonds. Consequently, many chemical reactions of Co(C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)<sub>2</sub> are characterized by its tendency to lose this "extra" electron, yielding a very stable 18-electron cation known as cobaltocenium. Many cobaltocenium salts coprecipitate with caesium salts, and cobaltocenium hydroxide is a strong base that absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide to form cobaltocenium carbonate. Like the alkali metals, cobaltocene is a strong reducing agent, and decamethylcobaltocene is stronger still due to the combined inductive effect of the ten methyl groups. Cobalt may be substituted by its heavier congener rhodium to give rhodocene, an even stronger reducing agent. Iridocene (involving iridium) would presumably be still more potent, but is not very well-studied due to its instability.
### Thallium
Thallium is the heaviest stable element in group 13 of the periodic table. At the bottom of the periodic table, the inert-pair effect is quite strong, because of the relativistic stabilisation of the 6s orbital and the decreasing bond energy as the atoms increase in size so that the amount of energy released in forming two more bonds is not worth the high ionisation energies of the 6s electrons. It displays the +1 oxidation state that all the known alkali metals display, and thallium compounds with thallium in its +1 oxidation state closely resemble the corresponding potassium or silver compounds stoichiometrically due to the similar ionic radii of the Tl<sup>+</sup> (164 pm), K<sup>+</sup> (152 pm) and Ag<sup>+</sup> (129 pm) ions. It was sometimes considered an alkali metal in continental Europe (but not in England) in the years immediately following its discovery, and was placed just after caesium as the sixth alkali metal in Dmitri Mendeleev's 1869 periodic table and Julius Lothar Meyer's 1868 periodic table. (Mendeleev's 1871 periodic table and Meyer's 1870 periodic table put thallium in its current position in the boron group and left the space below caesium blank.) However, thallium also displays the oxidation state +3, which no known alkali metal displays (although ununennium, the undiscovered seventh alkali metal, is predicted to possibly display the +3 oxidation state). The sixth alkali metal is now considered to be francium. While Tl<sup>+</sup> is stabilised by the inert-pair effect, this inert pair of 6s electrons is still able to participate chemically, so that these electrons are stereochemically active in aqueous solution. Additionally, the thallium halides (except TlF) are quite insoluble in water, and TlI has an unusual structure because of the presence of the stereochemically active inert pair in thallium.
### Copper, silver, and gold
The group 11 metals (or coinage metals), copper, silver, and gold, are typically categorised as transition metals given they can form ions with incomplete d-shells. Physically, they have the relatively low melting points and high electronegativity values associated with post-transition metals. "The filled d subshell and free s electron of Cu, Ag, and Au contribute to their high electrical and thermal conductivity. Transition metals to the left of group 11 experience interactions between s electrons and the partially filled d'' subshell that lower electron mobility." Chemically, the group 11 metals behave like main-group metals in their +1 valence states, and are hence somewhat related to the alkali metals: this is one reason for their previously being labelled as "group IB", paralleling the alkali metals' "group IA". They are occasionally classified as post-transition metals. Their spectra are analogous to those of the alkali metals. Their monopositive ions are paramagnetic and contribute no colour to their salts, like those of the alkali metals.
In Mendeleev's 1871 periodic table, copper, silver, and gold are listed twice, once under group VIII (with the iron triad and platinum group metals), and once under group IB. Group IB was nonetheless parenthesised to note that it was tentative. Mendeleev's main criterion for group assignment was the maximum oxidation state of an element: on that basis, the group 11 elements could not be classified in group IB, due to the existence of copper(II) and gold(III) compounds being known at that time. However, eliminating group IB would make group I the only main group (group VIII was labelled a transition group) to lack an A–B bifurcation. Soon afterward, a majority of chemists chose to classify these elements in group IB and remove them from group VIII for the resulting symmetry: this was the predominant classification until the rise of the modern medium-long 18-column periodic table, which separated the alkali metals and group 11 metals.
The coinage metals were traditionally regarded as a subdivision of the alkali metal group, due to them sharing the characteristic s<sup>1</sup> electron configuration of the alkali metals (group 1: p<sup>6</sup>s<sup>1</sup>; group 11: d<sup>10</sup>s<sup>1</sup>). However, the similarities are largely confined to the stoichiometries of the +1 compounds of both groups, and not their chemical properties. This stems from the filled d subshell providing a much weaker shielding effect on the outermost s electron than the filled p subshell, so that the coinage metals have much higher first ionisation energies and smaller ionic radii than do the corresponding alkali metals. Furthermore, they have higher melting points, hardnesses, and densities, and lower reactivities and solubilities in liquid ammonia, as well as having more covalent character in their compounds. Finally, the alkali metals are at the top of the electrochemical series, whereas the coinage metals are almost at the very bottom. The coinage metals' filled d shell is much more easily disrupted than the alkali metals' filled p shell, so that the second and third ionisation energies are lower, enabling higher oxidation states than +1 and a richer coordination chemistry, thus giving the group 11 metals clear transition metal character. Particularly noteworthy is gold forming ionic compounds with rubidium and caesium, in which it forms the auride ion (Au<sup>−</sup>) which also occurs in solvated form in liquid ammonia solution: here gold behaves as a pseudohalogen because its 5d<sup>10</sup>6s<sup>1</sup> configuration has one electron less than the quasi-closed shell 5d<sup>10</sup>6s<sup>2</sup> configuration of mercury.
## Production and isolation
The production of pure alkali metals is somewhat complicated due to their extreme reactivity with commonly used substances, such as water. From their silicate ores, all the stable alkali metals may be obtained the same way: sulfuric acid is first used to dissolve the desired alkali metal ion and aluminium(III) ions from the ore (leaching), whereupon basic precipitation removes aluminium ions from the mixture by precipitating it as the hydroxide. The remaining insoluble alkali metal carbonate is then precipitated selectively; the salt is then dissolved in hydrochloric acid to produce the chloride. The result is then left to evaporate and the alkali metal can then be isolated. Lithium and sodium are typically isolated through electrolysis from their liquid chlorides, with calcium chloride typically added to lower the melting point of the mixture. The heavier alkali metals, however, are more typically isolated in a different way, where a reducing agent (typically sodium for potassium and magnesium or calcium for the heaviest alkali metals) is used to reduce the alkali metal chloride. The liquid or gaseous product (the alkali metal) then undergoes fractional distillation for purification. Most routes to the pure alkali metals require the use of electrolysis due to their high reactivity; one of the few which does not is the pyrolysis of the corresponding alkali metal azide, which yields the metal for sodium, potassium, rubidium, and caesium and the nitride for lithium.
Lithium salts have to be extracted from the water of mineral springs, brine pools, and brine deposits. The metal is produced electrolytically from a mixture of fused lithium chloride and potassium chloride.
Sodium occurs mostly in seawater and dried seabed, but is now produced through electrolysis of sodium chloride by lowering the melting point of the substance to below 700 °C through the use of a Downs cell. Extremely pure sodium can be produced through the thermal decomposition of sodium azide. Potassium occurs in many minerals, such as sylvite (potassium chloride). Previously, potassium was generally made from the electrolysis of potassium chloride or potassium hydroxide, found extensively in places such as Canada, Russia, Belarus, Germany, Israel, United States, and Jordan, in a method similar to how sodium was produced in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It can also be produced from seawater. However, these methods are problematic because the potassium metal tends to dissolve in its molten chloride and vaporises significantly at the operating temperatures, potentially forming the explosive superoxide. As a result, pure potassium metal is now produced by reducing molten potassium chloride with sodium metal at 850 °C.
Na (g) + KCl (l) NaCl (l) + K (g)
Although sodium is less reactive than potassium, this process works because at such high temperatures potassium is more volatile than sodium and can easily be distilled off, so that the equilibrium shifts towards the right to produce more potassium gas and proceeds almost to completion.
Metals like sodium are obtained by electrolysis of molten salts. Rb & Cs obtained mainly as by products of Li processing. To make pure caesium, ores of caesium and rubidium are crushed and heated to 650 °C with sodium metal, generating an alloy that can then be separated via a fractional distillation technique. Because metallic caesium is too reactive to handle, it is normally offered as caesium azide (CsN3). Caesium hydroxide is formed when caesium interacts aggressively with water and ice (CsOH).
Rubidium is the 16th most prevalent element in the earth's crust; however, it is quite rare. Some minerals found in North America, South Africa, Russia, and Canada contain rubidium. Some potassium minerals (lepidolites, biotites, feldspar, carnallite) contain it, together with caesium. Pollucite, carnallite, leucite, and lepidolite are all minerals that contain rubidium. As a by-product of lithium extraction, it is commercially obtained from lepidolite. Rubidium is also found in potassium rocks and brines, which is a commercial supply. The majority of rubidium is now obtained as a byproduct of refining lithium. Rubidium is used in vacuum tubes as a getter, a material that combines with and removes trace gases from vacuum tubes. For several years in the 1950s and 1960s, a by-product of the potassium production called Alkarb was a main source for rubidium. Alkarb contained 21% rubidium while the rest was potassium and a small fraction of caesium. Today the largest producers of caesium, for example the Tanco Mine in Manitoba, Canada, produce rubidium as by-product from pollucite. Today, a common method for separating rubidium from potassium and caesium is the fractional crystallisation of a rubidium and caesium alum (Cs, Rb)Al(SO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>·12H<sub>2</sub>O, which yields pure rubidium alum after approximately 30 recrystallisations. The limited applications and the lack of a mineral rich in rubidium limit the production of rubidium compounds to 2 to 4 tonnes per year. Caesium, however, is not produced from the above reaction. Instead, the mining of pollucite ore is the main method of obtaining pure caesium, extracted from the ore mainly by three methods: acid digestion, alkaline decomposition, and direct reduction. Both metals are produced as by-products of lithium production: after 1958, when interest in lithium's thermonuclear properties increased sharply, the production of rubidium and caesium also increased correspondingly. Pure rubidium and caesium metals are produced by reducing their chlorides with calcium metal at 750 °C and low pressure.
As a result of its extreme rarity in nature, most francium is synthesised in the nuclear reaction <sup>197</sup>Au + <sup>18</sup>O → <sup>210</sup>Fr + 5 n, yielding francium-209, francium-210, and francium-211. The greatest quantity of francium ever assembled to date is about 300,000 neutral atoms, which were synthesised using the nuclear reaction given above. When the only natural isotope francium-223 is specifically required, it is produced as the alpha daughter of actinium-227, itself produced synthetically from the neutron irradiation of natural radium-226, one of the daughters of natural uranium-238.
## Applications
Lithium, sodium, and potassium have many applications, while rubidium and caesium are very useful in academic contexts but do not have many applications yet. Lithium is often used in lithium-ion batteries, and lithium oxide can help process silica. Lithium stearate is a thickener and can be used to make lubricating greases; it is produced from lithium hydroxide, which is also used to absorb carbon dioxide in space capsules and submarines. Lithium chloride is used as a brazing alloy for aluminium parts. Metallic lithium is used in alloys with magnesium and aluminium to give very tough and light alloys.
Sodium compounds have many applications, the most well-known being sodium chloride as table salt. Sodium salts of fatty acids are used as soap. Pure sodium metal also has many applications, including use in sodium-vapour lamps, which produce very efficient light compared to other types of lighting, and can help smooth the surface of other metals. Being a strong reducing agent, it is often used to reduce many other metals, such as titanium and zirconium, from their chlorides. Furthermore, it is very useful as a heat-exchange liquid in fast breeder nuclear reactors due to its low melting point, viscosity, and cross-section towards neutron absorption.
Potassium compounds are often used as fertilisers as potassium is an important element for plant nutrition. Potassium hydroxide is a very strong base, and is used to control the pH of various substances. Potassium nitrate and potassium permanganate are often used as powerful oxidising agents. Potassium superoxide is used in breathing masks, as it reacts with carbon dioxide to give potassium carbonate and oxygen gas. Pure potassium metal is not often used, but its alloys with sodium may substitute for pure sodium in fast breeder nuclear reactors.
Rubidium and caesium are often used in atomic clocks. Caesium atomic clocks are extraordinarily accurate; if a clock had been made at the time of the dinosaurs, it would be off by less than four seconds (after 80 million years). For that reason, caesium atoms are used as the definition of the second. Rubidium ions are often used in purple fireworks, and caesium is often used in drilling fluids in the petroleum industry.
Francium has no commercial applications, but because of francium's relatively simple atomic structure, among other things, it has been used in spectroscopy experiments, leading to more information regarding energy levels and the coupling constants between subatomic particles. Studies on the light emitted by laser-trapped francium-210 ions have provided accurate data on transitions between atomic energy levels, similar to those predicted by quantum theory.
## Biological role and precautions
### Metals
Pure alkali metals are dangerously reactive with air and water and must be kept away from heat, fire, oxidising agents, acids, most organic compounds, halocarbons, plastics, and moisture. They also react with carbon dioxide and carbon tetrachloride, so that normal fire extinguishers are counterproductive when used on alkali metal fires. Some Class D dry powder extinguishers designed for metal fires are effective, depriving the fire of oxygen and cooling the alkali metal.
Experiments are usually conducted using only small quantities of a few grams in a fume hood. Small quantities of lithium may be disposed of by reaction with cool water, but the heavier alkali metals should be dissolved in the less reactive isopropanol. The alkali metals must be stored under mineral oil or an inert atmosphere. The inert atmosphere used may be argon or nitrogen gas, except for lithium, which reacts with nitrogen. Rubidium and caesium must be kept away from air, even under oil, because even a small amount of air diffused into the oil may trigger formation of the dangerously explosive peroxide; for the same reason, potassium should not be stored under oil in an oxygen-containing atmosphere for longer than 6 months.
### Ions
The bioinorganic chemistry of the alkali metal ions has been extensively reviewed. Solid state crystal structures have been determined for many complexes of alkali metal ions in small peptides, nucleic acid constituents, carbohydrates and ionophore complexes.
Lithium naturally only occurs in traces in biological systems and has no known biological role, but does have effects on the body when ingested. Lithium carbonate is used as a mood stabiliser in psychiatry to treat bipolar disorder (manic-depression) in daily doses of about 0.5 to 2 grams, although there are side-effects. Excessive ingestion of lithium causes drowsiness, slurred speech and vomiting, among other symptoms, and poisons the central nervous system, which is dangerous as the required dosage of lithium to treat bipolar disorder is only slightly lower than the toxic dosage. Its biochemistry, the way it is handled by the human body and studies using rats and goats suggest that it is an essential trace element, although the natural biological function of lithium in humans has yet to be identified.
Sodium and potassium occur in all known biological systems, generally functioning as electrolytes inside and outside cells. Sodium is an essential nutrient that regulates blood volume, blood pressure, osmotic equilibrium and pH; the minimum physiological requirement for sodium is 500 milligrams per day. Sodium chloride (also known as common salt) is the principal source of sodium in the diet, and is used as seasoning and preservative, such as for pickling and jerky; most of it comes from processed foods. The Dietary Reference Intake for sodium is 1.5 grams per day, but most people in the United States consume more than 2.3 grams per day, the minimum amount that promotes hypertension; this in turn causes 7.6 million premature deaths worldwide.
Potassium is the major cation (positive ion) inside animal cells, while sodium is the major cation outside animal cells. The concentration differences of these charged particles causes a difference in electric potential between the inside and outside of cells, known as the membrane potential. The balance between potassium and sodium is maintained by ion transporter proteins in the cell membrane. The cell membrane potential created by potassium and sodium ions allows the cell to generate an action potential—a "spike" of electrical discharge. The ability of cells to produce electrical discharge is critical for body functions such as neurotransmission, muscle contraction, and heart function. Disruption of this balance may thus be fatal: for example, ingestion of large amounts of potassium compounds can lead to hyperkalemia strongly influencing the cardiovascular system. Potassium chloride is used in the United States for lethal injection executions.
Due to their similar atomic radii, rubidium and caesium in the body mimic potassium and are taken up similarly. Rubidium has no known biological role, but may help stimulate metabolism, and, similarly to caesium, replace potassium in the body causing potassium deficiency. Partial substitution is quite possible and rather non-toxic: a 70 kg person contains on average 0.36 g of rubidium, and an increase in this value by 50 to 100 times did not show negative effects in test persons. Rats can survive up to 50% substitution of potassium by rubidium. Rubidium (and to a much lesser extent caesium) can function as temporary cures for hypokalemia; while rubidium can adequately physiologically substitute potassium in some systems, caesium is never able to do so. There is only very limited evidence in the form of deficiency symptoms for rubidium being possibly essential in goats; even if this is true, the trace amounts usually present in food are more than enough.
Caesium compounds are rarely encountered by most people, but most caesium compounds are mildly toxic. Like rubidium, caesium tends to substitute potassium in the body, but is significantly larger and is therefore a poorer substitute. Excess caesium can lead to hypokalemia, arrythmia, and acute cardiac arrest, but such amounts would not ordinarily be encountered in natural sources. As such, caesium is not a major chemical environmental pollutant. The median lethal dose (LD<sub>50</sub>) value for caesium chloride in mice is 2.3 g per kilogram, which is comparable to the LD<sub>50</sub> values of potassium chloride and sodium chloride. Caesium chloride has been promoted as an alternative cancer therapy, but has been linked to the deaths of over 50 patients, on whom it was used as part of a scientifically unvalidated cancer treatment.
Radioisotopes of caesium require special precautions: the improper handling of caesium-137 gamma ray sources can lead to release of this radioisotope and radiation injuries. Perhaps the best-known case is the Goiânia accident of 1987, in which an improperly-disposed-of radiation therapy system from an abandoned clinic in the city of Goiânia, Brazil, was scavenged from a junkyard, and the glowing caesium salt sold to curious, uneducated buyers. This led to four deaths and serious injuries from radiation exposure. Together with caesium-134, iodine-131, and strontium-90, caesium-137 was among the isotopes distributed by the Chernobyl disaster which constitute the greatest risk to health. Radioisotopes of francium would presumably be dangerous as well due to their high decay energy and short half-life, but none have been produced in large enough amounts to pose any serious risk.
|
19,812,609 |
My Life in Orange
| 1,140,663,273 |
Book by Tim Guest
|
[
"2004 non-fiction books",
"Biological weapons in popular culture",
"British autobiographies",
"Rajneesh movement"
] |
My Life in Orange: Growing Up with the Guru is an account of a child growing up in the Rajneesh movement led by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The book is a firsthand account, written by Tim Guest at the age of 27, years after his experiences. The book was published in 2004 by Granta Books. The book's title is a reference to the term "the orange people", which was used to refer to members of the Rajneesh movement due to the color they dyed their clothes.
Guest describes how his mother was initially raised in strict Catholicism, but later turned to a tape of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh after going through a period of experimenting with sex and drugs. She dyed all of her clothes orange, took on the name of "Ma Prem Vismaya", and "Yogesh" for her son, and moved to a Rajneesh movement commune near Bombay. Guest's mother moved to many different communes, and had leadership roles within the movement, eventually running a commune in Suffolk. Guest recounts how he regretted the absence of his mother's presence during this time, and describes controversial living conditions with other children at the various ashrams. Guest and his mother moved to the 64,000-acre (260 km<sup>2</sup>) commune in Oregon, but his mother was demoted in position and sent to live at a different commune in Cologne. His family later disassociated from the Rajneesh movement and moved back to North London, where they each encountered difficulties reintegrating back into mainstream society.
My Life in Orange received generally positive reviews, and was highlighted in a "Top 20 non-fiction" list by The Daily Telegraph, and a "50 Best Books for the Beach" by The Independent. Kirkus Reviews called the book "a rightly disturbing record of malignant child neglect by people who sought a heaven, but made a hell", and William Leith of New Statesman described it as "an excellent study of what happens when a charismatic leader comes into contact with a group of rudderless, dispirited people". Publishers Weekly called it "an absorbing book about survival and good intentions gone awry".
## Author
Tim Guest attended Sussex University where he studied psychology, and obtained a M.A. degree in creative writing from the University of East Anglia. Guest was a journalist for The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. After the publication of My Life in Orange, Guest later wrote a book about the phenomenon of electronic virtual worlds and video games, titled Second Lives: A Journey Through Virtual Worlds, published in 2008 by Random House. On 31 July 2009, Guest died of a suspected heart attack at 34 years old. He was found dead by his wife Jo; despite her efforts to resuscitate him, she was unable to revive him. It was later determined that Guest had died of a morphine overdose.
## Contents
Tim Guest's mother Anne was born in 1950 into a Catholic family. She took courses in psychology at the University of Sheffield. His father was a psychologist on staff at the university. She gave birth to Tim Guest in 1975. Guest's mother fell in love with another man when Guest was six months old. She became a feminist, studied Ronald David Laing, and experimented with sex and drugs. Guest's mother became a follower of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh when Guest was a toddler, after listening to a cassette tape of Rajneesh which displayed the cover text "Surrender to me, and I will transform you", and was titled: "Meditation: the art of ecstasy". Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh taught his followers his perspective on chaotic therapy, sexual freedom and mysticism. She brought her son into the movement in 1979. She was given the name of "Ma Prem Vismaya" (Sanskrit: Mother Love Wonder), and dyed all of her clothes orange.
In 1981, his mother took him to live on an ashram operated by Rajneesh in Poona, India. Guest was renamed as "Yogesh" by Rajneesh. As the Rajneesh movement grew in influence and became involved in controversy, Guest's mother became more involved in the movement. Guest was moved to various Rajneeshee communes, including London, Devon, India, Oregon and Germany. Guest was moved at times to communes and sent to live without his mother. Guest's mother was involved in running the commune and his father lived in the United States. He was raised by other members of the Rajneesh movement, and lived with other children in the ashrams.
His mother ran a commune called "Medina Rajneesh" in Suffolk, and Guest went to a school run on the commune where no history classes were given. Guest describes multiple rules he disliked which he had to observe while living on the Osho commune, including a restricted diet and mandated worship. His stuffed animals and books were taken away from him. He did not spend much time with his mother, because she was frequently working for the movement. When Rajneesh moved from India to Oregon, Guest and his mother moved to Oregon as well, and though Guest enjoyed roaming on the 64,000-acre (260 km<sup>2</sup>) commune he still wished to spend time with his mother.
His mother was later demoted in leadership status by other members of the female leadership of the commune, and sent with Guest to a commune in Cologne. Guest had difficulty learning German, and spent time hiding behind a pile of mattresses with a book and playing with Legos. He describes his childhood in the Rajneesh movement as "somewhere in between Peter Pan and Lord of the Flies", and writes that he had 200 "mothers", but did not spend time with his own mother. According to Guest, group leaders in the Rajneesh movement often initiated fourteen and fifteen-year-old girls into sex. Guest and his mother left the movement when he was a teenager, and she burned all of her orange clothing. Guest himself left at first; he phoned his mother at age 10 to inform her he was leaving to live with his father in San Francisco.
When his mother left the group, Guest moved back with her to the United Kingdom. Guest, his mother and stepfather Martin moved to north London, and he began the process of experiencing adolescence in a society different from that inside the Rajneesh movement. Guest reentered society at age 11, and faced confusion over the contrast in experiences between his childhood in the Rajneesh movement and his new experiences as a teenager in London. He enrolled in the Haverstock School in north London, but had trouble during his teen years with drugs and alcohol. He had difficult relations with his stepfather, and had not spent much time with him prior to the move to London. Anne and Martin went through a period of time where they thought they were beings from a different world, and read books on UFOs. Guest fostered his interest in reading, and went on to study at university.
## Reception
My Life in Orange received generally positive reviews in book trade publications and in the media. The New Yorker critic John Lahr characterized My Life in Orange as "one of the best autobiographies of the decade". The Daily Telegraph placed the book in its "Top 20 non-fiction" list of "the year's best biographies, histories and memoirs" for 2004, and The Independent highlighted the book among its "50 Best Books for the Beach". A review in Reference & Research Book News commented that participants in the Rajneesh movement created "adults like Guest who are marked by the neglect suffered in a childhood among the completely self-absorbed". Kirkus Reviews described the book as "a rightly disturbing record of malignant child neglect by people who sought a heaven, but made a hell". My Life in Orange was highlighted among Kirkus Reviews "Best books for reading groups". In his review of the book for M2 Best Books, Peter Haswell concluded: "A thoroughly enjoyable read and a fascinating insight into the workings of a commune along with the people, their beliefs and their attitudes. Both amusing and sad. Pretty much something for everyone."
The book received a favorable review in New Statesman, and William Leith wrote: "This is an excellent study of what happens when a charismatic leader comes into contact with a group of rudderless, dispirited people. They follow him blindly. They let him get away with anything." Montagu Curzon of The Spectator wrote that "Guest makes an astonishingly mature debut (he is 27) and has the rare ability to describe childhood as a small child lives it; accepting, helpless, curious." Lois Kendall gave the book a positive review in Cultic Studies Review, and wrote: "The book is deep, yet light and readable, both for those who have had similar life experiences and who, I am sure, will find solace in this book, and for those with no such personal experience, who will find the narrative fascinating." Publishers Weekly characterized My Life in Orange as "Honest and vivid, this is an absorbing book about survival and good intentions gone awry." Gillian Engberg of Booklist called the book a "stirring memoir", and wrote: "Guest writes with a reporter's sense of economy and restraint, letting absurd, even shocking details speak for themselves." Christopher Hart gave the book a positive review in The Sunday Times, and wrote: "Tim Guest’s extraordinary account of his childhood in the communes of Bhagwan, the notorious Indian guru, is a survivor’s tale, poignant, funny and wise."
A review in The Daily Telegraph commented that "the main failure of Guest's otherwise excellent book is the absence of character: even his mother comes across rather as a history than a personality." "My Life in Orange, though slightly patchwork in its construction, is an absorbing piece of writing, all the more compelling for begging as many questions as it answers and for the author's refusal to ask for pity," wrote Geraldine Bedell in a review of the book in The Observer. Director of the Cheltenham Festival of Literature, Christopher Cook, characterized My Life in Orange as "the most extraordinary account of his [Tim Guest's] childhood and the bravest writing I've read in ages". Sudipta Datta of the Indian Express described the book as "a postcard from the past that the Osho ashram may not rave about." Datta noted though that after having been angry with his mother and Rajneesh, Guest had reconciled with his family, reclaimed his childhood and come to see Rajneesh as "a loveable rogue who got away with doing his own thing". Catherine A. Powers of The Boston Globe characterized the book as a "moving, superbly written account of growing up in the midst of ... cruel madness". Michael E. Young of The Dallas Morning News gave the book a favorable review, and wrote: "The book offers a glimpse into the thoughts of the followers, and examines the fine line between spirituality and insanity, between religion and cult." Shane Hegarty of The Irish Times characterized the book as "an intriguing and often humorous mix of straightforward 1980s nostalgia and cult delusion".
## See also
- Breaking the Spell: My Life as a Rajneeshee and the Long Journey Back to Freedom (2009)
- Child neglect
|
66,360,996 |
Now in Color
| 1,171,584,853 | null |
[
"2021 American television episodes",
"Pregnancy-themed television episodes",
"Television episodes set in the 1970s",
"Television episodes set in the 2020s",
"Television episodes written by Megan McDonnell",
"WandaVision episodes"
] |
"Now in Color" is the third episode of the American television miniseries WandaVision, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. It follows the couple as they try to conceal their powers while living an idyllic suburban life in the town of Westview, New Jersey. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by Megan McDonnell and directed by Matt Shakman.
Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprise their respective roles as Wanda Maximoff and Vision from the film series, with Teyonah Parris and Kathryn Hahn also starring. Development began by October 2018, and Shakman joined in August 2019. The episode pays homage to sitcoms of the 1970s, such as The Brady Bunch and Good Times, and prominently features Maximoff giving birth to twins and then referencing her own twin brother Pietro. Filming took place in the Atlanta metropolitan area in Atlanta, Georgia, including at Pinewood Atlanta Studios, and in Los Angeles. 1970s effects, such as matte paintings for backgrounds and in-camera effects for superspeed, were replicated with modern visual effects.
"Now in Color" was released on the streaming service Disney+ on January 22, 2021. Critics praised the episode's references to Pietro and Ultron as well as the new information provided on the series' mysteries, but criticized the small role for Hahn's character Agnes.
## Plot
During what appears to be the 1970s, Vision and Wanda Maximoff, who has become visibly pregnant in a remarkably short timeframe, has her condition checked by Dr. Nielson, who gives Maximoff a clean bill of health and prepares to leave with his wife for a vacation to Bermuda. While Vision sees Nielson out, he sees his neighbor Herb cut through the concrete wall separating their driveways.
Maximoff and Vision build a new room for the baby and debate what to name him, with Maximoff favoring the name Tommy while Vision prefers the name Billy. Maximoff's pregnancy accelerates rapidly, and her powers go haywire, causing her to accidentally generate an energy surge that shuts down power across Westview. While Vision rushes to get Dr. Nielsen, Maximoff is visited by Geraldine. Maximoff unsuccessfully tries to hide her pregnancy before going into labor. She gives birth to twin boys with Geraldine's assistance.
Dr. Nielsen implies that his vacation was an attempt to escape from Westview. Vision catches Herb and Agnes gossiping, and they ask Vision about Geraldine. Herb attempts to tell Vision something about their situation, but Agnes stops him and reveals that Geraldine does not have a home or family in Westview. Maximoff interrogates Geraldine after she reveals that she knows Maximoff's twin brother Pietro was killed by Ultron. Maximoff notices that Geraldine is wearing a pendant with a sword emblem on it.
Vision returns to the house to find that Geraldine has disappeared, and Maximoff explains that she "had to rush home". Outside Westview, Geraldine is cast out from a wall of television static that borders the town and is surrounded by S.W.O.R.D. agents.
A commercial during the WandaVision program advertises Hydra Soak bath powder.
## Production
### Development
By October 2018, Marvel Studios was developing a limited series starring Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany's Vision from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films. In August 2019, Matt Shakman was hired to direct the miniseries. He and head writer Jac Schaeffer executive produced alongside Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Victoria Alonso. Feige described the series as part "classic sitcom", part "Marvel epic", paying tribute to many eras of American sitcoms. The third episode, "Now in Color", was written by Megan McDonnell and pays homage to 1970s sitcoms.
### Writing
The episode pays homage to 1970s sitcoms such as The Brady Bunch, Good Times, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and The Partridge Family. Co-star Teyonah Parris said these mixed references created a "clash of lots of elements and characters", and she used the characters Thelma and Willona from Good Times as a point of reference. McDonnell researched the science behind pregnancy for the episode, while Olsen and Schaeffer discussed what it would be like for a woman to go through pregnancy in such a short period of time. They tried not to "put a blanket over this fuzzy beautiful aspirational birth experience, where she all [of a] sudden loses the belly immediately". Olsen believed Maximoff going through childbirth allowed her to connect with buried memories of her brother Pietro. Schaeffer added that being a twin and the loss of Pietro were parts of Maximoff's experience and trauma, and referencing them in this episode "made sense... in that moment for her to have some emotional honesty" surrounded by the sitcom world's false sense of happiness. For the scene where Vision tells Maximoff that something is wrong with their situation and a jump cut is used to go back before he started speaking, the editing technique was written into the script as a way to destabilize the audience while giving them an insight into Maximoff's state of mind. Schaeffer felt that some audience members might think there is an issue with the Disney+ service in that moment, which made it a more daring and exciting approach for the creatives.
The series features fake commercials that Feige said would indicate "part of the truths of the show beginning to leak out", with "Now in Color" including a commercial that is advertising Hydra Soak bath powder with the slogan "Find the Goddess Within!". With the further mention of Hydra after its use in the second episode's commercial, Savannah Salazar of Vulture believed Hydra could be the organization behind what was happening in the series, though some of the dialogue in the commercial indicated to Salazar that Maximoff was creating her own world to escape her problems. Molly Edwards at Total Film felt the commercial's phrasing could imply that Maximoff's powers were "within" already and unlocked by Hydra, rather than her gaining them through experimentation. A similar Hydra mind control soap is mentioned in the Marvel Television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., in the fourth season episode "Identity and Change".
### Casting
The episode stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Paul Bettany as Vision, Teyonah Parris as Geraldine, and Kathryn Hahn as Agnes. Also appearing as residents of Westview are Emma Caulfield Ford as Dottie Jones, David Payton as Herb, David Lengel as Phil Jones, Randy Oglesby as Dr. Stan Nielson, and Rose Bianco as Mrs. Nielson. Ithamar Enriquez, Wesley Kimmel, Sydney Thomas, and Victoria Blade portray the actors in the Hydra Soak commercial.
### Design
Shakman and cinematographer Jess Hall put together a collection of images from existing series that influenced the framing, composition, and color of the episode's sitcom setting, and Hall created a specific color palette of 20 to 30 colors for the episode based on those reference images so he could control the "visual integrity in color" of the episode. Hall worked with production designer Mark Worthington and costume designer Mayes C. Rubeo to ensure that the sets and costumes for the episode matched with his color palette. The episode shifts to Technicolor after the first two episodes were in black-and-white, and is inspired by the early color film look of 1970s television. Hall found this difficult to replicate digitally, with the Lookup Table that he created for the episode (for translating colors into the final look during the digital intermediate process) separating the different colors more than other episodes and moving them towards a pastel color range.
The main dress that Maximoff wears while she is pregnant was made from vintage fabric that Rubeo's team discovered in Los Angeles, with only 30 meters (98 ft) of the fabric available for them to use. The dress parts in the front to give extra room for the character's stomach as her pregnancy progresses throughout the episode. For the opening title sequence, Rubeo used a variety of different 1970s styles such as bell bottom pants, long vests, and ruffles, with especial influence from the costumes of The Partridge Family. Rubeo took inspiration for Vision's costumes from Robert Redford's in Three Days of the Condor (1975), at Bettany's request. The pants that Geraldine wears in the episode, described as "fish-print cobalt flares", inspired the makeup team to design an equally bold look for the character; makeup head Tricia Sawyer explained that the pants were not made when they began work on the episode, but Rubeo showed them the fabric that would be used and Sawyer matched them with a vibrant blue for Parris's makeup. Hair stylist Karen Bartek used wigs for the hair styles in the episode to allow it to be filmed at the same time as other episodes without the actors' hair having to be re-styled to change between eras.
Perception, who created the end credits sequence for the series, also created the opening title sequence for this episode. The graphics for the opening titles feature a repeating motif of "multi-color geometric shapes and typography" in an homage to The Brady Bunch, though elements of The Mary Tyler Moore Show were added after a sequence solely inspired by The Brady Bunch did not work as the producers wanted. Unlike sitcoms of the 1970s that would use stock footage in their opening sequences, Shakman filmed moments specifically for this opening. The sequence ends with the title card "WandaVision In Color", with the "in color" being a reference to the series' change from black-and-white to color for this episode, as well as a similar transformation during the run of The Brady Bunch. Additionally, Perception provided graphics for the episode's fake commercial based on similar commercials from the 1970s.
### Filming and editing
Soundstage filming occurred at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with Shakman directing, and Hall serving as cinematographer. Filming also took place in the Atlanta metropolitan area, with backlot and outdoor filming occurring in Los Angeles when the series resumed production after being on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Now in Color" was filmed with a single-camera setup, and tungsten lights that were common for the 1970s era, with the majority of the episode also featuring a laugh track and a 4:3 aspect ratio. The end of the episode reverts to a modern 2:40:1 widescreen ratio when Geraldine is cast out of Westview. The lenses Hall used from Panavision when shooting the sitcom material had an "even falloff around the edges" that worked well in the square 4:3 aspect ratio and was period-appropriate.
Editor Nona Khodai watched episodes of The Brady Bunch, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Laverne & Shirley to prepare for the episode. When she first arrived in Atlanta to work on the series, a lot of footage for the episode had already been filmed and she had help from the series' other editors, Tim Roche and Zene Baker, to work through that existing footage. Among other period-appropriate editing techniques, jump cuts were used to depict Maximoff magically changing clothes, with a shot of Olsen freezing in one position cut with a shot of her in the same position in a different costume. Her stand-in copied the position while Olsen got changed in between the shots.
### Visual effects
Tara DeMarco served as the visual effects supervisor for WandaVision, with the episode's visual effects created by Monsters Aliens Robots Zombies (MARZ), Framestore, Rodeo FX, RISE, The Yard VFX, SSVFX, and capital T. Rodeo FX developed the visual effects for the Hex boundary, based on the magnetization of old CRT television screens when brought into contact with magnets. The boundary is depicted as clear and difficult to see, as Shakman wanted it to be mysterious and unsettling for the audience. Some of the special effects for the nursery set were achieved through wire rigs that were augmented with visual effects. A live butterfly was used to land on Bettany's nose, while other butterflies were CGI to give the visual effects artists more control and make their appearance more fantastical. Framestore created the butterflies, and also made the stork that appears in the episode. They put a lot of detail into the Stork model, down to the veins in each feather, which allowed more control over the lighting of the model.
DeMarco used Vision's introduction in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) as the definitive version of the character when approaching the visual effects for him in WandaVision. Bettany wore a bald cap and face makeup on set to match Vision's color, as well as tracking markers for the visual effects teams to reference. Complex 3D and digital makeup techniques were then used to create the character, with sections of Bettany's face replaced with CGI on a shot-by-shot basis; the actor's eyes, nose, and mouth were usually the only elements retained. MARZ was responsible for creating Vision in the series' first three episodes. To give Vision a more "wholesome" look, the digital contact lenses used in the films and later episodes were not added to Bettany's eyes in the first three episodes, and his eyelashes were not digitally removed as they usually are. Marvel asked that shots of Vision changing between his human and synthezoid forms mimic "vintage", period-appropriate effects. MARZ visual effects supervisor Ryan Freer researched effects that were used in the 1970s and 1980s, and settled on a design that features "sharp-looking" glowing lines inspired by Tron (1982). MARZ also created a digital matte painting for when Vision leaves the house to replace the actual background that was filmed with, which the producers did not like. Freer said the painting intentionally looked "so cheesy and so flat". For the scenes where Vision uses superspeed to run or put things together in the episode, DeMarco and MARZ researched how this was portrayed in 1970s television series such as The Six Million Dollar Man and Wonder Woman. Those series used shutter speed on the camera to create the effect, leaving the shutter open for longer and flashing extra lights to affect the exposure of the image. For this episode, MARZ took on-set footage of Bettany in slow-motion and used digital effects to simulate the look of those 1970s effects.
### Music
Songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez were proud of the lyrics for "We Got Something Cooking", the episode's theme song, including "one plus one is more than two" and "one plus one is family" which Anderson-Lopez felt were "the dumbest and funniest and most TV-like lyric we've ever written". She said the latter quote was originally "one plus one is more than three", but this was rewritten to avoid spoiling the fact that Maximoff is pregnant with twins. Anderson-Lopez was the theme's main writer and chose words related to pregnancy while setting up the idea of "making it up as we go along ... [and also] it's us versus the world." The couple repurposed the theme's tune and chords from a song they had written for the cancelled Walt Disney Animation Studios feature film Gigantic.
The song "Daydream Believer" by the Monkees is also featured in the episode, while Maximoff sings a lullaby near the end of the episode that was written by Schaeffer. Titled "Sokovian Lullaby", the song was translated into the fictional Sokovian language by the series' language coach Courtney Young. Schaeffer said the song was just about a mother singing for her child, with influence from a song she heard at a prenatal fitness class, rather than any of the series' larger mysteries. She described it as a "sincere version of a TV sitcom theme song". A soundtrack album for the episode was released digitally by Marvel Music and Hollywood Records on January 29, 2021, featuring composer Christophe Beck's score. The first track is the episode's theme song by Anderson-Lopez and Lopez.
## Marketing
In early December 2020, six posters for the series were released daily, each depicting a decade from the 1950s through the 2000s. Charles Pulliam-Moore from io9 called the 1970s poster "the biggest aesthetic change" from the previous ones, indicating that the episode would be in "vivid technicolor". He was unsure if the bare walls and the bowl of fruit on the television set had any significance, but felt the fruit could be a reference to the "surprising twist of fate the Visions discover a little down the line". Keegan Prosser at Comic Book Resources noted that the poster had "decade appropriate wood paneling", with Maximoff and Vision in era-appropriate clothes and hairstyles. After the episode's release, Marvel announced merchandise inspired by the episode as part of its weekly "Marvel Must Haves" promotion for each episode of the series, including t-shirts, house wear, accessories, Funko Pops, and a sterling silver replica of Geraldine's necklace with the sword pendant on it from the episode. In February 2021, Marvel partnered with chef Justin Warner to release a recipe for Doctor Nielsen's Baby Fruit Salad, based on Dr. Nielsen comparing growing babies to various fruits in the episode.
## Release
"Now in Color" was released on the streaming service Disney+ on January 22, 2021. The episode, along with the rest of WandaVision, will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray on November 28, 2023.
## Reception
### Audience viewership
Nielsen Media Research, which measures the number of minutes watched by United States audiences on television sets, recorded 374 million minutes of WandaVision viewed across the available first three episodes for the week of January 18 to 24, 2021. Scott Mendelson at Forbes discussed this number, noting how difficult it is to determine the views for each episode using this data. He felt it was likely that the majority of "die-hard fans" had watched the first two episodes on their opening weekend and the third episode on January 22, and estimated that the 374 million minutes were somewhere between 3.76 million subscribers watching a combination of all three episodes and 11.39 million subscribers watching just "Now in Color". He also felt that the lower number of views in the week compared to some other series could be attributed to WandaVision's weekly release, and opined that Disney accepted this in exchange for the continued discussions and coverage that the weekly release had given to event series such as Game of Thrones and The Mandalorian.
### Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 85% approval rating with an average score of 7.20/10 based on 26 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "'Now in Color' takes on a darker tone as it continues to unravel the show's central mystery, raising nearly as many new questions as it answers along the way."
The A.V. Club's Sam Barsanti felt the "proverbial dam breaks" when Pietro is named, adding "that chilling moment... could quietly be one of the best 'Oh damn, they're doing the thing' MCU moments in a long time." His colleague Stephen Robinson gave the episode a "B+" and felt with this episode, "the plot kicks into thrilling overdrive", likening the episode more to The Twilight Zone than The Brady Bunch. Robinson was less enthused about the 1970s era than the 1960s from the previous episode, called the laugh track in the episode "even more intrusive" than in the previous episode, and wished Agnes was featured more in this episode. Robinson did call the final act of the episode "unsettling" with its dark overtones. Don Kaye, reviewing the episode for Den of Geek, felt it "fully embraces the 1970s TV comedy esthetic, complete with crazy hairdos and outfits, brightly lit sets and even a new theme song and credits sequence that all look like they arrived fresh from a Brady Bunch audition". He gave "Now in Color" four out of five stars.
Darren Franich at Entertainment Weekly highlighted Parris, pointing out that one of her monologues "left me in stitches". However, he criticized a supposed scary sequence in the episode as "generic". Franich's colleague Chancellor Agard enjoyed the stork coming to life, as it was "a hilarious visual" that "added an extra level of weirdness to the entire episode". He felt the series' emotional stakes of Maximoff escaping her grief of losing Vision and her brother Pietro had "locked into place" by the end of the episode. Agard gave the episode a "B+", with fellow Entertainment Weekly writer Christian Holub "flipp[ing] out" at Ultron's mention. Writing for IGN and giving "Now in Color" an 8 out of 10, Matt Purslow said, "this 1970s-set entry finally cracks the sitcom illusion just enough to make WandaVision's two elements of TV comedy homage and MCU puzzle box feel cohesive rather than disparate. We may be only inches closer to learning more about the show's mystery, but it's a mile ahead in terms of making WandaVision feel like a genuine MCU installment." With Westview revealed to be a physical place, Purslow questioned if it was perhaps in an alternate reality and linked to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
Ben Travers of IndieWire was more critical of the episode, giving it a "C+". He felt the balance between a sitcom homage series and a mystery was "still way off, but at least the series seems to be inching closer to acknowledging its duality" and that Agnes was underutilized in the episode. He did not enjoy the facade of the sitcom world stating "it's really hard to kick back and enjoy the show... when you know it's just there to fill time between information drops". Giving "Now in Color" 2 out of 5 stars, Abraham Riesman at Vulture felt the episode "sets out to dial up the weirdness and confusion, and it more or less achieves that goal" but added that the only challenge WandaVision was giving viewers was to gather clues about the mystery being established, which was "just about the emptiest, most patronizing way to keep people coming back to something". He continued that "what we've seen so far is concerning" and was prepared to be pleasantly surprised if the remaining episodes became more interesting, but was not "getting [his] hopes up".
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12,292,280 |
Mr. Nobody (film)
| 1,171,475,542 |
2009 science fiction drama film directed by Jaco Van Dormael
|
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Mr. Nobody is a 2009 science fiction drama film written and directed by Jaco Van Dormael and starring Jared Leto, Sarah Polley, Diane Kruger, Linh Dan Pham, Rhys Ifans, Natasha Little, Toby Regbo, and Juno Temple. It tells the life story of Nemo Nobody, a 118-year-old man who is the last mortal on Earth after the human race has achieved quasi-immortality. Nemo, memory fading, tells a doctor and journalist about his three main loves and his parents' divorce and the subsequent hardships he endured. The speculative narrative frequently changes course to investigate the alternate life paths that could have resulted from his making different decisions in his life, focusing on when he is nine, fifteen, and thirty-four. The film has nonlinear narrative that incorporates the multiverse hypothesis.
The world premiere of Mr. Nobody was at the 66th Venice International Film Festival, where it received the Golden Osella and the Biografilm Lancia Award. Critical response to the film was generally positive, and it was nominated for seven Magritte Awards, winning six, including Best Film and Best Director for Van Dormael. The film was mostly funded through European financiers, and was released in Belgium on 13 January 2010. Despite a strong performance in its domestic market, the film was a box office disappointment, failing to make back its production costs. Since its original release, Mr. Nobody has become a cult film, noted for its philosophy, cinematography, personal characters, and Pierre Van Dormael's soundtrack.
## Plot
In 2092, humanity has conquered mortality through the endless renewal of cells. The world watches in fascination as the 118-year-old Nemo Nobody, the last mortal on Earth, edges towards death. No record can be found of his past and his memories are confused, so Dr. Feldheim, a psychiatrist, uses hypnosis to help Nemo remember his life. Curious to know about the world before quasi-immortality, a journalist also interviews Nemo, whose recollections primarily come from three points in his life: age 9, age 15, and age 34. Nemo makes contradictory statements, describing events from his past as having unfolded in multiple different ways, and explains that, before birth, children remember everything that will happen in their lives. At the moment of conception, the Angels of Oblivion erase the children's memories, but he says the Angels forgot about him, allowing him to "remember" different possible futures for himself.
At age 9, after his parents' divorce, Nemo says he was forced to choose whether to leave with his mother or stay with his father, and he describes what happened both when he managed to catch and board his mother's train at the last second, and when he failed to do so and was left behind.
### Life with his mother
Nemo moves with his mother to Montreal. When he is a rebellious teenager, a new girl, Anna, comes to his school, and he is immediately smitten. One day at the beach, Anna asks if Nemo would like to swim with her and her friends. He insults her friends and they hardly see each other again.
In an alternate timeline, Nemo admits to Anna that he cannot swim, and the two spend time together. Nemo learns that Anna is the daughter of his mother's new boyfriend, and then husband, Harry, and the stepsiblings begin an affair, pledging their lives to one another. When Harry and Nemo's mother get divorced, Anna goes to New York with her father, and the teenagers lose touch. Years later, Nemo, who still hopes to someday see Anna again, works as a pool cleaner. One day, he and Anna pass at a train station and the pair immediately recognize each other. After a passionate reunion, Anna announces she is not ready to immediately resume the relationship. She gives Nemo her number and asks him to call her in two days and meet at a lighthouse in a local park, but he loses her phone number when a sudden downpour makes her note illegible. Nemo waits at the lighthouse every day, but Anna does not come.
In one possible life, Anna and Nemo are married with children. Nemo works at a television studio narrating educational videos. One evening, while returning home, he hits a bird, loses control of his car, plummets into a lake, and drowns.
### Life with his father
Nemo stays in England with his father, who later becomes disabled. As a teenager, he works in a shop and spends his free time writing a science fiction story about a journey to Mars. At a school dance, he meets Elise and falls in love. A few days later, he goes to her house and sees her with her 22-year-old boyfriend. Frustrated, Nemo speeds away on his motorcycle, has an accident, and is hospitalized in a vegetative state. Though he cannot move or speak, he can perceive the world through his senses and detects his parents' reunion at his bedside. He imagines his fingers are on the keyboard of his typewriter and continues to work on his story.
In another timeline, Nemo speaks with Elise at her house. She tells him that she is in love with her boyfriend, Stefano, even though she knows he does not love her, but Nemo does not back down. He keeps assuring her of his feelings, and Elise eventually gives in. A few years later, she and Nemo get married. In one version of this timeline, Elise dies on their wedding day in an explosion. Nemo, in a reality mirroring his sci-fi story, takes her ashes to Mars and spreads them on the planet's surface, which he had promised to do when they were teenagers. Aboard the spacecraft on the way back to Earth, he meets Anna, but, before they can say much to each other, the ship is destroyed by asteroids. In another version, as an adult, Nemo works at the same television studio as he does in the timeline where he married Anna, and one of his coworkers drowns in the lake. The coworker's widow is Anna, whom Nemo feels he has seen before. Another timeline has Nemo and Elise married with three children, but unhappy, as Elise suffers from borderline personality disorder and chronic depression. She has attacks of hysteria and, despite Nemo's attempts to save their marriage, ultimately leaves him to pursue Stefano.
Alternately, after being rejected by Elise, teenage Nemo resolves to marry the first girl who dances with him at the next school dance, who turns out to be Jean. Though they marry and have two sons and he becomes rich, Nemo grows unhappy and bored, so he puts all of his assets in Jean's name and leaves his family. Now making all of his decisions randomly via coin toss, he goes to the airport and tells a chauffeur that he is Daniel Jones, the man the chauffeur is waiting for. He is taken to a hotel, where he is murdered while taking a bath, and his body is dumped in the woods by the assassins, who question whether they have killed the right man.
As well as the many paths that Nemo's life could take or has taken, adult Nemo is also seen to repeatedly awaken in an artificial, surrealistic environment dominated by argyle patterns. Following clues that he finds scattered throughout this world, he arrives at a dilapidated house, where he finds a DVD player hooked up to a television. In a strangely interactive video, 34-year-old Nemo is told by 118-year-old Nemo that this is a universe where Nemo Nobody was never born and his consciousness is stuck in some sort of limbo. The old Nemo states that he is experiencing the story from the end and the adult Nemo must stay alive until 5:50 a.m. on 12 February 2092.
### Epilogue
Before his death, old Nemo tells the journalist that neither of them exist—they are figments of the imagination of 9-year-old Nemo at the train station as he struggles to choose between his parents. This is an impossible decision, but he knows it will define his life from then on, so the young boy is trying to determine which is the correct choice by tracing various potential outcomes of each. Ultimately, he takes a third option: he leaves both parents and runs away towards an unknown future.
On his death bed, Nemo recalls a reunion with Anna at the lighthouse. The calculated time of his death arrives, and his last word, "Anna", is broadcast to the world. The universe ceases to expand and begins to contract. The flow of time having reversed, old Nemo comes back to life and begins to cackle joyously. The other dead Nemos also come back to life, and Nemo's parents get back together. 9-year-old Nemo reverse-runs to 9-year-old Anna and reverse-skips rocks with her.
## Cast
- Jared Leto as Nemo Nobody (both 34- and 118-years-old). Nemo is a Latin word meaning "nobody", and it has been pointed out that "Nemo is not only the name of the main character of Jules Verne's science fiction novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, but also the false name that Odysseus in Homer's poem Odyssey gives to the cyclops Polyphemus, to deceive him and save his own life." Van Dormael said Leto was chosen for the part because he is "an actor who could transform himself, as much physically as vocally, rhythmically, his breathing." Leto described the role by saying: "Mr. Nobody is everyone and no one all at the same time, an illusion, the product of his own dreams. He's love, he's hope, he's fear, he's life and he's death. This is without doubt the most complex character I've ever played. It was a challenge to keep all these lives concentrated into one character for the duration of the filming without losing myself. But we had outlines and things that helped me to keep track of where we were."
- Toby Regbo as Nemo (age 15)
- Thomas Byrne as Nemo (age 9)
- Sarah Polley as Elise. Polley was the first actor to be cast in the film. She described Elise as "a young woman who carries a lot of love inside her. She yearns to be the best of mothers but just can't do it. She's frustrated because of this inability to live the way she would like to live, all of this stemming from her depression. She doesn't understand why she can't pull out of it. Over time she develops a feeling of shame and guilt towards her husband and her children."
- Clare Stone as Elise (age 15)
- Diane Kruger as Anna. Kruger described Anna as "the most complete of all the characters. She never makes any compromises, in any one of her lives. She gets married and keeps her promise until the end: she will not fall in love with anyone else." Actress Eva Green was originally reported to have been cast in the role.
- Juno Temple as Anna (age 15)
- Laura Brumagne as Anna (age 9)
- Linh Dan Pham as Jean. Pham said that Jean "loves Nemo Nobody with a passion but he doesn't love her. Their meeting was a misunderstanding. She thought he was honest and full of love for her. But as soon as they start a family she realizes that something is missing in their relationship, that he's never really there. It also shows that lives that seem perfect on paper might not be so perfect in reality."
- Audrey Giacomini as Jean (age 15)
- Rhys Ifans as Nemo's Father. Van Dormael chose Ifans for the part after seeing his "multifaceted" performances in Notting Hill (1999) and Enduring Love (2004).
- Natasha Little as Nemo's Mother. Little was suggested for the part by the casting director in London. Van Dormael said that "her role was decisive for the film: it was necessary that the mother should destroy the childhood happiness but that one would feel the need to go with her at the same time. That's what Natasha managed to achieve."
- Allan Corduner as Dr. Feldheim
- Daniel Mays as Young Journalist
- Michael Riley as Harry, Anna's father
- Harold Manning as TV Host
- Ben Mansfield as Stefano (both 22- and 40-years-old), teenage-Elise's boyfriend
Director Jaco Van Dormael makes a cameo appearance as Brazilian Man, and Pascal Duquenne, one of the stars of Dormael's previous film The Eighth Day, also has a cameo.
## Production
### Writing
The idea of parallel lives had been explored in earlier films such as Run Lola Run (1998) and Sliding Doors (1998), which influenced Jaco Van Dormael's writing of Mr. Nobody. Unlike those films, however, this one has philosophical underpinnings inspired by scientific tomes on chaos theory and the butterfly effect, pigeon superstition, and the space-time continuum. Van Dormael stated: "My starting point was a 12-minute short I made in 1982 called È pericoloso sporgersi. A kid runs behind a train with two possible choices: to go with his mother or with his father. From there we follow two possible futures. I started one version based on the fact that a woman jumps or doesn't jump on a train. Then Sliding Doors by Peter Howitt came out, followed by Run Lola Run by Tom Tykwer. I had to find something else. And that's when I realised that the story I was trying to tell was not binary, that I was above all interested by the multiplicity and complexity of choices. With this screenplay I wanted to make the viewer feel the abyss that is the infinity of possibilities. Beyond this, I wanted to find a different way of telling a story. I wanted the gaze of the child on his future to meet the gaze of the old man he has become on his past. I wanted to talk about complexity through cinema, which is a simplifying medium. While reality around us is more and more complex, the information is more and more succinct, political speeches are more and more simplistic. What interests me is complexity. Not the simple answers, which are reassuring but bound to be false."
Describing the scale of the film, the director said: "My producers don't like me saying it, but it's really a big-budget experimental film about the many different lives one person can live, depending on the choices he makes. It's about the infinite possibilities facing any person. There are no good or bad choices in life. It's simply that each choice will create another life for you. What's interesting is to be alive."
While producing the film, Van Dormael took the unique step of publishing his screenplay.
### Development
The film is Van Dormael's first feature since The Eighth Day in 1996. He began trying to make Mr. Nobody in 2001, but production on the project, his first English-language feature, did not start until 2007. Regarding the decision to not film in one of the languages of his native Belgium, the director said: "The story came to me in English. It's a story set over very long distances and time frames. One of the strands of the plot is about a kid who must choose between living with his mother in Canada or his father in England. There are also some incredible English-speaking actors I wanted to work with." Van Dormael began preparing for production on Mr. Nobody in February 2007, and Sarah Polley was the first actor to be cast. Jared Leto was later cast in the primary role of Nemo Nobody.
The production budget for Mr. Nobody was €33 million (US\$47 million), making it the most expensive Belgian film ever made. The budget was approved before casting was done based on Van Dormael's involvement and the strength of his script. Half of the budget was provided by the film's French producer, Philippe Godeau, through his production company, Pan-Européenne, and the other half was provided by distributors Wild Bunch and Pathé. Production took place throughout 2007, lasting 120 days and traveling to Belgium, Germany, and Canada. Scenes were filmed on location in Montreal, Canada, and at Babelsberg Studios in Berlin, Germany. Van Dormael said: "I think the film needed that for these multiple lives. Each time a new style of setting is required. And each life is filmed in a different style, with a different grammar for the camera, the colours, the decor. At the same time, if all the styles have to be very contrasted, they knock together by fusing." The three lives that Nemo Nobody experiences were separated by color-coding and musical cues. Each life's design was also based on the work of British photographer Martin Parr.
### Visual effects
Van Dormael hired visual effects supervisor Louis Morin, known for his work in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), to create visual effects for Mr. Nobody. All five hundred visual effects shots were produced in Quebec by local companies. Modus FX announced having delivered 121 digital visual effects shots for the film. The company was entrusted with complex sequences that could not be captured on film, some involving the digital reproduction of entire cities, villages, and other-worldly settings, and others involving complex transitions between the different worlds and multiple lives of Nemo Nobody. Their post-production contributions involved 37 digital artists and technicians across a six-month period. A long list of software (including Autodesk's Softimage and Maya, Side Effects' Houdini, and The Foundry's Nuke) and the creation of a multitude of in-house tools, programs, and techniques were required for the shots delivered.
### Music
Like Jaco Van Dormael's previous films, the score for Mr. Nobody was written by his older brother, Pierre Van Dormael. For the film, Pierre worked on simple themes and out-of-sync loops, "a mixture of superficial simplicity and underlying complexity." He wrote themes that overlapped to form new ones, each theme continuing to exist while being mixed with the others. The director did not want the music to be overtly emotional, so he and Pierre chose a minimalist orchestration, more often than not just a single guitar. Jaco said: "We wanted the instrument and the player to be felt. This stance actually sums up the whole adventure: a maximalist project with a minimalist approach." Mr. Nobody was the last film Pierre worked on before his death in 2008, and his music won the Magritte Award for Best Original Score in 2012.
The soundtrack features songs by Pierre Van Dormael, Buddy Holly, Hans Zimmer, Otis Redding, Eurythmics, Pixies, Wallace Collection, Nena, Ella Fitzgerald, and The Andrew Sisters, as well as versions of "Mr. Sandman" performed by The Chordettes, The King Brothers, Emmylou Harris, and Gob, and recordings of compositions by Erik Satie and Benjamin Britten, among others.
## Themes
Mr. Nobody can be seen as a tale about choice. Nemo, a nine-year-old boy, has been thrust into a position where he must make an impossible decision—to choose between his mother and father. In the seconds preceding the rest of his life, he wonders where each choice will take him. The forces of the universe working to bring about total chaos are counteracted by this boy's overactive imagination. The dilemma that causes the film's main problem (not knowing the future), once solved, makes it all the more difficult: "I don't know the future, therefore I cannot make a decision. Now that I know the future I still cannot make one." The eloquent interplay between philosophical lifestyle and what forges reality is epitomized by the way the film constantly jumps between scenes of the young boy, the adolescent, and the mature man. The film takes a four-dimensionalist view of the nature and existence of life in the universe, with each decision branching off to create an entirely separate alternate universe. Mr. Nobody raises many ontological arguments about the subjective nature of time and investigates how actions have universal consequences, and how every single choice, irrespective of its simplicity or complexity, can make, alter, or change a lifetime.
The film also makes substantial use of chaos theory, string theory, and the butterfly effect to accentuate the lack of control that humans, as individuals, possess. There are numerous scenes, at each stage of his life, where Nemo is subject to the whims of chance, often plunging into water, a place where humans lack control, as a visual symbol of the powerlessness attributed to the human condition. The theories are used to compound reality in the film, a reality in which time always moves in one direction—the smoke never goes back into the cigarette. Then, at the end, when it seems the universe is on the precipice of ultimate chaos, making use of the Big Crunch theory, time halts and begins to reverse. This brings the freedom from choice Nemo had been seeking, for, as Nemo says in the film, "as long as you don't choose, everything remains possible." The tale of Nemo Nobody reflects a life of choices, whether or not we made the correct choices, and what would happen if we could go back and change them. In the end, Mr. Nobody, at age 118, states that it doesn't matter what we choose, because each choice, once made, has just as much significance as any alternate choice would have. The film portrays a life where we are all subject to chance, the dimensions by which we construct our reality (height, length, width, and time), and the imagination of our former selves, and, once the boy Nemo knows the outcome of a given choice, he instinctively opts for another.
The different colors used in the film have symbolic meanings. Each of the three main storylines has its own unique hue that highlights its originality and unlikeness to the others. The color differentiation can be traced as far back as Nemo's childhood, where his possible future wives, Jean, Elise, and Anna, sit on a bench, wearing yellow, blue, and red dresses, respectively. In his life with Jean, Nemo seeks material well-being and independence, and yellow—the color of life and wealth—emphasizes this. Choosing Elise, Nemo experiences the consequences of depression and despair, which are themes associated with the color blue. Finally, the true love and passionate relationship between Nemo and Anna is symbolized by the red color of Anna's dress. It is also noteworthy that the unborn Nemo is shown living in a white world, as white contains all colors of the visible spectrum, which supports the allegorical message of the film that all things are possible until a choice is made. At the end of his life, Nemo is a decrepit old man and lives in a white surrounding (room, clothes, doctor), indicating that the fate of the protagonist leads him back to his origins—the point at which everything is possible.
The idea of a child learning about their whole life in the womb only to have an angel take the memory away is a reference to the Jewish concept of Lailah, the Angel of Conception, and it also bears a resemblance to the Myth of Er as found in the Republic.
## Release
### Theatrical run
A longer, work-in-progress version of the film was not accepted for competition at the Cannes Film Festival. This cut was offered an out-of-competition berth, but producer Philippe Godeau rejected that offer. The decision by the Cannes Film Festival to not exhibit the film created a national controversy. Ultimately, the film's world premiere occurred at the 66th Venice International Film Festival on 12 September 2009. Six days later, Mr. Nobody screened as a special presentation during the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was also screened at the Sitges Film Festival and the Stockholm International Film Festival before its theatrical release.
Mr. Nobody opened in 36 theaters in Belgium on 13 January 2010 and grossed USD \$227,917 in its opening weekend, placing fourth at the Belgian box office and posting a per-theater average of \$6,331. In its second weekend, the film dropped 21.9% in revenue, earning \$178,098. It went on to gross \$816,771 in the country, from a total of 98.031 admissions sold, becoming the ninth highest-grossing Belgian film of 2010 in the country. The film was released in 150 theaters in France on the same day it premiered in Belgium. It had a disappointing opening weekend in the country, and finished in eighth place at the French box office, earning \$640,517. After its second weekend of release, it was at the bottom of the top ten and had grossed a cumulative \$1,051,211 in France, and sold a total of 142.536 admissions in the country.
The American premiere of the film occurred at the Los Angeles Film Festival on 25 June 2011, nearly two years after its first screening. The Consul General of Belgium, Geert Criel, held a second showing of the film in the United States on 21 December 2011 at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Magnolia Pictures released the film in select theaters in the United States on 1 November 2013. The film was a box office disappointment. It grossed a total of \$3,622 in the United States, sold a total of 441.795 admissions in Europe, and grossed a total of \$3.5 million worldwide.
### Home media
The film' was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in France by Pathé on 21 July 2010. There were two versions of this release: a standard edition that included a making-of documentary, a trailer, and a photo gallery as special features, and a special edition that included the director's cut of the film, which has 1 re-cut, 23 extended, and 12 additional scenes integrated into the film and runs about 16 minutes longer than the theatrical cut.
The Warner Home Video Dutch release of the film includes a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, and a photo gallery as special features.
On 11 January 2011, the film was released in Canada on DVD and Blu-ray through Entertainment One. This release includes a making-of documentary deleted scenes as special features.
Optimum Home Entertainment released Mr. Nobody on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2011 with a making-of documentary and a trailer as special features.
## Reception
Upon its premiere at the 66th Venice International Film Festival, Mr. Nobody was positively received with a ten-minute standing ovation from the audience. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film garnered a 68% approval rating from 31 critics and a weighted average rating of 6.58/10; the site's consensus reads: "Mr. Nobody's narrative tangles may bedevil as much as they entertain, but its big ambitions and absorbing visuals make for an intriguing addition to director Jaco Van Dormael's filmography." At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received a score of 63, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Jennie Punter of The Globe and Mail praised the film, stating: "Van Dormael holds this fractured fairy tale together by giving it an emotional core and delivers two hours of time travel with a playful spirit and at a mostly hyperkinetic pace, sprinkling it with amusing side journeys and sometimes letting a scene unfold at a more natural tempo." Bruce Kirkland of Jam! gave the film four stars out of five and wrote: "Expect the unexpected. Try to answer the unanswerable question that writer-director Van Dormael poses. It is a worthwhile exercise." He also described Leto's acting as a "marvelously full-blooded, brain-spinning, tour-de-force performance." Ken Eisner from The Georgia Straight summarized the film as "a dazzling feat of philosophical fancy, and it attempts nothing less than the summing up of an entire life, and an epoch or two, with its free-spinning take on recent human history as projected into possible futures."
Niels Matthijs, writing for Twitch Film, stated that "It's astounding how van Dormael turns each scene into a unique little cinematic event. There is hardly filler here, no scenes to drag out the running time or to fill some gaps in between other climaxes. Every scene matters and every scene is made to look like it matters. The director uses all means to his disposal to keep the viewer engaged and interested in the life of the main protagonist, Nemo Nobody." Fred Topel, writing for Screen Junkies, praised the film's artistry, saying: "All of Nemo's lives are painful. No matter what he chooses, he experiences heartbreak, death of loved ones, his own death, and clinical depression. My future seems brighter, but the film makes the strong point that every experience is worthwhile. The goal isn't to choose the easiest path. It's to live." Chris Holt from Starburst magazine wrote that "Mr. Nobody is a film that is remarkable by its very existence and that in itself is something to be happy about. You may love it you may hate it, but you can bet that you will never forget it." Exclaim!'s Robert Bell called the film "a powerful movie about what it means to be alive."
Boyd van Hoeij of Variety magazine was more critical, writing: "Though a lot of it is well written and directed and, quite often, funny or poignant, the individual scenes rarely become part of a larger whole." He praised Leto's acting, stating that "The closest the film comes to having a gravitational center are in the scenes set in 2092. What makes them soar is not the imaginative staging of the future, but Leto's performance. His acting talent really comes into full view in his scenes as the last dying man on Earth." He also praised Regbo and Temple, saying that "Regbo, as the teenage Nemo, and Juno Temple, as the teenage Anna, are impressive, bringing the hormonal battles of adolescence vividly to life." Film critic Eric Lavallée listed Regbo as one of his "Top 10 New Faces & Voices" of the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, noting that "newbie Toby Regbo might easily be Mr. Nobody's most 'alive' character. Playing Nemo at age 16, the actor is mostly paired with Juno Temple – their unique love story is the film's heart pumping portions and plays a lot better than the artery clogging other brushes of romance."
AlloCiné, a French cinema website, gave the film an average of three out of five stars, based on a survey of 24 reviews. Xavier Leherpeur from Le Nouvel Observateur described it as "a fiction of sterile ramifications, weighed down by a script the labyrinthine constructions of which poorly conceal the poverty of inspiration". Pierre Fornerod from Ouest-France wrote that "Van Dormael plays with chance and coincidence. The demonstration is long and heavy, but aesthetically, is superb."
## Accolades
The film and its cast and crew won and were nominated for multiple awards from numerous film festivals and organizations. At the 66th Venice International Film Festival, Sylvie Olivé was awarded the Golden Osella for Outstanding Technical Contribution, and the film received the Biografilm Lancia Award; the film was also nominated for the Golden Lion, which it lost to Lebanon, and Jared Leto was nominated for the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. Christophe Beaucarne received the award for Best Cinematography at the 20th Stockholm International Film Festival, and Kaatje Van Damme won the award for Best Makeup at the 42nd Sitges Film Festival.
At the 1st Magritte Awards, the film was nominated for seven awards and was awarded six: Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay for Jaco Van Dormael, Best Cinematography for Christophe Beaucarne, Best Original Score for Pierre Van Dormael, and Best Editing for Matyas Veress; Emmanuel de Boissieu, Frédéric Demolder, and Dominique Warnier lost the award for Best Sound to A Town Called Panic. In addition, the film was awarded the André Cavens Award by the Belgian Film Critics Association as the best film of 2010, and won Best Film at the 2010 Fonske Awards. It also received the People's Choice Award for Best European Film at the 23rd European Film Awards, and won the Audience Award at the Biografilm Festival.
Mr. Nobody appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the greatest films of 2010. Kurt Halfyard, a film critic for Twitch Film, listed the film among the best science fiction films of the 21st century. The American Film Institute listed Mr. Nobody as one of the best European films of 2010.
|
35,287,871 |
Letters of Transit
| 1,173,274,070 | null |
[
"2012 American television episodes",
"Fringe (season 4) episodes",
"Television episodes written by Akiva Goldsman"
] |
"Letters of Transit" is the nineteenth episode of the fourth season of the Fox science-fiction drama television series, Fringe, and the series' 84th episode overall. It is set in the future, where the Observers have taken control of human society. In 2036, two FBI agents fight to free their world of the Observers by finding the amber-encased bodies of the original Fringe team. The episode's premise is subsequently built upon as the key setting of the show's fifth and final season.
The episode was co-written by showrunners J.H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner, and consulting producer Akiva Goldsman. Executive producer Joe Chappelle served as director. While some critics wondered how the episode related to the overall series, actor John Noble has explained that "Letters of Transit" established the template for the fifth season. It featured guest appearances by actress Georgina Haig and Lost veteran Henry Ian Cusick.
The episode first aired on April 20, 2012 in the United States, and was watched by an estimated 3.03 million viewers. Television critics praised the riskiness of the episode premise and the actors' performances while also expressing doubt about its place during the season. The episode was nominated for the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form).
## Plot
On-screen text describes how, in 2015, the Observers, no longer content with observing history, took over human society. They killed many in an event called "The Purge", and transformed the remaining into a totalitarian culture; though members of the Fringe division attempted to fight the takeover, they were easily defeated, and the remaining Fringe division were allowed to remain to police the human "Natives". The Observers are aided by the ability to read most human minds, able to sense motives before they can be acted on.
In 2036, two Fringe Agents, Simon Foster (Henry Ian Cusick) and Etta (Georgina Haig), recover the body of Walter Bishop (John Noble), Walter having purposefully encased himself and his team in amber shortly after the Observer takeover. Though they are able to release him from the amber, they find that he has suffered memory damage and lacks the mental capacity to build a strange device of his own design. Simon and Etta talk to Nina Sharp (Blair Brown), learning that Walter had William Bell remove a piece of his brain some time in the past, which she postulates could be used to heal Walter's brain now. However, the piece is still in storage in the old Massive Dynamic facility on the main island of New York City, tightly controlled by Observers who can read their thoughts, making its recovery difficult. They are able to make it to the vault in Massive Dynamic, in part due to the inability of the Observers to read Etta's mind, and successfully restore Walter's memories. They are, however, unaware that they have alerted Fringe division—still led by Agent Broyles (Lance Reddick)—and the Observers to their presence; a coordinated team, instructed to shoot on sight, is dispatched.
A more coherent Walter explains that, according to the Observer known as September, the Observers made the Earth uninhabitable by 2609, and so traveled back in time to take over the planet themselves. As forces corner the three, Walter sets up an antimatter device to wipe out the Massive Dynamic building and their pursuers. Walter is able to lead Simon and Etta to where Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson), Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole), and William Bell have been encased in amber. They are able to free Astrid, but as Fringe forces approach they find the equipment to free the others has malfunctioned. Simon sacrifices himself to the amber in order to push Peter free, while Walter severs Bell's hand for an unknown purpose. They escape as Broyles and his team arrive; though he does find a piece of licorice, a telltale sign of Walter's presence. As the group travels away from the city, Walter ominously reminds Astrid of what Bell did to Olivia (Anna Torv). Peter then comes to recognize Etta as his daughter, Henrietta Bishop, wearing a fired bullet as a necklace.
## Production
"Letters of Transit" was co-written by consulting producer Akiva Goldsman and executive producers/co-showrunners Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman. Although it was previously reported Goldsman would be directing, executive producer Joe Chappelle ultimately directed the installment. The Observers are prominently featured in the episode, a mythos that has been visible since the pilot. Previously a mysterious background presence, according to Noble, they have now become "incredibly centrally important" to the series' storyline. "Letters of Transit" was written and shot before the series' renewal for a fifth season, but it was always envisioned as a genesis of the season. During this time, Wyman confirmed that a majority of the fifth season would be set in 2036, following the events of this episode, a time period depicting the Observers as oppressors rather than as passive witnesses.
Leading up to its broadcast, journalists noted that the nineteenth episode of each season of Fringe has generally been its "craziest hour", and anticipated that "Letters of Transit" would be similarly strange. The Fox network promoted the episode with a series of four teaser videos, each containing a clue to a fifth video revealing the special opening credits for this episode. The episode contained a new opening credit sequence that helped set the tone, with "fringe" terms including community, joy, imagination, and free will.
Actor Henry Ian Cusick and actress Georgina Haig guest starred in the episode as a pair of Federal agents. Cusick had worked with co-creator J. J. Abrams and executive producer Pinkner on the ABC series Lost. Cusick stated that most of his scenes were filmed with Haig and John Noble (Walter Bishop), and that the story leaves a possibility for the return of their characters in the future. Noble found it unusual to film an episode that did not involve the lead actors. He explained, "That was Walter with two really big, important guest stars, Henry Ian Cusick and Georgina Haig. It felt, to me, like it was a really strong episode. The two guest actors did a fantastic job, which is not easy to do, to step into an established company. It is out of the box and is somewhere else completely. I think that the fans will love it. Some fans of this type of material will like it anyway because Henry Ian Cusick was such a big star in Lost, but also, this new girl is just full of wonderful energy, too."
According to Noble, "Letters of Transit" features his ninth version of Walter Bishop at that point in the series. He remarked, "It’s a lot of fun as an actor because it keeps me trying to refine and to finish small parts [of Walter]." In a June 2012 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Noble called "Letters of Transit" one of his favorites of the series, explaining that he "thought that was really a beautiful looking episode, beautifully told."
## Cultural references
Given guest star Henry Ian Cusick's prominence in Lost, "Letters of Transit" refers to both "The Purge" and "natives", two key elements of that show. The episode also contains references to The Prisoner, where Walter exclaims "I am not a number! I am a free man!" The episode also references Star Wars when Walter states "these are not the droids you’re looking for" and "Move along". Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly believed these helped set the tone of the episode: "Fringe in 2036 was The Village writ global and under Imperial rule." Matt Roush of TV Guide noted that the episode title, "Letters of Transit", alludes to a key element of the film Casablanca. The episode opens with scrolling text that has been compared to the start of the film Blade Runner.
## Reception
### Ratings
"Letters of Transit" first aired in the United States on April 20, 2012. An estimated 3.03 million viewers watched the episode. It earned a 1.0 ratings share among adults 18–49, a 10 percent increase from the series low of the previous week. Fringe finished third in its timeslot behind NBC's Grimm and ABC's Primetime: What Would You Do?.
### Reviews
IGN's Ramsey Isler gave the episode a mixed review, noting that "its concept is intriguing, bold, and extremely risky. I'm just not sure if it works. It's such a drastic change of scenery and tone it's hard to say whether this is genius or madness." Isler observed that he would have "absolutely loved" the episode if he had been "given appropriate context through a suitable setup ... But the approach we got feels an awful lot like a gimmick, and this show does not need to gamble with gimmicks at this point." Isler did find positive elements of the episode however, and rated it 8 out of 10, an indication of a "great" episode. He praised Walter's return "to a much more confident, focused man who's a bit scary in his determination and resolve," as well as the events that followed. Isler concluded that "the core ideas are really good, but the way the new concepts were introduced seems haphazard, and a huge gamble that could turn off all but the most hardcore viewers."
Like Isler, Entertainment Weekly columnist Ken Tucker enjoyed Walter's transition "from happy, babbling, 'I love LSD!' licorice-licking Walter to a Walter who yelled at the others when escaping", calling it "one of the night's great pleasures." Tucker's Entertainment Weekly colleague Jeff Jensen commented that he was able to "roll" with some of the less plausible plot details (such as a still existing Massive Dynamic) out of praise for guest stars Cusick and Haig, believing they "worked well in this world." Jensen also reserved attention for Noble's scenes, calling them variously "frisky and poignant", "hilarious", and "touching." Lastly, Jensen was happy to find more details about the Observers, but wondered at the lack of the parallel universe's mention. MTV's Alex Zalben was more critical. He wondered how the episode fit into the rest of the season, and wrote "It’s a curious step, and could likely drive even more viewers away from a show that can’t afford to lose them." While disliking the "clunky, explainy" dialogue, Zalben still commented that, "for a die hard FRINGE fan like myself, this episode was crack. Huge emotion, crazy science, and epic set pieces. The end of the episode had me dying to watch the next one, even if it isn’t a direct continuation. That’s good television right there."
Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly named "Letters of Transit" the seventeenth best episode of the series, stating "What at first seemed to be one of Fringe's nutty number 19s turned out to be the episode that helped earn the series a fifth and final year. Of course, some may now question the merits of ringing out the series with a season-long story set entirely in this future dystopia ruled by oppressive Observers. But the single episode that introduced this premise was a cool jolt that opened a new front of Fringe mythology and gave us a character that would have a lasting impact, Etta." The episode has been nominated for the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form).
## Olivia Dunham
Of the 100 episodes in the five seasons, this is the only one where Olivia Dunham does not appear.
|
725,984 |
Dick Tracy (1990 film)
| 1,171,553,346 |
1990 action crime film directed by Warren Beatty
|
[
"1990 action comedy films",
"1990 films",
"1990s American films",
"1990s English-language films",
"1990s crime action films",
"1990s crime comedy films",
"1990s police procedural films",
"American action comedy films",
"American crime action films",
"American crime comedy films",
"Dick Tracy films",
"Films based on comic strips",
"Films directed by Warren Beatty",
"Films produced by Warren Beatty",
"Films scored by Danny Elfman",
"Films set around New Year",
"Films set in 1938",
"Films set in the 1930s",
"Films shot in Los Angeles",
"Films that won the Academy Award for Best Makeup",
"Films that won the Best Original Song Academy Award",
"Films whose art director won the Best Art Direction Academy Award",
"Films with screenplays by Bo Goldman",
"Live-action films based on comics",
"Mafia comedy films",
"Touchstone Pictures films"
] |
Dick Tracy is a 1990 American action crime comedy film based on the 1930s comic strip character of the same name created by Chester Gould. Warren Beatty produced, directed, and starred in the film, whose supporting cast includes Al Pacino, Madonna, Glenne Headly, and Charlie Korsmo, with appearances by Dustin Hoffman, James Keane, Charles Durning, William Forsythe, Seymour Cassel, Mandy Patinkin, Catherine O’Hara, James Caan, and Dick Van Dyke. Dick Tracy depicts the detective's romantic relationships with Breathless Mahoney and Tess Trueheart as well as his conflicts with crime boss Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice and his henchmen. Tracy also begins fostering a young street urchin named Kid.
Development of the film began in the early 1980s with Tom Mankiewicz assigned to write the script. The screenplay was written instead by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr., both of Top Gun fame. The project also went through directors Steven Spielberg, John Landis, Walter Hill, and Richard Benjamin before the arrival of Beatty. It was filmed mainly at Universal Studios. Danny Elfman was hired to compose the score, and the film's music was featured on three separate soundtrack albums.
Dick Tracy premiered at the Uptown Theatre in Washington, D.C., on June 10, 1990 and was released nationwide a day later. Reviews ranged from favorable to mixed, with positive comments on Madonna's acting and Beatty's direction. The film was a success at the box office and at awards time. It garnered seven Academy Award nominations, winning in three of the categories: Best Original Song, Best Makeup, and Best Art Direction. Dick Tracy is remembered today for its visual style.
## Plot
In 1938, at an illegal card game, a 10-year-old young street urchin witnesses the massacre of a group of mobsters at the hands of Flattop and Itchy, two of the hoods on the payroll of Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice. Big Boy's crime syndicate is aggressively taking over small businesses in the city. Detective Dick Tracy catches the urchin (who calls himself "Kid") in an act of petty theft. After rescuing him from a ruthless host, Tracy temporarily adopts him with the help of his girlfriend, Tess Trueheart.
Meanwhile, Big Boy coerces club owner Lips Manlis into signing over the deed to Club Ritz. He then kills Lips with a cement overcoat (referred to onscreen as "The Bath") and steals his girlfriend, the seductive and sultry singer Breathless Mahoney. After Lips is reported missing, Tracy interrogates his three hired guns Flattop, Itchy, and Mumbles, then goes to the club to arrest Big Boy for Lips' murder. Breathless is the only witness. Instead of providing testimony, she unsuccessfully attempts to seduce Tracy. Big Boy cannot be indicted, and he is released from jail. Big Boy's next move is to try to bring other criminals, including Spud Spaldoni, Pruneface, Influence, Texie Garcia, Ribs Mocca, and Numbers, together under his leadership. Spaldoni refuses and is killed with a carbomb, leaving Dick Tracy, who discovered the meeting and was attempting to spy on it, wondering what is going on. The next day, Big Boy and his henchmen kidnap Tracy and attempt to bribe him; Tracy rebuffs them, prompting the criminals to attempt to kill him. However, Tracy is saved by Kid, who is then bestowed by the police with an honorary detective certificate, which will remain temporary until he decides on a legitimate name for himself.
Breathless shows up at Tracy's apartment, once again in an attempt to seduce him. Tracy allows her to kiss him. Tess witnesses this scene and eventually leaves town. Tracy leads a seemingly unsuccessful raid on Club Ritz, but it is actually a diversion so that Officer "Bug" Bailey can enter the building to operate a secretly installed listening device so the police can listen in on Big Boy's criminal activities. The resultant raids all but wipe out Big Boy's criminal empire. However, Big Boy discovers Bug, and captures him for a trap planned by Influence and Pruneface to kill Tracy in the warehouse. In the resulting gun battle, a stranger with no face called "The Blank" steps out of the shadows to save Tracy after he is cornered, and kills Pruneface. Influence escapes as Tracy rescues Bug from the fate that befell Lips Manlis, and Big Boy is enraged to hear that The Blank foiled the hit. Tracy again attempts to extract the testimony from Breathless that he needs to put Big Boy away. She agrees to testify only if Tracy agrees to give in to her advances. Tess eventually has a change of heart, but before she can tell Tracy, she is kidnapped by The Blank, with the help of Big Boy's club piano player, 88 Keys. Tracy is drugged and rendered unconscious by The Blank, then framed for murdering the corrupt District Attorney John Fletcher, whereupon he is detained by the police. The Kid, meanwhile, adopts the name "Dick Tracy, Jr."
Big Boy's business thrives until The Blank frames him for Tess' kidnapping. Released by his colleagues on New Year's Eve, Tracy interrogates Mumbles, and arrives at a gun battle outside the Club Ritz where Big Boy's men are killed or captured by Tracy and the police. Abandoning his crew, Big Boy flees to a drawbridge and ties Tess to its gears before he is confronted by Tracy. Their fight is halted when The Blank appears and holds both men at gunpoint, offering to share the city with Tracy after Big Boy is dead. When Junior arrives, Big Boy takes advantage of the distraction and opens fire before Tracy sends him falling to his death in the bridge's gears, while Junior rescues Tess. Mortally wounded, The Blank is unmasked to reveal Breathless Mahoney, who kisses Tracy before dying. All charges against Tracy are dropped.
Later, Tracy proposes to Tess, but is interrupted by the report of a robbery in progress. He leaves her with the ring before he and Dick Tracy, Jr., depart to respond to the robbery.
## Cast
Main characters
- Warren Beatty as Dick Tracy: a square-jawed, fast-shooting, hard-hitting, and intelligent police detective sporting a yellow overcoat and fedora. He is heavily committed to breaking the hold that organized crime has on the city. In addition, Tracy is in line to become the chief of police, which he scorns as a "desk job".
- Al Pacino as Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice: the leading crime boss of the city. Although he is involved with numerous criminal activities, they remain unproven, as Tracy has never been able to catch him in the act or find a witness to testify.
- Madonna as Breathless "The Blank" Mahoney: an entertainer at Club Ritz who wants to steal Tracy from his girlfriend. She is also the sole witness to several of Caprice's crimes.
- Glenne Headly as Tess Trueheart: Dick Tracy's girlfriend. She feels that Tracy cares more for his job than for her.
- Charlie Korsmo as The Kid: a 10-year-old scrawny street orphan who survives by eating out of garbage cans and is a protege of Steve the Tramp. He falls into the life of both Tracy and Trueheart and becomes an ally. He becomes Tracy's protege then, adopting the name "Dick Tracy, Jr.".
Law enforcement
- James Keane as Pat Patton: Tracy's closest associate and second-in-command.
- Seymour Cassel as Sam Catchem: Tracy's closest associate and third-in-command.
- Michael J. Pollard as Bug Bailey: a surveillance expert.
- Charles Durning as Chief Brandon: the chief of police who supports Tracy's crusade.
- Dick Van Dyke as District Attorney John Fletcher: a corrupt district attorney who refuses to prosecute Caprice as he is on Caprice's payroll.
- Frank Campanella as Judge Harper
- Kathy Bates as Mrs. Green: a stenographer
The mob
- Dustin Hoffman as Mumbles: Caprice's fast-talking henchman.
- William Forsythe as Flattop: Caprice's top hitman. His most distinguishing feature is his square, flat cranium and matching haircut.
- Ed O'Ross as Itchy: Caprice's other hitman. He is usually paired with Flattop.
- James Tolkan as Numbers: Caprice's accountant.
- Mandy Patinkin as 88 Keys: a piano player at Club Ritz who becomes The Blank's minion.
- R. G. Armstrong as Pruneface: a deformed crime boss who becomes one of Caprice's minions.
- Henry Silva as Influence: Pruneface's sinister top gunman.
- Paul Sorvino as Lips Manlis: the original owner of Club Ritz and Caprice's mentor.
- Chuck Hicks as The Brow: a criminal with a large, wrinkled forehead.
- Neil Summers as Rodent: a criminal with a pointed nose, small eyes, and buck teeth.
- Stig Eldred as Shoulders: a criminal with broad shoulders.
- Lawrence Steven Meyers as Little Face: a criminal with a big head and a small face.
- James Caan as Spud Spaldoni: a crime boss who refuses to submit to Caprice.
- Catherine O'Hara as Texie Garcia: a female criminal who submits to Caprice.
- Robert Beecher as Ribs Mocca: a criminal who submits to Caprice.
Others
- Rita Bland, Lada Boder, Dee Hengstler, Liz Imperio, Michelle Johnston, Karyne Ortega and Karen Russell as Breathless Mahoney's dancers at Club Ritz
- Lew Horn as Lefty Moriarty
- Mike Hagerty as Doorman
- Arthur Malet as Diner Patron
- Bert Remsen as Bartender
- Jack Kehoe as Customer at Raid
- Michael Donovan O'Donnell as McGillicuddy
- Tom Signorelli as Mike: proprietor of the diner Tracy frequents
- Jim Wilkey as Stooge
- Mary Woronov as Welfare Person
Estelle Parsons portrays Tess Trueheart's mother. Tony Epper plays Steve the Tramp. Hamilton Camp appears as a store owner and Bing Russell plays a Club Ritz patron. Robert Costanzo cameos as Lips Manlis' bodyguard, and Marshall Bell briefly appears as a goon of Big Boy Caprice who poses as an arresting officer to ensnare Lips. Allen Garfield, John Schuck, and Charles Fleischer make cameos as reporters. Walker Edmiston, John Moschitta Jr., and Neil Ross provide the voices of each radio announcer. Colm Meaney appears as a police officer at Tess Trueheart's home. Mike Mazurki (who played Splitface in the original Dick Tracy film) appears in a small cameo, as Old Man at Hotel. 93-year-old veteran character actor Ian Wolfe plays his last film role as "Munger".
## Production
### Development
Beatty had a concept for a Dick Tracy film in 1975. At the time, the film rights were owned by Michael Laughlin, who gave up his option from Tribune Media Services after he was unsuccessful in pitching Dick Tracy to Hollywood studios. Floyd Mutrux and Art Linson purchased the film rights from the Tribune in 1977, and, in 1980, United Artists became interested in financing/distributing Dick Tracy. Tom Mankiewicz was under negotiations to write the script, based on his previous success with Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980). The deal fell through when Chester Gould, creator of the Dick Tracy comic strip, insisted on strict financial and artistic control.
That same year, Mutrux and Linson eventually took the property to Paramount Pictures, who began developing screenplays, offered Steven Spielberg the director's position, and brought in Universal Pictures to co-finance. Universal put John Landis forward as a candidate for director, courted Clint Eastwood for the title role, and commissioned Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr. to write the screenplay. "Before we were brought on, there were several failed scripts at Universal," reflected Epps, "then it went dormant, but John Landis was interested in Dick Tracy, and he brought us in to write it." Cash and Epps' simple orders from Landis were to write the script in a 1930s pulp magazine atmosphere and center it with Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice as the primary villain. For research, Epps read every Dick Tracy comic strip from 1930 to 1957. The writers wrote two drafts for Landis; Max Allan Collins, then-writer of the Dick Tracy comic strip, remembers reading one of them. "It was terrible. The only positive thing about it was a thirties setting and lots of great villains, but the story was paper-thin and it was uncomfortably campy."
In addition to Beatty and Eastwood, other actors who were considered for the lead role included Harrison Ford, Richard Gere, Tom Selleck, and Mel Gibson. Landis left Dick Tracy following the controversial on-set accident on Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), in which three actors were killed. Walter Hill then came on board to direct with Joel Silver as producer. Cash and Epps wrote another draft, and Hill approached Warren Beatty for the title role. Pre-production had progressed as far as set building, but the film was stalled when artistic control issues arose with Beatty, a fan of the Dick Tracy comic strip. Hill wanted to make the film violent and realistic, while Beatty envisioned a stylized homage to the 1930s comic strip. The actor also reportedly wanted \$5 million plus fifteen percent of the box office gross, a deal which Universal refused to accept.
Hill and Beatty left the film, which Paramount began developing as a lower-budget project with Richard Benjamin directing. Cash and Epps continued to rewrite the script, but Universal was unsatisfied. The film rights eventually reverted to Tribune Media Services in 1985. However, Beatty decided to option the Dick Tracy rights himself for \$3 million, along with the Cash/Epps script. When Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner moved from Paramount to the Walt Disney Studios, Dick Tracy resurfaced with Beatty as director, producer and leading man. Katzenberg considered hiring Martin Scorsese to direct the film, but changed his mind. "It never occurred to me to direct the movie," Beatty admitted, "but finally, like most of the movies that I direct, when the time comes to do it, I just do it because it's easier than going through what I'd have to go through to get somebody else to do it."
Beatty's reputation for directorial profligacy, notably with the critically acclaimed Reds (1981), did not sit well with Disney. As a result, Beatty and Disney reached a contracted agreement whereby any budget overruns on Dick Tracy would be deducted from Beatty's fee as producer, director, and star. Beatty and regular collaborator Bo Goldman significantly rewrote the dialogue but lost a Writers Guild arbitration and did not receive screen credit.
Disney greenlit Dick Tracy in 1988 under the condition that Beatty keep the production budget within \$25 million. Beatty's fee was \$7 million against 15% of the gross (once the distributor's gross reached \$50 million). Costs began to rise once filming started and quickly jumped to \$30 million and its total negative cost ended up being \$46.5 million: \$35.6 million of direct expenditure, \$5.3 million in studio overhead and \$5.6 million in interest. Disney spent an additional \$48.1 million on advertising and publicity and \$5.8 million on prints, resulting in a total of \$101 million spent overall. The financing for Dick Tracy came from Disney and Silver Screen Partners IV, as well as Beatty's own production company, Mulholland Productions. Disney was originally going to release the film under the traditional Walt Disney Pictures banner, but chose instead to release and market the film under the adult-oriented Touchstone Pictures label leading up to the film's theatrical debut, because the studio felt it had too many mature themes for a Disney-branded film.
### Casting
Although Al Pacino was Beatty's first choice for the role of Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice, Robert De Niro was under consideration. Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathleen Turner and Kim Basinger were too expensive to cast as Breathless Mahoney. Sharon Stone auditioned for the role but she was turned down. Madonna pursued the part of Breathless Mahoney, offering to work for scale. Her resulting paycheck for the film was just \$35,000. Sean Young claims she was forced out of the role of Tess Trueheart (which eventually went to Glenne Headly) after rebuffing sexual advances from Beatty. In a 1989 statement, Beatty said, "I made a mistake casting Sean Young in the part and I felt very badly about it." Mike Mazurki, who had appeared in Dick Tracy (1945) had a cameo. Beatty approached Gene Hackman to do a cameo in the film, but he declined.
### Filming
Principal photography for Dick Tracy began on February 2, 1989. The filmmakers considered shooting the film on-location in Chicago, but production designer Richard Sylbert believed Dick Tracy would work better using sound stages and backlots at Universal Studios in Universal City, California. Other filming took place at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank. In total, 53 interior and 25 exterior sets were constructed. Beatty, being a perfectionist, often filmed dozens of takes of every scene.
As filming continued, Disney and Max Allan Collins conflicted over the novelization. The studio rejected his manuscript: "I wound up doing an eleventh hour rewrite that was more faithful to the screenplay, even while I made it much more consistent with the strip," Collins continued, "and fixed as many plot holes as I could." Disney did not like this version either, but accepted based on Beatty's insistence to incorporate some of Collins' writing into the shooting script, which solved the plot hole concerns. Through post-production dubbing, some of Collins' dialogue was also incorporated into the film. Principal photography for Dick Tracy ended in May 1989.
### Design
Early in the development of Dick Tracy, Beatty decided to make the film using a palette limited to just seven colors, primarily red, green, blue and yellow—to evoke the film's comic strip origins; furthermore each of the colors was to be exactly the same shade. Beatty's design team included production designer Richard Sylbert, set decorator Rick Simpson, cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (whom Beatty had worked with on his previous film, Ishtar, as producer and lead actor), visual effects supervisors Michael Lloyd and Harrison Ellenshaw, prosthetic makeup designers John Caglione, Jr. and Doug Drexler, and costume designer Milena Canonero. Their main intention was to stay close to Chester Gould's original drawings from the 1930s. Other influences came from the Art Deco movement and German Expressionism.
For Storaro, the limited color palette was the most challenging aspect of production. "These are not the kind of colors the audience is used to seeing," he noted. "These are much more dramatic in strength, in saturation. Comic strip art is usually done with very simple and primitive ideas and emotions," Storaro theorized. "One of the elements is that the story is usually told in vignette, so what we tried to do is never move the camera at all. Never. Try to make everything work into the frame." For the matte paintings, Ellenshaw and Lloyd executed over 57 paintings on glass, which were then optically combined with the live action. For a brief sequence in which The Kid dashes in front of a speeding locomotive, only 150 feet (46 m) of real track was laid; the train itself was a 2-foot (0.61 m) scale model, and the surrounding trainyard a matte painting. The film was one of the last major American studio blockbusters to have no computer-generated imagery.
Caglione and Drexler were recommended for the prosthetic makeup designs by Canonero, with whom they had worked on The Cotton Club (1984). The rogues gallery makeup designs were taken directly from Gould's drawings, with the exception of Al Pacino (Big Boy Caprice), who improvised his own design, ignoring the rather overweight character of the strip. His makeup took 3.5 hours to apply.
### Music
Beatty hired Danny Elfman to compose the film score based on his previous success with Batman (1989). Elfman enlisted the help of Oingo Boingo bandmate Steve Bartek and Shirley Walker to arrange compositions for the orchestra. "In a completely different way," Elfman commented, "Dick Tracy has this unique quality that Batman had for me. It gives an incredible sense of non-reality." In addition, Beatty hired acclaimed songwriter Stephen Sondheim to write five original songs: "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)," "More," "Live Alone and Like It," "Back in Business," and "What Can You Lose?". "Sooner or Later" and "More" were performed by Madonna, with "What Can You Lose?" being a duet with Mandy Patinkin. Mel Tormé sang "Live Alone and Like It," and "Back in Business" was performed by Janis Siegel, Cheryl Bentyne, and Lorraine Feather. "Back in Business" and "Live Alone and Like It" were both used as background music during montage sequences. "Sooner or Later" and "Back in Business" were featured in the original 1992 production of the Sondheim revue Putting It Together in Oxford, England, and four of the five Sondheim songs from Dick Tracy (the exception being "What Can You Lose?") were used in the 1999 Broadway production of Putting It Together. A short opera sequence in the film was composed by Thomas Pasatieri.
Dick Tracy is also the first film to use digital audio. In a December 1990 interview with The New York Times, Elfman criticized the growing tendency to use digital technology for sound design and dubbing purposes. "I detest contemporary scoring and dubbing in cinema. Film music as an art took a deep plunge when Dolby stereo hit. Stereo has the capacity to make orchestral music sound big and beautiful and more expansive, but it also can make sound effects sound four times as big. That began the era of sound effects over music."
## Marketing
Disney modeled its marketing campaign after the 1989 success of Batman, which was based on high concept promotion. This included a McDonald's promotional tie-in and a Warren Beatty interview conducted by Barbara Walters on 20/20. "I find the media's obsession with promotion and demographics upsetting," Beatty said. "I find all this anti-cultural." Buena Vista Television aired a half-hour syndicated special beginning June 13, 1990 entitled "Dick Tracy: Behind the Badge...Behind the Scenes" with details about the making of the film.
In attempting to increase awareness for Dick Tracy, Disney added a new Roger Rabbit cartoon short (Roller Coaster Rabbit) and made two specific television advertisements centered on The Kid (Charlie Korsmo). In total, Disney commissioned 28 TV advertisements. Playmates Toys manufactured a line of 14 Dick Tracy figures.
It was Madonna's idea to include the film as part of her Blond Ambition World Tour. Prior to the June 1990 theatrical release, Disney had already featured Dick Tracy in musical theatre stage shows in both Disneyland and the Walt Disney World Resort, using Stephen Sondheim and Danny Elfman's music. The New York Times also wrote in June 1990 of Disney Stores "selling nothing but Tracy-related merchandise". Max Allan Collins lobbied to write the film's novelization long before Disney had even greenlighted Dick Tracy in 1988. "I hated the idea that anyone else would write a Tracy novel," Collins explained. After much conflict with Disney, leading to seven different printings of the novelization, the book was released in May 1990, published by Bantam Books. It sold almost one million copies prior to the film's release. A graphic novel adaptation of the film was also released, written and illustrated by Kyle Baker. Reruns of The Dick Tracy Show began airing to coincide with the release of the film, but stations in Los Angeles and New York pulled and edited the episodes when Asian and Hispanic groups protested that the characters Joe Jitsu and Go Go Gomez were offensive stereotypes. A theme park ride for Disneyland, Disney-MGM Studios and Euro Disney Resort called Dick Tracy's Crime Stoppers was planned but ultimately never built. Another tie-in for the movie was an ingenious plan where 1,500 movie theatres were shipped T-shirts with the film's title art on them, which fans could then buy for \$12 to \$20 and wear into the movie in lieu of buying tickets at the box office. According to Jornal do Brasil more than 100 companies sold merchandise related to the film, with Macy's reporting 1.5 million T-shirts sold.
## Reception
### Release
Dick Tracy had a benefit premiere at a small 300-seat theater in Woodstock, Illinois (the hometown of Tracy creator Chester Gould), on June 13, 1990 while the production premiere occurred the next day at the Walt Disney World Village's Pleasure Island in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The film was released in the United States in 2,332 theaters on June 15, 1990, earning \$22.54 million in its opening weekend, including an estimated \$1.5 million of t-shirt sales. This was the third-highest opening weekend of 1990 and Disney's biggest ever. Dick Tracy eventually grossed \$103.74 million in the United States and Canada and \$59 million elsewhere, coming to a worldwide total of \$162.74 million. Dick Tracy was also the ninth-highest-grossing film of America in 1990, and number twelve in worldwide totals.
Although Disney was impressed by the opening weekend gross, studio management was expecting the film's total earnings to match Batman (1989). Prior to its overseas release (and other revenue streams), the film was estimated to have generated a \$57 million deficit for Disney. Studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg expressed disappointment in a studio memo that noted that Dick Tracy had cost about \$100 million in total to produce, market and promote. "We made demands on our time, talent and treasury that, upon reflection, may not have been worth it," Katzenberg reported.
When released, it was preceded by the Roger Rabbit short Roller Coaster Rabbit.
### Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 63% based on 56 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Dick Tracy is stylish, unique, and an undeniable technical triumph, but it ultimately struggles to rise above its two-dimensional artificiality." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.
Roger Ebert gave the film four stars in his review, arguing that Warren Beatty succeeded in creating the perfect tone of nostalgia for the film. Ebert mostly praised the matte paintings, art direction and prosthetic makeup design. "Dick Tracy is one of the most original and visionary fantasies I've seen on a screen," he wrote.
Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote, "Dick Tracy has just about everything required of an extravaganza: a smashing cast, some great Stephen Sondheim songs, all of the technical wizardry that money can buy, and a screenplay that observes the fine line separating true comedy from lesser camp." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave a mixed review, but was impressed by Madonna's performance. "Dick Tracy is an honest effort but finally a bit of a folly. It could have used a little less color and a little more flesh and blood," Gleiberman concluded.
In his heavily negative review for The Washington Post, Desson Thomson criticized Disney's hyped marketing campaign and the film in general. "Dick Tracy is Hollywood's annual celebration of everything that's wrong with Hollywood," he stated. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote that Warren Beatty, at 52 years old, was too old for the part. He also found similarities with Batman (1989), in which both films involve "a loner hero, a grotesque villain, a blond bombshell, a marketable pop soundtrack and a no-mercy merchandising campaign," Travers continued. "But Batman possesses something else: a psychological depth that gives the audience a stake in the characters. Tracy sticks to its eye-poppingly brilliant surface. Though the film is a visual knockout, it's emotionally impoverished."
Although Max Allan Collins (then a Dick Tracy comic-strip writer) had conflicts with Disney concerning the novelization, he gave the finished film a positive review. He praised Beatty for hiring an elaborate design team and his decision to mimic the strip's limited color palette. Collins also enjoyed Beatty's performance, both the prosthetic makeup and characterization of the rogues gallery, as well as the Stephen Sondheim music. However, he believed the filmmakers still sacrificed the storyline in favor of the visual design.
### Accolades
The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards (winning three), the film is currently tied with Black Panther for having the most wins for a comic book or comic strip movie.
### Legacy
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2003: AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains:
- Dick Tracy – Nominated Hero
- 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:
- "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)" – Nominated
- 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – Nominated
Retrospective reviews called the film exceptionally unique. Writers for Vox and The Atlantic asserted that it was one of the most unique movies ever. Multiple authors contrast it with newer comic book movies. One article calls it a "road[] not taken" in comic book adaptations. The author praised Popeye, Dick Tracy, and Hulk for their use of comic techniques such as "masking, paneling, and page layout" in ways the DC Extended Universe and Marvel Cinematic Universe do not.
The Encyclopedia of Sexism in American Films (2019) said the women of the film are subservient to a male power structure.
## Home media release
The film was released on VHS on December 18, 1990, and was first released on DVD in Europe in 2000, but domestic release in the US was delayed until April 2, 2002, and without any special features. Rumors circulated over the web shortly after the US DVD release that Warren Beatty had planned to release a director's cut under Disney's "Vista Series" label; including at least ten extra minutes of footage. As of 1992, Dick Tracy sold 1 million copies in the U.S according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Blu-ray was released in the US and Canada on December 11, 2012. This release also lacked special features, save for a digital copy.
## Possible sequel and legal issues
Disney had hoped Dick Tracy would launch a successful franchise, like the Indiana Jones series, but Disney halted plans. In addition, executive producers Art Linson and Floyd Mutrux sued Beatty shortly after the release of the film, alleging that they were owed profit participation from the film.
Beatty purchased the Dick Tracy film and television rights in 1985 from Tribune Media Services. He then took the property to Walt Disney Studios, who optioned the rights in 1988. According to Beatty, in 2002, Tribune attempted to reclaim the rights and notified Disney—but not through the process outlined in the 1985 agreement. Beatty, who commented he had "a very good idea" for a sequel, believed Tribune violated various notification procedures that "clouded the title" to the rights and made it "commercially impossible" for him to produce a sequel. He approached Tribune in 2004 to settle the situation, but the company said they had met the conditions to get back the rights.
Disney, which had no intention of producing a sequel, rejected Tribune's claim, and gave Beatty back most of the rights in May 2005. That same month, Beatty filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles, California Superior Court seeking \$30 million in damages against Tribune and a declaration over the rights. Bertram Fields, Beatty's lawyer, said the original 1985 agreement with Tribune was negotiated specifically to allow Beatty a chance to make another Dick Tracy film. "It was very carefully done, and they just ignored it," he stated. "Tribune is a big, powerful company, and they think they can just run roughshod over people. They picked the wrong guy."
Tribune believed the situation would be settled quickly, and was confident enough to begin developing a Dick Tracy live-action television series with Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Robert Newmyer, and Outlaw Productions. The TV show was to have a contemporary setting, comparable to Smallville, and Di Bonaventura commented that if the TV show was successful, a feature film would likely follow. However, an August 2005 ruling by federal judge Dean D. Pregerson cleared the way for Beatty to sue Tribune. The April 2006 hearing ended without a ruling, but in July 2006, a Los Angeles judge ruled that the case could go to trial; Tribune's request to end the suit in their favor was rejected. The legal battle between Beatty and Tribune continued. By March 2009, Tribune was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and lawyers for the company began to declare their ownership of television and film rights to Dick Tracy. "Mr. Beatty's conduct and wrongful claims have effectively locked away certain motion picture and television rights to the Dick Tracy property," lawyers for Tribune wrote in a filing. Fields responded that it was "a nuisance lawsuit by a bankrupt company, and they should be ashamed of themselves".
In 2010, Turner Classic Movies broadcast the Dick Tracy Special. Shot in late 2008, Beatty enlisted cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and film critic Leonard Maltin to make the 30-minute television special, which featured Beatty as Tracy in a retrospective interview with Maltin. Maltin explicitly asked the fictional Tracy if Warren Beatty planned to make a sequel to the 1990 film, and he responded that he'd heard about that, but Maltin needed to ask Beatty himself.
On March 25, 2011, U.S. District Court Judge Dean D. Pregerson granted Beatty's request for a summary judgment, and ruled in the actor's favor. Judge Pregerson wrote in his order that "Beatty's commencement of principal photography of his television special on November 8, 2008 was sufficient for him to retain the Dick Tracy rights." Beatty's lawyer said the court found that Beatty had done everything contractually required of him to keep the rights to the character.
In June 2011, Beatty confirmed his intention to make a sequel to Dick Tracy, but he refused to discuss details. He said: "I'm gonna make another one [but] I think it's dumb talking about movies before you make them. I just don't do it. It gives you the perfect excuse to avoid making them." When asked when the sequel would get made, he replied: "I take so long to get around to making a movie that I don’t know when it starts."
In April 2016, Beatty again mentioned the possibility of producing a sequel when he attended CinemaCon.
In February 2023, Turner Classic Movies aired Dick Tracy Special: Tracy Zooms In, a 30-minute television special similar to the 2010 Dick Tracy Special. The special consists mostly of a Zoom interview featuring Beatty appearing as both Tracy and himself, opposite Ben Mankiewicz and a returning Leonard Maltin, in which Tracy criticizes aspects of the 1990 film adaptation to Beatty's face and suggests that a younger actor should take over the role of Tracy. It concludes with Beatty and Tracy meeting in person and suggesting that Dick Tracy will return in future.
While there have not been any sequels in either television or motion-picture form, there have been sequels in novel form. Shortly after the release of the 1990 film, Max Allan Collins wrote Dick Tracy Goes to War. The story is set after the commencement of World War II, and involves Dick Tracy's enlistment in the U.S. Navy, working for their Military Intelligence Division (as he did in the comic strip). In the story, Nazi saboteurs Black Pearl and Mrs. Pruneface (Pruneface's widow) set up a sabotage/espionage operation out of Caprice's old headquarters in Club Ritz. For their activities, they recruit B.B. Eyes, The Mole, and Shaky. Their reign of terror, culminating in an attempt to bomb a weapons plant, is averted by Tracy. A year after War was released, Collins wrote a third novel titled Dick Tracy Meets His Match, in which Tracy finally follows through on his marriage proposal to Tess Trueheart.
## See also
- List of 1990 box office number-one films in the United States
|
635,388 |
City of Salford
| 1,172,883,646 |
Borough and City in Greater Manchester, England
|
[
"Cities in North West England",
"City of Salford",
"Districts of England established in 1974",
"Local government in Salford",
"Metropolitan boroughs of Greater Manchester"
] |
Salford (/ˈsɒlfərd/ SOL-fərd), commonly known as the City of Salford, is a metropolitan borough with city status in Greater Manchester, England. The borough is named after its main settlement, Salford, but covers a larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton, Walkden and Pendlebury. The borough has a population of 270,000, and is administered from the Salford Civic Centre in Swinton.
Salford is the historic centre of the Salford Hundred an ancient subdivision of Lancashire. The City of Salford is the 5th-most populous district in Greater Manchester. The city's boundaries, set by the Local Government Act 1972, include five former local government districts. It is bounded on the southeast by the River Irwell, which forms part of its boundary with Manchester to the east, and by the Manchester Ship Canal to the south, which forms its boundary with Trafford. The metropolitan boroughs of Wigan, Bolton, and Bury lie to the west, northwest, and north respectively. Some parts of the city, which lies directly west of Manchester, are highly industrialised and densely populated, but around one-third of the city consists of rural open space. The western half of the city stretches across an ancient peat bog, Chat Moss.
Salford has a history of human activity stretching back to the Mesolithic age. There are over 250 listed buildings in the city, including Salford Cathedral, and three Scheduled Ancient Monuments. With the Industrial Revolution, Salford and its neighboring settlements grew alongside the textile industry. The former County Borough of Salford was granted city status in 1926 and thus making it the second city in Greater Manchester after neighbouring Manchester. The city and its industries experienced a decline throughout much of the 20th century. Since the 1990s, parts of Salford have undergone regeneration, especially Salford Quays, home of BBC North and Granada Television, and the area around the University of Salford.
Salford Red Devils are a professional rugby league club in Super League and Salford City F.C. is a professional football club in League Two. Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, in Trafford, is opposite Salford Quays.
## History
Although the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford was a 20th-century creation, the area has a long history of human activity, extending back to the Stone Age. Neolithic flint arrow-heads and tools, and evidence of Bronze Age activity has been discovered in Salford. The northerly section of Watling Street, a Roman road from Manchester (Mamucium) via Bury to Ribchester (Bremetennacum), passes through the city; a hoard of over 550 bronze Roman coins dating between 259 AD and 278 AD was discovered in Boothstown; and a Romano-British bog body, Worsley Man, was discovered in the Chat Moss peat bog.
In 1142, a monastic cell (small monastic house) dedicated to St. Leonard was established in Kersal. The 12th century hundred of Salford was created as Salfordshire in the historic county of Lancashire and survived until the 19th century, when it was replaced by one of the first county boroughs in the country. Salford became a free borough in about 1230, when it was granted a charter as a free borough by the Earl Ranulph of Chester. The cell in Kersal was sold in 1540 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. A 16th-century manor house, called Kersal Cell, was built on the site of the priory. In the English Civil War between King Charles I and parliament, Salford was Royalist. Salford was also noted as Jacobite territory; its inhabitants supported Charles Edward Stuart's claim to the Kingdom of Great Britain and hosted him when he rode through the area during the Jacobite rising of 1745.
During the Industrial Revolution, Salford grew as a result of the textile industry. Although Salford experienced an increase in population, it was overshadowed by the dominance of Manchester and did not evolve as a commercial centre in the same way. On 15 September 1830, Eccles was site of the world's first railway accident. During a stop in Eccles to take on water, William Huskisson, Member of Parliament for Liverpool, had his leg crushed by Stephenson's Rocket; at the time he was in conversation with the Duke of Wellington, who was opening the railway, and did not get out of the way of the train in time. Although Huskisson was taken to Eccles for treatment he died of his injuries. The six-foot-tall Oglala Sioux tribesman, "Surrounded By the Enemy", died here from a bronchial infection at age twenty-two in 1887 during a tour of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and was buried at Brompton Cemetery. In 1894, the Manchester Ship Canal was opened, running from the River Mersey to Salford Quays; when it was complete it was the largest navigation canal in the world. Along the route of the canal, it was necessary to create an aqueduct carrying the Bridgewater Canal over the Ship Canal. The Barton Swing Aqueduct, designed by Sir Edward Leader Williams, is 100 metres (330 ft) long and weighs 1,450 metric tons (1,427 long tons; 1,598 short tons).
At the start of the 20th century, Salford began to decline due to competition from outside the UK. A survey in 1931 concluded that parts of Salford were amongst the worst slums in the country. Salford was granted city status in 1926. During World War II, Salford Docks were regularly bombed.
In the decades following the Second World War there was a significant economic and population decline in Salford. In 1961 a small part of Eccles was added to the city. On 1 April 1974, the City and County Borough of Salford was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, and was replaced by the metropolitan borough of City of Salford, one of ten local government districts in the new metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. The city status of the new district was confirmed by additional letters patent issued on the same day. Since the early 1990s, the decline has slowed.
Prior to the metropolitan borough's creation, the name Salford for the new local government district courted controversy. Salford was "thought second-class by those in Eccles", who preferred the new name "Irwell" for the district (with reference to the River Irwell). A councillor for the then City and County Borough of Salford objected to this suggestion, stating this label was nothing but "a dirty stinking river". The name Irwell won 8 votes to Salford's 7, but a private protest and deliberation favoured Salford as the name for the new city, citing that the River Irwell would pass through two other Greater Manchester districts, and that it "doesn't touch Worsley".
## Geography
The City of Salford is bounded to the north by the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton and Metropolitan Borough of Bury. To the south by the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford and to the west by the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan. Manchester lies directly across the river from Salford. The natural mossland of Chat Moss lies in the south western corner of the city; it covers an area of about 10.6 square miles (27.5 km<sup>2</sup>), accounting for about 30% of the city's area, and lies 75 feet (23 m) above sea level. The moss makes up the largest area of prime farmland in Greater Manchester. Kersal Moor is an area of moorland spanning 8 hectares (20 acres) in Kersal; it is a local nature reserve and a Site of Biological Importance. Greenspace accounts for 55.7% of the City of Salford's total area, domestic buildings and gardens comprise 20.0%, and the rest is made up of roads and non-domestic buildings.
To the south of Salford are the docks of Salford Quays, now home to the MediaCityUK. MediaCityUK is a large area that crosses the boundary into Trafford Park, Trafford. Although Salford Quays is in the City of Salford and has created job opportunities and more housing since the 2010s when it was built.
The River Irwell runs south east through Kearsley, Clifton and Agecroft then meanders around Lower Broughton and Kersal, Salford Crescent and the centre of Manchester, joining the rivers Irk and Medlock. Turning west, it meets the Mersey south of Irlam, where the route of the river was altered in the late 19th century to form part of the course of the Manchester Ship Canal. The ship canal, opened in 1894, forms part of Salford's southern boundaries with Trafford. The city's climate is generally temperate, like the rest of Greater Manchester. The nearest weather station is 10 miles (16 km) away at Ringway, in Manchester; the mean highest and lowest temperatures (13.2 °C (55.8 °F) and 6.4 °C (43.5 °F)) are slightly above the national average, while the annual rainfall (806.6 millimetres (31.76 in)) and average hours of sunshine (1394.5 hours) are respectively above and below the national averages.
## Governance
### Parliamentary constituencies
The City of Salford is represented by Members of Parliament (MPs) for three constituencies, Salford and Eccles by Rebecca Long-Bailey (Labour), Worsley and Eccles South by Barbara Keeley (Labour), and the Broughton and Kersal wards of Salford in Blackley and Broughton by Graham Stringer (Labour).
### Council
In 1974, Salford City Council was created to administer the newly formed local government district. Until 1986, it shared power with the Greater Manchester County Council. The council offices are in Swinton, in what was formerly Swinton and Pendlebury Town Hall. The Labour Party have been in control of the council since its formation in 1974. The council has a constitution detailing how they should operate in performing their duties.
Salford City Council was assessed by the Audit Commission and judged to be "improving well" in providing services for local people. Overall the council was awarded "three star" status meaning it was "performing well" and "consistently above minimum requirements", similar to 46% of all local authorities.
The metropolitan borough of the City of Salford is based on the former County Borough of the City of Salford which included the city centre, Pendleton, Weaste, Claremont, Langworthy, Broughton, Kersal, Ordsall and Seedley. The city is entirely unparished and absorbed the municipal boroughs of Eccles and Swinton and Pendlebury and the urban districts of Irlam and Worsley. An urban district was a type of local government district which covered an urbanised area.
Since 2012, in addition to the long-existing and largely ceremonial, annually appointed civic mayor of Salford, the city has also had a directly elected mayor.
#### Electoral wards
There are 60 councillors representing 20 wards. Swinton and Walkden have six councillors each.
### Central Salford and Salford West
The district is divided into two areas (Central Salford and Salford West) for some purposes including planning, regeneration and housing.
- Central Salford is the eastern part of the district and comprises seven wards: Broughton, Claremont, Irwell Riverside, Kersal, Ordsall, Langworthy and Weaste & Seedley. This is the more urban half of the district and lies partly within the Manchester Inner Ring Road. Salford Quays lies within this area. Between 2005 and 2011, the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company was responsible for urban regeneration in this area, securing over £1 billion of private sector investment. Social housing is provided by Salix Homes in this area.
- Salford West comprises the other 13 wards, including the towns of Eccles, Pendlebury, Swinton and Walkden. This is the more suburban and rural half of the district. Salford City Council's aspiration is that "In 2028, Salford West will be one of the most desirable and prosperous areas in Greater Manchester." Social housing is provided by City West Housing Trust in this area.
### Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Salford City Council depicts a weaving shuttle surrounded by five bees with a three masted ship above, on a shield flanked by two lions. The blue background with a gold chief is taken from the arms of the city council of the County Borough of Salford, who in turn took it from the colours of the Earl of Chester. The shuttle and five bees represent the industry of the area and five settlements who benefited from the textile industry. The ship is borrowed from the crest of Eccles Borough Council and represents the importance of waterways to the city. The ship is flanked by two millrinds – the iron centres of millstones – symbolising engineering. The lions are taken from the crest of the Borough of Swinton and Pendlebury; they are wearing iron steel chain representing engineering. The shield is topped by a griffin carrying a pennon depicting three boars' heads. The griffin is taken from the crest of Eccles and the boars are from the crest of Irlam Urban District. Beneath the shield is a scroll reading salus populi suprema lex, Latin for "the welfare of the people is the highest law".
### Budget
In 2017–18, Salford City Council agreed to spend £267 million. They agreed an estimated £79M on children's services (30%); £56M on community health and social care (21%); £40M on levies and charges (15%); £39M on environment and community safety (14%); £36M and on capital financing (13%); £9M on corporate business (3%); £7M on regeneration (3%); and £2M on public health, reform and commissioning (1%). For the 2016–17 financial year, the council's income is expected to consist of £65M including council tax and efficiency savings. The net expenditure is therefore expected to be £202M.
### Audit
A Comprehensive Area Assessment by the Audit Commission in 2009 found that Salford's key priorities are improving health, reducing crime, helping young people achieve A-level qualifications, social services, including the views of minority groups, improving skills and "making Salford a cleaner and more attractive place to live".
## Demography
### Ethnicity
At the 2011 UK census, the City of Salford had a total population of 233,933. Of the 103,556 households in Salford, 25.4% were married or same-sex civil partnership couples living together, 36.4% were one-person households, 11.2% were co-habiting couples and 13.5% were lone parents. The figures for lone parent households were above the national average of 10.6%, and the percentage of married couples was also below the national average of 33.2%; the proportion of one person households was higher than the national average of 30.3%.
The population density was 24.1 persons per hectare (Salford covers 9,719 hectares), 117,151 (50.1%) female, and 116,782 (49.9%) male. Of those aged 16–74 in Salford, 27.1% had no academic qualifications, significantly higher than 22.5% in all of England. 11.8% of Salford's residents were born outside the United Kingdom, lower than the national average of 13.8%. The largest minority group was recorded as Asian, at 4.1% of the population.
The number of theft from a vehicle offences and theft of a vehicle per 1,000 of the population was 21.3 and 7.9 compared to the English national average of 7.6 and 2.9 respectively. The number of sexual offences was 1.1 compared to the average of 0.9. The national average of violence against another person was 16.7 compared to the Salford average of 27.2. The figures for crime statistics were all recorded during the 2006/7 financial year. Although all were above the averages for England, Salford's crime rate was lower than Manchester's.
### Population change
The table below details the population change since 1801, including the percentage change since the last available census data. Although the City of Salford has existed as a metropolitan borough since 1974, figures have been generated by combining data from the towns, villages, and civil parishes that would later be constituent parts of the city.
### Religion
The following table shows the religious identity of residents residing in the city of Salford.
Salford is covered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford, and the Church of England Diocese of Manchester.
During the mid-19th century, there was an influx of Irish people into the Salford area, largely due to the famine in Ireland. In 1848, Salford Roman Catholic Cathedral was consecrated, reflecting Salford's large Irish-born community at the time.
Of Salford's six Grade I listed buildings, three are churches. St Augustine's Church, Pendlebury, was built in 1874 by George Frederick Bodley. The Church of St Mary the Virgin, in Eccles, was originally built in the 13th century but was expanded in the 15th. A church has been on the site since at least the 12th century. St Mark's Church, Worsley was built in 1846 by George Gilbert Scott. The six Grade II\* listed churches are the Church of St Andrew in Eccles, the Cathedral Church of St John, the Church of St Luke in Pendleton, Monton Unitarian Church in Monton, the Church of St Philip in Salford, and the United Reformed Church.
## Economy
Salford Docks (also called Manchester Docks) were opened by Queen Victoria in 1894, providing docks in Manchester and Salford for the Manchester Ship Canal which linked Manchester to the sea. During the 1970s, the docks fell into decline as they proved too small for new, larger ships, and when they were abandoned in 1982 over 3,000 people lost their jobs. Salford City Council purchased the docks in 1984 and since then they underwent regeneration as a centre of tourism in Salford, which included the construction of the Lowry Centre. More than 10,000 people are employed in the Quays in jobs such as retail, construction, and e-commerce. In 2007, it was confirmed that the BBC would be moving five of its departments to a new development on Pier 9 of Salford Quays, called MediaCityUK. The move was completed in 2011.
Finance and professional services, tourism and culture, and computer and internet based services have been identified as growth industries in Greater Manchester and are concentrated in Manchester and Salford. Average house prices in the City of Salford are sixth out of all the metropolitan boroughs in Greater Manchester, 7.6% lower than the average for the county. There are, however, areas of considerable affluence, within the city, such as Broughton Park, parts of Kersal, Ellesmere Park, Worsley, parts of Swinton and Pendlebury and the ultra-modern Salford Quays.
At the 2011 UK census, Salford had 173,117 residents aged 16 to 74. 4.7% of these people were students with jobs, 4.1% looking after home or family, 6.9% permanently sick or disabled and 2.9% economically inactive for other reasons. The City of Salford has a high rate of people who are permanently sick and disabled, 70% higher than the national average of 4.0%.
In 2011, of 106,904 residents of the City of Salford in employment, the industry of employment was: 17.8% retail and wholesale; 7.6% manufacturing;13.7% health and social work; 8.7% education; 7.2% construction; 5.2% transport and storage; 6.6% accommodation and food service; 6.2% administrative and support services; 6.0% professional, scientific and technical; 5.1% public administration and defence; 4.4% financial and insurance; 3.4% information and communication; 1.6% real estate; 0.9% water supply and waste management; 0.6% energy supply; 0.1% agriculture, forestry and fishing; 0.1% mining and quarrying; and 4.7% other. This was roughly in line with national figures, except for the proportion of jobs in agriculture which is less than half the national average, reflecting the city's suburban nature and its proximity to the centre of Manchester.
JCDecaux UK has its Manchester office in the Metroplex Business Park in Salford.
## Culture
### Landmarks
As of September 2003, the City of Salford has 6 Grade I, 14 Grade II\*, and 253 Grade II listed buildings. The city has the equal second highest number of Grade I listed buildings out of the districts of Greater Manchester, behind Manchester. The Grade I listed buildings are the Church of St Augustine, the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, St Mark's Church, Ordsall Hall, Wardley Hall, and a bridge over the River Irwell. Salford Cathedral, built in 1845, is the seat of the Diocese of Salford and a Grade II\* listed building. Most of Salford's tallest buildings are mid-20th century residential tower blocks or 21st century high rise apartments. A study by Christopher Collier of the University of Salford suggested that Manchester's drizzly climate is largely due to the multitude of high-rise blocks in Salford. Collier has proposed that they have a "dramatic influence on the region's weather patterns", and may contribute to the 8 °C (14 °F) temperature difference between Salford and its surrounding countryside.
There are three Scheduled Ancient Monuments in the city. The oldest is an Iron Age promontory fort occupied from 500 BC–200 AD. Also scheduled is Hanging Bridge on the border with Manchester, dating to the 14th century, and an underground section of the Bridgewater Canal in Swinton built in 1759.
### Sport
Salford is home to a number of past and present rugby league teams. Founded in 1873, Salford Red Devils play in the Super League at the AJ Bell Stadium, in Barton, Salford. They are 6 times Champions and they won the Challenge Cup in 1938, and have experienced two previous stretches in the Super League, 1997–2002 and 2004–2007. In 2008 they won the Northern Rail Cup beating Doncaster 60–0 in the Final at Blackpool. They previously won the same trophy in 2003. They also won the National League 1 Grand Final in 2008, beating Celtic Crusaders after extra time in Warrington. Construction on a new 20,000 seat £35 million pound stadium was complete in 2012. Now named the AJ Bell stadium it is home to Salford Red Devils and Sale Sharks rugby union team.
Swinton Lions were founded in 1866 and play in the Championship at heywood road sale. They won the Rugby Football League Championship six times between 1927 and 1964, before it was superseded by Super League. They have also won the Challenge Cup three times between 1900 and 1928.
Broughton Rangers were founded in 1877 and won the Rugby League Challenge Cup in the 1901–02 and 1910–11 seasons. The club folded in 1955, but were reformed as a local amateur club in 2007 with the support of Salford Red Devils.
At amateur level, the city is represented in rugby league by the Langworthy Reds. They are the oldest amateur rugby league club in Salford.
Also in Salford are several football and cricket teams. Irlam F.C. is an amateur football team that has played in the Manchester Football League since 1989. They were founded in 1969 as Mitchell Shackleton Football Club and changed their name in 2006. Salford City F.C. was founded in 1940 and play in the Football League Two. Monton & Weaste C.C. and Clifton C.C. have played in the Central Lancashire Cricket League since 2005 and 2006 respectively. Walkden play in the Bolton Cricket League. Little Hulton play in the Bolton and District Cricket Association. Winton and Worsley play in the Manchester and District Cricket Association.
## Education
Overall, Salford was ranked 75th out of all the Local Education Authorities (LEAs) – and seventh in Greater Manchester – in National Curriculum assessment performance in 2007. Unauthorised absences and authorised absences from Salford secondary schools in 2006–07 were 2.0% and 7.0% respectively, both higher than the national average (1.4% and 6.4%). In 2007, the Salford LEA was ranked 127th out of 149 in the country – and ninth in Greater Manchester – based on the percentage of pupils attaining at least 5 A\*–C grades at General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) including maths and English (37.8% compared with the national average of 46.7%). In 2007, Beis Yaakov High School was the most successful school in Salford at GCSE, with 90% of the pupils gaining five or more GCSEs at A\*–C grade including maths and English. Bridgewater School was the most successful at A–level.
The University of Salford is one of four universities in Greater Manchester and was ranked 81st by The Times. It has over 19,000 students and a 69.7% level of student satisfaction. In 2007, the university received nearly 17,000 applications for 3,660 places. The university is undergoing £150M of redevelopment through investment in new facilities, including a £10M law school and a £22M building for health and social care which were opened in 2006. In 2007, the drop out rate from the university was 25%. Of the students graduating, 50% gained first class or 2:1 degrees, which is below the national average of about 55%.
## Transport
The city of Salford is served by nine railway stations on four routes. Eccles and Patricroft are on the northern route of the Liverpool to Manchester Line, while Irlam, in the southwest of the borough, is on the southern route. Clifton is on the line to Bolton and Preston; Swinton, Moorside and Walkden are on the Manchester to Southport Line via Wigan; and Salford Central and Salford Crescent are served by both routes. A station at Pendleton was closed in 1998 after suffering fire damage and a loss of patronage in favour of nearby Salford Crescent, opened a few years earlier. All train services are provided by Northern, though First transpennine offer occasional services during peak hours.
The Eccles line of the Manchester Metrolink runs through the City of Salford, with stations at Exchange Quay, Salford Quays, Anchorage, Harbour City, Broadway, Langworthy, Weaste, Ladywell and Eccles. The line was opened in two stages, in 1999 and 2000, as Phase 2 of the system's development. In 2010 a new tram stop was opened at MediaCityUK, a 1 stop spur off the main Eccles line. Trams operate from here to Etihad Campus, sharing most of the route with the Eccles to Ashton line. Some Eccles and Ashton bound services also stop here, especially during peak hours. These lines provide good access for Eccles and the Quays to the rest of Greater Manchester.
There are bus stations at Pendleton and Eccles. Buses run to destinations throughout the city, across Greater Manchester and further afield: Pendleton is served by a route to Preston, Eccles Interchange is next to the Metrolink stop.
The council is responsible for the administration and maintenance of public roads and footpaths in the city.
Since 2020, electric scooters have been available for public hire in central Salford, Salford Quays, Ordsall, Pendleton and at the University of Salford. The e-scooter hire service is operated by shared micromobility company Lime.
## Notable people
- Mark E. Smith (1957-2018), leader of post-punk band The Fall
- Harry Williams (born 1929), footballer
## Twin towns
The City of Salford has formal twinning arrangements with four European places and one in Canada. Each was originally twinned with a place within the city prior to its creation in 1974.
- Clermont-Ferrand, France (originally twinned with County Borough of Salford in 1966)
- Lünen, Germany (Municipal Borough of Swinton and Pendlebury, 1966)
- Narbonne, France (Municipal Borough of Eccles, 1957)
- Saint-Ouen, France (Worsley Urban District, 1961)
- Oattessel, Canada (Jaques Urban District, 1977)
## Freedom of the City
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the City of Salford.
### Individuals
- Benjamin Armitage: January 1899.
- Benn Wolfe Levy: January 1899.
- David Lloyd George: October 1922.
- Frederick Smith, 1st Baron Colwyn: July 1933.
- Edward Arthur Hardy: January 1960.
- L. S. Lowry: March 1965.
- Sir Peter Maxwell Davies: November 2004.
- Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela: 30 November 2005.
- Ryan Giggs: January 2010.
- Harold Riley: 15 November 2017.
- Mike Leigh: 24 July 2019.
- Ben Wallsworth: 30 October 2019.
- Alan Henning: 28 April 2023.
- John Cooper Clarke: 19 July 2023.
### Military units
Military units:
- The Lancashire Fusiliers: 18 October 1947.
- The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers: 26 April 1975.
## See also
- 2006 Salford Council election
- Salford local elections
- Mayor of Salford
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1,886,166 |
Willow Creek/Southwest 185th Avenue Transit Center
| 1,147,711,371 |
Light rail station and transit center on the MAX Blue Line in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States
|
[
"1998 establishments in Oregon",
"MAX Blue Line",
"MAX Light Rail stations",
"Railway stations in Washington County, Oregon",
"Railway stations in the United States opened in 1998",
"Transportation buildings and structures in Washington County, Oregon",
"Transportation in Hillsboro, Oregon",
"TriMet transit centers"
] |
Willow Creek/Southwest 185th Avenue Transit Center is a transport hub in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Owned and operated by TriMet, it is a light rail and bus station. The transit center is the ninth station eastbound on the Blue Line and a hub for bus routes mostly serving Washington County in the Portland metropolitan area. It is located by the intersection of Southwest Baseline Road and 185th Avenue near the city's boundary with Beaverton. Opened in 1998, the station was originally conceived as the western terminus of the Westside MAX, but the line was extended further west into Hillsboro, due to population growth occurring at the time the line was being planned. Artwork at the stop represents a reading motif, as a library was planned for the station, but never built. Willow Creek is near the Oregon National Primate Research Center and the rest of the Oregon Health & Science University's West Campus in the Tanasbourne neighborhood.
## History
Planning for a light rail system on Portland's west side started in 1979, with a groundbreaking coming in 1993 on the Westside MAX project. The line originally was to terminate at Willow Creek/185th, but lobbying by Hillsboro mayor Shirley Huffman and others secured funding to extend the line to downtown. Even so, at the time that Westside MAX construction started, this station was planned to the line's outer terminus initially, opening in September 1997, with the 6-mile (10 km) section between 185th Avenue and Hillsboro opening later. However, construction of the 12-mile (19 km) Downtown Portland-to-185th Avenue section fell behind schedule, due to delays in constructing the Robertson Tunnel through the West Hills, and in 1995 TriMet postponed the opening by one year, to September 1998. Under the new schedule, Willow Creek Transit Center would no longer be the line's terminus, because the delay enabled the Hillsboro extension to "catch up" with the original segment and open at the same time.
Plans for the station originally called for the construction of a branch of the Hillsboro Public Library at the stop. Due to cost overruns when building the Robertson Tunnel, the library was canceled and a Books by Rail program was added to the Hillsboro Central station. TriMet also canceled plans for security cameras at the station. The park-and-ride lot opened on March 3, 1997, served by two bus lines (61 and 88), because it was ready for use. Having been built under the original project timeline that called for the station to open September 1997, Willow Creek park-and-ride ended up being completed far in advance of the start of MAX service and related bus-service expansion, after the latter were delayed to 1998.
On September 12, 1998, Willow Creek Transit Center opened along with the rest of the Westside MAX line. The park-and-ride lot was filled to 67% capacity on average within a few months of the MAX line's opening. In 1999, library officials proposed moving the Books by Rail program to the busier Willow Creek station, but the move did not occur and the program was later canceled due to reduced library funds and a failed library funding levy. By December 1999, Willow Creek was the second-busiest station in terms of boardings on the Hillsboro portion, averaging 2,313 per day. The park-and-ride lot was the fifth busiest on the MAX system by March 2000.
A woman at Willow Creek was hit by MAX train in November 2000. A nearly 400-unit apartment complex was built adjacent to the station in 2003. In 2005, a stabbing occurred at the stop, and in 2007 a rider forced off the MAX by TriMet then attempted to assault someone at the neighboring apartment complex.
Of the 16 MAX stations on the west side, Willow Creek had the third-highest number of boardings for the 2006–2007 fiscal year, with an estimated 947,000, and the most calls for police assistance with 971. In 2008, TriMet secured a grant from the Transportation Security Administration to allow the transit agency to add security cameras to the station. Portland Community College (PCC) began construction of a training center at the station in 2008, with the \$25 million facility then opened in 2009. TriMet had planned to build a third track in 2009 at the station in order to allow the extension of the Red Line to Willow Creek using federal stimulus funds, but canceled the project due to projected costs.
## Facilities
Willow Creek is located just northwest of the intersection of Baseline Road and Southwest 185th Avenue. The station includes a park-and-ride lot along with racks and lockers for bicycles. With 595 parking spaces, the parking lot is the second biggest park-and-ride on the MAX line after the Sunset Transit Center. As with all MAX stations, it is Americans with Disabilities Act (accessible) compliant and has ticket vending machines on the island-type platform. Willow Creek also has a concessions stand next to the bus plaza. The station serves the east Hillsboro and west Beaverton areas, and is located about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Aloha. This includes Oregon Health & Science University's West Campus in the Tanasbourne neighborhood of Hillsboro, including the Oregon National Primate Research Center.
The transit center is served by TriMet bus lines 52, 59 and 88. Midibuses of Columbia County's CC Rider transit service also stop there on weekdays, providing direct service to Scappoose and St. Helens. Landscaping at the station included trees that bloom (cherry), which TriMet traditionally shuns in favor of non-blooming tree species due to higher maintenance costs of the blooming trees. These were replaced by non-blooming trees during construction of the PCC building in 2008. The station was designed by architectural firm OTAK of Lake Oswego.
### Public art
Artwork at the transit center includes large, stone, Victorian themed chairs and tables that have literary names etched into them. These represent reading rooms that were to complement the originally planned library. The reading theme continues with embedded-tile word puzzles in the floor of the platform. These puzzles include names of authors and characters.
There are also various letters from different alphabets from around the globe in the concrete. Additionally, brick TriMet buildings at the station include an abstract pattern designed to mimic the falling cherry blossoms from the nearby trees. A work by artist Christopher Rauschenberg memorializes the landscape of the site prior to the construction of MAX, etching the work into the windows of the platform's wind break.
## See also
- List of TriMet transit centers
|
29,256,306 |
Just Chillin'
| 1,119,458,650 |
2002 studio album by Norman Brown
|
[
"2002 albums",
"Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album",
"Norman Brown (guitarist) albums",
"Smooth jazz albums",
"Soul jazz albums",
"Warner Records albums"
] |
Just Chillin' is the fifth studio album by American guitarist and singer Norman Brown, released in July 2002 through Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Paul Brown and features guest vocal performances by Miki Howard, Michael McDonald, Chanté Moore and Debi Nova. Guest instrumentalists include Rick Braun, percussionists Lenny Castro and Paulinho da Costa, Jerry Hey, Pino Palladino on bass, James Poyser, and Bill Reichenbach Jr. on trombone. The album contains six tracks written or co-written by Brown, a cover version of Janet Jackson's "Let's Wait Awhile" and three additional songs.
In the United States, Just Chillin' reached peak positions of number 198 on the Billboard 200, number two on Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, number six on the Top Heatseekers chart, number three on the Top Jazz Albums chart and number 50 on the Top R&B Albums chart. In 2003, the album earned Brown the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album.
## Composition
Just Chillin', produced by Paul Brown, contains ten tracks totaling approximately 45 minutes in length. The album has a relaxed mood generated by Brown's "gentle riffs and chords", a quality continued from his previous studio album Celebration (1999). Tracks include "light grooving instrumentals" and "unhurried romantic forays" with vocals by Miki Howard, Michael McDonald, Chanté Moore and Debi Nova. Backing vocals are supplied by Maya Azucena and Leela James. According to Brown, these guest vocalists marked his "introduction to vocals". Guest instrumentalists include: Rick Braun, percussionists Lenny Castro and Paulinho da Costa, Jerry Hey, Pino Palladino on bass, James Poyser, and Bill Reichenbach Jr. on trombone.
"The Feeling I Get", "Just Chillin'", and the Latin-influenced "Dancing in the House", are all original compositions by Brown; the latter two are considered moderately upbeat. "Night Drive", "Won't You Stay", and "In My Life" are also credited in part to Brown. "Night Drive", co-written by Phil Davis, contains a trumpet performance by Braun. In addition to Brown, "Won't You Stay" was co-written by Vikter Duplaix and James Poyser; "In My Life" was co-written by Edwin Lugo. The album also includes "Feeling the Way" (Derek Allen, Juanita Wynn), John Stoddart's "I Still Believe", a cover version of Janet Jackson's "Let's Wait Awhile" (Melanie Andrews, Jackson, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis), and Christopher Bolden's "Not Like You Do."
## Reception
Just Chillin' received less than favorable critical reception. Allmusic's Matt Collar awarded the album two out of five stars and noted his preference for Brown's 1994 studio album After the Storm. Collar thought that Brown incorporated too many programmed drums and "mid-tempo jams", producing more "urban and gritty" tracks than his other instrumental albums. He compared "The Feeling I Get" to "instrumental Maxwell" and called Janet Jackson's "Let's Wait Awhile" a standout track which reflects Brown's "overall vision to turn jazz to pop and vice versa". Chris Walker of JazzTimes also noted the album's laid-back pace ("almost too relaxed") and thought it lacked Brown's "trademark zestfulness". Walker complimented the vocalists' performances, which produced a "pleasant, soulful aura", but felt they were "far removed" from Brown. He wrote that "Just Chillin'" and "Dancing in the House" displayed Brown's acumen; Walker also complimented "Night Drive", in part because of Braun's trumpet performance, and considered "Let's Wait Awhile" the highlight of the album. In 2003, the album earned Brown the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album.
## Track listing
Track listing adapted from Allmusic.
## Personnel
Personnel
- Alex Al – bass
- Maya Azucena – backing vocals
- Pablo Batista – percussion
- Christopher Bolden – arranger, drum programming, keyboards
- Rick Braun – flugelhorn, trumpet
- Norman Brown – acoustic guitar, backing vocals, guitar
- Lenny Castro – percussion
- D.O.A. – arranger, bass, guitar, keyboards
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion
- Phil Davis – arranger, drum programming, keyboards
- Jenni Fujita – backing vocals
- Jerry Hey – flugelhorn, horn arrangements
- Miki Howard – vocals
- Herman Jackson – keyboards
- Leela James – backing vocals
- Edwin Lugo – backing vocals, composer
- Tony Maiden – guitar
- Michael McDonald – vocals
- Chanté Moore – vocals
- Debi Nova – vocals
- Pino Palladino – bass
- Ricky Peterson – keyboards
- James Poyser – keyboards
- Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone
- Lil' John Roberts – drums
- John Jubu Smith – acoustic guitar
- John Stoddart – arranger, backing vocals, drums, keyboards
- Juanita Wynn – backing vocals
Production
- Anthony Bell – engineer
- Bo Boddie – engineer
- Doug Boehm – assistant engineer
- Bob Brockman – mixing, producer
- Norman Brown – producer
- Paul Brown – engineer, mixing, producer
- D.C. – digital editing
- D.O.A. – producer, programming
- Timothy Day – engineer
- Vikter Duplaix – producer, programming
- Jan Fairchild – mixing
- Yaron Fuchs – mixing, producer
- Gregory Muntana Gilmer – art direction, design
- Robert Hadley – mastering
- Wayne Holmes – assistant engineer
- Victor McCoy – assistant engineer
- Ryan Moys – engineer
- Don Murray – engineer
- James Poyser – producer
- Josean Posey – engineer
- Doug Sax – mastering
- Bill Schnee – engineer
- Lexy Shroyer – production coordination
- Jon Smeltz – engineer
- John Stoddart – programming
- Dana Watson – production coordination
- Krystof Zizka – engineer
- Erik Zobler – digital editing, engineer
Credits adapted from Allmusic.
## Chart performance
In the United States, Just Chillin' reached peak positions of number 198 on the Billboard 200, number two on Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, number six on the Top Heatseekers chart, number three on the Top Jazz Albums chart and number 50 on the Top R&B Albums chart. The album remained on the Billboard 200 for one week, the Top Jazz Albums chart for fifty weeks and the Top R&B Albums chart for eight weeks. In 2003, Just Chillin' re-entered the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart at number 22. The May 31, 2003 issue of Billboard, which featured the annual "Jazz Spotlight" and covered jazz music between the December 7, 2002 and May 3, 2003 issues of the magazine, included the album at number eight on its list of the "Top Contemporary Jazz Albums".
## See also
- List of smooth jazz musicians
|
2,130,020 |
Xenon 2: Megablast
| 1,166,384,479 |
1989 shoot 'em up video game
|
[
"1989 video games",
"Acorn Archimedes games",
"Amiga games",
"Atari Jaguar games",
"Atari ST games",
"Cancelled Super Nintendo Entertainment System games",
"Commodore CDTV games",
"Game Boy games",
"Image Works games",
"Master System games",
"Mindscape games",
"Multiplayer and single-player video games",
"Science fiction video games",
"Sega Genesis games",
"Shoot 'em ups",
"The Bitmap Brothers games",
"U.S. Gold games",
"Vertically scrolling shooters",
"Video game sequels",
"Video games about bomb disposal",
"Video games developed in the United Kingdom",
"Video games scored by David Whittaker"
] |
Xenon 2: Megablast is a 1989 shoot 'em up video game developed by The Bitmap Brothers and published by Image Works for the Amiga and Atari ST. It was later converted to the Master System, PC-98, X68000, Mega Drive, Commodore CDTV, Game Boy, Acorn Archimedes and Atari Jaguar platforms. The game is a sequel to Xenon and takes place a millennium after the previous title. The goal of the game is to destroy a series of bombs planted throughout history by the Xenites, the vengeful antagonists of the first game.
Xenon 2: Megablast is the third major video game release by The Bitmap Brothers. Its subtitle is derived from the Bomb the Bass track "Megablast (Hip Hop on Precinct 13)", which serves as the game's theme music. The original release of Xenon 2: Megablast was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, with reviewers praising the detailed visuals, addictive gameplay, variety of weapons and innovative soundtrack.
## Gameplay
Xenon 2: Megablast is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up in which the player takes on the role of a starship pilot who must destroy five bombs planted throughout history by the villainous Xenites. The player controls the Megablaster, a small battlecraft that can move in multiple directions, is equipped with a raygun as an offensive measure, and is shielded from enemy attacks and collisions for a temporary period. The game is split into five scrolling levels ranging in theme from the Cambrian era to futuristic metallic spaceways. The levels are primarily inhabited by aggressive lifeforms that have been mutated by radiation emanating from the bombs planted at the end of each level.
Attacks from these enemy characters will decrease the player's shield. If the shield is completely depleted, the ship will be destroyed by the next hit it sustains, and the player will lose a life. Each level contains six "restart positions", from which the ship will respawn at the most recent position passed if a life is lost. If all three lives are lost, the game ends prematurely. The shield can also sustain damage if the ship is trapped in a corner of the scenery and is crushed as the screen continues to scroll. The player can reverse the direction of the scrolling to a limited extent by pulling back on their directional input when the ship is at the bottom of the screen. A boss character is found at the end of each level and requires a specific strategy to destroy. When the boss is defeated, the bomb within the level will defuse. The first level only features one boss character, while the other four feature another boss at the level's halfway point.
Capsules can occasionally be found within the levels, and release one of a variety of collectible tokens when destroyed. These tokens can augment the ship's weaponry or speed, restore a portion of the ship's shield, or allow the ship to dive into the background for a limited time. Destroyed enemies leave behind currency known as Real Cash, the quantity and value of which depending on the size of the enemy. Real Cash can be used to buy and sell tokens at "Crispin's Swop Shop", which the player can access twice per level. Xenon 2: Megablast is primarily single-player, but allows for two players to play intermittently.
## Development and release
Xenon 2: Megablast was conceptualized and designed by The Bitmap Brothers (consisting of Mike Montgomery, Steve Kelly and Eric Matthews) and published by Image Works. It is the third major release by The Bitmap Brothers after Xenon and Speedball. Matthews reckoned that "everyone seems to be into destruction and extra weapons in a big way", and sought to satisfy this demand with Xenon 2: Megablast. The development team drew inspiration from Scramble, Gradius and R-Type, and attempted to deviate from the shoot 'em up formula by making the enemy characters less predictable and predetermined. The Megablaster's ability from the previous title to transform into a tank was omitted to make the gameplay more straightforward.
The game was programmed by The Assembly Line, who wrote the code on an IBM Personal Computer and then ported to an Atari ST. The graphics were created by Mark Coleman, who designed the visuals based on Matthews's brief descriptions using both DEGAS Elite and additional animation routines written by Montgomery. The audio was created by David Whittaker, who arranged the Bomb the Bass track "Megablast (Hip Hop on Precinct 13)" as the game's background score. The game's subtitle is derived from this track. The arrangement heard in the title screen includes the samples from the original version, while the arrangement heard during gameplay is slightly stripped down. The development team had been eager to include the track in a shoot 'em up game, with Matthews saying "It's perfect music for a shoot 'em up. It's instrumental, which makes it relatively easy to reproduce on computer, and the title says it all." Rhythm King founder Martin Heath and Bomb the Bass headman Tim Simenon were both avid fans of computer games, and their favourable response resulted in "Megablast" being licensed for the game.
An early version of Xenon 2: Megablast was demonstrated on the Channel 4 programme Signals in mid-January 1989, and the game was formally announced in April. After an additional showing at a promotions event by Mirrorsoft in Amsterdam, Xenon 2: Megablast was released in September 1989. On that month, a promotional sweepstake was run by Computer and Video Games and Mirrorsoft in which contestants who filled and mailed a postcard were eligible to win the grand prize of a Discman and a copy of the Bomb the Bass album Into the Dragon, from which the game's titular track originates. Ten second-prize winners received a copy of the game and a special limited-edition Xenon 2: Megablast t-shirt.
The Master System version of the game was programmed by Sean Cross and S. Green, was released in October 1991 and has a reduced level count from five to three. In November 1991, Epic/Sony Records also published versions for PC-98 and X68000 in Japan. The Sega Genesis version was programmed by Delvin Sorrell and released in February 1992. The Master System and Mega Drive versions were published by Virgin Games. The Game Boy version was published by Mindscape and released in October 1992. A version for the Commodore CDTV, also programmed by Sorrell, was released in the same month, and includes a high fidelity remix of "Megablast" as well as voice acting for the character Crispin provided by Richard Joseph. A version for the SNES was announced the following month, but not released. A version for the Acorn Archimedes and other Acorn 32-bit machines was released in late 1993, published by GamesWare. On May 27, 2016, a version for the Atari Jaguar, created by AtariAge user Cyrano Jones, was released with Mike Montgomery's blessing. The Atari Jaguar version includes a new soundtrack composed by 505.
## Reception
### Amiga and Atari ST
The Amiga and Atari ST versions of Xenon 2: Megablast were met with critical acclaim. Roland Waddilove of Atari ST User gave the game a perfect score and declared it to be one of the year's best vertically-scrolling shoot 'em ups, but stated that while the gameplay is "fast and addictive", it lacked originality in the face of a saturated shoot 'em up market. Stuart Wynne of Zzap!64 lauded the game's difficulty, and said that while the gameplay was standard for its genre, the wide range of power-ups to enhance the ship with served as a vital difference. Warren Lapworth of The Games Machine deemed the game "a superlative shoot-'em-up" and "a classing sounding, looking, and playing blaster, wholly deserving of the prefix 'Mega'". He commended the shop feature as "brilliantly presented and cleverly thought-out" and the ability to reverse course as a "great idea ... [that] helps transform an already highly playable shoot-'em-up into a classic, addictive one". Paul Glancey of Computer and Video Games praised the gameplay, graphics and sound and called the game "utterly superb". Duncan MacDonald of Zero declared that the game "is (to date) the DEFINITIVE vertical scrolling shoot 'em up", while David McCandless of the same publication said that the game "has the best music, graphics, gameplay and doner kebabs this side of Crewe". MacDonald noted that the "add-on weapons" system was "awesome", and both he and McCandless felt that the "restart position" system kept the learning curve and difficulty at a reasonable level.
Brian Nesbitt of The One commended the game's variety of weapons, and felt that the game "will undoubtedly have the same effect on the games scene as its predecessor did over a year ago". Pete Connor of ACE decided that the game "is one of the most accomplished shoot-em-ups you're likely to come across this side of Christmas", and that the challenge provided by the amount of detail and action balanced out the low amount of levels. Gary Barrett of ST Format called the game "extremely addictive and exciting" in spite of its lack of new concepts, and considered it to be "in the same elite class as Blood Money". Tony Horgan of Amiga User International was grateful for the feature of retaining weapons after losing a life, which he felt made the game's balance "perfect". Mike Pattenden of Commodore User observed that "Xenon II pursues the relentless quest for an arcade quality shoot'em up on the Amiga, and it's probably the closest yet." However, he felt that the slow scroll rate induced an element of tedium, and that the lack of variation held back the strength of the game's challenge. The loading times between levels and the Swop Shop were criticized.
Waddilove highlighted the detailed sprites and parallax scrolling backgrounds. Wynne described the game's visual themes as "imaginative and unique", and proclaimed that the "well nigh perfect" animation "sets a new standard in presentation". Lapworth described the game as "a truly awesome sight" and praised the sprites as "imaginative and conception and brilliant in execution", the enemy designs as "pleasingly vicious" and the colours and textures as "realistic and highly impressive". MacDonald considered the artwork and animation to be "as good as anyone could ask for"; he pointed out the abundant colours, the depth granted to the backgrounds by the parallax scrolling, and the "sheer genius" design and animation of the enemy sprites. McCandless also spoke highly of the visuals; he proclaimed the game to have "simply the best graphics this side of the arcade", felt that the enemy designs were "realistic and seriously hateable", and expressed surprise at the amount of animated details such as the weapons and items. Connor called the game "one of the prettiest you're likely to see on the ST this year", and described the graphics as "colourful, smooth and fast". Barrett said that the game's "superior" graphics boosted the presentation of the enemy and weapon sprites. Pattenden praised the graphics as "superb" and "definitely arcade quality", and singled out the backgrounds and colour schemes as "brilliant".
Waddilove commended the soundtrack as "very professionally performed", and observed that the game's explosions and zaps make the game "noisy but fun". Wynne of Zzap!64 deemed the arrangement of "Megablast" "impressive", while Robin Hogg of the same publication was unenthusiastic for the choice of in-game music and voiced a preference for heavy metal. Lapworth considered Whittaker's re-sequenced version of "Megablast" to be "an excellent soundtrack", but expressed disappointment at the arrangement of the Atari ST version, which consisted of "very ordinary in-game spot effects". McCandless declared the soundtrack to be "nothing short of awesome", and said that "the entire game is worth buying just for the intro". Nesbitt said that "from the moment the incredible David Whittaker reconstruction of Bomb the Bass' Megablast bursts into life, you know you are in for something special." Connor called the soundtrack "superb" and remarked that "you can hear every last scratch, yelp, and shriek as the sound chip works overtime." Horgan commended the game's theme as "brilliant". Pattenden felt that the game's mix of "Megablast" was "every bit as potent as the original cut".
The Amiga and Atari ST versions topped the Gallup sales charts for their respective consoles in their debut month, and stayed within the Top 20 charts for the next three months. ST Format included the game in its "50 Games of the Year", saying that "Flawless graphics, nightmarish wriggly sprites, and instantaneous addiction made it the gamester's rave of the year." In a subsequent issue, ST Format ranked the game at \#30 in its "30 Kick-Ass Classics" and declared it to be the definitive vertical-scrolling shoot-'em-up, but simultaneously identified it as the genre's "death", remarking that "the Bitmaps milked what credibility remained" and that "nothing else could follow it". ST Format later ranked the game as the \#1 shoot-'em-up in its "Top 50 Games of 1990", and observed that it was "for many the high point of shoot-'em-ups; for others, the one that killed 'em". The game was ranked the 33rd best Amiga game of all time by Amiga Power.
### Other versions
The Sega versions were assessed positively by Mean Machines. Julian Rignall and Richard Leadbetter both praised the Master System version's graphics as some of the best on the console, and considered the gameplay to be as addictive as its 16-bit counterparts due to the variety of weapons, though Leadbetter felt that the pace of the gameplay was slow and that the sound effects were lacking. Rignall and Leadbetter also complimented the visuals of the Mega Drive version, but were disappointed by the jerky scrolling and poor musical arrangement. Damien Noonan of Amiga Format rated the Commodore CDTV version a paltry 32%, commenting that, while innovative at the time it was first released, the game had aged poorly and its gameplay was not well-balanced. In a middling review of the Game Boy version, Nintendo Power spoke positively of the mechanic of buying weapons to upgrade the ship and the challenge provided by the enemies approaching from all sides, but criticized the slow speed of the ship and the absence of continuous firing.
|
66,168,769 |
Aetia (Callimachus)
| 1,103,997,436 |
Ancient Greek poem by Callimachus
|
[
"3rd-century BC poems",
"Ancient Greek poems",
"Callimachus",
"Hellenistic period"
] |
The Aetia (Ancient Greek: Αἴτια, romanized: Aitia, lit. 'causes') is an ancient Greek poem by the Alexandrian poet Callimachus. As an aetiological poem, it presents a large collection of origin myths in four books of elegiac couplets. Although the poem cannot be precisely dated, scholars estimate it was probably composed between 270 and 240 BC.
Emerging from a tradition of writing going back to the poems of Homer, the Aetia provides the earliest source for almost every myth it relates. The stories of Books 1 and 2 have a dialectic structure, wherein characters engage in a discussion or debate. Books 3 and 4 offer a diverse range of linked dramatic settings. Two poems dedicated to Berenice II of Egypt—Victory of Berenice and Lock of Berenice—bookend the poem's second half.
Widely read in antiquity, the poem elicited responses from several Roman poets. A translation of the Lock of Berenice by Catullus inspired Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock (1712). During the High Middle Ages, the Aetia disappeared from circulation. Systematic recovery of the text began during the Renaissance. In the late 20th century, substantial fragments of the poem were recovered following the discovery of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri.
## Name and genre
The Greek word αἴτιον (aition, 'cause') means an attempt to explain contemporary phenomena with a story from the mythical past. The title of Callimachus's work can be roughly translated into English as "origins". Derived from the same word, the term 'aetiology' encompasses the study of origins more broadly. Aetiological accounts appear sparsely in the Homeric epics—the Iliad and the Odyssey—but are more frequent in later archaic literature, such as the Homeric Hymns and Hesiod's Theogony. By the Classical period, aetiological aspects were common features of Attic tragedy and epinician poetry.
For example, the plays of Aeschylus and Euripides attempted to explain Athenian rituals by setting them in the mythical past. In the Hellenistic period, a rising interest in the genre led to ever more obscure origin stories being incorporated within literary works. Apart from Callimachus himself—who had woven aetiologies into his other poems—his contemporary Apollonius of Rhodes also made frequent use of such stories in the Argonautica.
## Content
The Aetia contains a collection of origin stories. Ranging in size from a few lines to extensive narratives, they are unified by a common metre—the elegiac couplet. With a few exceptions, the collection is the earliest extant source for most of the myths it presents. The poem is thought to have had about 4,000 lines and is organised into four individual books, which are divided in halves on stylistic grounds.
### Books 1 and 2
After the proem, Callimachus describes a dream in which, as a young man, he was transported by the Muses to Mount Helicon in Boeotia. In a variation on a famous scene from Hesiod's Theogony, the young poet interrogates the goddesses about the origins of unusual present day customs. This dialogue frames all aetiologies presented in the first book. The stories in the book include those of Linus and Coroebus, Theiodamas, king of the Dryopes and the voyage of the Argonauts.
The second book continues the first's dialectic structure and may have been set a symposium at Alexandria, where Callimachus worked as a librarian and scholar. Since most of its content has been lost, little is known about Book 2. The only aetiology commonly assumed to have been placed in the book are the stories Busiris, king of Egypt, and Phalaris, the tyrant of Akragas, who were known for their excessive cruelty.
### Books 3 and 4
The second half of the Aetia does not follow the pattern established in Books 1 and 2. Instead, individual aetiologies are set in a variety of dramatic situations and do not form a contiguous narrative. The books are framed by two well known narratives: Book 3 opens with the Victory of Berenice. Composed in the style of a Pindaric Ode, the self-contained poem celebrates queen Berenice's victory in the Nemean Games. Enveloped within the epinician narrative is an aetiology of the games themselves. The end of Book 4 and the Aetia as a whole is marked by another court poem, the Lock of Berenice. In it, Callimachus relates how the queen gave a lock of her hair as a votive offering which later became a constellation, the Coma Berenices ("Hair of Berenice"). Another notable story from the second half of the work is the love story of Acontius and Cydippe.
## Textual history
### Composition
While exact dating of the Aetia is uncertain, it has been estimated that the text was composed between 270 and 240 BC. Some parts of the poem have been dated to an early phase in Callimachus's career, suggesting 270 BC as an approximate starting date for the poem's composition. Books 3 and 4, by contrast, mention queen Berenice II of Egypt, which means that at least part of the work must have been composed around the time of her accession in the 246 BC. Attempting to reconcile these disparate dates, scholars have suggested that the poem's first half was written at an earlier stage of the poet's life and that the last two books were added during the reign of Berenice II. Hellenist Annette Harder, on the other hand, writes that Callimachus began working on the Aetia in his youth and kept developing its content throughout his life.
### Transmission
Having been read widely during the Roman Empire, the Aetia was still in circulation during the transition to the Early Middle Ages: the epistolographer Aristaenetus, the poet Nonnus and the monk Marianus of Auxerre show their familiarity with the text around the year 500 AD. The poem is thought to have been available during the Byzantine Empire, with 12th-century scholar Eustathius of Thessalonica being the last person to display first hand knowledge of its content.
The Aetia disappeared from circulation in the 13th century; two centuries later, Florentine scholar Poliziano sought to reconstruct the text from brief quotations found in other classical works. Although restoration efforts have continued since, a breakthrough was only achieved after the discovery in 1898 of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri in Egypt. Hence, the 20th century saw the publication of many fragments of the poem recovered from papyrus scraps found at Oxyrhynchus, culminating in 1976 with the publication of the substantial Victory of Berenice fragment. Together with the diegeseis, a collection of prose summaries, these fragments have allowed scholars to form a fairly comprehensive overview of the poem.
## Reception
Like all poems by Callimachus, the Aetia was read and studied widely by Roman poets of the Republic and early empire. Their interaction was most sustained in the Augustan era. Announcing his attention to be a "Roman Callimachus" in the prologue to his fourth book, the elegist Propertius introduced aetiological material evoking the story of Acontius and Cydippe into his love poems. The Fasti, a didactic poem about the Roman calendar by Ovid, has, in the words of classicist Alessandro Barchiesi, "the strongest claim to be a full-scale imitation of the Aetia". However, not all Roman commentators held favourable views of the work: the epigrammatist Martial dedicated a poem (10.4) to the sentiment that the Aetia, with its obscure mythological content, was irrelevant to contemporary Roman life.
One aetiology in particular, the Lock of Berenice, has been subject to well known imitations. In the first century BC, the Roman poet Catullus wrote a Latin translation of the story which has been handed down as his poem 66. Catullus's composition, in turn, provided inspiration for the narrative poem The Rape of the Lock, published by the English poet Alexander Pope in 1712.
Modern critics have stressed the Aetia's prominent place in the study of Callimachus. The poem is regarded by classicist Kathryn Gutzwiller as his "most influential and original" work. Latinist Richard F. Thomas, in an article surveying its influence on Roman poetry, describes the Aetia as the "most important poem of the most influential Alexandrian poet". However, he adds that much of its perceived influence remained "speculative" due to the poem's poor state of preservation. Expressing a similar sentiment, Richard L. Hunter, a scholar of Hellenistic literature, states that Roman allusions to a small number of surviving passages from the Aetia have led to an undue prominence of those passages in modern criticism of Callimachus.
## Selected editions
- Two volume edition, includes the Greek text and philological commentary.
- English verse translation.
- Critical edition of the Greek text.
- Greek text with a facing English translation.
|
11,588,745 |
So Wrong, It's Right
| 1,155,085,167 | null |
[
"2007 albums",
"Albums produced by Matt Squire",
"All Time Low albums",
"Hopeless Records albums"
] |
So Wrong, It's Right is the second studio album and major label debut by American rock band All Time Low. Following an unsuccessful showcase for Fueled by Ramen, Hopeless Records signed All Time Low in March 2006. They released an EP, Put Up or Shut Up, through the label in July of that year. After amassing 12 songs by January 2007, the band demoed some of them for Paul Leavitt. The group began recording So Wrong, It's Right in April at SOMD Studios in Beltsville, Maryland with producers Leavitt and Matt Squire. The band wrote five additional songs while in the studio. Following an acoustic tour in June, the band participated in Warped Tour, and "Dear Maria, Count Me In" was made available for streaming. After premiering a music video for "Six Feet Under the Stars", So Wrong, It's Right was released on September 25. The band spent the next three months supporting Boys Like Girls on their US tour.
In early 2008, a music video was released for "Dear Maria, Count Me In", which was followed by an appearance at the Soundwave festival in Australia in February and March. The group participated in the Alternative Press Tour, and appeared at The Bamboozle and Give it a Name festivals, between March and May. "Dear Maria, Count Me In" was released to radio around this time. In July, the band went on a headlining US tour, before taking part in Warped Tour. A deluxe edition of the album followed at the end of July, featuring acoustic versions of songs and music videos. In early August, a music video was premiered for "Poppin' Champagne" on MTV's FNMTV. Later in the month, the band took part in the mtvU Video Music Awards Tour performing at several Six Flags locations, before embarking on a US tour in October and November. "Poppin' Champagne" was released as a single in December featuring two different versions of the track.
So Wrong, It's Right sold 14,225 copies in its first week of release, charting at number 62 on the Billboard 200, as well as reaching the top 20 on several other Billboard charts. The album went on to sell over 180,000 copies by May 2009. "Dear Maria, Count Me In" was certified Gold and then Platinum by the RIAA in April 2011 and April 2015, respectively. So Wrong, It's Right was later certified Gold by the RIAA in May 2017. The album received a mostly positive response from critics, with several reviewers praising the album's pop-punk sound.
## Background
All Time Low released their debut album The Party Scene in July 2005 through independent label Emerald Moon Records. In December, it was announced that the band was no longer signed, but were attracting attention from a number of record labels. In late 2006, the band performed a showcase for John Janick the founder of record label Fueled by Ramen. They were not signed because Cute Is What We Aim For had recently been taken on by the label, which was not in a position to sign another band at the time. On March 28, 2006, it was announced that All Time Low had signed with Hopeless Records. The band was brought to the label's attention by fellow touring band Amber Pacific. Following high school graduation, the members focused on the group full-time, and released the Put Up or Shut Up EP in July.
Vocalist/guitarist Alex Gaskarth said the EP helped the band gain new fans, while at the same time allowing them time to progress musically. Gaskarth also said that the group did not want to "feel pressured or rushed" to make an album. Opting to release the EP instead "made the most sense as far as where we were and what we wanted to do". To support its release, the group appeared on a number of Warped Tour dates and toured with Amber Pacific. Gaskarth revealed the band was aiming to enter the recording studio in the winter. In December, the group performed a number of shows. At one of these, they played three new tracks: "Let It Roll", "Dear Maria, Count Me In" and "Remembering Sunday".
## Writing and recording
In January 2007, the band said they had composed 12 songs for their second album. Around this time, the group demoed a handful of songs for Paul Leavitt. The band began recording on April 17, 2007, with producers Matt Squire and Leavitt at SOMD Studios in Beltsville, Maryland. The group previously worked with Leavitt on The Party Scene (2005) and the Put Up or Shut Up EP. According to a studio update posted on April 20, guitarist Jack Barakat revealed the band was in pre-production. The group listened to the demos they had recorded previously, picking and choosing which songs they would work on further, as well as parts of other songs they wanted to retain. Gaskarth said the band went into the studio with around 15 songs, before that number was whittled down to three. They subsequently wrote a lot of material in the studio.
In another studio update posted on April 27, Barakat mentioned they had narrowed down the songs that would make the album. Gaskarth said the group needed to write more songs, which resulted in the creation of five additional songs. One of these songs was "Come One, Come All", a track Gaskarth strongly disliked in retrospect. Barakat, who shared Gaskarth's view on the song, added that other songs from the same time would have served better on the record. Barakat mentioned 11 would be on the album, and that they could potentially add "...another [song] here or there if all goes as planned".
Barakat said the band's members "felt that ... we have grown as musicians," with assistance from Squire and Leavitt. Squire worked closely with Gaskarth on creating melodies, while Leavitt worked with drummer Rian Dawson creating, as Barakat describes them, "beastly drum beats". Barakat mentioned that the drum and bass parts were done "pretty straight forward and quick" since Dawson and bassist Zack Merrick were "solid" on their respective instruments. While the bass was being recorded, Squire was working with Gaskarth on vocals. Squire and Leavitt engineered the recordings, while Squire mixed them. Ted Jensen mastered the recordings at Sterling Sound.
## Composition
Musically, the sound of So Wrong, It's Right has been described as pop-punk. All the songs on the album were written by All Time Low with lyrics by Gaskarth. Sam Hollander and Dave Katz provided additional writing and lyrics on "Holly (Would You Turn Me On?)". The group, along with the Dangerous Summer, Matt Flyzik, Dan Dori, Jason Park and Alex Grieco performed gang vocals. The opening track "This Is How We Do" sets the tone of the album with its double-time drum pattern, loud guitarwork, gang vocals, and joyful lyrics. "Let It Roll" and "Shameless" were reminiscent of the works of New Found Glory. "Six Feet Under the Stars" talks about being young and in love. The acoustic song "Remembering Sunday" features additional vocals from Juliet Simms of Automatic Loveletter.
## Release
In June 2007, the group went on an acoustic tour alongside Morning Light and Just Surrender, during which videos of the band performing "Stay Awake (Dreams Only Last for a Night)" were posted online. From late June to late August, the band went on the 2007 edition of Warped Tour. The band then revealed that their second album would be released in September and would be titled So Wrong, It's Right. On July 3, "Dear Maria, Count Me In" was made available for streaming via Alternative Press. The album's track listing was revealed on August 3. On August 19, "Six Feet Under the Stars" was released as a free download via the band's Myspace profile. In August and September, the group went on a UK tour with Plain White T's. This was followed by a US East Coast tour with The Starting Line. On September 21, So Wrong, It's Right was made available for streaming via the band's Myspace profile. A day later, the group performed an album release show at the Recher Theatre in Towson, Maryland. A music video for "Six Feet Under the Stars" premiered on September 24.
On September 25, 2007, So Wrong, It's Right was released through Hopeless Records. The Japanese edition included acoustic versions of "Break Out! Break Out!" and "Stay Awake (Dreams Only Last for a Night)", as well as the music video for "Coffee Shop Soundtrack". The group supported Boys Like Girls on their US headlining tour, dubbed Tourzilla, from late September to late November, and played at a series of in-store performances in October. In January and February 2008, the band went on the Manwhores and Open Sores Tour with Every Avenue, Mayday Parade and Just Surrender. A music video for "Dear Maria, Count Me In", directed by Travis Kopach, premiered on Total Request Live on February 12, 2008. In February and March, the band performed at the Soundwave festival in Australia, as well as two additional sideshows. On March 3, the band made their television debut performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performing "Dear Maria, Count Me In".
Between mid-March and early May 2008, the group co-headlined the Alternative Press Tour with The Rocket Summer, followed by appearances at The Bamboozle and Give it a Name festivals, in the US and UK respectively. "Dear Maria, Count Me In" was released to radio on May 6. Later that month, the band went on a co-headlining UK tour with Cobra Starship, supported by Broadway Calls. In early July 2008, a music video was filmed for "Poppin' Champagne" in New York City with director Kopach. Shortly afterward, the group went on a headlining US tour with Hit the Lights, Valencia and There for Tomorrow. The band performed on Warped Tour from July 23 until August 18. A deluxe edition of the album was released on July 29, 2008. It featured a video mix of "Poppin' Champagne", acoustic versions of "Dear Maria, Count Me In", "Six Feet Under the Stars", "Let It Roll", and "Stay Awake (Dreams Only Last for a Night)", as well as music videos for "Dear Maria, Count Me In" and "Six Feet Under the Stars".
A music video for "Poppin' Champagne" premiered on MTV's FNMTV on August 1, 2008. Gaskarth later said that if he "could take that video back, I totally would. It's just so absurd and terrible!". In August and September, the band performed at various Six Flags locations as part of the mtvU Video Music Awards Tour. In October and November, the group was part of the Compromising of Integrity, Morality, & Principles in Exchange for Money tour in the US, alongside Mayday Parade, the Maine and Every Avenue. In December, the band went on the Christma-Hanu-Kwanza tour with support from the Audition, Hey Monday, the Friday Night Boys and Sparks the Rescue. A "Poppin' Champagne" single was released on December 26 under the title "Poppin'", featuring a dance remix, a video mix and the music video for the song. The band performed on December 31 for MTV's New Year's Eve Special. The album was released on vinyl in May 2014, and was subsequently repressed in December 2014 and October 2015. The band is scheduled to perform the album in its entirety at three shows in December 2017.
## Reception
### Critical response
AbsolutePunk reviewer Rohan Kohli said the album was "somewhat of a throwback to the glory days of pop punk," filled with "youthful, summer-y, hook-laden songs". However, he said that it "occasionally suffers from questionable lyrics," as well as mentioning Gaskarth's voice being "sometimes masked by a little studio trickery". In a short review, AllMusic said that the band provides a "sharp, sensitive set of tunes". It also mentioned that the group incorporates "heart-on-the-sleeve sincerity without resorting to emo histrionics". Alternative Addiction said the album was "basically pop-punk by the book, but who minds when it’s this fun?", and described Gaskarth's voice as "pretty much THE standard for pop-punk these days". Tristan Staddon of Alternative Press wrote that the band crafted "pitch-perfect pop-punk anthems" made for "sunny days at the beach/mall and evenings under the stars". He noted that the album contained "less variety ... than you’ll find in a flannel factory," though this "rarely matters since All Time Low’s sugary confections are consistently delicious".
Hannah Eklund of AltSounds called the album a "masterpiece [that] is catchy, vibrant and upbeat". She praised the album's "ridiculously good vibes," which leave you "smiling". In addition, she noted that the music is "full of passion and fun, making them such an easily liked band". Melodic reviewer Tom Spinelli compared the album to the Put Up or Shut Up EP, calling it "full of energy and life". He noted that the album displays "a mature step forward in the "pop punk genre".
### Commercial performance and accolades
So Wrong, It's Right sold 14,225 copies in its first week of release. By May 2009, the album had sold over 180,000 copies. The album charted at number 62 on the Billboard 200, number six on the Independent Albums chart, number 12 on the Alternative Albums chart, number 14 on the Top Rock Albums chart, and number 20 on the Digital Albums chart. It also reached number 167 in Japan. "Dear Maria, Count Me In" was certified Gold by the RIAA in April 2011, and Platinum in April 2015. RIAA certified the album Gold in May 2017.
idobi Radio included the album on their best of 2007 list. Alternative Press included "This Is How We Do" and "Come One, Come All" on their list of the band's best non-single songs. BuzzFeed included the album at number 34 on their 36 Pop Punk Albums You Need To Hear Before You F——ing Die list. The album was included at number 10 on Rock Sound's The 51 Most Essential Pop Punk Albums of All Time list. The album was included on Alternative Press' listicle of albums turning 10 years old in 2017. Mackenize Hall wrote that the album "pleased the cult of existing fans, won over a significant portion of their daily, sweaty crowds and had the industry hungry for more". Hall noted that the band still featured "Remembering Sunday", "Six Feet Under the Stars" and "Dear Maria, Count Me In" in their live sets.
## Track listing
All music written and performed by All Time Low, all lyrics written by Alex Gaskarth, except "Holly (Would You Turn Me On)" by All Time Low, Sam Hollander and Dave Katz.
## Personnel
Personnel per digital booklet.
All Time Low
- Alex Gaskarth – guitar, lead vocals
- Jack Barakat – guitar
- Rian Dawson – drums
- Zack Merrick – bass
Additional musicians
- Juliet Simms – additional vocals on "Remembering Sunday"
- All Time Low, The Dangerous Summer, Matt Flyzik, Dan Dori, Jason Park, Alex Grieco – gang vocals
Production'
- Matt Squire – producer, engineer, mixing
- Paul Leavitt – producer, engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Jesse Burton – design
## Charts and certifications
### Weekly charts
### Certifications
|
2,252,371 |
Fort Belvedere, Surrey
| 1,148,793,995 |
A Grade II* listed country house on Shrubs Hill in Windsor Great Park, in Surrey, England
|
[
"1750 establishments in England",
"Buildings and structures in Windsor Great Park",
"Country houses in Surrey",
"Crown Estate",
"Edward VIII",
"Gothic Revival architecture in Surrey",
"Grade I listed parks and gardens in Surrey",
"Grade II* listed buildings in Surrey",
"Grade II* listed houses",
"Houses completed in 1755",
"Houses completed in 1828",
"Jeffry Wyatville buildings",
"Royal residences in England"
] |
Fort Belvedere (originally Shrubs Hill Tower) is a Grade II\* listed country house on Shrubs Hill in Windsor Great Park, in Surrey, England. The fort was predominantly constructed by Jeffry Wyatville in a Gothic Revival style in the 1820s.
The fort was occupied by numerous members of the British royal family and associated personages from 1750 to 1976. From 1929 Fort Belvedere was the home of Edward, Prince of Wales, who greatly renovated the house and grounds, and it was the site of his abdication as King Edward VIII in 1936. The property remains part of the Crown Estate, is home to private tenants and is not open to the public.
## Location
The Fort Belvedere estate is situated in the extreme south end of Windsor Great Park in the parish of Egham, in the Borough of Runnymede in Surrey. The closest town to the fort is Sunningdale in Berkshire. The fort is situated on Shrub's Hill and overlooks Virginia Water. The fort is 22 miles (35 km) from London, and Edward, Prince of Wales, would boast of being able to see London's St Paul's Cathedral "through a spy-glass" from the fort in the 1930s.
The fort's acquired name of 'Belvedere' reflects its status as a vantage point and as an 'eye-catcher' for the park.
## Early history
Fort Belvedere was built 1750–1755, by Henry Flitcroft, for Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1721–1765), younger son of George II and Queen Caroline, and was featured in an engravings in 1753 and 1754, where it was described as the "New building on Shrubb's Hill".
It was, at first, merely a folly. It was used as a summer-house, and seven counties could be seen, as now, from the top of the flagstaff tower. The triangular turreted structure was set amid a dense plantation of trees and overlooked Virginia Water, a man-made body of water constructed by Thomas and Paul Sandby at the behest of the Duke.
Sir Jeffrey Wyatville, who was responsible, under George IV, for the rebuilding of Windsor Castle, enlarged the house in 1828 at a proposed cost of £4000. Additions included an octagonal dining room in the north-east side, in which the King regularly had dinner. A three-storey annex was added for the accommodation of the Bombardier, with a new wall linking a heightened turret to which a large flagpole was added. The addition of further Gothic details enhanced the interior and exterior of the fort in 1829. The fort is built of brick with an applied wash that imitated the appearance of stone. Queen Victoria used Fort Belvedere as a tea house, and the fort was opened to the public in the 1860s.
By 1910 the fort was occupied as a grace and favour residence by Sir Malcolm Murray, the Comptroller to Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. The Duke was the owner of nearby Bagshot Park. The fort was extended with a new service wing and entrance porch in 1911–12, which was subsequently demolished. The dining and drawing rooms were also extended and new entrance lodges were built. After the departure of Murray, the fort was described as suffering from "dust inches deep, splintered doors and sagging floors" in 1929.
The ruins in the grounds can be seen from the shore of Virginia Water and are part of an ancient temple brought from Leptis Magna near Tripoli. The ruins are located between the south shore and Blacknest Road close to the junction with the A30 London Road and Wentworth Drive.
## Edward VIII
In 1929, the building became vacant, and was given to Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, by his father, George V. The King had originally expressed surprise at Edward's request asking him "What could you possibly want that queer old place for? Those damn weekends I suppose", but then smiled and gave his permission. Edward's previous residence had been York House, part of St. James's Palace in London, which he had thought "more an office than a home." He would later write that he "created a home at the fort just as my father and grandfather had created one at Sandringham ... here I spent some of the happiest days of my life."
During Edward's occupancy, extensive renovation of the interior and grounds was carried out.
`He built a swimming pool at the fort between 1931 and 1932, that replaced an old lily pond, and added a tennis court and developed stables in the grounds of the fort. Edward added modern conveniences at the fort, many of which were still rare in British homes, including bathrooms adjacent to nearly every room, a steam-room, showers, built-in cupboards and central heating. The prince initially renovated the house with the assistance of his then mistress Freda Dudley Ward. By 1959 only one room, the drawing room, had survived from Edward's renovations. The drawing room's painted walls were designed to resemble the pinewood panelling of a Scottish shooting lodge. The total cost of the redecoration including plumbing and repairs came to £21,000 (£ as of ).`
The relationship between Edward and Wallis Simpson blossomed at Fort Belvedere; the couple spent their first weekend at the fort at the end of January 1932, and by early 1935 two rooms had been combined at the fort for her use. Notable interior decorators to work on the fort under Edward included Sybil Colefax, Lady Mendl, Maison Jansen, and Herman Schrijver. Edward and Wallis entertained most weekends at the house; guests present included 'courtiers and diplomats, American men of affairs and English Society, garnished with a sprinkling of statesmen, soldiers and sailors'. Giles Gilbert Scott added a guest wing to the fort after Edward's accession as king in 1936. In 1936 Wallis moved permanently to the fort after receiving threatening anonymous letters, and left Fort Belvedere for the final time on 3 December 1936, a week before Edward's abdication.
Cabinet Office files released in 2013 revealed that during December 1936, the Home Secretary, Sir John Simon, had ordered the General Post Office to intercept Edward's telephone communications between the fort and the European continent. Government officials were caused further alarm by Edward's habit of leaving his official "red boxes" unguarded around the fort.
Following opposition to the potential of Edward's marriage to Wallis Simpson from the British government and autonomous Dominions of the British Commonwealth, the fort became the final setting of Edward's abdication as king. He held several meetings with Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin at Fort Belvedere during the crisis, and on 10 December 1936 signed his written abdication notices at the fort, witnessed by his three younger brothers: Prince Albert, Duke of York (who succeeded Edward as George VI); Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince George, Duke of Kent. The following day, it was given legislative form by special Act of Parliament: His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936. Following his abdication at the fort, Edward described himself as feeling "like a swimmer surfacing from a great depth ... I left the room and stepped outside, inhaling the fresh morning air." He retained the visitor's book from the fort, and it would be used at all the subsequent homes he and Wallis Simpson would share.
Edward continued to pay for the gardeners, insurance and upkeep of the fort in the initial years following his abdication, because it was his wish that he would return there. His possessions from the fort were transferred to the Château de la Croë in the south of France (where he had named the sitting room "The Belvedere") in the spring of 1938, but many were damaged in transit. Edward was informed in March 1940 that the fort was no longer in his possession as his warrant to occupy the grace and favour residence had expired on the termination of his reign and was not to be renewed by the present sovereign, his brother, now George VI. Edward was greatly upset by this, writing in 1940 that "It is crystal clear that this proposed reserving of the Fort by the use of Crown Lands is nothing more than a piece of bluff, and the first excuse that the king has been able to find to deprive me of my right to occupy the place should I ever desire to do so ..." Edward believed that the incident was an example of his 'brother's failure to keep his word to me' after the fort had apparently been reserved for him if he should reside once more in England.
In 1977 the fort was used extensively for the filming of Edward & Mrs. Simpson, an ITV serialisation of Edward and Wallis's relationship.
## Post abdication
Fort Belvedere was largely unoccupied during the 20 years following Edward's abdication. The fort was used by the Office of the Commissioners of Crown Lands, who had been evacuated from their central London offices during World War II. After the war, the house remained empty.
### Gerald and Angela Lascelles
In 1953 it was announced that the fort was to be available on a long lease, and a 99-year lease on the fort was bought by The Honourable Gerald Lascelles in 1955. Lascelles was the son of Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood and Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of George V and Mary of Teck. Lascelles was a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He lived at the fort with his wife, Angela, and their son, Henry. Lascelles described the house as 'falling to pieces' at the beginning of his occupancy, and refurbished the fort, removing most traces of Edward's renovations in the process, except for the swimming pool and the battlements walk. The 30–40 rooms of the fort were reduced by the Lascelleses to the "equivalent of an eight-bedroom house, including quarters for three or four staff. It will be a very manageable home". Angela Lascelles remained dedicated to improving and renovating the house and maintaining the estate. The Lascelleses’ restoration of the fort was undertaken by the designer Stanley Peters who took three years to return it to its 18th-century state; Peters faced difficulties in removing offices added when Edward became king. A mural added by Peters in the drawing-room, and painted by Oliver Carson, depicted Peters in an incidental role, portrayed in 18th-century clothes chasing butterflies. The Lascelleses later claimed the credit for Peters's designs and his career suffered irreparable damage as a result.
### 1976 sale of the lease
The financial pressure following his divorce caused Gerald Lascelles to put his 78-year remainder of the lease up for sale through estate agents Savills in 1976.[^1] Offers for the lease above £200,000 were invited. An advertisement for Fort Belvedere's lease listed the features of the fort as "Hexagonal central hall, fine drawing room, dining room, library, compact domestic quarters, 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, arranged mainly in suites" and the expanse of the estate as "about 59 acres, of which 25 acres is freehold woodland". Three cottages were also included in the lease with the swimming pool and tennis court. The lease was eventually acquired by a son of the Emir of Dubai in 1976.
### Galen and Hilary Weston
From the early 1980s until his death in 2021, the lease on Fort Belvedere has been held by the late Canadian billionaire retail magnate Galen Weston and his wife, Hilary. It continues to be occupied by his family. The Westons have carried out extensive works on the fort, constructing a polo stud and doubling the size of the lake in the grounds.
The Westons have a close relationship with the British royal family; they were often guests of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother at the nearby Royal Lodge, and have hosted Queen Elizabeth II at the fort. King Charles III played polo with Galen Weston and stables his polo ponies at Fort Belvedere, and the nearby Coworth Park Polo Club in Sunningdale is the base for Weston's polo team, the Maple Leafs. The Westons have held notable parties at Fort Belvedere: Hilary Weston's 60th birthday party at the fort was attended by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Queen Noor of Jordan and Princess Caroline of Monaco, and a June 2014 ball at the fort was enthusiastically covered in The Spectator'' magazine by Taki Theodoracopulos.
The Crown Estate retains ownership of the freehold, as the property is still part of the Great Park.
## Gardens
The grounds of Fort Belvedere are about a hundred acres in size and include forests and a lake. The gardens of Fort Belvedere, Virginia Water and the nearby Clockcase are Grade I listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
Edward said of the fort that "By the time I came upon it, it had become a pseudo-Gothic hodge-podge. A profusion of yew trees kept one side of the house in perpetual shadow, staining the wall with green acidulous mould. But the half-buried beauty of the place leaped to my eye."
Edward's subsequent passion for landscaping and horticulture briefly eclipsed golf and hunting in his affections, and he would often get his weekend guests, including his brother Bertie, the future George VI, to assist him in the landscaping of the fort. The garden designer Norah Lindsay also worked on the fort's garden at the behest of Edward, he would later describe how her "unusual use of roses in the herbaceous border" had justified her payment. Edward planted roses and irises along the walls of the battlement. Prime Minister Baldwin complimented Edward on the beauty of the garden; commenting on the "silvery radiance of the birch trees and the delicacy of the autumn tints" in late 1936. Edward also mowed hay on the fort's estate in the summer months and built a rock garden with cascading water pumped from Virginia Water.
The Westons have carried out substantial landscaping at the fort, and recruited Rosemary Verey to help with the design of the gardens at Fort Belvedere in the early 1980s. Verey's designs for the rose garden and the 120 ft long borders along the battlement remain, and have been reworked and maintained by garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith.
## Cannon
Thirty-one brass cannon were moved to the north-facing crenelated terrace of the fort from nearby Cumberland Lodge in the early 19th century. The cannon were made by Andrew Schalch at the Royal Brass Foundry in Woolwich in 1729–1749. The cannon were fired for George IV's birthdays and other royal birthdays until 1907, with the cannon fire being answered by a miniature frigate situated on Virginia Water in the early years of their operation. The last Bombardier situated at the fort was Master Gunner Turner of the Royal Artillery. The Bombardier was entrusted with the care of the guns and lived in Bombardier's Cottage, connected to the main house by an archway. The cannon would have been melted down as part of the war effort in 1943 had it not been for the intervention of the head of the Tower Armoury, J. G. Mann. Four guns were removed from the terrace in 1930 and placed in two pairs at the entrances to the fort.
## Derivative buildings
Shrubs Hill Tower inspired the building of similar triangular tower follies on various large estates, including:
- Haldon Belvedere, also known as Lawrence Tower (1788), Haldon House, near Exeter, Devon, built by Sir Robert Palk, 1st Baronet (1717–1798), in memory of his friend and patron General Stringer Lawrence (1697–1775).
- Powderham Belvedere (1773) at Powderham Castle, near Exeter, Devon, built by the Earl of Devon.
## Book sources
[1750 establishments in England](Category:1750_establishments_in_England "wikilink") [Buildings and structures in Windsor Great Park](Category:Buildings_and_structures_in_Windsor_Great_Park "wikilink") [Country houses in Surrey](Category:Country_houses_in_Surrey "wikilink") [Crown Estate](Category:Crown_Estate "wikilink") [Edward VIII](Category:Edward_VIII "wikilink") [Gothic Revival architecture in Surrey](Category:Gothic_Revival_architecture_in_Surrey "wikilink") [Grade I listed parks and gardens in Surrey](Category:Grade_I_listed_parks_and_gardens_in_Surrey "wikilink") [Grade II\* listed buildings in Surrey](Category:Grade_II*_listed_buildings_in_Surrey "wikilink") [Grade II\* listed houses](Category:Grade_II*_listed_houses "wikilink") [Houses completed in 1755](Category:Houses_completed_in_1755 "wikilink") [Houses completed in 1828](Category:Houses_completed_in_1828 "wikilink") [Jeffry Wyatville buildings](Category:Jeffry_Wyatville_buildings "wikilink") [Royal residences in England](Category:Royal_residences_in_England "wikilink")
[^1]: Our Estates Correspondent. "Buyer is sought for historic Fort Belvedere". The Times'. London, 4 June 1976. pg. 5.
|
12,539,015 |
Indian flying fox
| 1,170,585,696 |
Species of mammal
|
[
"Bats of India",
"Bats of Southeast Asia",
"Mammals described in 1825",
"Mammals of Bangladesh",
"Mammals of Myanmar",
"Mammals of Nepal",
"Mammals of Pakistan",
"Mammals of Sri Lanka",
"Mammals of the Maldives",
"Pteropus",
"Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN",
"Taxonomy articles created by Polbot"
] |
The Indian flying fox (Pteropus medius, formerly Pteropus giganteus), also known as the greater Indian fruit bat, is a species of flying fox native to the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the largest bats in the world. It is of interest as a disease vector, as it is capable of transmitting several viruses to humans. It is nocturnal and feeds mainly on ripe fruits, such as mangoes and bananas, and nectar. This species is often regarded as vermin due to its destructive tendencies towards fruit farms, but the benefits of its pollination and seed propagation often outweigh the impacts of its fruit consumption.
## Taxonomy and phylogeny
The Indian flying fox was described as a new species by Dutch zoologist and museum curator Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1825 who gave it the scientific name Pteropus medius. Confusion over the name has prevailed in the literature as in 1782 Danish zoologist Morten Thrane Brünnich, gave the scientific name Vespertilio gigantea as a replacement for Vespertilio vampyrus Linnaeus (1758: 31). He was specifically referring to Linnaeus's use of Vespertillo vampyrus. Carl Linnaeus had previously classified the species as Pteropus vampyrus and as such gigantea could not be used for a species that was already named. In 1992 Corbett and Hill suggested giganteus was a sub-species of vampyrus.
In 2012, Mlíkovský argued that the correct scientific name of the Indian flying fox should be Pteropus medius rather than P. giganteus. He asserted that Brünnich coined a new name for a species that had already been described—Vespertilio vampyrus which is now Pteropus vampyrus (the large flying fox). Mlíkovský made several points in his argument, all with a foundation in the nomenclature rule known as Principle of Priority. The Principle of Priority posits that the first formal, published scientific name given to a species shall be the name that is used. Because Brünnich was attempting to rename the large flying fox in his 1782 publication, his name should not apply to either the large or the Indian flying fox—an older name was in existence, and therefore the large flying fox is P. vampyrus, not P. giganteus; In negating Brünnich's name, Mlíkovský states that the oldest applicable name used to describe the Indian flying fox comes from Coenraad Jacob Temminck's publication in 1825. Mlíkovský's recommendation has been met with varying degrees of acceptance. Some authors who have published on the Indian flying fox since 2012 have accepted this taxonomic revision, using the name Pteropus medius. Other taxonomic authorities, however, such as the Integrated Taxonomic Information System, still recognize Pteropus giganteus as the valid name of the Indian flying fox.
It is most closely related to the grey-headed flying fox, P. poliocephalus. As the genus Pteropus is divided into closely related species groups, the Indian flying fox is placed in the vampyrus species group, which also includes the Bonin, Ryukyu, little golden-mantled, Rodrigues, large, Lyle's, Aldabra, Madagascan, Seychelles, and Mauritian flying foxes.
There are currently three recognized subspecies of the Indian flying fox: P. m. ariel (G. M. Allen, 1908), P. m. giganteus (Brünnich, 1782), and P. m. leucocephalus (Hodgson, 1835).
### Phylogeny
## Description
The Indian flying fox is India's largest bat, and one of the largest bats in the world, weighing up to 1.6 kg (3.5 lb). Its body mass ranges from 0.6–1.6 kg (1.3–3.5 lb), and males are generally larger than females. The wingspan ranges from 1.2–1.5 m (3 ft 11 in – 4 ft 11 in) and body length averages 15.5–22.0 cm (6.1–8.7 in). The wings rise from the side of the dorsum and from the back of the second toe, and its thumb has a powerful claw. It has claws on only its first two digits of its wings, with the thumb possessing the more powerful claw, and all five digits of its leg. It lacks a tail.
The Indian flying fox ranges in color, with a black back that is lightly streaked with grey, a pale, yellow-brown mantle, a brown head, and dark, brownish underparts. It has large eyes, simple ears, and no facial ornamentation—a typical appearance for a species of the genus Pteropus. The skull is oval-shaped and the greatest length of the skull is 71–75.6 mm (2.80–2.98 in). The orbital rim of the skull is incomplete. The ears lack a tragus or antitragus and are ringed, and the ears range in length from 35–40 mm (1.4–1.6 in) in length.
The dental formula is . The first upper premolar is absent, the canine is pronounced, and the molars have a longitudinal furrow.
As of 1999 the longest-lived member of its genus; lived for 31 years and 5 months in captivity.
## Distribution and habitat
The Indian flying fox is found across the Indian Subcontinent, including in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Tibet, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
It roosts in large, established colonies on open tree branches, especially in urban areas or in temples. It prefers to roost on tall trees with small diameters, especially canopy trees, and prefers to be in close proximity to bodies of water, human residences, and agricultural land. This habitat selection is highly dependent on food availability. For example, many residences within the bat's distribution have outdoor gardens that support its generalist frugivorous feeding habits. This tendency to support a generalist frugivorous diet through habitat selection also leads it to commonly roost in highly fragmented forests, where the variety of plant species allows it to better utilize its feeding habits.
Its populations are constantly threatened through habitat destruction caused by urbanization or widening of roads. Tree roosts are often felled and colonies dispersed. Smaller colonies tend to remain in place longer than larger colonies, as those larger colonies have their roosts felled more quickly.
## Behavior and ecology
The Indian flying fox roosts communally in the treetops of large trees in camps often with thousands of bats. Roosts tend to be used for upwards of ten years, and are usually inhabited year-round rather than seasonally. Within the roost the bats quarrel and chatter often, and during sunny hours of the day bats fan their wings and call, and during cloudy periods bats are silent and wrap their wings around their body. Occasionally a few bats fly around the roost during the day, but most activity is restricted to night, when they leave the roost one by one 20–30 minutes after the sunset. Bats at the top of the roost tend to circle the roost and leave before the rest of the colony emerges. The time of bat emergence was significantly influenced by the day length, sunset and the ambient temperature delayed the time of emergence. The bats fly with the appearance of a large swarm but forage individually, and give off contact calls infrequently. Individuals travel upwards of 93 mi (150 km) in search of food, finding it by sight. It can quickly travel up and down tree branches to forage for fruit with a swift hand-over-hand motion.
### Diet
The Indian flying fox is frugivorous or nectarivorous, i.e. it eats fruits or eat blossoms and drink nectar from flowers. At dusk, it forages for ripe fruit. It is a primarily generalist feeder, and eats any available fruits. Seeds from ingested fruits are scarified in its digestive tract and dispersed through its waste. It is relied on for seed propagation by 300 plant species of nearly 200 genera, of which approximately 500 economically valuable products are produced in India. Nearly 70% of the seeds in Indian flying fox guano are of the banyan tree, a keystone species in Indian ecosystems.
Although initially thought to be strictly frugivorous, it has been observed deliberately eating insects and leaves. The Indian flying fox also eats flowers, seed pods, bark, cones, and twigs. Their diet changes seasonally, with a greater reliance on mango fruits for moisture in the autumn and spring. A species of ebony tree (pale moon ebony tree) provides dietary fiber year-round. Yellow box eucalyptus and Chinese pistache provide necessary carbohydrates, fats, iron, and phosphorus in the winter.
### Reproduction
The Indian flying fox is a polygynandrous species, and breeds yearly from July to October. Births occur from February to May. Gestation period is typically 140 to 150 days. The average birth number is 1 to 2 pups. Among members of the genus Pteropus, pups are carried by the mother for the first few weeks of life, with weaning occurring around 5 months of age. Males do not participate in parental care. Young bats learn to fly at approximately 11 weeks of age. Reproductive maturity occurs at 18–24 months.
It has a common mammalian annual breeding season. Its testes increase in weight as days grow shorter, and are heaviest in October and November. Their weight quickly decreases after eggs are fertilized. Sperm are abundant in the epididymides throughout the year. Just before daylength begins to increase in December, conception occurs. The young are born in May, as pregnancy lasts roughly six months. Copulation rates tend to increase as days grow shorter.
To initiate copulation males capture the attention of females with continuous flapping of their wings (probably to spread the odor from male scent glands), though this usually only serves to encourage females to escape. Copulation tends to occur with females that fail to escape after courtship. Males chase females persistently for up to half of an hour until they successfully corner the female. Females attempt to protect themselves and escape during copulation and call constantly. Copulation ranges from 30 to 70 seconds on average. Males do not release females until copulation ends, and afterwards both bats remain silent until the end of the day. Both before and after copulation, Indian flying foxes engage in oral sex, with males performing cunnilingus on females. The duration of oral sex is positively associated with the duration of copulation, suggesting that its purpose is to make the female more receptive to copulation and to increase the male's chances of fertilizing an ovum. Males of this species also engage in homosexual fellatio the function and purpose of which is not yet confirmed.
## Relationship to people
### Disease transmission
Like other fruit bats, the Indian flying fox may be a natural reservoir for diseases including certain henipaviruses and flaviviruses. These can prove fatal to humans and domestic animals. Indian flying foxes in India and Bangladesh have tested positive for Nipah virus, a type of henipavirus. Due to human encroachment into their habitats, there is a high risk of spillover infection of Nipah virus from Indian flying foxes to humans. While Nipah virus outbreaks are more likely in areas preferred by Indian flying foxes, researchers note that "the presence of bats in and of itself is not considered a risk factor for Nipah virus infection." Rather, the consumption of date palm sap is a significant route of transmission. The practice of date palm sap collection involves placing collecting pots at date palm trees. Indian flying foxes have been observed licking the sap as it flows into the pots, as well as defecating and urinating in proximity to the pots. In this way, humans who drink the palm sap can be exposed to the bats' viruses. The use of bamboo skirts on collecting pots lowers the risk of contamination from bat fluids. While Indian flying foxes have also tested positive for GBV-D, a type of flavivirus, it is unclear whether this virus occurs in humans or if it could be transmitted by Indian flying foxes.
### As pests
To some, the Indian flying fox is vermin because they believe that it "poaches" ripe fruit from orchards. A study in India found that of all orchard crops, Indian flying foxes did the most damage to mango and guava crops. However, an estimated 60% of fruits damaged by the flying foxes were ripe or overripe; overripe fruits are about half as valuable as ripe fruits. In the Maldives, Indian flying foxes are considered major pests of almond, guava, and mango trees. Indian flying foxes in the Maldives have been culled to protect orchards; some managers advocated reducing their population by 75% every three to four years for optimum control. Alternatives to culling include placing barriers between the bats and fruit trees, such as netting, or harvesting fruit in a timely manner to avoid attracting as many flying foxes. Preventing fruit loss may also involve the use of scare guns, chemical deterrents, or night-time lights. Alternatively, planting Singapore cherry trees next to an orchard can be effective, as flying foxes are much more attracted to their fruits than many other orchard crops.
### As food and medicine
In Pakistan, its populations have declined. This has been partly attributed to the belief that its fat is a treatment for rheumatism. Tribes in the Attappadi region of India eat the cooked flesh of the Indian flying fox to treat asthma and chest pain. Healers of the Kanda Tribe of Bangladesh use hair from Indian flying foxes to create treatments for "fever with shivering". In Pakistan and India, Indian flying foxes are more likely to be killed for medicine than for bushmeat even though their medicinal methods are unrealistic. However, the meat is consumed by indigenous tribes of India. Its meat is traded locally in small markets, and is not considered of significant economic importance. Consumption is also reported in three provinces of South China and one province in Southwest China. Hunting may be sustainable, though, with some researchers positing that habitat loss and roost disturbance are much more damaging to its populations.
### In culture
Despite the Indian government classifying bats as vermin in the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, the Indian flying fox is sacred in India. In the Puliangulam village in India, a banyan tree in the middle of local agriculture fields is home to a colony of 500 Indian flying foxes. The bats are protected by the local spirit "Muniyandi", and the villagers make offerings of bananas and rice to the spirit and the bats.
|
1,213,693 |
Chimes of Freedom (song)
| 1,148,097,139 |
1964 song by Bob Dylan
|
[
"1964 songs",
"Bob Dylan songs",
"Bruce Springsteen songs",
"Protest songs",
"Song recordings produced by Terry Melcher",
"Song recordings produced by Tom Wilson (record producer)",
"Songs about freedom",
"Songs written by Bob Dylan",
"The Byrds songs",
"Youssou N'Dour songs"
] |
"Chimes of Freedom" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his Tom Wilson produced 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan. The song depicts the thoughts and feelings of the singer and his companion as they shelter from a lightning storm under a doorway after sunset. The singer expresses his solidarity with the downtrodden and oppressed, believing that the thunder is tolling in sympathy for them.
Initially, critics described the song as showing the influence of the symbolist poetry of Arthur Rimbaud, but more recent biographers of Dylan have linked the origins of the song to verses the songwriter had written as a response to the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. Some commentators and Dylan biographers have assessed the song as one of Dylan's most significant compositions, and critic Paul Williams has described it as Dylan's Sermon on the Mount.
The song has been covered many times by different artists, including the Byrds, Jefferson Starship, Youssou N'Dour, Bruce Springsteen, and U2.
## Bob Dylan's version
"Chimes of Freedom" was written shortly after the release of Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changin''' album in early 1964 during a road trip that he took across America with musician Paul Clayton, journalist Pete Karman, and road manager Victor Maimudes. It was written at about the same time as "Mr. Tambourine Man", which author Clinton Heylin has judged to be similarly influenced by the symbolism of Arthur Rimbaud. There are conflicting accounts about when during the trip this song was written. Some Dylan biographers state that he wrote the song on a portable typewriter in the back of a car the day after visiting civil rights activists Bernice Johnson and Cordell Reagon in Atlanta, Georgia. However, a handwritten lyric sheet from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Toronto, Canada that was reproduced in The Bob Dylan Scrapbook 1956-1966 indicates that this story cannot be entirely true, since Dylan was in Toronto in late January and early February, before the road trip on which the song was supposedly written occurred. So, although parts of the song may have been written on the road trip, Dylan had started working on the song earlier.
In his memoir, The Mayor of MacDougal Street, Dave Van Ronk gave his account of the song's origins:
> Bob Dylan heard me fooling around with one of my grandmother's favorites, "The Chimes of Trinity", a sentimental ballad about Trinity Church, that went something like, Tolling for the outcast, tolling for the gay/Tolling for the [something something], long since passed away/As we whiled away the hours, down on old Broadway/And we listened to the chimes of Trinity. He made me sing it for him a few times until he had the gist of it, then reworked it into "Chimes of Freedom". Her version was better.
The first public performance of the song took place in early 1964, either at the Civic Auditorium in Denver on February 15, or at the Berkeley Community Theater in Berkeley, California, on February 22. "Chimes of Freedom" was an important part of Dylan's live concert repertoire throughout most of 1964, although by the latter part of that year he had ceased performing it and would not perform the song again until 1987, when he revisited it for concerts with the Grateful Dead and with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
The entire album Another Side of Bob Dylan was recorded in one long session on June 9, 1964, with Tom Wilson as producer. During the recording session, Dylan needed seven takes to get "Chimes of Freedom" right, though it was one of just three songs that Dylan recorded that day which he had previously performed in concert.
## Lyrics
The lyrics of the song are written in six stanzas of seven verses each. Each of the stanzas shares the same one verse refrain "An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing". The symbolism of the lyrics makes repeat use of a dual metaphor of freedom represented by the chimes or tolling of a bell on the one hand, and the enlightenment associated with freedom represented by thunder and lightning. The lyrics are located symbolically in the darkness after sunset (after "sundown") up until "midnight's" tolling of the chimes on the same evening. The initial verses of the song describe a fierce and unforgiving storm giving way at the end of the song to a partial lifting of the mist. The narrative of the song's lyrics has been described as depicting the point of view of the underprivileged and indigent seeking freedom.
## Release
Despite the song's appeal to cover artists, it has appeared sparingly on Dylan's compilation and live albums. It was, however, included on the 1967 European compilation album Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits 2. A very early live performance of the song, at London's Royal Festival Hall, in May 1964, was released in 2018 on Live 1962-1966: Rare Performances From The Copyright Collections. In 1993 Dylan played the song in front of the Lincoln Memorial as part of Bill Clinton's first inauguration as U.S. president.
A version sung by Dylan and Joan Osborne in 1999 appears on the original television soundtrack album of the film titled The 60's. A recording of Dylan performing the song at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival was included on the 2005 album The Bootleg Series Vol. 7: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack. The same performance can also be seen on the 2007 DVD The Other Side of the Mirror: Live at Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965. In 2009, Dylan continued to perform "Chimes of Freedom" in concert, although he did not play the song live during the 23 years between late 1964 and 1987.
Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International is a 4-CD charity compilation album featuring new recordings of 73 compositions by Bob Dylan by multiple artists, released on January 24, 2012. The set includes Dylan's original 1964 recording of the title song. Proceeds from the album were donated to the human rights organization Amnesty International. It debuted in the U.S at number 11 on the Billboard 200 with 22,000 copies sold.
## Personnel
- Bob Dylan – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica
- Tom Wilson – production
## Reception and critical comments
"Chimes of Freedom" has been widely discussed by Dylan's many interpreters, including biographers, journalists, academics and music historians.
Critic Paul Williams has described the song as Dylan's Sermon on the Mount. The song is a lyrical expression of feelings evoked while watching a lightning storm. The singer and a companion are caught in a thunderstorm in mid-evening and the pair of them duck into a doorway, where they are both transfixed by one lightning flash after another. The natural phenomena of thunder and lightning appear to take on auditory and ultimately emotional aspects to the singer, with the thunder experienced as the tolling of bells and the lightning bolts appearing as chimes. Eventually, the sights and sounds in the sky become intermixed in the mind of the singer, as evidenced by the lines:
> > As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds, Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing.
Over the course of the song, the sky and mist begin to partially clear and the lyrics can be interpreted as a proclamation of the hope that as the sky clears in the progress of the difficult night, that all the world's people will endure their setbacks and eventually proclaim their successful survival to the sound of the chimes of freedom.
In his 2003 book, Chimes of Freedom: The Politics of Bob Dylan's Art, Mike Marqusee notes that the song marks a transition between Dylan's earlier protest song style (a litany of the down-trodden and oppressed, in the second half of each verse) and his later more free-flowing poetic style (the fusion of images of lightning, storm and bells in the first half). In this later style, which is influenced by 19th century French symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud, the poetry is more allusive, filled with "chains of flashing images." In this song, rather than support a specific cause as in his earlier protest songs, he finds solidarity with all people who are downtrodden or otherwise treated unjustly, including unwed mothers, the disabled, refugees, outcasts, those unfairly jailed, "the luckless, the abandoned and forsaked," and, in the final verse, "the countless confused, accused, misused, strung out ones and worse" and "every hung-up person in the whole wide universe." By having the chimes of freedom toll for both rebels and rakes, the song is more inclusive in its sympathies than previous protest songs, such as "The Times They Are A-Changin'", written just the prior year. After "Chimes of Freedom", Dylan's protest songs no longer depicted social reality in the black and white terms which he renounced in "My Back Pages", but rather use satirical surrealism to make their points.
In addition to Rimbaud's symbolism, Oliver Hopkins has suggested that the song also shows the influence of the alliterative poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins, the poetic vision of William Blake, and the violent drama, mixed with compassionate and romantic language, of William Shakespeare. Dylan had used rain in a symbolic manner in earlier songs, notably "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall".
Clinton Heylin has suggested the assassination of U.S. President, John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963 as a possible inspiration for Dylan's song, although Dylan has denied that this is the case. Dylan drafted a number of poems after Kennedy's death on November 22, 1963. Heylin suggests one of those poems, a six-line piece, seems to contain the genesis of "Chimes of Freedom":
> > the colors of friday were dull/ as the cathedral bells were gently burnin' strikin for the gentle/ strikin for the kind strikin for the crippled ones/ and strikin for the blind.
Kennedy was killed on a Friday, and the cathedral bells in the poem have been interpreted as the church bells announcing his death. Heylin suggests that using a storm as a metaphor for the death of a president is comparable to Shakespeare's use of a storm in King Lear. By the time Dylan wrote the first draft of "Chimes of Freedom" the following February, it contained many of the elements of his poem from the end of Autumn after the death of the president, except that the crippled ones and the blind were changed to "guardians and protectors of the mind." In addition, the cathedral bells had become the "chimes of freedom flashing", as seen by two lovers who are sheltering in a cathedral doorway.
In his biography of Dylan, Bob Dylan in America, Sean Wilentz comments that shortly before Dylan met poet Allen Ginsberg, "Chimes of Freedom" started to come to form; later in 1964 and 1965, they would continue to influence each other. Wilentz states:
> Dylan had already been experimenting with writing free verse, without intending that it would serve him as lyrics. Not long before he met Ginsberg, he poured out a poem about the day of Kennedy's murder... Pulled together, the lines would form part of what Dylan called the 'chain of flashing images' that soon went into 'Chimes of Freedom'—marking both Dylan's reconnection of those aesthetics and the transformation of those aesthetics into song. And in 1964 and 1965, Ginsberg and Dylan influenced each other as both of them recast their public images and their art.
Wilentz points out that Dylan's 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan, which included "Chimes", did not crack the Top 40 list; whereas The Times They Are A Changin, released earlier in 1964, reached number 20 on the album chart.
In Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet, Seth Rogovy called the song Dylan's "supreme poetic achievement." Rogovy described the song's "simple" scene:
> [...] a couple takes refuge in a doorway of a church during a thurderstorm. Period. But never has a storm been so dynamically, so electrically, described. In six eight-line stanzas, Dylan paints a hallucinatory vision, a sensual display of lightning piercing darkness, revealing an unjust world and a world of redemption. Wrapped up in the song is all that has come before: the civil right symbolism of Blowin' in the Wind, the apolcalyptic surrealism of A Hard Rain's a- Gonna Fall, the tolling of a new day in The Times They Are a- Changin'.
Rogovy suggests an answer to one of the main questions asked in Dylan's lyrics by stating: "...The answer was blowin' in the wind out in the night in question; the answer is in poetry; the answer, my friend, is in a transcendent vision of universal freedom and justice for all".
In his 2012 book The Lives of Bob Dylan, Ian Bell follows Heylin in speculating that the genesis of "Chimes of Freedom" might lie in the verses Dylan wrote at the time of the Kennedy assassination, which contain the line "as cathedral bells were gently burnin". Bell also notes that the song echoes the imagery of "The Drunken Boat /Le Bateau ivre" by Arthur Rimbaud: "I know skies split by lightning, waterspouts/ And undertows, and tides: I know the night/ And dawn exulting like a crowd of doves".
Bell asserts that "Chimes" was "certainly something new, but also something flawed". He describes the song as both thrilling and "loosely and horribly overwritten". Bell suggests the theme of the song is that liberty took many forms, personal and political, civic and artistic, spiritual and physical. The significance of "Chimes" for Bell is that, although the song is too over-wrought and self-conscious to be a total success, it showed Dylan demolishing the barrier between poetry and song:
> Anyone reading "Chimes" on the tyrannical page might pause before calling it a poem. Anyone listening would hesitate to call it just a song in the manner of "She Loves You" or anything written for the mass market in the 20th century . If it wasn't poetry, what was Dylan doing?
In In Search of the Real Bob Dylan, David Dalton, one of the founding editors of Rolling Stone magazine, commented that the song was written at the same time as "Mr Tambourine Man". Dalton gives a literary reading to the lyrics of "Chimes" as worthy of significant literary merit stating: "Dylan begins to type, 'Electric light still struck like arrows'... Lightning is an agent of change in classic American literature: it is the storm after which everything changes—the lightning storm in Moby-Dick, the storm in Huckleberry Finn, and the one in On the Road, just outside New Orleans. 'Lightning that liquifies the bones of the world,' William Burroughs called it." Dalton continues with a comparison of Dylan's writing of the lyrics in "Chimes" to Jack Kerouac and states: "The scenes in 'Chimes of Freedom' are lit up as if by strobe light—the way the Bible was written, they say, in brilliantly illuminated pictures. Dylan uses a cinematic method of writing, like Kerouac's—with slow motion jump cuts, and freeze frames."
## Cover versions
### The Byrds' version
The Byrds released a version of "Chimes of Freedom" on their 1965 debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man. The song was the last track to be recorded for the album, but the recording session was marred by conflict. After the band had completed the song's instrumental backing track, guitarist and harmony vocalist David Crosby announced that he was not going to sing on the recording and was quitting the studio for the day. The reason for Crosby's refusal to sing the song has never been fully explained, but the fight between the guitarist and the band's manager, record producer Jim Dickson, ended with Dickson sitting on Crosby's chest, telling him, "The only way you're going to get through that door is over my dead body...You're going to stay in this room until you do the vocal." According to a number of people in the studio that day, Crosby burst into tears, but finally completed the song's harmony part with sterling results. Dickson himself noted in later years that his altercation with Crosby was a cathartic moment in which the singer "got it all out and sang like an angel."
The song went on to become a staple of the Byrds' live concert repertoire, until their breakup in 1973. The band also performed the song on the television programs Hullabaloo and Shindig!, and included it in their performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. The Byrds' performance of "Chimes of Freedom" at Monterey can be seen in the 2002 The Complete Monterey Pop Festival DVD box set.
The song was also performed by a reformed line-up of the Byrds featuring Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, and Chris Hillman in January 1989. In addition to its appearance on Mr. Tambourine Man, "Chimes of Freedom" has appeared on several Byrds' compilation albums, including The Byrds' Greatest Hits, The Byrds Play Dylan, The Very Best of The Byrds, and The Essential Byrds.
### Other covers
"Chimes of Freedom" has also been covered by artists as diverse as Phil Carmen, Jefferson Starship, Youssou N'Dour, Martyn Joseph, Joan Osborne, Starry Eyed and Laughing, Bruce Springsteen, Warren Zevon, and The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. Although U2 have never released a recording of the song, they played it live in concert during the late 1980s. Bruce Springsteen's cover version reached \#16 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1988, though it was never released as a single. It was recorded in Stockholm on July 3, 1988, when Springsteen performed it during his Tunnel of Love Express tour. Springsteen used the performance to announce before a worldwide radio audience his role in the upcoming Human Rights Now! tour to benefit Amnesty International and mark the fortieth anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The song was subsequently released as the title track of the live Chimes of Freedom EP. Springsteen's performance has been described as rousing and fervent, transforming the song into a ringing anthem for the full E Street Band, without losing the power of the words evident in Dylan's solo performance. On the Human Rights Now! tour itself, Springsteen led a group performance of "Chimes of Freedom" featuring the other artists on the tour: Tracy Chapman, Sting, Peter Gabriel, and Youssou N'Dour, with each taking turns on the song's verses.
On 19 July 1988, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band played the song live when performing a concert in East Berlin. Among the audience, many interpreted the song lyrics as wishing for the fall of the GDR.
The Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour recorded a cover version of the song, in which he treats the song as an anthem for the many people in Africa struggling to survive. Jefferson Starship covered the song on their 2008 release, Jefferson's Tree of Liberty, with Paul Kantner, David Freiberg, and Cathy Richardson on vocals. The melody of "Chimes of Freedom" was deliberately borrowed by Billy Bragg for the song "Ideology", from his third album, Talking with the Taxman about Poetry, with Bragg's chorus "above the sound of ideologies clashing" echoing Dylan's "we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing". In addition, the Bon Jovi song "Bells of Freedom", from their Have a Nice Day album, is somewhat reminiscent of "Chimes of Freedom" in structure. Neil Young's song "Flags of Freedom" from his Living with War album mentions Dylan by name and melodically recalls the tune and verse structure of "Chimes of Freedom", though Young is listed as the song's only writer. The British band Starry Eyed and Laughing took their name from the opening line of the song's final verse.
"Chimes of Freedom" is one of seven Dylan songs whose lyrics were reset as a modern classical music arrangement for soprano and piano (or orchestra) by John Corigliano for his song cycle Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan''.
## Charts
## See also
1964 in music
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38,359,076 |
Moving On (The Office)
| 1,144,827,848 | null |
[
"2013 American television episodes",
"Television episodes directed by Jon Favreau",
"The Office (American season 9) episodes"
] |
"Moving On" is the sixteenth episode of the ninth season of the American comedy television series The Office and the 192nd episode overall. The episode was written by Graham Wagner and directed by Jon Favreau. It originally aired on NBC on February 14, 2013. The episode guest stars Bob Odenkirk, Mary Gillis, Collette Wolfe, and Andy Buckley. The episode also features the return of former series regular Zach Woods as Gabe Lewis.
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 this episode, Pam Halpert (Jenna Fischer) interviews for a job in Philadelphia, but her potential manager (Odenkirk) reminds her of her former boss, Michael Scott. Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) recruits Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey) to help give his elderly aunt (Gillis) a bath. Meanwhile, Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) attempts to make Pete Miller (Jake Lacy) and Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper) feel uncomfortable by hiring their ex-lovers.
On February 8, 2013, NBC announced that the episode would be expanded to fill a one-hour television block, although it still counts as one official episode. The episode received largely positive reviews, although many were critical of the episode's extended length, which they argued felt padded. The episode was viewed by 4.06 million viewers and received a 2/6 percent rating among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. The episode ranked third in its timeslot, and it was the highest-rated NBC series of the night.
## Synopsis
David Wallace (Andy Buckley) scolds Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) for lying about his three-month absence from the office. David later tells Andy that he will not fire him, thanking him for helping him buy the company, but warns Andy that he is on very thin ice. Andy learns that Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper) is dating Pete Miller (Jake Lacy), which they have been holding in secrecy from him in order to make his breakup with Erin easier. Though Andy doesn't figure this out at first, having called Pete "Plop" for so long he forgot his name, he realizes the truth upon finding a lunch bag with his name on it.
Andy attempts to fire Pete, but Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein) points out that he cannot do this since Pete and Erin already disclosed their relationship and that he can’t fire people simply over grudges. Erin and Pete then both lecture Andy about moving on, claiming that working alongside one's ex-lover does not have to be awkward. To refute this claim, Andy hires both Pete's ex-girlfriend Alice (Collette Wolfe) and Erin's ex-boyfriend Gabe Lewis (Zach Woods). After giving Pete and Erin time to appreciate how uncomfortable this is, he holds a meeting with them and their ex-lovers, leading the two couples to argue with each other. Andy tells the camera that seeing Erin and Pete unhappy has made him feel better.
Pam Halpert (Jenna Fischer) leaves the office to interview for a job in Philadelphia; when Andy tries to assert his authority by asking where she is going, Pam snaps "not on a three-month boat trip" and walks out as Andy looks on in defeat while the rest of the office looks at him with disgust. At the interview, Pam finds her potential manager, Mark (Bob Odenkirk), is remarkably like her former Dunder Mifflin regional manager Michael Scott. While this initially amuses her, Pam gradually realizes that the prospect of working under another Michael Scott is abhorrent, and her horror increases when Mark reveals that she is interviewing for a glorified receptionist's job. During a romantic dinner, Pam finally admits to Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) that even had the prospective job and boss been perfect she would not have wanted to take it, since she does not really want to move to Philadelphia, despite Jim having started his own business there. The two are not angry at each other but look deeply upset over this divide.
Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) requests the help of Angela Lipton (Angela Kinsey) in caring for his ailing Aunt Shirley. Angela initially refuses, but gives in when Dwight begins describing her ailments in grotesque detail. At the house, Angela is horrified by Dwight's treatment of his Aunt: he consistently speaks to her in a condescending tone, proposes to cut off her worn-out clothing with a utility knife, and "bathes" her by spraying her with a high-pressure water hose like a cow. After subduing Dwight by spraying him with the hose, Angela insists on washing and grooming Shirley in a more dignified manner. Through the process, Dwight and Angela recall their feelings for each other. At the end of the day, they begin kissing, but Angela reminds Dwight that she is married and says she will not leave her husband even though he does not care for her. Dwight accepts this, admitting that he would want that same loyalty from her if she were his wife.
Toby has been discussing the details of the Scranton Strangler case with Nellie Bertram (Catherine Tate) for some time, feeling the guilty verdict he helped deliver was rushed. Having grown weary of the subject, she snaps at him that he should do something about it. Toby accordingly goes to the local prison to talk to the person convicted of being the notorious local murderer and tell him he believes he is innocent. Offscreen, the convict begins strangling Toby for his part in the conviction. However, Toby does have his spirits lifted, realizing he was guilty and after Nellie gives him a lift from the hospital and commends him for his bravery.
Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) queues up a television show on his computer, and while the ad loads, he does gravity boot sit-ups. While he is struggling to get down, the camera zooms in on an upcoming television guide on Oscar's computer screen that reveals that the in-series documentary—called The Office: An American Workplace—will air in May.
## Production
"Moving On" was written by series producer Graham Wagner, making it his second episode for the series after the earlier ninth season episode "The Target". The episode was directed by filmmaker Jon Favreau, marking his first directing credit for the series and the first time he has directed for a television comedy since Fox's Undeclared. Fischer noted that, because Favreau got his start as an actor in "quiet, character based comedies", his directing of The Office was a "return to that" type of comedy. On February 8, 2013, NBC announced that the episode would be expanded to fill a one-hour television block, although it still counts as one official episode.
The episode guest stars Bob Odenkirk—who had previously been considered for the role of Michael Scott—as Pam's potential employer, Mary Gillis as Aunt Shirley, and Andy Buckley as David Wallace. The episode also features the return of former series regular Zach Woods as Gabe Lewis. Woods was introduced in the sixth season episode "Sabre" and was added to the series as a regular with the premiere of the seventh season. Woods's contract was not renewed at the beginning of the ninth season, but series showrunner Greg Daniels revealed that Woods would be returning; he noted "It's kind of a neat story turn ... He's going to come back and we're all excited to see him back".
## Cultural references
When he is being yelled at by Wallace, Andy references American rapper Vanilla Ice and musician Jon Bon Jovi. Andy gives Clark (Clark Duke) various nicknames, including Clarker Posey (a reference to American actress Parker Posey), Clarkwork Orange (a reference to the novel A Clockwork Orange and the film of the same name), and Zero Clark Thirty (a reference to the film Zero Dark Thirty). At the Philadelphia office, Mark alludes to pop culture, with references to the 2011 film Horrible Bosses and the 2012 film Django Unchained. He also sings the K-pop hit "Gangnam Style" by Psy, and reads Pam's resume as if he were Bob Dylan. Mark also makes a reference to the Spanish Inquisition sketch from Monty Python, but misattributes it to the Canadian sketch comedy group The Kids in the Hall. Near the end of Pam's interview, Mark questions her on whether she enjoys the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm; Odenkirk actually had a role in the third episode of the first season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. The title of the in-series documentary, The Office: An American Workplace, is the name given to the series itself when it was broadcast in the UK to differentiate it from the British version of the show.
## Broadcast and reception
### Ratings
"Moving On" originally aired on NBC on February 14, 2013. In its original American broadcast, the episode was viewed by an estimated 4.06 million viewers and received a 2.0 rating/6 percent share. This means that it was seen by 2.0 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds, and 6 percent of all 18- to 49-year-olds watching television at the time of the broadcast. This marked a slight decrease in the ratings from the previous episode, "Vandalism". The Office ranked third in its timeslot, being beaten by an episode of the CBS police procedural Person of Interest which received a 3.0/8 percent rating, and an entry of the ABC series Grey's Anatomy which received a 2.8/8 percent rating. The ratings for "Moving On" were the best for NBC in the 9–10 pm Thursday timeslot since November 8, 2012.
### Reviews
Jeff Alexander of Television Without Pity awarded the episode an "A−". Damon Houx of Screen Crush called the episode the "highlight" of the season. In particular, he was pleased with the way Pam and Jim's strife was portrayed; he wrote that "tonight the ... drama felt earned in a way it hadn't previous" and that "Jim and Pam were used well". Houx was also extremely pleased with Odenkirk's performance, writing that, "Even if Odenkirk is doing an impression of Steve Carell's character, not only is it great for the non-comedy comedy, but you can totally see a parallel universe where Odenkirk played Michael Scott and nailed it as well as Carell did." He concluded that, with Odenkirk's presence, "In about twenty seconds this became the best episode of the season." Kelly West of Cinema Blend gave a moderately positive review, noting that the entry "dealt with some of the ongoing issues among the staff of Dunder Mifflin. With the exception of a pretty great guest appearance by Breaking Bad's Bob Odenkirk (Better call Saul!) and some interesting developments in the relationship department for some of the characters, the episode was fairly standard. And then came the very end, which offered an interesting reveal and a teaser of something big."
IGN writer Roth Cornet awarded the episode a 6.9, denoting an "okay" episode. She called the episode "the real beginning of the end". Cornet, however, was critical of the episode's length, specifically pin-pointing the Philadelphia scenes, noting that they "went on too long". She concluded that "I feel for the writers, who I honestly believe were forced to stretch their content this season", as well as for the episode. Nick Campbell of TV.com was unhappy that the episode did not show or comment on Pam and Jim's fight in the previous episode. He felt that the beginning of the dinner scene was nice, due to the two's banter. However, he felt that the end pretended as if they had not discussed the move in any previous episodes. Campbell felt that Odenkirk was used in a good way, but that was "a waste of amazing talent at the real estate office". He also felt that Dwight and Angela's kiss was a good progression for their story.
Erik Adams of The A.V. Club awarded the episode "C−", and criticized its extended nature. He said that it was "both brimming with narrative yet straining to fill its allotted time." Adams argued that elements, like Toby's visit to the prison, seemed like tacked on codas intended to increase the length of the show. He also felt that Odenkirk's performance was humorous, but dragged on too long and played the joke too far. Adams, however, was complimentary towards Angela and Dwight's subplot, calling it the most "daring" of the episode's various subplots, and saying it provided momentum for the episode. Alan Sepinwall of HitFix called the episode "unpleasant', largely due to Andy's presence; he felt that the character "continues to dominate the action and crush all the goodwill generated earlier in the season". However, he was very pleased with Odenkirk's performance, calling his acting "a pretty spot-on recreation of the early years [of The Office]". Bob Odenkirk's performance was later submitted by the producers of The Office for an "Outstanding Guest Actor in Comedy Series" Emmy consideration.
|
9,086,448 |
Bethlehem Down
| 1,172,406,208 |
1927 song by Peter Warlock
|
[
"1927 songs",
"Anthems",
"Christmas carols",
"Compositions by Peter Warlock",
"Epiphany music",
"Songs based on poems"
] |
"Bethlehem Down" is a Christmas carol for SATB choir composed in 1927 by British composer Peter Warlock (1894–1930)the pseudonym of Philip Arnold Heseltine. It is set to a poem written by journalist and poet Bruce Blunt (1899–1957). Warlock and Blunt wrote the carol to finance an "immortal carouse" (a heavy bout of drinking) over Christmas in 1927. The pair submitted the carol to The Daily Telegraph's annual Christmas carol contest and won. It is characterised by modal harmony with chromatic inflections. The musicologist Barry Smith described "Bethlehem Down" as the finest of all of Warlock's choral music.
In 1930, Warlock composed an arrangement of "Bethlehem Down" for solo voice and keyboard accompaniment. It was the last piece of music that Warlock wrote, less than three weeks before he died. The solo arrangement uses the soprano line from the SATB version as its melody. It features more complex harmony than the choral arrangement, highlighting the text in a more sombre manner.
## Context
### Composition
Peter Warlock was a prolific composer of songs, with over 119 to his name. His choral music is less well-known, but within that genre, "Bethlehem Down" is one of Warlock's most famous carols. The poet and journalist Bruce Blunt told the story behind the creation of "Bethlehem Down" in a letter to Gerald Cockshott, dated 1943. He said that he and Peter Warlock were short on money in the run up to Christmas in 1927, so they had the idea to write a Christmas carol together in the hopes it would be published and earn them enough money for alcohol (or as Blunt called it, an "immortal carouse"). Whilst on a night-time walk between two pubs—The Plough in Bishops Sutton and The Anchor in Ropley—Blunt thought up the words to "Bethlehem Down". He sent the text to Warlock who set it to music within a few days. The completed carol was entered into The Daily Telegraph's Christmas carol competition and won. It was published in the paper on 24 December 1927. The carol would be published again the following year by Winthrop Rogers (now Boosey & Hawkes). Warlock and Blunt worked on other carols together, including The Frostbound Wood, which was published in the Radio Times on 20 December 1929.
### Solo arrangement
In 1930, Warlock arranged a solo version of "Bethlehem Down". It was written especially for Arnold Dowbiggin to perform as part of a Christmas recital in Lancaster Priory Church. The musicologist Barry Smith writes that in this late period of Warlock's life, he was feeling increasingly depressed. Dowbiggin himself wrote that the solo arrangement of "Bethlehem Down" is "a source for sorrow". The solo arrangement of "Bethlehem Down" was the last piece of music Warlock wrote, less than three weeks before his death. Dowbiggin said that he received the manuscript on the day that Warlock died.
## Composition
### Choral arrangement
The choral arrangement of "Bethlehem Down", written and published in 1927, is written for unaccompanied SATB choir. The piece is in D minor and 6/2 time. It is characterised by long phrasing of lines with melancholic modal harmony in a largely homophonic texture. Smith writes that the music complements the lyrics with a "finely-crafted melody" and "imaginative and sensitive harmony". Chromaticism is used throughout the piece, one example being the Tudor-styled flattened sevenths which populate the melody; Ian Alfred Copley writes that this is a common recurring motif in Warlock's music. A prominent example of a flattened seventh occurs in the soprano line of the fifth bar of each verse:
Each verse ends with a phrase which Smith describes as "haunting".
### Solo arrangement
In the solo arrangement of "Bethlehem Down", the solo part uses the same melody as the SATB soprano line. The solo is accompanied by a new keyboard part which can be performed by either piano or organ. Trevor Hold describes the keyboard accompaniment as more "intricate" than the SATB arrangement. It features more complex harmony than the SATB version with additional counterpoint, differences in texture, and a passage linking penultimate and final verses—reminiscent of Warlock's other carol, Corpus Christi. The solo arrangement accompaniment features what Copley calls the "gloom motif"—a motif used in other Warlock pieces consisting of a chromatic sequence played over a pedal. Copley describes the motif as "desolate", and Smith writes that the accompaniment as a whole "highlights the inherent sadness of Blunt's poem".
### Text
Smith writes that, although Warlock was not religious and was anti-Christian, he liked the story of Christmas. Hold writes that Blunt's text takes an "oblique" approach to carol text, contrasting the Christmas story ("Myrrh for its sweetness, and gold for a crown") with the later life of Jesus ("Myrrh for embalming, and wood for a crown").
> When He is King we will give him the King's gifts, Myrrh for its sweetness, and gold for a crown, "Beautiful robes", said the young girl to Joseph Fair with her first-born on Bethlehem Down.
>
> Bethlehem Down is full of the starlight Winds for the spices, and stars for the gold, Mary for sleep, and for lullaby music Songs of a shepherd by Bethlehem fold.
>
> When He is King they will clothe Him in grave-sheets, Myrrh for embalming, and wood for a crown, He that lies now in the white arms of Mary Sleeping so lightly on Bethlehem Down.
>
> Here He has peace and a short while for dreaming, Close-huddled oxen to keep Him from cold, Mary for love, and for lullaby music Songs of a shepherd by Bethlehem fold.
## Reception
Smith writes that "Bethlehem Down" is "surely the finest of all [Warlock's] choral works" and a rare example of a modern carol which captures the essence of the genre. The music critic Wilfrid Mellers described it as a small miracle. Music journalist Alexandra Coghlan writes that the piece is Warlock's "unquestioned carol masterpiece", and is particularly impressive given the fact its creation arose from the simple need for money and alcohol. BBC Music Magazine writes that the carol has a beautiful and sombre tone which can act as a change in pace in carol services.
## See also
- List of Christmas carols
|
61,429,660 |
John Philip Sousa Baton
| 1,110,134,492 |
Conducting baton
|
[
"John Philip Sousa",
"United States Marine Band"
] |
The John Philip Sousa Baton is a conducting baton originally presented to John Philip Sousa upon his resignation as the director of the United States Marine Band. After his death, it was donated to the Marine Band, and since it has been traditionally passed to the new director from the outgoing director of the band during the change of command ceremonies.
## Description
The John Philip Sousa Baton is 17.15-inch (43.6 cm) wooden conducting baton, capped with a silver engraving depicting the United States Marine Corps' Eagle, Globe, and Anchor emblem and finished in silver at the opposite end. Along the side of the bottom is engraved the words "John Philip Sousa—presented by members of the U.S. Marine Band as a token of their respect and esteem. July 29, 1892."
## History
Historian Paul E. Bierley describes that John Philip Sousa molded the United States Marine Band into "the finest military band in the world". In 1892, however, Sousa announced his resignation following his twelve years of service as the director of the Marine Band. He wanted to organize his own band, which he later called "Sousa's Band". On July 29, Sousa directed the band in a penultimate concert at the National Theater. Vice President Levi P. Morton and Speaker of the House of Representatives Charles Frederick Crisp were among the dignitaries in attendance.
The next day, Sousa led the band in its final performance under his leadership at the White House for President Benjamin Harrison, following which he was officially discharged from service. The last piece Sousa conducted while leader of the Marine Band was "Hail, Columbia". At the White House lawn, he was presented with the baton as token of the respect and esteem of the bandsmen. The presentation was made by Walter F. Smith, a member of the Marine Band who was resigning with Sousa to join his new band. Sousa died in 1932, and in 1953, his daughters Jane and Helen Sousa donated the baton to the United States Marine Band. Since, the baton has been traditionally passed to the new director from the outgoing director of the band during change of command ceremonies. It is otherwise held at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
The baton figures in the plot of the 2011 juvenile novel by Martha Freeman, The Case of the Rock 'n Roll Dog. According to Kirkus Reviews, the book centers on a "concert [that] is jeopardized when, among other items, the John Philip Sousa baton used by the Marine Corps Band goes missing."
## See also
- List of marches by John Philip Sousa
- John Philip Sousa Bridge
|
32,216,781 |
Ramones
| 1,173,149,909 |
American punk rock band (1974–1996)
|
[
"1974 establishments in New York City",
"1996 disestablishments in New York (state)",
"Alternative rock groups from New York (state)",
"American power pop groups",
"American punk rock groups",
"Bands with fictional stage personas",
"Chrysalis Records artists",
"Forest Hills High School (New York) alumni",
"Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners",
"Jews in punk rock",
"Kerrang! Awards winners",
"Musical groups disestablished in 1996",
"Musical groups established in 1974",
"Musical groups from Queens, New York",
"Musical quartets",
"Philips Records artists",
"Pop punk groups from New York (state)",
"Punk rock groups from New York (state)",
"Ramones",
"Sire Records artists"
] |
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite only achieving limited commercial success during their time together, the band is today seen as highly influential.
All of the band members adopted pseudonyms ending with the surname "Ramone", although none of them were biologically related; they were inspired by Paul McCartney, who would check into hotels under alias "Paul Ramon". The Ramones performed 2,263 concerts, touring virtually nonstop for 22 years. In 1996, after a tour with the Lollapalooza music festival, they played a farewell concert in Los Angeles and disbanded.
By 2014, all four of the band's original members had died – lead singer Joey Ramone (1951–2001), bassist Dee Dee Ramone (1951–2002), guitarist Johnny Ramone (1948–2004) and drummer Tommy Ramone (1949–2014). Each surviving member of the Ramones – bassist C. J. Ramone (who replaced Dee Dee in 1989 and stayed with the band until its dissolution) and drummers Marky Ramone, Richie Ramone and Elvis Ramone – remains musically active.
Recognition of the band's importance has built over the years. The Ramones ranked number 26 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" and number 17 in VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock". In 2002, the Ramones were ranked the second-greatest band of all time by Spin, trailing only the Beatles. On March 18, 2002, the original four members and Tommy's replacement on drums, Marky Ramone, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. In 2011, the group was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
## History
### Formation (1974–1975)
The original members of the band met in and around the middle-class neighborhood of Forest Hills in the New York City borough of Queens. John Cummings and Thomas Erdelyi had both been in a high-school garage band from 1965 to 1967 known as the Tangerine Puppets. They became friends with Douglas Colvin, who had recently moved to the area from Germany, and Jeff Hyman, who was the singer for the glam rock band Sniper, founded in 1972.
The Ramones began taking shape in early 1974 when Cummings and Colvin invited Hyman to join them in a band. Colvin wanted to play guitar and sing, Cummings would also play guitar and Hyman would play drums. The lineup was to be completed with their friend Richie Stern on bass. However, after only a few rehearsals it became clear that Richie Stern could not play bass, so in addition to singing, Colvin switched from guitar to bass and Cummings became the only guitarist. Colvin was the first to adopt the name "Ramone", calling himself Dee Dee Ramone. He was inspired by Paul McCartney's use of the pseudonym Paul Ramon during his Silver Beetles days. Dee Dee convinced the other members to take on the name and came up with the idea of calling the band the Ramones. Hyman and Cummings became Joey and Johnny Ramone, respectively.
A friend of the band, Monte A. Melnick (later their tour manager), helped to arrange rehearsal time for them at Manhattan's Performance Studios, where he worked. Johnny's former bandmate Erdelyi was set to become their manager. Soon after the band was formed, Dee Dee realized that he could not sing and play his bass guitar simultaneously; with Erdelyi's encouragement, Joey became the band's new lead singer. Dee Dee would continue, however, to count off each song's tempo with his signature rapid-fire shout of "1-2-3-4!" Joey soon similarly realized that he could not sing and play drums simultaneously and left the position of drummer. While auditioning prospective replacements, Erdelyi would often take to the drums and demonstrate how to play the songs. It became apparent that he was able to perform the group's music better than anyone else, and he joined the band as Tommy Ramone.
The Ramones played before an audience for the first time on March 30, 1974, at Performance Studios. The songs they played were very fast and very short; most clocked in at under two minutes. Around this time, a new music scene was emerging in New York centered on two clubs in downtown Manhattan—Max's Kansas City and, more famously, CBGB (usually referred to as CBGB's). The Ramones made their CBGB debut on August 16, 1974. Legs McNeil, who cofounded Punk magazine the following year, later described the impact of that performance: "They were all wearing these black leather jackets. And they counted off this song ... and it was just this wall of noise ... They looked so striking. These guys were not hippies. This was something completely new."
The band swiftly became regulars at the club, playing there seventy-four times by the end of the year. After garnering considerable attention for their performances—which averaged about seventeen minutes from beginning to end—the group was signed to a recording contract in late 1975 by Seymour Stein of Sire Records. Sire A&R man Craig Leon saw the band and brought them to the attention of the label. Stein's wife, Linda Stein, saw the band play at Mothers; she would later co-manage them along with Danny Fields. By this time, the Ramones were recognized as leaders of the new scene that was increasingly being referred to as "punk". The group's unusual frontman had a lot to do with their impact. As Dee Dee explained, "All the other singers [in New York] were copying David Johansen [of the New York Dolls], who was copying Mick Jagger ... But Joey was unique, totally unique."
### Spearheading punk (1976–1977)
The Ramones recorded their debut album, Ramones, in February 1976. Of the fourteen songs on the album, the longest, "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement", barely surpassed two and a half minutes. While the songwriting credits were shared by the entire band, and each member did contribute some writing, much of the writing was done by Dee Dee. The Ramones album was produced by Sire's Craig Leon, with Tommy as associate producer, on an extremely low budget of about \$6,400 and released in April. The now iconic front cover photograph of the band was taken by Roberta Bayley, a photographer for Punk magazine. Punk, which was largely responsible for codifying the term for the scene emerging around CBGB, ran a cover story on the Ramones in its third issue, the same month as the record's release.
The Ramones' debut album was greeted by rock critics with glowing reviews. The Village Voice's Robert Christgau wrote, "I love this record—love it—even though I know these boys flirt with images of brutality (Nazi especially) ... For me, it blows everything else off the radio". In Rolling Stone, Paul Nelson described it as "constructed almost entirely of rhythm tracks of an exhilarating intensity rock & roll has not experienced since its earliest days." Characterizing the band as "authentic American primitives whose work has to be heard to be understood", he declared, "It is time popular music followed the other arts in honoring its primitives." Newsday's Wayne Robbins simply anointed the Ramones as "the best young rock 'n' roll band in the known universe."
Despite Sire's high hopes for it, Ramones was not a commercial success, reaching only number 111 on the Billboard album chart. The two singles issued from the album, "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", failed to chart. At the band's first major performance outside of New York, a June date in Youngstown, Ohio, members of Cleveland punk legends Frankenstein aka the Dead Boys were present and struck up a friendship with the band. It was not until they made a brief tour of England that they began to see the fruits of their labor; a performance at the Roundhouse in London on July 4, 1976, second-billed to the Flamin' Groovies, organized by Linda Stein, was a resounding success. T-Rex leader Marc Bolan was in attendance at the Roundhouse show and was invited on stage. Their Roundhouse appearance and a club date the following night—where the band met members of the Sex Pistols and the Clash—helped galvanize the burgeoning UK punk rock scene. The Flamin' Groovies/Ramones double bill was successfully reprised at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles the following month, fueling the punk scene there as well. The Ramones were becoming an increasingly popular live act—a Toronto performance in September energized yet another growing punk scene.
Their next two albums, Leave Home and Rocket to Russia, were released in 1977. Both were produced by Tommy and Tony Bongiovi, the second cousin of Jon Bon Jovi. Leave Home met with even less chart success than Ramones, though it did include "Pinhead", which became one of the band's signature songs with its chanted refrain of "Gabba gabba hey!" Leave Home also included a fast-paced cover of the oldie "California Sun", written by Henry Glover & Morris Levy, and originally recorded by Joe Jones, though the Ramones based their version on the remake by the Rivieras. Rocket to Russia was the band's highest-charting album to date, reaching number 49 on the Billboard 200. In Rolling Stone, critic Dave Marsh called it "the best American rock & roll of the year". The album also featured the first Ramones single to enter the Billboard charts (albeit only as high as number 81): "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker". The follow-up single, "Rockaway Beach", reached number 66—the highest any Ramones single would ever reach in America. On December 31, 1977, the Ramones recorded It's Alive, a live concert double album, at the Rainbow Theatre, London, which was released in April 1979 (the title is a reference to the 1974 horror film of the same name).
### Transitional period (1978–1983)
Tommy, tired of touring, left the band in early 1978. He continued as the Ramones' record producer under his birth name of Erdelyi. His position as drummer was filled by Marc Bell, who had been a member of the early 1970s hard rock band Dust, Wayne County, and the pioneering punk group Richard Hell & the Voidoids. Bell adopted the name Marky Ramone. Later that year, the band released their fourth studio album, and first with Marky, Road to Ruin. The album, co-produced by Tommy with Ed Stasium, included some new sounds such as acoustic guitar, several ballads, and the band's first two recorded songs longer than three minutes. It failed to reach the Billboard Top 100. However, "I Wanna Be Sedated", which appeared both on the album and as a single, would become one of the band's best-known songs. The artwork on the album's cover was done by Punk magazine cofounder John Holmstrom.
After the band's movie debut in Roger Corman's Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), renowned producer Phil Spector became interested in the Ramones and produced their 1980 album End of the Century. There is a long-disputed rumor that during the recording sessions in Los Angeles, Spector held Johnny at gunpoint, forcing him to repeatedly play a riff. Although it was to be the highest-charting album in the band's history—reaching number 44 in the United States and number 14 in Great Britain—Johnny made clear that he favored the band's more aggressive punk material: "End of the Century was just watered-down Ramones. It's not the real Ramones." This stance was also conveyed by the title and track selection of the compilation album Johnny later oversaw, Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits. Despite these reservations, Johnny did concede that some of Spector's work with the band had merit, saying "It really worked when he got to a slower song like 'Danny Says'—the production really worked tremendously. 'Rock 'N' Roll Radio' is really good. For the harder stuff, it didn't work as well." The string-laden Ronettes cover "Baby, I Love You" released as a single, became the band's biggest hit in Great Britain, reaching number 8 on the charts.
Pleasant Dreams, the band's sixth album, was released in 1981. It continued the trend established by End of the Century, taking the band further from the raw punk sound of its early records. As described by Trouser Press, the album, produced by Graham Gouldman of UK pop act 10cc, moved the Ramones "away from their pioneering minimalism into heavy metal territory". Johnny would contend in retrospect that this direction was a record company decision, a continued futile attempt to get airplay on American radio. While Pleasant Dreams reached number 58 on the U.S. chart, its two singles failed to register at all.
Subterranean Jungle, produced by Ritchie Cordell and Glen Kolotkin, was released in 1983. According to Trouser Press, it brought the band "back to where they once belonged: junky '60s pop adjusted for current tastes", which among other things meant "easing off the breakneck rhythm that was once Ramones dogma." Billy Rogers, who had performed with Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, played drums on the album's second single, a cover of the Chambers Brothers' "Time Has Come Today", becoming the only song showing three different drummers: Rogers on recording, Marky on album credits and Richie on video clip. Subterranean Jungle peaked at number 83 in the United States—it would be the last album by the band to crack the Billboard Top 100. In 2002, Rhino Records released a new version of it with seven bonus tracks.
### Shuffling members (1983–1989)
After the release of Subterranean Jungle, Marky was fired from the band due to his alcoholism. He was replaced by Richard Reinhardt, who adopted the name Richie Ramone. Joey Ramone remarked that "[Richie] saved the band as far as I'm concerned. He's the greatest thing to happen to the Ramones. He put the spirit back in the band." Richie is the only Ramones drummer to sing lead vocals on Ramones songs, including "(You) Can't Say Anything Nice" as well as the unreleased "Elevator Operator". Joey Ramone commented, "Richie's very talented and he's very diverse ... He really strengthened the band a hundred percent because he sings backing tracks, he sings lead, and he sings with Dee Dee's stuff. In the past, it was always just me singing for the most part." Richie was also the only drummer to be the sole composer of Ramones songs including their hit "Somebody Put Something in My Drink" as well as "Smash You", "Humankind", "I'm Not Jesus", "I Know Better Now" and "(You) Can't Say Anything Nice". Joey Ramone supported Richie's songwriting contributions: "I encouraged Richie to write songs. I figured it would make him feel more a part of the group, because we never let anybody else write our songs." Richie's composition, "Somebody Put Something in My Drink", remained a staple in the Ramones set list until their last show in 1996 and was included in the album Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits. The eight-song bonus disc, The Ramones Smash You: Live '85, is also named after Richie's composition "Smash You".
The first album the Ramones recorded with Richie was Too Tough to Die in 1984, with Tommy Erdelyi and Ed Stasium returning as producers. The album marked a shift to something like the band's original sound. In the description of Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the "rhythms are back up to jackhammer speed and the songs are down to short, terse statements."
The band's main release of 1985 was the British single "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg"; though it was available in the United States only as an import, it was played widely on American college radio. The song was written, primarily by Joey, in protest of Ronald Reagan's visit to a German military cemetery, which included graves of Waffen SS soldiers. Retitled "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)", the song appeared on the band's ninth studio album, Animal Boy (1986). Produced by Jean Beauvoir, formerly a member of the Plasmatics, the album was characterized by a Rolling Stone reviewer as "nonstop primal fuzz pop". Making it his pick for "album of the week", New York Times critic Jon Pareles wrote that the Ramones "speak up for outcasts and disturbed individuals".
The following year the band recorded their last album with Richie, Halfway to Sanity. Richie left in August 1987 after financial conflicts with Johnny that centered around him being refused a small percentage of the merchandising money, which had been requested based on his tenure with the band and their use of his name and image. Richie was replaced by Clem Burke from Blondie, which was disbanded at the time. According to Johnny, the performances with Burke—who adopted the name Elvis Ramone—were a disaster. He was fired after two performances (August 28 and 29, 1987) because his drumming could not keep up with the rest of the band. In September, Marky, now clean and sober, returned to the band.
In December 1988, the Ramones recorded material for their eleventh studio album, and what was supposed to be a "comeback" for the band, Brain Drain was co-produced by Beauvoir, Rey, and Bill Laswell. However, the bass parts were done by Daniel Rey and the Dictators' Andy Shernoff. Dee Dee Ramone would only record the additional vocals on the album citing that members of the band (including himself) were going through personal troubles and changes to the point where he did not want to be in the band anymore. Although it received mixed reviews upon its release in mid-1989, the album included the band's highest-charting hit in America, "Pet Sematary".
Despite not wanting to be in the band anymore, Dee Dee (who was sober by this point) was present for the world tour for Brain Drain and played his last show with the Ramones on July 5, 1989, at One Step Beyond in Santa Clara. He was replaced by Christopher Joseph Ward (C. J. Ramone), who performed with the band until it disbanded. Dee Dee initially pursued a brief career as a rapper under the name Dee Dee King. He quickly returned to punk rock and formed several bands, in much the same vein as the Ramones. He also continued to write songs for the Ramones, but never rejoined the band.
### Final years (1990–1996)
The band fulfilled their contract with Sire Records in 1991 after being on the label for over a decade and a half, ending with the release of Loco Live. After leaving Sire Records, Brett Gurewitz of Epitaph Records offered to sign the band, even traveling to a concert in Amsterdam and begging Joey and Johnny. Meanwhile, Stormy Shepard from Leave Home Bookings (who was booking then-up-and-coming bands like Rancid and The Offspring) negotiated with the Ramones: "I'll put you on tour with these bands that are huge now. They're your fans; you can do whatever you want. You'll be playing in front of kids who like this style of music." At the same time, the band's manager, Gary Kurfurst had just worked out a deal where he was gonna get his own record label, Radioactive Records. When CJ Ramone heard Johnny talking about signing to Kurfirst's label, he questioned: "Johnny, you've run this band for years. You carried it all yourself. I don't understand how you don't see the conflict of interest in signing to your manager's label. Just in terms of business, I don't understand how you don't see that. You're really throwing away the last few years of your career. Those Epitaph guys grew up listening to you. They will do anything to give you the business success you never had. Your manager will do the same thing he always has. He's going to throw his stuff out there. You're going to break through without anyone's support and you're going to face the rest of your career the way it's been up until now.", but Johnny replied: "When you have as many years in the business as I do, then you can make the decisions.". By Johnny's decision, the group ended up signing a new contract with Radioactive Records at the end of that year, the Ramones were soon able to start on sessions for what would become Mondo Bizarro (1992), which saw them reunited with producer Ed Stasium. Anticipated as a "comeback" for the band after years of decline in popularity, the album was certified Gold in Brazil after selling 100,000 copies, being the first Gold certification The Ramones were ever awarded, while its lead single "Poison Heart" was another top ten hit in the US for the band.
Acid Eaters, consisting entirely of cover songs, came out in 1993. That same year, the Ramones were featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, providing music and voices for animated versions of themselves in the episode "Rosebud". Executive producer David Mirkin described the Ramones as "gigantic, obsessive Simpsons fans."
In 1995, the Ramones released their fourteenth and final studio album ¡Adios Amigos!, and announced that they would be disbanding the following year. Its sales were unremarkable, garnering it just two weeks on the lower end of the Billboard chart. The band spent late 1995 on what was promoted as a farewell tour. However, they accepted an offer to appear in the sixth Lollapalooza festival, which toured around the United States during the following summer. After the Lollapalooza tour's conclusion, the Ramones played their final show on August 6, 1996, at the Palace in Hollywood. A recording of the concert was later released on video and CD as We're Outta Here! In addition to a reappearance by Dee Dee, the show featured several guests including Motörhead's Lemmy, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd, and Rancid's Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen.
### Aftermath and deaths
On July 20, 1999, Dee Dee, Johnny, Joey, Tommy, Marky, and C. J. appeared together at the Virgin Megastore in New York City for an autograph signing. This was the last occasion on which the original four members of the group appeared together. Joey, who had been diagnosed with lymphoma in 1995, died of the illness on April 15, 2001, in New York. Tommy, Richie and C. J. were the only former bandmates to attend his funeral. Joey and Marky, who had been involved in a feud, buried the hatchet and made up on live radio on the Howard Stern Show in 1999. Joey and Richie had a close friendship during their time together in the band and the latter expressed sadness over not being able to reconnect with Joey before his passing.
On March 18, 2002, the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which specifically named Dee Dee, Johnny, Joey, Tommy, and Marky. At the ceremony, the surviving inductees spoke on behalf of the band. Johnny spoke first, thanking the band's fans and blessing George W. Bush and his presidency, and America. Tommy spoke next, saying how honored the band felt, but how much it would have meant for Joey. Dee Dee humorously congratulated and thanked himself, while Marky thanked Tommy for influencing his drum style. Green Day played "Teenage Lobotomy", "Rockaway Beach", and "Blitzkrieg Bop" as a tribute, demonstrating the Ramones' continuing influence on later rock musicians. The ceremony was one of Dee Dee's last public appearances, as he was found dead on June 5, 2002, from a heroin overdose.
On November 30, 2003, New York City unveiled a sign designating East 2nd Street at the corner of Bowery as Joey Ramone Place. The singer lived on East 2nd for a time, and the sign is near the former Bowery site of CBGB. The documentary film End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones came out in 2004. Johnny, who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1999, died on September 15, 2004, in Los Angeles, shortly after the film's release. On the same day as Johnny's death, the world's first Ramones Museum opened its doors to the public. Located in Berlin, Germany, the museum features more than 300 items of memorabilia, including a pair of stage-worn jeans from Johnny, a stage-worn glove from Joey, Marky's sneakers, and C. J.'s stage-worn bass strap. On October 8, 2004, Tommy Ramone, C. J. Ramone, Clem Burke, and Daniel Rey performed in the "Ramones Beat on Cancer" concert.
The Ramones were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007. That October saw the release of a DVD set containing concert footage of the band: It's Alive 1974–1996 includes 118 songs from 33 performances over the span of the group's career. In February 2011 the group was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Drummers Tommy, Marky, and Richie attended the ceremony. Marky declared, "This is amazing. I never expected this. I'm sure Johnny, Joey, and Dee Dee would never have expected this." Richie noted that it was the first time ever that all three drummers were under the same roof, and mused that he couldn't "help thinking that [Joey] is watching us right now with a little smile on his face behind his rose-colored glasses."
On April 30, 2014, their debut album, Ramones, became certified Gold by the Recording Industry of America after selling 500,000 copies, 38 years after its release.
Arturo Vega, creative director from their formation in 1974 until their disbanding in 1996 and often considered the fifth Ramone, died of cancer on June 8, 2013, at the age of 65. The final original member, Tommy Ramone, died on July 11, 2014, after a battle with bile duct cancer.
On October 30, 2016, the band had a street in Queens, New York named for them. As of that date, the intersection of 67th Avenue and 110th Street in front of the main entrance of Forest Hills High School was officially named The Ramones Way.
On April 15, 2021, the 20th anniversary of Joey Ramone's death, it was announced that Pete Davidson would portray Ramone in the upcoming Netflix biopic I Slept with Joey Ramone which is based on the 2009 memoir of the same name written by Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh. Leigh will serve as an executive producer with a script written by Davidson and director Jason Orley.
## Conflicts between members
Tension between Joey and Johnny colored much of the Ramones' career. The pair were politically antagonistic, Joey being a liberal and Johnny a conservative. Their personalities also clashed: Johnny, who spent two years in military school, lived by a strict code of self-discipline, while Joey struggled with obsessive–compulsive disorder and alcoholism. In the early 1980s, Linda Danielle began a relationship with Johnny after having already been romantically involved with Joey, who had reportedly accused Johnny of "stealing" his girlfriend; this incident is believed to have been the inspiration behind "The KKK Took My Baby Away". Consequently, despite their continued professional relationship, Joey and Johnny had become aloof from each other. Johnny did not contact Joey before the latter's death, although he said that he was depressed for "the whole week" after his death.
Dee Dee's bipolar disorder and repeated relapses into drug addiction also caused significant strains. Tommy would also leave the band after being "physically threatened by Johnny, treated with contempt by Dee Dee, and all but ignored by Joey". As new members joined over the years, disbursement and the band's image frequently became matters of serious dispute. The tensions among the group members were not kept secret from the public as was heard on the Howard Stern radio show in 1997, where during the interview Marky and Joey got into a fight about their respective drinking habits.
A year after the Ramones' breakup, Marky Ramone made disparaging remarks against C. J. in the press, calling him a "bigot," a statement he would reiterate a decade later. C. J. would later respond that he was unsure as to why Marky would make negative comments against him in the press though he denied that it had anything to do with his marrying Marky's niece. He also denied being a bigot. Many years later, C. J. lamented that despite being the two surviving members of arguably the Ramones' most commercially successful era, and despite reaching out a few times to join him on stage, he and Marky were no longer in contact.
## Style
### Musical style
The Ramones' loud, fast, straightforward musical style was influenced by pop music that the band members grew up listening to in the 1950s and 1960s, including classic rock groups such as Buddy Holly and the Crickets, the Beach Boys, the Who, the Beatles, the Kinks, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, the Doors and Creedence Clearwater Revival; bubblegum acts like the 1910 Fruitgum Company and Ohio Express; and girl groups such as the Ronettes and the Shangri-Las. They also drew on the harder rock sound of the MC5, Black Sabbath, the Stooges and the New York Dolls, now known as seminal protopunk bands. The Ramones' style was in part a reaction against the heavily produced, often bombastic music that dominated the pop charts in the 1970s. "We decided to start our own group because we were bored with everything we heard," Joey once explained. "In 1974 everything was tenth-generation Elton John, or overproduced, or just junk. Everything was long jams, long guitar solos ... . We missed music like it used to be." Ira Robbins and Scott Isler of Trouser Press describe the result:
> With just four chords and one manic tempo, New York's Ramones blasted open the clogged arteries of mid-'70s rock, reanimating the music. Their genius was to recapture the short/simple aesthetic from which pop had strayed, adding a caustic sense of trash-culture humor and minimalist rhythm guitar sound.
As leaders in the punk rock scene, the Ramones' music is strongly identified with that label. It has been noted that their recordings also helped the subgenre pop-punk to develop. Some have described certain Ramones songs as power pop. Starting in the 1980s, the band sometimes veered into hardcore punk territory, as can be heard on albums such as Too Tough to Die.
On stage, the band adopted a focused approach directly intended to increase the audience's concert experience. Johnny's instructions to C. J. when preparing for his first live performances with the group were to play facing the audience, to stand with the bass slung low between spread legs, and to walk forward to the front of stage at the same time as he did. Johnny was not a fan of guitarists who performed facing their drummer, amplifier, or other band members.
### Visual imagery
The Ramones' art and visual imagery complemented the themes of their music and performance. The members adopted a uniform look of long hair, leather jackets, T-shirts, torn jeans, and sneakers. This fashion emphasized minimalism—a powerful influence on the New York punk scene of the 1970s—and reflected the band's short, simple songs. Tommy Ramone recalled that, musically and visually, "We were influenced by comic books, movies, the Andy Warhol scene, and avant-garde films. I was a big Mad magazine fan myself."
The band's logo was created by New York City artist Arturo Vega, with guidance from the Ramones. Vega, a longtime friend, had allowed Joey and Dee Dee to move into his loft. He produced the band's T-shirts—their main source of income—basing most of the images on a black-and-white self-portrait photograph he had taken of his American bald eagle belt buckle, which appeared on the back sleeve of the Ramones' first album. He was inspired to create the band's logo after a trip to Washington, D.C.:
> I saw them as the ultimate all-American band. To me, they reflected the American character in general—an almost childish innocent aggression ... . I thought, 'The Great Seal of the President of the United States' would be perfect for the Ramones, with the eagle holding arrows—to symbolize strength and the aggression that would be used against whomever dares to attack us—and an olive branch, offered to those who want to be friendly. But we decided to change it a little bit. Instead of the olive branch, we had an apple tree branch, since the Ramones were American as apple pie. And since Johnny was such a baseball fanatic, we had the eagle hold a baseball bat instead of the [Great Seal]'s arrows.
The scroll in the eagle's beak originally read "Look out below", but this was soon changed to "Hey ho let's go" after the opening lyrics of the band's first single, "Blitzkrieg Bop". The arrowheads on the shield came from a design on a polyester shirt Vega had bought. "Ramones" was spelled out in block capitals above the logo using plastic stick-on letters. Where the presidential emblem read "Seal of the President of the United States" clockwise in the border around the eagle, Vega placed the pseudonyms of the band members: Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee, and Tommy. Over the years the names in the border would change as the band's line-up fluctuated.
"It's the American presidential seal—anyone can use it," said Marky Ramone of the logo's ubiquity. "We share the royalties on the t-shirt and on the merchandise. A lot of the kids wearing that shirt might not even have heard of the Ramones' music. I guess if you have the shirt, your curiosity might bring you to buy the music. Whatever, it is a strange phenomenon."
## Legacy and influence
The Ramones had a broad and lasting influence on the development of popular music. Music historian Jon Savage writes of their debut album that "it remains one of the few records that changed pop forever." As described by AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "The band's first four albums set the blueprint for punk, especially American punk and hardcore, for the next two decades." Trouser Press's Robbins and Isler similarly wrote that the Ramones "not only spearheaded the original new wave/punk movement, but also drew the blueprint for subsequent hardcore punk bands". Punk journalist Phil Strongman writes, "In purely musical terms, the Ramones, in attempting to re-create the excitement of pre-Dolby rock, were to cast a huge shadow—they had fused a blueprint for much of the indie future." Writing for Slate in 2001, Douglas Wolk described the Ramones as "easily the most influential group of the last 30 years."
Locally, several musicians who would play in New York hardcore bands cite the Ramones as an influence. These include members of the Beastie Boys, Gorilla Biscuits, the Misfits, and The Mob. Roger Miret of Agnostic Front has stated that Leave Home was the first album he bought with his own money.
The Ramones' debut album had an outsized effect relative to its modest sales, particularly in the UK. According to Generation X bassist Tony James, "Everybody went up three gears the day they got that first Ramones album. Punk rock—that rama-lama super fast stuff—is totally down to the Ramones. Bands were just playing in an MC5 groove until then." The Ramones' two July 1976 shows, like their debut album, are seen as having a significant impact on the style of many of the newly formed British punk acts—as one observer put it, "instantly nearly every band speeded up". The Ramones' first British concert, at London's Roundhouse concert hall, was held on July 4, 1976, the United States Bicentennial. The Sex Pistols were playing in Sheffield that evening, supported by the Clash, making their public debut. The next night, members of both bands attended the Ramones' gig at the Dingwall's club. Ramones manager Danny Fields recalls a conversation between Johnny Ramone and Clash bassist Paul Simonon (which he mislocates at the Roundhouse): "Johnny asked him, 'What do you do? Are you in a band?' Paul said, 'Well, we just rehearse. We call ourselves the Clash but we're not good enough.' Johnny said, 'Wait till you see us—we stink, we're lousy, we can't play. Just get out there and do it.'" Another band whose members saw the Ramones perform, the Damned, played their first show two days later. Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69 has said that he considers the Ramones his band's "only blueprint". The central fanzine of the early UK punk scene, Sniffin' Glue, was named after the song "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", which appeared on the debut LP.
Ramones concerts and recordings influenced many musicians central to the development of California punk, including Greg Ginn of Black Flag, Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys, Al Jourgensen of Ministry, Mike Ness of Social Distortion, Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, and members of the Descendents. Canada's first major punk scenes—in Toronto and in British Columbia's Victoria and Vancouver—were also heavily influenced by the Ramones. In the late 1970s, many bands emerged with musical styles deeply indebted to the band's. There were the Lurkers from England, the Undertones from Ireland, Teenage Head from Canada, and the Zeros and the Dickies from southern California. The seminal hardcore band Bad Brains took its name from a Ramones song. The Riverdales emulated the sound of the Ramones throughout their career. Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong named his son Joey in homage to Joey Ramone, and drummer Tré Cool named his daughter Ramona.
The Ramones also influenced musicians associated with other genres, such as heavy metal. Their influence on metal gave birth to the punk-metal "fusion" genre of thrash. Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, one of the originators of thrash guitar, has described the importance of Johnny's rapid-fire guitar playing style to his own musical development. Motörhead lead singer Lemmy, a friend of the Ramones since the late 1970s, mixed the band's "Go Home Ann" in 1985. The members of Motörhead later composed the song "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." as a tribute, and Lemmy performed at the final Ramones concert in 1996. Paul Dianno, who sang on Iron Maiden's first two albums has called the Ramones his "favorite band," and often performs Ramones material in his live shows. In the realm of alternative rock, the song "53rd & 3rd" lent its name to a British indie pop label cofounded by Stephen Pastel of the Scottish band the Pastels. Evan Dando of the Lemonheads, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters, Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam (who introduced the band members at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction) and the Strokes are among the many alternative rock and metal musicians who have credited the Ramones with inspiring them.
The band members were also individually influential. Johnny Ramone was named one of Times "10 Greatest Electric-Guitar Players" in 2003. That same year, he was number 16 on the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list in Rolling Stone.
"We think of the Ramones as a classic, iconic band," observed Gene Simmons. "They have one gold record to their name. They never played arenas; couldn't sell them out. It was a failed band. It doesn't mean they weren't great. It means the masses didn't care."
### Tribute albums
In April 2009, Spin writer Mark Prindle observed that the Ramones had to date "inspired a jaw-dropping 48 (at least!) full-length tribute records." The first Ramones tribute album featuring multiple performers was released in 1991: Gabba Gabba Hey: A Tribute to the Ramones includes tracks by such acts as the Flesh Eaters, L7, Mojo Nixon, and Bad Religion. In 2001, Dee Dee made a guest appearance on one track of Ramones Maniacs, a multi-artist cover of the entire Ramones Mania compilation album. The Song Ramones the Same, which came out the following year, includes performances by the Dictators, who were part of the early New York punk scene, and Wayne Kramer, guitarist for the influential protopunk band MC5. We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to Ramones, released in 2003, features performers such as Rancid, Green Day, Metallica, KISS, the Offspring, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, and Rob Zombie (who also did the album cover artwork). Also some other famous bands recorded tribute songs. Motörhead's Phil Campbell tells in Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone's book Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives: "We did a cover of Rockaway Beach with me on backing vocals, which was quite enjoyable. When Johnny Ramone heard it, he refused to put it on the tribute album. Lemmy and I thought we did a good version."
Punk bands such as Screeching Weasel, the Vindictives, the Queers, Parasites, the Mr. T Experience, Boris the Sprinkler, Beatnik Termites, Tip Toppers, Jon Cougar Concentration Camp, and McRackins have recorded cover versions of entire Ramones albums—Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket to Russia, It's Alive, Road to Ruin, End of the Century, Pleasant Dreams, Subterranean Jungle, two versions of Too Tough to Die, and Halfway To Sanity, respectively. The Huntingtons' File Under Ramones consists of Ramones covers from across the band's history.
Shonen Knife, an all-female trio from Osaka, Japan, was formed in 1981 as a direct result of founder-lead singer-guitarist Naoko Yamano's instant infatuation with the music of the Ramones. In 2012, to observe the band's 30th anniversary, Shonen Knife released Osaka Ramones, which featured thirteen Ramones songs covered by the band. There are also many other tribute albums listed on Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone's site.
## Members
### Former members
- Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Hyman) – lead vocals (1974–1996), drums (1974); died 2001
- Johnny Ramone (John Cummings) – guitars (1974–1996), backing vocals (1981); died 2004
- Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Colvin) – bass, backing and lead vocals (1974–1989); guitar (1974); died 2002
- Richie Stern – bass (1974); died 2015
- Tommy Ramone (Thomas Erdelyi) – drums (1974–1978), production (1976-1978, 1984), additional guitar (1976-1978); died 2014
- Marky Ramone (Marc Bell) – drums (1978–1983, 1987–1996), backing vocals (1981)
- Richie Ramone (Richard Reinhardt) – drums, backing vocals (1983–1987)
- Elvis Ramone (Clem Burke) – drums (1987)
- C. J. Ramone (Christopher Ward) – bass, backing and lead vocals (1989–1996)
#### Timeline
## Discography
Studio albums'''
- Ramones (1976)
- Leave Home (1977)
- Rocket to Russia (1977)
- Road to Ruin (1978)
- End of the Century (1980)
- Pleasant Dreams (1981)
- Subterranean Jungle (1983)
- Too Tough to Die (1984)
- Animal Boy (1986)
- Halfway to Sanity (1987)
- Brain Drain (1989)
- Mondo Bizarro (1992)
- Acid Eaters (1993)
- ¡Adios Amigos! (1995)
## See also
- List of Ramones concerts
- Gabba Gabba Hey
- Danny Says'' (film)
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Fred Dibnah
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English steeplejack, mechanic and television personality
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"14th/20th King's Hussars soldiers",
"1938 births",
"2004 deaths",
"20th-century British Army personnel",
"Burials in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton",
"Deaths from bladder cancer",
"Deaths from cancer in England",
"English television presenters",
"Members of the Order of the British Empire",
"People from Bolton",
"Steeplejacks"
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Frederick Travis Dibnah, MBE (28 April 1938 – 6 November 2004), was an English steeplejack and television personality, with a keen interest in mechanical engineering, who described himself as a "backstreet mechanic".
When Dibnah was born, Britain relied heavily upon coal to fuel its industry. As a child, he was fascinated by the steam engines which powered the many textile mills in Bolton, but he paid particular attention to chimneys and the men who worked on them. He began his working life as a joiner, before becoming a steeplejack. From age 22, he served for two years in the Army Catering Corps of the British Army, undertaking his National Service. Once decommissioned, he returned to steeplejacking but met with limited success until he was asked to repair Bolton's parish church tower. The resulting publicity provided a boost to his business, ensuring he was almost never out of work.
In 1978, while making repairs to Bolton Town Hall, Dibnah was filmed by a regional BBC news crew. The BBC then commissioned a documentary, which followed the rough-hewn steeplejack as he worked on chimneys, interacted with his family and talked about his favourite hobby — steam. His Lanky manner and gentle, self-taught philosophical outlook proved popular with viewers and he featured in a number of television programmes. Towards the end of his life, the decline of Britain's industry was mirrored by a decline in his steeplejacking business and Dibnah increasingly came to rely on public appearances and after-dinner speaking to support his income. In 1998, he presented a programme on Britain's industrial history and went on to present a number of series, largely concerned with the Industrial Revolution and its mechanical and architectural legacy.
He died from bladder cancer in November 2004, aged 66.
## Early life
### Childhood
Fred Dibnah was the son of Frank and Betsy Dibnah (née Travis), who were initially both employed at a bleach works. His mother later worked as a charwoman at a gas works. Named after his uncle Frederick, he was born on 28 April 1938 and brought up in the historic Lancashire town of Bolton, then a predominantly industrial town with a history in the spinning and weaving of cotton. As a child, Dibnah was fascinated by the sights and sounds of industry and the dozens of chimney stacks visible around Burnden Park, and paid particular attention to the steeplejacks he saw on his way to school. A popular pastime for local children was playing around the many mill lodges (industrial ponds) which once littered the area. An inventive child, Dibnah and some friends designed a makeshift diving suit from a crisp tin, a car inner tube and some piping. After being told to remove it from the local swimming baths, they tested it in one of the lodges, but were unsuccessful.
The Bolton arm of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal was one of Dibnah's regular haunts. The canal was by then largely disused (the Bolton arm had been mostly closed in 1924) and Dibnah sometimes dredged it with an iron hook on a rope, for what he called 'plunder'. Much of this was stored in the back yard of his mother's house. Dibnah and his friend Alan Heap built a canoe from old bicycle wheels (cut in half to make the ribs), slate laths and a canvas sheet from the back of a lorry. Much to the consternation of his mother, Dibnah sailed the boat along the nearby River Croal. He once astonished his teachers when, following the theft of the school keys, he cut new keys for each classroom door.
### As a young man
At school Dibnah was placed in an art class (his reading and writing skills were judged to be poor), following which he spent three years at art college, where his work was based mainly on industrial themes such as machinery, pithead gear and spinning mills. On leaving college at 16 he was offered a job at a funeral parlour, but left quickly to begin work at a local joinery.
Dibnah had watched the activities of steeplejacks throughout his childhood, and first witnessed a chimney felling from his father's allotment near Bolton's greyhound track at Raikes Park. The steeplejacks removed the top of the chimney and then created a hole in its base, propped with blocks of wood. They then lit a fire, destroying the supports and causing the chimney to collapse. Unfortunately, on this occasion the chimney fell in the wrong direction, onto the greyhound track's dog kennels, a local café and a series of power cables.
His first job that involved ladders was given to him while he still worked as a joiner. He was asked to point a garden wall and then the gable end of the customer's house. He used several short ladders, lashed together with rope and hardboard. This gave Dibnah valuable experience and his employer expanded the business to include property repairs. Aged about 17–18 he climbed the 262-foot (80 m) chimney at Barrow Bridge, for a 10 shilling bet. During the night he took two Union flags to the top and secured each to the lightning conductors there. The Bolton Evening News reported the incident, with a photograph of Dibnah's feat, but attributed it to the activities of students from Manchester University. At about the same time, Dibnah decided to replace the chimney stack at his mother's house on Alfred Street with one of his own design, as his mother used only one fireplace—leaving four of the five chimney pots redundant. As the single opening at the top of the new stack was only about 4 inches (10 cm) wide, the flue needed regular maintenance. On one occasion, he was cleaning the flue using a sack of bricks tied to a rope when the sack ripped open, breaking several pipes and flooding his mother's kitchen. After the death of his mother, the house was sold and the council placed a preservation order on the chimney, which remains to this day.
### National service
Aged 22 Dibnah was conscripted into the army to complete his National Service and was given a position in the cook house. He spent six weeks training at Aldershot, before being sent to Catterick to learn the basics of army catering. He was then posted with the 14th/20th King's Hussars and sent to West Germany. There he persuaded his commanding officer to let him repair the regiment's farmhouse (used for stabling horses and hounds) and he was soon given a more permanent position as a builder and handyman. He dug a 35-foot (11 m) deep shaft into which the horse manure and dog faeces would be emptied and he also fed the animals. He impressed his commanding officers by making a weathercock from army kitchen trays, but was also chastised when he was found with a 1914 Luger P08 pistol he had bought from a fellow soldier. He often received parcels of alcohol and tobacco from his mother, which allowed him to maintain the habits he had formed when he began his working life. Although Dibnah initially resented being called into service, he would later be more positive about the experience:
> It wasn't a bad thing, if National Service had been kept going it might have kept all the vandals and hooligans we have now in line.
## Steeplejack
On his return from National Service in 1962 Dibnah retrieved his tools from storage, bought a 1927 350 cc AJS motorcycle for 21 guineas and looked for more work. Bolton, however, was in the midst of post-industrial decline; between 1957 and 1965 about 70 mills were closed in the town, leaving only 37 mills operational and about 50 disused. Initially he was unable to find much work and existed on smaller, domestic jobs, until he earned enough to buy his own set of ladders and secured his first commission while working at a local mill. He was paid £140 to point a mill tower, which he did on weekends. He struggled, however, to get any more meaningful work, until he met Lonsdale Bonner, one of his teachers from art college. The two agreed a deal whereby Bonner would be paid a commission for each job he got for Dibnah. His first job was dismantling a chimney alongside the Manchester and Bolton Railway, a difficult proposition, as a mistake could force the temporary closure of the railway. The two managed to gain commissions for several jobs, but their relationship was terminated when Dibnah was called upon to undertake another six months of National Service.
He was then commissioned to repair a chimney at a local brewery. While working on this, he met a local welder who also knew the vicar of Bolton (Richard Greville Norburn), who wanted some repairs made to Bolton parish church's weathervanes. The vicar drove a 1929 Humber limousine and was impressed by Dibnah's AJS motorcycle; the two quickly became friends. The church was the tallest building in Bolton and once Dibnah had repaired the weathervane the vicar asked him to gild it. Dibnah appeared in the local newspaper and the publicity and his friendship with the vicar enabled him to gain more work from the local clergy.
His next major job was for local firm Hick Hargreaves, the proceeds of which enabled him to expand his collection of ladders to 30. He was commissioned to remove the top half of a 270-foot (82 m) chimney and employed an assistant, Percy Porter. The top of the chimney contained a length of railway line, which had been used for lifting materials during construction. Dibnah hacksawed the line into pieces, letting each piece fall to the ground, while his assistant below kept the area clear. He then spent the next six months removing each brick by hand while the chimney was still in use, as the factory could not afford to halt production.
### First marriage
In 1967, following disagreements over who should be invited to their wedding, Dibnah and 19-year-old hairdresser Alison Mary Foster eloped to Gretna Green, to get married. Dibnah had first spotted Alison from the top of a chimney and, when one day she walked into the pub where he was drinking, he asked her out; six weeks later, the two became engaged. They left notes for their parents, caught a train to Carlisle and from there on a series of buses to Dumfries. They had initially planned to stay at the house of a friend but as he had returned to Bolton for his holidays, they stayed instead at a local farmhouse. The two had to be resident for at least 21 days to be married and so Dibnah agreed to point the gable ends of a local hotel in exchange for bed and board.
On 19 May, the two married at the church at Gretna Green and returned to live at Dibnah's mother's house. They later moved into a Victorian gatehouse on the Earl of Bradford's estate, just outside Bolton. Dibnah spent years restoring the property, including building an extension. The house was a listed building and so he had to source appropriately aged bricks for the extension. A vicar offered him some of the old gravestones from the church graveyard, which Dibnah then used to create the stone lintels and mullions, though he later expressed his fear that his property would now be haunted. The couple later purchased the house for £5,000, although it required major repairs to stabilize the rear wall.
The couple had their first child, a girl named Jayne, in June 1968. Alison was initially worried about her husband's occupation but learned to deal with the risk and to trust Fred. She organised his accounts and even collected debts. She also helped him demolish some of the chimneys that he worked on, by lighting the fire to burn away the temporary supports he had put in place.
### Chimney felling
Having mastered his trade repairing chimneys, Dibnah became aware of the demand for a cost-effective method of demolishing them. He offered to remove them without using explosives, by cutting an ingress at the base of the chimney—supporting the brickwork with wooden props—and then burning away the props so that the chimney fell, hopefully in the intended direction. Although this was a tried and tested method, it was not without its opponents. On one occasion he was contracted by the local council to fell two chimneys. The contract obliged him to dismantle each by hand, but he decided to fell them by cutting away the base. The first chimney collapsed as planned, but the council terminated his contract and refused to pay. Dibnah contacted the borough engineer and offered to fell the second chimney for no charge, to prove the effectiveness of his technique. He even offered to let the engineer light the fire, but the wind blew so hard that the chimney did not draw the flames and once the props had been burnt through, it remained standing. Dibnah resorted to using a hydraulic jack to apply extra pressure to the intact side of the base and the chimney eventually fell. He later told the engineer that "it was all about fine balancing and counteracting high wind forces."
He almost lost his life in 1997, when a concrete chimney he had been asked to fell on Canvey Island began to collapse before the felling team had finished preparing the base. As the team ran from the chimney, Dibnah tripped and fell and was greeted by the sight of 2,500 tonnes of concrete leaning toward him, but fortunately the chimney righted itself and then fell in the opposite direction. The last chimney he felled, which was his 90th, was in Royton, in May 2004.
### Steam
Dibnah's interest in steam power stemmed from his childhood observations of the steam locomotives on the nearby railway line, and his visits to his father's workplace—a bleach works in Bolton—where he was fascinated by the steam engines used to drive the line shafting. A small mill near his childhood home was sometimes mothballed and Dibnah once broke in:
> I remember getting into the mill and lifting up a dust sheet to have a look at the engine they'd got under it. I found there was this beautiful British racing green steam engine under there with all the brasses left on. The boilers were still there and there was plenty of grease on everything, all ready and waiting for the next job. It was a bit sad really to see it standing there idle like that.
He later became a steam enthusiast, befriending many of the engine drivers and firemen who worked on the nearby railway. As a teenager he met a driver who invited him onto the footplate of his locomotive and who asked him to keep the boiler supplied with fuel. Dibnah became so enamoured with steam engines that he eventually looked for one he could buy. He learned of a steamroller kept in a barn near Warrington and which the owners had bought from Flintshire County Council. He had the boiler pressure-tested and, despite its being in poor condition, bought it for £175. He towed it to a friend's house, spent a fortnight making various repairs, and drove it to his mother's house in Bolton.
After he had married and bought his own property on Radcliffe New Road, he cut an access road to the garden of his new house and moved the steamroller there. Restoring the engine took many years, as Dibnah had to create his own replacement parts, using Victorian engineering techniques and equipment he built in his garden. The boiler was in poor condition and needed serious work, but Dibnah fell back on local knowledge and was eventually able to build a new boiler. Once it was restored, he used the 1910 Aveling and Porter steamroller together with a living van he bought and restored, to take his family around the local steam fairs. While driving the vehicle was relatively safe, Dibnah had experienced several mishaps, including one instance when he lost control while descending a steep hill and was forced to drive the engine into a concrete barrier to bring it to a halt, smashing the front fork in the process.
Restoring the steamroller placed a heavy burden upon his marriage and Alison would often complain that her husband spent more time in the shed, repairing the engine, than he did in the house. He responded by naming the vehicle Alison, telling his wife "It's not every woman that has a steam engine named after her." Alison eventually developed an affection for the antique vehicle, saying, "We've done without for so many years to get it built up. I couldn't bear to part with it. There's too much of us in it."
His next purchase, made in the autumn of 1980, was a 1912 Aveling & Porter traction engine. Dibnah paid a friend £2,300 for the vehicle and moved it to the garden behind his home. He built a steam-driven workshop in his garden, salvaging parts from various mills, including line shaft gear and a stationary engine from a mill in Oldham. He gave a conservative estimate of four years to complete the work, but the restoration eventually took 27 years. The engine was sold at auction in July 2010 for £240,000.
In 1988 he was asked by Caernarfon Council to make repairs to a chimney at Parc Glynllifon. Beneath the chimney, an engine room contained an 1854 single-cylinder steam engine in poor condition. Dibnah repaired the chimney and several weeks later was asked to repair the engine, which he dismantled during the winter of 1988/89 and took back to Bolton. With his assistant Neil Carney, he spent six months repairing the engine. The two sourced a replacement boiler from a local pork pie factory and re-installed the engine in Wales. Dibnah later won a prize for the quality of the restoration work. He also spent about seven months restoring the boiler, engine and blunger at Wetheriggs Pottery near Penrith.
## Fame
### Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack
In 1978 Dibnah was commissioned to make repairs to Bolton Town Hall. Decades of exposure to soot and rain had caused serious damage to the clock tower and Dibnah alerted the Clerk of Works to the condition of the 16 stone pillars at the top of the tower. He bought new stone, built a lathe in his workshop and created the replacement pillars. He was given the job of repairing the clock tower and he also gilded the golden sphere at the top of the building. While Dibnah was working from his bosun's chair, a public relations officer at the Town Hall informed Dibnah that BBC Look North West wanted to interview him. The following week, the film crew arrived and Alistair MacDonald conducted the interview from the top of the building, with Dibnah perched outside on his scaffolding.
His warm and friendly manner combined with his enthusiasm and broad Lancashire accent proved popular and he was later contacted by producer Don Haworth, with a view to making a documentary. After several meetings over the course of a few weeks, filming began early one morning just as Dibnah had climbed to the top of a 245-foot (75 m) chimney at Shaw and Crompton, a mill town near Oldham. Sporadic filming took place over an 18-month period and captured Dibnah (with assistant Donald Paiton) working on a range of buildings, spending time with his family and enjoying his hobbies. Giulio Briccialdi's Carnival of Venice (performed by James Galway) was the music chosen to accompany Dibnah's work on Bolton Town Hall. One of the more notable aspects was Dibnah's 1979 demolition of a chimney in Rochdale. Standing only yards away from the base of the chimney as it began to collapse, his retreat to safety and subsequent boyish outburst of "Did you like that?" endeared him to viewers.
Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack won the 1979 BAFTA award for best documentary, and over the years Haworth returned to film more documentaries. With his newly found fame, however, came distractions from his work. Visitors would arrive at his house, to see his garden. He began to receive fan mail; one individual wrote to offer Dibnah a steam-powered machine he no longer wanted. One company, who were apparently disturbed to see Dibnah's matches being extinguished by the wind while at the top of a chimney, sent him a sample of their windproof matches. Filming would also interfere with his work. Cameraman Martin Lightening would climb with Dibnah to the top of a chimney—with a 16mm film camera—and film him at work, often hundreds of feet above the ground.
Several years later, Dibnah and his family went on holiday, to Blackpool. The trip was filmed for television and showed Dibnah's preference for working rather than holidaying. He did however manage to undertake the removal of a small chimney stack from a business in the town, under a distinctly grey sky and aided by his wife, Alison. His payment for the job was a new front plate for the boiler of his traction engine. Dibnah, however, refused to take any more holidays and, after 18 years of marriage, Alison booked and paid for a holiday to Greece, taking their three children (Jayne, Lorna and Caroline) with her. Dibnah remained at home and was surprised when, upon her return, she asked for a divorce.
One day in October 1985, Dibnah attended a solid fuel exhibition in nearby Bury. Upon his return he discovered that Alison had left the house, taking with her their three children, the dog and some items of furniture. Short of money, he was forced to sell his antique AJS motorcycle. He found life without his family difficult but defended his wife: "There is no doubt whatsoever, she were a good help to me and I'm going to miss her. It was just that all the pressure got too much for her."
### Second marriage
Dibnah met his second wife Susan Lorenz—a 28-year-old social worker—at a steam rally in Cheshire. In The Fred Dibnah Story (1996) she recalled their first meeting: "He looked sad and miserable, quite a pathetic sort of figure really, none of the bounce that people knew him for." He later invited her to a chimney felling in Oldham and then a talk he had been invited to give to a group of fans in Halifax, known as The Fred Dibnah Appreciation Society. Sue moved into Dibnah's home in Bolton and the two married on 27 February 1987. She encouraged him to grow a moustache and also to give up smoking.
Many of the chimneys around Bolton had now been either repaired, or demolished and so Dibnah was forced to travel further afield for work. He travelled to the Yorkshire Dales to install a lightning conductor on the parish church in Kirkby Malham. While digging the hole for the conductor, they uncovered human bones, for which a reinterment ceremony was held. Their first son, Jack (named after his father's trade), was born in 1987. Dibnah offered to make a weathercock, provided that his son was christened in the same church. His second son, Roger, was born in 1991.
## Later life
In 1996 Dibnah repaired the 262-foot (80 m) chimney at Barrow Bridge—the same chimney he had scaled for a bet, in his youth. He was also asked to install a peregrine falcon nest at the top. He was later influential in ensuring the chimney was made a listed building. As a notable raconteur he also became an after-dinner speaker and would wear his trademark flat cap with his dinner jacket. He made an appearance in a 1996 television advertisement for Kelloggs.
However, the strain of living with a man so dedicated to his hobbies began to take its toll on his wife:
> Sometimes he'll have busted his thumb because he's hit it with a hammer; you couldn't really expect him then to come in and start doing things in the house. I just don't think it's fair though, I think you've got to strike a balance and I think ours is about 90/10. Me for 90 per cent of the housework and Fred for 10."
Susan met another man and moved out, taking Roger with her and leaving Jack with Fred.
> She went away from here saying, "I don't want your antiques, I don't want your house, I don't want any money," [...] But what she did do was take my lads away from me and I can't forgive her for that."
### Third marriage
By 1997 Dibnah was living alone, with little work or money. Competition from Manchester had reduced his income from steeplejacking and filming for the BBC had dried up completely. He had, however, met Sheila Grundy, a former magician's assistant. She had arrived one day with her parents and young son to see Dibnah's back yard, and signed the visitor's book. The two remained in contact and became friends; they shared an interest in steam and Grundy was fascinated by Dibnah's tales of steeplejacking. She and her son moved in with Dibnah in 1998 and the couple married on 26 September that year. At their wedding reception in Bolton, Dibnah was surprised and moved to tears when his youngest daughter, Caroline, came to see him. Dibnah had had little contact with his daughters in the years since his divorce from Alison.
### Television presenting
In 1997 he met author David Hall. Hall had been raised in the Bradford district of Manchester and the two swapped tales of growing up in the latter half of the 20th century. Hall suggested that Dibnah would be unlikely to have any further television work commissioned on his life and that he should consider becoming a television presenter. The two worked on new ideas for a programme that would show Dibnah touring the country, visiting important historical locations and speaking to the men involved in the maintenance and restoration of industrial machinery and architecture. The programme would also exploit Dibnah's working-class attitude and show him operating some of the machinery he visited. Filming of Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age began in July 1998. The first location was near Bolton, at the Wet Earth Colliery and the crew then moved on to various locations around the country, continuing to film through the summer and autumn of 1998.
The series achieved high viewing figures, with positive reviews, and the associated website became the second most-visited BBC website at the time. A complementary book was also published and was one of the top five best-selling history books of the year. Dibnah admitted he found speaking to a camera more nerve-racking than climbing a chimney, but the success of Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age was a portent; he later presented several other television series. Before filming began for Fred Dibnah's Magnificent Monuments, he had installed his red ladders on the steeple at St Walburge's in Preston, ready for an inspection. With filming for television now taking up much of his time, however, he was unable to complete the job. He left the ladders at the church for several years and donated them to the tradesman who eventually took the job.
## Last years
In 2001, to mark the centenary of the death of Queen Victoria, the BBC transmitted a season of programmes based on a Victorian theme and Dibnah presented Fred Dibnah's Victorian Heroes. He had long been fascinated by the Victorians, especially Isambard Kingdom Brunel, whom he regarded as his hero. During filming, he visited a number of locations, including the 245-foot (75 m) high Clifton Suspension Bridge and the slipway for the SS Great Eastern.
### Illness
In early 2001, Dibnah was due to begin filming Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain, but suffered severe abdominal pains and was admitted to hospital for tests. He was discharged and began filming at locations around the country, including the Globe Theatre, Ely Cathedral and Glamis Castle. Dibnah was the chairman of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Society and an episode on the construction of Britain's canal network was therefore of particular interest to him. Toward the end of filming, Dibnah went to Bolton Royal Hospital for a check-up, where a tumour was found on his right kidney. The kidney was removed and the tumour was found to be malignant. He went to Christie Hospital in Manchester, where further growths were discovered around his bladder. On the same day, Sheila's father fell from the roof of his house and died. Dibnah underwent chemotherapy and once his treatment was finished tests showed that he was free of cancer.
Filming for Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam began early in 2003, at the Trencherfield Mill, near Wigan Pier. The film crew visited a number of locations, including a steam rally in Cornwall and the Bluebell Railway in Sussex. Dibnah was travelling around the country working on a subject that fascinated him, visiting old friends and making money from his hobby. The restoration of his traction engine was almost complete; later that year, however, Dibnah had another checkup at Christie Hospital and was told that a large tumour had been found on his bladder.
### Dig with Dibnah
Dibnah had another course of chemotherapy, but this time the treatment was unsuccessful. Undeterred, he began to dig a replica coal mine in the back garden of his home. Although the sight of pithead gear may have been considered by his neighbours to be unusual, as a child raised in Bolton, he had been surrounded by pits such as Ladyshore Colliery and had long harboured an interest in mining. He had already assembled the wooden pithead gear and was planning to sink a 100-foot (30 m) brick-lined shaft below this into the hillside. At the bottom of the shaft, a horizontal tunnel would have led out to the steep side of the valley above which his garden sits.
The intention was to have a narrow gauge railway running along the tunnel, back up the hillside on a rope-hauled inclined plane, returning to the pithead. The ultimate aim was to be able to demonstrate the basic working of an early colliery. Seven years before his diagnosis, therefore, Dibnah had sourced drawings of suitable pithead gear and built a frame from timber and iron bolts. He had applied for and was given planning permission to erect the structure, but made no mention of his wish to dig a shaft underneath it. The BBC decided to make a documentary on Dibnah's proposed mine, which would entail his travelling once again around the country, visiting working collieries and heritage mines. Filming started late in 2003, by which time Dibnah and his friend Alf Molyneux had already made a start on the shaft.
Using traditional shaft-sinking techniques and the labour of mining friends Alf Molyneux and Jimmy Crooks, the shaft was sunk to a depth of 20 feet (6.1 m) and lined with brick. The work had been undertaken without planning permission and, when the council eventually found out what was happening, they insisted he apply for planning permission.
### Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain
Despite Dibnah's best efforts, planning permission was refused. Although he appealed against the decision, a new series diverted his attention. At the end of 2003 production began for Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain. With his friend, Alf Molyneux, Dibnah would tour the country on his completed traction engine, visiting the workshops that still could produce the parts needed for his antique vehicle. His engine, however, was not yet complete and Dibnah's medical diagnosis was not good: he knew he had only a short time to live. His traction engine developed a serious fault, but with the help of friends, it was quickly repaired and its restoration completed.
In December 2003, his traction engine was now in working order and planning for the new series commenced. Dibnah's illness necessitated that he sleep in hotels, rather than the living van the engine would tow during the trip. For the long distances between locations, the engine would be transported on the back of a low loader. Dibnah's engine suffered early mechanical problems; it could barely tow the fully loaded living van uphill, as the cylinder had been placed very slightly closer to the footplate than it should have been. As a result of this, every time the piston was fully forward it covered the steam inlet port. The engine was repaired, and with some minor repair work to one of the pistons, was brought up to full power. The team was joined by Dibnah's sons, Jack and Roger.
The production crew made every effort to reduce Dibnah's workload. Changes were made to the filming schedule, to allow Dibnah more time to rest at home between filming days. The crew visited the Forth Road Bridge and Dibnah became the first man to drive a traction engine under its own steam across the bridge. Such pleasures provided a welcome distraction for Dibnah, who was by then ill and in pain. By the end of June, he was so ill, he could not continue filming. He was sent home to rest and given medication to alleviate his condition, so that he could collect his MBE.
Filming continued at various locations around the country, with sons Jack and Roger, who had become essential members of the tour, providing much-needed support for their father. By the end of July, the crew had filmed only 34 days with Dibnah, out of a planned 60. It was becoming more difficult by the day for Dibnah to fulfil his filming duties and the crew decided to cut short the schedule. Once home, Dibnah decided to creosote the pithead gear in his garden, but fell and injured his back. He was adamant that he would continue filming, however, and made the trip to North Wales to complete filming. He later made a partial recovery and completed his last day's filming at an Ironworks in Atherton.
### Honours
In mid-2000, Dibnah was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Technology for his achievement in engineering, by Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, and on 19 July 2004, he was made an honorary Doctor of the university by the University of Birmingham.
Dibnah was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2004 New Year Honours for services to heritage and broadcasting. He said "I'm looking forward to meeting the Queen but I shall probably have to get a new cap. And I'd like to meet Prince Charles because we share the same views about modern architecture."
On 7 July 2004, Dibnah went to Buckingham Palace to receive his award from the Queen. He initially planned to drive his traction engine into the palace grounds, but was refused as the Royal Parks Agency feared that its weight would damage the surface of The Mall. Eventually, he was allowed to drive the engine to Wellington Barracks, a short distance from the palace. He collected his medal wearing morning dress and a top hat.
Dibnah was the Castaway on Desert Island Discs on 1 December 1991.
### Death
Dibnah died on 6 November 2004, after suffering from cancer for three years. He was 66 years old.
Eleven days later, thousands of mourners watched as Dibnah's coffin (on top of which his trademark flat cap was placed) was towed through the centre of Bolton by his restored traction engine, driven by his son. A cortège of steam-powered vehicles followed, as the procession made its way to Bolton Parish Church. During the hour-long service, David Hall told the congregation "He wasn't a posh TV presenter. He was recognised as a working man who had learned through experience." Following the service, led by the Vicar of Bolton, Canon Michael Williams (a friend of Dibnah), he was buried at Tonge Cemetery, behind his home.
Dibnah changed his will two weeks before his death. He left everything, about £1 million, to his five children from two previous marriages. His last wife Sheila, who was 20 years his junior, subsequently applied to the High Court in a claim for half of the estate, on the basis of "reasonable provision".
## Legacy
Through his television work Dibnah became famous for felling chimneys (by the time of his death he had felled 90), although it was one of his least favourite jobs. As he made more films with Don Haworth, his outspoken views on changing society, work ethics and delinquency, made him the embodiment of the views of many of his fans and epitomised the view of a northern working man.
Dibnah was praised by many notable British people. After reporting on his death, television presenter Peter Sissons remarked: "They don't make them like that any more". Comedian Peter Kay said: "It's very sad news. He was one of a kind and now he has gone I think there will be no one else like him. He was enthusiastic about a way of life that has virtually disappeared now." Brian Tetlow, chairman of the Bolton and District Civic Trust, said: "He's unique, not just to Bolton but to Britain and the world. Our thoughts are with his wife and children."
An 8-foot (2.4 m) bronze statue of Dibnah was unveiled by the Mayor of Bolton, in Bolton town centre, on 29 April 2008. The sculpture was created by Jane Robbins. His home was converted into a heritage centre in 2010 but its contents were sold at auction in March 2018.
A play titled The Demolition Man, based on his final years, was staged in 2011 at Bolton's Octagon Theatre.
The life and times of Dibnah were celebrated by St Helens comedy folk band the Lancashire Hotpots, who released their song "Dibnah" with a music video in 2016. Band member Dickie Ticker said of Dibnah "When Fred came on the screens – other than on Coronation Street – there was no one with a broad Boltonian accent. He was a working class and genuinely nice bloke. Since posting the video we have had dozens and dozens of comments and no one has got a bad word to say about him."
The American rock band Tuff Sunshine released a song, "The Steeplejack" in 2019 that had been inspired by the 1979 BBC documentary Fred Dibnah: Steeplejack.
## Filmography
- Fred Dibnah: Steeplejack (1979)
- Fred (1982)
- Fred – A Disappearing World (1983)
- A Year with Fred (1987)
- A Year with Fred – New Horizons (1991)
- Fred Dibnah – Getting Steamed Up (1991)
- Life With Fred (1994)
- Fred Dibnah's The Ups and Downs of Chimneys (1994)
- Fred Dibnah's All Steamed Up (1994)
- Fred Dibnah Getting Steam Up (1995)
- The Fred Dibnah Story (1996)
- Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age (1999)
- Fred Dibnah's Magnificent Monuments (2000)
- Fred Dibnah's Victorian Heroes (2001)
- Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain (2002)
- Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam (2003)
- Dig with Dibnah (2004)
- A Tribute to Fred Dibnah (2004)
- Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain (2005)
- Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone (2006)
|
1,766,990 |
Tennis the Menace
| 1,141,347,828 | null |
[
"2001 American television episodes",
"Cultural depictions of Andre Agassi",
"Cultural depictions of Pete Sampras",
"Cultural depictions of tennis players",
"Tennis animation",
"Tennis in fiction",
"The Simpsons (season 12) episodes"
] |
"Tennis the Menace" is the twelfth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 11, 2001. In the episode, the Simpsons build a tennis court in their backyard and are ridiculed by the entire town because of Homer's inferior tennis ability. Homer therefore tries to please Marge by entering the two into a tournament, but they quickly turn into rivals when Marge replaces Homer with Bart as her partner.
The episode features guest appearances from tennis professionals Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and the Williams sisters as themselves. "Tennis the Menace" was directed by Jen Kamerman and written by Ian Maxtone-Graham, who also directed the Williams sisters' performance. The episodes title is a parody of Dennis the Menace. The animators of The Simpsons experimented with digital ink and paint on "Tennis the Menace", making it the first episode of the series to be animated using the process since season 7's "Radioactive Man".
"Tennis the Menace" has received generally positive reviews from critics with particular praise for its guest stars.
Around eight million American homes tuned in to watch "Tennis the Menace" during its original airing, and in 2009 it was released on DVD along with the rest of the episodes of the twelfth season.
## Plot
The Springfield Retirement Castle holds a talent show, which the Simpson family attends. Grampa wins the show after performing his version of the song "What's New, Pussycat?". He wins a free autopsy, so the Simpsons visit a funeral salesman to claim the prize. While there, Homer decides to buy a casket and a tombstone for Grampa, who is then offered an expensive funeral plan that Homer cannot afford. The salesman tells Homer that the tombstone is produced from the same amount of cement as a tennis court, and this gives him the idea to build a tennis court in the family's backyard (although he initially regrets this, having confused tennis and foxy boxing).
The court is very popular with Springfield's residents, but they mock Homer and Marge for losing all the time, especially thanks to Homer's poor play. Marge pleads with Homer to take the game seriously, but he is too oblivious to how poorly he plays tennis. Instead, he tries to please Marge by entering the pair in Krusty's celebrity tennis tournament, the "Krusty Kharity Klassic". Marge, tired of being laughed at, ditches Homer and enters with Bart as her new partner. Homer is outraged that he was abandoned for a ten-year-old boy, and tries to get revenge by entering the tournament with Lisa as his partner, despite Lisa's disapproval.
The change in partners leads the Simpson family to begin arguing and aggressively competing against one another. The tournament takes place, and in the stands are leading tennis professionals Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams. At the tournament, Homer ditches Lisa for Venus. In response, Marge replaces Bart with Serena as her partner. Ultimately, Serena and Venus replace Marge and Homer with Sampras and Agassi, respectively. This forces the family to go back to the bench and resume their normal places in the family. As they enjoy the exhibition of top-class tennis, they agree that it is better to watch things than to do things, and Homer offers to buy the family dinner with money that he took from Sampras' wallet.
## Production
"Tennis the Menace" was written by Ian Maxtone-Graham and directed by Jen Kamerman as part of the twelfth season of The Simpsons (2000–2001). Maxtone-Graham considers himself to be a bad tennis player and he has always wanted to win against his mother in a tennis match. This served as the inspiration for the episode, as he thought "family dynamics around tennis would be a fun show." Maxtone-Graham did a lot a research for the scenes at the beginning of the episode where the Simpsons visit a funeral salesman at a cemetery.
He read Jessica Mitford's book The American Way of Death Revisited, which discusses the funeral industry, and was able to take a tour with funeral salesmen at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. At the time, he did not reveal that this was for research, and instead pretended to have a dying relative. According to Maxtone-Graham, the tour helped him find out "all about urns versus coffins, and cremation. I asked sort of questions about, 'Well, do the bodies smell?' They were very nice and gave me all the answers. It was quite fascinating."
The opening of "Tennis the Menace" is what Maxtone-Graham describes as a "screw you" beginning, as the viewer has "no idea that the twist is going to be tennis". The part of the story revolving around tennis does not begin until around eight minutes into the episode. The Simpsons show runner Mike Scully has said that he thought this was "probably too long to wait before getting the story started."
Maxtone-Graham has similarly said that while he thinks these type of openings "are kind of funny", they may be best avoided. However, Scully liked the fact that the staff included a comment in the episode on its "screw you" beginning by having Homer say "I'll bet you didn't see that coming!" to the viewers when he decides to get the tennis court. The writers had a number of alternate endings to "Tennis the Menace" before deciding on the one eventually used. For instance, at one point, the family was to return home to watch the match in which Serena and Sampras faced off against Venus and Agassi on television. The staff changed it to the final one because they did not want it to feel like the episode petered out.
"Tennis the Menace" features guest appearances from Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and sisters Venus and Serena Williams. All of them appeared as themselves. Executive producer Al Jean directed Sampras, who Jean thought delivered his lines "very naturally", while Maxtone-Graham directed the Williams sisters. Agassi recorded his lines in the summer of 2000. The Williams sisters, however, recorded their lines in Los Angeles sometime in the winter of 2000–2001. According to Maxtone-Graham, the sisters were "incredibly nice and incredibly generous with their time."
This is the second episode—after season seven's "Radioactive Man" (1995)—to be animated with digital ink and paint. This kind of digital coloring would not be used permanently on the show until the season fourteen episodes "Treehouse of Horror XIII" and "The Great Louse Detective" (2002). It was used on "Tennis the Menace" primarily to test the technique. The reason for the long gap between this episode and "The Great Louse Detective" was that the staff of The Simpsons wanted to refine the look some more before doing it full-time.
## Release
The episode originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 11, 2001. It was viewed in approximately eight million households that night. With a Nielsen rating of 8.2, the episode tied the X-Files for the 41st place in the ratings for the week of February 5–11, 2001. The episode was the fourth-highest-rated broadcast on Fox that week, following episodes of Temptation Island, Ally McBeal, and Boston Public.
On August 18, 2009, "Tennis the Menace" was released on DVD as part of the box set The Simpsons – The Complete Twelfth Season. Staff members Mike Scully, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, John Frink, Don Payne, Matt Selman, Max Pross, as well as television writer and producer Philip Rosenthal, participated in the DVD audio commentary for the episode.
Critics generally received "Tennis the Menace" quite well.
Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel listed it at number nine on his 2004 list of the show's "Top 10 Sporting Episodes".
Nancy Basile of About.com wrote in her 2003 review that the plot of the episode "allowed us to see more secondary characters than usual. It also gave Springfield a sense of community that we sometimes don't get in recent seasons. Though the blatant use of guest stars has sweeps written all over it, the tennis stars were funny and able to make fun of themselves. Homer had some wonderful lines, too, such as, 'Take your hands off me. They feel like salad tongs.' Overall, a very funny episode."
In July 2007, Simon Crerar of The Times listed Agassi's performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show.
In his review of the twelfth season of The Simpsons, Jason Bailey of DVD Talk wrote that the staff members' "habit of using the first act as a red herring, only semi-connected to the rest of the show, is ingenious and hilarious [...] They'd been doing this kind of thing for years, but it still plays; what's more, they've begun to acknowledge it, and wink about it."
He noted the scene from this episode in which Homer tells the viewers that "I'll bet you didn't see that coming!", adding that a "moment like that is The Simpsons at its best: smart, knowing, and ridiculously funny."
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The Allman Brothers Band
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American rock band
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The Allman Brothers Band were an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guitar, vocals, songwriting), Berry Oakley (bass), Butch Trucks (drums), and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson (drums). Subsequently, based in Macon, Georgia, they incorporated elements of blues, jazz and country music and their live shows featured jam band-style improvisation and instrumentals.
Their first two studio releases, The Allman Brothers Band (1969) and Idlewild South (1970) (both released by Capricorn Records), stalled commercially but their 1971 live release At Fillmore East was an artistic and commercial breakthrough. It features extended versions of their songs "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Whipping Post", showcasing the group's jamming style.
Group leader Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident later that year – on October 29, 1971 – and the band dedicated Eat a Peach (1972) to his memory, a dual studio/live album that cemented the band's popularity and featured Gregg Allman's "Melissa" and Dickey Betts's "Blue Sky". Following the motorcycling death of bassist Berry Oakley one year and 13 days later on November 11, 1972, the group recruited keyboardist Chuck Leavell and bassist Lamar Williams for 1973's Brothers and Sisters. The album included Betts's hit single "Ramblin' Man" and instrumental "Jessica", which went on to become classic rock radio staples and placed the group at the forefront of 1970s rock music. Internal turmoil overtook them soon after as the group dissolved in 1976, reformed briefly at the end of the decade with additional personnel changes and broke up again in 1982.
The band re-formed once more in 1989, releasing a string of new albums and touring heavily. A series of personnel changes in the late 1990s was capped by the departure of Betts. The group found stability during the 2000s with bassist Oteil Burbridge and guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks (the nephew of their original drummer) and became renowned for their month-long string of shows at New York City's Beacon Theatre each spring. The band retired for good in October 2014 after their final show at the Beacon Theatre.
Butch Trucks died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on January 24, 2017, in West Palm Beach, Florida at the age of 69. Gregg Allman died from complications arising from liver cancer on May 27, 2017, at his home in Georgia, also at 69. The band was awarded seven gold and four platinum albums, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Rolling Stone ranked them 52nd on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004.
## History
### Roots and formation (1965–1969)
Duane Allman and his younger brother Gregg grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida. Gregg was first to pick up the guitar, but his brother soon surpassed him, dropping out of high school to practice constantly. The duo formed their first band, the Escorts, which evolved into the Allman Joys in the mid-1960s. By 1967, the group spent time in St. Louis, where a Los Angeles-based recording executive discovered them; they consequently moved out West and were renamed the Hour Glass, cutting two unsuccessful albums for Liberty Records. Duane moved back to pursue a career as a session musician in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, while Gregg stayed behind in Hollywood bound by contractual obligations with Liberty, who believed he could hold a solo career. The two were apart for the first time for a year, but managed to reconvene in Miami, producing an album-length demo with the 31st of February, a group that included drummer Butch Trucks.
At FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Duane Allman became the primary session guitarist, recording with artists such as Aretha Franklin and King Curtis. Duane suggested to Wilson Pickett they record a cover of "Hey Jude" by the Beatles; the single went to number 23 on the national charts. FAME signed Duane to a five-year recording contract, and he put together a group, including drummer Johnny Sandlin and keyboardist Paul Hornsby. Duane recruited Jai Johanny Johanson (Jaimoe) after hearing his drumming on a songwriting demo of Jackie Avery, and the two moved into his home on the Tennessee River. Allman invited bassist Berry Oakley to jam with the new group; the pair had met in a Macon, Georgia club some time earlier, and became quick friends. The group had immediate chemistry, and Duane's vision for a "different" band—one with two lead guitarists and two drummers—began evolving. Meanwhile, Phil Walden, the manager of the late Otis Redding and several other R&B acts, was looking to expand into rock acts. FAME owner Rick Hall became frustrated with the group's recording methods, and offered the tracks recorded and their contract to Walden and Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records, who purchased them for \$10,000. Walden intended the upcoming group to be the centerpiece of his new Atlantic-distributed label, Capricorn.
Duane and Jaimoe moved to Jacksonville in early March 1969, as Duane had become frustrated with being a "robot" of those at FAME. He invited anyone who wanted to join to the jam sessions that birthed the Allman Brothers Band. Dickey Betts, leader of Oakley's previous band, the Second Coming, became the group's second lead guitarist, while Butch Trucks, with whom Duane and Gregg had cut a demo less than a year prior, became the new group's second drummer. The Second Coming's Reese Wynans played keyboards, and Duane, Oakley, and Betts all shared vocal duties. The unnamed group began to perform free shows in Willow Branch Park in Jacksonville, with an ever-changing, rotating cast of musicians. Duane felt strongly his brother should be the vocalist of the new group (which effectively eliminated Wynans's position, as Gregg also played keyboards). Gregg left Los Angeles and entered rehearsal on March 26, 1969, when the group was rehearsing Muddy Waters' "Trouble No More" Although Gregg was initially intimidated by the musicians, Duane pressured his brother into "singing [his] guts out." Four days later, the group made their debut at the Jacksonville Armory. Although many names were kicked around, including Beelzebub, the six-piece eventually decided on the Allman Brothers Band.
### Debut and early years (1969–1970)
The group moved to Macon, Georgia by May 1, where Walden was establishing Capricorn Records. Kim Payne, Mike Callahan and Joseph "Red Dog" Campbell became the band's early crew members. "Red Dog" was a disabled Vietnam veteran who donated his monthly disability checks to the band's cause. In Macon, the group stayed at friend Twiggs Lyndon's apartment on 309 College Street, which became known as the communal home of the band and crew, nicknamed the Hippie Crash Pad. "There were five or six occupied apartments in the building with the Hippie Crash Pad and you would expect they would call the police on us because we were constantly raising hell at three or four in the morning, but they all just moved out," said Trucks. Living meagerly, they found a friend in "Mama Louise" Hudson, cook and proprietor of the H&H Soul Food Restaurant, who ran a tab when they were short of funds, early on made good with proceeds from Duane's recording sessions on the side. The band's image was radical in the just barely integrated Macon: "A lot of the white folk around here did not approve of them long-haired boys, or of them always having a black guy with them," said Hudson. The band performed locally, as well as 80 miles north in Atlanta's Piedmont Park, and practiced at the newly minted Capricorn nearly each day.
The group forged a strong brotherhood, spending countless hours rehearsing, consuming psychedelic drugs, and hanging out in Rose Hill Cemetery, where they wrote songs. Their first performances outside the South came on May 30 and 31 in Boston, opening for The Velvet Underground. In need of more material, the group remade old blues numbers such as "Trouble No More" and "One Way Out", in addition to improvised jams such as "Mountain Jam". Gregg, who had struggled to write in the past, became the band's sole songwriter, composing songs such as "Whipping Post" and "Black-Hearted Woman". The band was originally set to record their first album in Miami with Cream and John Coltrane producer Tom Dowd, who proved unavailable. Instead, they headed off for New York City in August 1969 to work with Atlantic house engineer Adrian Barber in his first producer credit. The Allman Brothers Band was recorded and mixed in two weeks, and proved a positive experience for the ensemble. New York came to be regarded within the group as their "second home". The Allman Brothers Band was released in November 1969 through Atco and Capricorn Records, but received a poor commercial response, selling less than 35,000 copies upon initial release.
Executives suggested to Walden that he relocate the band to New York or Los Angeles to "acclimate" them to the industry. "They wanted us to act 'like a rock band' and we just told them to fuck themselves," remembered Trucks. For their part, the members of the band remained optimistic, electing to stay in the South. "Everyone told us we'd fall by the wayside down there," said Gregg Allman, but the collaboration between the band and Capricorn Records "transformed Macon from this sleepy little town into a very hip, wild and crazy place filled with bikers and rockers". The band rented a \$165-a-month farmhouse on a lake outside of Macon, the busy comings and goings at which reminded them of New York City's Idlewild Airport. Idlewild South was the home of rehearsals and parties, and was "where the brotherhood came to pass," according to roadie Kim Payne; "There was a pact made out there around a campfire—all for one and one for all ... Everybody believed [in the band] 100 percent." Much of the material presented on the band's second album, Idlewild South, originated at the cabin. Oakley's wife rented a large Tudor Revival home on 2321 Vineville Avenue in Macon and the band moved into what they dubbed "the Big House" in March 1970.
### Live reputation, At Fillmore East, and breakthrough (1970–1971)
The band played continuously in 1970, performing over 300 dates on the road traveling in a Ford Econoline van and later, a Winnebago, nicknamed the Wind Bag. Walden doubted the band's future, worrying whether they would ever catch on, but word of mouth spread due to the band's relentless touring schedule, and crowds got larger. The close proximity of the Winnebago brought about heavy drug use within the group, and all in the group, with the exception of the brothers, were struggling to make a living. In one instance, touring manager Twiggs Lyndon stabbed and killed a promoter for not paying the band; he later cited temporary insanity. Later that year, Duane accidentally overdosed on opium after a show. "Idlewild South", produced by Tom Dowd, was recorded gradually over a period of five months in various cities, including New York, Miami, and Macon, and contained two of the band's best-known songs, "Midnight Rider" (later a hit for various artists, including a Top 20 solo effort by Gregg) and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed", which became one of the band's famous concert numbers.
Idlewild South was issued by Atco and Capricorn Records in September 1970, less than a year after their debut. The album sold only "marginally better than its predecessor, though the band had a growing national reputation and the album included songs that would become staples of the band's repertoire—and eventually of rock radio." Shortly after completing recording, Dowd put Duane in contact with guitarist Eric Clapton, who invited him to contribute to his new project, Derek and the Dominos. Allman was a huge fan of Clapton's work with Cream, and Clapton had been blown away by Allman's session work on Wilson Pickett's "Hey Jude" some years prior. They met after a show one night in Miami and jammed together until the next afternoon, with the two guitarists regarding one another as "instant soulmates". Clapton invited Duane to join Derek and the Dominos, and by several accounts he considered it; in the end, he declined the offer and rejoined the Allman Brothers Band, returning after missing a string of several shows. The sessions were collected on Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, issued that November.
Their fortunes began to change over the course of 1971, when the band's average earnings doubled. "We realized that the audience was a big part of what we did, which couldn't be duplicated in a studio. A lightbulb finally went off; we needed to make a live album," said Gregg Allman. At Fillmore East was recorded over three nights—March 11, 12 and 13, 1971—at the Fillmore East in New York, for which the band was paid a nightly \$1,250. At Fillmore East was released in July 1971 by Capricorn Records as a double album, "people-priced" for the cost of a single LP. While previous albums by the band had taken months to hit the charts (often near the bottom of the top 200), the record started to climb the charts after a matter of days. At Fillmore East peaked at number 13 on Billboard's Top Pop Albums chart, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America that October, becoming their commercial and artistic breakthrough. The album is considered among the best live albums of all time, and in 2004 was one of the albums selected for preservation in the Library of Congress, deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" by the National Recording Registry.
### Eat a Peach and Duane Allman's and Berry Oakley's deaths (1971–1972)
Although suddenly very wealthy and successful, many of the band and its entourage now struggled with heroin addiction. Four individuals — group leader Duane Allman, bassist Berry Oakley, and roadies Robert Payne and Red Dog Campbell — checked into the Linwood-Bryant Hospital for rehabilitation in October 1971. On October 29, 1971, Duane Allman, then 24, was killed in a motorcycle accident one day after returning to Macon. Allman was riding his motorcycle at a high speed at the intersection of Hillcrest Avenue and Bartlett Street as a flatbed truck carrying a lumber crane approached. The truck stopped suddenly in the intersection, forcing Allman to swerve his Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle sharply to the left to avoid a collision. As he was doing so, he struck either the back of the truck or the ball on the lumber crane and was immediately thrown from the motorcycle. The motorcycle bounced into the air, landed on Allman and skidded another 90 feet with Allman pinned underneath, crushing his internal organs. Though he was alive when he arrived at the hospital, despite immediate emergency surgery, he died several hours later from massive internal injuries.
After Duane's death, the band held a meeting on their future; clearly all wanted to continue, and after a short period, the band returned to the road. "We all had this thing in us and Duane put it there. He was the teacher and he gave something to us—his disciples—that we had to play out," said drummer Butch Trucks. The band returned to Miami in December to complete work on their third studio album. Completing the recording of Eat a Peach raised each member's spirits; "The music brought life back to us all, and it was simultaneously realized by every one of us. We found strength, vitality, newness, reason, and belonging as we worked on finishing Eat a Peach," said Allman. "Those last three songs [...] just kinda floated right on out of us [...] The music was still good, it was still rich, and it still had that energy—it was still the Allman Brothers Band." Released in February 1972, Eat a Peach was the band's second hit album, shipping gold and peaking at number four on Billboard's Top 200 Pop Albums chart. "We'd been through hell, but somehow we were rolling bigger than ever," said Gregg Allman.
The band performed nearly 90 shows in the following year, touring as a five-piece. The band also purchased 432 acres of land in Juliette, Georgia for \$160,000 and nicknamed it "the Farm"; it soon became a group hangout and fulfilled bassist Oakley's communal dreams. Oakley, however, was visibly suffering from the death of his friend: he drank excessively and consumed drugs, and was losing weight quickly. According to friends and family, he appeared to have lost "all hope, his heart, his drive, his ambition, [and] his direction" following Duane's death. "Everything Berry had envisioned for everybody—including the crew, the women and children—was shattered on the day Duane died, and he didn't care after that," said roadie Kim Payne. Oakley repeatedly wished to "get high, be high, and stay high," causing quiet concern from all those around him. On November 11, 1972, slightly inebriated and overjoyed at the prospect of leading a jam session later that night, Oakley crashed his motorcycle into the side of a bus, just three blocks from where Duane had been killed. He declined hospital treatment and went home, but gradually grew delirious. He was taken to the hospital shortly thereafter and died of cerebral swelling caused by a fractured skull. Oakley was buried directly beside Duane at Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon.
### Brothers and Sisters, celebrity, and inner turmoil (1973–1976)
The band unanimously decided to carry on and arranged auditions for new bassists, with a renewed fervor and determination. Several bassists auditioned, but the band picked Lamar Williams, an old friend of drummer Jai Johanny Johanson's from Gulfport, Mississippi, two years removed from an Army stint in Vietnam. Chuck Leavell was asked to play piano for Allman's solo album, Laid Back (1973), and gradually found himself contributing to the Allman Brothers as well. Dickey Betts became the group's de facto leader during the recording process. "It's not like Dickey came in and said, 'I'm taking over. I'm the boss. Do this and that.' It wasn't overt; it was still supposedly a democracy, but Dickey started doing more and more of the songwriting," said road manager Willie Perkins. Brothers and Sisters was an enormous success, peaking at number one, resulting in the band becoming "the most popular band in the country." "Ramblin' Man", Betts' country-infused number, received interest from radio stations immediately, and it rose to number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Allman Brothers Band returned to touring, playing larger venues, receiving more profit and dealing with less friendship, miscommunication, and spiraling drug problems. This culminated in a backstage brawl when the band played with the Grateful Dead at Washington's RFK Stadium in June 1973, which resulted in the firing of three of the band's longtime roadies. The band played arenas and stadiums almost solely as their drug use escalated. In 1974, the band was regularly making \$100,000 per show, and was renting the Starship, a customized Boeing 720B used by Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. "When [we] got that goddamn plane, it was the beginning of the end," said Allman. Both Allman and Betts released top-20 solo albums in 1974 (The Gregg Allman Tour and Highway Call).
In July 1974 the band visited Europe for the first time. They had planned to tour Britain and Europe at the beginning of that year, but the 1973-4 energy crisis forced a last-minute postponement. They headlined 2 big out-door events. One, the 'Summerconcert '74' at the Sportpark, Hilversum, Holland, on July 18, attended by 20,000 spectators, and the second one, at 'Bucolic Frolic', the first Knebworth Park Festival, on July 20, where they played a well-received three-hour two-set performance in front of 70,000 fans, from all over Europe.
The sessions that produced 1975's Win, Lose or Draw, the last album by the original Allman Brothers Band, were disjointed and inconsistent; Gregg Allman was largely living in Los Angeles and dating pop star Cher, and was, according to biographer Alan Paul, "[becoming] more famous for being famous than for his music." His vocals were recorded there, as he could not be bothered to return to Macon. Upon its release, it was considered subpar and sold less than its predecessor; the band later remarked that they were "embarrassed" about the album.
From August 1975 to May 1976, the Allman Brothers Band played 41 shows to some of the biggest crowds of their career. Gradually, the members of the band grew apart during these tours, with sound checks and rehearsals "[becoming] a thing of the past." Allman later pointed to a benefit for presidential candidate Jimmy Carter (an avowed fan of the group) as the only real "high point" in an otherwise "rough, rough tour." The shows were considered lackluster and the members were excessive in their drug use. The "breaking point" came when Gregg Allman testified in the trial of security man Scooter Herring. Bandmates considered him a "snitch", and he received death threats, leading to law-enforcement protection. Herring was convicted on five counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and received a 75-year prison sentence, which was later reduced prior to a presidential pardon from Carter. For his part, Allman always maintained that Herring had told him to take the deal to turn state's evidence and that he (Herring) would take the fall; nevertheless, the band refused to communicate with Allman after the incident. As a result, the band finally broke up; Leavell, Williams, and Jaimoe continued playing together in Sea Level, Betts formed Great Southern, and Allman founded the Gregg Allman Band. The 1976 live album Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas was seen as "the last gasp of a dying band," which was unfortunate for the now-floundering Capricorn Records, which desperately needed the band together to stay afloat.
### First reunion, subsequent break-up, and interim years (1979–1988)
In 1978, Allman and Walden first approached Betts with the idea of a reunion. Their first public appearance together came at a Great Southern show in New York's Central Park that summer, when Allman, Trucks, and Jaimoe joined the band for a few songs. Williams and Leavell declined to leave Sea Level, so the Allman Brothers Band hired guitarist Dan Toler and bassist David Goldflies from Great Southern. The band reunited with Tom Dowd at Criteria Studios in Miami to cut their reunion album, which was released in February 1979 as Enlightened Rogues, a term Duane had used to describe the band. While the band "tried to make it happen," they later concluded that the chemistry was not there; the album was a minor commercial success, which was credited to the production work from Dowd. Betts filed a lawsuit against Walden for nonpayment of record and publishing royalties, and Betts's lawyer, Steve Massarsky, began managing the group. Betts won the lawsuit, and the rest of the band filed suit while Capricorn declared bankruptcy that October. Massarsky led the successful effort to sign the band with Arista, which pushed the band to "modernize" their sound. "[Arista founder] Clive Davis destroyed any hope that we had that we could make the thing work again," said Trucks later. "He wanted us to be a Southern American version of Led Zeppelin and brought in outside producers and it just kept getting worse."
Their first Arista effort, Reach for the Sky (1980), was produced by Nashville songwriters Mike Lawler and Johnny Cobb. Bonnie Bramlett, who toured with the band near the end of the decade, sang lead on one song. Lawler soon became a part of the band's touring ensemble, incorporating center-stage keytar solos "that most fans consider the band's nadir." Drugs remained a problem with the band, particularly among Betts and Allman. Although the album was made with the intention of creating a hit single, the genre of Southern rock was waning considerably in the mainstream. The band again grew apart, firing longtime roadie "Red Dog" and replacing Jaimoe with Toler's brother Frankie, who had been a member of Great Southern. The main point of contention was Jaimoe's insistence that his wife and manager, Candace Oakley (Berry's sister), handle his business affairs. "One of the real blights on the history of the Allman Brothers Band was that Jaimoe, this gentle man, was fired from this organization," said Allman later. Not long after, "the band changed managers, hiring the promoter John Scher after Massarsky eased himself out, reportedly saying, 'It's a million-dollar headache and a quarter-million-dollar job.'"
For their second and final album with Arista, Brothers of the Road (1981), they collaborated with a "name producer" (John Ryan, of Styx and the Doobie Brothers), who pushed the band even harder to change their sound. "Straight from the Heart" was the album's single, which became a minor hit but heralded the group's last appearance on the top 40 charts. The band, considering their post-reunion albums "embarrassing", subsequently broke up in 1982 after clashing with Clive Davis, who rejected every producer the band suggested for a possible third album, including Tom Dowd and Johnny Sandlin. "We broke up in '82 because we decided we better just back out or we would ruin what was left of the band's image," said Betts. The band's final performance came on Saturday Night Live in January 1982, where they performed "Southbound" and "Leavin'". The members regrouped occasionally in the intervening years; in 1986, Betts and Allman toured together, with each opening for one another and collaborating for a set. The full Allman Brothers Band--Allman, Betts, Trucks, Jaimoe, Leavell and Dan Toler--also reunited twice in 1986 for the Volunteers Jam and Crackdown on Crack concerts. Allman's solo career began looking up when he released his first solo album in over a decade in 1987, I'm No Angel. The title track became a surprise hit on radio, peaking at No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the magazine's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
### Second reunion and heavy touring (1989–1996)
The Allman Brothers Band celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 1989, and the band reunited for a summer tour, with Jaimoe once again on drums. In addition, they featured guitarist Warren Haynes and pianist Johnny Neel, both from the Dickey Betts Band, and bassist Allen Woody, who was hired after open auditions held at Trucks' Florida studio. The classic rock radio format had given the band's catalog songs new relevance, as did a multi-CD retrospective box set, Dreams. Epic, who had worked with Allman on his solo career, signed the band. Danny Goldberg became the band's manager; he had previously worked with acts such as Led Zeppelin and Bonnie Raitt. The group were initially reluctant to tour, but found they performed solidly; in addition, former roadies such as "Red Dog" returned. The band returned to the studio with longtime producer Tom Dowd for 1990's Seven Turns, which was considered a return to form. "Good Clean Fun" and "Seven Turns" each became big hits on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The addition of Haynes and Woody had "reenergized" the ensemble. Neel left the group in 1990, and the band added percussionist Marc Quiñones, formerly of Spyro Gyra, the following year.
The band performed 87 shows in 1991, and 77 the following year. The band did not renew Goldberg's contract as manager, and as a result, their tour manager, Bert Holman, became the band's full-time manager in 1991 and remained so for the rest of their career. Their next studio effort, Shades of Two Worlds (1992), produced the crowd favorite "Nobody Knows". The band also released a live album, An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set, recorded at their 1992 residency at New York's Beacon Theatre. The band performed ten consecutive shows there (establishing themselves as a "New York rite of spring", according to biographer Alan Paul), which set the stage for their return nearly every year afterward. The band grew contentious over a 1993 tour, in which Betts was arrested when he shoved two police officers. Struggling to find a replacement guitarist, they brought in David Grissom (then touring with John Mellencamp), and also Jack Pearson, a Nashville-based friend of Haynes (the original replacement, Zakk Wylde, filled in for a show but his onstage antics did not fit with the band). Haynes was both opening with his own band and headlining with the Allman Brothers, and began to consider leaving the group, due to their increasing lack of communication.
Despite the growing tension, Haynes remained a member and Betts returned. Their third post-reunion record, Where It All Begins (1994), was recorded entirely live on a film soundstage (without an audience). "The Allman Brothers was a year-by-year thing. There was no indication that it was capable of staying together for years to come. We all looked at it as each tour could be the last one, and there was no reason to think otherwise," said Haynes. The band continued to tour with greater frequency, attracting younger generations with their headlining of the H.O.R.D.E. Festival. The group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in January 1995; Allman was severely inebriated and could not make it through his acceptance speech. Seeing the ceremony broadcast on television later, Allman was mortified, providing a catalyst for his final, successful attempt to quit alcohol and substance abuse. During the 1996 run at the Beacon, turmoil came to a breaking point between Allman and Betts, nearly causing a cancellation of a show and causing another band breakup. "We were upstairs in our dressing rooms [...] I'm sitting there thinking, 'This is it. This is how it finally ends,'" said Trucks. Haynes and Woody left to focus on Gov't Mule, feeling as though a break was imminent with the Allman Brothers Band.
### Later years (1997–2014)
The group recruited Oteil Burbridge of the Aquarium Rescue Unit to replace Woody on bass, and Jack Pearson on guitar. Concerns arose over the increasing loudness of Allman Brothers shows, which were largely centered on Betts. Pearson, struggling with tinnitus, left as a result following the 1999 Beacon run. Trucks phoned his nephew, Derek Trucks, to join the band for their thirtieth anniversary tour. Trucks was very young, at age 20, and younger than any of the original members when the band formed. "It was an honor to be part of such a great institution from the start," said Derek Trucks. "When I first got the gig, I was just trying to maintain the spirit of the whole thing while hopefully bringing some fire to it, hoping to hold up my end while also expressing my own voice." The Beacon run in 2000, captured on Peakin' at the Beacon, was ironically considered among the band's worst performances; an eight-show spring tour led to even more strained relations in the group. "It had ceased to be a band—everything had to be based around what Dickey was playing," said Allman. Anger boiled over within the group towards Betts, which led to all original members sending him a letter, informing him of their intentions to tour without him for the summer.
All involved contend that the break was temporary, but Betts responded by hiring a lawyer and suing the group, which led to a permanent divorce. "I had no idea that I would be snapped out of the picture. I thought it was cruel and impersonal," said Betts. Allman was finally sober and felt more miserable shows with Betts would be a waste of time. Betts later received a cash settlement, which is subject to a confidentiality agreement; he went on to record new music with a new band. Jimmy Herring joined the band for the summer tour, where the band fought negative press; fans contended that attending shows by an Allman Brothers Band without Betts was pointless. Herring exited shortly after the tour, as he felt guilty that he would replace Betts. That August, former bassist Allen Woody was found dead in a hotel room in New York. Warren Haynes set up a benefit show for his former bandmate, which featured the Allman Brothers Band. With Derek Trucks unavailable, he sat in for the set. In 2001, Haynes rejoined the band for their Beacon run: "It was my first time with the band in four years and it was very comfortable," he remarked.
This incarnation of the Allman Brothers Band was well-regarded among fans and the general public, and remained stable and productive. "This band is the greatest one since Duane and Berry, and why shouldn't it be?" said Jaimoe. The band released their final studio recording, Hittin' the Note (2003), to critical acclaim. The record was the first to feature Derek Trucks and the only Allman Brothers album to not feature Betts. The band continued to tour throughout the 2000s, remaining a top touring act, regularly attracting more than 20,000 fans. The decade closed with a successful run at the Beacon Theatre, in celebration of the band's fortieth anniversary. "That [2009 run] was the most fun I've ever had in that building," said Allman, and it was universally regarded within the band as a career highlight. The run featured numerous special guests, including Eric Clapton, whom all in the band regarded as the most "special" guest, due to his association with Duane. Allman had a liver transplant in 2010, and suffered health setbacks for the following two years. He went to rehab in 2012 for addiction following his medical treatments.
David "Frankie" Toler (born David Wayne Toler on June 28, 1951) died at a hospice care in Bradenton, Florida on June 4, 2011, after a long illness following a liver transplant at the age of 59.
In 2012, the Allman Brothers started their own music festival, The Peach, which features many associated acts and many genres in addition to two Allman Brothers performances. They played a run at the Beacon in 2013 per tradition and after continued to tour. In 2014, Haynes and Derek Trucks announced their intention to depart the group at the end of the year. The group intended their 2014 run of Beacon shows to be their last, but the residency was cut short when Allman developed bronchitis. However, in September 2014, the group played the iconic At Fillmore East album at the Lockn' music festival in Arrington, Virginia.
In early 2014, Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks announced that they would be leaving the band at the end of the year and the group decided to retire from touring. Gregg Allman stated, "This is it—this is the end of it. Forty-five years is enough and I want to do something else anyway." The Allman Brothers Band performed its final show on October 28, 2014, at the Beacon Theatre. The show was the 238th straight sellout for the band at the Beacon. The concert consisted of three sets, comprising mostly music from their first five records, with no guest musicians sitting in. "We had a band meeting and decided no guest sit-ins. We're going out with just the band," Allman told reporters. Following the sets, which ran into the early morning hours, the band joined center stage and took a bow, with Allman recalling the group's first rehearsal 45 years prior: "I was called to come and meet these guys in Jacksonville, Florida, [...] on March 26, 1969. Now, we're gonna do the first song we ever played." Following this, the band performed "Trouble No More" by Muddy Waters. During the night's intermissions, a video screen displayed a message: "The road indeed goes on forever. So stay calm, eat a peach and carry on..."
### Subsequent activities
In January 2017, founding member Butch Trucks died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. That May, founding member Gregg Allman died from complications arising from liver cancer at the age of 69, putting an end to any possibilities of a reunion.
In January 2020, the five surviving members of the final Allman Brothers lineup, calling themselves the Brothers, announced their intentions to hold a show to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the band on March 10 at Madison Square Garden. The concert lasted over four hours, with Duane Trucks taking the place of his uncle on drums, proto-Allmans member Reese Wynans taking the place of Gregg Allman on organ, and Warren Haynes taking on Gregg Allman's vocal parts. In addition pianist and past member Chuck Leavell joined the band for about half the numbers played. (Dickey Betts was invited to participate but his health precluded him from traveling although he wished the event be successful.) Like the final Beacon show, the Brothers 50 concert was dominated by material from the group's first five albums. The show was one of the last large concerts to take place before the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in North America forced the shutdown of such events; some people accordingly did not go to it, and indeed especially due to the older demographic of the group's fan base, Derek Trucks would subsequently wonder whether it had been wise to move forward with it.
## Musical style and influences
The Allman Brothers Band have generally been considered one of the pioneering bands in Southern rock, although the group distanced itself from the term. Guitarist Dickey Betts was most vocal about this classification, which he considered unfair: "I think it's limiting. I'd rather just be known as a progressive rock band from the South. I'm damned proud of who I am and where I'm from, but I hate the term 'Southern rock.' I think calling us that pigeonholed us and forced people to expect certain types of music from us that I don't think are fair." Gregg Allman also saw the "Southern rock" tag as redundant, saying it was like saying "rock rock" due to rock and roll being born in the South. The band was certainly at the forefront of the genre's popularity in the early 1970s; the breakthrough of At Fillmore East led their hometown of Macon to become flooded with "Southern rock" groups. Despite this, the group has continued to remove itself from the term. "The problem I have is a lot of people associate it with rednecks and rebel flags and backward mentality. That has never been representative of the Allman Brothers Band," said guitarist Warren Haynes.
The group largely infused hints of the blues, jazz, and country into their music. They all avidly shared their record collections with one another during the early days of the band. For example, Betts was into country music and the guitar work of Chuck Berry, while Trucks was largely into groups such as the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead. Duane and Gregg Allman grew infatuated with rhythm and blues in their teens, collecting records by James Brown, B.B. King, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Howlin' Wolf. The brothers were also heavily influenced by guitarist Taj Mahal and his 1968 eponymous debut album. It was this influence that led both to their discovery of their now famous slide guitar style. Drummer Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson largely introduced the group to jazz. While Betts commented that he was interested in artists such as Howard Roberts prior, Jaimoe "really fired us up on it," introducing his bandmates to Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Duane Allman was also inspired by Howard Roberts, Wes Montgomery, Tal Farlow, and Kenny Burrell. The source of the band's modal jamming in their earliest days was Coltrane's rendition of "My Favorite Things" and Davis' "All Blues", which Jaimoe occasionally stole from: "I did a lot of copying, but only from the best." This type of jazz-infused jamming is expressed in the instrumental "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed", which focuses heavily on improvisation. "Whipping Post" was notable for its inclusion of blues-ballad themes, and became one of the most popular (and longest) compositions. Later, Betts generally led the band in a more "country" direction following Duane's passing; their only hit single "Ramblin' Man" was considered so unusually "country" for the group they were initially reluctant to record it.
Duane Allman created the idea of having two lead guitarists, which was inspired by Curtis Mayfield; "[he] wanted the bass, keyboards, and second guitar to form patterns behind the solo rather than just comping," said Allman. Their style and incorporation of guitar harmonies was very influential on later musicians. "The pair also had a wide range of complementary techniques, often forming intricate, interlocking patterns with each other and with the bassist, Berry Oakley, setting the stage for dramatic flights of improvised melodies." Dickey Betts' playing was very melody-based; "My style is just a little too smooth and round to play the blues stuff straight, because I'm such a melody guy that even when I'm playing the blues, I go for melody first," he said. His listening of country and string bluegrass growing up influenced this considerably: "I played mandolin, ukulele, and fiddle before I ever touched a guitar, which may be where a lot of the major keys I play come from." He later characterized their style as "question and answer, anticipation and conclusion," which involved allowing each musician's downbeat to arrive in a different spot, while also keeping consideration of the bass guitar lines.
The group also held an improvisational approach to live performances, which connected the band with jam band culture. "Jazz and blues musicians have been doing this for decades, but I think they really brought that sense that anyone onstage can inspire anyone else at any given time to rock music," said Haynes. "We sure didn't set out to be a "jam band" but those long jams just emanated from within the band, because we didn't want to just play three minutes and be over," said Allman. Rolling Stone referred to the group as "without question the first great jam band, and they took the jam to heights that it had not previously reached."
## Legacy
The Allman Brothers Band were considerably influential within the Southern United States. Their arrival on the musical scene paved the way for several other notable Southern rock bands—among those Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Marshall Tucker Band and Wet Willie—to achieve commercial success, and also "almost single-handedly" made Capricorn Records into "a major independent label". Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, writing for Rolling Stone, wrote that the group "defined the best of every music from the American South in that time. They were the best of all of us." He went on to call the band "a true brotherhood of players—one that went beyond race and ego. It was a thing of beauty." The band's extended popularity through heavy touring in the early 1990s created a new generation of fans, one that viewed the Allmans as pioneers of "latter-day collegiate jam rock". AllMusic praised the band's history: "they went from being America's single most influential band to a shell of their former self trading on past glories, to reach the 21st century resurrected as one of the most respected rock acts of their era."
In 2012, an official historic marker was erected on the site of the July 1970 Second Atlanta International Pop Festival near Byron, Georgia. The Allman Brothers Band had played two sets at the festival, which was a significant event in their career. The marker text reads, in part: "Over thirty musical acts performed, including... Macon's Allman Brothers Band on their launching pad to national fame." Official sponsors of the marker included the Georgia Allman Brothers Band Association, The Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House, and Hittin' the Note. In 2003, the band released a recording of their festival opening and closing performances, Live at the Atlanta International Pop Festival: July 3 & 5, 1970.
In 2018, Devon Allman (son of Gregg Allman), Duane Betts (son of Dickey Betts), and Berry Duane Oakley (son of Berry Oakley) formed a band called the Allman Betts Band.
Written by author Alan Paul, Brothers and Sisters: The Allman Brothers Band and the Album That Defined the 70s was published by St. Martin's Press on July 25, 2023, celebrating the album of the same name's fiftieth anniversary. The book examines the making of the album while also presenting a broad cultural history of the era, covering stories of how the band rescued Jimmy Carter's flailing presidential campaign, Gregg Allman's marriage to Cher, and how the band's success led to an eventual breakup.
## Awards and recognition
- Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, 1996, "Jessica" (also famous for being the theme for the TV series Top Gear).
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, 2012
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1995
- Rolling Stone's "Greatest...of All Time" lists:
- 100 Greatest Artists of All Time (2004): No. 52
- 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003): No. 49 for At Fillmore East
- 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time (2003):
- No. 2 Duane Allman
- No. 23 Warren Haynes
- No. 58 Dickey Betts
- No. 81 Derek Trucks
- 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time (2011):
- No. 9 Duane Allman
- No. 16 Derek Trucks
- No. 61 Dickey Betts
## Discography
The Allman Brothers Band placed more emphasis on their live performances rather than albums. "We get kind of frustrated doing the [studio] records," said Duane Allman in 1970. Consequently, this listing includes all studio albums and major live releases (several other live releases have been issued retrospectively).
- The Allman Brothers Band (1969)
- Idlewild South (1970)
- At Fillmore East (1971, live)
- Eat a Peach (1972, part live)
- Brothers and Sisters (1973)
- Win, Lose or Draw (1975)
- Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas (1976, live)
- Enlightened Rogues (1979)
- Reach for the Sky (1980)
- Brothers of the Road (1981)
- Seven Turns (1990)
- Shades of Two Worlds (1991)
- An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set (1992, live)
- Where It All Begins (1994)
- An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set (1995, live)
- Peakin' at the Beacon (2000, live)
- Hittin' the Note (2003)
- One Way Out (2004, live)
## Personnel
Members
- Duane Allman – guitar, slide guitar (1969–1971, died 1971)
- Gregg Allman – organ, piano, guitar, vocals (1969–1976, 1978–1982, 1986, 1989–2014, died 2017)
- Dickey Betts – guitar, slide guitar, vocals (1969–1976, 1978–1982, 1986, 1989–2000)
- Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson – drums, percussion (1969–1976, 1978–1980, 1986, 1989–2014)
- Berry Oakley – bass, vocals (1969–1972, died 1972)
- Butch Trucks – drums, timpani (1969–1976, 1978–1982, 1986, 1989–2014, died 2017)
- Chuck Leavell – piano, synthesiser, background vocals (1972–1976, 1986)
- Lamar Williams – bass (1972–1976, died 1983)
- David Goldflies – bass (1978–1982)
- Dan Toler – guitar (1978–1982, 1986, died 2013)
- Mike Lawler – keyboards (1980–1982)
- David "Frankie" Toler – drums (1980–1982; died 2011)
- Warren Haynes – guitar, slide guitar, vocals (1989–1997, 2000–2014)
- Johnny Neel – keyboards, harmonica, vocals (1989–1990)
- Allen Woody – bass, background vocals (1989–1997; died 2000)
- Marc Quiñones – percussion, drums, background vocals (1991–2014)
- Oteil Burbridge – bass, vocals (1997–2014)
- Jack Pearson – guitar, slide guitar, vocals (1997–1999)
- Derek Trucks – guitar, slide guitar (1999–2014)
- Jimmy Herring – guitar (2000)
## See also
- Gregg Allman Band
- The Allman Brothers Band Museum (the "Big House")
- The Peach Music Festival
- Wanee Music Festival
|
24,576,484 |
2009 American League Central tie-breaker game
| 1,139,609,709 |
2009 Major League Baseball tie-breaker game
|
[
"2000s in Minneapolis",
"2009 Major League Baseball season",
"2009 in sports in Minnesota",
"Detroit Tigers postseason",
"Major League Baseball tie-breaker games",
"Minnesota Twins postseason",
"October 2009 sports events in the United States"
] |
The 2009 American League Central tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2009 regular season, played between the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins to determine the champion of the American League's (AL) Central Division. It was played at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on October 6, 2009. The Twins won the game 6–5 in 12 innings and advanced to the 2009 AL Division Series where they were swept by the New York Yankees; the Tigers failed to qualify for the postseason.
A tie-breaker was necessary after both teams finished the season with identical win–loss records of 86–76. Due to a rules changes prior to the 2009 season, the Twins were awarded home-field advantage by winning the regular season series 11–7 against the Tigers. It was the third tie-breaker played in MLB from 2007–2009. It was also the second consecutive tiebreaker for the AL Central title after 2008, when the Chicago White Sox defeated the Twins to win the division. The Twins became the only MLB team to contest tie-breaker games of any sort (divisional and/or wild card) in consecutive seasons. The tie-breaker counted as the 163rd regular season game played by both teams and all events in the game were added to regular season statistics. This was the Twins' final regular season game at the Metrodome as the team moved to Target Field for the 2010 season. The tie-breaker was later named the Best Regular-Season Game of the Decade by Sports Illustrated.
## Background
The Tigers led the AL Central for periods at the start of the season in April, ultimately tying for the lead on May 10 and taking the lead outright on May 16. The Tigers held at least a share of the divisional lead from then onwards, holding their largest lead of 7 games on September 6. Although the Tigers went 16–12 in September, their second-best month by winning percentage in 2009, they won just 1 of 4 games in October. The Twins went 16–11 and 4–0, respectively, over this same stretch to tie the Tigers for the divisional lead after the 162-game regular season. More broadly, the Tigers were 48–39 over the first half of the season while the Twins were 45–44 but the Twins came back in the second half going 41–32 leading up to the tie-breaker while the Tigers went 38–37 over the same span. The Twins won 11 of the two teams' 18 match-ups that season prior to the tie-breaker.
This late-season competition for the AL Central title included a four-game series between the two teams from September 29 to October 1. The series, played at the Tigers' home field Comerica Park, started with a day-night doubleheader caused by a rainout the night before when the series was scheduled to start. The final game of the series featured moments of contention between the two teams. In the third inning, Nate Robertson hit Denard Span. Minnesota starter Scott Baker hit Marcus Thames with a pitch the next inning. Thames responded by sliding hard into second base to break up a potential double play that inning. Twins' reliever Jose Mijares then threw behind the Tigers' Adam Everett in the eighth inning. Umpire Angel Hernandez warned Mijares and the Tigers bench, Tigers' manager Jim Leyland argued with Hernandez, and he was ejected. Despite the warning Minnesota's Delmon Young was hit in the knee with the first pitch in the ninth inning by Jeremy Bonderman. Bonderman was immediately ejected as was Tigers' catcher Gerald Laird who argued with Hernandez and the benches cleared, though there was no brawl. Bonderman was suspended for three games, and Tigers' hitting coach Lloyd McClendon—who had been acting as manager following Leyland's ejection—was suspended for a game. McClendon, Leyland, and Laird were all fined.
Ultimately, the four-game series was split with two wins for each team, and the Tigers maintained a two-game lead with three games remaining for each club. The Tigers lost two of their next three games to the Chicago White Sox, whereas the Twins swept the Kansas City Royals in a three-game series leaving both teams tied with an 86–76 record. A tiebreaker game would decide the winner of the Central division while the loser would be eliminated from playoff contention. Prior to the 2009 season, home field advantage in a tiebreaker game was decided by a series of coin tosses held towards the end of the regular season that would decide the home teams of all possible tiebreakers. A rule change following the 2008 season altered this process, leaving the site determined on a series of performance-based criteria beginning with the head-to-head record between the two teams that were tied. Therefore, the Twins took home-field advantage in this game, by virtue of winning the season series against the Tigers 11–7. The game was the third MLB tie-breaker in as many seasons, a record number for the league.
While October 5 had been the original scheduled date for a potential tiebreaker game, a scheduling conflict with the Minnesota Vikings, who were co-tenants of the Metrodome with the Twins, resulted in the tiebreaker game being moved a day later to October 6.
## Game summary
The game was scoreless through the first two innings. Detroit took a three-run lead in the third inning which started when Curtis Granderson walked, advanced on a ground out, and scored on a single by Magglio Ordóñez to center field. Ordóñez was then brought home via a two-run home run by Tigers' first baseman Miguel Cabrera. The Twins responded in the bottom of the inning, with Matt Tolbert singling to lead off the inning, advancing to second base on a single by Denard Span, and then moving to third on a flyball out. Tigers' starter Rick Porcello attempted a pickoff throw to first which hit the baserunner Span and went past the first baseman Cabrera. Span was out but Tolbert was able to score on Porcello's throwing error.
The score remained 3–1 until the bottom of the sixth inning. Porcello got the first two batters of the inning out but then allowed a home run to Jason Kubel to bring the game within one run. Porcello then walked the next batter, Michael Cuddyer, and was relieved by Zach Miner. The Twins loaded the bases against Miner, but did not score again in the inning. Scott Baker, the Twins' starter, walked the first batter of the seventh and was relieved by Jon Rauch though no runs scored. The Twins took a 4–3 lead in the bottom of the seventh with a leadoff single by Nick Punto and a two-run home run by Orlando Cabrera. The Tigers responded, tying the game at 4 with a home run by Ordóñez in the top of the eighth off of Matt Guerrier. Guerrier allowed another two walks in the inning and was relieved by closer Joe Nathan who escaped the inning with no further scoring.
Nathan remained in the game, holding the Tigers scoreless in the ninth, while Tigers' closer Fernando Rodney did the same to Minnesota to force extra innings. Jesse Crain replaced Nathan in the top of the tenth and hit Aubrey Huff who was pinch hitting for Wilkin Ramirez. Don Kelly then pinch ran for Huff, and scored on a double by Brandon Inge to give the Tigers a 5–4 lead. The Tigers inserted Clete Thomas for Ordóñez in right field as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the tenth. However the Twins retied the game at 5–5 as Cuddyer led off the inning with a triple and, following a Delmon Young groundout and a walk to Brendan Harris, scored on a single by Tolbert. Alexi Casilla pinch-ran for Harris and advanced to third on Tolbert's single. Nick Punto then hit a fly ball to left-fielder Ryan Raburn. Casilla attempted to score on the play, but inadvertently inched off the base before the ball was caught, and had to return to the base before breaking for home. Catcher Gerald Laird successfully tagged out Casilla to complete the inning-ending double play.
Both teams were held scoreless in the 11th. The Tigers threatened to score in the top of the 12th, with a walk by Cabrera and a single by Kelly with one out. Twins pitcher Bobby Keppel then intentionally walked Raburn to load the bases, hoping he could induce a double play. Then, Keppel threw a fastball close to batter Brandon Inge with his first pitch. Inge believed he was hit by the ball and should advance to first, which would force a go-ahead run to score with the bases loaded, but home plate umpire Randy Marsh ruled the pitch did not hit Inge and allowed the at-bat to continue. Tigers' manager Jim Leyland would say later that "the replay kind of confirms that it did hit him," but Marsh maintained that replays were "inconclusive." Inge ultimately grounded into a force out at home and Laird would strikeout to close the top of the inning with no scoring. Carlos Gómez led off the bottom of the 12th with a single for the Twins and advanced to second on a ground-out. With first base open, the Tigers intentionally walked Delmon Young to bring up Casilla. Casilla atoned for his earlier base-running blunder by hitting a ground ball through the right side of the infield. The base hit allowed the speedy Gomez to score from second without a play, thus giving the Twins a 6–5 walk-off victory.
## Aftermath
The tie-breaker win clinched the American League Central for the Twins and earned them a spot in the ALDS, in which they were swept by the New York Yankees in three games. The Tigers became the first team in MLB history to have a three-game division lead with four games remaining and lose the division.
MLB tie-breaker games counted as regular season games and this game affected certain statistical races for the 2009 season. For example, Jason Beck of MLB.com noted that if the umpire agreed with Brandon Inge on the contentious 12th inning call Inge would have tied for the most hit by a pitch in the American League. Twins' catcher Joe Mauer won the 2009 American League batting title, and his final batting average for the season moved from .364 to .365 in the game.
The game was later chosen by Sports Illustrated as the Best Regular-Season Game of the Decade.
|
43,007 |
Blur (band)
| 1,173,442,518 |
English rock band
|
[
"1988 establishments in England",
"Art pop groups",
"Blur (band)",
"Brit Award winners",
"Britpop groups",
"English alternative rock groups",
"English art rock groups",
"English indie rock groups",
"Ivor Novello Award winners",
"Live Here Now artists",
"MTV Europe Music Award winners",
"Musical groups established in 1988",
"Musical groups from Essex",
"Musical groups from London",
"Musical quartets",
"NME Awards winners",
"Parlophone artists",
"Virgin Records artists",
"Warner Records artists"
] |
Blur are an English rock band formed in London in 1988. The band consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bass guitarist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Their debut album, Leisure (1991), incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegaze. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC, Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop".
Blur's self-titled fifth album (1997) saw another stylistic shift, influenced by the lo-fi styles of American indie rock groups, and became their third UK chart-topping album. Its single "Song 2" brought the band mainstream success in the US for the first time. Their next album, 13 (1999) saw the band experimenting with electronic and gospel music, and featured more personal lyrics from Albarn and Coxon. Their seventh album, Think Tank (2003), continued their experimentation with electronic sounds and was shaped by Albarn's growing interest in hip hop and world music, featuring more minimal guitar work. Coxon left the band early in the sessions for Think Tank, and Blur disbanded for several years after the tour.
In 2009, Blur reunited with Coxon and embarked on a European reunion tour. In the following years, they released several singles and compilations and toured internationally. In 2012, they received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Their eighth album, The Magic Whip (2015), was their first in twelve years and the sixth consecutive Blur studio album to top the British charts. After the Magic Whip tour, Blur went on hiatus until the release of their ninth album, The Ballad of Darren in 2023.
## History
### Formation and Leisure, 1988–1991
Blur were formed in December 1988 when bassist Alex James joined Damon Albarn's band, Circus, and they changed the name to Seymour after J. D. Salinger's Seymour: An Introduction. Already in the band were drummer Dave Rowntree, who had joined in October, and guitarist Graham Coxon, Albarn's childhood friend from Essex, who was studying at London's Goldsmiths College along with Albarn and James. The group performed live for the first time in summer 1989 in the goods shed of the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel & Wakes Colne. In November, Food Records' A&R representative Andy Ross attended a Seymour performance that convinced him to court the group for his label. The only concern held by Ross and Food was that they disliked the band's name. Food drew up a list of alternatives, from which the group decided on Blur. Food Records finally signed the rechristened band in March 1990.
From March to July 1990, Blur toured Britain, opening for the Cramps, and testing out new songs. In October 1990, after their tour was over, Blur released the single "She's So High", which reached number 48 in the UK Singles Chart. The band had trouble creating a follow-up single, but they made progress when paired with producer Stephen Street. The resulting single release, "There's No Other Way", became a hit, peaking at number eight. As a result of the single's success, Blur became pop stars and were accepted into a clique of bands who frequented the Syndrome club in London dubbed "The Scene That Celebrates Itself". NME magazine wrote in 1991, "[Blur] are [the] acceptable pretty face of a whole clump of bands that have emerged since the whole Manchester thing started to run out of steam."
The band's third single, "Bang", performed relatively disappointingly, reaching only number 24. Andy Ross and Food owner David Balfe were convinced Blur's best course of action was to continue drawing influence from the Madchester genre. Blur attempted to expand their musical sound, but the recording of the group's debut album was hindered by Albarn having to write his lyrics in the studio. Although the resulting album Leisure (1991) peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart, it received mixed reviews, and according to journalist John Harris, "could not shake off the odour of anti-climax".
### Britpop years, 1992–1995
After discovering they were £60,000 in debt, Blur toured the United States in 1992 in an attempt to recoup their financial losses. The group released the single "Popscene" to coincide with the start of the tour. Featuring "a rush of punk guitars, '60s pop hooks, blaring British horns, controlled fury, and postmodern humor", "Popscene" was a turning point for the band musically. However, upon its release it only charted at number 32. "We felt 'Popscene' was a big departure; a very, very English record", Albarn told the NME in 1993, "But that annoyed a lot of people ... We put ourselves out on a limb to pursue this English ideal and no-one was interested." As a result of the single's lacklustre performance, plans to release a single named "Never Clever" were scrapped and work on Blur's second album was pushed back.
During the two-month American tour, the band became increasingly unhappy, often venting frustrations on each other, leading to several physical confrontations. The band members were homesick; Albarn said, "I just started to miss really simple things ... I missed everything about England so I started writing songs which created an English atmosphere." Upon the group's return to Britain, Blur (Albarn in particular) were upset by the success rival group Suede had achieved while they were gone. After a poor performance at a 1992 gig that featured a well-received set by Suede on the same bill, Blur were in danger of being dropped by Food. By that time, Blur had undergone an ideological and image shift intended to celebrate their English heritage in contrast to the popularity of American grunge bands like Nirvana. Although sceptical of Albarn's new manifesto for Blur, Balfe gave assent for the band's choice of Andy Partridge (of XTC) to produce their follow-up to Leisure. The sessions with Partridge proved unsatisfactory, but a chance reunion with Stephen Street resulted in him returning to produce the group.
Blur completed their second album Modern Life Is Rubbish in December 1992, but Food Records said the album required more potential hit singles and asked them to return to the studio for a second time. The band complied and Albarn wrote "For Tomorrow", which became the album's lead single. "For Tomorrow" was a minor success, reaching number 28 on the charts. Modern Life Is Rubbish was released in May 1993. The announcement of the album's release included a press photo which featured Blur, dressed in a mix of mod and skinhead attire, posing alongside a mastiff with the words "British Image 1" spraypainted behind them. At the time, such imagery was viewed as nationalistic and racially insensitive by the British music press; to quieten concerns, Blur released the "British Image 2" photo, which was "a camp restaging of a pre-war aristocratic tea party". Modern Life Is Rubbish peaked at number 15 on the British charts, but failed to break into the US Billboard 200, selling only 19,000 copies there.
The success of Parklife (1994) revived Blur's commercial fortunes. The album's first single, the disco-influenced "Girls & Boys", found favour on BBC Radio 1 and peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 59 in the US Billboard Hot 100 where it remains the band's highest-charting single. Parklife entered the British charts at number one and stayed on the album charts for 90 weeks. Enthusiastically greeted by the music press—the NME called it "a Great Pop Record ... bigger, bolder, narkier and funnier [than Modern Life is Rubbish]"—Parklife is regarded as one of Britpop's defining records. Blur won four awards at the 1995 Brit Awards, including Best Band and Best Album for Parklife. Coxon later pointed to Parklife as the moment when "[Blur] went from being regarded as an alternative, left field arty band to this amazing new pop sensation".
Blur began working on their fourth album The Great Escape at the start of 1995. Building upon the band's previous two albums, Albarn's lyrics for the album consisted of several third-person narratives. James reflected, "It was all more elaborate, more orchestral, more theatrical, and the lyrics were even more twisted ... It was all dysfunctional, misfit characters fucking up." The release of the album's lead single "Country House" played a part in Blur's public rivalry with Manchester band Oasis termed the "Battle of Britpop". Partly due to increasing antagonisms between the groups, Blur and Oasis released their new singles on the same day, an event the NME called "The British Heavyweight Championship". The debate over which band would top the British singles chart became a media phenomenon, and Albarn appeared on the News at Ten. At the end of the week, "Country House" ultimately outsold Oasis' "Roll With It" by 274,000 copies to 216,000, becoming Blur's first number one single.
The Great Escape, which Albarn told the public was the last instalment in the band's Life Trilogy, was released in September 1995 to ecstatic reviews. The NME hailed it as "spectacularly accomplished, sumptuous, heart-stopping and inspirational", while Mojo argued "Blur are the very best that '95 Britpop has to offer and this is a most gong-worthy sound, complete with head-slicing guitars, catchy tunes and very funny words". Entering the UK charts at number one, the album sold nearly half a million copies in its first month of sale. However, opinion quickly changed and Blur found themselves largely out of favour with the media once again. Following the worldwide success of Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (which went quadruple platinum in the United States), the media quipped "[Blur] wound up winning the battle but losing the war." Blur became perceived as an "inauthentic middle class pop band" in comparison to the "working class heroes" Oasis, which Albarn said made him feel "stupid and confused". Alex James later summarised, "After being the People's Hero, Damon was the People's Prick for a short period ... basically, he was a loser – very publicly."
### Reinvention after Britpop, 1996–2000
An early 1996 Q magazine interview revealed that relations between Blur members had become very strained; journalist Adrian Deevoy wrote that he found them "on the verge of a nervous breakup". Coxon, in particular, began to resent his bandmates: James for his playboy lifestyle, and Albarn for his control over Blur's musical direction and public image. The guitarist struggled with drinking problems and, in a rejection of the group's Britpop aesthetic, made a point of listening to noisy American alternative rock bands such as Pavement. In February 1996, when Coxon and James were absent for a lip-synced Blur performance broadcast on Italian television, they were replaced by a cardboard cutout and a roadie, respectively. Blur biographer Stuart Maconie later wrote that, at the time, "Blur were sewn together very awkwardly".
Although he had previously dismissed it, Albarn grew to appreciate Coxon's tastes in lo-fi and underground music, and recognised the need to significantly change Blur's musical direction once again. "I can sit at my piano and write brilliant observational pop songs all day long but you've got to move on", he said. He subsequently approached Street, and argued for a more stripped-down sound on the band's next record. Coxon, recognising his own personal need to—as Rowntree put it—"work this band", wrote a letter to Albarn, describing his desire for their music "to scare people again". After initial sessions in London, the band left to record the rest of the album in Iceland, away from the Britpop scene.
The result was Blur, the band's fifth studio album, released in February 1997. Although the music press predicted that the lo-fi sonic experimentation would alienate Blur's teenage girl fan-base, they generally applauded the effort. Pointing out lyrics such as "Look inside America/She's alright", and noting Albarn's "obligatory nod to Beck, [and promotion of] the new Pavement album as if paid to do so", reviewers felt the band had come to accept American values during this time—an about-face of their attitude during the Britpop years. Despite cries of "commercial suicide", the album and its first single, "Beetlebum", debuted at number one in the UK. Although the album could not match the sales of its predecessors in Britain, internationally Blur was more successful. In the US, the album received strong reviews, reached number 61 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold. The album's "Song 2" single was also popular on alternative radio, reaching number six on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and remaining on that chart for 26 weeks. After it was licensed for use in various media—such as soundtracks, advertisements and television shows—"Song 2" became the most recognisable Blur song in the US. After the success of Blur, the band embarked on a nine-month world tour.
In February 1998, a few months after completing the tour, Blur released Bustin' + Dronin''' for the Japanese market. The album is a collection of Blur songs remixed by artists such as Thurston Moore, William Orbit and Moby. Among the tracks, the band were most impressed by Orbit's effort and enlisted him to replace Street as producer for their next album, citing a need to approach the recording process from a fresh perspective.
Released in March 1999, Blur's sixth studio album 13 saw them drift still further away from their Britpop-era attitude and sound. Orbit's production style allowed for more jamming, and incorporated a "variety of emotions, atmospheres, words and sounds" into the mix. 13 was creatively dominated by Coxon, who "was simply allowed to do whatever he chose, unedited", by Orbit. Albarn's lyrics—more heart-felt, personal and intimate than on previous occasions—were reflective of his break-up with Elastica frontwoman Justine Frischmann, his partner of eight years. The album received generally favourable reviews from the press. While Q called it "a dense, fascinating, idiosyncratic and accomplished art rock album", the NME felt it was inconsistent and "(at least) a quarter-of-an-hour too long". 13 debuted at the top of the UK charts, staying at that position for two weeks. The album's lead single, the gospel-based "Tender", opened at the second spot on the charts. After "Coffee & TV", the first Blur single to feature Coxon on lead vocals, only reached number 11 in the UK, manager Chris Morrison demanded a chart re-run because of what he deemed was a sales miscalculation.
In July 1999, in celebration of their tenth anniversary, Blur released a 22-CD limited edition box-set of their singles. The accompanying tour saw Blur play the A-sides of the 22 singles in their chronological order of release. In October 2000, the group released the compilation Blur: The Best Of, which debuted at number three in the UK and went 4× Platinum due to 1,200,000 copies being shipped. Dismissed by the band as "the first record we have seen as product", the track listing and release dates of Blur: The Best Of were determined on the basis of market research and focus groups conducted by Blur's record label, EMI. By this time, the group had largely disowned the upbeat pop singles from the Britpop era, and favoured the more arty, experimental work on Blur and 13. In an otherwise highly enthusiastic review of the best-of for the NME, Steve Sutherland criticised the band's "sheer disregard" for their earlier work; "Just because these songs embarrassed them once they started listening to broadsheet critics and retreated wounded from the big-sales battle with Oasis doesn't mean that we're morons to love them."
### Coxon's departure, Think Tank and hiatus, 2001–2007
After 13 and the subsequent tours in 1999–2000, band members pursued other projects. Graham Coxon recorded a string of solo albums, while Damon Albarn dedicated his time to Gorillaz, the animated band he had created with Jamie Hewlett. Alex James worked with Fat Les and co-wrote several songs with Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Marianne Faithfull.
Recording for Blur's next album began in London in November 2001, but concerted work started in June 2002, with the sessions moving to Marrakech, Morocco soon after, and then to Devon back in the UK. Not long after the sessions began, Coxon left the group. Coxon said "there were no rows" and "[the band] just recognised the feeling that we needed some time apart". Before the album was released, Blur released a new single, "Don't Bomb When You Are the Bomb" as a very limited white label release. The song is largely electronic, and was part of the band's protest against war in the Middle East. Albarn, however, attempted to assuage fans' fears that the album would be electronic by providing reassurances that the band's new album would be "a rockin' record", and also said that it has "a lot of finely crafted pop songs". Early in 2002, Blur recorded a song that would be played by European Space Agency's Beagle 2 lander once it touched down; however, attempts to locate the probe after it landed on Mars were fruitless.
Think Tank, released in May 2003, was filled with atmospheric, brooding electronic sounds, featuring simpler guitar lines played by Albarn, and largely relying on other instruments to replace Coxon. The guitarist's absence also meant that Think Tank was almost entirely written by Albarn. Its sound was seen as a testament to Albarn's increasing interest in African and Middle Eastern music, and to his complete control over the group's creative direction. Think Tank was yet another UK number one and reached number 56 in the United States. It was also nominated for best album at the 2004 Brit Awards. The band did a successful tour in 2003, with former Verve guitarist Simon Tong filling in for Coxon.
In 2005, XFM News reported that Blur would record an EP, and denied that they would hire a replacement guitarist for Coxon. There were also some aborted recordings made in 2005. Overall the band kept a low profile and did no studio or touring work as a three-piece. After Coxon significantly thawed on the subject of rejoining Blur, in 2007 band members announced that they would reunite, and that they intended to record together first in August, with the date later being pushed back to September, then October. Though the band members finally met up in October, they posted on their website that they had only "met up for an enjoyable lunch" and that there were no "other music plans for Blur".
### Reunion performances, 2008–2015
In December 2008, Blur announced they would reunite for a concert at London's Hyde Park on 3 July 2009. Days later, the band added a second date, for 2 July. A series of June preview shows were also announced, ending at Manchester Evening News arena on the 26th. All the shows were well received; The Guardian's music critic Alexis Petridis gave their performance at Goldsmiths college a full five stars, and wrote "Blur's music seems to have potentiated by the passing of years ... they sound both more frenetic and punky and more nuanced and exploratory than they did at the height of their fame". Blur headlined the Glastonbury Festival on 28 June, where they played for the first time since their headline slot in 1998. Reviews of the Glastonbury performance were enthusiastic; The Guardian called them "the best Glastonbury headliners in an age". The band released their second greatest hits album Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur on 15 June 2009.
Blur also headlined at other summer festivals, including Oxegen 2009 in Ireland, and the Scottish outdoor show of T in the Park. Their T in the Park headline slot was put in jeopardy after Graham Coxon was admitted to hospital with food poisoning. Ultimately, the band did play, albeit an hour and a half after they were scheduled to appear. After the completion of the reunion dates, James said the group had not discussed further plans, and Albarn told Q soon after that Blur had no intention of recording or touring again. He said, "I just can't do it anymore", and explained that the main motivation for participating in the reunion was to repair his relationship with Coxon, which he succeeded at. Coxon also said that no further Blur activity was planned, telling NME.com in September, "We're in touch and we say 'Wotcha' and all that but nothing has been mentioned about any more shows or anything else".
In January 2010, No Distance Left to Run, a documentary about the band, was released in cinemas and a month later on DVD. The same month, their 1994 album Parklife was one of ten classic album covers from British artists commemorated on a UK postage stamp issued by the Royal Mail; the collection was unveiled by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. In April 2010, Blur released their first new recording since 2003, "Fool's Day", for the Record Store Day event, as a vinyl record limited to 1000 copies; it was later made available as a free download on their website. No Distance Left to Run was nominated as Best Long Form Music Video for the 53rd Grammy Awards, Blur's first-ever Grammy nomination.
In February 2012, Blur were awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the 2012 Brit Awards. Later that month, Albarn and Coxon premiered a new track together live, "Under the Westway". In April, the band announced that a box-set entitled Blur 21—containing all seven Blur studio albums, four discs of unreleased rarities and three DVDs—would be released in July. Blur had also entered the studio early that year to record material for a new album, but in May producer William Orbit told the NME that Albarn had halted recording. Blur's official Twitter and Facebook pages announced that the band would release two singles "The Puritan" and "Under the Westway" on 2 July. That August, Blur headlined a show at Hyde Park for the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. In 2013, the band performed at the Rock Werchter in Belgium, the Spanish and Portuguese dates of the Primavera Sound festival, and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the United States.
### The Magic Whip and second hiatus, 2015–2022
In April 2015, Blur released their first studio album in twelve years, The Magic Whip. Conceived over five days in Hong Kong after a cancelled Japan tour in 2013, the album was inspired by the city as well. "There's nothing pastoral about it", Albarn said, "it's very urban". The Magic Whip also marks the return of Coxon, absent on all but one track on Think Tank, and Stephen Street, Blur's producer during the Britpop era.
The Magic Whip received positive reviews.[^1] Awarding the album a full five stars, The Daily Telegraph called The Magic Whip "a triumphant comeback that retains the band's core identity while allowing ideas they'd fermented separately over the past decade to infuse their sound with mature and peculiar new flavour combinations". The NME concurred, saying Blur were "a reunited band making music to rival their very best". It was also a commercial success, becoming the sixth consecutive Blur LP since Parklife (1994) to top the British charts. The Guardian also noted that at times during its first week of release, The Magic Whip sold "more than the rest of the top five combined". The Magic Whip also became Blur's highest charting album in the United States when it peaked at number 24 on the Billboard 200. That December New World Towers, a documentary on the recording process of The Magic Whip, was released in select British theatres.
Blur went on hiatus following the 2015 Magic Whip tour. They briefly reunited in March 2019 for a surprise performance at an Albarn-organized Africa Express event in London.
### The Ballad of Darren and second reunion, 2022–present
On 14 November 2022, Blur announced that they would perform at Wembley Stadium on 8 July 2023 – their first headline performance since 2015. Looking forward to the event, Albarn said, "We really love playing these songs and thought it's about time we did it again”. Coxon also stated, "I'm really looking forward to playing with my Blur brothers again and revisiting all those great songs. Blur live shows are always amazing for me: a nice guitar and an amp turned right up and loads of smiling faces”. On 10 February 2023, in line with the reunion, the band collaborated with clothing brand PLEASURES to release a line of items commemorating their 1997 album Blur.
On 18 May 2023, Blur released "The Narcissist", the first single from their ninth studio album The Ballad of Darren. The next day, the band played their first concert in eight years on 19 May 2023 at the Colchester Arts Centre in Colchester.
Blur performed their two headlining concerts at Wembley Stadium on 8 July and 9 July 2023, with Jockstrap, Sleaford Mods, and Self Esteem as the support acts for the first show, and The Selecter and Paul Weller as support acts for the second show. Blur also performed at Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Malahide Castle near Dublin.
The Ballad of Darren was released on 21 July, and was preceded by the second single "St. Charles Square".
Blur performed at the Øyafestivalen in Oslo on 10 August, Flow Festival in Helsinki on 13 August and Summer Sonic Festival in Tokyo and Osaka on 19 and 20 August.
## Musical style and influences
Blur's musical style has been described as Britpop, indie rock, alternative rock, art pop, pop rock, and art rock, with influences from indie rock and lo-fi. The band's seventh studio album Think Tank moved into more of an electronic sound. Some of the band's influences include David Bowie, Bobby Womack, William Onyeabor, the B-52's, the Kinks, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, the Jam and Depeche Mode.
## Band members
- Damon Albarn – lead vocals, keyboards, guitar (1988–2004, 2008–2016, 2022–present)
- Graham Coxon – guitar, backing and lead vocals, saxophone (1988–2002, 2008–2016, 2022–present)
- Alex James – bass, backing vocals (1988–2004, 2008–2016, 2022–present)
- Dave Rowntree – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1988–2004, 2008–2016, 2022–present)
Current touring musicians
- Mike Smith – saxophone, keyboards (1994–1998, 1999, 2003, 2009–2015, 2023–present)
Former touring musicians
- Kick Horns – horn section (1992–1995)
- Cara Tivey – keyboards (1993–1995)
- Richard Sidwell – trumpet (1995–1999)
- Diana Gutkind – keyboards, backing vocals (1995–2000)
- Simon Tong – guitar (2003)
- Beverley Brown – backing vocals (2003)
- Cornelius Macarthy – backing vocals (2003)
- Karl Vanden Bossche – percussion (2003, 2015)
- Wayne Hernandez – backing vocals (2003, 2009–2015)
- Wendi Rose – backing vocals (2003, 2009–2015)
- Sam Freeman – backing vocals (2009)
- Janet "Cookie" Ramus – backing vocals (2009, 2012–2013)
- Alistair White – trombone, euphonium (2009, 2012–2014)
- Dan Carpenter – trumpet (2009, 2012–2014)
- Dave Williamson – trombone (2009, 2012–2014)
- Tyrone Henry – backing vocals (2012)
- Barnaby Dixon – trombone (2012–2013)
- Travis Cole – backing vocals (2013–2015)
- Rory Simmons – trumpet (2015)
- Simon Finch – trumpet (2015)
- Eoghan Kelly – trombone (2015)
- Tom Richards – saxophone (2015)
## Discography
Studio albums
- Leisure (1991)
- Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993)
- Parklife (1994)
- The Great Escape (1995)
- Blur (1997)
- 13 (1999)
- Think Tank (2003)
- The Magic Whip (2015)
- The Ballad of Darren (2023)
## See also
- Cool Britannia
- List of awards and nominations received by Blur
[^1]:
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Burger King Specialty Sandwiches
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Line of sandwiches developed by Burger King in 1978
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[
"Brand name poultry meats",
"Burger King foods",
"Products introduced in 1978"
] |
The Burger King Specialty Sandwiches are a line of sandwiches developed by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King in 1978 and introduced in 1979 as part of a new product line designed to expand Burger King's menu with more sophisticated, adult oriented fare beyond hamburgers. Additionally, the new line was intended to differentiate the company from other fast food hamburger restaurants at the time. Since the line's introduction, the other sandwiches have been discontinued, leaving the chicken offering, the Original Chicken Sandwich (abbreviated as OCS), as the primary product left. Additionally, other sandwiches that utilize the same roll as the chicken sandwich have been introduced to the company's menu both domestically and internationally since the original product line was introduced.
Burger King markets the Original Chicken Sandwich under several different names globally, including the Long Chicken, BK Chicken and Chicken Royale in the international markets it does business. The company also produces other variants that are specifically tailored to meet local taste preferences or customs of the various regions and countries in which it does business. To promote continuing interest in the product, Burger King occasionally releases limited-time (LTO) variants in the line that have different toppings or ingredients such as ham, Italian sausage or pulled pork.
## History
During the mid-1970s, Burger King was having issues with its operations, franchises and image. In 1978, Donald N. Smith was hired from McDonald's to help restructure the corporate operations of Burger King to better compete against his former company as well as the then up-and-coming chain, Wendy's. As part of an operational overhaul he dubbed "Operation Phoenix", Smith reorganized the corporate operations of Burger King. He also initiated a development plan for a new product line that would become the Specialty Sandwich line. Development began that year, and while the company found that the new product lines would add an approximate eight second delay to the production time of orders and would cost about \$39 million in lost productivity, the product was introduced in 1979. Despite these possible sales losses and time issues, the new products were successful and the company's sales increased by 15 percent.
This line — with many non-hamburger sandwiches, including chicken and fish — significantly expanded the breadth of the Burger King menu. The amount of new additions, several new sandwiches made with disparate ingredients was made possible due to the design of Burger King's kitchen. The chain's kitchen is modeled around a more flexible concept that allows for a multiple work-flow operations where preparation stations can be re-tasked more easily. In comparison, McDonald's kitchen at the time was a more rigidly designed assembly line concept intended to quickly produce a more uniform product and was not easily adapted to new products. This more rigid system prevented McDonald's from broadening its menu to effectively competing with Burger King and other similar chains that were more flexible and were better positioned to expand their menu.
The introduction of the Specialty Sandwich line was one of the first attempts by a major fast food chain to target a specific demographic, in this case adults aged between 18 and 34 years, members of which were presumably willing to spend more on a higher quality product. Included in the new line was the Original Chicken Sandwich, a ham and cheese sandwich, a roast beef sandwich, a new fish sandwich called the Long Fish Sandwich, and a new burger called the Sirloin Steak Sandwich. The ham and cheese sandwich replaced an earlier version ham and cheese sandwich called the Yumbo that was served hot and was the size of a hamburger. In 1981 the chain tested a veal parmigiana sandwich in limited areas of the United States and took it national in 1982. It was also sold in New England as part of limited time offering (LTO) in 1988.
While most of the line has since been discontinued, the company's Original Chicken Sandwich is still offered in North America, Europe and other markets. The ham and cheese sandwich was a regional offering, however it was reintroduced nationally in the United States as the Yumbo Sandwich in November 2014. The Yumbo name refers to a smaller snack based sandwich from the 1970s and early 1980s which was a heated ham and cheese sandwich served on a smaller, hamburger roll. The Long Fish was discontinued and the Whaler fish sandwich was reintroduced in 1983, while the Steak Burger sandwich was discontinued altogether.
## Product description
### Original Chicken Sandwich
The Original Chicken Sandwich consists of a breaded, deep-fried white-meat chicken patty with mayonnaise and lettuce on a sesame seed sub-style bun. Burger King will also add any condiment it sells upon request based on its long standing slogan "Have It Your Way". Additionally, Burger King has sold several different promotional varieties throughout the years as limited time offerings (LTO), such as the Philly chicken sandwich with American cheese, peppers and onions or the Angry Chicken Sandwich served with pepper jack cheese, bacon, "Angry" sauce, jalapeño slices, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. In some markets the Original Chicken is called the "Chicken Royale", "King de Pollo" (King of Chicken), or the "BK Chicken".
#### Notable variants
The International Chicken Sandwiches line was introduced in 1988 and is a group of three sandwiches with different toppings that are associated with cuisine from various international regions. The Italian Chicken Sandwich is a chicken parmigiana sandwich with marinara sauce and mozzarella, the French Chicken Sandwich is a Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich with mayonnaise, ham and Swiss cheese, and the American Chicken Sandwich has mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and American cheese. Similar regional inspired sandwiches included the Philly Chicken Sandwich, which was a chicken version of a Philly cheesesteak sandwich made with red and green bell peppers, onions and cheese, and the Hawaiian BK Chicken with mayonnaise, lettuce, bacon, American cheese and pineapple sold in New Zealand. As of 2019, the entire International Chicken Sandwiches line is still sold at Burger King restaurants in Puerto Rico.
### Burgers
Besides the Original Chicken sandwich, Burger King has sold or sells several other sandwiches that are similar to the Specialty Sandwiches. Several burgers have been sold on this family of sandwiches, including a pair of triple cheeseburgers called the Limo Burger and the X-Tra Long Cheeseburger, the Bull's-Eye Barbecue Burger which was a type of double cheeseburger that included two hamburger patties, American cheese, bacon and Kraft Bull's-eye brand barbecue sauce, and the BBQ Hero which was also another type of double cheeseburger with barbecue sauce, bacon, lettuce, tomato and onions. The company introduced another burger in this family called the Extra Long BBQ Cheeseburger in June 2014. The sandwich consisted of two burger patties, BBQ sauce and onion rings. It is similar in composition to the chain's Rodeo Cheeseburger.
### Other products
A grilled Italian sausage sandwich was sold in 1992 and was served with onions and peppers or parmigiana style with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. As part of the company's BK Dinner Baskets promotion in 1993, the chain introduced a grilled meatloaf sandwich with ketchup and onions in the United States. In 2013, Burger King sold a bratwurst sandwich in a regional limited time offering in the US states of Wisconsin and Illinois. The sandwich featured a bratwurst manufactured by Johnsonville Foods, raw onion and yellow mustard. Despite being discontinued, versions of the steak sandwich have been re-released several times since the 1970s. The BK Dinner baskets featured a steak sandwich, and in 2003 Burger King New Zealand introduced the Big Bloke Steak Sandwich which was almost identical to the 1979 sandwich.
In a 2015 summer promotion, Burger King brought back its pulled pork sandwich, previously sold in 2012 and 2013, in a new format linked to its new "XL" (extra long) sandwiches. The original sandwich was served on what the company called an "artisan" roll with pickles, onions, Sweet Baby Ray's brand barbecue sauce, and a coleslaw sauce, while the 2015 XL Pulled Pork sandwich eliminated the coleslaw sauce and changed over to the 7-inch steak roll of the Specialty Sandwich.
## Advertising
Burger King introduced the Specialty Sandwich line under its Burger King and I promotional campaign developed by the J. Walter Thompson (JWT) agency. The advertisements featured customers and employees praising the new sandwiches accompanied with a brief description of the products being sold. Actor Stuart Pankin played a doorman in one commercial in the series. Another one of the promotions used was a scratch card game called What's my Specialty? where the customer would receive a card with their purchase in which they would have to match famous people to said person's profession. The commercial explained that if you expected to lose, you would be disappointed, as all cards were winners. Prizes included fries, sodas and sandwiches.
The veal Parmesan sandwich was introduced in a series of commercials from JWT centered around the new corporate ad slogan, "Aren't you hungry - for Burger King now?" targeting the 19- to 49-year-old male demographic. The campaign was part of a back-to-basics program designed to put the company on a more competitive footing with main rival McDonald's, who was outspending Burger King's advertising budget by a factor of three. With the new program, the company hoped to establish itself as the higher quality alternative to McDonald's.
The meatloaf sandwich was part of the company's new BK Dinner Baskets product line and serving concept. To promote the product line and concept, Burger King commissioned New York based agency D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles to create a series of "BK Teevee" ads featuring MTV VJ Dan Cortese. The tag line developed for the promotion was "BK, I love this place". The advertising program was designed as part of a back to basics plan by Burger King after a series of disappointing advertising schemes including the failure of its 1980s Where's Herb? campaign. The Dinner Baskets were one of two main parts of the plan, as was a newly introduced value menu in response to similar offerings at McDonald's, Taco Bell and Wendy's.
In the autumn and winter of 2007 BK advertised the Italian Chicken sandwich with a commercial produced by Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B) that played the "Have it your Way" theme on an accordion with a simple text insert that asked the consumer if they had a problem with the sandwich being sold only at BK. This insert played up the Italian "tough guy" stereotypes. Another advertisement in 2014 featured the sandwich as a featured part of the company's 2 for \$5 promotion, a discount promotion where customers could purchase two sandwiches for \$5.00.
### Controversies
The 1980 introduction of a veal-based sandwich raised the ire of animal rights groups. By 1982, several groups were alleging that the veal being sourced to Burger King was most likely kept in battery cages, unable to move, and fed a low iron diet designed to produce the lightly toned meat associated with veal. As a result of this protest, these groups lead a three-country boycott of Burger King in April 1982. Critics of the boycott claimed that the type of veal that was being used was more-likely to be free range veal due to cost issues, claiming that there is simply no way a \$2.00 sandwich would use the higher quality \$15.00/lb veal. The rights groups refused to back down despite the cost claims because Burger King would only release the name of the meat processor, not its veal suppliers. The chain eventually announced that it intended to pull the sandwich from the market, stating that it was not because of the boycotts but because there was a lack of consumer demand. In fact, the chain said the sandwich sold best in the markets where the majority of the protests were occurring.
A 2009 advertising campaign in Singapore for the company's new BK Super Seven Incher cheeseburger, caused a notable controversy over the content of the ad. Originally and erroneously attributed to Burger King's advertising firm at the time, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, which had generated controversy with some misogynistic and culturally insensitive American and European advertisements, it was later revealed that a local, unnamed Singaporean firm was responsible for the campaign. The print version of the advertisement (pictured) made an overt association with the sandwich and oral sex using imagery and less-than subtle innuendo in the printed description in the advertisement. Critics across the globe complained that the ad was "disgusting", and went "too far".
Almost every aspect of the advertisement was criticized. Blogger Rein Bhagwandat noted that its copy featured terms such as "blow" which she felt alluded to the slang term "blow job". She also believed that the image of the woman in the advertisement had been overtly sexualized which she thought was objectifying of women in general. An article in Psychology Today echoed Bhagwandat's concerns, adding that the advertisement was openly displayed in public spaces, and could have troubling implications for parents having to explain the content to younger children.
## See also
- BK grilled chicken sandwiches
- List of Burger King products
- TenderCrisp
|
20,143,907 |
John Neild
| 1,155,794,020 |
Australian politician (1846–1911)
|
[
"1846 births",
"1911 deaths",
"20th-century Australian politicians",
"Australian Anglicans",
"Australian military officers",
"Commonwealth Liberal Party members of the Parliament of Australia",
"Deaths from cirrhosis",
"English emigrants to colonial Australia",
"Free Trade Party members of the Parliament of Australia",
"Members of the Australian Senate",
"Members of the Australian Senate for New South Wales",
"Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly"
] |
John Cash Neild (4 January 1846 – 8 March 1911) was an Australian politician who served as a Senator from New South Wales from 1901 to 1910.
Neild's family arrived in Australia in 1860, and he worked as an insurance agent and company manager before winning election to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1885. He served intermittently until 1901 and had a tumultuous career as a backbencher, eventually contributing significantly to the fall of the Reid government in 1899. He also established his own volunteer regiment, which had a difficult and sometimes hostile relationship with military command.
Elected in 1901 to the Senate, Neild was a vigorous supporter of old-age pensions, free trade and several other causes, but his ambitions of promotion were never realised. Passionately loyal to the British Empire, he questioned aspects of the White Australia policy and spoke in support of the children of Kanaka labourers facing deportation. His continued disputes with the military, including an attempt to have the commander of the Australian military forces found in contempt of Parliament, saw him lose respect among his colleagues and his later career was spent in comparative isolation. He lost his seat in 1910 and died the following year.
## Early life
Neild was born in Bristol on 4 January 1846 to Maria Greenwood and John Cash Neild, a surgeon. He was named after his father. In 1853 the family moved to Taranaki in New Zealand, evacuating to Sydney in 1860 to escape the First Taranaki War. On 29 October 1868 Neild married Clara Matilda Gertrude Agnew, whose father Philip founded the New South Wales Free Church of England. Clara died in 1879, three years after the death of the only child of the marriage; Neild remarried on 19 February 1880 at St Paul's Anglican Church in Redfern, to Georgine Marie Louise Uhr, daughter of a former New South Wales sheriff.
Neild had received a private education and was first employed at Montefiore, Joseph & Co., an importing firm. In 1865 he set up as a commission agent, becoming an insurance agent by 1870 and later managing several companies. He was elected to Woollahra Municipal Council in 1876 and in 1882 unsuccessfully stood for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Paddington. He was successful at his second attempt in 1885, when he was elected as a supporter of Henry Parkes; remaining on Woollahra Council, he served as mayor from 1888 to 1889, leaving the council in 1890.
## Colonial politics and military career
Neild devoted his first speech to criticism of the Protectionist Dibbs government, and became known for pursuing causes such as free trade, old-age pensions and law reform. He earned the nickname "Jawbone" on 23 June 1886, after speaking for nine hours against the Jennings government's introduction of ad valorem duties. He was narrowly passed over by Parkes for a ministry in January 1887, but was given charge of Sir Alfred Stephen's divorce extension bill, which passed in 1892. Neild continued to be active in religious affairs, serving from 1891 to 1893 as Right Worshipful Grand Master of the Loyal Orange Institution of New South Wales, although he offended many extreme Protestants by praying for the recovery of the Pope.
Neild began to encounter difficulties in his political career towards the end of the 1880s; his oversight of the establishment of the 1887 Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition led to investigation by a Legislative Assembly select committee, which absolved him of accusations of extravagance and using his office for personal gain. In 1895 he began to agitate for old-age pensions, but in 1899 he was investigated again after Premier George Reid paid him £350 for writing a report; although Neild repaid the money, the incident was part of the pretext for a successful no confidence motion in September which brought down the Reid government.
In 1896, in response to the establishment of an Irish-Australian unit in the New South Wales citizen army, Neild raised a volunteer regiment that became St George's English Rifles. He was promoted major of the regiment in July 1896 and lieutenant-colonel in April 1898, and frequently led his men, dressed as British soldiers, around Circular Quay to the tune of "The British Grenadiers" or "The English Gentleman". Despite his promotions, Neild had no previous military experience, and in 1899 Lord Beauchamp, the Governor, wrote that his organisation was "in a state of ridiculous insubordination". He was suspended around Easter of that year for publicly criticising a staff officer and encouraging insubordination; following unfavourable findings by a military inquiry, Neild avoided dismissal only by investing considerable amounts of money into the regiment.
## Senate
Neild contested the first federal election in 1901, running as a Free Trade candidate for the Senate. Together with Senator Cyril Cameron, he was one of two parliamentarians to wear full dress uniform to the opening of Parliament. He introduced the Parliamentary Evidence Bill on 9 August 1901, which aimed "to enable and regulate the taking of evidence by Parliament and Parliamentary Committees". The bill was withdrawn and reintroduced several times over the next decade but never passed into law. Harbouring ambitions of becoming deputy President, Neild was active in many committees but failed to achieve his aim, although he did serve as Temporary Chairman of Committees from 1903 to 1910.
Neild was not a supporter of party discipline, refusing to follow Sir Josiah Symon's leadership of the Free Trade Senators. He spoke against the dictation test for non-British immigrants and the deportation of Kanaka workers, and continued to advocate free trade and old-age pensions. Having won the fifth position at the 1901 election, Neild faced re-election in 1903, and his impassioned support of the British Empire saw him elected at the head of the poll despite failing health.
In March 1904 Neild attacked the government's military policy and the commander of the military forces, Major-General Sir Edward Hutton, who had long wished to dismiss Neild from the citizen army. Neild had incited a near mutiny by destroying a well-known sergeant's military career, and was suspended from duty; Neild responded by accusing Hutton of intimidation and infringing a Senator's right of freedom of expression. In April 1904 the Senate formed a committee to investigate alleged contempt of Parliament by Hutton, which found that Neild had not been intimidated. In 1905 Neild retired from the militia.
Neild's adventures had seen him lose respect in his political career, and he was now openly mocked in the Senate chamber, becoming something of a joke. He introduced a number of bills in his remaining five years in the Senate, all of which lapsed. He spoke in support of Muslim camel drivers and opposed military training for boys, and continued to oppose elements of the White Australia policy, raising concerns about Australian-born children of Kanaka labourers: "They will have difficulties enough in front of them in a country that is so rampantly strong on the white Australia policy without our making their case worse." Neild was defeated at the 1910 election.
Suffering from hepatic cirrhosis, Neild died at his home in Woollahra on 8 March 1911, aged 65, survived by his second wife and their two children. He received a military funeral before being buried with Anglican rites at Waverley Cemetery in Sydney.
## Other interests
Neild published an anthology of his own poetry, Songs 'neath the Southern Cross, in 1896. A review in The Bulletin considered the anthology as unoriginal and adorned with dated expressions such as 'eftsoons', for 'soon afterward'. Neild's usage of this word was oft-quoted, and also mentioned in several of his death commemorations.
|
43,990,854 |
Music of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
| 1,171,557,112 |
Music from the video game Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
|
[
"Final Fantasy XIII",
"Final Fantasy music",
"Video game music discographies",
"Video game soundtracks"
] |
The music for the 2013 action role-playing game Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, developed and published by Square Enix, was composed by Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta, and Mitsuto Suzuki. Hamauzu was the leader composer for XIII and XIII-2, and Mizuta and Suzuki previously composed music for XIII-2. Musicians who had previously worked with the composers on XIII-2 and The 3rd Birthday worked on the project in Japan, while the main soundtrack was performed and recorded in Boston by the Video Game Orchestra, conducted by Shota Nakama. Along with including more percussion and ethnic elements, the soundtrack used "Blinded by Light", the main theme for main character Lightning, as a leitmotif. Unlike the previous XIII games, the soundtrack did not include a theme song, as the composers felt it would detract from the emotional impact of the ending.
Three albums have been released: the promotional Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Pre Soundtrack in July 2013, the Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack in November, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Soundtrack Plus in March 2014. The music has received a mostly positive response from reviewers. The main soundtrack, despite some tracks being critiqued, was generally praised as a good selection of music and a fitting conclusion to the music of the Final Fantasy XIII series. It was also praised by reviewers of the game as a whole. The Soundtrack Plus album was reviewed less favorably. Both commercial albums sold well enough to be placed on the Oricon charts, with the Original Soundtrack reaching \#29 and remaining on the charts for four weeks.
## Concept and creation
The music of Lightning Returns was composed by Masashi Hamauzu, who composed the music for Final Fantasy XIII, Naoshi Mizuta and Mitsuto Suzuki, who co-composed the music for Final Fantasy XIII-2 with Hamauzu. Japanese band Language was also contracted by Suzuki to help with recording and remixing. Several of the musicians in Japan had worked with the composers before on XIII-2 and The 3rd Birthday. Recording took place at the Mixer's Lab recording studios in Tokyo. The Video Game Orchestra, founded by Shota Nakama, was contracted by Hamauzu to perform, record and mix the orchestral music at their studio on Boston. According to Hamauzu, they were his first and only choice for recording the score. Nakama received the final score in April 2013, and Hamauzu was regularly at the studios to help with the recording process. Nakama was told by Hamauzu that he was allowed to do as he wished unless he did something "really wacky", with Hamauzu relying on Nakama and mostly interacting and working on their tracks if he disliked some aspect of them. The orchestra worked on nearly all of Hamauzu's music, including the opening and ending themes.
The score was created with far more percussion than previous entries in the series, and featured "Blinded by Light", a recurring theme in the XIII games related to the series' central character Lightning, as a leitmotif. The theme was meant to emphasize the focus on Lightning, with several tracks relating directly to her. Unspecified ethnic musical elements were also incorporated. Each composer worked on one of the four game's key locations. Due to the game's day-night cycle, different music was composed for morning, afternoon, evening and nighttime. The thirteen-minute-long final boss theme was meant to reference the title's numeral. Hamauzu wrote "Crimson Blitz", the first piece of the score and one of the game's battle themes, while on tour in Switzerland. Unlike the previous two games, Lightning Returns did not feature a theme song as it was felt that this would diminish the emotional impact of the ending. Instead, the composers created a purely orchestral piece. The final theme, "Epilogue", was co-composed by Hamauzu and Nakama. It was based on the concept of the XIII games coming to an end, and so was intended to convey the themes and atmosphere of the soundtrack. Nakama created multiple versions of the piece and sent them to Hamauzu, who performed alterations and made the final choice. The game also featured multiple musical Easter eggs, including tunes from previous entries in the franchise.
## Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack
The main soundtrack album, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack, was released on four compact discs on November 21, 2013. It was released by Square Enix under the catalog number SQEX-10392\~5, and the album features seventy-four tracks spanning 5:07:27. The first disc is devoted to the opening section and the city of Luxerion; the second disc deals with the Dead Dunes and Wildlands; the third covers the city of Yusnaan and important themes leading up to the game's conclusion; the fourth disc covers the final section of the game. Three tracks from the album, "Crimson Blitz", "The Savior", and "Lightning Returns", were digitally released as singles on iTunes. Further samples from the track were released on a disc of Square Enix music sold as a promotion at Tokyo Game Show 2013. Tracks from Lightning Returns, along with XIII and XIII-2, were also included on a special disc released with the Japan-exclusive "Lightning Ultimate box", a package containing all three XIII games. The soundtrack album reached \#29 on the Oricon charts and remained on the charts for four weeks.
Reviews of the album have been positive. Derek Heemsbergen of RPGFan praised the consistency of the soundtrack both when compared to XIII-2 and the variety of locations. He said that the recurring motifs in the soundtrack "work to great effect", noting how the tracks related to Lightning helped explore her personality. His highest praise went to the final disc due to "its sheer emotional intensity". Despite the general praise, some tracks, such as "Marimba de Chocobo", came in for minor critiques. Christopher Huynh of Video Game Music Online was also positive, noting the high production values of the album. He also generally praised the themes used both in battle and for the various locations, though he felt that the Dead Dunes tracks were the weakest on the album. His reaction to the new and rearranged characters' themes were more mixed, with him praising "Snow's Theme" while calling "Fang's Theme" a "very odd and jarring failure". The final disc also received high praise, with Huynn saying that it "succeeds at closing out the series on an emotional high".
Reviewers of the game also noted and praised the soundtrack, despite giving more mixed opinions on other aspects of the game. Jeremy Parish, writing for USGamer, called the music "phenomenal from start to finish". Destructoid's Dale North called the music "fantastic, and even more varied than the previous Final Fantasy XIII games". Bradley Hale of Hardcore Gamer was also positive, saying that the music "does an effective job at blending old jams with new ones, with the arrangements of already known songs being interesting, and new tunes coming off as far more inspiring and emotion-filled than those found in XIII-2".
Track list
## Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack Plus
A bonus album, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Soundtrack Plus, was released on March 26, 2014. The album features remixes of tracks from the main album or tracks present in the game that were not released on the album. The remixes were done by Mizuta, Suzuki, Kengo Tokusashi, Wollny Andreas, Hiroshi Kaneko. Released under the catalog number SQEX-10430, the album features 25 tracks with a total running time of 1:13:31. The album reached \#211 on the Oricon charts, remaining there for one week.
RPGFan's Neal Chandran was mostly negative regarding the album. He called the majority of tracks "just plain boring", while he felt that the more exciting tunes "lack punch". Some pieces such as "Captive Saint" he called "superficially pretty, but that's really it", while the remixes of music pieces by Uematsu he called "brief, but awful". Huynh shared many points of criticism with Chandran, finding multiple tracks boring as they were just slight variations on tracks from the main soundtrack album, though some tracks such as "Dying World" and the piano version of "Serah's Theme" were praised.
## Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Pre Soundtrack
A promotional album, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Pre Soundtrack, was released on July 13, 2013. It contains six tracks from the game, three of which did not yet have an official title. The other three were the tracks that had then received a digital release. The album was available at a special Square Enix event at United States of Odaiba 2013 as a limited promotion for Lightning Returns.
|
29,764,822 |
Battle of Battle Mountain
| 1,141,246,492 |
Battle of the Korean War
|
[
"August 1950 events in Asia",
"Battle of Pusan Perimeter",
"Battles and operations of the Korean War in 1950",
"Battles of the Korean War",
"Battles of the Korean War involving North Korea",
"Battles of the Korean War involving South Korea",
"Battles of the Korean War involving the United States",
"History of South Gyeongsang Province",
"September 1950 events in Asia"
] |
The Battle of Battle Mountain was an engagement between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces early in the Korean War from August 15 to September 19, 1950, on and around the Sobuk-san mountain area in South Korea. It was one of several large engagements fought simultaneously during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter. The battle ended in a victory for the UN after large numbers of United States Army (US) and Republic of Korea Army (ROK) troops were able to prevent a Korean People's Army (KPA) division from capturing the mountain area.
Operating in defense of Masan, the US 25th Infantry Division placed its 24th Infantry Regiment and 5th Infantry Regiment on Sobuk-san to defend its two peaks, P'il-bong and Hill 665, which would later be known as "Battle Mountain." What followed was a month-long struggle with the KPA 6th Division, in which Battle Mountain changed hands 20 times.
During the deadlock, neither side was able to secure a definite victory in capturing the mountaintop, but the US forces succeeded in their mission of preventing the KPA from advancing beyond Battle Mountain, paving the way for the KPA's eventual defeat and withdrawal.
## Background
### Outbreak of war
Following the June 25, 1950, outbreak of the Korean War as a result of the invasion of South Korea by North Korea, the United Nations committed troops to the conflict in support of South Korea. The United States, subsequently dispatched ground forces to the Korean peninsula with the goal of pushing back the North Korean invasion and preventing South Korea from collapsing. However, the number of US forces in the Far East had been steadily decreasing since the end of World War II, five years earlier, and at the time the closest forces were the 24th Infantry Division, headquartered in Japan. The division was understrength however, and most of its equipment was antiquated due to reductions in military spending. Regardless, the 24th was ordered to South Korea.
The 24th Infantry Division was the first US unit sent into Korea with the mission to take the initial "shock" of KPA advances, delaying the much larger KPA units to buy time to allow reinforcements to arrive. The division was consequently alone for several weeks while the 1st Cavalry Division and the 7th and 25th Infantry Divisions moved into position, along with other Eighth United States Army supporting units. Advance elements of the 24th Division were badly defeated in the Battle of Osan on July 5, the first encounter between US and KPA forces. For the first month after the defeat at Osan, 24th Division was repeatedly defeated and forced south by superior KPA numbers and equipment. The regiments of the 24th Infantry were systematically pushed south in engagements around Chochiwon, Chonan, and Pyongtaek. The 24th made a final stand in the Battle of Taejon, where it was almost completely destroyed but delayed KPA forces from advancing until July 20. By that time, the Eighth Army's force of combat troops were roughly equal to KPA forces attacking the region, with new UN units arriving every day.
### North Korean advance
With Taejon captured, KPA forces attempted to envelop the Pusan Perimeter. The KPA 4th and 6th Divisions advanced south in a wide flanking maneuver. The two divisions were forced to spread their units along a thin line, but managed to penetrate the UN's left flank with armor and superior numbers, repeatedly pushing back UN forces. UN forces were pushed back repeatedly before finally halting the KPA advance in a series of engagements in the southern section of the country. The 3rd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, newly arrived in the country, sustained massive casualties at Hadong in a coordinated ambush on July 27 that opened a pass to the Pusan area. Soon after, KPA forces took Chinju to the west, pushing back the US 19th Infantry Regiment and leaving routes to the Pusan area open for more KPA attacks. US formations were subsequently able to defeat and push back the KPA on the flank in the Battle of the Notch on August 2. Suffering mounting losses, the KPA force in the west withdrew for several days to re-equip and receive reinforcements. This granted both sides a reprieve to prepare for the attack on the Pusan Perimeter.
### Emplacement of the 25th Infantry Division
The Eighth Army commander, Lieutenant General Walton Walker, then ordered the US 25th Infantry Division, under Major General William B. Kean, to take up defensive positions on the Pusan Perimeter's southern flank west of Masan. By August 15, the 25th Infantry Division had moved into the line, but rough terrain west of Masan limited the choice of its positions. The mountain group west of Masan was the first readily defensible ground east of the Chinju pass. The 2,000-foot (610 m) mountain ridges of Sobuk-san dominated the area and protected the road from Komam-ni to Haman to Chindong-ni, the only means of north–south communication west of Masan.
Northwest of Komam-ni was the broken spur ridge of P'il-bong, dominated by 900 feet (270 m) Sibidang-san, along the Nam River. Sibidang provided an excellent observation point for the surrounding area, and US artillery emplaced in the Komam-ni area could interdict the road junction at Chungam-ni. The 35th Infantry Regiment set up positions at Sibidang-Komam-ni, in the northern part of the 25th Infantry Division defense line. The 35th Regiment line extended from a point 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Komam-ni to the Nam River and then turned east along that stream to its confluence with the Naktong River. It was a long regimental line, about 26,000 yards (24,000 m), twice the length a regiment was typically assigned.
The 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry, held the regiment's left flank west of Komam-ni, and the 2nd Battalion held the regimental right along the Nam River. Meanwhile, the 3rd Battalion, redesignated from the 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry, was in reserve on the road south of Chirwon, with quick access to any part of the line. To the south was the 24th Infantry Regiment; west of Chindong-ni, the 5th Regimental Combat Team (5th RCT) was on the division's left flank. On division orders, 5th RCT first held the ground above the Chindong-ni coastal road only as far as Yaban-san, but Kean soon ordered them to close the gap with the 24th Infantry northward. When the 5th RCT sent a ROK unit of 100 men under American officers to the higher slope of Sobuk-san, KPA troops already there drove them back. Kean then ordered the 5th RCT to take this ground, but it was too late; the ground was firmly in KPA hands.
## Prelude
The KPA 6th and 7th Divisions closed on Masan, attacking the US 25th Infantry Division on multiple fronts, with the main efforts aimed at the 24th and 35th Infantry Regiments. At the same time that the KPA 7th Division was trying to penetrate the 35th Infantry positions around Sibidang and Komam-ni, the 6th Division also sent strong patrols and probing attacks against the mountainous middle part of the 25th Infantry Division line. When the division issued orders to its subordinate units to take up defensive positions west of Masan, the 2nd Battalion, 24th Infantry was still trying to seize Obong-san, the mountain ridge just west of Battle Mountain and P'il-bong, and across a gorge-like valley from them. At daybreak on August 15, the 2nd Battalion broke contact with the KPA and withdrew to Sobuk-san and the ridge west of Haman. The 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry now came to the Haman area to help in the regimental defense of the sector.
### Battle Mountain
The high ground west of Haman on which the 24th Infantry established its defensive line was part of the Sobuk-san mountain mass. Sobuk-san reaches its 2,400 feet (730 m) peak at P'il-bong, also called Hill 743, 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Chindong-ni and 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Haman. From P'il-bong, the crest of the ridge line curves northwestward, to rise again 1 mile (1.6 km) away in the bald peak designated Hill 665, which became known as Battle Mountain. US troops also occasionally called it "Napalm Hill," "Old Baldy," and "Bloody Knob." Between P'il-bong and Battle Mountain the ridge line narrows to a rocky ledge which the troops called the "Rocky Crags." Northward from Battle Mountain toward the Nam River, the ground drops sharply in two long spur ridges. US troops who fought there called the eastern one Green Peak.
At the western, KPA–held base of Battle Mountain and P'il-bong were the villages of Ogok and Tundok, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) from the crest. A north–south mountain trail crossed a high saddle just north of these villages and up the west slope about halfway to the top of Battle Mountain. This road gave the KPA an advantage in mounting and supplying their attacks in the area. A trail system ran from Ogok and Tundok to the crests of Battle Mountain and P'il-bong. From the top of Battle Mountain, an observer could look directly down into the KPA–held valley. At the same time, from Battle Mountain the KPA could look down into the Haman valley eastward and observe the US 24th Infantry command post, supply road, artillery positions, and approach trails. Whichever side held the crest of Battle Mountain could observe the rear areas of the other. Both forces, seeing the advantages of holding the crest of Battle Mountain, fought relentlessly to capture it in a six-week-long battle.
### Logistics
The approach to Battle Mountain and P'il-bong was much more difficult from the east, American-held side, than from the west, KPA side. On the east side there was no road climbing halfway to the top; from the base of the mountain at the edge of the Haman valley the only way to make the ascent was by foot trail. Climbers took two to three hours to reach the top of P'il-bong from the reservoir area, and required from three to four hours to get on top of Battle Mountain from the valley floor. The turnaround time for supply trains to Battle Mountain was six hours. Often a dispatch runner required eight hours to go up Battle Mountain and come back down. In some places the trail was so steep that climbers had to set up ropes to hold along the side of the trail. KPA night patrols constantly cut telephone lines. The wire men had a difficult and dangerous job trying to maintain wire communication with units on the mountain. Food, water and ammunition were frequently short for the units at the tops of the peaks.
Bringing dead and seriously wounded down from the top was difficult for both sides. UN litter-bearing teams of six men had to carry each wounded man on a stretcher down the mountain. A medical aide was also needed to administer care during the trip if the man was critically wounded, and riflemen often accompanied the groups to protect them from KPA snipers along the trail. Critically wounded men often died before reaching the bottom where full medical care could be administered. This possibility was one of the factors that lowered morale in the 24th Infantry units fighting on Battle Mountain. Many men were afraid that if they were wounded there they would die before reaching adequate medical care. KPA troops often did not have time to move dead and wounded from the peak at all, forcing both sides to bury casualties in shallow graves along the peak.
The 24th Infantry's supporting artillery, the 159th Field Artillery Battalion, emplaced in the valley south of Haman. On August 19, the artillery moved farther to the rear, except for C Battery, which remained in a creek bed north of Haman. Regimental engineers worked to improve a trail running from Haman northeast to the main Komam-ni-Masan road. The engineers intended to use it as an evacuation road for the artillery, if that became necessary, and to improve the road net of the regimental sector for better movement of troops and supplies. This road became known as the "Engineer Road".
On August 15, there was a gap 4,000 yards (3,700 m) wide in the P'il-bong area between the 24th Infantry and the 5th RCT to the south. The 24th Infantry had not performed well during previous engagements, so Kean sent 432 National Police to the area the next day and placed them in this gap, ensuring the North Koreans would not be able to exploit any holes in the line.
## Battle
Opposing the US 24th Infantry at Battle Mountain was the KPA 6th Division, which had been engaging Task Force Kean since August 5. The division, which had originally numbered 10,000, had suffered 4,000 casualties thus far fighting at the Pusan Perimeter. However it brought in 3,100 South Koreans forcibly conscripted from neighboring towns to replenish its ranks. The South Koreans fought as ordered, though the KPA dispatched rearguard soldiers with them to shoot any who attempted to desert, defect, or surrender.
### US 24th Infantry repulsed
The first attack against the mountain line of the 24th Infantry came on the morning of August 18, when the KPA overran several E Company positions on the northern spur of Battle Mountain and killed the company commander. During the day, Lieutenant Colonel Paul F. Roberts succeeded Lieutenant Colonel George R. Cole in command of the 2nd Battalion, 24th Infantry there. The next day, the KPA attacked C Company on Battle Mountain and routed it. Officers could collect only 40 men to bring them back into position. Many National Police on P'il-bong also ran from the fight, and only 56 of them remained in their defensive positions. US officers used threats and physical force to get others back into position. A 1 mile (1.6 km) gap in the line north of P'il-bong existed in the 24th Infantry lines at the close of the day, and an unknown number of KPA were moving into it.
On August 20, the KPA 6th Division intensified its efforts to capture Battle Mountain, and began sending stronger attacks to capture the two peaks. In the face of attack, all of C Company except the company commander and about 25 men abandoned their position on Battle Mountain. Upon reaching the bottom of the mountain those who had fled reported erroneously that the company commander had been killed and their position surrounded, then overrun by the KPA. On the basis of this misinformation, US artillery and mortars fired concentrations on the position, and fighter-bombers, in 38 sorties, attacked the crest of Battle Mountain, using napalm, fragmentation bombs, rockets, and machine guns, forcing the 26 remaining men off Battle Mountain after they had held it for 20 hours. In this time they had declined an offer from the KPA to surrender. A platoon of E Company, except for about 10 men, also left its position on the mountain as soon as the attack progressed. On the regimental left, an ROK patrol from K Company's position on Sobuk-san captured the commanding officer of the KPA 15th Regiment, but he was killed a few minutes later while trying to escape. The patrol removed several intelligence reports from his body. During the day of fighting at Battle Mountain and P'il-bong, the KPA drove off the National Police from the 24th Infantry's left flank on Sobuk-san. 24th Infantry troops continued to straggle from their positions, ignoring commands from officers to stay in place. Both African-American and white officers, infuriated by the disobedience, wrote sworn statements implicating the deserters. The situation was so severe that those who stayed in their positions were often given Bronze Star Medals with Valor Devices because they were so far outnumbered in the fighting.
### US 5th RCT enters the fight
Kean then alerted 5th RCT commander Colonel John L. Throckmorton to prepare a force to attack Sobuk-san and retake it. On the morning of August 21, the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry, attacked across the 24th Infantry's boundary and secured the southernmost ridges of the mountain against light KPA resistance. That evening a strong force of KPA counterattacked and drove the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry off the mountain. At 12:00 on August 22, the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry again attacked the heights, and five hours later B Company seized the highest ridges. Kean now changed the boundary line between the 5th RCT and the 24th Infantry, giving responsibility for the southern ridges to the 5th, and Battle Mountain and P'il-bong to the 24th. During the night, the KPA launched counterattacks against the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry, and prevented it from consolidating its position. On the morning of August 23, A Company tried to secure the high ground 1,000 yards (910 m) southwest of the peak and link up with B Company, but was unable to do so. The KPA considered the Sobuk-san ridges so important that they committed substantial resources to defending them, and attacked the nearby 5th RCT daily.
North of B Company's position on Sobuk, the battle situation was similar. KPA troops in the Rocky Crags, which extended from Sobuk-san toward P'il-bong, took cover during air strikes. Napalm, 500 pounds (230 kg) bombs, and strafing had little effect. Every time the UN aircraft departed, the KPA reoccupied their battle positions. Elements of the 24th Infantry were not able to extend southward and join with B Company of the 5th RCT because of stubborn KPA resistance.
### August 21–26 attack
Still farther north along the mountain ridge, in the Battle Mountain area, the battle was going poorly for the 24th Infantry. After C Company lost Battle Mountain, heavy UN airstrikes and artillery fire struck its crest in preparation for an infantry counterattack planned to regain the mountain from the KPA. The hot and sultry weather made climbing the steep slope difficult, but L Company was on top by 12:00 on August 21. KPA troops had left the summit under fire from the UN aircraft, artillery, and mortars. The KPA placed their own mortar fire on the crest and prevented L Company from consolidating its position. This situation continued until mid afternoon when a KPA platoon came out of the trenches on the eastern slope of the mountain and surprised a platoon of L Company with an attack from behind. The other two platoons of L Company, upon hearing firing, started to leave their positions and drift down the hill. The KPA swiftly reoccupied the peak while officers tried to assemble L and I Companies on the eastern slope. Elements of E Company also left their position during the day.
US air, artillery, mortar and tank fire now concentrated on Battle Mountain, and I and L Companies prepared another counterattack to retake it. This attack launched soon after, but made slow progress and at midnight it halted to wait for daylight. Shortly after dawn on August 22, I and L Companies resumed the attack. L Company moved up the mountain, with I Company supplying a base of fire. Three KPA grenades wounded six of the troops, causing the rest to retreat without orders from their frustrated commander. They were eventually returned to the hill with some coercion. A few hours later, when a small KPA force worked around its right flank, the company again withdrew back down the hill to I Company's position without orders.
Fighting continued on Battle Mountain the next day, August 23, with more National Police units arriving to reinforce I and L Companies. The US and South Korean troops finally secured precarious possession of Battle Mountain, mainly because the supporting fire of US mortars targeting the KPA avenues of approach on the western slope. During the day the KPA counterattacked the hill six times, but were repulsed each time. The 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry units continued to come apart under fire, so much that the battalion commander complained to Kean that he needed more officers to keep the men in line. The situation in the Haman area caused Walker to alert the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, a reserve unit, for possible movement to this part of the front. However, it was never dispatched. On August 24, I and L Companies had been so racked by deserters and casualties that they withdrew from the hill. They had suffered 120 casualties during the fight. C Company, along with the ROK police, took charge of the peak.
KPA troops continued attacking the 24th Infantry all across its line, probing for weaknesses. On August 25 and 26, C Company beat off several more KPA attacks on Battle Mountain coming along the long ridge extending from Tundok. At one point in these fights, a flight of US Air Force aircraft caught about 100 KPA soldiers in the open and immediately napalmed, bombed, and strafed them. The KPA force was destroyed with few survivors. Task Force Baker, comprising C Company and a platoon of E Company, 24th Infantry with a National Police company, defended Battle Mountain at this time. The special command was established because of the isolated Battle Mountain area and the extended regimental battle front. For the next two days, air strikes continued to rack KPA counterattacks and to prevent them from forming into any serious attack on Battle Mountain.
### August 28–29 attack
The 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry relieved the 1st Battalion in the Battle Mountain area on August 27, and 1st Battalion withdrew to reserve, except for C Company which remained on Battle Mountain as a part of Task Force Baker. The next day, August 28, KPA attacks continued. That day, a KPA company-sized attack struck between C and I Companies before dawn. That night, KPA mortar fire fell on C Company on Battle Mountain. After midnight, a KPA infantry force appeared in the rear area and captured the command post. Some men of C Company left their positions on Battle Mountain without firing when the attack began at 02:45 the next morning, August 29. The KPA then directed their attack toward E Company and overran part of its positions. Airdrops after daylight kept C Company supplied with ammunition, and a curtain of artillery fire, sealing off approaches from the KPA main positions prevented substantial reinforcements from entering the fight. All day on August 29, artillery fire and air strikes racked the KPA occupying E Company's old positions. Then, in the evening, E Company counterattacked and reoccupied the lost ground.
At 23:00 on August 29, the KPA attacked C Company again. Men on the left flank of the company position quickly abandoned their positions and soon the entire company was retreating, leaving the KPA in possession of the mountain again. Captain Lawrence M. Corcoran, the company commander, was left with only the 17 men in his command post, which included several wounded. All of those who stayed were later given Bronze Star Medals. After daylight on August 30, UN air strikes again came in on Battle Mountain, and US artillery, mortar and tank fire from the valley concentrated on the KPA-held peak. A wounded US soldier came down off the mountain where he had hidden for several hours while cut off from escape. He reported that the main body of the KPA had withdrawn to the wooded ridges west of the peak for better cover from the airstrikes, leaving only a small covering force on the mountain itself. At 11:00, B Company, which had to this point been the reserve unit, with the 3rd Battalion in support, attacked toward the heights and retook the top by 13:00. The poor defensive positions were repaired but logistical difficulties continued for the US troops at the top.
The 24th Infantry consistently captured Battle Mountain in the same way. Artillery, mortar, and tank fire raked the crest and air strikes employing napalm blanketed the top of the peak. Then, the infantry attacked from the hill beneath the east slope of the summit. Supporting mortars would set up a base of fire and would keep the heights under barrage until the infantry had arrived at a point just short of the crest. The mortar fire then lifted and the infantry moved rapidly up the last stretch to the top, usually to find it abandoned by the KPA.
### Stalemate
Battle Mountain changed hands so often during August that there is no agreement on the exact number of times. The intelligence sergeant of the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry estimated the peak changed hands 19 times. Subsequent research suggests the actual number was 20. From August 18 to the end of the month, KPA troops attacked the mountain every night. The peak often changed hands two or three times in a 24-hour period. The usual pattern was for the KPA to take it at night and the US 24th Infantry to recapture it the next day. This type of fluctuating battle resulted in relatively high losses among artillery forward observers and their equipment. During the period of August 15–31, seven forward observers and eight other members of the Observer and Liaison Section of the 159th Field Artillery Battalion were casualties, and they lost eight radios, 11 telephones and two vehicles in the process.
In its defense of that part of Sobuk-san south of Battle Mountain and P'ilbong, the 1st Battalion, 5th RCT, also had nearly continuous action in the last week of the month. During this time, Master Sergeant Melvin O. Handrich of C Company, 5th RCT posthumously won the Medal of Honor for actions on August 25 and 26. From a forward position he directed artillery fire on an attacking KPA force and at one point personally kept part of the company from abandoning its positions. Although wounded, Handrich returned to his forward position, to continue directing artillery fire, and engaged KPA troops alone until he was killed. When the 5th RCT regained the area, it counted over 70 dead KPA in the vicinity, all likely killed by Handrich. By the end of August, the fighting in the mountains west of Masan remained a stalemate. Neither side had secured a definite advantage.
### September push
Although the KPA 6th and 7th Divisions had massed their troops primarily for the attempted breakthrough of the US 25th Infantry Division positions along the Nam and Naktong Rivers during their September offensive, the KPA 6th Division continued its attacks on the area. KPA artillery and mortar fire fell on Battle Mountain, P'il-bong and Sobuk-san, and during the period of September 1–6 there were strong local attacks and patrols by KPA troops. The 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry, never succeeded in gaining complete possession of the southern parts of Sobuk-san, which would have given observation into the valley below and into the KPA rear areas. The instability of the 24th Infantry made it necessary for Kean to order Throckmorton to send his only regimental reserve, E Company, north into the 24th Infantry sector along the Haman road to protect the right flank of the 5th RCT. In this position, E Company collected stragglers from the 24th Infantry every night and the next morning sent them back to their units. The US Navy then entered the battle in this part of the line, its destroyers standing off the south coast gave illumination at night by directing their searchlights against low-hanging clouds on Sobuk-san. One destroyer was on station almost continuously, supporting the ground action with the fire of six 5-inch guns. An artillery aerial observer directed this naval gunfire through the fire direction center.
On September 7, a KPA attack succeeded once again in driving ROK and US troops from Battle Mountain. The 25th Division ordered Lieutenant Colonel George H. DeChow's 3rd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment to retake the peak. DeChow had just counterattacked through the rear areas of the 24th Infantry to the vicinity of Haman. K and B Companies of the 24th Infantry were to follow him and secure the crest if he regained it. From September 7–9, the 3rd Battalion counterattacked up Battle Mountain. On September 9, I Company reached the top and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the KPA. L Company followed to the crest but the dug-in KPA drove both companies off and back down the slope. An estimated two KPA companies held the crest of Battle Mountain and two more companies protected their flanks. DeChow's 3rd Battalion suffered heavy casualties in these three days of fighting. On the afternoon of September 9, the US counterattack force dropped back to the high ground which it had recaptured on September 7, 1,000 yards (910 m) east of Battle Mountain. Artillery, mortars, and air strikes pounded the KPA position on Battle Mountain. During this stalemate, word came from the 25th Division for the 3rd Battalion, 27th Infantry to move to the vicinity of Masan. It was needed elsewhere along the Pusan Perimeter front.
### Containment action
With the failure of the 3rd Battalion, 27th Infantry, to hold the high knob on Battle Mountain after its attacks on September 8 and 9, the 24th Infantry stopped trying to retake Battle Mountain. K Company, 24th Infantry, and C Company, 65th Engineer Combat Battalion, dug in on the hill east of and beneath Battle Mountain, fortified their position with barbed wire and mine fields, and placed registered artillery and mortar fires on all approaches to the position. The regimental commander planned to contain the KPA on Battle Mountain by artillery and mortar fire. The KPA on Battle Mountain attacked the lower US defensive position many times on subsequent nights, but all their attacks were driven off. After a month of almost constant battle the KPA gained and held possession of the crest of Battle Mountain. The defensive fires of the 24th Regiment and attached artillery, however, contained them there and they were unable to exploit the possession on the peak or attack further.
With Battle Mountain in their possession, the KPA set out to gain control of P'il-bong to the southeast. In the predawn hours of September 14 a force of 400 to 500 KPA attacked I and L Companies, 24th Infantry, on P'ilbong. Several attacks were repulsed, but because of men leaving their positions L Company's strength dwindled from 100 to 40 men. The remnant of L Company withdrew toward I Company's position on the crest of P'il-bong, only to find that this company under a relatively minor attack had left the hill. They could not hold P'il-bong with the handful of men remaining and it was also lost.
As soon as the heaviest attacks subsided against the 25th Division, Walker ordered it to release the 5th RCT on September 7 to move to other engagements along the Pusan Perimeter. The continuing fighting north of Taegu made it necessary to move reserves there. That evening the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 27th Infantry, moved from the Nam River battlefield to relieve the 5th RCT on the Masan front. 27th commander Colonel John H. Michaelis assumed command of the regimental zone at 15:00 on September 9. The 3rd Battalion, 27th Infantry, broke off its counterattacks on Battle Mountain that day, rejoined the regiment, and took its place in the southern end of the line on September 11. Meanwhile, the 5th RCT began moving to Samnangjin on the September 10. Upon arrival at Samnangjin, it passed to Eighth Army reserve.
At mid-September the UN were still engaged with KPA forces at nearly all points of the Pusan Perimeter. After two weeks of the heaviest fighting of the war they had just barely turned back the KPA Great Naktong Offensive on the main axes of the attack around the approaches to Masan.
### Inchon landing and Pusan breakout
The UN counterattack at Inchon collapsed the KPA line and forced them back on all fronts. On 16 September Eighth Army began its breakout from the Pusan perimeter, however, 25th Infantry Division was still fighting KPA forces behind its lines, and KPA strongpoints existed on the heights of Battle Mountain, P'il-bong, and Sobuk-san. Kean felt that the division could advance along the roads toward Chinju only when the mountainous center of the division front was clear. He therefore believed that the key to the advance of the 25th Division lay in its center where the KPA held the heights and kept the 24th Infantry Regiment under daily attack. The 27th Infantry on the left and the 35th Infantry on the right, astride the roads between Chinju and Masan held their positions and could not advance until the situation in front of the 24th Infantry improved.
To carry out his plan, Kean organized a composite battalion-sized task force on September 16 under command of Major Robert L. Woolfolk, commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, 35th Infantry, and ordered it to attack Battle Mountain and P'il-bong the next day, with the mission of restoring the 24th Infantry positions there. On September 17–18 the task force repeatedly attacked these heights, heavily supported by artillery fire from the 8th and 90th Field Artillery Battalions and by numerous air strikes, but KPA automatic fire from the heights drove back the assaulting troops every time with heavy casualties. Within one day, A Company, 27th Infantry, alone suffered 57 casualties. The 24th Infantry bogged down behind Battle Mountain. Woolfolk's force abandoned its effort to drive the KPA from the peaks after its failure on September 18, and the task group was dissolved the next day.
### North Korean withdrawal
On September 19 the UN discovered the KPA had abandoned of Battle Mountain during the night, and the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, moved up and occupied it. On the right, the 35th Infantry began moving forward. There was only light resistance until it reached the high ground in front of Chungam-ni where hidden KPA soldiers in spider holes shot at 1st Battalion soldiers from the rear. The next day the 1st Battalion captured Chungam-ni, and the 2nd Battalion captured the long ridge line running northwest from it to the Nam River. Meanwhile, the KPA still held strongly against the division left where the 27th Infantry had heavy fighting in trying to move forward.
The KPA withdrew from the Masan area the night of September 18–19. The KPA 7th Division withdrew from south of the Nam River while the 6th Division sideslipped elements to cover the entire front. Covered by the 6th Division, the 7th had crossed to the north side of the Nam River by the morning of September 19. Then the KPA 6th Division withdrew from its positions on Sobuk-san. The US units rapidly pursued them north, passing over the Battle Mountain positions, which were no longer of strategic importance.
## Aftermath
The US 5th RCT suffered 269 killed, 573 wounded and four missing during its battles at the Pusan Perimeter, most of these at Masan. The 24th Infantry suffered 267 killed, 796 wounded, one captured and two missing during its time at Pusan Perimeter, however these figures are split between the portions of the regiment which fought at Battle Mountain, which accounted for about 450 of those wounded and 150 of those killed, and those which fought in Haman after August 31. The 65th Engineer Battalion, supporting the 24th Infantry, suffered 27 killed, 75 wounded.
The KPA suffered heavily in the fight, and most became casualties in the attack. By mid-September, the KPA 7th Division was reduced to just 4,000 men, a loss of 6,000 from when it was committed to the perimeter. Only 2,000 from the KPA 6th Division returned to North Korea, a loss of 80 percent of its strength. Large groups of troops from the divisions were captured as they attempted to return to North Korea, including up to 3,000 soldiers. The attacking force of over 20,000 had been reduced to only 6,000 by the end of the fights at Masan.
Desertion had continued to be a problem for the 24th Infantry, a de facto segregated unit. Statistics compiled by the Eighth Army found the 25th Infantry Division had to detain 116 deserters from the 25th Infantry throughout August, compared to 15 from the 27th Infantry and 12 from the 35th Infantry. The regiment had already been criticized for its poor performance at the Battle of Sangju several weeks earlier. In late August, Kean began investigating the unit's behavior, and found its poor performance was starting to bring other units of the division down as well. Kean considered the regiment a weak link in the chain, and after its poor performance at the battles of Battle Mountain and Haman, he suggested to Walker that the regiment be disbanded and its troops used as replacements for other units in the field. Virtually all of the officers and enlisted men in the regiment were supportive of this idea, but Walker declined, feeling he could not afford to lose a regiment.
|
320,154 |
Willow ptarmigan
| 1,147,834,310 |
Species of bird
|
[
"Birds described in 1758",
"Grouse",
"Holarctic birds",
"Lagopus",
"Symbols of Alaska",
"Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus"
] |
The willow ptarmigan (/ˈtɑːrmɪɡən/) (Lagopus lagopus) is a bird in the grouse subfamily Tetraoninae of the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is also known as the willow grouse and in Ireland and Britain, where the subspecies L. l. scotica was previously considered to be a separate species, as the red grouse. It breeds in birch and other forests and moorlands in northern Europe, the tundra of Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska and Canada, in particular in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec. It is the state bird of Alaska. In the summer the birds are largely brown, with dappled plumage, but in the winter they are white with some black feathers in their tails (British populations do not adopt a winter plumage). The species has remained little changed from the bird that roamed the tundra during the Pleistocene. Nesting takes place in the spring when clutches of four to ten eggs are laid in a scrape on the ground. The chicks are precocial and soon leave the nest. While they are young, both parents play a part in caring for them. The chicks eat insects and young plant growth while the adults are completely herbivorous, eating leaves, flowers, buds, seeds and berries during the summer and largely subsisting on the buds and twigs of willow and other dwarf shrubs and trees during the winter.
## Description
The willow ptarmigan is a medium to large ground-dwelling bird and is the most numerous of the three species of ptarmigan. Males and females are about the same size, the adult length varying between 35 and 44 centimetres (14 and 17 in) with a wingspan ranging from 60 and 65 centimetres (24 and 26 in). The weight is 430 to 810 grams (15 to 29 oz). It is deep-chested and has a fairly long neck, a broad bill, short feathered legs and a moderately short rounded tail. In the summer, the male's plumage is marbled brown, with a reddish hue to the neck and breast, a black tail and white wings and underparts. It has a red semicircular comb above each eye, which become red and prominent in the breeding season. The female is similar in appearance but with much smaller eye combs and has brown feathers scattered among the white feathers on her belly. During winter, the body plumage and two central tail feathers of both sexes becomes completely white, except for the black outer rectrices. Their wing feathers remain white all year round. Immature birds resemble the adults.
The willow ptarmigan can be distinguished from the closely related rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) by its larger size and thicker bill and by the fact that it is not generally found above the tree line while the rock ptarmigan prefers more elevated, barren habitat. The summer plumage is browner and in the winter, the male willow ptarmigan lacks the rock ptarmigan's black stripe between the eyes and bill. The white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura) in North America is smaller, has a white tail and finely-barred greyer plumage and lives permanently above the tree line. The distinctive British Isles subspecies L. l. scoticus (red grouse) was once considered a separate true British species but is now classified as a sub-species. This moorland bird is reddish brown all over, except for its white feet.
The voice is low-pitched and guttural and includes chuckles, repeated clucking sounds, and expostulations. When displaying, the male makes rattles and barking noises.
## Taxonomy and systematics
The willow ptarmigan's scientific name, Lagopus lagopus is derived from Ancient Greek lagos (λαγως) 'hare' + pous (πους) 'foot', in reference to the bird's feathered feet which allow it to negotiate frozen ground.
### Subspecies
The willow ptarmigan has 16 recognized subspecies. Most differ little in appearance, though the red grouse (L. l. scoticus) is rather distinct. The taxonomy is confused, partly because of the complicated changes in plumage several times a year and the differing color and pattern of the summer plumage:
- L. l. alascensis (Swarth, 1926) - Alaska
- L. l. alba (Gmelin & JF, 1789) - Northern Canada
- L. l. alexandrae (Grinnell, 1909) - Alaska and British Columbia
- L. l. alleni (Stejneger, 1884) - Newfoundland
- L. l. brevirostris (Hesse, 1912) - Altai Mountains and Sayan Mountains
- L. l. koreni (Thayer & Bangs, 1914) - Siberia to Kamchatka peninsula
- L. l. kozlowae (Portenko, 1931) - northern Mongolia and southern Siberia
- L. l. lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Scandinavia, Finland, and northern Russia
- L. l. leucoptera (Taverner, 1932) - Northernmost Canada and its Arctic islands
- L. l. maior (Lorenz T, 1904) - north Kazakhstan and southwest Siberia
- L. l. okadai (Momiyama, 1928) - Sakhalin Island
- L. l. rossica (Serebrovski, 1926) - Baltic states and central Russia
- L. l. scotica (Latham, 1787) - Britain and Ireland
- L. l. sserebrowsky (Domaniewski, 1933) - Northeastern Mongolia to southeast Siberia and northeastern China
- L. l. ungavus (Riley, 1911) - Northeastern Canada
- L. l. variegata (Salomonsen, 1936) - Trondheim, Norway
The willow ptarmigan often hybridises with the black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) and the hazel grouse (Tetrastes bonasia) and occasionally with the western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), the spruce grouse (Falcipennis canadensis) and the rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta).
During the Pleistocene, the willow ptarmigan widely occurred in continental Europe. Authors who recognize paleosubspecies have named the Pleistocene willow ptarmigan L. l. noaillensis (though the older name medius might be the correct one). These marginally different birds are said to have gradually changed from the earlier (Pliocene) Lagopus atavus into the present-day species L. lagopus. Pleistocene willow ptarmigan are recorded from diverse sites until the end of the Vistulian glaciation about 10,000 years ago, when the species, by then all but identical with the living birds, retreated northwards with its tundra habitat.
## Distribution and habitat
The willow ptarmigan has a circum-boreal distribution. It is native to Canada and the United States, China, Mongolia, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, the United Kingdom and Ireland. It primarily occupies subalpine and subarctic habitats such as sparse pine and birch forests, thickets with willow and alder trees, heather moors, tundra and mountain slopes. In the winter, females and sub-adults may move to lower altitudes and seek shelter in valleys or in more densely vegetated areas, but adult males usually remain in the subalpine region. The red grouse is common on heather-clad moorland across the north and west of Great Britain and in localised areas of Ireland.
## Diet
The willow ptarmigan has a varied and seasonal diet. The bird is herbivorous for most of its life and subsists on various plant materials. As juveniles, they may feed on insects due to an inability to digest plant material caused by underdeveloped cecums. In the summer, their diet is highly varied and may consist of berries, flowers, leaves, twigs and seeds.
In Alaska, the main dietary item of the adults at all times of year is willows such as the Alaska willow Salix alaxensis, with leaves being eaten in summer and buds, twigs and catkins supplying the birds' main nutritional needs in winter and early spring. In the early twenty-first century, there has been an increase in shrub expansion in arctic Alaska that is thought to be greatly affecting the willow ptarmigan's winter diet. Because of the way they browse, Ptarmigan help shape the landscape of the area. After heavy snowfalls, the birds cannot access the shorter shrubs as they are blanketed with snow, so they will eat the taller species that poke through. In one study it was found that 90% of the buds of the Alaska willow within their reach had been browsed. This will stunt the willows and create a feedback cycle extending through the entire ecosystem. However, in winters with below average snowfall, the browsing of Ptarmigans will not have such a drastic effect as their feeding will be spread out across a range of lower plant species. It is also believed that the greening of parts of the Arctic is affecting Willow Ptarmigan populations by altering the shape and size of the shrubs they are able to feed on.
## Behavior
Male willow ptarmigans are territorial birds. Males arrive in the breeding areas and set up territories in April and May, aggressively defending them against male interlopers. When the females arrive a few weeks later, the male performs courtship displays such as aerial manoeuvres, strutting and tail-fanning. When she has chosen a mate and a nesting site, the female lays a clutch of six to ten eggs in a shallow depression on the ground. The nest site is usually in a hidden location at the edge of a clearing.
A small minority of male willow ptarmigan are polygynous but most are monogamous. They are assiduous at guarding both nest and mate, particularly early in the incubation period and when the eggs are nearly ready to hatch. During this time, the greatest danger may be from conspecifics. Although adult willow ptarmigans are herbivores, the newly hatched young also feed on insects. In most other species of grouse, only the female takes care of the young, but the male willow ptarmigan also helps with feeding the brood and protecting them. He may take over completely if the female dies. In particular, the male defends the young from predators and both he and his mate can dive-bomb intruders or lure attackers away by pretending to have a broken wing. Nevertheless, the chicks face many dangers which range from attacks by foxes or birds of prey, getting separated from the rest of the brood, bad weather and coccidiosis. Fewer than 35% of chicks survive to eleven months and only a minority of these reach maturity. Despite this, in favourable seasons, many juveniles may survive and the population of willow ptarmigan is prone to wide fluctuations in size. By September, families begin to form flocks. The females and young migrate to lower altitudes and may overwinter 100 miles (160 km) from their breeding grounds in wooded valleys and hilly country. The males also congregate in small groups but do not usually travel as far as the females.
## Cold adaptations
The willow ptarmigan has several behavioral and physiological adaptations that help it survive the long Arctic winter, such as large pectoral muscles that aid in the process of shivering. Researchers have found that these pectoral muscles grow quickly during the first few days of the ptarmigan’s life, meaning that the ptarmigan chicks go from having no thermoregulatory ability at hatch to being able to maintain their normal body temperature for hours at 10 °C when they are two weeks old. The rapid increase in pectoralis size is caused by increases in muscle fiber diameters (hypertrophy), and cold exposure is not necessary for this muscle development to occur. Ptarmigan also have thick plumage with feather barbules that contain air-filled cavities, contributing to a low heat loss, which aids in thermoregulation while the bird is roosting in burrows in the snow. Ptarmigan can withstand the severe cold because the ambient temperature in the sheltered microclimate of their snow burrows typically exceeds their lower critical temperature.
## Status
Widespread and not uncommon in its remote habitat, the willow ptarmigan is classified as a species of "Least Concern" by the IUCN. This is because, even if, as is suspected, numbers are declining slightly, it has a very wide range with a total population estimated at forty million individuals.
## Title bird
The willow ptarmigan was adopted as the state bird of Alaska in 1955. It is also the regional bird of Southern Lapland.
## See also
- Chicken, Alaska was originally going to be named "ptarmigan" in 1902, but town founders could not agree on how to spell it.
|
47,572,053 |
United States v. Drayton
| 1,152,327,667 | null |
[
"2002 in United States case law",
"Greyhound Lines",
"History of Tallahassee, Florida",
"United States Fourth Amendment case law",
"United States Supreme Court cases",
"United States Supreme Court cases of the Rehnquist Court"
] |
United States v. Drayton, 536 U.S. 194 (2002), was a case in which the United States Supreme Court clarified the applicability of Fourth Amendment protections to searches and seizures that occur on buses, as well as the function of consent during searches by law enforcement. During a scheduled stop in Tallahassee, Florida, police officers boarded a Greyhound bus as part of a drug interdiction effort and interviewed passengers. After talking to two of the passengers and asking if they could "check [their] person", officers discovered the two passengers had taped several packages of cocaine to their legs. At trial, the passengers argued that officers violated their Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures because the police engaged in coercive behavior and never informed them that their participation in the drug interdiction efforts was voluntary.
Writing for a majority of the Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy held officers need not personally advise passengers of their right to refuse consent to a search on a bus. Furthermore, Justice Kennedy ruled that the search was not unreasonable because passengers were free to leave the bus and the individuals who were searched provided voluntary consent. Although some commentators have praised the Court's ruling for encouraging citizens "to stand up for their rights", others have criticized it for failing to reflect the realities of "real-life confrontations occurring on the street" between citizens and law enforcement.
## Background
### Fourth Amendment guidelines for arrests and temporary detentions
The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution applies to both arrests and temporary detentions of criminal suspects, both of which have been defined by the Supreme Court of the United States as "seizures" of a person. Before conducting an arrest, an officer must demonstrate probable cause that a suspect has engaged in criminal activity. However, police officers may also conduct temporary detentions when officers have reasonable, articulable suspicion that "criminal activity may be afoot". These temporary detentions are also known as Terry stops, which take their name from the Supreme Court's ruling in Terry v. Ohio. The level of suspicion that is required to conduct a temporary detention is lower than is necessary for probable cause and is “considerably less than proof of wrongdoing by a preponderance of the evidence”; however officers cannot rely upon a mere "hunch".
### The Fourth Amendment Consent to Search Doctrine
Although the Fourth Amendment generally prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures, the Supreme Court of the United States has clarified that searches and seizures are not unreasonable when citizens consent to them. Scholars have traced the origins of the Consent to Search Doctrine as far back as the 1920s, but it was not until the 1970s that the Court clarified that searches are reasonable if, under a "totality of the circumstances", the search is "voluntary". Courts generally look to whether officers believed, at the time of the search, the individual being searched provided voluntary consent. Officers may also rely on the consent of someone who reasonably appears to have authority to consent to a police search, even if that person actually has no such authority. However, if officers obtain consent after engaging in an unconstitutional seizure, the consent is considered "tainted" and evidence obtained from such a search cannot be admitted during a subsequent criminal prosecution.
In Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, the United States Supreme Court established a framework for determining whether a suspect's consent is voluntary. The Court noted that historically, when "determining whether a defendant's will was overborne in a particular case, the Court has assessed the totality of all the surrounding circumstances—both the characteristics of the accused and the details of the interrogation". Consequently, the Court held that voluntariness should be determined "from the totality of all the circumstances". The Court also clarified that judges should examine the "possibly vulnerable subjective state of the person who consents" to determine whether a suspect was coerced into consenting, and "account must be taken of subtly coercive police questions". However, the Court also held that suspects may still give valid consent even if they do not know that they can refuse to consent to the search.
### Fourth Amendment searches and seizures on buses
The United States Supreme Court first clarified the applicability of the Fourth Amendment to searches and seizures on buses in the 1991 case Florida v. Bostick, where the Court held that police officers may approach bus passengers on a random basis and ask questions and request their consent to searches, "provided a reasonable person would understand that he or she is free to refuse". The Court rejected the argument that police questioning on board a bus constitutes a per se seizure under the Fourth Amendment, and instead held that courts should use a "totality of the circumstances" test to determine whether a passenger would have felt "free to decline the officers' requests or otherwise terminate the encounter", or whether a passenger was free "to ignore the police presence and go about his business". Additionally, the Court ruled that even if law enforcement officers have no basis for suspecting individuals are engaged in criminal activity, officers may still approach passengers, ask them questions, request identification, and request consent to search luggage, so long as officers do not coerce passengers to cooperate with their efforts.
## Arrest and trial of Christopher Drayton and Clifton Brown, Jr.
On February 4, 1999, Christopher Drayton and Clifton Brown, Jr. were traveling on a Greyhound bus bound for Detroit, Michigan. When the bus made a planned stop in Tallahassee, Florida, passengers were told to get off the bus so it could be cleaned and refueled. After the passengers re-boarded, the driver allowed Officers Blackburn, Hoover, and Lang of the Tallahassee Police Department to enter the bus "as part of a routine drug and weapons interdiction effort". Although the officers displayed visible badges, they carried concealed weapons and were not in uniform. Upon entering the bus, Officer Hoover knelt on the driver's seat, Officer Blackburn stood at the back of the bus, and Officer Lang walked along the aisle of the bus to talk to passengers. He asked passengers which luggage was theirs and where they were going. None of the officers blocked the aisle or otherwise obstructed the exit, and passengers were free to leave while the officers conducted their investigation. However, the officers did not inform passengers of their right to refuse to cooperate with the investigation.
Drayton and Brown sat next to each other on the bus, Drayton by the aisle and Brown by the window. When Officer Lang arrived at their row, he identified himself as a police investigator and showed his badge. In a voice "just loud enough" to hear, he said he was a police officer "conducting bus interdiction [sic], attempting to deter drugs and illegal weapons being transported on the bus". When Lang asked Drayton and Brown if they had any luggage on the bus, they both pointed to the same green bag on the overhead luggage rack. Lang asked, "[d]o you mind if I check it?", and Brown replied, "[g]o ahead". The officers inspected the bag and discovered no contraband inside.
Officer Lang observed that Drayton and Brown were wearing "heavy jackets and baggy pants", despite warm weather that day. Lang suspected Brown and Drayton might have been using their baggy clothing to conceal weapons or drugs, so he asked Brown, "[d]o you mind if I check your person?" Brown responded, "[s]ure", leaned up in his seat, removed a cellular phone from his pocket, and opened his jacket. Lang patted down the outside of his clothing and felt small packages "similar to drug packages detected on other occasions". Officer Lang then arrested Brown, handcuffed him, and Officer Hoover walked him off the bus. Lang then asked Drayton, "[m]ind if I check you?", to which Drayton responded "by lifting his hands about eight inches from his legs". Lang detected similar objects during a pat down of Drayton's legs, placed him under arrest, and escorted him off the bus. A further search determined that Brown had duct-taped three bundles containing 483 grams of cocaine between several layers of boxer shorts, and Drayton had duct-taped two bundles between several layers of boxer shorts containing 295 grams of cocaine.
### Trial in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
Drayton and Brown were charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846. At trial, Drayton and Brown filed a motion to suppress the cocaine on the grounds that their consent to the search of their clothing was invalid. The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida denied their motion, finding that "the police conduct was not coercive and respondents' consent to the search was voluntary". The District Court found that officers did not block the exit of the bus, and it was "obvious" that Drayton and Brown were free to leave the bus. Consequently, the District Court concluded that the encounter was "cooperative", and there was "nothing coercive" or "confrontational" about the encounter.
### Appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed the decision of the District Court, holding that the cocaine should have been suppressed and that Drayton and Brown's convictions should be reversed. The Eleventh Circuit stated that its holding was compelled by circuit precedent, which held that bus passengers do not feel free to decline police officers' requests to search without "some positive indication that consent could have been refused". Applying circuit precedent to the facts of the case, the Eleventh Circuit concluded that Drayton and Brown were not aware that they could have refused the search, and the evidence discovered through the pat down must be excluded at trial. The Eleventh Circuit emphasized that officers gave no reassurances that passengers were free to leave, and the fact that an officer stood next to the exit "might make a reasonable person feel less free to leave the bus". On January 4, 2002, the Supreme Court of the United States granted certiorari to review the decision of the Eleventh Circuit.
## Opinion of the Court
Writing for a majority of the Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy held that Drayton and Brown were not seized and their consent to the search was voluntary. He explained that "[l]aw enforcement officers do not violate the Fourth Amendment's prohibition of unreasonable seizures merely by approaching individuals on the street or in other public places and putting questions to them if they are willing to listen". Additionally, Justice Kennedy emphasized that "[i]f a reasonable person would feel free to terminate the encounter, then he or she has not been seized". Citing the Court's analytic framework established in Florida v. Bostick, Justice Kennedy concluded that a reasonable person would have felt free to "leav[e] the bus or otherwise terminat[e] the encounter". Justice Kennedy noted that the officers did not brandish weapons, they did not make "intimidating movements", they left the aisle clear, and they "spoke to passengers one by one and in a polite, quiet voice". He noted that "[i]t is beyond question that had this encounter occurred on the street, it would be constitutional", and the fact that the encounter occurred on a bus does not make it illegal.
Justice Kennedy rejected Drayton's argument that officers coerced passengers by showing their badges, noting that the sight of police officers should be a "cause for assurance, not discomfort". Likewise, he rejected the argument that placing an officer near the door of the bus constituted a seizure, because the officer "did nothing to intimidate passengers" and "left the aisle clear". Justice Kennedy also held that the nature of the encounter did not change after Brown was arrested, because "[t]he arrest of one person does not mean that everyone around him has been seized by police". Rather, witnessing Brown's arrest "should have put Drayton on notice of the consequences of continuing the encounter by answering the officers' questions".
Furthermore, Justice Kennedy held the searches were not unreasonable because both Drayton and Brown voluntarily consented to the suspicionless search. He noted that police officers need not inform citizens of their right to refuse when conducting a search and that the Court has traditionally applied a "totality of the circumstances" test when determining whether a search is "unreasonable". Because officers requested consent to search Drayton and Brown, Justice Kennedy concluded the search was consensual and voluntary. Justice Kennedy also mentioned in dicta that, absent consent, officers likely had reasonable suspicion to conduct a Terry stop. Consequently, Justice Kennedy ordered the case to be remanded to Eleventh Circuit for reconsideration in light of the Supreme Court's decision.
### Dissenting opinion of Justice Souter
Justice David Souter wrote a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the cocaine should have been suppressed because Drayton and Brown would not have felt free to leave the bus and they likely were not aware that they could have refused consent to the search. He noted that "[t]he commonplace precautions of air travel have not, thus far, been justified for ground transportation" and that "no such conditions have been placed on passengers getting on trains or buses". Additionally, Justice Souter argued that police officers "exercise power free from immediate check, and when the attention of several officers is brought to bear on one civilian the imbalance of immediate power is unmistakable". He argued that this imbalance of power may rise to a "threatening" level, which "may overbear a normal person's ability to act freely, even in the absence of explicit commands or the formalities of detention".
After analyzing the encounter between Drayton, Brown, and the police, Justice Souter concluded that the interdiction "was not a consensual exercise". He argued that the manner in which the police conducted the interdiction created an "atmosphere of obligatory participation". He concluded that Drayton and Brown were "pinned-in by the officers", and that "it was reasonable to suppose no passenger would tend to his own business until the officers were ready to let him". Consequently, Justice Souter concluded that officers engaged in "threatening" behavior that constituted an unreasonable, non-consensual search and seizure.
## Subsequent developments
On remand, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued a per curiam opinion affirming Drayton and Brown's convictions. Five years after issuing its opinion in Drayton, the Supreme Court of the United States offered further clarification of the meaning of "coercion" in Brendlin v. California. Writing for a unanimous Court, Justice Souter cited Bostick and Drayton to hold that coercion should be judged according to the experiences of a "reasonable person" in the situation. He wrote, "when a person has no desire to leave for reasons unrelated to the police presence, the coercive effect of the encounter can be measured better by asking whether a reasonable person would feel free to decline the officers’ requests or otherwise terminate the encounter".
### Interpretation by Circuit Courts of Appeals
Some Circuit Courts have applied the Court's ruling in Drayton to hold that citizens are not coerced when police officers approach individuals on the street and ask them questions. The District of Columbia Circuit, for example, wrote that "while the passengers in Drayton were questioned while inside a bus with an officer positioned near the exit ... the street encounter [posed] no physical impediment to [the suspect]’s freedom to walk away". However, the Seventh Circuit has held that according to the Supreme Court's ruling in Drayton, a suspect was unlawfully detained when police approached him in a dark alley and asked him questions. The Seventh Circuit described the encounter as "coercive" and distinguished it from the events that transpired in Drayton because "[a]lleys are distinguishable from the sorts of open, populated spaces in which police questioning is typically deemed consensual". The court noted that "'a reasonable person may feel ... more secure in his or her decision not to cooperate with police on a bus than in other circumstances' because 'many fellow passengers are present [on a bus] to witness officers’ conduct'".
## Analysis and commentary
In the years following the Court's ruling in Drayton, scholars have offered a range of opinions about the case's impact and significance. Some analysts have suggested that Drayton reflects a concern among members of the Court for "ensuring that individuals retain the power to stand up for their rights". However, other scholars, such as Tracey Maclin, argue that Justice Kennedy improperly assumed that citizens will always feel free to refuse consent, and that many citizens cooperate with the police because of "fear of police reprisal if they don't". Criminal law scholar Janice Nadler commented that Justice Kennedy's conclusions were products of "intuitive reflections on [his and the other Justices'] own experience and about the imagined experience of other citizens". Additionally, Ric Simmons criticized the Court's ruling for failing to reflect the realities of "real-life confrontations occurring on the street" between citizens and law enforcement. Other scholars, such as Thomas W. Hughes and Joshua Fitch, argued that the Court's decision in Drayton would impact the balance between individual liberties and heightened national security interests in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
Jeremy R. Jehangiri criticized the Court's ruling for failing to account for psychological pressures inherent in the "perceived legitimacy of the [police's] authority". Jehangiri argued that police should be required to inform citizens that consent is voluntary, and that this kind of "prophylactic warning would serve as a natural corollary to a Miranda warning mandated by the Fifth Amendment". Likewise, Marissa Reich also argued that passengers feel significant "psychological pressures" to cooperate with police searches on buses, and police should therefore warn passengers that consent is voluntary. Joshua Fitch also criticized the Court for ignoring the impact of "racial disparagement" with respect to an individual's ability to walk away from encounters with police. He argued that "[g]iven the historical treatment of black males by members of law enforcement, it is entirely possible that Drayton and Brown feared refusing the officers' requests because they feared violent consequences". Fitch also argued that police should provide warnings similar to Miranda warnings that "inform citizens of their right to refuse consent", and that decisions like Drayton "consistently [endorse] rules that require citizens to fend for themselves when it comes to constitutional rights".
===Departure from Bustamonte*'s subjective framework=== Scholars have observed that Justice Kennedy's majority opinion "embraced Bustamonte's premise that when police request consent to search, the request itself carries the implication that an alternative of refusal exists". Other scholars, such as Ric Simmons, have noted that Drayton reflects "the Court at the midpoint of this evolution, moving from a subjective binary test that focuses on whether or not the subject acted voluntarily, to a more nuanced objective test that focuses on the amount of compulsion used by the law enforcement officer". Additionally, Matthew Phillips wrote that Drayton* "illustrates the metamorphosis of the totality-of-the-circumstances test into a purely objective test" because Justice Kennedy's opinion "did not explicitly consider any subjective factors" with respect to whether Drayton and Brown felt they could deny consent when questioned by the police. Phillips suggested that the decision to abandon subjective factors could lead to "bizarre results" in cases, like this, where "circumstances of the search indicate at least some level of coercion".
## See also
- List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 536
- List of United States Supreme Court cases
- Lists of United States Supreme Court cases by volume
- List of United States Supreme Court cases by the Rehnquist Court
|
50,891,004 |
Laura Harrier
| 1,172,463,157 |
American actress and model (born 1990)
|
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"1990 births",
"21st-century African-American people",
"21st-century African-American women",
"21st-century American actresses",
"Actresses from Chicago",
"Actresses from Evanston, Illinois",
"African-American actresses",
"African-American models",
"American child models",
"American female models",
"American film actresses",
"American people of English descent",
"American people of Polish descent",
"American soap opera actresses",
"American television actresses",
"Evanston Township High School alumni",
"Female models from Illinois",
"Good articles",
"IMG Models models",
"Living people",
"Models from Chicago"
] |
Laura Ruth Harrier (born March 28, 1990) is an American actress and model. She began modeling at the age of 17 after she was discovered by a location scout. She moved to New York City where she continued modeling and was represented by agencies such as IMG Models and Wilhelmina Models. She modeled for various mainstream magazines, appeared in campaigns for Urban Outfitters, Macy's and Steve Madden, and was the face of Garnier. After appearing in several commercials and student films, Harrier decided to pursue acting and studied at the William Esper Studio. She was first recognized for her role as Destiny Evans in the 2013 one-season reboot of the American soap opera One Life to Live.
Harrier's role as Peter Parker's love interest Liz Allan in Spider-Man: Homecoming brought her international attention in 2017. She gained further recognition for portraying civil rights activist Patrice Dumas in BlacKkKlansman (2018), receiving a Black Reel Award nomination. She starred as an art student in the independent drama film Balance, Not Symmetry in 2019. In 2020, she received further attention for starring as Camille Washington in the Netflix miniseries Hollywood.
Harrier is an ambassador for Louis Vuitton, and has modeled for other luxury brands like Bulgari, Calvin Klein, and Boss. She is outspoken about issues relating to civil rights and equality, frequently using her social media to raise awareness.
## Early life
Laura Ruth Harrier was born on March 28, 1990, in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in Evanston, Illinois. Her father, Temujin Harrier, is African American and her mother, Linda (née Sagan), is of Polish and English descent. Her father works in insurance and her mother is a speech pathologist. She has one younger brother, William. Her great-grandfather, through her maternal grandmother, Margaret Pickett Sagan, was J. Waskom Pickett, a notable minister, missionary, and philanthropist. As a child, she had a speech impediment until three years old, which her mother cured. Harrier was shy, so her mother put her in acting classes to gain more confidence. She attended Evanston Township High School, where she took some drama classes and played sports. While in high school, she became particularly interested in fashion and was voted best dressed. She began modeling at the age of 17 after being discovered by her mother's friend, a location scout.
After graduating high school in 2008, Harrier moved to New York City to study art history at the New York University Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Upon arrival, Harrier chose to defer enrollment to continue a career in modeling. Throughout her modeling career she was represented by several prestigious agencies including IMG Models, Wilhelmina Models, and Elite Model Management. Harrier modeled for magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Glamour. Additionally, she modeled for campaigns with companies such as Urban Outfitters, Macy's, American Eagle, Target, ALDO, Steve Madden, and L'Oréal. She was the face for Garnier for a time and appeared in one of their national commercials. She eventually found modeling to be unfulfilling and pursued acting after appearing in commercials and student films. Harrier studied acting in the two-year program the William Esper Studio, graduating in 2015. After graduating, she thought she would be doing "weird, Off Broadway theater".
## Career
### 2013–2017: Acting debut and breakthrough
While studying at the William Esper Studio, her first acting job was the main role of Destiny Evans in the only season of the web series reboot of the American soap opera One Life to Live (2013). The role was originated by actress Shenell Edmonds, who was offered the opportunity to reprise it in the reboot but declined; Harrier took over the role after auditioning. Errol Lewis from the Soap Opera Network wrote that Harrier "[has] nicely taken on the life of [her character]" and "the chemistry between [her and her on-screen boyfriend] is instantly there while leaving you wanting more".
Harrier next guest starred as Amber in the television series Unforgettable (2014), and made her film debut in The Last Five Years (2014) as a young woman who has an affair with Jamie, Jeremy Jordan's character. She was cast in the AMC pilot Galyntine (2014), opposite Alycia Debnam-Carey, which was filmed but not taken to series. In 2015, she appeared in the film 4th Man Out, and in her last year at William Esper she was cast in Codes of Conduct, an HBO miniseries pilot created by Steve McQueen. Harrier considers this pilot to be her "first real job". The pilot was filmed but the series was canceled and never aired.
Harrier starred alongside Rowan Blanchard and Mahershala Ali in The Realest Real, a campaign film directed by Carrie Brownstein for luxury French fashion brand Kenzo in 2016. She also modeled for various campaigns for brands including Calvin Klein and Louis Vuitton, and became an ambassador for the latter and luxury Italian jewelry brand Bulgari.
In 2016, she also booked the role of Peter Parker's love interest Liz Allan in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). She did two auditions and then a screen test with Tom Holland before getting the role six weeks later. Her character was loosely based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, and Harrier was given the creative freedom to create a modern version of the character. Spider-Man: Homecoming was Harrier's first blockbuster film, a box office success grossing over \$880 million worldwide and receiving generally positive reviews. The film brought Harrier greater celebrity, while her performance was met with mixed reviews; some critics praised her for avoiding the damsel in distress trope and breaking barriers as the first love interest of color, and others were disappointed in her character's development and lack of screen time. In a negative review, Dana Schwartz of Marie Claire said, "Liz is always reactionary; she doesn't do anything ... [she] could literally be replaced by an object and ... the movie wouldn't change at all." Jim Vejvoda from IGN said "Harrier nicely plays against expectations". Mark Hughes wrote for Forbes that Harrier is a "welcome change to the usual romantic interests in superhero film" and plays Liz as a "likable, sympathetic, type-A person".
In June 2017, it was announced that Harrier would be portraying Millie Montag in Fahrenheit 451, HBO's film adaptation of the 1953 novel of the same name, opposite Michael B. Jordan; however, her scenes were later removed by the director, who decided the character did not fit with the storyline and wanted to shorten the film's runtime.
### 2018–present: BlacKkKlansman and Hollywood
Harrier co-starred as Patrice Dumas, a civil rights activist, in the film BlacKkKlansman (2018) opposite John David Washington, Adam Driver, and Topher Grace. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2018, where it won the Grand Prix, and was theatrically released in August 2018. The director, Spike Lee, handpicked Harrier after seeing an audition tape she had done for another project. In preparation for the role, Harrier met with activist Kathleen Cleaver and other women who were in the Black Power movement; studied Angela Davis; and contacted people who were in the Black Student Union at Colorado College during the 1970s. She also spoke with her father, who dealt with racism while living in South Side, and as the only black student at his boarding school in Michigan; his ancestors were slaves. Harrier also attended several of Lee's classes at New York University where he is a film professor. For her performance, Harrier received positive reviews, and was nominated for a Black Reel Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
In 2019, director Jamie Adams offered Harrier the lead role in his film Balance, Not Symmetry; she accepted the part due to the project being mostly improvised and being good friends with Bria Vinaite, her co-star in the film. She plays Caitlyn Walker, an art student at the Glasgow School of Art, who is struggling with the recent death of her father. The film was a critical failure. Cath Clarke of The Guardian thought Harrier gave a "blank performance".
She starred in the Netflix miniseries Hollywood (2020) by Ryan Murphy as Camille Washington, an up-and-coming black actress facing prejudice during the Hollywood Golden Age in the post-World War II era. Harrier primarily drew inspiration for her role from actress Dorothy Dandridge, and to a lesser extent from singer and actress Lena Horne. To prepare for the Academy Award scene, Harrier studied Halle Berry's acceptance speech at the 74th Academy Awards. The series and Harrier's performance received mixed reviews, and some critics compared her performance unfavorably to her work in BlacKkKlansman. Darren Franich and Kristen Baldwin from Entertainment Weekly thought she was "so charismatic in BlacKkKlansman", but remarked "there’s no sign of that fire here". The Hollywood Reporter'''s Daniel Fienberg noted she "looks the part", but believed Camille was underdeveloped. Gabriel Tate from the i newspaper gave a positive review, regarding her "heartbreakingly convincing". In July 2020, Harrier played a young woman going through a breakup in the music video for "What's Love Got to Do with It", the remix version by Kygo of the original Tina Turner song. Harrier was cast in Finch (2021) with Tom Hanks, but her role was cut from the film; she was also cast in The Starling (2021) alongside Melissa McCarthy.
In 2022, Harrier appeared in the Hulu biographical miniseries Mike, based on the life of American boxer Mike Tyson. She lent her voice to the Netflix animated musical special Entergalactic, created by American rapper Kid Cudi as a visual companion to his album of the same name. In May 2022, Harrier was cast in a remake of Ron Shelton's 1992 film White Men Can't Jump'' for 20th Century Studios, which was released on May 13, 2023.
## Personal life
Harrier has been a vegetarian since she was eight years old. After graduating high school, Harrier moved to New York City in 2008, relocating to Los Angeles in 2019; she has said that she made the move to advance her career. Harrier is also a patron of the arts and exhibitions and collects art that decorates her home.
Harrier is a supporter of civil rights and advocates for issues such as intersectional feminism, transgender rights, gun control, gender equality, and representation for both Black people and people of color in general. She frequently uses her Instagram to call out injustices and has voiced support for Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union. She was also one of the celebrity signatories for the Time's Up movement, and donated \$1,000 to support the cause.
Harrier was in a relationship with American basketball player Klay Thompson from 2018 to early 2020.
## Filmography
### Film
### Television
## Awards and nominations
|
70,591,633 |
200 Madison Avenue
| 1,164,745,436 |
Office building in Manhattan, New York
|
[
"1926 establishments in New York City",
"Madison Avenue",
"Midtown Manhattan",
"Murray Hill, Manhattan",
"New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan",
"New York City interior landmarks",
"Office buildings completed in 1926",
"Office buildings in Manhattan"
] |
200 Madison Avenue (also known as the Marshall Field Building, Astor Estate Building, International Combustion Building, and Tower Building) is a 25-story office building in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is along the west side of Madison Avenue between 35th and 36th Streets. Designed by Warren and Wetmore, it was built from 1925 to 1926.
200 Madison Avenue's facade is largely made of red brick with limestone trim, as well as window spandrels made of terracotta and cast iron. The ground story is made of limestone and contains entrances from Madison Avenue, 35th Street, and 36th Street. The building contains a setback above its ninth story. The "T"-shaped lobby is designed in a neo-Renaissance style, with a north–south arcade connecting 35th and 36th Streets, as well as an elevator lobby extending toward Madison Avenue. The lobby's ornate interior contains gilded decorations and various animal motifs. Due to zoning restrictions on the eastern part of the site, the lower stories originally served as an apartment hotel, while the smaller upper stories contained offices.
Since the 1910s, the Astor family had wanted to develop a commercial building on the site, but the plans were delayed for a decade due to opposition from J. P. Morgan Jr. and other local residents. 200 Madison Avenue was developed by a syndicate that included Texas entrepreneur Jesse H. Jones. The building was originally known for its largest tenants, Marshall Field and Company and International Combustion. The apartment hotel initially occupied the second through ninth floors, but it was unprofitable, closed in 1939, and was turned into office space, with tenants such as Amtorg Trading Corporation. The building was sold several times in the 20th century, including to a group representing Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos during the 1980s. George V. Comfort and the Loeb Realty and Development Corporation acquired 200 Madison Avenue in the 1990s, and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building's lobby as an official landmark in 2021.
## Site
200 Madison Avenue occupies the eastern half of a city block in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, bounded by 35th Street on the south, Madison Avenue on the east, and 36th Street on the north; the city block extends westward to Fifth Avenue. The building's land lot has a total area of 40,981 sq ft (3,807.3 m<sup>2</sup>); it measures 197.5 ft (60.2 m) from north to south and 220 ft (67 m) from west to east. The building occupies nearly its entire lot, with a frontage of 194 ft (59 m) on Madison Avenue, 196 ft (60 m) on 35th Street, and 220 feet on 36th Street.
200 Madison Avenue is close to the B. Altman and Company Building to the south, the Collectors Club of New York to the southeast, the Church of the Incarnation to the east, and the Morgan Library & Museum. In addition, the Gorham Building at 390 Fifth Avenue, the Tiffany and Company Building at 401 Fifth Avenue, and the Stewart & Company Building at 404 Fifth Avenue are each less than a block away to the west.
## Architecture
The building was designed by Warren and Wetmore. It is 25 stories tall, measuring 374 ft (114 m) to its roof and 385 ft (117 m) to its pinnacle.
### Form and facade
The exterior of the building contains a granite water table. Above that, the first story is clad with limestone. On both 35th and 36th Streets, the entrances are within recessed openings and contain five brass doors each. The 35th Street entrance is also topped by a transom window.
The upper stories contain a facade of red brick with limestone trim. The Madison Avenue elevation of the facade is made almost entirely of brick, except at several places where there is limestone trim. On the 35th and 36th Street elevations, only the outermost bays of windows are made of brick. The remaining bays are separated horizontally by brick piers; within each bay, the windows on different floors are separated horizontally by black spandrels. The spandrels on the second and third stories are made of ornamental ironwork, splitting each bay into multi-part windows. The spandrels on higher stories are made of dull black terracotta and divide each bay into three windows.
There is a setback on the eastern elevation above the ninth story, measuring 45 ft (14 m) deep. Behind this setback, the building tapers into a narrower tower. This is because the eastern portion of the site was formerly zoned to allow only residential use, while the western portion could also accommodate commercial use. To comply with the zoning restrictions, the offices were above the ninth story, as the upper floors occupied only the western part of the site. The lowest nine stories (which occupied the whole site) were originally an apartment hotel. The northern and southern elevations contain a setback above the eleventh or twelfth story. The restriction on the Madison Avenue portion of the site expired in 1940.
### Interior
Originally, the building had 600,000 sq ft (56,000 m<sup>2</sup>) of rentable space, making it the sixth-largest office building in the United States. At the extreme end of the 36th Street frontage is a pair of driveways, connecting to a loading dock with two freight elevators. An interior loading dock was uncommon in structures built around the same time.
#### Lobby
The lobby is designed in a neo-Renaissance style, but it also contains details of Baroque and 18th-century English architecture. The main entrances are from 35th and 36th Streets, connected by a broad north–south arcade. At the center, a transverse corridor connects to the elevator lobby, which has ten elevators. This gives the lobby a roughly "T"-shaped plan. Because of the topography of the area, the 36th Street entrance is higher than the 35th Street entrance. As a result, the north–south arcade is one story high at its north end and two stories high at its south end; the corridor has three sets of three marble steps. Originally, the Madison Avenue entrance led to a separate lobby for the hotel rooms, but it was connected to the elevator lobby when the hotel closed.
There are foyers just inside the 35th and 36th Street entrances. Both contain marble walls, a set of five doors to the arcade, and a black marble arch. The side walls of the 36th Street foyer contain brass-framed grilles, with a door on the western wall. The 36th Street foyer's marble arch is directly above the doors there, which are topped by two grilles and three gold panels. The side walls of the 35th Street foyer are trimmed with floral decorations, and the ceiling has neoclassical reliefs. There are transom windows above the doors in the 35th Street foyer. Just north of these doors, the foyer has a saucer-domed ceiling decorated with rosettes, followed by that foyer's marble arch. Below the saucer dome, the corners have decorative pendentives, while the side walls have lunette panels depicting animals. These include motifs of dodos, peacocks, and dragons.
The main arcade contains a patterned terrazzo floor, made of yellow and pink tiles. The tiles are rhombus-shaped and are laid in a chevron pattern. The main section of the floor is surrounded by a patterned marble border made of dark yellow Siena, pink Verona, and Bois Jourdan marble. The outermost section of the floor is made of blue marble. The side walls are also made of pink marble above a black baseboard. Each wall is separated at regular intervals by yellow-marble pilasters. The capitals of each pilaster contain moldings of lion heads, which support round arches on the ceiling. Between these lions' heads are medallions that symbolize horses, sheep, and rams. The eastern wall contains two tenant directories and two brass doors, to the north of the elevator hall. The center of the western wall (facing the elevator hall) includes a brass door to the freight loading dock, which is flanked by black-marble panels and topped by a lunette with birds. There is a reception desk in front of this door. The barrel-vaulted ceiling is ornately decorated with circular and octagonal reliefs and medallions. There is a groin vault above the intersection of the arcade and the elevator lobby, with black marble pilasters at each corner. The elevator lobby is about 13 ft (4.0 m) wide, with similar floors to the arcade. Turnstiles are installed in front of the elevator lobby, restricting access to tenants and guests. The shallow barrel-vaulted ceiling contains a grid of rosettes within squares; the north and south edges of the ceiling contain gilded moldings, as well as friezes with peacocks. Below the friezes, the north and south walls contain elevator doors, as well as brass mailboxes resting atop marble sills. There are four elevators to the north and six to the south; their doors are made of brass, with vertically arranged motifs of arches and rosettes. Each set of elevator doors is surrounded by a black-marble frame. The elevator lobby leads east to a double brass door, above which is a gilded lunette panel.
#### Upper stories
Originally, the building contained an apartment hotel on its lower floors and offices on its upper floors. The ground and second floors contained stores. There were also apartments on the second through ninth floors, extending about 40 ft (12 m) deep into the building from either side. The apartments on the eighth and ninth stories were double-story duplex units. There were about 56 units in total. Each of the lower stories occupies about 36,000 sq ft (3,300 m<sup>2</sup>).
The building had 530,000 sq ft (49,000 m<sup>2</sup>) of rentable space after the apartment hotel was converted to offices. Some of the office tenants redecorated their spaces. Parts of the second through fourth stories were occupied by a Marshall Field's department store, which had its own elevator and staircases. The showroom of fashion firm Warner Brothers Co. contained 12 selling rooms, as well as offices for various departments and a foyer with green-and-peach walls. The foyer of fashion firm Venus Foundations' office contained a blue-and-gray mural, a statue of the Venus de Milo, and a mirrored wall. Venus Foundations' offices also had a Pompeian-themed showroom and private sales offices.
## History
In the 19th century, the section of Madison Avenue in Murray Hill was largely a residential street inhabited by wealthy families. The Astor family owned eight houses at 200–214 Madison Avenue, on the western sidewalk between 35th and 36th Streets. These houses were built around 1870 and were known as "Astor Row"; their residents had included Adrian Iselin and John Edward Parsons. The Astor family also owned ten adjacent lots, five each on 35th and 36th Streets.
Manhattan's Silk District, concentrated around the lower section of Park Avenue South in the 19th century, had moved northward to the intersection of Madison Avenue and 34th Street by the early 1920s. During that time, the upper-class residences that had characterized the adjacent portion of Madison Avenue in the 19th century were being replaced with retail establishments. The Astors supported the area's commercial development, but the financier J. P. Morgan Jr., who lived just northeast of the Astor houses, opposed the changes. In 1916, a New York state court invalidated the Murray Hill Restrictive Agreement, an 1847 covenant restricting the development of non-residential buildings on Madison Avenue. This prompted Morgan and a local community organization, the Murray Hill Association, to buy land in an effort to prevent commercial developments.
### Development
Most of Midtown Manhattan was rezoned for commercial use as part of the 1916 Zoning Resolution, except for the section of Madison Avenue in Murray Hill. Accordingly, the New York City Board of Estimate initially did not allow William Waldorf Astor to build a commercial building on Madison Avenue between 35th and 36th Streets. Despite Morgan's opposition, Astor still wished to erect the building. Astor had hired the firm of Peabody, Wilson & Brown to design a seven-story commercial building on the site, and he filed plans for the building in December 1917. Though the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals approved the building in May 1918, the Board of Estimate reversed the approval almost immediately. Astor died in 1919, but the issue remained unresolved for five years afterward. The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court upheld the Board of Estimate's decision in 1922. This was overturned the next year by the state's highest court, the New York Court of Appeals, which ruled that the Astors could indeed develop a commercial building on the site.
After the prolonged legal fight, the Board of Estimate voted to allow commercial development on the street in May 1924. The city government's Corporation Counsel affirmed the Board of Estimate's decision the next month. That December, a syndicate composed of Jesse H. Jones, Robert M. Catts, and Dwight P. Robinson & Co. acquired 17 dwellings on the west side of Madison Avenue between 35th and 36th Streets. The syndicate planned to build a 25-story building on the site, designed by Warren and Wetmore, for \$11 million. The syndicate had been planning the structure for several months but did not officially announce the plans until after they had consulted with Morgan. Jesse H. Jones, the head of Houston Properties, had been a major real estate developer in the early 20th century, particularly in Houston, Texas.
In March 1925, Warren and Wetmore filed plans with the New York City Department of Buildings for a combined apartment hotel and office building on the site. Catts said the building had been designed to placate Morgan but did not elaborate. However, the building was to be recessed significantly above its ninth story. The same month, Stehli Silks leased two stories and a storefront, while Marshall Field and Company signed a lease for four stories. The Flintlock Company, which was hired to build the skyscraper, acquired the site that April. During construction, in October 1925, three construction workers died when a scaffold on the ninth story collapsed. The structure was completed in May 1926; it was initially known as the Tower Building, though it was also called the Marshall Field Building and the Astor Estate Building.
### 1920s to 1950s
Among the early tenants were Bachmann and Emmerich (which leased two stories shortly after the building opened), as well as Champlain Silk Mills and the Hudson Blue and Photo Print Company. Jesse Jones had an office on the 11th story. International Combustion leased seven floors in the building in August 1926; after the company moved into the building in January 1927, the structure was renamed the International Combustion Building. The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that, with International Combustion's relocation to 200 Madison Avenue and the presence of engineering firms nearby, "the trend of the engineering profession would seem now to be definitively established along Madison Avenue". By the end of the 1920s, other commercial developments had arisen along the surrounding section of Madison Avenue. During the 1930s, the building's tenants included upholstery manufacturers Collins and Aikman, the Gotham Silk Hosiery Company, and the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority. Marshall Field also opened an additional showroom within the building in 1936, and Berkey & Gay Furniture and the American Enka Company also leased storefronts in the building.
The apartment hotel at 200 Madison Avenue was financially unsuccessful and lasted for only a little more than a decade. It closed in 1939, and its lobby on Madison Avenue was connected with the office lobby between 35th and 36th Streets. Soviet trade group Amtorg Trading Corporation subsequently leased the nine stories within the former apartment hotel. This made Amtorg one of the building's largest tenants, behind International Combustion (by then renamed Combustion Engineering), which occupied seven stories and parts of three others. Other large tenants included two Jewish advocacy groups, the Copper Recovery Corporation, the Kitty Kelly Corporation, and the Frank A. Hall & Sons showroom. By 1940, the New York Herald Tribune said there was a "brisk demand for space" at 200 Madison Avenue.
The Continental Bank and Trust Company foreclosed on 200 Madison Avenue in September 1941 and subsequently acquired the property. The Charles F. Noyes Company began managing leases in the building three years later. Amtorg left its offices on 200 Madison Avenue's lowest nine floors in 1950. Its space was taken up by firms such as the Simplicity Pattern Company, Aldens Inc., and Combustion Engineering, as well as publisher G. P. Putnam's Sons. A group led by Harry Mabel purchased the building in September 1954 from the Madison Avenue–36th Street Corporation. At the time, the building was valued at \$6.4 million and had an outstanding mortgage of \$8.5 million.
### 1960s to 1990s
Maurice Urdang & Associates sold 200 Madison Avenue in 1965 to a syndicate that included Harry Helmsley, Lawrence Wien, and George V. Comfort. The New York Times reported that the building had been "recently modernized" with new air-conditioning and elevator systems. In the 1960s and 1970s, the building also housed tenants such as the Houston Chemical Corporation, mail-order company Aldens Inc., Oxford University Press, and Partnership for New York City. Joseph Bernstein and his brother Ralph Bernstein acquired 200 Madison Avenue in November 1983. The acquisition cost \$50 million. At some point in the 1980s, Helmsley sold his interest in the building's ownership.
In 1986, the Bernsteins were found to have been working on behalf of Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos, who had intended the building and several others as a gift for his wife Imelda. The Washington Post reported that in coded cables between the Marcos family and their alleged "front" in Manhattan, Gliceria Tantoco, 200 Madison Avenue was referred to using the code word "Midtown Cement". Around that time, 200 Madison Avenue and three other buildings reportedly owned by the Marcoses were placed for sale. Marcos was forced out of office in 1986, and his assets within U.S. banking channels were frozen. As a result, although the building incurred \$1 million in taxes for the 1986–1987 fiscal year, the tax bills went unpaid. After a U.S. circuit court ruled to block the sale of the Marcos properties in November 1986, the administration of Philippine president Corazon Aquino filed a lawsuit against the Marcos estate to obtain title to the buildings.
The Aquino administration attempted in early 1989 to sell the four Marcos properties to Morris Bailey for \$398 million. That year, a federal judge was considering placing the building for sale at a foreclosure auction. The foreclosure auction was not scheduled for at least a year. The land under the building was owned by Alexander DiLorenzo III, who was facing financial issues of his own after 87 people died in the Happy Land fire, which had occurred at another property he owned. The deed to the building was conveyed to 200 Madison Associates LP, a Delaware corporation, in 1993. The buyers paid \$25 million, half of it in cash. Afterward, George V. Comfort and the Loeb Realty and Development Corporation owned the building's fee, while DiLorenzo owned the land underneath it. By then, the area was a hub for publishing companies. The Berkley Publishing Group occupied 200 Madison Avenue, and Oxford University Press was moving across the street to the B. Altman Building, having occupied 200 Madison Avenue for over two decades. By 1995, the owners of the leasehold had also purchased the land for \$16.7 million.
### 2000s to present
By the 21st century, the building's tenants included apparel firm Philips-Van Heusen, clothing company Garan Incorporated, and charitable organization Surdna Foundation. In addition, there were Roche Bobois and Starbucks stores at ground level. In 2016, Jamestown L.P. bought a 49 percent stake in 200 Madison Avenue and 63 Madison Avenue. The purchase price indicated that the buildings were worth a combined \$1.15 billion. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building's lobby as a landmark in November 2021. Although the lobby was not as well known as some of Warren and Wetmore's other commissions, such as Grand Central Terminal, it had been preserved in nearly its original condition, except for the connection that had been created between the hotel and office lobbies.
## See also
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
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1995 British Grand Prix
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Eighth motor race of the 1995 Formula One season
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[
"1995 Formula One races",
"1995 in British motorsport",
"British Grand Prix",
"July 1995 sports events in the United Kingdom"
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The 1995 British Grand Prix (formally the XLVIII British Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 16 July 1995 at Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England. It was the eighth round of the 1995 Formula One World Championship. Johnny Herbert for the Benetton team won the 61-lap race from fifth position. Jean Alesi finished second in a Ferrari, with David Coulthard third in a Williams car. The remaining points-scoring positions were filled by Olivier Panis (Ligier), Mark Blundell (McLaren) and Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Sauber). Herbert's victory was his first in Formula One, and the Benetton team's fifth of the season.
The race was dominated, however, by the fight between World Drivers' Championship protagonists, Michael Schumacher (Benetton) and Damon Hill (Williams). Hill, who started from a pole position achieved during qualifying sessions held in variable weather conditions, retained his lead during the opening stages of the race whilst Schumacher, who was alongside him on the starting grid, fell behind Alesi in the run to the first corner. Despite being held up behind the slower Ferrari until it made a pit stop, Schumacher used a more favourable one-stop strategy to move ahead of Hill, who made two pit stops for fuel and tyres, on lap 41. Four laps later, Hill attempted to pass Schumacher, but the two collided and were forced to retire from the race. This promoted Herbert and Coulthard, who were battling for third place, into the fight for the lead. Coulthard passed Herbert, but dropped to third, behind Alesi, after incurring a stop-go penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
## Background
Heading into the eighth race of the season, Benetton driver Michael Schumacher was leading the Drivers' Championship with 46 points; ahead of Williams driver Damon Hill on 35, and the two Ferrari drivers, Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger, on 26 and 17 points respectively. The Constructors' Championship was closer, with Benetton on 48 points leading Ferrari and Williams on 43 and 42 points respectively. After a hesitant start to the season, Schumacher had won three of the previous four Grands Prix, and arrived at Silverstone as the man to beat. Hill, on the other hand, had won the 1994 British Grand Prix and was eager to repeat the feat in front of his home fans. He had also set the fastest lap time in pre-event testing at Silverstone during the final week of June, almost a second in front of teammate David Coulthard, and a further 0.2 seconds ahead of Schumacher. The McLaren, Jordan, Footwork and Pacific teams also took part in these test sessions. Hill was also under some additional pressure going into the weekend, as his wife, Georgie, was due to give birth to their third child imminently.
There was one driver change going into the event: the Footwork team's lead driver, Gianni Morbidelli, was replaced by compatriot Massimiliano Papis, an International Formula 3000 race winner who had also been the test driver for Team Lotus in 1994, before the outfit withdrew from the sport ahead of the 1995 season. Papis brought valuable sponsorship from Altea, a tie manufacturer, to the underfunded team, which supplemented the income already being provided by his pay driver teammate, Taki Inoue, to cover the team's budget for the year. Morbidelli was kept on as the team's test driver, and returned to racing action at the later in the year.
Pre-race discussion centred on the following year's driver line-up, with Schumacher rumoured to be moving to Ferrari to replace Berger, who was considering a move to Williams. Hill's future was also uncertain, as was his teammate David Coulthard's, due to the McLaren team possessing an option on his services for 1996. Sauber driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen was also linked to a possible vacant position for 1996 in the Williams team. Schumacher's future plans dictated the rest of the driver market, due to his status as the reigning World Champion—and, indeed, the only such champion of all the contemporary drivers—and reputation as the best driver currently in Formula One. It was also reported that Schumacher's teammate, Johnny Herbert, was in imminent danger of losing his Benetton seat to test driver Jos Verstappen, who was available due to the collapse of the Simtek team after the and was contractually owed race drives by team principal Flavio Briatore. Despite taking a podium finish earlier in the year, Herbert had rarely been close to Schumacher's pace and had only completed two laps in the two previous Grands Prix. A potential new entry was also being discussed: the Japanese racing car constructor Dome was in the process of building a Formula One car with which to enter the World Championship in 1997.
Several teams had made modifications to their cars in preparation for the event. Ferrari made changes to the 412T2 chassis's sidepods to improve airflow around the tyres, and reverted to a diffuser design used earlier in the season. The Ligier team had Martin Brundle's car fitted with power steering for the first time and he chose to use it for the race, but teammate Olivier Panis, who had run with the system earlier in the season, decided against it. McLaren revised its troubled MP4/10B chassis's suspension geometry, and Mika Häkkinen's car was equipped with a more powerful version of its Mercedes V10 engine for Sunday's warm-up session and the race itself. Team principal Ron Dennis also re-hired experienced designer Steve Nichols, who had worked for the outfit in the 1980s, in the week before the race. Footwork also arrived with revised suspension, whilst the Jordan team ran with brake disc sensors on its car. Further down the field, the Forti team introduced the revised version of its FG01 chassis for Roberto Moreno. Lead driver Pedro Diniz had first driven the car in its revised specification at the preceding . The revised aerodynamic package included a higher nose and new sidepods. Both drivers also tested a new development of the Ford-Cosworth ED engine in practice.
In the week leading up to the race, Williams chief designer Adrian Newey reignited the controversy over the similarities between the Benetton B195 and Ligier JS41 chassis, which had first flared up at the season-opening . Despite the fact that a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) investigation had declared the JS41 legal earlier in the season, Newey stated that "as far as suspension geometry and aerodynamics are concerned, I'd say they are identical. [...] Taken to a logical conclusion, we'll be in an IndyCar position. It is very dangerous." As part of the Williams team's own preparations for the race, Hill tested a Williams FW17 equipped with brakes made from steel, rather than the standard carbon fibre, and was reputedly impressed by their performance.
## Practice and qualifying
Two practice sessions were held before the race; the first was held from 09:30 to 11:15 local time on Friday, and an identically timed session was also held on Saturday. Each driver was limited to 23 laps of free practice per day. The qualifying period was split into two one-hour sessions; the first was held on Friday afternoon from 13:00 to 14:00 local time, with the second held on Saturday afternoon at the same time. The fastest time set by each driver from either session counted towards his final grid position. Each driver was limited to twelve laps per qualifying session.
Schumacher set the pace in Friday free practice, which took place in dry and cloudy weather conditions, with a time of 1:29.238. Hill was less than four hundredths of a second behind, ahead of Alesi, Coulthard, Herbert and Berger; the drivers from the top three teams in the Constructors' Championship thus filled the top six positions. Despite his fastest time, Schumacher was unhappy with the handling of his Benetton, reporting more understeer than had been present in pre-event testing at the circuit.
Weather conditions for Friday qualifying were dry and sunny, albeit blustery, which meant that drivers had to cope with strong crosswinds in the circuit's many high-speed corners. The session was marked by an intense fight for pole position between championship protagonists Schumacher and Hill, which was watched by a crowd of 37,000 spectators. Schumacher initially set the pace with a time of 1:29.151, which he later improved to 1:28.387. Hill initially struggled to match his rival's time in the final, twistier sector of the lap, but made a set-up change and took provisional pole with a time of 1:28.124 in the final ten minutes. Schumacher—who had increased the level of downforce on his car to compensate for the understeer, only to find that the reduction in straightline speed was too great—was demoted to second position, but was confident that he and the team could improve the car's handling for Saturday's session. Coulthard was more than 0.8 seconds slower than Hill in third place, and blamed the strong crosswinds for making his car feel very unstable at the rear end. Berger and Alesi set the fourth and sixth fastest times respectively for Ferrari, both drivers disadvantaged by a lack of straightline speed compared to the Renault-powered Williams and Benetton cars, and the fact that the Italian team was not allowed to take part in pre-event testing at the circuit as per the FIA's regulations. Team principal Jean Todt, however, described lack of testing as "a feeble excuse" for the team's loss of form compared with earlier races in the season. Herbert separated the Ferrari drivers in the second Benetton, also complaining of rear-end stability problems with his car. Eddie Irvine set the seventh quickest time in his Jordan despite suffering a recurring brake balance problem, ahead of Häkkinen in the faster of the two McLaren cars. This formation was continued on the fifth row of the grid, which was occupied by Rubens Barrichello in the other Jordan and Mark Blundell in the other McLaren. Brundle qualified in 11th position, more than a second in front of Ligier teammate Panis in 13th; both drivers complained that their cars rode the bumps on the track badly. The two were split by Frentzen in the quicker of the two Sauber drivers, who set a best time 1.5 seconds faster than his own teammate, Jean-Christophe Boullion, in 16th. Ukyo Katayama was 14th quickest for the Tyrrell team, ahead of Pierluigi Martini's Minardi, the latter's best qualifying performance of the season. Behind Boullion, Papis set the 17th fastest time in his first Formula One qualifying session, split from teammate Taki Inoue by Luca Badoer in the second Minardi, who was unable to complete his allocated laps after spinning and breaking the car's gearbox. The times were completed by Diniz and Moreno in the Forti cars, who sandwiched Bertrand Gachot's Pacific car. Two drivers failed to set times: Mika Salo failed to stop his Tyrrell at the pit-lane weighbridge despite the presence of a red light—indicating that his car had been selected to be weighed—and the stewards excluded his times as a result. Andrea Montermini did not take part in the session at all due to a failure of his car's brake master cylinder; the underfunded Pacific team lacked the resources to bring a spare car to the event.
Saturday free practice took place in mixed weather conditions: the session was initially dry, but was then hit by a rain shower which dampened it somewhat; the times were thus slower and more spread out down the field than the previous day. Schumacher set the fastest time of 1:31.390, and said that he believed that his car's handling was much improved compared with its performance on Friday. He was followed by Alesi, Coulthard, Herbert, Panis and Frentzen. Hill was left in 22nd position as a result of spinning off in the difficult conditions and then breaking his car's transmission as he attempted to restart. Alesi had a controversial session: he set a fast time under yellow flag conditions for Hill's spin. He later tangled with Gachot's Pacific and recovered to the pit entry at high speed, where he had to spin to avoid marshals who were pushing the other Pacific of Montermini back to its garage. The race stewards witnessed the incident, but mistakenly called up Alesi's teammate, Berger, instead. Alesi, once the correct identity of the driver involved had been established, was not penalised.
It continued to rain throughout Saturday's qualifying session; the slower conditions meant that none of the top 24 drivers could improve upon their times from the previous day, setting the order of the starting grid and guaranteeing Hill pole position. Only Salo and Montermini's times counted for their starting positions: the Tyrrell driver set the fourth-fastest time of the session, albeit 12 seconds slower than Moreno's dry-weather Friday time, to take 23rd position on the grid; Montermini set a time almost four seconds slower again to complete the field. Many teams chose to complete only limited running in the wet conditions, to the frustration of the crowd: Häkkinen, Inoue and Gachot did not set a time, whilst Blundell, Diniz and Martini completed only exploratory laps. There was also frustration amongst the drivers and teams who felt that they had underperformed on Friday, and for Häkkinen and Irvine who had both been scheduled to run with more powerful engines which should have given an advantage in dry conditions. The Benetton mechanics also had a busy session: first Schumacher slid off the road at Stowe corner and had to rejoin the track by using part of the old circuit; then Herbert lost control of his car on standing water at the fast Copse corner, spearing off the road into a heavy impact against the tyre barriers. Herbert was uninjured and the Benetton mechanics were able to repair the B195's monocoque. Coulthard set the quickest time of the session with a lap of 1:29.752, ahead of Schumacher, Alesi and Salo, with Hill, Barrichello, Brundle, Badoer, Irvine and Frentzen completing the top ten. Hill admitted that the wet session was "a bit of a let-down", and was cautious on his race prospects, as he had failed to win from his two pole positions earlier in the season, but was delighted with the outcome nonetheless. Schumacher was also disappointed with the weather conditions, but was optimistic that his car was fully competitive in either the dry or wet.
The lack of on-track action caused by the wet conditions and the two-day qualifying system was a cause for concern amongst the Formula One paddock, members of which believed that members of the public who had paid to attend the session (spectator numbers were estimated at 40,000), or watch it on television, were being short-changed as a result. McLaren team principal Ron Dennis argued that the restriction on the use of the teams' spare cars should be lifted in the event of wet weather conditions, whilst Pacific designer Frank Coppuck advocated a points system for qualifying, in addition to aggregating the times over both days. FIA President Max Mosley confirmed that the current qualifying procedure was to be the subject of a review, with possible changes due to be introduced for the 1996 season. One-day qualifying was subsequently introduced from the 1996 Australian Grand Prix onwards.
### Qualifying classification
## Warm-up
On Sunday morning, a pre-race warm-up session took place at 09:30 local time, and lasted for 30 minutes. It took place in dry weather conditions. Häkkinen, using his uprated Mercedes engine for the first time, set the session's fastest time with a lap of 1:29.685. Despite the fact that the time was set on brand-new tyres, unlike many of those recorded by the opposition, it was still an encouraging boost for the McLaren team, which had endured a troubled season thus far. He was followed in the timesheets by Hill, Coulthard, Alesi, Berger and Schumacher. Hill reported that his car handled well in race trim, whilst Schumacher concentrated on fuel consumption tests, and did not attempt to set a particularly quick time. Berger, meanwhile, downplayed Ferrari's chances, predicting that only a wet race would give either him or Alesi a chance of race victory. Herbert was down in 12th position as a result of a broken shock absorber, which was replaced in time for the race.
## Race
It began to rain half an hour before the start of the race but soon stopped, so that the track was almost entirely dry by 14:00, with an ambient temperature of 22 °C (72 °F). A total of approximately 110,000 spectators attended the race, of whom 20,000 watched from grandstands. For the first time in the event's history, general admission tickets were limited, to ensure that all spectators could get a good view of the track. Whilst on a reconnaissance lap, Montermini performed an illegal practice start, for which Pacific was given a fine of \$5,000, suspended for three races.
When the race started, Hill maintained his advantage into the first corner, whilst Alesi made a fast start to slot into second position ahead of Schumacher. Salo also had an excellent getaway, rising to 17th place by the end of the first lap. Berger and Irvine, meanwhile, made poor starts as they struggled with slipping clutches, dropping to ninth and 13th positions respectively. At the end of the first lap, Hill led by 1.1 seconds from Alesi, who was followed by Schumacher, Coulthard, Herbert, Häkkinen, Barrichello, Brundle, Berger, Frentzen, Blundell, Panis, Irvine, Martini, Katayama, Boullion, Salo, Papis, Inoue, Gachot, Badoer, Diniz, Montermini and Moreno. On the second lap, Irvine tried to pass Panis at the Abbey chicane, but spun in the process and dropped further back, shortly before his engine cut out, making him the first retirement of the race. Elsewhere in the field, Berger passed Brundle, and Montermini moved ahead of Diniz. At the front of the pack, Hill was in control, extending his lead over Alesi to 6.2 seconds by lap 5 and to 12 seconds by lap 12. For his part, Schumacher was being held up by Alesi, the two cars running in formation in the early stages of the race. He was, however, unable to get close enough to attempt an overtaking manoeuvre, due to the aerodynamic turbulence created by the airflow over the Ferrari. There were passing opportunities further down the order, however: Blundell and Panis both overhauled Frentzen in the early laps; Katayama and Boullion moved ahead of Martini; and Badoer passed Gachot. At the tail of the field, Diniz made the first of three pit stops on lap 6 to investigate gear selection problems with his Forti from which he retired eight laps later, and his teammate Moreno also made an early stop on the tenth lap but continued, albeit one lap down on the leader.
As Hill extended his lead, the stewards informed the Jordan and Ligier teams that Barrichello and Panis had jumped the start, for which they were served with ten-second stop-go penalties. Both drivers had previously been penalised for the same offence at the French Grand Prix, and also the . Panis took his penalty on lap 12 and dropped from 11th to 14th position; Barrichello made a pit stop to serve his identical penalty three laps later, from seventh place, and rejoined in 11th. Both drivers later protested their innocence. Lap 15 also saw the first scheduled pit stop, as Coulthard, also held up by Alesi behind Schumacher, took on fresh fuel and tyres earlier than planned in a bid to move ahead of the Ferrari when it made its own visit to the pit lane. As he rejoined the race, Coulthard's Williams suffered an electronic failure that affected the car's throttle control when changing gears, but continued the race in ninth place regardless. The next few laps saw a flurry of activity in the pit lane as those drivers on two-stop strategies made pit stops at around one-third race distance, and also several retirements. On lap 17, Brundle spun out of seventh place at Luffield and beached his car in the gravel trap, and Inoue retired from 18th position after a similar mistake resulted in a stalled engine. On the same lap, Montermini made a pit stop from 19th place, which he maintained upon rejoining the race. On the following lap, Alesi made his pit stop from second position, releasing Schumacher, and rejoined in front of Coulthard, whilst Barrichello, recovering from his penalty, passed Frentzen for what had become eighth place.
Schumacher slowly began to reduce Hill's lead, which had grown to 19.5 seconds. Salo made a pit stop on lap 19, dropping behind Papis and the Minardi drivers, but gained a position on Boullion when the Sauber driver stopped on the next lap. By this stage Häkkinen and Berger had risen to fourth and fifth respectively, but both retired on lap 21: Häkkinen's McLaren suffering a progressive electronic problem which caused its hydraulic system to fail; Berger pulling off the track shortly after making his first pit stop due to an incorrectly fitted left-front wheel. The remaining two-stoppers made pit stops on laps 21 and 22: Herbert came in from third place and retained his position by rejoining ahead of Alesi and Coulthard; Blundell dropped from fourth to seventh, Gachot retained 16th; and Barrichello and Panis made their first scheduled stops, the Jordan dropping from seventh to eighth and the Ligier rejoining in 11th from ninth. At the head of the field, Hill came in on lap 22, rejoining nine seconds behind Schumacher, who now led the race. Two further retirements also occurred during this stage of the race: Montermini spun out of 17th place on lap 22, whilst Katayama, who was due in for a pit stop of his own, retired from eighth position when his engine cut due to fuel starvation on the following lap. At the end of lap 23, the running order was Schumacher, Hill, Herbert, Alesi, Coulthard, Frentzen, Blundell, Barrichello, Martini, Papis, Panis, Badoer, Salo, Boullion, Gachot and Moreno.
On new tyres, Hill began to reduce Schumacher's nine-second lead, but after a few laps Schumacher began to ease away again as he had a lighter fuel load than the Williams. It became apparent to the teams, as the race approached half-distance, that Schumacher had opted for a one-stop strategy and that both he and Hill only had one stop remaining each. Frentzen, Papis and the Minardi drivers also opted for a single-stop race; Papis and Martini's worn tyres allowing Panis to overtake them soon after his second stop. Papis made his first Formula One race pit stop on lap 28, only to hit the barrier at the exit of the pit lane, causing damage to his Footwork's suspension which caused him to spin off and retire on the same lap that he rejoined the circuit. On the next lap Frentzen dropped from sixth to eighth position as a result of his sole stop, and was then passed by Panis four laps later; Martini likewise dropped from 10th to 13th on lap 30; and Badoer also moved from 10th to 13th when he made his stop on lap 32.
At the front of the field, Hill moved back into the lead of the race when Schumacher made his pit stop on lap 31, rejoining in second place with a deficit of 20 seconds. Hill now pushed hard in his efforts to build up a sufficient lead over Schumacher—setting the race's fastest lap time of 1:29.752 on lap 37—to maintain first place after his second pit stop. Salo began the second round of pit stops on the next lap, and was followed in due course by Alesi, Herbert, Barrichello, Boullion, Gachot, Blundell, Panis and Coulthard. Coulthard's stop, despite moving him ahead of Alesi, was problematic: his car's electronic failure meant that his pit-lane speed-limiter system did not work, and he exceeded the 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) pit-lane speed limit, an infraction of the Sporting Regulations which, like jumping the start, entailed a ten-second stop-go penalty. Hill made his own second stop on lap 41 with a 27-second lead over Schumacher and the two were almost level as Hill reached the end of the pit lane, but Schumacher's extra momentum allowed him to move ahead in the run to the Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel sequence of fast corners. At the completion of the scheduled pit stops by lap 44, the running order was Schumacher and Hill in close attendance, then a gap back to a similar battle between Herbert and Coulthard, then Alesi, Blundell, Barrichello, Panis, Frentzen—whom Panis had just passed for the third time—Martini, Badoer, Salo, Boullion, Gachot and Moreno, the last of whom retired four laps later with a lack of hydraulic pressure in his Forti's pneumatic engine valves.
Schumacher and Hill now had similar fuel loads, but Hill had a fresh set of tyres and immediately began pressuring Schumacher, quickly reducing the gap to less than half-a-second. On lap 46, Hill attempted a passing manoeuvre at Stowe corner, but was unable to complete it, due to the presence of Boullion's lapped Sauber. Further around the lap, Hill tried again, diving up the inside of Schumacher at the entry to the Priory left-hander, but Schumacher turned in to take the racing line and the two collided, both spinning into the gravel trap, which caused their retirement from the race. The retirement of the two leaders promoted their teammates into their own battle for the lead; the two almost colliding at the same corner as Coulthard attempted to pass Herbert by making a lunge up the inside of his car, as Hill had done to Schumacher. Coulthard had not been informed about his stop-go penalty by the team, as they did not want to distract him, but he saw the penalty notification on one of the large television screens situated around the circuit. He passed Herbert on lap 49, but took his penalty two laps later and dropped to third position, behind Alesi. The Ferrari driver was still close behind Herbert, but cut his pace in the final laps as his 412T2's oil pressure began to fade. With the top three positions settled, attention switched to Barrichello, who had closed up to the back of Blundell's car and was faster than the McLaren driver. On the penultimate lap, Barrichello lined up his car to attempt a pass, but Blundell defended his position and the two collided: Barrichello crashed out, but Blundell was able to continue with a punctured left-rear tyre which allowed Panis to overtake him on the last lap. It was the second year in succession that Barrichello had collided with a McLaren driver in the closing stages, as he had made contact with Häkkinen on the last corner of the last lap the previous year when also battling for fourth place.
Thus Herbert took the chequered flag after 61 laps—at an average speed of 195.682 kilometres per hour (121.591 mph)—to win his first Formula One race at his 74th attempt, a result that also moved him from sixth to fourth in the Drivers' Championship. Alesi and Coulthard completed the podium, moving Ferrari ahead of Williams in the battle for second place in the Constructors' Championship. Panis finished fourth, ahead of Blundell, who managed to finish despite his car running on three wheels for the final lap. Frentzen finished a lap down and completed the points-scoring positions, forty seconds ahead of a close group comprising Martini, Salo and Boullion. Salo closed in on the Minardi driver late in the race after passing his teammate, but was edged onto the grass whilst attempting a pass on the Hangar Straight and spun through 360 degrees. Badoer finished a further ten seconds behind this group, having also been passed by Boullion after his final pit stop. Barrichello was classified in 11th place, ahead of Gachot, who took his first race finish since the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix three laps behind Herbert.
## Post-race
Herbert's maiden Formula One victory was very popular amongst the spectators and team personnel, as not only was it his home race, but also because it came after a series of setbacks earlier in his career, not least a serious accident in an International Formula 3000 race at Brands Hatch in 1988 that left him with severe foot injuries which threatened his racing career. In the post-race press conference, Herbert paid tribute to three people who had particularly helped the progress of his career: his wife, Becky; Peter Collins, of whom Herbert said that "he got me into F1 twice"; and Benetton team principal Flavio Briatore for giving him his 1995 drive. Herbert's win also came in front of his parents, Bob and Jane, who were selling his fan club merchandise at the circuit during the race meeting. In addition, the victory secured his immediate future within the Benetton team. Alesi declared himself "very happy" with his second place, but admitted to "giving up" in the second half of the race, as he knew that overtaking Herbert or Coulthard when they were ahead of him would have been almost impossible. For Coulthard, his result was bittersweet: he was pleased to finish the race despite the failure of his car's electronics, but disappointed to lose an almost certain victory due to his pit-lane speeding penalty. A few days later, he described his race in a magazine column as "one of those disappointing days when everything goes wrong".
The majority of media attention, however, was focussed on the aftermath of the collision between Schumacher and Hill on lap 46. Tension between the two had already been intensified by an incident during the French Grand Prix, where Schumacher had accused Hill of brake-testing him. After the crash, Schumacher blamed Hill, saying that: "I think what Damon did was both stupid and totally unnecessary. There was no room for two cars there, and it's not an overtaking place. If I hadn't been there, I think he'd have gone straight on into the gravel. He just came from nowhere. Even in front of your home crowd, I think you have to keep your temperament under control. It was more or less the same situation at Adelaide last year [the occasion of the 1994 Australian Grand Prix, in which a collision between the two settled the Drivers' Championship in Schumacher's favour], where he also tried to dive inside when there was no room." Hill was more cautious in his assessment of the incident, commenting that: "I thought I saw an opportunity that I could take an advantage of, but I'm afraid Michael is a harder man to pass than that, and we had an accident—which I would describe as 'a racing accident'". Journalists Alan Henry, Nigel Roebuck and Luc Domenjoz agreed that Hill's lunge up the inside had been over-optimistic, but not malicious in intent.
Similarly, BBC commentator and former driver, Jonathan Palmer, said that Hill's manoeuvre was the result of "a rush of blood to the head". Journalist Joe Saward was amongst those who speculated, however, that Schumacher had played a role in the collision by taking a wider line into the Priory corner than usual, and thus encouraging Hill to attempt the manoeuvre. The incident was subject to a stewards' investigation, which resulted in both drivers being given a severe reprimand and a warning that "future similar actions may result in severe penalties". The collision overshadowed the fact that, in the opinion of Roebuck, Benetton had again chosen a better race strategy than Williams, and that Schumacher would have had a comfortable lead had he not been stuck behind Alesi in the early stages of the race. There was also similar ill-feeling between Barrichello and Blundell after their collision on lap 60. Barrichello accused Blundell of brake-testing him prior to the incident, and of causing the crash by changing his driving line too quickly, whilst Blundell denied the allegations and drew attention to Barrichello's similar collision with Häkkinen the previous year. The stewards also investigated this incident and gave Blundell a severe reprimand for his actions.
In the week following the race, it was reported in several British newspapers that Frank Williams, founder and team principal of the Williams team, had visited the Benetton garage after the race where he had apologised to Schumacher and Briatore for the incident, during which he had allegedly referred to Hill as a "prat". On the same day, a Williams team spokesman stated that Hill was backed by Frank Williams and technical director Patrick Head, and that the incident was a natural part of motor racing. Frank Williams then issued a personal statement denying the newspaper reports. Hill also telephoned the owner of Formula One's commercial rights, Bernie Ecclestone, for advice on how to handle the situation. Ecclestone advised him to apologise to Schumacher, which Hill decided against. The crash was still the main talking point throughout the sport by the time of the , exacerbated by the fact that Hill's home race was immediately followed by Schumacher's.
### Race classification
## Championship standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings
Constructors' Championship standings
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
|
1,559,184 |
1922 Atlantic hurricane season
| 1,152,737,916 |
Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean
|
[
"1920s Atlantic hurricane seasons",
"1922 meteorology",
"1922 natural disasters",
"Articles which contain graphical timelines"
] |
The 1922 Atlantic hurricane season was the first season since 1914 in which no hurricanes made landfall in the United States. Although no "hurricane season" was defined at the time, the present-day delineation of such is June 1 to November 30. The first system, a tropical depression, developed on May 12, while the last, also a tropical depression, dissipated on October 31. Of note, seven of the fourteen cyclones co-existed with another tropical cyclone during the season, including three systems being simultaneously active on September 22.
Of the season's fourteen tropical cyclones, five became tropical storms and three strengthened into hurricanes. Furthermore, one of those strengthened into a major hurricane—Category 3 or higher on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. One of the hurricanes was found in reanalysis in 2009. The most intense tropical cyclone, Hurricane Two, peaked as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (190 km/h). Although a small hurricane in terms of size, the storm lashed Bermuda with strong winds and rough seas while nearly striking the island, causing one death and about \$250,000 (1922 USD) in damage. Earlier in the season, the early stages and precursor of Tropical Storm One caused extensive flooding in El Salvador in June, leading to at least 100 deaths. The storm and its remnants later caused flooding along the lower Rio Grande. Crop damages alone on the Texas side of the river totaled about \$2 million. Although no specific death toll is known, several bodies were seen floating down the river. In October, Hurricane Four caused severe damage and a few fatalities along the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula.
The season's activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 55, below the 1921–1930 average of 76.6. ACE is a metric used to express the energy used by a tropical cyclone during its lifetime. Therefore, a storm with a longer duration will have high values of ACE. It is only calculated at six-hour increments in which specific tropical and subtropical systems are either at or above sustained wind speeds of 39 mph (63 km/h), which is the threshold for tropical storm intensity. Thus, tropical depressions are not included here.
## Timeline
## Systems
### Tropical Storm One
Observations from ships indicated that a tropical depression developed offshore Cabo Gracias a Dios, Nicaragua, on June 12. The depression continued northwestward without significantly intensifying. Heavy rains fell in the Swan Islands of Honduras on June 12 and June 13. Early on June 14, the depression made landfall in Mahahual, Quintana Roo, with winds of 35 mph (56 km/h). The cyclone entered the Gulf of Mexico later that day and began strengthening, reaching tropical storm status early on June 15. Around 18:00 UTC, the storm peaked with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 1,003 mbar (29.6 inHg). The system struck near La Pesca, Tamaulipas, at the same intensity early on June 16. After moving inland, the storm quickly weakened and dissipated by 18:00 UTC.
In the precursor and early stages of the storm, heavy rains fell in El Salvador. The Acelhuate River overflowed, flooding four densely-populated neighborhoods in the capital city of San Salvador. The floodwaters destroyed or damaged homes, buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure, while killing hundreds of animals and at least 100 people. The storm and its remnants brought heavy rainfall to Rio Grande valley, causing flooding. In Texas, the river at Eagle Pass reached 45.6 ft (13.9 m), 29.6 ft (9.0 m) above flood stage. Two bridges washed away, while businesses and homes were damaged. Farther down the river, the swollen crest of the Rio Grande and San Juan rivers merged, causing significant flooding in Cameron and Hidalgo counties. Many towns in both counties suffered severe damage. It was estimated that damage to crops alone reached about \$2 million. On the Mexico side of the river, water inundated more than 30,000 acres (12,000 ha) of agricultural lands. Infrastructure such as roads, bridges, railroads, and buildings were damaged. Telegraph reports noted that several bodies were seen floating down the Rio Grande at Ciudad Mier. Floodwaters stranded nearly 1,000 farmers in both countries. Aviators acting on behalf of the Red Cross dropped bags of food to those left isolated.
### Hurricane Two
A northeast-southwest oriented trough developed into a tropical depression about 870 mi (1,400 km) east-southeast of Barbados early on September 13. Initially moving west-northwestward, the depression intensified into a tropical storm several hours later, before curving northwestward the next day. The French S. S. Mont Rose was the first ship to encounter the storm, then centered about 200 mi (320 km) east of Martinique on September 15. The storm then strengthened significantly, becoming a hurricane around 12:00 UTC and then reaching major hurricane intensity by 06:00 UTC on September 16. Around that time, the hurricane passed very close to Barbuda, with the island recording sustained winds of 81 mph (130 km/h). The cyclone strengthened slightly over the next few days, with sustained winds peaking at 120 mph (190 km/h) on September 17. By later that day, the system curved northward while centered north of the Mona Passage. Early on September 20, the hurricane began moving north-northeastward.
Around 12:00 UTC on September 21, the hurricane passed almost directly over Bermuda while still at major hurricane intensity. Significant damage occurred there, as winds peaked at 120 mph (190 km/h), while the coast experienced a storm surge reaching 8 ft (2.4 m) in height, the highest tides observed on the island since the hurricane of 1899. The abnormally high tides flooded numerous homes and streets near the harbor, including the Flatts Bridge. One death occurred at the dockyard after a sailor fell overboard from the H.M.S. Capetown, which was anchored there. Winds severely damaged a number of buildings, including the Bermuda Cathedral and an old City Hall in Hamilton. Debris littered the streets, including fallen trees and toppled walls. Repairs costs to government buildings was estimated at \$221,209, with the overall damage reaching approximately \$250,000. The storm began accelerating and weakening later on September 21. By 00:00 UTC on September 23, the system became extratropical about 510 mi (820 km) south of Cape Race, Newfoundland. The remnants slowly weakened while approaching the British Isles, before dissipating over the English Channel on September 28. Several locations in Western Europe recorded mostly light wind speeds in association with the remnants of the storm.
### Hurricane Three
A low pressure area developed into a tropical depression about 75 mi (121 km) east of Florida at 00:00 UTC on September 18. It is estimated that the depression reached tropical storm intensity about 12 hours later, based on ships reporting near-tropical storm force winds. The storm drifted northeast and slowly strengthened, becoming a hurricane on September 20. The system made have interacted with the previous storm, which was at Category 3 intensity and located near Bermuda on September 21. Intensifying slightly further, the hurricane peaked with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 987 mbar (29.1 inHg) at 12:00 UTC on September 22, with both estimated using observations from a ship and the pressure-wind relationship. However, by September 23, the cyclone weakened to a tropical storm. After briefly accelerating, the storm curved northward and drifted, before being absorbed by an extratropical storm about 165 mi (266 km) southeast of Massachusetts by 00:00 UTC on September 25. This hurricane was not considered a tropical cyclone until reanalysis in 2009. Tropical storm force winds were reported in Florida, North Carolina, and New Jersey.
### Hurricane Four
Historical weather maps suggest that a tropical depression developed about 85 mi (135 km) north-northwest of Barranquilla, Colombia, early on October 11. The depression moved slowly westward and then northwestward without significant intensification for a few days. By October 15, the depression had reached tropical storm status. Late on October 16, the cyclone began intensifying at a quicker pace, becoming the equivalent of a modern-day Category 2 hurricane on October 17. Around 00:00 UTC the next day, it peaked with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (180 km/h). Early on October 18, a ship reported a minimum pressure of 984 mbar (29.1 inHg) near the center, the lowest pressure measured during the life span of the storm.
The hurricane weakened slightly prior to making landfall near Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, with winds of 100 mph (160 km/h) around 12:00 UTC on October 18. Crossing the Yucatán Peninsula, the cyclone weakened to a tropical storm by 00:00 UTC the next day. Early on October 20, the storm emerged into the Bay of Campeche and quickly re-strengthened into a hurricane. The system then drifted slowly south-southwestward. Shortly after 18:00 UTC on October 21, the hurricane made landfall near Paraíso, Tabasco, with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h). The storm rapidly weakened after moving inland and dissipated near Cárdenas by 06:00 UTC the next day.
The storm's precursor caused extensive damage to banana plantations in the Magdalena Department of Colombia. In Quintana Roo, the storm caused significant damage to property and crops along the entire coast, while Cozumel and Isla Mujeres were reportedly left desolate. The hurricane destroyed nearly every home on the latter. A few fatalities occurred in the Yucatán Peninsula. Yucatán governor Felipe Carrillo Puerto estimated that damaged totaled about 60,000 MX\$. Several small vessels sank offshore, including the motor canoe Nieves, drowning one passenger. The sloop Rosita also capsized, with only one crewman surviving. About two weeks after the storm, the federal government distributed about 50 tons of corn and 10 tons of beans to the destitute residents. Farther west, several fishing vessels sank and some ocean liners, including the Morro Castle, were stranded outside Veracruz harbor because violent seas made it too dangerous to enter. The hurricane caused considerable damage to shipping in the southern Gulf of Mexico.
### Tropical Storm Five
A low-pressure area previously associated with a frontal boundary developed into a tropical depression just north of Honduras on October 12. Initially moving northeastward, the depression intensified into a tropical storm around 12:00 UTC on October 13 and then began heading northward. Around 06:00 UTC on October 14, the storm made landfall on Isla de la Juventud, Cuba, with winds of 40 mph (64 km/h), shortly before striking modern-day Artemisa Province at the same intensity. After emerging into the Gulf of Mexico, the storm intensified further, peaking with winds of 50 mph (80 km/h) early on October 15. The cyclone then decelerated and weakened, falling to tropical depression status by late the following day. Around 09:00 UTC on October 17, it made landfall near Orange Beach, Alabama, with winds of 30 mph (48 km/h). The storm quickly lost tropical characteristics and was absorbed by a frontal boundary several hours later. It may have been a subtropical storm due to some hybrid characteristics. The system left minimal impact in Cuba and the Gulf Coast of the United States.
### Tropical depressions
In addition to the five cyclones reaching at least tropical storm intensity, nine other tropical depressions formed during the season. A trough moving westward through the southwestern Caribbean developed into a tropical depression on May 12. The depression moved northwestward for a few days and failed to intensify. It made landfall in Nicaragua on May 15 and dissipated later that day. On June 14, a low-pressure area developed along the tail-end of a frontal boundary just offshore northeast Florida. By the following day, the low acquired tropical characteristics and likely became a tropical depression. The depression moved generally eastward and dissipated on June 16. A tropical wave developed into a tropical depression just southwest of the Cape Verde Islands on August 1. The depression moved slowly northward and then north-northeastward, before dissipating on August 3 about 60 mi (97 km) south of São Vicente. On August 17, a tropical depression developed in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Moving northeastward, the system struck Florida, before emerging in the Atlantic on August 18. The storm moved along the East Coast of the United States and transitioned into an extratropical cyclone by August 20. Its remnants crossed Nova Scotia later that day and Newfoundland on the following day.
A weak circulation developed along the axis of a trough situated offshore North Carolina in early September, with a tropical depression forming on September 3. The depression moved southward and likely dissipated by the next day. An inverted trough and a tropical wave merged and briefly developed into a tropical depression well offshore Georgia on September 11. By the next day, the circulation had either dissipated or merged with a cold front. A strong tropical wave developed into a tropical depression between the Cape Verde Islands and Senegal on September 21. Moving generally westward, the depression was last noted between the islands of Fogo and Santiago on September 22. The latter island observed sustained winds of 36 mph (58 km/h). On October 2, a tropical depression likely formed over the eastern Gulf of Mexico about 280 mi (450 km) south of Panama City, Florida. The depression continued westward and may have made landfall in Texas just north of Corpus Christi on October 5. However, there is no evidence of a closed circulation beyond October 3. A tropical depression – possibly subtropical – formed on October 28 over the central Gulf of Mexico. The depression moved northward and made landfall near the Alabama–Mississippi state line on October 31 and quickly dissipated. Pensacola, Florida, recorded a 5-minute wind gust of 43 mph (69 km/h). The depression dropped mostly light rainfall in the area, with 24-hour amounts ranging from 0.5–1 in (13–25 mm).
## See also
- 1900–1940 South Pacific cyclone seasons
- 1900–1950 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons
- 1920s Australian region cyclone seasons
|
23,454,756 |
No. 71 Wing RAAF
| 1,030,096,018 | null |
[
"1946 disestablishments in Australia",
"Military units and formations disestablished in 1946",
"Military units and formations established in 1943",
"RAAF wings"
] |
No. 71 Wing was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) wing of World War II. It was formed in February 1943 at Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, as part of No. 9 Operational Group. The wing initially comprised two squadrons of P-40 Kittyhawks, one of Lockheed Hudsons, and one of Bristol Beauforts. The wing's mainstay soon became the Beaufort, which eventually equipped five squadrons attached to the formation. No. 71 Wing took part in the New Guinea campaign under the auspices of No. 9 Group, before transferring to No. 10 Operational Group for the Western New Guinea campaign during 1944. It then returned to the control of Northern Command (formerly No. 9 Group) to support Australian ground forces in the Aitape–Wewak campaign, and completed its final combat mission only hours before the Japanese surrender in August 1945. No. 71 Wing remained in New Guinea following the war and was disbanded in January 1946.
## History
### New Guinea campaign
No. 71 Wing was formed on 26 February 1943 to control four flying squadrons based at Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea: No. 6 Squadron, operating Lockheed Hudson bombers; No. 75 Squadron, operating P-40 Kittyhawk fighters; No. 77 Squadron, operating Kittyhawks; and No. 100 Squadron, operating Bristol Beaufort torpedo bombers. Its inaugural commanding officer was Wing Commander (later Group Captain) Ian McLachlan. The wing came under the aegis of No. 9 Operational Group, described by historian Alan Stephens as the RAAF's "premier fighting unit" in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA), whose purpose was to act as a mobile strike force in support of advancing Allied troops. In March the Beauforts took part in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, "the decisive aerial engagement" in the SWPA according to General Douglas MacArthur, but was unable to score any hits against Japanese ships.
McLachlan relinquished command in June 1943 to become senior air staff officer at No. 9 Group headquarters; No. 71 Wing headquarters moved to Goodenough Island the same month. Between July and October, its squadrons carried out operations against enemy bases, shipping and lines of communication along the coast of New Britain. In August, the wing was given responsibility for Goodenough, where it was joined the following month by No. 8 Squadron, flying Beauforts. No. 6 Squadron had meanwhile converted to Beauforts from Hudsons; it remained at Milne Bay along with No. 100 Squadron, until both transferred to Goodenough in November. Between October 1943 and February 1944, the three Beaufort squadrons took part in a series of major attacks on Rabaul, bombing and strafing airfields, infrastructure and shipping; the Japanese withdrew their aircraft from Rabaul the following month. Wing Commander (later Group Captain) Blake Pelly held command of the wing from October 1943 until May 1944, apart from a period of leave in January–February 1944, when Wing Commander Colin Hannah, previously in charge of No. 6 Squadron, assumed temporary command.
### Western New Guinea campaign
By early 1944, No. 9 Operational Group had become a static garrison force for the New Guinea area, and was renamed Northern Command in April to better reflect its new role. The following month No. 71 Wing, now led by Wing Commander Ralph Moran, advanced to Nadzab, where it came under the control of No. 10 Operational Group (later the Australian First Tactical Air Force). There Nos. 8 and 100 Squadrons engaged in attacks on Japanese positions in Wewak, each flying over 140 sorties during the month.
In June, the wing went forward to Aitape, where its two Beaufort units were augmented by No. 30 Squadron flying Bristol Beaufighters, and the United States Army Air Forces' 110th Squadron flying P-39 Airacobras. These four squadrons undertook 1,510 sorties during the Battle of Aitape in July, delivering 670 tons of bombs. On 7 August, No. 8 Squadron flew 64 missions, a record for a Beaufort unit. US General Charles P. Hall praised the wing for contributing "in a large measure ... to the success of the operation by continuous interruption of enemy lines of communication and bombing and strafing of enemy concentrations and supplies". Commodore John Collins, who during the battle led a Royal Australian Navy task force that included the cruisers HMAS Australia and HMAS Shropshire, also paid tribute: "The accuracy of these bombardments was ensured by excellent air spotting. Beauforts of 71 Wing RAAF gave this spotting and deserve much credit for the efficient manner in which it was undertaken, particularly since the airmen were not trained spotters and a Beaufort is hardly a suitable plane for the work."
### Aitape–Wewak campaign
Following a decision in September 1944 that No. 71 Wing would not advance to Morotai with No. 10 Operational Group, but instead support the Australian 6th Division in the Aitape–Wewak campaign, overall control of the wing returned to Northern Command. The same month, the first Beauforts of No. 7 Squadron arrived in Aitape to augment Nos. 8 and 100 Squadrons; the wing was further strengthened in November with a flight of CAC Boomerangs from No. 4 (Army Cooperation) Squadron. Wing Commander Eric Cooper, previously in charge of No. 7 Squadron, became No. 71 Wing's new commanding officer in October. The Beaufort units flew around 500 sorties per month from November 1944 to January 1945, but thereafter had to reduce their rate of effort owing to aircrew, ordnance and fuel shortages. During a three-day period in March, two Beauforts blew up in mid-air while releasing their bombs; the aircraft were pulled from strike missions for ten days until the problem was traced to a faulty tail unit in the 100-pound (45 kg) bombs.
Cooper handed over to Group Captain Val Hancock, former commanding officer of No. 100 Squadron, in April 1945. To maximize support to Australian ground troops in the lead-up to the final assault on Wewak, No. 71 Wing's three extant Beaufort squadrons were joined by two more, Nos. 6 and 15. Approximately sixty Beauforts and Boomerangs struck Japanese positions behind Dove Bay prior to amphibious landings on 11 May to cut off retreating enemy troops. Over the entire month, the wing dropped more than 1,200 tons of bombs and flew in excess of 1,400 sorties. By mid-year, the wing was again acutely short of fuel and ordnance, so much so that the squadrons took to arming their Beauforts with captured Japanese bombs. On 9 July, enough supplies arrived to enable the wing to continue operating at nominal strength. No. 71 Wing was active to the last day of the Pacific War, flying its final combat mission involving thirty Beauforts only hours before news arrived of victory on 15 August 1945. Thereafter its squadrons dropped leaflets to remaining pockets of Japanese resistance, making them aware of the surrender. The last entry in No. 71 Wing's operations book was for 21 January 1946 at Tadji, New Guinea. The headquarters was disbanded six days later.
## Commanding officers
No. 71 Wing was commanded by the following officers:
|
35,676,555 |
Love Interruption
| 1,149,499,007 | null |
[
"2010s ballads",
"2012 singles",
"2012 songs",
"Americana music",
"Blues songs",
"Jack White songs",
"Songs written by Jack White",
"Third Man Records singles"
] |
"Love Interruption" is a song by American musician Jack White. It was released by XL Recordings, Columbia Records, and Third Man Records as the lead single from his debut solo studio album, Blunderbuss (2012). The song was made available for digital download on January 31, 2012 and as a 7-inch vinyl single on February 7. Written and produced by White, the track is an Americana song and a blues ballad with lyrics that explore love using violent imagery. It features vocals from White and Ruby Amanfu, and its instrumentation includes the bass clarinet, the Wurlitzer electric piano, and the acoustic guitar. The song received positive reviews from critics, who contrasted it with musical elements prominent in White's earlier musical projects, especially the White Stripes. "Love Interruption" was the first single White released after the White Stripes dissolved, and it reached record charts in multiple countries.
An accompanying music video for "Love Interruption" was uploaded to White's YouTube channel and Vevo on February 14. Directed by the singer, it depicts White, Amanfu and a backing band performing the song. White has performed "Love Interruption" live on numerous occasions, including on Saturday Night Live and at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, and the song has been covered by James Wolpert and First Aid Kit. In addition to appearing on Blunderbuss, "Love Interruption" is featured on White's compilation album Acoustic Recordings 1998–2016.
## Production and release
"Love Interruption" was recorded at Third Man Studio in Nashville, Tennessee on December 7, 2011. Multiple versions of the song were created during its production: one with a full backing band and another that did not feature drums. The latter was ultimately used in the final version of the track. This recording was created in a single take, while the clarinet and bass clarinet were added after the live session.
"Love Interruption" was the first single White released after rock duo the White Stripes, of which he was a member, broke up in 2011. On January 30, 2012, White announced his debut album Blunderbuss along with the release of its lead single, "Love Interruption"; a free stream of the song was offered on his website. The track was released for digital download outside of Europe on January 31 at 12:00 a.m. (EST). On February 7, it was released as a 7-inch vinyl single with the B-side "Machine Gun Silhoutte". "Love Interruption" and its B-side were made available for digital download in Europe on February 25 at 12:01 a.m. (GMT). The song was released through Third Man Records, Columbia Records, and XL Recordings.
## Composition and lyrics
Rolling Stone described "Love Interruption" as a blues ballad, and Joe Robinson of Diffuser.fm characterized it as "gospel-infused Americana". The song is two minutes and 36 seconds in length, and it consists of White harmonizing with Ruby Amanfu, creating a melody that utilizes elements of country soul. It features the bass clarinet and a prominent Wurlitzer electric piano—played by Emily Bowland and Brooke Waggoner, respectively—while acoustic guitar chords work alongside the piano to drive the song. According to sheet music published by Universal Music Publishing Group, the song is written in the key of E major in common time, with a tempo of 96 beats per minute.
In an interview with Dimitri Ehrlich and Buzz Aldrin for the magazine Interview, White explained that the song's title refers to love's tendency to "get... in the way of itself", elaborating: "We want things so much that we sabotage them". He was cautious about the use of the word "love", believing that he would have to differentiate it from its use in other songs. To that end, "Love Interruption" features "gory" lyrics in which a narrator expresses desires to be treated violently by "love": "I want love to roll me over slowly, stick a knife inside me and twist it all around". Pitchfork'''s Ryan Dombal viewed the line "I won't let love disrupt, corrupt, or interrupt me anymore" as an indication that the song is "a form of self discipline" rather than "some masochistic fantasy".
## Reception
The song was met with favorable reviews from critics. Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone gave the song a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, describing it as a "loopy little soul sketch" and stating that the song's "organ spritz and puppy-eyed Casio bassoon evoke 'Son of a Preacher Man'". He spoke favorably of Amanfu's vocals, finding that her "harried backing warble fits [the] song". Jem Aswad of Billboard described "Love Interruption" as "an unusual but tantalizing lead track" and concluded that it "leaves you lusting for more." Rebecca Schiller of NME described the song as "a drumless, minimalist affair based on the chord progression of the Beta Band's 'Dry The Rain'". She said that the track's "intensity is in the lyrics and its powerful, repetitive chorus" and remarked, "I've heard it three times and I can't get a second of it out of my head."
Critics drew comparisons between "Love Interruption" and music produced under White's previous musical projects, especially the White Stripes. Spins David Marchese found the song to differ from White's previous "thunderous rock" sound, while Aswad commented that it resembles "deeper cuts on the last few White Stripes albums". Citing the song's instrumentation, Michael Roffman of Consequence of Sound said that "Love Interruption" "didn't necessarily relive those feelings of seeing" the White Stripes. Schiller found that the "jolliness" on songs produced under the Dead Weather and the Raconteurs is absent on "Love Interruption", as is any "trademark [White] riffing". Dolan stated that the song "adds an awkwardly personal wrinkle to the White Stripes' errant primitivism".
## Promotion and other usage
An accompanying music video for "Love Interruption", which White directed, was uploaded to Vevo and White's YouTube channel on February 14, 2012. Described by Billboard'''s Jillian Mapes as a "hazy, self-directed performance clip", the video consists of White and Amanfu singing "Love Interruption" alongside a backing band. A dog is briefly present at the beginning of the video. As of August 2018, it has over 16 million views on YouTube.
The song has been featured in setlists for White's live performances. On the March 3, 2012 episode of Saturday Night Live, White performed "Love Interruption" with Amanfu and his all-female backing band the Peacocks. In 2013, he performed the song at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards alongside the same band. During a concert in London in 2014, White dedicated a performance of the song to touring drummer Isaiah "Ikey" Owens, who had died of a heart attack during the tour. In March 2018, he included "Love Interruption" in the setlist for his first live performance since 2016, a concert at Third Man Records in Nashville, Tennessee. Later that year, he performed "Love Interruption" at Lollapalooza.
James Wolpert covered "Love Interruption" for his audition for season 5 of the American version of The Voice. The song was later covered by the band First Aid Kit when they appeared on Triple J's radio program in 2014. Consequence of Sounds Alex Young described the cover as a "twangy rendition" of the song. "Love Interruption" also appears on the singer's 2016 compilation album Acoustic Recordings 1998–2016.
## Track listing
Digital download and 7-inch single
1. "Love Interruption"
2. "Machine Gun Silhouette"
## Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the single's vinyl release.
"Love Interruption"
- Jack White – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, writer (music and lyrics), producer, mixing
- Ruby Amanfu – background vocals
- Brooke Waggoner – Wurlitzer electric piano
- Emily Bowland – clarinet, bass clarinet
- Vance Powell – mixing, recording
- Joshua V. Smith – assistant in mixing and recording
"Machine Gun Silhouette"
- Jack White – vocals, background vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, writer (music and lyrics), producer, mixing
- Brooke Waggoner – piano
- Mindy Watts – background vocals, assistant in mixing and recording
- Fats Kaplin – fiddle
- Ryan Koenig – background vocals
- Bryn Davies – upright bass
- Olivia Jean – drums
- Master Combs – feathers
- Vance Powell – mixing, recording
- Bob Jones – writer (lyrics)
- Joshua V. Smith – assistant in recording
## Charts
### Weekly charts
### Year-end charts
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