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9,395,873 | Blackburn Firecrest | 1,168,145,429 | WWII British naval strike fighter | [
"1940s British fighter aircraft",
"Aircraft first flown in 1947",
"Blackburn aircraft",
"Cancelled military aircraft projects of the United Kingdom",
"Carrier-based aircraft",
"Inverted gull-wing aircraft",
"Low-wing aircraft",
"Single-engined tractor aircraft"
] | The Blackburn B.48 Firecrest, given the SBAC designation YA.1, was a single-engine naval strike fighter built by Blackburn Aircraft for service with the British Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. It was a development of the troubled Firebrand, designed to Air Ministry Specification S.28/43, for an improved aircraft more suited to carrier operations. Three prototypes were ordered with the company designation of B-48 and the informal name of "Firecrest", but only two of them actually flew. The development of the aircraft was prolonged by significant design changes and slow deliveries of components, but the determination by the Ministry of Supply in 1946 that the airframe did not meet the requirements for a strike fighter doomed the aircraft. Construction of two of the prototypes was continued to gain flight-test data and the third was allocated to strength testing. The two flying aircraft were sold back to Blackburn in 1950 for disposal and the other aircraft survived until 1952.
## Design
The Firebrand required significant effort by Blackburn to produce a useful aircraft and the first discussions on a redesign of the aircraft with a laminar-flow wing took place in September 1943. The new wing was estimated to reduce the weight of the wing by 700 lb (320 kg) and increase the aircraft speed by 13 mph (11 kn; 21 km/h). The extent of redesign increased and this led to a new fuselage and other improvements. In October 1943, Blackburn's design staff, led by G.E. Petty, started work on this development of the Firebrand which led to Specification S.28/43 being issued by the Air Ministry on 26 February 1944 covering the new aircraft. The specification was designed around a Bristol Centaurus 77 radial engine with contra-rotating propellers that allowed the size of the rudder to be reduced.
The new design, given the company designation B.48, was known unofficially by Blackburn as the "Firecrest" but was always known by S.28/43, the Air Ministry specification. It was a low-winged, single-seat, all-metal monoplane. Aft of the cockpit the fuselage was an oval-shaped stressed-skin semi-monocoque, but forward it had a circular-section, tubular-steel frame. The cockpit of the Firecrest was moved forward and raised the pilot's position so that he now looked over the wing leading edge, and down the nose. The canopy was adapted from the Hawker Tempest fighter. In the rear fuselage was a single 52 imp gal (62 US gal; 240 L) fuel tank with two 92 imp gal (110 US gal; 420 L) fuel tanks in the centre wing section. The aircraft had a redesigned, thinner, inverted gull wing of laminar flow aerofoil section. The wing consisted of a two-spar centre section with just over 6.5° of anhedral and outer panels with 9° of dihedral. It could be hydraulically folded in two places to allow more compact storage in the hangar decks of aircraft carriers. Four Fowler flaps were fitted to give good low-speed handling for landing and the wing had retractable dive brakes on both surfaces. In the course of the redesign the structure was simplified which reduced weight by 1,400 lb (640 kg) and even after the fuel capacity was increased by 70 imp gal (84 US gal; 320 L) the gross weight was still 900 lb (410 kg) less than that of the Firebrand.
Work on two prototypes was authorised in November 1943, but proposals for alternative engines delayed progress. In 1945, it was decided that as well as adding another Centaurus-engined prototype, there should be three prototypes with the Napier E.122 (a development of the Sabre) as Specification S.10/45. The Ministry believed that this would enable Blackburn to develop their knowledge of aerodynamic and structural design and support the engine development at Napier. However, it was found that the S.10/45 aircraft could only be balanced if the E.122 powerplant was placed behind the pilot. The necessary redesign and 1,000 lb (450 kg) weight increase, coupled with the limited funds available to the Royal Navy, meant that it could no longer be justified and the S.10/45 was cancelled on 8 October. While in final design, the Centaurus 77 engine with contra-rotating propellers was cancelled in January 1946 and a conventional 2,825 hp (2,107 kW) Centaurus 57 was substituted. This engine was found to require flexible mounts and was modified into the Centaurus 59. The vertical stabiliser and rudder had to be enlarged from 33 sq ft (3.1 m<sup>2</sup>) to 41 sq ft (3.8 m<sup>2</sup>) to counteract the new engine's torque. In September 1946 a strength analysis conducted by the Ministry of Supply revealed that the aircraft would require strengthening to serve as a strike fighter and that a costly redesign would be required to bring it up to requirements, making it comparable in weight and performance to the Westland Wyvern which had already flown so no contract was placed for production aircraft.
Delayed by the late delivery of its propeller, the first prototype was rolled out at Brough in February 1947 and then taken by road to RAF Leconfield where it made its maiden flight on 1 April that year. All three prototypes were completed by the end of September 1947 and the third prototype had been modified to reduce the outer-wing dihedral to 3°. Both the second and third prototypes remained unflown when the Ministry of Supply ordered that flying be ceased and work on the aircraft be stopped. Later in the month, however, the third prototype was allocated to tests of powered aileron controls, as testing of the first prototype had shown that while adequate at cruise speed, the ailerons were heavy both at low and high speed. The second prototype was allocated to structural testing.
The third prototype made its maiden flight in early 1948, but the pace of the flight testing was leisurely with only 7 hours and 40 minutes completed by 30 November, over half of which were connected with air show performances. Testing concluded in March 1949 when the officer in charge concluded that there was no further purpose to the tests. While the Firecrest was faster than the Firebrand, and gave its pilot a much better view from the cockpit, it was otherwise disappointing, with test pilot and naval aviator Captain Eric Brown claiming that the Firecrest was even less manoeuvrable than the sluggish Firebrand, while the powered ailerons gave lumpy controls, leading to instability in turbulent air.
## Operational history
Operational experience had found Blackburn's Firecrest strike fighter to be far from suited to carrier operations. In particular, the pilot sat near the wing's trailing edge, looking over a very long and wide nose which gave a particularly poor view for landing. The Firecrest had also been rendered obsolete by the arrival of gas turbine engines, and while Blackburn did draw up proposals for turboprop-powered derivatives of the Firecrest, (as the B-62 (Y.A.6) with the Armstrong Siddeley Python engine), these went unbuilt, with orders instead going to Westland for the Wyvern. The two flying prototypes remained in use until 1949, being sold back to Blackburn in 1950, and were later scrapped.
## Aircraft
### RT651
One of two prototypes ordered on 1 January 1944 to Specification S.28/43. The airframe was sold by the Controller of Supplies (Air) to Blackburn on 17 April 1950.
### RT656
The second of two prototypes ordered on 1 January 1944, it was used for structural testing before being disposed of in 1952.
### VF172
A third aircraft was ordered on 18 April 1945 and it was used for research into power-boosted ailerons during February 1948. The airframe was sold to Blackburn on 17 October 1949.
Three further prototypes were ordered on 1 May 1945 against Specification S.10/45 and powered by Napier E.212 engine, but the order was cancelled and the aircraft were not built.
## Operators
### United Kingdom
- Fleet Air Arm (never entered service)
## Specifications (Blackburn Firecrest)
## See also | [
"## Design",
"## Operational history",
"## Aircraft",
"### RT651",
"### RT656",
"### VF172",
"## Operators",
"### United Kingdom",
"## Specifications (Blackburn Firecrest)",
"## See also"
] | 1,753 | 27,567 |
2,296,420 | Where Is the Feeling? | 1,160,675,031 | 1995 single by Kylie Minogue | [
"1994 songs",
"1995 singles",
"Black-and-white music videos",
"Deconstruction Records singles",
"Kylie Minogue songs",
"Mushroom Records singles",
"Music videos directed by Keir McFarlane"
] | "Where Is the Feeling?" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue from her fifth studio album, Kylie Minogue (1994). The song was written by Wilf Smarties and Jayn Hanna, while production was handled by Brothers in Rhythm. It was released on 10 July 1995 as the third and final single from the album, by Deconstruction and Mushroom Records, seven months after the release of the second single. A new version was recorded for the single release, featuring spoken vocals by Minogue.
The album version of "Where Is the Feeling?" received positive reviews from music critics; the single version was also praised by them. Commercially, the song attained moderate success, peaking at number 16 in the United Kingdom and number 31 in Australia. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Keir McFarlane, and filmed in a school swimming pool in Los Angeles; it saw Minogue being pursued through the water by an ominous figure. "Where Is the Feeling?" was later included on the setlist of Minogue's KylieFever2002 tour, and added to three of her greatest hits albums.
## Background and composition
Originally, "Where Is the Feeling?" was recorded by the group Within a Dream in 1993. While working on Minogue's self-titled fifth studio album, it was asked if anyone had ideas for a cover song. Dave Seaman, a member of British duo Brothers in Rhythm and producer of the song, felt it was a "perfect fit" for the record. Frankie Knuckles and David Morales' works influenced the duo when they produced the track, adding live piano, guitar and percussion to the song, making it a "classic extended version". An acoustic version of "Where Is the Feeling?" was also produced for an acoustic EP at the time, but was never released; it later appeared on the expanded edition of Kylie Minogue, released in 2003.
"Where Is the Feeling?" was initially planned to be released as the second single from Kylie Minogue, but "Put Yourself in My Place" was selected instead. The song was then scheduled for an April 1995 release, but was delayed while Minogue completed filming Bio-Dome (1996) in the United States. It was released in the United Kingdom on 10 July 1995 as the third and final single from the album, by Deconstruction and Mushroom Records, seven months after the release of the second single. It featured a re-recorded version remixed by Brothers in Rhythm.
The album version of "Where Is the Feeling?" was written by Wilf Smarties and Jayn Hanna, and produced by Brothers in Rhythm. It was recorded and mixed by Paul Wright and Niall Flynn at Sarm West Studios in London. Musically, the song is described as a handbag house song with elements of disco and acid jazz. Quentin Harrison of Blogcritics noted its "classic disco feel echoed British acts like The Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai and Incognito". The remixed version for the single release was described by reviewers as an ambient song with elements of trip hop, featuring spoken vocals by Minogue, as well as the use of an orchestra. According to Herald Express' Gareth George, in the remix Minogue utters "breathlessly whispering sexy come-ons over a pleasant enough ambient groove." It also received new lyrics: "Detached and vulnerable / The world on my shoulders...If only I could laugh in the face of irony / Safe in the knowledge of our eternal love".
## Reception
### Critical response
Both the album and remix versions of "Where Is the Feeling?" received positive reviews from music critics. Whilst reviewing Kylie Minogue, Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian wrote that "the best moments are uncomplicated 'handbag-house' opuses", like "Falling" and "Where Is the Feeling?". Larry Flick of Billboard described the album version as a "swirling, disco-minded jam", and complimented the "sprawling, cinematic epic rife with lush ambient texture and seductive vocal vamping" single release, labeling it as "truly brilliant". In his weekly UK chart commentary in Dotmusic, James Masterton viewed the remix as "another surprisingly sophisticated dance record". Alan Jones from Music Week stated that the single version was "very much a first cousin of Madonna's Justify My Love, but less commercial." Record Collector said it pairs "Minogue's feel-good, chart-friendly pop with a wash of disco-fied techno". Birmingham Evening Mail staff deemed the remix as "soulful", and stated that it would "suit Dina Carroll down to the ground." Herald Express' Gareth George felt the single version was "not that bad" and commented that "if this was the sort of pillow-talk bed-hopping Aussie rocker Michael Hutchence enjoyed its a wonder he ever gave her the boot."
Classic Pop staff described the album version as "a clash between happy house and SAW’s squeaky-clean convivial pop", while deeming the remixed version as a "hushed, bleepy jam unlike anything she’d put out". Writing for the Herald Sun, Cameron Adams called the original form "one of the deepest house cuts" on the album, as well as an "absolute belter"; he also described the single version as a "sensual epic that was completely re-recorded from the original". According to Guillermo Alonso, from the Spanish edition of Vanity Fair, the album version sounded "too pop, too conventional, too much of what she had left behind", referring to her past bubblegum pop songs; he found the remix version "almost unregonizable" from its original form, as well as "a very interesting and dark house theme with trip hop influences". Josh Martin from MTV Australia classified the track as a "quiet landmark in personal expression in the pop singer’s music". In a review for the album, Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine noted that the song, alongside "Where Has the Love Gone" and "Falling", "all run about two minutes too long".
### Commercial performance
Commercially, "Where Is the Feeling?" charted moderately in Australia, Scotland, and the United Kingdom. In Australia, the single debuted at number 31 on the ARIA Charts and stayed on the chart for a total of three weeks. It remained Minogue's lowest and weakest-spanning solo single until "In My Arms" (2008) replaced the status, when it peaked at number 35 and stayed in the charts for two weeks. The song also debuted at its peak of number 15 on the Scottish Singles Chart. In the United Kingdom, "Where Is the Feeling?" debuted at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart and stayed on the chart for three weeks. Despite reaching the top 20, the single spent only three weeks in the top 75. Across the pan-European Hot 100 Singles chart, it attained a peak of number 41, on the issue dated 29 July 1995.
## Promotion
The song's accompanying music video was directed by Keir McFarlane, who previously directed the video for "Put Yourself in My Place" (1994), and filmed in a school swimming pool in Los Angeles. It uses the re-recorded version of the single release, and premiered on ITV's The Chart Show on 6 July 1995; it features Minogue sporting red hair, which was dyed specially for her role in Bio-Dome, being pursued through the murky water by an ominous male figure. The video later appeared on Minogue's video compilation The Kylie Tapes: 94-98 (1998). An extended version, which includes an introduction with a countdown, was made available for the first time on Minogue's video compilation Artist Collection (2004).
To further promote "Where Is the Feeling?", Minogue performed the track on Channel 4's Don't Forget Your Toothbrush show, and it also appeared as an interlude on the setlist of Minogue's KylieFever2002 concert tour. The track was also included on three of Minogue's greatest hits albums: Hits+ (2000), Greatest Hits: 87–99 (2003), and Confide in Me: The Irresistible Kylie (2007). The Felix da Housecat Klubb Feelin Mix remix was included on her 2010 remix album 12" Masters – Essential Mixes.
## Track listings
- Australian, UK, and European CD single
1. "Where Is the Feeling?" (BIR Dolphin Mix) – 4:14
2. "Where Is the Feeling?" (BIR Soundtrack) – 13:30
3. "Where Is the Feeling?" (Da Klubb Feelin Mix) – 10:50
4. "Where Is the Feeling?" (Morales Mix) – 6:15
5. "Where Is the Feeling?" (BIR Bish Bosh Mix) – 4:49
- UK 12-inch single
A. "Where Is the Feeling?" (BIR Soundtrack) – 13:07
B. "Where Is the Feeling?" (Da Klubb Feelin Mix) – 10:48
- UK cassette single
1. "Where Is the Feeling?" (BIR Dolphin Mix) – 4:12
2. "Where Is the Feeling?" (BIR Bish Bosh Mix) – 4:46
- Japanese mini-CD single
1. "Where Is the Feeling?" – 7:01
2. "Confide in Me" (Master Mix) – 5:52
## Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Kylie Minogue:
Recording
- Mixed and recorded at Sarm West Studios in London by Paul Wright.
Personnel
- Kylie Minogue – vocals
- Wilf Smarties – songwriter
- Jayn Hanna – songwriter
- Terry Ronald – vocal arranger
- Steve Anderson – producer
- Dave Seaman – producer
- Paul Wright – recording, audio mixing
- Niall Flynn – recording assistant, mixing assistant
## Charts | [
"## Background and composition",
"## Reception",
"### Critical response",
"### Commercial performance",
"## Promotion",
"## Track listings",
"## Credits and personnel",
"## Charts"
] | 2,084 | 10,840 |
2,944,620 | Japanese battleship Aki | 1,136,854,039 | Imperial Japanese Navy's Satsuma-class battleship | [
"1907 ships",
"Maritime incidents in 1924",
"Satsuma-class battleships",
"Ships built by Kure Naval Arsenal",
"Ships sunk as targets",
"Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean",
"World War I battleships of Japan"
] | Aki (安芸) was one of two Satsuma-class semi-dreadnought battleship built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the first decade of the 20th century. She was the second battleship built domestically in Japan and the first to use steam turbines for propulsion. The ship was named for Aki Province, now a part of Hiroshima Prefecture. The ship saw no combat during World War I. Aki was disarmed in 1922 and sunk as a target in 1924 in accordance with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922.
## Background
The Satsuma class was ordered in late 1904 under the 1904 War Naval Supplementary Program during the Russo-Japanese War. Unlike the previous Katori-class pre-dreadnought battleships, they were the first battleships ordered from Japanese shipyards. They were originally designed with a dozen 12-inch (305 mm) guns, but had to be redesigned because of a shortage of guns in Japan and to reduce costs.
## Design and description
The ship had an overall length of 492 feet (150 m), a beam of 83 feet 7 inches (25.5 m), and a normal draft of 27 feet 6 inches (8.4 m). She displaced 20,100 long tons (20,400 t) at normal load. The crew consisted of 931 officers and enlisted men.
Aki was fitted with a pair of Curtiss steam turbine sets, each driving one shaft using steam from 15 Miyabara water-tube boilers. The turbines were rated at a total of 24,000 shaft horsepower (18,000 kW) for a design speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). The ship reached a top speed of 20.25 knots (37.5 km/h; 23.3 mph) during her sea trials from 27,740 shp (20,690 kW). She carried enough coal and oil to give her a range of 9,100 nautical miles (16,900 km; 10,500 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). Unlike her half-sister, she had three funnels.
The ship's main battery consisted of four 45-caliber 12-inch (305 mm) 41st Year Type guns in two twin-gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure. Her intermediate armament consisted of six twin-gun turrets equipped with 45-caliber Type 41 10-inch (254 mm) guns, three turrets on each side of the superstructure. Her heavy intermediate armament of guns larger than 9 inches (229 mm) is why the ship is considered to be a semi-dreadnought.
Aki's secondary armament consisted of eight 45-caliber 6-inch (152 mm) 41st Year Type guns, mounted in casemates in the sides of the hull. The ship was also equipped with eight quick-firing (QF) 40-caliber 12-pounder (3-inch (76 mm)) 12-cwt guns and four 28-caliber 12-pounder QF guns. In addition, the battleship was fitted with five submerged 18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes, two on each broadside and one in the stern.
The waterline main belt of the Satsuma-class vessels consisted of Krupp cemented armor that had a maximum thickness of nine inches amidships. It tapered to a thickness of four inches (102 mm) at the ends of the ship. A six-inch strake of armor protected the casemates. The barbettes for the main guns were seven–nine point five inches (180–240 mm) thick. The armor of Aki's main gun turrets had a maximum thickness of eight inches (203 mm). The deck armor was two–three inches (51–76 mm) thick and the conning tower was protected by six inches of armor.
## Construction and service
Aki was laid down at Kure Naval Arsenal on 15 March 1906. She was launched on 15 April 1907, but construction was suspended for about five months after the decision was made on 26 November to install steam turbines on Aki and the armored cruiser Ibuki. Aki's turbines were already behind schedule and the suspension allowed the less valuable ship to be completed first, and changes made to its turbines after testing were also incorporated into Aki's turbines. Aki was finally completed on 11 March 1911 and her first captain was Tatsuo Matsumura.
When World War I began in August 1914, Aki was refitting at Kure Naval Arsenal. She was assigned to the 1st Battleship Squadron upon the completion of her refit and remained with it until she was transferred to the 2nd Battleship Squadron in 1918, seeing no combat during the war. From December 1915 to December 1916, she was commanded by Captain Kiyokazu Abo. The ship was disarmed at Yokosuka in 1922 to comply with the provisions of the Washington Naval Treaty, stricken from the navy list during 1923 and converted into a target ship. Her guns were turned over to the Imperial Japanese Army for use as coastal artillery. The rest of her guns were placed in reserve and ultimately scrapped in 1943. Two of her 10-inch gun turrets were installed as coastal artillery batteries on Jōgashima island to protect Tokyo Bay. Aki was sunk by the battlecruiser Kongō and the battleship Hyūga on 2 September 1924 in Tokyo Bay. | [
"## Background",
"## Design and description",
"## Construction and service"
] | 1,176 | 4,353 |
3,436,214 | Hightail | 1,147,942,996 | Cloud service to send/receive and digitally sign files | [
"Companies based in Campbell, California",
"Email attachment replacements",
"One-click hosting"
] | Hightail, formerly YouSendIt, is a cloud service that lets users send and receive digitally sign and synchronize files. YouSendIt.com and YouSendIt Inc. were founded in 2004; the company renamed itself Hightail in 2013.
The company's early focus was on helping users send files that were too large for email; it started adding features and plug-ins for businesses in 2007. The service grew quickly, and the firm raised \$49 million in funding between 2005 and 2010. The service can now be used via the web, a desktop client, mobile devices, or from within business applications using a Hightail plugin.
In May 2015, the company launched Hightail Spaces, designed to encourage creative professionals from conception of an idea to delivery.
In 2018, Hightail was acquired by OpenText.
## History
Hightail was founded as YouSendIt Inc. in 2004 by three cofounders: Ranjith Kumaram, Amir Shaikh and Khalid Shaikh. In its early years, Amir pursued advertising revenues, Jimmy Vienneau managed business development, Francis Wu created the graphic design including the logo, while Kumaran focused on the user experience and Khalid did technical work. By May 2004, the company had 300,000 users and was growing 30 percent each month. That September, Cambrian Ventures invested \$250,000. At first, YouSendIt was mainly used to send large files, such as photos or audio files, which were too large for the file-size limits set by email providers at the time.
\$5 million in funding was raised in August 2005. Afterwards, there was a falling out between the founders. Within a few years, Khalid and Amir Shaikh left the company, while Kumaran stayed in a product management and marketing role. In 2011, Shaikh pleaded guilty to making denial of service (DoS) attacks on the website for the YouSendIt service between December 2008 to June 2009.
Ivan Koon took over as CEO and YouSendIt continued to raise a total of \$49 million. YouSendIt grew as file recipients saw how the service works, reaching 100,000 paying users and 8.5 million registered users by March 2009. In January 2011, YouSendIt Inc. acquired a developer of Microsoft Outlook add-ons, Attassa, and an iPhone app developer, Zosh.
In May 2012, a former AOL and Yahoo! executive, Brad Garlinghouse, was appointed as CEO. He refocused the company on file sharing and remote document access, placing it in competition with Dropbox Inc. and Box Inc. Hightail began advertising against competitors Dropbox and Box with slogans like "Your files should be neither Dropped nor Boxed".
In January 2013, YouSendIt acquired Found Software, a company that develops the Found for Mac application that searches for files on Macintosh computers and connected networks. In July of that year, YouSendIt announced its rebranding as Hightail, to represent its move beyond file sharing and into file collaboration services. New mobile apps for iOS and Windows devices were also introduced, as well as an unlimited storage option.
In September 2013, Hightail acquired adeptCloud, a security-focused file-sharing service for hosting files inside a corporate firewall. In November, Hightail raised \$34 million in additional funding. Brad Garlinghouse resigned as CEO in September 2014, allegedly due to disagreements with the board of directors. He was replaced by co-founder Ranjith Kumaran.
In February 2018, Hightail was acquired by OpenText. In March 2018, Hightail's employees relocated to OpenText's offices in San Mateo, California and the Campbell office was decommissioned.
## Products and services
Users of the Hightail service upload a file to Hightail's servers, and recipients are provided with a link where the file can be downloaded. Users can also manage files in an online folder system, or create desktop folders that access online storage.
In addition to Hightail.com, the service can be used from desktop applications for Windows and macOS, or from mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. There are also plugins for business applications, such as Microsoft Outlook and Yahoo! Mail, that allow users to send files from within the application. Documents can be signed digitally with Hightail using a mouse or touch-screen. The service has a pay-per-use security feature and files sent through Hightail are encrypted during transit and while stored on individual devices or servers.
The consumer version is sold on a freemium basis, while a business product is sold as YouSendIt for Business, which was originally released as Workstream. YouSendIt for Business integrates with Active Directory and Microsoft SharePoint. The business version has additional features for corporate use, such as remote data wipes on mobile devices, service level agreements and controls for compliance requirements, such as HIPAA and PCI.
As of 2013, the company has more than 40 million registered users, in about 200 countries. Most use its free service for 2 GB of storage, while a half-million pay for unlimited storage and additional features.
### Software versions
YouSendIt was initially known as a way for individuals to share personal files and images on YouSendIt.com. In 2007, a Corporate Suite was released that had management and reporting features for business users. The following year, a tool for embedding YouSendIt into third-party websites, called SiteDrop, was introduced.
Throughout 2008, YouSendIt added plugins that allowed files to be sent through YouSendIt from within applications like Final Cut Pro, Microsoft Outlook, and Adobe Acrobat. In May of that year, a new release of Yahoo! Mail included YouSendIt built-in, which added a million YouSendIt users over the following two months. In July, YouSendIt's online folder management system and digital signing features were introduced in order to compete with Dropbox. The following month, YouSendIt added applications for Mac and PC desktops, as well as iOS and Android devices.
In March 2012, YouSendIt released a separate product intended for business users called Workstream, which was later renamed to YouSendIt for Business.
## Reception
PC Magazine gave the service a 4/5 rating. The reviewer, Jeffrey Wilson, found its app easy to use and noted its digital signing and cloud storage features. Wilson reported problems when trying to use the digital signing feature with the phone held vertically and experienced occasional crashes. TopTenReviews gave the service a 9.5 out of 10. TopTenReviews praised the product for unlimited downloads and accessibility from a desktop, laptop or other mobile device. In benchmark tests, the service took seven minutes to upload a 30 MB file, compared to an industry average of six minutes.
According to a review in Small Business Trends, "Probably one of the most powerful features is the ability to sign digital documents." A review in About.com said the service was easy-to-use and noted its features for password protection, file-tracking and interface branding, but also pointed out that users cannot copy themselves on files sent through the Hightail Outlook application. A reviewer at MacLife liked its synchronization and collaboration tools, but had some complaints about a "clunky" user interface.
Referring to the "for Business" product, PC Advisor stated that Dropbox, had better customization, while YouSendIt had the advantage of integration with SharePoint and Active Directory for corporate environments. Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) conducted a comparative review of vendors in the file sharing and collaboration market in 2012. It gave an average score from an end-user's perspective and a slightly below-average score from an administrator's perspective. ESG noted that the pricing model was expensive on a per-user basis, but its lack of caps or surcharges made it more affordable for heavy users. ESG testers found it easy and secure, but noted it lacked the auditing and workflow features of some competitors.
## See also
- Cloud storage
- Comparison of file hosting services
- Comparison of online backup services
- WeTransfer | [
"## History",
"## Products and services",
"### Software versions",
"## Reception",
"## See also"
] | 1,683 | 29,522 |
14,852,404 | L'Histoire d'une fée, c'est... | 1,135,218,381 | 2001 single by Mylène Farmer | [
"2000 songs",
"2001 singles",
"Mylène Farmer songs",
"Polydor Records singles",
"Songs about BDSM",
"Songs about fictional female characters",
"Songs with lyrics by Mylène Farmer",
"Songs with music by Laurent Boutonnat",
"Songs written for animated films"
] | "L'Histoire d'une fée, c'est..." (English: "The Story of a Fairy Is...") is a 2001 song recorded by French singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. It was one of the singles from the soundtrack album for the film Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (known in France as Les Razmokets à Paris). With its lyrics written by Farmer and the song being composed and produced by her long-time songwriting collaborator Laurent Boutonnat, "L'Histoire d'une fée, c'est..." was released on 27 February 2001. The song describes the fairy Mélusine with "childish" lyrics that contrast with double entendres and puns referring to sexual practices. Although the single had no music video nor airplay promotion, it received generally positive reviews from critics and reached top-ten charts in France and Belgium.
## Background and writing
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie was the second in a trilogy of films based on the children's animated television series Rugrats, which features the adventures of a group of toddlers. After filming, the producers wanted to record a soundtrack for the movie with mainly French songs, as well as a few in English. Several singers were contacted, including TLC member Tionne Watkins, the 1990s boys band 2Be3, Sinéad O'Connor, Cyndi Lauper and Mylène Farmer. Persistent but unconfirmed rumours claimed that Madonna, as the founder of the Maverick company producing the soundtrack, had expressly asked Farmer to participate in the album. Farmer accepted, but preferred to produce a new song instead of licensing the rights to one of her old compositions. The recording label Maverick signed a contract for an unreleased song, with lyrics written by Farmer and music composed by her songwriting partner Laurent Boutonnat. This was the first time that the singer had recorded a song especially for a movie. An English version was canceled in favour of a French version, and eventually the song only played for about 15 seconds in the movie. The first title chosen, "Attrapez-moi", was also quickly abandoned as it was too similar to the Pokémon's cry of "Attrapez-les tous".
## Music and lyrics
"L'Histoire d'une fée, c'est..." is a synthpop song. It tells the story of a mischievous and malicious fairy, Mélusine, here embodied by Farmer. Lyrically, the song uses words referring to magic, baffling several of Farmer's fans as the lyrics seem to be closer to the themes found in songs by young singers such as Alizée. The lyrics also contain several double entendres and puns which refer to sexual practices. The song's title itself is ambiguous and can be deemed sexually suggestive as it contains a pun in French alluding to spanking: in French, the title "L'Histoire d'une fée, c'est..." could be phonetically understand as meaning "L'Histoire d'une fessée..." (translation: "The Story of a Spanking").
## Release
In Europe the soundtrack release was postponed until 7 February 2001 because Farmer had bought the song's royalties and finally decided to release it as a single, 14 days later. It was only released as a digipack CD single, in which the song's lyrics are written inside, and there was no promotional format. For the second time in the singer's career – after the song "XXL" – the single cover does not show her, but a drawing of a fairy from the film by Tom Madrid. The song began circulating online a month before the soundtrack's release and was well received by many fans who felt that it could be a hit. The song did not receive much radio airplay, with only Europe 2 playing it regularly. "L'Histoire d'une fée, c'est..." was also released on the soundtrack of the film in a longer version than the CD single version, and was later included on Mylène Farmer's greatest hits album Les Mots. It was also released as the third track on the European CD maxi "Les Mots", released in the Switzerland on 4 September 2002.
## Critical reception
The song was generally well received by critics, who particularly noted the puns. According to author Erwan Chuberre, the lyrics are "as funny as disillusioned" and Farmer uses puns that "highlight her immoderate pleasure for impolite pleasures", with a music he deemed "effective". Author Thierry Desaules said that the song appears to be a childish fairly tale, but is actually structured in a perverse enough way to address the adult public, as the allusions to the spanking can be seen as references to sadomasochism. Journalist Benoît Cachin wrote that her puns are "of the funniest" and that the singer included in the lyrics "some very personal thoughts", including sadness; he added that Farmer appears to be "fun, dynamic and delightfully mischievous" on this song.
## Chart performance
On 3 March 2001, the single debuted at a peak of number nine on the French SNEP Singles Chart, providing Farmer her 22nd top ten hit. In the following weeks, the song fell steadily and remained in the top 50 for nine weeks and a total of 15 weeks on the chart. This chart performance was surprising given that the song was aired little on radio, the film met a mixed commercial success in France and there was no music video, no promotion on television, and only one format. According to Instant-Mag the beauty of the single's cover undoubtedly helped increase sales. In Belgium, the single started at number 23 on 15 March 2001, climbed to number 11, then peaked at number 10. Thereafter, it dropped and fell off the Ultratop 50 after 13 weeks. On the 2001 Belgian singles year-end chart, "L'Histoire d'une fée, c'est..." ranked at number 89.
## Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of single releases of "L'Histoire d'une fée, c'est...":
- CD single – Digipack
## Official versions
## Credits and personnel
These are the credits and the personnel as they appear on the back of the single:
- Mylène Farmer – lyrics
- Laurent Boutonnat – music, producer
- John Eng – artistic director
- Gena Kornyshev – stylist
- Tom Madrid – drawings
- Requiem Publishing – editions
- Polydor – recording company
- Henry Neu – design
- Bertrand Chatenet – mixing
## Charts
### Peak positions
### Year-end charts
### Sales
## Release history | [
"## Background and writing",
"## Music and lyrics",
"## Release",
"## Critical reception",
"## Chart performance",
"## Formats and track listings",
"## Official versions",
"## Credits and personnel",
"## Charts",
"### Peak positions",
"### Year-end charts",
"### Sales",
"## Release history"
] | 1,404 | 315 |
59,656,092 | Im Frieden dein, o Herre mein | 1,088,765,784 | German Christian communion hymn | [
"1530 works",
"16th-century hymns in German",
"1898 songs",
"Lutheran hymns"
] | "Im Frieden dein, o Herre mein" (In Your peace, o my Lord) is a three-stanza German Christian communion hymn. In 1527 the early Reformer Johann Englisch (Johannes Anglicus) wrote two stanzas as a rhyming close paraphase of the Nunc dimittis, or Canticle of Simeon. The hymn is sung to a melody by Wolfgang Dachstein, written before 1530. Friedrich Spitta revised the lyrics in 1898 and added a third stanza. His revision transformed Englisch's prayer of an individual with a focus on a peaceful death to a communal one more about peaceful life in unity.
This version is part of the German Protestant hymnal, Evangelisches Gesangbuch, as EG 222. An ecumenical song, it is also part of the current Catholic hymnal, Gotteslob, as GL 216. It appears in several other hymnals.
## History
The development of the hymn spans four stages within the history of Christianity. Its initial inspiration draws from the account of Jesus being presented at the temple 40 days after his birth, in a ritual of purification depicted in the Gospel of Luke. On that occasion, Simeon praised the light that appeared by the baby. Centuries later, Simeon's canticle became a regular part of the Liturgy of the Hours as the Nunc dimittis, especially connected to the feast of the purification.
Thirdly, during the Reformation, the Nunc dimittis was used as a prayer of thanks after communion, as documented in a Nördlingen liturgy of 1522 and a Strasbourg liturgy of 1524, the latter specifically calling for its use "after the meal" or communion ("nach dem Mahle"). The rhyming paraphrase created by Johann Englisch, or Johannes Anglicus [de], first appearing in 1527 on a now-lost leaflet, became a regular part of Strasbourg hymnals from 1530 on. His version retains the theme of the Nunc dimittis, with its ideas of rest in peace after having seen the light of a saviour who came for all people and especially Israel. The hymn is sung to a melody attributed to Wolfgang Dachstein, written before 1530. It is one of three hymns described as Der Lobgesang Simeonis (Simeon's song of praise) appearing in an 1848 collection of Schatz des evangelischen Kirchengesangs im ersten Jahrhundert der Reformation ("Treasure of Protestant church singing in the first century of the reformation"). The first two are the Biblical canticle in Martin Luther's translation, and Luther's paraphrase "Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin", followed by "Im Frieden dein". A footnote marks the three songs as also suitable for funerals.
Finally, in 1898, Friedrich Spitta, a Protestant theologian, revised the song and added a third stanza, which is now usually placed between the older stanzas. He shifted the meaning from an individual prayer for a good death to a communal prayer for a meaningful life. The focus is on communion as a way for believers to see the light of Christ and thereby live in peace and unity. With additional minor changes, this version of the hymn is part of the German Protestant hymnal, Evangelisches Gesangbuch, as EG 222.
An ecumenical song, it is also part of the current Catholic hymnal, Gotteslob, as GL 216, in the section "Gesänge – Woche – Gesänge zur Kommunion / Dank nach der Kommunion" (Songs – Week – Communion – Thanks after Communion). It appears in several other hymnals.
## Text
The text of the hymn is as follows, on the left as in Tucher's 1848 publication which shows Englisch's two stanzas, on the right the text from the current German hymnals:
Englisch's lyrics are a close paraphrase of the Nunc dimittis, about being able to go in peace after having seen the light of the Saviour ("Heiland"). Simeon said so after actually seeing the baby Jesus, 40 days after his birth, and for him departing in peace could mean readiness to die. Englisch begins in the first person, addressing God as his Lord ("Herre mein"), who prays to be allowed to rest in God's peace ("Im Frieden dein ... wollst mich nun ruhen lassen").
Spitta transfers the thought to a more general meaning, of travelling one's roads after having seen the light, adding that His mercy is unmeasurable ("ohne Maßen").
The second stanza in Englisch's version is a paraphrase of the second part of Simeon's canticle, mentioning the dear guest ("werthen Gast"), alluding to Jesus, for all people including the heathen, and for the greatness of Israel.
Spitta changes the focus, identifying the singer with the guest (instead of referring to Jesus), invited to a rich meal of mercy ("das reiche Mahl der Gnaden"). The meal offers the bread of life ("Lebensbrot"), which joins the invited believers to God and among each other, a reason to praise, filled with sense and courage ("Sinn und Mut"). The heathen and Israel are not mentioned in his version.
The final stanza is a prayer for love and faithfulness in God connecting "us all" ("uns all"), so that hand and mouth will show the friendliness of the Lord, until after this time all may find a seat at his table.
The lyrics follow a pattern of two rhyming short lines followed by a longer line, repeated three times in a stanza, with the three longer lines all rhyming: aabccbddb.
## Melodies
From 1530, the hymn was associated with a melody attributed to Wolfgang Dachstein. The tune has an element often found in Strasbourg melodies, a rhythm of long-short-short-long, here used for the short lines. The first two long lines begin with a long note, followed by a sequence of equally short notes, ending on two long notes. The first line begins with the lowest note and rises a fourth, step by step. The other short lines have similar patterns, such as the equal lines which begin the second and third section, moving a fourth downward. The last section begins an octave higher than the second ends, a feature often found in contemporary Strasbourg melodies, especially by Matthäus Greiter, sometimes accentuating a bar form's abgesang. The last line, beginning like the first line, is the only one which has a melisma. In Dachstein's composition, it stresses the last word by dotted notes, rising to an octave above the first note. The stressed word in the first stanza is "gesehen" (seen) and in the second "Volke" (people, meaning Israel). Shortly before the end of the melisma, a ligature typical for German melodies of the 16th century moves around ("umspielt") the second to last note, then released to the key note. While it is usually difficult to find a relation between words and music in strophic texts, it can be assumed that peace is expressed by the calm movement, up and down in symmetry. The last rising line might even be experienced as an expression of a vision of God ("Gottesschau"), although it seems unlikely that the composer had that in mind.
The long and complex last line is difficult for congregational singing, and later versions therefore often abbreviate the melisma, in various ways. An 1899 hymnal for Alsace-Lorraine has a version with only the ligature before the end, the version in today's hymnals. However, the first publication of Spitta's text came with Dachstein's melody.
## Musical settings
Samuel Mareschall composed a four-part choral setting in 1606, published by Carus-Verlag. Herbert Beuerle composed a setting for three parts in 1953. In 1980, Aldo Clementi wrote a motet for eight voices. Bernhard Blitsch composed a motet for four parts in 2013. Gaël Liardon published an organ work in 2014. | [
"## History",
"## Text",
"## Melodies",
"## Musical settings"
] | 1,733 | 7,157 |
38,879,801 | 41 cm/45 3rd Year Type naval gun | 1,157,552,057 | null | [
"400 mm artillery",
"Military equipment introduced in the 1920s",
"Naval guns of Japan",
"World War II naval weapons"
] | The 41 cm/45 3rd Year Type naval gun is a 41-centimeter (16.1 in) breech-loading naval gun designed during World War I for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It served as the primary armament in the Nagato-class dreadnoughts completed after the end of the war and in coast defense mountings. Two turrets and their guns were salvaged during the 1970s from the wreck of the Japanese battleship Mutsu and are on display in Japan.
## Description
The gun was of wire-wound construction and had an overall length of 18.84 meters (61 ft 10 in) with a bore 18.294 meters (60 ft 0.2 in) long. It weighed 102,000 kilograms (224,872 lb), including the Welin-type breech. This used the Elswick three-motion short-arm mechanism, much like the British BL 18 inch Mk I naval gun designed around the same time. Chamber volume was 467.11 litres (28,505 cu in).
Initially the gun was fitted in twin-gun turrets that had an elevation range of –2°/+35°. It was initially equipped with the Type 88 1,000-kilogram (2,200 lb) armor-piercing, capped (APC) shell, that had a muzzle velocity of 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s). This was superseded in 1931 by the Type 91 shell that weighed 1,020 kilograms (2,250 lb). It was fired at a muzzle velocity of 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s) to a range of 30,200 meters (33,000 yd). Also available was a 936-kilogram (2,064 lb) high-explosive shell that had a muzzle velocity of 805 meters per second (2,640 ft/s). A special Type 3 Sankaidan incendiary shrapnel shell was developed in the 1930s for anti-aircraft use. The gun's firing cycle was one round every 24 seconds.
The turrets aboard the Nagato-class ships were replaced in the mid-1930s, using the turrets stored from the unfinished Tosa-class battleships. While in storage the turrets were modified to increase their range of elevation to –3°/+43°, which gave them a maximum range of 37,900 meters (41,400 yd), and their firing cycle was reduced to 21.5 seconds.
The gun was only initially known as the 41 cm/45 3rd Year Type naval gun before it was redesignated as the 40 cm/45 3rd Year Type naval gun on 29 March 1922 to comply with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty which forbade guns larger than 40.6 cm (16 in). Third year type refers to the Welin breech block on which design began in 1914, the third year of the Taishō period. This breech block design was also used on the 20 cm (7.9 inch), 15.5 cm (6.1 inch), 14 cm (5.5 inch), 12.7 cm (5 inch), and 12 cm (4.7 inch) naval guns.
## Service
The Nagato-class dreadnoughts were the only ships to use this gun, although it would have been used by the Tosa-class and Kii-class dreadnoughts as well as the Amagi-class battlecruisers had they not been cancelled due to the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. The gun was also deployed in three coast-defense turrets intended to close off the Strait of Tsushima. One turret each was deployed on Iki and Tsushima Islands while the third was mounted in Pusan, Korea.
Mutsu’s original number 4 turret, removed during her interwar refit, is on display on the grounds of the former Imperial Japanese Naval Academy at Etajima, Hiroshima, where it was placed as a training aid in the 1930s. The two aft turrets from Mutsu's wreck were salvaged in the 1970s; No. 4 in July or August 1970 and No. 3 in September of the following year. Both were scrapped. One gun from Turret No. 3 is at the Kure Maritime Museum, popularly known as the Yamato Museum, in Kure, Hiroshima while the other is at the Museum of Maritime Science in Odaiba, Tokyo.
## Shells into bombs
Obsolete Type 88 shells were modified in 1939–40 to create the Type 99 No. 80 Mk 5 armor-piercing bomb used during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The armor-piercing cap and windscreen were removed, the body was machined down and tapered to reduce weight and a new, thinner, base plug installed with two fuzes. The filling was replaced by 23 kilograms (50 lb) of trinitroanisole and the bomb weighed 796.8 kilograms (1,757 lb).
Beginning in 1942 an improved version of the bomb was built. Its nose was much less thick and it contained 35.7 kilograms (79 lb) of trinitroanisole. It weighed 811.2 kilograms (1,788 lb).
## See also
### Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
- BL 16 inch Mk I naval gun: British equivalent
- 16"/45 caliber Mk 1, 5 & 8 gun: American equivalent | [
"## Description",
"## Service",
"## Shells into bombs",
"## See also",
"### Weapons of comparable role, performance and era"
] | 1,160 | 25,983 |
34,051,975 | Typhoon Joan (1997) | 1,171,923,834 | Pacific typhoon in 1997 | [
"1997 Pacific typhoon season",
"October 1997 events",
"Typhoons",
"Typhoons in Guam",
"Typhoons in the Northern Mariana Islands"
] | Typhoon Joan was the longest-lasting super typhoon at the time, maintaining 1-minute maximum sustained winds of at least 240 km/h (150 mph) for 4.5 days. Joan, concurrently with Typhoon Ivan to its west, also became the strongest typhoons at the same time in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The 25th named storm during the active 1997 Pacific typhoon season, Joan developed from the same trough as Typhoon Ivan on October 11. It moved northwestward and later to the west, undergoing explosive deepening to its peak intensity on October 15. One typhoon warning agency estimated that Joan was among the strongest storms on record in the basin, and that Ivan and Joan marked the first occurrence of simultaneous super typhoons. While near peak intensity, Joan passed between Anatahan and Saipan in the Northern Marianas Islands. Later, the typhoon weakened and turned to the north and east, becoming extratropical on October 24.
On Saipan, Typhoon Joan destroyed 37 houses and caused an island-wide power outage. Three people were injured due to boarding up their house during the storm. On nearby Anatahan, high winds caused \$200,000 (1997 USD) worth of crop and property damage. Later, high waves affected southern Japan and northwestern Hawaii. On Chichi-jima, Joan caused a boat to capsize, killing one of its occupants and leaving two others missing.
## Meteorological history
In the first week of October 1997, westerly winds near the equator in the western Pacific Ocean produced troughs – extended areas of low pressure – at a low latitude in the northern and southern hemisphere. The system in the South Pacific eventually developed into Tropical Cyclone Lusi, while the trough in the northern hemisphere eventually spawned two systems – Typhoon Ivan formed to the west, and the system that would eventually become Typhoon Joan developed along the eastern periphery. By October 10, the eastern system consisted of an area of poorly-organized convection, moving slowly to the northwest. On the next day, satellite imagery suggested a circulation had developed. The system increased in size and the convection organized further, prompting the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) to initiate advisories on Tropical Depression 28W on October 13. Also on that day, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) estimated that a tropical depression had developed near the Marshall Islands.
After its development, the depression turned more to the west, intensifying into Tropical Storm Joan on October 14. Early in the storm's duration, neither the JTWC nor most tropical cyclone forecast models anticipated significant strengthening beyond 1-minute winds of 185 km/h (115 mph); this was due to a fairly weak monsoon trough and normal atmospheric pressures in the region. Late on October 15, the JTWC upgraded Joan to typhoon status, and the JMA followed suit the next day. Over a 36‐hour period beginning at 1800 UTC on October 15, the JTWC estimated that the pressure decreased by 100 mbar (3.0 inHg), or roughly 2.4 mbar (0.071 inHg) per hour; based on the agency's assessment, Joan underwent explosive deepening during that time, reaching an estimated minimum pressure of 872 mbar (25.8 inHg). Near peak intensity, Joan had a well-defined eye within a circular area of very deep convection, organized to such an extent that it warranted a Dvorak rating of at least T8.0, the highest number on the scale used to estimate tropical cyclone intensities via satellite imagery. If the estimate were correct, it would make Joan among the top five Pacific typhoons on record. On October 17, the JTWC estimated 1-minute peak winds of 295 km/h (183 mph), making Joan a super typhoon, the ninth of the season. By contrast, the JMA estimated peak 10-minute winds of 195 km/h (121 mph) with a pressure of 905 mbar (26.7 inHg).
While near peak intensity on October 17, Joan was located about 2,100 km (1,300 mi) east of Typhoon Ivan, which had also reached super typhoon status; the JTWC later noted that it was "the first observation of two tropical cyclones of such extreme intensity existing simultaneously in the Northwest Pacific." Despite the proximity to Ivan, the two typhoons did not undergo the Fujiwhara effect. The JTWC estimated that Joan weakened slightly after reaching peak winds, although the JMA maintained the typhoon at peak intensity for nearly three whole days. Joan gradually turned more to the northwest, passing between Anatahan and Saipan in the Northern Marianas Islands (NMI) on October 18. On October 20, the JMA estimated that the typhoon began weakening, and on the same day Joan turned sharply to the north. On the next day, Joan weakened below super typhoon intensity for the first time in 4.5 days, a record at the time based on JTWC analysis. This record was later surpassed by Typhoon Fengshen in 2002 and Typhoon Ioke in 2006. By October 21, the typhoon had accelerated to the east and was quickly weakening. The next day, Joan passed about 230 km (140 mi) north of the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. On October 24, the typhoon turned to the northeast while losing tropical characteristics, and that day the JMA ceased tracking Joan. The JTWC declared the typhoon as extratropical on October 25 around the same time it crossed the international date line. Former Typhoon Joan merged with a cold front and re-intensified while approaching the Aleutian Islands, and was noted by the Mariners Weather Log as an extratropical storm on October 26.
## Impact
While passing about 80 km (50 mi) of Saipan, Joan produced wind gusts of 157 km/h (98 mph), strong enough to destroy 37 homes and damage the roofs of several other houses. Residents were slow to prepare for the typhoon, and as a result, three people were injured while boarding up their house during the arrival of the strong winds. The passage of Joan left the entire island of Saipan without power, although electrical crews quickly worked to restore the outages. During the storm's passage, about 900 people stayed in shelters, after the government opened six schools for residents. In nearby Anatahan, Joan left heavy damage to boats, machinery, and public buildings. The typhoon damaged various crops, and monetary damage was estimated at \$200,000 (1997 USD). As a result of the damage, both islands within the NMI were declared disaster areas, which allowed residents and businesses to apply for federal loans through the United States Small Business Administration.
While passing between Saipan and Anatahan in the NMI, the eye of Joan was visible by NEXRAD from Guam, despite being 285 km (177 mi) north of the island. An outer rainband moved across the island, producing 56 mm (2.2 in) of rainfall at Anderson Air Force Base and a wind gust of 66 km/h (41 mph) at the National Weather Service office in Tiyan.
Typhoon Joan produced waves as high as 7 m (23 ft) in the southern islands of Japan. In Chichi-jima, the typhoon dropped 115 mm (4.5 in) and brought winds as strong as 91 km/h (57 mph). The combination of strong winds and high waves on the island broke a boat from a moorings, causing it to capsize when the boat struck rocks. Of the five people on board, two swam safely to shore, two were reported missing, and one person was confirmed killed. The extratropical remnants of Joan also produced high swells in Hawaii, with wave heights of 4.6 m (15 ft) along northern shores.
## See also
- Typhoon Hester (1952)
- Typhoon Keith (1997)
- Typhoon Fengshen (2002)
- Typhoon Yuri (1991) | [
"## Meteorological history",
"## Impact",
"## See also"
] | 1,701 | 26,754 |
60,202,777 | K-87 (Kansas highway) | 1,075,328,193 | State highway in Kansas | [
"State highways in Kansas",
"Transportation in Marshall County, Kansas"
] | K-87 is a 8.625-mile-long (13.881 km) north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. The highway runs from the end of state maintenance, where it continues as 26th Road, in the community of Vliets north to U.S. Route 36 (US 36) west of the community of Baileyville. The highway travels through farmlamd and is a two-lane highway its entire length.
K-87 was first established in October 1932, as a short spur connecting Vliets to K-9. On July 9, 1947, the highway was approved to be extended north to US-36. The entire length of the highway was paved by 1958. Since it was extended north, its alignment has not changed.
## Route description
K-87's southern terminus is at the unincorporated community of Vliets as a continuation of 26th Road. The highway travels north through flat rural farmland and soon crosses the Black Vermillion River. The roadway soon reaches a junction with K-9, also known as Sunflower Road. K-87 continues north through rural farmland for roughly five miles (8.0 km) to an intersection with Navajo Road by the Salem Church. The highway advances north through more farmland to its northern terminus at US-36, also known as the Pony Express Highway, west of Baileyville. Past US-36, the road continues north as 26th Road.
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) tracks the traffic levels on its highways, and in 2017, they determined that on average the traffic varied from 205 vehicles per day slightly north of K-9 to 240 vehicles per day between the southern terminus and K-9. K-87 connects to the National Highway System at its northern terminus at US-36.
## History
Prior to the formation of the Kansas state highway system, there were auto trails, which were an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. K-9 follows the former Kansas White Way. The northern terminus closely follows the former Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway, which was formed early in 1912, and travelled from New York City to Los Angeles.
In October 1932, the Kansas State Highway Commission (SHC) announced that it had allocated \$1,991.94 (equivalent to \$ in dollars) to build a 0.5-mile-long (0.80 km) spur from Vliets north to K-9. The grading of the new highway was done under supervision of the county commissioners with county labor. The SHC agreed to give the road a gravel surface within three months of completion. The continuation of the state road from K-9 north to US-36 had a gravel surface added in late 1934, making it an all-weather road. In early October 1935, the SHC asked for bids to add a sand/gravel or keystone surface to K-87. The next month, the SHC approved a bid of \$4,445 (equivalent to \$ in dollars) to add a gravel surface to K-87. In a resolution approved on September 11, 1946, the K-87 was to extend north to US-36 as soon as Marshall County had brought the road up to state highway standards. By mid-1947, the county had finished necessary projects and in a resolution approved on July 9, 1947, it was added to the state highway system.
In August 1951, the entire length of the highway was re-gravelled at a cost of \$4,556.30 (equivalent to \$ in dollars). In early February 1958, the SHC asked for bids to be received to pave the entire length of K-87. On March 12, 1958, the SHC approved a bid of \$9,469 (equivalent to \$ in dollars) for the paving job. Over the years, the Black Vermillion River has flooded the highway numerous times, including 17 times in 1973 alone. In December 1978, KDOT initiated land condemnation proceedings to obtain 1.88 acres (7,600 m<sup>2</sup>) of land for building of a new bridge over the river. Included in the easement were plans to change the course of the river as well as raise the elevation of the bridge. In mid-January 1979, KDOT began taking in bids to build the new bridge and 0.5 miles (0.80 km) of grading on each end of the bridge. The bridge was replaced by the end of the year.
## Major intersections | [
"## Route description",
"## History",
"## Major intersections"
] | 988 | 34,580 |
19,236,591 | Vestgrensa (station) | 1,093,290,259 | Former Oslo metro station | [
"1934 establishments in Norway",
"1999 disestablishments in Norway",
"Disused Oslo Metro stations",
"Oslo Metro stations in Oslo",
"Railway stations closed in 1999",
"Railway stations opened in 1934"
] | Vestgrensa (originally Ullevål Haveby) was a light rail station on the Sognsvann Line of the Oslo Metro in Norway. It opened on 10 October 1934, and was located between Blindern and Ullevål stadion stations. The station was rebuilt when the Sognsvann Line was upgraded from light rail to metro standard in the early 1990s. It was closed on 22 August 1999, when it was replaced by the new station Forskningsparken.
## History
Ullevål Haveby station opened on 10 October 1934, when Akersbanerne had built a light rail line from Majorstuen to Sognsvann. The line was double-tracked from Majorstuen to Korsvoll (now Østhorn), and single-tracked from there to Sognsvann. On 21 February 1939, the section from Korsvoll to Sognsvann was upgraded to double tracks, and the station Korsvoll had its name changed to Østhorn. Ullevål Haveby station changed also name, to Vestgrensa, to avoid confusion with the northbound Ullevål stadion station.
Vestgrensa was part of Holmenkolbanen's operating network until 1975, when the municipality of Oslo bought all the company's stock. In the early 1990s, the stations on the Sognsvann Line were upgraded to metro standard, which involved a heightening and lengthening of the platforms, and installation of a third rail power supply and a new signaling system. The electrified third rail made it impossible for passengers to cross at track level, and under- or overpasses had to be built at all stations.
In 1992, the transport authorities of Oslo decided to close Nordberg and Frøen stations, on the grounds that these stations were too expensive to maintain. The platforms at Vestgrensa were moved a few metres to adjust to the metro trains. Seven years later, on 22 August 1999, Vestgrensa was closed and replaced with the newly opened Forskningsparken Station.
## Location
Vestgrensa was located in the Ullevål Hageby neighbourhood in Oslo, between the Oslo Innovation Center (Norwegian: Forskningsparken) and the football stadium Ullevaal Stadion. The station was positioned on an elevated embankment, some metres from a bridge over a pedestrian walkway also named Vestgrensa. The station served the residential area in Ullevål Hageby, as well as the University of Oslo at Blindern. A scout hut was in many years located close to the station. | [
"## History",
"## Location"
] | 555 | 35,875 |
1,418,499 | John Doggett | 1,168,512,825 | Fictional character in The X-Files (television series)) | [
"Fictional Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel",
"Fictional New York City Police Department detectives",
"Fictional United States Marine Corps personnel",
"Fictional characters from the 20th century",
"Fictional military sergeants",
"Television characters introduced in 2000",
"The X-Files characters"
] | FBI Special Agent John Jay Doggett is a fictional character in the Fox science fiction-supernatural television series The X-Files. With his FBI partners Dana Scully (season 8) and Monica Reyes (season 9), they work on the X-Files together, which is concerned with cases with particularly mysterious or possibly supernatural circumstances that were left unsolved and shelved by the FBI. John Doggett is played by Robert Patrick. Doggett was a main character from the eighth to ninth seasons (2000–2002), replacing David Duchovny's character Fox Mulder. Doggett appeared in the opening credits and every episode from the season eight premiere to the final episode of season 9.
Doggett made his first appearance in the 2000 episode "Within". Doggett served in the United States Marine Corps from the 1970s to the 1980s. Later he started working for the New York Police Department, he was eventually promoted to detective. After his son's death, he got a job in the FBI. He started to work for the Criminal Investigations Division. In 2000, he was assigned to the X-Files office, after the disappearance of Mulder. The introduction of Doggett was met with mostly positive reaction by critics, while getting more mixed response from longtime fans of the series.
## Character arc
Doggett served in the United States Marine Corps in the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit from 1977–1983. His final rank was Sergeant (E-5). While serving in the military, he became good friends with fellow Marine Knowle Rohrer. From 1982–1983, Doggett played a role in the Multi-National Peacekeeping Force for Lebanon development. Doggett retired from the U.S. Marine Corps with commendations after being wounded in the line of duty. After gaining a Juris Doctor and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University, Doggett went on to work for the New York Police Department from 1987–1995, eventually becoming a detective in the Fugitive Division's Warrant section. While he was working for the NYPD, his son, Luke Doggett (played in flashbacks by Jake Fritz), was abducted and murdered. Doggett teamed up with Special Agent Monica Reyes, who was working out of the New York FBI field office at the time, to search for his son's killer. After his son's death, Doggett's marriage to Barbara Doggett (played by Patrick's real-life wife Barbara) ended in divorce.
In 1995, Doggett graduated from the FBI Academy and assumed the position of FBI Special Agent in the Criminal Investigations Division. In 2000, Agent Doggett was assigned by Deputy Director Alvin Kersh to head up the manhunt to find Special Agent Fox Mulder. The manhunt was unsuccessful and Doggett was demoted to work on the X-Files with Special Agent Dana Scully. During this time, Doggett and Kersh developed a bitter enmity, similar to the early relationship between Mulder and Walter Skinner.
Initially, Scully and Doggett were not very trusting of each other. After years of investigating several X-Files cases with Mulder, Scully had slowly grown to believe in the existence of the paranormal. Doggett, however, is a no-nonsense agent, who frequently utilizes his down-to-earth sensibilities he learned as a Marine and a cop. Doggett therefore functioned as "the skeptic", while Scully somewhat served in Mulder's old position of "the believer". Gradually, Doggett and Scully came to trust one another to some degree, although he and Mulder, who later returned and recovered from his abduction, remained untrusting of each other for some time. Doggett and his new partner, Reyes, took charge of the X-Files after Mulder was fired from the FBI and Scully left active duty to teach at the FBI Academy and to care for her son, Baby William. In the series finale, Doggett testified on Mulder's behalf when Mulder was charged with murder. Later, he and Reyes narrowly escaped from Knowle Rohrer, who Doggett had discovered about a year prior was working for the conspiracy. At the end of the series, Doggett is likely a regular agent, as it appears that Kersh was forced to close down the X-Files division.
Doggett does not appear, nor is he mentioned, in the 2008 X-Files feature film. He similarly does not appear or is mentioned in the 2016 television revival of The X-Files.
## Conceptual history
More than one hundred actors auditioned for the role, but only ten were taken seriously by the producers. Known actors such as Lou Diamond Phillips and Hart Bochner were among the auditionees for the role as Agent Doggett. Both Phillips and Bochner were considered for the role, but the producers eventually chose Robert Patrick. Chris Carter said "I think it was something that we all talked about, but I wrote his voice. So, I think he was someone we all came up with together, but his voice came out of my head. But, it was something that was helped in a large degree by casting Robert Patrick."
Patrick had an obligation to work on another series after being cast as Doggett. The series was entitled L.A. Sheriff's Homicide and was shooting its pilot episode. Carter was able to broker a deal with the other studio, paving the way for Patrick's portrayal of Doggett in season eight premiere "Within". Doggett was modeled after Bud White from the 1997 feature film, L.A. Confidential. Carter had previously named Dana Scully after Los Angeles Dodgers announcer Vin Scully, and he decided to name the new character after Vin Scully's longtime broadcasting partner Jerry Doggett as an homage. Before the character got a name, he was referred to by the producers as "Agent White".
Carter was inspired to write the scene in which Scully throws water into Doggett's face, due to Carter being aware that new actor Patrick would be facing opposition from some members of the fan community, Patrick has even called that scene his favorite ever shot for the series, admitting that he couldn't think of a better way to introduce the character and that the scene not only said a lot but that it had actually helped him. The introduction of the new character in the eighth season was one of two main factors that influenced the series' production personnel to decide to go back to more serious episodes. The other major reason was to avoid "trivializing the absence of Mulder".
## Reception
Some members of the fanbase criticized the introduction of Doggett, claiming that the character had been intentionally created to replace previous lead Fox Mulder's work. Chris Carter responded to this with a denial of the accuracy of their claims, and further stated in an interview with National Public Radio (NPR), "What he brings is a different approach to The X-Files. First of all, he's a knee jerk skeptic so he couldn't be more different than the character of Mulder. He's an insider at the FBI, well liked, has buddies. Mulder, of course, he's been banished to the basement along with all of his X-files. So when he's put together with Agent Scully, who has become something of a reluctant believer, the dynamic on the show changes completely".
Robert Patrick was awarded a Saturn Award in the category "Best Television Actor" in 2001 for his role as Doggett, winning over such nominees as Richard Dean Anderson for his work as Jack O'Neill on Stargate SG-1. He was also nominated for the award the following year. Entertainment Weekly reviewer Ken Tucker said that Patrick's portrayal brought "hardboiled alertness" to the series, being overall positive towards the new character. Anita Gates from The New York Times said that most fans had "accepted" Doggett, and further commented that the character actually looked "like a Secret Service Agent." Kathie Huddleston from Sci Fi Wire commented on the absence of Mulder, calling Patrick a "fine actor", and asserting that the character was "way-too-serious" to be intended as a direct replacement for Mulder. Carter commented on the character, saying "everybody likes Robert Patrick and the character", but added that fans missed David Duchovny and his character. Patrick's performance saw him named as one of "The Ten Sexiest Men of Sci-Fi" by TV Guide. | [
"## Character arc",
"## Conceptual history",
"## Reception"
] | 1,736 | 13,784 |
1,286,362 | Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? | 1,147,987,142 | null | [
"1992 American television episodes",
"Television shows written by John Swartzwelder",
"The Simpsons (season 3) episodes",
"Works about brothers"
] | "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" is the twenty-fourth and final episode of the third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons (and the de facto season four premiere). It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on August 27, 1992. It was originally slated to air as the season premiere for the next season, but Fox decided to air it earlier to promote the series premiere of Martin.
In the episode, Homer is awarded US\$2,000 in compensation after radiation from the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant causes him to become sterile. Homer's half-brother, Herb, now poor and homeless, hatches a plan to regain his wealth. Homer loans him \$2,000 to develop a new product that translates baby babbling into speech that parents can understand. Herb's invention is hugely successful, allowing him to regain his fortune.
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Rich Moore. Danny DeVito guest starred as Herb, with Joe Frazier making a cameo as himself. "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" was the second time Herb appeared on the show; he had previously appeared in the season two episode "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", in which Homer causes him to become bankrupt. The producers decided to create this episode in part because many fans were unhappy about the sad ending to "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?".
"Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" received positive reviews from critics and DeVito was praised for his guest performance.
## Plot
A routine physical exam at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant reveals that Homer is sterile after being exposed to radiation. Fearing a lawsuit, Mr. Burns awards Homer the Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence and a US\$2,000 prize in exchange for signing a legal waiver freeing the plant of all liability. To trick Homer into thinking he is receiving an actual award, Burns stages an extravagant ceremony hosted by Joe Frazier.
Homer plans to buy a vibrating chair as a replacement for the living room couch, which Bart and Lisa have broken while goofing off. Homer's half-brother Herb, broke and homeless because of Homer, learns of the prize Homer has won and stows away on a train to Springfield, planning to persuade Homer to lend him the money. Upon seeing Homer in person, Herb punches him in the face out of anger over the loss of Herb's company. After hearing a baby's cries, Herb devises a plan to regain his wealth by designing a device that can translate baby talk into comprehensible English so parents can respond to their infants' needs. His invention is an instant success that makes him rich again.
Herb repays Homer's loan and buys several gifts for the Simpsons, including a new washer and dryer for Marge, an NRA membership for Bart, and a monthly book club subscription for Lisa. Herb forgives Homer for ruining him earlier and buys him the vibrating chair to reward his faith and generosity, and the Simpsons use the original \$2,000 to replace the broken couch.
## Production
The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Rich Moore. The reason for the late broadcast on August 27, 1992 (the season usually ends in May) was because the Fox network decided to add an additional episode to the season and show it during the summer to become "the biggest network" on television. As a result, the writers, animators, and producers had to work longer hours than normal to be able to finish the extra episode, which became "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" The idea for the scenes involving the Spinemelter 2000 originated when one of the writers bought a vibrating chair to relax after working 20 hours a day on the episode.
The decision to make another episode with Herb was reached due to many viewers being unhappy about the sad ending to the previous episode "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" (season two, 1991), in which Homer causes Herb to become bankrupt. It was decided that an episode would be created in which he regains his fortune. Originally the producers were going to end the original Herb episode with Herb saying "I have an idea!" at the end of it, but they decided to flesh this out into a full story, which resulted in "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?". In addition, the producers decided that they enjoyed Danny DeVito's guest starring as Herb in "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", so they brought him back. Cast member Hank Azaria noted that DeVito was less enthusiastic in his second performance as Herb: "Some people come in and you can tell they kind of regretted doing it. The second time, Danny DeVito was like 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's get it over with.' He did a great job, but he didn't enjoy the process."
In part because the writers had so many ideas for what Herb would invent, the original script of "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" ended up being too long at fifty-three pages. During the same time as the voices were being recorded, the writers cut some of the material. One of the cut scenes featured Herb running after a train in order to ask which Springfield it was going to; the writers, however, decided to include a similar scene in a later episode, "Burns, Baby Burns" (season eight, 1996). There was originally a joke in the script that predicted the breakup of the Soviet Union; however, as the Soviet Union already broke up between the writing of the script and the air time, the joke was scrapped.
Boxer Joe Frazier guest starred in the episode as himself. Show runner Al Jean has stated that Frazier was hard to record, especially him saying the word "excellence" in the title of Mr. Burns' award. George Meyer, who directed Frazier, commented that he got the pronunciation right after almost 20 takes. The original script for "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" included a scene in which town drunk Barney Gumble knocked out Frazier, who was a former world heavyweight champion. Frazier's son, however, objected to this scene: "Yes, I suggested that they change that. [Frazier] was a world champion, and a world champion does not get knocked out. My dad has only been knocked down twice, and that was by George Foreman." Originally, the producers wanted Foreman to appear instead of Frazier, but he was unavailable.
The award that Homer received was based on the Emmy Award, but with a statue of Burns instead. At some point during the season, Todd Flanders's role as the younger brother was switched; before, he had been the smaller of the two, but since this episode, he has been the elder. The scene in which Homer flips on the switch that turns on the Christmas sign was, in contrast to the rest of the episode, created via Animatics. For several years, The Simpsons used a series of flashbacks to reflect on the scene in which the character is presently talking about. For instance, in this episode, when Marge talks about getting a new washing machine, the camera cuts to the washing machines vibrating wildly. However, when Family Guy began imitating the same style, the producers stopped the idea soon after. The scene where Homer bemoans Herb's treatment of him to Marge in bed was taken from another episode because they decided to explain the plot a bit more.
## Cultural references
The title of the episode and the plot, to a certain extent, is a reference to the common expression "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?", a song of the Great Depression that has been recorded multiple times by artists since. The Walt Disney Company is referenced at the beginning of the episode when a homeless bum mutters to Herb: "Yeah, I used to be rich. I owned Mickey Mouse Massage Parlors, then those Disney sleazeballs shut me down." The failure of New Coke is also referenced when its creator is also portrayed as 'homeless'. While Homer relaxes in the Spinemelter chair at the store he sees images in his head that are a reference to the penultimate scenes of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. In one scene, Homer reminisces about sitting on his old couch while watching Dallas, the Hands Across America charity event, the Berlin Wall coming down, and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.. The last scene where Herb presents the Simpsons family with gifts for their trust in him is a reference to the film The Wizard of Oz, in which the Wizard presents Dorothy, the Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man with gifts.
## Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" finished 31st in the ratings for the week of August 24–30, 1992, with a Nielsen rating of 10.7, equivalent to approximately 9.76 million viewing households. It was the second highest-rated show on the Fox network that week following the 44th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide were positive of the episode, particularly praising the scenes involving Homer's fixation for vibrating chairs and Maggie speaking to the family through the baby translator. The Guardian's David Eklid said episodes such as "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?", "Lisa's Pony" and "Stark Raving Dad" make season three "pretty much the best season of any television show, ever." The episode's reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey was named the 27th greatest film reference in the history of the show by Total Film's Nathan Ditum.Herb's reappearance was praised by reviewers of the episode. Nate Meyers of Digitally Obsessed stated that Herb is "a perfect sibling for [...] Homer, with the two characters having a harmonious give-and-take comedic style. Indeed there isn't a great deal of substance in John Swartzwelder's script, but it is a great deal of fun with plenty of laughs to more than make up for this flaw. There is also a humorous cameo by Joe Frazier that puts a nice accent on the show."
Bill Gibron of DVD Verdict gave "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" a near-perfect score of 99/100, praising it for "the jokes about what the money could be spent on (including one of the best bits ever in a Simpsons episode—Homer sitting on a high-tech vibrating chair) and a good impetus to reintroduce Herb."
Several critics have praised DeVito's appearance. DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson said he enjoyed seeing what happened to Herb, "and DeVito's performance helps make the show more successful; they really need to bring him back one of these days." Tom Adair of The Scotsman considers "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" to be a classic episode of the show, in part because of DeVito's performance. Gibron also liked the choice of DeVito as the voice of Herb as he is "almost the antithesis of everything Dan Castellaneta does with Homer vocally." Nate Ditum ranked DeVito's performance as the tenth best guest appearance in the show's history. | [
"## Plot",
"## Production",
"## Cultural references",
"## Reception"
] | 2,341 | 12,181 |
24,323,753 | Apororhynchus | 1,173,855,008 | Genus of worms | [
"Archiacanthocephala"
] | Apororhynchus is a genus of small parasitic spiny-headed (or thorny-headed) worms. It is the only genus in the family Apororhynchidae, which in turn is the only member of the order Apororhynchida. A lack of features commonly found in the phylum Acanthocephala (primarily musculature) suggests an evolutionary branching from the other three orders of class Archiacanthocephala; however no genetic analysis has been completed to determine the evolutionary relationship between species. The distinguishing features of this order among archiacanthocephalans is a highly enlarged proboscis which contain small hooks. The musculature around the proboscis (the proboscis receptacle and receptacle protrusor) is also structured differently in this order. This genus contains six species that are distributed globally, being collected sporadically in Hawaii, Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. These worms exclusively parasitize birds by attaching themselves around the cloaca using their hook-covered proboscis. The bird hosts are of different orders, including owls, waders, and passerines. Infestation by an Apororhynchus species may cause enteritis and anemia.
## Taxonomy
The first species in this order to be described was Apororhynchus hemignathi which was originally named Arhynchus hemignathi by Arthur Shipley in 1896. The name Arhynchus was chosen based on the characteristic absence of a proboscis in this species of Acanthocephala. It was later renamed Apororhynchus (along with the family name Apororhynchidae) by Shipley in 1899 due to the name Arhynchus having been used by Dujean in 1834 for a beetle.
Although Apororhynchus has not been included in phylogenetic analyses thus far due to insufficiency of morphological data, the lack of features such as an absence of a muscle plate, a midventral longitudinal muscle, lateral receptacle flexors, and an apical sensory organ when compared to the other three orders of class Archiacanthocephala indicate it is an early offshoot (basal).
## Description
The genus Apororhynchus consists of ectoparasitic worms that attach themselves beneath the skin and around the anus of birds. The distinguishing features of this order among acanthocephalans are a highly enlarged proboscis with limited motility and a reduced size of the hooks (or spines). Apororhynchus species have short conical trunks and a reduced or absent neck. The proboscis is large and globular with numerous deeply set spirally arranged rootless hooks usually not reaching the surface, or with no hooks. They contain sets of muscles that are common to all Acanthocephala including a proboscis receptacle, a receptacle-surrounding muscle called a receptacle protrusor, retinacula (connective tissue that stabilizes tendons), a neck retractor, proboscis and receptacle retractors, circular and longitudinal musculature under the metasomal (trunk) tegument, and a single muscular layer beneath the proboscis wall.
Two regions of musculature are considerably different in Apororhynchus compared to the other acanthocephalan orders: the proboscis receptacle and receptacle protrusor are both reorganized in Apororhynchus with the muscles subdivided into strands extending from the cerebral ganglion, or nerve bundle, to the proboscis wall. These two muscles suspend the cerebral ganglion but are not involved in the eversion of the proboscis. Additional anatomical features that can be used to distinguish this genus among other acanthocephalans include a cerebral ganglion located under the anterior wall of the proboscis, long and tubular lemnisci (bundles of sensory nerve fibers) that run along a central canal, the lack of any protonephridia (an organ which functions as a kidney), and the presence of eight pear-shaped cement glands used to temporarily close the posterior end of the female after copulation.
## Species
There are six species in the genus Apororhynchus. A seventh species, Apororhynchus bivoluerus Das, 1950 (also called A. bivolucrus) from an Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) from India was considered to be a strigeid trematode by Yamaguti (1963).
- Apororhynchus aculeatus Meyer, 1931
A. aculeatus has been found in Santos, Brazil, parasitizing a New World oriole. The parasite was discovered in 1931, in the Berlin Museum, taken from the digestive tube of a bird named at that time as "Oriolus cristatus", which was likely a crested oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus). A. aculeatus was the second parasite to be discovered in its genus, and the specimen used to describe the species was female. Numerous fine hooks on the bulb-shaped proboscis, as well as the different host and location, distinguish it from A. hemignathi.
- Apororhynchus amphistomi Byrd and Denton, 1949
The parasite was discovered in the summer of 1947 infesting a Canada warbler (Cardellina canadensis formerly Wilsonia canadensis) in Mountain Lake, Virginia, and a Northern parula (Setophaga americana formerly Compsothlyphis americana) in Augusta, Georgia, thus making it the third species in its genus to be discovered, and the first species in its genus to be discovered in North America. It was found in the digestive tract, just inside the vent. The species name amphistomi derives from a superficial resemblance to the amphistomate trematodes (flukes with stoma on opposite sides). On the proboscis, there are approximately 20 very fine hooks found on each of 40 rows. The two lemnisci are longer than the body length and are folded in the body cavity. Females are 2.13 mm long by 0.83 mm in maximum width and the proboscis is 0.36 mm long by 0.44 mm in maximum width. The male is smaller being 1.43 mm long by 0.53 mm in maximum width and the proboscis is 0.44 mm long by 0.74 mm in maximum width.
- Apororhynchus chauhani Sen, 1975
A. chauhani is the only Apororhynchus species described from India. It was discovered in Srishailam, Andhra Pradesh, in 1975. A. chauhani was named after Birendra Singh Chauhan, a member of the Zoological Society of India. It parasitizes the spotted owlet (Athene brama) and has been found in the intestine. The body is 4.70 mm by 1.70 mm long with a proboscis that is 1.11 mm by 1.68 mm in length and immature eggs are around 0.015 mm to 0.035 mm in diameter. The hooks on the proboscis are finger shaped and numerous, especially in the posterior. The rest of the hooks on the anterior side are irregularly directed and sparse. The proboscis sheath is absent. The nerve ganglion is large and located near the anterior proboscis. The lemnisci are very long and unequal.
- Apororhynchus hemignathi (Shipley, 1896)
A. hemignathi was the first species of Apororhynchus to be described with the creation of the genus and family by Arthur Shipley in 1896 due to its uniqueness among already described Acanthocephala. It has been found in Kaua'i, Hawaii, parasitizing the now extinct Kauaʻi ʻakialoa (Akialoa stejnegeri). A. hemignathi was named after the genus of the Kauaʻi ʻakialoa, which was Hemignathus at the time of the description. Specimens range from 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm long, distended 1 mm to 1.5 mm longer. It has two to four nuclei in the lemnisci. It is the type species for the genus.
- Apororhynchus paulonucleatus Khokhlova and Cimbaluk, 1966
This parasite has been found in the black-winged pratincole (Glareola nordmanni) at Malye Chany Lake, in Russia, and in the colon and cloaca of the Eastern yellow wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis) in Chukotka and Kamchatka (including the Karaginsky Island), also in Russia. It was described in 1966. The proboscis is large compared to the body and spherical. It is armed with 10–12 spiral rows of hooks with 14–15 hooks in each row. The hook has a thin blade with a curved tip and root thickened with broadened base. In the body, there are 10–16 giant nuclei with a diameter of 0.050–0.077 mm. There is a very short neck (0.153 mm long) between the proboscis and the body with attached ribbon-like lemnisci longer than their own body length. Females are 3.7 mm long by 0.92 mm in maximum width and the proboscis is 1.30 mm long by 1.53 mm in maximum width. The male is smaller being 3.21 mm long by 0.766 mm in maximum width and the proboscis is 0.796 mm long by 0.995 mm in maximum width. The eggs were oval shaped with three concentric shells around 0.074–0.080 mm long and 0.040–0.043 mm wide.
- Apororhynchus silesiacus Okulewicz and Maruszewski, 1980
A. silesiacus was found in the cloaca of the European robin (Erithacus rubecula), the thrush nightingale (Luscinia luscinia) and the common nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) in Wroclaw, Poland, and of the European robin in Alsóperepuszta, Hungary. Described in 1980, it is the most recently classified species of the Apororhynchus. A. silesiacus is named after Silesia, a region in Poland where the parasite was found. Specimens were between 3.21 and 3.51 mm in total length, with a maximum width of 0.80 to 1.05 mm at middle and the eggs were around 0.07 mm long and 0.035 mm wide. It has a proboscis wider than the anterior part of the trunk, with about 40 spiral rows of hooks, each row bearing 14 to 16 hooks. There are 28 to 31 giant nuclei in the body wall and 9 to 12 in the lemnisci. The testes are almost parallel. The parasite has been found infesting juvenile European robins, indicating that the infestation occurred in the nesting area.
## Hosts
The life cycle of an acanthocephalan consists of three stages beginning when an infective acanthor (development of an egg) is released from the intestines of the definitive host and then ingested by an arthropod, the intermediate host. The intermediate hosts of Apororhynchus are not known. When the acanthor molts, the second stage called the acanthella begins. This stage involves penetrating the wall of the mesenteron or the intestine of the intermediate host and growing. The final stage is the infective cystacanth which is the larval or juvenile state of an Acanthocephalan, differing from the adult only in size and stage of sexual development. The cystacanths within the intermediate hosts are consumed by the definitive host, usually attaching to the walls of the intestines, and as adults they reproduce sexually in the intestines. The acanthor are passed in the feces of the definitive host and the cycle repeats. There are no known paratenic hosts (hosts where parasites infest but do not undergo larval development or sexual reproduction) for Apororhynchus.
Apororhynchus species exclusively parasitize avian hosts of different orders including owls, waders, and passerines. The parasite attaches to the cloaca and in some cases the intestinal wall using a hook-covered proboscis. Infestation can cause enteritis and anemia in Hawaiian honeycreepers. | [
"## Taxonomy",
"## Description",
"## Species",
"## Hosts"
] | 2,739 | 38,325 |
5,396,224 | The Absent-Minded Beggar | 1,156,717,723 | Poem by Rudyard Kipling | [
"1899 compositions",
"1899 poems",
"Compositions by Arthur Sullivan",
"Poetry by Rudyard Kipling",
"Works originally published in the Daily Mail"
] | "The Absent-Minded Beggar" is an 1899 poem by Rudyard Kipling, set to music by Sir Arthur Sullivan and often accompanied by an illustration of a wounded but defiant British soldier, "A Gentleman in Kharki", by Richard Caton Woodville. The song was written as part of an appeal by the Daily Mail to raise money for soldiers fighting in the Second Boer War and their families. The fund was the first such charitable effort for a war.
The chorus of the song exhorted its audience to "pass the hat for your credit's sake, and pay– pay– pay!" The patriotic poem and song caused a sensation and were constantly performed throughout the war and beyond. Kipling was offered a knighthood shortly after publication of the poem but declined the honour. Vast numbers of copies of the poem and sheet music were published, and large quantities of related merchandise were sold to aid the charity. The "Absent-Minded Beggar Fund" was an unprecedented success and raised a total of more than £250,000.
## History
In September 1899, it was clear that the crisis in South Africa was likely to turn into war. By 2 October, all military leave had been cancelled, and urgent preparations were under way to send a large expeditionary force to the Cape, with horses and supplies being requisitioned and mobilised. On 7 October, a proclamation was issued calling out the Army Reserve. Of 65,000 liable men, around 25,000 were intended to be called up for service. The Second Boer War broke out on 11 October.
Many, if not all, of the men thus mobilised were ex-soldiers in permanent employment for whom returning to military duty meant a significant cut in their income. As a result, many families were quickly plunged into poverty, since a lifestyle comfortably maintained on a workman's wage of twenty shillings could not be kept up on the infantryman's "shilling a day". In addition, there was no contemporary legislation protecting the permanent employment of Reservists. Employers could – and often would – replace them with other workers, with no guarantee that if the soldier returned he would be able to take back his job. In addition, of course, the men faced the prospect of injury or death. A number of charitable funds existed to support these individuals, most notably the Soldiers' and Sailors' Families Association, and a number of private appeals were also made. A wave of patriotism swept the country, catered to by jingoist newspapers such as the Daily Mail. Many of these newspapers were also involved in the charitable fundraising efforts to benefit the Reservists and their dependants.
The Daily Mail proprietor, Alfred Harmsworth, publicised efforts to help soldiers and their families. This drew the attention of Rudyard Kipling, who produced "The Absent-Minded Beggar" on 16 October 1899 and sent the verses to Harmsworth on 22 October with a note that "they are at your service. ... turn [the proceeds] over to any one of the regularly ordained relief-funds, as a portion of your contribution. I don't want my name mixed up in the business except as it will help to get money. It's catchpenny verse and I want it to catch just as many pennies as it can. ... [p.s.] It isn't a thing I shall care to reprint; so there is no need of copyrighting it in America. If any one wants to sing it take care that the proceeds go to our men." It was first published in the Daily Mail on 31 October 1899 and was an immediate success. Maud Tree, the wife of actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, recited it at the Palace Theatre, every night before the show, for fourteen months, and other performers recited it at music halls and elsewhere, giving part of the profits to the fund. The manuscript itself was auctioned for £500, and a Special Edition de Luxe was issued.
Meanwhile, by 25 October, Kipling was plotting with Harmsworth on how to maximise the fundraising from the poem. In addition to having it recited at entertainments, he suggested finding a composer to set it to a "common + catchy" tune. The country's premier composer, Sir Arthur Sullivan, was immediately asked to set the poem to music. Sullivan had written some 20 operas, including fourteen comic operas with W. S. Gilbert, and a large volume of songs, orchestral pieces and other music. Although he was in the middle of composing his next opera, The Rose of Persia (which was to be his last completed opera), Sullivan agreed. Both Kipling and Sullivan declined proffered fees for creating the song. Artist Richard Caton Woodville, within several days, provided an illustration, titled "A Gentleman in Kharki", showing a wounded but defiant British Tommy in battle. This illustration was included in "art editions" of the poem and song.
In 1897, Sullivan had agreed to compose music for Kipling's poem Recessional, but he never completed the song. When asked to set "The Absent-Minded Beggar" to music two years later, Sullivan found Kipling's verses so difficult to set that he told his diary, "if it wasn't for charity's sake, I could never have undertaken the task". Still, the experienced composer completed the music in four days, on 5 November 1899, and it was published by Enoch & Sons for the Daily Mail. The first public performance was sung by John Coates, under Sullivan's baton, at the Alhambra Theatre on 13 November 1899, to a "magnificent reception" of an overflowing theatre. In 1900, "Kipling travelled to South Africa to help distribute the supplies bought with the funds raised by the song."
## Reception of the song
Sullivan's music captured Britain's jingoistic mood, and his diary entry notes, "Wild enthusiasm. All sang chorus! I stood on the stage and conducted the encore – funny sight!" With characteristic grace, the composer wrote to Kipling, "Your splendid words went with a swing and enthusiasm which even my music cannot stifle". Kipling, on the other hand, described the music as "a tune guaranteed to pull teeth out of barrel-organs".
The Daily Chronicle wrote that "It has not been often that the greatest of English writers and the greatest of English musicians have joined inspiring words and stirring melody in a song which expresses the heart feelings of the entire nation". Sullivan's manuscript was later auctioned for £500 towards the fund. Critic Fuller Maitland disapproved of the composition in The Times, but Sullivan asked a friend, "Did the idiot expect the words to be set in cantata form, or as a developed composition with symphonic introduction, contrapuntal treatment, etc.?"
The poem, song and piano music sold in extraordinary numbers, as did all kinds of household items, postcards, memorabilia and other merchandise emblazoned, woven or engraved with the "Gentleman in Kharki" figure, the poem itself, the sheet music, or humorous illustrations. Some of these items were very expensive. 40 clerks answered 12,000 requests a day for copies of the poem, and it was included in 148,000 packets of cigarettes within two months of the first performance. Alternative arrangements of the song were published, such as "The Absent-Minded Beggar March".
The Daily Mail'''s charitable fund was eventually titled the "Absent Minded Beggar Relief Corps" or the "Absent-Minded Beggar Fund", providing small comforts to the soldiers themselves as well as supporting their families. Among other activities of the Corps, it "met the soldiers on arrival in South Africa, welcomed them on their return to Britain and, more importantly, set up overseas centres to minister to the sick and wounded". The fund raised the unprecedented amount of more than £250,000. The money was not raised solely by the Daily Mail; the poem was publicly available, with anyone permitted to perform or print it in any way, so long as the copyright royalties went to the fund. Newspapers around the world published the poem, hundreds of thousands of copies were quickly sold internationally, and the song was sung widely in theatres and music halls, first being heard in Australia on 23 December 1899. Local "Absent Minded Beggar Relief Corps" branches were opened in Trinidad, Cape Town, Ireland, New Zealand, China, India and numerous places throughout the world; all of this contributed to the fund and to other war efforts, such as the building of hospitals. The fund was the first such charitable effort for a war and has been referred to as the origin of the welfare state. In December, after the first £50,000 was raised, the Daily Mail asserted, "The history of the world can produce no parallel to the extraordinary record of this poem."
The popularity of the poem was such that allusions to it were common. Mark Twain wrote that "The clarion-peal of its lines thrilled the world". By 18 November, less than a month after publication of the poem, "a new patriotic play" was advertised to open the next week, titled The Absent Minded Beggar, or, For Queen and Country. The same month, the Charity Organisation Society called "The Absent-Minded Beggar" the "most prominent figure on the charitable horizon at present." Even a critical book on the conduct of the war, published in 1900, was titled An Absent-Minded War. Kipling was offered a knighthood within a few weeks of publication of the song but declined, as he declined all offers of State honours. Historian Stephen M. Miller wrote in 2007, "Kipling almost single-handedly restored the strong ties between civilians and soldiers and put Britain and its army back together again."
A performance of "The Absent-Minded Beggar March" on 21 July 1900 at The Crystal Palace was Sullivan's last public appearance, and the composer died four months later. "The Absent-Minded Beggar" remained popular throughout the three-year war and for years after the war ended. It became a part of popular culture of the time, with its title becoming a popular phrase and cartoons, postcards and other humorous representations of the character of the absent-minded beggar becoming popular. The song is performed in John Osborne's 1957 play The Entertainer. T. S. Eliot included the poem in his 1941 collection A Choice of Kipling's Verse.
The song is still heard on re-issues of early recordings and on post-Second World War recordings by Donald Adams and others. In 1942, George Orwell noted that "The phrase "killing Kruger with your mouth" ... was current till very recently". In 2010, a Kipling conference, called "Following The Absent-minded Beggar''" was held at the School of the Humanities of the University of Bristol, organised by Dr. John Lee, that included lectures and an exhibition of memorabilia and documents relating to the poem and song.
## Lyrics
The first and final stanzas are:
> > When you've shouted "Rule Britannia," when you've sung "God Save the Queen,"
> >
> > ` When you've finished killing Kruger with your mouth,`
> >
> > Will you kindly drop a shilling in my little tambourine
> >
> > ` For a gentleman in khaki ordered South?`
> >
> > He's an absent-minded beggar and his weaknesses are great—
> >
> > ` But we and Paul must take him as we find him—`
> >
> > He is out on active service, wiping something off a slate—
> >
> > ` And he's left a lot of little things behind him!`
> >
> > Duke's son—cook's son—son of a hundred kings—
> >
> > ` (Fifty thousand horse and foot going to Table Bay!)`
> >
> > Each of 'em doing his country's work
> >
> > ` (and who's to look after the things?)`
> >
> > Pass the hat for your credit's sake, and pay—pay—pay! ... Let us manage so as, later, we can look him in the face,
> >
> > ` And tell him—what he'd very much prefer—`
> >
> > That, while he saved the Empire, his employer saved his place,
> >
> > ` And his mates (that's you and me) looked out for her.`
> >
> > He's an absent-minded beggar, and he may forget it all,
> >
> > ` But we do not want his kiddies to remind him`
> >
> > That we sent 'em to the workhouse while their daddy hammered Paul,
> >
> > ` So we'll help the homes that Tommy left behind him!`
> >
> > Cook's home—Duke's home—home of a millionaire,
> >
> > ` (Fifty thousand horse and foot going to Table Bay!)`
> >
> > Each of 'em doing his country's work
> >
> > ` (and what have you got to spare?)`
> >
> > Pass the hat for your credit's sake, and pay—pay—pay! | [
"## History",
"## Reception of the song",
"## Lyrics"
] | 2,810 | 25,267 |
14,469,212 | Casbah Coffee Club | 1,169,993,936 | Rock and roll music venue in Liverpool, England | [
"1959 establishments in England",
"1962 disestablishments in England",
"Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool",
"History of the Beatles",
"Music venues in Liverpool",
"Tourist attractions in Liverpool"
] | The Casbah Coffee Club, officially Casbah Club, was a rock and roll music venue in the West Derby area of Liverpool, England, that operated from 1959 to 1962. Started by Mona Best, mother of early Beatles drummer Pete Best, in the cellar of the family home, the Casbah was planned as a members-only club for her sons Pete and Rory and their friends, to meet and listen to the popular music of the day. Mona came up with the idea of the club after watching a TV report about The 2i's Coffee Bar in London's Soho where several singers had been discovered.
The Quarrymen—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ken Brown—went to the club to arrange their first booking, to which Mona agreed, but said she needed to finish painting the club first. All four took up brushes and helped Mona to finish painting the walls with spiders, dragons, rainbows and stars. In addition to the four boys' artistic contributions, Cynthia Powell, later to become Cynthia Lennon, painted a silhouette of John on the wall, which can still be seen today. The group often played at the Casbah as other venues, like the Cavern Club, had a jazz-only policy at that time. The cellar—with its original decoration—still exists.
In 2006, Culture Minister David Lammy announced that the Bests' ex-coal cellar was to be given Grade II listed building status and a blue plaque, after being recommended by English Heritage. It was opened as a tourist attraction in Liverpool, along with McCartney and Lennon's previous homes at 20 Forthlin Road and 251 Menlove Avenue respectively.
## History
Mona Shaw was born on 3 January 1924, in Delhi, and married John Best in India before moving with him and their two children, Pete Best (b. 1941) and Rory Best (b. 1944) back to Liverpool in 1945, where they lived in various houses. After moving to Queenscourt Road in 1948—where the Bests lived for nine years—Mona was told by Rory about a large Victorian house for sale at 8 Hayman's Green, in 1954. The house (built around 1860 by an unknown architect), had previously been owned by the West Derby Conservative Club, and was unlike many other family dwellings in Liverpool, as it was set back from the road, had 15 bedrooms and 1 acre (4,000 m2) of land. All the rooms were painted dark green or brown, the garden was totally overgrown, and the cellar was used for storing coal.
### The Casbah
Mona came up with the idea of the club after watching a TV report about The 2i's Coffee Bar in London's Soho, where several singers had been discovered. She decided to open the club, which was located in her cellar, on 29 August 1959, for her sons, their friends and young people to meet and listen to the popular music of the day, unlike The Cavern Club, which had a jazz-only policy at that time. Mona charged half a crown annually for membership—to "keep out the rough elements"—and served soft drinks, snacks, cakes, and coffee from an espresso machine, which no other club had at that time. Records were played on a small Dansette record player, which amplified them through a 3" speaker. Mona had booked the Les Stewart Quartet to play the opening night with Harrison on guitar, but they cancelled the booking after Stewart and Ken Brown had a quarrel. Stewart was angry that Brown had missed a rehearsal, because Brown was helping Mona to decorate the club. As 300 membership cards had already been sold, Harrison said that he had two friends in a band called The Quarrymen who would play instead. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison went to the club to arrange the booking, to which Mona agreed, but said she needed to finish painting the club first. All four took up brushes and helped Mona to finish painting the walls with spiders, dragons, rainbows and stars, but as Lennon was short-sighted, he mistook gloss for emulsion paint, which took a long time to dry in the dark, damp cellar. Cynthia Powell, later the wife of Lennon, painted a silhouette of him on the wall, which is also still there.
The Quarrymen played a series of seven Saturday night concerts in the Casbah for 15 shillings each, starting on 29 August to October 1959, featuring Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Brown, but without a drummer, and only one microphone connected to the club's small PA system. The opening night concert was attended by about 300 local teenagers, but as the cellar had no air-conditioning, and people were dancing, the temperature rose until it became hard to breathe. After the success of the first night, Mona gave The Quarrymen a residency, and paid the whole group £3 a night. Every Saturday thereafter, queues lengthened onto the street, which was financially good for Mona, as she charged one shilling admission on top of the annual membership fee. As there was no amplification, Lennon later persuaded Mona to hire a young amateur guitar player called Harry to play a short set before The Quarrymen, but this was only so they could use his 40-Watt amplifier.
Pete Best was studying at the Collegiate Grammar School when he decided he wanted to be in a music group, so Mona bought him a drum kit from Blacklers music store and Best formed his own band; The Black Jacks, who later played in the Casbah. Chas Newby joined the group, as did Ken Brown, but only after he had left The Quarrymen. The reason for Brown's exit from the group was that he turned up on the seventh Saturday night of The Quarrymen residency at the Casbah with the flu, so Mona ordered him upstairs to the Best's living room to rest. This caused a massive quarrel with the rest of the group when Mona came to pay them, as they wanted Brown's money to be shared amongst the three of them, as Brown had not played. Mona refused, so The Quarrymen angrily cancelled their residency and stormed out.
Colin Manley from The Remo Four was also given a booking to play in the club, which was the only venue that young amateur bands could play at the time. Other artists and groups like Cilla Black, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, The Searchers and Gerry & The Pacemakers later played in the club. The Black Jacks became the resident group at the Casbah, although The Quarrymen occasionally played there again and often visited. It was in The Casbah Club that Lennon and McCartney persuaded Stuart Sutcliffe to buy a Höfner 500/5 model—known in Europe as a President bass—with the money he had won in the John Moores art exhibition. Even though the membership list later spiralled to over a thousand, Mona closed the club on 24 June 1962, with The Beatles as the last group to perform.
## Heritage status
In 2006, Culture Minister David Lammy announced that the Bests' ex-coal cellar was to be given Grade II listed building status and a blue plaque, after being recommended by English Heritage. It has now been opened as a tourist attraction in Liverpool, along with McCartney and Lennon's previous homes at 20 Forthlin Road, and 251 Menlove Avenue respectively. The club is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) from the Liverpool city centre, and only booked groups of visitors are accepted. McCartney was quoted as saying, "I think it's a good idea to let people know about the Casbah. They know about The Cavern, they know about some of those things, but the Casbah was the place where all that started. We helped paint it and stuff. We looked upon it as our personal club."
English Heritage's Head of Heritage Protection in the North of England, Bob Hawkins: "The basement Casbah Club rooms are historically significant because they represent tangible evidence of The Beatles’ formation, their growth in popularity and their enduring cultural influence throughout the world. The club survives in a remarkably well-preserved condition since its closure in 1962, with wall and ceiling paintings of spiders, dragons, rainbows and stars by original band members along with 1960s musical equipment, amplifiers and original chairs. We know of no other survival like it in Liverpool or indeed anywhere else."
## See also
- List of English Heritage properties
- Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool-L12
- Liverpool Beatles Museum, run by Mona's son Roag Best | [
"## History",
"### The Casbah",
"## Heritage status",
"## See also"
] | 1,775 | 27,001 |
55,492,862 | How the Snake Lost Its Legs | 1,081,887,426 | Book by Lewis I. Held, Jr. | [
"2014 non-fiction books",
"Biology books",
"Cambridge University Press books",
"Evolutionary biology literature",
"Evolutionary developmental biology"
] | How the Snake Lost Its Legs: Curious Tales from the Frontier of Evo-Devo is a 2014 book on evolutionary developmental biology by Lewis I. Held, Jr. The title pays homage to Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories, but the "tales" are strictly scientific, explaining how a wide range of animal features evolved, in molecular detail. The book has been admired by other biologists as both accurate and accessible.
## Context
Lewis Irving Held, Jr. is a professor of developmental genetics at Texas Tech University. His laboratory is known for its research on pattern formation in the fruit fly embryo. His books on evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) include Imaginal Discs: The Genetic and Cellular Logic of Pattern Formation (2002), Quirks of Human Anatomy: An Evo-Devo Look at the Human Body (2009), and Deep Homology? Uncanny Similarities of Humans and Flies Uncovered by Evo-Devo (2017). In Held's view, Quirks, Snake, and Deep Homology form a trilogy on evo-devo.
## Book
### Contents
How the Snake Lost Its Legs is ostensibly organised into six chapters, but in effect into three parts. The first chapter serves as an introduction and overview. The next four chapters provide what Held calls "the meatier aspects of evo-devo" with "many gristly facts" to chew over and "many tough lessons" to digest. The sixth, he writes, offers "tastier treats".
The first chapter introduces "the first two-sided animal", the urbilaterian which lived some 600 million years ago. Held calls the discovery that every bilaterally symmetric animal's body is shaped by the same set of genes "evo-devo's greatest revelation". That group of animals includes nematodes, annelids, molluscs and echinoderms, among other phyla. He explains, with detailed diagrams of arthropod and chordate development and a brief, richly-cited but conversational text, how that symmetry is produced.
The next four chapters are on the fly, the butterfly, the snake, and the cheetah. Each consists of three to eight sections named in the style of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories, with titles like "How the butterfly got its spots" or "How the snake elongated its body", though a couple of sections use "Why?" rather than "How?", as in "Why the fly twirls his penis" (it rotates during embryonic development under the control of different genes). In these chapters, Held explains the mechanics of evolutionary developmental biology, complete with accounts of what genes such as hox, hedgehog, and engrailed do to shape bodies.
The third part is a single chapter providing "An evo-devo bestiary," a long list of stories, such as "How the turtle got its shell", "How the vampire bat reinvented running", "How the quetzal got its crest", and "How the firefly got its flashlight". These are Just So only in name, since each one is reliably cited to recent research rather than an author's whimsy. Since by this point the reader has been introduced to the core elements of the evo-devo gene toolkit, Held makes each section brief, 50 stories in 32 pages, and minimally technical: he discusses what the evo-devo system achieves in terms of each animal's structures and organs, ecology and behaviour.
The main text is supported by an accurate glossary and thorough index. Glossary terms are printed in boldface in the text, a helpful feature, while the glossary, like the text, is cited to the key research papers on which the book is based. The book thus provides a wide overview of evo-devo, with guidance on how to read more deeply on any chosen aspect.
### Publication
The book was published by Cambridge University Press as a paperback in 2014 (). The main text is 148 pages, with an 8-page glossary of evo-devo, and over 2500 references taking up 122 pages.
It is illustrated with monochrome diagrams, drawings and photographs in the text, and 8 pages of colour photographs. Held created the diagrams and drawings.
## Reception
The taxonomist Marc Srour writes that Held must be commended for not oversimplifying evo-devo, since, "The need to combine precise genetic and developmental labwork with phylogenetic systematics and homology inference means that simplifying the whole ordeal for a lay audience is extremely tricky." Srour sets the book alongside those of Stephen Jay Gould and Sean B. Carroll's Endless Forms Most Beautiful as a showcase of evo-devo. He writes that Held has "give[n] us a readable, in-depth look at evo-devo and all the questions it can answer, from the important, to the fascinating, to the weird/cool facts you can repeat whenever you're at the pub. It's accessible to non-biologists and laymen, useful for teachers and undergrads, and ... researcher[s]."
The evolutionary biologist Larry Flammer "warns" readers that when they look at the pictures or study Held's diagrams, they, "will be captivated by the full-page captions, and probably drawn into the effort to really understand what is happening. The graphics do, indeed, help immensely to do this." Flammer notes, too, that many of the "nuts and bolts of evolution, deeper than just natural selection" are on display in the book, revealing, "precisely what genetic/physiological mechanisms are being selected for".
The molecular biologist Arnaud Martin observes that, "As children, we have all wondered about 'the How and the Why' of animal features, and if you are reading this it is in fact quite possible that a similar inquisitiveness still burns within you. The tone of How the Snake Lost its Legs finds its roots in the famous Just So Stories of Rudyard Kipling by tickling this curiosity with the formulaic How the leopard/elephant/camel got its spots/trunk/hump. Held's ability to captivate the reader's imagination compares to the mischievousness of Kipling's pourquoi stories," but the reader, "is also encouraged to extrapolate from general principles by the constant reminder that animals use a conserved set of developmental genes to construct their bodies." Martin finds evo-devo fascinating, "inherently colorful and well placed to fulfill the dual goal of etiological myths: explaining origins and causes while also stirring imagination and awe. Overall, the latest opus by Lewis Held Jr. fits that niche nicely, and shines by its ability to span essential concepts and empirical work with enough rhetoric[al] punch. It is accessible to most readers with a light background in biology", though not as suitable for "the [university] classroom as Held's Quirks of Human Anatomy."
## See also
- Endless Forms Most Beautiful (Sean B. Carroll, 2005) | [
"## Context",
"## Book",
"### Contents",
"### Publication",
"## Reception",
"## See also"
] | 1,453 | 8,908 |
62,630,436 | 2020 World Grand Prix (2019–20 season) | 1,136,034,305 | Snooker tournament | [
"2020 in English sport",
"2020 in snooker",
"February 2020 sports events in the United Kingdom",
"Players Series",
"Snooker competitions in England",
"Sport in Cheltenham",
"World Grand Prix (snooker)"
] | The 2020 World Grand Prix was a professional snooker tournament which took place from 3 to 9 February 2020 in the Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham, England. It was the eleventh ranking event of the 2019–20 snooker season, and the first of three Coral Cup tournaments. The 2020 edition of the World Grand Prix was sponsored by the betting company Coral. The event had 32 participants, with players qualifying by virtue of their ranking points during the 2019–20 season. It had a prize fund of £380,000, with £100,000 going to the winner.
The defending champion was Judd Trump, who had beaten Ali Carter 10–6 in the 2019 final. Trump was defeated, 3–4, in the second round by Kyren Wilson. Neil Robertson won the tournament for the first time (his 18th ranking title) with a 10–8 victory against Graeme Dott in the final. It was the third consecutive final in the season for Robertson, who lost just one match in the event. It had 32 century breaks, with the highest a 142 by Robertson in the final.
## Format
The 2020 World Grand Prix was a professional snooker tournament held from 3 to 9 February 2020 in the Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, England. It had 32 participants from players with the most ranking points in the 2019–20 snooker season at the beginning of the tournament. To qualify for the event, players were chosen from points earned in the preceding ten ranking tournaments, rather than by world rankings. Points scored at events from the 2019 Riga Masters until the 2020 German Masters added towards qualifying for the event. The World Grand Prix was the first of three events in the Coral Cup, with the Players Championship and Tour Championship. It was the eleventh ranking event of the snooker season, following the German Masters and preceding the Welsh Open.
### Prize fund
The event had a total prize fund of £380,000, with £100,000 to the winner. The participation prize was £5,000, which did not count towards a player's world ranking. The breakdown of prize money for the event was:
- Winner: £100,000
- Runner-up: £40,000
- Semi-final: £20,000
- Quarter-final: £12,500
- Last 16: £7,500
- Last 32: £5,000 (Prize money at this stage did not count towards prize money rankings)
- Highest break: £10,000
- Total: £380,000
## Seeding list
## Summary
### Early rounds
Scott Donaldson and Kurt Maflin made their debuts in the event. The first round of the tournament was played as best-of-seven- matches. Three-time world champion Mark Williams defeated Barry Hawkins 4–2, despite an attack of gout. The 2019 UK Championship winner Ding Junhui met Scott Donaldson (after competed at the previous two tournaments: the 2020 European Masters and the 2020 German Masters), with Donaldson winning both. Donaldson won the match, whitewashing Ding 4–0 and eliminating him at three straight events. Second seed and 2019 China Open champion Shaun Murphy lost to Matthew Stevens, 3–4.
Five-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan was ranked 22nd for the event, since he had missed some of the season's ranking events. He played David Gilbert, defeating him 4–3 on a . Defending champion Judd Trump defeated Li Hang 4–1, which Sporting Life called a "demolition". Sixth-seeded Mark Allen lost to Liang Wenbo 2–4, and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh lost on a deciding frame to Matthew Selt. The 2020 European Masters champion Neil Robertson defeated Michael Holt 4–3, also on a deciding frame. Kyren Wilson, John Higgins, Joe Perry, Graeme Dott and Tom Ford were victorious in other matches.
World champion Judd Trump met 16th seed Kyren Wilson in the second round. Wilson led 3–1, before Trump won the next two frames to force a deciding frame. Wilson took the deciding frame to win 4–3. Ronnie O'Sullivan and Liang Wenbo also went to a deciding frame; O'Sullivan won 4–3, scoring back-to-back centuries in the first two frames. Gary Wilson defeated Matthew Stevens 4–1; Graeme Dott and Neil Robertson completed 4–0 whitewashes of Xiao Guodong and Mark Williams, respectively. Tom Ford defeated Matthew Selt, and Joe Perry defeated Scott Donaldson (both 4–2) in the other second-round matches.
### Quarter- and semi-finals
The quarter-finals were played as best-of-9-frames matches. Kyren Wilson drew John Higgins who won the first two frames Wilson won the next two frames with breaks of 64 and 89 to tie the match, 2–2. The next four frames were shared, leading to a deciding frame. Wilson made two breaks, and Higgins needed to win. Although Higgins drew two fouls, Wilson won the match after potting a long . Joe Perry won the first frame of his match with Neil Robertson with a break of 86 before Robertson won the next five frames to win, 5–1. Ronnie O'Sullivan won the opening frame against Graeme Dott, who then won the next three frames. O'Sullivan tied the match, 3–3, with a break of 102 in frame six. Dott won the next two frames for a 5–3 victory, with breaks of 52 and 91. It was Dott's first win against O'Sullivan in nine years. In the other quarter-final, Tom Ford defeated Gary Wilson 5–2. After the match, he said that his form had improved due to his "mind coach".
The semi-finals were played as best-of-11-frames matches. Neil Robertson won the first three frames of his match with Kyren Wilson with breaks of 80, 59 and 77. Wilson then won three of the next four, including a break of 129, to trail 3–4. Robertson led 5–4 before making a break of 68 to win, 6–4. The second semi-final was played by Graeme Dott and Tom Ford. Dott was playing in his second consecutive semi-final, after reaching that stage at the German Masters. Ford led 4–3 before Dott won three frames in a row with breaks of 81, 67 and 70 to win, 6–3.
### Final
The final was played over two sessions as a best-of-19-frames match. Robertson was playing in his third straight ranking final, after he won the European Masters and was runner-up at the German Masters. Dott had not won an event since the 2007 China Open, and last reached a ranking final in 2018. This was a rematch of the 2010 World Snooker Championship final, which Robertson had won. The final was refereed by Leo Scullion. Robertson took the opening frame and made a break of 63 in the second, losing the frame by six points. Dott won frame three before Robertson won four frames in a row (including a break of 127) to lead, 5–2. Dott won the final frame of the opening session to trail, 3–5.
He then won two of the first three frames in the evening session to trail, 5–6. Dott scored only a single point across the next three frames, Robertson earning 313 taking all three frames. Dott won the next two frames to trail, 7–9; but required two snookers in frame 17 to be able to win. Dott secured the foul shots to trail 8–9, before Robertson won frame 18 to win the match, 10–8. After the match, he said that he had been a "bit twitchy" near the end. Dott called Robertson "a machine". Robertson made five century breaks during the final, including the tournament's highest break – a 142 – in frame 12.
## Tournament draw
The event featured five single elimination rounds featuring 32 players. Below is the bracket for the event. Players in bold denote match winners.
### Final
## Century breaks
A total of 33 century breaks were made at the tournament. The highest was a 142, made by Neil Robertson in frame 13 of the final.
- 142, 140, 127, 110, 107, 105, 101, 100, 100 – Neil Robertson
- 138, 100, 100 – Judd Trump
- 134 – Matthew Selt
- 132, 129, 120, 102, 100 – Ronnie O'Sullivan
- 131, 111 – Mark Selby
- 130 – Mark Allen
- 129 – Li Hang
- 129 – Kyren Wilson
- 122 – Michael Holt
- 120, 114 – Scott Donaldson
- 115 – David Gilbert
- 107 – Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
- 106 – Joe Perry
- 105 – Liang Wenbo
- 103 – Graeme Dott
- 103 – Zhao Xintong
- 101 – Xiao Guodong | [
"## Format",
"### Prize fund",
"## Seeding list",
"## Summary",
"### Early rounds",
"### Quarter- and semi-finals",
"### Final",
"## Tournament draw",
"### Final",
"## Century breaks"
] | 2,004 | 33,119 |
379,910 | Wood thrush | 1,170,867,491 | Species of bird | [
"Birds described in 1789",
"Native birds of Eastern Canada",
"Native birds of the Eastern United States",
"Symbols of the District of Columbia",
"Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin",
"Turdidae"
] | The wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) is a North American passerine bird in the family Turdidae and is the only species placed in the genus Hylocichla. It is closely related to other thrushes such as the American robin and is widely distributed across North America, wintering in Central America and southern Mexico. The wood thrush is the official bird of the District of Columbia.
The wood thrush is a medium-sized thrush, with brown upper parts with mottled brown and white underparts. The male and female are similar in appearance. The song of the male is often cited as being the most beautiful in North America.
The wood thrush is an omnivore, and feeds preferentially on soil invertebrates and larvae, but will also eat fruits. In the summer, it feeds on insects continuously in order to meet daily metabolic needs. It is solitary, but sometimes forms mixed-species flocks. The wood thrush defends a territory that ranges in size from 800 to 28,000 m<sup>2</sup> (960 to 33,490 sq yd). The wood thrush is monogamous, and its breeding season begins in the spring; about 50% of all mated pairs are able to raise two broods, ranging in size from two to four chicks.
## Taxonomy
The wood thrush was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the thrushes in the genus Turdus and coined the binomial name Turdus mustelinus. Gmelin based his account on the "Tawny thrush" that had been described in 1785 by the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant in his book Arctic Zoology. Pennant specified the locality as the province of New York. The wood thrush is now the only species placed in the genus Hylocichla that was introduced in 1864 by the American naturalist Spencer Baird. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The generic name is a translation of its common name, derived from the Greek words hyle/ύλη "woodland" and cichle/κιχλη "thrush" or "fieldfare". The specific name comes from the Latin mustela "weasel".
This thrush is closely related to the other typical American thrushes of the genus Catharus, and is sometimes merged into that genus. It has been considered close to the long-distance migrant species of that genus, as opposed to the generally resident nightingale-thrushes, but this appears to be erroneous. The wood thrush also appears to be fairly closely related to the large Turdus thrushes, such as the American robin. "Wood thrush" is the official name given to this species by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC).
## Description
The adult wood thrush is 18 to 21.5 cm (7.1 to 8.5 in) long, with a wingspan of 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 in) and a body mass of 48 to 72 g (1.7 to 2.5 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 9.6 to 11.6 cm (3.8 to 4.6 in), the bill is 1.6 to 2 cm (0.63 to 0.79 in) and the tarsus is 2.8 to 3.3 cm (1.1 to 1.3 in). It is distinctly larger than the Catharus thrushes with which the species is often sympatric but slightly smaller than the common American robin. The longest known lifespan for a wood thrush in the wild is 8 years, 11 months. The crown, nape, and upper back are cinnamon-brown, while the back wings, and tail are a slightly duller brown. The breast and belly are white with large dark brown spots on the breast, sides, and flanks. It has white eye rings and pink legs. Other brownish thrushes have finer spotting on the breast. The juvenile looks similar to adults, but has additional spots on the back, neck, and wing coverts. The male and female are similar in size and plumage.
### Vocalization
The wood thrush has been reported to have one of the most beautiful songs of North American birds. American naturalist Henry David Thoreau wrote:
> Whenever a man hears it he is young, and Nature is in her spring; wherever he hears it, it is a new world and a free country, and the gates of Heaven are not shut against him.
While the female is not known to sing, the male has a unique song that has three parts. The first subsong component is often inaudible unless the listener is close, and consists of two to six short, low-pitched notes such as bup, bup, bup. The middle part is a loud phrase often written ee-oh-lay, and the third part is a ventriloquial, trill-like phrase of non-harmonic pairs of notes given rapidly and simultaneously.
The male is able to sing two notes at once, which gives its song an ethereal, flute-like quality. Each individual bird has its own repertoire based on combinations of variations of the three parts. Songs are often repeated in order. The bup, bup, bup phrase is also sometimes used as a call, which is louder and at a greater frequency when the bird is agitated. The wood thrush also use a tut, tut to signal agitation. The nocturnal flight call is an emphatic buzzing heeh.
## Distribution and habitat
The wood thrush's breeding range extends from Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia in southern Canada to northern Florida and from the Atlantic coast to the Missouri River and the eastern Great Plains. It migrates to southern Mexico through to Panama in Central America in the winter, mostly in the lowlands along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. It generally arrives on the U.S. Gulf Coast during the first week of April. Fall migration usually begins in mid-August and continues through mid-September. Migration takes place at night, allowing them to find their direction from the stars and orient themselves by detecting the Earth's magnetic field.
The wood thrush prefers deciduous and mixed forests for breeding. It prefers late-successional, upland mesic forests with a moderately-dense shrub layer. It favors areas with running water, moist ground, and high understorey cover. The breeding habitat generally includes trees taller than 16 m (52 ft), a fairly open forest floor, moist soil, and leaf litter, with substrate moisture more important than either canopy cover or access to running water. The wood thrush can breed in habitat patches as small as 0.4 hectares (0.99 acres), but it runs the risk of higher predation and nest parasitism. The wood thrush's breeding range has expanded northward, displacing the veery and hermit thrush in some locations. In recent times, as a result of fragmentation of forests, it has been increasingly exposed to nest parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds, as well as loss of habitat in the winter range.
### Conservation status
The wood thrush has become a symbol of the decline of Neotropical songbirds of eastern North America, having declined by approximately 50% since 1966. Along with many other species, this thrush faces threats both to its North American breeding grounds and Central American wintering grounds. Forest fragmentation in North American forests has resulted in both increased nest predation and increased cowbird parasitism, significantly reducing their reproductive success. A study by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology was the first large-scale analysis that linked acid rain to this thrush's decline. Continued destruction of primary forest in Central America eliminated preferred wood thrush wintering habitats, likely forcing the birds to choose secondary habitats where mortality rates are higher. In spite of this, the wood thrush is considered to be Least Concern.
### Vagrancy
The wood thrush has been recorded twice as a vagrant in Europe, in Iceland at Kvísker in Öræfi East Skaftafellssýsla by Björnsson Hálfdán on 23 October 1967 and on Wingletang Down, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly, England on 7 October 1987.
## Behavior
The wood thrush is primarily solitary, but occasionally forms mixed-species flocks in the winter. Its breeding territory ranges from 800 to 8,000 m<sup>2</sup> (960 to 9,570 sq yd) in size, and are used for nesting, gathering nest materials, and foraging. Some wood thrushes also defend a feeding territory in the winter. Territorial interactions are usually settled without physical contact, but in high-intensity encounters or nest defense, physical interactions with the feet or bill have been observed. Defense behaviors in response to nest predators include wing flicks, tail flicks, and raising the crest, sometimes escalating to dives and strikes.
This species has also been observed displaying a behavior known as "anting." Anting occurs when a bird picks up a single ant or group of ants and rubs them on its feathers. The purpose of this behavior is unknown, but it is thought that the birds may be able to acquire defensive secretions from the ants possibly used for some medicinal purposes, or that it simply supplements the birds' own preen oil.
### Diet
Soil invertebrates and larvae make up most of the wood thrush's omnivorous diet, but it will also eat fruits in the late summer, fall, and late winter. It occasionally feeds on arboreal insects, snails, and small salamanders. The young are fed insects and some fruit. After breeding and before migration, the wood thrush will switch from insects to fruits with high lipid levels. In the summer, low fruit consumption and lipid reserves require the bird to feed on insects continuously in order to meet its metabolic needs.
The wood thrush forages mainly on the forest floor, flipping leaves over with its bills to reveal insects. It can be observed hopping around in leaf litter and on semi-bare ground under the forest canopy. Fruits are swallowed whole.
### Predation
Eggs and chicks are vulnerable to chipmunks, raccoons, blue jays, American crows, black rat snakes, brown-headed cowbirds, common grackles, southern flying squirrels, gray squirrels, least weasels, white-footed mice, domestic cats, great horned owls, and sharp-shinned hawks. Adults are primarily taken by hawks and owls.
### Reproduction
Wood thrushes are monogamous. Breeding pairs form in mid-April to early-May, and usually last throughout the breeding season. Most thrushes find a new mate each year, and mate guarding and extra-pair copulations have not been observed in this species.
Some male wood thrushes arrive at the breeding grounds several days before the earliest females while other males arrive at the same time as the females, establishing territories ranging in size from 0.08 to 0.8 hectares (one-fifth of an acre to two acres). The female typically leads silent circular flights 1–1.8 m (3.3–5.9 ft) from the ground, with the male chasing. Six or more flights generally take place in succession. The pairs will perch together and feed each other in between flights. The male begins to sing at dawn and dusk a few days after arriving at breeding grounds. Early in the breeding season, the male sings from high perches in the tallest trees, but as the season progresses, it sings somewhat shorter and less elaborate songs from lower perches. Each day's singing begins and is most intense just before sunrise. The male may sing throughout the day but especially at dusk. The song season is usually over by the end of July.
Typically, the female chooses the nest site and builds the nest. However, there has been some indication that the male is able to influence the selection of the nest site by perching nearby and singing. Usually, though, the female chooses whether or not to accept or reject the nest site suggested by the male. The nest is usually sited in a dense patch of vegetation in a tree or shrub that provides concealment and shade. It is usually made of dead grasses, stems, and leaves, and lined with mud, and placed in a fork at a horizontal branch. The nest is not reused. Usually, two broods are attempted, although three to four separate nests may be built before a pair succeeds. Two to four pale blue eggs are laid at the rate of one per day. The eggs are incubated by the female only for 11 to 14 days, with the average being 13 days. Like all passerines, the chicks are altricial at hatching, mostly naked with closed eyes. The female broods the chicks during the first four days after hatching. Both parents feed the nestlings and remove fecal sacs from the nest. The chicks fledge 12–15 days after hatching, but the parents continue to feed them until they become independent and leave the parents' territory at 21–31 days old.
The young wood thrush is able to begin breeding the next summer. Most females lay their first eggs in mid-May, but older females may begin laying sooner. Pairs usually attempt to rear a second brood no later than late July, with the last of the young fledging around mid-August. About half of all wood thrush pairs successfully raise two broods. | [
"## Taxonomy",
"## Description",
"### Vocalization",
"## Distribution and habitat",
"### Conservation status",
"### Vagrancy",
"## Behavior",
"### Diet",
"### Predation",
"### Reproduction"
] | 2,871 | 25,254 |
22,482,555 | No Debes Jugar | 1,156,579,340 | null | [
"1993 singles",
"1993 songs",
"Cumbia songs",
"EMI Latin singles",
"La India songs",
"Selena songs",
"Song recordings produced by A. B. Quintanilla",
"Song recordings produced by Bebu Silvetti",
"Songs written by A. B. Quintanilla",
"Songs written by Ricky Vela",
"Spanish-language songs"
] | "No Debes Jugar" (English: "You Shouldn't Play Around") is a song recorded by American recording artist Selena and released as the lead single from her first live album Live! (1993). It was composed by Selena y Los Dinos keyboardist Ricky Vela and Selena's brother and principal record producer A.B. Quintanilla III and produced by Quintanilla III and Argentine music producer Bebu Silvetti. It is an uptempo Mexican cumbia song with influences of Rock en Español which is centered on female empowerment. Lyrically, the song describes a woman who threatens to leave her unappreciative boyfriend.
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics who praised its originality and mixing of music genres. It peaked at number 3 on the US Hot Latin Tracks on the week ending 14 August 1993. On the week ending 9 April 2011, "No Debes Jugar" entered the Regional Mexican Digital Songs chart. "No Debes Jugar" received a "Song of the Year" nomination from the 1994 Tejano Music Awards and the 1994 Lo Nuestro Awards. The song has been covered by Mexican American singer Jennifer Peña, Puerto Rican salsa singer La India, Mexican contestant Érika Alcocer Luna, and Mexican band Banda El Grullo.
## Background and composition
"No Debes Jugar" was written by Selena y Los Dinos keyboardist Ricky Vela and Selena's brother, principle record producer and songwriter A.B. Quintanilla III. It was produced by Quintanilla III and Argentine music producer Bebu Silvetti. The song was intended to be one of three studio tracks for Selena's Live! (1993) album. Vela had written most of the lyrics while touring with Los Dinos in the 1992-93 period. Quintanilla III later co-wrote the song after Vela finished the lyrics. Quintanilla III only made a few adjustments to the song and began adding music notes for pre-production. "No Debes Jugar" was recorded in Corpus Christi, Texas at Selena's father and manager Abraham Quintanilla, Jr.'s recording studio Q-Productions. After recording sessions were done, EMI Latin argued that the song should be the lead single from Live!. Before the album was released, the song was mixed by Brian "Red" Moore, a family friend.
"No Debes Jugar" is an uptempo Mexican cumbia song with influences of Rock en Español. Written in the key of E-flat major, the beat is set in common time and moves at a moderate 89 beats per minute. It centers the organ as its musical instrument foundation. Ramiro Burr of the Houston Chronicle stated that Selena blended Mexican polka rhythms with melodic, synth-driven pop hooks in "No Debes Jugar" and "La Llamada". Lyrically, the song describes a woman whose life is centered on being unappreciated by her boyfriend. She finally stands up for herself announcing that she is done playing around and threatens to leave. The central theme explored in the song suggests female empowerment.
## Critical reception and covers
Jim Beal Jr. of the San Antonio Express-News wrote that "No Debes Jugar" "outshines" the rest of the songs on Live! including the two other studio tracks. An editor from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram praised Selena's usage of different genres when recording "No Debes Jugar", which the editor believed helped the song to be distinguished when played on radio. Sally Jacobs of the Boston Globe noted the originality of "No Debes Jugar" as being Selena's trademark. Jacobs also believed that it is one of her cumbia signature songs and most popular cumbia song. "No Debes Jugar" received a "Song of the Year" nomination at the 1994 Tejano Music Awards, and "Regional Mexican Song of the Year" at the 1994 Lo Nuestro Awards Awards. It was among the "Top 10 Spanish Hits of 1993" according to the Orlando Sentinel. According to the Austin American-Statesman, "No Debes Jugar" was the best Tejano single of 1993.
Mexican American Latin pop artist Jennifer Peña covered "No Debes Jugar" when she was 12 at the Jim Wells County Fair in Corpus Christi, Texas. Puerto Rican salsa singer La India covered the song during the Selena ¡VIVE! concert. Michael Clark of the Houston Chronicle wrote that "India belted effortless notes that wafted to the rafters on "No Debes Jugar"". On the second season of La Academia, contestant Érika Alcocer Luna covered "No Debes Jugar". Mexican band Banda El Grullo recorded the song for their album 30 Numeros 1 en Banda.
## Track listing
- CD Single
1. "No Debes Jugar" — 3:49
## Credits and personnel
All credits were taken from the Live! album notes.
- Selena – vocals
- Ricky Vela – writer, keyboardist
- Joe Ojeda – keyboards
- Chris Pérez – guitar
- A.B. Quintanilla III – co-writer, producer, arranger
- Brian "Red" Moore – audio mixer
- Bebu Silvetti – producer
## Charts
### Weekly charts
### Year-end charts
## Certifications
## Awards and nominations | [
"## Background and composition",
"## Critical reception and covers",
"## Track listing",
"## Credits and personnel",
"## Charts",
"### Weekly charts",
"### Year-end charts",
"## Certifications",
"## Awards and nominations"
] | 1,146 | 20,367 |
32,319,705 | Don Eddy (baseball) | 1,121,537,952 | American baseball player (1946-2018) | [
"1946 births",
"2018 deaths",
"Alexandria Aces players",
"American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela",
"Appleton Foxes players",
"Baseball players from Iowa",
"Chicago White Sox players",
"Deaths from cancer in Iowa",
"Deaths from pancreatic cancer",
"Deerfield Beach/Winter Haven Sun Sox players",
"Duluth-Superior Dukes players",
"Florida Instructional League White Sox players",
"Hawaii Islanders players",
"Major League Baseball pitchers",
"Navegantes del Magallanes players",
"People from Mason City, Iowa",
"Tucson Toros players",
"Águilas del Zulia players"
] | Donald Eugene Eddy (October 25, 1946 – October 10, 2018) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Chicago White Sox in 1970 and 1971. A native of Swaledale, Iowa, he batted right-handed but threw left-handed.
After playing American Legion Baseball and excelling on Rockwell-Swaledale High School's baseball team, Eddy was signed by the White Sox in 1965. Two years of service in the United States Army interrupted his minor league career, but he was called up by the White Sox in 1970. A member of their Opening Day roster in 1971, he posted a list of White Sox left-handers on his locker door, crossing names off each time he thought he had passed them on the depth chart. Optioned to the minor leagues in June, he rejoined the team for three games in September, his last in the major leagues. Overall, he had an 0–2 record and a 2.36 earned run average. Traded to the San Diego Padres in 1972, he finished his professional career in 1973.
## Early life
Donald Eugene Eddy was born on October 25, 1946, in Mason City, Iowa, though his hometown was nearby Swaledale. His parents were Elmer and Lorraine Eddy. Elmer had once been a baseball player himself, pitching, catching, and playing the outfield in the St. Louis Cardinals system until he started serving in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. After the war, he joined his brothers to run a hardware, lumber, and propane gas business in Swaledale. He was very much involved in his son's development as a ballplayer, forbidding Don to throw a curveball until he reached high school, as he was afraid the pitch might damage his son's arm.
At Rockwell-Swaledale High School, Don Eddy excelled on the baseball team. He lettered each year on the basketball team, ranking among the scoring leaders in Northern Iowa in his final two years of school. During his high school years, Eddy also played American Legion Baseball. After three years on the Rockwell team, he joined Mason City's squad in his senior year. Pitching 77+2⁄3 innings, Eddy had a 9–1 record, an 0.93 earned run average (ERA), and 139 strikeouts. Offensively, he batted .349, leading his team in that statistic as well as in home runs and runs batted in (RBI). Behind his contributions, Mason City made it all the way to the state championship game against Waterloo, where Eddy suffered his only loss. The Chicago White Sox signed him in 1965 as an amateur free agent, though he was expected to attend college for a semester before joining the organization.
## Professional career
### Minor leagues (1966–1970)
Eddy made his professional debut as a pitcher in 1966 with the Deerfield Beach Sun Sox, which moved to Winter Haven, Florida, during the season. The Sun Sox were a member of the Class A Florida State League. In 16 games, 12 of which were starts, he had a 4–8 record, a 2.07 ERA, 86 strikeouts, 43 walks, and 71 hits allowed in 100 innings pitched.
However, Eddy spent the next two seasons in the United States Army. He did not pitch again until late in the 1968 season, when he pitched 15 innings for the Duluth–Superior Dukes of the Class A short season Northern League. In three games (two starts), he had a 1–1 record and a 3.60 ERA.
In 1969, Eddy had a historic season for the Appleton Foxes of the Class A Midwest League. Posting an 18–3 record, he led the league in wins, winning percentage (.857), ERA (1.81), placing third in strikeouts (140) and innings pitched (164). His 18 wins and 1.81 ERA were both franchise records. For his efforts, he was declared Appleton's Most Valuable Player (MVP). After the season, he pitched in the Florida Instructional League and also played winter ball in Venezuela with the goal of developing a better slider.
After serving mostly as a starting pitcher in 1969, Eddy was used nearly exclusively as a relief pitcher with the Tucson Toros of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL) in 1970. His teammates jokingly nicknamed him "The Vulture", as he recorded several wins without having to throw as many innings as the starters. In 34 games (one start), he had a 10–4 record, nine saves, a 1.37 ERA, 36 strikeouts, 21 walks, and 41 hits allowed in 59 innings.
### Chicago White Sox (1970–1971)
On September 3, 1970, Eddy joined the White Sox on his first Major League Baseball (MLB) callup. He made his MLB debut on September 7, pitching an inning of scoreless relief in a 7–5 loss to the Oakland Athletics in the second game of a doubleheader at Comiskey Park. In seven games as a rookie, he had no record, a 2.31 ERA, nine strikeouts, six walks, and 10 hits allowed in 11+2⁄3 innings.
Eddy was a member of Chicago's Opening Day roster in 1971. After seeing him pitch in spring training, Chuck Tanner, the team's manager, said "Eddy can be our most dependable pitcher in short relief". He got his first MLB decision on April 16, when he gave up a 10th-inning home run to Reggie Jackson that was the difference-maker in a 5–4 loss to Oakland. On April 25, he suffered another loss in an eighth-inning appearance against the Boston Red Sox. After retiring the first two hitters he faced, he allowed a walk and two singles to load the bases, then walked Carl Yastrzemski to force in the deciding run in a 5–4 defeat.
During the season, Eddy kept a list of the White Sox left-handed pitchers on his locker door, crossing names off each time he thought he thought he had passed one on the depth chart. "It was a big joke in the clubhouse," recalled fellow left-hander Tommy John, who eventually saw his name crossed off the list. Eventually, Eddy found himself optioned to Tucson on June 18. Though he had posted what McAuley called a "respectable" 3.12 ERA in 19 games for Chicago, the White Sox wanted to call up Stan Perzanowski, who had a 9–0 record with Tucson.
In 24 games (four starts) for Tucson, Eddy had a 3–2 record, one save, a 6.85 ERA, 41 strikeouts, 34 walks, and 57 hits allowed in 46 innings. Recalled by Chicago in September, he appeared in three more games for the MLB team. The last of these came on September 30, when Eddy pitched two innings and had his only MLB plate appearance. He hit a double off of Bill Parsons of the Milwaukee Brewers, giving himself a perfect 1.000 batting average. In 22 games, he had an 0–2 record, a 2.38 ERA, 14 strikeouts, 19 walks, and 19 hits allowed in 22+2⁄3 innings.
### Minor leagues (1972–1973)
Eddy was one of the last players cut from White Sox spring training in 1972, as he was reassigned to minor league camp on March 31. After starting the season at Tucson, he was sent to the San Diego Padres on July 16 as the player to be named later in an earlier trade for Ed Spiezio. In San Diego's organization, he pitched for the PCL's Hawaii Islanders. Baseball-Reference does not have complete statistics on his season.
In 1973, Eddy made 36 appearances with the Alexandria Aces of the Class AA Texas League. He had a 3–2 record, a 2.00 ERA, 58 strikeouts, 15 walks, and 49 hits allowed in 63 innings. By 1975, he was pitching for the Mason City Merchants in the North Central Amateur baseball league. After his career, Eddy joined the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA). He would coach summer MLBPAA youth camps in Des Moines. He finished his MLB career with an 0–2 record, a 2.36 ERA, 23 strikeouts, 25 walks, and 29 hits allowed in 34+1⁄3 innings pitched over 29 games.
## Pitching style
Eddy stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and weighed 170 pounds (77 kg). Though a left-handed pitcher, he batted right-handed. His fastball was his best pitch. He also threw a slider and, in 1970, was working on developing a curveball. Regis McAuley, sports editor for the Tucson Daily Citizen, thought Eddy was similar to Whitey Ford, both in stature as well as in his reliance on carefully thrown fastball. Eddy listed Ford among the left-handed pitchers he enjoyed watching on television growing up, along with Billy Pierce and Herb Score.
## Personal life
On September 10, 1966, Eddy married his high school girlfriend, Marilyn Jane Losee. The couple had two sons, Trent and Travis. She died on April 6, 1978. Two years later, Eddy remarried to Bernadette "Bernie" Hanna, a widow with one son, Charlie. A golfer, Eddy won seven club championships and had seven holes-in-one to his credit. He died at his Rockwell home on October 10, 2018, from pancreatic cancer. | [
"## Early life",
"## Professional career",
"### Minor leagues (1966–1970)",
"### Chicago White Sox (1970–1971)",
"### Minor leagues (1972–1973)",
"## Pitching style",
"## Personal life"
] | 2,086 | 21,307 |
30,885,077 | Nels Nelsen | 1,161,493,160 | Norwegian-born Canadian ski jumper and ski jumping organizer | [
"1894 births",
"1943 deaths",
"Canadian male ski jumpers",
"Conductor (rail)",
"Norwegian emigrants to Canada",
"Norwegian male ski jumpers",
"People from Revelstoke, British Columbia",
"People from Salangen",
"Sportspeople from North Vancouver",
"Sportspeople from Troms og Finnmark"
] | Nels Nelsen (3 June 1894 – 3 June 1943), born Nils Johan Nilsen and sometimes referred to as Nels Nelson, was a Norwegian-born Canadian ski jumper active between 1916 and 1932. Later he was ski jumping organizer. He was among the world's best ski jumpers during the 1920s, and held the world record of 73 meters from 1925 to 1930. Born in Salangen, he moved with his family to Revelstoke, British Columbia, in 1912. Credited with bringing the sport of ski jumping to Canada, he made his debut on the nearby Big Hill in 1915. He competed throughout Canada and the United States, and became Canadian champion five times. Despite holding the world record at the time, he was not allowed to participate in the 1928 Winter Olympics because the officials did not find it suitable for him to have to work his way to Switzerland.
Nelsen worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and moved to North Vancouver, British Columbia, where he raised a family. Nelsen lost his hand in a hunting accident in 1933, and was forced to retire as a ski jumper. He continued as an organizer, and was among other things president of the Western Canada Amateur Ski Association and later vice-president of the Canadian Amateur Ski Association. In 1948, after Big Hill had been expanded, it was renamed Nels Nelsen Hill. Nelsen was inscribed in the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1971 and the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1983.
## Early and personal life
He was born Nils Johan Nilsen to a Norwegian family in Seljeskog in Salangen on 3 June 1894, as the oldest of six children. As a child, Nelsen was an active skier and ski jumper, with more than fifteen ski jumps located in the area. In 1913, his family emigrated to Big Eddy near Revelstoke. Once in Canada, he anglicized his name. His brother, Ivind Nilsen was also a champion ski jumper, and became among other things Boy's World Champion in 1922. Ivind, who chose not to anglicize his last name, was known for his supreme style, while Nels was better known for his length. Nelsen married Emma Pickard, with whom he had ten children. Except for a brief period as a ski instructor, he worked as a brakeman and conductor for the Canadian Pacific Railway, whose flexibility made it easier to participate in tournaments. He moved to North Vancouver where he raised his 10 kids with his wife Emma Picard.
## Athletic career
Nelsen won the home-town Winter Carnival Tournament, setting the hill record of 56 meters (183 ft) in Big Hill in the inauguration tournament in 1916. With this and subsequent better distances, he would hold the hill record in Revelstoke until 1932. In 1916, he won the Championship of Canada Ski Jumping Contest, which he would subsequently defend every year until 1920. He continued by setting the Canadian amateur record in 1920, and breaking it again in 1921 and 1923. He was among the most successful jumpers in Canada from 1916 to 1925, taking home most trophies. Among his methods to improve his jumps was placing pieces of lead at the front or back of the skies to give optimal balance.
Nelsen traveled throughout Canada and the United States to attend ski jumping competitions. In British Columbia, he attended competitions in Nelson, Trail, Rossland, Princeton, Kamloops, Sandon, Nakusp, Kimberley and Cranbrook. In Alberta, he attended tournaments in Calgary, Edmonton, Banff and Camrose; in eastern Canada in Ottawa and Montreal. In the United States, he attended events in Mount Rainier and Leavenworth in Washington; Dillon, Steamboat Springs and Denver in Colorado; Salt Lake City; and Brattleboro, Vermont. He became Canadian champion five times, in 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920 and 1922. His various best jumps were Canadian records from 1916 to 1932.
During the 1925 Winter Carnival Tournament, Nelsen, sick with influenza, set a world record at the Big Hill. Jumping 73 meters (240 ft), the record remained until it was broken by Adolph Badrut at Bernina-Roseg-Schanze in Switzerland in 1930, who jumped 75 meters (246 ft). However, Bob Lymburne was able to again claim the world record for the Big Hill, when he jumped 82 meters (269 ft) in 1932. Although accepted as a record, it was not at the time favored in Europe to stress distance records. This was because it was regarded that simply building a larger hill would undoubtedly give a longer jump, and in part because such records did not take style into consideration. Nelsen and Melbourne McKenzie planned to travel to St. Moritz, Switzerland, to attend the 1928 Winter Olympics, but lack of funding meant that they planned for work for their fare on a freighter. These plans were stopped by officials from the British delegation, who felt it was inappropriate and not fitting for the team, and Nelsen never competed in any Winter Olympics. Nelsen kept his amateur status, but did well against professionals those times he competed against them. During the winter of 1932, he worked as a ski instructor in Quebec. In a hunting accident in 1932, he lost a hand, and never jumped again.
## Organizer career and legacy
After arriving in Revelstoke, Nelsen was instrumental in the establishment of Revelstoke Ski Club and the Big Hill located within Mount Revelstoke National Park. In 1927, he helped establish a ski jump in Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver. After his accident, he started working to establish Field Ski Club in Field, British Columbia, where he spent time between trains. He promoted a strict adherence to the amateur code, and stated that debates regarding professionalism were disruptive for the United States National Ski Association.
Traditionally, governing of skiing in Canada was split between the Canadian Amateur Ski Association (CASA) and the Western Canada Amateur Ski Association (WCASA). Nelsen was the latter's president, and after years of rivalry, which even reached the point where they did not recognize each other, Nelsen eventually was part of the negotiation for an amalgamation which took into consideration the needs of the western clubs. Nelsen subsequently became vice-president of CASA from 1934.
He died of heart failure in Field on 3 June 1943—his 49th birthday. In 1948, after Big Hill had been expanded, it was renamed Nels Nelsen Hill. Nelsen was inscribed in the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1971, the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1983, and the following year in the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
## Ski jumping world records
`Not recognized! He stood at world record distance, but at the training.`
` Not recognized! Crash at world record distance.` | [
"## Early and personal life",
"## Athletic career",
"## Organizer career and legacy",
"## Ski jumping world records"
] | 1,486 | 15,944 |
5,668,401 | Could've Been You | 1,140,044,017 | 1992 single by Cher | [
"1991 songs",
"1992 singles",
"Cher songs",
"Geffen Records singles",
"Song recordings produced by Peter Asher",
"Songs written by Arnie Roman",
"Songs written by Bob Halligan Jr."
] | "Could've Been You" is a song originally performed by American rock singer Bob Halligan and later popularized by American singer-actress Cher. The song was written by Halligan and Arnie Roman for Halligan's 1991 album, Window in the Wall. Cher's cover version was produced by Peter Asher and released exclusively for the European market in early 1992 as the fifth single from Cher's 21st studio album, Love Hurts. Lyrically, "Could've Been You" is a message from the song's protagonist to his or her ex.
Cher's version of "Could've Been You" received positive reviews from critics and peaked at number thirty-one on the UK Singles Chart. Cher promoted the song through appearances at Top of the Pops and Aspel and Company.
## Background
In 1991, Bob Halligan released his album Window in the Wall under Atco Records. The only single released from the album was its lead track, "Could've Been You", which Halligan had co-written with Arnie Roman. According to Halligan, Atco Records had been going through a "political upheaval" that year and his record "was one of several recordings that was allowed to slip gently into the night". Halligan "dryly notes, '["Could've Been You"] lasted three weeks at radio. It came out to the sound of one hand clapping'".
Later the same year, Cher covered "Could've Been You" for her album Love Hurts. Her version was produced by Peter Asher, who had previously worked with Cher on her 1991 UK number one hit "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)". The B-side of the first UK 7-inch single release was "One Small Step", a duet with American singer-songwriter Richard Page, while the B-side of the second UK 7-inch single was "Love and Understanding". The second UK 7-inch single and the Germany Maxi-single were both released with the same cover, an image of Cher in a baby doll dress, while the first UK 7-inch was released with the same photo cut to show only Cher's legs. The whole photo was later reused for the cover of the Love Hurts tourbook. The UK 12-inch single was the last released; its cover has a transparent vinyl and shows Cher in a long, smooth black wig. In 1993, "Could've Been You" was rereleased as the B-side of Cher's "Whenever You're Near" UK 7-inch single.
Cher promoted "Could've Been You" with a live performance on Top of the Pops on April 9, 1992, six days before the beginning of her first European tour, the Love Hurts Tour in Berlin, Germany. For the performance Cher wore a curly red wig and a suit with the jacket open to show a leather bra. On April 11, 1992, Cher appeared on the Aspel and Company show to perform the song and be interviewed by Michael Aspel.
## Critical reception
"Could've Been You" received positive reviews from critics. Rock critic Jim Farber of Entertainment Weekly said of the album that "[i]t's that much more fun in numbers like 'Could've Been You', in which, seeking revenge, she gets to reach between the jerk's legs and squeeze." David Wild of the Guilford County, North Carolina News & Record called "Love and Understanding", "Save Up All Your Tears" and "Could've Been You" "strong tracks" that "show that she is still an effective pop singer". The review of the Worcester, Massachusetts Telegram & Gazette newspaper noted "Cher attempts to display her sexual prowess on the song, ...a great vehicle for her, an 'in-your-face' song directed to a former lover".
## Chart performance
The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number thirty-two on the week of April 18, 1992. In its second week it peaked at number thirty-one, dropping the next week to number forty-three and then to number sixty in its fourth and final week on the chart. The song also entered the German Singles Chart in late May 1992, spending seven weeks on the chart and peaked at number seventy-five.
## Track listings
- European 7-inch and cassette single
1. "Could've Been You" – 3:30
2. "One Small Step" – 3:28
- UK 7-inch and cassette single
1. "Could've Been You" – 3:30
2. "Love and Understanding" – 4:43
- European 12-inch and CD single
1. "Could've Been You" – 3:30
2. "One Small Step" – 3:28
3. "When Love Calls Your Name" – 3:32
- UK 12-inch and CD single
1. "Could've Been You" – 3:30
2. "Love and Understanding" – 4:43
3. "Save Up All Your Tears" – 4:00
## Credits and personnel
- Artwork – Kevin Reagan
- Management – Bill Sammeth, John Kalodner
- Photography – Herb Ritts
- Producer – Peter Asher
- Recorded and mixed by – Frank Wolf
## Charts | [
"## Background",
"## Critical reception",
"## Chart performance",
"## Track listings",
"## Credits and personnel",
"## Charts"
] | 1,102 | 10,708 |
25,082,033 | Hitachi Rail Italy Driverless Metro | 1,173,395,354 | Automated electric trainset | [
"1500 V DC multiple units",
"750 V DC multiple units",
"AnsaldoBreda multiple units",
"Automated guideway transit",
"Copenhagen Metro",
"Electric multiple units of Greece",
"Electric multiple units of Taiwan",
"Electric multiple units of the United States",
"Electric railcars and multiple units of Italy",
"Milan Metro",
"Multiple units of Denmark",
"Rome Metro",
"Taipei Metro"
] | The Hitachi Rail Italy Driverless Metro is a class of driverless electric multiple units and corresponding signaling system. Manufactured by Hitachi Rail Italy (formerly AnsaldoBreda) and Hitachi Rail STS (former name Ansaldo STS) in Italy, it is or will be used on the Copenhagen Metro, Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University, the Brescia Metro, the Thessaloniki Metro, Line 5 and Line 4 of the Milan Metro, Line C of the Rome Metro, the Honolulu Skyline system, and the Yellow Line of the Taipei Metro. The first system to use this class of driverless electric multiple units was the Copenhagen Metro which was opened in 2002.
The rolling stock consists of two to six articulated cars which operate on standard gauge. Each car has a power output of 210 or 256 kilowatts (282 or 343 hp), fed from a (except in Rome where it is overhead line). The systems are fully automated, consisting of automatic train protection (ATP), automatic train operation (ATO) and automatic train supervision.
## Rolling stock
The rolling stock uses standardized car bodies, articulated together. The number of cars varies across the different systems where they are used. The trains used on the Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University system are 2-car units. For the other systems, the units vary between three and six cars, making the trains from 39 to 109 m (127 ft 11+3⁄8 in to 357 ft 7+3⁄8 in) long. They are 2.65 m (8 ft 8+3⁄8 in) wide, except the Rome Metro units which are 2.85 meters (9 ft 4+1⁄4 in) wide, and the Honolulu Skyline units which are 10 ft (3,048 mm) wide to comply with Federal Railroad Administration regulations. The units vary from 3.4 to 3.85 m (11 ft 1+7⁄8 in to 12 ft 7+5⁄8 in) tall. Each car has two doors on each side, which are 1.3 m (4 ft 3+1⁄8 in) wide and 1.945 m (6 ft 4+5⁄8 in) tall. The vehicles are designed by Giugiaro Design.
The three and four-car trains have six three-phase asynchronous motors per train, with each motor giving a power output of 105 and 128 kW (141 and 172 hp), giving each train a power output of 630 or 764 kW (845 or 1,025 hp). In each car, the two motors are fed by the car's own insulated-gate bipolar transistor. The trains are powered by 750 V bottom contact third rail in most applications, although in Honolulu the same voltage is used but the third rail instead top contact, while Rome uses 1500 V overhead wires. The trains' top speeds are 80 to 105 km/h (50 to 65 mph), with an acceleration and deceleration capacity of 1.3 m/s<sup>2</sup> (4.3 ft/s<sup>2</sup>). Trains are fully compatible with platform screen doors, which are found at all stations in Brescia, Rome and Milan, Copenhagen, Honolulu, and Thessaloniki.
## Automation
The systems are controlled by a fully automated computer system, located at the control and maintenance center. The automatic train control (ATC) consists of three subsystems: automatic train protection (ATP), automatic train operation (ATO) and automatic train supervision (ATS). The ATP is responsible for managing the trains' speed, ensuring that doors are closed before departure and that switches are correctly set. The system uses fixed block signaling, except around stations, where moving block signaling is used. The system has been designed and built by Union Switch & Signal.
The ATO is the autopilot that drives the trains in line with a pre-defined schedule, ensures that the train stop at stations and operates the doors. The ATS monitors all components of the network, including the rails and all trains on the system, and displays a live schematic at the control center. The ATC is designed so that only the ATP is safety-critical, and will halt trains if the other systems have faults. Other aspects of the system, such a power supply, ventilation, security alarms, cameras and pumps, are controlled by a system called "control, regulating and surveillance".
The most common repairs are the grinding of the wheels; more complicated repairs are made by replacing entire components that are sent to the manufacturer. By having components in reserve, trains can have shorter maintenance times. The center also has the system's work trains, including a diesel locomotive that can fetch broken trains. At any time, there are four people working at the control center. Two monitor the ATC system, one monitors passenger information, while the last is responsible for secondary systems, such as power supply. In case of technical problems, there is always a team of technicians who can be sent to perform repairs. Although the trains are not equipped with drivers, there are stewards that help passengers, perform ticket controls and assist in emergency situations.
## Operators
### Brescia
The Brescia Metro is a system which opened in March 2013 in Brescia, Italy. The 18 km (11.2 mi) system was built in three stages and has 17 stations. The system features a 90-second headway. ASM Brescia ordered 18 trains which are now being used on the Metro.
### Copenhagen
The Copenhagen Metro, Denmark, consists of four lines, M1, M2, M3 and M4 that run 35.9 kilometers (22.3 mi) serving 37 stations. The system opened in 2002 and was expanded in 2019 with further expansion being planned and evaluated. The first lines connects the city center to the areas of Frederiksberg and Amager, and Copenhagen Airport. The next extension, the City Circle Line opened on 29 September 2019. Metroselskabet took delivery of 34 three-car units between 2002 and 2007, and operates with a headway of between two and twenty minutes, including an all-night service. In April 2008, the Copenhagen Metro won the award at MetroRail 2008 for the world's best metro.
### Honolulu
Skyline is a 10.8 mi (17.4 km) elevated rail line, planned to extend to 18.9 mi (30.4 km), which will connect the city of Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi with outlying suburbs. The first section of the line opened on June 30, 2023, with the entire 19-station route to be completed by 2031.
### Lima
The Line 2 of Lima Metro and a branch of Line 4, which will connect the city of east to west in the first case and the portion of line 4 linking the Jorge Chavez International Airport with the line 2, is currently under construction. The line will be built in two phases, the first of which is scheduled to open in 2017 and the second in 2020. The total of the 2 lines will cost US\$5,346,000.
### Milan
The Milan Metro's Line 5 first section between Bignami and the interconnection with M3 at Zara opened on 10 February 2013. The second stage opened on 1 March 2014, and runs from Zara to Porta Garibaldi station. The third opened in 2015, and runs from Garibaldi to San Siro stadium. The fourth section will run from Bignami to Monza, and it is planned to open by 2027. The first stage of 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) was estimated to cost €500 million.
Milan Metro's fourth line is currently under construction and will run from Linate Airport to San Cristoforo. It will be 15 km (9.3 mi) long with 21 stations. The first section, running from Linate to Dateo, opened on 26 November 2022, while the completion of the line is expected to be in 2024.
### Riyadh
An 11·5 km metro serving the Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University on the outskirts of Riyadh opened in 2012.
### Rome
Rome Metro's Line C is 25.5 km (15.8 mi) long, of which 17.6 km (10.9 mi) are underground. Metropolitana di Roma has ordered thirty six-car units, which are 20 centimeters (7.9 in) wider than the other systems' vehicles, and capable of carrying 1,200 passengers per train. Average speed on the system is 35 km/h (21.7 mph), with the headway varying from three to twelve minutes.
### Taipei
The Yellow Line or Circular Line of the Taipei Metro, Taiwan, will serve as a cross-link between existing lines. The 49 km (30.4 mi) system will feature 42 or 41 stations. The 15.4 km (9.6 mi) phase 1 has 14 stations and was completed in January 2020. The Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation purchased 17 trains for this phase.
### Thessaloniki
Construction on Greece's second metro system began in 2006 and is scheduled to open in phases from 2023, at a cost of €1.57 billion (\$ billion). The 14.28 km (8.87 mi) system will feature 18 stations in 2021. 33 driverless AnsaldoBreda units will be put to operation on the two lines. Those will be articulated in 4 sections with a capacity of 466 passengers (96 seated and 370 standing). | [
"## Rolling stock",
"## Automation",
"## Operators",
"### Brescia",
"### Copenhagen",
"### Honolulu",
"### Lima",
"### Milan",
"### Riyadh",
"### Rome",
"### Taipei",
"### Thessaloniki"
] | 2,062 | 9,490 |
7,552,807 | Branch Closing | 1,173,573,173 | null | [
"2006 American television episodes",
"Television episodes written by Michael Schur",
"The Office (American season 3) episodes"
] | "Branch Closing" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 35th overall. It was written by co-executive producer Michael Schur and directed by Tucker Gates. An edited version of the episode first aired on November 9, 2006, on NBC; later that night, a longer "producer's cut" edition was released, with deleted scenes edited into the full episode and broadcast on the website NBC.com. This uncut episode is the version included on the Season 3 DVD set.
The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton and Stamford branches of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In this episode, the Scranton branch has varied reactions to news that their branch will close. Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) head to the CFO's house to convince him not to close it. When head of the Stamford branch Josh Porter (Charles Esten) announces he is quitting, the employees find that the company's plans have changed.
According to Nielsen Media Research, an estimated 8.05 million viewers watched "Branch Closing" on its first broadcast. Critical reception to the episode was very positive, with one reviewer opining that it "expertly combines character-driven and situational humor, while realistically presenting a major change that advances the stories of all the characters. The result is a fantastically funny, enjoyable and realistic half-hour."
## Plot
Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) informs Michael Scott (Steve Carell) that the Scranton branch will close, with a few people transferred to Stamford and the rest laid off. Michael takes the news badly, and soon tells the rest of the office prematurely.
Michael and Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) decide to confront the CFO at his home. Back at the office, Ryan Howard (B. J. Novak) takes this opportunity to break up with Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling), Meredith Palmer (Kate Flannery) tries to remember a promise that she made about sleeping with someone on the last day of work, Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton) begins selling off the office equipment for profit, and Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker) begins relishing the thought of retiring with severance.
Stamford branch manager Josh Porter (Charles Esten) reveals that he has leveraged the situation to obtain a better position at Staples. This shock forces Jan to close Stamford instead, and she offers Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) the number two position in Scranton, but he is reluctant to accept it.
The Scranton branch is relieved when they hear they are saved, and Kelly is thrilled that she and Ryan do not have to break up after all. When Michael and Dwight get the news, they celebrate their success, believing, erroneously, that they accomplished it. After agonizing over the decision, Jim accepts the position and suggests to Karen Filippelli (Rashida Jones) that she join him in Scranton. In a talking head interview, Karen admits that even though she does not think he is "into her," she is "kind of into him".
## Production
"Branch Closing" was written by co-executive producer Michael Schur and directed by Tucker Gates. On her MySpace blog, actress Jenna Fischer urged readers to watch the episode, declaring that "The stuff [Michael and Dwight] do together is the absolute funniest thing ever on our show. And also the most touching... The entire episode is amazing. I can't wait for you to see it." The episode featured recurring guest stars Ed Helms, Rashida Jones, Craig Robinson, and Charles Esten. This episode also marks as Esten's last appearance in the series.
The same night the episode first aired, NBC.com released a "producer's cut", which contained additional scenes and extra footage not shown in the first broadcast. Vivi Zigler, the executive vice president NBC digital entertainment and new media, explained that "this is a first-of-its-kind and a real bonus for fans of The Office. It's also a natural for this show which has continually pushed the envelope in the digital landscape. We're seeing an incredible audience reaction to the evolving digital extensions of our programming and anticipate this being one of their favorites."
In her weekly blog post for TV Guide, actress Kate Flannery wrote of the producer's cut, "Isn't that cool? I think the Office fans are going to really dig it. I love the Stamford characters. Everyone is so much fun to work with." This version contained two new story lines and other minor additions and changes, including Meredith remembering an agreement to have sex with a coworker on the final day of employment, Creed selling electronics and furniture from the office, Andy having a plan in case he gets laid off, and Ryan admitting that Kelly has a strange power over him.
## Reception
"Branch Closing" first aired on NBC in the United States on November 9, 2006. According to Nielsen Media Research, it was watched by an estimated 8.05 million viewers. The episode was broadcast again on March 1, 2007, in its normal timeslot, receiving a viewership of 6.5 million people and a 3.0/8 rating share among adults aged 18 to 49. This was consistent with other repeat airings of the series on Thursday nights; the episode also retained 100 percent of its adult audience from its lead-in, My Name Is Earl.
"Branch Closing" has received generally positive reviews from television critics. IGN's Brian Zoromski rated it 10 out of 10, making it one of only two third-season episodes he deemed a "masterpiece". He explained that the episode "is a perfect example of why The Office is the best-written comedy currently on the air. The episode expertly combines character-driven and situational humor, while realistically presenting a major change that advances the stories of all the characters. The result is a fantastically funny, enjoyable and realistic half-hour." Michael Sciannamea of AOL TV felt that because of the poor economy, the episode "surely hit home with quite a number of people," and added that it shows that Michael "does have a soul... you ended up rooting for him to save the day." Sciannamea highlighted Stanley's reaction to the branch closure as one positive element, though he criticized the Ryan-Kelly storyline as "tiresome".
Entertainment Weekly columnist Abby West lauded the episode, writing that it "had almost everything we could want: all the major players in the mix, an unexpected (not-really) twist, a juicy little revelation, and the short-term promise of a Jim/Pam reunion." She was pleased with the emphasis on Jim and the way he "wonderfully bookended the conflicting emotions Michael inspires". West also believed that the "writers did a great job of creating the sense of crisis that resulted in the Scranton branch instead absorbing Stamford (I never trusted that Josh guy) even though fans of the original knew it was going to end up that way." Television Without Pity graded "Branch Closing" with an A. | [
"## Plot",
"## Production",
"## Reception"
] | 1,471 | 35,243 |
14,770,071 | Chase XCG-20 | 1,146,535,202 | Transport glider, U.S. Air Force, 1950 | [
"1940s United States military gliders",
"1940s United States military transport aircraft",
"Aircraft first flown in 1950",
"Chase aircraft",
"High-wing aircraft"
] | The Chase XCG-20, also known as the XG-20 and by the company designation MS-8 Avitruc, was a large assault glider developed immediately after World War II by the Chase Aircraft Company for the United States Air Force, and was the largest glider ever built in the United States. The XG-20 did not see production due to a change in USAF requirements, however, it was modified into the successful Fairchild C-123 Provider twin-engined transport aircraft which saw extensive service in the Vietnam War.
## Design and development
Following the end of World War II, the United States Army Air Forces, which became the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1947, developed a requirement for a new, large assault glider type to replace smaller types that were then in service, all existing gliders having been declared obsolete. The new gliders were to be constructed entirely of metal, and were also required to be easily adaptable to a powered configuration. As part of a five-year development program, a contract was awarded to the Chase Aircraft Company of Trenton, New Jersey, in August 1946 for the construction of two types of gliders. These included a smaller model being designated XCG-18A, and the larger, definitive model being designated XCG-20.
The XCG-20, redesignated XG-20 in 1948 with the establishment of the USAF, was the largest glider ever constructed in the United States, and the last combat glider to be built for the U.S. military. It featured a high-mounted wing and retractable tricycle landing gear, with an auxiliary power unit supplying hydraulic power to the landing gear and flaps. The nose section was reinforced to provide optimal protection to the pilots in the event of a crash on landing, and to allow for the strongest possible towing connection. The cargo hold was 30 feet (9.1 m) long and 12 feet (3.7 m) wide; it featured an innovative configuration, the rear fuselage being upswept with an integrated loading ramp. This allowed vehicles to be driven directly on and off of the aircraft, speeding loading and unloading times.
## Operational history
Although the first prototype XG-20 never flew as a glider, the second prototype conducted the aircraft's first flight in April 1950. Following being displayed to the public at Pope Air Force Base as part of Exercise Swarmer during that month, the XG-20 underwent thorough flight testing; during the late summer, it was evaluated against a variety of other transport aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Although it possessed no obvious faults, the test program confirmed that the powered "assault transport" was the equal of the glider in landing performance; having been rendered obsolete, the assault glider fell out of favor with the Air Force, and the XG-20 project was cancelled.
However, Chase had designed the aircraft to allow for the easy installation of engines; the first XG-20 had already been modified with two radial piston engines, becoming the XC-123, the prototype of the long-serving C-123 Provider family of transports. Meanwhile, the second prototype XG-20 was returned to Chase Aircraft, to be fitted with two twin pods for General Electric J47 turbojets, becoming the XC-123A, the first jet-powered transport aircraft built in the United States.
## Specifications
## See also | [
"## Design and development",
"## Operational history",
"## Specifications",
"## See also"
] | 703 | 27,281 |
27,398,808 | Tim Breslin | 1,161,551,002 | American ice hockey player | [
"1967 births",
"2005 deaths",
"American men's ice hockey left wingers",
"Chicago Cheetahs players",
"Chicago Wolves (IHL) players",
"Ice hockey players from Illinois",
"Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey players",
"NCAA men's ice hockey national champions",
"People from Addison, Illinois",
"People from Downers Grove, Illinois",
"Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) players",
"South Carolina Stingrays players",
"Sportspeople from DuPage County, Illinois"
] | Timothy G. Breslin (December 8, 1967 – February 9, 2005) was a professional ice hockey left wing. Breslin played eight seasons in the International Hockey League (IHL) with the Phoenix Roadrunners and Chicago Wolves and part of a season in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays. He also played major league roller hockey in Roller Hockey International (RHI) with the Chicago Cheetahs.
Breslin attended Lake Superior State University. While a freshman he helped the Lakers win the school's first national championship in 1988. He served as an alternate captain in his senior season while also tying two school records, points in a game (7) and points in a series (10). Undrafted out of college, he signed with the Los Angeles Kings as a free agent. He spent four years in their minor league system playing for Phoenix and South Carolina. After a brief stint in the RHI, he joined the Wolves as a free agent. As a member of the Wolves, Breslin was highly involved in charitable activities which led to him winning IHL Man of the Year honors in the 1996–97 season. He was a member of Chicago's Turner Cup champion team the following year.
Late in 2004 Breslin was diagnosed with cancer and died 11 weeks later on February 9, 2005, due to complications from appendiceal cancer. To honor him the Wolves created the Tim Breslin Unsung Hero Award and the Tim Breslin Memorial Scholarship. As a way of helping his family financially, they hosted an exhibition game dubbed the Breslin Cup.
## Early life
Tim was born in Downers Grove, Illinois on December 8, 1967, to James and Kathleen Breslin. He was one of six children, having three sisters and two brothers. Breslin grew up in Addison, Illinois where he began playing hockey at age five. He learned the game while playing with his brothers on a frozen pond near the family home and on a backyard rink his father made. As he got older Breslin played in local leagues and Driscoll Catholic High School's club team, which afforded him the opportunity to join the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the United States Hockey League.
## Playing career
### Amateur
Breslin joined the Fighting Saints for his high school senior year and played an additional season after graduation. His performance in Dubuque helped earn a scholarship to Lake Superior State University (LSSU). In his freshman season with the Lakers, Breslin contributed 6 goals and 20 points, as LSSU finished first in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). Advancing to the 1988 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, the Lakers defeated Merrimack College and University of Maine to reach the championship game. In the title game LSSU defeated St. Lawrence to earn its first National Championship. For the 1988–89 season Breslin improved to 7 goals while remaining at 20 points. LSSU finished second in the CCHA and in the 1989 NCAA Tournament they lost to eventual national champion Harvard in the quarterfinals. In his junior season Breslin continued to produce at about the same pace, registering 8 goals and 25 points. The Lakers again finished second in the CCHA, and in the 1990 NCAA Tournament they advanced to the quarterfinals for the second straight year where they were defeated by national champion runner-up Colgate.
In his senior season Breslin was named one of the team's alternate captains. Playing on a line with future National Hockey League (NHL) player Doug Weight, Breslin had a break-out season. He set career highs in goals (25), assists (37), and points (62). During the year he tied a school record for points in a game with a seven-point performance against Ohio State. The scoring output helped him tie another school record when the two teams played the following day. Adding another three points in the second game, Breslin brought his two-game total to 10, tying the record for points in a series. Lake Superior State finished first in the CCHA, but was again defeated in the quarterfinals of the 1991 NCAA Tournament.
### Professional
Undrafted out of college, Breslin signed with the Los Angeles Kings as a free agent. He attended Kings training camp, where he played with his professional hockey hero, Wayne Gretzky. Breslin failed to make the team and Los Angeles assigned him to their International Hockey League (IHL) affiliate the Phoenix Roadrunners. In his first season with Phoenix, Breslin broke his arm early in the season. He returned to play just three weeks after the injury, but eventually re-broke the arm and missed the remainder of the season. He finished his first professional season playing in 45 games, scoring 8 goals and 29 points. In the 1992–93 season Breslin improved his production to 14 goals and a career-high 44 points. Phoenix finished the season with a league-low 26 wins and 58 points. He began his third professional season with the Roadrunners, but after five games he was reassigned to the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays. Breslin played nine games for the Stingrays, registering six points, before being recalled by Phoenix. Finishing the year with the Roadrunners, he registered 9 goals and 27 points in 50 games. Phoenix improved to 85 points but failed to make the playoffs for the third straight year. At the conclusion of the season, Breslin's contract with the Kings expired.
In the summer Breslin joined the Chicago Cheetahs of the Roller Hockey International (RHI) league for the 1994 season. Playing in just 6 games, Breslin recorded 5 goals and 13 points. Prior to the start of the 1994–95 IHL season, Breslin signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Wolves. He was one of the first three players signed by the Wolves who began their first season as an IHL expansion team. In his first season with the Wolves, Breslin notched 7 goals and 28 points. Chicago finished with 80 points—good enough for third in their division and to qualify for the playoffs. Facing the Kalamazoo Wings in the first round, Chicago was swept in three straight games. Playing in his first professional playoffs, Breslin contributed two points playing in all three games. In the off-season Breslin negotiated his own contract to stay in Chicago, signing a two-year deal. Over the next two seasons, Breslin averaged 56 games played a season due to knee and shoulder injuries. As a team the Wolves qualified for the playoffs in both seasons but failed to advance beyond the second round. At the conclusion of the 1996–97 season, Breslin was awarded the I. John Snider trophy as IHL Man of the Year, an award given to recognize outstanding community service.
In the off-season Breslin again re-signed with the Wolves. Chicago also brought in John Anderson to be the team's new head coach. Under Anderson, Breslin had posted a career high in assists with 26 and games played with 81. Chicago won the West division and finished with the second-best record in the league. In the postseason the Wolves stormed through the first three rounds, losing only four games, to advance to the 1998 Turner Cup Finals. In game 1 of the finals against the Detroit Vipers, Chicago blew a two-goal lead early in the third period. They regained the lead with just over eight minutes to play. In the final minutes of the game, Breslin added an insurance empty net goal giving the Wolves a 4–2 victory. It was Breslin's only goal of the playoffs. The series eventually went to a seventh and deciding game that the Wolves won 3–0 to capture the franchise's first Turner Cup. For the 1998–99 season Breslin's production dipped to 7 goals and 21 points. The Wolves advanced to the third round the playoffs, but Breslin played in only 4 of the team's 10 games. On the first day of training camp the following year, Breslin announced his retirement from professional hockey.
## Playing style
Listed as a left wing, Breslin was capable of playing all three forward positions, an ability which gave his coaches flexibility and allowed him to play in any situation. Not a big player, standing six feet tall weighing 180 pounds, he played a gritty, physical, brand of hockey primary in a checking line role. As a checker it was his responsibility to shut down the opposition and keep them from scoring, emphasizing defense over offense. Because of his versatility and role, he was often a member of his team's penalty killing unit. Breslin was known for his team-first attitude and willingness to do whatever was asked of him in order to help the team succeed. Former Wolves General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said of Breslin, "You could always count on Tim to come and compete every night and do what was needed for the team to win". Not the most talented of players, Breslin's work ethic helped him to be a better player. Head coach Anderson once stated, "He is the kind of player who maybe isn't in the very upper echelon in skill factor, but his dedication and hard work make up for that."
## Personal
Breslin married Jami Rutili, and the couple had three children, Shane, Paige, and Chase. He earned a degree in recreation management while at Lake Superior State. During his career, Breslin was involved in numerous charities. He delivered food on Thanksgiving for the Chris Zorich Foundation; conducted self-esteem workshops for an anti-drug, anti-gang organization; participated in the Wolves' Read to Succeed program, in which he read to children at local libraries; and several others. In a 1997 interview, Breslin said that the most special charity he helped was one started by him and his wife. The Extra Effort program was started at Indian Trail Junior High School in Addison, where Jami was a teacher. Each month the program gave both a male and a female student four tickets to a Wolves game and a gift bag. The students were chosen based on attitude, effort and attendance. After retiring from professional hockey, he coached youth hockey and helped manage an Irish pub.
## Death and legacy
After complaining of stomach pains for several days, Breslin was taken to a hospital on Thanksgiving of 2004. There he was diagnosed with appendiceal cancer and underwent surgery. He died eleven weeks later on February 9, 2005, due to complications from the cancer. The Wolves honored Breslin by wearing a helmet sticker shaped like a shamrock with his initials inside of it for the 2004–05 season. As a way of helping his family financially, the Wolves and Chicago Blackhawks put on a charity game called the "Breslin Cup". The game featured 40 players, most of whom were former players from the two franchises. All the proceeds from the game went to a trust set up for the family. The game drew around 10,000 fans, with the Wolves' alumni defeating the Blackhawks' alums in a shootout. The Breslin Cup and associated events raised over \$250,000 for the family.
The following season the Wolves further honored Breslin with an on-ice ceremony that concluded with the raising of a banner of his name. They also created a team award called the Tim Breslin Unsung Hero Award, to be given annually to a player who "best typifies Breslin's on-ice spirit and team-first attitude", and a college scholarship, the Tim Breslin Memorial Scholarship, in his honor. A winner is chosen each season from students who fill out an entry form and write a corresponding essay. The scholarship pays for one semester of college. Breslin was inducted into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.
## Career statistics | [
"## Early life",
"## Playing career",
"### Amateur",
"### Professional",
"## Playing style",
"## Personal",
"## Death and legacy",
"## Career statistics"
] | 2,517 | 12,263 |
38,299,639 | Alexander W. Monroe | 1,173,917,719 | American lawyer, politician, and military officer | [
"1817 births",
"1905 deaths",
"19th-century American educators",
"19th-century American lawyers",
"19th-century American newspaper publishers (people)",
"19th-century American politicians",
"American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law",
"American people of Scottish descent",
"American railway entrepreneurs",
"American surveyors",
"Burials at Indian Mound Cemetery",
"Confederate States Army officers",
"County and city Commonwealth's Attorneys in Virginia",
"Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates",
"Editors of Virginia newspapers",
"Editors of West Virginia newspapers",
"Farmers from West Virginia",
"Hampshire County, West Virginia, in the American Civil War",
"Military personnel from West Virginia",
"People from Romney, West Virginia",
"People of Virginia in the American Civil War",
"People of West Virginia in the American Civil War",
"Schoolteachers from West Virginia",
"Speakers of the West Virginia House of Delegates",
"West Virginia lawyers"
] | Alexander W. Monroe (December 29, 1817 – March 16, 1905) was a prominent American lawyer, politician, and military officer in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. Monroe served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates (1850–1851 and 1862–1865) and West Virginia House of Delegates (1875–1877 and 1879–1883) representing Hampshire County. He was the Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates during the 1875–1877 legislative session. Monroe also represented Hampshire County in the West Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1872.
Monroe was born in Hampshire County, Virginia (present-day West Virginia) in 1817. At the age of 18, he and his siblings were orphaned and he became a schoolteacher to provide for the education of his brothers and sisters. He later became a county surveyor, and studied jurisprudence. Monroe was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates (1850–1851), during which time he participated in the 1851 reform of the Constitution of Virginia. He was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1858 and in 1861, he purchased the Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser newspaper, which he operated until the onset of the American Civil War.
In 1861, Monroe commanded the 114th Regiment of the Virginia militia with the rank of colonel; he was the oldest person in that commissioned rank within the state's militia. The 114th Regiment took part in several skirmishes in Hampshire County. Following the regiment's disbandment, Monroe volunteered and raised a battalion of cavalry within the 18th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment of the regular Confederate States Army. He later commanded the rear guard during the withdrawal of Confederate forces under the command of General Robert E. Lee from the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, successfully protecting the 27-mile (43 km)-long wagon train. Monroe served in the Virginia House of Delegates throughout the Civil War.
Monroe returned to the practice of law and in 1872 was a participant in the West Virginia Constitutional Convention. From 1875 to 1877, he was a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and was twice elected speaker. He was the first delegate to represent Hampshire County in both the Virginia General Assembly and the West Virginia Legislature. Monroe was twice appointed as a director of the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane. He again served in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 1879 to 1883. Monroe retired to his farm on the Little Cacapon River and died in 1905.
## Early life and family relations
Alexander W. Monroe was born on December 29, 1817, in Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia), and was the oldest child of Robert and Elizabeth Monroe. His parents were of Scottish descent. Monroe's great uncle, Dr. John Monroe, was an early physician and Baptist minister in Hampshire County. Monroe had four younger brothers and two sisters: Robert W. Monroe, James W. Monroe, J. Walker Monroe, Marion Monroe, a Mrs. Snapp, and Sarah Ann Monroe Garrett. His brother, Robert W. Monroe, was later appointed by United States President Grover Cleveland as an Indian agent in Idaho.
At the age of 18, Monroe and his siblings were orphaned, and Monroe took responsibility for the rearing and education of his four younger brothers and two sisters. To accomplish this feat, he taught school during the winter months, and worked the family's farm during the growing season.
## Early professions and political career
Monroe studied surveying and began his career in public service as the county surveyor for Hampshire County. During his tenure, he surveyed the majority of the county's land tracts. Monroe read law in Romney under prominent local attorney, Alfred P. White. While studying law, he was elected to represent Hampshire County in the Virginia House of Delegates alongside William P. Stump between 1850 and 1851. Monroe was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates during the 1851 reform of the Constitution of Virginia. In 1857, he was nominated as a Democratic candidate to represent the Hampshire County district in the Senate of Virginia. Monroe was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1858 at the age of 41 and engaged in a law practice in Romney. In 1859, he was elected the Commonwealth's Attorney for Hampshire County.
Monroe and Job N. Cookus purchased the Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser newspaper in Romney in 1861. During their joint ownership, the offices for the Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser were located in an old stone building that formerly housed the Romney Academy behind the Hampshire County Courthouse. Monroe and Cookus continued serving as its editors and publishers until the Union Army closed down the Advertiser's offices in August 1861, after which the newspaper was not revived.
## Military career
Following the outbreak of the American Civil War in July 1861, Monroe commanded the 114th Regiment of the Virginia militia with the rank of colonel. At age 43, Monroe was the oldest colonel, by his commission, serving in the Virginia militia.
On October 26, 1861, Monroe's 114th Regiment took part in a skirmish against a unit within the left column formation of Union Army troops under the command of Brigadier General Benjamin Franklin Kelley. The skirmish took place at present-day Blues Beach where a wire bridge carried the Moorefield and North Branch Turnpike across the South Branch Potomac River at the Lower Hanging Rocks. Monroe also led 300 soldiers of the 114th Regiment in the Battle of Blue's Gap on January 7, 1862.
Monroe remained the commanding officer of the 114th Regiment until its disbandment by the Congress of the Confederate States in April 1862. While serving in the Confederate States Army, Monroe completed another term as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates between 1862 and 1865. He participated in the Virginia General Assembly for each legislative session conducted during wartime, returning to his military duties following each session's adjournment.
Following the passage of the Conscription Bill by the Confederate States Congress, Monroe volunteered and raised a battalion of cavalry within the 18th Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment of the regular Confederate States Army. He was elected major of the 18th Virginia Cavalry, which was known as the North Western Brigade, shortly after its creation. While he served in the 18th Virginia Cavalry, it was under the command of Brigadier General John D. Imboden.
Monroe was later in command of the rear guard during the withdrawal of Confederate forces under the command of General Robert E. Lee from the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. In this capacity, Monroe successfully protected the 27-mile (43 km)-long wagon train. Monroe fought for the Confederate Army throughout the duration of the war, until 1865. Following the war, he was paroled by Union authorities.
## Later political career
During the Reconstruction Era, Confederate veterans were initially prohibited from holding public office or from practicing law in West Virginia without taking a test oath. The West Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill in 1868 that allowed Monroe to practice law without having to swear an oath. Following the passage of this bill, he resumed the practice of law in Romney. On February 23, 1871, West Virginia announced an election for delegates to a constitutional convention to update the state’s 1863 constitution. The election for delegates was held in August 1871, and Hampshire County elected Monroe and James Dillon Armstrong. Monroe and Armstrong represented the county at the West Virginia Constitutional Convention in January 1872 in Charleston. In 1875, Monroe returned to politics when he was elected as a Democrat to represent Hampshire County in the West Virginia House of Delegates for one two-year term. It was during this legislative session that Monroe served as Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates. He was the first delegate to represent Hampshire County in both the Virginia General Assembly and the West Virginia Legislature.
In March 1875 and a year later in March 1876, he was appointed by Governor John Jeremiah Jacob and the West Virginia Board of Public Works as a director for the West Virginia Hospital for the Insane in Weston. In June 1876 at the state Democratic convention in Charleston, Monroe was selected as a delegate from West Virginia's 2nd congressional district to attend the 1876 Democratic National Convention in St. Louis.
Monroe again served as a member of the House of Delegates representing Hampshire County from 1879 to 1883. He was nominated for the house speakership but lost to George H. Moffet. In 1881, Monroe was a member of the Joint Revisory Committee, which was charged with amending the laws and statutes of the West Virginia Code.
Throughout his political career, Monroe continued to engage in the practice of law in Romney. In 1887 he and Samuel Lightfoot Flournoy were the defense attorneys for Annie Offner, who had been accused of murdering her lover Benjamin Brooks.
## Business pursuits
On February 23, 1871, the West Virginia Legislature passed an act incorporating the South Branch Railway Company, responsible for the construction and operation of a branch line connecting Romney with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad main line at Green Spring. Monroe was named by the legislature as one of the commissioners of the South Branch Railway Company, charged with the responsibility of signing up investors to purchase capital stock in the company.
## Later life and death
During his later years, Monroe resided on his farm on the Little Cacapon River in the Barnes Mill community of Hampshire County. Monroe succumbed to heart failure and died the night of March 16, 1905, at his home near Romney. Monroe was survived by his second wife Margaret and their four children. Monroe is interred with his wife Margaret at Indian Mound Cemetery in Romney.
## Marriage and children
In 1852, Monroe married his first wife, Sarah A. French, daughter of John and Eleanor French. Monroe and his wife Sarah had one son, James W. Monroe. Following Sarah's death, Monroe married his second wife, Margaret Ellen Pugh, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah Pugh, on November 21, 1866. Monroe and Margaret had at least four children:
- Robert Pugh Monroe (October 14, 1867 – 1924), married Elwilda Idelle Kidner on March 20, 1906
- Sallie Elizabeth Monroe Haines (born October 20, 1869), married Charles William Haines on January 31, 1893
- Ellen G. Monroe Tharp, married Wilbur L. Tharp on November 29, 1899
- Annie H. Monroe | [
"## Early life and family relations",
"## Early professions and political career",
"## Military career",
"## Later political career",
"## Business pursuits",
"## Later life and death",
"## Marriage and children"
] | 2,243 | 27,583 |
42,569,736 | Mississippi Highway 161 | 1,115,027,087 | Highway in Mississippi | [
"State highways in Mississippi",
"Transportation in Bolivar County, Mississippi",
"Transportation in Coahoma County, Mississippi",
"Transportation in DeSoto County, Mississippi",
"U.S. Route 61"
] | Mississippi Highway 161 (MS 161) is a state highway designation for three highways in the U.S. state of Mississippi, consisting of old alignments of U.S. Route 61 (US 61). Totaling at 19.872 miles (31.981 km), the three sections are located in Bolivar, Coahoma, and Desoto counties. The Bolivar County section, designated in 2000, travels from Merigold to Mound Bayou and Shelby. In Coahoma County, MS 161 was designated in 2004 and runs through Clarksdale and Lyon. In Desoto County, MS 161 travels through the town of Walls and was created in 1999.
## Merigold–Shelby
MS 161 starts at US 61 and US 278, south of the town of Merigold. After intersecting Merigold–Drew Road, the road travels north into the town, where it is known as Second Street. The route crosses over the Jones Bayou past South Street and intersects several streets inside Merigold before exiting city limits near Lee Street. It passes through a small tract of farmland and intersects South Lane Road. About one mile (1.6 km) later, MS 161 intersects Ford Road and enters the city limits of Mound Bayou. Inside the city, the road (now known as Edwards Avenue) is the boundary of the Mound Bayou Historical District from South Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Street. The Taborian Hospital is also located on the route, outside the historic district. MS 161 also passes by the John F. Kennedy Memorial High School and crosses the waterway known as Mound Bayou near Lampard Street. The route leaves the city near Mohawk Street, and it crosses northwesterly over US 61 and US 278.
Past US 61 and US 278, the route intersects Moody Road, the closest connector to US 61 and US 278. The road enters Winstonville at Winston Street, crosses Mount Bayou near Bruce Street, and it leaves the town at Mack Williams Street. Near Tarsi Road, the route turns north and enters Shelby as Broadway Street. MS 161 travels through the residential area of Shelby, and downtown Shelby near Fourth Avenue. The route intersects MS 32 at Second Avenue and travels northward through the town. The road exits the city limits past Blue Cain Road, and it turns eastward past the intersection. MS 161 ends at a three-way junction with US 61 and US 278 north of Shelby.
In 2000, US 61 was rerouted between Merigold and Shelby, and its old alignment became MS 161. Before US 61 was relocated to a four-lane divided highway, the two-lane road had stop signs and low speed limits that significantly slowed through traffic.
Major intersections
## Clarksdale–Lyon
MS 161 starts at an intersection with US 61, US 278, and MS 322 in Clarksdale. The route travels northeast, concurrent to MS 322, across several farms before reaching Sherard Road, where MS 322 continues westward to Sherard. Known as South State Street, MS 161 continues northeastward towards a commercial area of Clarksdale, and it crosses the Sunflower River. The road name changes to North State Street, and it intersects Desoto Avenue, which travels to downtown Clarksdale northbound and US 49 southbound. The intersection is home to the "Crossroads" sign, a sculpture that commemorates the alleged location where musician Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil to learn how to play the blues. MS 161 turns east briefly at Lincoln Place, before continuing northeastward past Sycamore Street. The route travels along the edge of the city, and it soon intersects the western terminus of MS 6, which leads to US 278. The road enters Lyon north of the intersection, and it intersects Bobo and Fontaine Streets. MS 161 leaves the town north of Hopson Street and Roberson Road, and the road ends at a three-way junction with US 49 and US 61.
US 61 was rerouted onto the new bypass around Clarksdale in August 2004, and MS 161 was designated on its old alignment.
Major intersections
## Walls
MS 161 starts at US 61 inside the city limits of Walls, and it travels along a two-lane road northeastward through a rural area. At Sullivan Road, the route enters the center of the town and begins to turn northward. MS 161 passes through the town, intersecting Second Street and Delta View Road. Past the center of the town, the road travels through more farmland and intersects MS 302 at a T-intersection. The route leaves the city limits of Walls, and it continues for one mile (1.6 km) before ending at US 61.
In 1999, US 61 was rerouted out of Walls, and the old alignment became MS 161.
Major intersections | [
"## Merigold–Shelby",
"## Clarksdale–Lyon",
"## Walls"
] | 1,038 | 9,893 |
13,005,545 | Robert Ford (politician) | 1,170,593,803 | American politician | [
"1948 births",
"20th-century African-American people",
"21st-century African-American politicians",
"African-American state legislators in South Carolina",
"American conscientious objectors",
"Democratic Party South Carolina state senators",
"Grambling State University alumni",
"Living people",
"Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina",
"Wayne State University alumni"
] | Robert Ford (born December 26, 1948) is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate from 1993 to 2013, representing District 42, which is located in Charleston. From 1974 to 1992, he served as a member of the Charleston City Council.
Originally involved in the civil rights movement, several of Ford's public statements and legislative proposals as senator attracted media attention and controversy. He finished in third place in the June 2010 Democratic primary election for Governor of South Carolina. He resigned on May 31, 2013, in the midst of a political scandal on public funds spent in adult establishments.
## Personal life
Ford was born in New Orleans, Louisiana; his parents were leaders in the African American community. Ford attended Wayne State University and Grambling State University, from which he was expelled in 1969 before graduating for leading civil rights demonstrations. He was expelled by the university, despite it being historically black, because it relied on public funds which were controlled by a state government opposed to desegregation. Ford was a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference staff from 1966 to 1972 and worked for Martin Luther King Jr. (continuing after King was assassinated) as a member of an advance team of the 1968 Poor People's Campaign. He was arrested 73 times for participating in protests during the civil rights movement. In 1973, he won a draft evasion trial on basis of conscientious objection. Ford worked as a car salesman and later became a full-time legislator. Ford is a lifelong bachelor.
## Political career
Ford was elected to serve on the Charleston City Council, where he served from 1974 to 1992. During this time, Councilman Ford was indicted on forgery charges after an annexation petition for the Neck area included the names of dead people. However, he was not convicted.
Ford ran for the State Senate and was elected on November 3, 1992, taking office in 1993. He was reelected in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. He served on the Senate Committees on Banking and Insurance, Corrections and Penology, General, Invitations, Judiciary, and Labor, Commerce and Industry, and was the ranking Democrat on several committees. Ford is a member of the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus. Ford resigned on May 31, 2013 during a brewing campaign finance scandal.
Ford has been described as entertaining, controversial, and politically incorrect. He supported Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries and questioned Barack Obama's appeal to white voters. Ford later apologized for his comments, stating that any Democrat could win and that he had supported other African American candidates for president in the past. Ford's comments prompted a primary challenge in 2008 from Charleston lawyer Dwayne Green. In the beginning of his campaign, Green managed to raise double the amount of campaign funds Ford raised, and although Ford's fundraising improved he for the first time attended a candidate forum to receive free publicity, because his campaign had financial difficulty resulting from the contested primary and a fire in his home. Green was defeated in the primary election by a wide margin. Ford praised Obama's election in November 2008, but criticized South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn's family for allegedly attempting to profit off Obama's victory.
### Political positions
As senator, Ford has introduced many bills with only a small number becoming law, but has been more successful in contributing to compromise bills. After becoming senator, Ford attempted to have the Confederate flag removed from the South Carolina State House. It was the last state capitol to display a Confederate battle flag, and Ford had picketed the building in the 1960s as a symbol of discrimination. Following years of debate, the flag was moved to a nearby monument with the adoption of a compromise bill authored by Ford. He was responsible for the passage of a 1998 bill that paired Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with Confederate Memorial Day as paid holidays. Ford stated that he hoped the legislation would improve race relations in South Carolina.
Ford described the election of judges by popular vote as a major goal and supported increasing the number of judges. He supported giving more authority to law enforcement, including the ability to search people on parole and probation without warrant, making attempted murder a crime with lifelong sentence, and increasing penalties for possession of illegal guns. Ford is a proponent of stricter regulations of the financial industry. He sponsored a 2006 ban on payday lending, which was shown to discriminate against African Americans. In 2008, Ford blocked all House bills in the Senate until the bill was taken up. The bill failed in the Senate by a close vote and was heavily amended so lenders would not be banned but restricted. The bill then passed with Ford voting in favor but failed to advance after changes made in the House. A bill preventing consumers from taking out more than one loan at a time passed the House in 2009. Ford supported offshore drilling, stating conservation was not a priority for most citizens of the state. Geologists believe there is little oil to be found off the South Carolina coast. Ford wants to prevent the widening of Interstate 26 through Charleston, calling instead for a study for transportation needs. Ford emphasized the need for more funding for school programs, which he claimed is necessary due to the small number of pupils attending college and to remedy lacks of knowledge in geography and civics, which he wants reinstated as a school subject. Ford was told about favoritism, intimidation and racism in the South Carolina Highway Patrol and publicized it with Glenn McConnell. Subsequently, director and deputy director of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety resigned under pressure from governor Mark Sanford.
Ford sponsored legislation defining a hate crime "as an assault, intimidation or threat based on 'actual or perceived' race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin and sexual orientation." He also introduced several bills concerning gay rights in lodging, hospital visitation rights and partnerships. His partnership bill would provide for civil unions in South Carolina. The effort was judged by state senator Mike Fair as predetermined to fail, but Ford cited the Democratic National Committee's platform on the issue and argued that Barack Obama's election showed that a change should be attempted. Even if passed, the measure would be unenforceable, due to a constitutional amendment banning unions similar to marriage in South Carolina. Ford worked to outlaw profanity and saggy pants and to keep music from minors that is "profane, vulgar, lewd, lascivious or indecent." Ford argued he did not expect these proposals to be approved but wanted to start a discussion specifically targeting young African American men's fashion as well as rap music. He stated: "You don't have to emulate prisoners no more. You can emulate somebody like Barack Obama."
Ford often opposed governor Mark Sanford's political goals, arguing his proposed reforms were unwanted by the public, and he mostly opposed Sanford's fiscal policy and worked to override budget vetoes by the governor, claiming he was removed from the interests of citizens. An exception were security measures for the State House complex which Ford agreed were too costly. He also opposed Sanford's goal to increase the number of roll calls in the State Senate and voted against a 2008 immigration reform bill favored by Sanford, stating it would be an ineffective deterrent and would lead to less driving safety. The reform would have required all employers to use state driver's licenses or a database from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to check the legal status of workers. Ford co-sponsored a bill with Glenn McConnell that would limit the governor's authority to appoint and remove board members overseeing the Charleston port and increase required qualifications for board members. Ford opposed a bill giving Sanford authority over the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
## 2010 Gubernatorial candidacy
Ford ran to succeed Mark Sanford as Governor of South Carolina in the 2010 gubernatorial election. His platform included reinstating video poker to the state to generate returns from taxes on the gaming industry in an effort to balance the state budget, something he has proposed since the late 1990s. A law Ford sponsored in 2008 to make gambling legal failed to advance; he planned a voter referendum to repeal the ban. Ford faced state senator Vincent A. Sheheen of Camden and State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex in a primary election. Sheheen's campaign has raised \$33,000 as of January 2009, while Ford's campaign raised \$6,000. On June 8, 2010, Ford finished in third place in the primary election with 18 percent of the vote.
## Electoral history
South Carolina State Senator, 42nd Senatorial District, 1992
Primary election, August 25, 1992
Threshold \> 50%
Ford won the general election unopposed on November 3, 1992.
South Carolina State Senator, 42nd Senatorial District, 1996
Ford did not have a primary opponent on June 11, 1996.
General election, November 5, 1996
South Carolina State Senator, 42nd Senatorial District, 2000
Primary election
Threshold \> 50%
First Ballot, June 13, 2000
Second Ballot, June 27, 2000
Ford won the general election unopposed on November 7, 2000.
South Carolina State Senator, 42nd Senatorial District, 2004
Primary election, June 8, 2004
Threshold \> 50%
General election, November 2, 2004
South Carolina State Senator, 42nd Senatorial District, 2008
Primary election, June 10, 2008
Threshold \> 50%
General election, November 4, 2008
South Carolina State Senator, 42nd Senatorial District, 2012
Senator Ford was unopposed for reelection in both the Democratic primary and the general election.
General election, November 6, 2012 | [
"## Personal life",
"## Political career",
"### Political positions",
"## 2010 Gubernatorial candidacy",
"## Electoral history"
] | 2,058 | 32 |
2,196,635 | Battle of Plains Store | 1,144,967,210 | 1863 battle of the American Civil War in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana | [
"1863 in Louisiana",
"Battles of the American Civil War in Louisiana",
"Battles of the Lower Seaboard Theater and Gulf Approach of the American Civil War",
"East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana",
"May 1863 events",
"Siege of Port Hudson",
"Union victories of the American Civil War"
] | The Battle of Plains Store was fought on May 21, 1863, in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, during the campaign to capture Port Hudson in the American Civil War. Union troops advancing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, clashed with 600 Confederates at a road junction. The initial Confederate force withdrew, but 400 more Confederates arrived from Port Hudson. Some of the Confederate reinforcement overran Union artillery and routed a Union regiment, but were unable to capture the guns. Union reinforcements advanced to the front, attacked part of the Confederate force and drove them from the field. The Confederates withdrew to Port Hudson, which was almost entirely surrounded by Union troops the next day. Port Hudson was under siege until the defenders surrendered on July 9.
## Background
By 1863, during the American Civil War, the Confederate strongholds at Port Hudson, Louisiana, and Vicksburg, Mississippi, allowed for Confederate control of the Mississippi River between the two points. Supplies could cross the river from one half of the Confederacy to the other. Union forces placed Vicksburg under siege in May 1863. Other Union troops commanded by Major General Nathaniel Banks had been moving towards Shreveport, Louisiana, but instead turned towards Port Hudson to capture it. Banks's goal was to defeat the Confederate force there led by Major General Franklin Gardner and then drive north to aid the attack on Vicksburg. In support of Banks, a Union division led by Major General Christopher C. Augur left Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and moved north towards Port Hudson on May 20 with 3,500 men. Like much of Banks' army, Augur's troops were relatively inexperienced and Plains Store would be the first time his regiments saw combat.
## Battle
On the morning of May 21, Augur's leading forces, commanded by Colonel Benjamin H. Grierson, met Confederate troops near the junction of the Plains Store and Bayou Sara roads. Plains Store itself was located here. Taking the junction would secure a landing point for Banks and allow the two Union forces to join. The crossroads was defended by 600 men commanded by Colonel Frank P. Powers; Powers's force consisted of part of the 14th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Powers'), a cavalry force, and Abbay's Mississippi Battery. Skirmishing continued while the main Union force arrived. As Confederate artillery fire prevented a Union advance, Union artillery was brought up at around 10:00 am and an artillery duel began. The Union artillery, consisting of the 5th U.S. Artillery, Battery G and part of the 18th New York Battery, were initially unable suppress the Confederate fire. Colonel N. A. M. Dudley then ordered the New York battery to withdraw, and replaced it with the 2nd Vermont Battery. Dudley also sent infantrymen forward to skirmish with the Confederates. Powers was outnumbered by the Union force. Around noon, Gardner sent Colonel William R. Miles with 400 infantrymen (known as Miles' Legion) and Boone's Louisiana Battery to support Powers.
Before Miles arrived, Powers ran low on ammunition and withdrew from the field. Dudley's men occupied the junction after the Confederate withdrawal. Some Union artillery and the 48th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was advanced up the road to Port Hudson, with the rest of the Union force remaining back around Plains Store. Miles had advanced through the woods and was not noticed by the Union troops. He divided his force into two wings: Major James T. Coleman took two companies to the right, and Lieutenant Colonel F. B. Brand took three companies to the left. Coleman's men came under fire from the advanced Union artillery. Attacking the guns, Coleman's troops overran them and routed the 48th Massachusetts. The Confederates were unable to take the cannons from the field because the battery horses had been killed.
When the firing started, two Union regiments – the 116th New York Infantry Regiment and the 49th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment – were sent forward in support. The 49th Massachusetts engaged Coleman's men, and while Confederate artillery fire forced them to take cover, Coleman did not have enough men to attack. Brand was able to outflank the 116th New York, but the New Yorkers turned to face the Confederates and then charged them, driving them from the field. The Confederates withdrew to Port Hudson.
## Aftermath
Historian John D. Winters states that the Confederates suffered 89 men killed, wounded, or missing, and the Union 100. Miles's official report noted 89 casualties of all types, although he noted that the exact breakdown of killed and wounded was unknown. Historian Russell W. Blount states that the Confederates lost 12 men killed to the Union's 15 and that the wounded for both sides totaled over 100, primarily Union soldiers. An official Union postbattle report claimed that Augur lost about 150 men to all causes. Blount, summarizing the battle, states that "nothing was accomplished [...] except the shedding of the first blood" in the Port Hudson campaign.
During the battle, Gardner was ordered by Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston to abandon Port Hudson, but Gardner instead obeyed orders from Confederate President Jefferson Davis and remained in his position, requesting reinforcements. On May 22, Banks landed troops at Bayou Sara and pushed forward, having heard that Augur had met resistance. More Union troops arrived from New Orleans, Louisiana, and by the end of the day, Port Hudson was almost completely surrounded. Johnston again ordered Gardner to withdraw the next day, but by that point the Confederates in Port Hudson were cut off. The Siege of Port Hudson began in which the Confederates were reduced to eating rats and mules. Gardner surrendered on July 9, five days after Vicksburg fell.
### Union casualties | [
"## Background",
"## Battle",
"## Aftermath",
"### Union casualties"
] | 1,187 | 9,559 |
31,363,129 | German destroyer Z7 Hermann Schoemann | 1,149,452,717 | Type 1934A-class destroyer | [
"1936 ships",
"Maritime incidents in May 1942",
"Scuttled vessels of Germany",
"Ships built in Bremen (state)",
"Type 1934 destroyers",
"World War II shipwrecks in the Arctic Ocean"
] | Z7 Hermann Schoemann was a Type 1934A-class destroyer built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine in the mid-1930s. The ship was plagued by machinery problems for most of her life and was under repair when the Second World War began in September 1939. She covered her sister ships over the next few months as they laid offensive minefields in English waters in late 1939 – early 1940. Hermann Schoemann played a minor role in the Norwegian Campaign as engine problems limited her availability throughout 1940 and for most of 1941.
She was transferred to France in early 1942 to escort two battleships and a heavy cruiser home to Germany through the English Channel in the Channel Dash. The ship was then transferred to Norway where she participated in Operation Sportpalast (Sports Palace), an unsuccessful attempt to intercept Convoy QP 8 returning from Russia. Another unsuccessful intercept was made in early April before the Germans were successful with Convoy QP 11 at the end of the month. The convoy's escorts conducted a skilful defense and prevented Hermann Schoemann and the other two destroyers from sinking more than one Soviet freighter. The German commander broke off the action in the hopes of locating the crippled light cruiser HMS Edinburgh. They found the cruiser and her escorting destroyers on 2 May; Edinburgh disabled Hermann Schoemann before she could fire any torpedoes and her captain was forced to scuttle her shortly afterwards. The destroyer had 8 men killed and 45 wounded in the engagement.
## Design and description
Hermann Schoemann had an overall length of 119 meters (390 ft 5 in) and was 114 meters (374 ft 0 in) long at the waterline. The ship had a beam of 11.30 meters (37 ft 1 in), and a maximum draft of 4.23 meters (13 ft 11 in). She displaced 2,171 long tons (2,206 t) at standard load and 3,110 long tons (3,160 t) at deep load. The two Wagner geared steam turbine sets, each driving one propeller shaft, were designed to produce 70,000 PS (51,000 kW; 69,000 shp) using steam provided by six high-pressure Wagner boilers. The ship had a designed speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) and she reached a maximum speed of 36.8 knots from 66,000 shp (49,000 kW) while testing various propellers. Hermann Schoemann carried a maximum of 752 metric tons (740 long tons) of fuel oil which was intended to give a range of 4,400 nautical miles (8,100 km; 5,100 mi) at a speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph), but the ship proved top-heavy in service and 30% of the fuel had to be retained as ballast low in the ship. The effective range proved to be only 1,530 nmi (2,830 km; 1,760 mi) at 19 knots. The crew numbered 10 officers and 315 enlisted men, plus an additional four officers and 19 enlisted men if serving as a flotilla flagship.
The ship carried five 12.7-centimeter (5 in) SK C/34 guns in single mounts with gun shields, two each superimposed, fore and aft. The fifth gun was carried on top of the aft superstructure. Her anti-aircraft armament consisted of four 3.7-centimeter (1.5 in) SK C/30 guns in two twin mounts abreast the rear funnel and six 2-centimeter (0.8 in) C/30 guns in single mounts. Hermann Schoemann carried eight above-water 53.3-centimeter (21.0 in) torpedo tubes in two power-operated mounts. A pair of reload torpedoes were provided for each mount. Four depth charge throwers were mounted on the sides of the rear deckhouse and they were supplemented by six racks for individual depth charges on the sides of the stern. Enough depth charges were carried for either two or four patterns of 16 charges each. Mine rails could be fitted on the rear deck that had a maximum capacity of 60 mines. A system of passive hydrophones designated as 'GHG' (Gruppenhorchgerät) was fitted to detect submarines and the S-Gerät active sonar system was scheduled to be installed during March 1940.
## Construction and career
Z7 Hermann Schoemann, named after Lieutenant (Kapitänleutnant) Hermann Schoemann, was ordered on 9 January 1935 and laid down at DeSchiMAG, Bremen on 7 September 1935 as yard number W901. She was launched on 16 July 1936 and completed on 9 September 1937 under the command of Lieutenant Commander (Korvettenkapitän) Erich Schulte Mönting. The ship participated in the late 1937 naval maneuvers as part of the 2nd Destroyer Division (2. Zerstörer-Division). Hermann Schoemann hosted Adolf Hitler and his retinue for a short cruise from Kiel to Eckernförde in July 1938 and participated in the August Fleet Review and the following fleet exercise. Korvettenkapitän Theodor Detmers relieved Schulte-Mönting in October. The division accompanied the heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee on her voyage to the Mediterranean in October where they visited Vigo, Tangiers, and Ceuta before returning home. The destroyer had a lengthy refit at Wilhelmshaven from February 1939 to October.
Hermann Schoemann patrolled the Skagerrak to inspect neutral shipping for contraband goods in October. The ship attempted to lay a minefield off the British coast on the night of 12/13 November, with two of her sisters, but had to turn back after she and Z6 Theodor Riedel suffered machinery breakdowns. She made another attempt on the night of 18 December to mine the Humber estuary, together with two other destroyers, but the German ships had to abandon the sortie when they could not pinpoint their location. While patrolling in the Jade estuary on 23 December, she collided with her sister Z15 Erich Steinbrinck in a heavy fog. Hermann Schoemann covered minelaying sorties in January and February 1940, but spent most of March under repair for machinery problems.
The ship was allocated to Group 2 for the Norwegian portion of Operation Weserübung. The group's task was to transport the 138th Mountain Infantry Regiment (138. Gebirgsjäger Regiment) of the 3rd Mountain Division to seize Trondheim together with Admiral Hipper, but her machinery broke down again before the troops were loaded and she was replaced by Friedrich Eckoldt. As part of the post-Narvik reorganization of the Kriegsmarine's destroyer forces, Hermann Schoemann was assigned to the 6th Destroyer Flotilla (6. Zerstörer Flotille). In June the flotilla was tasked to escort the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, as well as the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper in Operation Juno, a planned attack on Harstad, Norway, to relieve pressure on the German garrison at Narvik. The ships sortied on 8 June and sank the troop transport Orama, the oil tanker and the minesweeping trawler en route. The German commander, Admiral Wilhelm Marschall, then ordered the Admiral Hipper and all four destroyers to Trondheim because of the heavy weather, where they arrived in the morning of 9 June. The two battleships continued the sortie and sank the aircraft carrier Glorious and her two escorting destroyers, although Scharnhorst was badly damaged by a torpedo from the destroyer Acasta in the engagement. The battleship was escorted home by the destroyers Steinbrinck, Z10 Hans Lody and Hermann Schoemann for repairs. On 25 June, Hermann Schoemann began a lengthy refit that lasted until 15 February 1941, although her machinery continued to be problematic.
### 1942
She was declared operational in June and transferred to Kirkenes, Norway, the following month. However, continued machinery problems forced her return to Germany in August and repairs that lasted until January 1942. Now assigned to the 5th Destroyer Flotilla (5. Zerstörer Flotille), Hermann Schoemann sailed from Kiel on 24 January for France as part of the preparations for the Channel Dash. On the evening of 25 January, Z8 Bruno Heinemann struck two mines laid by HMS Plover off the Belgian coast and sank. The survivors were put ashore at Le Havre before the flotilla reached Brest on the 26th. The German ships departed on the evening of 11 February and the nighttime and morning portion of the transit through the English Channel was uneventful. In the afternoon, however, Hermann Schoemann twice drove off British Motor Torpedo Boats, together with her sister Z14 Friedrich Ihn. British aircraft began to make their presence known with repeated attacks on the German ships. Hermann Schoemann was repeatedly struck in the stern by 20 mm cannon shells from defending German fighters and/or No. 452 Squadron RAAF Spitfires. Later that afternoon, Vice Admiral (Vizeadmiral) Otto Ciliax, commander of the battleship flotilla, was transferred to the ship after his temporary flagship, the destroyer Z29, was disabled by a premature detonation in one of her guns that sent shrapnel into the machinery spaces.
Shortly afterwards, Hermann Schoemann joined four other destroyers in escorting the heavy cruisers Prinz Eugen and Admiral Scheer to Trondheim. Heavy weather forced three of the destroyers to return to port before reaching Trondheim and Prinz Eugen was torpedoed and badly damaged by the submarine HMS Trident on 23 February after their separation. On 6 March, the battleship Tirpitz, escorted by Hermann Schoemann and three other destroyers, sortied from Trondheim to attack the returning Convoy QP 8 and the Russia-bound PQ 12 as part of Operation Sportpalast. The following morning, Ciliax ordered the destroyers to search independently for Allied ships and they stumbled across the 2,815-gross register ton (GRT) Soviet freighter Ijora, a straggler from QP 8, later that afternoon and sank her. Tirpitz rejoined them shortly afterwards and they continued to fruitlessly search for Allied shipping until they sailed for the Vestfjorden on the 9th.
On 9 April, the ship was transferred to the 8th Destroyer Flotilla (8. Zerstörer Flotille) in Kirkenes. Together with the destroyers Z24 and Z25, Hermann Schoemann sortied to intercept Convoy QP 14 two days later, but failed to locate any Allied ships in heavy snow and low visibility. The trio sortied again on 30 April to intercept the westbound Convoy QP 11 and the crippled light cruiser HMS Edinburgh, torpedoed earlier by the . They found the convoy the next day, but they only managed to sink a Soviet 2,847-GRT freighter as the convoy's four escorting destroyers repeatedly rebuffed attempts to reach the convoy's ships. Despite a significant firepower advantage, the Germans only moderately damaged HMS Amazon in the day's engagements. Captain (Kapitän zur See) Alfred Schulze-Hinrichs, commander of the flotilla, broke off the battle in the late afternoon and decided to search for the cruiser, his original objective. They found Edinburgh and her escorts on the morning of 2 May and closed to attack with torpedoes. The cruiser opened fire first and disabled Hermann Schoemann with her second salvo with hits in both engine rooms. The destroyer turned away and dropped smoke floats to create a smoke screen behind which she could hide. The damage was too severe to return to base and, as the crew prepared to abandon ship, Hermann Schoemann was attacked by the British destroyers who hit her at least three more times. Z24 and Z25 took off about 223 survivors before the ship was scuttled by her crew at coordinates . Another 56 men were rescued by after the German destroyers broke off the engagement. During the battle 8 men were killed and another 45 wounded. | [
"## Design and description",
"## Construction and career",
"### 1942"
] | 2,638 | 34,547 |
30,476,487 | Alan Charlesworth | 1,169,580,329 | Royal Australian Air Force senior commander | [
"1903 births",
"1978 deaths",
"Australian aviators",
"Commanders of the Order of the British Empire",
"Military personnel from Tasmania",
"Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)",
"Royal Australian Air Force air marshals",
"Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II",
"Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates"
] | Air Vice Marshal Alan Moorehouse Charlesworth, CBE, AFC (17 September 1903 – 21 September 1978) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Born in Tasmania, he graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and served with the 2nd Light Horse Regiment in Queensland before transferring to the Air Force in 1925. Most of his pre-war flying career was spent with No. 1 Squadron at RAAF Station Laverton, Victoria. In 1932 he undertook a series of survey flights around Australia, earning the Air Force Cross. Charlesworth's early wartime commands included No. 2 Squadron at Laverton, and RAAF Station Pearce in Western Australia. Appointed Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Eastern Area in December 1943, he was promoted temporary air commodore the following year and took over as AOC North-Western Area in Darwin, Northern Territory.
Charlesworth's control of air operations during the North-Western Area Campaign led to his appointment as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire following the end of World War II. Retaining his wartime rank, he took charge of the newly formed School of Land/Air Warfare from 1947 until 1949, when he assumed command of RAAF Station Williamtown, New South Wales. He was posted to Japan later that year as Chief of Staff, British Commonwealth Occupation Force, and organised support for RAAF units involved in the Korean War. Returning to Australia in 1951, he was raised to acting air vice marshal and became AOC Southern Area. Charlesworth's final appointment before retiring from the Air Force was commanding RAAF Overseas Headquarters, London, in 1954–55. After leaving the military he served as Director of Recruiting in the late 1950s, and later as a judge's associate at the Supreme Court of Victoria. He died at his home in Glen Iris, Victoria, in 1978.
## Early career
Born in Lottah, Tasmania, on 17 September 1903, Alan Charlesworth was the son of a storeman, Edwin Charlesworth, and his wife Louisa. The youth attended Lottah Public School and St Virgil's College, Hobart, before entering the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in 1920. He won the Silver Boomerang trophy, awarded to the college's champion athlete, three years running in 1921–23. In 1923 he was appointed company sergeant major at Duntroon, and received the Sword of Honour upon graduating as a lieutenant later that year. Following service as adjutant and quartermaster with the 2nd Light Horse Regiment in Queensland, Charlesworth transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as a flying officer on 27 January 1925. Among his classmates on the 1925 pilots' course at Point Cook, Victoria, was fellow Duntroon graduate Frederick Scherger. During a training flight on 25 March, Charlesworth's Avro 504K stalled and spun into a field, injuring him and killing his instructor. Recovering, he was subsequently involved in an accident with future lieutenant general and Governor of New South Wales Eric Woodward, when their plane flipped on landing and came to rest upside down on a fence; neither man was badly hurt.
Charlesworth graduated as a pilot in July 1925, and was posted to No. 1 Squadron at RAAF Station Laverton, Victoria. In January 1926, he took part in experiments to test parachutes by attaching them to dummies and throwing them out of aircraft in flight. His secondment to the Air Force was made permanent in January 1928, and he was promoted to flight lieutenant the following month. On 30 April, Charlesworth married Edith Bennett at All Saints Anglican Church, St Kilda; the couple had a daughter. The next month, he was posted to the United Kingdom on attachment to the Royal Air Force (RAF). He attended the RAF School of Photography at Farnborough, before serving with the RAF Survey Flight in British Somaliland during 1929–30.
Returning to Australia, Charlesworth was again posted to No. 1 Squadron, taking command of a round-Australia aerial survey conducted in three phases during 1932 in association with the Commonwealth Geologist, Doctor Walter Woolnough. Charlesworth's study in Britain and his experience in Somaliland had made him the RAAF's leading expert in photographic reconnaissance, which was to be utilised in the search for potential oil fields. The first phase of the survey took place in January–February, employing two Westland Wapitis and seven other Air Force personnel from Nos. 1 and 3 Squadrons to photograph sites in southern Queensland. Despite both aircraft being damaged in a gale at Bourke in northern New South Wales while returning to base, the expedition was considered a success. For the second phase, lasting from July to September, Charlesworth and his team journeyed around the whole of Australia from New South Wales to Queensland, thence to the Northern Territory and Western Australia, before returning to Laverton. The final phase in December explored Tasmania. Charlesworth was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) for his leadership of the survey, described in the official history of the pre-war RAAF as a "milestone" in the country's exploration.
Following his survey work, Charlesworth was appointed Staff Officer Photography at RAAF Headquarters, Melbourne. In 1934 he returned to Laverton to take up his third and final posting with No. 1 Squadron. By September 1937, he had been raised to squadron leader and was in temporary command of the unit. He had overall charge of a training flight in November–December that ended in disaster, when a Hawker Demon crashed near Cootamundra, New South Wales, and its pilot burned to death; this was one of a spate of incidents during the year that led to serious questions being raised about the level of flying safety in the RAAF. In March 1939, Charlesworth was raised to wing commander and took command of No. 2 Squadron, operating Avro Ansons out of Laverton.
## World War II
As part of the RAAF's reorganisation following the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, No. 2 Group was formed in Sydney on 20 November; Charlesworth was appointed its Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO). He continued to serve in this position when the group was re-formed as Central Area in March 1940. Posted to Western Australia to take command of RAAF Station Pearce in August, he was promoted to temporary group captain on 1 September 1940. He became Senior Administration Officer at the newly established Western Area, Perth, in January the following year. In September 1942, Charlesworth took over No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School in Sale, Victoria. He handed over to Group Captain Charles "Moth" Eaton in August 1943, before briefly taking charge of RAAF Headquarters Forward Echelon in Brisbane. Charlesworth was appointed Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Eastern Area, headquartered at Bradfield Park, Sydney, in December 1943. Eastern Area was responsible for maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare off the coast of New South Wales and southern Queensland. Japanese submarine activity had decreased in the months before Charlesworth took command, and he was concerned that Allied ships were becoming complacent. He observed "a general slackening off in procedure; ships are seldom where they should be, and a minority of merchant ships identify themselves to aircraft". The RAAF's patrols had also settled into a predictable pattern that would have been easy for an observant submarine captain to avoid.
Charlesworth was promoted to temporary air commodore on 1 August 1944. The following month he was appointed AOC North-Western Area (NWA) in Darwin, Northern Territory, replacing Air Vice Marshal Adrian "King" Cole. By this stage of the war, the Allies were advancing north and the tempo of operations in the Darwin area had decreased. Charlesworth immediately raised concerns regarding No. 80 Wing, which operated three squadrons of Spitfire fighters, warning higher command that its morale could drop if it was not either given a more active role in the war or transferred to southern Australia for rest. By October, the wing had received orders to depart NWA for the forward base of Morotai to join the RAAF's main mobile strike force, First Tactical Air Force; this move would leave Charlesworth with twelve squadrons at his disposal, including one B-24 Liberator heavy bomber unit and three other Spitfire squadrons. In the meantime, NWA supported the assault on Leyte with attacks on enemy ports, oil facilities, and shipping in the Dutch East Indies using Beaufighters, B-25 Mitchells, and Liberators. These operations continued through November–December. In April 1945, Charlesworth sent Mitchells and Liberators against a Japanese convoy led by the cruiser ; the bombers damaged the cruiser, and it was subsequently sunk by Allied submarines. The same month, NWA's Liberators attacked targets in Java in the lead-up to the Battle of Tarakan that commenced on 1 May. By July, Charlesworth's command had been denuded of much of its strength as two of its bomber wings were transferred to First Tactical Air Force.
## Postwar career
Among a small coterie of wartime RAAF commanders considered suitable for further senior roles, Charlesworth retained his rank of air commodore following the cessation of hostilities. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1946 King's Birthday Honours for his "conspicuous service in operations against the Japanese" while leading North-Western Area Command. The same year, he relinquished command of North-Western Area and briefly took charge of Eastern Area Command. He was then posted to Britain to undertake a course at the RAF School of Air Support. Returning to Australia, he became the inaugural commandant of the School of Land/Air Warfare at Laverton in April 1947. The school transferred to RAAF Station Williamtown, New South Wales, the following year. Charlesworth took overall command of Williamtown in 1949. In June that year, he succeeded fellow Duntroon graduate Air Commodore John McCauley as Chief of Staff, British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF), in Japan.
Charlesworth's workload at BCOF increased considerably with the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 and the need to supply the RAAF's contribution to the conflict, chiefly No. 77 Squadron. In October, following the death in combat of Wing Commander Lou Spence, Charlesworth temporarily transferred from Tokyo to Iwakuni so that he could administer No. 77 Squadron and its ancillaries until No. 91 (Composite) Wing was formed to take over the task. Upon his return to Australia in June 1951, he was promoted to acting air vice marshal and appointed AOC Southern Area, headquartered in Albert Park, Melbourne. Towards the end of his tenure, the RAAF's wartime area command system was transformed into a structure based on function rather than geography. As a result, Southern Area was re-formed as Training Command in October 1953. In 1954 he returned to the UK to command RAAF Overseas Headquarters, London.
## Later life
Completing his term in London, Charlesworth retired from the Air Force on 31 December 1955, and was made an honorary air vice marshal the following year. He was then appointed a technical advisor to the committee organising the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. In 1958–59, he served as Director of Recruiting Combined Services, and later became a judge's associate with the Supreme Court of Victoria. In retirement he made his home in Glen Iris, Victoria, where he died on 21 September 1978. Survived by his wife and daughter, he was accorded an Air Force funeral and cremated. | [
"## Early career",
"## World War II",
"## Postwar career",
"## Later life"
] | 2,494 | 26,959 |
16,262,837 | New York State Route 448 | 1,137,762,555 | State highway in Westchester County, New York, US | [
"Mount Pleasant, New York",
"State highways in New York (state)",
"Transportation in Westchester County, New York"
] | New York State Route 448 (NY 448) is a 3.90-mile (6.28 km) long state highway in western Westchester County, New York, in the United States. The route begins in the village of Sleepy Hollow at U.S. Route 9 (US 9) and goes in a northeast direction through the Pocantico Hills community in Mount Pleasant. It ends at NY 117 in Mount Pleasant, near the junction of NY 117 with Saw Mill River Road (NY 9A and NY 100) and the Taconic State Parkway. From 1930 to November 1970, NY 448 was part of NY 117.
## Route description
NY 448 begins at an intersection with New Broadway and US 9 (North Broadway) in the village of Sleepy Hollow, then heads through a residential area as Bedford Road. After the Webber Avenue intersection, NY 448 turns to the northeast, where it passes the athletic fields of Sleepy Hollow High School. NY 448 intersects with Sleepy Hollow Road, which leads into a residential development and parallels NY 448 northeastward for a short distance.
Near the southern edge of Rockefeller State Park Preserve, NY 448 turns east and enters Kykuit, the estate of the Rockefeller family. At the hamlet of Pocantico Hills, the highway intersects with Lake Road and turns to the northeast, passing through more residential areas as it leaves the estate. NY 448 passes the Pocantico Hills Central School on its way, continuing northeast towards Phelps Way (NY 117). The road continues through a vacant area and heads northward into Mount Pleasant, where NY 448 terminates at an intersection with NY 117. Bedford Road continues east of this point as part of NY 117.
## History
The entirety of NY 448 was originally designated as part of NY 117 in the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. In 1932–33, John D. Rockefeller offered to straighten a short section of NY 117 that passed through Kykuit, the Rockefeller family estate, citing safety concerns. The state expressed similar sentiments in 1949, deeming the stretch unsafe for commercial traffic. By the 1960s, the annual average daily traffic count along NY 117 had grown to 5,000 vehicles per day, far more than the 1,800 that the road had originally been built to serve. This led the New York State Legislature to approve plans for a new alignment for NY 117 in 1965. The new road would be located north of the existing road, relieving traffic congestion on the Albany Post Road (US 9) and NY 117 and providing access to NY 9A, US 9, the Taconic State Parkway and the proposed Hudson River Expressway in the North Tarrytown area.
Several different routes were considered for the alignment. The path ultimately selected by the state was a four-lane, limited-access highway 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the current alignment that would cost \$5.5 million (1966 USD). Another proposed route would have cost \$8 million (1966 USD), containing additional grades and curves while coming closer to the Rockefeller estate. Construction on the new NY 117 was expected to begin before the end of 1966. The reaction from area residents was mixed, with some believing that the only beneficiaries of a realigned NY 117 was the Rockefeller family. Rumors that the Rockefeller family had wanted NY 117 moved had existed as early as the 1930s, and US Representative Richard Ottinger believed that Nelson Rockefeller, then the Governor of New York, was using his political power to move NY 117 away from Kykuit at the cost of the state. An aide to the Rockefellers denied this charge.
The Sleepy Hollow Valley Committee, comprising 11 members whose homes were in the right-of-way of the new alignment, protested that the route would destroy the countryside. They were opposed by the Potantico Hills Residents Committee, as most residents in Potantico Hills supported the new alignment. The former committee filed a lawsuit in the New York State Supreme Court to block the new roadway, and they were joined in their efforts by conservationist groups and the village of North Tarrytown. On June 28, 1966, the case was heard by the court. Engineers with the New York State Department of Highways were accused of showing "unprecedented pell-mell haste" in working on a project with the Rockefellers before any injunctions could stop it. State Attorney General Joseph Romano countered that the state was not conspiring to provide anyone special benefits, saying that NY 117 was dangerous for years and opponents to the project were "thinking up little gimmicks, picayune arguments and ethereal ideas to mislead the court."
A request by the state to dismiss the suit was denied in August 1966, and the case was eventually heard by the state Court of Appeals, the highest court in the state. In the meantime, the state built the easternmost mile (1.6 km) of the new alignment, which was not affected by the lawsuit. On July 7, 1967, the court ruled 6–1 in favor of the Sleepy Hollow Valley Committee. As a result, the western half of the new road was moved an additional mile to the north, bypassing North Tarrytown completely. The new alignment of NY 117 was completed in November 1970 and its former alignment along Bedford Road was redesignated as NY 448.
## Major intersections
## See also | [
"## Route description",
"## History",
"## Major intersections",
"## See also"
] | 1,158 | 19,537 |
1,889,929 | Saddlesore Galactica | 1,133,081,879 | null | [
"2000 American television episodes",
"Elves in popular culture",
"Horse racing mass media",
"Metafictional television episodes",
"Television episodes about horses",
"The Simpsons (season 11) episodes"
] | "Saddlesore Galactica" is the thirteenth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 6, 2000. In the episode, the Simpson family rescues a diving horse named Duncan from the abuse of his owner and keeps him as a pet. When the cost of keeping Duncan rises, Homer and Bart train him to be a racehorse. Duncan wins several races and, as a result, Homer is threatened with death by a group of jockeys. Meanwhile, Lisa is upset over her school unfairly losing the musical band competition at a state fair and writes a letter to U.S. President Bill Clinton in protest.
The episode features several guest appearances; horse race caller Trevor Denman stars as himself, commentating the races in the episode, and voice artist Jim Cummings provides the animal sounds made by Duncan. Randy Bachman and Fred Turner appear as themselves as their rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive performs at the state fair. "Saddlesore Galactica" was written by Tim Long and directed by Lance Kramer. A number of meta-references are included in the episode, such as the character Comic Book Guy telling the Simpsons that they have owned a horse before in the episode "Lisa's Pony".
Around 9.6 million American homes tuned in to watch the episode during its original airing. In 2008, it was released on DVD, along with the rest of the episodes of the eleventh season. "Saddlesore Galactica" is despised by many television critics and fans, according to Long. It has been described by About.com's Nancy Basile as one of the season's worst episodes, by Marco Ursi of Maclean's as the worst episode of the series, and has frequently been cited by fans as an example of the show jumping the shark. Criticism has been directed at its outlandish plot, which, among other things, features elf-like jockeys who lure Homer into their secret land where they threaten him to stop Duncan from winning.
## Plot
Lisa and the other members of Springfield Elementary's school band enter a music competition together at a state fair, performing James Brown's "Living in America". However, they lose to the Ogdenville Elementary band, which performs John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" and uses red, white, and blue glow sticks to form a flag. Lisa accuses Ogdenville of cheating, as the use of visual aids is against the rules of the competition. She later writes a letter to President Clinton (Karl Wiedergott), complaining about the situation. At the fair, Homer and Bart see a horse named Duncan that can dive into pools. The Simpsons takes Duncan home after his sleazy owner is accused of animal cruelty and flees. However, they find themselves spending \$500 a week for Duncan's upkeep.
Homer and Bart try to think of a way that Duncan can make money to help offset the costs of keeping him. Bart discovers that Duncan is a fast runner and suggests that he should be a racehorse. Homer enters Duncan at the Springfield Downs racetrack, with Bart as the jockey. However, a frightened Duncan loses his first race as he refuses to leave the stall until all other horses have finished. Homer and Bart find a strategy for Duncan to win by turning him into a frightening horse named "Furious D", complete with dyed hair and (during his first appearance) one of Lisa's bracelets for a nose ring. He intimidates the other horses and wins several races. Homer is soon invited by the losing jockeys to have a beer in their lounge, which turns out to be the entrance to a secret underground land. The jockeys reveal themselves to be crazy, arrogant elf-like creatures and threaten to eat Homer's brain unless Duncan loses the upcoming Springfield Derby. Though frightened at first, Homer changes his mind due to his loyalty to his son and his horse as well as his own pride, vowing to deal with "those murderous trolls".
Duncan wins the Derby, sending the jockeys into a rage, and they begin chasing after Homer and Bart with swords. However, Marge and Lisa spray the jockeys with water to subdue them, and Homer stuffs them all into a garbage bag and leaves them at the curb to be hauled away with the garbage. Homer and Bart prepare to retire Duncan from racing, so he can become a stud. President Clinton then shows up at the Simpsons' house and presents Lisa with a plaque, overruling the state fair judges and declaring Springfield Elementary the winner of the music competition.
## Production
"Saddlesore Galactica" was written by Tim Long and directed by Lance Kramer as part of the eleventh season of The Simpsons (1999–2000). The title is a reference to the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. The idea of Duncan originally being a diving horse was inspired by an actual diving horse that used to jump into a pool at Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey at the beginning of the 20th century; a postcard showing this horse was used as a reference by the animators for the scenes featuring the diving. When the animation process began, Kramer drew instructions to his animators on how horses move when they run and how their ankles work. He has said that because Duncan was a large part of the story, "we wanted him to have somewhat of a personality. So when everybody knew how to draw the horse and we got that out of the way, they could animate the horse acting." Voice artist Jim Cummings provided the animal sounds made by Duncan in the episode.
American horse race caller Trevor Denman guest starred in the episode as himself, commentating on Duncan's races over the public-address system. Randy Bachman and Fred Turner, known for their rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive, made an appearance in the episode as themselves. They perform on stage at the state fair during the beginning of the episode. When Bachman and Turner tell the audience that they are going to play some songs from their new album, Homer immediately yells out demands for them to play their old song "Takin' Care of Business". The band starts the song and Homer then yells, "Get to the 'workin overtime' part!" The band obliges, skipping straight to the chorus. Bachman had left the band when "Saddlesore Galactica" was recorded and because of tension between him and Turner, the two recorded their lines separately on different occasions. Long has said that the Simpsons staff members "were thrilled to have [them] on the show" and that the pair "could not have been nicer."
## Meta-references
The episode is heavily self-referential and contains a number of meta-references. When the Simpsons take Duncan home from the fair, Comic Book Guy points out to the Simpsons that they have already taken in a horse as a pet (as seen in "Lisa's Pony"), and that "the expense forced Homer to work at the Kwik-E-Mart, with hilarious consequences." In another scene later in the episode, when Lisa points out to Marge that Marge is showing signs of gambling problems, Comic Book Guy shows up again wearing a T-shirt that says "Worst Episode Ever" and tells Lisa: "Hey, I'm watching you!" This refers to the fact that Marge's gambling problems have already been explored in the episode "\$pringfield".
Jonathan Gray analyzed the self-referentiality in The Simpsons in his 2006 book Watching with The Simpsons: Television, Parody, and Intertextuality, writing that "Sitcoms constantly 'reset' themselves, living in [...] an 'existential circle' in which nothing really changes, and every episode starts more or less where the last one started; and The Simpsons frequently plays with this sitcom clock, and with the amnesia of sitcom memory. The family members often forget important events in their 'history' [...]". Gray noted that in "Saddlesore Galactica", "the action continues as normal, as sitcom memory (or lack thereof) is pointed out but comically not acted upon. Thus, where David Grote [author of The End of Comedy: The Sit-Com and the Comedic Tradition] (1983: 67) notes that sitcom episodes 'live in a kind of time-warp without any reference to the other episodes,' producing a situation whereby everything 'remains inviolate and undisturbed, no matter what transitory events may occur' (1983: 59), The Simpsons comically reflects upon this."
## Reception
The episode originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 6, 2000. It was viewed in approximately 9.6 million households that night. With a Nielsen rating of 9.5, "Saddlesore Galactica" finished 29th in the ratings for the week of January 31–February 6, 2000. It was the second highest-rated broadcast on Fox that week, following an episode of Malcolm in the Middle. On October 7, 2008, "Saddlesore Galactica" was released on DVD as part of the box set The Simpsons – The Complete Eleventh Season. Staff members Tim Long, Lance Kramer, Mike Scully, Matt Groening, George Meyer, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Matt Selman, and Tom Martin participated in the DVD audio commentary for the episode. Deleted scenes from the episode were also included on the box set.
According to Long, "Saddlesore Galactica" is considered by many critics and fans as one of the worst episodes in the history of the show, particularly for the scenes featuring the jockey elves. In 2007, Maclean's writer Marco Ursi named it his least favorite episode of The Simpsons, elaborating: "This is the one where the Simpsons get a horse – again – and the plot devolves into something involving the secret land of the jockeys. Making meta-references to the fact you’ve just made your 'worst episode ever' doesn’t make it any funnier." Nancy Basile of About.com listed the episode as one of the worst episodes of the season—one of the episodes that made her "cringe because they included blatant gimmicks and outlandish plots".
Despite its criticisms, "Saddlesore Galactica" received some positive reviews. While reviewing the eleventh season of The Simpsons, DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented on the episode, writing: "I remember that 'Saddlesore' was much despised when it first aired, though I can’t recall if I joined that chorus as well. Maybe the many iffy episodes since early 2000 have made it look better, but I think that 'Saddlesore' offers a decent number of laughs. It goes off onto some dopey tangents and displays an unnerving tendency toward self-awareness, but it provides reasonable entertainment." DVD Talk's Ian Jane described the cameo appearance by Bachman and Turner as "fun". | [
"## Plot",
"## Production",
"## Meta-references",
"## Reception"
] | 2,290 | 36,312 |
22,241,545 | Bristol Bus Boycott | 1,168,111,593 | 1963 protest against racial discrimination on public buses in Bristol, UK | [
"1960s in Bristol",
"1963 in England",
"1963 protests",
"April 1963 events in the United Kingdom",
"Black British history",
"Boycotts of organizations",
"Bus transport in Bristol",
"Civil rights protests",
"Conflicts in 1963",
"Discrimination in England",
"Protests in England",
"Race relations in the United Kingdom"
] | The Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963 arose from the refusal of the Bristol Omnibus Company to employ Black or Asian bus crews in the city of Bristol, England. In line with many other British cities at the time, there was widespread racial discrimination in housing and employment against so-called "Coloureds". An organisation founded by Roy Hackett and led by youth worker Paul Stephenson as the spokesperson of the group which included Owen Henry, Audley Evans, Prince Brown and Guy Bailey and the West Indian Development Council, the boycott of the company's buses by Bristolians lasted for four months until the company backed down and overturned their discriminative colour bar policy.
The boycott drew national attention to racial discrimination in Britain and the campaign was supported by national politicians, with interventions being made by church groups and the High Commissioner for Trinidad and Tobago. The Bristol Bus Boycott was considered by some to have been influential in the passing of the Race Relations Act 1965 which made "racial discrimination unlawful in public places" and the Race Relations Act 1968, which extended the provisions to employment and housing.
## Background
Bristol in the early 1960s had an estimated 3,000 residents of West Indian origin, some of whom had served in the British military during the Second World War and some who had emigrated to the UK more recently. A large number of West Indians lived in the area around City Road in St Pauls, suffered discrimination in housing and employment and some encountered violence from Teddy Boy gangs of white youths. The community set up their own churches and associations, including the West Indian Association, which began to act as a representative body.
One of their foremost grievances was the colour bar operated by the Bristol Omnibus Company, which had been a nationalised company owned by the UK Government since 1950 and operated through the Transport Holding Company. Although there was a reported labour shortage on the buses, black prospective employees were refused employment offers as bus crews, although they were employed in lower paid positions in workshops and in canteens. The Bristol Evening Post and the Western Daily Press ran series on the colour bar, which was blamed by company management on the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU), which represented bus workers. Local union officials denied that there was any colour bar but in 1955 the Passenger Group of the TGWU had passed a resolution that "coloured" workers should not be employed as bus crews. Andrew Hake, curator of the Bristol Industrial Mission, recalled that "The TGWU in the city had said that if one black man steps on the platform as a conductor, every wheel will stop".
Some white conductresses expressed concern for their safety if they were crewed with black men. Another of the bus workers' concerns, apart from racism, was that a new competitive source of labour could reduce their earnings. Pay was low and workers relied on overtime to get a good wage. One shop steward said, "people were fearful of an influx of people from elsewhere (on the grounds it) would be reducing their earnings potential".
## The dispute
### Boycott
Four young West Indian men, Roy Hackett, Owen Henry, Audley Evans and Prince Brown, formed an action group, later to be called the West Indian Development Council. They were unhappy with the lack of progress in fighting discrimination by the West Indian Association. Owen Henry had met Paul Stephenson, whose father was from West Africa, and who had been to college. The group decided that the articulate Stephenson would be their spokesman. Stephenson set up a test case to prove the colour bar existed by arranging an interview with the bus company for Guy Bailey, a young warehouseman and Boys' Brigade officer. When Stephenson told the company that Bailey was West Indian, the interview was cancelled. Inspired by the refusal of Rosa Parks to give up her seat on a bus in Alabama and the ensuing Montgomery bus boycott in the United States in 1955, the activists decided on a bus boycott in Bristol.
Their action was announced at a press conference on 29 April 1963. The following day, they claimed that none of the city's West Indians were using the buses and that many white people supported them. In an editorial, the Bristol Evening Post pointed out that the TGWU opposed the apartheid system in South Africa and asked what trade union leaders were doing to counteract racism in their own ranks. When reporters questioned the bus company about the boycott, the general manager, Ian Patey, said
> The advent of coloured crews would mean a gradual falling off of white staff. It is true that London Transport employ a large coloured staff. They even have recruiting offices in Jamaica and they subsidise the fares to Britain of their new coloured employees. As a result of this, the amount of white labour dwindles steadily on the London Underground. You won't get a white man in London to admit it, but which of them will join a service where they may find themselves working under a coloured foreman? ... I understand that in London, coloured men have become arrogant and rude, after they have been employed for some months.
### Support
Students from Bristol University held a protest march to the bus station and the local headquarters of the TGWU on 1 May, which attracted heckling from bus crews as they passed through the city centre, according to the local press. Local MP Tony Benn contacted then Labour Opposition leader Harold Wilson, who spoke out against the colour bar at an Anti-Apartheid Movement rally in London. On 2 May, local Labour Party Alderman Henry Hennessey spoke of the apparent collusion between bus company management and the TGWU over the colour bar. On 3 May, the ruling Labour Group on the city council threatened him with expulsion, despite his honourable service of over forty years.
Tony Benn, Fenner Brockway and former cricketer Learie Constantine also condemned the bus company. Constantine was then serving as High Commissioner for Trinidad and Tobago. Constantine wrote letters to the bus company and Stephenson and spoke out against the colour bar to reporters when he attended the cricket match between the West Indies and Gloucestershire at the County Ground, which took place from 4 to 7 May. The West Indies team refused to publicly support the boycott, saying that sport and politics did not mix. During the game, local members of the Campaign Against Racial Discrimination (CARD) distributed leaflets urging spectators to support the action.
The local branch of the TGWU refused to meet with a delegation from the West Indian Development Council and an increasingly bitter war of words was fought out in the local media. Ron Nethercott, South West Regional Secretary of the union, persuaded a local black TGWU member, Bill Smith, to sign a statement which called for quiet negotiation to solve the dispute. It condemned Stephenson for causing potential harm to the city's Black and Asian population. Nethercott launched an attack on Stephenson in the Daily Herald newspaper, calling him dishonest and irresponsible. This led to a libel case in the High Court, which awarded Stephenson damages and costs in December 1963.
The Bristol Council of Churches launched a mediation attempt, saying
> We seriously regret that what may prove an extended racial conflict arising from this issue has apparently been deliberately created by a small group of West Indians professing to be representative. We also deplore the apparent fact that social and economic fears on the part of some white people should have placed the Bristol Bus Company in a position where it is most difficult to fulfil the Christian ideal of race relations.
This in turn was criticised by Robert Davison, an official at the Jamaican High Commission, who stated that it was "nonsense to describe a group of West Indians as unrepresentative when no representative West Indian body existed".
At a May Day rally, held on Sunday 6 May in Eastville, Bristol Trades Council members publicly criticised the TGWU. On the same day Paul Stephenson had organised a demonstration march to St Mary Redcliffe church but there was a poor turnout. Some local West Indians said they should not ripple the water and according to Roy Hackett, they may have feared victimisation. The dispute led to what has been described as one of the largest mailbags that the Bristol Evening Post had ever received, with contributors writing in support of both sides of the issue.
### Resolution
The union, the city Labour establishment and the Bishop of Bristol, Oliver Stratford Tomkins, ignored Stephenson and tried to work with Bill Smith of the TGWU to resolve the dispute. Learie Constantine continued with his support for the campaign, meeting with the Lord Mayor of Bristol and Frank Cousins, leader of the Transport and General Workers Union. He went to the Bristol Omnibus Company's parent, the Transport Holding Company and persuaded them to send officials to talk with the union. The company chairman told Constantine that racial discrimination was not company policy. Negotiations between the bus company and the union continued for several months until a mass meeting of 500 bus workers agreed on 27 August to end the colour bar. On 28 August 1963, Ian Patey announced that there would be no more discrimination in employing bus crews. It was on the same day that Martin Luther King made his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the March in Washington. On 17 September, Raghbir Singh, a Sikh, became Bristol's first non-White bus conductor. A few days later two Jamaican and two Pakistani men joined him.
## Aftermath
In 1965, the United Kingdom Parliament passed a Race Relations Act, which made "racial discrimination unlawful in public places". This was followed by the Race Relations Act 1968 which extended the provisions to housing and employment. The enactment of this legislation has been cited by some as having been influenced by the Bristol bus boycott. Robert Verkaik, Legal Affairs Correspondent for The Independent newspaper, said "Few doubt that without Mr Stephenson's efforts it would have been difficult for Harold Wilson's Labour government to bring in Britain's first anti-discrimination laws." In 2003, as part of Black History Month, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a programme about the boycott.
Unite, the successor to the Transport and General Workers Union, issued an apology in February 2013. Laurence Faircloth, the union's South West secretary said of the union's stance at the time, "It was completely unacceptable. I can well accept the sense of injustice and pain that has been felt because [of] what happened in Bristol all those years ago".
### Recognition
In the 2009 New Year Honours, Stephenson was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), for his part in organising the bus boycott ("for services to Equal Opportunities and to Community Relations in Bristol.") Bailey and Hackett were also awarded OBEs.
### Deaths
Roy Hackett died in 2022, at the age of 93.
## See also
- Racial segregation in the United Kingdom
- Anti-discrimination law
- Civil and political rights
- Montgomery bus boycott
- 1957 Alexandra Bus Boycott
- Asquith Xavier—a British Railways employee who ended a colour bar at London stations by becoming the first non-white guard | [
"## Background",
"## The dispute",
"### Boycott",
"### Support",
"### Resolution",
"## Aftermath",
"### Recognition",
"### Deaths",
"## See also"
] | 2,295 | 541 |
4,789,164 | Down Town | 1,086,052,054 | null | [
"1987 singles",
"KLF Communications singles",
"Song recordings produced by the KLF",
"Songs written by Bill Drummond",
"Songs written by Jimmy Cauty",
"Songs written by Tony Hatch",
"The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu songs"
] | "Down Town" was a 1987 release by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (better known as The KLF). The song is gospel music driven by house music rhythms, incorporating a sample of Petula Clark's 1964 single "Downtown".
## Origins
In 1987, Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty formed The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs), and busily released provocatively sample-heavy electronic music with beatbox rhythms and Drummond's socially aware raps. Their debut single "All You Need Is Love" and album 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?) were both investigated by the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society, who ordered The JAMs to recall and destroy all unsold copies of 1987. A new single, "Whitney Joins The JAMs", followed, along with a satirically edited version of the album, 1987 (The JAMs 45 Edits), and the debut release from spinoff project Disco 2000, "I Gotta CD". By the time of the release of "Whitney Joins The JAMs", the duo's independent record label had been renamed KLF Communications, and in the coming year The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu would mutate into The KLF. In the meantime, "Down Town" was The JAMs' and KLF Communications' final release of 1987, a 7" and 12" single release of 30 November. It did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but made inroads into the UK independent chart.
In an interview with NME, Drummond and Cauty maintained that the record was originally intended to be sample-free, but, quoting the Book of Proverbs 26:11, Drummond admitted that "as a dog returneth to his vomit so a fool returneth to his folly". In addition to Petula Clark's "Downtown", "Down Town" used elements of the distinctive bassline to Harold Faltermeyer's 1984 \# 1 single "Axel F". Indeed, the labels of the record claimed that: "All sounds on this recording have been captured by The KLF. In the name of Mu, we hereby liberate these sounds from all copyright restrictions, without prejudice". Although The JAMs sought permission from Tony Hatch, who wrote Clark's "Downtown", Drummond admitted in KLF Communications newsletter: "We were surprised to read in the papers that Pet Clarke [sic] had given her permission for us to sample her classic 'Downtown' on our record of the same name. When we attempted to contact her, at her Swiss home, to do just this thing, we didn't get further than her refusing to accept our transfer charge."
The inclusion of Petula Clark's "Downtown" was claimed by Drummond to be a striking coincidence:
> One day I was in the studio and I just started humming the chorus of 'Downtown' over the intro. I thought 'That's funny I wonder what key it's in?' I dug out the record that night and found that it was in the same key. I took it into the studio the next day and found out that it was absolutely the same number of beats per minute (bpm)—118. Most pop songs are between 80 and 160 bpm so that's 80 times 12, so it was a one in 960 chance that it would be the right bpm and the right key, so we couldn't resist it.
"Down Town" was not included on either of The JAMs' albums, instead featuring on their 1988 compilation and remix album, Shag Times, along with an instrumental remix credited to The KLF.
## Composition
"Down Town" is, like most of Drummond and Cauty's work of 1987, a social critique of Great Britain realised as house music. Its central theme is social exclusion, poverty and homelessness, in which snatches of Clark's "Downtown"—an awestruck ode to hedonistic city nightlife—are juxtaposed with raps by Drummond, wailing sirens and original choral gospel vocals full of Christmas optimism, provided by the London Community Gospel Choir. These disparate elements are held together by a beatbox rhythm, a bassline borrowed from "Axel F", and an accompaniment of piano and Hammond organ.
During one verse, Drummond raps: "Downtown, down and out, dying in the dead of night, with your Special Brew and your special view of a world that could be right". Joined by the gospel choir's refrain of "Glory!", Drummond continues "[Glory!] What glory? [Glory!] In a wine bar world? [Glory!] in a tenement block? [Glory!] OK, let's hear it!". In each chorus, the gospel choir sing of Jesus' birth. This juxtaposition of Christmas with urban homeless alcoholism was revisited by Drummond and Cauty's later arts project, the K Foundation, whose final act to date involved distributing thousands of cans of strong lager to London's homeless on Christmas Eve in 1995.
## Reviews
"Down Town" was, after "All You Need Is Love", the second of The JAMs' three 1987 singles to become NME "single of the week". The British music paper called it "One massive hell-hating holler of a song", and concluded: "[The JAMs] may not be the hippest, sanest or sweetest band to stalk the Earth this year but they're certainly the most imaginative ... [T]hey've fired a musical trail so shocking they couldn't have kept you more on your toes if they'd stuffed a handgrenade up your ass and sent you out to tap dance in a pair of stilettos".
The following week, NME journalist James Brown noted the accomplished dance music production of recent KLF Communications releases:
> When I broadcasted ["Down Town"] throughout the NME offices last week everyone present from punk, to yuppie, to club basher, to Alexander O'Neal fan gathered round to ask what it was. The same reactions had greeted "Whitney Joins The JAMs" but none of the writers had gone off and ordered a copy immediately. Likewise the accessibility of [Disco 2000's] "I Gotta CD" can't go ignored. And although [The JAMs] only produced it, the surprising dance-awareness .. has come as a surprise to both the KLF and myself. If they were prepared to destroy their abstract political ideas the KLF could quite rapidly become something akin to Kingboy, Rockman, and Waterman.
However, Record Mirror did not approve of The JAMs' comparatively sample-free offering, calling "Down Town" "a creature tamed" and wondering "without outlaw credentials what's left?"
## Formats and track listings
7" single (UK)
1. "Down Town (118 BPM)" (edit) - 4:01
2. "Down Town" (voxless) - 5:55
12" single (UK)
1. "Down Town (118 BPM)" - 7:23
2. "Down Town" (voxless) - 5:55
12" single (UK) (one-sided white label, 500 pressed)
1. "Down Town" (voxless) - 5:55 | [
"## Origins",
"## Composition",
"## Reviews",
"## Formats and track listings"
] | 1,541 | 22,516 |
8,368,343 | Ben Thompson (actor) | 1,173,288,192 | British actor | [
"1992 births",
"English male child actors",
"English male soap opera actors",
"Living people",
"Male actors from Greater Manchester",
"Musicians from Greater Manchester",
"People from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester"
] | Ben Thompson (born 1 June 1992) is an English actor best known for his role as Ryan Connor in the British soap opera Coronation Street. Brought up in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, Thompson made his screen debut when he appeared in the 2002 film Re-Inventing Eddie. Shortly before turning 13, he appeared in the 2004 CBBC children's comedy programme Stupid!.
Thompson rose to further prominence when he was cast as teenager Ryan Connor in Coronation Street in 2006. As part of the longstanding series, he has been involved in storylines that have dealt with varying topics, including family life, death, and coming of age. In addition to his career as an actor, Thompson is also an amateur musician. He is a member of the Rusholme Ruffians, an indie group who are largely influenced by established Manchester bands.
## Youth and early career
Ben Thompson was brought up in Radcliffe, a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. He trained in acting from the age of eight at the Carol Godby Theatre Workshop in Bury. For five years, Thompson was educated at nearby Radcliffe Riverside High School. He later reflected that he enjoyed his time at school, interacted well with his teachers and "never went into one lesson where there wasn't [something] interesting to do".
In 2002, Thompson starred alongside John Lynch, Geraldine Somerville, Lauren Cook and John Thomson in the Jim Doyle-directed film Re-Inventing Eddie. The movie is about a man named Eddie (Lynch), who is hounded by social services and branded a paedophile after an innocent bathtime game with his children is taken out of context. About two years later and shortly before turning 13, Thompson successfully auditioned to feature in the BBC children's comedy programme Stupid!. Out of around 400 hopeful youngsters, he was one of only a few to be selected to appear in the show. Prior to Stupid!'''s launch on the CBBC channel in 2004, Thompson commented, "When I first started going to auditions I was quite nervous but now I just get on with it. I go to quite a few and it gets easier."
## Coronation Street
Thompson auditioned in 2006 for the role of Cameron McIntyre in the long-standing British soap opera Coronation Street. The part would have had him be on-screen friends with Chesney Brown, played by Sam Aston, who Thompson already knew from the Carol Godby Theatre Workshop. Producers for Coronation Street, however, were so impressed by Thompson that they asked him to audition for a different role. His try-out was successful and he was given a six-month contract, along with the option to extend it for up to a year. He was cast as Ryan Connor, a boy who moves to Weatherfield—the fictional Greater Manchester setting of Coronation Street—with his mother, Michelle (played by actress and former Hear'Say band member Kym Marsh), and her brothers, Liam (Rob James-Collier) and Paul (Sean Gallagher). The Bolton News reported that Thompson would spend between one and two days in front of the camera, and that he would be given an on-set tutor to help complete his school work. Impressed with Thompson's acting ability, the producers of Coronation Street'' had his contract extended to 2009. In May 2012, it was confirmed that Ryan would be recast and played by Sol Heras because Thompson chose not to return.
## Private life and interests
Thompson has a keen interest in music and has played the guitar for several years. He often takes the instrument to work with him, as a means of occupying himself during takes. The actor is part of a group: the Rusholme Ruffians, formed by himself and two of his fellow schoolmates while they were still at Radcliffe Riverside High. The Rusholme Ruffians have performed at venues throughout the UK and the band's set list includes their own material, as well as songs by home-town influences such as Morrissey, The Smiths, Oasis, James and The Stone Roses. Thompson has expressed an interest in getting into the music industry later in life. He attended Holy Cross College in Bury, which he left after a year due to filming commitments.
Ben studied at SSR (School of Sound Recording) in Manchester and went on to work at Blueprint Studios in Salford.
## Filmography | [
"## Youth and early career",
"## Coronation Street",
"## Private life and interests",
"## Filmography"
] | 911 | 28,251 |
72,727,422 | Infected (The Last of Us) | 1,172,261,308 | null | [
"2023 American television episodes",
"Murder–suicide in television",
"Television episodes about sacrifices",
"Television episodes directed by Neil Druckmann",
"Television episodes set in Boston",
"Television episodes set in Indonesia",
"Television episodes written by Craig Mazin",
"The Last of Us (TV series) episodes"
] | "Infected" is the second episode of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. It was written and directed by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, respectively; Druckmann wrote and co-directed the 2013 video game on which the series is based. The episode aired on HBO on January 22, 2023. In the episode, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and his partner Tess (Anna Torv) escort the young Ellie (Bella Ramsey) through a biological contamination area in Boston to reach the Massachusetts State House.
"Infected" was Druckmann's first experience in directing television; he found it reinforced and reflected his experience in directing video games. The episode introduced "clickers", mutated creatures who rely on sound to move, designed using prosthetics with the game's concept art as reference material. Filming for the episode took place in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, in October and November 2021. The episode received positive reviews, with praise for its writing, direction, production design, and performances, particularly Torv's. It was watched by 5.7 million viewers on the first day. The episode has several nominations at the 75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, including Torv for Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
## Plot
In 2003, authorities in Jakarta show mycology professor Ratna Pertiwi (Christine Hakim) a sample from a human, which she identifies as Ophiocordyceps. Lieutenant-General Agus Hidayat (Yayu A.W. Unru) shows Ratna a corpse of a woman with a human bite mark on its leg and fungal growths in its mouth. He informs Ratna the woman was killed after biting her co-workers at a flour factory, while other co-workers are missing. Ratna remarks the location provides an excellent substrate for the fungus, adds there is no cure or vaccine for the infection, and fearfully recommends bombing the entire city to contain the outbreak.
In 2023, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Tess (Anna Torv) hold Ellie (Bella Ramsey) at gunpoint and demand to know why they were tasked with escorting her. Ellie reveals the Fireflies have established a secret camp out west with doctors working on a vaccine to prevent infection, and her DNA may be key to ensuring success. Joel demands they return to the quarantine zone but Tess, still skeptical of Ellie's immunity, convinces him to follow through with their arrangement as the Fireflies will still give them supplies.
As the group makes its way towards the Massachusetts State House, Tess discovers a pack of infected blocking their route, explaining to Ellie the fungi can sense uninfected humans across long distances and draw its hosts towards them. Tess suggests going through a museum. A roof cave-in attracts two "clickers", mutated hosts who rely on sound to move. Ellie gets bitten and Joel and Tess kill the clickers. Arriving at the State House, they find the Fireflies dead; Joel finds evidence of infection and surmises they killed each other. Tess tries to find clues on where to go next, but Joel tells her the job is finished and they will return home. Tess tells him that she cannot go back, revealing a bite mark on her neck. She reveals Ellie's mark has already healed, proving her immunity.
Joel shoots an infected Firefly who tries to attack them, revealing their location to other infected hosts in the city. Tess tells Joel to take Ellie to fellow smugglers Bill and Frank. She covers the room with gasoline and grenades as Joel and Ellie leave. An infected man begins the process of converting Tess when she ignites the building, killing the creatures. Joel and Ellie watch as the State House explodes before Joel walks away.
## Production
### Conception and writing
The Last of Us series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, respectively, wrote and directed "Infected"; Druckmann was the writer and creative director of the video game on which the series is based. The Directors Guild of Canada revealed Druckmann was assigned to direct an episode in September 2021; in February 2022, Druckmann confirmed he directed an episode and said his experience reinforced and reflected his experience in directing games. He previously predicted the experience would be significantly different than directing games but noted several similarities after witnessing Mazin direct the first episode. He found the biggest difference was the inability to make changes after production; in game development, he is able to request changes to factors such as framing, lighting, clothing, environments and weather. He spent over a month preparing for the episode, as it was his first experience in directing television. Pascal considered Druckmann the most open and excited of the show's directors, and Ramsey found his feedback believable due to his proximity to the source material. In January 2023, it was revealed Druckmann directed the second episode. Rotten Tomatoes listed the episode's title in December 2022 as "Cordyceps Ordo Seclorum"; Mazin clarified it was "an early idea" that was later replaced as "it doesn't really make much sense".
An early version of the cold open featured an unseen individual hitting a door, later revealed to be Tess's infected son whom she locked in a basement as she was unable to kill him; it was cut before production as the writers felt it did not fit. Torv and the writers thought Tess's decision to keep Ellie safe was to redeem past actions in her life. Mazin ultimately set the cold open in Indonesia to disorient the audience, a technique he was inspired to use from Vince Gilligan's television work. He found episodic storytelling allowed an opportunity to view the origins of the pandemic and demonstrate its global reach. The original plan was to feature a montage of cities around the world, but they lacked the budget. The writers felt following a single character—and her brief connection with one other character—granted a greater sense of dread and grounded the events in reality. The opening scene uses the song "Hampa" by Ari Lasso.
Mazin wanted the clickers to resemble the in-game design through prosthetics; he felt using visual effects would have lessened their impact. Barrie and Sarah Gower, with whom Mazin had worked on Chernobyl, were engaged to create the prosthetics. Their team found themselves continually referring to the original concept art from the game. The performers of the clickers were fans of the game and understood their movement. The silent conversation between Joel and Ellie was added during reshoots, as executive producer Carolyn Strauss did not understand how clickers operate. In the game, Tess sacrifices herself to provide Joel and Ellie time to escape pursuing soldiers; in the episode, they are replaced with infected. Mazin considered it illogical for soldiers to patrol so far away from the quarantine zone and felt replacing them with infected granted the opportunity to demonstrate the connectivity between the creatures. Mazin felt the kiss between Tess and the infected underscored the theme of love, noting the creatures were still capable of love through their spread of the fungus. Druckmann wanted to frame and light the shot of the kiss in a beautiful way to emphasize its creepiness.
Joel's final glance at Ellie in the final scene was an unscripted addition by Pascal; Druckmann felt it demonstrated Joel's frustration with Ellie, a feeling she returned. Mazin considered ending the episode with Ellie following Joel but Druckmann insisted the ending remain unresolved. The final scene and credits use the song "Allowed to be Happy" by Gustavo Santaolalla, featured in the video game The Last of Us Part II (2020).
### Casting and characters
Christine Hakim's role was revealed in a trailer in December 2022. She was contacted to appear in the series via Instagram. She was initially hesitant to accept the role as she was caring for her mother and husband amid the COVID-19 pandemic but was convinced by her grandniece, a fan of the game. Hakim recorded her role in Calgary in late October 2021. She brought her traditional batik scarves and Indonesian jewelry, which the costume department accepted for use in the series. Hakim was impressed by Druckmann's ability to direct Indonesian roles and the art director's creation of the Jakarta set in Calgary.
### Filming
Ksenia Sereda worked as cinematographer for the episode. Filming took place in and around Rice Howard Way in Downtown Edmonton from October 2–18, requiring the closure of sidewalks between October 12–14; Pascal filmed establishing shots in the area in early October and returned for full production later in the month alongside Ramsey and Torv. The location replicated a post-apocalyptic Boston; production designer John Paino was unable to find a location imitating Boston's brick-lined streets, requiring manual transformation and sculpting on set. Manual tree placement was similarly required, as Canadian trees share few similarities with those in Boston. Rice Howard Way was set up with a large crater in front of an Italian restaurant and a green screen for the skyline. The production crew converted a local business into a ruined salon and asked another if they would permit a stunt performer to fly through the front window.
Production took place at the Alberta Legislature Building, which was dressed with vines and greenery. Production spent around for a four-day shoot in Edmonton. Some streets in downtown Calgary were closed for production from October 15–18, followed by the closure of several blocks in Beltline from October 23–28. Shutting down the Fourth Avenue flyover took the locations team around six to eight weeks of negotiations with the city. The hotel interior location required draining as fungi quickly began to grow. Paino designed the Indonesian lab with "big and sinister" air ducts; he kept the colors simple to maintain realism and avoid resembling science fiction. Druckmann's work on the episode completed production by November 7, 2021.
## Reception
### Broadcast and ratings
The episode aired on HBO on January 22, 2023. The episode had 5.7 million viewers in the United States on its first night, including linear viewers and streams on HBO Max—an increase of 22 percent from the previous week, the largest second-week audience growth for an original HBO drama series in the network's history. On linear television, it had 633,000 viewers on its first night, with a 0.18 ratings share.
### Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "Infected" has an approval rating of 97 percent based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The website's critical consensus said the episode features "a terrific turn by Anna Torv and monsters that fully deliver on their terrifying potential". Praise was directed at Pascal's performance for his restraint and Ramsey for their humor, and Den of Geek's Boo commended all three cast members for acting "with intention", allowing viewers to witness their emotional foundations. Push Square's Aaron Bayne felt Ramsey had not yet "embodied the role" of Ellie like Pascal with Joel but enjoyed their banter.
TVLine named Torv the Performer of the Week, citing her complexity and subtlety. Total Film's Bradley Russell felt she demonstrated Tess's emotional depth, and Den of Geek's Bernard Boo found her performance sophisticated and heartbreaking. IGN's Simon Cardy wrote she displayed "warmth beneath a scarred, steely surface", lauding her relationship with Pascal's Joel. IndieWire's Steve Greene applauded Torv's capability to demonstrate Tess's sadness and pain through facial expressions alone. Torv is nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series at the 75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Total Film's Russell lauded Mazin's writing and found quiet moments and conversations carried purpose and dramatic weight. The Escapist's Darren Mooney felt the script occasionally felt "like reading a strategy guide" due to the amount of exposition delivered through dialogue, noting it was effective but not compelling. The cold open was generally well-received; The Washington Post's Mikhail Klimentov found it more effective than the previous episode's due to its delivery of melancholy and dread without the restraint of providing context, though Den of Geek's Boo considered it "less compelling" than the entirety of the first episode. IGN's Cardy wrote the kiss between Tess and the infected validated the creative decision to replace spores with tendrils. Conversely, Total Film's Russell considered it "a baffling choice and fundamentally silly", and The Washington Post's Klimentov found it the worst sequence of the series to date. Several outlets similarly reported viewers were similarly divided on the scene; some called it heartbreaking and others considered it unnecessary. The scene was nominated for Best Kiss at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Several critics praised Druckmann's directing and Sereda's cinematography, particularly during the museum action sequence; Den of Geek's Boo called it "masterfully choreographed" and compared it to the video game, and IGN's Cardy found it fit the inelegant aesthetic of the world. Total Film's Russell praised Druckmann's "keen eye for beauty in this shattered world", citing a shot of a frog on a piano as a standout. The New York Times's Noel Murray felt the low-angle shots allowed an effective backdrop for visual effects. Reviewers lauded the production design; IGN's Cardy considered it "one of the show's high points" with its visualization of nature reclaiming civilization. Den of Geek's Boo found the design and sounds of the clickers appropriately frightening; The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg called them "a genre palate cleanser" after The Walking Dead's design. The episode is nominated for Production Design and Prosthetic Makeup at the 75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. | [
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"## Production",
"### Conception and writing",
"### Casting and characters",
"### Filming",
"## Reception",
"### Broadcast and ratings",
"### Critical response"
] | 2,826 | 35,705 |
24,089,659 | Call My Name (Third Day song) | 1,122,706,616 | null | [
"2008 singles",
"2008 songs",
"American pop rock songs",
"Essential Records (Christian) singles",
"Song recordings produced by Howard Benson",
"Songs written by Mac Powell",
"Third Day songs"
] | "Call My Name" is a song recorded by the Christian rock band Third Day. Written by Mac Powell and produced by Third Day, it was released as the lead single from the band's 2008 album Revelation through Essential Records. "Call My Name" has been considered a pop rock and "AC-friendly" song with a basic drum track and a "solid" melody. Lyrically, it has been alternately described as being set from the perspective of God or being a cry out to God.
"Call My Name" received positive reception from critics, some of whom praised the arrangement of the song. Third Day has performed the song live and it has been covered by Australian country singer Keith Urban. The song was a hit on Christian radio, peaking atop the Billboard Hot Christian Songs and Hot Christian AC charts and the Radio & Records Christian AC Monitored, Christian AC Indicator and Christian CHR charts. Billboard magazine ranked it second on the 2008 year-end Hot Christian Songs chart and third on the 2008 year-end Hot Christian AC chart and at twenty-seventh on the decade-end Hot Christian Songs chart and at thirty-sixth on the decade-end Hot Christian AC chart.
## Background
"Call My Name" was one of the first songs that Third Day worked on in their writing session for Revelation in Charlottesville, Virginia. The lyrics to the song were written by Mac Powell, while the music was composed by Third Day. It was produced and programmed by Howard Benson and recorded by Mike Plontikoff at Bay 7 Studios in Valley Village, Los Angeles and at Sparky Dark Studio in Calabasas, California. Pre-production was handled at Haunted Hollow Studio in Charlottesville, Virginia by Rob Evans and Steve Miller, at Tree Sound Studios in Norcross, Georgia by Don McCollister, and at Sonica Recording in Atlanta, Georgia by Jon Briglevich. The song was mixed by Chris Lord-Alge at Resonate Music in Burbank, California and mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering in Portland, Maine. Digital editing was conducted by Paul DeCarli, while audio engineering was handled by Ashburn Miller and Hatsukazu Inagaki.
## Composition
"Call My Name" is a song that lasts for four minutes and two seconds. It was composed using common time in the key of E major, with "driving rock" tempo of 78 beats per minute. Mac Powell's vocal range spans from the low note of B<sub>3</sub> to the high note of F<sub>5</sub>. The lyrics to the song have been described as being from the perspective of God, although the members of Third Day have described them differently; David Carr, the drummer for Third Day, described the lyrics as "crying out to God and calling out his name", while Mac Powell described them as "kind of a prayer. It's about when people are going through hard times and going through struggles that we've gotta call out to someone, and for us as people of faith it's calling out to God and hearing his voice... and for someone else it could be a friend or a family member that you've gotta reach out to kind of help share those burdens you go through". Carr also described the drum part on "Call My Name" as "basic", and the song itself has been described as "pop rock", "AC-friendly", and "pop".
## Critical reception
Critical reception to "Call My Name" was positive, with some critics praising the arrangement and vocals. Deborah Evans Price of Billboard magazine called the single a "well-crafted number", while Matt Conner of CCM Magazine praised the song as "brilliantly crafted". Russ Breimeier of Christianity Today regarded the song as a "big AC-friendly single" and praised it as having "smart hooks, a strong melody, and some of Powell's most impressive vocal work to date during the closing vamp, belting out notes I didn't know he was capable of". John DiBiase of Jesus Freak Hideout called the song "an unashamedly catchy pop rock anthem that surprisingly has a similar lyrical message to ['Cry Out to Jesus'], just presented from Christ's own perspective this time around".
## Commercial performance
On the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, "Call My Name" debuted at No. 15 for the chart week of April 26, 2008. It advanced to No. 8 in its fourth charting week and to No. 3 in its sixth charting week. In its eighth chart week, "Call My Name" advanced to the top spot, holding the No. 1 spot for a total of thirteen consecutive weeks. The song dropped to No. 3 in its twenty-first chart week, supplanted from the top spot by Brandon Heath's "Give Me Your Eyes". After spending twenty-nine weeks on the chart, "Call My Name" dropped out.
On the Billboard Hot Christian AC chart, "Call My Name" spent eleven weeks at No. 1. It also topped the Radio & Records Christian AC Monitored and Christian AC Indicator charts for eleven weeks each, and the Radio & Records Christian CHR chart for six weeks.
Billboard magazine ranked "Call My Name" second on their 2008 year-end Hot Christian Songs chart and third on their 2008 year-end Hot Christian AC chart. Radio & Records ranked it third on their 2008 year-end Christian AC Songs chart and fifth on their 2008 year-end Christian CHR songs chart. Billboard magazine also ranked "Call My Name" twenty-seventh on their decade-end Hot Christian Songs chart and thirty-sixth on their decade-end Hot Christian AC chart.
## Other uses
"Call My Name" has been featured on the compilation albums WOW Hits 2009 and Now That's What I Call Faith, as well as on Third Day's live CD/DVD Live Revelations. Australian country singer Keith Urban covered the song, including it as a bonus track on his 2009 album Defying Gravity.
## Live performances
Prior to the release of Revelation, Third Day performed "Call My Name" at several of their concerts on the Third Day LIVE Tour; in particular, the band performed the song on April 3, 2008 at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York, where they were joined on stage by Scotty Wilbanks. At the benefit concert Nashville4Africa, held on April 4, 2009 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee, the band performed the song with fellow Christian rock artists Jars of Clay. On the 2010 Winter Jam tour, Third Day performed "Call My Name" as part of their set list on January 28 and 30.
## Personnel
Credits adapted from the album liner notes
## Charts | [
"## Background",
"## Composition",
"## Critical reception",
"## Commercial performance",
"## Other uses",
"## Live performances",
"## Personnel",
"## Charts"
] | 1,388 | 23,284 |
27,668,842 | St Cristiolus's Church, Llangristiolus | 1,163,780,328 | null | [
"12th-century church buildings in Wales",
"Church in Wales church buildings",
"Grade II* listed churches in Anglesey",
"Llangristiolus"
] | St Cristiolus's Church, Llangristiolus is a medieval church near the village of Llangristiolus, in Anglesey, north Wales. The village, about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the building, takes its name from the church. Reputedly founded by St Cristiolus in 610, the present building dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. Alterations were made in the 16th century, when the large east window in Perpendicular style was added to the chancel – a window which has been described by one guide to the buildings of north Wales as "almost too big to fit" in the wall. Some restoration work took place in the mid-19th century, when further windows were added and the chancel largely rebuilt.
The church is still in use for weekly Sunday services (in Welsh and English), as part of the Church in Wales, and is one of four churches in a combined parish. It is a Grade II\* listed building, a national designation given to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest", in particular because of its age and the east window. The church contains a decorated font from the 12th century, as well as memorials from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Richard Owen, a 19th-century Calvinistic Methodist minister from Llangristiolus, is buried in the graveyard. The churchyard also contains the grave of the noted geologists, Edward and Annie Greenly, who pioneered modern geological mapping in Anglesey.
## History and location
St Cristiolus's Church is in central Anglesey, north Wales. It is situated just to the south of the A5 and A55 roads, on raised ground above Malltraeth Marsh. The modern village of Llangristiolus is about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the west of the church. The village takes its name from the church: the Welsh word llan originally meant "enclosure" and then "church", and "-gristiolus" is a modified form of the saint's name.
The date of foundation of the first building on this site is unknown. Geraint Jones, in a 2006 guide to Anglesey churches, wrote that it is thought that St Cristiolus established a church here in 610. Cristiolus, a 7th-century saint about whom little detail is known, was a follower of St Cadfan, a Breton saint associated with the Christian community on Bardsey Island in Wales. Cristiolus is also credited with the foundation of the church in Eglwyswrw in modern-day Pembrokeshire, south Wales. He was the brother of St Rhystud, who established the church at Llanrhystud in mid-Wales.
The present building dates from the 12th century; it is the only medieval building in the parish. During the 13th century, the chancel was extended, and the older part of the church may have been rebuilt using the previous stones at this time. By 1535, the position of rector of the parish was held by the person holding the position of Archdeacon of Anglesey, as part of the remuneration for that office; this is no longer the case. Further structural changes to the church were made in the early 16th century when some windows were added to the chancel. In 1852, restoration work took place to the nave and chancel under Henry Kennedy, architect of the Diocese of Bangor. The chancel was rebuilt, although the east wall and window were retained, and further windows were added in the church.
St Cristiolus's Church is still in regular use and belongs to the Church in Wales. It is one of six churches in the combined benefice of Plwyf Seintiau Braint a Chefni. The other churches in the benefice are St Michael's, Gaerwen; St Ffinan's, Llanffinan; St Caffo's, Llangaffo; St Edwen's, Llanedwen; and St Mary's, Llanfairpwll. It is within the deanery of Malltraeth, the archdeaconry of Bangor and the Diocese of Bangor. The current incumbent (as of 2013), Emlyn Williams, was appointed as vicar of St Cristiolus's Church in 2007; before that, the position had been vacant for 20 years despite many attempts by the Church in Wales to fill it. He is assisted by one associate priest and two associate curates. Services are held every Sunday morning, alternating between a bilingual service of Holy Communion and a service of Morning Prayer; there are no midweek services.
People associated with the church include Henry Maurice (elected Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford shortly before his death in 1691; his father, Thomas, was the perpetual curate of the church) and the 19th-century writer and priest Owen Wynne Jones (who was the curate for a time in the early 1860s). The 19th-century Calvinistic Methodist preacher Richard Owen was born in the parish, and is buried in the graveyard that surrounds the church.
## Architecture and fittings
The church is built from rubble masonry (mainly gritstone) and dressed with freestone. The nave measures 44 feet 9 inches long by 15 feet 6 inches wide (13.6 by 4.7 m) and the chancel measures 32 feet 9 inches long by 20 feet 6 inches (10 by 6.25 m) wide. The nave has three bays, and the chancel at the east end of the nave has two bays; it is slightly wider than the nave. The nave and the chancel have external buttresses.
Internally, the chancel arch dates from the 13th century. It is 12 feet (3.7 m) wide and 19 feet (5.8 m) from the floor to the top of the arch; the supporting pillars are 10 feet (3.0 m) tall. There are windows from the early 16th century in the chancel, with the large east window in Perpendicular style (in contrast to the rest of the church, which is mainly in Decorated style). It has five ogee-headed lights separated by vertical tracery, and measures 10 feet 10 inches (3.3 m) at its widest point by 14 feet 2 inches (4.3 m) at its tallest. Unlike most of the other windows in the church, it contains coloured glass. A smaller window in the north wall also dates from this time, and has a square frame containing two lights; a matching window was added in the 19th century in the opposite wall. The other windows in the church are from the 19th century in various designs. One window, in the north wall of the nave, has had stained glass added as a memorial to two local residents who died in the 1990s.
The entrance is through a porch (probably dating from the 16th century) on the south side of the building, at the west end of the nave. At the west end of the roof, which is made of slate, there is an ornate bellcote for one bell (added by Kennedy). There are plain iron crosses on top of the porch and the chancel. Inside, the rafters and trusses of the roof are exposed. The pews and choir stalls were added in the 19th century. The nave has a brass memorial to a former Chancellor of Bangor Cathedral, William Morgan (died 1713), his wife and son. There are other memorials inside the church, including one for those from the parish who died during the First World War.
The gritstone circular font, at the west end, dates from the 12th century, and has six decorative panels. It is one of a group of fonts in north-west Wales using interlace (a medieval decorative style) showing links to Irish and Norse artistic traditions; other similar fonts in Anglesey are found at St Ceinwen's, Cerrigceinwen, St Peter's, Newborough and St Beuno's, Trefdraeth. One author says that the patterns on the fonts at Llangristiolus and St Beuno's Church, Pistyll (in the nearby county of Gwynedd) seem "closely linked" to patterns on one of the stone crosses at St Seiriol's Church, Penmon.
## Churchyard
The churchyard contains six Commonwealth war graves: in the east part of the ground are buried two British Army soldiers of World War I and north-north-west of the church are buried three soldiers and an airman of World War II.
## Assessment
The church has national recognition and statutory protection from alteration as it has been designated as a Grade II\* listed building – the second-highest (of three) grade of listing, designating "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". It was given this status on 30 January 1968, and has been listed because it is a medieval church that, unusually for Anglesey, dates substantially from the 12th and 13th centuries. Cadw (the Welsh Assembly Government body responsible for the built heritage of Wales and the inclusion of Welsh buildings on the statutory lists) also notes the "fine 16th-century rebuilding of the chancel" and the chancel window. The chancel arch has been described (in a 2009 guide to the buildings of north-west Wales) as the best such arch in the region, and the "fine" east window as "almost too big to fit" in the wall.
The 19th-century antiquarian Angharad Llwyd described the church as "a spacious structure, exhibiting some excellent architectural details, and decorated with an east window, of good design, enriched with tracery." Writing in 1846 (before Kennedy's restoration work in 1852), the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones noted a wooden gallery at the west end, above the font, inscribed RICHARDUS DE GREY FECIT 1778. LAUS DEO. He described the chancel arch as displaying "workmanship of good character."
The Welsh politician and church historian Sir Stephen Glynne visited the church in 1849. He wrote that it was a "fair specimen of the better sort of Anglesey village church". The nave and chancel were "of good proportions", with the chancel "properly distinguished and developed". He also said that the chancel arch was "of considerable elegance, unusual in North Wales, having excellent moulding and clustered shafts which have a Middle Pointed character." | [
"## History and location",
"## Architecture and fittings",
"## Churchyard",
"## Assessment"
] | 2,239 | 37,023 |
43,831,893 | Pepsiman (video game) | 1,161,747,538 | 1999 Endless runner developed and published by KID for the PlayStation | [
"1999 video games",
"Advergames",
"Japan-exclusive video games",
"KID games",
"PepsiCo advertising campaigns",
"PlayStation (console) games",
"PlayStation (console)-only games",
"Single-player video games",
"Superhero video games",
"Video games about food and drink",
"Video games developed in Japan",
"Video games set in New York City",
"Video games set in San Francisco",
"Video games set in Texas",
"Works based on advertisements"
] | is an action video game developed and published by KID for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan on March 4, 1999, and is based on the eponymous Japanese superhero mascot for the American carbonated soft drink Pepsi. It focuses the player on avoiding obstacles by running, dashing, and jumping, while Pepsiman automatically runs forward through each of the game's stages.
The game was made on a low budget, prompting the decision to make videos in-between stages that show a man drinking Pepsi, as they were cheap to produce. The game also features 3D cutscenes, for which the future visual novel writer Kotaro Uchikoshi created 3D models. While an American publisher did look into acquiring the rights to publish the game in the United States, it remained a Japan-exclusive game.
Reviewers frequently compared Pepsiman to other games, including Crash Bandicoot, and commented on its simplicity and its price, which was thought to be low. A writer for Complex included it on a list of company-branded games that "didn't suck", commenting that it is not a bad game as long as the player can tolerate the large amount of advertisement in it. According to Uchikoshi, the game did not sell well.
## Gameplay
Pepsiman is an action game that consists of four stages, each divided into smaller segments, and each involving the superhero Pepsiman saving a person who is dehydrated, such as a military man in the middle of a desert, by giving him a can of Pepsi. The first three stages are based on real locations, San Francisco, New York City and Texas. The last one takes place in Pepsi City. The game is played from a third-person perspective, with Pepsiman automatically running forward through the stages, sometimes running through homes and other buildings. The player takes control of Pepsiman himself, aiming to dodge obstacles, such as cars, construction cranes, and people, as well as Pepsi-branded obstacles, including a Pepsi truck. The player does this by using four different moves: running, dashing, jumping, and super-jumping. The player gains points by collecting Pepsi cans.
In some stages, Pepsiman's head becomes stuck inside a steel drum, which inverts the controls, and in some, he rides on a skateboard, which requires to player to avoid all obstacles. Throughout each stage is a number of checkpoints; if Pepsiman gets hit by obstacles too many times, the player is required to restart from the latest checkpoint. Each stage ends with Pepsiman being chased by an object, such as a giant Pepsi can. In between stages, the player is shown videos of an American man (played by Mike Butters) drinking Pepsi and eating chips and pizza as he watches Pepsiman.
## Background and development
Pepsiman is based on Pepsi's mascot of the same name, which was created for Pepsi's Japanese branch. The character, whose fictional backstory says he used to be a scientist who transformed into a superhero after coming into contact with "Holy Pepsi", was featured in Japanese Pepsi commercials and in the Japanese version of the video game Fighting Vipers; he became popular in Japan, spawning related characters such as Lemon Pepsiman and Pepsiwoman, and Pepsi decided to promote the character with a video game.
The game was developed by the Japanese video game developer KID. It was made on a low budget, which led to the decision to make the low-cost video scenes of actor Mike Butters drinking Pepsi. The game also uses 3D event scenes, which were modeled by Kotaro Uchikoshi, who would later be a scenario writer for visual novels at KID. This was Uchikoshi's first job; he had been hired to plan video game adaptations of board games, but ended up being part of the development of Pepsiman instead, which was already in progress when he joined KID in 1998. The game was released in Japan by KID for the PlayStation on March 4, 1999; while an American publisher was looking into acquiring the rights to publish the game in the United States, it remained Japan-exclusive. Despite this, the game is entirely in English, not Japanese (although with Japanese subtitles for dialogue). According to Uchikoshi, the game did not sell well.
In 2019, the game was featured in an episode of James Rolfe's comedy web series Angry Video Game Nerd, in which Butters reprised his role from the game's cutscenes. The soundtrack for the game received a vinyl release in 2020 by the European label Chipped Records.
## Reception
Writers for Famitsu called the game "super-simple", comparing it to Metro-Cross and Paperboy, and calling it a simplified version of Crash Bandicoot. Others have made similar comments. A reviewer for IGN also compared it to Crash Bandicoot, described the gameplay as "simplistic [and] route memorization-based", and said that the thing the game would be remembered for was its "extremely bizarre premise". They still felt that the game was not bad, and that it was worth the price, which they noted was low. James Mielke at GameSpot called the game a "nifty little distraction", and said that the gameplay was similar to the "old-school gaming dynamics of yesteryear". He commented on the low price, but said that it was difficult to find imports of it. Gamers' Republic magazine rated the game a B−. Gamers' Republic later listed the game in their 1999 Video Game Buyers Guide and Y2K Preview as one of the best games to import from Japan that year.
In 2011, Allistair Pinsof at Destructoid reviewed the game, calling it a mix between Paperboy and Muscle March in terms of the complexity and pace, and compared the gameplay to Crash Bandicoot. He found it to be "such a gloriously twisted, charming spectacle" that it would be difficult not to like it; he said that the main reason to play the game is "the sheer lunacy" of it, saying that the game is "obsessed" with America, and portrays Americans as "unhygienic hillbillies" in a manner that makes it unclear if it is a self-aware parody or not. He concluded that the game is funny, but not great, and that the ridiculous premise and its large amount of small details make the game "charmingly brain-dead". In 2013, Justin Amirkhani at Complex included the game in a list of company-branded video games that "didn't suck", saying that while the game's graphics had not aged well, it was mechanically very similar to Temple Run, which Amirkhani called his favorite iOS game. He concluded that Pepsiman is not a bad game for people with quick reflexes, as long as they can stand the high amount of advertising within the game; he claimed that Pepsiman was the advergame with the largest amount of "logos-per-second".
In 2015, Retro Gamer magazine listed it as number 18 on their list of "The 20 Greatest PlayStation Games You've Never Played".
In 2016, Pepsiman was featured in the semi-annual video game speedrun charity Games Done Quick, and has become a beloved staple. The Summer Games Done Quick 2016 run was by theboyks. It was also run by theboyks in Summer Games Done Quick 2018, and by TheFlyingMarlin in Summer Games Done Quick 2023. | [
"## Gameplay",
"## Background and development",
"## Reception"
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Subsets and Splits