title: Mastodon (band)

text: The song "Colony of Birchmen" from the band's third album , Blood Mountain, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2007. Blood Mountain was followed in 2009 by Crack the Skye, and in 2011 by The Hunter, which debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart and achieved major commercial success in the United States. The Hunter features the song "Curl of the Burl", which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 2012. Mastodon's 2014 album, Once More 'Round the Sun, peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart and features the band's third Grammy-nominated song, "High Road". The band's seventh album, Emperor of Sand, was released on March 31, 2017, and features the band's most commercially successful song to date, "Show Yourself", which peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in June 2017. The follow-up single, "Steambreather", peaked at No. 18 on the same chart in October 2017. The album's opening track, "Sultan's Curse", earned the band its first Grammy award. Emperor of Sand was the band's first album to receive a Grammy nomination; it was nominated for Best Rock Album. Mastodon's most recent album, Hushed and Grim, was released in 2021.


title: Mastodon (band)

text: Crack the Skye was released on March 24, 2009, as a normal version and a deluxe version (which includes all songs in instrumental versions as well as their normal versions) and entered the Billboard 200 at number 11 a week later. The album is produced by Brendan O'Brien and Scott Kelly of Neurosis returns as a guest musician on the title-track. In a MusicRadar interview, guitarist Bill Kelliher confirmed the album is about an "out-of-body experience", and looks at the concepts of astral travel, wormholes, Stephen Hawking's theories and the spiritual realm. The album follows a quadriplegic who learns astral projection. On his journey he flies too close to the sun, burning his umbilical cord which connects him to his body, and flies into oblivion. At the same time in Czarist Russia, Rasputin and his cult were channeling spirits and brought the quadriplegic to their time. He explains his situation and foretells the assassination of Rasputin. Inevitably Rasputin is assassinated and Rasputin guides him back to his body. The band had debuted three new tracks at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, but did not play any more live shows before the album's release, due to fears of internet distribution and wanting to play the songs to the right audience. Drummer Brann Dailor sings lead vocals for the verses of the song "Oblivion". Mastodon was a headliner at the Scion Rock Fest on February 28, 2009, performing a set containing three tracks from Crack the Skye, the first time these songs were played since being finalized and recorded. On May 15, 2009, Mastodon performed a shortened version of "Oblivion" on the Late Show with David Letterman.


title: Mastodon (band)

text: Mastodon also released an EP titled Cold Dark Place on September 22 of the same year. It was a four-song EP, featuring three songs recorded during the Once More 'Round the Sun sessions, and one track recorded during the Emperor of Sand sessions. The first single for the EP, "Toe to Toes" was released on September 1, 2017. Brent Hinds stated that the inspiration behind some of the songs recorded for Cold Dark Place, which he wrote, were inspired by a nasty breakup that he had endured. Describing the sound of the record, Hinds stated that "I wrote some pretty dark, beautiful, spooky, funky, ethereal, melancholy music, which also sounds like the Bee Gees a little bit." On December 1, the band released a revised version of the 12-part "The Making of Emperor of Sand" documentary via their official YouTube channel. Mastodon were announced to be on a co-headlining Summer 2018 Tour with Primus spanning across North America lasting from May to July. In 2019 they released a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" dedicated to the memory of their dear friend and manager, Nick John.


title: Mastodon (band)

text: The "sludge/stoner/alternative metal outfit" Mastodon, as labeled by AllMusic, is "one of the preeminent metal acts of the early 21st century". The BBC stated about Mastodon: "They might be bonkers of lyric, full of fantasy mumbo jumbo, but the band is unashamedly committed to its complex-of-composition craft, and the results have frequently stunned ever since their 2002 debut, Remission. They are the most ambitious, most fearless, most fun heavy metal band to have breached the mainstream since the genre oozed its way out of The Midlands in the 1970s." Alternative Press has stated: "Mastodon are one of the all-time great hard rock groups." Rolling Stone stated: "Mastodon are a bunch of doom-haunted, myth-obsessed, meat-and-potatoes Southern badasses who have become the most important new band in metal." Playboy wrote: "one of Mastodon's greatest talents: the ability to take traditional metal fans along with them into other musical realms, and also appeal to more mainstream rock fans but give them some doses of metal."


title: Brigsby Bear

text: Brigsby Bear was co-written by Kyle Mooney and Kevin Costello, and directed by Dave McCary in his directorial debut. All three grew up in San Diego, California and attended middle school together. Mooney and McCary, alongside Beck Bennett and Nick Rutherford, later formed the sketch group Good Neighbor, and all joined the cast and crew of Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 2013. Mooney and Costello wrote the film over a two-to-three-year period. Much of the character of James comes from Mooney's personal life, which he considered obsessive, sometimes awkward, and always nostalgic. Whenever Costello and Mooney could write together, they would write fast and messy, with Costello polishing it while Mooney worked at SNL. Mooney was fascinated by children's television shows from the 1980s, which he felt combined "happy-go-lucky and positive meets the creepy, weird, and psychedelic." He and McCary both singled out Prayer Bear as a primary inspiration. Mooney collects VHS tapes from garage sales, which also fueled the film's aesthetic.


title: Brigsby Bear

text: Their positions at SNL allowed them to cast their film with big names such as Mark Hamill, who plays Ted, the main villain. McCary likened Ted's character to a depraved Jim Henson, "teaching weird lessons about the world in a loving way." He noted he and Costello both grew up in strict, Christian households, which colored the way they depicted the character. They hoped to have viewers intrigued by the retro nature of the bunker, which they infused with a "low-rent Splash Mountain" feel. McCary was largely responsible for the film's earnest and sometimes melancholy tone, which he felt serviced James's emotional journey in the film. For McCary, he had always hoped to direct something dramatic, as opposed to his more comedic material in the past. Part of James's journey in the film, including his fear that people would not enjoy his film, came from a genuine place for the three filmmakers. In addition, when making the film, the three discovered that in many ways, they were documenting their friendship of creating videos together.


title: Brigsby Bear

text: Manohla Dargis from The New York Times summarized it as a "sweet and sometimes delightful melancholic story," which she praised for its direction in tackling subjects about imagination and love. John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter found it to be "a charming, surprisingly underplayed paean to pop-culture obsession." Geoff Berkshire of Variety praised every aspect of the film from its cast to script, but singled out the art department's successful presentation of the Brigsby show and the underground bunker from the opening scenes. Vulture's Emily Yoshida analyzed it as asking questions about the impact of fandoms along with "the purging effect of storytelling." A.A. Dowd of The A.V. Club felt it could have been a "soulful fairy tale," but ended up "a quirky sitcom recovery fable about transforming our childhoods through art to overcome them." Leslie Felperin, writing for The Guardian, deemed it "overly whimsical," but also "likable enough, even if it contains precious few belly laughs."


title: Comprehensive aphasia test

text: The comprehensive aphasia test (CAT) was created by Kate Swinburn (from Connect: a charity for people with aphasia), Gillian Porter (an NHS therapist from Hertfordshire) and David Howard (a Research Development Professor). The CAT is a new test for people who have acquired aphasia, the impairment of language ability. The comprehensive assessment can be completed over one or two sessions. The test contains a cognitive screening, a language battery and a disability questionnaire. The authors of the comprehensive aphasia test take account of current linguistic and psychological theory and other variable that impact aphasic performance. The CAT was published in 2005 and was the first new aphasia test in English for 20 years. The test is designed to (1) screen for associated cognitive deficits,(2) assess language impairment in people with aphasia, (3) investigate the consequences of the aphasia on the individual's lifestyle and emotional well-being, and (4) monitor changes in the aphasia and its consequences over time.


title: Bad Wolf

text: Digital Spy's Dek Hogan had a positive reaction to "Bad Wolf", praising Eccleston, the parodies, and the Susanna and Trinny robots. Alasdair Wilkins of io9 praised the "mad energy" to the finale and Eccleston's emotion over losing Rose. However, he was critical of the popular culture references, feeling that it would not age well and he could not find a "coherent satirical point in their inclusion". SFX gave "Bad Wolf" a score of nine out of ten, calling the two-parter Davies' "finest work this season", praising the humorous parodies and the reveal of the Daleks. The episode's cliffhanger has been singled out by critics. It was listed by Charlie Jane Anders of io9 among the greatest cliffhangers of the programme, while Den of Geek's Mark Harrison listed it as the Ninth Doctor's best cliffhanger. It was also chosen by Morgan Jeffery and Chris Allen of Digital Spy among the five best Doctor Who cliffhangers; Jeffery wrote that it "isn't the strongest episode of his tenure – let's not forget the Trinny and Susannah robots – but you'd be hard-pressed to fault the climax".


title: I'm O.K – A Murder Simulator

text: This game was created and released in response to "A Modest Video Game Proposal" issued in late 2005 by activist attorney Jack Thompson, known for his opposition to sex and violence in entertainment, including computer and video games. This challenge dared computer game producers to release a game following a "script" he outlined, in which the grieving father of a child killed by a computer gamer takes vengeance by murdering many people connected with the gaming industry in a brutal manner. Thompson promised to contribute a $10,000 donation to the charity of choice of Paul Eibeler (then-chairman of Take-Two Interactive, one of the game companies most heavily criticized by Thompson) if such a game were released. However, he has since claimed that the proposal was only a joke, and currently, no charity has been designated by Eibeler. The makers of the gaming-related webcomic Penny Arcade have, however, made a $10,000 donation in Thompson's name to the Entertainment Software Association Foundation, a philanthropic, grant-giving body run by the Entertainment Software Association.


title: Israel Hicks

text: While at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Hicks was asked by artistic director Donovan Marley if he wanted to direct the full cycle of August Wilson's plays and responded immediately "Hell, yeah". He was described by The New York Times as being the first person known to direct the 10 plays Wilson wrote in The Pittsburgh Cycle, starting with Fences in 1990, Joe Turner's Come and Gone in 1991, The Piano Lesson in 1993, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom in 1994, Two Trains Running in 1996, Seven Guitars in 1997, Jitney in 2002, King Hedley II in 2003, Gem of the Ocean in 2006 and Radio Golf in 2009. Hicks credited his time spent in the South as giving him a connection to Wilson's plays, saying his characters were "like members of my family, my uncles and aunts" and that to him "August's plays are familiar clothing". Wilson's play cycle documents African American life in the 20th century in Pittsburgh's Hill District and Hicks often wore a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball cap as his trademark while directing. In his two decades with the Denver Center Theatre Company, Hicks directed nearly 20 plays, and was scheduled to direct Ruined in 2011 for the company. Kent Thompson called Hicks' commitment to directing the entire play cycle "extremely rare in the American theatre today".


title: Advisory jury

text: The use of an advisory jury is derived from the practice of the Court of Chancery of referring issues of fact to one of the Common Law Courts of Westminster be tried by a jury as a feigned issue. The feigned issue was to inform the conscience of the court, and could be disregarded by the Chancellor. The feigned issue was a legal fiction by stating that a wager contract was laid between two parties interested in respectively maintaining the affirmative and the negative of certain propositions. The Gaming Act 1845 section 19 abolished the feigned issue and provided that the issue should the directly state the question of fact in dispute instead of a wager. The same abolition occurred in New York by section 72 of the Field Code in 1850. In Watt v Starke 101 U.S. 247 the United States Supreme Court stated "the verdict of a jury upon an issue out of chancery is only advisory." Federal Equity Rule 23, effective 1913, provides in an equity case when a question arises that is triable by jury, a jury trial is held on the equity side without transfer to the law side of the United States District Court. In 1938 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 39(c)(1) authorized the in any action not triable of right by a jury the court on motion or on its own may have any issue tried by an advisory jury.


title: Masalit people

text: Before 1874, the Masalit were divided between multiple polities in the region such as the Wadai Sultanate and the Sultanate of Darfur. However, after the conquest of the Sultanate of Darfur by the Ottomans and Egyptians in 1874, the Masalit were unified into a Sultanate by Hajjam Hasab Allah. However, Hajjam's rule was seen by the Masalit population as oppressive. Thus, he was ousted in 1883 by Ismail Abdel Nebi, who took control of the Sultanate. In 1895 the Masalit Sultanate was invaded by the Mahdist State; the Sultan escaped capture by putting himself under the protection of the sultan of Wadai. The fall of the Mahdist state in 1898 did not bring peace to western Darfur. 'Ali Dinar's accession to the throne of a restored Darfur Sultanate, and his claims of sovereignty over all small frontier states, ushered in a new period of conflict. In 1903 'Ali Dinar attacked and defeated the Masalit, and captured and executed their sultan. Subsequently the Sultan's brother, Taj al-Din Isma'il, rallied the Masalit forces and drove out the Darfuri army. The peace treaty of 1908 left 'Ali Dinar in de jure control of the Masalit, but in reality it placed Taj al-Din at the head of a small but proud Masalit state under the vassalage of the Sultanate of Darfur.


title: No. 10 Air Experience Flight RAF

text: 10 AEF has a team of professional pilots both military and civilian, who fly the cadets. Pilots apply to join an AEF through Headquarters Air Cadets and undergo security and Criminal Records Bureau checks (which all ACO adult staff have every five years). A pilot may continue with an AEF until he or she is aged 65. On appointment pilots will be commissioned (if not regular pilots) as Flying Officers in the RAF Reserve, resulting in retired senior and air officers holding the rank of Flying Officer for work with AEFs and a much higher rank for other duties. 10 AEF also has several Flight Lieutenants, one of whom is appointed the Officer Commanding (OC). Past AEF flight commanders have held the rank of Squadron Leader, the last being Sqn Ldr Martin Mayer RAF(R), a former OC of the Empire Test Pilot School at MoD Boscombe Down. Sqn Ldr Mayer was responsible for updating the aircraft from Chipmunks to Bulldogs in 1996 and Bulldogs to Tutors in 2001, in both cases 10AEF was the last unit to be upgraded. 10 AEF is unique in being the first to have a Squadron Adjutant in post.


title: Princess Anne, Maryland

text: The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Princess Anne has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Princess Anne's climate is characterized by hot and humid stretches of weather in summer, but they are often broken up by cold fronts from the north offering several days of mild temperatures and lower humidity. Winters are relatively mild compared to areas to the north and northwest, but cold spells send temperatures well below freezing. Due to the impact of the Atlantic Ocean nearby, average snowfall amounts only range from 5 to 10 inches; however, this varies considerably from year to year and occasional nor'easters can produce significant snowfalls over one foot. The Blizzard of 2018, for example, produced 10-15 inches of snow, temperatures in teens, and winds gusting over 40 miles per hour. Tropical storms occasionally impact the region during summer and fall.


title: Keating government

text: In February 1992, Paul Keating announced that he wanted Australia to change its national flag because it contained the union jack within its design. Later that month, Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia for the Sydney Council's 150th anniversary and Keating greeted the Queen with a speech in which he spoke of a growing "national purpose" and "independence" in Australia. He was then accused by the British press of breaching protocol by putting his arm around the Queen's back. When queried about these events in Parliament on 27 February 1992, Keating launched a repudiation of Australian ties to Britain and called the Liberals "'bootlickers" and "lickspitters" and accused them of "cultural cringe to a country which decided not to defend the Malay peninsula, not to worry about Singapore, not to give us our troops back to keep ourselves free from Japanese domination". The Liberal-National Opposition, led by Dr John Hewson, called the republican agenda a "distraction" from Australia's economic problems, criticised Keating's attack on Britain's war effort as a fiction and argued that Australia had already long since established independence from Britain. Australians for Constitutional Monarchy was established by Michael Kirby to counter the republican movement. Republicanism was however to become a key goal of Keating's cultural agenda for Australia.


title: Keating government

text: With the House of Windsor suffering its 1992 annus horribilis, the republican cause became widely supported in the nation's newspapers, but Keating's comments about the flag and Britain's war record outraged groups like the Returned Services League (RSL), whose membership still consisted of veterans of the First and Second World Wars, and a ban on republicans from entering their clubs was announced for ANZAC Day 1992. The opposition and many observers called Keating's comments insensitive on the basis of such factors as the sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse in the defence of Singapore. RSL President, Brigadier Alf Garland, called Keating "an Irish republican bigot". On 27 April 1992, Keating visited Kokoda in a conspicuous effort to shift Australia's war remembrance focus away from its role in assisting Britain at Gallipoli and in Europe in the First World War and towards Australia's Pacific War effort, and the New Guinea Campaign which saw Australian soldiers halt the advance of Japanese troops.


title: Keating government

text: In 1994, a group of Ngarrindjeri women claimed that a bridge development was being constructed at a sacred Aboriginal site for "secret women's business". The veracity of these claims was later rejected by other elders and leading to the Hindmarsh Island bridge controversy. Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Robert Tickner issued an emergency declaration blocking work on the bridge, and then appointed a lawyer, Professor Cheryl Saunders, to report on the significant Aboriginal sites. As a part of this process some of these cultural secrets were written down and sealed in two envelopes marked Confidential: to be read by women only and forwarded to Tickner with the assessment. On 10 July 1994, Tickner placed a 25-year ban on the bridge construction putting the marina in doubt and bringing the Chapmans close to bankruptcy. The 1995 Hindmarsh Island Royal Commission called by the Government of South Australia ultimately found that the claims had indeed been fabricated, and Tickner became the focus of criticism.


title: Keating government

text: The Hawke government committed Australian naval forces to the 1991 Gulf War in support of the United States led coalition against the Saddam Hussein Iraqi regime's invasion of neighbouring Kuwait. Following the end of the Cold War, the 1990s was a busy period for United Nations peacekeeping missions, and the Keating government committed Australian forces to various theatres: at one point during 1993, Australia had some 3000 peacekeepers committed to the field, including a large number in Cambodia and Somalia. Foreign Minister Gareth Evans had taken a leading role in the organisation of a peace settlement for Cambodia in the aftermath of the genocidal regime of Pol Pot and Australia contributed the force commander. While the United Nations intervention in Cambodia was largely successful, the Somali intervention ended poorly. The following year, the Rwandan genocide commenced in Central Africa, and, following the Somali experience, the international community was this time slow to intervene. The Keating government despatched medical staff to aid in the belated UN Mission to that nation.


title: Last Action Hero

text: Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4, writing that despite some entertaining moments, Last Action Hero "plays more like a bright idea than like a movie that was thought through. It doesn't evoke the mystery of the barrier between audience and screen the way Woody Allen did in The Purple Rose of Cairo, and a lot of the time it simply seems to be standing around commenting on itself." Vincent Canby likened the film to "a two-hour Saturday Night Live sketch" and called it "something of a mess, but a frequently enjoyable one". Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Last Action Hero makes such a strenuous show of winking at the audience (and itself) that it seems to be celebrating nothing so much as its own awfulness. In a sense, the movie's incipient commercial failure completes it aesthetically." Variety called it "a joyless, soulless machine of a movie, an $80 million-plus mishmash of fantasy, industry in-jokes, self-referential parody, film-buff gags and too-big action set-pieces." Halliwell's Film Guide described it as "a film that tries to have it both ways, simultaneously mocking and celebrating the conventions of action movies, which leaves audiences, as well as the actors and director, in a state of bewildered confusion". John Ferguson of Radio Times was more positive, awarding it four stars out of five and stating, "An Arnold Schwarzenegger backlash had been on the cards for some time and when this extravaganza was released the knives were well and truly out. It was actually all a little unfair, because this is a smart, funny blockbuster Schwarzenegger has rarely been better and he is backed up by a never-ending stream of star names in cameo roles And, although McTiernan has fun spoofing the conventions of the action genre, he still manages to slip in some spectacular set pieces."


title: Posen Foundation

text: The Posen Library is a ten-volume anthology, published by Yale University Press, that collects 3,000 years of Jewish literature, artwork, and artifacts. Its purpose, according to Felix Posen, is to demonstrate the breadth and richness of Jewish culture—secular and religious—from around the world. Posen initiated the project in the 1990s, and the mammoth effort has continued gradually ever since. To date, seven volumes have been published: Volume 10: Late Twentieth Century, 1973–2005 ; Volume 6: Confronting Modernity, 1750–1880 ; Volume 8: Crisis and Creativity between World Wars, 1918–1939 , Volume 9: Catastrophe and Rebirth, 1939–1973 , Volume 1: Ancient Israel from Its Beginnings to 332 BCE , Volume 5: Early Modern Era, 1500–1750 , Volume 7: National Renaissance and International Horizons, 1880–1918 . Volume 2: Emerging Judaism, 332 BCE–600 CE, edited by Carol Bakhos will appear in 2025. The remaining volumes are in various stages of completion. Meanwhile, an effort to digitize the majority of the Posen Library's contents is ongoing. The Posen Digital Library debuted online in December 2014, and will expand alongside the print Library. It can be found at _URL_. Both the Posen Library and Posen Digital Library are being created in collaboration with Yale University Press.


title: Flattop

text: When a flattop haircut is viewed from the front, varying degrees of squarish appearance are achieved by the design of the upper sides as they connect to the flat deck. Possibilities are somewhat limited by skull shape, density of the hair, and diameter of the individual shafts of hair, but may include: boxy upper sides with rounded corners; boxy upper sides with sharp corners; rounded upper sides with rounded corners; and rounded upper sides with sharp corners. Natural skull shape and certain deck inclinations and heights often leave an area at the center top of the head where the scalp is visible through the hair. This area is called a "landing strip", a metaphor for the landing strip on the deck of a flattop (aircraft carrier). Some flattops are designed to cause a landing strip to show to varying degrees. Whether or not the wearer wishes to have a landing strip is a typical discussion point when getting a flattop. While most all of a flattop is cut with clippers, master barbers with an attention to detail use shears at the end of the haircut to confirm that no stray hairs remain on top, which is known as giving the patron a "scissor salute".


title: Flattop

text: The hair on the lower two-thirds of the sides and back of the head are cut using the direct contact clipper method, with a 1/4 inch or shorter attached guard or detachable blade. Care must be taken to "box in" the flattop using the clipper-over-comb method on the upper third of the sides rather than contour it to the head. This is accomplished by holding a vertically-oriented comb directly to the side of the head and running the clippers upwards on the comb. On the back, the hair is typically more contoured to the crown. The top hair is typically cut with clippers utilizing the clipper-over-comb technique, though it can also be cut shears-over-comb. When the top hair is well-styled, often referred to by barbers as "trained", the top can be cut freehand with a clipper to best adjust the shape of the flattened top to the shape of the head or preference of the wearer. Some barbers utilize a large 4-inch wide comb designed for cutting flattops, while others use wide rotary clipper blades specifically designed for freehand cutting the top of a flattop. However, for master barbers, these specialized tools are normally not required or used.


title: James Horton (Highlander)

text: James Horton is first introduced in the first season finale episode, "The Hunters" , as the leader of the men who enter Darius's (Werner Stocker) chapel and behead him. Those men, called the Hunters, then kidnap MacLeod's friend, fellow Immortal Hugh Fitzcairn (Roger Daltrey). Horton later sets up a plan to meet MacLeod's lover Tessa Noël (Alexandra Vandernoot) and check a wound she has on her hand to see if she is immortal. Tessa is frightened and bewildered by this encounter. In the meanwhile, Fitzcairn has been brought to the Hunters' headquarters. The script says that Horton and his accomplices "study Fitzcairn as one would a large, interesting insect," then shoot him with a crossbow to see if he will revive, proving that he is an Immortal. When Fitzcairn awakes, Horton tells him, "I've often wondered how much pain an Immortal could bear before he went mad." MacLeod searches for the Hunters' hiding while Horton is addressing his men: "We have won a great victory. We have destroyed a malignant evil that has walked this earth in the form of a man for the last two thousand years. People do not cheer us, people don't even know we exist, but we know the battle we fight. We know the evil we must destroy. I would like to send you back to your homes... to your lives... but our work here is not finished." Horton tells Fitzcairn, "You are an abomination before nature and in the eyes of man. There is no glory but ours. No destiny that is not of our making." Horton is about to guillotine Fitzcairn when MacLeod enters. In the ensuing fight, Horton tells MacLeod, "When you kill me, others will come. To continue what we have begun. (...) We've always understood. We will never be dominated. (...) We know about the Gathering. (...) It's about power. There is nothing greater that the power of man. Nothing. (...) You must die. All of you."


title: James Horton (Highlander)

text: In "The Watchers" , after MacLeod meets his Watcher, Joe Dawson (Jim Byrnes), Horton remarks to Dawson, "You spoke with one of them. That's never happened before." When Robert (Cameron Bancroft), one of his men who is also the fiancé of his daughter, Lynn (Kehli O'Byrne), expresses doubts about the Hunters, Horton answers, "It doesn't matter if they're good or evil, Robert. They're here to dominate us. They fight for their right to rule us. And one day, that is what they will do." When Robert expresses the wish to leave the Hunters because MacLeod spared his life, Horton kills him, but is able to comfort Lynn afterwards when she learns of her fiancé's death. Horton then mounts a trap to behead MacLeod, but Dawson confronts him, saying, "What you are doing is totally wrong. It betrays everything we stand for. (...) They aren't all evil." Horton answers, "I felt like a doctor watching a cancer grow." MacLeod enters and Horton admits to having killed Robert, saying, "Sometimes in war innocents get harmed. I believe that the generals call it collateral damage." MacLeod is about to kill Horton but renounces because Lynn begs him not to. Horton is infuriated and shoots MacLeod in the back. MacLeod is able to stab him with his sword before collapsing dead. When he revives, the others have disappeared.


title: James Horton (Highlander)

text: In "Unholy Alliance" , Horton concludes an agreement with Immortal Xavier St. Cloud (Roland Gift), in which Horton provides mercenaries that shoot Immortals dead so that Xavier can safely behead them. Horton also uses Xavier's Watcher, Barton, to manipulate Dawson so that Dawson tells MacLeod where Xavier is, and Xavier is waiting for him with his mercenaries. MacLeod comes as planned, but his friend Charlie DeSalvo (Philip Akin) has followed him and witnesses the fight between MacLeod and Xavier, then MacLeod being mortally shot by Horton, before being shot himself by Horton. MacLeod revives and breaks open Horton's grave in the Dawson family crypt. But it is empty, and MacLeod finds Horton alive and standing in front of him. MacLeod moves to attack him, but Horton warns him, "Holy Ground, MacLeod! Shame on you... You're forgetting the rules. I tried to get Xavier to come but even he wouldn't kill here." When MacLeod asks if Horton does this to feel powerful, Horton replies, "This is not about me, MacLeod. This is about you, you and your kind. You're an abomination." Then Horton boasts, "I'm the man you can't kill. Frustrated? I know I would be in your position. How would you like to kill me? ...with your sword? No, I think you'd prefer to do it with your bare hands, feel the life drain away from me." Eventually Horton hints that Dawson knows everything and escapes. Later, MacLeod watches Dawson join Horton on their boat, and corners Dawson to hear the truth from him. Dawson explains, "After you fought with Horton, I had to take him to the hospital. He was dying. (...) I made sure he was through with the Watchers, MacLeod. No one was to contact him, and not even his own people. He was an outcast. (...) I've known the man for twenty-five years, he's my sister's husband. I couldn't just let him die. He said he just wanted to leave the country, live quiet." Dawson says he did not tell this to MacLeod "because I knew you'd kill him." MacLeod is hurt that Dawson has lied to him and turns his back on him.


title: Joseph Martin (Canadian politician)

text: Martin was first elected to the British Columbia Legislative Assembly in 1898 election in the multi-member Vancouver City riding. The election did not yield a majority for any one party. With increased representation for mainland ridings and a shift in popular support from the Turner government, a government of special interests, railway industrialists, coal barons, lumber and fishing capitalists, Turner's support fell to 17 of 38 seats. Lieutenant-Governor Thomas R. McInnes dismissed Turner on 8 August 1898 without allowing him the constitutional right to meet the legislature. Instead he turned to former premier Robert Beaven, even though he had not been elected in his constituency, to form a government. He was unable to do so, and McInnes then turned to Charles Semlin to form a government. Semlin took office as premier and chose Martin as his Attorney-General. Martin also served as the Acting Minister of Education from 17 August 1898 to 9 March 1899 and as the Acting Provincial Secretary from 17 to 20 August 1898.


title: Joseph Martin (Canadian politician)

text: During the two year Semlin government, Martin produced controversy by introducing measures such as an eight-hour work day (opposed by mine owners) and an Alien Exclusion Act to prevent Chinese from owning mining claims. The federal government, at the instance of American interests, took steps to disallow the legislation. During a controversial public meeting about the issue, Martin breached cabinet solidarity and criticized his own government resulting in a request from Premier Semlin for Martin's resignation. Semlin reconstituted his ministries and met the legislature facing strong opposition from Martin, often requiring the Speaker of the house to break ties by using his casting vote. On 27 February 1900 McInnes dismissed Semlin and, the following day, asked Martin to form a government. The result was a vote of non-confidence by the house which carried by a majority of 28 to 1. Nevertheless, Martin formed a cabinet and governed for three months before going to the polls in the 1900 election. Although hard fought, Martin had only 13 supporters elected. The Semlin faction had even fewer at 6 and Semlin was defeated personally. Following the election, Prime Minister Laurier dismissed McInnes and appointed Sir Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière lieutenant-governor. The legislature was able to agree to support James Dunsmuir to lead a government. Martin served in the opposition (He became the first leader of the Liberal party of British Columbia) until he was defeated in the 1903 election, the first in British Columbia organized on party lines.


title: No Other

text: Released in September 1974, No Other reached a disappointing peak of No. 144 on the Billboard charts without any active promotion from the label, barring the release of two promotional 7" vinyl singles: "No Other" and "The True One" in January 1975, and "Life's Greatest Fool" backed with "From a Silver Phial" in March 1975. The album was also a critical failure at the time, with many writers lambasting Kaye's "bloated" and "pretentious" production style. Further confounding matters was the album's artwork: the front cover was a collage inspired by 1920s Hollywood glamour, while the back featured a photo of the singer with permed hair and clad in full drag, frolicking at the former estate of John Barrymore. A rare fall tour staged by the singer could not salvage the endeavour, and demos for a new album—reportedly a fusion of country rock with R&B, funk, and early disco stylings—were promptly rejected by Asylum; an unproven rumor has it that an enraged Clark nearly brawled with Geffen one night at Dan Tana's in West Hollywood when they unexpectedly ran into each other. Geffen, however, disputed this claim, saying that it never happened. By 1976, No Other had been deleted from the Asylum catalog.


title: No Other

text: 4AD reissued No Other on November 8, 2019. The original tapes were remastered at Abbey Road Studios, and the reissue features a brand new 5.1 surround mix of the album, which was mixed by Neil Wilkes and BJ Cole at Opus Productions in West London, along with a new high resolution stereo remix by Neil Wilkes and Nick Ward. Both remixes were mastered at Opus Productions by Neil Wilkes. All the studio tapes were forensically worked on and mixed by the duo of Gene Clark aficionado Sid Griffin and producer John Wood; the extra tracks have not been edited or composited in any way, "allowing for everything to be heard exactly as it went down in the studio and before any overdubbing took place". The remastered reissue was released as a standard CD, vinyl LP, deluxe double-CD set, and an expansive super deluxe box set with three hybrid SACDs, one Blu-ray disc (featuring the documentary film The Byrd Who Flew Alone: The Making and Remaking of No Other, directed by Paul Kendall), a silver-colored LP with original replica poster, and a hardbound 80-page book featuring essays, photos, lyrics and liner notes. Additionally, pre-orders of the super deluxe box set from 4AD's website included two bonus 7"-sized flexi-discs featuring two unreleased takes not included on any other format.


title: No Other

text: In October 1974, Billboard declared the album to be "a magnificent effort" with Clark's "usual superb mix of country and rock tunes, his melodic vocals and his beautiful set of songs." Retrospective reviews of No Other have been likewise overwhelmingly positive. AllMusic's Thom Jurek praised the album; in a five-star review, Jurek called it "a sprawling, ambitious work that seamlessly melds country, folk, jazz-inflected-gospel, urban blues, and breezy L.A. rock in a song cycle that reflects the mid-'70s better than anything from the time, yet continues to haunt the present with its relevance." The Vinyl District reviewer Michael H. Little described the album as "deeply spiritual," "pure ear candy," and "a lush, lovely and even visionary work," awarding the album an A grade. The Guardian hailed No Other as "One of the greatest albums ever made... Initially celebrated for its obscurity, No Other is now celebrated for its magnificence. It was in every way a magnum opus: epic, sprawling, poetic, choral, rococo."


title: No Other

text: In a 2016 article entitled "Gene Clark – 10 of the Best", The Guardian included three tracks from No Other on its list: "Life's Greatest Fool", "No Other" and "Some Misunderstanding". Of "Life's Greatest Fool", writer and music critic David Bennun called the song "an exuberant, foot-tapping country-gospel anthem stuffed with counterculture folk wisdom; its downbeat lyric defied by its pure joie de vivre." Bennun said the album's title track "pulses, glows and rattles in a thrilling meld of country and funk, gospel and rock, with echoes of the Family Stone, Staple Singers, "Gimme Shelter" and Abbey Road," concluding that the song is "unique not only in his own catalogue but perhaps in all of pop music." For "Some Misunderstanding", Bennun hailed the song as "the centrepiece of the No Other album and indeed of Clark's career: a slow, eight-minute cry from the heart, reflecting on the perils and pleasures of a life lived too extravagantly. For Clark, who would surely have recognised William Blake as a spiritual progenitor, the road of excess had at last brought him to the palace of wisdom – and what a palace his is."


title: 2012 Ramu violence

text: On 29 September, at around 10 p.m., a procession was held in Ramu in protest of the perceived blasphemous image uploaded to a Facebook account. Newspaper reports stated that local Awami League leaders were initially seen mobilising the mob and emphasising the sentimental religious issue to counter the opposition. The Daily Star, a widely circulated national daily, reported that a motley group comprising local leaders of pro-Awami League organisations, BNP men, madrasa students and common people were allegedly behind the communal violence at Ramu on Saturday night. At a subsequent procession, some people demanded the arrest of the man they believed to be responsible. At around 11:30 p.m., a third procession marched towards Barua Parha, and some of the Buddhist houses were torched. Subsequently, Buddhist temples, monasteries, and residences were also torched. Ten Buddhist villages were attacked as well with gunpowder, kerosene, and petrol used for the purpose. The arson continued till 3 a.m. 30 September.


title: Marc Ravalomanana

text: During Ravalomanana's presidency, Madagascar made significant advances toward development targets and experienced an average of seven per cent growth per year. His administration oversaw the construction of thousands of new schools and health clinics. Road rehabilitation aided in improving rural farmers' access to markets. The establishment of the independent anti-corruption agency BIANCO, and the adoption of diverse supporting policies resulted in a decline in governmental corruption. Opposition members criticized Ravalomanana in the later period of his presidency, accusing him of increasing authoritarianism and the mixing of public and private interests. In addition, the benefits of the country's growth were not evenly spread, leading to increased wealth inequality, inflation and a decline in purchasing power for the lower and middle classes. In 2008 a controversial land lease agreement with Korean agricultural firm Daewoo, the purchase of a costly presidential jet and the closure of media channels owned by opposition leader and mayor of Antananarivo, Andry Rajoelina, strengthened popular disapproval of his policies. Rajoelina rallied popular support for the opposition, leading to a popular uprising that began in January 2009 and ended two months later with Ravalomanana's resignation under pressure and Rajoelina taking control with military support in a power transfer viewed by the international community as a coup d'état.


title: Marc Ravalomanana

text: Ravalomanana solicited a loan from the Agence Française de Développement to further expand his business, but this request was denied, souring his view of France. His subsequent request to the World Bank for 1.5 million US dollars was approved, and in 1982 he founded the Tiko company. The representative of the World Bank to Madagascar at the time, Jose Bronfman, secured the loan with exceptionally favorable reimbursement conditions that enabled Ravalomanana to sell his products at a lower cost than other small dairy producers, which gradually put his most significant competitors out of business. Bronfman later left his post at the World Bank to become a principal investor in the company, joined by private investors from South Africa, Germany and the United States. As Tiko continued to grow, the entrepreneur began incorporating imported ingredients such as powdered milk from South Africa (constituting 80 per cent of the composition of Tiko dairy products) and surplus butter from Europe, further improving the profitability of his business and enabling additional diversification. Tiko Group first concentrated exclusively on the production of dairy products before expanding into fruit juices, ice cream, cooking oil and carbonated beverages. The Tiko slogan printed on many of the group's products, Vita Malagasy ("Made in Madagascar").


title: Marc Ravalomanana

text: In 1997, under the pretext of concern about mad cow disease, Ratsiraka obstructed Ravalomanana's plans to build a farm stocked with imported high-yield milk cows. Ravalomanana overcame the objection by breeding high-yield cows locally, thereby further boosting Tiko production. Later that same year, Ratsiraka's daughters began competing with Tiko by importing and reselling vegetable oil under the brand name "Eden". When Norbert Ratsirahonana declared himself a candidate in the 1997 presidential elections against Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy, Ravalomanana provided significant financial contributions to the Ratsirahonana campaign in return for tax exemptions on his edible oil products for a period of five years. The profits he consequently earned were reinvested to create the Magro wholesale company in 1998. By 2001, over a dozen principal warehouses throughout the country enabled widespread distribution of Tiko products to urban and rural areas, with a flagship warehouse in the Akorandrano neighborhood of Antananarivo.


title: Marc Ravalomanana

text: The Ratsiraka administration launched an inquiry into Tiko business practices in September 2000 and issued an executive decision in June 2001 that the company should be shut down for failure to adhere to a 1996 agreement requiring Tiko to create jobs and produce low-cost vegetable oil; this ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court on 16 October 2002. A number of lawsuits have been filed over Ravalomanana's business practices, including a court judgment on the eve of the 2001 presidential election requiring the payment of between 200 and 363 billion Malagasy francs in Tiko back taxes, but all were either dismissed or ended in an out-of-court settlement; none resulted in a criminal conviction. At its height during the period of Ravalomanana's presidency, Tiko provided direct salaried employment to between 1,000 and 3,000 staff and indirect employment to over 10,000. The group was the largest dairy producer in the country and a leader in the national agribusiness sector. The success of his enterprises made Ravalomanana a wealthy man. In the mandatory self-disclosure of wealth submitted to the High Constitutional Court in 2000 by all presidential candidates, Ravalomanana declared ownership of 27 properties valued at over two billion Malagasy francs. He owned 90 per cent of Tiko Inc., 80 per cent of Tiko Agri and 50 per cent of Tiko Oil Products, a portfolio worth 13.1 billion Malagasy francs, and declared 77 million Malagasy francs in annual revenues. Vivier demonstrates that the valuation of Ravalomanana's holdings and his annual revenue in particular were significantly underestimated.


title: Marc Ravalomanana

text: The benefits of economic growth during the Ravalomanana administration were not evenly distributed, leading to higher costs of living for all Malagasy and a deepening poverty among much of the population with fewer able to increase their wealth. Detractors indicate a decline in purchasing power and dramatic inflation early in Ravalomanana's presidency as evidence of a failure to reduce poverty. Ravalomanana's critics remarked that the greatest beneficiary of his reforms and policies was the president himself, giving the example of road construction projects that enabled Tiko to distribute more efficiently as well as the farmers and other small businesspeople targeted by the initiative. Furthermore, his own companies tended to be awarded most of the government contracts for which they bid, although this occurred transparently and legally, due to a weak legal framework around conflict of interest. Critics condemned his tendency to make unilateral decisions and disregard the views of his entourage, a number of whom resigned or were dismissed. Many joined an opposition movement that had gained considerable strength by late 2007.


title: Marc Ravalomanana

text: On 13 December 2008, the government closed Viva TV, owned by mayor of Antananarivo Andry Rajoelina, stating that a Viva interview with exiled former head of state Didier Ratsiraka was "likely to disturb peace and security". This move catalyzed the political opposition and a public already dissatisfied with other recent actions undertaken by Ravalomanana, including a July 2008 deal with Daewoo Logistics to lease half the island's arable land for South Korean cultivation of corn and palm oil, and the November 2008 purchase of a second presidential jet at a cost of 60 million U.S. dollars. Within a week, Rajoelina met with twenty of Madagascar's most prominent opposition leaders (referred in the press as the "Club of 20"), to develop a joint statement demanding that the Ravalomanana administration improves its adherence to democratic principles. The demand was broadcast at a press conference, where Rajoelina promised to dedicate a politically open public space in the capital, which he would call Place de la democratie ("Democracy Square").


title: Marc Ravalomanana

text: Popular disapproval of Ravalomanana intensified, conflicts between pro-Rajoelina demonstrators and security forces continued over the following weeks, resulting in several additional deaths. On 11 March, following a declaration of neutrality by army leadership, pro-opposition soldiers from the Army stormed the army headquarters and forced the army chief of staff to resign. Over the next several days the army deployed forces to enable the opposition to occupy key ministries, the chief of military police transferred his loyalty to Rajoelina and the army sent tanks against the presidential Iavoloha Palace. Rajoelina rejected Ravalomanana's offer on 15 March to hold a national referendum. The following day, the army stormed the Ambohitsorohitra Palace and captured the Central Bank. Hours later, Ravalomanana transferred his power to a group of senior army personnel. Ravalomanana later declared he had been forced at gunpoint to relinquish power. A military council would have been charged with organizing elections within 24 months and re-writing the constitution for the "Fourth Republic". However, Vice Admiral Hyppolite Ramaroson announced on 18 March that the council would transfer power directly to Rajoelina, making him president of the opposition-dominated High Transitional Authority (HAT) that he had appointed weeks earlier.


title: Mirgissa

text: While eleven forts were built during the reign of Senusret III in the region between the 2nd and 3rd cataracts, including Shalfak, Uronarti, Askut, Semna, Kumma, and Sumna South, Mirgissa was the largest of them. The great fortress covered more than 40,000 square metres (430,000 sq ft). Its double wall with bastions and square-cornered towers, 12 metres (39 ft) high, protected the city. The walls were more than 6 metres (20 ft) thick and over 10 metres (33 ft) high. Both entrances were protected by a ditch. The south side, facing the Nile, was protected by a fortified wall, which perfectly fit the rocky peaks on which it was underpinned. Two enormous gates were flanked to the north and near the southeast corner of the river. The north gate had a narrow passage, its access blocked by two massive wooden doors and a portcullis. Angled bedding-planes enabled the uphill brickwork. Excavations revealed a small temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor and a stele mentioning this goddess as the mistress of Iken; this discovery enabled positive identification of the fortress.


title: Gibberellin

text: Gibberellins are involved in the natural process of breaking dormancy and other aspects of germination. Before the photosynthetic apparatus develops sufficiently in the early stages of germination, the stored energy reserves of starch nourish the seedling. Usually in germination, the breakdown of starch to glucose in the endosperm begins shortly after the seed is exposed to water. Gibberellins in the seed embryo are believed to signal starch hydrolysis through inducing the synthesis of the enzyme α-amylase in the aleurone cells. In the model for gibberellin-induced production of α-amylase, it is demonstrated that gibberellins (denoted by GA) produced in the scutellum diffuse to the aleurone cells, where they stimulate the secretion α-amylase. α-Amylase then hydrolyses starch, which is abundant in many seeds, into glucose that can be used in cellular respiration to produce energy for the seed embryo. Studies of this process have indicated gibberellins cause higher levels of transcription of the gene coding for the α-amylase enzyme, to stimulate the synthesis of α-amylase.


title: The Short Game

text: Los Angeles Times critic Annlee Ellingson describes the movie as a "warts-and-all" depiction of youth golfers that is similar to the 2002 documentary film Spellbound about the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Nicolas Rapold of The New York Times also notes that the movie was probably modeled after Spellbound and raved about the movie's uninhibited cuteness. Rapold compared the introductions to reality shows but notes that some of the subjects such as Kournikova and his mother are more fleshed out than others. Golf Digest critic John Strege said that "The toxic mix of youth sports and overzealous parents threatened to hijack" the film but the subjects themselves were so entertaining that the movie was not a loss. Boston Globe critic Michael Whitmer says the results of Greenbaum's feature film debut were compelling although tinged with discomfort. USA Today critic Scott Bowles described the film as upbeat and noted that "...for astute viewers and golf fans, Short hits the green consistently and is, at times, a hole-in-one."


title: Helwig Dieterich

text: Dieterich was born in Kyrtorf in Hesse-Darmstadt, son of the priest and theologian Johannes and Barbara Reichard. His father later became a superintendent at Giessen where Dieterich went to study from 1615. After some studies in theology and language, he shifted to medicine and chemistry at Tübingen, then Altdorf and Wittenberg. At Tübingen he studied under Jacob Müller and at Altdorf he studied under Caspar Hoffmann. At Wittenberg he studied under Daniel Sennert. He travelled in Italy around 1625 and worked at Rüeber's Apotheke zum Löwen in Ulm with studies under the physician Sebastian Stromeier. He received a doctoral degree in 1627 at Strasbourg under J. R. Salzmann. The next year he became a physician to the Landgrave Georg II of Hesse-Darmstadt and then to Georg Wilhelm of Brandenburg. In 1633 he accompanied the Landgrave to Dresden to attend a meeting with Johann Georg, Elector of Saxony. In 1638 he was called to treat Prince Christian whose leg had been injured by a carriage wheel running over it. The treatment with astringents and tight binding had caused gangrene and other complications. Dieterich stayed at Nykjøbing Castle for a year but when the Elector died in 1640, it was said that Dieterich's cures may have hastened the death. He had made use of antimony and mercury in the treatments. He then worked for Duke Frederik III of Holsten-Gottorp and then King Christian IV who made him his physician. In 1652 Otto Tachenius claimed that Dieterich was a charlatan. Dieterich had apparently promised a treatment for the King consisting of Aurum potabile (gold tonic) and subsequently giving the king a fake medicine and stealing the gold for himself. Dieterich lost his position in 1646 after poor treatments.


title: Titulus pictus

text: The structure of the titulus pictus differed depending on its usage. The most intricate tituli were for Spanish oil amphorae. Usually, these tituli were painted in black, and indicated the amphora's weight, contents, producer, and owner's name in the genitive case. Wine Tituli from Crete were written in Greek, Latin, or both. These inscriptions informed the reader of the qualities of the wine, the volume of the container, the date, the origin, and the owner (whose name was written in red and the dative case). The colors of the tituli conveyed information about its source. For example, white tituli were used to refer to producers. Red ones meant that the producer was a local producer. Black tituli meant the owners were wholesale traders. Different grammatical cases had different meanings when used in the titulus pictus. The dative case was used to show the recipient or buyer of the good. The genitive case was used to identify the producer and owner of the product. The ablative case was used to identify the consignor of the goods. The nominative case was used to identify the consumer or wholesaler.


title: Upper Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey

text: In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 65.3% of the vote (1,102 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 33.1% (558 votes), and other candidates with 1.6% (27 votes), among the 1,699 ballots cast by the township's 2,395 registered voters (12 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 70.9%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 1,173 votes (64.8% vs. 46.6% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 595 votes (32.9% vs. 50.4%) and other candidates with 23 votes (1.3% vs. 1.6%), among the 1,810 ballots cast by the township's 2,449 registered voters, for a turnout of 73.9% (vs. 71.8% in Salem County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 1,192 votes (64.4% vs. 52.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 621 votes (33.6% vs. 45.9%) and other candidates with 29 votes (1.6% vs. 1.0%), among the 1,850 ballots cast by the township's 2,477 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.7% (vs. 71.0% in the whole county).


title: Liberation of Paris

text: The French Resistance began to rise against the Germans in Paris on 15 August, but the Allies were still pushing the Germans toward the Rhine and did not want to get embroiled in a battle for the liberation of Paris. The Allies thought that it was too early to take Paris. They were aware that Adolf Hitler had ordered the German military to completely destroy the city in the event of an Allied attack. Paris was considered to have too great a value, culturally and historically, to risk its destruction. They were also keen to avoid a drawn-out battle of attrition like during the Battle of Stalingrad and the Siege of Leningrad. It was also estimated that in the event of a siege, 4,000 short tons (3,600 t) of food per day, as well as significant amounts of building materials, manpower and engineering skill, would be required to feed the population after the liberation of Paris. Basic utilities would have to be restored and transportation systems rebuilt. All of those supplies were needed in other areas of the war effort. De Gaulle was concerned that military rule by Allied forces would be implemented in France with the implementation of the Allied Military Government for Occupied Territories. That administration which had been planned by the American Chiefs of Staff had been approved by US President Franklin Roosevelt but had been opposed by Eisenhower. Nevertheless, De Gaulle, upon learning the French Resistance had risen up against the German occupiers and unwilling to allow his countrymen to be slaughtered as was happening to the Polish Resistance during the Warsaw Uprising, petitioned for an immediate frontal assault. He threatened to detach the French 2nd Armored Division (2e DB) and to order it to attack single-handedly the German forces in Paris and to bypass the SHAEF chain of command if Eisenhower delayed approval unduly.


title: Liberation of Paris

text: The liberation was ongoing, but it became apparent that food in Paris was getting scarcer by the day. The French rail network had largely been destroyed by Allied bombing and so getting food in had become a problem, especially since the Germans had stripped Paris of its resources for themselves. The Allies realised the necessity to get Paris back on its feet and pushed a plan for food convoys to get through to the capital as soon as possible. In addition, surrounding towns and villages were requested to supply as much to Paris as possible. The Civil Affairs of SHAEF authorised the import of up to 2,400 tons of food per day at the expense of the military effort. A British food convoy labelled 'Vivres Pour Paris' entered on 29 August, US supplies were flown in via Orléans Airport before they were sent in. Also, 500 tons were delivered a day by the British and another 500 tons by the Americans. Along with French civilians outside Paris bringing in indigenous resources, the food crisis had been overcome within ten days.


title: Sound reinforcement system

text: The processed input signals are then mixed to the master faders on the console. The next step in the signal path generally depends on the size of the system in place. In smaller systems, the main outputs are often sent to an additional equalizer, or directly to a power amplifier, with one or more loudspeakers (typically two, one on each side of the stage in smaller venues, or a large number in big venues) that are connected to that amplifier. In large-format systems, the signal is typically first routed through an equalizer then to a crossover. A crossover splits the signal into multiple frequency bands with each band being sent to separate amplifiers and speaker enclosures for low, middle, and high-frequency signals. Low-frequency signals are sent to amplifiers and then to subwoofers, and middle and high-frequency sounds are typically sent to amplifiers which power full-range speaker cabinets. Using a crossover to separate the sound into low, middle and high frequencies can lead to a "cleaner", clearer sound (see bi-amplification) than routing all of the frequencies through a single full-range speaker system. Nevertheless, many small venues still use a single full-range speaker system, as it is easier to set up and less expensive.


title: Sound reinforcement system

text: Using equalizers, frequencies that are too weak, such as a singer with modest projection in their lower register, can be boosted. Frequencies that are too loud, such as a "boomy" sounding bass drum, or an overly resonant dreadnought guitar can be cut. Sound reinforcement systems typically use graphic equalizers with one-third octave frequency centers. These are typically used to equalize output signals going to the main loudspeaker system or the monitor speakers on stage. Parametric equalizers are often built into each channel in mixing consoles, typically for the mid-range frequencies. They are also available as separate rack-mount units that can be connected to a mixing board. Parametric equalizers typically use knobs and sometimes buttons. The audio engineer can select which frequency band to cut or boost, and then use additional knobs to adjust how much to cut or boost this frequency range. Parametric equalizers first became popular in the 1970s and have remained the program equalizer of choice for many engineers since then.


title: Sound reinforcement system

text: A high-pass (low-cut) and/or low-pass (high-cut) filter may also be included on equalizers or audio consoles. High-pass and low-pass filters restrict a given channel's bandwidth extremes. Cutting very low-frequency sound signals (termed infrasonic, or subsonic) reduces the waste of amplifier power which does not produce audible sound and which moreover can be hard on the subwoofer drivers. A low-pass filter to cut ultrasonic energy is useful to prevent interference from radio frequencies, lighting control, or digital circuitry creeping into the power amplifiers. Such filters are often paired with graphic and parametric equalizers to give the audio engineer full control of the frequency range. High-pass filters and low-pass filters used together function as a band-pass filter, eliminating undesirable frequencies both above and below the auditory spectrum. A band-stop filter, does the opposite. It allows all frequencies to pass except for one band in the middle. A feedback suppressor, using an microprocessor, automatically detects the onset of feedback and applies a narrow band-stop filter (a notch filter) at specific frequency or frequencies pertaining to the feedback.


title: Sound reinforcement system

text: Monitor loudspeakers, also called foldback loudspeakers, are speaker cabinets used onstage to help performers to hear their singing or playing. As such, monitor speakers are pointed towards a performer or a section of the stage. They are generally sent a different mix of vocals or instruments than the mix that is sent to the main loudspeaker system. Monitor loudspeaker cabinets are often a wedge shape, directing their output upwards towards the performer when set on the floor of the stage. Simple two-way, dual-driver designs with a speaker cone and a horn are common, as monitor loudspeakers need to be smaller to save space on the stage. These loudspeakers typically require less power and volume than the main loudspeaker system, as they only need to provide sound for a few people who are in relatively close proximity to the loudspeaker. Some manufacturers have designed loudspeakers for use either as a component of a small PA system or as a monitor loudspeaker. A number of manufacturers produce powered monitor speakers, which contain an integrated amplifier.


title: Shaybanids

text: As the Shaybanids set out to make Bukhara the cultural and architectural capital of their dynasty, countless building ventures transformed the city under their rule. Bukhara's grand mosque, the Kalan Mosque, was built in 1121 C.E. However, under the Shaybanids in the early 16th century, it was entirely reconstructed with the addition of stone columns, arches, and 288 vaults. The mosque was part of a religious complex that also consisted of a five-domed palace and a mosque. In 1530, under the rule of Ubaydullah, the Mir Arab Madrasa was added to the complex, in honor of a Sheikh known as Mir Arab. Opposite the Kalan Mosque, the Mir Arab Madrasa stood tall with two-story classrooms surrounding a central courtyard. The interior of much of the complex was decorated with plaster-carved ceilings and extensive colorful tilework. However, much of the tilework and wall inscriptions have not survived. In the second part of the 16th century, a north-south major roadway and an east-west passage were built throughout the city of Bukhara. In the years between 1562 and 1587, the north-south artery of the city housed the Charsu market development, which included three covered markets: The Goldsmiths' Dome, the Hatsellers' Dome, and the Moneychangers' Dome. These markets, called taks for their multiple domes, were all less than 500m away from each other. Moreover, all around these covered markets were caravanserais and large madrasas that accommodated hundreds of people and students. Together, this created a lively central environment that supported the trade of an abundance of goods.


title: Lauren Ebsary

text: Despite the lack of success at youth interstate level, Ebsary was promoted into the senior South Australian team in the 2000–01 season at the age of 17, playing in all of her state's eight matches in the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL). She made her debut against reigning champions New South Wales, and after not batting, took one wicket for the loss of six runs (1/6) from two overs as South Australia lost by seven wickets. In the next match of the double-header the next day, she took 0/15 from two overs and was run out for a duck in her maiden senior innings in a 22-run loss. During the season, Ebsary often batted at the bottom of the order in a specialist bowler's position and thus rarely batted, but she hardly bowled, delivering only six overs in total in her first seven matches. In effect, she was shielded from taking on a meaningful workload and not trusted to contribute with either bat or ball. In the last match of the season, she was finally given a substantial opportunity against Queensland, taking 3/21 from seven overs, as South Australia proceeded to a six-wicket victory. Nevertheless, in eight matches she scored only six runs at 2.00 in three innings, and took five wickets at a bowling average of 9.40 and an economy rate of 3.61. South Australia won only three matches and did not make the finals.


title: Lauren Ebsary

text: The transfer, in 2007, coincided with an upturn in Ebsary's career. After a slow start in the new WNCL season—Western Australia lost their first five matches—Ebsary became more productive. She scored 30 of 141 and took 1/16 in a low-scoring win over New South Wales in the sixth match. In the last double-header of the season, against Queensland, she made consecutive half-centuries for the first time in her career. In the first match she made 72 before taking 4/46 to help secure a 104-run win, before scoring 62 the next day to lay the foundation for a five-wicket win. Ebsary scored 236 runs at 29.50; her previous best WNCL aggregate was 149. However, she did have trouble in running between the wickets; three of her eight dismissals were run outs. She took eight wickets at 33.87 at an economy rate of 4.43 and had a workload more than 50% heavier than in previous seasons. Ebsary was not as successful in the fledgling Twenty20 format; in two matches for the season, her first in the most abbreviated form of cricket, she scored 33 runs at 16.50 and conceded 51 runs at an economy rate of 7.46 without taking a wicket. Ebsary later said "Looking back, the move to the West has been the best thing for my cricket...After settling our line-up, it gave me a chance to let loose at the top of the order and helped my confidence to be aggressive at the batting crease...Under the leadership of Avril Fahey, the West Aussies were very welcoming and I found my groove at the top of the order."


title: Lauren Ebsary

text: Bowling in the middle of the innings, she then took 1/17 from five overs, her maiden wicket being Thirush Kamini caught behind by wicket-keeper Jodie Fields for one run, leaving India at 5/71 in the 26th over. She then claimed two catches to complete the eighth and ninth wickets—those of tail-enders Amita Sharma and Nooshin Al Khadeer—as Australia won by 86 runs. Ebsary went on to play in the last four matches of the series. She was promoted to the No. 4 position in the next match, but failed to capitalise on her opportunity, making a duck. She bowled five overs without taking a wicket in a 54-run win. She then made 32 from 43 balls as an opener, hitting six boundaries in the fourth ODI at Manuka Oval in Canberra, helping to set up a 118-run win. In the final match, she took 1/13 from four overs, taking the wicket of leading Indian batsman Mithali Raj and was not required to bat in a seven-wicket win. She ended her debut series with 37 runs at 18.50 and two wickets at 34.50 at an economy rate of 3.83. Australia took the series 5–0 in a dominant display; all their wins were by at least seven wickets or 54 runs.


title: Lauren Ebsary

text: In two warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup in Australia, Ebsary made 18 and 8 against England and Sri Lanka respectively. Nevertheless, Ebsary was retained for the match against New Zealand, scoring one at No. 7 as Australia failed in their run-chase. It was the start of a tournament in which Ebsary was moved around in the Australian team structure. Ebsary was dropped for the second match against South Africa, which Australia won, and recalled for the last group match against the West Indies. She made 15 from 28 balls at No. 5, in a 47-run win to reach the next round. In the first Super Six match, Ebsary made 39 not out from 36 balls at No. 7 in the closing stages of the game, attempting to hold together the Australian lower-order as they fell 16 runs short of India's 5/234. She was then promoted to No. 3 in the following match, making 51 from 71 balls against Pakistan after Leah Poulton and Shelley Nitschke had put on a century opening stand, as the Australians completed a 107-run win. Ebsary was left out of the final Super Six match against England, which Australia won, which was not enough for them to reach the final. She missed the third-place playoff against India, which was lost. She ended with 106 runs at 35.33 from her four matches.


title: Horace Secrist

text: Secrist published thirteen textbooks in statistics and economics. In several of his publications on economics, particularly in The Triumph of Mediocrity in Business , the result of a decade's investigation by Secrist and his assistants of 49 department stores and of businesses in 73 other fields, he argued that over time, competitive forces under free enterprise cause the success of better-run businesses to decline and that of weaker businesses to increase, leading to an inevitable predominance of mediocrity in American business; Secrist recommended governmental protection of the better businesses to offset this effect. Mathematical statistician Harold Hotelling pointed out in a review, and in a subsequent rebuttal of Secrist's response, that this argument constituted a misunderstanding of regression to the mean, which ensured the observed effect given the method of grouping of the observed results that Secrist had used. Secrist stated in his preface that in addition to exhaustive testing of his results on different areas of business, he had asked 38 American and European statisticians and economists to review them. The book has since been frequently used as a bad example in publications on statistics.


title: Fortnite Festival

text: Fortnite Festival is developed by Harmonix, the developers of the Rock Band series and the first few Guitar Hero games. The game was conceived as part of Epic's goal to expand the experiences within Fortnite, which included Lego Fortnite and Rocket Racing. According to Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopolous, their goal was to create a free-to-play rhythm game available to the millions of players of Fortnite, with songs freely available in a manner that allowed for dynamic and quick expansion to the in-game library, while also being favorable for music publishers in order to aid this. Alongside the Festival Stage and Jam Stage, Harmonix also developed the "Patchwork" system, which could be used within user-made Fortnite Creative experiences or in Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) applications to allow creators to incorporate dynamic music systems into their creations. Fortnite Festival was revealed on December 2, 2023, during an in-game Battle Royale event titled the "Big Bang." A part of the event featured Eminem performing "Lose Yourself" as an in-game concert, with players able to perform the notes of the song as the first reveal of Festival's gameplay.


title: Fortnite Festival

text: Critics were divided on Festival's gameplay, with many pointing out it was similar to previous Harmonix games with few difference; PC Gamer's Mollie Taylor believed that some song charts were repurposed from previous games. Bailey Dustin of GamesRadar+ wrote that the game had a "winning formula," believing that it worked well like previous Harmonix games that built up the formula for years. He stated that, while he found Lego Fortnite and Rocket Racing to have more content, Festival was the one that "captured heart" and where he looked forward to future content the most. Conversely, Taylor described the game as "awfully barebones" compared to previous Harmonix games, believing there to be a lack of polish in certain areas and found the game to be unenjoyable when playing an instrument that a song didn't utilize well. Nevertheless, she described the game as a "great introduction", though one that needed more work. IGN's Luke Reilly echoed similar thoughts to Taylor and Dustin, believing the lack of features from previous Harmonix games led to "isolating gameplay" that could make Fortnite players into rhythm game fans, but not vice versa.


title: Mariadas Ruthnaswamy

text: In 1925, Ruthnaswamy was elected President, Madras Legislative Council at a young age of 40, which he was to hold with distinction for a year. The Madras Legislative Council with 132 members had luminaries like S. Satyamurthi, Raja of Panagal, PT Rajan, S. Srinivasa Ayyangar, Arcot Ramaswami Mudaliar and Dr P Subbarayan among others. The Governor had a 4 Member Executive Council -N E Majoribanks (Revenue), Khan Bahadur Mohammad Usman of Madras (Home), T E Moir (Finance)and A.Y.G. Campbell (Law). Chief Minister was Raja of Panagal two other Ministers being A.P Patro and T N Sivagnanam Pillai. Recognising his manifold talents in Constitutional Law, he was nominated as Member, Central Legislative Assembly in 1927. In 1928 he became the first Indian Principal, Madras Law College, Madras, a position that was held by Ruthnaswamy till 1930. In 1930 Ruthnaswamy became Member, Madras Service Commission, a post he held with distinction for 12 years . The Madras Service Commission was the forerunner on the present day Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission. Madras Service Commission came into being through an Act in 1929, the Madras Presidency had the unique honour of being the first among all the Presidencies to establish a Service Commission. It had 3 Members. Soon after leaving the Madras Service Commission, he became Vice-Chancellor, Annamalai University, which he held for 2 terms – 1942–1948


title: Mariadas Ruthnaswamy

text: Ruthnaswamy was not a believer in Nehruvian socialism which led to "permit raj" which meant government's role in commanding heights of the economy. Once the formation of the Swatantra Party was announced in Madras on 6 June 1959 by C. Rajagopalachari and Minoo Masani, one of the earliest members were Ruthnaswamy, NG Ranga, Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa and the Maharaja of Patiala. Prof. N.G. Ranga one of the founders of the Swatantra Party mentioned, "Decades later, when we formed the Swatantra Party with the blessings of Sri Rajagopalachari... with myself as the President, Ruthnaswami was good enough to join it and we were all happy to elect him as its Vice-President..... We elected Ruthnaswami to the Rajya Sabha for 2 terms.. He was however eloquent and persuasive advocate. He was listened to with great respect. Ruthnaswami wanted priority to be given to coordination of opposition because he was particular about bi-partisan Parliamentarianism. All our efforts to help Swatantra, Janata, B.K.D and Praja parties to combine or to coordinate failed... Ruthnaswami felt deeply disappointed about the prospects for Indian democracy Erdman in his book was to remark "..highly regarded was Ruthnaswamy one of the founding fathers of Swatantra...Ruthnaswamy remained aloof from organised politics until Swatantra was established. Ruthnaswamy with Dahyabhai Patel, he was Swatantra's ablest spokesman in the Rajya Sabha, and after the resignation of Paliwal, was named as the Vice-President of the party"


title: Mariadas Ruthnaswamy

text: His speeches in Parliament covered a wide range of subject, clear and incisive, for instance on Railways "as for the chronic overcrowding in third class carriages, it was the routine complaint of the representatives of the people against the old British Administration. It is tragic to find this complaint has still justification in these years of freedom and independence". On Foreign policy " Now, the independence of Tibet is absolutely necessary for the defence of India. ....we should have protested against the occupation of Tibet by China.... we allowed Tibet to be gobbled up by China" a few months later China attacked India on 20 October 1962 with disastrous consequences, on University Grants Commission Decrying less money was spent for the endowment of teaching, that "buildings seem to be the preoccupation of our Vice-Chancellors and our Senates and academic councils", he was to foresee what was to happen 50 years later when Vice-Chancellor, University of Hyderabad went further when he spent a whopping sum of Rs 30.1 million on renovation of his bungalow by reducing amount to be spent on research and scholarships


title: Mariadas Ruthnaswamy

text: In Prof. N.G. Ranga Papers the veteran Parliamentarian who held the Guinness World Record for being the longest serving Parliamentarian mentions "Prof. M. Ruthnaswami lived as a exemplary scholar, educationalist, administrator and champion of backward classes and minorities. Ruthnaswami proved to be an efficient Principal (in Pachiappas College) a good Professor of History and Politics....subsequently as Principal of the prestigious (Madras) Law College.. he proved to be as great a success. After that successful career, the Madras Government appointed him successively as a Member and Chairman of the Public Service Commission. He rose to be Vice-Chancellor of Annamalai University. Ruthnaswami proved to be a great administrator in all these three (positions) All three of us (C.Rajagopalachari, Prof. M. Ruthnaswami and Prof. N.G. Ranga).. us have been social revolutionaries. Prof Ruthnaswamy and myself stood for "Self Respect" and uplift of the socially Backward Classes and non-caste social hegemony in Indian democracy...He was socially related to my old friend Sri(R.N.) Arogyaswami Mudaliar .. all three of us used to meet as good friends and exchange thoughts in good humour Lawrence Sundaram in his book Anjali mentions "Apart from his brilliance as a scholar and writer, Mr Ruthnaswamy was a man of solid personal religious faith....He had an intellectual sharpness of a Newman... Adjectives like "pious" or "devoted"or exemplary" are too weak to describe the manly robustness with which he practised his religious beliefs. An untiring reader of books on all subjects he wrote and spoke with a command of his matter, that came from the vastness of his reading and his assimilation of it. His mind was alert when his body was enfeebled even at the age of 93 and till the end he wielded his pen with a mastery that others could envy from a great distance


title: White band disease

text: Since white band disease was first reported in the 1970s, the disease has led to the devastation of approximately 95% of the elkhorn and staghorn corals in the Caribbean region. This resulted in both affected species being listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act and as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. The decline in these corals has a lasting effect on both humans and the environment. Coral reefs protect coastlines from ocean currents, waves, and storms, and the death of these corals only increases the loss of coastlines in affected regions. Elkhorn and staghorn corals are two of the major reef-building corals, the foundation on which the rest of the coral reef is formed. Its loss means the loss of a habitat for many coral reef dwelling species such as lobsters, parrot-fish, snapper shrimps, and many other reef species, causing a sharp decline in the biodiversity of an affected region. Coral reefs are also home to more than twenty-five percent of all marine fish species, making them extremely biologically diverse. The loss of this coral would be particularly damaging to people living on the coast in terms of the food supply, coastal protection, economic security and more. Nearly 500 million people directly depend on coral reefs for food and income (through tourism or otherwise).


title: White band disease

text: Elkhorn coral absorbs much carbon dioxide from the ocean every year, preventing ocean acidification and ocean temperature increases. Upon decomposing, Elkhorn coral releases its sequestered carbon dioxide back into the ocean, heating it and contributing to acidification. White band disease threatens more than just the coral with its lethal touch. In recent decades, the coral cover in coral reefs has been declining, providing for a transitional increase in the fleshy macroalgae cover in the Caribbean region as more and more filamentous algae colonize inside of the coral skeletons. The death of elkhorn and staghorn corals also substantially reduces coral cover and provides substratum space for further algal growth. Prospects are poor for the recovery of the elkhorn coral, given its asexual method of reproduction, which relies on coral fragments breaking off from the main body and growing in a new area. Staghorn coral also relies on asexual fragmentation as its primary method of reproduction, however, staghorn coral possesses a higher rate of sexual recruitment than Elkhorn coral.


title: White band disease

text: White band disease is highly contagious through direct contact between diseased and healthy coral tissue. It can also be transmitted by the corallivorous snail, which means that the species consumes coral, Coralliophila abbreviata. C. abbreviata, a species native to the region where Elkhorn and Staghorn corals are found, is able to act as a "reservoir" for white band disease, meaning that it is able to retain the disease pathogen for at least two weeks. However, not all corallivorous snails are able to transmit white band disease (i.e. Coralliophila caribaea). Waterborne transmission of the disease pathogen becomes possible when the coral tissue is lesioned (or otherwise injured). However, the potential for injury among the affected corals tends to be high given the many ways tissue injury may occur naturally including competition by other corals, mechanical damage, or corallivory by snails, damselfish, butterflyfish, fireworms, or other such aquatic organisms. Waterborne transmission helps to explain how the disease spread across the Caribbean so rapidly, given that direct contact between affected corals is limited to physical interaction between the diseased and healthy coral and that the corallivorous snail, C. abbreviata that carries the disease, does not travel across long distances.


title: Thomas James

text: The "Index Alphabeticus" the first catalog compiled by James, which consisted of 8,700 entries, appeared in July 1605. It was dedicated to Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, at the suggestion of Bodley (who thought that 'more reward was to be gained from the prince than from the king'). It includes both printed books and manuscripts, arranged alphabetically under the four classes of theology, medicine, law, and arts. A continuation of this classified index, embracing writers on arts and sciences, geography and history, is to be found in Rawlinson MS. Miscell. 730, drawn up by James after quitting the library. An alphabetical catalogue prepared by him in 1613 was not printed, but remained in the library. A second edition of the catalogue appeared in 1620. It abandoned the classified arrangement of the former catalogue, and adopts only one alphabet of names. There was also issued in 1635 'Catalogus Interpretum S. Scripturæ juxta numerorum ordinem qui extant in Bibliotheca Bodleiana olim a D. Jamesio ... concinnatus, nunc vero altera fere parte auctior redditus. ... Editio correcta,' Oxford. In 1604, Bodley noted some errors James had made in cataloguing the Hebrew manuscripts, suggesting that James should check with scholars fluent in Hebrew.


title: Literacy

text: Between 3500 BCE and 3000 BCE, in southern Mesopotamia, the ancient Sumerians invented writing. During this era, literacy was "a largely functional matter, propelled by the need to manage the new quantities of information and the new type of governance created by trade and large scale production". Early writing systems first emerged as a recording system in which people used tokens with impressed markings to manage trade and agricultural production. The token system served as a precursor to early cuneiform writing once people began recording information on clay tablets. Proto-Cuneiform texts exhibit not only numerical signs but also ideograms depicting objects being counted. Though the traditional view had been that cuneiform literacy was restricted to a class of scribes, assyriologists including Claus Wilcke and Dominique Charpin have argued that functional literacy was somewhat widespread by the Old Babylonian period. Nonetheless, professional scribes became central to law, finances, accounting, government, administration, medicine, magic, divination, literature, and prayers.


title: Literacy

text: During the 4th and 5th centuries, the Church made efforts to ensure a better clergy, especially the bishops, who were expected to have a classical education—the hallmark of a socially acceptable person in higher society. Even after the remnants of the Western Roman Empire fell in the 470s, literacy continued to be a distinguishing mark of the elite, as communication skills were still important in political and church life (bishops were largely drawn from the senatorial class) in a new cultural synthesis that made "Christianity the Roman religion". However, these skills were less needed in the absence of a large imperial administrative apparatus whose middle and top echelons were dominated by the elite. Even so, in pre-modern times, it is unlikely that literacy was found in more than about 30–40% of the population. During the Dark Ages, the highest percentage of literacy was found among the clergy and monks, as they made up much of the staff needed to administer the states of western Europe.


title: Literacy

text: However, the distinction between literacy and illiteracy is not clear-cut. Given that having a literate person in the household confers many of the benefits of literacy, some recent literature in economics, starting with the work of Kaushik Basu and James Foster, distinguishes between a "proximate illiterate" and an "isolated illiterate". A "proximate illiterate" lives in a household with literate members, while an "isolated illiterate" lives in a household where everyone is illiterate. Isolated illiteracy is more common among older populations in wealthier nations, where people are less likely to live in multigenerational households with potentially literate relatives. A 2018/2019 UNESCO report noted that "conversely, in low and lower middle income countries, isolated illiteracy is concentrated among younger people," along with increased rates among rural populations and women. This evidence indicates that illiteracy is a complex phenomenon with multiple factors impacting rates of illiteracy and the type of illiteracy one may experience.


title: Literacy

text: The traditional concept of literacy widened as a consensus emerged among researchers in composition studies, education research, and anthropological linguistics that it makes little sense to speak of reading or writing outside of a specific context, with linguist James Paul Gee describing it as "simply incoherent." For example, even the extremely early stages of acquiring mastery over symbol shapes take place in a particular social context (even if that context is "school"), and, after print acquisition, every instance of reading or writing will be for a specific purpose and occasion with particular readers and writers in mind. Reading and writing, therefore, are never separable from social and cultural elements. A corollary point made by David Barton and Rosalind Ivanić, among others, is that the cognitive and societal effects of acquiring literacy are not easily predictable, since, as Brian Street has argued, "the ways in which people address reading and writing are themselves rooted in conceptions of knowledge, identity, and being." Consequently, as Jack Goody has documented, historically, literacy has included the transformation of social systems that rely on literacy and the changing uses of literacy within those evolving systems.


title: Literacy

text: According to a study performed by ANOVA, multiple socioeconomic variables influence children, such as parental education level, parental occupation, health history, and even usage of technology within the home. With these factors in mind, their study showed that young children are especially susceptible to environmental factors, meaning socioeconomics affects them cognitively and can have adverse effects as their brains continue to develop. However, another study done by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) suggests a slightly different conclusion. While the study agrees that poverty negatively affects childhood literacy, some nuances are added. In both studies, children who experienced poverty scored lower in reading assessments, but the NLSY's study noted that the duration of poverty altered the literacy outcome. It found that children ages 5–11 who experienced "persistent poverty" were more adversely affected than their peers who never experienced poverty. The study acknowledged that other factors affected these children's reading scores, particularly maternal influence. The mothers of these households were scaled based on a "home environment" score, which measured their emotional and verbal responsiveness, acceptance, and involvement with the child and organization. Households experiencing poverty tended to have lower scores, and lower scores correlated with lower reading levels. The study also showed that the effects of poverty on child literacy differed by ethnicity, culture, and gender.


title: Literacy

text: In 2020, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics estimated the global literacy rate at 86.68%. It is important to understand how literacy rates have been measured in the past as well as how they are currently being measured. Starting in 1975, the head of a household answered a simple yes-or-no question asking whether household members could read and write; in 1988, some countries started using self-reporting as well. Self-reported data is subjective and has several limitations. First, a simple yes-or-no question does not capture the continuum of literacy. Second, self-reports are dependent on what each individual interprets "reading" and "writing" to mean. In some cultures, drawing a picture may be understood as writing one's name. Lastly, many of the surveys asked one individual to report literacy on behalf of others, which "introduces further noise, in particular when it comes to estimating literacy among women and children, since these groups are less often considered 'head of household'".


title: Literacy

text: In school, reading and writing are often taught as separate skills. However, children show curiosity about the written word and begin to experiment with both in a process of emergent literacy and making sense of (and using) the writing system they see used around them. Every new piece of writing draws on previous reading through a process of intertextuality, sometimes explicitly through citation, as in academic writing, and writing about reading is one of the major approaches for teaching writing in higher education. Intertextuality, however, can also be implicit through well-known, recognizable phrases from specific works or genres or through the development of a distinct writing style. Evidence has supported the integration of reading and writing at all levels of schooling, as improvement in one area supports the other. A series of metastudies have examined the effectiveness of various methods of teaching writing, revealing that attention to context, cognitive/motivational factors, and the instruction strategy, among other things, are important.


title: Literacy

text: Critiques of autonomous models of literacy notwithstanding, the belief that reading development is key to literacy remains dominant, at least in the United States, where it is understood as the progression of skills that begins with the ability to understand spoken words and decode written words and culminates in the deep understanding of the text. Reading development involves a range of complex language underpinnings, including awareness of speech sounds (phonology), spelling patterns (orthography), word meaning (semantics), syntax, and patterns of word formation (morphology), all of which provide a necessary platform for reading fluency and comprehension. Once these skills are acquired, it is believed a reader can attain full language literacy, which includes the abilities to apply to printed material critical analysis, inference, and synthesis; to write with accuracy and coherence; and to use information and insights from text as the basis for informed decisions and creative thought.


title: Literacy

text: There are a number of approaches to teaching reading. Each is shaped by its assumptions about what literacy is and how it is best learned by students. Phonics instruction, for example, focuses on reading at the level of letters or symbols and their sounds (i.e., sublexical). It teaches readers to decode the letters, or groups of letters, that make up a word. A common method of teaching phonics is synthetic phonics, in which a novice reader pronounces each individual sound and blends them to pronounce the whole word. Another approach is embedded phonics instruction, used more often in whole language reading instruction, in which novice readers learn about the individual letters in words on a just-in-time, just-in-place basis that is tailored to meet each student's reading and writing learning needs. That is, teachers provide phonics instruction opportunistically, within the context of stories or student writing that feature repeat instances of a particular letter or group of letters. Embedded instruction combines letter-sound knowledge with the use of meaningful context to read new and difficult words. Techniques such as directed listening and thinking activities can be used to aid children in learning how to read and in reading comprehension. For students at both primary and secondary levels, writing about what they read as they are learning to write has been found to also be effective in improving their reading skills.


title: Literacy

text: Formal higher education in the arts and sciences in Wales, from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, was limited to the wealthy and the clergy. Following the Roman occupation and the conquest by the English, education in Wales was at a low point during the early modern period; in particular, formal education was only available in English while the majority of the population spoke only Welsh. The first modern grammar schools were established in Welsh towns such as Ruthin, Brecon, and Cowbridge. One of the first modern national education methods to use the native Welsh language was started by Griffith Jones in 1731. Jones became rector of Llanddowror in 1716 and remained there for the rest of his life. He organized and introduced a Welsh language-circulating school system, which was attractive and effective for Welsh speakers, while also teaching them English, which gave them access to broader educational sources. The circulating schools may have taught half the country's population to read. Literacy rates in Wales by the mid-18th century were one of the highest.