Question: Where does the show "The Path" take place?

The Path is a TV series that unfolds in Upstate New York, centering on the Lane family, including Eddie, Sarah, Hawk, and Summer. They are all part of the Meyerist Movement, which is a blend of New Age philosophy, shamanism, Scientology, Christian mysticism, and Utopianism, incorporating elements from the Shakers, Sufism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Freemasonry. Eddie, after a spiritual retreat in Peru aimed at advancing his position within Meyerism, returns home with doubts about his faith due to a profound revelation. Concurrently, Sarah's friend and high-ranking Meyerist leader, Cal Roberts, is focused on expanding the movement's reach and managing the impending loss of their founder, Doctor Stephen Meyer.

In the season premiere "No Sanctuary", Maggie and the others escape from the cannibal compound of Terminus as Carol destroys the compound and infests with zombies. In the episode "Strangers", they meet Fr. Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam) who takes them to his church. In the episode "Four Walls and a Roof", they re-encounter Gareth and the Hunters, whom they massacred, although Maggie does not take part. In the morning, after much negotiation and Bob's death, Maggie agrees to go to Washington, DC to bring Eugene, a claimed scientist to government officials. In the episode "Self Help", along the way, he reveals he has lied. In the episode "Crossed", they return back to the church to meet Michonne, Carl and Gabriel. In the mid-season finale "Coda", Michonne reveals her sister is alive and being held in Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. However, by the time Maggie's group arrive, Beth has been killed in a hostage exchange and Maggie breaks down in tears. In the mid-season premiere "What Happened and What's Going On", in the aftermath, Maggie, now the lone surviving Greene, is depressed but agrees to go onto Washington regardless, in hopes of a safe haven, despite encountering another loss with Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman). In the episode "Them", Maggie is hostile towards Gabriel for abandoning his flock by locking them outside of his church. She bonds with the grieving Daryl and Sasha, before encountering Aaron (Ross Marquand), a recruiter for a community named Alexandria. In the episode "The Distance", while distrustful, they agree to go with him. In the episode "Remember", they meet leader and former congressperson, Deanna Monroe (Tovah Feldshuh) who assigns her as a personal assistant on the future operations of the town. In the episode "Forget", Maggie attends Deanna's party. In the episode "Spend", she overhears Gabriel telling Deanna about her group being dangerous. In the season finale, "Conquer", after Rick tries to resolve issues with the abusive doctor, Pete Anderson, she stands up for Rick's beliefs and questions Deanna's own leadership in trying to exile her friend. She then leaves to confront Gabriel and finds Sasha holding him at gunpoint but the three pray in healing, making peace at last.

Most episodes feature a storyline taking place in the present (2016–2018, contemporaneous with airing) and a storyline taking place at a set time in the past; but some episodes are set in one time period or use multiple flashback time periods. Flashbacks often focus on Jack and Rebecca c.1980 both before and after their babies' birth, or on the family when the Big Three are children (at least ages 8–10) or adolescents; these scenes usually take place in Pittsburgh, where the Big Three are born and raised. Various other time periods and locations have also served a settings. As adults, Kate lives in Los Angeles, Randall and his family are in New Jersey, and Kevin relocates from Los Angeles to New York City.

The drama is set in Los Angeles, California, where Irish-American Ray Donovan (Liev Schreiber), originally from South Boston, works for the powerful law firm Goldman & Drexler, representing the rich and famous. Donovan is a "fixer": a person who arranges bribes, payoffs, threats, and other shady activities, to ensure the outcome desired by the client. Good at his job, and no common hood, Ray is normally a devoted family man as well. He experiences his own problems when his menacing father, Mickey Donovan (Jon Voight), is unexpectedly released from prison, and the FBI attempts to bring down Ray and his associates.

Farmiga was born and raised in the Whitehouse Station area of Readington Township, New Jersey.[2] She is the youngest of seven children born to Ukrainian American parents Lubomyra (née Spas), a schoolteacher, and Michael Farmiga, a systems analyst.[3][4] Her older siblings are Victor, Vera, Stephan, Nadia, Alexander, and Laryssa; the latter of whom was born with spina bifida.[5][6][7] Farmiga's maternal grandparents, Nadia (née Pletenciw; 1925–2014) and Theodor Spas (1921–1990), met at a displaced persons camp in Karlsfeld during World War II.[8] She attended public school until fourth grade, after which she began homeschooling.[9] Farmiga has stated that she understands the Ukrainian language but can only partially speak it. She is proficient in American Sign Language, having taken classes for four years.[9]

The time period is from 1933 to 1946, during the Great Depression and World War II, during the presidential administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S Truman. The year 1933 is suggested by a reference to the opening of the Century of Progress exposition in Chicago, a brief shot of an automobile registration, and it is divulged in episode 18 that the date is in the spring of 1933.[3] The last episode of season one, "An Easter Story", is set in Februaryâ€“April 1934. The year 1934 takes two seasons to cover, while some successive years are covered over the course of a few months.[4]

Patricia Michelle Weezmer[a] (played by Dale Dickey) is a middle-aged prostitute in Camden County. She prefers to work during the daytime, exchanging sexual favors and other fetishes such as piggyback rides or massages at a major discount and often getting paid in fast food. She is often arrested. In the evening, she works as a waitress (episode "Monkeys Take a Bath") and has been involved in community theatre (episode "Inside Probe, Part 1"). She has also spent time outside of Camden: in her early 20s she was in Calcutta (episode "Number One"), and she also lived in La Paz, the same city as Catalina. (episode "Earl and Joy's Anniversary"). In the episode "Inside Probe, Part 1", it is revealed she was half-Cherokee and lived on an Indian reservation before her mother divorced her father, Chasing Squirrel.

Pellegrino appeared in season 7, episode 3 of The X-Files in November 1999. In 2001, he played an incompetent hitman in David Lynch's critically acclaimed Mulholland Drive. Pellegrino starred as Rita's abusive ex-con former husband Paul on Showtime's Dexter; and later as Lucifer on Supernatural and as the mysterious near-immortal Jacob on ABC's Lost. He has appeared on the television series Northern Exposure, ER, Without a Trace, NYPD Blue, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Knight Rider. He also is well known as the "Blond Thug" who stuffs The Dude's head down the toilet and drops his bowling ball, breaking the floor tile, in the cult film The Big Lebowski. He also is featured in National Treasure as the background FBI agent known as Agent Johnson. In 2005, Pellegino appeared in the Academy Award winning film Capote, playing murderer Dick Hickock.

The main story is set in Walton's Mountain, a fictional town at the foot of a mountain in fictitious Jefferson County, Virginia.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey (abbreviated RHONJ) is an American reality television series that premiered on May 12, 2009 on Bravo. Developed as the fourth installment of The Real Housewives franchise, following The Real Housewives of Orange County, New York City, and Atlanta, it has aired eight seasons and focuses on the personal and professional lives of several women residing in New Jersey.

Birdee Pruitt (Sandra Bullock) is a Chicago housewife who is invited onto the Toni Post talk show under the pretense of getting a free makeover but instead is ambushed with the revelation that her husband Bill has been having an affair with her best friend Connie (Rosanna Arquette). Humiliated on national television, Birdee and her precocious only daughter Bernice (Mae Whitman) move back to Birdee's hometown of Smithville, Texas, with Birdee's eccentric mother Ramona (Gena Rowlands) and her young, imaginative nephew Travis (Cameron Finley), to make a fresh start. As Birdee and Bernice leave Chicago, Birdee gives Bernice a letter from her father, telling Bernice how much he misses her.


Question: When was Clash Royale launched in the United States?

Clash Royale, a freemium mobile tower rush video game by Supercell, blending elements of collectible card games, tower defense, and multiplayer online battle arena, was launched worldwide on March 2, 2016. The game achieved a milestone of $1 billion in revenue within its first year of release.

The film was released on 1 September 2011 in Germany, 12 October 2011 in the United Kingdom and France and 21 October 2011 in the United States, Canada and Australia. Upon its release, it grossed $132 million against a production budget of $75 million and received negative critical reaction. Critics praised its action sequences, score, the performances of Macfadyen and Mikkelsen, and visual style but criticized its writing, direction and characters.

In May 2011, prior to first-season episodes of My Babysitter's a Vampire airing on Disney Channel (in the United States) and after certain episodes aired as sneak peeks on Teletoon/Télétoon (in Canada); Secret Location, with support from the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, began developing a video game for Teletoon and MBAV called "Humans vs. Vampires in 3D".[3] Humans vs. Vampires is a modern spin on classic arcade-style games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. In this badge system game, the user can play as either a human or a vampire, using over 30 battle moves to defy their opponent, including three special moves unique to each character. Each character has over 30 moves plus three special moves, players battle their way through five levels and five different opponents, with rivals getting increasingly more difficult to beat as the game progresses. The points that are scored get counted toward the overall site tally, which affect the outcome of the season finale.[22][23][24]

Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965 â€“ June 17, 2012) was a taxi driver who became internationally known after a tape was released of him being beaten on March 3, 1991, by Los Angeles Police Department officers following a high-speed car chase. A witness, George Holliday, videotaped much of the beating from his balcony, and sent the footage to local news station KTLA. The footage shows four officers surrounding King, several of them striking him repeatedly, while other officers stood by. Parts of the footage were aired around the world, and raised public concern about police treatment of minorities in the United States.

It was released in the United States on February 16, 2018, and made $1.9 million from 1,249 theaters in its opening weekend (an average of $1,556 per venue).[8]

Trophies are won or lost through multiplayer battles - a player wins a battle by destroying more towers than the opponent (each destroyed tower being represented as a 'crown'), or by destroying the opponent's King's Tower, resulting in an automatic "three-crown" victory (unless the King tower was destroyed at the same time by both players, resulting in a draw).

Outside North America, Pete's Dragon received a scattered release pattern.[35] The film was released day-and-date in conjucture with its U.S. premiere in 12 markets (roughly 30% of the overseas market), including the United Kingdom, Italy, and Russia.[24] It earned a total of $5.3 million, with Russia ($1.5 million), Italy ($1.4 million) and the U.K. ($1.1 million) representing its largest takings.[35] Moreover, it also opened in France ($1.8 million).[36] It had just a 1% drop in attendance in the U.K. in its second weekend.[36] It expanded to Germany the following weekend and continued its roll out in Australia, Mexico, Brazil and Korea throughout September, and finally Japan on December 23.[25][35]

The game was released on February 6, 2018 in North America, February 7 in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and February 8 in Japan.[11][12][13]

In the United States the episode received a 2.7/8 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, meaning that it was seen by 2.7 percent of all households, and 8 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast. It was watched by 7.39 million viewers.[8] The Canadian broadcast gained 1.76 million viewers, the third highest for that day and the ninth highest for the week.[9] The United Kingdom premiere had 2.52 million viewers[10] and in Australia, the premiere had 1.6 million viewers, including 0.7 million timeshifted viewers.[11] Within a week of its release, the episode was watched by 11.16 million U.S. viewers,[14] above the season average of 8.31.[15]

After a six-month beta period, Google publicly launched the service in the US on November 16, 2011, as "Google Music" with its "These Go to Eleven" announcement event. The event introduced several features of the service, including a music store integrated into the then-named Android Market, music sharing via the Google+ social network, "Artist Hub" pages for musicians to self-publish music, and song purchasing reflected on T-Mobile phone bills.[26][27][28] At launch, Google had partnerships with three major labels - Universal Music Group, EMI, and Sony Music Entertainment - along with other, smaller labels, although no agreement had been reached with Warner Music Group; in total, 13 million tracks were covered by these deals, 8 million of which were available for purchase on launch date.[29] To promote the launch, several artists released free songs and exclusive albums through the store; The Rolling Stones debuted the live recording Brussels Affair (Live 1973), and Pearl Jam released a live concert recorded in Toronto as 9.11.2011 Toronto, Canada.[30]

The U.S. launch of the Scion iQ EV was announced for 2012,[157][158] and according to Toyota, for the initial roll-out the iQ EV would not be available to individual consumers, instead, the carmaker decided to focus on fleet customers and car sharing programs.[159] The iQ EV was scheduled to be produced at Toyotaâ€™s Takaoka Plant in Toyota City beginning in August 2012 and the initial production was planned to be limited to 600 units, with 400 staying in Japan, 100 units destined to the U.S., and the other 100 for Europe.[160] In September 2012, Toyota announced that due to customers' concerns about range and charging time, the production of the Scion iQ (Toyota eQ in Japan) will be limited to about 100 units for special fleet use in Japan and the U.S. only. The iQ EV/eQ was scheduled to be released in both countries in December 2012.[161]


Question: When was Clash Royale launched in the United States?

Clash Royale, the popular mobile game, was initially soft-launched in select countries including Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, and parts of Scandinavia for iOS devices on January 4, 2016. It was later made available on Android for the same regions on February 16, 2016. The game's worldwide release for both iOS and Android platforms occurred on March 2, 2016. In the United States, Clash Royale became officially available to the public on this global release date.

Kung Fu Hustle premiered at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival.[41] It was later released across East Asia including China, Hong Kong and Malaysia in December 2004.[42] The film was first shown in the US at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2005,[43] and then opened in a general release on 22 April 2005 after being shown in Los Angeles and New York for two weeks.[44]

The show originally premiered on Teletoon on March 14, 2011 and on Télétoon on February 28, 2011. In the United States it premiered on June 27, 2011 on Disney Channel. In the UK and Ireland it premiered on October 4, 2011 on Disney Channel and in April 2012 on Disney XD. The series premiered in late 2011 in Australia and New Zealand.

The game was released in Japanese arcades in April 2014,[93] later being distributed for home platforms as both a paid downloadable update for Super Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, and as a standalone retail game.[94] The update version for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 was released on June 3, 2014, with the full retail versions to follow on August 5. The PC versions (both digital and retail) were released on August 8,[95] the PC port being delayed to get the console versions ready in time for the 2014 Evolution Championship Series.[96] The PC version of Ultra Street Fighter IV was the first game in the series to use Steam from day one, following the discontinuation of Games for Windows – Live.[97]

In 2009 Cyrus continued promotion for the single and The Time of Our Lives, performing "Party in the U.S.A." on The Today Show[58] and VH1 Divas in the United States.[59][60] In the winter, she promoted the track in the United Kingdom at 95.8 Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball,[61] the annual gala for British Royal Family, Royal Variety Performance,[62] and Alan Carr: Chatty Man,[63] as well as in Ireland on The Late Late Show.[64] Cyrus performed the song on all venues of her first world concert tour, the Wonder World Tour, which extended from September to December 2009. During each performance, Cyrus was costumed by a black tank top, black hot pants, black leather boots and a blue jean vest as images on the overhead screens depicted an abundance of sites in and representations of the United States.[65] She roamed throughout the stage with numerous backup dancers and, mid-performance, entered a luggage cart that escorted her throughout the stage again.[65] The lyrics' reference to Jay-Z was replaced with one for Michael Jackson in all live performances.[66] Mikael Wood of The Los Angeles Times, who attended the September 22, 2009, concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, believed "Cyrus managed a reasonable approximation of a rapper" in the performance.[66] Dave Paulson of The Tennessean reported that the song's performance at the November 25, 2009, concert at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee, "received cheers at Jonas Brothersâ€“worthy decibel levels."[67]

Although TPCI tries to keep Organized Play as equal as possible all over the Earth, there are some notable differences in how POP is run outside of the United States. The Pokémon Card Laboratory (PCL), located in Japan, is the designer of new cards and the ultimate authority on any matter relating to the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It can declare rulings on any in-game circumstance, issue errata, change card text after publishing, and change the basic game rules, although the latter three rarely occur. PCL runs Organized Play in Japan. The Pokémon Trading Card Game in most European countries is currently handled by The Pokémon Company International. Certain countries have no direct official presence; in these regions, distributors of the game run tournaments. European countries are able to qualify for positions at the Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships each year, through National Championships and European Rankings.

In 2001, Fuller, Cowell, and TV producer Simon Jones attempted to sell the Pop Idol format to the United States, but the idea was initially met with poor responses from all the television networks including Fox.[10] However, Rupert Murdoch, head of Fox's parent company, was later persuaded to buy the series by his daughter, Elisabeth, who had seen the British show.[10] Although Fox's executives wanted to change the format, Murdoch insisted that it should remain the same as the British one. One change was nevertheless made due to the presence of multiple time zones in the United States that made it impractical for the country to vote in the same time period, an additional half-hour results show was therefore added the day following the performance show.[11] The show was renamed American Idol: The Search for a Superstar and debuted in the summer of 2002. Cowell was initially offered the job of showrunner, but turned down the offer; Lythgoe then took over that position. Much to the surprise of Cowell and Fox, it became one of the biggest shows of the summer.[12][13] With its successful launch in the summer, the show was then moved to January and expanded.[14] The show grew into a phenomenon largely due to its personal engagement with the contestants by prompting the viewers to vote, and the presence of the acid-tongued Cowell as a judge. By 2004, it had become the most-watched show on U.S. television, a position it then held for seven consecutive seasons.[15]

On November 12, 2017, a Reddit user complained that although they spent US$80 to purchase the Deluxe Edition of the game, Darth Vader remained inaccessible for play, and the use of this character required a large amount of in-game credits. Players estimated that it would take 40 hours of gameplay to accumulate enough credits to unlock a single hero.[41] In response to the community's backlash, EA's Community Team defended the controversial changes by saying their intent to make users earn credits to unlock heroes was to give users a sense of "pride and accomplishment" after unlocking a hero.[42][43] This led to many Reddit users becoming frustrated at the response, which generated more than 674,000 downvotes,[44] making it the most downvoted comment in the site's history.[45][46][47] In response to the community's outrage, EA lowered the cost of credits to unlock heroes by 75%.[48][49] However, the credits rewarded for completing the campaign were also reduced.[50]

Clifford the Big Red Dog is an American-British educational animated children's television series, based upon Norman Bridwell's children's book series of the same name. Produced by Scholastic Productions, it originally aired on PBS Kids from September 4, 2000 to February 25, 2003. The UK version (where it was dubbed with British voice actors replacing the original American soundtrack) originally aired on BBC 2 on April 1, 2002.[4]

After considering his options, Bushnell decided to settle with Magnavox out of court. Bushnell's lawyer felt they could win; however, he estimated legal costs of US$1.5 million, which would have exceeded Atari's funds. Magnavox offered Atari an agreement to become a licensee for US$700,000. Other companies producing "Pong clones"—Atari's competitors—would have to pay royalties. In addition, Magnavox would obtain the rights to Atari products developed over the next year.[36][38] Magnavox continued to pursue legal action against the other companies, and proceedings began shortly after Atari's settlement in June 1976. The first case took place at the district court in Chicago, with Judge John Grady presiding.[36][38][40] To avoid Magnavox obtaining rights to its products, Atari decided to delay the release of its products for a year, and withheld information from Magnavox's attorneys during visits to Atari facilities.[38]

Outside North America, Pete's Dragon received a scattered release pattern.[35] The film was released day-and-date in conjucture with its U.S. premiere in 12 markets (roughly 30% of the overseas market), including the United Kingdom, Italy, and Russia.[24] It earned a total of $5.3 million, with Russia ($1.5 million), Italy ($1.4 million) and the U.K. ($1.1 million) representing its largest takings.[35] Moreover, it also opened in France ($1.8 million).[36] It had just a 1% drop in attendance in the U.K. in its second weekend.[36] It expanded to Germany the following weekend and continued its roll out in Australia, Mexico, Brazil and Korea throughout September, and finally Japan on December 23.[25][35]


Question: What is the German word for pleasure derived from someone else's pain?

Schadenfreude, a term of German origin, denotes the feeling of enjoyment or delight one experiences when they become aware of or observe the misfortunes, setbacks, or embarrassment of another individual.

The word was brought to Western Europe in the late 17th century by the Dutch traveler Nicolaes Witsen, who reported his stay and journeys among the Tungusic and Samoyedic-speaking indigenous peoples of Siberia in his book Noord en Oost Tataryen (1692).[13] Adam Brand, a merchant from LÃ¼beck, published in 1698 his account of a Russian embassy to China; a translation of his book, published the same year, introduced the word shaman to English speakers.[14]

The expression is derived from Genesis 4:10 ("The Lord said to Cain ... the voice of thy brother's blood crieth to me from the earth").
They are referenced in the Douay Catholic Catechism of 1649.[2]

The name derives from the Dutch equivalent of the question: "Do you believe in the conventional 'Christian' God?", a typical ietsist answer being "No, but there must be something", "something" being iets in Dutch.

Although the accepted etymology of the word football, or "foot ball", originated in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball, this may be a false etymology. An alternative explanation has it that the word originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot.[5]  These sports were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports more often enjoyed by aristocrats. In some cases, the word has been applied to games which involved carrying a ball and specifically banned kicking. For example, the English writer William Hone, writing in 1825 or 1826, quotes the social commentator Sir Frederick Morton Eden, regarding a game — which Hone refers to as "Foot-Ball" — played in the parish of Scone, Perthshire:

It is also used as an example of punning.[citation needed] The wordplay is based on the distinct meanings of the two occurrences of the word flies (the verb "travel through the air" and the noun for certain insects), and of the word like (the preposition "similarly to" and the verb "enjoy"). For example, the second clause can be read as "fruit travels through the air similar to a banana" or as "certain insects enjoy a banana".

Saudade is also associated with Galicia, where it is used similarly to the word morriña (longingness). Yet, morriña often implies a deeper stage of saudade, a "saudade so strong it can even kill," as the Galician saying goes. Morriña was a term often used by emigrant Galicians when talking about the Galician motherland they left behind. Although saudade is also a Galician word, the meaning of longing for something that might return is generally associated with morriña. A literary example showing the understanding of the difference and the use of both words is the song Un canto a Galicia by Julio Iglesias. The word used by Galicians speaking Spanish has spread and become common in all Spain and even accepted by the Academia.[10]

"The dismal science" is a derogatory alternative name for economics devised by the Victorian historian Thomas Carlyle in the 19th century. It is often stated that Carlyle gave economics the nickname "the dismal science" as a response to the late 18th century writings of The Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus, who grimly predicted that starvation would result, as projected population growth exceeded the rate of increase in the food supply. However, the actual phrase was coined by Carlyle in the context of a debate with John Stuart Mill on slavery, in which Carlyle argued for slavery, while Mill opposed it.[21]

Francis Edgeworth was also aware of the need to ground the theory of utility into the real world. He discussed the quantitative estimates that a person can make of his own pleasure or the pleasure of others, borrowing methods developed in psychology to study hedonic measurement: psychophysics. This field of psychology was built on work by Ernst H. Weber, but around the time of World War I, psychologists grew discouraged of it.[12][13]

One of the earliest uses in English of the Scandinavian word (malström or malstrøm) was by Edgar Allan Poe in his short story "A Descent into the Maelström" (1841). In turn, the Nordic word is derived from the Dutch maelstrom, modern spelling maalstroom, from malen (to grind) and stroom (stream), to form the meaning grinding current or literally "mill-stream", in the sense of milling (grinding) grain.[24]

The expression was anthologised in English translation by George Herbert in his collection of proverbs entitled Jacula Prudentum (1652), as "God's mill grinds slow but sure" (no. 743). German epigrammatist Friedrich von Logau in his Sinngedichte (c. 1654) composed an extended variant of the saying, under the title "GÃ¶ttliche Rache" (divine retribution),[10]


Question: Who holds the record for the most points scored in a single NBA game?

In NBA history, the record for the most points scored in a single game is held by Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points in a game in 1962. The achievement of scoring 60 or more points in a game has been accomplished by 25 different players, with Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Elgin Baylor being the only ones to achieve this feat on more than one occasion. Chamberlain leads the pack with 32 such performances, followed by Bryant with 6, Jordan with 5, and Baylor with 4.

Stephen Curry in 2015–16 is the only player to have won the award unanimously. Shaquille O'Neal in 1999–2000 and LeBron James in 2012–13 are the only two players to have fallen one vote shy of a unanimous selection, both receiving 120 of 121 votes.[e][5] The most recent winner, Russell Westbrook, is the first to have played for a team that failed to win at least 50 regular-season games since the 1982–83 season.[f][11][12] Every player to have won the award has made at least one appearance as a player in the NBA Finals, with the exceptions of Steve Nash and Derrick Rose.

On February 7, 2018, Harrison scored a career-high 23 points in a 92–88 loss to the Utah Jazz.[21] A week later, he set a new career high with 28 points in a 121–114 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[22] Harrison missed nine games in March 2018 due to a right wrist injury.[23]

Led by early scoring sensation Joe Fulks, the team won the championship in the league's inaugural 1946–47 season by defeating the Chicago Stags, four games to one. The NBA, which was created by a 1949 merger, officially recognizes that as its own first championship.[b] Gottlieb bought the team in 1951.

On December 15, 2012, with a 111–85 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Clippers recorded their record ninth consecutive win, breaking their previous franchise record (in Los Angeles) of eight wins set in the 1991–92 season.[52] On December 21, 2012, with a 97–85 win over the Sacramento Kings, they notched their twelfth consecutive victory, breaking their previous 11-game streak as the Buffalo Braves in the 1974–75 season.[53] On December 30, 2012, the Clippers recorded their 17th straight win against the Utah Jazz, beating them 107–96. The win also made the Clippers the third team in NBA history to record an undefeated month ending the month of December 16–0. Their streak ended when they lost to the Denver Nuggets on January 2, 2013. They ended the streak with a franchise record of 17 wins.

Shocker basketball achieved greater success with the arrival of Coach Ralph Miller and Cleo Littleton in 1951. Littleton averaged 18.2 points per game as a freshman, a school record that still stands today. He was the first player west of the Mississippi to score 2,000 points in his college career and is one of only five Wichita State players to have his number retired. He was also one of the first African American players in the Missouri Valley Conference, which it joined in 1945. Littleton averaged 19 points per game during his career and he still owns 7 school records. Due to this success, Wichita State decided to construct a new home for the Shockers. Through appropriated money by the WU Board of Regents, Wichita State was able to construct a new field house for the men's basketball team, costing $1.4 million. On December 3, 1955, the Shockers played their first game in WU Field House in front of more than 9,000 fans.

In the 1990 NBA draft, the Orlando Magic selected Dennis Scott with the fourth overall pick.[23] On December 30, 1990, Scott Skiles racked up 30 assists in the 155–116 victory over the Denver Nuggets, breaking Kevin Porter's NBA single-game assists record (29).[24] Skiles was named the NBA's Most Improved Player at the end of the season, as the Magic heralded the NBA's most improved record that season. Forward Dennis Scott set a team mark with 125 three-point field goals for the season, the best long-distance production by a rookie in NBA history.[20] He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.[20] Despite a 31–51 record, there were 40 sellouts out of 41 home games.

In the 1979–80 season, after having tested it in the previous pre-season, the NBA adopted the three-point line despite the view of many that it was a gimmick.[4] Chris Ford of the Boston Celtics is widely credited with making the first three-point shot in NBA history on October 12, 1979. Kevin Grevey of the Washington Bullets also made one on the same day.

Basketball courts come in different sizes. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), the court is 94 by 50 feet (28.7 by 15.2 m). Under International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules,[1] the court is minutely smaller, measuring exactly 28 by 15 metres (91.9 by 49.2 ft). In amateur basketball, court sizes vary widely. The baskets are always 10 feet (3.0 m) above the floor (except possibly in youth competition). Basketball courts have a three-point arc at both baskets. A basket made from behind this arc is worth three points; a basket made from within this line, or with a player's foot touching the line, is worth 2 points. The free-throw line, where one stands while taking a foul shot, is located within the three-point arc at 15 feet from the basket. A foul shot is worth 1 point, but if a shot is made from the foul line while in play it is still worth 2 points.[2]

Ashrita Furman (born Keith Furman, September 16, 1954) is a Guinness World Records record-breaker. As of 2017, Furman has set more than 600 official Guinness Records and currently holds more than 191 records,[1] thus holding the most Guinness world records.[2] He has been breaking records since 1979.[2][3]

Prior to the 1960–61 NBA season, Robertson made himself eligible for the 1960 NBA draft. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals as a territorial pick. The Royals gave Robertson a $33,000 signing bonus, a far cry from his childhood days when he was too poor to afford a basketball.[3] In his rookie season, Robertson averaged 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.7 assists (leading the league), almost averaging a triple-double for the entire season. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year, was elected into the All-NBA First Team – which would happen in each of Robertson's first nine seasons – and made the first of 12 consecutive All-Star Game appearances.[1] In addition, he was named the 1961 NBA All-Star Game MVP following his 23-point, 14-assist, 9-rebound performance in a West victory. However, the Royals finished with a 33–46 record and stayed in the cellar of the Western Division.


Question: When was Taylor Swift's first album released?

Taylor Swift's debut album
American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's music career took off in 2005 when she signed a record deal with Big Machine Records. Her self-titled debut album, "Taylor Swift," was released in 2006. In the United States, the album achieved significant success, peaking at number five on the Billboard 200 and holding the record for the longest-charting album of the 2000s.[1] All of the singles from the album, including "Tim McGraw," "Teardrops on My Guitar," "Our Song," "Picture to Burn," and "Should've Said No," charted within the top forty in the US and were certified platinum by the RIAA.[2][3] Following the success of her debut album, Swift released two EPs, "Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection" and "Beautiful Eyes," which both charted at number twenty and number nine on the Billboard 200, respectively.[4]

An untitled album (previously The Hurting. The Healing. The Loving.) is the upcoming debut studio album by Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello.[2] "Havana" featuring Young Thug was announced as the lead single on August 30, and impacted radio on September 8.[3] "Havana" went to No. 1 in 8 countries, including Australia and the United Kingdom, and hit the top 10 in over 15 countries including the United States where it ranked No. 2, Cabello's highest on the Billboard Hot 100. The single has been certified Gold in the UK and Platinum in the US.

The video commences with Till arguing with his girlfriend through a phone call. As soon as Swift, as the protagonist, notices, they begin to communicate by holding up signs through their bedroom windows. Till closes his curtains, and Swift holds up a sign saying, "I love you". As the song's chorus approaches, Swift starts to sing and dance in front of a mirror, changing to different clothing multiple times. Afterward, Swift is sitting in a bench while reading a book. Till arrives and the two converse. Then, Swift, as the antagonist, arrives in a red convertible car and Till gets in it; Swift, the antagonist, kisses him and gives a hostile look towards the protagonist. Suddenly, she is seen cheerleading at a football game while Swift's other persona is in the bleachers, performing in the school band. After scoring the winning touchdown, Till moves toward his girlfriend and finds her flirting with a teammate, resulting in a heated argument which results in their breakup. Meanwhile, Swift, the protagonist stares in amazement. Back in their bedroom windows, they again communicate through signs, Till asked Swift, the protagonist, if she was attending prom and she responded, "no, studying". Swift, however, notices Till has a dejected expression as he leaves and changes her mind. Shortly after, Swift is seen entering prom with a white dress, no longer looking like a nerd, while all her peers stare in amazement. When Till spots her, he walks towards her and Swift, the antagonist in a red dress, attempts to impede him, but he ignores her. Ending the video, Till and Swift reveal folded signs saying "I love you" and kiss. To date, the video has over 770 million views on YouTube, making it the most viewed country song on YouTube.

"Lucky" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on August 8, 2000 by Jive Records as the second single from her second studio album Oops!... I Did It Again. After meeting with producers Max Martin and Rami Yacoub in Sweden, the singer recorded several songs for the album, including "Lucky". The song tells a story about a famous movie star named Lucky, who, despite seemingly having it all – fame, wealth, beauty – is truly lonely and unhappy on the inside. It was praised by music critics, who considered its melody and rhythm as sweet and catchy, and noted the lyrics to be about Spears herself.

In October 2010, Shakira released her ninth studio and Spanish-language album, Sale el Sol. The record marked a return to her musical roots after her experimentation with electronic music and was primarily a Latin pop album with influences of rock and merengue music.[4][5] It garnered critical acclaim[6] and was a commercial success internationally.[7] A year later in November, Shakira revealed in an interview with Billboard magazine that she had begun writing new material and working with various producers for a new record.[8] Initially in 2012, it was expected that the first single from the singer's album would be a song titled "Truth or Dare".[9] In June, Colombian newspaper El Heraldo reported that Shakira had been filming the music video for the song in Lisbon, Portugal, and speculated that it would be in late 2012.[9] "Truth or Dare", however, was not released.

In 2007, Dixon won Strictly Come Dancing. Her television exposure led to a successful comeback,[3] which included her signing to Asylum Records, an offshoot of Warner Music Group. Dixon then released a second album, entitled The Alesha Show, in 2008, which received platinum certification from BPI in the UK and spawned four singles including "The Boy Does Nothing" and "Breathe Slow", the latter of which became her highest charting single and earned her a Brit Award nomination.

In 1993, Richards released the album First Love on the Pony Canyon label in Japan. The album was a mix between teen-pop and dance-friendly ballads of the early 1990s. There was also a single released in very small volume. Ariana and her mother wrote the words to the track "You're the Reason".

In January 2011, the band issued their first commercial non-single release, a self-titled EP on which "Pumped Up Kicks" appeared. Around the same time, many alternative radio stations began playing "Pumped Up Kicks", including Los Angeles terrestrial stations KROQ-FM and KYSR, and it continued to gain popularity on Alt Nation.[17] Mark Foster credits Sirius XM's airplay with the song's success, saying, "Alt Nation played our music before any other radio outlet in the country."[25] On January 29, the song debuted on Billboard's Rock Songs chart and a week later, it debuted on the Alternative Songs chart. In May, the track debuted at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100, and later that month, the group released their first full-length studio album, Torches, on which "Pumped Up Kicks" appears.[17] On May 23, 2011, BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James selected the song as his Record of the Week, which ran until May 27. During this time, James released an accompanying video of him dancing to the song which he entitled and promoted "The Bum Dance".[26]

“I Think We’re Alone Now| was re-popularized when American pop singer Tiffany covered the song for her debut studio album, Tiffany, which was released in 1987 on the MCA Records label. When George Tobin, Tiffany's manager and producer, gave her the cassette of the original version by Tommy James & the Shondells, Tiffany hated the idea of recording a version of her own for her album, mostly because she thought the song was neither modern enough nor hip enough.

From the liner notes for the 2003 CD release:[1]

The band started covering Korn, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Tool, and Alice in Chains, among others, and played at local clubs (most commonly playing at Club Infinity) for a year and a half. Staind self-released their debut album, Tormented, in November 1996, citing Tool, Faith No More, and Pantera as their influences.[3] In October 1997, Staind acquired a concert slot through Aaron's cousin Justin Cantor with Limp Bizkit.[citation needed] Just prior to the performance, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst was appalled by Staind's grotesque album cover and unsuccessfully attempted to remove them from the bill. His perception changed, however, after being impressed with their performance.


Question: Who holds the top ranking in world tennis currently?

Since 1973, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has ranked 26 male players as No. 1 in singles, with 17 of them holding the year-end top spot. As of the latest update, Rafael Nadal is the current world No. 1 in men's tennis.

Djokovic collected his 60th career title in Doha, defeating Nadal in two sets in a final that lasted 73 minutes. He broke his own ATP ranking points record, bringing it up to 16,790. Djokovic then proceeded to win his sixth Australian Open. On his road to his Open Era record sixth title in Melbourne, he defeated Roger Federer in four sets in the semi-finals, and in a rematch of the 2015 final, he defeated Andy Murray, in three straight sets.[183] He quickly rebounded from an eye infection at the Dubai open to collect a fifth Indian Wells Masters title, defeating Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, and Milos Raonic in the final. Djokovic's run was so dominant that Nos. 2 and 3 (Andy Murray and Roger Federer) could have combined their points and still not have had enough to pass him.[184]

Djokovic reached the final of the French Open losing only two sets in six matches, but lost in the final to Nadal in four sets. It was Djokovic's first defeat in the last 5 matches between both. At the Wimbledon Championships Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in the final in five sets. With this victory he replaced Rafael Nadal again as the world No. 1.[162] Djokovic played at the Rogers Cup, losing to eventual first-time champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets.[163] He followed that with a loss to Tommy Robredo at the Cincinnati Masters. At the US Open, Djokovic reached the semi-finals, where he lost in four sets to Kei Nishikori.[164]

On 9 April 2006, Djokovic clinched a decisive Davis Cup win against Great Britain by defeating Greg Rusedski in four sets in the fourth match of the tie, giving Serbia and Montenegro an insurmountable 3â€“1 lead in their best-of-five series, thus keeping the country in the Group One Euro/African Zone of Davis Cup. Afterwards, Djokovic briefly considered moving from Serbia to play for Great Britain.[54] Following this match-up, the British media spoke of Djokovic's camp negotiating with the Lawn Tennis Association about changing his international loyalty by joining British tennis ranks.[54] The nineteen-year-old Djokovic, who was ranked sixty-third in the world at the time, mostly dismissed the story at first by saying that the talks were not serious, describing them as "the British being very kind to us after the Davis Cup."[55] However, more than three years later, in October 2009, Djokovic confirmed that the talks between his family and the LTA throughout April and May 2006 were indeed serious:

Football is by far the biggest sports activity on the islands, with 7,000 registered players out of the whole population of 50,000. Ten football teams contest the Faroe Islands Premier League, currently ranked 51st by UEFA's League coefficient. The Faroe Islands are a full member of UEFA and the Faroe Islands national football team competes in the UEFA European Football Championship qualifiers. The country is also a full member of FIFA and therefore the Faroe Islands football team also competes in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The country won its first ever competitive match when the team defeated Austria 1–0 in a UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying. The nation's biggest success in football came in 2014 after defeating Greece 1–0, a result that was considered "the biggest shock of all time" in football[96] thanks to a 169-place distance between the teams in the FIFA World Rankings when the match was played. The team climbed 82 places to 105 on the FIFA ranking after the 1–0 win against Greece.[97] The team went on to defeat Greece again on 13 June 2015 by a score of 2–1. On 9 July 2015 the national football team of the Faroes climbed another 28 places up on the FIFA ranking.[98]

Although South Africa was instrumental in the creation of the Rugby World Cup competition, the Springboks did not compete in the first two World Cups in 1987 and 1991 because of anti-apartheid sporting boycotts of South Africa. The team made its World Cup debut in 1995, when the newly democratic South Africa hosted the tournament. The Springboks defeated the All Blacks 15–12 in the final, which is now remembered as one of the greatest moments in South Africa's sporting history, and a watershed moment in the post-Apartheid nation-building process. South Africa regained their title as champions 12 years later, when they defeated England 15–6 in the 2007 final. As a result of the 2007 World Cup tournament the Springboks were promoted to first place in the IRB World Rankings, a position they held until July the following year when New Zealand regained the top spot. They were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards.[1]

Alan Shearer,[1] CBE,[2] DL (/ˈʃɪərər/; born 13 August 1970)[1] is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and the England national team. He is Newcastle's and the Premier League's record goalscorer. He was named Football Writers' Association Player of the Year in 1994 and won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1995. In 1996, he was third in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards. In 2004 Shearer was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.[3]

Djokovic began 2007 by defeating Australian Chris Guccione in the final of the tournament in Adelaide, before losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to eventual champion Roger Federer[57] in straight sets. His performances at the Masters Series events in Indian Wells, and Key Biscayne, where he was the runner-up and champion respectively, pushed him into the world's top 10.[52] Djokovic lost the Indian Wells final to Rafael Nadal, but defeated Nadal in Key Biscayne in the quarterfinals before defeating Guillermo Cañas for the title in the finals.[58]

In 1993, Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short broke with FIDE to organize their own match for the title and formed a competing Professional Chess Association (PCA). From then until 2006, there were two simultaneous World Champions and World Championships: the PCA or Classical champion extending the Steinitzian tradition in which the current champion plays a challenger in a series of many games; the other following FIDE's new format of many players competing in a tournament to determine the champion. Kasparov lost his Classical title in 2000 to Vladimir Kramnik of Russia.

Djokovic has the most wins against Federer (tied with Nadal). The two had three encounters at the Australian Open (in 2007, 2008, and 2011), which Federer won in straight sets in 2007 and Djokovic won in straight sets in the other two. The two have met five years in a row at the US Open with Federer triumphant in their first three encounters, while their last two meetings (in 2010 and 2011) were five-set matches in which Djokovic saved two match points before going on to win. On 6 July 2012, Djokovic lost to Federer in the Wimbledon semi-final.[235] On 12 November 2012, Djokovic won the 2012 ATP World Tour Finals by defeating Roger Federer in straight sets in the final.[236] The two met again during the finals of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships with Djokovic emerging victorious after a five-set match and with the victory reclaiming the No. 1 ranking from Nadal.[237] Federer withdrew from the 2014 ATP World Tour final and Djokovic successfully defended his title, the first walkover in a final in the tournament's 45-year history.[238] In the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, despite "an extraordinary second-set tiebreaker in which Federer saved seven set points to level the match" at 1–1, Djokovic went on to claim a 3–1 victory and even the lifetime record between the two players.[239] The two met again in another Grand Slam final in 2015, this time at the 2015 US Open, where Djokovic defeated Federer in 4 tight sets to claim his second US Open title and tenth Grand Slam.

Guinness World Records, known from its inception in 1955 until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records and in previous United States editions as The Guinness Book of World Records, is a reference book published annually, listing world records both of human achievements and the extremes of the natural world. The brainchild of Sir Hugh Beaver, the book was co-founded by brothers Norris and Ross McWhirter in Fleet Street, London in August 1954.


Question: When does the new season of The 100 come out?

As of May 24, 2017, 58 episodes of The 100 have been broadcast, marking the end of the fourth season. In March 2017, The CW announced the renewal of the series for a fifth season, scheduled to debut on April 24, 2018.

The fourth and final season of the television series Hannah Montana (marketed as Hannah Montana Forever) began airing on Disney Channel on July 11, 2010.[1][2] Disney Channel renewed the series for a fourth season on June 1, 2009 along with Sonny With a Chance, and production of the season began on January 18, 2010,[3] and ended on May 14, 2010.[4] In this season, Mitchel Musso's character Oliver Oken becomes a recurring character, and is no longer in the main cast, due to Musso starring on the Disney XD series Pair of Kings. In the season, the Stewarts and Lilly move to a ranch in Malibu. This is the only season of the show to be broadcast in High Definition.[5] The season ended on January 16, 2011 (USA) and May 27, 2011 (UK & Ireland).

On 30 June 2015, it was announced that ABC had renewed Janet King for a second eight-part series.[5] At the ASTRA Conference in September 2016, Dusseldorp confirmed four scripts for the third series had been written.[6] The third series began airing from 25 May 2017, replacing Seven Types of Ambiguity.[7] It focuses on organised crime in the sporting world, with Janet heading up a National Crime Commission investigation. Her former colleague Richard Stirling (Hamish Michael) is now a barrister for some of the athletes involved, while Owen Mitchell (Damian Walshe-Howling) has become the head of the DPP.[7]

The Originals is an American supernatural drama television series created by Julie Plec for The CW. A spin-off of The Vampire Diaries, the series makes use of certain characters and story elements from the series of books of the same name. The first season premiered with a special preview on October 3, 2013, following the season premiere of its parent series, before premiering in its regular time slot on October 8, 2013.[1]

The second series of the show was confirmed on 7 November 2016,[6] and began on 13 February 2017.[7] It concluded after twenty episodes on 10 March 2017. Along with the announcement of the cast for the series, it was confirmed that Joey Essex would be returning, having previously appeared in the first series. Stephen Bear was also removed from the series during the eighteenth episode for breaking the show rules by dating a celebrity outside of the agency.[8]

The fourth season was streamed on the Family Channel App on June 30, 2017 with the episodes beginning to air daily on July 3, 2017. The series was then released on Netflix on July 7, 2017.[2][3][4]

The fifth season of the television drama series Wentworth premiered on Showcase in Australia on 4 April 2017, having previously aired on SoHo, and concluded on June 20, 2017. It was executive produced by FremantleMedia's Director of Drama, Jo Porter. The season comprised 12 episodes. The fifth season picks up just days after the death of Bea Smith and is therefore noted as the first season not to feature Danielle Cormack.[1]

The soundtrack for the second season of Stranger Things was released digitally on October 20, 2017. The soundtrack, once again composed by Stein and Dixon, consists of 34 songs and was released by Lakeshore Records in the United States and Invada Records internationally. The soundtrack is intended to be released on physical formats, such as compact disc, vinyl, and cassette as well.[98] On the soundtrack's composition, Stein and Dixon together said that the score for the season introduces "new styles of composition, while still revisiting old themes when appropriate ... We've created new elements that are necessary to support the story, but still want to remain true to the sound of Season 1." The first track from the soundtrack, "Walkin' in Hawkins", was released on October 12.[99]

On October 26, 2015, it was renewed for a third season,[8] which aired from September 6 to November 1, 2016. While the series is currently unconfirmed as cancelled, Deadline.com has reported that the actors have been released from their contracts as of October 31, 2016.[9]

In January 2018, Washington discussed the series at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas saying, "What I’m thrilled about is not only the content itself — the story,  the acting, how its a shot." She continued, "There are some really important coming-of-age issues that we deal with. It’s the LGBT community. It’s gun violence. Drug use. Bullying."[8] Alongside the release of the show's first trailer in May 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on June 4, 2018.[9]

The third season of the American ABC fantasy-drama Once Upon a Time was announced on May 10, 2013. Executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis also noted that the season would be split into two volumes, with the first premiering on September 29, 2013 through December 15, 2013, and the second from March 9, 2014 through May 11, 2014.


Question: How is it that the U.S. has a naval base in Cuba?

The Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, officially referred to as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (or NSGB), is a U.S. military base occupying approximately 45 square miles of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Established in 1903 under a lease agreement for use as a coaling and naval station, the base's annual rent was initially $2,000 in gold, later adjusted to reflect the gold's value in dollars. By 1974, the lease payment was set at $4,085. Located at the southeastern tip of Cuba, this base is the oldest U.S. military installation overseas. Since the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the Cuban government has persistently challenged the legitimacy of the U.S. presence, asserting that the base's establishment was coerced and contravenes international law.

Under the Environmental Restoration Program, the Navy is conducting Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) at seven sites at the Former Naval Ammunition Support Detachment at west Vieques, and also four NTCRA for the removal of solid waste piles/debris was completed in FY09. On September 2008, a ROD was issued for one operable unit, AOC H. A ROD for AOC J, R and SWMU-7 (NASD) was signed on September 21, 2011 and SWMU-1 (VNTR) on September 29, 2011.

Other possible U.S. objectives, denied by the U.S. government but acknowledged by retired U.S. General Jay Garner, included the establishment of permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq as a way of projecting power (creating a credible threat of U.S. military intervention) to the oil-rich Persian Gulf region and the Middle East generally.[193] In February 2004, Jay Garner, who was in charge of planning and administering post-war reconstruction in Iraq, explained that the U.S. occupation of Iraq was comparable to the Philippine model: "Look back on the Philippines around the turn of the 20th century: they were a coaling station for the navy, and that allowed us to keep a great presence in the Pacific. That's what Iraq is for the next few decades: our coaling station that gives us great presence in the Middle East";[194] (see also Philippine–American War). Garner was replaced by Paul Bremer after reports came out of his position in SY Coleman, a division of defense contractor L-3 Communications specializing in missile-defense systems. It was believed his role in the company was in contention with his role in Iraq.[195] The House Appropriations Committee said the report accompanying the emergency spending legislation was "of a magnitude normally associated with permanent bases."[196] However, the United States House of Representatives voted in 2006 to not fund any permanent bases in Iraq.[197]

On February 14, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8682 to create naval defense areas in the central Pacific territories. The proclamation established "Wake Island Naval Defensive Sea Area", which encompassed the territorial waters between the extreme high-water marks and the three-mile marine boundaries surrounding Wake. "Wake Island Naval Airspace Reservation" was also established to restrict access to the airspace over the naval defense sea area. Only U.S. government ships and aircraft were permitted to enter the naval defense areas at Wake Island unless authorized by the Secretary of the Navy.

Castro was sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba on February 16, 1959 at this point in time he had control of the Cuban government's 30 thousand man army. One of Castro's first acts as leader of Cuba was to nationalize American assets on the island without compensation. Before the fall of the pro-U.S. Batista regime, U.S. interests had owned four-fifths of the stakes in the island's utilities, nearly half of its sugar, and nearly all of its mining industries. The U.S. could manipulate the Cuban economy at a whim by tinkering with the island's financial services or by tampering with government quotas and tariffs on sugarâ€“the country's staple export commodity. In response to these acts, the U.S. government refused to recognize Castro as the leader of Cuba,[54] the U.S. government made the first of several attempts of overthrow Castro by launching the infamous Bay of Pigs Invasion.

Guam had been under Spanish control since 1668. By the time of the war, however, Guam had been neglected and there were only light defenses. The last message the authorities on Guam had received from Spain was dated April 14, 1898 a month before war was declared. Henry Glass, captain of the cruiser Charleston, was en route from California to Manila when in Honolulu he was joined by three transport ships, the City of Peking, the City of Sydney, and the Australia.[1] Then in the Pacific he opened his sealed orders that read,

After the base was closed, Puerto Rico Governor Sila Calderon requested Vieques be placed on the U.S. National Priorities List as a designated superfund clean-up site. As of 2014[update] the EPA has listed the following contaminants and ordnances at the western portion of the naval station: unexploded ordnance UXO, remnants of exploded ordnance, mercury, lead, copper, magnesium, lithium, napalm, depleted uranium along with other unspecified materials. In addition to these, the eastern portion of the site "may also include" polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), solvents and pesticides. [3]

Among Luckey's Air Force duty stations was Nouasseur Air Base (also known as Nouasseur Air Depot), a nuclear bomber strike base and nuclear weapon storage depot south of Casablanca, Morocco.[4] There, he served with the Third Air Force Air Material Command, Southern District (now part of the Air Force Materiel Command).[3] Additional duty stations were Lackland AFB and Kelly AFB (now collectively part of Joint Base San Antonio), as well as Portland AFB (now known as Portland Air National Guard Base).[4] Through the mid-1960s, he remained an Air Force reservist.[4]

On 28 January 1961, President Kennedy was briefed, together with all the major departments, on the latest plan (code-named Operation Pluto), which involved 1,000 men landed in a ship-borne invasion at Trinidad, Cuba, about 270 km (170 mi) south-east of Havana, at the foothills of the Escambray Mountains in Sancti Spiritus province. Kennedy authorized the active departments to continue, and to report progress.[77] Trinidad had good port facilities, it was closer to many existing counter-revolutionary activities, it had an easily defensible beachhead, and it offered an escape route into the Escambray Mountains. When that scheme was subsequently rejected by the State Department, the CIA went on to propose an alternative plan. Kennedy rejected the landings at Trinidad largely because the airfield there was not large enough for B-26 bombers and, since B-26s were to play a prominent role in the invasion, this would destroy the façade that the invasion was just an uprising with no American involvement.[78] On 4 April 1961, President Kennedy then approved the Bay of Pigs plan (also known as Operation Zapata), because it had an airfield that did not need extending to handle bomber operations, it was farther away from large groups of civilians than the Trinidad plan, and it was less "noisy" militarily, which would make any future denial of direct US involvement more plausible.[79] The invasion landing area was changed to beaches bordering the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) in Las Villas Province, 150 km south-east of Havana, and east of the Zapata Peninsula. The landings were to take place at Playa Girón (code-named Blue Beach), Playa Larga (code-named Red Beach), and Caleta Buena Inlet (code-named Green Beach).[80][81][82][83]

In the Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom on September 2, 1940, fifty Caldwell, Wickes, and Clemson class US Navy destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions. Generally referred to as the "twelve hundred-ton type" (also known as "flush-deck", or "four-pipers" after their four funnels), the destroyers became the Town class and were named after towns common to both the United States and Britain.[1] Roosevelt used an executive agreement that did not require Congressional approval, but he came under heavy attack from antiwar political elements.

The first United States occupation of the Dominican Republic lasted from 1916 to 1924. It was one of the many interventions in Latin America undertaken by the military forces of the United States. On May 13, 1916, Rear Admiral William B. Caperton forced the Dominican Republic's Secretary of War Desiderio Arias, who had seized power from Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra, to leave Santo Domingo by threatening the city with naval bombardment.


Question: Who is Dylan's father in the series Bates Motel?

Dylan Massett, portrayed by Max Thieriot, is the estranged son of Norma and half-brother to Norman in the series "Bates Motel." A self-reliant and strong-willed character, Dylan initially has a strained relationship with his mother, Norma, due to her tumultuous nature and the impact he believes it has on Norman. After being laid off, he arrives in White Pine Bay and forms a bond with Norman, encouraging him to develop interests beyond his mother's influence. Dylan's life takes a dramatic turn when he discovers his true paternity; he is the result of an incestuous rape by Norma's brother, Caleb. This revelation leads him to distance himself from the family, although he eventually reconciles with them. In the third season, Dylan becomes increasingly worried about Norman's mental state and tries to persuade Norma to seek professional help for him. He also helps facilitate a reunion between Norma and Caleb, and starts a legal medicinal marijuana farm following a DEA raid that disrupts the town's cannabis industry. As the season progresses, Dylan grows closer to Emma, who assists in caring for Norman, and they eventually marry and have a child together. Dylan's return to White Pine Bay is prompted by concerns for Norman's mental health, culminating in a tragic confrontation where Norman, under the delusion of being Norma, is fatally shot by Dylan. After Norman's death, Dylan returns to Seattle to be with Emma and their daughter.

Stealing the bat back, Yankee decides to return it to Ruth and thereby exonerate his father by journeying across the country to Chicago, where the next World Series' games will be played. Darlin' is able to speak, as does her counterpart Screwie (Rob Reiner), a baseball, who she constantly argues and bickers with (though near the end, they finally become friends). Much of the plot is driven by Lefty's comic attempts to retrieve the bat from Yankee, with slapstick results. Other scenes involve Yankee meeting others who will help him in his quest: several hobos (Ed Helms); Marti (Raven-Symone), an African American girl; her baseball player father Lonnie Brewster (Forest Whitaker); and in Chicago, Babe Ruth himself (Brian Dennehy).

At the Palmer home, Leland smiles at himself in the mirror. BOB stares back at him from the reflection and cackles madly. Leland dons a pair of latex gloves. Maddy comes downstairs complaining of a burning smell and sees Sarah unconscious on the floor. She sees Leland grinning at her, then sees BOB appear in Leland's place. She screams in terror and attempts to flee. Leland chases Maddy up the stairs, and drags her to the living room. He strangles and punches her, then taunts and chases her around the living room. He corners her and punches her in the face until she is catatonic. He dances with and cries over her limp body, calling her "Laura," while Bob kisses her. Leland / BOB then becomes enraged and screams, "Leland says you're going back to Missoula, MONTANA!" as he rams her head into a glass picture frame, the words "Missoula, Montana" in the lower corner of the picture. Maddy collapses, bloodied and dead. A crazed Leland places a cutout of the letter "O" under the nail of Maddy's left ring finger.

Wilson later admitted that he didn't know much about the character when he assumed the role of Ben. "[The producers] really only gave me what I needed to know to make it real and understandable to me."[18] Wilson revealed that the producers gave him a lot "creative control" when it came to his character's backstory.[17] Wilson revealed that he and Ben share a similar background because he too comes "from humble beginnings."[14] Ben is born Oliver "Ollie" Weston on March 13, 1989 in the small city of Poplar Bluff, Missouri.[19][20] Wilson stated, "Ben has pretty much always been broke" and he's never experienced any real "stability in his life."[18] "I had to come up with my own backstory for things to work for me as the story went further" the actor explained.[18] Wilson said of his character that "Ben has lived a crazy life.[13] Ben hopes to make a home for himself by settling in the same town as his sister Jordan Ridgeway (Stause). Though Ben is the younger of the siblings, he has "stepped up" for Jordan and tries to be a father figure for her and protect her as payback for her raising him.[21] However, Ben's plans are threatened by the arrival of his father, Clyde Weston (Read). Ben "very wary of Clyde" because he only has bad memories of him.[18] While Clyde and Ben want the same thing, to build a father-son relationship, Clyde's schemes constantly undermines any progress they make.[22]

Six years later, Pete, now 11, spots a lumberjack crew chopping down trees near his home. Natalie, the daughter of the ethical site foreman Jack, spots and chases him. When Natalie accidentally falls from a tree, her screams attract her father Jack and his girlfriend, park ranger Grace Meacham. Pete tries to run away, but Gavin, Jack's pragmatic brother, accidentally knocks him unconscious. After realizing that Pete has vanished, Elliot stumbles around looking for him and ends up knocking over a tree near the lumber camp, leading Gavin to organize a hunting party to find him. Meanwhile, Pete wakes up in a local hospital, which he escapes in an effort to return to the forest. Before the police can catch the boy, Grace finds Pete and asks him to come to her home and promises to take him to the forest the next day.

In Bloch's 2016 prequel to his second novel, Psycho: Sanitarium, Dr. Felix Reed tries to bring Norman out of a catatonic state. Sanitarium introduces Robert Newman, Norman's twin brother who was taken away at birth after the attending doctor pronounced him brain damaged. As Robert and Norman grow to know each other, Norman senses a darkness in Robert, even deeper than that which has lurked in Norman himself.

In 2012, Klaveno was cast in the series regular role of Peri Westmore in the Lifetime comedy-drama series Devious Maids.[9] When ABC originally passed on the pilot for Devious Maids, Klaveno was cast as Lily Munster in Mockingbird Lane (NBC's 2012 remake of The Munsters). However, she was not granted release from her contract on Devious Maids as it was still in contention for series order on Lifetime. Klaveno was then replaced by Portia de Rossi.[10] Devious Maids was later ordered to series by Lifetime and premiered on June 23, 2013.[11] Klaveno was a regular cast member for the first season and made guest appearances in the second season. In 2014 she was cast as detective Janice Lawrence in the CBS crime drama series, Stalker, alongside Maggie Q and Dylan McDermott.[12][13]

Dylan gave Haynes permission to proceed with his project. Haynes developed his screenplay with writer Oren Moverman. In the course of writing, Haynes has acknowledged that he became uncertain whether he could successfully carry off a film which deliberately confused biography with fantasy in such an extreme way. According to the account of the film that Robert Sullivan published in the New York Times: "Haynes called Jeff Rosen, Dylanâ€™s right hand, who was watching the deal-making but staying out of the scriptwriting. Rosen, he said, told him not to worry, that it was just his own crazy version of what Dylan is."[6]

Carlton Hickey (played by Beau Bridges) is Earl and Randy's father. He first appears in "Cost Dad the Election" where he had run for mayor but lost because of Earl's shenanigans that got the latter arrested. He originally ran for mayor because of the airport flight path was directed over his residential area, causing his entire house to vibrate several times a day, which angers him very much. He is sorely disappointed in his sons and refused to have anything to do with Earl. However, he gradually realizes his son's efforts to improve his life were sincere and he and Earl are able to mend their relationship. In the episode "Dad's Car", he says that he had originally planned to name Earl after himself, but had put in an extra loop on the "C" when using cursive writing on the birth certificate.

Jonathan "Mox" Moxon (James Van Der Beek) is an intelligent and academically gifted backup quarterback for the West Canaan High School football team. Despite his relative popularity at school, easy friendships with other players and smart and sassy girlfriend Jules Harbor (Amy Smart), he is dissatisfied with his life. He wants to leave Texas to go to school at Brown University. He is constantly at odds with his football-obsessed father, Sam (Thomas F. Duffy), and dreads playing it under legendary coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight), a verbally abusive, controlling authoritarian who believes in winning at all costs. He has a strong track record as coach: in 30 years of coaching at West Canaan, he has won two state titles and 22 district championships, and only cares about winning his 23rd. His philosophy finally takes its toll on all-state starting quarterback, Lance Harbor (Paul Walker), Mox's best friend and Jules's brother, who has earned a football scholarship to play for Florida State. He is manipulated by Kilmer into taking anesthetic shots on an injured knee that finally succumbs to failure and results in even greater injury after getting sacked during a game. He is rushed to the hospital, where doctors are appalled at the massive amount of scar tissue found under his knee and determine that the effects of the injury are permanent and will prevent him from being able to play football for a year and a half, costing him his FSU scholarship.

Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman (Hebrew name שבתאי זיסל בן אברהם [Shabtai Zisl ben Avraham])[4][5] in St. Mary's Hospital on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota,[6][7] and raised in Hibbing, Minnesota, on the Mesabi Range west of Lake Superior. He has a younger brother, David. Dylan's paternal grandparents, Zigman and Anna Zimmerman, emigrated from Odessa, in the Russian Empire (now Ukraine), to the United States following the anti-Semitic pogroms of 1905.[8] His maternal grandparents, Ben and Florence Stone, were Lithuanian Jews who arrived in the United States in 1902.[8] In his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One, Dylan wrote that his paternal grandmother's maiden name was Kirghiz and her family originated from Kağızman district of Kars Province in northeastern Turkey.[9]


Question: Who is Dylan's father in the series Bates Motel?

Caleb Calhoun, portrayed by Kenny Johnson, is the estranged older brother of Norma, the uncle of Norman, and the biological father of Dylan in the Bates Motel series. In the second season, Caleb arrives at the Bates Motel but is promptly dismissed by Norma. However, he forms a connection with Dylan, revealing that he protected Norma from their abusive father in their youth. Dylan stands up for Caleb to Norma, but it's later disclosed that Caleb repeatedly raped her for years during their childhood. This revelation leads to a confrontation between Norman and Dylan, which Norma defuses by disclosing that Caleb is Dylan's father. Following an assault by Norman (acting in Norma's persona) over the rape, Caleb departs. He returns to assist Dylan with a marijuana farm by constructing a barn. As Dylan grows closer to Caleb, he contemplates informing Norma of his return, a decision hastened by Norman and Emma spotting Caleb at a remote cabin. Norma and Caleb have an emotional reconciliation, with him apologizing to her, though she doesn't fully forgive him. When a curious neighbor of the farm seeks a gun runner to Canada, Caleb volunteers for the job; however, Dylan also requires the money to aid Emma and decides to join him. The delivery was supposed to result in the neighbor's death, but Caleb rescues Dylan. He then returns to confront the neighbor, forcing him to promise to leave Dylan alone and hand over the promised money. Caleb departs once more, but not before revealing to Norma that Norman attacked him while impersonating "Mother."

Earl Hickey, Jr. (played by Trey Carlisle) is Joy and Darnell's son. After introducing Dodge in the pilot, Earl explains, "A few years later we were having our first child from my own personal seed. Doctors had already told us he was going to come out a boy, so we went ahead and named him." But as the doctor holds up a newborn mixed-race baby, Earl gets a confused look on his face and finishes: "There he was â€” Earl Junior." He has a huge afro and is frequently seen playing rambunctiously with his half-brother, Dodge. Originally thought to be Darnell's child, a DNA test in the season 4 finale "Dodge's Dad" revealed that Darnell was not Earl Jr.'s father. Greg Garcia said that he and the writers had planned to make Earl Jr's dad someone famous, but because the show was cancelled, they never got a chance to figure it out.[6]

With a career stretching through three decades, he usually portrays senior law enforcement or military officers. He played Special Agent Ron Butterfield, the head of President Josiah Bartlet's Secret Service detail, on The West Wing,[5] and CTU Administrative Director Richard Walsh in the first two episodes of 24.[6] He played Sgt. Maj. Ron Cheals in CBS' action drama series The Unit. He starred in the Season 6 two-part finale of Grey's Anatomy as Gary Clark, the broken widower who holds the hospital hostage with a 9mm while pursuing the doctors responsible for unplugging his wife's life support.[7] He portrayed Nick Ford on the second season of Bates Motel,[8] and Alan Sparks on Extant.[9] His most notable film performances occur in Seabiscuit, Secondhand Lions, Transformers, Dancer, Texas Pop. 81, Traffic, Sea of Love, A Quiet Little Marriage, Nothing but the Truth, and Green Zone, J. Edgar, directed by Clint Eastwood, and Dallas Buyers Club.[10]

Holt Hyde (also voiced by Cindy Robinson) is the alter-ego version of Jackson Jekyll and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Hyde, who Jackson turns into when loud music plays (when he sweats in the Lisi Harrison novels). Originally in the diaries, it was the sun setting that triggered Jackson's transformation into his alter ego. His diary explains that the trigger is likely to change several times as he ages before finally settling. Holt on the other hand seems to be more fire elemental than normie. His skin is bright blue, his eyes are red and he has fiery-colored hair. He's depicted in the webisodes and specials as rather excitable and loud. He loves to DJ and is friends with Operetta. They tried to date once, but Holt's hot temper spoiled things. In the prom website event called "A Night in Scare-adise" on Monsterhigh.com he and Operetta attended prom together. Operetta was quoted as saying he "rocks my l'il ol' face off." Holt is often shown as a DJ at school dance events. He annotated Jackson's diary with sarcastic remarks. Like Jackson, Holt has a Yin Yang tattoo on his back and a pierced eyebrow. (His Swim Class doll is missing this detail however). In the books, his name is DJ Hyde.

Six years later, Pete, now 11, spots a lumberjack crew chopping down trees near his home. Natalie, the daughter of the ethical site foreman Jack, spots and chases him. When Natalie accidentally falls from a tree, her screams attract her father Jack and his girlfriend, park ranger Grace Meacham. Pete tries to run away, but Gavin, Jack's pragmatic brother, accidentally knocks him unconscious. After realizing that Pete has vanished, Elliot stumbles around looking for him and ends up knocking over a tree near the lumber camp, leading Gavin to organize a hunting party to find him. Meanwhile, Pete wakes up in a local hospital, which he escapes in an effort to return to the forest. Before the police can catch the boy, Grace finds Pete and asks him to come to her home and promises to take him to the forest the next day.

Believing that Charlie needs a vacation, his commanding officer (Robert Forster) orders him to escort Irene Waters (Renée Zellweger) from Rhode Island to Massena, New York, because she reportedly committed a hit-and-run. Irene insists the hit-and-run accusation is a lie told by Dickie (Daniel Greene), her mob-connected ex-boyfriend, and by corrupt police officers in his employ, to keep her from revealing Dickie's illegal activities to the authorities. In Massena, Charlie turns over Irene to two United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agents. A hitman with a contract on Irene's life kills one of the EPA agents. Irene turns to Charlie, and they flee, leaving his medication behind in their haste, allowing the Hank personality to emerge frequently. Dickie's law enforcement contacts blame Charlie for the murder of the EPA agent. FBI agents begin pursuing him and Irene, as do crooked police officers in Dickie's pay, Boshane (Richard Jenkins) and Gerke (Chris Cooper). The chase becomes a media spectacle, alerting Charlie's sons to his predicament.

The series begins when Doña Hilda Santana (Catherine Siachoque), who is pregnant, receives the news of the death of her daughter Catalina "La Grande" (Carmen Villalobos), sending her into premature labor with her second daughter, Catalina "La Pequeña" (Carolina Gaitán). When Catalina (Carolina Gaitán) is born, her father Albeiro Marín (Fabián Ríos) and mother Hilda Santana fear she will share her late older sister's fate, as many of the young women in their neighborhood have historically become involved with prostitution and organized crime. In order to protect their daughter, Albeiro and Hilda paint a yellow boundary line outside of their home, forbidding Catalina from crossing it. Catalina then falls in love with a boy named Hernán Darío (Juan Pablo Urrego). After witnessing an attack upon Hernán Darío by Yésica Beltrán's (Majida Issa) bodyguards, Catalina crosses the yellow line to defend Dario from them. Hilda and Albeiro intervene to defend their daughter and are apprehended by the bodyguards. Yésica, resentful of Hilda, Albeiro, and Catalina, then orders her men to plant jewelry in Hilda's house in order to incriminate them of a crime they didn't commit. The police, by Yésica's orders, arrest Hernán Darío, Catalina, Dona Hilda, and Albeiro, incarcerating them in different prisons. Catalina is sent to a prison institution, where she is beaten by the fellow inmates and guards and nearly drowned. Hernán Darío is beaten and humiliated as well until Yésica and her daughter Daniela (Johanna Fadul) force him to work for them, threatening to hurt his family. Albeiro, along with fellow inmate David, plots to break out of prison in order to escape. Journalist Daniel Cerón helps Catalina and her parents escape, but Hernán Darío, convinced that Catalina is still in prison and in danger, agrees to work for Yésica's daughter Daniela. Daniela, deeply infatuated with Hernán Darío and viciously jealous of his relationship with Catalina, continually attempts to seduce Hernán Darío while in her employ.

Dylan gave Haynes permission to proceed with his project. Haynes developed his screenplay with writer Oren Moverman. In the course of writing, Haynes has acknowledged that he became uncertain whether he could successfully carry off a film which deliberately confused biography with fantasy in such an extreme way. According to the account of the film that Robert Sullivan published in the New York Times: "Haynes called Jeff Rosen, Dylanâ€™s right hand, who was watching the deal-making but staying out of the scriptwriting. Rosen, he said, told him not to worry, that it was just his own crazy version of what Dylan is."[6]

In 1991, Dylan received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award from American actor Jack Nicholson.[223] The event coincided with the start of the Gulf War against Saddam Hussein, and Dylan performed "Masters of War". Dylan then made a short speech, saying "My daddy once said to me, he said, 'Son, it is possible for you to become so defiled in this world that your own mother and father will abandon you. If that happens, God will believe in your ability to mend your own ways.'"[223][224] This sentiment was subsequently revealed to be a quote from 19th-century German Jewish intellectual, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch.[225]

Gus's parents, Bill and Winnie Guster, are shown to be overly protective of their son and still regard him as a child who needs looking after. They long disapproved of his friendship with Shawn, whom they regarded as a bad influence. After Shawn and Gus solve a murder for which Bill and Winnie had been wrongfully arrested, they mellow towards Shawn and admit that perhaps they do not need to baby Gus so much. (However, immediately after Gus leaves, they offer Shawn cash with a stern order to look after their son).[8] A brother has been referenced in Gus' blog on the official USA Network website, but received no mention in the show.[9] In the deleted scenes for "Gus' Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy" on the Season 2 DVD, Gus's mom mentions a brother who lives in Connecticut. In the episode "Christmas Joy", Gus' family comes to town for the holidays, including Gus' sister Joy, who shares a mutual attraction with Shawn.

Comic book writer and author Danny Fingeroth argues that a strong theme in the film is Bruce's search for a father figure, saying "[Alfred] is the good father that Bruce comes to depend on. Bruce's real father died before they could establish an adult relationship, and Liam Neeson's Ducard is stern and demanding, didactic and challenging, but not a father figure with any sympathy. If Bruce is anyone's son, he is Alfred's. [Morgan] Freeman's Lucius is cool and imperturbable, another steady anchor in Bruce's life."[68] Blogger Mark Fisher states that Bruce's search for justice requires him to learn from a proper father figure, with Thomas Wayne and Ra's al Ghul being the two counterpoints. Alfred provides a maternal figure of unconditional love, despite the overall lack of focus on a mother figure in Bruce's life.[69]


Question: When did Ireland achieve independence from England?

In 1922, following the Irish War of Independence and the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the majority of Ireland gained independence from the United Kingdom, forming the Irish Free State. This state later redefined itself as simply "Ireland" after the 1937 constitution. However, the six northeastern counties, known collectively as Northern Ireland, chose to remain within the United Kingdom. The aftermath of the War of Independence was marred by the Irish Civil War, and Northern Ireland's history has since been characterized by intermittent sectarian strife between Irish nationalists (predominantly Catholic) and unionists (largely Protestant). This strife escalated into the Troubles during the late 1960s, lasting for three decades until the peace process initiated by the Belfast Agreement.

A number of countries did not fit comfortably into this neat definition of partition, including Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, and Ireland, which chose to be neutral. Finland was under the Soviet Union's military sphere of influence (see FCMA treaty) but remained neutral and was not communist, nor was it a member of the Warsaw Pact or Comecon but a member of the EFTA since 1986, and was west of the Iron Curtain. In 1955, when Austria again became a fully independent republic, it did so under the condition that it remain neutral, but as a country to the west of the Iron Curtain, it was in the United States' sphere of influence. Spain did not join the NATO until 1982, towards the end of the Cold War and after the death of the authoritarian Franco.

The American War of Independence continued until 1783, when the Treaty of Paris was signed. Britain recognised the sovereignty of the United States over the territory bounded by the British possessions to the North, Florida to the South, and the Mississippi River to the west.

After independence in 1922, the Church became more heavily involved in health care and education, raising money and managing institutions which were staffed by Catholic religious institute, paid largely by government intervention and public donations and bequests. Its main political effect was to continue to gain power in the national primary schools where religious proselytisation in education was a major element. The hierarchy opposed the free public secondary schools service introduced in 1968 by Donogh O'Malley, in part because they ran almost all such schools. The church's strong efforts since the 1830s to continue the control of Catholic education was primarily an effort to guarantee a continuing source of candidates for the priesthood, as they would have years of training before entering a seminary.[18]

Jacobite resistance in Ireland was finally ended after the Battle of Aughrim in July 1691. The Penal Laws that had been relaxed somewhat after the Restoration were reinforced more thoroughly after this war, as the infant Anglo-Irish Ascendency wanted to ensure that the Irish Roman Catholics would not be in a position to repeat their rebellions. Power was held by the 5% who were Protestants belonging to the Church of Ireland. They controlled all major sectors of the Irish economy, the bulk of the farmland, the legal system, local government and held strong majorities in both houses of the Irish Parliament. They strongly distrusted the Presbyterians in Ulster, and were convinced that the Catholics should have minimal rights. They did not have full political control because the government in London had superior authority and treated Ireland like a backward colony. When the American colonies revolted in the 1770s, the Ascendency wrested multiple concessions to strengthen its power. They did not seek independence because they knew they were heavily outnumbered and ultimately depended upon the British Army to guarantee their security.[29]

In the first decade of the 9th century AD, Viking raiders began to attack coastal districts along Ireland.[18] In 835, the first major Viking raid in southern England took place and was directed against the Isle of Sheppey.[19]

The reign of Edward I (reigned 1272â€“1307) was rather more successful. Edward enacted numerous laws strengthening the powers of his government, and he summoned the first officially sanctioned Parliaments of England (such as his Model Parliament). He conquered Wales and attempted to use a succession dispute to gain control of the Kingdom of Scotland, though this developed into a costly and drawn-out military campaign.

This is widely regarded as the beginning of the War of Independence.[33][34][35][36] The British government declared South Tipperary a Special Military Area under the Defence of the Realm Act two days later.[37][38] The war was not formally declared by the Dáil until well into the conflict, however. On 10 April 1919 the Dáil was told:

The Roman Catholic Church had a powerful influence over the Irish state for much of its history. The clergy's influence meant that the Irish state had very conservative social policies, forbidding, for example, divorce, contraception, abortion, pornography as well as encouraging the censoring and banning of many books and films. In addition the Church largely controlled the State's hospitals, schools and remained the largest provider of many other social services.

There is archival evidence showing that public notaries, acting pursuant to papal and imperial authority, practised in Ireland in the 13th century and it is reasonable to assume that notaries functioned here before that time. In Ireland, public notaries were at various times appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of Armagh. The position remained so until the Reformation.

In 1290 King Edward I of England sent Walter de Huntercombe to take possession of Mann. It remained in English hands until 1313, when Robert Bruce took it after besieging Castle Rushen for five weeks. A confused period followed when Mann was sometimes under English rule and sometimes Scottish, until 1346, when the Battle of Neville's Cross decided the long struggle between England and Scotland in England's favour.