Question: What is the main theme of Katy Perry's song "Roar"?

The theme of the song "Roar" by Katy Perry is centered around female empowerment and self-assertion. Perry co-wrote the song with Bonnie McKee and producers Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Cirkut. The lyrics encourage listeners to find their inner strength and stand up for themselves, reflecting Perry's personal journey of overcoming feelings of suppression and finding her voice. The song was developed in March 2013, with recording taking place in various studios in California and Sweden. According to McKee, "Roar" is a song that promotes resilience and self-empowerment, serving as an anthem for those who need to pick themselves up and keep moving forward.

Clarkson pegged "Piece by Piece" as a follow-up song to her 2004 track "Because of You" and the album's "most personal" record, saying that "once you've worked through that and you find love and the kind of happiness you hoped for but didn't really know was possible. It's a happy song. And it has a happy ending, unlike 'Because of You'".[6][11] She revealed that she was inspired to write it after a discussion with her sister about their relationships with their respective families.[2][11][12][13] She remarked, "I was talking to my sister on the phone about how sometimes girls with daddy issues don't find men like that!".[2] Clarkson also noted that how their husbands were so supportive and loving were in stark contrast to the clichÃ© about people with "abandonment issues" dating "losers".[2] She also said that "Piece by Piece" is a positive song, despite its somber resonance, and that she's still grateful to her father for making her want to be much more present in her family.[2] Sonically, Jon Pareles of The New York Times compared it to the anthems recorded by U2.[14] While Marissa Muller of CBS Radio described its sound as having a stadium feel with big drums.[15]

Frey also said that the song is about putting things off. "We've all said, 'One of these nights I'm gonna do something -- get that girl, make that money, find that house.' We all have our dreams â€“ a vision we hope will come true someday. When that 'someday' will come is up to each of us."[7]

Don Henley has given a number of explanations about the song, ranging from "a journey from innocence to experience"[7] to "a sociopolitical statement".[35] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Henley said that the song was meant to be "more of a symbolic piece about America in general", and added: "Lyrically, the song deals with traditional or classical themes of conflict: darkness and light, good and evil, youth and age, the spiritual versus the secular. I guess you could say it's a song about loss of innocence."[8]

The song is built around a simple verse-chorus form, but with added opening and closing sections, all performed in a stately tempo. After Robin sings about the ship in an orchestral opening, and some introductory lines are sung by the group, the song settles into the first verse and Robin singing solo to sparse accompaniment of rhythm guitar and quiet piano. The voices build to a big, slow chorus of all three voices led by Robin in an operatic style. For the second verse, the electric bass was added and proceeds at a faster pace through the same melody, into an even more intense chorus, augmented by a cello part by Buckmaster and some high notes by Robin. The extended closing section has a rhythmic instrumental and wordless vocal, building in power and then dropping off and back to the opening orchestra and vocal part until the song is finished.[3][6]

When Meena goes to the theater's rubble lot and sings Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," Buster hears her and is inspired to reinstate the show without the prize money. They perform on a makeshift stage on the lot in front of Rosita and Meena's family members. As Rosita and Gunter perform Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off," more animals are attracted to the scene as the show is broadcast on the news. Johnny's rendition of Elton John's "I'm Still Standing" impresses his father, who then escapes from prison to reconcile with him. Despite an interruption by Judith, Ash sings her original rock song "Set It All Free." Mike returns to the show and sings Frank Sinatra's "My Way." Meena finally overcomes her fears and sings Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing," which literally brings down the house. The show becomes a success and impresses Nana, who was in the audience. Nana buys the lot and the theater is rebuilt and reopened.

The verses of the song are sung from the point of view of a bar piano player who focuses mainly on the “regular crowd” that “shuffles” into the bar at nine o'clock on a Saturday: an old man, John the bartender, the waitress, businessmen, and bar regulars like "real estate novelist" Paul and US Navy sailor, Davy. Most of these characters have broken or unfulfilled dreams, and the pianist's job is to help them "forget about life for a while", as the lyrics state. The pianist makes money when the patrons "sit at the bar, and put bread in my jar, and say, 'Man, what are you doin' here?'" The chorus, in bar-room sing-along style, comes from the bar patrons themselves, who say, "Sing us a song, / You're the piano man; / Sing us a song tonight. / Well, we're all in the mood for a melody, / And you've got us feeling all right." As for the lyrics, Joel admitted that with their five-line grouping, they were more in the form of a limerick than a typical poem.[10]

The short story also discusses racism and the arrogance it breeds by marginalizing other people and being cruel to them. However, another theme of the story is the ability of the human spirit to endure conflict and poor circumstances within nature and society.[3]

Musically, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not features indie rock,[8] garage rock revival,[9] post-punk revival,[10] and punk rock.[11] The common thematic content of the album has led to it being considered by some a concept album concerning "the lives of young Northern England clubbers".[12] All tracks record first-person narratives of observations made within this context. "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor", "Still Take You Home", "You Probably Couldn't See for the Lights But You Were Staring Straight at Me" and "Dancing Shoes" all examine human behaviour in nightclubs. Frontman Alex Turner describes "Dancing Shoes" as being about "people always looking to pull when they go out however much they mask it."[13] Other songs examine other aspects of nightlife; "From the Ritz to the Rubble" is an account of nightclub bouncers, "Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured" tells the typical experiences and troubles of getting a taxicab after a night out, and "When the Sun Goes Down" was inspired by prostitutes in the locality of their practice room in the Neepsend district of Sheffield.[14] Other songs are themed on romantic relationships, such as "Mardy Bum", or youth subcultures, such as "Fake Tales of San Francisco" and "A Certain Romance". In NME's list of the top 100 tracks of the decade, "A Certain Romance" was described as "a strangely even-handed song which starts out scorning local townies then appears to absolve them at the end of the song."[15]

The video begins with Spears telling a story about a very famous Hollywood actress named Lucky. Lucky is seen wearing a pink nightgown behind the curtains, standing on her billboard with fluffy white cotton balls attached to the edges, inside her mansion and shots of her out on the balcony. As beautiful and rich as she is, on set she sits on the star-shape in the sky, as she is acting, she is looking quite distressed. After the first chorus, she goes to the hotel mansion to the flowers, then she leaves and sits down and gets a mirror. Next, Lucky opens the door to reveal a handsome man, who then takes her in his arms, as the director yells "Cut! We've got it". Lucky then walks off-set into the studio, replying to the director: "Finally! We've done it fifty-million times!" She then goes to have her hair and makeup done; with Spears standing unnoticed and very worried looking by her side. Lucky is then seen in a shiny gray evening gown at the Academy Awards accepting her award for Best Actress. Lucky looks happy as she accepts it and smiles at her fans but is soon revealed that this is not true happiness. She makes her way away from her screaming fans and back into her limo, where she unexpectedly finds an ornate hand mirror that was used on the film set. She looks back to the crowd to see who has left it and sees Spears leaning forward in the crowd. The limo drives away, leaving Spears behind on the red carpet. The video ends with Lucky crying herself to sleep, her make-up already stained on her face. The curtains close, ending the video.

"Dance to This" is a pop and R&B song with '80s influences,[13][14][15] lined with "muted, shuffling percussion" and a "syncopated, polyrhythmic beat".[16][17][18] The song opens with "heavy beats and melodic guitars",[19] before joining "flickering drum machines and feathery synth pads, with the occasional presence of dreamy guitars",[20][21] eventually building up to "an atmospheric bridge with massive drums". Lyrically, the song is about "that moment when you feel like you've been to enough house parties or events, and staying home making out in the kitchen and cooking dinner sounds like a much, much better alternative", according to Sivan.[13]


Question: What is the main theme of Katy Perry's song "Roar"?

"Roar" is a pop song by Katy Perry that incorporates arena rock elements. The track showcases Perry's powerful vocals, with a repetitive "Hey!" refrain reminiscent of The Lumineers. Instrumentally, the song features pounding pianos and booming bass drums. According to the sheet music, "Roar" is in the key of B♭ major with a moderate tempo of 90 beats per minute. Perry's vocal range in the song spans from B♭3 to E♭5, and the chord progression is B♭–Cm–Gm–E♭. The song's theme of empowerment is similar to Perry's previous single "Firework." Perry has described "Roar" as a song about standing up for oneself and finding inner strength.

"Paranoid Android" is categorised by three distinct moods written in what Yorke referred to as three different states of mind.[12] The song's lyrics tie in with a number of themes common in OK Computer, including insanity, violence, slogans, and political objection to capitalism.[28] Yorke's lyrics were based on an unpleasant experience at a Los Angeles bar during which he was surrounded by strangers high on cocaine. In particular, Yorke was frightened by a woman who became violent after someone spilled a drink on her. Yorke characterised the woman as "inhuman", and said "There was a look in this woman's eyes that I'd never seen before anywhere. ... Couldn't sleep that night because of it." The woman inspired the line "kicking squealing Gucci little piggy" in the song's second section.[29] Yorke, referring to the line "With your opinions, which are of no consequence at all", said that "Again, that's just a joke. It's actually the other way around – it's actually my opinion that is of no consequence at all."[4]

"The Way I Am" is an upbeat pop song on which Puth addresses on his self-acceptance.[2][3] Described as an "introspective, autobiographical track", it heavily features "a plugging electric guitar riff" throughout, with "Puth's vocals syncing up to the instrumental during the verses".[4]

The song is built around a simple verse-chorus form, but with added opening and closing sections, all performed in a stately tempo. After Robin sings about the ship in an orchestral opening, and some introductory lines are sung by the group, the song settles into the first verse and Robin singing solo to sparse accompaniment of rhythm guitar and quiet piano. The voices build to a big, slow chorus of all three voices led by Robin in an operatic style. For the second verse, the electric bass was added and proceeds at a faster pace through the same melody, into an even more intense chorus, augmented by a cello part by Buckmaster and some high notes by Robin. The extended closing section has a rhythmic instrumental and wordless vocal, building in power and then dropping off and back to the opening orchestra and vocal part until the song is finished.[3][6]

"I had just gone through an experience that made me write this song about like knowing the second you see someone like, 'Oh, this is going to be interesting. It's going to be dangerous, but look at me going in there anyway... I think that for me, it was the first time I ever kind of noticed that in myself, like when you are curious about something you know might be bad for you, but you know that you are going to go for it anyway because if you don't, you'll have greater regrets about not seeing where that would go, but I think that for me it all went along with this record that was pushing boundaries, like the sound of this record pushes boundaries, it was writing about something I hadn't written before."[9]

"A Good Year for the Roses" describes the thoughts of a man as his wife is preparing to leave him, and is as good an example as any of Jones' ability to deliver an intensely moving vocal, in this case one that conveys both the sadness and profound bitterness that comes with a broken marriage. Although recorded while George was with Musicor, the production is typical of the sound Billy Sherrill would employ when Jones moved to Epic Records the following year. Although supported by a choir of background singers and strings on the chorus, Jones' stunning clenched-teeth vocal is the centerpiece throughout, with Chris Woodstra of AllMusic calling it "one of his all-time greatest performances." The lyric, infused by Jones' nuanced delivery, captures the disillusion of the narrator:

The lyrics for "Party in the U.S.A." are written in first person, about Cyrus' relocation from Nashville, Tennessee to Hollywood, California.[17] In the verses, she details occurrences in Hollywood, such as peers questioning her attire,[17] that cause for her to feel homesick and intimidated.[19] Towards the conclusion of each verse, the protagonist listens to her favorite Jay-Z and Britney Spears song, respectively, which leads to the refrains describing how her favorite songs make her feel more confident.[17] Vicki Lutas of BBC interpreted, "However cringe it sounds, your favourite song can make you feel okay and feel more confident, even if you're not really."[17]

The singer of the song, Mark Hoppus says that the song is inspired by his own troubles on the tour. Hence "The tour was over, we've survived." I'll see if I can find the article... 60.231.80.44 (talk) 21:43, 26 November 2011 (UTC)

Lyrically, the song concerns a man that Shakira cannot get off her mind, discussing how easy it is to forget how bad someone is for you when you still love them.[3][22] The lyrics were noted by E! Online as describing a woman who will follow her man, the concept of the song is introduced in lyrics such as "keep(s) forgetting I should let you go/ But when you look at me/ The only memory is us kissing in the moonlight."[27] Lewis Corner of Digital Spy commented on the lyric; "I keep forgetting I should let you go" as the singers telling their "no-good lothario, who seems to still have a hefty grip on their hearts," continuing to say the songs lyrics are "romantic pitfall."[28] Musically, the song is written in the key of B minor, and set in common time signature with a moderately fast tempo of 138[29] beats per minute. It follows a chord progression of Bm-Em-A-D. Shakira and Rihanna's vocals span from the note of B3 to the high note of D5.[30]

Clarkson pegged "Piece by Piece" as a follow-up song to her 2004 track "Because of You" and the album's "most personal" record, saying that "once you've worked through that and you find love and the kind of happiness you hoped for but didn't really know was possible. It's a happy song. And it has a happy ending, unlike 'Because of You'".[6][11] She revealed that she was inspired to write it after a discussion with her sister about their relationships with their respective families.[2][11][12][13] She remarked, "I was talking to my sister on the phone about how sometimes girls with daddy issues don't find men like that!".[2] Clarkson also noted that how their husbands were so supportive and loving were in stark contrast to the clichÃ© about people with "abandonment issues" dating "losers".[2] She also said that "Piece by Piece" is a positive song, despite its somber resonance, and that she's still grateful to her father for making her want to be much more present in her family.[2] Sonically, Jon Pareles of The New York Times compared it to the anthems recorded by U2.[14] While Marissa Muller of CBS Radio described its sound as having a stadium feel with big drums.[15]

In an interview with The Wire, BjÃ¶rk said that the video "[is] about the argument between hunting experiences and stopping and settling."[5] She has also stated to Interview that she identifies with polar bears because "they're very cuddly and cute and quite calm, but if they meet you they can be very strong."[2] Freeze Frame wrote: "She's is the hunter-gather [sic] that we evolved from, still with us and still a part of us. It's about shedding the denial and embracing what we are - what we really are, even thought it's sometimes hard to tell."[1] The Wire wrote the video "also tackles shape-changing, the idea of transmogrification that is the core of shamanic power."[5]


Question: Who selects the players during the NFL draft?

The NFL Draft process involves representatives from each team gathering to make selections. In the first round, teams have 10 minutes to make their pick, decreasing to 7 minutes in the second round and 5 minutes for Rounds 3-6. In Round 7 and for compensatory picks, teams have 4 minutes to decide. If a team fails to make a selection within the allotted time, they can still submit a pick, but other teams can choose before them, potentially selecting players the delayed team was considering. An example of this occurred in 2003 when the Minnesota Vikings were late with their pick, allowing the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers to select players before the Vikings could choose defensive tackle Kevin Williams. A similar incident happened in 2011 when the Baltimore Ravens, while negotiating a trade with the Chicago Bears, lost their pick time, enabling the Kansas City Chiefs to select before Baltimore could finalize the trade with Chicago.

The Eagles gained the 2004 NFC Super Bowl berth after 3 consecutive defeats in the NFC Championship Game to the St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (who won Super Bowl XXXVII that year), and Carolina Panthers, respectively. The Eagles hired Andy Reid as their head coach in 1999 following two straight losing seasons.[10] That same year, they used their first-round pick in the NFL draft (the second overall) to select quarterback Donovan McNabb.[10] Although they finished the 1999 regular season with a 5â€“11 record, they became a playoff team in 2000, with McNabb throwing for 3,365 yards and 21 touchdowns while also rushing for 629 yards and another 6 touchdowns.[10]

A major league team's Director of Player Development determines where a given player will be placed in the farm system, in coordination with the coaches and managers who evaluate their talent. At the end of spring training, players both from the spring major camp and minor league winter camp are placed by the major league club on the roster of a minor league team. The Director of Player Development and the general manager usually determine the initial assignments for new draftees, who typically begin playing professionally in June after they have been signed to contracts. The farm system is ever-changing, and evaluation of players is a constantly ongoing process. The Director of Player Development and his managers meet or teleconference regularly to discuss how players are performing at each level. Personal development, injuries, and high levels of achievement by players in the classes below all steer a player's movement up and down in the class system.

The team also honored Griffey in a unique fashion in the 2016 MLB draft, selecting his son Trey in the 24th round (matching his jersey number), even though Trey, at the time a wide receiver at the University of Arizona, had not played baseball since his preteen years.[84]

Kelly agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Eagles to become the team's head coach on January 16, 2013.[32] Although general manager Howie Roseman ran the team's drafts and free agency signings in his first two seasons with the team, Kelly had the final say over the 53-man roster.[33][34] He was one of three current NFL coaches who had either the title or powers of general manager, along with the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick and the Seattle Seahawks' Pete Carroll.

In professional football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player under contract moves between clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player's registration from one association football club to another. In general, the players can only be transferred during a transfer window and according to the rules set by a governing body. Usually some sort of compensation is paid for the player's rights, which is known as a transfer fee. When a player moves from one club to another, their old contract is terminated and they negotiate a new one with the club they are moving to, unlike in American, Canadian and Australian sports, where teams essentially trade existing player contracts. In some cases, however, transfers can function in a similar manner to player trades, as teams can offer another player on their squad as part of the compensation.

Pitt has produced 289 NFL players including eight that went on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame[8] and 31 that have been selected to play in the Pro Bowl.[195] Furthermore, in a survey of NFL drafts from 1979 to 2009, ESPN rated Pitt third, behind only USC and Miami, for having "the most fertile NFL draft pipelines."[196] In addition, Pitt has been ranked second among all schools for the historical value of its drafted players.[197] Some former Pitt players that have left their mark on the NFL include Ruben Brown, Jim Covert, Mike Ditka, Chris Doleman, Tony Dorsett, Larry Fitzgerald, Russ Grimm, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, Rickey Jackson, Dan Marino, Curtis Martin, Mark May, Darrelle Revis, Tony Siragusa, LeSean McCoy and Aaron Donald.

The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo, New York metropolitan area. They are members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Bills franchise was formed in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), before joining the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL merger of 1970.[1]

Many players in the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League (among other indoor American football leagues) later advance to the NFL, but no farming contracts exist among any teams. During the mid-2000s, several NFL owners at least partially owned arena football teams, such as Jerry Jones (Dallas), Arthur Blank (Atlanta), Bud Adams (Tennessee), Tom Benson (New Orleans), and Pat Bowlen (Denver), but very rarely did they ever promote or demote any players between the AFL and NFL, due in part to significant differences in the playing schedules and the style of play between outdoor and indoor football. All of the NFL owners backed out of the league when it went bankrupt, was sold off and reorganized.

Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers played college football for California, where he set several career passing records, including lowest single-season and career interception rates.[1] He was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers.[2]

The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) and are the third-oldest franchise in the National Football League (NFL). The club was founded in 1919 by coach, player, and future Hall of Fame inductee Curly Lambeau and sports and telegraph editor George Whitney Calhoun. The Packers competed against local teams for two seasons before entering the NFL in 1921.


Question: Who selects the players during the NFL draft?

The process of selecting players in the NFL Draft can vary significantly among teams. It may involve input from owners, general managers, coaches, and other staff members. In some cases, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1983 draft, the head coach, Chuck Noll, had the final say in the picks, even over the team owner, Art Rooney. Conversely, in the case of the New England Patriots under owner Billy Sullivan, the coaching staff, including head coach Ron Meyer, was excluded from personnel decisions, to the point where Meyer was not even allowed to read scouting reports. If given the decision-making power, Meyer would not have selected Tony Eason in the first round of the 1983 draft.

After a player has been designated for assignment, the other 30 NHL teams can put in a claim or waive their claim for that player. The claims process starts at noon Eastern Time and ends 24 hours later. If only one team makes a claim for the player, then he will be transferred to the claiming team. If more than one team makes a claim, then the player will be transferred to the team having the lowest percentage of possible points in league standings at the time of the request for waivers. When a waiver claim has been secured, the claiming team must pay a transfer fee to the original club, though this fee is not counted against the salary cap. If waivers are requested outside the playing season, or before November 1, then the player shall be transferred to the team with the lowest points in the preceding season.[4] If no team places a claim, the player can be sent to a minor league affiliate.

The NBA annually invites around 15â€“20 players to sit in the so-called "green room", a special room set aside at the draft site for the invited players plus their families and agents. When their names are called, the player leaves the room and goes up on stage. Other players who are not invited are allowed to attend the ceremony. They sit in the stands with the fans and walk up on stage when (or if) they are drafted.[77] 10 players were invited to the 2017 NBA draft on June 8, with three more of them being invited two days later.[78] Seven more players would be invited to complete the green room listing on June 14, bringing the total invite list to 20. The following players (listed alphabetically) were confirmed as invites for the event this year.

On January 13, 2008, the Falcons named former Patriots director of college football scouting Thomas Dimitroff General Manager.[13] On January 23, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coach and former linebackers coach for the 2000 Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens Mike Smith was named the Falcons' new head coach.[14] Chargers back-up RB Michael Turner agreed to a 6-year deal, $30 million deal on March 2.[15] On April 26, Matt Ryan (quarterback from Boston College) was drafted third overall in the 2008 NFL draft by the Falcons.[16]

Beginning in the silent movie era, wrote Garry Wills, "USC football players mingled with the movie stars who came to their games and offered them bit parts in their movies."[83] One such player was John Wayne, who played tackle on the 1925 and 1926 team; another was Ward Bond, who played on the 1926â€“1928 teams.[84] (As a publicity stunt, the Atlanta Falcons drafted the 64-year-old John Wayne the 1972 NFL draft.[85])

The head coach of the team with the best record in each conference is chosen to lead their respective conference in the All-Star Game, with a prohibition against repeat appearances.[2] Known as the "Riley Rule", it was created after perennially successful Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley earned the right to coach the Western Conference team eight times in nine seasons between 1982 and 1990. The coach of the team with the next best record serves instead.

Originally, each team's roster includes up to three allocated American national team players, up to two allocated Mexico women's national team players, and up to two Canadian allocated national team players via the NWSL Player Allocation and subsequent trades.[19] In addition, each team has four spots available for international players.[20] The remaining roster spots must be filled by domestic players from the United States. Teams fill their rosters via a number of drafts and 4â€“6 discovery player signings.[18]

Howley was selected seventh overall in the 1958 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, playing for two seasons before retiring after what appeared to be a career-ending knee injury he sustained in August 1959, at training camp in Rensselaer, Indiana.[5] He played just three games late in that season and was inactive in 1960.[6]

Before the draft, Rodgers was confident that he would be drafted to the team he supported and grew up near,[36] the San Francisco 49ers, who possessed the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The 49ers, however, drafted quarterback Alex Smith out of Utah instead, and Rodgers slid all the way down to the 24th overall pick by the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers has said that he experienced much angst and restlessness when waiting to be selected several hours into the draft, as he had expected himself to be selected much sooner.[36] Rodgers's slip to the 24th selection and the Packers choosing to pick Brett Favre's future replacement became one of the biggest stories of the draft, though he was still the second quarterback selected. His drop in the draft was later ranked number one on the NFL Network's Top 10 Draft Day Moments. Many teams drafting between the second and 23rd positions had positional needs more pressing than quarterback.[37]

Only players from the American college sports system (the NCAA) are eligible to be drafted. Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's soccer players are not included, despite numerous proposals and discussions in 2010[4] and 2012.[5]

On January 24, 2014, the Browns hired Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine as the 15th full-time head coach in team history.[144] On February 11, 2014 the Browns announced that Lombardi would be replaced by Ray Farmer as GM, and that Joe Banner would resign as CEO.[145] In the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, the Browns selected cornerback Justin Gilbert from Oklahoma State with the eighth pick, and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M with the 22nd overall pick.[146]


Question: Who selects the players during the NFL draft?

The NFL Scouting Combine, held annually in late February or early March at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a six-day event where college football players are evaluated by NFL coaches, general managers, and scouts. This standardized assessment, which has grown in scope and significance due to the increasing interest in the NFL draft, allows teams to evaluate prospects in a controlled environment. The combine, which originated from the National, BLESTO, and Quadra Scouting services in 1977, has transformed into a media spectacle. Only invited athletes participate, and their performance can significantly impact their draft status, salary, and career prospects. The term "Workout Warrior," often used to describe athletes with exceptional physical attributes who may not have had outstanding college careers, has gained popularity due to the draft process.

Originally, each team's roster includes up to three allocated American national team players, up to two allocated Mexico women's national team players, and up to two Canadian allocated national team players via the NWSL Player Allocation and subsequent trades.[19] In addition, each team has four spots available for international players.[20] The remaining roster spots must be filled by domestic players from the United States. Teams fill their rosters via a number of drafts and 4â€“6 discovery player signings.[18]

Dallas Dean Clark (born June 12, 1979) is a former American football tight end who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Iowa, earned unanimous All-American honors, and was recognized as the top college tight end in the nation. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft and he was a member of their Super Bowl XLI championship team against the Chicago Bears. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens.

In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, practice squad, or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point. This system can be implemented in many ways, both formally and informally.

The starting five from each conference consists of three frontcourt players and two guards, selected by a combination of fan, player, and media voting. In 2017, the NBA moved from a pure fan vote to a weighted process wherein fan voting accounts for 50% of the total and player and media voting account for 25% each.[1] The league made the change in response to social media campaigns that resulted in mediocre players such as journeyman Zaza Pachulia nearly being voted as All-Star starters over more deserving players.,[1][9] Prior to 2013, fans selected two forwards and one center instead of generic frontcourt players.[10] The NBA in 2003 began offering All-Star ballots in three languages—English, Spanish and Chinese—for fan voting of the starters.[11]

Beginning in 1969, the format was geographic with the Wales/Eastern Conference All-Stars playing the Campbell/Western Conference All-Stars, where the "first team", or starting line, including the starting goaltender, voted in by fans, while the remainder of the teams' rosters are chosen by the NHL's Hockey Operations Department in consultation with the teams' general managers. Since 1996, the head coaches for the two All-Star teams have been the coaches of the two teams that are leading their respective conferences in point percentage (i.e. fraction of points obtained out of total possible points). Prior policy saw the two head coaches that appeared in the previous year's Stanley Cup Finals coaching the All-Star teams.[3]

The USC Trojans football program, established in 1888, represents the University of Southern California in college football. USC is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS and the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12). The Trojans throughout NCAA history have claimed 11 national championships.[2] As of 2017, 502 Trojans have been taken in the National Football League draft, first most all time by any university;[3] the Trojans also have had more players drafted in the first round than any other university, with 80 as of the 2017 draft.[4] USC has the most Pro Football Hall of Famers with 12.[5] With a record of 34â€“17, USC has the highest all-time post-season winning percentage of schools with 25 or more bowl appearances.[citation needed] The team is coached by Clay Helton.

Through the 2017 NFL season, 32 former Pitt players have been selected to appear in the NFL Pro Bowl for a total of 120 all-time Pro Bowl selections. Pitt has been represented by at least one Pro Bowl selection every year since 1981.[195][198]

The departure of these players for various reasons symbolized the franchise's futility during this period, as head coach Attles moved up to the front office as general manager in 1980 and the team made several coaching changes. New owners Jim Fitzgerald and Dan Finane finally managed to return the team to respectability by hiring former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach George Karl as head coach in 1986 after selecting St. John's small forward Chris Mullin in the 1985 NBA draft.

In the early years of the NBA draft, a player had to finish his four-year college eligibility to be eligible for selection. Reggie Harding, who had graduated from high school but did not enroll in a college, became the first player drafted out of high school when the Detroit Pistons selected him in the fourth round of the 1962 draft.[3] However, the NBA rules at that time prohibited a high school player to play in the league until one year after his high school class graduated.[4][5] Thus, he spent a year playing in a minor basketball league before he was drafted again in the 1963 draft by the Pistons.[6] He finally entered the league in the 1963–64 season and played four seasons in the NBA and American Basketball Association (ABA).[7]

The National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. The winner receives the Maurice Podoloff Trophy, which is named in honor of the first commissioner (then president)[a] of the NBA, who served from 1946 until 1963. Until the 1979–80 season, the MVP was selected by a vote of NBA players. Since the 1980–81 season, the award is decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first to fifth place selections. Each first-place vote is worth 10 points; each second-place vote is worth seven; each third-place vote is worth five, fourth-place is worth three and fifth-place is worth one. Starting from 2010, one ballot was cast by fans through online voting. The player with the highest point total wins the award.[2] As of June 2017[update], the current holder of the award is Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder.


Question: Are residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands considered U.S. citizens?

Individuals born in the U.S. Virgin Islands are considered U.S. citizens, which exempts them from the standard immigration processes that other West Indian immigrants must undergo. Due to their cultural ties to the Anglophone Caribbean, U.S. Virgin Islanders residing in the U.S. are often grouped within the Caribbean American immigrant community.

The Constitution does not mandate race-neutral naturalization, and the First Congress passed a naturalization act that limited eligibility for naturalization to “free white persons.” Shortly after the Civil War, Congress also extended racial eligibility for naturalization to “aliens of African nativity and persons of African descent.” Racial eligibility for naturalization was limited to these racial categories until 1940, after which eligibility for naturalization was also extended to “descendants of races indigenous to the Western Hemisphere,” “Filipino persons or persons of Filipino descent,” “Chinese persons or persons of Chinese descent,” and “persons of races indigenous to India.” The racial eligibility provisions were removed from the naturalization act in 1952, but while they remained in place many federal and state courts as well as the United States Board of Immigration Appeals interpreted the phrase “free white person” in a variety of cases involving the contested naturalization applications of immigrants from Asia and the Pacific Rim who some claimed were racially ineligible for naturalization.[19]

To be eligible to serve as president, a person must be a natural-born U.S. citizen, at least 35 years of age, and a resident within the United States for at least 14 years. These eligibility requirements are specified both in the U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1, Clause 5, and in the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 (3 U.S.C. § 19(e)).

The mass naturalization of native persons in occupied territories is illegal under the laws of war (Hague and Geneva Conventions).  However, there have been many instances of such illegal mass naturalizations in the 20th century.[citation needed]

The former U.S. Navy facilities at Roosevelt Roads, Vieques, and Sabana Seca have been deactivated and partially turned over to the local government. Other than U.S. Coast Guard and Puerto Rico National Guard facilities, there are only two remaining military installations in Puerto Rico: the U.S. Army's small Ft. Buchanan (supporting local veterans and reserve units) and the PRANG (Puerto Rico Air National Guard) Muñiz Air Base (the C-130 Fleet). In recent years, the U.S. Congress has considered their deactivations, but these have been opposed by diverse public and private entities in Puerto Rico – such as retired military who rely on Ft. Buchanan for the services available there.

The Jones Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1916 to serve as the new organic law in the Philippines, promised eventual independence and instituted an elected Philippine senate. The Tydings–McDuffie Act (officially the Philippine Independence Act; Public Law 73-127) approved on March 24, 1934, provided for self-government of the Philippines and for Filipino independence (from the United States) after a period of ten years. World War II intervened, bringing the Japanese occupation between 1941 and 1945. In 1946, the Treaty of Manila (1946) between the governments of the U.S. and the Republic of the Philippines provided for the recognition of the independence of the Republic of the Philippines and the relinquishment of American sovereignty over the Philippine Islands.

The Twenty-third Amendment (1961) extends the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens residing in the District of Columbia by granting the District electors in the Electoral College, as if it were a state. When first established as the nation's capital in 1800, the District of Columbia's five thousand residents had neither a local government, nor the right to vote in federal elections. By 1960 the population of the District had grown to over 760,000 people. However, while its residents had all the responsibilities of citizenship, such as paying federal taxes, and could be drafted to serve in the military, citizens in thirteen states with lower populations had more voting rights than District residents.[86]

The Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, the delegate elected by Puerto Ricans to represent them before the federal government, including the U.S. Congress, sits in the United States House of Representatives, serves and votes on congressional committees, and functions in every respect as a legislator except being denied a vote on the final disposition of legislation on the House floor, also engages in foreign affairs to the same extent as other members of Congress. The current Resident Commissioner is Pedro Pierluisi from the New Progressive Party and member of the Democratic Party of the United States.

Bhicaji Framji Balsara became the first known Indian-born person to gain naturalised U.S. citizenship. As a Parsi, he was considered a 'pure member of the Persian sect' and therefore a free white person. The judge Emile Henry Lacombe, of the Southern District of New York, only gave Balsara citizenship on the hope that the United States attorney would indeed challenge his decision and appeal it to create “an authoritative interpretation” of the law. The U.S. attorney adhered to Lacombe’s wishes and took the matter to the Circuit Court of Appeals in 1910. The Circuit Court of Appeal agreed that Parsees belong to the white race and were "as distinct from Hindus as are the English who dwell in India”. [13][14] Prior to 1965, Indian immigration to the U.S. was small and isolated, with fewer than fifty thousand Indian immigrants in the country. The Bellingham riots in Bellingham, Washington on September 5, 1907 epitomized the low tolerance in the U.S. for Indians and Sikhs who were called hindoos by locals. While anti-Asian racism was embedded in U.S. politics and culture in the early 20th century, Indians were also racialized for their anticolonialism, with U.S. officials, casting them as a "Hindu" menace, pushing for Western imperial expansion abroad.[15] Although labeled Hindu, the majority of Indians were Sikh.[15] In the 1923 case, United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, the Supreme Court ruled that Punjabis were not "white persons" and were therefore racially ineligible for naturalized citizenship.[16] The Court also argued that the racial difference between Indians and whites was so great that the "great body of our people" would reject assimilation with Indians.[16]

In early 1893 the business community in Kingdom of Hawaii overthrew the Queen and sought annexation by President Harrison, who forwarded the proposal to the Senate for approval. But the newly elected President Cleveland withdrew the proposed annexation; nevertheless, revolutionaries in Hawaii formed an independent Republic of Hawaii. It voluntarily joined the U.S. as a territory in 1898 with full U.S. citizenship for its residents. It became the 50th state in 1959.[32]

Though the Commonwealth government has its own tax laws, Puerto Ricans are also required to pay many kinds of U.S. federal taxes, not including the federal personal income tax for Puerto Rico-sourced income, but only under certain circumstances.[261][262][263][264][265][266][267][268] In 2009, Puerto Rico paid $3.742 billion into the U.S. Treasury.[269] Residents of Puerto Rico pay into Social Security, and are thus eligible for Social Security benefits upon retirement. They are excluded from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and the island actually receives a smaller fraction of the Medicaid funding it would receive if it were a U.S. state.[270] Also, Medicare providers receive less-than-full state-like reimbursements for services rendered to beneficiaries in Puerto Rico, even though the latter paid fully into the system.[271]


Question: Who were the Whigs, and what did they advocate for?

The Whigs, a prominent political party in the British Isles, emerged from a faction opposing absolute monarchy and advocating for constitutional governance. Originating in the late 17th century, they were staunch adversaries of the Stuart monarchy, particularly due to its Roman Catholic affiliations. Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the Whigs gained significant influence and maintained a firm grip on power until the reign of George III, who began to include Tories in government roles around 1760. The Whig dominance, often referred to as the "Whig Supremacy" (1715-1760), was secured by the Hanoverian succession and the suppression of Tory-led Jacobite rebellions. Under the leadership of figures like Robert Walpole and his protégé Henry Pelham, the Whigs monopolized key governmental, military, ecclesiastical, legal, and local positions, establishing a period known as the "Whig Oligarchy" from roughly 1714 to 1783.

The conservatives, led by Victor L. Berger from Milwaukee, promoted progressive causes of efficiency and an end to corruption, nicknamed "gas and water socialism." Their opponents were the radicals who wanted to overthrow capitalism, tried to infiltrate labor unions, and sought to cooperate with the Industrial Workers of the World ("the Wobblies"). With few exceptions, the party had weak or nonexistent links to local labor unions. Immigration was an issueâ€”the radicals saw immigrants as fodder for the war with capitalism, while conservatives complained that they lowered wage rates and absorbed too many city resources. Many of these issues had been debated at the First National Congress of the Socialist Party in 1910, and they were debated again at the national convention in Indianapolis in 1912. At the latter, the radicals won an early test by seating Bill Haywood on the Executive Committee, sending encouragement to western "Wobblies", and passed a resolution seeming to favor industrial unionism. The conservatives counterattacked by amending the party constitution to expel any socialists who favored industrial sabotage or syndicalism (that is, the IWW), and who refused to participate in American elections. They adopted a conservative platform calling for cooperative organization of prisons, a national bureau of health, abolition of the Senate and the presidential veto. Debs did not attend; he saw his mission as keeping the disparate units together in the hope that someday a common goal would be found.

Two parties soon developed, one in opposition, the Anti-Federalists, and one in support, the Federalists, of the Constitution; and the Constitution was debated, criticized, and expounded upon clause by clause. Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, under the name of Publius, wrote a series of commentaries, now known as The Federalist Papers, in support of ratification in the state of New York, at that time a hotbed of anti-Federalism. These commentaries on the Constitution, written during the struggle for ratification, have been frequently cited by the Supreme Court as an authoritative contemporary interpretation of the meaning of its provisions. The dispute over additional powers for the central government was close, and in some states ratification was effected only after a bitter struggle in the state convention itself.

Jefferson had wanted to align with the European powers in an effort to isolate Haïti, but was unsuccessful due to Britain's lack of interest in joining the proposed accord. France pressured for the end of American trade with Haïti, which they saw as aiding a rogue element in their colony. Jefferson agreed to cease trade in arms, but would not give up trade for noncontraband goods. Madison, commenting on the agreement to discontinue the arms trade, said that "it is probably the interest of all nations that they should be kept out of hands likely to make so bad use of them."[9] The debate on an embargo on Haïti heated up in Congress and civil society, but it was not all one-sided. Federalist newspaper Columbian Centinel compared the Haitian revolution and the struggle for independence from a European power, with the Americans' own revolution for independence.[10]

Yancey's previous 1848 attempt at demanding a slave code for the territories was his Alabama Platform, which was in response to the Northern Wilmot Proviso attempt at banning slavery in territories conquered from Mexico. Justice Peter V. Daniel wrote a letter about the Proviso to former President Martin Van Buren: "It is that view of the case which pretends to an insulting exclusiveness or superiority on the one hand, and denounces a degrading inequality or inferiority on the other; which says in effect to the Southern man, 'Avaunt! you are not my equal, and hence are to be excluded as carrying a moral taint with you.' Here is at once the extinction of all fraternity, of all sympathy, of all endurance even; the creation of animosity fierce, implacable, undying."[140] Both the Alabama Platform and the Wilmot Proviso failed, but Yancey learned to be less overtly radical in order to get more support. Southerners thought they were merely demanding equality, in that they wanted Southern property in slaves to get the same (or more) protection as Northern forms of property.[139]

The spirit of Jacksonian democracy animated the party from the early 1830s to the 1850s, shaping the Second Party System, with the Whig Party the main opposition. After the disappearance of the Federalists after 1815 and the Era of Good Feelings (1816–1824), there was a hiatus of weakly organized personal factions until about 1828–1832, when the modern Democratic Party emerged along with its rival the Whigs. The new Democratic Party became a coalition of farmers, city-dwelling laborers and Irish Catholics.[6]

On August 18, 1787, the Constitutional Convention was in the midst of a weeks-long stretch of proposals to establish what would become the enumerated powers of the United States Congress. Three such proposals made on that day addressed what are now lumped together under intellectual property rights. One, by Charles Pinckney was "to secure to authors exclusive rights for a limited time". The other two were made by James Madison, who had previously served on a committee of the Congress established under the Articles of Confederation which had encouraged the individual states to adopt copyright legislation. Madison proposed that the Constitution permit Congress "to secure to literary authors their copyrights for a limited time", or, in the alternative, "to encourage, by proper premiums & Provisions, the advancement of useful knowledge and discoveries".[1]

During Taft's administration, a rift grew between Roosevelt and Taft as they became the leaders of the Republican Party's two wings: the progressives, led by Roosevelt, and the conservatives, led by Taft. The progressive Republicans favored restrictions on the employment of women and children, promoted ecological conservation, and were more sympathetic toward labor unions. The progressive Republicans were also in favor of the popular election of federal and state judges and opposed to having judges appointed by the president or state governors. The conservative Republicans were in support of high tariffs on imported goods to encourage consumers to buy American-made products (as were most progressive Republicans), favored business leaders over labor unions, and were generally opposed to the popular election of judges.

Republicans urged western farmers and northern manufacturers to blame the depression on the domination of the low-tariff economic policies of southern-controlled Democratic administrations. However the depression revived suspicion of Northeastern banking interests in both the South and the West. Eastern demand for western farm products shifted the West closer to the North. As the "transportation revolution" (canals and railroads) went forward, an increasingly large share and absolute amount of wheat, corn, and other staples of western producers—once difficult to haul across the Appalachians—went to markets in the Northeast. The depression emphasized the value of the western markets for eastern goods and homesteaders who would furnish markets and respectable profits.[citation needed]

The Democrats represented a wide range of views but shared a fundamental commitment to the Jeffersonian concept of an agrarian society. They viewed the central government as the enemy of individual liberty. The 1824 "corrupt bargain" had strengthened their suspicion of Washington politics. ... Jacksonians feared the concentration of economic and political power. They believed that government intervention in the economy benefited special-interest groups and created corporate monopolies that favored the rich. They sought to restore the independence of the individual – the artisan and the ordinary farmer – by ending federal support of banks and corporations and restricting the use of paper currency, which they distrusted. Their definition of the proper role of government tended to be negative, and Jackson's political power was largely expressed in negative acts. He exercised the veto more than all previous presidents combined. Jackson and his supporters also opposed reform as a movement. Reformers eager to turn their programs into legislation called for a more active government. But Democrats tended to oppose programs like educational reform mid the establishment of a public education system. They believed, for instance, that public schools restricted individual liberty by interfering with parental responsibility and undermined freedom of religion by replacing church schools. Nor did Jackson share reformers' humanitarian concerns. He had no sympathy for American Indians, initiating the removal of the Cherokees along the Trail of Tears.[7]

The Republicans' Whig-style personality-driven "hurrah" campaign helped stir hysteria in the slave states upon the emergence of Lincoln and intensify divisive tendencies, while Southern "fire eaters" gave credence to notions of the slave power conspiracy among Republican constituencies in the North and West. New Southern demands to re-open the African slave trade further fueled sectional tensions.[citation needed]


Question: Which type of mirror is utilized in vehicles for rear-view purposes?

A rear-view mirror, also known as a rearview mirror, is a crucial component in automobiles and other vehicles. Its primary function is to enable the driver to have a clear view of the area behind the vehicle by reflecting the image through the rear window or rear windshield.

Vehicle instrument is an instrument that measures some parameters in the vehicle, often found on its control panel or dashboard.

Optical fingerprint imaging involves capturing a digital image of the print using visible light. This type of sensor is, in essence, a specialized type of digital camera. The top layer of the sensor, where the finger is placed, is known as the touch surface. Beneath this layer is a light-emitting phosphor layer which illuminates the surface of the finger. The light reflected from the finger passes through the phosphor layer to an array of solid state pixels (a charge-coupled device) which captures a visual image of the fingerprint. A scratched or dirty touch surface can cause a bad image of the fingerprint. A disadvantage of this type of sensor is the fact that the imaging capabilities are affected by the quality of skin on the finger. For instance, a dirty or marked finger is difficult to image properly. Also, it is possible for an individual to erode the outer layer of skin on the fingertips to the point where the fingerprint is no longer visible. It can also be easily fooled by an image of a fingerprint if not coupled with a "live finger" detector. However, unlike capacitive sensors, this sensor technology is not susceptible to electrostatic discharge damage.[4]

The Ray-Ban Wayfarer is a (mostly) plastic-framed design for sunglasses produced by the Ray-Ban company. Introduced in 1952, the trapezoidal lenses are wider at the top than the bottom (inspired by the Browline eyeglasses popular at the time), and were famously worn by James Dean, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, The Beatles and other actors and singers. The original frames were black; frames in many different colors were later introduced. There is often a silver piece on the corners as well. Since the early 1980s, makers have also developed variants of the model, most notably the Clubmaster model, introduced in 1982, essentially Browlines made of plastic.

A variety of emergency lights may be used in the interior of a vehicle, generally on the dashboard, visor area, or rear deck.  Uses range from discreet or temporary lighting for unmarked vehicles and volunteer responders, to additional rear lighting on fully marked vehicles, to a ‘slick-top’ configuration not unlike a full lightbar set.

Vehicles sold in the Middle East region are not equipped with catalytic converters to make the car cheaper to build.[20] Because of the lack of the catalytic converter the vehicles are illegal in Mexico and South America. More recent models have received a Renault-built hydraulic clutch and an optional catalytic converter. Its affordable price, relatively good fuel economy, easy to fix and find spare parts make it popular among local taxi drivers and low income families in Mexico, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The Tsuru is commonly used for the taxicab livery in Mexico as a replacement for the VW Beetle â€“ much like its predecessor, Tsurus have been sighted in the Southwest United States since Mexican nationals can operate them in the USA as long as it has the valid registration documents (they are illegal for sale and/or export into the USA since it does not meet the DOT's safety requirements e.g. airbags and electronic stability control and are less than 25 years old). Due to the passing of stricter safety regulations in Mexico, production of the Tsuru was discontinued in May 2017, as the Tsuru lacked both anti-lock brakes and airbags.[21] A special commemorative edition limited to 1000 cars went on sale in March 2017.[15]

Aviator sunglasses feature oversize teardrop-shaped lenses and a thin metal frame. The design was introduced in 1936 by Bausch & Lomb for issue to U.S. military aviators. As a fashion statement, aviator sunglasses are often made in mirrored, colored, and wrap-around styles.

The video starts with a close up shot of Lorde looking at herself in a mirror in a public restroom. In the next scene, she is dancing slowly in a club, with the silhouettes of other partygoers and flashing lights around her. She then exits the club at night, stepping inside a taxi. Subsequently, she opens the passenger window and places her head partly outside the window, letting the wind rush by her as the taxi drives through the streets of Los Angeles. In the following scene, Lorde is seen dancing on top of the taxi while red lights shine on her. Interpolated scenes of her dancing and laying across the car are shown.

The simplest form of spark ignition is that using a magneto. The engine spins a magnet inside a coil, or, in the earlier designs, a coil inside a fixed magnet, and also operates a contact breaker, interrupting the current and causing the voltage to be increased sufficiently to jump a small gap. The spark plugs are connected directly from the magneto output. Early magnetos had one coil, with the contact breaker (sparking plug) inside the combustion chamber. In about 1902, Bosch introduced a double-coil magneto, with a fixed sparking plug, and the contact breaker outside the cylinder. Magnetos are not used in modern cars, but because they generate their own electricity they are often found on small engines such as those found in mopeds, lawnmowers, snowblowers, chainsaws, etc. where a battery-based electrical system is not present for any combination of necessity, weight, cost, and reliability reasons. They are also used on piston-engined aircraft engines. Although an electrical supply is available, magneto systems are used mainly because of their higher reliability.

In modern use, specialised periscopes can also provide night vision.  The Embedded Image Periscope (EIP) designed and patented by Kent Periscopes provides standard unity vision periscope functionality for normal daytime viewing of the vehicle surroundings plus the ability to display digital images from a range of on-vehicle sensors and cameras (including thermal and low light) such that the resulting image appears "embedded" internally within the unit and projected at a comfortable viewing position.

The following types are not all mutually exclusive; glasses may be in Aviator style with mirrored lenses, for example.


Question: Which type of mirror is utilized in vehicles for rear-view observation?

In automobiles, the rear-view mirror is commonly attached to the upper part of the windshield using a dual-swivel mount. This design enables the mirror to be easily adjusted by the driver to accommodate various heights and viewing angles, while also ensuring that it can swing away safely in the event of a collision to minimize injury to vehicle occupants.

As of  2009[update] modern submarine periscopes incorporate lenses for magnification and function as telescopes. They typically employ prisms and total internal reflection instead of mirrors, because prisms, which do not require coatings on the reflecting surface, are much more rugged than mirrors.  They may have additional optical capabilities such as range-finding and targeting.  The mechanical systems of submarine periscopes typically use hydraulics and need to be quite sturdy to withstand the drag through water. The periscope chassis may also support a radio or radar antenna.

A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types: rigid ladders that are self-supporting or that may be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rollable ladders, such as those made of rope or aluminium, that may be hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called stringers or rails (US) or stiles (UK). Rigid ladders are usually portable, but some types are permanently fixed to a structure, building, or equipment. They are commonly made of metal, wood, or fiberglass, but they have been known to be made of tough plastic.

P>A television set, also called a television receiver, television, TV set, TV, or telly, is a device that combines a tuner, display, and speakers for the purpose of viewing television. Introduced in the late 1920s in mechanical form, television sets became a popular consumer product after World War II in electronic form, using cathode ray tubes. The addition of color to broadcast television after 1953 further increased the popularity of television sets in the 1960s, and an outdoor antenna became a common feature of suburban homes. The ubiquitous television set became the display device for the first recorded media in the 1970s, such as VHS and later DVD. In the late 2000s flat panel television incorporating liquid-crystal displays largely replaced cathode ray tubes. Modern flat panel TVs are typically capable of high-definition display (720p, 1080p or 2160p) and can also play content from a USB device.

The simplest cameras for X-ray powder diffraction consist of a small capillary and either a flat plate detector (originally a piece of X-ray film, now more and more a flat-plate detector or a CCD-camera) or a cylindrical one (originally a piece of film in a cookie-jar, but increasingly bent position sensitive detectors are used). The two types of cameras are known as the Laue and the Debyeâ€“Scherrer camera.

The Catherine wheel or pinwheel is a type of firework consisting of a powder-filled spiral tube, or an angled rocket mounted with a pin through its center. When ignited, it rotates quickly, producing a display of sparks and coloured flame.

Common requirements for motorcycles include side view mirrors and a dedicated seat in order to transport a passenger.[10] However, states vary widely on other equipment such as turn signals.[10]

During daylight hours when the sun is visible, a heliograph mirror can be used to flash bright, intense sunlight. Battery-powered laser lights the size of small flashlights (electric torches) are available for use in emergency signalling.

Sunglass lenses are made of either glass, plastic, or SR-91. Plastic lenses are typically made from acrylic, polycarbonate, CR-39 or polyurethane. Glass lenses have the best optical clarity and scratch resistance, but are heavier than plastic lenses. They can also shatter or break on impact. Plastic lenses are lighter and shatter-resistant, but are more prone to scratching. Polycarbonate plastic lenses are the lightest, and are also almost shatterproof, making them good for impact protection. CR-39 is the most common plastic lens, due to low weight, high scratch resistance, and low transparency for ultraviolet and infrared radiation. SR-91 is a proprietary material that was introduced by Kaenon Polarized in 2001. Kaenon's lens formulation was the first non-polycarbonate material to pass the high-mass impact ANSI Z.87.1 testing. Additionally, it was the first to combine this passing score with the highest marks for lens clarity. Jerry Garcia's sunglasses had a polykrypton-C type of lens which was 'cutting edge' in 1995.

Vehicle size classes in Japan are rather simple compared to other regions. The classifications were established under the Japanese Government's Road Vehicle Act of 1951.[7][8] There are just three different classes defined by regulations. The dimension regulations are enforced to exact measurements. These standards of classification are enforced on all vehicles within the jurisdiction of Japan, and no special consideration is made for the vehicles' origination of manufacture. The Japanese law regulates all vehicles that do not travel on railroads, or are not powered by physically contacting overhead power lines. The law regulates vehicles that are powered by an autonomous power source. Smaller cars are more popular in Japan due to the confined driving conditions and speed limits.

In 2014, a system was developed that combined an adaptive surface with a glass substrate that redirect the absorbed to a light absorber on the edges of the sheet. The system also includes an array of fixed lenses/mirrors to concentrate light onto the adaptive surface. As the day continues, the concentrated light moves along the surface of the cell. That surface switches from reflective to adaptive when the light is most concentrated and back to reflective after the light moves along.[100]


Question: What cultural region does Germany belong to?

Central Germany (cultural area)
Central Germany, also known as Mitteldeutschland in German, is a cultural and economic region within Germany. The boundaries of this region may vary depending on the context, but it is commonly associated with the federal states of Saxony, Thuringia, and Saxony-Anhalt. Alternatively, it can refer to a smaller region within these states, such as the Leipzig-Halle metropolitan area. This region is known for its rich cultural heritage and significant economic contributions.

The culinary feast either takes place at supper on Christmas Eve or on the first day of Christmas. Traditions vary from region to region; carp is eaten in many parts of the country.[74] Potato salad with frankfurter or wiener-sausages is popular in some families. Another simple meal which some families favor, especially in regions where Christmas Eve still has the character of a fast day, is vegetable or pea soup. In some regions, especially in Schleswig-Holstein where Danish influence is noticeable, a roasted duck or goose filled with plums, apples and raisins is family tradition. In other regions, especially in Mecklenburg and Pomerania, many families prefer kale with boiled potatoes, special sausages and ham. Many families have developed new traditions for themselves and eat such meals as meat fondue or raclette. In almost all families in all parts of Germany you find a wide variety of Christmas cookies baked according to recipes typical for the family and the region.

Wheat, grapeseed, sugarbeets, and barley grow well, along with a variety of vegetables, which grow near Erfurt, the state's capital. Cauliflower [740 acres (3.0 km2)], cabbage (savoy, red, white) [25 acres (100,000 m2)], kohlrabi [37 acres (150,000 m2)], and broccoli [37 acres (150,000 m2)] grow by traditional means near Erfurt. Tomatoes, lettuce, broad beans, onions, and cucumbers are grown in the eastern portion of the region near Jena under glass centers on about 12 acres (49,000 m2) of land. Thuringia is the second-largest herb-growing region in Germany; the town of Kölleda was once considered the "peppermint town", where herb growers used to congregate to study herb cultivation.[80]

On 23 August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, which contained a secret protocol dividing eastern Europe into spheres of influence.[69] Germany's invasion of its part of Poland under the Pact eight days later[70] triggered the beginning of World War II. By the end of 1941, Germany occupied a large part of Europe and its military forces were fighting the Soviet Union, nearly capturing Moscow. However, crushing defeats at the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk devastated the German armed forces. This, combined with Western Allied landings in France and Italy, led to a three-front war that depleted Germany's armed forces and resulted in Germany's defeat in 1945.

Historians have tried to explain what became of the German Americans and their descendents. Kazal (2004) looks at Germans in Philadelphia, focusing on four ethnic subcultures: middle-class Vereinsdeutsche, working-class socialists, Lutherans, and Catholics. Each group followed a somewhat distinctive path toward assimilation. Lutherans, and the better situated Vereinsdeutsche with whom they often overlapped, after World War I abandoned the last major German characteristics and redefined themselves as old stock or as "Nordic" Americans, stressing their colonial roots in Pennsylvania and distancing themselves from more recent immigrants. On the other hand, working-class and Catholic Germans, groups that heavily overlapped, lived and worked with Irish and other European ethnics; they also gave up German characteristics but came to identify themselves as white ethnics, distancing themselves above all from African American recent arrivals in nearby neighborhoods. Well before World War I, women in particular were becoming more and more involved in a mass consumer culture that lured them out of their German-language neighborhood shops and into English language downtown department stores. The 1920s and 1930s brought English language popular culture via movies and radio that drowned out the few surviving German language venues.[150]

Germans from Russia were the most traditional of German-speaking arrivals.[citation needed] They were Germans who had lived for generations throughout the Russian Empire, but especially along the Volga River in Russia and near the Crimea. Their ancestors had come from all over the German-speaking world, invited by Catherine the Great in 1762 and 1763 to settle and introduce more advanced German agriculture methods to rural Russia. They had been promised by the manifesto of their settlement the ability to practice their respective Christian denominations, retain their culture and language, and retain immunity from conscription for them and their descendants. As time passed, the Russian monarchy gradually eroded the ethnic German population's relative autonomy. Conscription eventually was reinstated; this was especially harmful to the Mennonites, who practice pacifism. Throughout the 19th century, pressure increased from the Russian government to culturally assimilate. Many Germans from Russia found it necessary to emigrate to avoid conscription and preserve their culture. About 100,000 immigrated by 1900, settling primarily in the Dakotas, Kansas and Nebraska. The southern central part of North Dakota was known as "the German-Russian triangle". A smaller number moved farther west, finding employment as ranchers and cowboys.

There is a "German belt" that extends all the way across the United States, from eastern Pennsylvania to the Oregon coast. Pennsylvania has the largest population of German-Americans in the U.S. and is home to one of the group's original settlements, Germantown (Philadelphia), founded in 1683 and the birthplace of the American antislavery movement in 1688, as well as the revolutionary Battle of Germantown. The state of Pennsylvania has 3.5 million people of German ancestry.

The idea of Central Asia as a distinct region of the world was introduced in 1843 by the geographer Alexander von Humboldt. The borders of Central Asia are subject to multiple definitions. Historically built political geography and geoculture are two significant parameters widely used in the scholarly literature about the definitions of the Central Asia.[16]

While there are many types of beer brewed, the basics of brewing beer are shared across national and cultural boundaries.[93] The traditional European brewing regions—Germany, Belgium, England and the Czech Republic—have local varieties of beer.[94]

Western culture, throughout most of its history, has been nearly equivalent to Christian culture, and many of the population of the Western hemisphere could broadly be described as cultural Christians. The notion of "Europe" and the "Western World" has been intimately connected with the concept of "Christianity and Christendom" many even attribute Christianity for being the link that created a unified European identity.[16]

Regarding bread, German cuisine is more varied than that of either Eastern or Western Europe[citation needed]. Bread types range from white wheat bread (WeiÃŸbrot) to grey (Graubrot) to black (Schwarzbrot), actually dark brown rye bread.[66][67] Some breads contain both wheat and rye flour (hence Mischbrot, mixed bread),[67] and often also wholemeal and whole seeds such as linseed, sunflower seed, or pumpkin seed (Vollkornbrot). Darker, rye-dominated breads, such as Vollkornbrot or Schwarzbrot, are typical of German cuisine. Pumpernickel, a steamed, sweet-tasting bread, is internationally well known, although not representative of German black bread as a whole. Most German breads are made with sourdough. Whole grain is also preferred for high fiber. Germans use almost all available types of grain for their breads: wheat, rye, barley, spelt, oats, millet, corn and rice. Some breads are even made with potato starch flour.[68]


Question: What time period is Mount and Blade: With Fire and Sword set in?

Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword is an expansion pack for the action role-playing game Mount & Blade, developed by Sich Studio and TaleWorlds. The game, published by Paradox Interactive in Europe, is loosely inspired by Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel "With Fire and Sword". It chronicles the historical events of Poland's 1648-51 conflict with the Khmelnytsky Uprising in Ukraine, and later Polish wars against Sweden and the Ottoman Empire.

The game begins with the appearance of the four youthful Light Warriors, the heroes of the story, who each carry one of the darkened Orbs. Initially, the Light Warriors have access to the Kingdom of Coneria and the ruined Temple of Fiends. After the Warriors rescue Princess Sara from the evil knight Garland, the King of Coneria builds a bridge that enables the Light Warriors' passage east to the town of Pravoka. There the Light Warriors liberate the town from Bikke and his band of pirates and acquire the pirates' ship for their own use. The Warriors now embark on a chain of delivery quests on the shores of the Aldi Sea. First, they retrieve a stolen crown from the Marsh Cave for a king in a ruined castle, who turns out to be the dark elf Astos. Defeating him gains them the Crystal Eye, which they return to the blind witch Matoya in exchange for a herb needed to awaken the Elf Prince cursed by Astos. The Elf Prince gives the Light Warriors the Mystic Key, which is capable of unlocking any door. The key unlocks a storage room in Coneria Castle which holds TNT. Nerrick, one of the Dwarves of the Cave of Dwarf/Dwarf Village, destroys a small isthmus using the TNT, connecting the Aldi Sea to the outside world.[4]

The Battle of Austerlitz is a major event in the book. As the battle is about to start, Prince Andrei thinks the approaching "day [will] be his Toulon, or his Arcola",[15] references to Napoleon's early victories.  Later in the battle, however, Andrei falls into enemy hands and even meets his hero, Napoleon. But his previous enthusiasm has been shattered; he no longer thinks much of Napoleon, "so petty did his hero with his paltry vanity and delight in victory appear, compared to that lofty, righteous and kindly sky which he had seen and comprehended".[16] Tolstoy portrays Austerlitz as an early test for Russia, one which ended badly because the soldiers fought for irrelevant things like glory or renown rather than the higher virtues which would produce, according to Tolstoy, a victory at Borodino during the 1812 invasion.

This period contained some accounts that mixes historical facts with legends. The Legend of GiÃ³ng tells of a youth going to war to save the country, wearing iron armor, riding an armored horse, and wielding an iron staff, showed that metalworking was sophisticated. The Legend of the Magic Crossbow, about a crossbow that can deliver thousands of arrows, showed extensive use of archery in warfare.[citation needed]

Assassin's Creed Rogue is an action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Sofia and published by Ubisoft.[1] It is the seventh major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, and acts as a sequel to 2013's Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and a prequel to 2012's Assassin's Creed III with its final mission being the prologue to 2014's Assassin's Creed Unity. It is the last of the Assassin's Creed game to be released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Ubisoft announcing that the company will no longer release games for them, except for its casual rhythm series Just Dance. The game was first released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November and December 2014 in North America, Australasia, Europe and Japan,[1][2][3][4] and released for Microsoft Windows on March 10, 2015. A remastered version was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 20, 2018.[5]

The Eighty Years' War (1568â€“1648) divided the Low Countries into the northern United Provinces (Belgica Foederata in Latin, the "Federated Netherlands") and the Southern Netherlands (Belgica Regia, the "Royal Netherlands"). The latter were ruled successively by the Spanish (Spanish Netherlands) and the Austrian Habsburgs (Austrian Netherlands) and comprised most of modern Belgium. This was the theatre of most Franco-Spanish and Franco-Austrian wars during the 17th and 18th centuries.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) is set thousands of years after Ocarina of Time, though it is not specified as to whether it occurs in the "Adult Link Timeline", "Child Link Timeline", or "Fallen Hero Timeline". Link awakens after a century in a stasis pod, and comes to discover that an evil force called the Calamity Ganon has been trapped in Hyrule Castle for as long as he had been in stasis. During the last century, Hyrule has fallen into ruin in the wake of the Calamity Ganon, as it has been largely reclaimed by the wilderness. Link learns that the Calamity Ganon has slowly been gaining strength, and that he must defeat it before it escapes the castle and destroys the world. During his adventure, it is revealed that Link was the Hylian Champion and Princess Zelda's appointed knight prior to his stasis. He was the chosen hero to wield the Master Sword to defeat the Calamity Ganon, but is nearly killed while protecting Zelda, which prompts to have the Sheikah tribe put him into stasis in order to heal him. It is revealed by Zelda that Link was the son of a knight in the Royal Guard, and that he rarely talks because he feels the need to bear the large burden placed on him in silence.

From the very opening line of the song, Rogers paints a plausible and mostly authentic image of a privateering vessel.  He sets the tale in 1778, at the height of the American Revolution, when privateering was a common activity on both sides of the war.  Rogers' choice of names, nautical terminology, and details of weapons and places all accurately reflect historical fact, with some exaggeration on the loss of life. The song's mentions of Halifax, Nova Scotia, are also historically accurate, as Halifax was a well-known port for privateers operating on the east coast and out of Nova Scotia at that time.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011) is the first game to occur in the "Singular Timeline", which is the timeline of Zelda games prior to its split at the end of Ocarina of Time. As such, it explores the beginning of the battle between good and evil within the series, and the establishment of Hyrule and the legends of both Link and Zelda. Link is born and raised in Skyloft, a land floating above the clouds. Link is a childhood friend of Zelda, who in this game is not a princess, but rather a fellow student of his at the Knight Academy. A land beneath the clouds is known simply as the Surface, and Link is forced to go there after Zelda is kidnapped. He must travel between the two lands in this adventure. He wields a sword called the Goddess Sword, a magical sword that holds Fi—a servant to the goddess Hylia—which allows him to travel across the two worlds. During his journey, Link imbues the Goddess Sword with three sacred flames, which result in it being reforged into the Master Sword.

In reaction against Ottoman cruelty, the Assyrians took up arms, and an Assyrian war of independence was fought during World War I which took place in what is today south eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, north western Iran and north eastern Syria. For a time, the Assyrians fought successfully against overwhelming numbers, scoring a number of victories against the Ottomans and Kurds, and also hostile Arab and Iranian groups. However, due to the collapse of the Russian Empire—due to the Russian Revolution—and the similar collapse of the Armenian Defense, the Assyrians were left without allies. As a result, The Assyrians were vastly outnumbered, outgunned, surrounded, cut off, and without supplies. The only option they had was to flee the region into northwest Iran and fight their way, with around 50,000 civilians in tow, to British train lines going to Mandatory Iraq. The sizable Assyrian presence in south eastern Anatolia which had endured for over four millennia was thus reduced to no more than 15,000 by the end of World War I, and by 1924 many of those who remained were forcibly expelled in a display of ethnic cleansing by the Turkish government, with many leaving and later founding villages in the Sapna and Nahla valleys in the Dohuk Governorate of Iraq.

The novel takes place in late May 1937 during the second year of the Spanish Civil War.[26] References made to Valladolid, Segovia, El Escorial and Madrid suggest the novel takes place within the build-up to the Republican attempt to relieve the siege of Madrid.


Question: Who is responsible for paying medical bills in Great Britain and where does the funding for these expenses originate?

In the United Kingdom, medical bills are primarily covered by the National Health Service (NHS), a publicly funded healthcare system that operates independently in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. This system is often categorized as single-payer healthcare, where the costs are largely met through general taxation, providing free healthcare services to all permanent residents at the point of use. While the NHS predominantly uses public funds, there is also a notable presence of private healthcare providers and insurance coverage, especially in comparison to Scandinavian countries. Each of the four countries within the UK has tailored their healthcare policies and priorities, leading to variations in their respective systems.

The June 2005 report "Taking healthcare to the Patient", authored by Peter Bradley,[6] Chief Executive of the London Ambulance Service, for the Department of Health led to the merging of the 31 trusts into 13 organisations in England,[7] plus one organisation each in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Following further changes as part of the NHS foundation trust pathway, this has further reduced to 10 ambulance service trusts in England, plus the Isle of Wight which has its own provision.

As with other emergency services, the public normally access emergency medical services through one of the valid emergency telephone numbers (either 999 or 112).[2]

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 abolished the private patient income cap but FTs have to do the majority of their work for the NHS. This restriction was kept to reassure those concerned about future developments that FTs would continue to have NHS work as their central concern. Previously each FT had its own cap, set at the level of its private activity when the first FTs were established in 2003/4. About three quarters of all FTs had a cap of 1.5% or less. Until 2010 all mental health trusts were completely barred from undertaking non NHS work, but after lobbying from the Foundation Trust Network it was raised to 1.5%. These caps disappeared on 1 October 2012. Collective earnings from private patients increased 14%, from £346.1 million in 2012-13 to £395.9 million for 2014-15. Private earning is concentrated on specialist hospitals in London who see many patients from other countries. Most Trusts have negligible private income.[13]

This led to the formation of predominantly county based ambulance services, which gradually merged up and changed responsibilities until 2006, when there were 31 NHS ambulance trusts in England.

Each Foundation Trust has a Council of Governors. This is made up of elected Governors and appointed Governors. Elected Governors are chosen by a secret, postal ballot, of the membership. The elections are usually held in separate constituencies. Typically there is a staff constituency, a patient constituency, and a "public member" constituency consisting of members who are neither patients nor staff but live in a defined geographical area. In addition there are appointed Governors, appointed by bodies with whom the trust works in partnership. So, for example, appointments may be made by local Councils, local medical Schools, and local Voluntary organisations. Governors are intended to act as a link between the community and the Board of Directors.[10] The size of the Council of Governors and its exact composition is determined by the constitution of the particular Trust. Each Trust adopts its own constitution subject to certain restrictions in legislation. (For example, a majority of the Council of Governors must be elected Governors and Governors must be unpaid volunteers. They are intended to act as a link between the community and the Board of Directors.[10] Some trusts are more committed to co-operative principles and have even written the Rochdale Principles into their constitution and aspire to work closely and in partnership with other mutual as well as local organisations.[11] But on the whole "Foundation Trusts [have]... not deepened in terms of democratic practice and participation".[12]

The programs vary in eligibility requirements and are provided by various organizations on a federal, state, local and private level. They help to provide food, shelter, education, healthcare and money to U.S. citizens through primary and secondary education, subsidies of college education, unemployment disability insurance, subsidies for eligible low-wage workers, subsidies for housing, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, pensions for eligible persons and health insurance programs that cover public employees. The Social Security system is sometimes considered to be a social aid program and has some characteristics of such programs, but unlike these programs, social security was designed as a self-funded security blanketâ€”so that as the payee pays in (during working years), they are pre-paying for the payments they'll receive back out of the system when they are no longer working. Medicare is another prominent program, among other healthcare provisions such as Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

The total expenditure on healthcare as a proportion of GDP in 2013 was 8.5%, below the OECD average of 8.9% and considerably less than comparable economies such as France (10.9%), Germany (11.0%), Netherlands (11.1%), Switzerland (11.1%) and the USA (16.4%).[11] The percentage of healthcare provided directly by the state is higher than most European countries, which have insurance-based healthcare with the state providing for those who cannot afford insurance.[12][13]

The British Consolidated Fund was so named as it consolidated together a number of existing accounts, detailed below, and facilitated proper parliamentary oversight of the spending of the executive; it was defined as "one fund into which shall flow every stream of public revenue and from which shall come the supply of every service".

FFS is a barrier to coordinated care, or integrated care, exemplified by the Mayo Clinic, because it rewards individual clinicians for performing separate treatments.[14][15] FFS also does not pay providers to pay attention to the most costly patients,[16] which could benefit from interventions such as phone calls that can make some hospital stays and 911 calls unnecessary.[16][17] In the US, FFS is the main payment method.[2] Executives regret the changes to managed care, believing that FFS turned "industrious, productivity-oriented physicians into complacent, salaried employees."[2][8] General practitioners have less autonomy after switching from a FFS model to integrated care.[18] Patients, when moved off of a FFS model, may have their choices of physicians restricted, as was done in the Netherlands' attempt to move to co-ordinated care.[18]

Payments are normally made from the fund following the passing in the Assembly of a budget motion or supplementary budget motion, proposed by the Welsh ministers. There are limited exceptions for emergency situations, a failure of the Assembly to pass a budget; in addition some payments are automatically authorised by law, such as the salaries of National Assembly officials.