Question: What is the definition of an unfair labor practice in the labor code?

An unfair labor practice, as defined in the United States labor law, encompasses specific actions by employers or labor unions that infringe upon the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (also known as the NLRA or the Wagner Act, named after Senator Robert F. Wagner). These violations are scrutinized and addressed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Since its peak in the mid-20th century, the American labor movement has been in steady decline, with losses in the private sector larger than gains in the public sector. In the early 1950s, as the AFL and CIO merged, around a third of the American labor force was unionized; by 2012, the proportion was 11%, constituting roughly 5% in the private sector and 40% in the public sector. Organized labor's influence steadily waned and workers' collective voice in the political process has weakened. Partly as a result, wages have stagnated and income inequality has increased.[106] "Although the National Labor Relations Act was initially a boon for unions, it also sowed the seeds of the labor movement's decline. The act enshrined the right to unionize, but the system of workplace elections it created meant that unions had to organize each new factory or firm individually rather than organize by industry. In many European countries, collective-bargaining agreements extended automatically to other firms in the same industry, but in the United States, they usually reached no further than a plant's gates. As a result, in the first decades of the postwar period, the organizing effort could not keep pace with the frenetic rate of job growth in the economy as a whole".[106] On the political front, the shrinking unions lost influence in the Democratic Party, and pro-union liberal Republicans faded away.[5] Intellectuals lost interest in unions, focusing their attention more on Vietnam, minorities, women and environmental issues.[107]

Labor unions were established during industrialization as a solution to poor and unregulated  working conditions. Unregulated businesses allowed for low wages, job insecurity and poor working conditions. Trade unions responded by implementing a technique called collective bargaining, where the workers could legally negotiate wages as well as working conditions. As a direct result, labors rights increased as policy and regulation were enforced. Alongside globalization, outsourcing developed which increased corporate power. As a solution, Labor Unions continue to fight for global labor rights standards through trans-national organizations.[26]

Regarding breach of contract,[42] the overall picture leading to dismissal and events immediately after will be analysed by the courts, not just the dismissal letter. Regarding the Employment Ordinance, an important aspect was that the judgment defined the scope of "union activities" and its protection for workers in Hong Kong. The Court concluded: "Accordingly, most (possibly all) union-sponsored action is potentially protected by s 21B(1)(b), but if the action is not carried out “at [an] appropriate time”, it is excluded from the provision." There was no challenge by Cathay Pacific to the Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold the {original} Judge’s conclusion that the statements made by Cathay Executives were defamatory of the plaintiffs.

Harassment as defined in the U.S. computer statutes is typically distinct from cyberbullying, in that the former usually relates to a person's "use a computer or computer network to communicate obscene, vulgar, profane, lewd, lascivious, or indecent language, or make any suggestion or proposal of an obscene nature, or threaten any illegal or immoral act," while the latter need not involve anything of a sexual nature.

The Central Government is the proper authority for enforcement of the act. Schedule employment is carried under the railway administration, mines, oilfield, major port and corporation established by Central Act. Chief Labour Commissioner is charged under central level, and at state level officers in industrial relations are charged for enforcement act and other labour laws.

Justice courts are courts in New York State that handle traffic tickets, criminal matters, small claims and local code violations such as zoning. Though justice courts constitutionally are part of the New York State Unified Court System, state law generally makes justice courts independent of New York's Office of Court Administration (OCA) and instead makes Justice Courts the responsibility of their sponsoring localities. Town justice courts are often called Town Court, and village justice courts are often called Village Court. City courts in New York State handle mostly the same types of cases but are not justice courts.

In addition to Title VII, other federal laws also have disparate impact provisions, including the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967.[4] Some civil rights laws, such as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, do not contain disparate impact provisions creating a private right of action,[5] although the federal government may still pursue disparate impact claims under these laws.[6] The U.S. Supreme Court has held that the Fair Housing Act of 1968 creates a cause of action for disparate impact.[7] Disparate impact contrasts with disparate treatment. A disparate impact is unintentional, whereas a disparate treatment is an intentional decision to treat people differently based on their race or other protected characteristics.

The chief joint ALI-NCCUSL project is the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which the Institute has been developing and revising with the National Conference since the 1940s. First published in 1952, the UCC is one of a number of uniform acts that have been promulgated in conjunction with efforts to harmonize the law of sales and other commercial transactions in all 50 states within the United States of America. The Uniform Commercial Code is generally viewed as one of the most important developments in American law, having been enacted (with local adaptations) in almost every jurisdiction.

The relations between the state inspectors of factories and the ordinary police authorities are regulated in each state by its constitution. Prohibitions of truck in its original sense - that is, payment of wages otherwise than in current coin - apply to any persons under a contract of service with an employer for a specified time for industrial purposes; members of a family working for a parent or husband are not included; outworkers are covered. Control of fines and deductions from wages applies only in factory industries and shops employing at least 20 workers. Shop hours are regulated by requiring shops to be closed generally between 9 P.M. and 5 A.M., by requiring a fixed midday rest of t 2 hours and at least 10 hours' rest in the 24 for assistants. These limits can be modified by administrative authority. Notice of hours and working rules must be affixed. During the hours of compulsory closing sale of goods on the streets or from house to house is forbidden. Under the Commercial Code, as under the Civil Code, every employer is bound to adopt every possible measure for maintaining the safety, health and good conduct of his employees. By an order of the Imperial Chancellor under the Commercial Code seats must be provided for commercial assistants and apprentices.

Some commentators have defined reverse discrimination as a policy or practice in which members of a majority are discriminated against in favor of a historically disadvantaged group or minority.[97][98][non-primary source needed] Many argue that reverse discrimination results from affirmative action policies and that these policies are just another form of discrimination no different from examples in the past.[99] People like Ward Connerly assert that affirmative action requires the very discrimination it is seeking to eliminate. According to these opponents, this contradiction might make affirmative action counter-productive. One argument for reverse discrimination is the idea that affirmative action encourages mediocrity and incompetence. Job positions would not be offered to the applicants who are the most qualified, but to applicants with a special trait such as a certain race, ethnicity, or gender.[98] For example, opponents say affirmative action causes unprepared applicants to be accepted in highly demanding educational institutions or jobs which result in eventual failure (see, for example, Richard Sander's study of affirmative action in Law School, bar exam and eventual performance at law firms). Other opponents say that affirmative action lowers the bar and so denies those who strive for excellence on their own merit and the sense of real achievement.[98] Opponents of affirmative action suggest that merit should be the primary factor considered in applying for job positions, college, graduate school, etc.[98]


Question: Who designates the representatives for the specified division in the United States?

In the context of the United States government, the President appoints the members of most executive agencies, including independent agencies, with the advice and consent of the Senate. However, independent agencies, which are designed to operate outside of direct presidential control, often have a commission or board structure consisting of five to seven members. These commissioners serve staggered, longer terms than the presidential term, typically ensuring that no single president can appoint all members of an independent agency. The President can designate a commissioner as the chairperson, but their authority to remove commissioners is often limited by statutory provisions, usually for reasons such as incapacity, neglect of duty, or other serious misconduct. Furthermore, there are often legal requirements for bipartisan membership on these commissions, preventing the President from filling all vacancies with members of their own political party.

ASA is governed by its House of Delegates. The House of Delegates is composed of ASA delegates and directors (designated by geographic distribution), ASA officers, all past presidents, the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, the chairs of all sections, the chair of the ASA delegation to the American Medical Association House of Delegates and each member of the Resident Component Governing Council not to exceed five members and a non-voting member of the Medical Student component. The House of Delegates meets each year during the Society's Annual Meeting.

The U.S. constitution provides each state with two Senators. Montana's two U.S. senators are Jon Tester (Democrat), last reelected in 2012, and Steve Daines (Republican), first elected in 2014. The U.S. constitution provides each state with a single Representative, with additional representatives apportioned based on population. From statehood in 1889 until 1913, Montana was represented in the United States House of Representatives by a single representative, elected at-large. Montana received a second representative in 1913, following the 1910 census and reapportionment. Both members, however, were still elected at-large. Beginning in 1919, Montana moved to district, rather than at-large, elections for its two House members. This created Montana's 1st congressional district in the west and Montana's 2nd congressional district in the east. In the reapportionment following the 1990 census, Montana lost one of its House seats. The remaining seat was again elected at-large. Greg Gianforte is the current officeholder.

The NCJA is governed by the NCJA Advisory Council, which is composed of high level state and tribal officials from their respective jurisdictions.  Members on the council are elected by the general NCJA membership, with members from each of the four regions of the United States.  The Advisory Council in turn elects 16 members to the Board of Directors to oversee NCJA activities.  Members of the Advisory Council are listed on the NCJA website.[2]

Virginia is currently divided into 11 congressional districts, each represented by a member of the United States House of Representatives. The number of Virginia's districts remained unchanged following the 2010 Census.

The Committee on Rules, or (more commonly) Rules Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. Rather than being responsible for a specific area of policy, as most other committees are, it is in charge of determining under what rule other bills will come to the floor. As such, it is one of the most powerful committees and is often described as "an arm of the leadership" and as the "traffic cop of Congress." A rule is a simple resolution of the House of Representatives, usually reported by the Committee on Rules, to permit the immediate consideration of a legislative measure, notwithstanding the usual order of business, and to prescribe conditions for its debate and amendment.[1]

The term Congress can also refer to a particular meeting of the legislature. A Congress covers two years; the current one, the 115th Congress, began on January 3, 2017, and will end on January 3, 2019. The Congress starts and ends on the third day of January of every odd-numbered year. Members of the Senate are referred to as senators; members of the House of Representatives are referred to as representatives, congressmen, or congresswomen.

The Chief Usher is an ex officio member of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, which coordinates the decoration, maintenance, refurbishment, and historic preservation of the White House. Other members of the committee include the White House Office of the Curator, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Chairman of the United States Commission of Fine Arts, and Director of the National Gallery of Art, with whom the Chief Usher works closely.[23][24] Once a month, the Chief Usher hosts a meeting with the National Park Service (which owns the main White House building and its grounds), the General Services Administration (which owns the East Wing, West Wing, and ancillary buildings scattered in the South Lawn; the Eisenhower Executive Office Building; the New Executive Office Building; the Blair House; and various other government-owned townhouses and structures on Jackson Place NW), the Secret Service, and the White House Military Office to review maintenance, repair, security, and other needs at the White House and plan for upkeep.[25]

The United States Census Bureau defines four statistical regions, with nine divisions.[12] The Census Bureau regions are "widely used...for data collection and analysis".[13] The Census Bureau definition is pervasive.[14][15][16]

At the local level, Puerto Rico established by law that the international relations which states and territories are allowed to engage must be handled by the Department of State of Puerto Rico, an executive department, headed by the Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, who also serves as the territory's lieutenant governor. It is also charged to liaise with general consuls and honorary consuls based in Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, along with the Office of the Resident Commissioner, manage all its intergovernmental affairs before entities of or in the United States (including the federal government of the United States, local and state governments of the United States, and public or private entities in the United States).

The Council normally has six working, six external and six nominated members.[8] The appointment of nominated members, including that of the chief executive officer, is confirmed by the Governor of the Bank of England. The working and external members are elected by Lloyd's members. The chairman and deputy chairmen are elected annually by the Council from among the working members of the Council. All members are approved by the regulating bodies.


Question: Who was the last NBA player to be drafted right out of high school?

The last NBA player to be drafted directly out of high school was Thon Maker in 2016. Maker, a post-graduate from Orangeville Prep in Canada, was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 10th pick in the draft. This marked the first time since the rule changes in 2006 that a high school student was drafted, and Maker also became the first high school lottery pick since 2005. Prior to Maker, Brandon Jennings in 2009 and Emmanuel Mudiay in 2015 chose to play professionally overseas instead of attending college before being drafted into the NBA.

The Magic finished the 2013–2014 season with a 23–59 record, 3rd worst in the NBA. The draft lottery gave them the 4th pick in the 2014 NBA draft. In the draft they selected Aaron Gordon with the 4th pick and Dario Šarić with the 12th pick. Saric was then swapped for the 10th pick, Elfrid Payton in exchange for a 2017 1st round pick and a future 2nd round pick. Roy Devyn Marble was selected with the 56th pick in the 2nd round. On February 5, 2015 Jacque Vaughn was relieved of his head coaching duties after coaching 2½ seasons for the Magic. His overall record was 58–158. He was replaced by interim head coach James Borrego.

Brent Robert Barry (born December 31, 1971) is an American retired professional basketball player.[1] He is the son of former NBA player Rick Barry. The 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st) shooting guard played professionally in the National Basketball Association, winning two championships with the San Antonio Spurs. He also won the 1996 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Rose has struggled with significant knee injuries since his 2010–11 MVP campaign. In the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers, Rose tore his ACL in his left knee. Rose required surgery and was subsequently sidelined for the entire 2012–13 season.[3] Rose returned to play in 2013–14. However, on November 22, 2013, during a regular season game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Rose injured his right meniscus which caused him to miss the remainder of the season.[4] Rose returned once again the following season, but knee injuries continued to riddle him, causing him to miss 30 games. In June 2016, he was traded to the New York Knicks. After one season with the Knicks, Rose joined the Cleveland Cavaliers in July 2017.

In the summer of 2017, the Magic made various changes, the first being the firing of general manager Rob Hennigan on April 13. On May 23, the Magic named Jeff Weltman, the former general manager of the Toronto Raptors, as president of basketball operations and named John Hammond, the former general manager for the Milwaukee Bucks, as the new general manager. With the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Orlando drafted Florida State forward, Jonathan Isaac. During free agency the Magic signed Jonathon Simmons, Arron Afflalo, Shelvin Mack, Marreese Speights, Khem Birch and Adreian Payne.

After a disappointing 2007â€“08 season, the Clippers obtained the 7th pick in the 2008 NBA draft, and selected Eric Gordon.[26] They also selected DeAndre Jordan (35th overall pick). Mike Taylor (55th overall pick), was acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a future second-round pick.

After a promising 13–6 start, the Magic began to fall apart. First, Weisbrod traded Mobley for Doug Christie from the Sacramento Kings. Christie, because of his emotional ties to the Kings, at first refused to play for the Magic. Later on, Christie claimed he had bone spurs and was placed on the injured list after playing only a few games for the Magic.[53] Near the end of the season, with a playoff-push faltering, Weisbrod fired Davis after leading Davis to believe he was going to be the team's head coach for the entire 2004–05 NBA season. He then promoted Chris Jent to interim head coach.[54] Throughout the season, bolstered by Hill's return, the Magic played spectacularly, defeating top NBA teams. However, led by the erratic play of Francis, the Magic also lost to league teams with losing records. Howard showed great promise, becoming one of the few players to average a double-double. Howard was a consistent rebounder and scorer, becoming the first rookie to start and play all 82 games in a season. In addition, Nelson, after a slow start, developed into a talented player, taking over the starting point guard position. Hill also returned and averaged 19.7 points a game. Hill was chosen an All-Star starter by NBA fans for the 2005 All-Star Game, and Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson were named to the All-Rookie first and second teams, respectively. Howard was a unanimous selection.

The following college football players, while having not yet completed their senior years, have declared their intent to enter the 2018 NFL Draft. In order to be eligible to enter the draft, players must be at least three years removed from high school.[1] The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft was January 15, 2018.[2] On January 19, 2018, the NFL released the list of underclassmen who have been granted early entry.[3] A total of 106 players were granted early entry, the most for any draft (the prior record was 98, for the 2014 draft).[3]

Every player who has won this award and has been eligible for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has been inducted. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the award a record six times.[3] Both Bill Russell and Michael Jordan won the award five times,[4] while Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James won the award four times. Russell and James are the only players to have won the award four times in five seasons.[5] Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson each won the award three times, while Bob Pettit, Karl Malone, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash and Stephen Curry have each won it twice.[4] Only two rookies have won the award: Wilt Chamberlain in the 1959–60 season and Wes Unseld in the 1968–69 season.[6] Hakeem Olajuwon of Nigeria,[b] Tim Duncan of the U.S. Virgin Islands,[c] Steve Nash of Canada[d] and Dirk Nowitzki of Germany are the only MVP winners considered "international players" by the NBA.[9]

Robertson was also an integral part of Robertson v. National Basketball Ass'n of 1970.[8] The landmark NBA antitrust suit, named after the then-president of the NBA Players' Association, led to an extensive reform of the league's strict free agency and draft rules and, subsequently, to higher salaries for all players.[3]

The 2002 off-season brought changes, as Miles was traded to the Cavaliers for Andre Miller, who led the NBA in assists in 2001–02 with 11 per game. With a good point guard in Miller, Lamar Odom at small forward, one of the league's best power forwards, Brand, the center Olowokandi, and a good supporting cast off the bench, the Clippers could actually make a run for the playoffs. However, with poor team chemistry and injuries (the Clippers lost 293 man-games to injury), they finished with a disappointing 27–55 record. Head coach Alvin Gentry was replaced by Dennis Johnson midway through the 2002–03 season.


Question: Who were the parties involved in the War of 1812?

The War of 1812 was a military conflict that took place between 1812 and 1815, involving the United States, the United Kingdom, and their respective allies. While British historians may view it as a minor part of the Napoleonic Wars, it is recognized as a distinct war in the United States and Canada.

The territory was acquired by Great Britain from France following victory in the Seven Years' War and the 1763 Treaty of Paris. Great Britain took over the Ohio Country, as its eastern portion was known, but a few months later closed it to new European settlement by the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The Crown tried to restrict settlement of the thirteen colonies between the Appalachians and the Atlantic, which raised colonial tensions among those who wanted to move west. With the colonials' victory in the American Revolutionary War and signing of the 1783 Treaty of Paris, the United States claimed the territory, as well as the areas south of the Ohio. The territories were subject to overlapping and conflicting claims of the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Virginia dating from their colonial past. The British were active in some of the border area until after the Louisiana Purchase and the War of 1812.

Historians generally agree that the real losers of the War of 1812 were the Indians (called First Nations in Canada). Hickey says:

When Americans proposed a truce based on British ending impressment, Britain refused, because it needed those sailors. Horsman explains, "Impressment, which was the main point of contention between England and America from 1803 to 1807, was made necessary primarily because of England's great shortage of seamen for the war against Napoleon. In a similar manner the restrictions on American commerce imposed by England's Orders in Council, which were the supreme cause of complaint between 1807 and 1812, were one part of a vast commercial struggle being waged between England and France." [12]

Farragut was 12 years old when, during the War of 1812, he was given the assignment to bring a ship captured by the Essex safely to port.[15] He was wounded and captured while serving on the Essex during the engagement at Valparaíso Bay, Chile, against the British on March 28, 1814.[16]

Today, American popular memory includes the British capture and the burning of Washington in August 1814,[279] which necessitated its extensive renovation. The fact that before the war, many Americans wanted to annex British North America was swiftly forgotten, and instead American popular memory focused on the victories at Baltimore, Plattsburg and New Orleans to present the war as a successful effort to assert American national honour, the "second war of independence" that saw the mighty British empire humbled and humiliated.[280] In a speech before Congress on February 18, 1815, President Madison proclaimed the war a complete American victory.[281] This interpretation of the war was and remains the dominant American view of the war[281] The American newspaper the Niles Register in an editorial on September 14, 1816 announced that the Americans had crushed the British, declaring "...we did virtually dictate the treaty of Ghent to the British".[281] A minority of Americans, mostly associated with the Federalists saw the war as a defeat and an act of folly on Madison's part, caustically asking if the Americans were "dictating" the terms of the treaty of Ghent, why the British Crown did not cede British North America to the United States?[281] However, the Federalist view of the war is not the mainstream American memory of the war.[281] The view of Congressman George Troup who stated in a speech in 1815 that the Treaty of Ghent was "the glorious termination of the most glorious war ever waged by any people" is the way that most Americans remembered the war.[281] Another memory is the successful American defence of Fort McHenry in September 1814, which inspired the lyrics of the U.S. national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".[282] The successful captains of the U.S. Navy became popular heroes with plates with the likeness of Decatur, Steward, Hull, and others, becoming popular items. Ironically, many were made in England. The Navy became a cherished institution, lauded for the victories that it won against all odds.[283] After engagements during the final actions of the war, U.S. Marines had acquired a well-deserved reputation as excellent marksmen, especially in ship-to-ship actions.[284]

The French and Indian War (1754–63) comprised the North American theater of the worldwide Seven Years' War of 1756–63. It pitted the colonies of British America against those of New France. Both sides were supported by military units from their parent countries of Great Britain and France, as well as by American Indian allies. At the start of the war, the French North American colonies had a population of roughly 60,000 settlers, compared with 2 million in the British North American colonies.[3] The outnumbered French particularly depended on the Indians. The European nations declared war on one another in 1756 following months of localized conflict, escalating the war from a regional affair into an intercontinental conflict.

1801â€“1805: First Barbary War:  a series of naval battles in the Mediterranean against the Kingdom of Tripoli, a quasi-independent state of the Ottoman Empire. Action was in response to the capture of numerous American ships by the infamous Barbary pirates. The federal government rejected the Tripolitan request for an annual tribute to guarantee safe passage, and an American naval blockade ensued. After the seizure of the USS Philadelphia, American forces under William Eaton invaded coastal cities. A peace treaty resulted in the payment of a ransom for the return of captured American soldiers and only temporarily eased hostilities.[1]

Calhoun began his political career in the House of Representatives. As a prominent leader of the war hawk faction, Calhoun strongly supported the War of 1812 to defend American honor against British infractions of American independence and neutrality during the Napoleonic Wars. He then served as Secretary of War under President James Monroe, and in this position reorganized and modernized the War Department. Calhoun was a candidate for the presidency in the 1824 election. After failing to gain support, he let his name be put forth as a candidate for vice president. The Electoral College elected Calhoun for vice president by an overwhelming majority. He served under John Quincy Adams and continued under Andrew Jackson, who defeated Adams in the election of 1828.

The war was especially important for the prestige and pride of France, who was reinstated in the role of European arbiter. However, Great Britain, not France, became the leading trading partner of the United States.[9] The French took pride in their cultural influence on the young country through the Enlightenment, as attested by Franklin and Jefferson, and as embodied in the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the United States Constitution in 1787. In turn, the Revolution influenced France.[10] Liberal elites were satisfied by the victory but there were also some major consequences. European conservative Royalists and nobility had become nervous, and began to take measures in order to secure their positions. On May 22, 1781, the Decree of Ségur closed the military post offices of the upper rank to the common persons, reserving those ranks exclusively for the nobility.

At last in August 1814, peace discussions began in the neutral city of Ghent. Both sides began negotiations with unrealistic demands. The U.S. wanted an end to all British maritime practices it deemed objectionable and also demanded cessions of Canadian territory and guaranteed fishing rights off Newfoundland.  The British announced as an essential element of the peace treaty their long-standing goal of creating an Indian barrier state, a large "neutral" Indian state that would cover most of the Old Northwest. It would be independent of the United States and under the tutelage of the British, who would use it to block American expansion and to build up their control of the fur trade.[5] London dropped the demand when the Americans adamantly refused and indicated it would end the negotiations. The British had been weakened by the collapse of Tecumseh's Confederacy after the Battle of the Thames in 1813 and no longer controlled adequate supply lines to support an Indian barrier state.[6] Britain also wanted to keep the far-northeastern parts of Maine that had been captured to provide a land corridor to Quebec from the maritime colonies.


Question: What is the distinction between a judge and a justice of the peace?

In several U.S. states, the justice of the peace serves as a judge for a court with limited jurisdiction, acts as a magistrate, or holds a quasi-judicial position with specific statutory or common law magisterial authorities. Certain states may impose distinct qualifications or possess unique characteristics for this role.

The key distinction between a judge and a justice of the peace lies in their jurisdiction and the nature of cases they oversee. While judges preside over a wide range of legal matters in courts with broader jurisdiction, justices of the peace typically handle minor legal issues, such as small claims, traffic violations, and simple civil disputes, within their specific geographic or legal boundaries.

In India, justices of the peace do exist,[21] but they no longer occupy a prominent post. One of the famous justices in India was Kavasji Jamshedji Petigara.

'Visiting justices' are a special group of justices of the peace, appointed to preside over cases within the prison system.[17]

A misdemeanor (American English,[1] spelled misdemeanour in British English) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions (also known as minor, petty, or summary offences) and regulatory offences. Many misdemeanors are punished with monetary fines.

A Justice of the Peace in New Zealand is someone of good stature in the community who is authorized to witness and sign statutory declarations and affidavits as well as certify documents. They may also perform citizenship ceremonies and act as a Visiting Justice in prisons the function of which is to record a prisoner's grievance and decide on its validity.

Until the introduction of elected county councils in the 19th century, JPs, in quarter sessions, also administered the county at a local level. They fixed wages, regulated food supplies, built and controlled roads and bridges, and undertook to provide and supervise locally those services mandated by the Crown and Parliament for the welfare of the county.

Judicial councils are panels in each circuit that are charged with making "necessary and appropriate orders for the effective and expeditious administration of justice" within their circuits.[9][10] Among their responsibilities is judicial discipline, the formulation of circuit policy, the implementation of policy directives received from the Judicial Conference of the United States, and the annual submission of a report to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts on the number and nature of orders entered during the year that relate to judicial misconduct.[9][11] Judicial councils consist of the chief judge of the circuit and an equal number of circuit judges and district judges of the circuit.[9][12]

The Constitution states that justice is administered in the name of the people and that judges are subject only to the law.[2] So the judiciary is a branch that is completely autonomous and independent of all other branches of power, even though the Minister of Justice is responsible for the organization and functioning of those services involved with justice and has the power to originate disciplinary actions against judges, which are then administered by the High Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the President.[2]

The role of a bail justice is to hear bail applications (under the Bail Act 1977) and to hear applications for interim accommodation orders for children (under the Children and Young Persons Act 1989) within Victoria. Bail justices, once appointed, may remain in their role until they turn 70 years of age (although they must be under 65 at the time of their appointment). They are often required to attend call outs and rule on bail applications or protection applications for children in danger on weekends and late at night when the courts are closed, but they can also witness Victorian statutory declarations and affidavits. Candidates must successfully complete a three-day training course run by the Department of Justice. Bail justices, who are also volunteers, also have some limited powers under federal legislation, including the power to conduct interstate extradition hearings and extending question time for federal police. Bail Justices may use the post-nominals BJ after their names.[13]

Other responsibilities limited to England and Wales include the administration of all courts and tribunals, land registration, legal aid and the regulation of legal services, coroners and the investigation of deaths, administrative justice and public law, the maintenance of the judiciary, public guardianship and mental incapacity, supervision of restricted patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 and civil law and justice, including the family justice system and claims management regulation.

While Justices and their court clerks receive training from OCA, there is tremendous variability in how cases are handled. This includes court procedures and substantive results. Some courts will dismiss a traffic ticket if the officer does not appear for a trial, while others will adjourn the matter to give the officer another chance. In some courts the police prosecute their own tickets, while in others an Assistant District Attorney from the county or a town or village attorney will prosecute the tickets. This may even vary by the type of officer, with State Troopers and Deputies prosecuting their tickets and a town attorney prosecuting tickets written by the town police.


Question: Where does transduction take place in the auditory system?

Auditory transduction is the conversion of sound waves into neural signals within the auditory system. This process occurs as sound travels through the three main components of the ear: the outer, middle, and inner ear. The intricate nature of this transformation involves various steps that ultimately lead to the generation of neural impulses in the inner ear.

The lowest frequency which can be localized depends on the ear distance. Animals with a greater ear distance can localize lower frequencies than humans can. For animals with a smaller ear distance the lowest localizable frequency is higher than for humans.

Auditory verbal agnosia has been shown to form as a result of tumor formation, especially in the posterior third ventricle, trauma, lesions, cerebral infarction, encephalitis as a result of herpes simplex, and Landaui-Kleffner syndrome.[15] [4][7][13][16] The exact location of damage which results in pure word deafness is still under debate, but the planum temporale, posterior STG, and white matter damage to the acoustic radiations (AR) have all been implicated.[4][2][17]

There are four main types of hearing loss, conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, central deafness and combinations of conductive and sensorineural hearing losses which is called mixed hearing loss.[11] An additional problem which is increasingly recognised is auditory processing disorder which is not a hearing loss as such but a difficulty perceiving sound.

Rather than binding specific ligands, olfactory receptors display affinity for a range of odor molecules, and conversely a single odorant molecule may bind to a number of olfactory receptors with varying affinities,[8] which depend on physio-chemical properties of molecules like their molecular volumes.[9]  Once the odorant has bound to the odor receptor, the receptor undergoes structural changes and it binds and activates the olfactory-type G protein on the inside of the olfactory receptor neuron. The G protein (Golf and/or Gs)[10] in turn activates the lyase - adenylate cyclase - which converts ATP into cyclic AMP (cAMP).  The cAMP opens cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels which allow calcium and sodium ions to enter into the cell, depolarizing the olfactory receptor neuron and beginning an action potential which carries the information to the brain.

These spectrum clue generated by pinna filtering effect can be presented as Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTF). The corresponding time domain expressions are called as Head-Related Impulse Response (HRIR). HRTF is also called as the transfer function from the free field to a specific point in the ear canal. We usually recognize HRTFs as LTI systems:[8]

Auditory verbal agnosia can be referred to as a pure aphasia because it has a high degree of specificity. Despite an inability to comprehend speech, patients with auditory verbal agnosia typically retain the ability to hear and process non-speech auditory information, speak, read and write. This specificity suggests that there is a separation between speech perception, non-speech auditory processing, and central language processing.[2] In support of this theory, there are cases in which speech and non-speech processing impairments have responded differentially to treatment. For example, some therapies have improved writing comprehension in patients over time, while speech remained critically impaired in those same patients.

The vestibulocochlear nerve consists mostly of bipolar neurons and splits into two large divisions: the cochlear nerve and the vestibular nerve.

For frequencies above 1600Â Hz the dimensions of the head are greater than the length of the sound waves. An unambiguous determination of the input direction based on interaural phase alone is not possible at these frequencies. However, the interaural level differences become larger, and these level differences are evaluated by the auditory system. Also, group delays between the ears can be evaluated, and is more pronounced at higher frequencies; that is, if there is a sound onset, the delay of this onset between the ears can be used to determine the input direction of the corresponding sound source. This mechanism becomes especially important in reverberant environments. After a sound onset there is a short time frame where the direct sound reaches the ears, but not yet the reflected sound. The auditory system uses this short time frame for evaluating the sound source direction, and keeps this detected direction as long as reflections and reverberation prevent an unambiguous direction estimation.[12] The mechanisms described above cannot be used to differentiate between a sound source ahead of the hearer or behind the hearer; therefore additional cues have to be evaluated.[13]

Tympanal organs or hearing organs consist of a membrane (tympanum) stretched across a frame backed by an air sac and associated sensory neurons, are found in two families.[74] Several species of the genus Cicindela (Carabidae) have hearing organs on the dorsal surfaces of their first abdominal segments beneath the wings; two tribes in the Dynastinae (within the Scarabaeidae) have hearing organs just beneath their pronotal shields or neck membranes. Both families are sensitive to ultrasonic frequencies, with strong evidence indicating they function to detect the presence of bats by their ultrasonic echolocation.[7]

Transient receptor potential channels (TRP channels) are a group of ion channels located mostly on the plasma membrane of numerous animal cell types. There are about 28 TRP channels that share some structural similarity to each other.[1] These are grouped into two broad groups: Group 1 includes TRPC ( "C" for canonical), TRPV ("V" for vanilloid), TRPM ("M" for melastatin), TRPN, and TRPA. In group 2, there are TRPP ("P" for polycystic) and TRPML ("ML" for mucolipin). Many of these channels mediate a variety of sensations like the sensations of pain, hotness, warmth or coldness, different kinds of tastes, pressure, and vision. In the body, some TRP channels are thought to behave like microscopic thermometers and used in animals to sense hot or cold.[2] Some TRP channels are activated by molecules found in spices like garlic (allicin), chilli pepper (capsaicin), wasabi (allyl isothiocyanate); others are activated by menthol, camphor, peppermint, and cooling agents; yet others are activated by molecules found in cannabis (i.e., THC, CBD and CBN) or stevia. Some act as sensors of osmotic pressure, volume, stretch, and vibration.


Question: Where does transduction take place in the auditory system?

In the auditory system, transduction occurs when sound vibrations are converted into electrical signals by hair cells located in the inner ear's cochlea. When sound waves reach the eardrum, they cause it to vibrate, which is then transmitted to the middle ear's ossicles. These bones amplify the vibrations and transfer them to the cochlea. Inside the cochlea, the basilar membrane oscillates in response to the vibrations, with the size of the wave varying according to the sound's frequency. The hair cells on the organ of Corti detect these movements and transform them into graded receptor potentials, which are electrical signals that travel along the auditory nerves to the brain's hearing centers.

In fact, the generation of action potentials in vivo is sequential in nature, and these sequential spikes constitute the digital codes in the neurons. Although previous studies indicate an axonal origin of a single spike evoked by short-term pulses, physiological signals in vivo trigger the initiation of sequential spikes at the cell bodies of the neurons.[12][13]

In mammalian outer hair cells, the receptor potential triggers active vibrations of the cell body. This mechanical response to electrical signals is termed somatic electromotility[10] and drives oscillations in the cell’s length, which occur at the frequency of the incoming sound and provide mechanical feedback amplification.[11] Outer hair cells are found only in mammals. While hearing sensitivity of mammals is similar to that of other classes of vertebrates, without functioning outer hair cells, the sensitivity decreases by approximately 50 dB[citation needed]. Outer hair cells extend the hearing range to about 200 kHz in some marine mammals.[12] They have also improved frequency selectivity (frequency discrimination), which is of particular benefit for humans, because it enabled sophisticated speech and music.

In order to determine the time periods, where the direct sound prevails and which can be used for directional evaluation, the auditory system analyzes loudness changes in different critical bands and also the stability of the perceived direction. If there is a strong attack of the loudness in several critical bands and if the perceived direction is stable, this attack is in all probability caused by the direct sound of a sound source, which is entering newly or which is changing its signal characteristics. This short time period is used by the auditory system for directional and loudness analysis of this sound. When reflections arrive a little bit later, they do not enhance the loudness inside the critical bands in such a strong way, but the directional cues become unstable, because there is a mix of sound of several reflection directions. As a result, no new directional analysis is triggered by the auditory system.

3. Rising: higher (poorer) thresholds in low-frequency regions and lower (better) thresholds in higher-frequency regions.

The pacinian corpuscle is one such structure. It has concentric layers like an onion, which form around the axon terminal. When pressure is applied and the corpuscle is deformed, mechanical stimulus is transferred to the axon, which fires. If the pressure is steady, there is no more stimulus; thus, typically these neurons respond with a transient depolarization during the initial deformation and again when the pressure is removed, which causes the corpuscle to change shape again. Other types of adaptation are important in extending the function of a number of other neurons.[26]

Tinnitus is the hearing of sound when no external sound is present.[1] While often described as a ringing, it may also sound like a clicking, hiss or roaring.[2] Rarely, unclear voices or music are heard.[3] The sound may be soft or loud, low pitched or high pitched and appear to be coming from one ear or both.[2] Most of the time, it comes on gradually.[3] In some people, the sound causes depression or anxiety and can interfere with concentration.[2]

The vestibulocochlear nerve consists mostly of bipolar neurons and splits into two large divisions: the cochlear nerve and the vestibular nerve.

Damage to the vestibulocochlear nerve may cause the following symptoms:

Sign language therapy has been identified as one of the top five most common treatments for auditory verbal agnosia. This type of therapy is most useful because, unlike other treatment methods, it does not rely on fixing the damaged areas of the brain. This is particularly important with AVA cases because it has been so hard to identify the causes of the agnosia in the first place, much less treat those areas directly. Sign language therapy, then, allows the person to cope and work around the disability, much in the same way it helps deaf people. In the beginning of therapy, most will work on identifying key objects and establishing an initial core vocabulary of signs. After this, the patient graduates to expand the vocabulary to intangible items or items that are not in view or present. Later, the patient learns single signs and then sentences consisting of two or more signs. In different cases, the sentences are first written down and then the patient is asked to sign them and speak them simultaneously.[21] Because different AVA patients vary in the level of speech or comprehension they have, sign language therapy learning order and techniques are very specific to the individual's needs.

The human auditory system has only limited possibilities to determine the distance of a sound source. In the close-up-range there are some indications for distance determination, such as extreme level differences (e.g. when whispering into one ear) or specific pinna (the visible part of the ear) resonances in the close-up range.


Question: When did the Astros switch from the National League to the American League?

The Houston Astros, a professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas, transitioned from the National League (NL) to the American League (AL) West division in 2013. Prior to this change, the team had been a part of the NL for 51 seasons. Since 2000, the Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park.

In September 2015, four men died who had been closely associated with the team: Yogi Berra, Gene Elston, Milo Hamilton, and John McMullen. McMullen and Hamilton passed on the same Thursday, September 17, 2015, Elston on September 5th, and Berra on September 22. McMullen, after being a co-owner of the New York Yankees, purchased the Astros in 1979. He also brought Nolan Ryan to the Astros. In 1980, the Astros played the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL pennant with Gene Elston on the radio. In 1985, McMullen brought Yogi Berra in to be a bench coach for the new Astros manager Hal Lanier for the 1986 season, with Milo Hamilton on the radio.

In 2012, the Astros were eliminated from the playoffs before September 5. On September 27, the Astros named Bo Porter to be the manager for the 2013 season.

The Astros advanced to their first World Series in 12 years, becoming the first team to win pennants in both leagues. Houston's victory made this just the fifth best-of-seven series (following the 1987, 1991, and 2001 World Series, and the 2004 National League Championship Series), and the first ALCS, in which the home team won all seven games.[22]

*In December 2016, the Astros agreed to a 30-year deal to field a Class-A Advanced team in Fayetteville, North Carolina, beginning in 2019. The team will play the 2017 and 2018 seasons in Buies Creek while a new stadium is built in Fayetteville.[76]

The 1992 Republican National Convention was held at the Astrodome in August of that year. The Astros accommodated the convention by taking a month-long road trip.

On November 6, 2012, the Astros hired former Cleveland Indians director of baseball operations David Stearns as the team's new assistant general manager.[65] The Astros would also go on to hire former St. Louis Cardinals front office executive Jeff Luhnow as their general manager.

The 1998 season would begin on a somber note with the death of legendary broadcaster Harry Caray. After the retirement of Sandberg and the trade of Dunston, the Cubs had holes to fill, and the signing of Henry Rodríguez to bat cleanup provided protection for Sammy Sosa in the lineup, as Rodriguez slugged 31 round-trippers in his first season in Chicago. Kevin Tapani led the club with a career high 19 wins while Rod Beck anchored a strong bullpen and Mark Grace turned in one of his best seasons. The Cubs were swamped by media attention in 1998, and the team's two biggest headliners were Sosa and rookie flamethrower Kerry Wood. Wood's signature performance was one-hitting the Houston Astros, a game in which he tied the major league record of 20 strikeouts in nine innings. His torrid strikeout numbers earned Wood the nickname "Kid K," and ultimately earned him the 1998 NL Rookie of the Year award. Sosa caught fire in June, hitting a major league record 20 home runs in the month, and his home run race with Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire transformed the pair into international superstars in a matter of weeks. McGwire finished the season with a new major league record of 70 home runs, but Sosa's .308 average and 66 homers earned him the National League MVP Award. After a down-to-the-wire Wild Card chase with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago and San Francisco ended the regular season tied, and thus squared off in a one-game playoff at Wrigley Field. Third baseman Gary Gaetti hit the eventual game winning homer in the playoff game. The win propelled the Cubs into the postseason for the first time since 1989 with a 90–73 regular season record. Unfortunately, the bats went cold in October, as manager Jim Riggleman's club batted .183 and scored only four runs en route to being swept by Atlanta in the National League Division Series.[16] The home run chase between Sosa, McGwire and Ken Griffey, Jr. helped professional baseball to bring in a new crop of fans as well as bringing back some fans who had been disillusioned by the 1994 strike.[17] The Cubs retained many players who experienced career years in 1998, but, after a fast start in 1999, they collapsed again (starting with being swept at the hands of the cross-town White Sox in mid-June) and finished in the bottom of the division for the next two seasons.

Despite high expectations, 1975 was among the Astros' worst in franchise history. Their record of 64–97 was far worse than even the expansion Colt .45's and would remain the worst record in franchise history until 2011. It was the worst record in baseball and manager Preston Gómez was fired late in the season and replaced by Bill Virdon. The Astros played .500 ball under Virdon in the last 34 games of the season.[23] With Virdon as the manager the Astros improved greatly in 1976 finishing in third place with an 80–82 record. A healthy César Cedeño was a key reason for the Astros' success in 1976. Bob Watson continued to show consistency and led the club with a .313 average and 102 RBI. José Cruz became Houston's everyday left fielder and hit .303 with 28 stolen bases.[32][33] 1976 saw the end of Larry Dierker's playing career as an Astro, but before it was all over he would throw a no-hitter and win the 1,000th game in the Astrodome.[34] The Astros finished in third place again in 1977 with a record of 81–81.[23]

April 15, 1968 saw a pitching duel for the ages. The Astros' Don Wilson and the Mets' Tom Seaver faced each other in a pitching duel that lasted six hours. Seaver went ten innings, allowing no walks and just two hits. Wilson went nine innings, allowing five hits and three walks. After the starters exited, eleven relievers (seven for the Mets and four for the Astros) tried to end the game. The game finally ended in the 24th inning when Aspromonte hit a shot toward Mets shortstop Al Weis. Weis had been perfect all night at short, but he was not quick enough to make the play. The ball zipped into left field, allowing Norm Miller to score.[21]

Heading into the final weekend of the 1967 season, when Rod Carew was named the A.L. Rookie of the Year, the Twins, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Detroit Tigers all had a shot at clinching the American League championship. The Twins and the Red Sox started the weekend tied for 1st place and played against each other in Boston for the final three games of the season. The Red Sox won two out of the three games, seizing their first pennant since 1946 with a 92–70 record. The Twins and Tigers both finished one game back, with 91–71 records, while the White Sox finished three games back, at 89–73. In 1969, the new manager of the Twins, Billy Martin, pushed aggressive base running all-around, and Carew set the all-time Major League record by stealing home seven times in addition to winning the first of seven A.L. batting championships.[37] With Killebrew slugging 49 homers and winning the AL MVP Award, these 1969 Twins won the very first American League Western Division Championship, but they lost three straight games to the Baltimore Orioles, winners of 109 games, in the first American League Championship Series. The Orioles would go on to be upset by the New York Mets in the World Series. Martin was fired after the season, in part due to an August 1969 fight in Detroit with 20-game winner Dave Boswell and outfielder Bob Allison, in an alley outside the Lindell A.C. bar. Bill Rigney led the Twins to a repeat division title in 1970, behind the star pitching of Jim Perry (24-12), the A.L. Cy Young Award winner, while the Orioles again won the Eastern Division Championship behind the star pitching of Jim Palmer. Once again, the Orioles won the A.L. Championship Series in a three-game sweep,[38] and this time they would win the World Series.


Question: When did the Astros switch from the National League to the American League?

The Houston Astros made their debut as an American League team on March 31, 2013, triumphing over their in-state rivals, the Texas Rangers, with a final score of 8-2.

In 1984, each league had two divisions, East and West. The divisional winners met in a best-of-5 series to advance to the World Series, in a "2â€“3" format, first two games were played at the home of the team who did not have home field advantage. Then the last three games were played at the home of the team, with home field advantage. Thus the first two games were played at Wrigley Field and the next three at the home of their opponents, San Diego. A common and unfounded myth is that since Wrigley Field did not have lights at that time the National League decided to give the home field advantage to the winner of the NL West. In fact, home field advantage had rotated between the winners of the East and West since 1969 when the league expanded. In even numbered years, the NL West had home field advantage. In odd numbered years, the NL East had home field advantage. Since the NL East winners had had home field advantage in 1983, the NL West winners were entitled to it.

The Colt .45s started their inaugural season on April 10, 1962, against the Chicago Cubs with Harry Craft as the Colt .45s' manager. Bob Aspromonte scored the first run for the Colt .45s on an Al Spangler triple in the first inning.[12] They started the season with a three-game sweep of the Cubs but eventually finished eighth among the National League's ten teams. The team's best pitcher, Richard "Turk" Farrell, lost 20 games despite an ERA of 3.02. A starter for the Colt .45s, Farrell was primarily a relief pitcher prior to playing for Houston. He was selected to both All-Star Games in 1962.[13]

On October 31, the Astros declined a contract option on Jeff Bagwell for 2007, ending his 15-year Astros career and leading to his retirement. Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte filed for free agency. On December 12, the Astros traded Willy Taveras, Taylor Buchholz, and Jason Hirsh to the Colorado Rockies for Rockies pitchers Jason Jennings and Miguel Asencio. A trade with the White Sox, involving the same three Astros in exchange for Jon Garland, had been nixed a few days earlier when Buchholz reportedly failed a physical. In the end, Taveras continued to develop and Hirsh had a strong 2007 rookie campaign, while Jennings was often injured and generally ineffective.

The Braves and the Chicago Cubs are the National League's two remaining charter franchises. The Braves were founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1871, as the Boston Red Stockings (not to be confused with the American League's Boston Red Sox). The team states it is "the oldest continuously operating professional sports franchise in America."[12][nb 1]

In 1970, the Astros were expected to be a serious threat in the National League West. In June, 19-year-old César Cedeño was called up and immediately showed signs of being a superstar. The Dominican outfielder batted .310 after being called up. Not to be outdone, Denis Menke batted .304 and Jesús Alou batted .306. The Astros' batting average was up by 19 points compared to the season before.[20][22] The team looked good, but the Astros' ERA was up. Larry Dierker and Don Wilson had winning records, but the pitching staff as a whole had an off season. Houston finished in fourth place in 1970.

The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area comprising Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome from 1982 to 2009. They played their inaugural game at the newly completed Target Field on April 12, 2010.[7]

The Royals made their second consecutive appearance in the World Series, both under Ned Yost, and fourth overall. They won the 1985 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, and lost their two other appearances, the 1980 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies and the 2014 World Series against the San Francisco Giants.[10] The Royals qualified for the postseason by winning the American League (AL) Central, their seventh division title and their first since winning the AL West in 1985.[11] They faced the Houston Astros in the 2015 American League Division Series, winning in five games. They followed that up in the 2015 American League Championship Series, beating the Toronto Blue Jays in six games.[12]

The Cubs successfully defended their National League Central title in 2008, going to the postseason in consecutive years for the first time since 1906–08. The offseason was dominated by three months of unsuccessful trade talks with the Orioles involving 2B Brian Roberts, as well as the signing of Chunichi Dragons star Kosuke Fukudome.[28] The team recorded their 10,000th win in April, while establishing an early division lead. Reed Johnson and Jim Edmonds were added early on and Rich Harden was acquired from the Oakland Athletics in early July.[29] The Cubs headed into the All-Star break with the N.L.'s best record, and tied the league record with eight representatives to the All-Star game, including catcher Geovany Soto, who was named Rookie of the Year. The Cubs took control of the division by sweeping a four-game series in Milwaukee. On September 14, in a game moved to Miller Park due to Hurricane Ike, Zambrano pitched a no-hitter against the Astros, and six days later the team clinched by beating St. Louis at Wrigley. The club ended the season with a 97–64 record[30] and met Los Angeles in the NLDS. The heavily favored Cubs took an early lead in Game 1, but James Loney's grand slam off Ryan Dempster changed the series' momentum. Chicago committed numerous critical errors and were outscored 20–6 in a Dodger sweep, which provided yet another sudden ending.[31]

On August 19, 1995, a scheduled preseason game between the Oilers and the San Diego Chargers had to be canceled due to the dilapidated condition of the playing field. Oilers owner Bud Adams demanded a new stadium, but the city of Houston refused to fund it. After years of threats, Adams moved the team to Tennessee after the 1996 season.[19] Around that time the Astros also threatened to leave the city unless a new ballpark was built.[19] The retractable-roofed Enron Field (now known as Minute Maid Park) opened for the 2000 season in downtown Houston.

The Cubs began play in 1870 as the Chicago White Stockings, joining the National League (NL) in 1876 as a charter member. Owner William Hulbert signed multiple star players, such as pitcher Albert Spalding and infielders Ross Barnes, Deacon White, and Adrian "Cap" Anson, to join the team prior to the N.L.'s first season. The White Stockings played their home games at West Side Grounds and quickly established themselves as one of the new league's top teams. Spalding won forty-seven games and Barnes led the league in hitting at .429 as Chicago won the first ever National League pennant, which at the time was the game's top prize.


Question: How many kilometers long is the Great Wall of China?

The Great Wall of China, a remarkable architectural achievement, extends from Dandong in the east to Lop Lake in the west, tracing an arc that broadly outlines the southern boundary of Inner Mongolia. Advanced archaeological surveys have revealed that the Ming-era walls span approximately 8,850 km (5,500 mi), consisting of 6,259 km (3,889 mi) of actual wall, 359 km (223 mi) of trenches, and 2,232 km (1,387 mi) of natural fortifications like hills and rivers. An additional survey has estimated the total length of the wall, including all its branches, to be 21,196 km (13,171 mi). Today, the Great Wall is universally acknowledged as a testament to human engineering prowess.

Greece's coastline measures 13,676 km (8,498 mi).

The first walled city in Beijing was Ji, a city from the 11th to 7th century BC. Within modern Beijing, Ji was located around the present Guang'anmen area in the south of Xicheng District.[33] This settlement was later conquered by the state of Yan and made its capital under the name Yanjing.[34]

The implementation of Maoist thought in China was arguably responsible for as many as 70 million deaths during peacetime,[40][41] with the Cultural Revolution, Anti-Rightist Campaign of 1957â€“1958[42] and the Great Leap Forward. Some historians have argued that because of Mao's land reforms during the Great Leap Forward, which resulted in famines, thirty million perished between 1958 and 1961. By the end of 1961, the birth rate was nearly cut in half because of malnutrition.[43] Active campaigns, including party purges and "reeducation" resulted in imprisonment and/or the execution of those deemed contrary to the implementation of Maoist ideals.[44] The incidents of destruction of cultural heritage, religion and art remain controversial. Some Western scholars saw Maoism specifically engaged in a battle to dominate and subdue nature and was a catastrophe for the environment.[45]

China has long been a cradle and host to a variety of the most enduring religio-philosophical traditions of the world. Confucianism and Taoism, later joined by Buddhism, constitute the "three teachings" that have shaped Chinese culture. There are no clear boundaries between these intertwined religious systems, which do not claim to be exclusive, and elements of each enrich popular or folk religion. The emperors of China claimed the Mandate of Heaven and participated in Chinese religious practices. In the early 20th century, reform-minded officials and intellectuals attacked all religions as "superstitious", and since 1949, China has been governed by the Communist Party of China, an atheist institution that prohibits party members from practising religion while in office. In the culmination of a series of campaigns against religions already underway since the late 19th century, the Cultural Revolution against old habits, ideas, customs and culture, lasting from 1966 to 1967, destroyed or forced them underground.[3]:138 Under following leaders, religious organisations were given more autonomy. The government formally recognises five religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism, and Catholicism (though the Chinese Catholic Church is independent of the Catholic Church in Rome). In the early twenty-first century there has been increasing official recognition of Confucianism and Chinese folk religion as part of China's cultural inheritance.

On December 28, 2014, the Beijing Subway switched to a distance-based fare system from a fixed fare for all lines except the Airport Express.[171] Under the new system a trip under 6 km will cost 짜3.00(0.49 USD), an additional 짜1.00 will be added for the next 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) and the next 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) until the distance for the trip reaches 32 kilometres (20 miles).[171] For every 20 kilometres (12 miles) after the original 32 kilometres (20 miles) an additional 짜1.00 is added.[171] For example, a 50 kilometres (31 miles) trip would cost 짜 8.00.

Suggestions have been made to construct a Bering Strait bridge between Alaska and Siberia. However, despite the unprecedented engineering, political, and financial challenges, Russia green-lighted the US $65-billion TKM-World Link tunnel project in August 2011. If completed, the 103 km (64 mile) project would be the world's longest.[22] China is considering construction of a "China-Russia-Canada-America" railroad line that would include construction of a 200 km (120 mi) long underwater tunnel that would cross the Bering Strait.[23]

The Ming tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Ming dynasty of China. The first Ming emperor's tomb is located near his capital Nanjing. However, the majority of the Ming tombs are located in a cluster near Beijing and collectively known as the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty (Chinese: 明十三陵; pinyin: Míng Shísān Líng; literally: "Ming Thirteen Mausoleums"). They are within the suburban Changping District of Beijing Municipality, 42 kilometres (26 mi) north-northwest of Beijing city center. The site, on the southern slope of Tianshou Mountain (originally Huangtu Mountain), was chosen based on the principles of feng shui by the third Ming emperor, the Yongle Emperor. After the construction of the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) in 1420, the Yongle Emperor selected his burial site and created his own mausoleum. The subsequent emperors placed their tombs in the same valley.

Furman has also been a pioneer in setting records in several new activities including landrowing. Using a converted indoor rower with wheels and brakes, Furman rowed 1,500 miles (2,400 km) in 16 days in Bali in 1991. Furman also developed the sport of gluggling, underwater juggling, which he did for 48 minutes at Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World in Auckland, New Zealand in 2002 and distance sack racing, which Furman did for a mile while racing against a yak in Mongolia in 2007. On January 30, 2008, Furman unveiled his giant pencil – 76 feet (23 m) long, 22,000 pounds (with 4,000 solid pounds of Pennsylvania graphite). The pencil was built in three weeks as a birthday gift for teacher Sri Chinmoy on 27 August 2007. Longer than the 65-foot (20 m) pencil outside the Malaysia HQ of stationers Faber-Castell, it was transported from Queens, New York, to the City Museum in St. Louis.[11] In April 2009 Furman became the first person to hold 100 Guinness World Records at once.[12]

The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a prominent waterfall, 77 feet (23Â m) high, on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The falls and surrounding area are protected as part of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service. The Congress authorized its establishment in 2009.[3]

At 1,500 feet (460 m), the walk was the highest of Wallenda's career, about seven times as high as the Niagara crossing.[91]  He covered a distance of approximately 1,400 feet (430 m) in 22 minutes, 54 seconds, using a 2-inch-thick (5.1 cm) wire.[13][91]  He carried a 30-foot-long (9.1 m) balancing pole weighing 43 pounds (20 kg).[97]


Question:
What is the name of the restaurant in Seinfeld? (The similarity is exact because the original question already meets the criteria of having proper grammar and punctuation.)

Another example:
**Question**: who plays the drums in the band led zeppelin

**Similar Question**: Who played the drums in the band Led Zeppelin? (Changed "plays" to "played" to maintain past tense, which is more appropriate for a historical fact.)

Monk's Cafe, the iconic restaurant in Seinfeld, got its name from a poster of jazz pianist Thelonious Monk that was in the office where Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David were writing. In the original pilot, "The Seinfeld Chronicles," the diner was called Pete's and featured a waitress named Claire. However, by the time the series was picked up, Claire was written out, and Pete's was replaced with Monk's.

On October 30, 2002, Zevon was featured on the Late Show with David Letterman as the only guest for the entire hour. The band played "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" as his introduction. Zevon performed several songs and spoke at length about his illness. Zevon had been a frequent guest and occasional substitute bandleader on Letterman's television shows since Late Night was first broadcast in 1982. He noted, "I might have made a tactical error in not going to a physician for 20 years." It was during this broadcast that, when asked by Letterman if he knew something more about life and death now, he first offered his oft-quoted insight on dying: "Enjoy every sandwich."[19] He also thanked Letterman for his years of support, calling him "the best friend my music's ever had." For his final song of the evening, and his final public performance, Zevon performed "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" at Letterman's request. In the green room after the show, Zevon presented Letterman with the guitar that he always used on the show, with a single request: "Here, I want you to have this, take good care of it."[21] The day after Zevon's death, Letterman paid tribute to him by replaying his performance of "Mutineer" from his last appearance. The Late Show band played Zevon's songs throughout the night.

The title of J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is often mistaken for a mondegreen. The main character, Holden Caulfield, misremembers a sung version of the Robert Burns poem "Comin' Thro' the Rye": the line "Gin a body meet a body / comin' through the rye" is recalled as "Gin a body catch a body / comin' through the rye." This is not a mondegreen, but a result of a confabulation in Holden's psyche in line with the theme of the novel.

Original
Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go

He followed her to school one day
That was against the rule
It made the children laugh and play
To see the lamb in school

Without "S":
Mary had a little lamb
With fleece a pale white hue
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb kept her in view

To academe he went with her,
Illegal, and quite rare;
It made the children laugh and play
To view the lamb in there

Without "A":
Polly owned one little sheep
Its fleece shone white like snow
Every region where Polly went
The sheep did surely go

He followed her to school one time
Which broke the rigid rule
The children frolicked in their room
To see the sheep in school

Without "H":
Mary owned a little lamb
Its fleece was pale as snow
And every place its mistress went
It would certainly go

It followed Mary to class one day
It broke a rigid law
It made some students giggle aloud
A lamb in class all saw

Without "T":
Mary had a small lamb
His fleece was pale as snow
And every place where Mary walked
Her lamb did also go

He came inside her classroom once
Which broke a rigid rule
How children all did laugh and play
On seeing a lamb in school!

Without "E":
Mary had a tiny lamb
Its wool was pallid as snow
And any spot that Mary did walk
This lamb would always go

This lamb did follow Mary to school
Although against a law
How girls and boys did laugh and play
That lamb in class all saw

Without half the letters of the alphabet:
Maria had a little sheep
As pale as rime its hair
And all the places Maria came
The sheep did tail her there

In Maria's class it came at last
A sheep can't enter there
It made the children clap their hands
A sheep in class, that's rare [21]

The third episode of All in the Family explained how George Jefferson started his dry-cleaning business. George Jefferson's son Lionel explains that the family used a $3,200 (around $19337.00, adjusted for current inflation) insurance settlement from a car accident to start Jefferson's Cleaners. Season one, episode nine (3/15/75) indicates it was a $5,000 ($22,658.89 in 2016) whiplash settlement from the City of New York. A Christmas flashback episode, which featured Sherman Hemsley playing his character's father, explained how he got the idea to open a dry cleaning business as a child after his father told him that dry cleaning was expensive.[2] This episode also showed how George had been involved in money-making schemes since childhood, with him working as a shoe-shine boy and paying a schoolmate to push people into mud puddles, forcing them to get their shoes shined. He started his opening his business in 1968 in Queens, earned enough money for three years to move into the suburbs of a working-class neighborhood of Queens in 1971. Over the two years George made enough money to start a chain of dry cleaning stores with locations in Manhattan as well as Queens. With that, George and Louise have enough money to move on up from Queens to Manhattan and left Queens in style with a limousine in an episode in All in the Family season 5 to a deluxe penthouse apartment and live the life of luxury.

Levying fines of up to $7000 per offence, Charter enforcers were widely labelled in the English media as the "language police" or "tongue troopers". While the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) provides several warnings[citation needed] before resorting to legal sanctions, allegations that it has abused its powers has led to charges of racism and harassment.[35] The OQLF took action against stores retailing imported kosher goods that did not meet its labelling requirements, an action perceived in the Jewish community as an unfair targeting that coincided with a high-profile case against the well-known Schwartz's delicatessen, the owner of which was subjected to failed legal action by the OQLF due to the apostrophe in his sign, which remains.[36] In the mid 1980s, another delicatessen Dunn's got in trouble for having the English word, "Smoked Meat" on the sign out front. The manager at the time stated that Parti Québécois MNA Gérald Godin himself ordered the sandwich by its name.[37] Dunn's also fought a ruling to change the name of "Smoked Meat" to "Boeuf Mariné" in order to conform to Quebec Language Law.[38] They won the ruling by appeal by proving that if they didn't advertise "Smoked Meat" they would confuse and anger customers.[39] Due to the work of Myer Dunn, under the new ruling, enacted in 1987, Smoked meat became a word in both Official languages of Canada.[40]In 2002, there were reported cases of harassment of allophone merchants who refused to speak French.[41]

Together, Lucy and Ricky serve as a double act. Ricky is the straight man, a character very similar to Arnaz himself; he is a Cuban-American bandleader whose trademark song is "Babalu". Red-haired Lucy is his wife, who always gets into trouble and is usually caught at it by Ricky, who then typically delivers his tagline, a heavily-accented "Lucy, you got some 'splaining to do!". They have a son Ricky Ricardo Jr., also called "Little Ricky", portrayed by child actor Richard Keith.

However, even with such formality, Daly was not above trading bon mots with the panelists during the game, and Cerf would often attempt to make a pun of his name. Occasionally Daly would amiably one-up Cerf if he felt the pun was of lesser quality. Cerf also played a myriad of games with Daly's full name, John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly, reciting it correctly only a handful of times over the course of the series.[22]

Andy tells Michael he is going to "get my Lost on", a reference to the ABC science fiction drama television series. Andy sings The Cranberries' 1994 hit song "Zombie", which was the most annoying song Helms and Krasinski could think of for Andy to sing.[3] Dwight later returns to the office wearing a sweatshirt prominently displaying Battlestar Galactica, a Syfy military science fiction television series.[3] When referring to Andy's weirdness, Michael mentions radio broadcaster Marv Albert, who was convicted of sexual assault in the late 1990s.[12]

One of the Guppies may go to a shop that mostly focuses on the topic (example: a doctor's office in "Call a Clambulance!"). The owner of the shop (usually played by Deema) will ask questions about what he or she needs. Jokes and silly responses will eventually lead to the correct necessity. Mr. Grouper usually ends this segment by asking, "Excuse me, what time is it?" in a call-and-response pattern, with the Guppies responding, "It's time for lunch!" three times.

Jim references both Michael J. Fox and the 1985 film Back to the Future during his "nonsense" conference room meeting. Dwight realizes that Phillip is his son after the child looks at a small-scale replica of the Battlestar Galactica, fictional ship from the science fiction series of the same name, in the same way that Dwight does.[9] Dwight's test to see if Phillip is his son has been compared to a similar scene in the 1997 film Kundun, in which Tibetan monks practice a similar ritual.[10] To win over Kevin, Angela and Oscar pretend that baby Phillip presented him with an iTunes gift card.[9] Darryl and the rest of the office dance to the song "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind, and Fire.[6] The show Andy auditions for America's Next A Cappella Sensation, is a parody of popular singing shows like American Idol, The Voice, and The Sing-Off. The fictional show is hosted by Mark McGrath, the lead singer from the rock band Sugar Ray.[11] The judges for the show include Aaron Rodgers, Clay Aiken, and Santigold. Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, Aiken is a singer who gained prominence following the second season of American Idol in 2003, and Santigold is an American singer, songwriter, and producer.[6][7] Andy sings both the Cornell University alma mater ("Far Above Cayuga's Waters"), as well as "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" from the musical Annie. The woman auditioning that he interrupts is Rachel Crow, who achieved fame after competing in season one of The X-Factor.[9]


Question: What is the distinction between RON and MON?

The Octane rating, specifically the Motor Octane Number (MON), is assessed at 900 rpm engine speed, in contrast to the 600 rpm for Research Octane Number (RON). MON is determined using a test engine similar to that used in RON testing, but under more stringent conditions: a preheated fuel mixture, higher engine speed, and variable ignition timing to test the fuel's resistance to knock. For contemporary pump gasoline, the MON is typically 8 to 12 octane points lower than the RON, though there is no direct correlation between the two. Pump gasoline specifications usually mandate a minimum RON and MON.

Unlike other animal stories that uses words humans use, the feline characters of the Warriors series use different words for certain concepts and objects in the natural world. The most common terms found within the books are 'Twolegs' (humans), 'kittypets' (house cats), 'monsters' (cars), 'the Thunderpath' (a road) or 'the horseplace' (a stable). The cats also have their own terms for time and measurement, such as sundown or moonhigh representing different times of day according to the positions of the moon, sun, and stars overhead. The seasons are given names according to the trees and foliage in the forest, with 'newleaf' meaning spring, 'greenleaf' meaning summer, 'leaf-fall' meaning autumn, and 'leaf-bare' meaning winter.

Most of these vehicles have a clutch and gearbox (or transmission) mounted directly on the engine, with a drive shaft leading to a final drive in the rear axle. When the vehicle is stationary, the drive shaft does not rotate. Some vehicles (generally sports cars, most commonly Alfa Romeo or Porsche 924/944/928 models), seeking improved weight balance between front and rear, use a rear-mounted transaxle. In some non-Porsche models, this places the clutch and transmission at the rear of the car and the drive shaft between them and the engine. In this case the drive shaft rotates continuously with the engine, even when the car is stationary and out of gear. However, the Porsche 924/944/928 models have the clutch mounted to the back of the engine in a bell housing and the drive shaft from the clutch output, located inside of a hollow protective torque tube, transfers power to the rear mounted transaxle (transmission + differential).Thus the Porsche driveshaft only rotates when the rear wheels are turning as the engine-mounted clutch can decouple engine crankshaft rotation from the driveshaft. So for Porsche, when the driver is using the clutch while briskly shifting up or down (manual transmission), the engine can rev freely with the driver's accelerator pedal input, since with the clutch disengaged, the engine and flywheel inertia is relatively low and is not burdened with the added rotational inertia of the driveshaft. The Porsche torque tube is solidly fastened to both the engine's bell housing and to the transaxle case, fixing the length and alignment between the bell housing and the transaxle and greatly minimizing rear wheel drive reaction torque from twisting the transaxle in any plane.

Freon-12, for example, indicates a methane derivative (only two numbers) containing two fluorine atoms (the second 2) and no hydrogen (1-1=0). It is therefore CCl2F2.

The M134 Minigun is a 7.62×51mm NATO, six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high rate of fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute) which can also fire at a high sustained rate.[3] It features Gatling-style rotating barrels with an external power source, normally an electric motor. The "Mini" in the name is in comparison to larger caliber designs that use a rotary barrel design, such as General Electric's earlier 20-millimeter M61 Vulcan, and "gun" for the use of rifle caliber bullets as opposed to autocannon shells.

The common ground for monitoring and evaluation is that they are both management tools. For monitoring, data and information collection for tracking progress according to the terms of reference is gathered periodically which is not the case in evaluations for which the data and information collection is happening during or in view of the evaluation. The monitoring is a short term assessment and does not take into consideration the outcomes and impact unlike the evaluation process which also assesses the outcomes and sometime longer term impact. This impact assessment occurs sometimes after the end of a project, even though it is rare because of its cost and of the difficulty to determine whether the project is responsible of the observed results.[2]

In such languages with variable stress, stress may be phonemic in that it can serve to distinguish otherwise identical words. For example, the English words insight and incite are distinguished in pronunciation only by the fact that the stress falls on the first syllable in the former and on the second syllable in the latter. Other examples include umschreiben ("rewrite") vs. umschreiben ("paraphrase, outline") in German, за́мок ("castle") vs. замо́к ("lock") in Russian, and ancora ("anchor"), ancora ("more, still, yet") in Italian, and the triple example sábia ("wise woman"), sabia ("know"), sabiá ("type of bird") from Portuguese. English compound nouns can change their meaning based on stress, as with paper bág (a bag made of paper) and páper bag (a bag for carrying newspapers).

Standard conditions for temperature and pressure are standard sets of conditions for experimental measurements to be established to allow comparisons to be made between different sets of data. The most used standards are those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), although these are not universally accepted standards. Other organizations have established a variety of alternative definitions for their standard reference conditions.

Class A2 fuel is suitable for mobile, off-road applications that are required to use a sulphur-free fuel. Class D fuel is similar to Class A2 and is suitable for use in stationary applications, such as domestic, commercial, and industrial heating. The BS 2869 standard permits Class A2 and Class D fuel to contain up to 7% (V/V) biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester, FAME), provided the FAME content meets the requirements of the BS EN 14214 standard.

Both carburetors and fuel injector components of Otto engines benefit from detergents in the fuels to prevent fouling. Concentrations are about 300 ppm. Typical detergents are long-chain amines and amides such as polyisobuteneamine and polyisobuteneamide/succinimide.[5]

The "4-4-2" name (pronounced "Four-four-two") derives from the original car's four-barrel carburetor, four-speed manual transmission, and dual exhausts. It was originally written "4-4-2" (with badging showing hyphens between the numerals),[1] and remained hyphenated throughout Oldsmobile's use of the designation. Beginning in 1965, the 4-4-2s standard transmission was a 3 speed manual along with optional 2 speed automatic or 4 speed manual, but were still badged as "4-4-2"s. By 1968 badging was shortened to simply "442", but Oldsmobile brochures and internal documents continued to use the "4-4-2" model designation.[2]


Question: When did the log flume close at Alton Towers?

The Flume, a log flume ride at Alton Towers in Staffordshire, UK, first opened its doors in 1981. The ride underwent a retheme in 2004, sponsored by Imperial Leather, and featured a bath time theme with three thrilling drops. At the time of its opening, it was the longest log flume attraction in the world. Unfortunately, the Flume closed its doors in 2015 and was subsequently removed in 2016 to make way for the area's redevelopment into a new rollercoaster, known as SW8.

On December 27, 1999, the state awarded a $85.7 million contract (equivalent to $142 million in 2016[66]) for the replacement of the S-Curve on US 131.[80] Deposits of gypsum under the roadway were dissolving and causing it to settle.[82] A deteriorating bridge also forced the reconstruction of the freeway through the area.[83] Construction began on January 15, 2000,[53] diverting the roughly 115,000 vehicles per day that used the stretch of road to detours through the downtown area.[84] As part of the project, a $1.2 million (equivalent to $1.89 million in 2016[66]) de-icing system was installed.[85] The system is designed to spray a de-icing fluid on the roadway that would be carried by car tires up to a mile (1.6 km) along the road surface. This fluid is expected to melt ice at temperatures below the −20 °F (−29 °C) at which salt stops working. Unlike salt, the non-corrosive de-icer does not harm the bridge, but it is more costly. The system is designed to be activated manually, or automatically via sensors along the road. However, plowing would still be required on the roadway.[85] The idea behind the de-icing system is to keep the pavement wet and prevent the formation of ice.[86]

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is a dark ride at Disneyland Park, also formerly located at the Magic Kingdom. Originally planned to be a roller coaster, it became a dark ride attraction because Walt Disney only wanted attractions that were appropriate for all ages. It is one of the few remaining attractions that was operational on the park's opening day in 1955 (although the current version of the ride opened in 1983). The ride's story is based on Disney's adaptation of The Wind in the Willows (1908), one of the two segments of the film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949). It is currently operating in Fantasyland.

Disney's Hollywood Studios initially opened as both a theme park and an operating production studio, with active film and television production services, an animation facility branch, and a functioning backlot. To increase public interest and the variety of film representation within the park, Disney entered into a licensing agreement with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, wherein the park's original name was derived. The park's current name took effect in 2008, with the removal of the MGM-branding throughout the park. The park's icon was originally the Earffel Tower from the park's opening until 2001 when the Sorcerer's Hat—a stylized version of the magical hat from Fantasia—was erected in the park's central hub. It then served as the park's icon until its removal in January 2015.[2] The tower was subsequently removed in April 2016. Currently, the park remains without an official designated icon, although both The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and The Chinese Theatre are represented as such in marketing materials.

The original fire watch tower shown in seasons 1â€“2 was the treehouse in Steve Smith's backyard in Hamilton, Ontario, that he had put up for his sons.[9] From seasons 3 to 6, it was filmed in an actual watch tower (in reality located at Port Carling, Ont.). By season 8, it was a set. Gord appeared in the lodge during season 7, saying that he had eaten the front two legs of the tower and caused it to fall over. In the movie Duct Tape Forever, the tower had burned down and Ranger Gord was then in charge of a train station located at the end of a section of unfinished tracks and thus where no trains ever run; this is an obvious pun on Gord's still having a "dead-end job", just like his former merely-self-maintained forest-ranger position that the National Forest Service cared nothing about.

After the 1989 Grand National, in which two horses died in incidents at Becher's Brook (the sixth and 22nd fence on the course), Aintree began making significant changes to the fences that are jumped during the National. The brook on the landing-side of Becher's was filled in to prevent horses rolling back into it, and the incline on the landing-side has been mostly levelled out, whilst retaining a drop to slow the runners. Other fences have been reduced in height, toe-boards have been made taller, and the entry requirements for participating horses have been made stricter, such as the requirement for runners to have been placed fourth or better in a previous recognised steeplechase over a distance of at least three miles.

The World Aquarium was an animal exhibition and rehabilitation center. It housed a variety of animals such as sharks, rays, sea turtles, parrots, tortoises, terrapins, otters, snakes, alligators and sloths as well as the expected freshwater and saltwater fish. The World Aquarium had a shark tank with a glass tunnel running through it, big enough to crawl through, but too small to walk. The aquarium also had stingray petting and allowed stingray feeding for a fee at certain times. The World Aquarium portion of the City Museum ceased operations on September 7, 2015.[7]

Through the arrangement, the Marlboro brand in 2007 was legally visible prominently on the cars, jumpsuits and pit crew at three races: at the Bahrain,[99] Monaco and Chinese Grands Prix. Ferrari was the only team backed by a cigarette brand in the 2007 Formula One season. Since the start of the 2008 season, Ferrari has no longer carried Marlboro logos at any races, even those at which tobacco advertising is allowed. It is therefore unlikely that any F1 car will ever directly advertise tobacco again. However the barcode symbol that was used for some time was "subliminally" suggestive of the Marlboro branding, and signified their sponsorship. For part of 2010 and onwards, Ferrari no longer had the barcode symbol; the only signification of sponsorship was the team name, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, although the team's logo showed the left side of the Marlboro chevron.[100] However, from the 2011 British Grand Prix, Ferrari dropped the Marlboro sponsor from their official name, and reverted to the name Scuderia Ferrari as their official name, due to ongoing pressure from people against tobacco sponsorship.[101]

In 1995, Circus Circus Enterprises bought the Hacienda for $80 million and an adjacent 74-acre (30Â ha) site for $73 million.[1] They closed the Hacienda on December 1, 1996, and imploded it a month later on New Year's Eve.[2][3] Plans for the tropical-themed "Project Paradise" were revealed the same day, with an estimated budget of $800 million to $1 billion.[4] In February 1998 the project was renamed Mandalay Bay to evoke the exotic tropical romanticism of the poem "Mandalay".[5]

Mat Hoffman's Freakin Crazy Stunt Show was a BMX themed stunt show in Toon Lagoon. The show, which starred Mat Hoffman, operated from 2002 through to 2004. It was discontinued due to various issues and the reactions of the inappropriate word in the title "freakin" to the general public and was later replaced with Mat Hoffman's Aggro Circus.

The Baykalsk Pulp and Paper Mill was constructed in 1966, directly on the shoreline of Lake Baikal. The plant bleached paper using chlorine and discharged waste directly into Lake Baikal. The decision to construct the plant on the Lake Baikal resulted in strong protests from Soviet scientists; according to them, the ultra-pure water of the lake was a significant resource and should have been used for innovative chemical production (for instance, the production of high-quality viscose for the aeronautics and space industries). The Soviet scientists felt that it was irrational to change Lake Baikal's water quality by beginning paper production on the shore. It was their position that it was also necessary to preserve endemic species of local biota, and to maintain the area around Lake Baikal as a recreation zone [83]. However, the objections of the Soviet scientists faced opposition from the industrial lobby and only after decades of protest, the plant was closed in November 2008 due to unprofitability.[84][85] In March 2009, the plant owner announced the paper mill would never reopen.[86] However, on January 4, 2010, production was resumed. Later that year on January 13, 2010, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin introduced changes in the legislation legalising the operation of the plant; this action brought about a wave of protests from ecologists and local residents.[87] These changes were based on the determination President Putin made through a visual verification of Lake Baikal's condition from a miniature submarine, "I could see with my own eyes – and scientists can confirm – Baikal is in good condition and there is practically no pollution".[88] Despite this, in September 2013, the mill underwent a final bankruptcy, with the last 800 workers slated to lose their jobs by December 28, 2013.[89] On the day the plant was to close, December 28, 2013, the Russian government announced plans to build the Russian Nature Reserve's Expo Center in place of the closed paper mill.[90]