Question: How is non-controlling interest represented on a balance sheet?

Non-controlling interest, also referred to as minority interest, is the share of a subsidiary's equity that is not held by the parent company. This typically amounts to less than 50% of the total outstanding shares, allowing the parent company to maintain its controlling position over the subsidiary.

Not all views are necessarily used.[5] Generally only as many views are used as are necessary to convey all needed information clearly and economically.[6] The front, top, and right-side views are commonly considered the core group of views included by default,[7] but any combination of views may be used depending on the needs of the particular design. In addition to the six principal views (front, back, top, bottom, right side, left side), any auxiliary views or sections may be included as serve the purposes of part definition and its communication. View lines or section lines (lines with arrows marked "A-A", "B-B", etc.) define the direction and location of viewing or sectioning. Sometimes a note tells the reader in which zone(s) of the drawing to find the view or section.

A popular valuation metric is Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA), with application for example to valuing unlisted companies and mergers and acquisitions.[8]

The Standard & Poor'sÂ 500, often abbreviated as the S&P 500, or just the S&P,[6][7] is an American stock market index based on the market capitalizations of 500 large companies having common stock listed on the NYSE or NASDAQ. The S&P 500 index components and their weightings are determined by S&P Dow Jones Indices. It differs from other U.S. stock market indices, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the Nasdaq Composite index, because of its diverse constituency and weighting methodology. It is one of the most commonly followed equity indices, and many consider it one of the best representations of the U.S. stock market, and a bellwether for the U.S. economy.[8] The National Bureau of Economic Research has classified common stocks as a leading indicator of business cycles.[9]

The handbook is currently updated by a number of groups, including the AcSB for profit and not for profit organizations, the Public Sector Accounting Standards board for the public sector, and the Auditing Standards Board for the auditing sections.

Australian Accounting Standards also include requirements that are specific to Australian entities.  These requirements may be located in Australian Accounting Standards that incorporate IFRSs or in other Australian Accounting Standards.  In most instances, these requirements are either restricted to the not-for-profit or public sectors or include additional disclosures that address domestic, regulatory or other issues.  These requirements do not prevent publicly accountable for-profit private sector entities from complying with IFRSs.  In developing requirements for public sector entities, the AASB considers the requirements of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSASs), as issued by the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) of the International Federation of Accountants.

This representation is also called "sign–magnitude" or "sign and magnitude" representation. In this approach, the problem of representing a number's sign can be to allocate one sign bit to represent the sign: setting that bit (often the most significant bit) to 0 is for a positive number or positive zero, and setting it to 1 is for a negative number or negative zero. The remaining bits in the number indicate the magnitude (or absolute value). Hence, in a byte with only seven bits (apart from the sign bit), the magnitude can range from 0000000 (0) to 1111111 (127). Thus numbers ranging from −12710 to +12710 can be represented once the sign bit (the eighth bit) is added. For example, −4310 encoded in an eight-bit byte is 10101011 while 4310 is 00101011. A consequence of using signed magnitude representation is that there are two ways to represent zero, 00000000 (0) and 10000000 (−0).

In standard Western music notation, tones are represented graphically by symbols (notes) placed on a staff or staves, the vertical axis corresponding to pitch and the horizontal axis corresponding to time. Note head shapes, stems, flags, ties and dots are used to indicate duration. Additional symbols indicate keys, dynamics, accents, rests, etc. Verbal instructions from the conductor are often used to indicate tempo, technique, and other aspects.

The cash flow statement has been adopted as a standard financial statement because it eliminates allocations, which might be derived from different accounting methods, such as various timeframes for depreciating fixed assets.[5]

Most businesses make more than one of a particular item. Thus, costs are incurred for multiple items rather than a particular item sold. Determining how much of each of these components to allocate to particular goods requires either tracking the particular costs or making some allocations of costs. Parts and raw materials are often tracked to particular sets (e.g., batches or production runs) of goods, then allocated to each item.

An IOU (abbreviated from the phrase "I owe you")[1][2] is usually an informal document acknowledging debt. An IOU differs from a promissory note in that an IOU is not a negotiable instrument and does not specify repayment terms such as the time of repayment. IOUs usually specify the debtor, the amount owed, and sometimes the creditor. IOUs may be signed or carry distinguishing marks or designs to ensure authenticity. In some cases, IOUs may be redeemable for a specific product or service rather than a quantity of currency, constituting a form of scrip.[citation needed]


Question: What does non-controlling interest represent on a balance sheet?

While a controlling interest can sometimes be obtained with less than 50% ownership through special voting rights, minority interest, or non-controlling interest, still pertains to the shares not held by the parent company. This interest is attributed to other investors and is accounted for on the consolidated balance sheet of the parent company. This reflects the rights of the non-controlling shareholders on the assets. Similarly, on the consolidated income statement, the portion of earnings attributable to minority shareholders is recognized as minority interest.

In a general sense, the ratio is simply debt divided by equity. However, what is classified as debt can differ depending on the interpretation used. Thus, the ratio can take on a number of forms including:

The Fairness Doctrine had two basic elements: It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. Stations were given wide latitude as to how to provide contrasting views: It could be done through news segments, public affairs shows, or editorials. The doctrine did not require equal time for opposing views but required that contrasting viewpoints be presented. The demise of this FCC rule has been considered by some to be a contributing factor for the rising level of party polarization in the United States.[2][3]

An IOU (abbreviated from the phrase "I owe you")[1][2] is usually an informal document acknowledging debt. An IOU differs from a promissory note in that an IOU is not a negotiable instrument and does not specify repayment terms such as the time of repayment. IOUs usually specify the debtor, the amount owed, and sometimes the creditor. IOUs may be signed or carry distinguishing marks or designs to ensure authenticity. In some cases, IOUs may be redeemable for a specific product or service rather than a quantity of currency, constituting a form of scrip.[citation needed]

The audit opinion is intended to provide reasonable assurance, but not absolute assurance, that the financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects, and/or give a true and fair view in accordance with the financial reporting framework. The purpose of an audit is to provide an objective independent examination of the financial statements, which increases the value and credibility of the financial statements produced by management, thus increase user confidence in the financial statement, reduce investor risk and consequently reduce the cost of capital of the preparer of the financial statements.[2]

In addition to angel investing, equity crowdfunding and other seed funding options, venture capital is attractive for new companies with limited operating history that are too small to raise capital in the public markets and have not reached the point where they are able to secure a bank loan or complete a debt offering. In exchange for the high risk that venture capitalists assume by investing in smaller and early-stage companies, venture capitalists usually get significant control over company decisions, in addition to a significant portion of the companies' ownership (and consequently value). Start-ups like Uber, Airbnb, Flipkart, Xiaomi & Didi Chuxing are highly valued startups, where venture capitalists contribute more than financing to these early-stage firms; they also often provide strategic advice to the firm's executives on its business model and marketing strategies.

Options are also difficult to ascertain. A stock option is a right to purchase shares of a company at a fixed price. Companies with growth potential sometimes award stock options as compensation to employees, during times when there is not enough money to pay a suitable salary. By accepting a stock option for compensation, an employee invests his or her own trust in the belief that he or she will help make the company acquire a higher value. Thereafter, the employee works and contributes value to the company. If the company later acquires a higher share valuation, then the employee may "cash in" his options by selling them at the fair market value. The employee's trust in this future value motivates his work without immediate compensation. That effort has value. If the marriage is terminated before the shares are cashed in, then the parties must decide how to apportion the community property portion of the options. This can be difficult. Case law precedents are not yet available for all situations involving stock options.

None of these views conform to U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or International Accounting Standards, nor are any accepted for most income or other tax reporting purposes.

Kraljic (1983) considered two variables: profit impact and supply risk. The profit impact of a given supply item can be defined in terms of the volume purchased, the percentage of total purchase cost or the impact on product quality or business growth. Supply risk is assessed in terms of the availability and number of suppliers, competitive demand, make-or-buy opportunities, storage risks and substitution possibilities. Based on these two variables, materials or components can be divided into four supply categories: (1) non-critical items (supply risk: low; profit impact: low), (2) leverage items, (supply risk: low; profit impact: high), (3) bottleneck items (supply risk: high; profit impact: low), and (4) strategic items (supply risk: high; profit impact: high). Each category requires a specific supplier strategy.

An inside director is a director who is also an employee, officer, chief executive, major shareholder, or someone similarly connected to the organization. Inside directors represent the interests of the entity's stakeholders, and often have special knowledge of its inner workings, its financial or market position, and so on.

In modern contract theory, the “theory of the firm” is often identified with the “property rights approach” that was developed by Sanford J. Grossman, Oliver D. Hart, and John H. Moore.[24][25] The property rights approach to the theory of the firm is also known as the “Grossman-Hart-Moore theory”. In their seminal work, Grossman and Hart (1986), Hart and Moore (1990) and Hart (1995) developed the incomplete contracting paradigm.[26][27][28] They argue that if contracts cannot specify what is to be done given every possible contingency, then property rights (and hence firm boundaries) matter. Specifically, consider a seller of an intermediate good and a buyer. Should the seller own the physical assets that are necessary to produce the good (non-integration) or should the buyer be the owner (integration)? After relationship-specific investments have been made, the seller and the buyer bargain. When they are symmetrically informed, they will always agree to collaborate. Yet, the division of the ex post surplus depends on the parties’ disagreement payoffs (the payoffs they would get if no ex post agreement were reached), which in turn depend on the ownership structure. Thus, the ownership structure has an influence on the incentives to invest. A central insight of the theory is that the party with the more important investment decision should be the owner. Another prominent conclusion is that joint asset ownership is suboptimal if investments are in human capital.


Question: How many episodes are there in season 4 of Chicago Fire?

The fourth season of Chicago Fire, the popular American drama TV series produced by Dick Wolf, Derek Haas, Michael Brandt, and Matt Olmstead, was commissioned by NBC on February 5, 2015. It aired from October 13, 2015, to May 17, 2016, and consisted of a total of 23 episodes.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is a 2010 animated television series developed by Lauren Faust. The show premiered on the launch of The Hub in the United States on Sunday, October 10, 2010. As of September 9, 2017, 161 episodes have aired through the show's seven seasons. All episodes are 22 minutes and a season comprises 26 episodes, with the exception of Season 3, which contained 13 episodes. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is produced by Hasbro Studios in the United States and DHX Media/Vancouver in Canada. In the United States, the series is rated TV-Y. A seventh season has been announced by Hasbro, with episodes to broadcast in April 2017.[1] Like previous seasons with the exception of Season 3, Season 7 will consist of 26 episodes.[2]

In March 2014, the show was renewed for three more years through a tenth season, which premiered on September 19, 2016.[1][2] In March 2017, CBS announced that the series was renewed for two more years, leading the show to a total of 12 seasons.[3] The eleventh season premiered on September 25, 2017.[4] As of October 23, 2017,[update] 236 episodes of The Big Bang TheoryÂ have aired. There was also an unaired pilot which CBS did not broadcast.

The first season consists of 13 episodes and premiered on March 13, 2006. In this season Christine has only just enrolled her son, Ritchie, at a new posh private school, where she is constantly being humiliated by Marly and Lindsay, some non-working mothers at the school. On top of all this, she has just discovered her ex-husband, Richard, has started dating a much younger woman who is also named Christine. Christine has a brief fling with Burton Schaefer, her on-and-off romantic interest, but they soon break up due to Christine not being able to commit to the relationship. In the season finale, Christine kisses Richard, causing him to tell New Christine, who promptly breaks up with him.

The fifth and final season, consisting of 21 episodes, premiered on September 23, 2009. Barb is released from custody and marries Richard so that she can stay in the country. She also starts dating the immigration officer Dave. While Richard tries to win New Christine back, he temporarily moves into a new apartment with Matthew. Christine begins going to therapy, but she is attracted to her therapist, Max. They eventually abandon Christine's therapy and strike up a relationship instead. New Christine announces that she is pregnant, causing Richard to rekindle his relationship with her. New Christine eventually gives birth to a baby girl. Meanwhile, Barb becomes engaged to a reluctant Dave. At the conclusion of the season, Christine also becomes engaged to Max, but she feels intimidated by his very educated friends, and also in an effort to improve herself and reach her potential, she decides to return to college.

The third season of Teen Wolf, an American supernatural drama created by Jeff Davis and to some extent, based on the 1985 film of the same name, premiered on June 3, 2013.[1] The series was renewed for a third season of 24 episodes on July 12, 2012.[2]

Chief Wallace Boden (season 1 â€“ present ) is in charge  of Battalion 25 stationed at Firehouse 51. He is a scarred veteran of the fire department and served with Benny Severide and Henry Mills, the fathers of his subordinates, Kelly Severide and Peter Mills, respectively. Chief Boden has unwavering dedication to the firefighters under him and has earned their loyalty and respect. He will go through great lengths to protect the integrity of the firehouse and his men, even if it means having to antagonize them by disciplining them.[8] His career was threatened after a feud with Gail McLeod when she tried to overthrow him and install his former colleague Benny Severide as the chief of Battalion 25. Boden refuses to give up his house and fights for it. Later she tries to "justify" the closing due to an incident at a call where the victim had to be cut out of a $40,000 trash compactor. McLeod is eventually removed and Firehouse 51 remained open. Despite his serious exterior, he is open to advice from his men, particularly regarding his personal life; for example, he asks Herrmann, who has five children, for tips on how to deal with his pregnant wife Donna and infant son and Mills for some insight while he was dating Donna. He also views his firefighters as his extended family, especially his two lieutenants, Matt Casey and Kelly Severide, who view him as a mentor and fatherly figure at 51.

ABC signed a new contract to keep the show on through a ninth season, even though the show had yet to enter its seventh season (2001–2002) at that time. The season saw one of the show's biggest drops in ratings, finishing 57th with an average rating of 5.9, a significant drop of 28.3% from the sixth season. The show finished its eighth season (2002–2003) season 119th with an average rating of 3.29, a drop of 44.23 percent from the seventh season. This caused ABC to put the series on hiatus, airing the rest of the season in the summer of 2003. Unable to get out of the contract, ABC was forced to allow the show to film a ninth season, paying three million dollars per episode. Not doing well enough to receive a time slot on ABC's fall schedule in 2003, the show had its ninth and final season burned off during the summer of 2004. The series finale was viewed by a little over 5 million viewers.[citation needed]

Firefighter / Chauffeur Brian "Otis" Zvonecek (season 1: recurring; season 2â€“ ) is a firefighter in Truck 81 and was the most junior at 51 until Peter Mills' arrival. Nicknamed after the eponymous elevator company as he is frequently assigned to elevator or ladder duty, Otis had just recently finished his candidacy[18] before Mills joined the truck company. He is eager to move up the ranks within the firehouse but often feels overlooked and unappreciated by the rest of his truck company. The other more senior firefighters would pull rank, including Lieutenant Casey, and assign him to do undesirable menial jobs around the firehouse or pull pranks on him. This led him to consider transferring to another firehouse, but he ultimately decided to stay with Truck 81 after Severide pranks him into believing that the rest of the crew had placed a bet on how long he'd last at 51. In season 2 Otis begins a relationship with Katie, Kelly's half-sister. During "You Will Hurt Him", the house finally gets to meet Severide's half-sister Katie Nolan when she brings them lunch. Brian shows interest but Severide is very protective of his sister. She goes by the house again to bring them more food and tells Otis he should be home for dinner as Katie is coming over. The both bond over a game of Catan and end up kissing. Otis, then, asks Severide for his blessing as he wants to take Katie on a date. After messing up with him a little he eventually says yes. The two begin dating. Until she is kidnapped. Otis feels guilty he wasn't with her at the time it happened but Severide calms him and assures him it is not his fault. After she is found and taken to the hospital Katie makes the decision to move to Colorado. At the end of "Rhymes With Shout", Otis and Severide arrive to an empty and looted apartment. Shay gave Devon a key and she stole all of their valuables, including Otis' collection piece (that later turns out to be completely worthless and fake). After this event Brian decides to leave the apartment and find his own space. Meanwhile, Cruz comes up to him and tells him that, since they are both "roommateless", they should find a place together. It was revealed to be Shay's runaway ex Devin absconded with their money and possessions. Later in the season, he and Cruz decide to room together. As the most tech-savvy of the crew, he becomes something of a cult figure amongst other firefighters due to his podcast, called "Good to be a goat" after Truck 81's mascot, about life as a firefighter. He often comes up with ideas and solutions for everything, much to his colleagues' amusement and derision. As of season 4, he was "promoted" to chauffeur as Cruz transferred to Squad 3. In "Joyriding", the day of the Union presidency vote, Mouch and his opponent Greg Sullivan have an all-important live debate on Otis' podcast. The debate is a disaster, Mouch opts to keep his integrity and to not use personal information on Sullivan that could ruin his run, thus losing the presidency. In "Just Drive the Truck", when Cruz is suspended from driving, for three months, pending investigation following the crash of Truck Co. 81 with Truck 66 from Welch's antagonistic Firehouse 105. Casey puts Otis as driver. In "The Nuclear Option", Otis' nephews come to visit the Firehouse and he is excited to take them on a ride while driving the Truck. Cruz' suspension is lifted and he is now back on the driver seat. However, on the last episode of the season Scott is kicked out of Squad 3 leaving a void. It's revealed that Cruz passed his squad certification and is now on squad. Otis is now the Truck driver. Dawson begins as a candidate and Otis tries to prank her the same way the guys did to him when he first started, but since she was already at the house she is aware of the pranks and manages to steer clear of them. Ever since Cruz broke up with Sylvie, Otis has shown interest in her. After the break up Sylvie comes up to him to return a book, after that conversation Otis goes to Casey and says he might be in love with her. Casey tells him that it is crazy to even look at his best-friend's ex the day after they broke up. During the entire season, Otis makes advances on Sylvie trying to go on a date with her. In "On The Warpath", he asks Sylvie if she has plans for the following night as Phantasm is showing at the Music Box. She has no idea what Phantasm is and the two are interrupted by Jimmy bringing Sylvie coffee. Brett gets herself into trouble, so Jimmy gives her a ride home. As they are both leaving Otis tells Cruz that Phantasm was never going to happen. He stated his intentions, he even changed his looks but he finally realizes nothing would ever happen between him and Sylvie.

NCIS: Los Angeles is an American action television series combining elements of the military drama and police procedural genres, which premiered on CBS on September 22, 2009,[2] and stars Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J. The series follows the exploits of the Los Angelesâ€“based Office of Special Projects (OSP), an elite division of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that specializes in undercover assignments. NCIS: Los Angeles is the first spin-off of the successful series NCIS.[3][4][5][6][7] On March 23, 2017, CBS renewed the series for a ninth season which premiered on October 1, 2017.[8] Nia Long joined the cast as Shay Mosley for the ninth season[9][10][11] after Miguel Ferrer's death.[12][13][14] On April 18, 2018, CBS renewed the series for a tenth season,[15] which premiered on September 30, 2018.[16]

On May 10, 2017, The CW renewed the show for a fifth and final season.[2] [3] As of June 23, 2017,[update] 79 episodes of The Originals have aired, concluding the fourth season.


Question: Who performs "Love Will Keep Us Alive" by The Eagles?

"Love Will Keep Us Alive," a song penned by Jim Capaldi, Paul Carrack, and Peter Vale, was first brought to life by the Eagles in 1994. This track, featured during their "Hell Freezes Over" reunion tour, showcased Timothy B. Schmit, the band's bassist, as the lead vocalist.

The album was followed by The Vanishing Race in 1993,[10] which was supported by the hit single "Goodbye" produced by David Foster, with lyrics by Linda Thompson—which, although not popular in the United States, was critically praised and gained a large following outside the country, especially in Asia where in many countries they would reach number No. 1, and in Taiwan, Power Station & Terry Lin (a huge fan of Air Supply himself) covered it and cleverly called it "I'd rather love the sea/Shanghai rather than loving you" as a play on Shanghai's geographical relationship with the sea in 2009.[11] This would lead to another world tour in 1993 which included Earth, Wind & Fire guitarist Dick Smith. "It's Never too Late" was another single released from the Vanishing Race. The album itself was dedicated to the plight of the American Indians, the "Vanishing Race" of the album's title, the album sold 4 million copies.

Over the next few years, jazz and cabaret singers released cover versions of "In Other Words" on EP or LP record albums, including Chris Connor, Johnny Mathis, Portia Nelson and Nancy Wilson.[citation needed] Eydie Gormé featured the song on her 1958 album Eydie In Love,[11] which reached #20 in the Cashbox Album Charts[12] and was nominated for a Grammy Award.

In 1969, Bonham appeared on The Family Dogg's A Way of Life, with Page and Jones. Bonham also played for Screaming Lord Sutch on Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends in 1970. He played on Lulu's 1971 single "Everybody Clap," written by Maurice Gibb and Billy Lawrie. In 1972, he played on a Maurice Gibb-produced album by Jimmy Stevens called Don't Freak Me Out in the UK and Paid My Dues in the US, credited as "Gemini" (his star sign). He drummed for his Birmingham friend, Roy Wood, on "Keep Your Hands on the Wheel", a single subsequently released on his 1979 album, On the Road Again, and on Wings' album Back to the Egg on the tracks "Rockestra Theme" and "So Glad to See You Here". He was also featured on Paul McCartney & Wings "Beware My Love" demo version first recorded in 1976, it remained unreleased until 2014 with the release of the album Wings at the Speed of Sound boxset. Bonham was the best man of Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi at his wedding ceremony.[13]

"Love and Theft" was released on September 11, 2001. Recorded with his touring band, Dylan produced the album himself under the pseudonym Jack Frost.[240] The album was critically well received and earned nominations for several Grammy awards.[241] Critics noted that Dylan was widening his musical palette to include rockabilly, Western swing, jazz, and even lounge ballads.[242] "Love and Theft" generated controversy when The Wall Street Journal pointed out similarities between the album's lyrics and Japanese author Junichi Saga's book Confessions of a Yakuza.[243][244]

McEntire's cover has generally been met with positive reception. Jessica Phillips of Country Weekly magazine described her cover as a "soulful countrified look at love from a male perspective".[242] Steve Morse at The Boston Globe said that McEntire translated the song "artfully into country".[243] Billboard magazine's Mikael Wood praised the cover, comparing it with McEntire's cover of Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You".[244] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times noted that McEntire "sounds as if she's already inhabiting the role" in the song.[10] Allmusic critic Thom Jurek was less favorable, writing that it was unrecognizable to the original, before adding, "It contains none of the original's drama; in its place is a failed attempt at a soft rock power ballad."[245] Following McEntire's live performance at the CMA awards, the song debuted at number 60 on the Hot Country Songs charts as an album cut dated for the week ending November 27, 2010.[246] It re-entered at number 60 on the chart dated for the week ending January 29, 2011,[247] and peaked at number 22 in April 2011.[248] It also peaked at number 23 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart in April 2011.[249]

In April 1979, the band released Life Support, a concept album which included a picture disc on its first printing. The album was recorded at Trafalgar Studios in Sydney. The album had a five-and-a-half-minute version of "Lost in Love", written by Graham Russell in 15 minutes; it was released as a single and peaked at No. 13 in Australia and No. 13 in New Zealand.[4][5] The track caught the attention of Arista Records boss Clive Davis, who remixed the song and released it as a single in the US early the next year. In late November 1979 Russell was embroiled in a bitter court case with Samuel Nay over accusations of assault at a backstage meet and greet in Oklahoma. Nay would later pass away during the court case and all charges were dropped. The line-up for the album kept Hitchcock, Russell, Cooper, and Moyse, and added Criston Barker (bass) and Frank Esler-Smith (keyboards/orchestra arrangements) with help from other session musicians. Esler-Smith had previously known Hitchcock and Russell from working with them in Jesus Christ Superstar.

English singer Alma Cogan, with whom Lennon had an extramarital affair,[81][82] covered "Ticket to Ride" in the style of Dionne Warwick for her final album, Alma,[83] released a year after her death in 1966.[84] Vanilla Fudge recorded what Paul Collins of AllMusic describes as a "stoned-out, slowed-down" version of the track for their 1967 self-titled debut album.[85] The 5th Dimension included "Ticket to Ride" on The Magic Garden,[86] an album that, according to Ken Shane of Popdose, "tells the story of a love affair from its rapturous beginning, through trials and tribulations to its end, and beyond".[87] While Unterberger dismisses it as "a misfired cover",[88] Shane describes the song as "a terrific version" that complements the Jimmy Webb-written song cycle that fills the rest of the album.[87]

The song was featured on the soundtrack album for the 2014 romantic drama film Endless Love, starring Alex Pettyfer and Gabriella Wilde.[8] In February 2014, it was featured in a season three episode of Suburgatory, titled "The Birds and the Biederman".[9] It was also performed by the cast of Glee featuring Lea Michele, Darren Criss, Naya Rivera, Chris Colfer and Amber Riley in an April 2014 episode of the series, "Opening Night", and later released on a digital five-track EP titled Glee: The Music, Opening Night.[10] It also featured as soundtrack in EA Sports game, 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and since 2013 it has the current theme tune to the BBCâ€™s football results programme Final Score.

A couple sits at a booth in a diner, while the woman (Friday Night Lights star Aasha Davis) breaks up with her boyfriend (Saturday Night Live writer and The Lonely Island band member Jorma Taccone). After receiving the plate he requested from the waitress, the man stabs himself in the chest, and pulls out his heart, places it on the plate and gives it to the woman. He explains that his heart "is actually [hers] now," that he will never be able to get over her, and says "from now on every girl that I meet will be meticulously compared to the false memory of what you and I once 'had.'" The woman offers to return it after keeping it temporarily for a "shitty day" or when she needs to move something heavy, but the man insists that he is now "heartless" and thus will passively/aggressively ruin all his future relationships. The heart then comes to life, growing arms, legs and a mouth, and begins to sing the lyrics to the song on the counters of the diner using a piece of broccoli as a microphone before finally stabbing itself with a knife and pulling the man's head out of its body. The head looks around, staring off into space. The scene cuts back to the man staring out the window as the woman speaks. The woman finally asks, "Are you even listening to me?" The man simply replies "No." Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse also made cameos as chefs in the diner.

In 1996, the R&B group Total recorded the song on the album track "When Boy Meets Girl" from their self-titled debut in 1996. In 2004, the song was covered by Leslie Feist (under the title "Inside and Out") on her 2004 album Let It Die. It was released as the third single from the album in 2005. Saxophonist Arturo Tappin's smooth jazz version (Love You Inside and Out) is on his 2007 "Inside Out" album. "Love You Inside Out" was sampled by Snoop Dogg for his rap single "Ups & Downs" in 2005 on rap group Nemesis' hit "Cantifiguritout". This song was also sampled by R. Kelly and Jay-Z's hit song "Honey".


Question: Who is the leader of the Ontario PC party?

Patrick Walter Brown, a Canadian politician, serves as the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and is also Ontario's Leader of the Official Opposition. Previously, Brown was a federal Conservative member of the House of Commons of Canada from 2006 to 2015, representing the Barrie riding.

Party rallies faced declining, aging audiences. Feuding within the party had accelerated and some ridings in Quebec had two Social Credit candidates, while others — including the party's Lévis stronghold — had none. Many Social Credit MPs ran for re-election on their own strengths, making little mention of the party or its leader in their campaign materials. The party's support in Quebec was undermined by rumours that its MPs had made deals with the Progressive Conservatives during Caouette's illness.

Bourassa opted to propose Bill 178, which continued the sign ban on outdoor signs and used the clause, causing four of his English-speaking ministers to resign and prompting general outrage in English Canada.[36] Manitoba Premier Gary Filmon, calling the move a violation of the "spirit of Meech Lake", immediately ordered that public hearings regarding the Accord be ended and the Accord be withdrawn from consideration pending a new constitutional conference, officially joining New Brunswick in opposing the Accord.[37] John Turner and the federal Liberals, who had gained little traction in Quebec from their pro-Meech stance in the previous election, attacked Mulroney for what was seen as Federal acquiescence to and, in the case of Lucien Bouchard and Louis Plamondon, approval of Bill 178.[37]

In 1957, for instance, Low led the party to its best performance to date, with 19 seats. However, in 1958, the Socreds were swept out of the parliament altogether as part of that year's massive Progressive Conservative landslide. Although it was not apparent at the time, this began a long-term decline for the party. For most of its existence prior to 1958, Social Credit had been either the first or second party in much of rural western Canada, particularly in its birthplace of rural Alberta. In 1957, for instance, it took 13 of Alberta's 17 seats. However, the 1958 defeat firmly established the Tories as the main right-wing party west of Ontario, and Social Credit would never seriously challenge the Tories there again.

In November 2010, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation expressed concern about how Patrick Brown used his Canadian House of Commons account. He sent flyers to his riding which included a letter of support and a flyer from Barrie City Councillor Michael Prowse. Brown used his House of Commons account to pay for the mailing because Michael Prowse could not afford to send the flyer out himself.[34]

When in government, the leader of the caucus has been appointed by the national Conservative Party leader, serving as Prime Minister of Canada. When in Opposition the leader is elected by Conservative senators. Most recently, Larry Smith was elected Senate Conservative leader on March 28, 2017, defeating two other candidates.[29]

The direct participation of the royal and viceroyal figures in any of these areas of governance is limited; in practice, their use of the executive powers is directed by the Executive Council, a committee of ministers of the Crown responsible to the unicameral, elected Legislative Assembly and chosen and headed by the Premier of Prince Edward Island (presently Wade MacLauchlan), the head of government. To ensure the stability of government, the lieutenant governor will usually appoint as premier the person who is the current leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a plurality in the Legislative Assembly. The leader of the party with the second-most seats usually becomes the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition (presently Jamie Fox) and is part of an adversarial parliamentary system intended to keep the government in check.[80]

The functions of the Sovereign, Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, and known in Ontario as the Queen in Right of Ontario, are exercised by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. The Lieutenant Governor is appointed by the Governor General of Canada on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Canada.

The caucus was created following the establishment of the modern Conservative Party of Canada on February 2, 2004 as a result of the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. All but three Progressive Conservative Senators joined the Conservative Party and were redesignated as Conservative senators.

In 1939, Social Credit merged with the New Democracy movement led by former Conservative William Duncan Herridge. However, Herridge failed to win a seat in the 1940 election, and Blackmore continued as parliamentary leader. At the party's first national convention in 1944, delegates decided to abandon the name New Democracy and founded the Social Credit Association of Canada as a national party. They chose Alberta Treasurer Solon Earl Low as the party's first national leader.

The decline of the party accelerated after Caouette resigned from the party leadership in 1976. He was hospitalized after a stroke on September 16,[16] and died later that year. The party held its leadership convention November 6â€“7, 1976 at the Civic Centre in Ottawa. This time, 85% of the delegates were from Quebec.


Question: Who is the current leader of the Ontario PC party?

In May 2015, Patrick Brown became the leader of the Ontario PC Party, subsequently resigning from his position as a Member of Parliament (MP). He then secured a seat as a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Simcoe North in a provincial by-election on September 3, 2015. Prior to his federal political career, Brown practiced law in Barrie.

The Canadian government consists of the monarch, predominantly represented by his or her governor general, in council, which is a collection of ministers of the Crown appointed by the governor general to direct the use of executive powers. Per the tenets of responsible government, these individuals are almost always drawn from parliament, and are predominantly from the House of Commons, the only body to which ministers are held accountable, typically during Question Period, wherein ministers are obliged to answer questions posed by members of the opposition. Hence, the person who can command the confidence of the lower chamber—usually the leader of the party with the most seats therein—is typically appointed as prime minister. Should that person not hold a seat in the House of Commons, he or she will, by convention, seek election to one at the earliest possible opportunity; frequently, in such situations, a junior Member of Parliament who holds a safe seat will resign to allow the prime minister to run for that riding in a by-election. If no party holds a majority, it is customary for the governor general to summon a minority government or coalition government, depending on which the commons will support.

The Social Credit Party of Canada (French: Parti CrÃ©dit social du Canada), colloquially known as the Socreds,[3] was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform. It was the federal wing of the Canadian social credit movement.

In the 1968 election, Social Credit lost its remaining three seats. This was due to its internal turmoil, Manning’s call to merge with the PCs, the defections of Thompson and Olson, and the wave of Trudeaumania across Canada. National party president Herb Bruch said Patterson’s refusal to take a clear stand on whether the Socreds would support Robert Stanfield’s PCs in Parliament was a contributing factor in the party’s defeat. Patterson expressed confidence that the party could return as it had after the Diefenbaker sweep in the 1958 election, noting the strength of the Créditistes in Quebec, and expressed hope that the two parties would be reunited.[15] However, the party would never win another seat in English Canada.

Meanwhile, many former supporters of the Progressive Conservative Party shifted their support to either the federal CCF or to the federal Liberals. The advancement of the provincially popular western-based conservative Social Credit Party in federal politics was stalled, in part by the strategic selection of leaders from the west by the Progressive Conservative Party. PC leaders such as John Diefenbaker and Joe Clark were seen by many westerners as viable challengers to the Liberals who traditionally had relied on the electorate in Quebec and Ontario for their power base. While none of the various protest parties ever succeeded in gaining significant power federally, they were damaging to the Progressive Conservative Party throughout its history, and allowed the federal Liberals to win election after election with strong urban support bases in Ontario and Quebec. This historical tendency earned the Liberals the unofficial title often given by some political pundits of being Canada's "natural governing party". Prior to 1984, Canada was seen as having a dominant-party system led by the Liberal Party while Progressive Conservative governments therefore were considered by many of these pundits as caretaker governments, doomed to fall once the collective mood of the electorate shifted and the federal Liberal Party eventually came back to power.[citation needed]

For the first time since the 1993 federal election, a Liberal government would have to deal with an opposition party that was generally seen as being able to form government. The Liberals attempted to counter this with an early election call, as this would give the Conservatives less time to consolidate their merger. During the first half of the campaign, polls showed a rise in support for the new party, leading some pollsters to predict the election of a minority Conservative government. An unpopular provincial budget by Ontario Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty hurt the federal Liberals in Ontario. The Liberals managed to narrow the gap and eventually regain momentum by targeting the Conservatives' credibility and motives, hurting their efforts to present a reasonable, responsible and moderate alternative to the governing Liberals.[citation needed]

In June 1983, Sweigard was elected interim leader by means of a telephone conference call of 19 party executive members, with nine votes to five votes for party vice-president Richard Lawrence. Quebec party member Adrien Lambert was nominated, but could not be reached by telephone. He nonetheless won two votes.

Brown is the nephew of Joe Tascona, a Barrie Progressive Conservative MPP in the Mike Harris government.[3] He graduated from St. Michael's College School, a private Catholic school in Toronto.[4] He studied political science at the University of Toronto, and graduated with a law degree from the University of Windsor. During his second year at law school, he was one of 10 recipients of the As Prime Minister Award. He worked for Magna International in their legal department for four years.[citation needed]

In its decision in the Patriation Reference (1981), the Supreme Court of Canada had ruled there was a tradition that some provincial approval should be sought for constitutional reform. As the provinces still had doubts about the Charter's merits, Trudeau was forced to accept the notwithstanding clause to allow governments to opt out of certain obligations. The notwithstanding clause was accepted as part of a deal called the Kitchen Accord, negotiated by the federal Attorney General Jean Chrétien, Ontario's justice minister Roy McMurtry and Saskatchewan's justice minister Roy Romanow. Pressure from provincial governments (which in Canada have jurisdiction over property) and from the country's left wing, especially the New Democratic Party, also prevented Trudeau from including any rights protecting private property.[19]

In 1971, the Ralliement des crÃ©ditistes and the English Canadian Social Credit Party held a joint leadership convention at the Hull Arena. The two parties merged into a single national party under the Social Credit name, and Caouette won the leadership on the first ballot.

In 1978, Socreds elected Lorne Reznowski as their leader, in an attempt to revive the party outside of Quebec. Reznowski, an anglophone Manitoban, presented himself as a candidate in the October 16, 1978, by-elections and fared extremely poorly with 2.76% of votes in the riding of Saint Boniface. He resigned quickly thereafter and replaced as acting leader by Charles-Arthur Gauthier.


Question: What album by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band includes the song "Fishin' in the Dark"?

"Fishin' in the Dark" is a hit song penned by Wendy Waldman and Jim Photoglo, performed by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It was unveiled in June 1987 as the second single from their album 'Hold On'. The song achieved significant success, reaching the number-one spot on both the U.S. and Canadian country charts. It marked the band's third number-one single on the U.S. country music charts and their second in Canada. By 2015, the song had sold over a million digital copies after becoming available for download. It was awarded Platinum certification by the RIAA on September 12, 2014.

Nesmith later rerecorded the song for his 1972 LP And the Hits Just Keep on Comin'. His version contains four verses, as opposed to the three in Ronstadt's version.

"All Through the Night" is a song written and originally recorded in 1983 by American singer-songwriter Jules Shear, though it is best known for the hit single version recorded by Cyndi Lauper later that same year.  It is included on Lauper's debut album She's So Unusual. Shear wrote "All Through The Night" as a mid-tempo folk-rock song for his 1983 album Watch Dog. After the Cars recorded their own version, which they did not use on any of their albums, Lauper decided to cover it. Although she initially intended to do a straight cover of Shear's version, she turned it into a pop ballad instead.

"Old Time Rock and Roll" is a song written by George Jackson and Thomas E. Jones III, and recorded by Bob Seger for his 1978 album Stranger in Town. It was also released as a single in 1979. It is a sentimentalized look back at the music of the original rock 'n' roll era. The song gained renewed popularity after being featured in the 1983 film Risky Business. It has since become a standard in popular music and was ranked number two on the Amusement & Music Operators Association's survey of the Top 40 Jukebox Singles of All Time in 1996.[1] It was also listed as one of the Songs of the Century in 2001 and ranked No. 100 in the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Songs poll in 2004 of the top songs in American cinema.

"The Reverend Mr. Black" is a 1963 song by Billy Edd Wheeler, Mike Stoller, and Jerry Leiber.  The chorus came from the 1931 folk song, "The Lonesome Valley,"  a version of which appears in the 2000 film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?. It was recorded by The Kingston Trio in 1963 for their album The Kingston Trio No. 16 and became a top-ten hit for them on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] Johnny Cash covered the song in 1981 for his album The Baron.[2]

Richard Wayne Mullins (October 21, 1955 â€“ September 19, 1997) was an American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter best known for his worship songs "Awesome God" and "Step by Step". Some of his albums were also considered among Christian music's best, including Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth (1988), The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume One (1991) and A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band (1993). His songs have been performed by numerous artists, including Caedmon's Call, Five Iron Frenzy, Amy Grant, Carolyn Arends, Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, John Tesh, Chris Rice, Rebecca St. James, Hillsong United and Third Day.[1]

"I Love a Rainy Night" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Eddie Rabbitt. It was released in November 1980 as the second single from his album Horizon. It reached number one on the Hot Country Singles,[1] Billboard Hot 100, and Adult Contemporary Singles [2] charts in 1981. The song succeeded Dolly Parton's song "9 to 5" at the number 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart - the last time, to date, that the pop chart featured back-to-back country singles in the number one position. It was written by Rabbitt, Even Stevens and David Malloy.

Ghost of a Rose is the fourth studio album by the folk rock group Blackmore's Night, released June 30, 2003.[1] It features covers of Joan Baez's "Diamonds and Rust", and Jethro Tull's "Rainbow Blues".

"Three Wooden Crosses" the title of a song written by Kim Williams and Doug Johnson, and recorded by American country music singer-songwriter Randy Travis. It was released in November 2002 from his album, Rise and Shine. The song became Travis' 16th Number One single, his first since "Whisper My Name" in 1994.[1] "Three Wooden Crosses" was named Song of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2003[2] and won a Dove Award from the Gospel Music Association as Country Song of the Year in 2004.[3]

The song is considered the most famous recording by the band, and its long guitar coda has been voted the best guitar solo of all time by readers of Guitarist in 1998.[3][4] The song was awarded the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1978.[5] The lyrics of the song have been given various interpretations by fans and critics alike, the Eagles themselves described the song as their "interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles".[6] In the 2013 documentary History of the Eagles, Henley said that the song was about "a journey from innocence to experience... that's all..."[7]

That's What Friends Are For is an album by American singers Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams that was released in July 1978 by Columbia Records. The project was a continuation of the pairing of the artists that began on his previous LP, You Light Up My Life, which included "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late", the duet that was on its way to number one on three different charts in Billboard magazine as the recording sessions for this album got underway.


Question: Who were the three elves that received rings?

In the lore of Middle-earth, three Elven rings were bestowed upon the leaders of the Elves. Celebrimbor, a renowned Elven smith, gave the Ring of Fire, Narya, and the Ring of Air, Vilya, to Gil-galad, the High King of the Noldor. Gil-galad, in turn, entrusted Narya to Círdan, the Lord of the Havens, who retained it following Gil-galad's demise. Meanwhile, Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlórien, received the Ring of Water, Nenya, from the start.

The name is derived from the Quenya nÃ¡r meaning fire. It was also called Narya the Great, Ring of Fire, Red Ring, and The Kindler.

In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Gollum is a CGI character voiced and performed by actor Andy Serkis. He is smaller than both Frodo and Sam. Barely glimpsed in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), he becomes a central character in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). The CGI character was built around Serkis' facial features, voice, and acting choices. Serkis based the iconic "gollum" throat noise on the sound of his cat coughing up hairballs.[18] Using a digital puppet created by Jason Schleifer and Bay Raitt at Weta Digital, animators created Gollum's performance using a mixture of motion capture data recorded from Serkis and the traditional animation process of Key frame, along with the laborious process of digitally rotoscoping Serkis' image and replacing it with the digital Gollum's in a technique coined rotoanimation.[19] This work required a large number of digital artists. As in the animated depictions of the character, Gollum is shown as virtually naked save for a loincloth in the trilogy.

During mid-1997,[14] Jackson and Walsh began writing with Stephen Sinclair.[13] Sinclair's partner, Philippa Boyens, was a major fan of the book and joined the writing team after reading their treatment.[14] It took 13–14 months to write the two film scripts,[14] which were 147 and 144 pages respectively. Sinclair left the project due to theatrical obligations. Amongst their revisions, Sam is caught eavesdropping and forced to go along with Frodo, instead of Sam, Merry, and Pippin figuring out about the One Ring themselves and voluntarily going along after confronting Frodo about it, as occurs in the original novel. Gandalf's account of his time at Orthanc was pulled out of flashback and Lothlórien was cut, with Galadriel doing what she does in the story at Rivendell. Denethor attends the Council with his son. Other changes included having Arwen rescue Frodo, and the action sequence involving the cave troll. The writers also considered having Arwen absorb Éowyn's role entirely by having her kill the Witch-king.[13]

In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Serkis himself appears in a flashback scene as Sméagol before his degeneration into Gollum. This scene was originally earmarked for The Two Towers, but was held back because the screenwriters felt audiences would relate better to the original Sméagol once they were more familiar with who he became. The decision to include this scene meant that Raitt and Jamie Beswarick had to redesign Gollum's face for the second and third movies so that it would more closely resemble Serkis'. The brief glimpses in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring are of an earlier model of Gollum.

The campaign allows the player to command the army of Angmar from its foundation and early attacks against Arnor, to the destruction of Arnor at the battle of Fornost. An epilogue mission allows the player to command the forces of Gondor and the Elves as they invade Angmar in retaliation for destroying Arnor. The story for The Rise of the Witch-king draws a great deal upon the Appendices at the end of the Return of the King to form a basis for the conflict between Arnor and Angmar. Many of the notes that Tolkien made regarding the war are used as missions in the games campaign and epilogue. Although the game closely follows Tolkien's writing, some events are modified to suit the gameplay (such as the palantír of Amon Sûl being destroyed rather than brought to safety at Fornost), or are omitted altogether (such as the flight of King Arvedui from the defeat at Fornost).

The Peverell family is first mentioned in Half-Blood Prince as ancestors of Marvolo Gaunt, the maternal grandfather of Voldemort. In the final book of the series, they are revealed to be the original owners of the Deathly Hallows, which, according to The Tales of Beedle the Bard, they received from Death, although Dumbledore believed it is more likely that they created them themselves. The Peverell lineage continues through its living descendants, including Harry and his children.

During Eldarion's reign, Findegil served as the royal scribe (or King's Writer). In the year 172 of the Fourth Age, Findegil completed a copy of the Thain's Book, the most complete copy of the Red Book of Westmarch wherein Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee recorded their adventures. Within the context of Tolkien's work, the Thain's Book was the original source for what we know as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The copy made by Findegil was brought to the Shire and kept by the head of the Took family, the Thain of the Shire, at Great Smials.

The Great Goblin was a Goblin leader who lived in the Misty Mountains during the Third Age, as recounted in The Hobbit. His followers captured Thorin Oakenshield, Bilbo and company during the Quest of Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, and took them to their underground stronghold, Goblin-town. When he found the group was carrying Orcrist, an Elf-made blade which had killed many Goblins, he gave orders for them to be imprisoned and tortured. He tried to attack Thorin, but was slain by Gandalf. His death incites the Goblins to go after the company.

The hobbit Frodo Baggins is travelling to Bucklebury in the Shire, accompanied by his gardener and friend Sam Gamgee and his kinsman Pippin Took. Frodo is ostensibly moving to a newly purchased house, having sold his hobbit-hole to his relatives, the Sackville-Bagginses. However, he and Sam have secretly planned to journey beyond, to Bree where he will meet again with Gandalf, so that they can travel to Rivendell; Frodo has the Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron in his possession, and he believes it will be safe there. They journey into the night, and at this point

During the Third Age, recognizing that an outright confrontation with dark Maia Sauron would be disastrous, the Valar sent the Istari to Middle-earth with the intent of giving counsel to Men in their resistance to the growing power of the Dark Lord.


Question: What is the process called when converting a stereo signal to mono?

Panning in audio
Panning in audio refers to the process of distributing a sound signal, whether monaural or stereophonic, into a new stereo or multi-channel sound field based on a pan control setting. In a recording studio, each incoming source channel on a physical console has its own pan control. This control, known as a pan pot, is an analog knob or slider that can be adjusted continuously from the 8 o'clock position (fully left) to the 4 o'clock position (fully right). Audio mixing software replicates these pan pots with on-screen virtual knobs or sliders that function the same way as their physical equivalents. However, when converting a stereo signal to mono, this process is referred to as "mixing down" or "summing" and does not involve panning.

A distress signal or distress call is an internationally recognized means for obtaining help. Distress signals are communicated by transmitting radio signals, displaying a visually observable item or illumination, or making a sound audible from a distance.

Duplex theory clearly points out that ITD and IID play significant roles in sound localization but they can only deal with lateral localizing problems. For example, based on duplex theory, if two acoustic sources are symmetrically located on the right front and right back of the human head, they will generate equal ITDs and IIDs, which is called as cone model effect. However, human ears can actually distinguish this set of sources. Besides that, in natural sense of hearing, only one ear, which means no ITD or IID, can distinguish the sources with a high accuracy. Due to the disadvantages of duplex theory, researchers proposed the pinna filtering effect theory.[14] The shape of human pinna is very special. It is concave with complex folds and asymmetrical no matter horizontally or vertically. The reflected waves and the direct waves will generate a frequency spectrum on the eardrum, which is related to the acoustic sources. Then auditory nerves localize the sources by this frequency spectrum. Therefore, a corresponding theory was proposed and called as pinna filtering effect theory.[15]

Early electronic phonographs used a piezo-electric crystal for pickup (though the earliest electronic phonographs used crude magnetic pick-ups), where the mechanical movement of the stylus in the groove generates a proportional electrical voltage by creating stress within a crystal (typically Rochelle salt). Crystal pickups are relatively robust, and produce a substantial signal level which requires only a modest amount of further amplification. The output is not very linear however, introducing unwanted distortion. It is difficult to make a crystal pickup suitable for quality stereo reproduction, as the stiff coupling between the crystal and the long stylus prevents close tracking of the needle to the groove modulations. This tends to increase wear on the record, and introduces more distortion. Another problem is the hygroscopic nature of the crystal itself: it absorbs moisture from the air and may dissolve. The crystal was protected by embedding it in other materials, without hindering the movement of the pickup mechanism itself. After a number of years, the protective jelly often deteriorated or leaked from the cartridge case and the full unit needed replacement.

To complement its larger two-way monitors for studio use, the BBC developed a small speaker for near-field monitoring of the frequency range from 400 Hz to about 20 kHz for its outside broadcasting monitoring. The principal constraints were space and situations where using headphones is unsatisfactory, such as in mobile broadcasting vans. Based on scaling tests done in 1968, and detailed audio work against the LS5/8 – a large "Grade I monitor" already in use at the time – and with live sources, the BBC Research Department developed the LS3/5, which became the famous LS3/5A that was used from 1975 to much of the 1990s and beyond by the BBC and audiophiles alike.[5][6][7]

Standardization or standardisation is the process of implementing and developing technical standards based on the consensus of different parties that include firms, users, interest groups, standards organizations and governments[1] Standardization can help to maximize compatibility, interoperability, safety, repeatability, or quality. It can also facilitate commoditization of formerly custom processes. In social sciences, including economics,[2] the idea of standardization is close to the solution for a coordination problem, a situation in which all parties can realize mutual gains, but only by making mutually consistent decisions. This view includes the case of "spontaneous standardization processes", to produce de facto standards.

Modulators essentially take an input signal and attach it to a specific frequency. For example, in North America, NTSC standards dictate that CH2 is a 6 MHz wide channel with its luminance carrier at 55.25 MHz, so the modulator for channel 2 will impose the appropriate input signal on to the 55.25 MHz frequency to be received by any TV tuned to Channel 2.

Arguably, any device used to record sound or reproduce recorded sound could be called a type of "phonograph", but in common practice the word has come to mean historic technologies of sound recording, involving audio-frequency modulations of a physical trace or groove. In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, "Phonograph", "Gramophone", "Graphophone", "Zonophone" and the like were still brand names specific to various makers of sometimes very different (i.e. cylinder and disc) machines; so considerable use was made of the generic term "talking machine", especially in print. "Talking machine" had earlier been used to refer to complicated devices which produced a crude imitation of speech, by simulating the workings of the vocal cords, tongue, and lips â€“ a potential source of confusion both then and now.

Two-way radio systems usually operate in a half-duplex mode; that is, the operator can talk, or he can listen, but not at the same time. A push-to-talk or Press To Transmit button activates the transmitter; when it is released the receiver is active. Full-duplex is generally achieved by the use of two different frequencies or by frequency-sharing methods to carry the two directions of the conversation simultaneously.[1] Methods for mitigating the self interference caused by simultaneous same-frequency transmission and reception include using two antennas,[2] or dynamic solid-state filters.[3]

Throughout 1989, The Orb, along with Martin "Youth" Glover, developed the musical genre of ambient house through use of a diverse array of samples and recordings. The culmination of their musical work came when The Orb recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1. The track, then known as "Loving You", was largely improvisational and featured a wealth of sound effects and samples from science fiction radio plays, nature sounds, and Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You".[2] For its release as a single on record label Big Life, The Orb changed the title to "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From the Centre of the Ultraworld". Upon the single's release, Riperton's management forced Big Life to remove the unlicensed Riperton sample, ensuring that only the initial first-week release of the single contained the original vocals of Minnie Riperton; subsequent pressings used vocals from a sound-alike.[3]

West mixed "Stronger" seventy-five times, as he could not seem to get the kick drum to sound precisely the way that he wanted it to, amongst other issues.[13] Still feeling dissatisfied after hearing number-one hit single inside a club played alongside Timbaland's 2007 single "The Way I Are", which at that time was his favorite hip-hop beat, West decided to enlist the record producer to assist him in redoing the song's drum programming.[14][15] In the end, Manny Marroquin and Kanye West auditioned twelve different kick drums, going back to the original — which is a mix of three kick drums — shortly before completing the track.[10] The song's final arrangement in Pro Tools included over 100 layers.[10] This completed version of "Stronger" contains a master use of Edwin Birdsong's "Cola Bottle Baby."[6]


Question: What is the process of converting a stereo signal to a mono signal called?

Converting stereo signals to mono is often referred to as "panning" in audio engineering. This process involves adjusting the stereo width by mixing the left and right channels equally into a single output, resulting in a dual mono signal. This technique can be utilized in an audio mixer to either reduce or reverse the stereo width of a stereo source.

Digital audio files can be transported from one computer to another like any other file, and played on a compatible media player (with caveats for DRM-locked files). In addition, many home Hi-Fi and car stereo head units are now equipped with a USB port. This allows a USB flash drive containing media files in a variety of formats to be played directly on devices which support the format. Some LCD monitors for consumer HDTV viewing have a dedicated USB port through which music and video files can also be played without use of a personal computer.

A two-way radio is a radio that can do both transmit and receive a signal (a transceiver), unlike a broadcast receiver which only receives content. A two-way radio (transceiver) allows the operator to have a conversation with other similar radios operating on the same radio frequency (channel). Two-way radios are available in mobile, stationary base and hand-held portable configurations. Hand-held radios are often called walkie-talkies, handie-talkies, or just hand-helds.

Both Krasner and Schroeder built upon the work performed by Eberhard F. Zwicker in the areas of tuning and masking of critical frequency bands,[21][22] that in turn built on the fundamental research in the area from Bell Labs of Harvey Fletcher and his collaborators.[23] A wide variety of (mostly perceptual) audio compression algorithms were reported in IEEE's refereed Journal on Selected Areas in Communications.[24] That journal reported in February 1988 on a wide range of established, working audio bit compression technologies, some of them using auditory masking as part of their fundamental design, and several showing real-time hardware implementations.

This observation caused a revolution in audio encoding. Early on bitrate was the prime and only consideration. At the time MP3 files were of the very simplest type: they used the same bit rate for the entire file: this process is known as Constant Bit Rate (CBR) encoding. Using a constant bit rate makes encoding simpler and less CPU intensive. However, it is also possible to create files where the bit rate changes throughout the file. These are known as Variable Bit Rate The bit reservoir and VBR encoding were actually part of the original MPEG-1 standard. The concept behind them is that, in any piece of audio, some sections are easier to compress, such as silence or music containing only a few tones, while others will be more difficult to compress. So, the overall quality of the file may be increased by using a lower bit rate for the less complex passages and a higher one for the more complex parts. With some advanced MP3 encoders, it is possible to specify a given quality, and the encoder will adjust the bit rate accordingly. Users that desire a particular "quality setting" that is transparent to their ears can use this value when encoding all of their music, and generally speaking not need to worry about performing personal listening tests on each piece of music to determine the correct bit rate.

Andy Summers' presence on the studio track is considerably less pronounced than on the vast majority of Police songs, and in fact, Sting wanted to record it without him entirely. Having written the song on a synthesizer, he wanted for it to use synthesizer instead of guitar, and to play the synthesizer part himself. Summers thought the synthesizer part should be replaced by guitar, and after considerable argument, they compromised by recording the part on both instruments, with a mix such that the synthesizer drowned out much of Summers's guitar.[4] In live performances this part was played on guitar only, with synthesizer used only for background chords. The bass part for the song is distinctively complex, with music producer and cognitive psychologist Daniel Levitin writing that it "takes this rhythmic play to such an extreme that it can be hard to tell where the downbeat even is."[5] The track was recorded at Air Studios Montserrat.

In April 1909 Charles David Herrold, an electronics instructor in San Jose, California constructed a broadcasting station. It used spark gap technology, but modulated the carrier frequency with the human voice, and later music. The station "San Jose Calling" (there were no call letters), continued to eventually become today's KCBS in San Francisco. Herrold, the son of a Santa Clara Valley farmer, coined the terms "narrowcasting" and "broadcasting", respectively to identify transmissions destined for a single receiver such as that on board a ship, and those transmissions destined for a general audience. (The term "broadcasting" had been used in farming to define the tossing of seed in all directions.) Charles Herrold did not claim to be the first to transmit the human voice, but he claimed to be the first to conduct "broadcasting". To help the radio signal to spread in all directions, he designed some omnidirectional antennas, which he mounted on the rooftops of various buildings in San Jose. Herrold also claims to be the first broadcaster to accept advertising (he exchanged publicity for a local record store for records to play on his station), though this dubious honour usually is foisted on WEAF (1922).

Later, it would become apparent that binaural hearing, whether dichotic or diotic, is the means by which sound localization occurs.[27][28][pageÂ needed]

Blu-ray permits secondary audio decoding, whereby the disc content can tell the player to mix multiple audio sources together before final output.[136] Some Blu-ray and HD DVD players can decode all of the audio codecs internally and can output LPCM audio over HDMI. Multichannel LPCM can be transported over an HDMI connection, and as long as the AV receiver implements multichannel LPCM audio over HDMI and implements HDCP, the audio reproduction is equal in resolution to HDMI 1.3 bitstream output. Some low-cost AV receivers, such as the Onkyo TX-SR506, do not allow audio processing over HDMI and are labelled as "HDMI pass through" devices.[137][138] [10/2014 Update] Virtually all modern AV Receivers now offer HDMI 1.4 inputs and output(s) with processing for all of the audio formats offered by Blu-ray Discs and other HD video sources. During 2014 several manufacturers introduced premium AV Receivers that include one, or multiple, HDMI 2.0 inputs along with a HDMI 2.0 output(s). However, it was not until 2015 that most major manufacturers of AV receivers also included support for HDCP 2.2 as will be needed to support certain high quality 4K/UHD video sources, such as the upcoming Blu-ray 4K/UHD players.

D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector used particularly in computers. Calling them "sub-miniature" was appropriate when they were first introduced, but today they are among the largest common connectors used in computers. The DB25 is used for multi-track recording and other multi-channel audio, analog or digital (ADAT interface (DB25)), and was the standard connector for IBM compatible PC printer connection before USB and other connections became popular. It offered 8 simultaneous data pathways to the printer.

Digital channels are usually received on an L band QAM stream from a satellite, which uses multiplexing. Using special receivers such as the Motorola MPS, the signal can be demultiplexed or "Demuxed" to extract specific channels from the multiplexed signal. At this point, local insertion may be performed to add content specifically targeted to the local geographic area.


Question: To prove disparate impact, you must first establish that there is?

Under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, disparate impact is established by demonstrating that an employment practice or policy disproportionately affects members of a protected class more negatively than non-members. This theory prohibits employers from using seemingly neutral practices that, in reality, have a discriminatory impact on protected classes. To prevail in a disparate impact case, the plaintiff doesn't need to prove intentional discrimination; instead, they must show that the employer's practice has an adverse effect. The employer can defend against such claims by proving that the practice is a business necessity, meaning it is essential for the job in question.

At the root of this problem is the unacceptable role of the courts. Their complicity in the perpetuation of this outcome is unconscionable. As in the case of racial segregation, see Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 557 (1896) (overruled by Brown v. Bd. of Educ., 347 U.S. 482 (1954)), it is the courts that are responsible for the creation of this inequality.22 â€‚Furthermore, it is the courts that have clothed this noxious condition in a mantle of legal respectability.

Another popular argument for affirmative action is compensation. Blacks were mistreated in the past for being black so society today should compensate for the injuries.[100] This causes reverse discrimination in the form of preferential hirings, contracts, and scholarships as a means to ameliorate past wrongs.[100] Many opponents argue that this form of reparation is morally indefensible because if blacks were harmed for being black in the past, then preferential treatment for this same trait is illogical.[100] In addition, arguments are made that whites today who innocently benefited from past injustices should not be punished for something they had no control over.[99] Therefore, they are being reverse discriminated against because they are receiving the punishment that should be given to people who willingly and knowingly benefited from discriminatory practices

Another example, if it is common place for a nurse that is male to be described as "a male nurse", it could be taken as evidence to a rule of thumb that most nurses are female.

Beginning with Everson, which permitted New Jersey school boards to pay for transportation to parochial schools, the Court has used various tests to determine when the wall of separation has been breached. Everson laid down the test that establishment existed when aid was given to religion, but that the transportation was justifiable because the benefit to the children was more important. In the school prayer cases of the early 1960s, (Engel v. Vitale and Abington School District v. Schempp), aid seemed irrelevant; the Court ruled on the basis that a legitimate action both served a secular purpose and did not primarily assist religion. In Walz v. Tax Commission (1970), the Court ruled that a legitimate action could not entangle government with religion; in Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971), these points were combined into the Lemon test, declaring that an action was an establishment if:[21]

On July 26, Truman mandated the end of hiring and employment discrimination in the federal government, reaffirming FDR's order of 1941.[25]:40 He issued two executive orders on July 26, 1948: Executive Order 9980 and Executive Order 9981. Executive Order 9980, named Regulations Governing for Employment Practices within the Federal Establishment, instituted fair employment practices in the civilian agencies of the federal government. The order created the position of Fair Employment Officer. The order "established in the Civil Service Commission a Fair Employment Board of not less than seven persons."[28] Executive Order 9981, named Establishing the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services, called for the integration of the Armed Forces and the creation of the National Military Establishment to carry out the executive order.[30]

Some opponents[101] further claim that affirmative action has undesirable side-effects and that it fails to achieve its goals. They argue that it hinders reconciliation, replaces old wrongs with new wrongs, undermines the achievements of minorities, and encourages groups to identify themselves as disadvantaged, even if they are not.[102] It may increase racial tension and benefit the more privileged people within minority groups at the expense of the disenfranchised within better-off groups (such as lower-class whites and Asians).There has recently been a strong push among American states to ban racial or gender preferences in university admissions, in reaction to the controversial and unprecedented decision in Grutter v. Bollinger. In 2006, nearly 60% of Michigan voters decided to ban affirmative action in university admissions. Michigan joined California, Florida, Texas, and Washington in banning the use of race or sex in admissions considerations.[103] Some opponents believe, among other things, that affirmative action devalues the accomplishments of people who belong to a group it's supposed to help, therefore making affirmative action counter-productive. Furthermore, opponents of affirmative action claim that these policies dehumanize individuals and applicants to jobs or school are judged as members of a group without consideration for the individual person.

Many studies have found that there are extreme disparities in the physical punishment of students across racial and ethnic lines, gender and disability status.[33][13] In general, results suggest that boys, children of color and children with disabilities are most likely to be targets of corporal punishment.[13]  These disparities may violate three federal laws that prohibit discrimination by race, gender and disability status: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.[26]

The need for a compelling governmental interest was narrowed in Employment Division v. Smith (1990),[37] which held no such interest was required under the Free Exercise Clause regarding a neutral law of general applicability that happens to affect a religious practice, as opposed to a law that targets a particular religious practice (which does require a compelling governmental interest).[38] In Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah (1993),[39] the Supreme Court ruled Hialeah had passed an ordinance banning ritual slaughter, a practice central to the Santería religion, while providing exceptions for some practices such as the kosher slaughter. Since the ordinance was not "generally applicable", the Court ruled that it needed to have a compelling interest, which it failed to have, and so was declared unconstitutional.[40]

The conclusions of the lead opinion in refusing to consider the merit of Appellants' claims is particularly inexcusable because, as will be further elaborated, the present decision cannot be legitimately grounded on the Supreme Law of the Land, which requires that Appellants be provided an effective judicial remedy for the correction of the wrongs they allege. See International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, art. 2, § 3, Dec. 19, 1966, 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (hereinafter ICCPR) ("Each State Party [including the United States] ․ undertakes [t]o ensure that any person whose [ICCPR] rights are violated shall have an effective remedy," and to ensure that these rights are "determined by competent judicial, administrative, or legislative authorities․").  The suggestion that Appellants seek a political rather than a judicial remedy to correct the grievous violation of their rights claimed in this action, is, at a minimum, ironic given that it is precisely the lack of political representation that is the central issue in this case. It is this lack of any political power by these disenfranchised U.S. citizens, and the cat and mouse games that have been played with them by the United States government, including its courts, that have resulted in their interminable unequal condition.

Richard Sander claims that artificially elevating minority students into schools they otherwise would not be capable of attending, discourages them and tends to engender failure and high dropout rates for these students. For example, about half of black college students rank in the bottom 20 percent of their classes,[80] black law school graduates are four times as likely to fail bar exams as are whites, and interracial friendships are more likely to form among students with relatively similar levels of academic preparation; thus, blacks and Hispanics are more socially integrated on campuses where they are less academically mismatched.[81] He claims that the supposed "beneficiaries" of affirmative action – minorities – do not actually benefit and rather are harmed by the policy.[82] Sander's claims have been disputed, and his empirical analyses have been subject to substantial criticism.[83] A group including some of the country's lead statistical methodologists told the Supreme Court that Sander's analyses were sufficiently flawed that the Court would be wise to ignore them entirely.[84] A 2008 study by Jesse Rothstein and Albert H. Yoon confirmed Sander's mismatch findings, but also found that eliminating affirmative action would "lead to a 63 percent decline in black matriculants at all law schools and a 90 percent decline at elite law schools."[85] These high numbers predictions were doubted in a review of previous studies by Peter Arcidiacono and Michael Lovenheim. Their 2016 article found a strong indication that racial preference results in a mismatch effect. However, they argued that the attendance by some African-American law students to less-selective schools would significantly improve the low first attempt rate at passing the state bar, but they cautioned that such improvements could be outweighed by decreases in law school attendance.[86]


Question: Where do the characters live in the TV series "This Is Us"?

In the TV series "This Is Us", the majority of the show's narrative unfolds in two primary time periods: the present day (2016-2018) and various points in the past. The flashback scenes often center around Jack and Rebecca's life in the early 1980s, both before and after the birth of their children, as well as the Big Three during their childhood and teenage years in Pittsburgh. As adults, the siblings live in different parts of the country: Kate resides in Los Angeles, Randall and his family are based in New Jersey, and Kevin moves from Los Angeles to New York City.

The series is set in the fictional small town of Danebury in northern Essex and the plot revolves around the lives, loves and detecting ambitions of Andy and Lance, members of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club (DMDC).

He meets Sarah Glass (played by Sarah Danielle Madison), a fellow medical student, just when he really wished to meet the one who would be the love of his life. Their first date ends with them getting married. Because Sarah is the daughter of a rabbi (played by Richard Lewis) who wants his daughter to marry a Jewish man, they initially keep their marriage a secret. They eventually have a large family wedding presided over jointly by their proud fathers, who almost called off the wedding feuding over Matt, who plans to convert to Judaism. Matt and Sarah move to New York to attend medical school, and while there have been problems, they have remained happy together. Near the series' end, they graduate from medical school and announce that they are expecting twin boys, who are born the following summer. It is also shown throughout the series that he knows American Sign Language, a result of his relationship with Heather, making him bilingual.

Episode Summary: Katie Yeager is from Rock Springs, Wyoming and is pregnant by her live-in boyfriend, Joey Maes. Yeager gives birth to a daughter, Molli J Maes, on August 18, 2011. The episode focuses on Yeager's and Maes' desire to have their own home, and the financial struggles that entails.

Donna Jo Margaret "D.J." Tanner (portrayed by Candace Cameron Bure) is Danny and Pam's oldest child. Over the course of the show's run, D.J. attends Frasier Street Elementary, Van Atta Junior High and Bayview High School. In the pilot episode "Our Very First Show," she ends up having to share her bedroom with Stephanie in order to allow Jesse to move into Stephanie's old bedroom; due to problems with privacy regarding Stephanie, in the season five episode "Take My Sister, Please," she sells Danny on an idea to switch rooms with Michelle, who in turn would move in with Stephanie (only after convincing Michelle to move in with Stephanie, after she rejects the offer to move in with her older sister).

Suits is an American legal drama television series created and written by Aaron Korsh. The series premiered on June 23, 2011, on the cable network USA, and is produced by Universal Cable. Suits is set at a fictional law firm in New York City. The focal point of the show follows talented college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), who initially works as a law associate for Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), despite never actually attending law school.[1] The show focuses on Harvey and Mike managing to close cases while maintaining Mike's secret.[2]

Daniel Ernest "Danny" Tanner (portrayed by Bob Saget, John Posey in the unaired pilot) is left with three young daughters to raise after his wife, Pam, dies in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. At the beginning of the series, he works as a sportscaster for Channel 8 News. In the season two episode "Tanner vs. Gibbler", he is chosen by his station's general manager Mr. Strowbridge to be the co-host for the station's new morning talk show, Wake Up, San Francisco, alongside Rebecca Donaldson. In season one's "The Big Three-O," Danny's beloved car, "Bullet," is severely damaged after another driver rear-ends the vehicle, leading it roll out of park and become submerged in the San Francisco Bay as Jesse and Joey shop for new seat covers for the car to surprise Danny with as a present for his 30th birthday; Jesse and Joey end up bidding for a new car that is identical in appearance, unknowingly competing with Danny, who purchases the car (and later named it "Walter") after he calls the car dealership that Jesse and Joey are and places a bid over the phone.

The episode's teleplay was written by Shana Goldberg-Meehan & Scott Silveri from a story by Michael Borkow (part one) and Jill Condon & Amy Toomin (part two). The episode's genesis came during the break between seasons three and four, when Channel 4, the British first-run broadcaster of Friends proposed an episode set in the United Kingdom to the series producers. The proposal fitted neatly with a storyline already being planned, whereby the character of Ross would be married at the end of the fourth season. The episode was filmed in March 1998 under the direction of executive producer Kevin S. Bright on locations in London, and in front of a live studio audience at The Fountain Studios. Scenes featuring Lisa Kudrow's character Phoebe Buffay were filmed on the show's sets in Burbank, California, as Kudrow was too pregnant to fly to London with the rest of the cast. Kudrow gave birth to her son on the day of the episode's original airing.

The Ranch is an American comedy web television series starring Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Debra Winger and Sam Elliott that debuted in 2016 on Netflix.[2] The show takes place on the fictional Iron River Ranch, Colorado; detailing the life of the Bennetts, a dysfunctional family consisting of two brothers, their rancher father, and his separated wife and local bar owner.[3] While the opening sequence shows scenes from Ouray, Colorado and surrounding Ouray County, The Ranch is filmed on a sound stage in front of a live audience in Burbank, California.[4] Each season consists of 20 episodes broken up into two parts, each containing 10 episodes.

Based on Neil Simon's 1963 play of the same name, it focuses on newlyweds Corie and Paul Bratter and their adventures living in a minuscule sixth floor walk-up apartment in a Greenwich Village brownstone. Stuffed-shirt Paul is a hard-working young attorney just starting his practice, while spontaneous bride Corie is determined to create a romantic environment in one room with no heat, a hole in the skylight, and oddball neighbors.

Crosby Braverman (Dax Shepard) is 32 years old at the beginning of the series, unmarried, third child and second son. He works as a small-time record producer. When the show opens, his longtime girlfriend, Katie, is pressuring him to settle down and start a family, an idea he is resistant to.[12] Unexpectedly, his former lover, Jasmine, introduces Crosby to his five-year-old son, Jabbar, in the pilot episode.[12] In season 2, Crosby and Jasmine are engaged, but he begins to feel Jasmine is too controlling, citing her desire to have "a big family" and eventually a house while not actually discussing her desires with him. When he confronts her, they have an argument and he moves back into his boat while Jasmine asks that they "figure things out." During this period Crosby sleeps with Max's behavioral aide, Gaby. He tells Jasmine and upon hearing the news, she leaves him. Crosby begs for Jasmine's forgiveness, but towards the end of the second season, Jasmine tells him she doesn't think she can forgive him for cheating on her and she has decided to move on. Crosby is determined to get her back. In the season 2 finale Crosby tells Jasmine that he is done pursuing her if she truly feels that this was the end of their relationship. Seeing this as a mature sign she comes back to visit Crosby and his new house. At the end of season 3, Crosby and Jasmine get married. He and his brother, Adam, run the Luncheonette, a recording studio. Crosby plays poker with cast members of About a Boy.


Question: Who makes the decisions regarding what to produce in a market economy?

In a market economy, the decisions about what to produce are determined by the interaction of supply and demand in the marketplace. This system is guided by the forces of competition and consumer preferences, which dictate the prices of goods and services. Unlike a planned economy, where production choices are made by a central authority, a market economy relies on capital and financial markets to allocate resources and make investment decisions.

For a given quantity of a consumer good, the point on the demand curve indicates the value, or marginal utility, to consumers for that unit. It measures what the consumer would be prepared to pay for that unit.[40] The corresponding point on the supply curve measures marginal cost, the increase in total cost to the supplier for the corresponding unit of the good. The price in equilibrium is determined by supply and demand. In a perfectly competitive market, supply and demand equate marginal cost and marginal utility at equilibrium.[41]

Alternatively, the government can use inducements, or "market reform". Inducements are rewards and punishments used to influence people or groups. The two major types of market reforms are charge systems, such as emissions taxes, and "tradable permit systems". One type of tradable permit system is an "auction of pollution rights" in which the amount of allowed pollution is set and divided into units, which are then auctioned, giving environmental organizations the opportunity to buy the units to create a cleaner environment than originally planned. Such a plan was implemented for SO2 emissions in the 1990 Acid Rain Program and has been undertaken for greenhouse gases on a regional scale as a way to mitigate global warming.

Alternatively, analysis may focus on production, exchange, distribution, and consumption of items of economic activity. Allowing parameters of space-time and item to vary, a geographer may also examine material flow, commodity flow, population flow and information flow from different parts of the economic activity system. Through analysis of flow and production, industrial areas, rural and urban residential areas, transportation site, commercial service facilities and finance and other economic centers are linked together in an economic activity system.

The theory of the firm considers what bounds the size and output variety of firms. This includes how firms may be able to combine labour and capital so as to lower the average cost of output, either from increasing, decreasing, or constant returns to scale for one product line or from economies of scope for more than one product line.[8][20][21]

Price look-up codes, commonly called PLU codes, PLU numbers, PLUs, produce codes, or produce labels, are a system of numbers that uniquely identify bulk produce sold in grocery stores and supermarkets. The codes have been in use since 1990, and over 1400 have been assigned.[1] The codes are administered by the International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS), a global coalition of fruit and vegetable associations that was formed in 2001 to introduce PLU numbers globally.[2]

In perfectly competitive markets studied in the theory of supply and demand, there are many producers, none of which significantly influence price. Industrial organization generalizes from that special case to study the strategic behaviour of firms that do have significant control of price. It considers the structure of such markets and their interactions. Common market structures studied besides perfect competition include monopolistic competition, various forms of oligopoly, and monopoly.[46]

The services sector treats services as intangible products, service as a customer experience and service as a package of facilitating goods and services. Significant aspects of service as a product are a basis for guiding decisions made by service operations managers.[4] The extent and variety of services industries in which operations managers make decisions provides the context for decision making.

Venture capital is also a way in which the private and public sectors can construct an institution that systematically creates business networks for the new firms and industries, so that they can progress and develop. This institution helps identify promising new firms and provide them with finance, technical[2] expertise, mentoring, marketing "know-how", and business models. Once integrated into the business network, these firms are more likely to succeed, as they become "nodes" in the search networks for designing and building products in their domain.[3] However, venture capitalists' decisions are often biased, exhibiting for instance overconfidence and illusion of control, much like entrepreneurial decisions in general.[4]

Opportunity cost is the economic cost of production: the value of the next best opportunity foregone. Choices must be made between desirable yet mutually exclusive actions. It has been described as expressing "the basic relationship between scarcity and choice".[31] For example, if a baker uses a sack of flour to make pretzels one morning, then the baker cannot use either the flour or the morning to make bagels instead. Part of the cost of making pretzels is that neither the flour nor the morning are available any longer, for use in some other way. The opportunity cost of an activity is an element in ensuring that scarce resources are used efficiently, such that the cost is weighed against the value of that activity in deciding on more or less of it. Opportunity costs are not restricted to monetary or financial costs but could be measured by the real cost of output forgone, leisure, or anything else that provides the alternative benefit (utility).[32]

If a firm operated internally under the market system, many contracts would be required (for instance, even for procuring a pen or delivering a presentation). In contrast, a real firm has very few (though much more complex) contracts, such as defining a manager's power of direction over employees, in exchange for which the employee is paid. These kinds of contracts are drawn up in situations of uncertainty, in particular for relationships which last long periods of time. Such a situation runs counter to neo-classical economic theory. The neo-classical market is instantaneous, forbidding the development of extended agent-principal (employee-manager) relationships, of planning, and of trust. Coase concludes that “a firm is likely therefore to emerge in those cases where a very short-term contract would be unsatisfactory”, and that “it seems improbable that a firm would emerge without the existence of uncertainty”.