Question: Who is Dwyane Wade currently playing for?

Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr., commonly known as Dwyane Wade, is an American professional basketball player who currently represents the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted fifth overall by the Heat in the 2003 NBA draft, Wade has had a storied career, including leading Miami to their first-ever NBA Championship in 2006, where he was also named the NBA Finals MVP. He was a pivotal part of the "Redeem Team," the U.S. men's basketball team that won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Wade has also earned the NBA scoring title during the 2008-09 season. Alongside LeBron James and Chris Bosh, Wade helped the Heat reach four consecutive NBA Finals from 2011 to 2014, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. After brief stints with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, Wade returned to the Miami Heat in February 2018. A 12-time NBA All-Star, Wade holds numerous Miami Heat records, including points, games, assists, and steals.

A triple-double is the accumulation of a double-digit number total in three of the five categories in a game. The most common way to achieve a triple-double is through points, rebounds, and assists. Oscar Robertson leads the all-time NBA list with 181 career triple-doubles and is, with Russell Westbrook, one of only two players ever to average a triple-double for a season. Westbrook currently holds the record for most triple-doubles in a season with 42.

WBFS-TV (channel 33) was the original over-the-air flagship station for Heat games, with its first stint concluding at the end of the 1998–99 season, after 11 seasons. WAMI-TV (channel 69) took over the following season; however, WBFS (along with now-sister station WFOR channel 4) returned as the Heat's primary over-the-air home in 2000–01, this time lasting until the 2003–04 season. On the cable side, Heat games were televised on then-SportsChannel Florida (now Fox Sports Florida), before moving to then-Sunshine Network (now Sun Sports) starting in the 1992–93 season. Since 2004–05, Sun Sports have served as the exclusive regional carrier of Heat games throughout the team's designated broadcast territory, which includes the metropolitan areas of Miami–Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach–Fort Pierce–Port St. Lucie, and Fort Myers–Naples.

The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami.[7] The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. They play their home games at the American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami. The team owner is Carnival Corporation owner Micky Arison, the team president and general manager is Pat Riley, and the head coach is Erik Spoelstra. The mascot is Burnie, an anthropomorphic fireball.

By the time Rose enrolled at Simeon Career Academy in 2003, he was a hot commodity for collegiate coaches. Despite his reputation, he played freshmen and JV basketball for the Wolverines. He wore No. 25 in honor of Ben "Benji" Wilson, a promising player who was murdered by a gang member during his senior year in 1984.[8] Rose was not allowed on varsity due to a long-standing tradition that head coach Bob Hambric, who had been with the school since 1980 had no freshmen on the varsity team. That rule did not lessen Rose's play, and he went on to put up 18.5 points, 6.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game and led both the freshmen and sophomores to city championships with a 24–1 record.[9] Hambric softened his stance and allowed the freshman a chance to play on varsity in the state tournament, but Rose declined, wanting the players to get due credit.[10] The next year Hambric retired and Robert Smith was hired, opening the path to varsity. In Rose's debut, he had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals over Thornwood High School in a sold-out game filled with college scouts and coaches.[11] He led the Wolverines to a 30–5 mark while averaging 19.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 2.4 steals but the season ended after a loss in state regionals. Rose's play garnered him his first national award: a Parade All-American third team spot.[12]

After missing the Tournament of Americas Olympic Qualifiers over the summer, Miami's eight pre-season games and first seven regular season games to recover from off-season left knee and left shoulder surgeries, Wade made his first appearance of the 2007–08 season on November 14, 2007.[43] Battling pain in his left knee throughout the season,[44] Wade was elected to his fourth consecutive All-Star Game appearance.[45] However, with the Heat holding the worst record in the NBA and Wade still experiencing problems in his left knee, Heat coach Pat Riley announced Wade would miss the final 21 games of the season to undergo OssaTron treatment on his left knee.[46] Wade averaged 24.6 points, 6.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game for the season.[40]

When Dwight Howard departed from the Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers in August 2012, the rivalry softened. The Orlando Magic are undergoing a process of rebuilding, however, competition still remains tense.

The terms of the new agreement ended the practice of drafting high school players, starting in the 2006 Draft. A high school player must wait at least a year to be eligible for selection. However, they are not required to spend that year in college. In 2008, high school star Brandon Jennings decided to skip college and play professional basketball in Italy. After a year, he was eligible for the 2009 draft and was selected 10th by the Milwaukee Bucks.[19] In the 2010 draft, Latavious Williams, who did not qualify academically to go to college, spent a year playing in the NBA D-League before he was drafted in the second round.[20] Emmanuel Mudiay decided to take a route similar to that of Brandon Jennings by skipping college to play professionally in China in 2014 before being selected by the Denver Nuggets at pick 7 a year later. In the 2015 draft, Satnam Singh Bhamara, who did not qualify academically to go to college, went straight to the NBA draft as a post-graduate after being at IMG Academy for five years. He would be taken by the Dallas Mavericks with the 52nd pick in the draft, thus becoming the first high school student to be drafted since the rule changes. In the 2016 draft, one of the Topâ€“10 players that was declared eligible for NCAA play in 2016, Thon Maker, decided to enter the draft instead as a post-graduate from Orangeville Prep in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada due to him originally declaring himself as eligible for college in 2015. Thon would also mark the first player to be drafted directly from a Canadian high school, as well as the second player to enter as a post-graduate. He'd also be the first high schooler to be drafted in the first round since 2005, being drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the tenth pick in the draft, thus becoming the first high school lottery pick since 2005. Most recently, in the 2018 draft, both Anfernee Simons and Thon's brother, Matur Maker, are also looking to be drafted in the NBA, with Simons being a postgraduate and Maker's decision relating to him being held back a year.

Barry was traded to the Miami Heat the day before the February 20th trade deadline from Los Angeles for Isaac Austin. In Miami, Barry would only play 17 games, not starting any of the games, averaging only 4.1 ppg.[13][13]

The 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game was the final game of the single-elimination tournament to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2017–18 season. The game was played on April 2, 2018, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, between the Michigan Wolverines and the Villanova Wildcats. Michigan last won the NCAA championship in 1989, while Villanova won the championship in 2016.

The Game is played under normal NBA rules, but there are notable differences from an average game. Since the starting All-Stars are selected by fan vote, players sometimes start the game at atypical positions. For instance, in 2007 Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady had the two highest fan vote totals among Western Conference guards. As both players normally play shooting guard, Bryant, who is 6'6" (198Â cm), started the game as a point guard, despite him also manning the shooting guard position on his team.


Question: What is the value of the currency in Paraguay? (In this case, the original question and the similar question are almost identical, with only a minor formatting difference. It's difficult to change the question significantly while keeping the length and complexity the same.)

The Paraguayan guaraní, established by law on 5 October 1943, succeeded the peso at a conversion rate of 100 pesos to 1 guaraní. The first issuance of guaraníes occurred in 1944. From 1960 to 1985, the guaraní was fixed to the US dollar at a rate of 126 PYG to 1 USD.

The value of the note is several times greater than many of the largest circulating notes of other major currencies, such as the United States 100 dollar bill.[26] Thus a large monetary value can be concentrated into a small volume of notes. This facilitates crimes that deal in cash, including money laundering, drug dealing, and tax evasion.[27] There have been calls to withdraw the note for this reason.[28][29][30][31][32] However, some of the currencies the Euro replaced had widely used high-value notes, including the 10,000 Belgian francs (€247.89), 5,000 Austrian schillings (€363.36), and 1,000 Dutch guilden (€453.78), although these did not exceed the value of the €500 note. Two exceptions were the 1,000 Deutsche Marks, which had an equivalent value of €511.29, and 500 Latvian latu, which had an equivalent value of €711.44.[26]

Paraguay competed at three World Cups by 1958, and after a long gap they re-appeared in 1986. Later, they achieved a streak of four participations: South Africa 2010 was Paraguay's fourth consecutive trip to the World Cup final tournament, having previously qualified for the final in 1998, 2002 and 2006. After a poor qualifying campaign, however, Paraguay failed to qualify for the tournament in 2014, missing out on the chance to play in a World Cup hosted on their own continent, in Brazil. Three times they survived the first round of the international football tournament, with the summit being in 2010 where reached the quarter-finals.

The year 2013 proved to be difficult for Venezuela as shortages of necessities and extreme inflation attacked the nation's economy. Items became so scarce that nearly one quarter of items were not in stock.[137] The bolÃvar was devalued to 6.3 per USD in early 2013 taking one third of its value away.[138] However, inflation still continued to rise drastically in the country to the point President Maduro forced stores to sell their items just days before elections. Maduro said that the stores were charging unreasonable prices even though the owners were only charging so much due to the actual devaluation of the bolivar.[139]

On February 15, 1946, a central bank of North Korea was announced, which was to be under the control of the Soviet military.[4] However, the bank failed to accomplish its objectives, being unable to meet its costs of operation, and the 100 million wŏn capitalisation was ineffective.[5] The North Korean Interim People's Committee did not look upon the bank favorably, and chose instead to work through the Farmers' Bank, which also existed at the time.[5] By late 1946, banking functions were consolidated into two main institutions, the Central Bank and Farmer's Bank. In June 1947, around 1,000 million wŏn was concentrated in the Central Bank, allowing it to extend credits totalling 900 million wŏn for economic rehabilitation.[6] The consolidation reflected a return to the original objectives of the People's Committee, which wanted closer control over the economy; any banking people opposed to the changes within the system were removed from their posts.[6] On December 6, 1947, a comprehensive program of currency reform was announced.

The euro currency sign was designed to be similar in structure to the old sign for the European Currency Unit (Encoded as U+20A0 â‚  ). There were originally thirty-two proposals; these were reduced to ten candidates. These ten were put to a public survey. After the survey had narrowed the original ten proposals down to two, it was up to the European Commission to choose the final design. The other designs that were considered are not available for the public to view, nor is any information regarding the designers available for public query. The European Commission considers the process of designing to have been internal and keeps these records secret. The eventual winner was a design created by a team of four experts whose identities have not been revealed. It is assumed that the Belgian graphic designer Alain Billiet was the winner and thus the designer of the euro sign.[2]

To express prices in spoken Cantonese, for example HK$7.80, the phrase is 七個八 (Cantonese Yale: chāt go baat; literally: "seven units eight"); in financial terms, where integer values in cents exist, e.g., HK$6.75, the phrase is 六個七毫半 (Cantonese Yale: luhk go chāt hòu bun; literally: "six units and seven dime half"; fives in cents is normally expressed as “half”, unless followed by another five, such as 55 cents when preceded by a dollar value); $7.08 is 七蚊零八仙 (Cantonese Yale: chāt mān lìng baat sīn; literally: "seven dollars zero eight cents").

The talent in this parable was worth about 6,000 denarii, so that one debt is 600,000 times as large as the other.[1] More significantly, 10,000 (a myriad) was the highest Greek numeral, and a talent the largest unit of currency,[1] so that 10,000 talents was the largest easily described debt (for comparison, the combined annual tribute of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea around this time was only 600 talents,[2] and one denarius was a day's wages,[2] so that 10,000 talents would be about 200,000 years' wages[3]). The setting is the court of some king in another country, where the "servants" could rank as highly as provincial governors.[2]

2008 was termed a disastrous year for the rupee after the elections; between December 2007 and August 2008 it lost 23% of its value, falling to a record low of 79.2 against the US dollar.[14] The major reasons for this depreciation were huge current and trade accounts deficits that had built up since the credit boom in Pakistan post 2002. Due to rising militancy in the NWFP and FATA areas, FDI began to fall and the structural problems of the balance of payment were exposed; a disastrous situation occurred where foreign reserves fell to as low as $2 billion. However, by February 2011 Forex reserves had recovered and set a new record of $17 billion. Of that $17 billion, more than $10 billion was borrowed money with interest applicable.[citation needed] In February 2016 the rupee was Rs 104.66 against US dollar. In December 2017, after holding talks with the IMF, Pakistan agreed to depreciate the rupee and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) would now let the currency exchange rate adjust to market conditions after many months, rather years, of resisting expectations.[15] The Pakistani rupee touched a new low of 110.67 against the USD.

A bank can issue a Hong Kong dollar only if it has the equivalent exchange in US dollars on deposit. The currency board system ensures that Hong Kong's entire monetary base is backed with US dollars at the linked exchange rate. The resources for the backing are kept in Hong Kong's exchange fund, which is among the largest official reserves in the world. Hong Kong also has huge deposits of US dollars, with official foreign currency reserves of US$361 billion as of March 2016.[7]

The pula was introduced in 1976, replacing the South African rand at par. Despite a 12% devaluation in May 2005, the pula remains one of the strongest currencies in Africa.[citation needed]


Question: What is the value of the currency in Paraguay? (Since the original question is already quite simple and straightforward, the similar question is virtually identical in this case)

The Paraguayan guaraní holds the position as the least valued currency in the Americas, with 1 US dollar equivalent to nearly 5,770 guaraníes.

Kosovo[i] and Montenegro officially adopted the euro as their sole currency without an agreement and, therefore, have no issuing rights.[13] These states are not considered part of the eurozone by the ECB. However, sometimes the term eurozone is applied to all territories that have adopted the euro as their sole currency.[27][28][29] Further unilateral adoption of the euro (euroisation), by both non-euro EU and non-EU members, is opposed by the ECB and EU.[30]

A new generation of players helped end the World Cup drought in grand fashion, as the Albirroja reached the 1998 World Cup in France by qualifying in second place in South America, behind Argentina. The first round matches were against Bulgaria (0–0), Spain (0–0), and Nigeria (3–1; goals Celso Ayala, Miguel Ángel Benítez and José Cardozo). Paraguay qualified to the second round (Round of 16) to be defeated in a thrilling match against hosts and eventual World Champions France. France only scored through Laurent Blanc in the 114th minute, during the second half of overtime (making it the first golden goal scored in a World Cup). Paraguay's central defending duo (Carlos Gamarra and Celso Ayala) and goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert were selected for the all-star World Cup team.

After the Civil War, Congress wanted to reestablish the metallic standard at pre-war rates. The market price of gold in greenbacks was above the pre-War fixed price ($20.67 per ounce of gold) requiring deflation to achieve the pre-War price. This was accomplished by growing the stock of money less rapidly than real output. By 1879 the market price matched the mint price of gold. The coinage act of 1873 (also known as the Crime of â€˜73) demonetized silver. This act removed the 412.5 grain silver dollar from circulation. Subsequently silver was only used in coins worth less than $1 (fractional currency). With the resumption of convertibility on June 30, 1879 the government again paid its debts in gold, accepted greenbacks for customs and redeemed greenbacks on demand in gold. Greenbacks were therefore perfect substitutes for gold coins. During the latter part of the nineteenth century the use of silver and a return to the bimetallic standard were recurrent political issues, raised especially by William Jennings Bryan, the People's Party and the Free Silver movement. In 1900 the gold dollar was declared the standard unit of account and a gold reserve for government issued paper notes was established. Greenbacks, silver certificates, and silver dollars continued to be legal tender, all redeemable in gold.[14]

The low price is another important factor in Parle-G's popularity. Outside India, it is sold for 99 cents for a 418Â gram pack as of 2012. A more common 80 gram "snack pack" is sold for as low as 15 cents (5 INR) at Indian grocers, and 40 cents at major retailers. By 2016, smaller 56.4 gram packs were being sold as eight for one dollar at Indian grocers in the United States.

Using a single monetary poverty threshold is problematic when applied worldwide, due to the difficulty of comparing prices between countries. Prices of the same goods vary dramatically from country to country; while this is typically corrected for by using purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates, the basket of goods used to determine such rates is usually unrepresentative of the poor, most of whose expenditure is on basic foodstuffs rather than the relatively luxurious items (washing machines, air travel, healthcare) often included in PPP baskets. The economist Robert C. Allen has attempted to solve this by using standardized baskets of goods typical of those bought by the poor across countries and historical time, for example including a fixed calorific quantity of the cheapest local grain (such as corn, rice, or oats).

The Basic Law of Hong Kong and the Sino-British Joint Declaration provides that Hong Kong retains full autonomy with respect to currency issuance. Currency in Hong Kong is issued by the government and three local banks (HSBC, Bank of China and Standard Chartered) under the supervision of the territory's de facto central bank, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. Banknotes are printed by Hong Kong Note Printing Limited.

Unlike most modern coins, Roman coins had (at least in the early centuries) significant intrinsic value. However, while the gold and silver issues contained precious metals, the value of a coin was slightly higher than its precious metal content, so they were not, strictly speaking, bullion. Also, over the course of time the purity and weight of the silver coins were reduced. Estimates of the value of the denarius range from 1.6 to 2.85 times its metal content,[citation needed] thought to equal the purchasing power of 10 modern British Pound Sterling (US$15.50) at the beginning of the Roman Empire to around 18 Pound Sterling (US$28) by its end (comparing bread, wine and meat prices) and, over the same period, around one to three days' pay for a Legionary.[9]

In 2006, Paraguay qualified for its third World Cup in a row. This time, two early defeats against England and Sweden (both 0–1) sent the team home early. The only consolation was defeating Trinidad and Tobago during the last and final group game by 2–0.

In formal Cantonese, the 圓 or 元 (Cantonese Yale: yùn) character is used. In spoken Cantonese, 蚊 (Cantonese Yale: mān) is used. The use of the character 蚊 (mān) originate from the tone change of the currency denomination used in China in imperial times 文 (Cantonese Yale: màn), which was the chief denomination until the introduction of the yuan in the late 19th century.

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (Spanish: Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB (also called GTMO because of the airfield designation code or Gitmo because of the common pronunciation of this code by the U.S. military[1]), is a United States military base located on 45 square miles (120 km2) of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, which the U.S. leased for use as a coaling and naval station in 1903 for $2,000 in gold per year until 1934, when the payment was set to match the value in gold in dollars;[2] in 1974, the yearly lease was set to $4,085.[3] The base is on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas U.S. Naval Base.[4] Since the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the Cuban government has consistently protested against the U.S. presence on Cuban soil and called it illegal under international law, alleging that the base was imposed on Cuba by force.


Question: What is the meaning behind the song "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"?

In the song "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," the singer expresses his emotions of shock and disbelief after learning about his girlfriend's betrayal indirectly, through rumors and gossip, rather than from her directly. The narrative is presented from the perspective of the singer as he comes to terms with the news of her infidelity.

Marvin Gaye's version was recorded in spring 1967, and is the second known recording, though was also rejected by Gordy as a single, and would also later go onto an album, In the Groove. The third recording was in 1967 with Gladys Knight and the Pips in a new, faster arrangement. Gordy accepted the new arrangement and the Gladys Knight version was released as a single in September 1967, reaching number 2 in the charts. When Gaye's album with his version of Grapevine was released in August 1968, radio disc jockeys were playing the song, so Gordy had it released as a single in October, and it went to number one in December.[10]

The song was written by lead singer Rob Thomas, and details him wondering about what it would be like if he lived in various settings other than the current one, including a superhero, a rainmaker, and being a boss at a job, and if they would worsen or improve his life.

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]

"Piece by Piece" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson taken from her seventh studio album of the same name. She co-wrote the track with its producer Greg Kurstin. A midtempo pop song about restoring someone's faith in love and family relationships, Clarkson promulgated "Piece by Piece" as a sequel to the song "Because of You" (2004) but with a "happy ending". After a discussion with her sister about their family life, she introspectively co-wrote the song in a first-person narrative to her father, whose neglect of his family was used as a juxtaposition to her husband's unconditional love for her and their daughter, whom they both promised to never abandon.

From this point forward, the suite almost completely abandons the previous storyline (the fur trapper's blindness is never explicitly healed). In this song a man attending St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast engages in such appalling deportment as stealing margarine pats from the tables, urinating on the bingo cards, and instigating an affair with an attractive married female churchgoer whose husband is in the Marine Corps and who is into sadomasochism. The final song in the suite, "Father O'Blivion", is about a priest, Father Vivian O'Blivion, who makes the pancakes for the St. Alfonzo fund-raiser. Randomly the song becomes about a leprechaun who's masturbating in a sock. The leprechaun feels that St. Alfonzo would be proud of him for doing so. Then he utters the Latin phrase "Dominus vobiscum, Et cum spiritu tuo (meaning "The Lord be with you, and with your spirit."). Won't you eat my sleazy pancakes just for Saintly Alfonzo." There are many possible reasons why the pancakes are "sleazy"; Zappa leaves them to the listener's interpretation. The suite can only loosely be said to follow a story and is treated as one piece only because of the musical transitions, the way each song introduces the next, and how later songs reference previous songs.[4]

"I guess that song's about when you have a lot of people that work for you and you sort-of have to write songs or people get unemployed, you know? In most cases, it's inspiring but in that particular song I was pissed off with it. I was ready for a break but it didn't seem fair on the people I worked with at the time."[1]

The lyrics are at times opaque, but the song seems to be (like most of the songs on the album) the tale of a love that has, for the time being, ended, although not by choice; the last verse begins:

The song was composed by the band's guitarist Tom King along with Chet Kelly.  Its basic arrangement was augmented by a horn section, yet was applied in an unobtrusive manner so as not detract from the band's fundamental sound, which on this occasion featured a signature riff from a twelve string electric guitar. The song also features an electric organ with a vibratto, heard in the verses. In the song, the lead singer states that he cannot wait forever for his girl, even though she wants him to, because time won't allow him to wait. This song is an example of Garage Rock because of the rejection of love and sexual relationships. The song also features a complex counterpoint melody in the other vocals in the Coda section, where the scream trumpet is heard before the song's fade.

While flying over Italy on the tour, Chuck D was inspired to write most of the song.[4] He recalled his idea, "I wanted to have sorta like the same theme as the original 'Fight the Power' by The Isley Brothers and fill it in with some kind of modernist views of what our surroundings were at that particular time."[4] The group's bass player Brian Hardgroove has said of the song's message, "Law enforcement is necessary. As a species we haven’t evolved past needing that. Fight the Power is not about fighting authority—it’s not that at all. It’s about fighting abuse of power."[5]

"Second Chance" began as a song written by Jeff Carlisi and Cal Curtis in 1983 entitled "I Never Wanted Anyone Else But You," which was only recorded as a demo; according to Carlisi, 38 Special's original frontman Don Barnes didn't wish the band to record the song: "[he] didn't feel [it] was really a 38 [Special] song."[1] When Max Carl replaced Don Barnes in 38 Special in 1988, Carlisi played the demo of "I Never Wanted Anyone Else But You" for Carl who remarked that "the guy in the song sounded like a real jerk"; Carlisi's reply: "yeah, but a lot of people have been through this and want forgiveness" prompted Carl's response: "yeah, maybe the guy needs a second chance" leading to the song's being reworked with the new lyric: "A heart needs a second chance" as its main hook line. Carlisi would state: "I think lyrically what [original lyricist] Cal [Curtis] sketched out was brilliant, but the real thing that touches people is that one simple phrase 'a heart needs a second chance.' No one had said it like that before and thatâ€™s what makes a great song[2]...[Carl] really brought it home and had such a marvelous voice. I mean, the guy could sing 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' and you'd go buy it, he was so good. He really sold that song."[3][4]


Question: Who portrays Doug's brother on the show King of Queens?

Gary Valentine is widely recognized for his portrayal of Danny Heffernan on the hit series The King of Queens, where he played the cousin of the main character, Doug Heffernan, played by his real-life brother, Kevin James. Over the course of nine seasons, his character became a staple of the show. Valentine has also made a name for himself in other television roles, including a significant appearance on the critically acclaimed show Men of a Certain Age, which was created by Ray Romano. Before his success on The King of Queens, he had his own stand-up special on Comedy Central and served as the host of The X Show on FX.

Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) receives news that his Aunt Shirley has died, and he informs the office. The only co-worker he invites to the funeral is Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez), who flees when Dwight begins shooting the corpse with a shotgun to ensure it is really dead. At the funeral, Dwight's family gathers: his cousins Mose (Michael Schur) and Zeke (Matt Jones), his brother Jeb (Thomas Middleditch), his sister Fannie (Majandra Delfino), his nephew Cammy (Blake Garrett Rosenthal), and his uncle Heinrich (Tom Bower). The family learns that Aunt Shirley has willed the siblings her estate on the condition that they all come back home to run it. Despite Dwight's enthusiasm in inheriting it, Fannie and Jeb are unwilling to move back in due to the lack of sophistication farm life offers. Nevertheless, Dwight convinces them to help him run the farm.

Trucco became active in television in the late 1990s with appearances in episodes of Touched by an Angel, Silk Stalkings, Beverly Hills, 90210, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, and Pensacola: Wings of Gold among others. He continued appearing in shows of similar genres like CSI, Heartbeart, Strong Medicine, CSI: Miami, and others into the 2000s. He played Cooper Lee in six episodes of One Tree Hill from 2005 to 2006.

Andy, Doug, Silas, and Shane have been living in Copenhagen for the last three years. Silas is 24 years old and Shane is 18 years old. Shane was a puppeteer with his now ex-girlfriend, Silas found work as a model for "some flower water", and Andy and Doug gave tours of Copenhagen under the name "Wonderful Wonderful Tours" (recalling the premiere of season five, Wonderful Wonderful). Nancy's sister Jill, who has been raising Stevie to believe Nancy is his aunt, tells them Nancy has been released and is in a halfway house in New York City. They return to New York City to find Nancy, who flees in shame upon seeing them. Silas tries to start up his modeling career under the name Silas Guinard, the last name of his biological father Lars Guinard. Doug meets an old college buddy, who gets him hired at a venture capital firm.

In 1930, E. Alyn Warren portrayed Douglas in the United Artists film, Abraham Lincoln. In 1939, Milburn Stone portrayed Douglas in the Twentieth Century-Fox film Young Mr. Lincoln. In 1940, Canadian actor Gene Lockhart portrayed Douglas in the RKO film Abe Lincoln in Illinois. In 1957, the actor Walter Coy portrayed Douglas in the episode "Springfield Incident" of CBS's The 20th Century Fox Hour. Other stars of the segment are Lloyd Corrigan and Tom Tryon, and Alan Hale, Jr.[40] Richard Dreyfuss portrayed Stephen A. Douglas in a Lincoln-Douglas debate audiobook with David Straithairn portraying Abraham Lincoln.[41]

In television, Astin guest-starred as Lynn McGill throughout the fifth season of the Fox drama 24. He also appeared in the made-for-TV films Hercules and The Colour of Magic and in episodes of Monk, Las Vegas, My Name is Earl (in which he parodied his 1993 film Rudy with co-stars Charles S. Dutton and Chelcie Ross), and Law & Order, among other shows. He directed a 2003 episode of the TV series Angel, titled "Soulless". He played the enigmatic Mr. Smith on the second season of the Showtime series Jeremiah.[citation needed]

Outside of acting, James has worked as a runner on the set of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and other film productions, such as The Da Vinci Code.[1] In 2009, the twins appeared as brothers in the 5th episode of the 3rd season of the TV series Kingdom. In 2012, they starred in "A Mind's Eye," a short documentary film based on the philosophical ideas of Plato.[2]

Rodrick is infamous for his stereotypical rebellious nature, feigning illness in Rodrick Rules so as to be allowed to remain at home to throw a chaotic house party during his parents' absence, only for the evidence to appear in newly developed photographs that are quickly discovered by the boys' parents. He bullies Greg a lot and pulls awful pranks that ruins Greg's and his family's life. Rodrick also possesses incompetent tendencies, as his school assignments are notoriously crude and idiotic. He assumes that Abraham Lincoln was the author of To Kill a Mockingbird and, with Greg's aid, bases a science presentation around the hypothesis of whether or not plants sneeze. His spelling abilities are also poor, and he devotes a lot of time to tormenting Greg. In the books, Rodrick owns and drives a white van, which sports his band's name written in large black letters, on either side of it and lacks any back seats, the reason being that Rodrick needs room for his band equipment. In the movie series, the van is revealed to be a 1996 Chevrolet Astro AWD van, which also sports a diaper's pin drawn on the rear doors. In Rodrick Rules, Greg is haunted by the fact that Rodrick knows about his most mortifying experience during the summertime. This haunts him when he returns to school. However, his fears are quickly eased after the story becomes distorted to Greg's advantage due to it being passed around by so many people (Ã  la Chinese Whispers), temporarily boosting his popularity. By the end of the film adaptation of Rodrick Rules, he is much closer to Greg, and his actions to him becomes much less aggressive. This is also shown in the film adaptation of Dog Days when Rodrick thanks Greg for getting him a gig at Heather Hills' Sweet 16. In the film series based on the books, Rodrick is played by Devon Bostick. In the film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Rodrick is played by Charlie Wright. Actually, Rodrick's name is usually spelled Roderick with an E, but his parents spelled it wrong on the birth certificate.

Austin's career began in 2002 when he appeared in commercials. A year later, he appeared in his first credited acting role as Kid 1698 in a comedy sketch on The Late Show With David Letterman.[3] In 2004, he landed his first major role – voicing Diego, the cousin of Dora, on the hit Nickelodeon animated series Dora the Explorer.[7][8] He continued to voice Diego on the spin-off series, Go, Diego, Go!, for three seasons.[4][7][8] Along with voicing Diego, Austin was cast in multiple voice roles for the feature films The Ant Bully and Everyone's Hero – he was also cast in the Comedy Central special Merry F#%$in’s Christmas.[9] In 2006, Austin landed the lead role of Angel Macias in his first live-action feature film, The Perfect Game, which was based on a true story about the first non-U.S. team to win the 1957 Little League World Series. The film wouldn't be released in the United States until more than three years later due to post-production financing difficulties.[10][11]

Jaleel Ahmad White (born November 27, 1976)[1] is an American actor. In 1989, he was cast in the role of Steve Urkel on the sitcom Family Matters.[2] The character, which was originally intended to be a one-time guest appearance, was an instant hit with audiences and White became a regular cast member. The series aired for a total of nine seasons, from 1989 to 1997 on ABC, and from 1997 to 1998 on CBS. Aside from this character, White is also known as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in the animated series Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic (SatAM) and Sonic Underground. He reprised the voice of Sonic in the 2013 fan film, Sonic.

Christian has played Mike Montgomery, lead character Aria Montgomery's younger brother, on the Freeform television series Pretty Little Liars,[8] since 2010. Other acting credits include appearances on television series True Blood, Grey's Anatomy and Back to You with Laura Marano, and in the 2011 film Kill the Irishman. Christian starred in the 2013 film The Starving Games, a parody of The Hunger Games films.[9][10]


Question:
Who did Johnny Manziel play college football for? (The provided question is already in the desired format, so the similar question is identical.)

Let's provide another example:

**Question**: what is the highest point in north america

**Similar Question**: What is the highest point in North America? (This is also already in the desired format, but to illustrate the task, we'll keep it as an example.)

**Question**: how many people live in the city of los angeles

**Similar Question**: How many people live in the city of Los Angeles? (Again, this is already in the desired format, but serves as a good example for the task.)

**Question**: where does the colorado river start and end

**Similar Question**: Where does the Colorado River start and end?

Johnny Manziel, a dual-threat quarterback, began his college football career with the Texas A&M Aggies in 2012, during their first season in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Under Kevin Sumlin's Air Raid offense, Manziel set several NCAA Division I FBS and SEC records, including being the first freshman and fifth player to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season. His outstanding performance earned him the Heisman Trophy, Manning Award, and the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, making him the first freshman to win these honors. Manziel continued his success by leading Texas A&M to a 41-13 victory over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

At the end of the 2011 regular season, Mathieu had 77 total tackles (60 solo and 17 assists), 1.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries (2 returned for a touchdown), and 2 interceptions.[5] On special teams, Mathieu had 26 punt returns for 420 yards, with 2 returned for a touchdown.[6] On October 19, 2011, Mathieu was suspended for one game following a violation of LSU's drug policy.[7] Mathieu was named the most valuable player of the 2011 SEC Championship Game. Mathieu earned the nickname "The Honey Badger" for his tenacious ability to play extremely tough football against much larger opponents, as well as his knack for making big plays.[8] This led to him being a Heisman Trophy finalist. On December 8, 2011, Mathieu was awarded the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the year's best defensive player in college football. This marked the second straight year an LSU defensive player won the nation's top defensive honor following Patrick Peterson in 2010.

The Backyard Brawl is an American college football rivalry between the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and West Virginia University Mountaineers. The term "Backyard Brawl" has also been used to refer to college basketball games played annually or semi-annually and may also be used to refer to other athletic competitions between the two schools. It is a registered trademark for both universities,[1] and refers to the close proximity of the two universities, separated by 75 miles (105Â km) along Interstate 79.

On October 12, 2016, Grand Valley State University announced that it had overtaken the University of Michigan as the record holder for all-time college football winning percentage (for schools with over 500 games played, not taking division into consideration).[1] The winning percentage in the Division I Subdivisions for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football is (.712), not (.730) as noted in error on the most victories chart. As well, the order of the list is more accurate to reflect the actual victory, loss and tie counts 'as performed' on the field, eg: Michiga, Alabama 907, Ohio State 898, Notre Dame 893, etc...followed with the footnote to then reflect a penalty later discredited (#) victories.

He was then recruited to play football at Butte College. Rodgers threw 26 touchdowns in his freshman season,[23] leading Butte to a 10â€“1 record, the NorCal Conference championship, and a No. 2 national ranking. While there, he was discovered by the California Golden Bears's head coach Jeff Tedford, who was recruiting Butte tight end Garrett Cross. Tedford was surprised to learn that Rodgers had not been recruited earlier. Because of Rodgers's good high school scholastic record, he was eligible to transfer after one year of junior college instead of the typical two.[24]

Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Aggies," and the official school colors are maroon and white. The mascot is a rough collie named Reveille.

Notre Dame opened their 2015 season vs Texas with a 38â€“3 win. During the game, starting running back Tarean Folston sustained an injury to his right knee ending his season.[19] In the following week vs Virginia, starting Quarterback Malik Zaire, suffered a broken ankle [20] leading to DeShone Kizer finishing the game for Notre Dame. Kizer remained the Notre Dame quarterback for the rest of the season, a campaign in which the Irish won 10 games against 3 losses, the latter including a hard fought loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Although EA Sports does not claim that the players in the game represent real life players, the jersey number, position, height, weight, home state, and ethnicity are aligned with the real players. Fans of any particular team are sure to recognize their favorite players (for example, in NCAA Football 14, Florida State QB #5 would correspond to Jameis Winston). Actual usage of a player's real name would be in violation of the NCAA's policy regarding student athletes. Amateur "roster makers" will often manually associate player names and will upload a roster file to the built-in roster sharing system. As of NCAA Football 09, EA has put in the EA Locker feature which allows remote roster sharing online through either Xbox Live or PlayStation Network depending on the console. In certain game modes, real players are given fake names. For instance, in NCAA Football 14, Ohio State QB Braxton Miller is referred to as Matthew Carrington.

Peppers was born in Wilson, North Carolina, and raised in nearby Bailey. He first attended Hunt High School for his freshman and sophomore years. Later, he attended Fike High School and then transferred to Southern Nash High School. By the time he was a senior at Bailey's Southern Nash Senior High School, Peppers had grown to 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), 225 lb (102 kg). Ray Davis, the football coach at Southern Nash, felt that Peppers would be an asset on the gridiron for the Firebirds, despite the fact that Peppers had never played football before. Davis's gamble would pay off. During his high school career, Peppers played running back and defensive lineman, finished his career with 3,501 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns, and was one of the most dangerous defensive linemen in the state.[2] He also lettered in basketball and was voted all-conference as a power forward for four consecutive years. In 1998, Southern Nash won the state championship in track for the first time in the school's history. Peppers contributed as a sprinter, winning the state championship in the 4×400 meter team relay (3:23.10 minutes) and finishing second as a triple jumper (14.05 meters). He was also rumored to have cleared 2.03 meters in the high jump.[3] During his senior year (1997–98), he was named to the Parade magazine high school All-America team in football as an all-purpose talent and was also named Male Athlete of the Year by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. In 2005, Peppers was named by the Rocky Mount Telegram newspaper as one of the 50 Greatest Athletes from the Twin County (Nash and Edgecombe) area.

Johnson was born in Walnut Creek, California, to Carol Hannah and Rollen Charles "Bud" Johnson.[1] By the time he entered Livermore High School, he was a star in baseball and basketball. In 1982, as a senior, he struck out 121 batters in 66 innings, and threw a perfect game in his last high school start. He also played on a Bercovich team that assembled top players from throughout California. After high school, he was drafted in 1982 by the Atlanta Braves in the 4th round and offered $50,000 to sign. Instead, Johnson accepted a full athletic scholarship to play baseball for the University of Southern California.  While at USC, he also played 2 years of basketball. He was a starter at USC (where he was a teammate of Mark McGwire) under coach Rod Dedeaux, but often exhibited control problems.

The October 17, 1994 episode between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos featured a duel between two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Joe Montana and John Elway. With 1:29 left to play in the game, Elway scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to put the Broncos ahead 28â€“24. But then Montana led the Chiefs on a 75-yard drive to score the game-winning touchdown with just 8 seconds to play. The final score was Chiefs 31, Broncos 28.


Question:
Who did Johnny Manziel play college football for? (The similarity is exact because the original question is already in the desired format.)

Another similar question could be: Which college football team did Johnny Manziel represent?

Johnny Manziel was awarded an athletic scholarship to Texas A&M University. There, he played college football under coach Mike Sherman in 2011 and continued to play under new coach Kevin Sumlin from 2012 to 2013.

A common folk etymology attributes the name to the Roman numeral for four (IV), asserting that there was such a sports league originally with four members. The Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins helped to perpetuate this belief. The supposed "IV League" was formed over a century ago and consisted of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and a fourth school that varies depending on who is telling the story.[38][39][40] However, it is clear that Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Columbia met on November 23, 1876 at the so-called Massasoit Convention to decide on uniform rules for the emerging game of American football, which rapidly spread.[41]

NCAA Football 2000, released only for the PlayStation, featured University of Texas running back and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams being tackled by a Texas A&M University defense on the cover.

The UCF football program can be traced back to a speech given by the university's second president, Dr. Trevor Colbourn, in January 1979.[9] Colbourn believed that a successful athletics program would bring the university greater renown, and tasked Dr. Jack O'Leary with the job of creating a new football program at the school.[10] In addition, Colbourn changed the name of the school to the University of Central Florida (prior to this, the college was known as Florida Technological University), to express the university's expanded academic scope.[11]

Manziel is a Christian.[110] Manziel is a friend of rap artist Drake and in April 2014, Drake released a track entitled "Draft Day", which includes a shoutout to Manziel.[111][112] He is currently engaged to Bre Tiesi as of March 10, 2017.[113]

For several years, Brown he would occasionally cite an alternate history of the team name. He claimed that the second name-the-team contest yielded the name "Brown Bombers," after then-world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, whose nickname was "The Brown Bomber." According to this version, Brown wanted his team to have a nickname befitting a champion, and felt the nickname "Brown Bombers" was apropos. The name was reportedly shortened to simply "Browns." This alternate history of the name was even supported by the team as being factual as recently as the mid-1990s,[15] and it continues as an urban legend to this day. However, Paul Brown never held fast to the Joe Louis story, and later in his life admitted that it was invented in part because of his wariness of having the team being named after him. The Browns and the NFL now both support the position that the team was indeed named after Paul Brown.[16][17]

Texas A&M's traditional rival is the Texas Longhorns. The university has had other significant rivals, but few came close to the rivalry shared between Texas A&M and the University of Texas. The mutual respect and desire to win gave rise to the Lone Star Showdown, an athletic competition that lasted year-round and encompassed all regular-season NCAA athletic events between the two schools. Though the showdown officially began in 2004, the two teams had been competing with one another for more than a century. The rivalry ended in 2012 when the Aggies moved to the Southeastern Conference.

For seven years, from 2000 to 2006, the program participated in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championship, winning the Western division national title three times. The Aggies ended their participation in IHSA in 2006, and the program now competes only in the Varsity Equestrian National Championship, in which A&M won the overall national championship in 2002 and Western division titles in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2010. Additionally, in 2010, Texas A&M won two individual national titles, with Caroline Gunn winning the national title for the second time in a row in Horsemanship, and Maggie Gratny winning the national title in reining.

"Blinded by the Light", a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, contains what has been called "probably the most misheard lyric of all time".[27] The phrase "revved up like a deuce", altered from Springsteen's original "cut loose like a deuce," both lyrics referring to the hot rodders slang deuce (short for deuce coupé) for a 1932 Ford coupé, is frequently misheard as "wrapped up like a douche".[27][28] Springsteen himself has joked about the phenomenon, claiming that it was not until Manfred Mann rewrote the song to be about a "feminine hygiene product" that the song became popular.[29][b]

After the 1903 season, Clemson tied 11â€“11 in a game billed as the "SIAA Championship Game." Cumberland rushed out to an early 11 to 0 lead, but Clemson came back to tie. On the second half kickoff, Clemson quarterback John Maxwell raced 100 yards for a touchdown. Clemson missed the try. Later, Cumberland fumbled a punt and Clemson recovered. Cumberland expected a trick play when Fritz Furtick simply ran up the middle and scored.[16]

The Pittsburgh Panthers football program is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football competition, now termed the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, since the beginning of the school's sponsorship of the sport in 1890. As of the 2013 season, Pitt competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).


Question: What does the white stork symbolize in Western culture?

In Western culture, the white stork is a symbol of fertility and new life, as it is believed to bring babies to parents. This legend, which dates back centuries, was popularized by Hans Christian Andersen's 19th-century story, "The Storks." According to German folklore, storks found babies in caves or marshes and delivered them to households in baskets on their backs or in their beaks. These caves were said to contain "stork stones," and households would place sweets on the windowsill to signal their desire for a child. The stork would then deliver the baby, sometimes dropping it down the chimney. The folklore has since spread globally, reaching the Philippines and South America. A birthmark on the back of a newborn's head, known as nevus flammeus nuchae, is sometimes referred to as a "stork bite."

The adult white stork's main sound is noisy bill-clattering, which has been likened to distant machine gun fire. The bird makes these sounds by rapidly opening and closing its beak so that a knocking sound is made each time its beak closes. The clattering is amplified by its throat pouch, which acts as a resonator. Used in a variety of social interactions, bill-clattering generally grows louder the longer it lasts, and takes on distinctive rhythms depending on the situationâ€”for example, slower during copulation and briefer when given as an alarm call. The only vocal sound adult birds generate is a weak barely audible hiss; however, young birds can generate a harsh hiss, various cheeping sounds, and a cat-like mew they use to beg for food. Like the adults, young also clatter their beaks.[74] The up-down display is used for a number of interactions with other members of the species. Here a stork quickly throws its head backwards so that its crown rests on its back before slowly bringing its head and neck forwards again, and this is repeated several times. The display is used as a greeting between birds, post coitus, and also as a threat display. Breeding pairs are territorial over the summer, and use this display, as well as crouching forward with the tails cocked and wings extended.[75]

The medial/public depiction lays the foundation stone for the creation of icons. In this way, a certain image of a biological person or a real object (signifier) is produced and becomes the signified (cf. Volkmann 2006: 94â€“96). The emanated configuration of signs (cf. ibid. 96) helps turn the signified into an icon, if it captures the atmosphere of a particular period/country and is acknowledged by contemporary societies as well as future generations.

The secretary bird has traditionally been admired in Africa for its striking appearance and ability to deal with pests and snakes. Africans sometimes call it the Devil's Horse. As such it has often not been disturbed, although this is changing as traditional observances have declined.[9]

The use of purification by fire is an important element of the shamanic tradition dating back as early as the 6th century. People and things connected with the dead had to be purified by passing between fires. These purifications were complex exorcisms while others simply involved the act of literally walking between two fires while being blessed by the Shaman. Shamans in literature and practice were also responsible for using special stones to manipulate weather. Rituals are performed with these stones to attract rain or repel snow, cold or wind. This "rain-stone" was used for many occasions including bringing an end to drought as well as producing hailstorms as a means of warfare.[153] Despite distinctions between various types of shamans and specific traditions, there is a uniformity throughout the region manifested in the personal beliefs, objectives, rituals, symbols and the appearance of shamans.

The flag's background is white, a traditional color in Korean culture. White was common in the daily attire of 19th-century Koreans, and it still appears in contemporary versions of traditional Korean garments, such as the hanbok. The color represents peace and purity.

The backwards uma (shogi horse symbol) is often featured on merchandise (such as on large decorative shogi piece sculptures, keychains, and other keepsakes) available for sale in Tendō. It is also serves as a symbol of good luck. (Cf. Rabbit's foot.) There are multiple theories on its origin. One is that uma (うま ) spelled in the Japanese syllabary backwards is まう mau (舞う), which means (to) dance and dancing horses are a good luck omen.[43]

On occasion, jackdaws, crows, and other Corvidae are associated with the rhyme, particularly in America where magpies are less common.[4]

In European folklore, the unicorn is often depicted as a white horse-like or goat-like animal with a long horn and cloven hooves (sometimes a goat's beard). In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could only be captured by a virgin. In the encyclopedias its horn was said to have the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness. In medieval and Renaissance times, the tusk of the narwhal was sometimes sold as unicorn horn.

"Blue Skies" is one of many popular songs whose lyrics use a "Bluebird of happiness" as a symbol of cheer: "Bluebirds singing a songâ€”Nothing but bluebirds all day long."

Milch has pointed out repeatedly in interviews that the intent of the show was to study the way that civilization comes together from chaos by organizing itself around symbols (in Deadwood the main symbol is gold). Initially, he intended to study this within Roman civilization (the central symbol was to be the religious cross), but HBO's Rome series was already in production and Milch was asked by the network if he could stage the story in another place.[7] Although the series touches on a variety of issues including race, prostitution, misogyny, violence, politics, and immigration, most of the major story lines are grounded in this issue of bringing order from chaos.


Question: To which groups are members of Congress accountable?

Members of the United States Congress, which includes the House of Representatives and the Senate, are accountable to various groups. Representatives are directly responsible to the constituents in their congressional districts, serving two-year terms. Senators, on the other hand, represent their entire state and are accountable to all its residents, serving longer, six-year terms. Both representatives and senators must consider the interests of their political parties and, in some cases, interest groups and lobbyists, in addition to their constituents. The staggered election schedule for senators ensures a consistent representation and accountability to the electorate.

In 1967, the United States Congress passed the Uniform Congressional District Act, which requires almost all representatives be elected from single-member-districts,[19][20] Following the Wesberry v. Sanders decision, Congress was motivated by fears that courts would impose at-large plurality districts on states that did not redistrict to comply with the new mandates for districts roughly equal in population, and Congress also sought to prevent attempts by southern states to use such voting systems to dilute the vote of racial minorities.[21] Several states have used multi-member districts in the past, although only two states (Hawaii and New Mexico) used multi-member districts in 1967.[20] Hawaii and New Mexico were made exempt from the Uniform Congressional District Act, and are free to use multi-member districts, although neither state chooses to do so.[20]

Question Hour is the first hour of a sitting session of India's Lok Sabha devoted to questions that Members of Parliament raise about any aspect of administrative activity. The concerned Minister is obliged to answer to the Parliament, either orally or in writing, depending on the type of question raised. Questions are one of the ways Parliament can hold the Executive accountable.

Joint Sessions of the United States Congress occur on special occasions that require a concurrent resolution from both House and Senate. These sessions include counting electoral votes after a presidential election and the president's State of the Union address. The constitutionally-mandated report, normally given as an annual speech, is modeled on Britain's Speech from the Throne, was written by most presidents after Jefferson but personally delivered as a spoken oration beginning with Wilson in 1913. Joint Sessions and Joint Meetings are traditionally presided over by the Speaker of the House except when counting presidential electoral votes when the Vice President (acting as the President of the Senate) presides.

Sidak explained that there is a connection between the Recommendation clause and the Petition Clause of the 1st Amendment: "Through his performance of the duty to recommend measures to Congress, the President functions as the agent of a diffuse electorate who seek the redress of grievances. To muzzle the President, therefore, is to diminish the effectiveness of this right expressly reserved to the people under the first amendment."[21]:2119, note 7 Kesavan and Sidak also cited a Professor Bybee who stated in this context: "The Recommendation Clause empowers the President to represent the people before Congress, by recommending measures for the reform of government, for the general welfare, or for the redress of grievances. The Right of Petition Clause prevents Congress from abridging the right of the people to petition for a redress of grievances."[20]:43

The U.S. Congress in relation to the president and Supreme Court has the role of chief legislative body of the United States. However, the Constitution's Framers built a system in which three powerful branches of the government, using a series of checks and balances, could limit each other's power. As a result, it helps to understand how Congress interacts with the presidency as well as the Supreme Court to understand how it operates as an institution.

The position of Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) was created by the 104th Congress following the 1994 mid-term elections, replacing the positions of Doorkeeper and Director of Non-Legislative and Financial Services (created by the previous congress to administer the non-partisan functions of the House). The CAO also assumed some of the responsibilities of the House Information Services, which previously had been controlled directly by the Committee on House Administration, then headed by Representative Charlie Rose of North Carolina, along with the House "Folding Room".

Presently, the disciplinary process begins when a resolution to expel or censure a Member is referred to the appropriate committee. In the House, this is the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (House Ethics Committee); in the Senate, this is the Select Committee on Ethics (Senate Ethics Committee).

The presiding officer is the Speaker of the House, who is elected by the members thereof and is therefore traditionally the leader of the controlling party. The Speaker and other floor leaders are chosen by the Democratic Caucus or the Republican Conference, depending on whichever party has more voting members. The House meets in the south wing of the United States Capitol.

The House uses committees and their subcommittees for a variety of purposes, including the review of bills and the oversight of the executive branch. The appointment of committee members is formally made by the whole House, but the choice of members is actually made by the political parties. Generally, each party honors the preferences of individual members, giving priority on the basis of seniority. Historically, membership on committees has been in rough proportion to the party's strength in the House as a whole, with two exceptions: on the Rules Committee, the majority party fills nine of the thirteen seats;[55] and on the Ethics Committee, each party has an equal number of seats.[56] However, when party control in the House is closely divided, extra seats on committees are sometimes allocated to the majority party. In the 109th Congress, for example, the Republicans controlled about 53% of the House as a whole, but had 54% of the Appropriations Committee members, 55% of the members on the Energy and Commerce Committee, 58% of the members on the Judiciary Committee, and 69% of the members on the Rules Committee.

Members of Congress make fact-finding missions to learn about other countries and stay informed, but these outings can cause controversy if the trip is deemed excessive or unconnected with the task of governing. For example, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2009 that lawmaker trips abroad at taxpayer expense had included spas, $300-per-night extra unused rooms, and shopping excursions.[180] Lawmakers respond that "traveling with spouses compensates for being away from them a lot in Washington" and justify the trips as a way to meet officials in other nations.[180]


Question: When do you announce honors in contract bridge?

In contract bridge, honors can be declared and scored after the auction has concluded. However, for tactical purposes, it is advisable to wait until the end of the play to declare honors, as this prevents opponents from gaining valuable information about the distribution of the cards. It's worth noting that honors can be held by any of the four players, including the dummy.

In International Match Point (IMP) scoring, every individual score is subtracted from another score, and the difference (or "swing") is converted to IMPs, using the standard IMP table below.[1] The purpose of the IMP table, which has sublinear dependency on differences, is to reduce results occurring from large swings.

After all tricks are taken, counters are tallied for each player. The three discards by the highest bidder count toward their counter score for the hand, so there is always a total of 25 points for the trick score among the three players. If the highest bidder fails to make their contract by adding meld points and trick points from the play, then their score is negative the amount of the bid for that hand. The meld count is cancelled.

Similar to three-handed pinochle, cutthroat is a simple modification.  The dealer deals the entire deck out (16 cards to each player),  in packets of four.  The player to the left of the dealer begins the bidding once meld has been silently determined by all players.  Play continues normally in terms of scoring and trick taking.  The only way to win in cutthroat pinochle, however, is to "bid and out", or to have taken the bid and surpassed the predetermined winning score.  It is then possible for multiple players to go over the winning score, yet if none has taken a bid and met the resulting contract, a win has not happened and play continues.  It is also possible for a person to lose with the high score if they do not take a winning bid.

In the 1932 Laws of Contract Bridge, no trump tricks bid and made, and undoubled no trump tricks made but not bid, score 30, 40, 30, 40, 30, 40, 30.[2]:law 30

Some of the signals may be called out verbally too. These names have evolved over time in a mixture of Cockney rhyming slang and backslang. For example, 4â€“1 is known as rouf (four backwards).

Canasta (/kəˈnæstə/; Spanish for "basket") is a card game of the rummy family of games believed to be a variant of 500 Rum.[1][2][3][4][5] Although many variations exist for two, three, five or six players, it is most commonly played by four in two partnerships with two standard decks of cards. Players attempt to make melds of seven cards of the same rank and "go out" by playing all cards in their hand. It is the only partnership member of the family of Rummy games to achieve the status of a classic.

The momentum to create a new honour typically originates at either the Chancellery of Honours or the Department of National Defence, though private organisations or individuals may also make proposals. The chancellery will investigate whether or not the suggested honour is necessary and if it will conform within the national honours structure. Should it meet these criteria, the notion is put before the Honours Policy Committee—a group of senior public servants, formed in 1980 within the Privy Council Office[28]—and then, if approved, is moved before the Cabinet for an Order in Council to be drawn up. On the prime minister's advice, via the governor general, the documents and drawings for the new honour are presented to the Queen for her consideration; only with her signature on the relevant letters patent and the design sketches does the new honour officially become extant.[28] Any future amendments to the honour's appearance or award criteria do not need the monarch's approval; the governor general will perform such tasks instead.[22]

On some shows, the credits are reduced to either a rapid-fire crawl, or quick-flashing cards; in some cases, each credit would appear on-screen for less than one second (a prime example is at the end of each episode of Survivor, in which there is a rapid credit-crawl to fit in all of the contestant's closing speech). Sometimes a promo would run shorter of the normal time it would take to run the credits at normal speed. Thus, the credits even "sped-up" near the end in order to show all the credits before the promo ended (a prime example of this is NBC's showing of Titanic, in which there were so many credits to be shown in so little time that credits switched almost every frame, making it impossible for anyone to read, even with a slow motion capability â€“ and The Biggest Loser, particularly during the season finale episodes). Starting with the 2004 season, ABC air their closing credits of its sitcoms at the bottom of the screen, during the closing scene in a format that keeps in-line with the network's generic credits look. These credits, however, air without the dark-colored bar that airs during their other prime-time programs, except for promotional consideration tags that appear near the end of the credits. In other words, the credits are superimposed over the closing scene's action in the same manner as the original studio credits.

Royalties, or bonuses as they are sometimes called, are extra units that may be awarded to players with particularly strong hands.

Hand signals are used to assist the "eye in the sky", a person or video camera located above the table and sometimes concealed behind one-way glass. The eye in the sky usually makes a video recording of the table, which helps in resolving disputes and identifying dealer mistakes, and is also used to protect the casino against dealers who steal chips or players who cheat. The recording can further be used to identify advantage players whose activities, while legal, make them undesirable customers. In the event of a disagreement between a player's hand signals and their words, the hand signal takes precedence.[citation needed]


Question: Can you explain the three stages of the normal blood coagulation process?

The normal blood clotting process, also known as hemostasis, involves three primary stages to prevent excessive blood loss. First, vascular spasm occurs, where the blood vessels constrict to limit blood flow. Next, platelets form a plug at the site of the injury, adhering to the damaged vessel wall within seconds. Finally, coagulation takes place, where fibrin threads are produced to strengthen the platelet plug, creating a stable blood clot. This process typically begins within a minute of vessel damage and is fully established after several minutes, effectively sealing the wound and preventing further blood loss.

In the British comedy film Doctor in the House (1954), Sir Lancelot Spratt, the intimidating chief of surgery played by James Robertson Justice is asking instructional questions of his medical students. He asks a young student, who has been distracted by a pretty nurse, what "the bleeding time" is. The student looks at his watch and answers "ten past ten, sir."

Deep vein thrombosis is a condition in which a blood clot forms in a deep vein. This is usually the veins of the legs, although it can also occur in the veins of the arms. Immobility, active cancer, obesity, traumatic damage and congenital disorders that make clots more likely are all risk factors for deep vein thrombosis. It can cause the affected limb to swell, and cause pain and an overlying skin rash. In the worst case, a deep vein thrombosis can extend, or a part of a clot can break off and land in the lungs, called pulmonary embolism.

The intact endothelial lining inhibits platelet activation by producing nitric oxide, endothelial-ADPase, and PGI2 (Prostacyclin). Endothelial-ADPase degrades the platelet activator ADP.

Tissue culture is the growth of tissues or cells separate from the organism. This is typically facilitated via use of a liquid, semi-solid, or solid growth medium, such as broth or agar. Tissue culture commonly refers to the culture of animal cells and tissues, with the more specific term plant tissue culture being used for plants. The term "tissue culture" was coined by American pathologist Montrose Thomas Burrows.[1]

Veins are blood vessels that carry blood toward the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated blood to the heart. In contrast to veins, arteries carry blood away from the heart.

Collagen-mediated GPVI signalling increases the platelet production of thromboxane A2 (TXA2) and decreases the production of prostacyclin. This occurs by altering the metabolic flux of platelet's eicosanoid synthesis pathway, which involves enzymes phospholipase A2, cyclo-oxygenase 1, and thromboxane-A synthase. Platelets secrete thromboxane A2, which acts on the platelet's own thromboxane receptors on the platelet surface (hence the so-called "out-in" mechanism), and those of other platelets. These receptors trigger intraplatelet signaling, which converts GPIIb/IIIa receptors to their active form to initiate aggregation.[7]

2,3-Bisphosphoglycerate or 2,3-BPG (formerly named 2,3-diphosphoglycerate or 2,3-DPG) is an organophosphate formed in erythrocytes during glycolysis and is the conjugate base of 2,3-bisphosphoglyceric acid. The production of 2,3-BPG is likely an important adaptive mechanism, because the production increases for several conditions in the presence of diminished peripheral tissue O2 availability, such as hypoxaemia, chronic lung disease, anaemia, and congestive heart failure, among others. High levels of 2,3-BPG shift the curve to the right (as in childhood), while low levels of 2,3-BPG cause a leftward shift, seen in states such as septic shock, and hypophosphataemia.[4] In the absence of 2,3-BPG, hemoglobin's affinity for oxygen increases. 2,3-BPG acts as a heteroallosteric effector of hemoglobin, lowering hemoglobin's affinity for oxygen by binding preferentially to deoxyhemoglobin. An increased concentration of BPG in red blood cells favours formation of the T, low-affinity state of hemoglobin and so the oxygen-binding curve will shift to the right.

A port (often referred to by brand names such as Port-a-Cath or MediPort) is a central venous line that does not have an external connector; instead, it has a small reservoir that is covered with silicone rubber and is implanted under the skin. Medication is administered intermittently by placing a small needle through the skin, piercing the silicone, into the reservoir. When the needle is withdrawn the reservoir cover reseals itself. The cover can accept hundreds of needle sticks during its lifetime. It is possible to leave the ports in the patient's body for years; if this is done however, the port must be accessed monthly and flushed with an anti-coagulant, or the patient risks it getting plugged up. If it is plugged it becomes a hazard as a thrombus will eventually form with an accompanying risk of embolisation. Removal of a port is usually a simple outpatient procedure; however, installation is more complex and a good implant is fairly dependent on the skill of the radiologist. Ports cause less inconvenience and have a lower risk of infection than PICCs, and are therefore commonly used for patients on long-term intermittent treatment.

Glycosylation is the process by which a carbohydrate is covalently attached to a target macromolecule, typically proteins and lipids. This modification serves various functions.[4] For instance, some proteins do not fold correctly unless they are glycosylated.[1] In other cases, proteins are not stable unless they contain oligosaccharides linked at the amide nitrogen of certain asparagine residues. The influence of glycosylation on the folding and stability of glycoprotein is twofold. Firstly, the highly soluble glycans may have a direct physicochemical stabilisation effect. Secondly, N-linked glycans mediate a critical quality control check point in glycoprotein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum.[5] Glycosylation also plays a role in cell-to-cell adhesion (a mechanism employed by cells of the immune system) via sugar-binding proteins called lectins, which recognize specific carbohydrate moieties.[1] Glycosylation is an important parameter in the optimization of many glycoprotein-based drugs such as monoclonal antibodies.[5] Glycosylation also underpins the ABO blood group system. It is the presence or absence of glycosyltransferases which dictates which blood group antigens are presented and hence what antibody specificities are exhibited. This immunological role may well have driven the diversification of glycan heterogeneity and creates a barrier to zoonotic transmission of viruses.[6] In addition, glycosylation is often used by viruses to shield the underlying viral protein from immune recognition. A significant example is the dense glycan shield of the envelope spike of the human immunodeficiency virus.[7]

Erythropoiesis is the process by which new red blood cells are produced; it lasts about 7 days. Through this process red blood cells are continuously produced in the red bone marrow of large bones. (In the embryo, the liver is the main site of red blood cell production.) The production can be stimulated by the hormone erythropoietin (EPO), synthesised by the kidney. Just before and after leaving the bone marrow, the developing cells are known as reticulocytes; these comprise about 1% of circulating red blood cells.


Question: What is the tectonic process that is responsible for creating the extensive canyon system on Mars?

The creation of the Valles Marineris canyon system on Mars is attributed to the tectonic processes associated with the formation of the Tharsis Bulge. This multi-stage process began with volcanism and isostatic uplift, followed by the crust failing to support the weight of the Tharsis region, resulting in graben formation. The final stage involved additional volcanism and asteroid impacts, with the low viscosity magma forming shield volcanoes akin to those in the Hawaiian Islands, but with the absence of plate tectonics on Mars, leading to the formation of massive volcanoes like Olympus Mons.

In 1857, Edward Fitzgerald Beale was superintendent of an expedition to survey a wagon road along the 35th parallel from Fort Defiance, Arizona to the Colorado River. He led a small party of men in search of water on the Coconino Plateau near the canyon's south rim. On September 19, near present-day National Canyon, they came upon what May Humphreys Stacey described in his journal as "...a wonderful canyon four thousand feet deep. Everyone (in the party) admitted that he never before saw anything to match or equal this astonishing natural curiosity."

These estuaries are formed by subsidence or land cut off from the ocean by land movement associated with faulting, volcanoes, and landslides. Inundation from eustatic sea level rise during the Holocene Epoch has also contributed to the formation of these estuaries. There are only a small number of tectonically produced estuaries; one example is the San Francisco Bay, which was formed by the crustal movements of the San Andreas fault system causing the inundation of the lower reaches of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers.[7]

Between 2003 and 2011, 2,215 mining claims had been requested that are adjacent to the canyon, including claims for uranium mines. Mining has been suspended since 2009, when U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar withdrew 1 million acres (4,000 km2) from the permitting process, pending assessment of the environmental impact of mining. Critics of the mines are concerned that, once mined, the uranium will leach into the water of the Colorado River and contaminate the water supply for up to 18 million people.[34] Salazar's so-called "Northern Arizona Withdrawal" is a 20-year moratorium on new mines, but allows existing mines to continue. In 2012, the federal government stopped new mines in the area, which was upheld by the U.S. District Court for Arizona in 2014, but appealed by the National Mining Association, joined by the state of Arizona under Attorney General Mark Brnovich as well as Utah, Montana and Nevada. National Mining Association v. Jewell is pending before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals as of September 2015.[35]

Meteoroids also hit other bodies in the solar system. On such stony bodies as the Moon or Mars that have little or no atmosphere, they leave enduring craters.

Post rift sediments are the results of a several million year story involving various carbonate reef formations, and heavy erosion events which flooded the gulf with terrestrial clastic sediments from inland North America, essentially recording the tectonic history of the North American continent since the Cretaceous.[2]

In 1895 Lowell published a book titled Mars, which speculated about an arid, dying landscape, whose inhabitants built canals to bring water from the polar caps to irrigate the remaining arable land. This formed the most advanced scientific ideas about the conditions on the red planet available to Wells at the time The War of the Worlds was written, but the concept was later proved erroneous by more accurate observation of the planet, and later landings by Russian and American probes such as the two Viking missions, that found a lifeless world too cold for water to exist in its liquid state.[15]

Musk also hinted at the possibility that the underground infrastructure technology might be used for his project of creating a self-sustaining human colony on Mars: "I do think getting good at digging tunnels could be really helpful for Mars. For sure there's going to be a lot of ice mining on Mars, and mining in general to get raw materials. You can build a tremendous amount underground with the right boring technology on Mars. So I do think there is some overlap in that technology development arena."[37] "And then, along the way, building underground habitats where you could get radiation shieldingâ€¦ you could build an entire city underground if you wanted to".[38][39][40]

The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier canadien (French), is a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks (geological shield) that forms the ancient geological core of the North American continent (the North American Craton or Laurentia). Composed of igneous rock resulting from its long volcanic history, the area is covered by a thin layer of soil.[3] With a deep, common, joined bedrock region in eastern and central Canada, it stretches north from the Great Lakes to the Arctic Ocean, covering over half of Canada; it also extends south into the northern reaches of the United States. Human population is sparse, and industrial development is minimal,[4] while mining is prevalent.

Fjords were formed where pleistocene glaciers deepened and widened existing river valleys so that they become U-shaped in cross sections. At their mouths there are typically rocks, bars or sills of glacial deposits, which have the effects of modifying the estuarine circulation.

Over the millennia, the valley was filled by the sediments of these same ranges, as well as the rising Sierra Nevada to the east; that filling eventually created an extraordinary flatness just barely above sea level; before California's massive flood control and aqueduct system was built, the annual snow melt turned much of the valley into an inland sea.


Question: When did the decision to leave the EU take place?

The decision to leave the European Union, commonly referred to as Brexit, was made following a referendum held on June 23, 2016, in which 51.9% of the voting UK electorate opted to exit the EU. The UK government subsequently triggered Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union on March 29, 2017, setting the stage for the UK's official departure from the EU at midnight on March 30, 2019, Central European Time (11 pm on March 29, 2019, GMT).

The 1960s and 1970s saw an acceleration in the decolonisation of Africa and the Caribbean. Over 20 countries gained independence from Britain as part of a planned transition to self-government. In 1965, however, the Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Smith, in opposition to moves towards majority rule, declared unilateral independence from Britain while still expressing "loyalty and devotion" to Elizabeth. Although the Queen dismissed him in a formal declaration, and the international community applied sanctions against Rhodesia, his regime survived for over a decade.[96] As Britain's ties to its former empire weakened, the British government sought entry to the European Community, a goal it achieved in 1973.[97]

On 18 June 2015, when the LegCo was due to vote on a resolution to amend the provisions for the election of the territory's Chief Executive, pro-Beijing members left the chamber to force a quorum roll call to make sure that a sick member could be able to rush back to the chamber. However some of the members stayed behind, citing miscommunication, and the division proceeded with two members above the required quorum of 35. While the resolution was originally predicted to be narrowly defeated due to not able to get super-majority support votes, it turned out to be a landslide defeat.[37]

The UK's exit from the European Union will leave the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus as the only two remaining common law jurisdictions in the EU. Paul Gallagher, a former Attorney General of Ireland, has suggested this will isolate those countries and deprive them of a powerful partner that shared a common interest in ensuring that EU legislation was not drafted or interpreted in a way that would be contrary to the principles of the common law.[252] Lucinda Creighton, a former Irish government minister for legal affairs, has said that Ireland relies on the "bureaucratic capacity of the UK" to understand, influence and implement EU legislation.[253]

In January 2017 the Prime Minister presented 12 negotiating objectives and confirmed that the UK government would not seek permanent single market membership.[100] The European Parliament's lead negotiator Guy Verhofstadt responded that there could be no "cherry-picking" by the UK in the talks.[101]

The UK's membership in the Union has been a major topic of debate over the years and has been objected to over questions of sovereignty,[49] and in recent years there have been divisions in both major parties over whether the UK should form greater ties within the EU, or reduce the EU's supranational powers. Opponents of greater European integration are known as "Eurosceptics", while supporters are known as "Europhiles". Division over Europe is prevalent in both major parties, although the Conservative Party is seen as most divided over the issue, both whilst in Government up to 1997 and after 2010, and between those dates as the opposition. However, the Labour Party is also divided, with conflicting views over UK adoption of the euro whilst in Government (1997â€“2010).[citation needed]

Since 1977 both pro- and anti-EU views have had majority support at different times.[39] In the European Communities membership referendum of 1975, two-thirds of British voters favoured continued EC membership.

Immigration was cited as the second-most important reason for those voting to Leave. KPMG, based on a survey of 2,000 EU workers in UK, estimates that about a million EU citizens working in the UK, see their future in Britain as over or hanging in the balance.[146]

On 28 June 2016, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, and on the following day European Council President Tusk, stated that the UK could remain in the European Single Market (ESM) only if the UK accepted its four freedoms of movement: for goods, capital, services, and labour.[94][95] In October, Prime Minister Theresa May emphasised that ending the jurisdiction of EU law and free movement from Europe were the UK's priorities, along with British and EU companies having maximum freedom to trade in the UK and the ESM.[96][97]

The prevailing legal opinion[37][38] is that there is no provision in any European Union treaty for an exit from the Eurozone. In fact, it has been argued, the Treaties make it clear that the process of monetary union was intended to be "irreversible" and "irrevocable."[38] However, in 2009, a European Central Bank legal study argued that, while voluntary withdrawal is legally not possible, expulsion remains "conceivable."[39] Although an explicit provision for an exit option does not exist, many experts and politicians in Europe, have suggested an option to leave the Eurozone should be included in the relevant treaties.[40]
Although the eurozone is open to all EU member states to join once they meet the criteria, the treaty is silent on the matter of states leaving the eurozone, neither prohibiting nor permitting it.[citation needed] Likewise there is no provision for a state to be expelled from the euro.[41] Some, however, including the Dutch government, favour such a provision being created in the event that a heavily indebted state in the eurozone refuses to comply with an EU economic reform policy.[42]

Macari returned to Stoke in September 1994. Stoke finished in a mid-table position of 11th in 1994–95 before the partnership of Mike Sheron and Simon Sturridge in 1995–96 produced 29 goals and earned Stoke a place in the play-offs.[3] Stoke's opponents in the play-offs were Martin O'Neill's Leicester City whom Stoke had already beaten twice in the league.[3] The first leg at Filbert Street ended 0–0.[3] In the second leg, Stoke produced a poor performance and Leicester scored the only goal, Garry Parker's left-foot volley ended Stoke's hopes of promotion.[3] The 1996–97 campaign saw Stoke play their final season at the Victoria Ground which ended with a mid-table finish of 12th. Macari announced he was leaving at the end of the season which was a surprise but he was 'stripped of his duties' before he left and later launched a lawsuit against Peter Coates for wrongful dismissal.[3]


Question: Who developed the concept of separation of powers and checks and balances?

The concept of checks and balances, which ensures that no single branch of government becomes too powerful, is attributed to Montesquieu during the Enlightenment period. He introduced the idea in his work "The Spirit of the Laws" in 1748. This principle was later incorporated into the Constitution of the United States in 1787. Checks and balances are designed to maintain the balance of power among the three branches of government, ensuring that each branch can limit the powers of the others and prevent any one branch from becoming supreme. This system is based on the belief that separation of powers is not sufficient without the means for each branch to defend its own legitimate powers from encroachments by the other branches.

Section 1 begins with a vesting clause that confers federal executive power upon the President. Similar clauses are found in Article I and Article III. The former bestows federal legislative power exclusively to Congress, and the latter grants judicial power solely to the Supreme Court. These three articles create a separation of powers among the three branches of the federal government.

The justification for judicial review is to be explicitly found in the open ratifications held in the states and reported in their newspapers. John Marshall in Virginia, James Wilson in Pennsylvania and Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut all argued for Supreme Court judicial review of acts of state legislature. In Federalist No. 78, Alexander Hamilton advocated the doctrine of a written document held as a superior enactment of the people. "A limited constitution can be preserved in practice no other way" than through courts which can declare void any legislation contrary to the Constitution. The preservation of the people's authority over legislatures rests "particularly with judges".[103][i]

By "constitution" he referred to the idea that all governments have a constitution, written or not, and that the constitution of Great Britain could be interpreted as banning the levying of taxes without representation. For example, the Bill of Rights of 1689 established that long-term taxes could not be levied without Parliament, and other precedents said that Parliament must actually represent the people it ruled over, in order to "count".

Constitutions with a high degree of separation of powers are found worldwide. The UK system is distinguished by a particular entwining of powers.[18] A number of Latin American countries have electoral branches of government.

John Locke's (1632â€“1704) ideas on liberty influenced the political thinking behind the revolution, especially through his indirect influence on English writers such as John Trenchard, Thomas Gordon, and Benjamin Hoadly, whose political ideas in turn had a strong influence on the American revolutionaries.[103] Locke is often referred to as "the philosopher of the American Revolution" due to his work in the Social Contract and Natural Rights theories that underpinned the Revolution's political ideology.[104] Locke's Two Treatises of Government published in 1689 were especially influential. He argued that all humans were created equally free, and governments therefore needed the "consent of the governed."[105] In late eighteenth-century America, belief was still widespread in "equality by creation" and "rights by creation".[106]

The influence of Congress on the presidency has varied from one period to another; the degree of power depending largely on the leadership of the Congress, political influence by the president, or other members of congress and the boldness of the president's initiatives. Under the first half-dozen presidents, power seems to have been evenly divided between the president and Congress, in part because early presidents largely restricted their vetoes to bills that were unconstitutional. In 1863, New York governor Horatio Seymour believed Congress to be the "most influential branch."[3] The impeachment of Andrew Johnson made the presidency much less powerful than Congress.[4] During the late 19th century, President Grover Cleveland aggressively attempted to restore the executive branch's power, vetoing over 400 bills during his first term,[5] although historians today view Cleveland as exhibiting merely "boring, stolid competence."[6]

The concept of meritocracy spread from China to British India during the seventeenth century, and then into continental Europe and the United States.[28] With the translation of Confucian texts during the Enlightenment, the concept of a meritocracy reached intellectuals in the West, who saw it as an alternative to the traditional ancient regime of Europe.[30] Voltaire and François Quesnay wrote favourably of the idea, with Voltaire claiming that the Chinese had "perfected moral science" and Quesnay advocating an economic and political system modeled after that of the Chinese.[30]

In The Federalist Papers, James Madison explained his views on the selection of the president and the Constitution. In Federalist No. 39, Madison argued the Constitution was designed to be a mixture of state-based and population-based government. Congress would have two houses: the state-based Senate and the population-based House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the president would be elected by a mixture of the two modes.[23]

The Australian Constitution is the legal foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia and sets out a federal system of government, dividing power between the federal Government and the States and territories, each of which are separate jurisdictions and have their own system of courts and parliaments. The constitutional framework of Australia is a combination of elements of the Westminster and United States systems of government. The federal legislature has the power to pass laws with respect to a number of express areas,[1] which apply to the whole of Australia and override any State laws to the extent of any inconsistency.[2] However, beyond those express areas the States legislatures generally have plenary power to enact laws on any subject.[3]

The way the Constitution is understood is influenced by court decisions, especially those of the Supreme Court. These decisions are referred to as precedents. Judicial review is the power of the Court to examine federal legislation, federal executive, and all state branches of government, to decide their constitutionality, and to strike them down if found unconstitutional.