Question: Where does the concept of the 12 days of Christmas originate from?

The Twelve Days of Christmas, also referred to as Twelvetide, is a Christian season that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. In most Western Christian traditions, the "First Day of Christmas" is December 25th, and the Twelve Days span from December 25th to January 5th. For certain Christian denominations, such as the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church, the Twelve Days are synonymous with Christmastide. However, in the Roman Catholic Church, Christmastide extends beyond the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Christianity has existed in Ireland since the 5th century and arrived from Roman Britain (most famously associated with St. Patrick), forming what is today known as Gaelic Christianity. It gradually gained ground and replaced the old pagan traditions. The Catholic Church in Ireland cites its origin to this period and considers Palladius as the first bishop sent to the Gaels by Pope Celestine I. However, during the 12th century a stricter uniformity in the Western Church was enforced, with the diocesan structure introduced with the Synod of Ráth Breasail in 1111 and culminating with the Gregorian Reform which coincided with the Norman invasion of Ireland.

In Austria, Belgium and Germany, Christmas is celebrated by some with children dressing as "The Three Kings", carrying a star on a pole. Going from house to house from New Year's Day to 6 January, the children sing religious songs and are called "star singers". They are often rewarded with sweets or money, which is typically given to a local church or charity. "C.M.B" is written in chalk on houses they have visited. Although this is sometimes taken as a reference to the three kings — Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar — it may originally have represented the words Christus mansionem benedicat (Christ bless this house).

The phrase "'Tis the season", from the lyrics, has become synonymous with the Christmas and holiday season.[4][5] 'tis being an archaic contraction of "it is".[4] A similar archaic contraction is "'Twas the night before Christmas", from the first line of the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas".[4]

Many late medieval Christmas customs incorporated both sacred and secular themes.[5] In Norwich in January 1443, at a traditional battle between the flesh and the spirit (represented by Christmas and Lent), John Gladman, crowned and disguised as 'King of Christmas', rode behind a pageant of the months "disguysed as the seson requird" on a horse decorated with tinfoil.[5]

Christmas is observed widely on December 25. Governments recognizing the holiday include those of: the United States, where it is a federal holiday for federal employees and a legal holiday in the respective States; Canada, where it is a nationwide statutory holiday; Mexico, where it is also a nationwide statutory holiday; and several others.

In Irish, it is called Lá Fhéile Stiofáin or Lá an Dreoilín, meaning the Wren Day. When used in this context, "wren" is often pronounced "ran".[4] This name alludes to several legends, including those found in Irish mythology, linking episodes in the life of Jesus to the wren. People dress up in old clothes, wear straw hats and travel from door to door with fake wrens (previously real wrens were killed) and they dance, sing and play music. This tradition is less common than it was a couple of generations ago.[5] Depending on which region of the country, they are called "wrenboys" and mummers. A Mummer's Festival is held at this time every year in the village of New Inn, County Galway, and Dingle in County Kerry. Mumming is also a big tradition in County Fermanagh in Ulster. Saint Stephen's Day is a popular day for visiting family members and going to the theatre to see a pantomime.[6]

In AD 567, the Council of Tours formally abolished January 1 as the beginning of the year. At various times and in various places throughout medieval Christian Europe, the new year was celebrated on December 25 in honor of the birth of Jesus; March 1 in the old Roman style; March 25 in honor of Lady Day and the Feast of the Annunciation; and on the movable feast of Easter. These days were also astronomically and astrologically significant since, at the time of the Julian reform, March 25 had been understood as the spring equinox and December 25 as the winter solstice. (The Julian calendar's small disagreement with the solar year, however, shifted these days earlier before the Council of Nicaea which formed the basis of the calculations used during the Gregorian reform of the calendar.) Medieval calendars nonetheless often continued to display the months running from January to December, despite their readers reckoning the transition from one year to the next on a different day.

December 16 is the first day of the Christmas Novena, a devotion consisting of prayer said on nine successive days, the last one held on Christmas Eve. The Novena is promoted by the Catholic Church as a staple of Christmas, and is very similar to the posadas celebrated in Mexico. It is a call for an understanding of the religious meaning of Christmas, and a way to counter the commercialism of the Christmas season. Individual traditions concerning the Novena may vary, but most families set up a "pesebre" (manger scene), sing religious Christmas carols called villancicos accompanied by tambourines, bells, and other simple percussion instruments, and read verses from the Bible as well as an interpretation which may change from year to year. Novenas serve as beautiful religious gatherings as well as learning environments for young children since kids have a central and active role in the celebration of the Novenas (they read prayers, sing, and play instruments guided by their family). From December 16 to 24, games called "aguinaldos"[66] are played after having made a "pinky promise" deciding the prize for the winner and the punishment for the loser. The games include "Hablar y no contestar" (Talk but don't answer), "DÃ© pero no reciben" (Give but don't receive), "Pajita en boca" (Straw in the mouth), "Tres pies" (Three feet), "Beso robado" (Stolen kisses), and "Si y al no" (Yes or no). Churches offer dawn and nightly masses during the nine days of the novena, culminating with the Misa de Gallo (Rooster's Mass) on Christmas Eve at midnight.

There exists evidence that the modern calendar developed by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century AD commencing with the birth of Jesus Christ at AD 1 was influenced by precession of the equinoxes and astrological ages. Dionysius' desire to replace Diocletian years (Diocletian persecuted Christians) with a calendar based on the incarnation of Christ was to prevent people from believing the imminent end of the world. At the time it was believed that the Resurrection and end of the world would occur 500 years after the birth of Jesus. The current Anno Mundi calendar theoretically commenced with the creation of the world based on information in the Old Testament. It was believed that based on the Anno Mundi calendar Jesus was born in the year 5500 (or 5500 years after the world was created) with the year 6000 of the Anno Mundi calendar marking the end of the world.[41][42]

On Christmas Eve, presents are supposedly delivered in stockings[120] and under the Christmas tree by Father Christmas, who previously had been something like The Ghost of Christmas Present in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1843), but who has now become mainly conflated with Santa Claus. The two names are now used interchangeably and are equally known to British people, though some distinctive features still remain. Many families tell their children stories about Father Christmas and his reindeer. One tradition is to put out a plate of carrots for the reindeer, and mince pies and sherry for Father Christmas to help him on his way.


Question: Where is simple squamous epithelium located in the human body?

Simple squamous epithelium, a single layer of flat cells adhering to the basal lamina, is characterized by its permeability, facilitating the swift passage of small molecules through membranes by filtration or diffusion. This epithelial type is prevalent in areas such as capillaries, alveoli, glomeruli, and the outer skin layer, where rapid diffusion is essential. The cells exhibit a flat morphology with elongated nuclei, earning the epithelium the nickname "pavement epithelium" due to their tile-like appearance. Its thinness makes it an ideal lining for delicate areas, although it provides minimal protective function.

Loose connective tissue is a category of connective tissue which includes areolar tissue, reticular tissue, and adipose tissue. Loose connective tissue is the most common type of connective tissue in vertebrates. It holds organs in place and attaches epithelial tissue to other underlying tissues. For example, it forms telae, such as the tela submucosa and tela subserosa, which connect mucous and serous membranes to the muscular layer. It also surrounds the blood vessels and nerves. Cells called fibroblasts are widely dispersed in this tissue; they are irregular branching cells that secrete strong fibrous proteins and proteoglycans as an extracellular matrix. The cells of this type of tissue are generally separated by quite some distance by a gelatinous substance primarily made up of collagenous and elastic fibers.

The most common lower respiratory tract infection is pneumonia, an infection of the lungs which is usually caused by bacteria, particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae in Western countries. Worldwide, tuberculosis is an important cause of pneumonia. Other pathogens such as viruses and fungi can cause pneumonia for example severe acute respiratory syndrome and pneumocystis pneumonia. A pneumonia may develop complications such as a lung abscess, a round cavity in the lung caused by the infection, or may spread to the pleural cavity.

Through a process called melanogenesis, melanocytes produce melanin, which is a pigment found in the skin, eyes, hair, nasal cavity, and inner ear. This melanogenesis leads to a long-lasting pigmentation, which is in contrast to the pigmentation that originates from oxidation of already-existing melanin.

Many of them are bacteria of which there are around 1000 species upon human skin from 19 phyla.[1][2] Most are found in the superficial layers of the epidermis and the upper parts of hair follicles.

Generally, in animals, nasal turbinates (cochae) are convoluted structures of thin bone or cartilage located in the nasal cavity. These are lined with mucous membranes that can perform two functions. They can improve the sense of smell by increasing the area available to absorb airborne chemicals, and they can warm and moisten inhaled air, and extract heat and moisture from exhaled air to prevent desiccation of the lungs. Olfactory turbinates are found in all living tetrapods,[citation needed] and respiratory turbinates are found in most mammals and birds.

The serous membranes have two layers, parietal and visceral, surrounding a fluid filled space.[2]

The secondary bronchi divide further into tertiary bronchi, (also known as segmental bronchi), each of which supplies a bronchopulmonary segment. A bronchopulmonary segment is a division of a lung separated from the rest of the lung by a septum of connective tissue. This property allows a bronchopulmonary segment to be surgically removed without affecting other segments. Initially, there are ten segments in each lung, but during development with the left lung having just two lobes, two pairs of segments fuse to give eight, four for each lobe. The tertiary bronchi divide further in another three branchings known as 4th order, 5th order and 6th order segmental bronchi which are also referred to as subsegmental bronchi. These branch into many smaller bronchioles which divide into terminal bronchioles, each of which then gives rise to several respiratory bronchioles, which go on to divide into two to eleven alveolar ducts. There are five or six alveolar sacs associated with each alveolar duct. The alveolus is the basic anatomical unit of gas exchange in the lung.

The trachealis muscle connects the ends of the incomplete rings and contracts during coughing, reducing the size of the lumen of the trachea to increase the rate of air flow.[3] The esophagus lies posteriorly to the trachea, adjoining along the tracheoesophageal stripe. Circular horizontal bands of fibrous tissue called the annular ligaments of trachea join the tracheal rings together. The cartilaginous rings are incomplete to allow the trachea to collapse slightly so that food can pass down the esophagus. A flap-like epiglottis closes the opening to the larynx during swallowing to prevent swallowed matter from entering the trachea.

HeLa /ˈhiːlɑː/ (also Hela or hela) is a cell type in an immortal cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line.[1] The line was derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951[2] from Henrietta Lacks, a patient who died of cancer on October 4, 1951. The cell line was found to be remarkably durable and prolific which warrants its extensive use in scientific research.[3][4]

The most notable shared characteristic is the presence of cortical (outer-region) alveoli (sacs). These are flattened vesicles (sacs) packed into a continuous layer just under the membrane and supporting it, typically forming a flexible pellicle (thin skin). In dinoflagellates they often form armor plates. Alveolates have mitochondria with tubular cristae (ridges), and their flagellae or cilia have a distinct structure.


Question: When did the crucifix become a symbol of Christianity?

The Christian cross, as a symbol, was not widely used during the first two centuries of Christianity due to its representation of a brutal execution method. Christians were initially hesitant to incorporate it into their iconography. However, an early symbol resembling the cross, known as the staurogram, was used to abbreviate the Greek word for cross in ancient New Testament manuscripts like P66, P45, and P75, almost akin to a sacred name (nomina sacra). The cross's widespread adoption as a Christian symbol occurred from the 4th century onward.

In the Christian era, when Christianity became the state church of the Roman Empire, the Church came to accept it was the Emperor's duty to use secular power to enforce religious unity. Anyone within the church who did not subscribe to Catholic Christianity was seen as a threat to the dominance and purity of the "one true faith" and they saw it as their right to defend this by all means at their disposal.[4] This led to persecution of pagans by the Christian authorities and populace after its institution as the state religion.

A rather rare, late-15th-century, variant depiction of the hortus conclusus in religious art combined the Annunciation to Mary with the themes of the Hunt of the Unicorn and Virgin and Unicorn, so popular in secular art. The unicorn already functioned as a symbol of the Incarnation and whether this meaning is intended in many prima facie secular depictions can be a difficult matter of scholarly interpretation. There is no such ambiguity in the scenes where the archangel Gabriel is shown blowing a horn, as hounds chase the unicorn into the Virgin's arms, and a little Christ Child descends on rays of light from God the Father. The Council of Trent finally banned this somewhat over-elaborated, if charming, depiction,[21] partly on the grounds of realism, as no one now believed the unicorn to be a real animal.

The five-pointed Red Star as a symbol of communism was adopted during the Russian Civil War of 1917â€“1922. Its origin is unknown. The Kremlin stars, pentagonal luminescent ruby stars on five towers of the Moscow Kremlin, were installed in the 1930s, replacing gilded eagles that had symbolized Imperial Russia. The flags of Vietnam (1945), North Korea (1948), the People's Republic of China (1949) represent communism.

The Holy Chalice is the vessel which in Christian tradition Jesus used at the Last Supper to serve the wine. The vessel is referred to in the synoptic gospels as ποτήριον ("cup, drinking vessel"). The celebration of the Eucharist in Christian churches and communities retains the original elements of the Last Supper, the bread and the cup or chalice, with the celebrant using the words of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospels. The Holy Chalice in the form of the Holy Grail became a topos in Arthurian romance in the high medieval period. In Roman Catholic relic veneration of the later medieval period, two artifacts, one kept in Genoa and the other in Valencia, were identified as the Holy Chalice.

New Zealand's first flag, the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, was adopted in 1834, six years before New Zealand became a British colony following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Chosen by an assembly of Māori chiefs at Waitangi in 1834, the flag was of a St George's Cross with another cross in the canton containing four stars on a blue field. After the formation of the colony in 1840, British ensigns began to be used. The current flag was designed and adopted for use on Colonial ships in 1869, was quickly adopted as New Zealand's national flag, and given statutory recognition in 1902.

The earliest yet discovered reference to the @ symbol is a religious one; it features in a Bulgarian translation of a Greek chronicle written by Constantinos Manasses in 1345 (See Figure left). Held today in the Vatican Apostolic Library,[8] it features the @ symbol in place of the capital letter alpha 'A' in the word Amen. Why it was used in this context is still a mystery.

The earliest reference to the Saint Andrew's Cross as a flag is found in the Vienna Book of Hours, circa 1503, in which a white saltire is depicted with a red background.[7] In the case of Scotland, use of a blue background for the Saint Andrew's Cross is said to date from at least the 15th century,[8] with the first certain illustration of a flag depicting such appearing in Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount's Register of Scottish Arms, circa 1542.[9]

The flag that Miles had favored when he was chairman of the "Committee on the Flag and Seal" eventually became the battle flag and, ultimately, the most popular flag of the Confederacy. According to Museum of the Confederacy Director John Coski, Miles' design was inspired by one of the many "secessionist flags" flown at the South Carolina secession convention in Charleston of December 1860. That flag was a blue St George's Cross (an upright or Latin cross) on a red field, with 15 white stars on the cross, representing the slaveholding states,[33][34] and, on the red field, palmetto and crescent symbols. Miles received a variety of feedback on this design, including a critique from Charles Moise, a self-described "Southerner of Jewish persuasion." Moise liked the design but asked that "...the symbol of a particular religion not be made the symbol of the nation." Taking this into account, Miles changed his flag, removing the palmetto and crescent, and substituting a heraldic saltire ("X") for the upright cross. The number of stars was changed several times as well. He described these changes and his reasons for making them in early 1861. The diagonal cross was preferable, he wrote, because "it avoided the religious objection about the cross (from the Jews and many Protestant sects), because it did not stand out so conspicuously as if the cross had been placed upright thus." He also argued that the diagonal cross was "more Heraldric  [sic] than Ecclesiastical, it being the 'saltire' of Heraldry, and significant of strength and progress."[35]

After an initial period of tolerance, Diocletian, who was a fervent pagan and was worried about the ever-increasing numbers of Christians in the Empire, persecuted them with zeal unknown since the time of Nero; this was to be one of the greatest persecutions the Christians endured in history. Not all of Diocletian's plans were successful: the Edict on Maximum Prices (301), his attempt to curb inflation via price controls, was counterproductive and quickly ignored. Although effective while he ruled, Diocletian's tetrarchic system collapsed after his abdication under the competing dynastic claims of Maxentius and Constantine, sons of Maximian and Constantius respectively. The Diocletianic Persecution (303â€“11), the empire's last, largest, and bloodiest official persecution of Christianity, did not destroy the empire's Christian community; indeed, after 324 Christianity became the empire's preferred religion under its first Christian emperor, Constantine.

The writings of Jakob Böhme (1575–1624) spread the doctrine of signatures. He suggested that God marked objects with a sign, or "signature", for their purpose.[2] Plants bearing parts that resembled human body-parts, animals, or other objects were thought to have useful relevance to those parts, animals or objects. The "signature" could sometimes also be identified in the environments or specific sites in which plants grew. Böhme's 1621 book The Signature of All Things gave its name to the doctrine.[1] The English physician-philosopher Sir Thomas Browne in his discourse The Garden of Cyrus (1658) uses the Quincunx pattern as an archetype of the 'doctrine of signatures' pervading the design of gardens and orchards, botany and the Macrocosm at large.


Question: When did the crucifix become a symbol of Christianity?

The Christian cross, as a symbol, was already linked to Christianity by the 2nd century, as evidenced by anti-Christian arguments from that time period. By the early 3rd century, the cross was so strongly associated with Christ that Clement of Alexandria, who died between 211 and 216, could use the term τὸ κυριακὸν σημεῖον (the Lord's sign) to signify the cross without any ambiguity. This was further reinforced by Tertullian, who, in the early 3rd century, could refer to Christians as "devotees of the Cross." In his work De Corona, written in 204, Tertullian mentions that it was already a custom for Christians to repeatedly trace the sign of the cross on their foreheads. However, the crucifix, which is a cross with an image of Christ, did not appear until the 6th century AD.

In 311 Galerius officially put an end to the persecution of Christians, and Constantine legalised Christianity definitively in 313 as evidenced in the so-called Edict of Milan. Constantine defeated his brother-in-law Licinius in 324, unifying the Empire under his control. He would rule until his death on 22 May 337.

The Gold und Rosenkreuzer (Golden and Rosy Cross) was founded by the alchemist Samuel Richter who in 1710 published Die warhhaffte und vollkommene Bereitung des Philosophischen Steins der Brüderschaft aus dem Orden des Gülden-und Rosen-Creutzes (The True and Complete Preparation of the Philosopher's Stone by the Brotherhood from the Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross) in Breslau under the pseudonym Sincerus Renatus[19] in Prague in the early 18th century as a hierarchical secret society composed of internal circles, recognition signs and alchemy treatises. Under the leadership of Hermann Fictuld the group reformed itself extensively in 1767 and again in 1777 because of political pressure. Its members claimed that the leaders of the Rosicrucian Order had invented Freemasonry and only they knew the secret meaning of Masonic symbols. The Rosicrucian Order had been founded by Egyptian "Ormusse" or "Licht-Weise" who had emigrated to Scotland with the name "Builders from the East". In 1785 and 1788 the Golden and Rosy Cross group published the Geheime Figuren or "The Secret Symbols of the 16th and 17th century Rosicrucians".

Canada's national colours can trace their history to the First Crusade of the 11th century, during which Norman nobleman Bohemond I of Antioch distributed red crosses to the crusaders he led, so that they could affix them to their clothing "as a distinguishing mark".[1] Thereafter, nations were identified by the colour of their cross, and in particular, England used a white cross on a red background and France a red cross on white.[1] Eventually, France and England agreed to exchange their colours[citation needed], and St George's Cross was adopted as an emblem of England. This was the flag used by John Cabot when he landed on the island of Newfoundland on his second voyage in 1497 under the commission of Henry VII of England.[4] The two nations would eventually explore North America, where each claimed territory.

The first two stories were both seen in Medieval- and Renaissance theology as prefiguring the Crucifixion of Jesus. In the story of the Brazen Serpent, the people of Israel become dissatisfied and grumble at God. As punishment they receive a plague of venonous snakes. God offers the people relief by instructing Moses to make a snake of brass and set it up on a pole, the sight of which gives miraculous healing.[Src 12] Michelangelo chooses a crowded composition, depicting a dramatic mass of suffering men, women, and writhing snakes, separated from redeemed worshipers by the snake before an epiphanic light.[Fig 23]

It was in 5th century BC Assyria that the Syriac language and Syriac script evolved. Five centuries later these were later to have a global influence as the liturgical language and written script for Syriac Christianity and its accompanying Syriac literature which also emerged in Assyria before spreading throughout the Near East, Asia Minor, The Caucasus, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and China.

Some Roman Catholic writers (such as Thomas Cahill) continue to use a system of degrees of martyrdom that was developed in early Christianity.[28] Some of these degrees bestow the title of martyr on those who sacrifice large elements of their lives alongside those who sacrifice life itself. These degrees were mentioned by Pope Gregory I in Homilia in Evangelia, he wrote of "three modes of martyrdom, designated by the colors, red, blue (or green), and white."[29] A believer was bestowed the title of red martyr due to either torture or violent death by religious persecution. The term "white martyrdom" was used by the Church Father Jerome, "for those such as desert hermits who aspired to the condition of martyrdom through strict asceticism."[29] Blue (or green) martyrdom "involves the denial of desires, as through fasting and penitent labors without necessarily implying a journey or complete withdrawal from life".[29]

Christians continued the practice of using ashes as an external sign of repentance. Tertullian (c. 160 – c. 225) said that confession of sin should be accompanied by lying in sackcloth and ashes.[77] The historian Eusebius (c. 260/265 – 339/340) recounts how a repentant apostate covered himself with ashes when begging Pope Zephyrinus to readmit him to communion.[78]

A cornerstone (Greek: Άκρογωνιεîς, Latin: Primarii Lapidis) will sometimes be referred to as a "foundation-stone", and is symbolic of Christ, whom the Apostle Paul referred to as the "head of the corner" and is the "Chief Cornerstone of the Church" (Ephesians 2:20). Many of the more ancient churches will place relics of the saints, especially martyrs, in the foundation stone.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, a private humanitarian institution based in Switzerland, provided the first official symbol for medical personnel. The first Geneva convention, originally called for "Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field," officially adopted the red cross on a field of white as the identifying emblem. This symbol was meant to signify to enemy combatants that the medic qualifies as a non-combatant, at least while providing medical care.[6] Islamic countries use a Red Crescent instead. During the 1876â€“1878 war between Russia and Turkey, the Ottoman Empire declared that it would use a red crescent instead of a red cross as its emblem, although it agreed to respect the red cross used by the other side. Although these symbols were officially sponsored by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Magen David Adom ("MDA"), Israel's emergency relief service, used the Magen David (a red star of David on a white background). Israeli medics still wear the Magen David. To enable MDA to become a fully recognized and participating member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Protocol III was adopted. It is an amendment to the Geneva Conventions relating to the Adoption of an Additional Distinctive Emblem and authorizes the use of a new emblem, known as the third protocol emblem or the Red Crystal. For indicative use on foreign territory, any national society can incorporate its unique symbol into the Red Crystal. Under Protocol III, the MDA will continue to employ the red Magen David for domestic use, and will employ the red crystal on international relief missions.

The cult of the saints was significant to the process of Christianization, but during the first centuries of the Church the celebrations venerating the saints took place in hiding.[15]:4 Michael Gaddis writes that, "The Christian experience of violence during the pagan persecutions shaped the ideologies and practices that drove further religious conflicts over the course of the fourth and fifth centuries."[25] Martyrdom was a formative experience and influenced how Christians justified or condemned the use of violence in later generations.[25] Thus, the collective memory of religious suffering found in early Christian works on the historical experience of persecution, religious suffering and martyrdom shaped Christian culture and identity.[26]


Question: Who wrote the song "Rainy Days and Mondays"?

"Rainy Days and Mondays," a song from 1971, was penned by the relatively unknown songwriting duo Roger Nichols and Paul Williams. Featured as the opening track on the Carpenters' album, often referred to as the Tan Album, the song's B-side is "Saturday," a composition and vocal performance by Richard Carpenter.

"Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?", also sung as "Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?", is one of the best-known American songs of the Great Depression. Written in 1930 by lyricist E. Y. "Yip" Harburg and composer Jay Gorney, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" was part of the 1932 musical revue Americana;[1] the melody is based on a Russian-Jewish lullaby Gorney's mother had sung to him as a child.[2][3] It was considered by Republicans to be anti-capitalist propaganda, and almost dropped from the show; attempts were made to ban it from the radio.[4] The song became best known, however, through recordings by Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee. They were released right before Franklin Delano Roosevelt's election to the presidency. The Brunswick Crosby recording made on October 25, 1932 with Lennie Hayton and his Orchestra[5] became the best-selling record of its period, and came to be viewed as an anthem to the shattered dreams of the era.[6]

"Blue Skies" is a popular song, written by Irving Berlin in 1926.

"Angel of the Morning" is a popular song, written and composed by Chip Taylor, that has been recorded numerous times by, or has been a hit single for, various artists including Evie Sands, Merrilee Rush, Juice Newton, Nina Simone, P. P. Arnold, Olivia Newton-John, The Pretenders/Chrissie Hynde, Dusty Springfield, Mary Mason, Melba Montgomery, Vagiant, Billie Davis, Bonnie Tyler, Rita Wilson, The New Seekers and Skeeter Davis.

Debbi Peterson explained in an interview with MTV UK in 1989 about why Prince gave them the song: "[Prince] really liked our first album. He liked the song 'Hero Takes a Fall', which is a great compliment, because we liked his music. He contacted us, and said, 'I've got a couple of songs for you. I'd like to know if you're interested,' and of course we were. One of the songs Prince brought to the group was 'Manic Monday', written under the pseudonym of Christopher." Peterson talked about the evolution of what Prince brought them: "It was a Banglefication of a Prince arrangement. He had a demo, that was very specifically him. It was a good song, but we didn't record it like 'This is our first hit single! Oh my God! I can feel it in my veins!' We just did the song, and the album, and then sat back and thought about it."[11]

"When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" is a classic hit song, a soul ballad, written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, recorded in Memphis and sung by Sam & Dave, and first released in 1967  by Stax Records.[1][2]

"Your Love" is a song by the English rock band the Outfield, taken from their debut album Play Deep (1985). The song was penned by the band's guitarist John Spinks.

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.

"You and Me Against the World" was the first song written by Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams and began as a gag song: Williams and Ascher, a member of Williams's band, had a discussion about their favorite songwriters which led to the spontaneous composition of a song on the subject whose tune, Ascher then realized, had real hit potential. Williams himself debuted "You and Me Against the World" on his 1974 album Here Comes Inspiration, singing it as a traditional love ballad. Helen Reddy considered the song's lyrics too "paternalistic" to be convincing as a woman's declaration of love for a man; instead, she interpreted the song as a mother singing to a child, which her version clarified by her daughter Traci's speaking to "Mommy" at the start and end.[1]

During his years co-writing with Bennett Salvay, Frederick occasionally received work with other TV producers. In 1986, he and Salvay wrote the theme song to the short-lived CBS sitcom Better Days, a Lorimar series from producers Jeff Freilich, Stuart Sheslow and Arthur Silver. The Better Days title track has the distinction of being the first TV theme written by the two that Frederick performed vocals on (predating his performance of "Everywhere You Look" on Full House). Later, they wrote a more saccharine-tinged theme for the just-as-short-lived spring 1988 ABC comedy Family Man (no relation to the similarly titled Miller-Boyett series of two years later), which Frederick also performed.

In 1960, Lehrer essentially retired from touring in the US.[2] In the early 1960s, he was employed as the resident songwriter for the U.S. edition of That Was The Week That Was (TW3), a satirical television show.[20]  An increased proportion of his output became overtly political, or at least topical, on subjects such as education ("New Math"), the Second Vatican Council ("The Vatican Rag", the tune which has been claimed to be based on the 1910 song the Spaghetti Rag[25][26][27]), race relations ("National Brotherhood Week"), air and water pollution ("Pollution"), American militarism ("Send the Marines"), World War III "pre-nostalgia" ("So Long, Mom", premiered by Steve Allen), and nuclear proliferation ("Who's Next?" and "MLF Lullaby"). He also wrote a song that famously satirized the alleged amorality of rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, who worked for Nazi Germany before working for the United States. ("'Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That's not my department,' says Wernher von Braun.") Lehrer did not appear on the television show; his songs were performed by a female vocalist, Nancy Ames, and his lyrics were often altered by the network censors. Lehrer later performed the songs on the album That Was The Year That Was (1965), so that, in his words, people could hear the songs the way they were intended to be heard. In 1966, for David Frost's further BBC television programme The Frost Report Lehrer was invited to contribute some of his classic compositions. The Frost Report was transmitted live, and he pre-recorded all his segments at one performance. Though Lehrer was not featured in every edition, they were slotted in at an appropriate part of each show. At least two of his offerings were songs not included on any of his LPs: a reworking of Noël Coward’s "That is the End of the News" (with some new lyrics) and a comic explanation of how Britain might adapt to the coming of decimal currency.


Question: Why wasn't Agent Matthews in Miss Congeniality 2?

In "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous," Agent Gracie Hart becomes the public face of the FBI following her previous success. This decision is made after she is heartbroken by her breakup with Agent Eric Matthews, who is transferred to Miami, explaining his absence in the sequel.

Nora Dershlit[20] (Danielle Morrow) is a psychotic and lonely girl who is a crazy fan of iCarly and has no friends except for her chicken Maurice and her equally psychotic parents leaving her to her own devices. She first appears in "iPsycho" (season 3), where she kidnaps Carly, Sam, and Freddie after they helped her become popular with the children at her school. After a lengthy fight with Gibby while his brother frees the iCarly gang, Nora is knocked out by Sam pressing a pressure point in her shoulder (the fictional Vulcan nerve pinch) and is arrested soon after. Nora returns two seasons later in the sequel, "iStill Psycho", having been paroled from the past incident and seemingly a normal person now. However, it was a ruse to trap the iCarly gang, with her parents helping her take Spencer hostage so they can endlessly repeat her 16th birthday party. However, Mrs. Benson and T-Bo came to the rescue with Nora again arrested for her parole violation, along with her parents as co-conspirators. She reappears in an episode of Sam & Cat when she kidnapped Dice and held him hostage in a wishing well and kidnapped Cat as well.

Matt's drug use becomes known and he enters rehab, beginning a relationship with director Dan Hathaway (Greg Evigan). Dan is domineering and physically abusive, and Matt leaves him after Peter threatens to have Dan fired if he does not address his behavioral problems.

Didi (played by Tracy Ashton) is the one-legged girl from whom Earl stole a car after telling her he loved her. She works at Yummy's Donut Shop (episode "Monkeys in Space") and has a fast one-armed, no-legged boyfriend named Jake (played by Cameron Clapp), whom she met while hopping after Earl's winning lottery ticket as it blew in the wind (episode "Number One"). She is still angry at Earl and had her boyfriend chase him away when he tried to apologize. Didi gets around by hopping (although she does possess a prosthetic leg, the only use it gets is when her dog humps it), whereas her boyfriend uses prosthetic limbs and is quite agile. She lives across the street from Donny Jones. She always called Earl a "Son of a Bitch" when she sees him, and chases after him. The exact cause of her losing a leg is unknown; however, in "Our Other Cops Is On", Didi states that "she already survived one explosion". She finally forgives Earl in the season 3 finale where she has Earl try to live a day on one leg.

The day after Sydney's death Craig blames Samantha, but he later apologizes. In the season opener, Michael recommends Matt for a job at an AIDS clinic and Matt moves to San Francisco with his niece Chelsea. Before leaving, he says that he wanted to say goodbye to everyone but "nobody's home".

In 2001, White graduated from UCLA with a degree in film and television.[19] He has continued acting and has had small parts in the films Big Fat Liar (in a cameo role) and Dreamgirls, and was featured as the lead role in the direct-to-DVD comedy Who Made the Potatoe Salad? in 2006.[20] In 2007, he guest-starred on the CW series The Game, followed by a role as a law school graduate interviewing for a job at Crane, Poole and Schmidt in the ABC legal drama Boston Legal.[20]

Bagwell eventually locates Susan, which served as one of the episode's cliffhangers. In his next two appearances of the season, he holds Susan and her children hostage in their home in Ness City, Kansas. He takes them to his childhood home in Alabama in "Bad Blood", where he reveals that they are his "salvation" and that he wants to become part of their family. He also explains that he is incapable of having children, presumably because of the nature of his own conception, and that the Bagwell bloodline will die with him. Throughout the episode he is haunted by flashbacks of his childhood, including the sexual abuse he received from his father. Susan rebuffs him, however, saying that she is not able to love him. Bagwell is heartbroken by her rejection and finally leaves them, calling the police to release them from his home. Beginning from the eighteenth episode, the next part of Bagwell's storyline concerns his decision to travel to Thailand. After taking the identity from a therapist he deliberately kills, Bagwell buys a ticket to Bangkok and boards a stop-over flight from Chicago, which coincidentally is the same plane Bellick is flying on. Bagwell recognizes Bellick at Mexico City International Airport in the episode "Sweet Caroline" and is forced to hide, consequently losing his money in the luggage carousel. He then grapples with a security guard in an attempt to retrieve the money, but fails to overpower him or retrieve the money. He runs away to avoid being captured. Later, security footage of him fleeing is transmitted on a Mexican news station.

In April 2004, Duchovny said he was waiting for the film's production to begin, explaining that Carter had signed off on the premise. Duchovny said of the delay, "So now it's just a matter of making sure everybody can get together at the same time and do it."[8] The following November, Carter revealed that the project was in the negotiation stage, explaining, "Because it's a sequel, there are peculiar and specific kinds of negotiations that are holding us up."[9] Duchovny spoke of the premise for the yet-produced film in 2005, "Mulder and Scully investigate one particular case that has nothing to do with alien life. It has to do with supernatural stuff."[10] He also explained, "I think we're going back to the 'monster of the week' type feel, where if you're not an avid fan and don't understand the mythology, you can still come to it and get the movie." Duchovny and Carter planned to begin production in the winter of 2005 to be released in the summer of 2006.[11] The following April, Duchovny admitted to a lack of a script, adding that Carter would have it ready by early next year.[12]

Bill Dauterive is overweight and balding, and often falls victim to Dale's harassment. Possibly because of low self-esteem and depression, Bill does not regularly brush his teeth, shower, or exercise, only doing these things when dating a woman. When introducing himself to a lawnmower focus group in "Nine Pretty Darn Angry Men", he states that he is 5'8.75" inches tall. Although currently overweight Bill is shown to be in incredible shape when first joining the army and when met by old friends they are generally surprised to see how out of shape he became. He is depicted as not meeting the Army's Physical Fitness Standards, however he manages to pass by accidents such as the instructor failing to score him and not wanting to redo the test, or injuring himself prior to the test. In the episode Tankin' to the Streets, Dale suggests that Bill's weight problems stem from a military program designed to create walrus like soldiers to fight the Russians in the arctic, however Bill was a member of the placebo group. The likely source of his weight problems comes from depression due to his wife leaving him.

After elimination, Blonde Baller tells Chance that she is real and she doesn't have a boyfriend at home. The next day, Real and Chance are reviving a tradition of wrestling as a challenge. Whichever team puts on a great show wins dates with the boys. The first match was produced by the black team, with Hot Wings (as Handspring) & Doll (as Dollface) vs. PS (as Port Mortem) & Baker (as Backbreaker). The second match was produced by the pink team, with Blonde Baller (as Blonde Mauler) & Classy (as Classy Daze) vs. Spanish Fly (as Flapper) & Lady and Junk (as Lady Cyborg and Junk). The third match was produced by the purple team, with Pocahontas (as Poca the Warrior) and Flirty (as Dirty Flirty) vs. Mamacita (as Senorita Mamacita) and Sassy (as Sassy Sphynx). Because of collective chemistry, it ended up that the purple team won the challenge, leaving Hot Wings upset without another date. Sassy and Mamacita get to go on romantic dates that night. On the way there, Chance drank too much tequila, causing him to act obnoxious towards Mamacita during their date. Chance passed out that night while Real bring both Mamacita and Sassy back to the house. Meanwhile, Hot Wings was so frustrated about not getting a date that she decided to pack and leave, but Sassy encouraged her to stay. The next day, Real and Chance took Flirty and Pocahontas to the studio where the TV show Chelsea Lately was filmed, where the girls get to see the boys on TV. Mamacita was jealous that Flirty had a better date than her, causing her to break down to tears. So Real comforted her and tells her she doesn't have to be there for Chance. Junk had one-on-one with Chance and Lady had one-on-one with Real. Junk talks more about Blonde Baller and Lady doesn't know what to tell Real. During elimination, it was down to Mamacita, Lady, and Junk. Both Real and Chance wanted to give their chains to Mamacita. She was confused who to pick, but in the end, she chose Real because she wanted to teach Chance a lesson. Lady was eliminated, and shortly after, Junk, who thought she would survive another elimination, was also eliminated.

Stuart Daniels (played by Mike O'Malley), introduced in the episode "Stole a Badge", comes from a family of police officers, his mother and four sisters all being on the job. He is frequently scolded by his family for losing his badge and other actions of incompetence, and when Earl stole the badge, he was demoted to watching over a rest stop where he has to replenish the toilet paper rolls at his own expense. He lost interest in improving his career, but with Earl's help, he quits the police force and pursues his dream of becoming a professional bowler. He was one of the officers featured in the COPS-themed flashback episodes. In "Our Cops Is On", where he was shown breaking up a fight between the Electrolarynx Man and Nescobar-A-Lop-Lop, confronting Donny Jones about his public nudity, and remaining blissfully unaware of Kenny James's attempts to come on to him. In "Our Other Cops Is On", Kenny James wins the "ride-along with a cop" silent auction and joins him. He inadvertently loses $50,000 worth of surveillance equipment that he was going to demonstrate, as well as the Fourth of July Fair's fireworks. He accidentally hits Billie Cunningham with his car when she was helping Earl. He then tries to make it up to her by visiting her at the hospital and taking her home, telling her that the cops are looking for her. At the end of the third season, having interacted with Kenny many times and discovering they have similar interests, he moves in with Kenny and they become lovers.


Question: Who portrayed Nicky on "The Drew Carey Show"?

On "The Drew Carey Show," Drew Carey's character, Drew, had several marriages throughout the series. One of his wives was Nikki, who had been a recurring character since Season 3 and struggled with weight issues. Actress Kate Walsh, who portrayed Nikki, wore a fat suit for the role and moved in with Drew's character at one point. However, their marriage, along with Drew's other marriages, ended in divorce, leading to Drew being labeled as the "Impotent Bisexual Bigamist."

In 2001, McLellan joined the cast of CBS procedural JAG, in a recurring role as Navy Petty Officer Jennifer Coates. For the final season of the show she was upped to series regular. After the series ended, McLellan was cast as the wife of Peter Krause's character, in the ABC soapy comedy-drama series Dirty Sexy Money. The series was canceled after two seasons in 2009. McLellan later guest-starred on House and The Mentalist, and also had roles in Lifetime TV movies. In 2014 she began playing the female leading role in the CBS procedural drama NCIS: New Orleans.[2][3] In July 2016, it was reported that she would not return for season three.[4] In 2017, McLellan was cast in a series regular role in the second season of Designated Survivor as White House Counsel Kendra Daynes.[5]

Judith Therese Evans (born July 20, 1975),[1][2][3] known as Judy Greer, is an American actress, model and author, known for several television and film roles. On television, her best known roles include Kitty Sanchez in the comedy Arrested Development, Ingrid 'Fatty Magoo' Nelson in the comedy It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Trixie in the comedy-drama Californication, and Cheryl Tunt in the animated comedy Archer.

Judy Hensler (Jeri Weil, October 4, 1957 – October 15, 1960) is Beaver's snitching, goody-goody classroom nemesis on the show. Penny Woods (Karen Sue Trent, February 20, 1960 – January 20, 1962) filled the nemesis role when Judy was dropped. Other friends include Lumpy's sister Violet Rutherford, (Wendy Winkleman, 1957 and Veronica Cartwright, February 19, 1959 – May 2, 1963). Benjie Bellamy (Joey Scott) and Chuckie Murdock (Rory Stevens) are both small boys and Cleaver neighbors who cause trouble. Beaver's notorious classmate Angela Valentine is an unseen character, mentioned a dozen times in the series but never shown on screen.

Kel Johari Rice Mitchell (born August 25, 1978)[1] is an American actor, stand-up comedian, musician, singer and rapper.[2] He is known for his work as a regular cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That, as the Invisible Boy in the 1999 Ben Stiller and Geoffrey Rush superhero satire film Mystery Men, his portrayal of Kel Kimble on the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel, his role as Ed in the film and All That sketch Good Burger, as the voice of Dutch in the Disney XD cartoon Motorcity, and as Ray in the 2006 sequel to Like Mike, Like Mike 2: Streetball. He currently stars as Double G on the Nickelodeon series Game Shakers.

Edith "Edie" Falco (/ˈiːdi ˈfælkoʊ/; born July 5, 1963) is an American television, film, and stage actress, known for her roles as Diane Whittlesey in the HBO series Oz (1997–2000), Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos (1999–2007), the title character of the Showtime series Nurse Jackie (2009–15), and Sylvia Wittel on the Louis C.K. web series, Horace and Pete (2016).

Danny goes on his first date since his wife's death in the season one episode "Sea Cruise," as part of a fishing trip that was intended to only include himself, Jesse and Joey; he is seen going out on dates on select occasions throughout the series. While Rebecca goes on maternity leave in season five just before giving birth to his nephews Nicky and Alex, Danny ends up falling in love with her co-host replacement, Vicky Larson. The two of them begin dating in season five's "Easy Rider," becoming Danny's most serious relationship since he became a widower, and the two later become engaged in the season six finale "The House Meets the Mouse". However, their relationship turned into a long-distance situation as Vicky was assigned various reporting jobs away from San Francisco. In season seven's "The Perfect Couple," Vicky ended up getting her dream job of anchoring the network news in New York City, but a long-distance relationship did not work for either of them, so Danny decides to break up with her; this leads him to a mass feng shui habit in the following episode, "Is It True About Stephanie?," to which his family acknowledges was his way of trying to cope with his breakup. Danny eventually meets fellow single parent Claire Mahan in season eight episode "Making Out Is Hard to Do," and go on a date in the episode "Claire and Present Danger."

Mircea Monroe (born March 11, 1982)[1] is an American model and actress, known for her roles on the TV series Episodes as Morning Randolph (2011–2017), Hart of Dixie as Tansy Truitt (2011–2015), Impastor as Alexa Cummings (2015–2016) and Sing It! as Stacey Needles (2016–present). She has also starred in films including Cellular (2004), House of the Dead II (2005), Just Friends (2005), The Change-Up (2011) and Magic Mike (2012).

During the 1980s and 1990s Sarducci appeared on other television shows, including Fridays, Married... with Children, Unhappily Ever After, Blossom, It's Garry Shandling's Show, and Square Pegs. In 1980, Sarducci appeared in Gilda Live!, a film and an album recording based on Gilda Radner's successful one-woman show which had been playing on Broadway. In 1984, he appeared in a music video for the Jefferson Starship song "No Way Out." In 1995, he appeared as a priest trying to perform an exorcism in the movie Casper. The same movie featured a cameo by fellow SNL alumnus Dan Aykroyd as Ghostbuster Ray Stantz.

Wade's nicknames include D-Wade and Flash, which was given to him by former teammate Shaquille O'Neal who would sing, "He's the greatest in the Universe", in reference to the Queen song of the same name from the 1980 film Flash Gordon.[143][144] The Heat's 2005 NBA Playoffs run and Wade's performances with Shaquille O'Neal hampered by injury, led to an explosion of media attention and rapid increase in Wade's popularity. During those playoffs, Wade's jersey became the top selling jersey in the league and remained so for nearly two years.[145] After the Heat's success and Wade's memorable performances during the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Wade was further elevated into the public's eye and appeared on several talk shows, including Late Show with David Letterman and Live with Regis and Kelly.[146] He also made a guest star appearance on Disney Channel's Austin & Ally as himself, who is an obsessed fan of Austin Moon.[147]

The Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly centers on Carly Shay, who creates her own web show with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan Kress as Freddie, Jerry Trainor as Spencer, and Noah Munck as Gibby. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer.


Question: Who designed the traffic circle in Long Beach, California?

In 1930, German engineer Werner Ruchti was hired to design the traffic circle in Long Beach, California, modeled after European traffic circles. The project was fast-tracked to handle the anticipated increase in traffic due to the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where several water sports events were scheduled to take place in Long Beach.

On January 24, 1961, Blanc was involved in a near-fatal car accident. He was driving alone when his sports car collided head-on with a car driven by 18-year-old college student Arthur Rolston on Sunset Boulevard.[19] Rolston suffered minor injuries, but Blanc was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center with a triple skull fracture that left him in a coma for two weeks, along with sustaining fractures to both legs and the pelvis.[20] About two weeks after the accident, one of Blanc's neurologists tried a different approach.[clarification needed] Blanc was asked, "How are you feeling today, Bugs Bunny?" After a slight pause, Blanc answered, in a weak voice, "Eh... just fine, Doc. How are you?"[8] The doctor then asked Tweety if he was there, too. "I tawt I taw a puddy tat," was the reply.[21][22] Blanc returned home on March 17. Four days later, Blanc filed a US$500,000 lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles. His accident, one of 26 in the preceding two years at the intersection known as Dead Man's Curve, resulted in the city funding the restructuring of curves at the location.

The original townsite follows a unique design. It is laid out on northeast-to-southwest and northwest-to-southeast roads. It is purported that the reason this was done was to allow sun to come into every room in the home at some point during the day. The northwest-to-southeast roads were numbered and called avenues, while the northeast-to-southwest roads were numbered and called streets. Only two central streets, the northwest-to-southeast Main Avenue and the northeast-to-southwest Shoshone Street, were named. This system created situations where one side of a street may have an entirely different address than the other, and where the corner of "3rd and 3rd," for example, was in more than one location. In 2003 the numbered northeast-to-southwest streets were renamed to alleviate decades of confusion. Later city roads, such as Blue Lakes Boulevard, Addison Avenue and Washington Street, are laid out in standard north–south and east–west orientations. Addison Avenue is named after Addison T. Smith, an early 20th Century United States Congressman from Twin Falls.[21]

Pennsylvania Station was a historic railroad station in New York City, named for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), its builder and original tenant.  The station occupied an 8-acre (3.2Â ha) plot bounded by Seventh and Eighth Avenues and 31st and 33rd Streets in Midtown Manhattan. It was designed by McKim, Mead, and White and completed in 1910.  The original Pennsylvania Station head house and train shed were considered a masterpiece of the Beaux-Arts style and one of the great architectural works of New York City. As the terminal shared its name with several stations in other cities, it was sometimes called New York Pennsylvania Station, or Penn Station for short.

In 1994, after a few failed attempts (which even included trying to film the familiar monument as an actual three-dimensional model[citation needed]), Fox in-house television producer Kevin Burns was hired to produce a new logo for the company, this time using the then-new process of computer-generated imagery (CGI). With the help of graphics producer Steve Soffer and his company Studio Productions (which had recently given face-lifts to the Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios logos in 1986 and 1990, respectively), Burns insisted that the new logo would contain more detail and animation, so that the longer 21-second Fox fanfare would be used as the underscore. The new logo incorporated a virtual Los Angeles cityscape that was designed around the monument; in the background, the Hollywood sign, which would give the monument an actual location (approximating Fox's actual address in Century City) can be seen. One final touch was the addition of store-front signs, with each one bearing the name of Fox executives who worked with the studio at the time. These include "Murdoch's Department Store" (referring to Rupert Murdoch, president of News Corporation, Fox's parent at the time), "Chernin's" (referring to Peter Chernin), "Burns Tri-City Alarm" (an homage to Burns' late father, who owned a burglar and fire alarm company in Upstate New York), "Steve's Place" (referring to Soffer) and "llinidi's". It was also the first time Fox was recognized as a subsidiary of News Corporation, as a byline reading "A News Corporation Company" was incorporated into the logo.

The Figueroa Street Tunnels carry the Arroyo Seco Parkway through Elysian Park in Los Angeles; a Four Level Interchange connecting the Hollywood Freeway (Route 101) to Route 66 was the first stack interchange in the world.

The modern parkway, fruit of the automobile age, appears to have its origins in the Westchester County Parkways, New York, built between 1913 and 1930. At first, Congress also applied the idea locally — in the District of Columbia — but later undertook projects more clearly national in scope. Congress authorized its first parkway project in 1913, the four-mile (6 km) Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, to connect Potomac Park with Rock Creek Park and the National Zoological Park. In 1928, Congress authorized the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway to link the District of Columbia with Mount Vernon in commemoration of the bicentennial of Washington's birth. In 1930 this highway was renamed the George Washington Memorial Parkway, and enlarged in concept to extend from Mount Vernon all the way to Great Falls in Virginia, and from Fort Washington to Great Falls in Maryland (Alexandria and the District of Columbia excepted).[1]

In April 1999, the Salt Lake City council voted 5 to 2 along LDS membership lines to sell to the LDS Church the segment of Main Street that lay between Temple Square and the LDS Church office buildings for $8.1 million. The Church planned to build a large plaza on the land as well as a parking structure below. There was much public outcry about the sale of public lands to a private organization, but a Church representative assured residents that the plaza would be a "little bit of Paris", a characterization that would be used against the LDS Church later. Concerns also lay in plans to ban such activities as demonstrations, skateboarding, sunbathing, smoking, and other activities it considered "vulgar". The Utah ACLU believed that these restrictions were incompatible with the pedestrian easement that the city retained over the plaza. ACLU attorneys claimed this made the plaza into a public free speech forum. Nonetheless, the property was sold to become the Main Street Plaza. After the Utah District Court ruled against the ACLU, they were vindicated by the 10th Circuit Court in the Fall of 2002. Scrambling to satisfy residents, Rocky Anderson offered a plan for "time and place" restrictions on speech as suggested by the court. However, the LDS Church held firm to get the easement rescinded. Although The Salt Lake Tribune backed the mayor's initial plan, the city council disliked it. In its place, Anderson offered to waive the easement in exchange for west side property from the LDS Church to build a community and a commitment of donations for it. All parties agreed to the arrangement, and the Main Street Plaza is now wholly owned by the LDS Church. Some suppose Anderson's compromise was an effort to strengthen his 2003 re-election campaign among Latter-day Saints and west side residents. Both groups tended to have less favorable impressions of the former mayor.

From 1976 until 1983, the Long Beach circuit hosted a newly created United States Grand Prix West, which ran in the same seasons as the United States Grand Prix (East). The United States was thus the first nation since Italy in 1957 to hold two Formula One Grands Prix in the same season. During the years 1976–1980 when both Grands Prix ran, the United States Grand Prix was also referred to as the United States Grand Prix East. The Caesars Palace Grand Prix ran as a Formula One World Championship race in Las Vegas in 1981 and 1982 (after which it continued two further years as an event in the CART series). 1982 saw the inaugural Detroit Grand Prix in the center of Detroit, Michigan, which ran until 1988. The 1982 Formula One season thus featured three Grands Prix in the USA – a first time in World Championship history that a country hosted more than two Grands Prix. Finally, a one-off Dallas Grand Prix in Fair Park, Texas was held in 1984, which was plagued by problems with the track surface, exacerbated by extremely hot 104 °F (40 °C) July weather.[71] After these short-lived events, the historical United States Grand Prix returned in 1989 at Phoenix and has since remained the only Grand Prix on the F1 calendar to be held in the USA, despite changing locations a few times since.

Carl G. Fisher was an early automobile entrepreneur who was the manufacturer of Prest-O-Lite carbide-gas headlights used on most early cars, and was also one of the principal investors who built the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He believed that the popularity of automobiles was dependent on good roads. In 1912 he began promoting his dream of a transcontinental highway, and at a September 10 dinner meeting with industry friends in Indianapolis, he called for a coast-to-coast rock highway to be completed by May 1, 1915, in time for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.[7] He estimated the cost at about $10 million and told the group, "Let's build it before we're too old to enjoy it!"[1] Within a month Fisher's friends had pledged $1 million. Henry Ford, the biggest automaker of his day, refused to contribute because he believed the government should build America's roads. However, contributors included former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas A. Edison, both friends of Fisher, as well as then-current President Woodrow Wilson, the first U.S. President to make frequent use of an automobile for relaxation.

Beginning in 1891, Phoebe Apperson Hearst made several large gifts to Berkeley, funding a number of programs and new buildings and sponsoring, in 1898, an international competition in Antwerp, Belgium, where French architect Émile Bénard submitted the winning design for a campus master plan. In 1905, the University Farm was established near Sacramento, ultimately becoming the University of California, Davis.[46] By the 1920s, the number of campus buildings had grown substantially, and included twenty structures designed by architect John Galen Howard.[47]


Question: What kind of narrative is The Pardoner's Tale?

The Pardoner's Tale is an extended exemplum that illustrates the consequences of greed. In the story, three young men seek to kill Death but instead stumble upon a hidden treasure. Their avarice leads to their downfall as they plot and kill one another for the riches. This narrative underscores the Pardoner's central theme that greed is the root of all evil.

This parable has been interpreted in a number of ways:

"Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister" is a soliloquy written by Robert Browning, first published in his collection Dramatic Lyrics (1842). It is written in the voice of an unnamed Spanish monk. The poem consists of nine eight-line stanzas and is written in trochaic tetrameter. The plot of the poem centers around the speaker's hatred for "Brother Lawrence", a fellow monk in the cloister.

After relaying the story, the mariner leaves, and the wedding guest returns home, and wakes the next morning "a sadder and a wiser man".

The narrator (voice-type unspecified in the score, but traditionally performed by a soprano) delivers the poems in the Sprechstimme style. Schoenberg had previously used a combination of spoken text with instrumental accompaniment, called "melodrama", in the summer-wind narrative of the Gurre-Lieder,[1] which was a fashionable musical style popular at the end of the nineteenth century.[2] The melodrama is in atonal form, yet does not use Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique.

"The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs" is the second episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 197th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 24, 2010. In the episode, Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and Cartman write a vulgar book with the sole intention of getting it banned. When Stan's parents discover the manuscript, the boys accuse Butters of writing it, then are enraged when it becomes hailed as a literary masterpiece.

The repeated mannerisms, lilting style and generally black humour of Housman's collection have made it an easy target for parody. The first to set the fashion was Housman himself in "Terence, this is stupid stuff" (LXII) with its humorously voiced criticism of the effect of his writing and the wry justification of his stance in the tale of Mithridates.[36] He was followed early in the new century by Ezra Pound, whose "Mr Housman's Message" appeared in his collection Canzoni (1911). A poem of three stanzas, it begins with a glum acknowledgement of mortality:

The Somonyng of Everyman (The Summoning of Everyman) (c. 1509 â€“ 1519), usually referred to simply as Everyman, is a late 15th-century English morality play. Like John Bunyan's allegory Pilgrim's Progress (1678), Everyman examines the question of Christian salvation through the use of allegorical characters.[28]

The rotten remains of the ship sink in a whirlpool, leaving only the mariner behind. A hermit on the mainland had seen the approaching ship and had come to meet it with a pilot and his boy, in a boat. When they pull him from the water, they think he is dead, but when he opens his mouth, the pilot has a fit. The hermit prays, and the mariner picks up the oars to row. The pilot's boy goes crazy and laughs, thinking the mariner is the devil, and cries, "The Devil knows how to row". As penance for shooting the albatross, the mariner, driven by guilt, is forced to wander the earth, telling his story over and over, and teaching a lesson to those he meets:

Each verse describes the isolation and suffering of a child, two of whom have a physical abnormality. In the first verse, a boy is injured in a car accident and misses school for an extended period; when he returns to class, his hair has changed color from black to white. In the second verse, a girl refuses to change clothes in the presence of other girls due to the birthmarks that cover her body. The third child is a boy whose parents make him come directly home after school; during services at their church, they "shake and lurch" across the floor. During a 2010 live performance for the Dutch radio station Kink FM, Brad Roberts whispered "Pentecostal" during the third verse, suggesting this is the denomination of the church.[4]

The speaker notes the trivial ways in which Brother Lawrence fails in his Christianity, and then plots to murder, or damn the soul of, Brother Lawrence. However, the poem ends before the speaker can finish, when he is interrupted by the bells proclaiming it is time for vespers.


Question: Who scored the fastest 10,000 runs in Test cricket?

Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, and Kumar Sangakkara hold the record for reaching 10,000 Test cricket runs in the fewest innings (195), while Alastair Cook achieved this milestone in the shortest time span (10 years and 87 days). Shivnarine Chanderpaul took the longest time (18 years and 37 days) to reach the same mark. As of May 2017, Tendulkar leads the list with 15,921 runs, followed by Ricky Ponting of Australia with 13,378 runs.

On July 11, 2014, Chapman broke the record, previously held by Bruce Sutter, for the most consecutive relief appearances with a strikeout, having struck out at least one batter in 40 consecutive appearances. Chapman's streak began on August 21, 2013,[2] and lasted 49 consecutive games over two seasons, with the 49th and final game being on August 13, 2014. He holds the record for the fastest recorded pitch speed in MLB history, at 105.1 miles per hour (169.1Â km/h),[3] as well as the Guinness World Record for fastest baseball pitch.[4]

On 24 August 1959, England inflicted its only 5â€“0 whitewash over India. All out for 194 at The Oval, India lost the last test by an innings. England's batsman Ken Barrington and Colin Cowdrey both had an excellent series with the bat, with Barrington scoring 357 runs across the series and Cowdrey scoring 344.

Despite this, he was stripped of the captaincy when India toured England in 1979 for a four Test tour. The official reason given was that Srinivas Venkataraghavan was preferred due to his superior experience on English soil, but most observers believed that Gavaskar was punished because he was believed to be considering defecting to World Series Cricket. He started consistently, scoring four half-centuries in five innings of the first three Tests.[10] It was in the Fourth Test at The Oval that he produced his finest innings on English soil. India was 1â€“0 down needed to reach a world record target of 438 to square the series. They reached 76/0 at stumps on the fourth day. Led by Gavaskar, India made steady progress to be 328/1 with 20 overs remaining on the final day with a record-breaking victory still possible. An Ian Botham led fightback saw Gavaskar removed, with India still needing 49 runs from 46 balls. With three balls left in the match, all four results were possible. India ended nine runs short with two wickets in hand when stumps were drawn. According to Sanjay Manjrekar, it was "Vintage Gavaskar, playing swing bowling to perfection, taking his time initially and then opening up. Nothing in the air, everything copybook." He ended the series with 542 runs at 77.42 and was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.[7]

India then travelled to Bangladesh for the Asia Cup and World Twenty20. Dhoni was ruled out of the Asia Cup after suffering a side strain during the New Zealand tour, which led to Kohli being named captain for the tournament.[175] Kohli scored 136 off 122 balls in India's opening match against Bangladesh, sharing a 213-run third-wicket stand with Ajinkya Rahane, which helped India successfully chase 280.[176] It was his 19th ODI century and his fifth in Bangladesh, making him the batsman with most ODI centuries in Bangladesh.[177] India were knocked out of the tournament after narrow losses against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, in which Kohli scored 48 and 5 respectively.[55]

In 1972–73, England toured India for a five-Test series, Gavaskar's first on home soil. He was ineffective in the first three Tests, accumulating only sixty runs in five innings as India took a 2–1 lead. He scored some runs in the final two Tests which India drew to complete consecutive series win over England. His first home series was largely disappointing, aggregating 224 runs at 24.89.[10] His English critics were placated when India returned in 1974 and Gavaskar scored 101 and 58 in the second Test at Old Trafford. He managed 227 runs at 37.83 as India were whitewashed 3–0.[7][10]

Gavaskar's arrival in England in 1971 for a three-Test series generated substantial publicity in light of his debut series. He was unable to maintain his performance, making only two half-centuries. He was involved in controversy when taking a quick single from the bowling of John Snow. They collided and Gavaskar fell over. Snow was charged with deliberately barging into Gavaskar and was suspended. Gavaskar's 144 runs at the low average of 24,[10] led some to question Gavaskar's worthiness in international cricket.[7]

Before the Fourth Test, Fingleton added 52 against Border and 110 in an innings win over Transvaal. His 108 in the Fourth Test was more than South Africa's entire second innings of 98,[24] and scored at almost a run a minute.[72] In the Fifth Test, the pair combined for another century stand. Each of the three matches resulted in an innings victory for Australia as the series was taken 4â€“0.[20][37] Fingleton ended the Test series with 478 runs at 79.66.[20] Against Natal at Durban, he made his highest first class score of 167,[9] his second century against the provincial side for the season. He ended the tour with a total of 1192 runs at 74.50, including six centuries.[24] Despite his rapid scoring in South Africa, Fingleton's achievements went largely unheralded at home; at the time, England and Australia were by far the strongest Test teams and media coverage of the tour was scant. There was little detail in the reports apart from the scores and Fingleton was still described as a slow scorer, something that angered him.[73]

After the break, the Braves came out with their bats swinging, setting many franchise records. They won five straight, sweeping the Padres and taking two from the Cardinals, tallying a total of 65 runs in that span. The 65 runs in five games is the best by the franchise since 1897, when the Boston Beaneaters totaled 78, including 25 in one game and 21 in another, from May 31 – June 3; the 2006 Braves also became the first team since the 1930 New York Yankees to score ten runs or more in five straight games. The Braves had a total of 81 hits during their five-game run and 98 hits in their last six games, going back to an 8–3 victory over Cincinnati on July 9, the last game before the All-Star break. Additionally, Chipper Jones was able to maintain a 20-game hitting streak and tie Paul Waner's 69-year-old Major League record with a 14-game extra-base hit streak.[25]

The record for most runs scored by a team in a single inning is 18, set by the Chicago White Stockings (now the Cubs) against the Detroit Wolverines on September 6, 1883.  The modern-day record is 17, achieved by the Boston Red Sox against the Detroit Tigers on June 18, 1953.

Michael Vaughan took over, with players encouraged to express themselves. England won five consecutive test series prior to facing Australia in the 2005 Ashes series, taking the team to second place in the ICC Test Championship table. During this period England defeated the West Indies home and away, New Zealand, and Bangladesh at home, and South Africa in South Africa. In June 2005, England played its first ever T20 international match, defeating Australia by 100 runs. Later that year, England defeated Australia 2–1 in a thrilling series to regain the Ashes for the first time in 16 years having lost them in 1989. Following the 2005 Ashes win, the team suffered from a spate of serious injuries to key players such as Vaughan, Flintoff, Giles and Simon Jones. As a result, the team underwent an enforced period of transition. A 2–0 defeat in Pakistan was followed by two drawn away series with India and Sri Lanka.


Question: Who were some leaders in the progressive era who fought for equal rights?

During the Progressive Era, numerous leaders emerged to fight for equal rights and reform various sectors of society. These activists targeted local government, public education, healthcare, finance, industry, transportation, religious institutions, and more. The era saw the professionalization and scientific approach in social sciences, particularly history, economics, and political science, replacing amateur authors with research professors publishing in scholarly journals and presses. Prominent political leaders included Theodore Roosevelt, Robert M. La Follette, Sr., and Charles Evans Hughes from the Republican party, and William Jennings Bryan, Woodrow Wilson, and Al Smith from the Democratic party. However, the movement's impact extended beyond national politics, with influential reformers like Jane Addams, Grace Abbott, Edith Abbott, and Sophonisba Breckinridge playing pivotal roles in advocating for social justice and equality.

Nearly half a million immigrants were drafted, which forced the military to develop training procedures that took ethnic differences into account. Military leaders invited Progressive reformers and ethnic group leaders to assist in formulating new military policies. The military attempted to socialize and Americanize young immigrant recruits, not by forcing "angloconformity", but by showing remarkable sensitivity and respect for ethnic values and traditions and a concern for the morale of immigrant troops. Sports activities, keeping immigrant groups together, newspapers in various languages, the assistance of bilingual officers, and ethnic entertainment programs were all employed.[16]

From 1860 to 1932 in the era of the Civil War to the Great Depression, the opposing Republican Party, organized in the mid-1850s from the ruins of the Whig Party and some other smaller splinter groups, was dominant in presidential politics. The Democrats elected only two Presidents to four terms of office for 72 years: Grover Cleveland (in 1884 and 1892) and Woodrow Wilson (in 1912 and 1916). Over the same period, the Democrats proved more competitive with the Republicans in Congressional politics, enjoying House of Representatives majorities (as in the 65th Congress) in 15 of the 36 Congresses elected, although only in five of these did they form the majority in the Senate. The party was split between the Bourbon Democrats, representing Eastern business interests; and the agrarian elements comprising poor farmers in the South and West. The agrarian element, marching behind the slogan of "free silver" (i.e. in favor of inflation), captured the party in 1896 and nominated the "Great Commoner" William Jennings Bryan in 1896, 1900 and 1908, though he lost every time. Both Bryan and Wilson were leaders of the Progressive Movement (1890sâ€“1920s).

Eugenics was also a major part of the Progressive movement.[24] In 1919, the Idaho legislature passed an Act legalizing the forced sterilization of some persons institutionalized in the state. The act was vetoed by governor D.W. Davis, who doubted its scientific merits and believed it likely violated the Equal Protection clause of the US Constitution.[25] In 1925, the Idaho legislature passed a revised eugenics act, now tailored to avoid Davis's earlier objections. The new law created a state board of eugenics, charged with:

In one of the campaign's more important recruitment efforts, SCLC hosted about 80 representatives of other poor, often minority groups in Atlanta, with whom the civil rights organization had had little to no relationship up to that point. On March 14, 1968, delegates attended the so-called "Minority Group Conference" and discussed the upcoming campaign and whether or not their specific issues would be considered. Among the delegates were Chicano Movement leaders Reies Tijerina, Corky Gonzales, Jose Angel Gutierrez, and Bert Corona; white coal miners from Kentucky and West Virginia; Native American and Puerto Rican activists; and Myles Horton, organizer and founder of the Highlander Folk School. With a skeptical and fast-weakened Cesar Chavez occupied by a farm workers' hunger strike, Reies Tijerina was the most prominent Chicano leader present. At the end of a long day, most delegates decided to participate in the campaign, convinced that specific demands that often revolved around land and treaty rights would be honored by campaign organizers.[41]

As leaders and activists, women participated in African nationalism through national organisations. The decade of the 1950s was a landmark because of the significant number of women who were politically involved in the nationalist struggle. A minority of women were incorporated and affiliated into male-dominated national organisations. Founded by women in 1960, The National Council of Sierra Leone was to become, in 1968, the women's section of the ruling All People's Congress and dedicated primarily to the vigorous support of head of state, President Stevens. Women activists extended and conveyed militant behaviours. Nancy Dolly Steele was the organizing secretary and co-founder of the Congress, and has been noted for her militant political and nationalist activities. In the same way, throughout Africa, the influence of trade union movements, in particular, became the spawning ground for women organisers as such. South African women, for instance, emerged as primary catalysts for protests against the Apartheid regime. These women first participated in resistance movements through womenâ€™s branches of the larger male dominated liberation organizations, as through the African National Congress (ANC). Nevertheless, in 1943, the ANC adopted a new constitution which included a new position for women to become full members of the national movement. Women also formed their own national organisations, such as the Federation of South African Women in 1954, which boasted a membership of 230,000 women. Though at the time women viewed themselves primarily as mothers and wives, the act of their joining in political organisations illustrated a kind of feminist consciousness.[14]

Carl G. Fisher was an early automobile entrepreneur who was the manufacturer of Prest-O-Lite carbide-gas headlights used on most early cars, and was also one of the principal investors who built the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He believed that the popularity of automobiles was dependent on good roads. In 1912 he began promoting his dream of a transcontinental highway, and at a September 10 dinner meeting with industry friends in Indianapolis, he called for a coast-to-coast rock highway to be completed by May 1, 1915, in time for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.[7] He estimated the cost at about $10 million and told the group, "Let's build it before we're too old to enjoy it!"[1] Within a month Fisher's friends had pledged $1 million. Henry Ford, the biggest automaker of his day, refused to contribute because he believed the government should build America's roads. However, contributors included former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas A. Edison, both friends of Fisher, as well as then-current President Woodrow Wilson, the first U.S. President to make frequent use of an automobile for relaxation.

Growing popular outrage at corporate scandals, along with reporting of journalists like Lincoln Steffens and Ida Tarbell, contributed to a split in the Republican Party between conservatives like Aldrich and progressives like Albert B. Cummins and Robert M. La Follette. Roosevelt did not fully embrace the left wing of his party, but he adopted many of their proposals.[91] In his last two years in office, Roosevelt became increasingly distrustful of big business, despite its close ties to the Republican Party. Abandoning his cautious approach toward big business, Roosevelt freely lambasted his conservative critics and called on Congress to enact a series of radical new laws.[92] Roosevelt sought to replace the 19th-century laissez-faire economic environment with a new economic model which included a larger regulatory role for the federal government. He believed that 19th-century entrepreneurs had risked their fortunes on innovations and new businesses, and that these capitalists had been rightly rewarded. By contrast, he believed that 20th-century capitalists risked little but nonetheless reaped huge and, given the lack of risk, unjust, economic rewards. Without a redistribution of wealth away from the upper class, Roosevelt feared that the country would turn to radicals or fall to revolution.[93]

Nevertheless, the modern federal apparatus owes its origins to changes that occurred during the period between 1861 and 1933. While banks had long been incorporated and regulated by the states, the National Bank Acts of 1863 and 1864 saw Congress establish a network of national banks that had their reserve requirements set by officials in Washington. During World War I, a system of federal banks devoted to aiding farmers was established, and a network of federal banks designed to promote home ownership came into existence in the last year of Herbert Hoover's administration. Congress used its power over interstate commerce to regulate the rates of interstate (and eventually intrastate) railroads and even regulated their stock issues and labor relations, going so far as to enact a law regulating pay rates for railroad workers on the eve of World War I. During the 1920s, Congress enacted laws bestowing collective bargaining rights on employees of interstate railroads and some observers dared to predict it would eventually bestow collective bargaining rights on persons working in all industries. Congress also used the commerce power to enact morals legislation, such as the Mann Act of 1907 barring the transfer of women across state lines for immoral purposes, even as the commerce power remained limited to interstate transportationâ€”it did not extend to what were viewed as intrastate activities such as manufacturing and mining.

In the beginning of the 20th century, women were regarded as society's guardians of morality; they were seen as possessing a finer nature than men and were expected to act as such.[49] Their role was not defined as workers or money makers. Women were expected to hold on to their innocence until the right man came along so that they can start a family and inculcate that morality they were in charge of preserving. The role of men was to support the family financially.[50] Yet at the turn of the 20th century, social attitudes towards educating young women were changing. Women in North America and Western Europe were now becoming more and more educated, in no small part because of the efforts of pioneering women to further their own education, defying opposition by male educators. By 1900, four out of five colleges accepted women and a whole coed concept was becoming more and more accepted.[51]

They were not members of the AFL, and fought off more radical rivals such as the Knights of Labor in the 1880s and the American Railroad Union in the 1890s. They consolidated their power in 1916, after threatening a national strike, by securing the Adamson Act, a federal law that provided 10 hours pay for an eight-hour day. At the end of World War I they promoted nationalization of the railroads, and conducted a national strike in 1919. Both programs failed, and the brotherhoods were largely stagnant in the 1920s. They generally were independent politically, but supported the third party campaign of Robert M. La Follette Sr. in 1924.[27]


Question: When was Red Dead Redemption 1 released?

Red Dead Redemption, a Western-themed action-adventure game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games, was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in May 2010. It is the second game in the Red Dead franchise, following 2004's Red Dead Revolver. Set in 1911 during the decline of the American frontier, the game follows John Marston, a reformed outlaw who is forced to hunt down his former gang members after his family is taken hostage by the government.

The Elder Scrolls games are action role-playing games, although they do include elements taken from action and adventure games. In Arena players advance by killing monsters (and thereby gaining experience points) until a preset value is met, whereupon they level-up. However, in Daggerfall, Morrowind, and Oblivion the series took a skill-based approach to character advancement. Players develop their characters' skills by applying them, and only level-up when a certain set of skills have been developed. Skyrim took a new approach, where the more a skill is leveled, the more it helps to level the character. This shifted the focus away from character creation and more onto character development. The flexibility of the games' engines has facilitated the release of game extensions (or mods) through The Elder Scrolls Construction Set.

Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones is the third studio album by the American rock band Black Veil Brides. It was released through Lava Records/Universal Republic Records on January 8, 2013 and it is a rock opera concept album.[5] Pre-orders for the album became available to download from iTunes on Halloween, October 31.[6] The track "In the End" is the album's lead single, and was offered as an instant download to everyone who pre-ordered the album from iTunes after October 31. "In the End" was featured as one of the theme songs for WWE's Hell in a Cell[7] and was also featured as a song on the soundtrack for EA Sports' NHL 14 video game.[8][9]

At the time of its release, Twilight Princess was critically acclaimed, receiving several Game of the Year awards. As of SeptemberÂ 2015[update], 8.85 million copies of the game were sold worldwide, making it the best-selling title in the series.[7] In 2011, the Wii version was rereleased under the Nintendo Selects label. A high-definition remaster for the Wii U, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, was released in March 2016.[8]

While this round was commercially successful, it was not as critically acclaimed as its predecessor. The second round of solo albums from Wu-Tang saw second efforts from the five members who had already released albums, as well as debuts from all the remaining members, with the exception of Masta Killa. In the space of two years, RZA's Bobby Digital In Stereo, Method Man Tical 2000: Judgement Day and Blackout! (with Redman), GZA's Beneath the Surface, Ol' Dirty Bastard's Nigga Please, U-God's Golden Arms Redemption, Raekwon's Immobilarity, Ghostface Killah's Supreme Clientele and Inspectah Deck's Uncontrolled Substance were all released (seven of them being released in the space of seven months between June 1999 and January 2000). RZA also composed the score for the film Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, directed by Jim Jarmusch, while he and other Wu-Tang members contributed music to a companion "music inspired by the film" album.

While Rockstar has previously provided some support with the original Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto 2, and has even used a third-party utility for developing the Grand Theft Auto: London expansion packs,[40] the only official modification tool Rockstar has released is Rockstar Editor,[41] a tool which allows users to record and edit videos in-game. Options such as effects, audio, speed, cameras and navigation tools are made available to the player.[42]

The Hannibal Lecter franchise is an American media franchise that features the titular character, Hannibal Lecter, who originally appeared in a series of novels (starting with Red Dragon in 1981) by Thomas Harris. The series has since expanded into film and television.

During Microsoft's E3 2017 press conference on June 11, 2017, Microsoft announced that roughly 50% of Xbox One users had played an Xbox 360 game on Xbox One through the system's backward-compatibility feature.[1] Based on popular demand, Phil Spencer, Microsoft's Head of Xbox, announced that Xbox One consoles would be able to play select games made for the original Xbox console, first released in 2001.[1] The compatibility will work on all consoles in the Xbox One family, including the Xbox One X, and will be available as a free update planned for the fall of 2017.[2]

DayZ is an open world survival video game in development by Bohemia Interactive. It is the standalone successor of the mod of the same name. The game was released for Microsoft Windows via early access on Steam in December 2013, and is in early alpha testing.

Grand Theft Auto IV takes place in 2008, in a redesigned version of Liberty City consisting of four boroughs, based on four of the boroughs of New York City: Broker (based on Brooklyn), Dukes (Queens), Bohan (The Bronx), and Algonquin (Manhattan).[20] Adjacent to the city is the independent state of Alderney (Northern New Jersey). There are three minor islands present in the game: Charge Island (Randall's Island), Colony Island (Roosevelt Island), and Happiness Island (Liberty Island). Initially, bridges are locked down due to a terrorist threat, and players are constantly pursued by police if the bridges are crossed, but the blockades are lifted as the story progresses, allowing the player to traverse between islands.[4] Grand Theft Auto IV takes place in a different storyline and timeline from the previous games in the series.[21] However, the game takes place in the same canon as its expansion packs, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, and its successor, Grand Theft Auto V.[22][c]

A pre-alpha video of the game, showcasing the visuals and 13 minutes of gameplay with developer commentary, was presented in Leipzig in August 2007. The demonstration showed off the gameplay involving gunfights and driving sequences, and unique features such as first aid and physical maps were also shown. It also showcased several graphical features tying in directly with the gameplay, such as procedural breakage of vegetation and its regeneration over time, dynamic propagation of fire, and volumetric wind effects capable of breaking vegetation and spreading fire. Man-made structures were also shown to be highly destructible.[13]