Question: Where does the term "Jack Mormon" originate from?

The term "Jack Mormon" has its roots in 19th-century America, initially used to denote someone not officially part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but supportive of or interested in its members and teachings. By the mid-20th century, its meaning evolved to signify a person considered by active members of the LDS Church to be less involved or disconnected from the faith, yet still harboring goodwill and positive sentiments toward the church.

Some commentators conflate or associate the term with "Jack in the Green".[5] Green cats, lions, and demons are also found. On gravestones and other memorials, human skulls are sometimes shown sprouting grape vines or other vegetation, presumably as a symbol of resurrection (as at Shebbear, Devon, England).[citation needed]

The journalists who specialized in exposing waste, corruption, and scandal operated at the state and local level, like Ray Stannard Baker, George Creel, and Brand Whitlock. Other like Lincoln Steffens exposed political corruption in many large cities; Ida Tarbell went after John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. Samuel Hopkins Adams in 1905 showed the fraud involved in many patent medicines, Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel The Jungle gave a horrid portrayal of how meat was packed, and, also in 1906, David Graham Phillips unleashed a blistering indictment of the U.S. Senate. Roosevelt gave these journalists their nickname when he complained they were not being helpful by raking up all the muck.[15][16]

The term junk food dates back at least to the early 1950s,[8] although it has been reported that it was coined in 1972 by Michael F. Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.[3] In 1952, it appeared in a headline in the Lima, Ohio, News, "'Junk Foods' Cause Serious Malnutrition", for a reprint of a 1948 article from the Ogden, Utah, Standard-Examiner, originally headlined, "Dr. Bradyâ€™s Health Column: More Junk Than Food". In it, Dr. Brady writes, "What Mrs. H calls 'junk' I call cheat food. That is anything made principally of (1) white flour and or (2) refined white sugar or syrup. For example, white bread, crackers, cake, candy, ice cream soda, chocolate malted, sundaes, sweetened carbonated beverages."[9] The term cheat food can be traced back in newspaper mentions to at least 1916.[10]

Fan historian Richard Kyle coined the term "graphic novel" in an essay in the November 1964 issue of the comics fanzine Capa-Alpha.[1][2] The term gained popularity in the comics community after the publication of Will Eisner's A Contract with God (1978) and the start of Marvel's Graphic Novel line (1982) and became familiar to the public in the late 1980s after the commercial successes of the first volume of Art Spiegelman's Maus in 1986 and the collected editions of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns in 1986 and Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen in 1987. The Book Industry Study Group began using "graphic novel" as a category in book stores in 2001.[3]

Based on common misconceptions and stereotypes about men in nursing, Greg's profession is repeatedly brought up by Jack Byrnes in a negative context and the character of Greg Focker has come to be one of the best known film portrayals of a male nurse.[7] Even though men dominated the profession in earlier times,[9] there has been a feminization of the nursing profession over the course of the last century which has caused men in nursing to often be portrayed as misfits by the media.[10] A common stereotype is that of a man who accepts a career in nursing as an unfortunate secondary career choice, either failing to become a physician or still trying to become one. Such stereotyping is due to a presumption that a man would prefer to be a physician but is unable to become one due to lack of intelligence or non-masculine attributes. Jack Byrnes is often seen openly criticizing Greg's career choice per his perception of nursing being an effeminate profession. In their book Men in Nursing: History, Challenges, and Opportunities authors Chad O'Lynn and Russell Tranbarger present this as an example of a negative portrayal.[11] Commenting on the same issue but disagreeing, Barbara Cherry in her book Contemporary Nursing: Issues, Trends, & Management called the portrayal of Greg as a nurse "one of the most positive film portrayals of men who are nurses"[12] and commented that Greg "humorously addresses and rises above the worst of all stereotypes that are endured by men in this profession."[12] Sandy and Harry Summers in the book Saving Lives: Why the Media's Portrayal of Nurses Puts Us All at Risk postulate that Greg's character, although intelligent and firm in his defense of his profession, "might have done more to rebut the stereotypes"[7] while also reporting that "some men in nursing"[7] expressed their opinions that it would have been better to not present the stereotypes at all.[7]

As well, usage creates distinctions beyond the raw definitions of the words. Thus, even though some relationships might technically be considered both polygamous and polyamorous, "polygamy" usually signifies a codified form of multiple marriage, based on established religious teachings, while "polyamory" is based on the preferences of the participants rather than social custom or established precedent.

The Greek word martys signifies a "witness" who testifies to a fact he has knowledge about from personal observation. It is in this sense that the term first appears in the Book of Acts, in reference to the Apostles as "witnesses" of all that they had observed in the public life of Christ. In Acts 1:22, Peter, in his address to the Apostles and disciples regarding the election of a successor to Judas, employs the term with this meaning: "Wherefore, of these men who have accompanied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us, one of these must be made witness with us of his resurrection".[4]

"Social justice warrior" (commonly abbreviated SJW) is a pejorative term for an individual promoting socially progressive views,[1] including feminism,[1][2] civil rights,[1] multiculturalism,[1] and identity politics.[3] The accusation of being an SJW carries implications of pursuing personal validation rather than any deep-seated conviction,[4] and being engaged in disingenuous social justice arguments or activism to raise personal reputation, also known as virtue signalling.[5]

The atheist political columnist and molecular biologist Ronald Plasterk (who later served as the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science and Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations) published a piece in 1997 in the magazine Intermediar in which he used the word. The term became widely known in the Netherlands after Plasterk used it in a feature for the television programme Buitenhof.[1] In October 2005, the word ietsisme was included in the 14th edition of the Dutch Language Dictionary Dikke Van Dale.

The publication and reception of The War of the Worlds also established the vernacular term of 'martian' as a description for something offworldly or unknown.[49]


Question: Where does the term "Jack Mormon" originate from?

The term "Jack Mormon" is believed by several LDS historians to have originated in Missouri during the Kirtland period of Latter Day Saint history, around 1834. It is thought to have been used by sympathetic Democrats in Jackson County, Missouri, who were friendly toward the Mormons when Church members were expelled from Jackson County by a mob and fled to Clay County. These supportive citizens were derogatorily referred to as "Jack" Mormons by the hostile residents of Jackson County.

"Pardon my French" or "Excuse my French" is a common English language phrase ostensibly disguising profanity as words from the French language. The phrase is uttered in an attempt to excuse the user of profanity, swearing, or curses in the presence of those offended by it, under the pretense of the words being part of a foreign language.[1] Although the phrase is often used without any explicit or implicit intention of insulting the French people or language, it can nevertheless be perceived as offensive and belittling by Francophone speakers.[2] However, most users of the term intend no such belittlement, but rather a light-hearted way of apologizing on-the-fly for having used a somewhat profane comment. In other words, it can be (and usually is) used as a very effective oral English device to indicate that the speaker does not intend to escalate the general level of profanity use.

The first known instance of the term Ivy League being used appeared in The Christian Science Monitor on February 7, 1935.[3][36][37] Several sportswriters and other journalists used the term shortly later to refer to the older colleges, those along the northeastern seaboard of the United States, chiefly the nine institutions with origins dating from the colonial era, together with the United States Military Academy (West Point), the United States Naval Academy, and a few others. These schools were known for their long-standing traditions in intercollegiate athletics, often being the first schools to participate in such activities. However, at this time, none of these institutions made efforts to form an athletic league.

Hondurans are often referred to as Catracho or Catracha (fem) in Spanish. The word was coined by Nicaraguans and derives from the last name of the Spanish Honduran General Florencio Xatruch, who in 1857 led Honduran armed forces against an attempted invasion by North American adventurer William Walker. The nickname is considered complimentary, not derogatory.

The phrase was first put to legal use in a reported judgment by Sir Richard Henn Collins MR in the 1903 English Court of Appeal libel case, McQuire v. Western Morning News.[4] He attributed it to Lord Bowen, said to have coined it as junior counsel defending the Tichborne Claimant case in 1871. Brewer's also lists this as a possible first use.[5]

A similar derivation applies to the phrase "Pope's nose", which may have originated as a derogatory term meant to demean Catholics in England during the late 17th century.[citation needed]

The term ietsism is becoming more widely used in Europe, as opposed to the phrase 'spiritual but not religious' which prevails in North America.[2][3] The word occurs inter alia in Dutch (ietsisme), German (Ietsismus), Russian (итсизм), Czech (něcismus), West Frisian (eatisme), Ukrainian (ітсизм) and Belarusian (іцызм).[citation needed]

In the Philippines, the earliest published usage known is from December 1926, in History of the Philippine Press, which briefly mentions a weekly Spanish-Visayan-English publication called Pinoy based in Capiz and published by the Pinoy Publishing Company.[19][23] In 1930, the Manila-based magazine Khaki and Red: The Official Organ of the Constabulary and Police printed an article about street gangs stating "another is the 'Kapatiran' gang of Intramuros, composed of patrons of pools rooms who banded together to 'protect pinoys' from the abusive American soldados."[19][24]

The use of Galt as a symbol in the context of political or social protest has taken root in some places. The phrase "going John Galt" or simply "going Galt" has been used by psychologist Helen Smith[12] and others[13][14] to describe productive members of society cutting back on work in response to the projected increase in U.S. marginal tax rates, increased limits on tax deductions, and the use of tax revenues for causes they regard as immoral. "Who is John Galt?" signs were seen at Tea Party protests held in the United States and at banking protests in London in April 2009.[15] Texas Republican congressman Ron Paul's presidential primary campaign of 2008 included a play on the phrase, using "Who is Ron Paul?" on campaign T-shirts; his web site biography uses the same title.[16]

The label "open source" was adopted by some people in the free software movement at a strategy session[35] held at Palo Alto, California, in reaction to Netscape's January 1998 announcement of a source code release for Navigator. The group of individuals at the session included Christine Peterson who suggested "open source", Todd Anderson, Larry Augustin, Jon Hall, Sam Ockman, Michael Tiemann, and Eric S. Raymond. Over the next week, Raymond and others worked on spreading the word. Linus Torvalds gave an all-important sanction the following day. Phil Hughes offered a pulpit in Linux Journal. Richard Stallman, pioneer of the free software movement, flirted with adopting the term, but changed his mind.[35] Those people who adopted the term used the opportunity before the release of Navigator's source code to free themselves of the ideological and confrontational connotations of the term "free software". Netscape released its source code under the Netscape Public License and later under the Mozilla Public License.[36]

Among later critics, Cotelerius seems to lean towards the favourable view of the character of Nicolas in a note on Constit. Apost. vi. 8, after reciting the various authorities. Professor Burton[24] was of opinion that the origin of the term Nicolaitans is uncertain, and that, "though Nicolas the deacon has been mentioned as their founder, the evidence is extremely slight which would convict that person himself of any immoralities."


Question: Who was the first person to use the term "physiology"?

The term "physiology" was first introduced by Jean Fernel, a French physician who lived from 1497 to 1558. He was the one who initially used this term in the context of medical science.

A term for "universe" among the ancient Greek philosophers from Pythagoras onwards was τὸ πᾶν tò pân ("the all"), defined as all matter and all space, and τὸ ὅλον tò hólon ("all things"), which did not necessarily include the void.[29][30] Another synonym was ὁ κόσμος ho kósmos (meaning the world, the cosmos).[31] Synonyms are also found in Latin authors (totum, mundus, natura)[32] and survive in modern languages, e.g., the German words Das All, Weltall, and Natur for Universe. The same synonyms are found in English, such as everything (as in the theory of everything), the cosmos (as in cosmology), the world (as in the many-worlds interpretation), and nature (as in natural laws or natural philosophy).[33]

In the second half of the 5th century BCE, particularly at Athens, "sophist" came to denote a class of mostly itinerant intellectuals who taught courses in various subjects, speculated about the nature of language and culture and employed rhetoric to achieve their purposes, generally to persuade or convince others: "Sophists did, however, have one important thing in common: whatever else they did or did not claim to know, they characteristically had a great understanding of what words would entertain or impress or persuade an audience."[3] Sophists purposely went to Athens to teach rhetoric because of how flourishing the city was at the time. It was good employment for those who were good at debate, which was the specialty of the first Sophists; they received the fame and fortune they were seeking. Protagoras is generally regarded as the first of these professional sophists. Others include Gorgias, Prodicus, Hippias, Thrasymachus, Lycophron, Callicles, Antiphon, and Cratylus. A few sophists claimed that they could find the answers to all questions.  Most of these sophists are known today primarily through the writings of their opponents (specifically Plato and Aristotle), which makes it difficult to assemble an unbiased view of their practices and beliefs. In some cases, such as Gorgias, there are original rhetorical works that are fortunately extant, allowing the author to be judged on his own terms. In most cases, however, knowledge about what individual sophists wrote or said comes from fragmentary quotations that lack context.

Avempace (died 1138), a famous physicist from Muslim Spain who had an important influence on later physicists such as Galileo.[5] He was the first to theorize the concept of a reaction force for every force exerted.[6]

Terminology in use varies. One text [3] has proposed the following descriptive terms:

Australian Nobel laureate Sir Macfarlane Burnet coined the name "Hayflick limit" in his book Intrinsic Mutagenesis: A Genetic Approach to Ageing, published in 1974.[3]

The term "phylogeny" derives from the German Phylogenie, introduced by Haeckel in 1866,[9] and the Darwinian approach to classification became known as the "phyletic" approach.[10]

The term "mercantile system" was used by its foremost critic, Adam Smith,[5] but Mirabeau (1715â€“1789) had used "mercantilism" earlier.

Rooted in the basic curriculum – the enkuklios paideia or "education in a circle" – of late Classical and Hellenistic Greece, the "liberal arts" or "liberal pursuits" (Latin liberalia studia) were already so called in formal education during the Roman Empire. The first recorded use of the term "liberal arts" (artes liberales) occurs in De Inventione by Marcus Tullius Cicero, but it is unclear if he created the term.[5][6] Seneca the Younger discusses liberal arts in education from a critical Stoic point of view in Moral Epistle 88.[7] The exact classification of the liberal arts varied however in Roman times,[8] and it was only after Martianus Capella in the 5th century AD influentially brought the seven liberal arts as bridesmaids to the Marriage of Mercury and Philology,[9] that they took on canonical form.

In 2nd century AD Rome, the Greek physician Galen knew that blood vessels carried blood and identified venous (dark red) and arterial (brighter and thinner) blood, each with distinct and separate functions. Growth and energy were derived from venous blood created in the liver from chyle, while arterial blood gave vitality by containing pneuma (air) and originated in the heart. Blood flowed from both creating organs to all parts of the body where it was consumed and there was no return of blood to the heart or liver. The heart did not pump blood around, the heart's motion sucked blood in during diastole and the blood moved by the pulsation of the arteries themselves.

The Greek word martys signifies a "witness" who testifies to a fact he has knowledge about from personal observation. It is in this sense that the term first appears in the Book of Acts, in reference to the Apostles as "witnesses" of all that they had observed in the public life of Christ. In Acts 1:22, Peter, in his address to the Apostles and disciples regarding the election of a successor to Judas, employs the term with this meaning: "Wherefore, of these men who have accompanied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us, one of these must be made witness with us of his resurrection".[4]


Question: Who was the winner of season 5 of Hell's Kitchen?

In the fifth season of Hell's Kitchen, Executive Chef Danny Veltri emerged as the winner. His prize included a sous chef position at Fornelletto, an Italian restaurant in Atlantic City, New Jersey, under Stephen Kalt, along with a $250,000 cash prize from the show.

Season 5 winners Sam Lambert and Paul Mitskopoulos were the local Pit Stop greeters of Leg 6 in their hometown of Toronto.

Service: Jack Osbourne was in attendance for this service. The men did well on ravioli, but Louis undercooked pork and was kicked out for serving raw chicken parmesan, Rob sent out burnt pizza and Ramsay forced him to eat it, and Boris was scolded for washing dishes instead of cooking and was eventually kicked out. In the red kitchen, Melissa forgot a ravioli before serving it cold, while Sabrina and Gail struggled to work together on meat and garnish, but the red team finished service. The women were then ordered to help the men, but after no success, Ramsay kicked everyone out. Ramsay named both teams losers.

Reward/punishment: Ben took a trip with Ramsay and Robert to San Francisco where they dined at the exclusive chef's table at the One Market restaurant. The others spent the day taking deliveries. Giovanni ended up being fed up with the punishment, after breaking boxes of bottled water, and having to chase a seafood truck for being short two lobster, later to find out that the order was correct after all. He also got into an argument with Paula, who was trying to calm him down.

Service: Hell's Kitchen opened for its first-ever "steakhouse" service, split into two two-hour seatings with one team cooking and the other serving, and vice-verse. Robert was determined to have a good service, as it had coincided with what was to be his wedding day. During the first seating, Giovanni sent out numerous undercooked steaks and Ben, misinterpreting a command from Ramsay, prepared six orders of dessert before the appetizers. Charlie struggled to keep up on the fish station and was oblivious to his cooking cloth catching fire, which Scott had to put out. When Giovanni ran low on filets, Seth was ordered by Ramsay to cut more, but he then over butchered a tenderloin, wasting a great deal of meat in the process, and tried unsuccessfully to hide the scraps from Ramsay. During the second seating, the red team got off to a slow start with Colleen losing track of the appetizers, but entrees ran smoothly as Andrea, showing no ill effects from yesterday's punishment, had all her steaks approved by Ramsay. Ben, Seth, and Giovanni nonetheless returned some of the steaks to the kitchen, but Ramsay confirmed that they were all cooked correctly to order and accused the men of deliberately writing incorrect tickets in an attempt to sabotage the women, which Seth admitted in a confessional. The men, in turn, had felt the women intentionally took far too long in submitting their orders during the first service. In the end, the red team's problems on appetizers caught up with them despite Andrea's strong performance, and they fell just three tables of completing service. In the post-service mortem, Charlie and Lacey were named the worst servers on customer comment cards. The red team were named the winners.

Season 10 continued the season 8 concept of having Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis and Alton Brown mentor the contestants, as well as returning the Star Salvation web series from season 9. Star Salvation was hosted by season 9 winner Damaris Phillips and Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian. In addition to eliminated contestants from this season, Chad Rosenthal (from season 9) and Martie Duncan (from season 8) competed in Star Salvation.

In April 2003, a British episode in which Charles Ingram cheated all the way to the top prize was aired on the Nine Network, featuring Ingram's run in its entirety, and watched by over two million Australians.[3] At the time, the Australian version did not yet have a top prize winner. In 2001, an episode featuring Survivor winner Richard Hatch incorrectly answering his fourth question (see below) was also shown in the United States.

On December 6, 2007, a special holiday-themed episode was aired, bringing selected chefs from the first three seasons back for a chance to win a prize of $20,000. Padma Lakshmi presided as host, with Ted Allen, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons presiding as judges. The following chefs participated: Tiffani Faison and Stephen Asprinio (Season 1); Marcel Vigneron, Betty Fraser, and Josie Smith-Malave (Season 2); and Chris "CJ" Jacobsen, Tre Wilcox, and Sandee Birdsong (Season 3). The special was shot in Chicago, Illinois. The first 2 eliminated chefs were Sandee and Stephen. The second 2 eliminated chefs were Betty and Josie. The third 2 eliminated chefs were Marcel and CJ. In the end, Tiffani defeated Tre to receive the $20,000 prize, after cooking one final course to break the tie.[7]

Dennis Haysbert was disappointed that his character was killed in the fifth season, commenting that it continued an American legacy of killing its popular and charismatic leaders. He did, however, continue to watch the show and remained a fan.[5]

Top Chef Masters features established, award-winning chefs, in contrast to Top Chef, which features younger, up-and-coming chefs. The series debuted on June 10, 2009, with contestants including Rick Bayless, John Besh, Michael Chiarello, Wylie Dufresne, and Hubert Keller. As of 2013, five seasons have been produced and aired. During its first two seasons, food journalist Kelly Choi hosted the show, while restaurant critic Gael Greene, culinary expert and Saveur editor-in-chief James Oseland, and food critic Jay Rayner served as judges.[9] Beginning with the third season, celebrity chef Curtis Stone replaced Choi as host.[10]

The judges are restaurateur Donatella Arpaia, food writer and broadcaster Simon Majumdar and current Iron Chef Michael Symon, winner of the Season 1 competition.[6]


Question: Who is Emma dating in the series Once Upon a Time?

In the series "Once Upon a Time," Emma Swan starts dating Hook after they return from Zelena's time portal. Their relationship evolves amidst a series of challenges, including the accidental resurrection of Maid Marian, which affects Regina, and the arrival of Elsa, who assists Emma in mastering her magic. Emma supports Elsa in finding her sister and deals with the menace of the Snow Queen, all while assisting Regina in her search for the Author of Henry's book. Emma confronts Cruella De Vil, learns about her parents' actions regarding her potential for darkness, and eventually forgives them with Hook's encouragement. In a pivotal moment, Emma confesses her love for Hook and sacrifices herself to save Storybrooke, becoming the new Dark One.

In the past, Aladdin, a "Savior", is taunted by Jafar over the inevitable downfall of all Saviors. In Storybrooke, refugees arrive from the Land of Untold Stories. Emma experiences tremors and visions; an arrested Hyde helps her receive an oracle's vision of a hooded figure killing her. Guided by Morpheus, Gold enters Belle's dreams to lift the sleeping curse; he tries to renew their love, but she rejects him. "Morpheus" reveals he is really their unborn son, and desired this outcome. Belle wakes and leaves Gold. Henry convinces Regina that Hades may have lied about Robin Hood's soul having been destroyed. Zelena moves in with Regina but, after learning her sister blames her for Robin Hood's death, moves out and is approached by the Evil Queen.

Touch of Eva deals with the transformation of Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) since the arrival of his new love, Eva Coupeau (Clémence Poésy), to New York. The episode also delves into the resurging feelings that Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) may or may not have for Chuck, Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) facing the aftermath of losing his son that slowly drives him into the arms of Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), and the growing relationship between Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford) and the mysterious Juliet Sharp (Katie Cassidy). The episode is currently the second highest-rated episode of the fourth season.[1]

The gang attends a party where Ramona spots her next two evil ex-boyfriends, the twins Kyle and Ken Katayanagi. Scott and Ramona's relationship continues to deteriorate, with Ramona starting to appear bored and Scott stumbling onto signs that she may still be interested in Gideon. Later, Sex Bob-omb prepares for a show despite having had no rehearsals due to Stephen's persistent but fruitless recording with Joseph. While Scott fights a robot created by the twins, Knives tells Ramona that Scott cheated on them at the same time. Scott arranges to "bump into" Kim and Ramona over coffee, during which Kim brings attention to Ramona's head glowing; Ramona herself was unaware of this. Ramona confronts Scott about cheating on Knives with her and tells him he is just another evil ex-boyfriend waiting to happen. Scott then receives word that Kim has been kidnapped by the twins. When Scott confronts them, the twins explain that Ramona cheated on both of them at the same time, and imply Scott is fighting for the wrong girl. As Scott begins to lose the fight, Kim lies and says that Ramona text messaged her, giving Scott the encouragement to defeat the twins simultaneously. However, when Scott returns to Ramona, she tells Scott that she is a bad person and that she "had a good time." Her head begins to glow brighter and brighter until she disappears.

Steve had been in love with Laura since they were in kindergarten. However, she did not always reciprocate the feelings that he had for her and would date other guys more to her taste. Unlike Greta's successful warding off of Myrtle, Laura's would-be boyfriends would often bully Steve, but it always ends with him warding them off, especially when he knows most of them would end up hurting her in the end and refused to allow them to take advantage of her. Steve has shown that, unlike Myrtle, he does respect Laura's personal space. However, she has shown appreciation for Steve when he selflessly risked himself to not only protect her, but also has saved her father's life. In the ninth-season episode "Out With the Old," he finally gets himself a makeover in time for Laura's charity bachelor auction, and, though it was not a success, her feelings for him finally changed, and they eventually become engaged to be married by "Pop Goes the Question" later that season.

Tasha (Emily Ratajkowski) is Gibby's girlfriend. She had a minor role in "iSpeed Date" and a major role in "iEnrage Gibby". In the latter episode, Gibby temporally breaks up with her after believing that she was cheating on him with Freddie and trying to kiss him, causing him to become enraged and plan to fight Freddie for revenge. After Freddie proves to Gibby that he was not trying to steal his girlfriend and that she had just tripped and fallen on him, Gibby and Tasha reconcile.

Miranda later realizes she is still in love with Steve. Unfortunately, before she can confess this to Steve, he announces he has a new girlfriend, Debbie—a much younger girl from his native Queens area of New York. Not wishing to rock the boat, Miranda decides not to tell Steve and things remain platonic between them. Soon after, a new man moves into her building—Robert Leeds, an attractive African-American doctor who works for the New York Knicks basketball team. He is divorced, handsome, and makes it clear that he is interested in Miranda. They start a relationship that becomes serious when Robert tells Miranda he loves her (albeit by giving her a giant cookie with the words "I Love You" written on it in chocolate chips).

Four months after Ramona's disappearance, Scott has been wasting his life playing video games. In order to reinvigorate Scott to confront Gideon, Wallace sends him on a "wilderness sabbatical" to Kim's home up north. While walking in the woods, Kim tells Scott of the errors in his repressed memory surrounding their breakup; he never saved her from a kidnapping. Upon this revelation, Scott's head starts to glow and NegaScott emerges. Scott becomes determined to defeat him so he can forget his relationship with Ramona and move on, but Kim reminds him he cannot keep running away from his mistakes. Scott remembers Ramona and merges with NegaScott, fully remembering and accepting responsibility for his poor actions in his previous relationships. Scott heads back to Toronto to earn Ramona back.

Jo is offered a role in a film that is shooting in New Zealand for the next three years. She tells Kendall that she cannot do the movie due to her New Town High contract, but Kendall and Katie find that she can be released from the contract if offered a part in a major motion picture. Meanwhile, James and Latino pop star, Selana enter a three-day whirlwind relationship, while Logan and Kelly join forces to separate Carlos from his beloved hockey helmet after Gustavo demands that he not wear it anymore. Kendall tries to get Jo to break up with him, then convinces her to take the role. After her limo leaves, the boys realize that Kendall and Jo forgot their signature "goodbye kiss", and rush to the airport for a proper goodbye.

Played by Blair Redford, Tyler "Ty" Mendoza is the older ex-boyfriend of Bay Kennish. He is an old friend of Regina and Daphne. Daphne considers him her older brother. In the episode "Dogs Playing Poker," Ty admits he has enlisted in the army. He calls Bay later and she tells him she is dating Emmett. In "Mother and Daughter Divide" Ty returns home and hopes that he and Bay will start back up where they left off, but struggles to readjust to life after war. When he's scheduled to return to combat, Bay tries to get him to stay in Mission Hills. Later, at Toby and Nikki's wedding rehearsal dinner, Bay tells Ty about her plans to graduate early and go to art school in Berlin so they might still be together. Ty appears less than excited about Bay's plan and tells her no one knows what will happen.

He begins dating Simone, an ex-friend of Bay's with a known reputation. She ultimately ends up cheating on him with Bay's boyfriend, Emmett. Toby breaks up with Simone upon learning about the affair.


Question: What is the star cast of the movie "Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyon"?

Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo, released in 2004, is an Indian Hindi war film directed by Anil Sharma. The film features a star-studded cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Divya Khosla Kumar, Sandali Sinha, and Nagma.

In 2016, Rai starred in Omung Kumar's biographical drama Sarbjit. The film is based on the life of Indian farmer Sarabjit Singh, who was convicted of terrorism by a Pakistani court, and how his sister Dalbir Kaur fought relentlessly for his release. Rai played the role of the sister of Sarabjit Singh (played by Randeep Hooda).[123] The film premiered at the 69th Cannes Film Festival,[124] and received mixed reactions from critics.[125] Few reviewers expressed that Rai was "miscast" as she neither looked nor sounded like a Sikh woman.[126] Her Punjabi accent and her over-the-top performance in few scenes was largely criticized, though several critics took note of how much she stood out in the film's quieter scenes.[127][128][129] Rajeev Masand summarised that "she's required to scream and shout and weep copiously to express her anguish; the shrillness does her no favors. In quieter moments – like one in which Dalbir can't bear to part with her stillborn baby – the actress shines."[130] Nonetheless her role earned her tenth Filmfare Best Actress nomination.[131] The film underperformed at the box-office.[132][133]

Vaitla was reported to abstain from casting Brahmanandam in this film making it his fourth film not featuring Brahmanandam after Nee Kosam (1999), Sontham (2002) and Anandamanandamaye (2004).[21] Gopimohan later confirmed Brahmanandam's inclusion in the film adding that the character written for him would be one of the highlights of the film.[22] Vaitla reportedly wanted to re-shoot Brahmanandam's scenes with N. Santhanam for the Tamil dubbed version similar to the act of S. S. Rajamouli for the casting of Eega (2012) as Chiranjeevi suggested to replace Brahmanandam with Santhanam.[23]

CBI officer Kuldeep Pahwa (Jaideep Ahlawat) takes charge of the case and is mystified by the facts. He listens to Sadhuram's findings and they arrest National College students. But even upon being beaten, the students do not divulge anything about Gabbar. Shruti tells Kuldeep that because the law doesn't work, a vigilante like Gabbar is a hero for ordinary citizens today. Sadhuram changes his view of Gabbar. Patil kills an honest officer to terrorize others into passing his faulty building plans. The cops are sure that Gabbar will target Patil for this outrageous act – and he does. Patil throws a birthday party for himself at his farmhouse. As he cuts the cake, he spots Aditya in the crowd. The next moment, Aditya and his gang kidnap him, all wearing similar masks. As police search the city for Patil in vain, Aditya takes him to Patil's own mansion and tells him to call anyone to save himself – but the Home Minister tells him to not involve him, so that Gabbar doesn't come after him next. Aditya and Patil then have a violent clash and he kills Patil.

The music of the film was a blockbuster with many popular songs such as "Dekha Hai Pehli Baar", "Mera Dil Bhi Kitna Pagal Hai", "Jiye toh Jiye Kaise" and "Bahut Pyar Karte Hai". The music is composed by Nadeem-Shravan and lyrics by Sameer. Most of the songs are sung by SP Balasubramanyam for Salman Khan. Kumar Sanu who voiced for Sanjay Dutt's character bagged his second Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Mera Dil Bhi Kitna Pagal Hai". Pankaj Udhas, Anuradha Paudwal and Alka Yagnik also rendered their voice for the album. All the singers were nominated for Filmfare Awards.

Charan informed the media that the film's production would commence in February 2015.[6] My Name is Raju, a phrase picked up from the popular song of Jagadeka Veerudu Atiloka Sundari (1990) starring Chiranjeevi and Sridevi, was considered as the film's title.[7][8] The makers announced that the film would be a family drama and would be bankrolled by Danayya under his new banner DVV Entertainments.[9] The film was launched officially on 5 March 2015 at Danayya's office in Hyderabad.[10] The film was said to be inspired from the basic plot of the Telugu film Vijetha (1985).[11] The makers contemplated to title the film as Bruce Lee in mid May 2015 considering the protagonist's character being a stuntman acting as a body double for actors,[12] which was confirmed in late August 2015.[13]

He plays the role of Jethalal Gada in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. He is known as one of the best sitcom actors ever. Notable among his tele-serials in Hindi are Kabhi Yeh Kabhi Woh, Hum Sab Ek Hain, Shubh Mangal Savadhan, Kya Baat Hai, Daal Mein Kala and Meri Biwi Wonderful. He appeared in the children's comedy serial Agadam Bagdam Tigdam as Uncle Tappu, as well as in the 2009 films Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge and Ashutosh Gowarikar's What's Your Raashee.

In terms of casting and production itself, Spielberg has a known penchant for working with actors and production members from his previous films. For instance, he has cast Richard Dreyfuss in several films: Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Always. Aside from his role as Indiana Jones, Spielberg also cast Harrison Ford as a headteacher in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (though the scene was ultimately cut). Although Spielberg directed veteran voice actor Frank Welker only once (in Raiders of the Lost Ark, for which he voiced many of the animals), Welker has lent his voice in a number of productions Spielberg has executive produced from Gremlins to its sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch, as well as The Land Before Time, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and television shows such as Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, and SeaQuest DSV. Spielberg has used Tom Hanks on several occasions and has cast him in Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, Bridge of Spies and the upcoming The Papers . Spielberg has collaborated with Tom Cruise twice on Minority Report and War of the Worlds, and cast Shia LaBeouf in five films: Transformers, Eagle Eye, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Spielberg cast Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies and The BFG, as well as the upcoming Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara and Ready Player One.

In 2014, she debuted in a starring role in Bollywood with Divya Kumar's directorial debut Yaariyan,[22] after which her third Tamil film Yennamo Yedho released. By mid-2014, she was working on three Telugu films simultaneously,[23] which were directed by Sriwass,[24] G. Nageswara Reddy,[25]  and Gopichand Malineni. Sriwass's Loukyam and G. Nageswara Reddy's Current Theega were her next releases. She received positive reviews for her performances in both films,[26][27] with 123telugu.com going on to claim that she was "slowly becoming a star actress".[28] She received her second Best Actress nomination at 62nd Filmfare Awards South. Her next released film was Pandaga Chesko in which she was starred opposite Ram Pothineni and directed by Gopichand Malineni.

Amar (Sachin) falls in love with a man hater Geeta (Sohni), who lives with her retired Major uncle (Anjan Shrivastava) and is also fed up with her bad cousin (Shahbaaz Khan). In order to win Geeta's heart, her uncle and Amar make a plan. Geeta needs some money to get rid of her cousin. Amar disguises himself as a dying sixty-year-old man Dilfekh, who has enough money. At first Geeta doesn't want to marry him but her teacher explains that the marriage will be a short one because Dilfekh will not live long. Geeta marries him and then finds out the truth.

Former mobster Tony (Asif Ali) leads a quiet life with his wife, Neethu (Nithya Menon), and his newborn child in a nondescript villa, having turned over a new leaf. But vengeful underworld don Prakash Kamath (John Vijay) - whom Tony and friends once tried to assassinate - has dispatched a pair of his henchmen to cut that peaceful existence short. Once arrived, gangsters Ayyappan (Kalabhavan Mani) and Fakeer (Vinayakan) find a second pair-Benny (Rahman) and Geevarghese (Indrajith)- determined to protect Tony. After a brief showdown, the whole group comes to an uneasy truce, lay their weapons down and bond over dinner-after all, these men grew up together.


Question: When did the NCAA tournament become more significant than the NIT?

The decline of the National Invitation Tournament's (NIT) prestige began when it moved its early rounds out of Madison Square Garden in 1977 to cut costs. This decision regionalized interest in the tournament and reduced its association with the iconic venue. By the mid-1980s, the NIT had become a secondary tournament, primarily for teams that were not selected for the NCAA tournament.

After several decades of competition, USC first achieved national prominence under head coach "Gloomy" Gus Henderson in the early 1920s. Another milestone came under Henderson in 1922, when USC joined the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the forerunner of the modern Pac-12. Success continued under coach Howard Jones from 1925 to 1940, when the Trojans were just one of a few nationally dominant teams. It was during this era that the team achieved renown as the "Thundering Herd", earning its first four national titles.

One of the greatest back-to-back stretches in Pitt football history occurred during the 1936 and 1937 seasons which featured Heisman Trophy candidate and Hall of Fame running back Marshall Goldberg. In 1936, Pitt shut out five of its opponents, including a 34–0 win over West Virginia, a 6–0 victory at Ohio State, and a 26–0 win over Notre Dame in which the Irish did not achieve a first down until late in the third quarter. The Panthers also won at Nebraska 19–6 and defeated Penn State 24–7. Only the second of three consecutive scoreless ties at the Polo Grounds against Fordham, and a mid-October 7–0 upset loss against crosstown rival Duquesne, marred the record. The Panthers finished the regular season winning the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as Eastern Champions and ranked third in the Associate Press Poll, the inaugural year of the poll, whose rankings were finalized before the bowl season. Pitt accepted a bid to the Rose Bowl to face Washington, and this time Sutherland was determined not to lose again out west. To avoid subpar play following the cross country train trip, Sutherland took his team out two weeks early to allow for adequate preparation. These moves paid off with a 21–0 rout of Washington which led many selectors to name Pitt as the 1936 national champions.[46] However, it was during this time that the seeds of a rift between Sutherland and the university's administration were being sown, partly initiated by the refusal of the university to supply pocket money for players during the Rose Bowl trip, which Sutherland then decided to supply out of his own pocket.[47] Pitt followed up the Rose Bowl winning 1936 season with a 9–0–1 record in 1937 that included five shutouts, including those over West Virginia, Wisconsin, and at Duke as well as additional victories against Penn State, Nebraska, and at Notre Dame. The only blemish on the record was the third consecutive tie at Fordham, which resulted when an apparent winning touchdown by Pitt's Marshall Goldberg was called back on a holding penalty.[48] Pitt finished the 1937 regular season as repeat Eastern Champions and was ranked number one in the AP's final poll. Partly due to the developing rift with the university administration, and also due to the time and expense of the travel, Pitt became the first team to publicly decline a Rose Bowl invitation following a vote of the players.[49] Despite its decision to sit out the postseason, the 1937 Pitt team was widely regarded as consensus national champions.[50]

The 2018 tournament was the first time since the 1978 tournament that the six Division I college basketball-playing schools based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area – American, Georgetown, George Mason, George Washington, Howard, and Maryland – were collectively shut out of the NCAA Tournament.[9]

The stadium is notable for being the site of the 1942 Rose Bowl Game. Duke had won the invitation to the game as the eastern representative. However, the attack on Pearl Harbor, just weeks after the end of the 1941 season, led to fears of a Japanese attack on the West Coast. General John L. DeWitt, commander of the Western Defense Command, advised the Tournament of Roses Association not to hold the game at the Rose Bowl Stadium itself, since he was not willing to take a chance on the Japanese choosing to stage a bombing raid on a stadium with over 90,000 people in attendance. Soon afterward, the government banned all large public gatherings on the West Coast, which ruled out Bell Field on the campus of Oregon State, the host team from the PCC, as an alternative venue. The Tournament of Roses Association originally planned to cancel the game, but Duke officials invited the Rose Bowl and Oregon State to Durham to play the game. The offer was accepted, and on a cold, rainy January 1, 1942, 56,000 fans, 22,000 of whom sat on bleachers borrowed from nearby NC State and UNC, watched the heavily favored Blue Devils fall to the strong defense of the Beavers 20-16. It is still the only time the game has been played outside of Pasadena, California.

After a pair of unremarkable initial seasons, Owens led his 1959, 1960, and 1963 teams to three AAWU championships and associated Rose Bowl berths: a 1960 Rose Bowl 44–8 win over Wisconsin, a 1961 Rose Bowl 17–7 win over Minnesota, and a 7–17 loss to Illinois in the 1964 Rose Bowl. The Helms Athletic Foundation named the 1960 team the national champions, the school's first such title in football.

On September 1, 1996, UCF officially made its foray into Division I-A.[46] At that time, the Knights became the first football program to play in four different NCAA divisions (III, II, I-AA and I-A).[45] In their first two seasons in Division I-A, the Knights posted identical 5–6 records behind Culpepper. In 1997, assistant coach Alan Gooch was named the national assistant coach of the year, due to his work with deaf running back Dwight Collins.[45] In the wake of a federal fraud scandal revolving around improper cellular phone benefits and use, McDowell resigned as head coach on January 20, 1998.[45][47] Over his 13–year tenure at UCF, McDowell earned an 87–61 (.587) record.[48]

Prior to the BCS, the game traditionally hosted the Southeastern Conference (SEC) champion against a top-tier at-large opponent. This was formalized in 1975, when the SEC champion was granted an automatic bid to the Sugar Bowl starting with the end of the 1976 season. This continued throughout the time of the Bowl Coalition, a precursor to the BCS. However, the Sugar Bowl agreed to release the SEC champion if necessary to force a national championship game. Under this format, the Sugar Bowl hosted the first Bowl Coalition national championship game, when SEC champion Alabama upended Miami at the end of the 1992 season. When the Bowl Coalition became the Bowl Alliance at the start of the 1995 season, the Sugar Bowl would still release the SEC champion to go to the national championship game if they were ranked in the top two in the nation.

In 1994 Charlotte became the 24th city, and the Charlotte Coliseum the 29th venue, to host the Final Four. It is the last of four arenas - including Market Square Arena in 1980, Reunion Arena in 1986, and McNichols Sports Arena in 1990 - whose primary tenant was a NBA franchise. (The Charlotte 49ers had also used the building from its opening to the previous season, but had moved back to reopened Independence Arena, which is seven miles closer to campus than the new Coliseum.) The tournament was the only one between 1985 and 2018 to not include an NFL stadium; the only domed stadium used for the tournament, the Thunderdome, was at the time an NHL arena and is now an MLB stadium.

In 1931, Jess Neely (another McGugin product, and a former head coach at Rhodes and assistant at Alabama) became Clemson's head football coach. During his tenure, Neely led the Tigers to a 43–35–7 record. His final season at Clemson was the turning point in the Tigers' program. His team went 9–1 during that season, finishing second to Duke in the Southern Conference. The Tigers also received their first bowl invitation and bowl victory that year, defeating nationally ranked Boston College 6–3 in the 1940 Cotton Bowl Classic. The 1939 Tigers finished with a #12 ranking in the final AP poll. Clemson also had their first Associated Press All-American that year in Banks McFadden. Jess Neely, along with then athletic director Rupert Fike, founded the IPTAY Scholarship Fund, which supports the Clemson Athletic Department. An acronym for "I Pay Ten A Year," as that was what it asked boosters to donate when founded in 1934, IPTAY has since grown into one of the largest and most comprehensive collegiate sporting funds in the nation and a model for other programs.

With intercontinental communications satellites in their infancy and videotape a new advance, the first tournament to gain widespread international live coverage was the 1966 tournament, which was held in England. The tournament, which England won, increased the popularity of the sport. With more football viewers than ever, Match of the Day thrived â€” switching from BBC Two to BBC One to reach a wider audience. ITV's regional coverage had also expanded during this period with London weekend company ATV launching Star Soccer in October 1965, Southern Television's Southern Soccer and ABC's World of Soccer also began to appear regularly in the TV Times Sunday schedules. London Weekend Television's The Big Match started in 1968, and eventually the entire ITV network's football coverage would be broadcast under its title.


Question: Where does the movie Dead Poets Society take place?

Set in 1959, Dead Poets Society is an American drama film that unfolds at the prestigious and traditional Welton Academy, a boarding school located in Vermont. Directed by Peter Weir and featuring Robin Williams, the movie centers around an English teacher who captivates his students with his innovative teaching methods centered on poetry.

Quiet teenager Marc Hall arrives as a new student at Indian Hills High School in Agoura Hills, California. He is befriended by fame-obsessed Rebecca Ahn. While at a party at Rebecca's house, the pair check unlocked vehicles on the street, taking valuables such as cash and credit cards.

When word reaches Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) and Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly), two elderly best friends, that someone in Tulaigh MhÃ³r (Tullymore), their tiny Irish village of 52 people, has won the Irish National Lottery, they, along with Jackie's wife Annie (Fionnula Flanagan), plot to discover the identity of the winner. They obtain a list of lottery customers from Mrs. Kennedy (Maura O'Malley) at the post office and invite the potential winners to a chicken dinner, where they attempt to get the winner to reveal him- or herself. After everyone has left and they are no closer to an answer, Annie realizes that one person did not come to the dinner, so Jackie pays a late-night visit to the only absentee: the reclusive Ned Devine (Jimmy Keogh). He finds Ned in his home in front of the TV, still holding the ticket in his hand, a smile on his face and dead from shock. That same night, Jackie has a dream that the deceased Ned wants to share the winnings with his friends, as he has no family to claim the ticket. Jackie wakes up after the dream, and before dawn, he and Michael return to Ned's house to gather Ned's personal information so they can claim the winnings for themselves.

The video was filmed at Alexander Hamilton High School, with students in different cliques such as cheerleaders, goths, etc. The video starts with Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith walking into the school in plain black suits and black sunglasses. They walk past the students, not paying attention even when fighting breaks out around them. The pair continues walking as the fire alarm sounds and the sprinklers activate. They take off their sunglasses and a few seconds later the scene rewinds, returning to the start off the video, and again showing Brendon and Spencer as they enter the school. The next part of the music video is shown in photographs rather than film. The pictures depict the pair getting shouted at by teachers, and being taken towards the front doors only to be attacked by the same students involved in the fight earlier. Brendon and Spencer get pushed and beaten through the hallways and down a staircase to where they are finally shown alone and in film again, limping away from the school, with bruises and damaged clothing. Throughout the music video are Jennifer's Body references, such as shirts that read, "I eat boys" and "Jennifer's Body", as well as clips from the film.

In the "sport" of Poohsticks, competitors drop sticks into a stream from a bridge and then wait to see whose stick will cross the finish line first. Though it began as a game played by Pooh and his friends in the book The House at Pooh Corner and later in the films, it has crossed over into the real world: a World Championship Poohsticks race takes place in Oxfordshire each year. Ashdown Forest in England where the Pooh stories are set is a popular tourist attraction, and includes the wooden Pooh Bridge where Pooh and Piglet invented Poohsticks.[50] The Oxford University Winnie the Pooh Society was founded by undergraduates in 1982.

Adding in semi-autobiographical connotations, Lucas set the story in his hometown of 1962 Modesto.[2] The characters Curt Henderson, John Milner and Terry "The Toad" Fields also represent different stages from his younger life. Curt is modeled after Lucas's personality during USC, while Milner is based on Lucas's teenage street racing and junior college years, and hot rod enthusiasts he had known from the Kustom Kulture in Modesto. Toad represents Lucas's nerd years as a freshman in high school, specifically his "bad luck" with dating.[4] The filmmaker was also inspired by Federico Fellini's I Vitelloni (1953).[5]

The collection begins with an imperial theme by paying tribute to the Shropshire lads who have died as soldiers in the service of The Queen Empress, as her golden jubilee (1887) is celebrated with a beacon bonfire on Clee Hill (I). There is little time for a lad to live and enjoy the spring (II). Death awaits the soldier (III-IV). Maids are not always kind (V-VI) and the farmer also comes to the grave (VII). Some lads murder their brothers and are hanged (VIII-IX). The spring's promise of love and renewal may be false (X). The ghost of a lad dead of grief begs the consolation of a last embrace (XI). Unattainable love leaves the lad helpless and lost (XIII-XVI). The playing of a game of cricket or football consoles a broken heart (XVII). But on this dubious sentiment Edith Sitwell commented acidly, "If he means to say that cricket, and cricket alone, has prevented men from committing suicide, then their continuation on this earth seems hardly worthwhile."[10]

Residents of Holliston, Massachusetts, where there is a neighborhood called Mudville, claim it as the Mudville described in the poem. Thayer grew up in nearby Worcester, Massachusetts, where he wrote the poem in 1888; his family owned a wool mill less than a mile from Mudville's baseball field.

The plot revolves around the Brewster family of Brooklyn, New York, descended from the Mayflower and composed of illustrious White Anglo-Saxon Protestant ancestors whose portraits line the walls. The religious theme is repeatedly mentioned, and Elaine is the daughter of the minister who lives next door, with some scenes held in its ancient cemetery. Today the Brewster clan comprises insane murderers.

Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 erotic drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. Based on Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novella Traumnovelle (Dream Story), the story is transferred from early 20th century Vienna to 1990s New York City. The film follows the sexually charged adventures of Dr. Bill Harford, who is shocked when his wife, Alice, reveals that she had contemplated having an affair a year earlier. He embarks on a night-long adventure, during which he infiltrates a massive masked orgy of an unnamed secret society.

After much anticipation, Brian receives an invitation to an award ceremony celebrating his novel, Faster Than the Speed of Love, by the Rhode Island Society for Special Literary Excellence. Convinced he is a great writer, Brian attempts to gain the family's interest but fails to do so. Once he arrives at the "award ceremony" however, he discovers that he has misunderstood the meaning of the word "special", prompting him to drown his sorrows at the local bar and realize that he's not a writer at all, but a big fat joke. He drives home drunk that night and accidentally runs over and kills a dog. He secretly buries the dead dog's body outside the Griffins' home and tries to keep quiet about it. Stewie, having witnessed his deed, begins to toy with Brian's guilt, eventually driving him to a state where he decides to confess to "murder". However, when he confesses to Joe and the Griffin family, they all laugh, saying that no one cares if a dog or any other animal is killed, especially by another animal.[4][5]


Question: Who were the twins that played basketball for Kentucky?

Andrew Michael Harrison, born on October 28, 1994, is an American professional basketball player currently with the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA. Regarded as a top 2013 recruit, Harrison played college basketball at the University of Kentucky alongside his twin brother, Aaron Harrison, after attending Travis High School in Fort Bend, Texas.

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

In 1960, the team was able to land local superstar Oscar Robertson. Robertson led a team that included Twyman, Wayne Embry, Bob Boozer, Bucky Bockhorn, Tom Hawkins and Adrian Smith over the next three seasons. The Royals reversed their fortunes with Robertson and rose to title contender. An ownership dispute in early 1963 scuttled the team's playoff chances when new owner Louis Jacobs booked a circus for Cincinnati Gardens for the week of the playoff series versus the champion Boston Celtics. The Royals' home games were at Xavier University's Schmidt Field House.

On the first day of the school year Georgia and her friends, Jas, Ellen and Rosie spot two new brothers that have just moved to Eastbourne from London, fraternal twins Robbie and Tom. The girls follow the boys, who are exploring Eastbourne with their friend Dave "the Laugh".

Despite Ridge and Taylor's remarriage, Brooke continues her attempts at winning Ridge back. Stephanie encourages Taylor to see Brooke's intent, with Tylo observing: "It was so obvious she was going after Ridge. How can you explain away that she always kept ending up in the elevator in her bra and underwear over and over again? Stephanieâ€™s whole mission was to get Taylor to smell the coffee and [realize] that not everybody has as altruistic an agenda as she does."[14] Ridge and Taylor's twins, Stephanie ("Steffy") and Phoebe, are born in 1999. During the pregnancy Taylor experiences tuberculosis after interacting with a man who has it.[58][59] Her pregnancy becomes high risk and she refuses treatment to protect the babies.[60][61][62] Tylo said that this was "a great way to bring awareness about the disease and the threat it poses to pregnant women".[21] When Taylor dies in 2002, supervising producer Rhonda Friedman noted that Ridge refuses to accept the "horrible reality", saying: "He begs Taylor to come back to him. He just doesn't want to let go of this woman who he has loved for so many years, someone he say himself growing old with." Devin Owens of Soap Opera Digest called Taylor Ridge's soulmate.[63] Taylor's "ghost" visits Ridge in 2004 and encourages him to be with Brooke.[64] Following Taylor's return to the show, her marriage to Ridge fell apart in 2006 and they divorce. They have since reunited on several occasions but he continues going back to Brooke, despite Taylor's efforts to thwart this from happening.[65][66] Daytime Confidential's Jamey Giddens noted that Steffy and Thomas "grew up watching their daddy basically climb out of their mom's bed and right into the sack with Rick (Jacob Young) and Hope's (Kimberly Matula) mom, over and over again."[67]

When George was only a week old, he, a sister, and his mother were kidnapped by night raiders from Arkansas. George's brother, James, was rushed to safety from the kidnappers. The kidnappers sold the slaves in Kentucky. Moses Carver hired John Bentley to find them, but he located only the infant George. Moses negotiated with the raiders to gain the boy's return, and rewarded Bentley. After slavery was abolished, Moses Carver and his wife Susan raised George and his older brother James as their own children. They encouraged George to continue his intellectual pursuits, and "Aunt Susan" taught him the basics of reading and writing.[8]

The Usos are an American professional wrestling tag team of Samoan descent, consisting of twin brothers Jey and Jimmy Uso (born August 22, 1985). They are assigned to the SmackDown brand in WWE.

Jaylen Brown (born October 24, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the California Golden Bears, being named first-team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Declaring for the 2016 NBA draft after that season, he was selected by the Celtics with the third overall pick. As a professional, he has split his time between shooting guard and small forward.

The twins' defence under their counsel John Platts-Mills, QC consisted of flat denials of all charges and discrediting witnesses by pointing out their criminal past. Justice Melford Stevenson said: "In my view, society has earned a rest from your activities."[23] In March 1969, both were sentenced to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 30 years for the murders of Cornell and McVitie, the longest sentences ever passed at the Old Bailey (Central Criminal Court, London) for murder. Their brother Charlie was imprisoned for ten years for his part in the murders.[24]

Samuel "Sam" and David Camden (born 1999) are fraternal twin boys and the youngest of the Camden children. They were originally played by all four Brino quadruplets; Lorenzo, Myrinda, Nikolas, and Zachary, but once the quads started aging and showing differences between them, Lorenzo and Nikolas became the official actors for Sam and David.

On June 7, 2017, Pressly announced she is expecting twins with her longtime boyfriend Hamzi Hijazi.[31][32]


Question: Is 4MATIC the same as four-wheel drive?

4MATIC is Mercedes-Benz's brand name for their all-wheel drive (AWD) system, which is designed to enhance traction in slippery conditions. This four-wheel-drive system was developed in collaboration with Steyr-Daimler-Puch, now known as Magna Steyr, who also produced the Mercedes-Benz G-Class in Austria. The 4MATIC system is not exactly the same as a traditional 4-wheel drive system, but rather an advanced AWD system tailored for Mercedes vehicles.

By the early 1990s, however, it had become clear that the Sierra had fallen out of step technologically against modern Japanese rivals which offered multi-valve engines and multi-link rear suspension. All of these features appeared on the Sierra's replacement, the front-wheel-drive Mondeo, which was unveiled in November 1992 and went on sale the following March.

As of July 19, 2013, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class 300 CDI started replacing the Swiss army's PUCH 230 GE all-terrain vehicles, with the 4-seater station wagon variant accounting for 75% of the planned procurement volume for Mercedes-Benz G-models, and the chassis variant for shelter-type bodies making up the remaining 25%.[82]

The revised body style and increased performance resulted in the 4-4-2 being awarded pace car duties at the Indianapolis 500 race in 1970. Motor Trend praised the 4-4-2, stating that "it's probably the most identifiable super car in the GM house". Those seeking to experience the ultimate in performance from Lansing could order a "W-Machine" version of the 4-4-2, dubbed the W-30 package. The 4-4-2 W-30 added a fiberglass hood (option W25) with functional air scoops and low-restriction air cleaner, aluminum intake manifold, special camshaft, cylinder heads, distributor, and carburetor. Two W-30 equipped 4-4-2 Vista Cruisers were produced by special order. Rear shoulder seat belts were optional at $23.[4]

The MDX is now powered by a 3.5-liter direct injected Earth Dreams V6 with Variable Cylinder Management. A front-wheel drive (FWD) model is available for the first time in the United States,[13] but not in Canada, where all-wheel drive is the only configuration offered. EPA-estimated fuel economy is improved with all-wheel drive (SH-AWD) models rated at 18/27/21 mpg (city/highway/combined) and FWD models rated at 20/28/23 mpg.

The G-class was developed as a military vehicle from a suggestion by the Shah of Iran (at the time a significant Mercedes shareholder) to Mercedes[5] and offered as a civilian version in 1979. In this role it is sometimes referred to as the "Wolf". The Peugeot P4 was a variant made under license in France with a Peugeot engine.

There are five versions of this engine: a 70 PS (51 kW; 69 hp), a 75 PS (55 kW; 74 hp) (used in the Fiat Punto, Panda, Palio, Albea, Idea; Opel Corsa, Combo, Meriva; Suzuki Ritz, Swift, SX4; and Tata Indica Vista), a variable inlet geometry 90 PS (66 kW; 89 hp) (used in the Fiat Grande Punto,[7] Linea; Opel Corsa, Astra; Suzuki Ertiga; Tata Indigo Manza and Alfa Romeo MiTo), a 95 PS (70 kW; 94 hp) from the Multijet II generation,[8] and a 105 PS (77 kW; 104 hp) available on the Lancia Ypsilon. At the time of the launch this was the smallest four-cylinder diesel engine available and had a fuel consumption of 3.3 L/100 km (86 mpg‑imp; 71 mpg‑US) in some applications. The engine is able to meet Euro IV pollution standards without the use of a diesel particulate filter.[8]

The Shay, Climax and Heisler locomotives, all introduced in the late 19th century, used quill drives to couple power from a centrally mounted multi-cylinder engine to each of the trucks supporting the engine. On each of these geared steam locomotives, one end of each drive shaft was coupled to the driven truck through a universal joint while the other end was powered by the crankshaft, transmission or another truck through a second universal joint. A quill drive also has the ability to slide lengthways, effectively varying its length. This is required to allow the bogies to rotate when passing a curve.

Virtually all vehicles (cars and trucks) have overdrive today whether manual transmission or automatic. In the automotive aftermarket you can also retrofit overdrive to existing early transmissions. Overdrive was widely used in European automobiles with manual transmission in the 60s and 70s to improve mileage and sport driving as a bolt-on option but it became increasingly more common for later transmissions to have this gear built in. If a vehicle is equipped with a bolt-on overdrive (e.g.: GKN or Gear Vendors) as opposed to having an overdrive built in one will typically have the option to use the overdrive in more gears than just the top gear. In this case gear changing is still possible in all gears, even with overdrive disconnected. Overdrive simply adds effective ranges to the gears, thus overdrive third and fourth become in effect "third-and-a-half" and a fifth gear. In practice this gives the driver more ratios which are closer together providing greater flexibility particularly in performance cars.

The 4-4-2 was born out of competition between Pontiac and Oldsmobile divisions of GM. The high performance GTO version of the Pontiac LeMans intermediate had proved an unexpected success midway through the 1964 model year. Oldsmobile's hasty response was to beef up their own popular Cutlass, a task given to a team led by performance enthusiast and Olds engineer John Beltz (later responsible for the distinctive and powerful Toronado), aided by Dale Smith and division Chief Engineer Bob Dorshimer.[3]

Mechanically, 4th edition saw a major overhaul of the game’s systems. Changes in spells and other per-encounter resourcing, giving all classes a similar number of at-will, per-encounter and per-day powers. Powers have a wide range of effects including inflicting status effects, creating zones, and forced movement, making combat very tactical for all classes but essentially requiring use of miniatures, reinforced by the use of squares to express distances. Attack rolls, skill checks and defense values all get a bonus equal to one-half level, rounded down, rather than increasing at different rates depending on class or skill point investment. Each skill is either trained (providing a fixed bonus on skill checks, and sometimes allowing more exotic uses for the skills) or untrained, but in either case all characters also receive a bonus to all skill rolls based on level. A system of “healing surges” and short and long rests are introduced to act as resource management.


Question: Who is the first wife on the show Sister Wives?

In the reality show "Sister Wives," Kody Brown's first legal wife is Meri, whom he married spiritually before their legal marriage. However, they legally divorced in 2014. Kody then legally married his fourth wife, Robyn, in 2014 to adopt her three children from a previous monogamous marriage. As of 2015, Kody has been married to Meri for 25 years, Janelle for 22 years, Christine for 21 years, and Robyn for 5 years. Kody and Meri have one child together, Mariah. Kody and Janelle have six children: Logan, Hunter, Garrison, Gabriel, Madison, and Savanah. Kody and Christine have six children: Paedon, Aspyn, Mykelti, Gwendlyn, Ysabel, and Truely. Robyn's children from her first marriage are Dayton, Aurora, and Breanna, whom Kody legally adopted in 2015. Kody and Robyn also have two children together, Solomon and Ariella. The family also includes one grandchild, Axel, from Kody and Janelle's daughter, Madison.

Denise Borino-Quinn (January 6, 1964 – October 27, 2010) was an American television actress who had a recurring role as Ginny Sacramoni, the wife of New York mob boss Johnny Sack in the television series The Sopranos.[1][2]

The New Adventures of Old Christine (often shortened to simply Old Christine) is an American television sitcom starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell, a middle-aged divorced mother who struggles to keep pace with those around her. Clark Gregg co-starred as her ex-husband Richard, with whom Christine maintains a close relationship despite their divorce, as well as Hamish Linklater as her brother Matthew and Wanda Sykes as her best friend Barb. It originally ran on CBS from March 13, 2006 to May 12, 2010 but the series was not renewed for a sixth season.

Mary Kate is John Luke's wife. Mary Kate and John Luke were married on June 28, 2015. She also attends Liberty University and studies Women's Leadership.[24]

Despite Christof's control, Truman manages to act in unexpected ways. During his college years, Truman was intended to fall in love with and marry co-student Meryl, but he fell in love with another actress, Sylvia. Sylvia managed to bring Truman out of the sight of cameras long enough to warn him that his reality is fake before she was taken away, with her "father" claiming they are traveling to Fiji. While Truman went on to marry Meryl, he continues to fantasize about Sylvia, using scraps from magazines to recreate her face in secret, and seeks travel to Fiji. Outside of the show, Sylvia has become part of a "Free Truman" campaign that demands the end of the show.

In season three, Charlotte decides she will be married that year and sets about canvassing her married friends to set her up on dates. One married friend usurps her blind date to try and start an affair with her. Horrified, she dashes into the street and trips in front of a taxi, carrying Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan), an attractive, old-money, Scottish-American cardiologist with pedigree, a Park Avenue apartment and country estate in Connecticut. They fall in love at first sight and he appears to be everything she has always wanted. Things move quickly and Charlotte, convinced he is the one, suggests they marry, he agrees and they are married very shortly after (having enlisted the help of wedding planner Anthony Marentino; a gay, bitchy Sicilian who is as forceful as Charlotte is timid).

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

The first season centers on Wynonna fighting the revenants who kidnapped her older sister Willa from their homestead when they were girls, and the threat posed by Bobo Del Rey, leader of the local revenants. In the second season Wynonna discovers she is pregnant, while Waverly struggles with possession by a demon and doubts about her lineage. At the same time, two sister-wife widows of the dead sheriff who cursed Wyatt Earp seek to resurrect him.

Shortly after the first episode was aired, several news outlets reported that all of the cast had left their respective communities prior to taping the show, or that they were already married.[13] It also has been reported that the relationships between cast members were portrayed falsely and that there were many inconsistencies between fact and the reality that was represented in the television program.[14][15][16][17] The production has been forthcoming with some of the 'non-Amish' activities in the background of the cast. As episodes progressed, the production steadily revealed other aspects of the cast's past activities, including items not previously released as spoilers by other media outlets.

Dick has four children with his first wife, Phyllis Geer LeBeau, who passed from cancer in 2002: Richard Jr, Linda, Lori, and Fe. He has been married to his current wife, Nancy, since 1973[18] and they have one son together, Brandon Grant LeBeau.

Kid Cole and Sister Ruth (Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash) visit Dr. Mike at a difficult time in their marriage. While it seems they both want a divorce, Kid Cole reveals he is dying.


Question: An influential religion that entered China along the Silk Route during the Han Dynasty was

Chinese Buddhism, an influential religion that entered China along the Silk Route during the Han Dynasty, is believed to have arrived in the first century CE. This was facilitated by Indian missionaries who brought the teachings of Buddhism to Chinese soil. Despite various legends claiming an earlier presence of Buddhism in China, scholarly consensus dates its arrival to the Han Dynasty era.

During the Song Dynasty, Chán (禪) was used by the government to strengthen its control over the country, and Chán grew to become the largest sect in Chinese Buddhism. An ideal picture of the Chán of the Tang period was produced, which served the legacy of this newly acquired status.[40]

As the Qin and Han dynasties developed a meritocratic system in order to maintain power over a large, sprawling empire, it became necessary for the government to maintain a complex network of officials.[27] Prospective officials could come from a rural background and government positions were not restricted to the nobility. Rank was determined by merit, through the civil service examinations, and education became the key for social mobility.[27] After the fall of the Han Dynasty, the nine-rank system was established during the Three Kingdoms period.

The traditional etymology, proposed in the 17th century by Martin Martini and supported by later scholars such as Paul Pelliot and Berthold Laufer, is that the word "China" and its related terms are ultimately derived from the polity known as Qin, a state that existed on the furthest west of China since the 9th century BC, and which later unified China to form the Qin Dynasty (秦, Old Chinese: *dzin).[43][48][49] This is still the most commonly held theory, although many other suggestions have also been mooted.[50][51] The existence of the word Cīna in ancient Hindu texts was noted by the Sanskrit scholar Hermann Jacobi who pointed out its use in the Book 2 of Arthashastra with reference to silk and woven cloth produced by the country of Cīna, although textual analysis suggests that Book 2 may not have been written long before 150 AD.[52] The word is also found in other Sanskrit texts such as the Mahābhārata and the Laws of Manu.[53] The Indologist Patrick Olivelle argued that the word Cīnā may not have been known in India before the first century BC, nevertheless he agreed that it probably referred to Qin but thought that the word itself was derived from a Central Asian language.[54] Some Chinese and Indian scholars argued for the state of Jing (荆, another name for Chu) as the likely origin of the name.[51] Another suggestion, made by Geoff Wade, is that the Cīnāh in Sanskrit texts refers to an ancient kingdom centered in present-day Guizhou, called Yelang, in the south Tibeto-Burman highlands.[53] The inhabitants referred to themselves as Zina according to Wade.[55]

When the famous monk Kumārajīva was captured during the Chinese conquest of the Buddhist kingdom of Kucha, he was imprisoned for many years. When he was released in AD 401, he immediately took a high place in Chinese Buddhism and was appraised as a great master from the West. He was especially valued by Emperor Yao Xing of the state of Later Qin, who gave him an honorific title and treated him like a god. Kumārajīva revolutionized Chinese Buddhism with his high quality translations (from AD 402-413), which are still praised for their flowing smoothness, clarity of meaning, subtlety, and literary skill. Due to the efforts of Kumārajīva, Buddhism in China became not only recognized for its practice methods, but also as high philosophy and religion. The arrival of Kumārajīva also set a standard for Chinese translations of Buddhist texts, effectively doing away with previous concept-matching systems.

The pastime of viewing plants and appreciating flowers throughout the four seasons was established in Japan early on through the aristocracy. Waka poetry anthologies such as the Man'yōshū and Kokin Wakashū from the Heian period (794–1185) included many poems on the topic of flowers.[4] During this time, Buddhism was introduced to Japan starting in the 6th century through China and Korea. Offering flowers at Buddhist altars became common. Although the lotus is widely used in India where Buddhism originated, in Japan other native flowers for each season were selected for this purpose.[4] While in China the Buddhist priests were the first instructors of flower arrangement, in Japan they only introduced its crudest elements. For a long time the art had no meaning and was merely the placing in vases, without system, of the flowers to be used as temple offerings and before ancestral shrines. The first flower arrangements worked out with a system were known as shin-no-hana, meaning "central flower arrangement". A huge branch of pine or cryptomeria stood in the middle, and around the tree were placed three or five seasonable flowers. These branches and stems were put in vases in upright positions without attempt at artificial curves. Generally symmetrical in form, the arrangements appeared in Japanese religious pictures of the 14th century. It was the first attempt to represent natural scenery. The large tree in the center represented distant scenery, plum or cherry blossoms middle distance, and little flowering plants the foreground. The lines of these arrangements were known as centre and sub-centre.[5] Later on, among other types of Buddhist offering, placing mitsu-gusoku became popular in the Kamakura (1185–1333) and Nanboku-chō periods (1336–1392).[4] Various Buddhist scriptures have been named after flowers such as the Kegon-kyo (Flower Garland Sutra) and Hokke-kyo (Lotus Sutra). The Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga (Scroll of Frolicking Animals and Humans) depicts lotus being offered by a monk(ey) in front of a frog mimicking the Buddha.[4][6]

As mentioned earlier, persecution came during the reign of Emperor Wuzong in the Tang Dynasty. Wuzong was said to hate the sight of Buddhist monks, who he thought were tax-evaders. In 845, he ordered the destruction of 4,600 Buddhist monasteries and 40,000 temples. More than 400,000 Buddhist monks and nuns then became peasants liable to the Two Taxes (grain and cloth).[34] Wuzong cited that Buddhism was an alien religion, which is the reason he also persecuted the Christians in China. David Graeber argues that Buddhist institutions had accumulated so much precious metals which the government needed to secure the money supply.[35] Ancient Chinese Buddhism never fully recovered from the persecution.[36][37]

Much of the beliefs held by Han-era physicians are known to modern historians through such texts as the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon (Huangdi neijing) medical corpus, which was compiled from the 3rd to 2nd century BCE and was mentioned in the Book of Later Han.[175] It is clear from this text and others that their metaphysical beliefs in the five phases and yin and yang dictated their medical decisions and assumptions.[176] The Han-era Chinese believed that each organ in the body was associated with one of the five phases (metal 金, wood 木, water 水, fire 火, earth 土) and had two circulatory qi channels (任督二脉).[175] If these channels were disrupted, Han medical texts suggest that one should consume an edible material associated with one of these phases that would counteract the organ's prescribed phase and thus restore one's health.[175] For example, the Chinese believed that when the heart—associated with the fire phase—caused one to become sluggish, then one should eat sour food because it was associated with the wood phase (which promoted fire).[175] The Han Chinese also believed that by using pulse diagnosis, a physician could determine which organ of the body emitted "vital energy" (qi) and what qualities the latter had, in order to figure out the exact disorder the patient was suffering.[177] Despite the influence of metaphysical theory on medicine, Han texts also give practical advice, such as the proper way to perform clinical lancing to remove an abscess.[178] The Huangdi neijing noted the symptoms and reactions of people with various diseases of the liver, heart, spleen, lung, or kidneys in a 24-hour period, which was a recognition of circadian rhythm, although explained in terms of the five phases.[179]

Although horse and ox-drawn carts and spoke-wheeled chariots had existed in China long before the Han dynasty, it was not until the 1st century BCE that literary evidence pointed to the invention of the wheelbarrow, while painted murals on Han tomb walls of the 2nd century CE show the wheelbarrow in use for hauling goods.[203] While the 'throat-and-girth' harness was still in use throughout much of the ancient world (placing an excessive amount of pressure on horses' necks), the Chinese were placing a wooden yoke across their horses' chests with traces to the chariot shaft by the 4th century BCE in the State of Chu (as seen on a Chu lacquerware).[204] By Han times, the Chinese replaced this heavy yoke with a softer breast strap, as seen in Han stamped bricks and carved tomb reliefs.[205] In the final stage of evolution, the modern horse collar was invented in China by the 5th century CE, during the Northern Wei period.[206]

The southward expansion of the Han dynasty led to new trade routes and diplomatic contact with foreign kingdoms. In 111 BCE, Emperor Wu conquered the Kingdom of Nanyue in what is now modern northern Vietnam and Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan; thereafter he opened up maritime trade to both Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, as foreign merchants brought lapis lazuli, pearls, jade, and glasswares to the Han Empire from this southern sea route.[196] When a group of travelers from the Roman Empire (allegedly diplomats of Marcus Aurelius but most likely Roman merchants) came to the Han court in 166 CE, they allegedly came from this southern trade route.[197] By at least the 1st century CE — as proven by Eastern Han ceramic miniature models of ships found in various tombs — the Chinese would have been able to brave distant waters with the new steering invention of the stern-mounted rudder. This came to replace the less efficient steering oar.[198] While ancient China was home to various ship designs, including the layered and fortified tower ship meant for calm waters of lakes and river, the junk design (jun 船) created by the 1st century CE was China's first seaworthy sailing ship.[199] The typical junk has a square-ended bow and stern, a flat-bottomed hull or carvel-shaped hull with no keel or sternpost, and solid transverse bulkheads in the place of structural ribs found in Western seacrafts.[200] Since the Chinese junk lacked a sternpost, the rudder was attached to the back of the ship by use of either socket-and-jaw or block and tackle (which differed from the later European pintle and gudgeon design of the 12th century).[201] As written by a 3rd-century author, junks had for-and-aft rigs and lug sails.[202]

The short-lived Qin dynasty, started by Qin Shihuang (247â€“220 BCE), who reunified the Warring States and was the first Chinese ruler to use the title of "emperor", chose Legalism as the state ideology, banning and persecuting all other schools of thought. Confucianism was harshly suppressed, with the burning of Confucian classics and killing of scholars who espoused the Confucian cause.[43][44] The state ritual of the Qin was indeed similar to that of the following Han dynasty.[45] Qin Shihuang personally held sacrifices to Di at Mount Tai, a site dedicated to the worship of the supreme God since pre-Xia times, and in the suburbs of the capital Xianyang.[46][47] The emperors of Qin also concentrated the cults of the five forms of God, previously held at different locations, in unified temple complexes.[48]


Question:
An influential religion that entered China along the Silk Route during the Han Dynasty was?

(Note: the original question was not fully written in the form of a question, so I have assumed that the intention was to ask for the name of an influential religion that entered China along the Silk Route during the Han Dynasty.)

Chinese Buddhism
Scholars have long discussed whether Buddhism first arrived in Han China through the maritime or overland routes of the Silk Road. The maritime hypothesis, supported by Liang Qichao and Paul Pelliot, suggests that Buddhism was initially practiced in southern China, specifically the Yangtze River and Huai River regions, with prince Ying of Chu (in present-day Jiangsu) simultaneously honoring the Yellow Emperor, Laozi, and Buddha as early as 65 CE. Conversely, the overland hypothesis, backed by Tang Yongtong, posits that Buddhism spread eastward through the Yuezhi people and was first practiced in western China, at the Han capital of Luoyang (current-day Henan), where Emperor Ming of Han is said to have founded the White Horse Temple in 68 CE. Rong Xinjiang, a history professor at Peking University, critically evaluated both hypotheses by examining recent findings and studies, including the Gandhāran Buddhist Texts, to reach a conclusion.

During the early Tang dynasty, between 629 and 645, the monk Xuanzang journeyed to India and visited over one hundred kingdoms, and wrote extensive and detailed reports of his findings, which have subsequently become important for the study of India during this period. During his travels he visited holy sites, learned the lore of his faith, and studied with many famous Buddhist masters, especially at the famous center of Buddhist learning at Nālanda University. When he returned, he brought with him some 657 Sanskrit texts. Xuanzang also returned with relics, statues, and Buddhist paraphernalia loaded onto twenty-two horses.[28] With the emperor's support, he set up a large translation bureau in Chang'an (present-day Xi'an), drawing students and collaborators from all over East Asia. He is credited with the translation of some 1,330 fascicles of scriptures into Chinese. His strongest personal interest in Buddhism was in the field of Yogācāra, or "Consciousness-only".

There were several components that led to opposition of Buddhism. One factor is the foreign origins of Buddhism, unlike Daoism and Confucianism. Han Yu wrote, "Buddha was a man of the barbarians who did not speak the language of China and wore clothes of a different fashion. His sayings did not concern the ways of our ancient kings, nor did his manner of dress conform to their laws. He understood neither the duties that bind sovereign and subject, nor the affections of father and son."

By the Han dynasty, the universal God of early Shang-Zhou theology had found new expression by the names of Tàiyǐ (太乙 "Great Oneness"), "Supreme Oneness of the Central Yellow" (中黄太乙 Zhōnghuáng Tàiyǐ), or the "Yellow God of the Northern Dipper (i.e. Ursa Major)" (黄神北斗 Huángshén Běidǒu), other than by names inherited from the previous tradition. Although the name "Taiyi" became prominent in the Han, it harkens back to the Warring States, as attested in the poem The Supreme Oneness Gives Birth to Water, and possibly to the Shang dynasty as Dàyī (大一 "Big Oneness"), an alternative name for Shangs' (and universe's) greatest ancestor.[53] Han theology focalised on the Yellow Emperor, a culture hero and creator of civility, who, according to a definition in apocryphal texts related to the Hétú 河圖, "proceeds from the essence of the Yellow God of the Northern Dipper", is born to "a daughter of a chthonic deity", and as such he is "a cosmic product of the conflation of Heaven and Earth".[54]

Prior to the formation of Chinese civilisation and the spread of world religions in the region known today as East Asia (which includes the territorial boundaries of modern-day China), local tribes shared animistic, shamanic and totemic worldviews. Mediatory individuals such as shamans communicated prayers, sacrifices or offerings directly to the spiritual world, a heritage that survives in some modern forms of Chinese religion.[11]

With the rise of Confucian orthodoxy in the Han period (206 BCE–220 CE), shamanic traditions found an institutionalised and intellectualised form within the esoteric philosophical discourse of Taoism.[293] According to Chirita (2014), Confucianism itself, with its emphasis on hierarchy and ancestral rituals, derived from the shamanic discourse of the Shang dynasty (~1600 BCE–1046 BCE).[293] What Confucianism did was to marginalise the features of old shamanism which were dysfunctional for the new political regime.[293] However, shamanic traditions continued uninterrupted within the folk religion and found precise and functional forms within Taoism.[293]

From roughly 115 to 60 BC, Han forces fought the Xiongnu over control of the oasis city-states in the Tarim Basin. Han was eventually victorious and established the Protectorate of the Western Regions in 60 BC, which dealt with the region's defense and foreign affairs.[35] The Han also expanded southward. The naval conquest of Nanyue in 111 BC expanded the Han realm into what are now modern Guangdong, Guangxi, and northern Vietnam. Yunnan was brought into the Han realm with the conquest of the Dian Kingdom in 109 BC, followed by parts of the Korean Peninsula with the Wiman Joseon–Han War and colonial establishments of Xuantu Commandery and Lelang Commandery in 108 BC.[36] In China's first known nationwide census taken in 2 AD, the population was registered as having 57,671,400 individuals in 12,366,470 households.[3]

The religion never recovered from the persecutions, but it persisted as a distinct underground movement at least until the 14th century, particularly among southeastern Chinese, resurfacing from time to time supporting peasant rebellions.[368] The Song dynasty (960–1279) continued to suppress Manichaeism as a subversive cult.[369] In 1120, a rebellion led by Fang La was believed to have been caused by Manichaeans, and widespread crackdown of unauthorised religious assemblies took place.[367] During the subsequent Mongol Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), foreign religions were generally granted freedom,[367] but the following Ming dynasty (1368–1644) renewed discriminations against them.[367] Small Manichaean communities are still active in modern China.[370] Besides, Manichaeism is thought to have exerted a strong influence on some of the currents of popular sects, such as that which gave rise to Xiantiandao.

Even before the Classical period, this vocabulary had influenced Celtic art, and the expansion of the Greek world after Alexander, and the export of Greek objects still further afield, exposed much of Eurasia to it, including the regions in the north of the Indian subcontinent where Buddhism was expanding, and creating Greco-Buddhist art. As Buddhism spread across Central Asia to China and the rest of East Asia, in a form that made great use of religious art, versions of this vocabulary were taken with it and used to surround images of buddhas and other religious images, often with a size and emphasis that would have seemed excessive to the ancient Greeks. The vocabulary was absorbed into the ornament of India, China, Persia and other Asian countries, as well as developing further in Byzantine art.[131] The Romans took over the vocabulary more or less in its entirety, and although much altered, it can be traced throughout European medieval art, especially in plant-based ornament.

Broadly speaking, however, scholars agree that Confucianism may be also defined as an ethico-political system, developed from the teachings of the philosopher Confucius (551–479 BCE). Confucianism originated during the Spring and Autumn period and developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE),[265] to match the developments in Buddhism and Taoism which were dominant among the populace. By the same period, Confucianism became the core idea of Chinese imperial politics. According to He Guanghu, Confucianism may be identified as a continuation of the Shang-Zhou (~1600 BCE–256 BCE) official religion, or the Chinese aboriginal religion which has lasted uninterrupted for three thousand years.[266]

In Asia, the Chinese Empire was considered the middle kingdom and controlled the region.[2] The two empires communicated and traded through the Silk Route, which takes its name from the extensive trade of Chinese silk.[3]