title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: That Southeast Asia was a lower-priority area also did not help, and it was allocated few Spitfires and other modern fighters compared to Europe, which allowed the Japanese to easily achieve air superiority by 1942. Over the Northern Territory of Australia, Royal Australian Air Force and RAF Spitfires assigned to No. 1 Wing RAAF helped defend the port town of Darwin against air attack by the Japanese Naval Air Force, suffering heavy losses largely due to the type's limited fuel capacity. Spitfire MKVIIIs took part in the last battle of World War II involving the Western allies in Burma, in the ground attack role, helping defeat a Japanese break-out attempt.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: During the Second World War, Spitfires were used by the United States Army Air Forces in the 4th Fighter Group until they were replaced by Republic P-47 Thunderbolts in March 1943.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: Several Spitfires were captured by the Germans and flown by units that tested, evaluated, and sometimes clandestinely operated enemy aircraft.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: Beginning in late 1943, high-speed diving trials were undertaken at Farnborough to investigate the handling characteristics of aircraft travelling at speeds near the sound barrier (i.e., the onset of compressibility effects). Because it had the highest limiting Mach number of any aircraft at that time, a Spitfire XI was chosen to take part in these trials. Due to the high altitudes necessary for these dives, a fully feathering Rotol propeller was fitted to prevent overspeeding. During these trials, "EN409", flown by Squadron Leader J. R. Tobin, reached (Mach 0.891) in a 45° dive.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: In April 1944, the same aircraft suffered engine failure in another dive while being flown by Squadron Leader Anthony F. Martindale, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, when the propeller and reduction gear broke off. The dive put the aircraft to Mach 0.92, the fastest ever recorded in a piston-engined aircraft, but when the propeller came off, the Spitfire, now tail-heavy, zoom-climbed back to altitude. Martindale blacked out under the 11 g loading, but when he resumed consciousness, he found the aircraft at about 40,000 feet with its (originally straight) wings now slightly swept back. Martindale successfully glided the Spitfire back to the airfield and landed safely. Martindale was awarded the Air Force Cross for his exploits.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: RAE Bedford (RAE) modified a Spitfire for high-speed testing of the stabilator (then known as the "flying tail") of the Miles M.52 supersonic research aircraft. RAE test pilot Eric Brown stated that he tested this successfully during October and November 1944, attaining Mach 0.86 in a dive.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: On 5 February 1952, a Spitfire 19 of 81 Squadron based at Kai Tak in Hong Kong reached probably the highest altitude ever achieved by a Spitfire. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Edward "Ted" Powles, was on a routine flight to survey outside air temperature and report on other meteorological conditions at various altitudes in preparation for a proposed new air service through the area. He climbed to indicated altitude, with a true altitude of . The cabin pressure fell below a safe level, and in trying to reduce altitude, he entered an uncontrollable dive which shook the aircraft violently. He eventually regained control somewhere below and landed safely with no discernible damage to his aircraft. Evaluation of the recorded flight data suggested he achieved a speed of , (Mach 0.96) in the dive, which would have been the highest speed ever reached by a propeller-driven aircraft if the instruments had been considered more reliable.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: The critical Mach number of the Spitfire's original elliptical wing was higher than the subsequently used laminar-flow section, straight-tapering-planform wing of the follow-on Supermarine Spiteful, Seafang, and Attacker, illustrating that Reginald Mitchell's practical engineering approach to the problems of high-speed flight had paid off.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: Although R. J. Mitchell is justifiably known as the engineer who designed the Spitfire, his premature death in 1937 meant that all development after that date was undertaken by a team led by his chief draughtsman, Joe Smith, who became Supermarine's chief designer on Mitchell's death. As Jeffrey Quill noted: "If Mitchell was born to design the Spitfire, Joe Smith was born to defend and develop it."


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: There were 24 marks of Spitfire and many sub-variants. These covered the Spitfire in development from the Merlin to Griffon engines, the high-speed photo-reconnaissance variants and the different wing configurations. More Spitfire Mk Vs were built than any other type, with 6,487 built, followed by the 5,656 Mk IXs. Different wings, featuring a variety of weapons, were fitted to most marks; the A wing used eight .303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns, the B wing had four .303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns and two 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano cannon, and the C, or universal, wing could mount either four 20 mm (.79 in) cannon or two 20 mm (.79 in) and four .303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns. As the war progressed, the C wing became more common. Another armament variation was the E wing which housed two 20 mm (.79 in) cannon and two .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns. Although the Spitfire continued to improve in speed and armament, its limited fuel capacity restricted range and endurance: it remained "short-legged" throughout its life except in the dedicated photo-reconnaissance role, when its guns were replaced by extra fuel tanks.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: Supermarine developed a two-seat variant, known as the T Mk VIII, to be used for training, but none were ordered, and only one example was ever constructed (identified as N32/"G-AIDN" by Supermarine). In the absence of an official two-seater variant, a number of airframes were crudely converted in the field. These included a 4 Squadron SAAF Mk VB in North Africa, where a second seat was fitted instead of the upper fuel tank in front of the cockpit, although it was not a dual-control aircraft, and is thought to have been used as the squadron "run-about". The only unofficial two-seat conversions that were fitted with dual-controls were a few Russian lend/lease Mk IX aircraft. These were referred to as Mk IX UTI and differed from the Supermarine proposals by using an inline "greenhouse" style double canopy rather than the raised "bubble" type of the T Mk VIII.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: In the postwar era, the idea was revived by Supermarine and a number of two-seat Spitfires were built by converting old Mk IX airframes with a second "raised" cockpit featuring a bubble canopy. Ten of these TR9 variants were then sold to the Indian Air Force along with six to the Irish Air Corps, three to the Royal Netherlands Air Force and one for the Royal Egyptian Air Force. Currently several of the trainers are known to exist, including both the T Mk VIII, a T Mk IX based in the US, and the "Grace Spitfire" "ML407", a veteran flown operationally by 485(NZ) Squadron in 1944.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: The Seafire, a name derived from "sea", and "Spitfire", was a naval version of the Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. Although the Spitfire was not designed for the rough-and-tumble of carrier-deck operations, it was considered the best available fighter at the time. The basic Spitfire design did impose some limitations on the use of the aircraft as a carrier-based fighter; poor visibility over the nose, for example, meant that pilots had to be trained to land with their heads out of the cockpit and looking along the port cowling of their Seafire. Like the Spitfire, the Seafire also had a relatively narrow undercarriage track, which meant that it was not ideally suited to deck operations. Early Seafire marks had relatively few modifications to the standard Spitfire airframe; however cumulative front line experience meant that most of the later versions of the Seafire had strengthened airframes, folding wings, arrestor hooks and other modifications, culminating in the purpose-built Seafire F/FR Mk 47.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: The Seafire II was able to outperform the A6M5 Zero at low altitudes when the two types were tested against each other during wartime mock combat exercises. However, contemporary Allied carrier fighters such as the F6F Hellcat and F4U Corsair were considerably more robust and so more practical for carrier operations. Performance was greatly increased when later versions of the Seafire were fitted with the Griffon engines. These were too late to see service in World War II.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: The first Rolls-Royce Griffon-engined Mk XII flew in August 1942, and first flew operationally with 41 Squadron in April 1943. This mark could nudge in level flight and climb to an altitude of in under nine minutes.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: As American fighters took over the long-range escorting of USAAF daylight bombing raids, the Griffon-engined Spitfires progressively took up the tactical air superiority role, and played a major role in intercepting V-1 flying bombs, while the Merlin-engined variants (mainly the Mk IX and the Packard-engined Mk XVI) were adapted to the fighter-bomber role. Although the later Griffon-engined marks lost some of the favourable handling characteristics of their Merlin-powered predecessors, they could still outmanoeuvre their main German foes and other, later, American and British-designed fighters.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: The final version of the Spitfire, the Mk 24, first flew at South Marston on 13 April 1946. On 20 February 1948, almost twelve years from the prototype's first flight, the last production Spitfire, "VN496", left the production line. Spitfire Mk 24s were used by only one regular RAF unit, with 80 Squadron replacing their Hawker Tempests with F Mk 24s in 1947. With these aircraft, 80 Squadron continued its patrol and reconnaissance duties from Wunstorf in Germany as part of the occupation forces, until it relocated to Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong, in July 1949. During the Chinese Civil War, 80 Squadron's main duty was to defend Hong Kong from perceived Communist threats.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: Operation Firedog during the Malayan Emergency saw the Spitfire fly over 1,800 operational sorties against the Malayan Communists. The last operational sortie of an RAF Spitfire was flown on 1 April 1954, by PS888 a PR Mk 19 Spitfire of 81 Squadron.It was flying from RAF Seletar, in Singapore to photograph an area of jungle in Johore, Malaysia, thought to contain Communist guerrillas. To mark the special occasion, ground crewmen had painted 'The Last' on the aircraft's nose.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: The last non-operational flight of a Spitfire in RAF service, which took place on 9 June 1957, was by a PR Mk 19, "PS583", from RAF Woodvale of the Temperature and Humidity Flight. This was also the last known flight of a piston-engined fighter in the RAF. The last nation in the Middle East to operate Spitfires was Syria, which kept its F Mk 22s until 1953.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: In late 1962, Air Marshal Sir John Nicholls instigated a trial when he flew Spitfire "PM631", a PR Mk 19 in the custody of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, against an English Electric Lightning F 3 (a supersonic jet-engined interceptor) in mock combat at RAF Binbrook. At the time, British Commonwealth forces were involved in possible action against Indonesia over Malaya and Nicholls decided to develop tactics to fight the Indonesian Air Force P-51 Mustang, a fighter that had a similar performance to the PR Mk 19. The first airframe (PM631) developed mechanical issues which removed it from the trial. Another PR Mk 19, "PS853", which is now owned by Rolls-Royce, was on gate-guard duties at Binbrook, having been retired from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) one year before. It had been maintained in running condition by ground crews at Binbrook, and after a short time was participating in the trials. At the end of the trials, RAF pilots found that Firestreak infra-red guided missiles had trouble acquiring the Spitfire due to a low exhaust temperature, and decided that the twin ADEN cannons were the only weapons suited to the task, which was complicated by the tight turning circle of the Spitfire, and the Lightning's proclivity for over-running the Spitfire. It was concluded that the most effective and safest way for a modern jet-engined fighter to attack a piston-engined fighter was to engage full afterburner at an altitude lower than the Spitfire, and circle behind it to perform a hit-and-run attack, contrary to all established fighter-on-fighter doctrine at that time.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: There are 54 Spitfires and a few Seafires in airworthy condition worldwide, although many air museums have examples on static display, for example, Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry has paired a static Spitfire with a static Ju 87 R-2/Trop. Stuka dive bomber.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: The oldest surviving Spitfire is a Mark 1, serial number "K9942"; it is preserved at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford in Shropshire. This aircraft was the 155th built and first flew in April 1939. It flew operationally with No. 72 Squadron RAF until June 1940, when it was damaged in a wheels-up landing. After repair, it was used for training until August 1944, when it became one of several Battle of Britain aircraft veterans that were allocated to the Air Historical Branch for future museum preservation.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: What may be the most originally restored Spitfire in the world is maintained at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida. Over a six-year period in the 1990s, this aircraft was slowly restored by Personal Plane Services in England using almost 90% of its original aircraft skins. Owner Kermit Weeks insisted that the aircraft be restored as closely as possible to its original condition. Machine guns, cannon, gun sight and original working radios are all installed.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: Two MK 1 Supermarine Spitfires, originally restored by the Aircraft Restoration Company, remain in flying condition at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, in Cambridgeshire, England. Both restored by American billionaire Thomas Kaplan, one has been donated to the Imperial War Museum and the second was auctioned in July 2015 at Christie's, London. It is one of only four flying MK 1 Spitfires in the world. The aircraft fetched a record £3.1 million at auction on 9 July, beating the previous record for a Spitfire of £1.7 million set in 2009.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire, is home to the largest collection of Spitfires, with 15-20 airworthy and static examples on site most weeks throughout the year. It is also rumoured that there is anywhere from 5 to 10 restoration projects also progressing on site between The Fighter Collection and the Aircraft Restoration Company.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: A Spitfire model "ML407" was purchased by Carolyn Grace and her husband Nick in 1979. Carolyn Grace subsequently flew the Spitfire in several displays, including one commemorating the 60th anniversary of D-Day in 2004.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: After hostilities ceased in Asia in 1945, a number of Spitfire Mk.XIVs were reportedly buried, after being greased, tarred and prepared for long-term storage, in crates in Burma.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: Excavations carried out at Yangon International Airport (formerly RAF Mingaladon) in early 2013 failed to locate any of the rumoured aircraft, and the team reported that they found no evidence that Spitfires were shipped there in crates or buried. Pat Woodward, who was an RAF pilot operating from Burma at the end of the war, reported that no such burying took place. In 2016 it was reported that the hunt was continuing.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: British organisation, the Aircraft Restoration Company (Formally Historic Flying Limited), has either restored, overhauled or built from scratch a significant proportion of the Spitfires that are now airworthy. Several other manufacturers have produced replica Spitfires, either as complete aircraft or as kits for self-building. These range in scale from 60% scale to full-size, and most use wooden construction rather than the original all-metal monocoque design. These include the Jurca Spit from France, and those manufactured by Tally Ho Enterprises in Canada. Supermarine Aircraft – originally from Brisbane, Australia, and now based in Cisco, Texas – manufacture the 80% scale Spitfire Mk26 and the 90% scale Mk26B replicas. Their Supermarine Aircraft Spitfire is supplied in kit form and is the only all-aluminium reproduction Spitfire in production. The Isaacs Spitfire (1975) and the Time Warp Spitfire Mk V (1996) are homebuilt 60% scale replicas, and Bob DeFord of Prescott, Arizona built and flies a 100% scale replica.


title: Supermarine Spitfire

text: During and after the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire became a symbol of British resistance: for example, Lord Beaverbrook's "Spitfire Fund" of 1940 was one campaign which drew widespread public attention to the Spitfire. The Spitfire continues to be highly popular at airshows, on airfields and in museums worldwide, and holds an important place in the memories of many people, especially the few still living who flew the Spitfire in combat. Numerous films and documentaries featuring the Spitfire are still being produced, some of which are listed in this section.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Wood began his career in 1964, playing guitar with a number of British rhythm and blues bands in short succession, including the Birds and the Creation. He joined the Jeff Beck Group in 1967 as a guitarist and bassist. Their two albums, "Truth" and "Beck-Ola", are both highly praised.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: The group split in 1969 and Wood departed along with lead vocalist Rod Stewart to join former Small Faces members Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan, and Kenney Jones in a new group named Faces with Wood now primarily on lead guitar. The group found great success in the UK and mainland Europe, though achieved only cult status in the US. Wood sang and co-wrote the popular title track from their final LP, "Ooh La La", released in 1973. He also worked extensively on Stewart's first few solo albums.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: As the group began to split he began several solo projects, eventually recording his first solo LP, "I've Got My Own Album to Do", in 1974. The album featured bandmate McLagan as well as former Beatle George Harrison and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, a longtime friend of Wood. After the departure of Mick Taylor from the Stones, Richards soon invited Wood to join them; he did so in 1975, initially on a temporary basis, but became an official member in 1976; however, he was not officially inducted as a financial partner until bassist Bill Wyman's departure in 1993.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Besides "I've Got My Own Album to Do", Wood has recorded several other solo efforts. "Now Look" was released in 1975, and peaked at No. 118 on "Billboard"; he also collaborated with Ronnie Lane for the soundtrack album "Mahoney's Last Stand". Wood also released "Gimme Some Neck" in 1979, which hit No. 45 in the US; "1234" was released in 1981, peaking at No. 164. He released "Slide on This" in 1992, "Not for Beginners" came out in 2002. and "I Feel Like Playing" in 2010. As a member of the Rolling Stones, Wood was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, and was inducted a second time, as a member of Faces, in 2012.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Wood began his career as a professional musician in 1964 as a guitarist with the Birds, a R&B band based in Yiewsley, Middlesex. A popular live act with a considerable fan base, the Birds released several singles in the mid-1960s; Wood wrote or co-wrote nearly half the songs the group recorded.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: By 1967 the Birds had disbanded, and Wood briefly took part in a project called Santa Barbara Machine Head which included later Deep Purple co-founder Jon Lord, before joining the Jeff Beck Group as a bassist. Along with vocalist Rod Stewart, Wood did several tours with Beck and recorded two albums: "Truth" in 1968 and "Beck-Ola" in 1969. In between Jeff Beck Group projects, Wood also worked with the Creation.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: In Wood's radioshow of 14 November 2011, both Wood and Alice Cooper claimed that Wood performed the bass on The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown's number one hit "Fire"; however, Polly Marshall's biography of Arthur Brown states that "According to the-faces.com, Ronnie claims he played on the Track Records studio sessions recording Fire, but he must have confused it with the BBC session [of 8 April 1968]." There is no bass guitar on the recording, only bass pedals.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: In 1969, after Steve Marriott left the Small Faces, Wood began working with the remaining members of that group, returning to his instrument of choice, the guitar. This line-up, plus Rod Stewart and former Bird Kim Gardner, teamed up with Wood's brother Art Wood in a formation called Quiet Melon, making a handful of recordings in May 1969. After the Jeff Beck Group's fifth US tour in July, Wood and Stewart joined the former Small Faces full-time, and the band's name was changed to Faces. During the summer of 1969, Stewart and Wood also set the template for what would become Faces on "An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down", Stewart's first solo album (known as "The Rod Stewart Album" in the US). The backing band on the album also included Ian McLagan, Keith Emerson, Micky Waller and guitarists Martin Pugh (of Steamhammer and later Armageddon and 7th Order), and Martin Quittenton (also from Steamhammer).


title: Ronnie Wood

text: In the first half of the 1970s, Faces released four studio albums and were among the top-grossing live acts of the period. Besides his distinctive guitar work, Wood contributed harmonica, vocals and bass to the band's recordings, and co-wrote many of their songs, including "Stay With Me" and "Ooh La La". He also played on bandmate Stewart's first few solo albums, and is co-writer of the Rod Stewart songs "Gasoline Alley" and "Every Picture Tells a Story", as well as several songs on "Never a Dull Moment".


title: Ronnie Wood

text: In 1972, Wood and Faces bassist Ronnie Lane composed the soundtrack to the film "Mahoney's Last Stand"; the soundtrack, which was released as an LP in 1976, also features Faces bandmates Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones, along with contributions from Pete Townshend and Ric Grech. Wood also performed with Townshend, Grech, Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Eric Clapton at Clapton's Rainbow Concert in 1973.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: In 1973 Wood asked his old friend Mick Taylor, whom he had known since the early 1960s, to help out with his first solo album. In December 1973, Wood collaborated with Mick Jagger on the song "It's Only Rock'n Roll (But I Like It)". Eventually, Jagger and Keith Richards also contributed to Wood's solo LP. "I've Got My Own Album to Do" was released in 1974, having been recorded at Wood's private studio in the basement of The Wick, his home near London.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Following Taylor's departure from the Rolling Stones in December 1974, Wood participated in the band's March 1975 recording sessions for their forthcoming album "Black and Blue". Although still a member of Faces, he toured North America with the Rolling Stones in 1975; Faces announced their break-up in December of that year, and Wood was officially declared a member of the Rolling Stones on 23 April 1976.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: In the Rolling Stones, Wood plays the slide guitar as Taylor and Brian Jones had done before him, adding both lap steel and pedal steel guitar. In addition, Wood, as did his predecessors, exchanges roles on the guitar with Richards, often blurring the boundaries between rhythm and lead, even within a particular song. He also occasionally plays bass guitar, as seen during 1975 concert performances of "Fingerprint File", when Mick Jagger played rhythm guitar and bassist Bill Wyman moved to synthesizer. The Rolling Stones single "Emotional Rescue" also features Wood on bass. He has been given credit as a co-writer for a dozen songs, including "Dance", "Black Limousine", "One Hit (to the Body)" and "Had It With You".


title: Ronnie Wood

text: In 1975, Wood released his second solo album, "Now Look"; his third, "Gimme Some Neck", came out in 1979. To promote it, Wood formed and toured with the New Barbarians, playing 20 concerts in Canada and the US in April/May and the Knebworth Festival in the UK in August.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Throughout the 1980s, Wood played as an official member of the Rolling Stones; continued his solo career, releasing the album "1234" in 1981; painted; and collaborated with a number of other artists, including Prince, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddley, Ringo Starr and Aretha Franklin.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: At the 1985 Live Aid Concert in Philadelphia, Wood along with Keith Richards performed in the penultimate set with Bob Dylan. During the performance of "Blowin' in the Wind", one of Dylan's guitar strings broke. Wood gave Dylan his guitar to keep the performance seamless and played air guitar until a stagehand brought him a replacement.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Wood was made a fully fledged partner in the Rolling Stones' financial organisation in 1990. During the 1990s the Rolling Stones released two studio albums and three concert albums, as well as touring in 1990, 1994–95 and 1997–99.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: In addition, Wood released his seventh solo album, "Slide on This", in 1992; he toured to promote this album in North America and Japan. His appearance in 1993 with former bandmate Rod Stewart on "MTV Unplugged" resulted in a hit album titled "Unplugged...and Seated"; the concert album that Wood released in 1993 from his own tour was called "".


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Wood also contributed to Bo Diddley's 1996 album "A Man Amongst Men", playing slide guitar on the tracks "Hey Baby", "A Man Amongst Men" and "Oops! Bo Diddley", and guitar on "I Can't Stand It".


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Since 2000, Wood has continued to combine solo work with his Rolling Stones schedule. After the 2001 release of his album "Not For Beginners", Wood toured England and Ireland in 2001 and 2002 with his own group, the Ronnie Wood Band. The band included members of his family, Slash and Andrea Corr. After the tour, a DVD called "Far East Man" was released.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Wood toured with the Rolling Stones in 2002 and 2003; in 2004 he performed several one-off concerts and guest appearances, including a number of appearances with Rod Stewart. Later in the year the two expressed intentions to finish the studio work on a collaborative album, to be titled "You Strum and I'll Sing". In 2005, however, Wood was again busy with the Rolling Stones as the band recorded their "A Bigger Bang" album—although he played on only 10 of the album's 16 tracks. He took part in the accompanying tour, which lasted until August 2007.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: In 2005 Wood launched his own record company, Wooden Records, which has released recordings by his daughter Leah, the New Barbarians and others.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: In November 2006, during a break in the Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang Tour, Wood played guitar on three tracks for British soul artist Beverley Knight's album "Music City Soul", released in 2007.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: On 9 May 2009, Wood along with Red Hot Chili Peppers members Anthony Kiedis, Michael "Flea" Balzary, Chad Smith and musician Ivan Neville performed under the name "the Insects" at the fifth annual MusiCares event honouring Kiedis.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: On 11 August 2009, Wood joined Pearl Jam on the stage of Shepherd's Bush Empire in London for a performance of "All Along the Watchtower".


title: Ronnie Wood

text: On 25 October 2009, Wood, Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones joined forces for a Faces performance at London's Royal Albert Hall on behalf of the Performing Rights Society's Music Members' Benevolent Fund. Bill Wyman played bass and lead vocals were shared by several performers, notably Mick Hucknall. Rod Stewart, who had earlier denied rumours of plans for a Faces reunion in 2009, was not present.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: On 2 November 2009, Wood was given an "Outstanding Contribution" award at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour ceremony in London. Pete Townshend presented the award.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Since 9 April 2010, Wood has presented his own radio show on Absolute Radio. Airing on Saturday night at 10 pm, the one-hour show consists of Wood playing tracks by artists he has worked with and other personal favourites.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Wood is a well-known visual artist. When he was a child his drawings were featured on the BBC television programme "Sketch Club"; he won one of that programme's competitions, an achievement he refers to as his "awakening to art". He went on to train at the Ealing Art College, as had both his brothers. Other notable musicians, Freddie Mercury of Queen and Pete Townshend of the Who, also attended that college in the 1960s.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Wood's paintings, drawings and prints frequently feature icons of popular culture and have been exhibited all over the world. He did the cover artwork to Eric Clapton's 1988 box set "Crossroads". Several of his paintings, including a work commissioned by Andrew Lloyd Webber, are displayed at London's Drury Lane Theatre. Art critic Brian Sewell has called Wood "an accomplished and respectable artist"; and the "South Bank Show" has devoted an entire program to his artwork. Wood has maintained a long-standing relationship with the San Francisco Art Exchange, which first exhibited his work in 1987. Wood is also co-owner (along with sons Jamie and Tyrone) of a London art gallery called Scream.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: To date, Wood has three books to his credit: a short collection of autobiographical anecdotes titled "The Works", illustrated with Wood's artwork, co-authored by Bill German and published in 1988; a limited-edition art book titled "Wood on Canvas: Every Picture Tells a Story", published in 1998 by Genesis Publications; and his 2007 autobiography "Ronnie", written in collaboration with his son-in-law Jack MacDonald and Jeffrey Robinson.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: In addition to numerous Faces and Rolling Stones concert films, broadcasts and documentaries, Wood performed alongside the Band, Bob Dylan, and many others in the finale of the documentary "The Last Waltz", filmed in 1976. He has made cameo appearances in feature films, including "The Deadly Bees" (1967), "The Wild Life" (1984) and "9½ Weeks" (1986), as well as on television programs including "" (1978). In October 2007, Wood appeared on the television motor show "Top Gear", achieving a celebrity lap time of 1:49.4.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Wood has a long-standing interest in thoroughbred breeding and racing. One of his best-known horses, of which he is the breeder, is Sandymount Duke, who has competed in both flat and jump racing under trainer Jessica Harrington. In January 2019, it was announced that Sandymount Duke was being aimed at the Grand National at Aintree racecourse. However, a setback in training prevented the horse from taking its place in the field.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Wood was born in Hillingdon, west London, into a family of English "bargees" (river or canal barge operators, sometimes called "water gypsies"). He has said that his generation was the first in the family to be born on dry land. He grew up in Yiewsley and attended St Stephen's Infant School, St Matthew's Church of England Primary School and St Martin's C of E Secondary Modern School West Drayton.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: His elder brothers, Art and Ted, were graphic artists as well as musicians; Ted Wood died in 2004 and Art Wood in 2006.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Wood has six children. Jesse is his son with his first wife, Krissy ("née" Findlay), a former model to whom he was married from 1971 to 1978. During this time he had an affair with George Harrison's former wife, Pattie Boyd. Findlay died in 2005. In 1985 Wood married his second wife, Jo Wood ("née" Karslake), mother of his daughter Leah and son Tyrone. He also adopted Jamie, Jo Wood's son from a previous relationship. In addition to his six children, Wood has six grandchildren.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Wood has been frank about his struggle with alcoholism; although reports between 2003 and 2006 had indicated that he had been sober since the Rolling Stones' 2002–03 tour, in June 2006 it was reported that he was entering rehab following a spell of increased alcohol abuse. By July 2008, "ITN" reported that Wood had checked himself into rehab a total of six times, the last time being before the wedding of his daughter, Leah. He had plans once again for a seventh admission. Wood also took up stamp collecting as part of his alcoholism rehab.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: In July 2008 he left his wife for Katia Ivanova, whom he had met in a London club. Wood checked into rehab again on 16 July 2008. Jo Wood filed for divorce, which was granted in 2009.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: On 3 December 2009, Wood was arrested over assault "in connection with a domestic incident". He was cautioned for this offence on 22 December 2009.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: On 21 December 2012, Wood married Sally Humphreys, the owner of a theatre production company, 31 years his junior. Their twin girls, named Gracie Jane and Alice Rose, were born on Monday 30 May 2016, just before Ronnie Wood's 69th birthday on 1 June 2016.


title: Ronnie Wood

text: Wood was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017, necessitating the partial removal of one of his lungs. He said he refused chemotherapy because he did not want to lose his hair. In April 2021, Wood announced that he had been diagnosed with a small-cell cancer but that he had been deemed "all-clear" by his doctors following treatment.


title: Jodie Whittaker

text: Jodie Whittaker (born 17 June 1982) is an English actress who is best known for portraying the thirteenth incarnation of the Doctor in "Doctor Who" (2017–2022) and as Beth Latimer in "Broadchurch" (2013–2017).


title: Jodie Whittaker

text: She came to prominence in her 2006 feature film debut "Venus", for which she received British Independent Film Award and Satellite Award nominations. She was later praised for her roles in the cult science fiction film "Attack the Block" (2011) and the "Black Mirror" episode "The Entire History of You" (2011).


title: Jodie Whittaker

text: On 16 July 2017, the BBC announced that Whittaker would play the thirteenth incarnation of the Doctor in "Doctor Who". She formally assumed the role from Peter Capaldi in the 2017 Christmas special episode "Twice Upon a Time". Whittaker appeared in her first full series as The Doctor in the eleventh series, which premiered in October 2018. She continued in the role in the twelfth series in 2020 and thirteenth series in 2021. It was announced on 29 July 2021 that she would step down after three special episodes in 2022.


title: Jodie Whittaker

text: Jodie Whittaker was born on 17 June 1982 in Skelmanthorpe, West Yorkshire. She is the second child and only daughter of Yvonne (née Auckland) and Adrian Whittaker. She attended Scissett Middle School and Shelley High School before training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 2005 with an acting gold medal.


title: Jodie Whittaker

text: Whittaker made her professional debut in "The Storm" at Shakespeare's Globe in 2005. She has since worked in film, television, radio and theatre. In 2007, she stood in at short notice for an unwell Carey Mulligan in the Royal Court's production of "The Seagull", and appeared in a fundraising play at the Almeida Theatre.


title: Jodie Whittaker

text: In Whittaker's first major role, she co-starred as Jessie in the film "Venus" (2006), receiving British Independent Film Award and Satellite Award nominations. Her radio credits at that time included a 2008 adaptation of "Blinded by the Sun" by Stephen Poliakoff and playing Lydia Bennett in "Unseen Austen", an original drama by Judith French. In 2009, she worked on the films "Ollie Kepler's Expanding Purple World" and "Perrier's Bounty", as well as the BBC Two drama "Royal Wedding" and the short film "Wish 143", which was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the 83rd Academy Awards.


title: Jodie Whittaker

text: In the early 2010s, Whittaker co-starred in the anthology series "Accused" (2010) and the adaptation of Sarah Waters's novel "The Night Watch", followed by the role of Ffion in the "Black Mirror" episode "The Entire History of You". In film, she starred in the cult science fiction comedy horror "Attack the Block", as well as in projects like "The Kid" (2010), "One Day" (2011), "Hello Carter" (2013) and "Good Vibrations" (2013). She also returned to the stage in the contemporary staging of the classic Greek tragedy "Antigone", playing the title role opposite Christopher Eccleston as Creon.


title: Jodie Whittaker

text: In 2014, she appeared as Sandra Grimes in the reality-based spy drama miniseries "The Assets" and as Anna in the BAFTA-nominated short film "Emotional Fusebox", later reprising the role in its feature-length version, "Adult Life Skills", and earning nominations in the Best Actress category at both the British Independent Film Awards and the National Film Awards. She also took one of the lead roles in the hit ITV crime drama "Broadchurch" (2013–2017) and the four-part BBC One medical drama "Trust Me" (2017).


title: Jodie Whittaker

text: On 16 July 2017, Whittaker was announced as the Thirteenth Doctor in the science fiction television series "Doctor Who"; she is the first woman to play the title role. She had previously worked with incoming "Doctor Who" showrunner Chris Chibnall on "Broadchurch". She admitted that she had to "tell a lot of lies" after being cast to keep the information secret and used the codeword "Clooney" when talking about the role. Whittaker kept her mother in "the inner circle" regarding knowledge of the role, as her father, Adrian, "would have the ability to tell the world".


title: Jodie Whittaker

text: She urged fans not to be afraid of her gender, saying ""Doctor Who" represents everything that's exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes, and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one." Chibnall said that he always wanted a woman for the part and that Whittaker was their first choice.


title: Jodie Whittaker

text: Reaction to Whittaker's casting was mostly positive, although a "sizeable minority" was unhappy. Some said that a female Doctor would be a good role model for young girls, while others felt the Doctor was only ever meant to be male, or criticised the casting as an exercise in political correctness. Whittaker debuted in the 2017 Christmas special "Twice Upon a Time".


title: Jodie Whittaker

text: In November 2018, the BBC confirmed that the twelfth series, Whittaker's second series, began production. Whittaker returned for the thirteenth series, and departed the programme following the series and three associated specials in 2022. She also voiced the Doctor in the 2022 BBC Sounds podcast "Doctor Who: Redacted".


title: Jodie Whittaker

text: Whittaker met Christian Contreras, a Belizean-American actor and writer, in drama school and they married in Arizona in 2008. She gave birth to their daughter in April 2015. They now live in London and had their second child in 2022.


title: Nier: Automata

text: Nier:Automata is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix. It is a sequel to "Nier" (2010), itself a spin-off and sequel of the "Drakengard" series. The game was originally released for the PlayStation 4 and Windows via Steam, with an Xbox One port being published the following year with the subtitle Become as Gods Edition. A Nintendo Switch port was released in 2022, subtitled The End of YoRHa Edition.


title: Nier: Automata

text: Set during a proxy war between alien-created machines and human-crafted androids, the story follows the trials of combat android , scanner android 9S, and rogue prototype A2. The story requires multiple playthroughs, each unlocking additional story elements. Gameplay combines role-playing elements with action-based hack and slash combat, and features switching between video game genres similar to that of "Nier" with elements ranging from shoot 'em up to text adventure.


title: Nier: Automata

text: Production began in 2014, with series creator Yoko Taro, producer Yosuke Saito, and lead composer Keiichi Okabe returning to their respective roles, and artist Akihiko Yoshida taking charge of character design. The goal was to make a "Nier" game true to the spirit of the original, while simultaneously crafting a better combat system. As a project entirely new to PlatinumGames, its staff faced multiple challenges when developing the gameplay and open world environment. The story, written by Yoko, references several philosophies and explores themes of finding value in life and the reasons people kill.


title: Nier: Automata

text: Announced at E3 2015, "Nier: Automata" received media expansions to its world and narrative, and both downloadable content and crossovers with other games post-release. The localization was handled by 8-4, translators of the first "Nier". The game was praised for its story and themes, gameplay, and music. Criticism was leveled at some visual and technical problems. The PC release saw a mixed response due to technical issues that were not officially addressed immediately after release. An official patch released in 2021 addressed a portion of these issues. Sales surpassed expectations, and the game has shipped copies worldwide.


title: Nier: Automata

text: "Nier: Automata" is an action role-playing game (ARPG) in which players take the role of combat androids from the YoRHa units across an open world. In addition to standard navigation on foot, using a special item allows the player to summon a wild animal to ride, and in some scenarios pilot a flying mech to fight enemies. As with "Nier" (2010), during navigation in some environments, the camera shifts from its standard third-person perspective to an overhead or side-scrolling view. Some areas also include platforming elements, requiring the player to navigate by jumping between platforms or over obstacles. The player can complete side quests for non-playable characters (NPCs) found throughout the world. Shops available in hub locations allow the player to purchase items, including consumables that recover health. "Automata" features 26 different endings; five main endings lettered A to E, and 21 additional endings lettered F through Z. These additional endings act as game over events triggered by performing certain actions, not progressing the narrative, or losing certain battles.


title: Nier: Automata

text: Combat is hack and slash action-based, with the player fighting enemies in real-time in a variety of in-game environments. During battle, the player can use light attacks—which are fast but weak—and heavy attacks—slow and more powerful. The player can evade enemy attacks and, with successfully timed button presses, can gain temporary invulnerability and launch a counterattack that deals heavy damage. The player is also assisted by a Pod, a flying robot assistant that can launch customizable ranged attacks varying from simple gunfire to heavy-hitting hammer attacks. Pods can also shield the player from harm in various ways. At different points, the gameplay changes to reflect different video game genres, ranging from shoot 'em up to text adventure segments.


title: Nier: Automata

text: The player is able to bring two melee weapons in combat. While attacking, the player can alternate between both weapons and attacks to create combination attacks. There are four different classes of weapons available: short swords, long swords, bracers, and spears. Attacks with different weapon types can also be charged and launched for increased damage. Weapon Stories, a recurring element in both "Nier" and the "Drakengard" series, where weapons found throughout the world have unique stories attached to them, are also featured. Each character has a different style; initial lead 2B is an attacker with two weapons available, second protagonist 9S has only one weapon and specialises in hacking into enemies to deal high damage, and later character A2 plays similarly to 2B with an added ability to briefly boost attack power by sacrificing health.


title: Nier: Automata

text: As characters progress, they gain experience levels, increasing their health, defence, and attack power. Character customization is handled through Chips, items installed into the player characters that adjust some of their attributes; these chips can do thing such as alter the HUD to show enemy health and damage and grant status buffs to the player characters. The number of Chips that can be installed at any one time are limited by how many slots a character has. Chips can either be purchased at shops or picked up from defeated enemies. If the player character dies, they respawn at their previous save point. The player character can then find their original body and either retrieve items and experience left with it to gain a bonus, or attempt to repair it. If successful, the body is resurrected as a temporary ally, but if unsuccessful, it becomes an enemy the player can defeat for an extra bonus. With online features enabled, the bodies of other players can also be retrieved or revived at the location where they died.


title: Nier: Automata

text: "Nier: Automata" shares the post-apocalyptic setting of "Nier", taking place thousands of years after the original game's events. The universe of "Nier" takes place in an alternate timeline within the "Drakengard" series. While carrying over the "Drakengard" tradition of a dark atmosphere and branching storylines, no direct narrative connection is shared between "Nier: Automata" and the rest of the series. Set in the year 11945 AD, the story revolves around a proxy war between the human-made androids and the machine army of invaders from another world. Lacking both emotions and true names, androids have particular attitudes that distinguish them from their fellows. The "YoRHa" android forces are commanded from the Bunker, a reconnaissance base in orbit above Earth. They fight alongside the pre-YoRHa androids on Earth (known as the Resistance) to drive back the Machines.


title: Nier: Automata

text: The initial protagonist is (short for "YoRHa No. 2 Type B"), a YoRHa combat android whose main traits are her calm and composure. 2B is accompanied by 9S (short for YoRHa No.9 Type S), a male "scanner" android who displays more emotion than the other YoRHa units. Eventually another playable character is introduced: "A2", an obsolete attack android with a taciturn personality who often chooses to act alone. The androids are supported by Pod 042 and Pod 153, floating box-like robots that act as ranged weapons. The primary antagonists of the game are Adam and Eve, twin controllers of the Machine Network; and the Red Girls, a construct within the Machine Network. Other characters include the YoRHa's top officer, "Commander"; the resistance leader, Anemone; Pascal, a machine who dislikes conflict and wishes for peace; Devola and Popola, androids who aid the resistance and are of the same model as a similar pair from "Nier"; and the original "Nier" character Emil, who has lost his memories in the intervening years after the original game.


title: Nier: Automata

text: The first and second playthroughs follow the respective views of 2B and 9S during an initial invasion. After opening a route for future missions, they are sent to clear out machine threats for the Resistance, led by Anemone, who provides the two with support. During their missions, 2B and 9S discover that the machines are exploring human societies and concepts. The two work with a pacifist machine group led by Pascal; battle Adam and Eve, physical manifestations of the machine network who reveal that their creators were destroyed centuries ago; and encounter A2, a rogue android on the run from YoRHa. Adam is killed by 2B after he captures 9S. During his recuperation, 9S discovers a glitch in YoRHa's servers when syncing himself and 2B, and learns that humanity was extinct long before the alien invasion. Their last remnant is a Moon-based server holding humanity's incomplete genome remains. YoRHa perpetuates the myth of their survival to maintain morale and give androids a "god" to fight for. With Adam dead, Eve goes mad with grief and drives the machines under his command into a frenzy. 2B and 9S kill Eve to end the rampage, but 9S becomes infected with Eve's logic virus, forcing 2B to kill him. However, 9S's consciousness survives within the local machine network.


title: Nier: Automata

text: The third playthrough begins as YoRHa launches a full-scale invasion. A logic virus attack—enabled by the "glitch" that 9S previously discovered—corrupts every YoRHa unit including those in the Bunker, except for 2B and the restored 9S. 2B and 9S are separated in the aftermath, and 2B is infected with the logic virus. Discovered by A2, 2B uploads her memories into her sword and asks her to look after 9S. An ignorant 9S witnesses A2 mercifully killing 2B and furiously swears revenge on her. Simultaneously, a tower created by the machines rises from the land, separating the two before they can fight. The perspective splits between A2 and 9S a fortnight after these events. A2—the survivor of a test run for YoRHa—finds herself empathising with the machines; she witnesses Pascal's village being destroyed, then its "children" committing suicide out of fear when attacked. Pascal begs A2 to either wipe his memory or kill him; A2 can perform either task or leave him. An increasingly-unbalanced 9S investigates the tower's resource-gathering platforms, fighting machine remnants and learning the tower is designed to launch a missile at the Moon server. Both eventually enter the tower, with Devola and Popola sacrificing themselves to open it.


title: Nier: Automata

text: During these events, it is revealed that YoRHa was always designed to lose and to perpetuate the myth of humanity, with the Red Girls in the Machine Network using them to further their evolution; each side trapped the other in an eternal cycle of war. It is also revealed that 2B's real designation was "2E", an "executioner" unit assigned to repeatedly kill 9S whenever he discovered the truth about humanity, and that 9S was aware of this. Separate arcs play out for returning characters Emil, and Devola and Popola. Emil lost his memories due to copying himself to fight the aliens. A group of those copies, gone mad after losing their sense of self, act as a secret boss battle. After the current character wins the fight, Emil dies after remembering his reason for fighting. Devola and Popola were ostracized and programmed to feel endless guilt after their model series caused humanity's extinction in "Nier". They stay at the Resistance camp doing the riskier jobs, and aid the YoRHa androids until helping 9S at the tower.


title: Nier: Automata

text: At the top of the tower, the two androids confront each other; 9S, now insane and infected with the logic virus, challenges A2 to a fight, prompting the player to choose a character. If A2 is picked, she saves 9S and sacrifices herself to destroy the tower. If 9S is chosen, the two androids kill each other; in his final moments, the Machine Network offers him the chance to join them, as the tower has changed its function to fire an ark containing the Machine memories to find a new world. Once both of these endings are unlocked, Pods 042 and 153 defy their orders to delete YoRHa's data, prompting the player to destroy the credits in a shoot 'em up section. Despite the possibility that the restored 2B, 9S and A2 would repeat everything, the Pods hold faith that they will forge a new future for themselves. The player is then given the option to sacrifice their save data to help other players.


title: Nier: Automata

text: After the release of "Nier", both director Yoko Taro and Square Enix producer Yosuke Saito wanted to create a sequel. When Saito spoke to assistant producer Yuki Yokoyama, he was unwilling due to the original game's low sales. After the positive fan reception of the original "Nier", however, both Square Enix and the lead staff who worked on the original game were willing to continue the "Nier" IP, but also wanted to create a better, more action-oriented gameplay experience. As a result, they contacted PlatinumGames, which had developed a reputation for high-quality action games such as "Bayonetta" (2009) and "" (2013). The collaboration was agreed upon on two conditions: that Yoko become director, and that he be present to help with production. The latter condition necessitated a move by Yoko from Tokyo to Osaka where PlatinumGames was located. Although Taro was initially uneasy about the collaboration, the staff at PlatinumGames had been wanting to work on a "Nier" game since its release, and their enthusiasm and wish to remain faithful to the original assuaged his doubts. Designer Takahisa Taura also wished to create a sequel to "Nier" prior to Square Enix approaching the company. PlatinumGames handled primary development of the game, while Square Enix supervised and gathered many staff members and worked on the sound environment.


title: Nier: Automata

text: The original plan was to make the game for mobile platforms or PlayStation Vita—Yoko claims that they intended for it to be similar to the farming simulator "Farmville" (2009)—but it was soon decided to develop the game for the PlayStation 4 instead. The game was co-produced by Saito and Eijiro Nishimura. Production began in 2014, including six months of pre-production. It included many of the staff from the original "Nier". The early relationship between Yoko and PlatinumGames staff was fraught, mainly due to differing daily schedules due to Yoko's freelancer status. A system of "free time" was developed where Yoko could come in when possible without clashes, smoothing out the difficulties. During production, the team took into account both fan and critic feedback on "Nier" and later opinions on the game. The points they felt needed addressing ranged from character designs to gameplay to graphics. While improving on these points, they also carried over aspects that were well-received, such as the complexity of story and the game's music. The majority of development was handled by PlatinumGames at its offices in Osaka and Tokyo, while outside staff such as Yoko were also brought in.


title: Nier: Automata

text: Yoko was the primary writer of the game's scenario, and ended up working much more on the script than his previous games, and delivered it four to five months late. After delivery, the overall narrative remained the same with only small-scale adjustments taking place during development. Two subwriters were Hana Kikuchi, who worked on the scenarios of "Nier" and "Drakengard 3" (2013), and Yoshiho Akabane of external company Highestar. When creating the story, Yoko was hesitant about adding Devola and Popola to the story due to their integral role in the original game, but eventually decided to feature them. According to Yoko, while the scenario of "Nier" was "wet" in its emotional content, for "Nier: Automata" he aimed for a "dry" narrative concerning the world's inherent unfairness and the prejudices the characters are forced to confront. He also wanted to balance how he portrayed the protagonists and antagonists, feeling he had gone too far when humanising the antagonists of "Nier", and leave the player more room to interpret the story as they chose. According to Saito, a lot of time and effort went into creating the story and character interactions so they would match up to the original "Nier". As with the original "Nier", multiple endings were created, but the conditions for reaching them were not as stringent as the first game. Yoko's desire was to make the game's conclusion happy, which prompted scepticism from other staff members when reviewing his story.


title: Nier: Automata

text: The happy ending from Yoko's perspective was the fifth and final ending. According to Yoko, the fifth ending did not come to him for some time as he was focusing on other aspects of the story. He felt that the characters he was developing were naturally leading him towards that ending rather than him designing it for them. The final ending featured a shooting sequence where the player fought their way through the closing credits; this was symbolic of the player and characters breaking out of a known system to find the hope of a new future. Yoko said this was representative of the story's focus on the future and systematic elements. The ability for players to aid each other through the closing credits segment was inspired by a publicity stunt by Coca-Cola, where two machines in India and Pakistan—countries with a long history of mutual conflict—were connected via livestreaming in special drink dispensers. Yoko was deeply impressed by this, but pulled away from his initial concept of having messages appear only from countries at war with the home of each player. The team also included the option for players to delete their save data, a mechanic used in the original "Nier". This feature, where players sacrificed their save data to aid other random players in finishing the bullet hell sequence at the end of closing credits, was implemented midway through development.


title: Nier: Automata

text: The team defined the game's central theme as ""agaku"", a Japanese word meaning to struggle out of a bad situation. Another theme Saito pointed out was love, which he stated was unusual given that all the central cast were robots, which were not normally associated with emotions. Yoko also used the androids' and Machines' reverence for the long-extinct humanity to show how people's sense of self and worth is necessarily founded on belief in something else. The negative influence of human history on the factions also reflected his views on how people continue to fight and create boundaries between themselves despite their advancement. A recurring element from Yoko's earlier work was his examination of why people kill, and the impact of killing on others—this stems from his observation of people coming to enjoy killing enemies encountered in games, which suggested to him that something was wrong or missing inside them. The darkness of the narrative was explained by Yoko as reflecting the inherent darkness of reality. The narrative makes reference to numerous influential philosophers and thinkers, with some Machine characters being named after them such as supporting character Pascal (Blaise Pascal), boss character Simone (Simone de Beauvoir), and NPC Jean-Paul (Jean-Paul Sartre). Yoko used books by Will Buckingham and Nigel Benson, which respectively explained philosophy and psychology in understandable language, as a reference for the narrative.


title: Nier: Automata

text: As "Nier: Automata" was an RPG as opposed to Taura's previous pure action games, the development presented new challenges for him. While Taura handled the action combat system, designer Isao Negishi created the RPG elements. According to Negishi and programmer Ryo Onishi, a major difficulty was creating a title faithful to "Nier", which required a shift away from the style of their earlier titles. While designing the game's RPG elements, the staff at PlatinumGames were partially inspired by "" (2015) in the design of their sidequests, which they felt they would never be able to match. The sections where the camera shifted to a side-scrolling perspective were inspired by the "Castlevania" series, of which Taura was a fan. For the final boss where the player chooses between 9S and A2, each was supposed to lose important elements (weapons and items for A2, experience points for 9S), but this was dropped.


title: Nier: Automata

text: For the combat system, the team took the systems used in "Nier" and infused elements from other titles by PlatinumGames. Taura's main concept was that the combat system improve on the original and weave into the story. An additional consideration was the inclusion of mechanics that would allow both casual and hardcore action gamers to enjoy playing. It was also the studio's first attempt at an open world game: while its previous titles had used a story-driven linear structure, "Nier: Automata" boasted large environments linked by seamless transitions. A particular element noted by Negishi was the lower concentration of enemies in the world compared to that usually found in PlatinumGame titles, a necessity due to the game's open nature. This was part of their efforts to fulfill Yoko's creative vision: by including fewer enemies, the team gave players the opportunity to "enjoy the still beauty of the game's desolate world". Required inclusions were the shooting elements, compared by staff to bullet hell titles, and combat that switched camera perspectives. The plug-in chips were an updated version of the Words used in "Nier", only themed around the premise of androids. Cooperative and player-versus-player multiplayer modes were suggested, but never got beyond the concept phase.


title: Nier: Automata

text: Using feedback about the original characters designs, Akihiko Yoshida was brought on as main character designer. Saito originally wanted to invite D.K, the character designer for "Nier", to return. However, D.K had broken his elbow and was unable to draw, so he referred the team to Yoshida. While the team thought he would refuse due to his busy schedule, Yoshida was willing to join the project as a number of staff members at his company CyDesignation were fans of "Nier". Yoshida joined a little later than usual in the process, so Taro gave him a general guideline of sleek designs with black as the dominant color. As opposed to the original "Nier", which was released in two versions with a different version of the main protagonist for western tastes, the team decided to have the game feature the same protagonist in all versions, focusing on creating a high-quality Japanese RPG rather than making adjustments for its western release. This wish for a uniform international appearance was another reason why the team brought in Yoshida. The Commander, Adam, and Eve were designed by Yuya Nagai. Square Enix artist Toshiyuki Itahana handled the redesigns for Devola and Popola. The enemy concept art was handled by Hisayoshi Kijima, while environmental artwork was done by Kazuma Koda, Yasuyuki Kaji, and Shohei Kameoka: environmental design was a collaborative effort with Yoko, and the team strove to make the environments appear like places players would visit in the real world. One of the challenges faced when creating the character models was making them seem alive despite their mechanical nature.


title: Nier: Automata

text: Composer Keiichi Okabe, who worked on both "Nier" and "Drakengard 3", returned as lead composer with his studio band Monaca, alongside fellow members Keigo Hoashi, Kuniyuki Takahashi, and Kakeru Ishihama. The score was influenced by classical music, while recalling elements used for "Nier" such as the overall sense of melancholy. A change from the previous score was a shift to portraying a more mechanical and brutal theme and environment than "Nier", which had focused on grasslands and villages. Another factor was the open world environment: rather than a single looping track, Okabe created multiple hard and soft tracks that transitioned into each other depending on situation and environment. Balancing of the music was carried out using the digital audio workstation (DAW) Pro Tools. Another prominent return was Emi Evans, who provided vocals for the first game's soundtrack. Additional male vocals were provided by Shotaro Seo. In addition, a theme song was created for the game, with versions sung by both Evans and new singer J'Nique Nicole. Nicole and Nami Nakagawa joined with Evans to form a three-part chorus for some of the musical work, including a boss theme featured in the game. Several songs from the "Nier" soundtrack were arranged for "Nier: Automata".


title: Nier: Automata

text: The general sound design was handled by Masato Shindo, who was faced with a challenge new to the PlatinumGames staff: in their previous projects sound echoes had been handled by individual settings created by the team, but that would not work properly in an open world setting due to its scale. Instead, Shindo designed a realistic soundscape using a system to manage echoes in real time, determining how much reverberation to generate based on current surroundings. Sound implementation was handled by Masami Ueda, and it was a greater amount of work than he had experienced on any previous project. One of the factors that helped with the smooth implementation was Ueda's previous encounters and good working relationship with Okabe.


title: Nier: Automata

text: An official soundtrack album was released on March 29, 2017. An additional sixteen-track album subtitled "Hacking Tracks", containing musical variations for hacking segments, was bundled with first-print copies of the soundtrack.


title: Nier: Automata

text: In January 2014, after the release of "Drakengard 3", Yoko expressed an interest in making a second spin-off from the "Drakengard" series, but did not specify whether it would be related to "Nier". He later confirmed in December of that year that he was working on a new game, but did not reveal any more details. "Nier: Automata" was first announced at Square Enix's press conference at E3 2015 under the provisional title "Nier New Project". Its official title was kept secret at the time as it would have spoiled aspects of the game's plot. An official title was also undecided at this point. Yoko originally wanted to call it "Nier: Android", but Square Enix rejected that title due to a possible trademark conflict with Google's Android operating system.


title: Nier: Automata

text: At the time it was announced, the game was 10% complete. Its official title, along with a gameplay trailer and prospective year of release, were revealed at the 2015 Paris Games Week trade show. A2's playable role was not intended as a surprise reveal. The team did use her long-haired design for footage from a late-game boss fight where in-game she had short hair, making her change in appearance less obvious. Initially planned for release in November 2016, Square Enix delayed release as there were concerns about its commercial performance against other prominent titles: it was decided that a Q4 or Q1 release would give "Nier: Automata" more of a chance for commercial success. The delay gave the developers additional time to improve the quality and gameplay balance. The delay was appreciated by Yoko as it gave the team more time for polishing.


title: Nier: Automata

text: Localization for the English version was handled by 8-4, the same company which had localized of the original "Nier". According to Yoko, 8-4 changed elements of the script for each region, as some of the concepts in the Japanese script were difficult to understand if translated directly. The aim was to create a script that would appeal to players around the world. As 8-4 had worked with Yoko before on "Nier" and "Drakengard 3", they were familiar with his writing style and found it easy to ask clarifying questions during translation. 8-4's biggest issue was writing the android characters; while ostensibly emotionless, they had distinctive personalities and much of the relationship between 2B and 9S revolved around emotion. While 9S was already written to be more emotive in Japanese, 2B had to be rewritten so she came off as "droll" rather than emotionless in English.


title: Nier: Automata

text: The team had notes about how to write each character; for example 9S, would speak about things at length, while 2B would be more crisp. The team also needed to make decisions about the voice acting, ranging from potential regional accents to altering voice types. A cited example was changing a character with a high-pitched child's voice to a more mature one so as not to grate on players. They also needed to do research on the various philosophical themes so as not to make a mistake in their writing. One problem that emerged was the naming of the character Jean-Paul, who in Japanese was named Sartre. As the estate of Jean-Paul Sartre would not have allowed the philosopher's name to be used in this context outside Japan, Yoko reluctantly allowed the name change at Square Enix's request. English dubbing was handled by Cup of Tea Productions, which had previously worked on both "Nier" and "Drakengard 3".


title: Nier: Automata

text: The game was released in Japan on February 23, 2017. A limited Black Box Collector's Edition was created, featuring the game, a figurine of 2B, a special release of the "Nier: Automata" live concert, an artbook, a download code for a special item, and a prequel novella. The novella, which retells the events of "Nier" from the perspectives of characters Devola and Popola, was written by Jun Eishima, a regular collaborator for supplementary material related to the "Drakengard" series, in collaboration with Yoko. In addition, Square Enix collaborated with Japanese rock band Amazarashi to produce a new single, "Inochi ni Fusawashii", inspired by the game's world. Amazarashi's lead singer Hiromu Akita was a fan of "Nier", facilitating the promotion. The music video for "Inochi ni Fusawashii" was supervised by Yoko.


title: Nier: Automata

text: In the West, the PS4 version was released in North America on March 7, and in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand on March 10. In addition to the standard version, there was a Day One edition that featured reversible cover art featuring artwork by Yoshida, and a version of the Black Box Collector's Edition featuring the Day One edition with added accessory content, the 2B figurine, an artbook, and a 13-track soundtrack including tracks from both "Nier" and the earlier "Drakengard" games.


title: Nier: Automata

text: The game was announced for a digital release on Windows platforms through Steam. A concern for both Square Enix and PlatinumGames with the PC version was potential piracy, which was expected to delay its release. When handling this problem, the teams considered using Denuvo digital rights management. The PC version was released on March 17, 2017. A fan patch fixed two major problems of the PC version that were not addressed by Square Enix; an error in the resolution setting and general performance problems even with beyond requirements hardware. The game was review bombed in April 2017 by Chinese players demanding a translation of the game to Chinese.


title: Nier: Automata

text: In November 2016, Saito stated that an Xbox One version was up for consideration, and announced that the game would support the enhanced PlayStation 4 Pro model. Saito later confirmed that an Xbox One version was not being developed due to low sales of the console in Japan, in addition to focusing on a single console so as not to compromise the game's quality. An Xbox One version was eventually announced, and released subtitled as "Become as Gods Edition". It released worldwide on June 26, 2018. The "Become as Gods" edition was also ported by QLOC for Windows through the Microsoft Store and Xbox Game Pass on March 18, 2021. This release featured improvements unavailable in the Steam version, including HDR content and AMD's FidelityFX suite. Those features were patched into the Steam version on July 15 of that year.


title: Nier: Automata

text: A Nintendo Switch port, handled by Virtuos, was released on October 6, 2022. The port included new in-game items and costumes, and reversible cover art featuring a new illustration by Kazuma. For the Switch port, Virtuos wanted to preserve the game as much as possible, but capped the frame rate at 30 fps and adjusted a racing-based side quest to be less difficult. Sound compression was a challenge, with the team optimizing both the sound and graphics engine to allow for the highest quality transfer onto the Switch's weaker hardware. The team did scene-by-scene comparisons during their work to ensure the final product was as close as possible to the other console versions.


title: Nier: Automata

text: A downloadable content (DLC) pack titled "3C3C1D119440927", was released on May 2, 2017, and features additional costumes and accessories based on the original "Nier", aesthetic hair customisation options, new battle colosseums, and boss fights with Square Enix and PlatinumGames presidents Yosuke Matsuda and Kenichi Sato. It is unlocked in-game from the chapter selection screen, and requires save data from a completed playthrough. The DLC was included in the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch releases, and in the "Game of the YoRHa Edition" released for the PlayStation 4 and Windows on February 26, 2019.


title: Nier: Automata

text: The original PS4 release of "Nier: Automata" received "generally favorable reviews" on review aggregator Metacritic, based on 101 critic reviews. The PC version also received favorable reviews, based on 12 reviews. The Xbox One version received "universal acclaim", earning a score of 90 from 30 reviews. The Switch port saw favourable reviews, earning a score of 89 based on 34 reviews.


title: Nier: Automata

text: Japanese gaming magazine "Famitsu" gave it a near-perfect score, lauding most aspects of it despite one reviewer finding customisation cumbersome. Miguel Concepcion of "GameSpot" praised every aspect of the game apart from its side quests, referring to its gameplay as "the closest thing there is to a spiritual successor to """. "Eurogamer"s Jeffrey Matulef called the game "the most captivating game I've played in ages" despite rough edges. Mollie Patterson, writing for "Electronic Gaming Monthly", praised it as a highly enjoyable experience as both a player and reviewer. "Destructoid"s Chris Carter lauded the title as a competent blend of action game and RPG. "Game Informer" reviewer Joe Juba wrote that a lot of enjoyable elements within the game's narrative and gameplay were obscured by confusing or obtuse mechanics.


title: Nier: Automata

text: "GamesRadar+"s Sam Prell was enthusiastic about the narrative, blend of gameplay genres, and overall quality. Meghan Sullivan of "IGN" called "Nier: Automata" "a crazy, beautiful, and highly entertaining journey full of nutty ideas and awesome gameplay". "PC Gamer"s Andy Kelly was positive about the game, but felt the PC port was lacking due to its graphical and technical issues. Janine Hawkins of "Polygon" lauded the game's sense of scale and willingness to make players feel small in the face of its content. Thomas Whitehead, writing for "Nintendo Life", was positive about its presentation and design, but noted some gameplay elements that did not work as expected or lacked depth. "Nintendo World Report"s Matthew Zawodniak, giving the game a perfect score, described it as one of the best games ever made due to its narrative and gameplay design.


title: Nier: Automata

text: The story and narrative themes met with general acclaim, though some found its pacing or presentation lacking. Both Sullivan and Matulef found the android protagonists hard to identify with. The gameplay was enjoyed overall, but several found a lack of depth in combat compared to previous PlatinumGames titles. The game's visuals were generally praised, despite comments regarding occasional low environment quality or visual spectacle. Recurring complaints arose from technical issues such as graphical pop-in, frame rate drops, and long loading times. By contrast, the music received unanimous acclaim. Reviews of the Switch port highlighted it as one of the best ports to the system, despite noting some expected performance issues and downgraded graphics.


title: Nier: Automata

text: The game sold 198,542 copies during its first week of release in Japan, topping the charts and significantly exceeding the sales of the original "Nier" in 2010. In April 2017, the game was reported to have sold over 500,000 copies in Japan and Asia, including both physical shipments and digital downloads. According to the NPD Group report for March 2017, reached ninth place in overall sales, and sixth in the PS4 chart. In the United Kingdom, the game debuted at sixth place in the general software charts. By May 2017, the game's physical and digital versions across PS4 and PC had reached 1.5 million copies. The majority of sales during that period came from overseas, and was seen as a surprising success compared to the low sales of the first "Nier". By May 2019, the game had reached worldwide shipments of four million copies, with an additional 500,000 units selling by March 2020; the latter was attributed to steady sales of the "Game of the YoRHa" edition. The game greatly exceeded Square Enix's sales expectations, and made them consider "Nier" as a possible franchise. The strong sales, in addition to the positive critical reception, was cited by PlatinumGames as saving the company and revitalising general interest in their products after several disappointing game releases. As of November 2022, all versions of the game have shipped over seven million copies worldwide.


title: Nier: Automata

text: "Nier: Automata" was nominated for and awarded several different industry awards across 2017 and 2018, including awards of acclaim from CEDEC and the Game Developers Conference. It was also awarded or nominated in several "Best of" lists for 2017 by gaming websites.


title: Nier: Automata

text: Prior to the release of "Nier: Automata", Yoko scripted a musical stage play called "YoRHa", which was performed in 2014. Set in the same universe as "Nier: Automata", it acts as a backstory for the characters A2 and Anemone. The play was born during the game's six month pre-production period. While the stage play predated the reveal of "Nier: Automata", the play's writer Asakusa Kaoru stated that it would not exist without Yoko's vision for the world of "Automata". Yoko created the basic scenario while the script was written by Kaoru. For later productions, Yoko made revisions to Asakusa's script to simplify the plot. He described the stage play as a spin-off of the overall universe. Later, new revisions to the original stage play, a spin-off, a musical version, and an all-male spin-off play were produced over the next few years.


title: Nier: Automata

text: Multiple novels were also created based on the universe, written by Yoko and Eishima. "Long Story Short" acts as a novelization of the game's main events with additional commentary from the characters through monologues. "Short Story Long" is a compilation of previous short stories in the "Nier" continuity, along with new stories related to the characters of "Automata". These two novels were published in North America by Viz Media. "YoRHa Boys", based on the male spin-off stage play, was written by Eishima and supervised by Yoko; it follows a group of male YoRHa units put into an experiment to collect behavioural data.


title: Nier: Automata

text: A manga adaptation of the "YoRHa" stage play, titled "YoRHa Pearl Harbor Descent Record", began serialization on Square Enix's "Manga UP!" online manga service. Megumu Soramichi illustrated the manga with Yoko supervising the story. Square Enix will publish the manga in North America in volumes from December 2022. During the fifth anniversary livestream of "Nier: Automata", an anime television series based on the game was announced. It will be produced by Square Enix and Aniplex, and animated by A-1 Pictures. The series, the title of which was later revealed as "", is set to premiere in January 2023. A figurine based on 2B, 9S and A2 was released.


title: Nier: Automata

text: In October 2018, 2B was announced as a playable guest character in Bandai Namco's fighting game "Soulcalibur VI". Released on December 19, the DLC features a scenario around the character, themed moves and weapons, and an alternate white variation dubbed "2P". Given the inverted colour scheme of 2B when playing as a second player, the name "2P" was adopted as a play on being player two, and it sounding similar to 2B. Yoko Taro jokingly suggested the P stands for Panasonic. Characters from "Nier: Automata" were incorporated into a content patch in "", the third major expansion for "Final Fantasy XIV". Titled "YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse", the scenario was outlined by Yoko, then given to other writers. The three episodes of "YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse" are "The Copied Factory", released in the first narrative patch "Vows of Virtue, Deeds of Cruelty"; "The Puppets' Bunker", released alongside the game's third major patch "Reflections in Crystal"; and "The Tower at Paradigm’s Breach" with the first part of its penultimate update "Death Unto Dawn". A crossover event with Square Enix's "SINoALICE" mobile game was announced in April 2017. The event consisted of a game level in "SINoAlice" titled "Nier: Automata: Memory of Dolls", whose story was written by Yoko Taro, and ran for a limited time. DLC costumes and promotional appearances based on the characters of "Nier: Automata" have also featured in "Gravity Rush 2" (2017), "" (2018), "Phantasy Star Online 2" (2020), and "" (2020).


title: Nier: Automata

text: 2B, 9S and A2 appeared as guest playable characters in although 2B has to be unlockable by a gacha and A2 has to be unlockable by farming of collecting 50% of shards in the event store and 9S is free unlockable but only has to be unlocked by logging into the game in seven days by entering the game.


title: Latin honors

text: Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Southeastern Asian countries with European colonial history, such as Indonesia and the Philippines, although sometimes translations of these phrases are used instead of the Latin originals. The honors distinction should not be confused with the honors degrees offered in some countries, or with honorary degrees.


title: Latin honors

text: The system usually has three levels of honor: "cum laude", "magna cum laude", and "summa cum laude". Generally, a college or university's regulations set out definite criteria a student must meet to obtain a given honor. For example, the student might be required to achieve a specific grade point average, submit an honors thesis for evaluation, be part of an honors program, or graduate early. Each school sets its own standards. Since these standards vary, the same level of Latin honors conferred by different institutions can represent different levels of achievement. Similarly, some institutions grant equivalent (or additional) non-Latin honors to undergraduates. The University of Wisconsin–Madison, for example, has a series of plain English grading honors based on class standing. Some colleges and universities, such as Reed College and Yale Law School, do not use honors at all.


title: Latin honors

text: These honors, when they are used, are almost always awarded to undergraduates earning their bachelor's, and, with the exception of law school graduates, much more rarely to graduate students receiving their master's or doctorate degree. The honor is typically indicated on the diploma. Latin honors are often conferred upon law school students graduating as a Juris Doctor or J.D., in which case they are generally based upon class rank or grade point average.


title: Latin honors

text: In the United States, most colleges and universities use Latin honors for bachelor's degrees and the Juris Doctor law degree. They are not normally used for any other degrees, such as master's degrees or the PhD and MD degrees.


title: Latin honors

text: In 1869, Harvard College became the first college in the United States to award final honors to its graduates. From 1872 to 1879, "cum laude" and "summa cum laude" were the two Latin honors awarded to graduates. Beginning in 1880, "magna cum laude" was also awarded:


title: Latin honors

text: In his 1895 history of Amherst College, college historian William Seymour Tyler traced Amherst's system of Latin honors to 1881, and attributed it to Amherst College president Julius Hawley Seelye:


title: Latin honors

text: In the UK the Latin "cum laude" is used in commemorative Latin versions of degree certificates conferred by a few universities (e.g. the University of Edinburgh) to denote a bachelor's degree with Honours, but the honours classification is stated as in English, e.g. "Primi Ordinis" for First Class rather than "summa cum laude", etc. Official degree certificates currently use English.


title: Latin honors

text: For undergraduate degrees, Latin honors are used in only a few countries such as Israel, Indonesia, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines and Canada. Most countries use a different scheme, such as the British undergraduate degree classification (usually used in Commonwealth countries) which is more widely used with varying criteria and nomenclature depending on country, including Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe and many other countries. Malta shows the Latin honors on the degree certificates, but the UK model is shown on the transcript.


title: Latin honors

text: In Austria, the only Latin honor in use is "sub auspiciis Praesidentis rei publicae" ("under the auspices of the president of the republic") for doctoral degrees. Candidates must have consistently excellent grades throughout high school and university, making it very difficult to attain: only about 20 out of a total of 2,500 doctoral graduates per year (i.e. 0.8%) achieve a "sub auspiciis" degree.


title: Latin honors

text: In Brazil, most universities do not provide honors to their students. Among the few universities that do so, the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA—Technological Institute of Aeronautics) awards the "cum laude" honor for graduates with every individual grade above 8.5 (out of 10.0), the "magna cum laude" honor for graduates with average grade above 8.5 and more than 50% of individual grades above 9.5, and the "summa cum laude" honor for graduates with average grade above 9.5. As of 2009, only 22 graduates have received the "summa cum laude" honor at ITA. The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro awards the "cum laude" honor for graduates with average grade from 8.0 to 8.9, the "magna cum laude" honor for graduates with average grade from 9.0 to 9.4, and the "summa cum laude" honor for graduates with average grade from 9.5 to 10.0. The Federal University of Ceará awards the "magna cum laude" honor for undergraduates who have never failed a course, achieved an average grade from 8.5 (out of 10.0) and have received a fellowship of both "Academic Extension" and "Teaching Initiation".


title: Latin honors

text: In Estonia, up until 2010 both "summa cum laude" and "cum laude" were used. "Summa cum laude" was awarded only for very exceptional work. Since 1 September 2010, only "cum laude" is used. It is awarded to bachelors, masters and integrated studies graduates. Occasionally the word "kiitusega", which means "with praise", is substituted for the usual "cum laude". To receive "cum laude" one must achieve a 4.60 GPA (out of 5) and receive the highest grade (A - 5.00) for the thesis or the final examination.


title: Latin honors

text: "improbatur" (I, failing; "not accepted"), "approbatur" (A; "accepted") "lubenter approbatur" (B; "willingly accepted"), "cum laude approbatur" (C; "accepted with praise"), "magna cum laude approbatur" (M; "accepted with great praise"), "eximia cum laude approbatur" (E; "accepted with excellent praise") and "laudatur" (L; "praised"). They are roughly equivalent to Finnish school grades ranging from 4 to 10. Some Finnish universities, when grading master's theses and doctoral dissertations, use the same scale with the additional grade of "non sine laude approbatur" (N; "accepted not without praise") between "lubenter" and "cum laude"; technical universities use a numerical scale (1-5) instead.


title: Latin honors

text: In France, usually the French honors "mention très bien", "mention bien" and "mention assez bien" are used. However some Grandes Écoles, like the Institut d'études politiques de Paris, HEC Paris, use the Latin and English titles ""summa cum laude" / "graduated with highest honors"" for the top 2% and ""cum laude" / "graduated with honors"" for the next 5% of a year. Since 2016, honorifics ceased to be used for the completion of a PhD.


title: Latin honors

text: These degrees are mostly used when a doctorate is conferred, not for diplomas, bachelor's or master's degrees, for which numerical grades between 1.0 ("very good") and 4.0 ("pass"), and 5.0 ("fail"), are given.


title: Latin honors

text: In Hungary, the range of degrees—similar to the German system—is: "rite" ("duly" conferred, that is, the requirements are fulfilled), "cum laude" (with honors), "summa cum laude" (with highest honors). These degrees are used in university diplomas and in certain fields of sciences (medical, legal and a very few others) only. The grades of degrees are dependent on the received average points from final exams and from average points from the university studies.


title: Latin honors

text: In Italy, the "cum laude" notation (""con lode"" being the equivalent in Italian) is used as an increasing level of the highest grade for both exams (30/30) and degrees (110/110), in all its levels;


title: Latin honors

text: Passing an exam cum laude (30 e lode) has usually only an honorific meaning, but sometimes it influences the average grade and can be useful to the student so honored (usually weighting 31/30).


title: Latin honors

text: "30 e lode" is usually awarded after answering correctly a bonus difficult question at the oral examination.


title: Latin honors

text: In Italy ""110 e lode"" (at institutions using a 110-point system) is the highest rank that can be achieved during the academic studies, and corresponds usually to a final score greater than 110/110 (the specific threshold varies from university to university). Up to 3 bonus points can be awarded for merits, e.g. having an average exams score greater than 28.5/30 (95% equivalent), excellent final project or for graduating on time.


title: Latin honors

text: More notations include: "bacio e abbraccio accademico" ("academic kiss and embrace") "menzione d'onore" ("honor mention") and "dignità di stampa" ("dignity of printing"), and were given based on various university-specific requirements, but without a legal value.


title: Latin honors

text: In Malta, for Bachelor Honours degrees "Summa Cum Laude" refers to First Class Honours, "Magna Cum Laude" refers to Second Class Honours (Upper Division), "Cum Laude" refers to Second Class Honours (Lower Division) whilst "Bene Probatus" refers to Third Class Honours. Professional degrees lasting longer than the standard 3 years such as the 5 year Bachelor of Pharmacy are awarded "Egregia Cum Laude". Postgraduate Diplomas and master's degrees may be awarded as Pass with Distinction (Summa Cum Laude), Pass with Merit (Magna Cum Laude) or Pass (Bene Probatus).


title: Latin honors

text: In Mexico, "cum laude" (also known as "mención honorífica" in Spanish) is used, by the major universities, to recognize an outstanding dissertation for bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees. Also different awards on public and private universities are given to the student with the highest final grade average (i.e. or Gabino Barreda Medal) and a diploma is given as a form of "cum laude."


title: Latin honors

text: In the Netherlands two classes of honors may be used for bachelor's, master's and PhD programs: "cum laude" (with honor) and "summa cum laude" (with highest honor). Typically these distinctions are reserved to mark exceptional achievement above a high minimum grade point average. Sometimes it is lost, despite a high average mark, when the student gets a mark of 6 or lower for one of the many exams (on a scale of 1–10, where 10 is the highest). It may also be awarded based on the weighted average of first achieved grades for each subject only. Generally, less than 2% receive the "cum laude" distinction. It is also possible to receive a PhD degree "cum laude", although this honor is even rarer than for master's graduates. In view of the difficulty and subjectivity of determining this, some universities and fields of study very seldom award doctorates "cum laude". At Dutch University Colleges "cum laude", "magna cum laude" and, exceptionally, "summa cum laude" may be awarded.


title: Latin honors

text: In the Philippines, Junior High School - Senior High School Students under the new K–12 Curriculum use an honor system using Filipino translations of the Latin original. Students who achieve a final grade average of 90-94 are awarded the title ""May Karangalan"" ("cum laude") and will receive a bronze medal with the DepEd seal. Those who have a final grade average of 95-97 receive the title of ""May Mataas na Karangalan"" ("magna cum laude") and a silver medal with the same seal. Students with a final grade average of 98-100 shall be awarded the title of ""May Pinakamataas na Karangalan"" ("summa cum laude") and a gold medal with the same specification. In College, students are referred to as: "cum laude, magna cum laude" and "summa cum laude", respectively.


title: Latin honors

text: In Russia, the honor system is based on the grade point averages. At least 4.75 out of 5.0 points are required for the summa cum laude degree ("с отличием" ("s otlichiem") in Russian or "with excellence"). The graduate has to receive a perfect grade on all final examinations. Usually less than 2% of all graduating students accomplish this (depending on the university and year). In military schools, a "red diploma" may be accompanied by a gold medal ("summa cum laude") for outstanding performance. Russian high schools also award a gold medal to the student who achieves a perfect score in all final examinations and in all other subjects not requiring a final exam. A silver medal is awarded to high school students who have one or two grades of 4 ("хорошо" in Russian or "good", being second highest grade) on their final exams or other subjects as listed in the high school diploma ("attestat o (polnom) srednem obrazovanii").


title: Latin honors

text: In Singapore, the Latin honors, "cum laude", "magna cum laude" and "summa cum laude" are used by Singapore Management University. Graduates from Singapore Management University have to achieve GPAs of 3.4, 3.6 and 3.8 out of 4.3 (SMU awards 4.3 for A+ grades) respectively and without any exceptions to qualify for the Latin honors.


title: Latin honors

text: It is also used by Yale-NUS College, with the top 5% of a graduating class receiving "summa cum laude", the next 10% "magna cum laude", and the next 20% "cum laude". There are no CAP requirements to achieve the Latin honors at Yale-NUS College.


title: Latin honors

text: In South Africa, the Latin honors 'cum laude' is used for bachelor's degrees and master's degrees, and is awarded to students who has achieved an average grade of 70% or higher throughout the degree. Cum laude in South Africa can be considered broadly equivalent to a 1st class degree in the United Kingdom or a GPA of 3.7 - 4.0 in the United States.


title: Latin honors

text: In Spain, the Latin honors "cum laude" is used for PhD degrees only, and is awarded after a secret vote of the jury members, using envelopes that must be opened in a separate session, and requiring unanimity.


title: Latin honors

text: In Switzerland, the degrees "rite", "cum laude", "magna cum laude", "insigni cum laude" and "summa cum laude" are used, but the exact GPA corresponding to each varies by institution.


title: Latin honors

text: In Ukraine, the university education honor system is based on by-law # 161 (02.06.1993) of The Ministry of Education of Ukraine (3.12.3.5). For a student to graduate a university with a diploma with honors ("cum laude"), students have to receive mark "5" (excellent) at least on 75% of courses, receive mark 4 (good) at max 25% of courses, and pass the state exams only with mark "5" (excellent). Also, students are expected to have participated in research projects with visible results.


title: 30 (Adele album)

text: 30 is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele. It was released on 19 November 2021 by Columbia Records, as Adele's first studio album since "25" (2015). "30" is inspired by Adele's divorce, motherhood, fame, and heartache, and expresses themes of acceptance and hope. She wrote the album from 2018 through 2020 with producers such as Greg Kurstin, Max Martin and Shellback, all of whom worked on "25" as well. New collaborators included Ludwig Göransson, and Inflo of English band Sault.


title: 30 (Adele album)

text: Musically, "30" is a collection of pop, soul, and jazz songs. Journalists have described it as Adele's most creative work sonically, expanding on her past works by incorporating dance-pop and gospel elements. American jazz pianist Erroll Garner appears on the track "All Night Parking" as a guest act, marking the first time an artist is featured on a standard album by Adele. Upon release, "30" was met with widespread critical acclaim for its cinematic instrumentation, vocal performances, and introspective lyrics. It appeared on the 2021 year-end best-albums lists from various publications, many of which considered it Adele's best record.