title: Stock

text: The desire of stockholders to trade their shares has led to the establishment of stock exchanges, organizations which provide marketplaces for trading shares and other derivatives and financial products. Today, stock traders are usually represented by a stockbroker who buys and sells shares of a wide range of companies on such exchanges. A company may list its shares on an exchange by meeting and maintaining the listing requirements of a particular stock exchange.


title: Stock

text: Many large non-U.S companies choose to list on a U.S. exchange as well as an exchange in their home country in order to broaden their investor base. These companies must maintain a block of shares at a bank in the US, typically a certain percentage of their capital. On this basis, the holding bank establishes American depositary shares and issues an American depositary receipt (ADR) for each share a trader acquires. Likewise, many large U.S. companies list their shares at foreign exchanges to raise capital abroad.


title: Stock

text: Small companies that do not qualify and cannot meet the listing requirements of the major exchanges may be traded over-the-counter (OTC) by an off-exchange mechanism in which trading occurs directly between parties. The major OTC markets in the United States are the electronic quotation systems OTC Bulletin Board (OTCBB) and OTC Markets Group (formerly known as Pink OTC Markets Inc.) where individual retail investors are also represented by a brokerage firm and the quotation service's requirements for a company to be listed are minimal. Shares of companies in bankruptcy proceedings are usually listed by these quotation services after the stock is delisted from an exchange.


title: Stock

text: There are various methods of buying and financing stocks, the most common being through a stockbroker. Brokerage firms, whether they are a full-service or discount broker, arrange the transfer of stock from a seller to a buyer. Most trades are actually done through brokers listed with a stock exchange.


title: Stock

text: There are many different brokerage firms from which to choose, such as full service brokers or discount brokers. The full service brokers usually charge more per trade, but give investment advice or more personal service; the discount brokers offer little or no investment advice but charge less for trades. Another type of broker would be a bank or credit union that may have a deal set up with either a full-service or discount broker.


title: Stock

text: There are other ways of buying stock besides through a broker. One way is directly from the company itself. If at least one share is owned, most companies will allow the purchase of shares directly from the company through their investor relations departments. However, the initial share of stock in the company will have to be obtained through a regular stock broker. Another way to buy stock in companies is through Direct Public Offerings which are usually sold by the company itself. A direct public offering is an initial public offering in which the stock is purchased directly from the company, usually without the aid of brokers.


title: Stock

text: When it comes to financing a purchase of stocks there are two ways: purchasing stock with money that is currently in the buyer's ownership, or by buying stock on margin. Buying stock on margin means buying stock with money borrowed against the value of stocks in the same account. These stocks, or collateral, guarantee that the buyer can repay the loan; otherwise, the stockbroker has the right to sell the stock (collateral) to repay the borrowed money. He can sell if the share price drops below the margin requirement, at least 50% of the value of the stocks in the account. Buying on margin works the same way as borrowing money to buy a car or a house, using a car or house as collateral. Moreover, borrowing is not free; the broker usually charges 8–10% interest.


title: Stock

text: Selling stock is procedurally similar to buying stock. Generally, the investor wants to buy low and sell high, if not in that order (short selling); although a number of reasons may induce an investor to sell at a loss, e.g., to avoid further loss.


title: Stock

text: As with buying a stock, there is a transaction fee for the broker's efforts in arranging the transfer of stock from a seller to a buyer. This fee can be high or low depending on which type of brokerage, full service or discount, handles the transaction.


title: Stock

text: After the transaction has been made, the seller is then entitled to all of the money. An important part of selling is keeping track of the earnings. Importantly, on selling the stock, in jurisdictions that have them, capital gains taxes will have to be paid on the additional proceeds, if any, that are in excess of the cost basis.


title: Stock

text: Short selling consists of an investor immediately selling borrowed shares and then buying them back when their price has gone down (called "covering"). Essentially, such an investor bets that the price of the shares will drop so that they can be bought back at the lower price and thus returned to the lender at a profit.


title: Stock

text: The risks of short selling stock are usually higher than those of buying stock. This is because the loss can theoretically be unlimited since the stock's value can theoretically go up indefinitely.


title: Stock

text: The price of a stock fluctuates fundamentally due to the theory of supply and demand. Like all commodities in the market, the price of a stock is sensitive to demand. However, there are many factors that influence the demand for a particular stock. The fields of fundamental analysis and technical analysis attempt to understand market conditions that lead to price changes, or even predict future price levels. A recent study shows that customer satisfaction, as measured by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), is significantly correlated to the market value of a stock. Stock price may be influenced by analysts' business forecast for the company and outlooks for the company's general market segment. Stocks can also fluctuate greatly due to pump and dump scams. Also see List of S&P 600 companies.


title: Stock

text: At any given moment, an equity's price is strictly a result of supply and demand. The supply, commonly referred to as the "float", is the number of shares offered for sale at any one moment. The demand is the number of shares investors wish to buy at exactly that same time. The price of the stock moves in order to achieve and maintain equilibrium. The product of this instantaneous price and the float at any one time is the market capitalization of the entity offering the equity at that point in time.


title: Stock

text: When prospective buyers outnumber sellers, the price rises. Eventually, sellers attracted to the high selling price enter the market and/or buyers leave, achieving equilibrium between buyers and sellers. When sellers outnumber buyers, the price falls. Eventually buyers enter and/or sellers leave, again achieving equilibrium.


title: Stock

text: Thus, the value of a share of a company at any given moment is determined by all investors voting with their money. If more investors want a stock and are willing to pay more, the price will go up. If more investors are selling a stock and there aren't enough buyers, the price will go down.


title: Stock

text: That does not explain how people decide the maximum price at which they are willing to buy or the minimum at which they are willing to sell. In professional investment circles the efficient market hypothesis (EMH) continues to be popular, although this theory is widely discredited in academic and professional circles. Briefly, EMH says that investing is overall (weighted by the standard deviation) rational; that the price of a stock at any given moment represents a rational evaluation of the known information that might bear on the future value of the company; and that share prices of equities are priced "efficiently", which is to say that they represent accurately the expected value of the stock, as best it can be known at a given moment. In other words, prices are the result of discounting expected future cash flows.


title: Stock

text: The EMH model, if true, has at least two interesting consequences. First, because financial risk is presumed to require at least a small premium on expected value, the return on equity can be expected to be slightly greater than that available from non-equity investments: if not, the same rational calculations would lead equity investors to shift to these safer non-equity investments that could be expected to give the same or better return at lower risk. Second, because the price of a share at every given moment is an "efficient" reflection of expected value, then—relative to the curve of expected return—prices will tend to follow a random walk, determined by the emergence of information (randomly) over time. Professional equity investors therefore immerse themselves in the flow of fundamental information, seeking to gain an advantage over their competitors (mainly other professional investors) by more intelligently interpreting the emerging flow of information (news).


title: Stock

text: The EMH model does not seem to give a complete description of the process of equity price determination. For example, stock markets are more volatile than EMH would imply. In recent years it has come to be accepted that the share markets are not perfectly efficient, perhaps especially in emerging markets or other markets that are not dominated by well-informed professional investors.


title: Stock

text: Another theory of share price determination comes from the field of Behavioral Finance. According to Behavioral Finance, humans often make irrational decisions—particularly, related to the buying and selling of securities—based upon fears and misperceptions of outcomes. The irrational trading of securities can often create securities prices which vary from rational, fundamental price valuations. For instance, during the technology bubble of the late 1990s (which was followed by the dot-com bust of 2000–2002), technology companies were often bid beyond any rational fundamental value because of what is commonly known as the "greater fool theory". The "greater fool theory" holds that, because the predominant method of realizing returns in equity is from the sale to another investor, one should select securities that they believe that someone else will value at a higher level at some point in the future, without regard to the basis for that other party's willingness to pay a higher price.Thus, even a rational investor may bank on others' irrationality.


title: Stock

text: When companies raise capital by offering stock on more than one exchange, the potential exists for discrepancies in the valuation of shares on different exchanges. A keen investor with access to information about such discrepancies may invest in expectation of their eventual convergence, known as arbitrage trading. Electronic trading has resulted in extensive price transparency (efficient-market hypothesis) and these discrepancies, if they exist, are short-lived and quickly equilibrated.


title: Blinded by the Light

text: "Blinded by the Light" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, which first appeared on his 1973 debut album "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J." A cover by British rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band reached number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in the United States in February 1977 and was also a top ten hit in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada.


title: Blinded by the Light

text: The song came about when Columbia Records president Clive Davis, upon listening to an early version of "Greetings from Asbury Park N.J.", felt the album lacked a potential single. Springsteen wrote this and "Spirit in the Night" in response.


title: Blinded by the Light

text: According to Springsteen, he wrote the song by going through a rhyming dictionary in search of appropriate words. The first line of the song, "Madman drummers, bummers, and Indians in the summers with a teenage diplomat" is autobiographical—"Madman drummers" is a reference to drummer Vini Lopez, known as "Mad Man" (later changed to "Mad Dog"); "Indians in the summer" refers to the name of Springsteen's old Little League team; "teenage diplomat" refers to himself. "As the adolescent pumps his way into his hat" recalls his aunt Dora Kirby claiming "Bruce never took his baseball hat off." A "merry-go-round" is baseball slang for when a pitcher keeps walking batters. The remainder of the song tells of many unrelated events, with the refrain of "Blinded by the light, cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night".


title: Blinded by the Light

text: "Cash Box" said that it was "much like early Dylan, but especially like 'My Back Pages,'" and that Springsteen "lets loose with a lyrical barrage of images and pictures."


title: Blinded by the Light

text: Manfred Mann's Earth Band released a version of the song on their 1976 album "The Roaring Silence". Their version includes the "Chopsticks" melody played on piano near the end of the bridge of the song. The track reached No. 1 on both the "Billboard" Hot 100 and the Canadian "RPM" charts. Manfred Mann's Earth Band's recording of "Blinded by the Light" is Springsteen's only No. 1 single as a songwriter on the Hot 100; his highest charting single as a solo performer was "Dancing in the Dark" in 1984, which reached No. 2 on the Hot 100, and his only No. 1 was as part of the USA for Africa ensemble that recorded "We Are the World". Mann, who appeared on the Sonny and Cher show shortly after the success of the song, claimed: "Me and the band didn't really see the song ending. We wanted to keep rocking, so we did. Interestingly enough though, we painted ourselves into a proverbial corner. It was at that point I realized I didn't know how to end the song."


title: Blinded by the Light

text: Manfred Mann's Earth Band's recording of the song changes the lyrics. The most prominent change is in the chorus, where Springsteen's "cut loose like a deuce" is replaced with "revved up like a deuce." The lyric is a reference to the 1932 V8-powered Ford automobile, which enthusiasts dubbed the "deuce coupe". Springsteen was fond of classic hot rods in his youth, hence the line "cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night". As the line is frequently misheard as "wrapped up like a douche", Springsteen has joked about confusion over the lyrics, claiming that it was not until Manfred Mann rewrote the song to be about a feminine hygiene product that it became popular.


title: Blinded by the Light

text: According to Manfred Mann, it was the idea of drummer Chris Slade to use the chords of "Chopsticks" (the tune had at that point already been integrated into the arrangement) as a transition between song parts. The "deuce"/"douche" confusion stems from technical problems (which can be confirmed by comparing to live recordings).


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (Punjabi, ; born 9 December 1974) is a Pakistani Singer, primarily of Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. Khan is one of the biggest and highest paid singers in Pakistan. He is the nephew of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, son of Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan and grandson of Qawwali singer Fateh Ali Khan. In addition to Qawwali, he also performs ghazals and other light music. He is also popular as a playback singer in Hindi cinema and the Pakistan film industry.


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: Rahat was born into a Punjabi family of Qawwals and classical singers in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan. He is the son of Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan, grandson of Fateh Ali Khan and the nephew of legendary Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: Rahat displayed an adoration for music from a very young age and was often found to be singing with his uncle and father, as young as three. From an age of seven, he was already being trained by his uncle Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in the art of singing Qawwali.


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: Rahat performed publicly for the first time, when he was nine, at the death anniversary of his grandfather. Since he was fifteen, he was an integral part of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's well-known qawwali group and toured the UK with his uncle in 1985. He also performed solo songs at different concerts, in addition to fulfilling his roles in the "Quawalli group".


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: He debuted as a playback singer in Bollywood with the movie "Paap" (2003), in the song "Mann Ki Lagan".


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: In April 2012 Rahat toured in the UK, performing at Wembley Arena and the Manchester Arena, playing to a combined audience of over 20,000 people and creating a record of maximum ticket-sales.


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: The song "Zaroori Tha" from the album "Back 2 Love" (2014) became the first original non-film music video from the Indian subcontinent to cross 100 million views on YouTube after two years, and 200 million views within three years of its release. Eventually it reached to 1 Billion views. He is also touring with Leo Twins from Nescafé Basement on a regular basis.


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: In a subordinate role with his uncle Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, working in collaboration with Eddie Vedder, of the American rock band, Pearl Jam, Rahat contributed to the soundtrack of the 1995 Hollywood film, "Dead Man Walking". In 2002, he worked on the soundtrack of "The Four Feathers" in collaboration with the American composer of orchestral and film music, James Horner. In 2002, Rahat guested with The Derek Trucks Band on the song "Maki Madni" for Trucks' album, "Joyful Noise". In 2006, his vocals were featured on the soundtrack of Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto".


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: He judged the show, "Chhote Ustaad" alongside Sonu Nigam. He was also one of the judges on the singing reality show "Junoon", premiered on NDTV Imagine in 2008.


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: Rahat became the first Pakistani to perform at any Nobel Prize concert, when he was invited to the concert at 2014 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. He performed Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's most memorable qawwali "Tumhe Dillagi" and "Mast Qalandar", and he also sang "Aao Parhao" there.


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: He first appeared in season 1, where he collaborated with singer Ali Azmat for the track "Garaj Baras". He then collaborated with Abida Parveen in season 7 for "Chhaap Tilak Sab Chheeni".


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: In season 9, he sang "Afreen Afreen" along with Momina Mustehsan which has garnered more than 300 million views on YouTube, becoming the first Pakistani song to cross that mark. He collaborated with Amjad Sabri for "Aaj Rang Hai", which was the final performance of the latter, prior to his assassination on 22 June 2016.


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: He appeared in Coke Studio Pakistan (season 10) where he performed "Sayonee" with Ali Noor and a solo number called Rangreza. Rahat's latest appearance in Coke Studio was in Coke Studio 2020 where he performed "Dil Tarpe" featuring Zara Madani.


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: In 2018, the daughter of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan said she intended to take legal action against copyright infringement of singers who sing her father's songs. To this Rahat responded saying he was the adopted successor of Nusrat and doesn't need anyone's permission to sing his songs.


title: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

text: In January 2019, Khan was accused of smuggling foreign currency and summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of Government of India.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: "Made in America" is the series finale of the HBO drama series "The Sopranos". It is the 86th episode of the series, the ninth episode of the second part of the show's sixth season, and the 21st episode of the season overall. Written and directed by series creator, executive producer and showrunner David Chase, it first aired in the United States on June 10, 2007. The final scene that cuts to black has drawn various interpretations regarding the ultimate fate of Tony Soprano; Chase has made varied comments about his intentions for the scene.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Tony remains in hiding with his crew. He meets FBI Agent Harris and gives him information about Ahmed and Muhammad in exchange for Phil's location, but Harris does not know anything. Tony visits his family in their safe house and later joins them at Bobby's funeral. Tony then visits Janice at her house, and she tells him she will raise Bobby's children, oblivious to how much they hate her. Later, Harris informs Tony that Phil has been using payphones from gas stations in Oyster Bay, Long Island, and Tony's crew begins surveilling the area.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Phil calls Butchie from a payphone, expresses anger about his failure to kill Tony, and rejects Butchie's suggestion to make peace. He also darkly tells Butchie that he will face punishment for his ineffectiveness after Tony is dead. Tony meets with Butchie to negotiate without Phil's knowledge. Butchie refuses to disclose his boss's location, but agrees to a truce and allows Tony to order a hit on Phil, and they also agree to make restitution to Bobby's family. Shortly after, Tony and his family move back into their North Caldwell home. Meanwhile, Benny and Walden spot Phil and shoot him dead at a gas station.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: A.J. tells his parents he intends to join the Army, but they arrange for him to work for Little Carmine's film production company instead. Meadow and Patrick Parisi announce their engagement and that Meadow may land a high-paying job at a law firm that defends white collar criminals, to Tony’s disappointment. Tony visits the comatose Silvio in the hospital.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Carlo goes missing, and Paulie fears he may have become an informant after his son Jason Gervasi was arrested on a drug-related charge. Tony's lawyer, Neil Mink, tells Tony that Carlo is likely testifying and that Tony will be indicted. With Carlo gone, Tony offers the leadership of the Aprile crew to Paulie, who initially rejects the offer before reluctantly accepting.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Janice meets Junior in his care home to tell him of Bobby's death, but Junior's dementia leaves him too confused to understand. Uncle Pat tells Tony he believes Janice is scheming to claim Junior's remaining money for herself. Tony visits Junior and tells him to give the money to Bobby's children, but realizes Junior no longer knows who he is. When Tony tries to remind Junior of his mafia life and how he and his brother "ran North Jersey", Junior replies, "Well, that's nice." A teary-eyed Tony leaves.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: The Sopranos arrange to meet at a diner. Tony tells Carmela that Carlo will testify, while A.J. reminds his father of his advice to "remember the good times." Meadow arrives late after having trouble parking her car. As the diner door opens, the bell rings and Tony looks up. The screen cuts to black.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Showrunner David Chase planned the series ending and the final scene during the 21-month hiatus between seasons 5 and 6, a long break HBO had granted him. The final scene was filmed almost exactly as Chase had envisioned. It was not intended as a setup for a future film, although Chase later commented "[t]here may be a day where we all come up with something," regarding a possible "Sopranos" feature, which was announced in March 2018 as a prequel titled "The Many Saints of Newark". It was then-HBO chairman Chris Albrecht who suggested to Chase to conclude the series with the sixth season.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: As with every episode of the season, the plot outline of "Made in America" was developed by Chase and his writing staff, which for the final season consisted of executive producers Terence Winter and Matthew Weiner, and supervising producers and writing team Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider. Frequent episode director Tim Van Patten also provided Chase with some storyline suggestions. After the episode's story had been outlined, Chase wrote the first draft. After some input from his writing staff, Chase revised the script to its finished state, although he also made minor changes during filming. "Made in America" is Chase's 30th and final official writing credit (including story credits) for the series and his ninth as sole writer of an episode.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Chase included allusions to real-life American Mafia history and events in the script for "Made in America", something he is well known for. Specifically, the line "Damn! We're gonna win this thing!", spoken in the episode by the character Dwight Harris after being informed of the death of Phil Leotardo, alludes to former FBI supervisor Lindley DeVecchio. DeVecchio famously uttered the line after being told that Lorenzo "Larry" Lampasi had been shot to death in front of his Brooklyn home and was later charged for informing the Mafia on various accounts, another parallel to Tony Soprano and Dwight Harris.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: "Made in America" was directed by Chase and photographed by Alik Sakharov. The two served in the same capacities for the pilot episode, "The Sopranos", which was filmed in 1997. The series finale marks the second time Chase has officially directed an episode of "The Sopranos", although as showrunner, he would oversee the direction of most episodes throughout the show's production. "Made in America" marks the 38th and final credit for Sakharov as director of photography.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Principal photography commenced in late February and concluded in late March 2007. Exterior scenes and certain interior scenes of "Made in America" were filmed on location in Bergen County, New Jersey, and in Brooklyn and Manhattan, New York City, New York. Additional interior scenes—including indoor shots of the Soprano residence and the back room of the strip club Bada Bing!—were filmed in a sound stage in Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, Queens, New York, where most such scenes of the series had been filmed.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: The final scene of the episode was filmed in late March 2007 at Holsten's Brookdale Confectionery, an ice cream and candy shop located in Bloomfield, New Jersey. The Bloomfield Township Council initially tried to stop HBO from filming in the town because "[they] found the HBO mob drama offensive to Italian-Americans" and voted to deny the production company a filming permit. As the council had no authority to stop filming in the town as long as the crew met the requirements stated in Bloomfield's code for filming crews, a permit was issued.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: As the show's producers needed to ensure that plot details of the ending would be kept a secret until the airdate, the scripts given to the crew members had their final pages removed. The final scene of these edited scripts was the one in which Tony is raking leaves outside his house, a scene that occurs 10 minutes before the real ending in the final cut. Chase received compliments for this scene from people who thought it was the real ending. The scene where Phil Leotardo was shot and killed was filmed in Morris Plains, New Jersey.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: "Made in America" was edited by Sidney Wolinsky, one of the show's three editors, under the supervision of Chase.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Chase originally wanted the black screen at the end of the episode to last "all the way to the HBO whoosh sound," meaning that no credits would roll at the end of the episode but did not receive a waiver from the Directors Guild of America to do so.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: In the final scene of the series, Little Feat's "All That You Dream" is playing over Holstens' P.A. as Tony enters the diner ahead of Carmela, A.J. and Meadow. "Don't Stop Believin'" is played throughout the rest of the scene. Journey's lead singer Steve Perry initially refused to let David Chase use the song until he knew the fate of the leading characters and did not give final approval until three days before the episode aired. Perry feared that the song would be remembered as the soundtrack to Tony's demise until Chase assured him that would not be the case. Immediately following the airing of "Made in America," the song enjoyed a great surge of popularity; its sales on iTunes, for example, grew 482 percent. The newly growing attention to the band helped it climb out of the reportedly difficult times it was having at the time.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: The final scene of "Made in America" became the subject of much discussion, controversy, and analysis after its original broadcast. The use of an abrupt cut to black followed by several seconds of silence led many viewers to initially believe that their cable or DVR had cut out at a crucial moment.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Opposing interpretations soon emerged among viewers regarding the ultimate fate of series protagonist Tony Soprano, with some believing that he was killed while others believe that he remains alive.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: One argument for the former points to a conversation that Tony had in the midseason premiere episode "Soprano Home Movies" with his brother-in-law Bobby, in which Bobby comments on how suddenly and without sound death can happen in their lives as gangsters: "You probably don't even hear it when it happens, right?" A flashback to this scene also appears in the final minutes of "The Blue Comet", the episode preceding "Made in America". When questioned on the theory, HBO spokesman Quentin Schaffer stated that the conversation is a "legitimate" hint.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Also, Butchie DeConcini (the presumed successor of Phil Leotardo) was last seen saddled with reparations following the mob war. He had expressed ideas about killing Tony before ("Kaisha"), and Tony was, in the end, the very last DiMeo man left standing out of the three original Lupertazzi targets, who, Phil believed, if killed, would totally cripple the Jersey family. Hence, Tony would have been a tempting target of a hit. The final scene showing a man who glances at Tony (credited as "Man in Members Only Jacket") and who later goes to the bathroom, has been interpreted as a nod to the famous scene in "The Godfather" in which Michael Corleone retrieves a gun from the bathroom before shooting his enemies to death (Tony's favorite scene from the film, as revealed in the episode "Johnny Cakes").


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Speculation has also linked the jacket of the man to the title of the opening episode of the season, "Members Only", in which Tony is shot, and also as a symbolic reference to the mysterious man's membership of the Mafia. Actor Matt Servitto said that in the script, the scene continued with the man in the Members Only jacket emerging from the bathroom and starting to walk towards Tony's table. Servitto later clarified this statement, saying that he did not mean to imply that there was a completely different scripted ending, only that the "genius" editing was not what he had expected.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Other viewers offer opposing interpretations. It has been suggested that the final scene portrays that, while Tony's life is fraught with fear and danger, which could come from anyone anywhere, and that while Tony has to constantly watch his back and look out for any emerging trouble (he keeps an eye on the diner entrance), life nevertheless goes on and the viewer simply does not get to continue seeing it. The lyrics of the closing song, seemingly telling the viewer "Don't stop believin'," are thought to support this, while the silent black screen space before the credits is meant to allow people to imagine and believe in their own continuations of Tony's story.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: It can be stated that because of Tony's peace agreement with the Lupertazzi family, their tacit sanction of a hit on Phil, and Butchie's visible unwillingness to continue the hostilities, there was little legitimate basis to expect a hit on Tony from the Lupertazzis and the threat to him, although always present, was not higher than usual.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Chase has made various comments about the finale but has avoided providing an explanation to the meaning of the final scene. In his first interview after the broadcast of the finale with the New Jersey paper "The Star-Ledger", Chase stated,


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Chase also addressed the opinion of some that the open-ended finale was insulting to the show's longtime fans:


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: In an interview conducted by Brett Martin several weeks after the finale's original broadcast, Chase shared his views on the final episode and the reaction to it. On those fans of the show who demanded an unambiguous and definitive ending, Chase remarked,


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: At the 2008 TCA Awards, held on July 22, Chase commented,I wasn't going to do this, but somebody said it would be a good idea if we said something about that ending. I really wasn't going to go into it, but I'll just say this... when I was going to Stanford University's graduate film school and was 23, I went to see "Planet of the Apes" with my wife. When it was over, I said, "Wow... so they had a Statue of Liberty, too." So that's what you're up against.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: In a November 2008 interview with "Entertainment Weekly"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Steve Daly, Chase stated,


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Chase revisited the final scene in an April 2015 interview with "DGA Quarterly" and "suggested that fans, experts, and scholars have been over-thinking the ending to the show." "The ceiling I was going for at that point, the biggest feeling I was going for, honestly, was don't stop believing. It was very simple and much more on the nose than people think. That's what I wanted people to believe. That life ends and death comes, but don't stop believing.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: In response to reports that Chase has offered a definitive answer to the question of whether Tony Soprano lived or died, at the show's conclusion, Chase has issued denials indicating such reports were incorrect and reiterated the stance he has consistently taken on the subject, and publications have printed retractions.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: In a January 2019 interview with Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz for their book "The Sopranos Sessions", Chase inadvertently referred to the final scene as "that death scene". Seitz asked Chase if he was aware of his choice of words to which the latter, after a long pause, responded, "Fuck you guys." Chase went on to reveal that he "didn't want to do a straight death scene", after originally envisioning Tony's death occurring in a meeting with Johnny Sack. Chase later clarified his statement, saying he was not describing the Holsten's scene as "that death scene" but an earlier idea that he had abandoned.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: During a November 2021 interview with "The Hollywood Reporter", Chase made comments that some interpreted as confirmation that Tony Soprano dies in the final cut to black. He had originally envisioned a scene in which Tony would drive from New Jersey to New York, the reverse of the route followed in the opening sequence of every episode, and arrive at a meeting in which he would be killed. After driving past a small restaurant on Ocean Park Boulevard, though, Chase decided that Tony should instead "get it in a place like that".


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: According to Nielsen ratings, an average of 11.9 million viewers watched "Made in America" on its United States premiere date Sunday, June 10, 2007. This was a 49% increase from the previous episode and the show's best ratings for both parts of the sixth season. It was also the show's largest audience since the season five premiere.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: "Made in America" received mainly favorable to semi-favorable initial reviews from critics, while early fan reception was mixed to negative, described by one critic as "a mixture of admiration and anger". During the weeks following the episode's original broadcast, "Made in America" and its closing scene, in particular, became the subject of much discussion and analysis. Several new interpretations and explanations of the ending were presented in magazines and on blogs, which led many critics and fans to reevaluate the ending.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Marisa Carroll of "PopMatters" awarded "Made in America" a score of 8 out of 10 and particularly praised the final scene as one of the best of the series.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Mark Farinella of "The Sun Chronicle" called the episode "[a] perfect ending to a perfect TV series."


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" called "Made in America" "the perfect ending" and wrote about the final scene, "On shock of that cut to black, the marvelous way it got you to roll the scene over, again and again, in your mind's eye. [sic] Rather than bringing the series to a close, that blackout made "The Sopranos" live forever."


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Tim Goodman of the "San Francisco Chronicle" characterized the finale as "[a]n ending befitting genius of "Sopranos"" and wrote that "Chase managed, with this ending, to be true to reality [...] while also steering clear of trite TV conventions."


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Frazier Moore of the Associated Press called the episode "brilliant" and wrote that "Chase was true to himself."


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Kim Reed of Television Without Pity gave "Made in America" the highest score of A+ and praised it for staying true to the show.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Alan Sepinwall of "The Star-Ledger" called the finale "satisfying" and wrote that the episode "fit[s] perfectly with everything Chase has done on this show before."


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: "Chicago Tribune" critic Maureen Ryan's first review was mixed; she criticized the final scene for not providing any closure. Ryan later wrote: "Chase got me totally wound up, then ripped me away from that world. I was really mad at first [...] I still think what Chase did was, all due respect, kind of jerky. But minutes after the finale ended, I started laughing."


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Retrospective reviews of "Made in America" have been highly positive; the episode has been included on several lists of the best series finales of all time. Alan Sepinwall of "The Star-Ledger" wrote, in an essay analyzing the finale one year after its original broadcast, that he felt the episode was "brilliant."


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: In 2009, Arlo J. Wiley of Blogcritics wrote: "by focusing on that last ambiguous parting shot from creator David Chase, we run the risk of forgetting just how beautifully structured and executed an hour of television 'Made in America' is" and ranked it as the eighth-best series finale ever.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Also in 2009, Stacey Wilson of Film.com named "Made in America" one of the 10 best series finales of all time and wrote: "Crude, rude and no time for emotional B.S., this finale was a delicious end to a show that reveled in the ugliness of humanity."


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: "TV Guide" included "Made in America" in their "TV's Best Finales Ever" feature, writing: "What's there to say about this finale that hasn't already been said? The much-anticipated closer had everyone waiting to see if Tony was finally going to go from whacker to whackee. Instead, they got Journey, a greasy plate of onion rings and a black screen. But, the fact that we're still talking about it proves—for better or worse—that the episode did its job."


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: In 2007, "Made in America" won an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards. It was the only category the episode was nominated in. This is the third and final time series creator/executive producer David Chase won the award for his writing of the series.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: In 2008, Chase was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award in the category of Drama Series (Night) but lost to fellow "Sopranos" director Alan Taylor, who won for directing the pilot episode of "Mad Men", a series created by former "Sopranos" writer Matthew Weiner.


title: Made in America (The Sopranos)

text: Also in 2008, editor Sidney Wolinsky won an American Cinema Editors Eddie Award in the category of Best Edited One-Hour Series for Non-Commercial Television.


title: Supercentenarian

text: A supercentenarian (sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian) is a person who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of major age-related diseases until shortly before the maximum human lifespan is reached.


title: Supercentenarian

text: Norris McWhirter, editor of "Guinness World Records", used the term in association with age claim's researcher A. Ross Eckler Jr. in 1976, and the term was further popularised in 1991 by William Strauss and Neil Howe in their book "Generations".


title: Supercentenarian

text: The term "semisupercentenarian", has been used to describe someone from 105-109 originally the term "supercentenarian" was used to mean someone well over the age of 100, but 110 years and over became the cutoff point of accepted criteria for demographers.


title: Supercentenarian

text: The Gerontology Research Group maintains a top 30–40 list of oldest verified living people. The researchers estimate, based on a 0.15% to 0.25% survival rate of centenarians until the age of 110, that there should be between 300 and 450 living supercentenarians in the world. A study conducted in 2010 by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research found 663 validated supercentenarians, living and dead, and showed that the countries with the highest total number (not frequency) of supercentenarians (in decreasing order) were the United States, Japan, England plus Wales, France, and Italy. The first verified supercentenarian in human history was Dutchman Geert Adriaans Boomgaard (1788–1899), and it was not until the 1980s that the oldest verified age surpassed 115.


title: Supercentenarian

text: While claims of extreme age have persisted from the earliest times in history, the earliest supercentenarian accepted by Guinness World Records is Dutchman Thomas Peters (reportedly 1745–1857).. Other scholars, such as French demographer Jean-Marie Robine, consider Geert Adriaans Boomgaard, also of the Netherlands, who turned 110 in 1898, to be the first verifiable case, as the alleged evidence for Peters has apparently been lost. The evidence for the 112 years of Englishman William Hiseland (reportedly 1620–1732) does not meet the standards required by Guinness World Records..


title: Supercentenarian

text: Church of Norway records, the accuracy of which is subject to dispute, also show what appear to be several supercentenarians who lived in the south-central part of present-day Norway during the 16th and 17th centuries, including Johannes Torpe (1549–1664), and Knud Erlandson Etun (1659–1770), both residents of Valdres, Oppland.


title: Supercentenarian

text: Jeanne Calment of France, who died in 1997 aged 122 years, 164 days, had the longest human lifespan documented. The oldest man ever verified is Jiroemon Kimura of Japan, who died in 2013 aged 116 years and 54 days.


title: Supercentenarian

text: Lucile Randon (born 11 February 1904) from France is the world's oldest living person, aged . Juan Vicente Pérez Mora (born 27 May 1909) is the world's oldest living man, aged .


title: Supercentenarian

text: Organisations that research centenarians and supercentenarians include the GRG and the Supercentenarian Research Foundation.


title: Supercentenarian

text: In May 2021, whole-genome sequencing analysis of 81 Italian semi-supercentenarians and supercentenarians were published, along with 36 control group people from the same region who were simply of advanced age.


title: Supercentenarian

text: Research on the morbidity of supercentenarians has found that they remain free of major age-related diseases (e.g., stroke, cardiovascular disease, dementia, cancer, Parkinson's disease, and diabetes) until the very end of life when they die of exhaustion of organ reserve, which is the ability to return organ function to homeostasis. About 10% of supercentenarians survive until the last three months of life without major age-related diseases, as compared to only 4% of semi-supercentenarians and 3% of centenarians.


title: Supercentenarian

text: By measuring the biological age of various tissues from supercentenarians, researchers may be able to identify the nature of those that are protected from ageing effects. According to a study of 30 different body parts from a 112-year-old female supercentenarian, along with younger controls, the cerebellum is protected from ageing, according to an epigenetic biomarker of tissue age known as the epigenetic clock—the reading is about 15 years younger than expected in a centenarian. These findings could explain why the cerebellum exhibits fewer neuropathological hallmarks of age-related dementia as compared to other brain regions.


title: Supercentenarian

text: A 2021 genomic study identified genetic characteristics that protect against age-related diseases, particularly variants that improve DNA repair. Five variants were found to be significant, affecting STK17A (increased expression) and COA1 (reduced expression) genes. Supercentenarians also had an unexpectedly low level of somatic mutations.


title: Reptilian humanoid

text: Reptilian humanoids, or anthropomorphic reptiles, are fictional creatures that appear in folklore, fiction, and conspiracy theories.


title: Reptilian humanoid

text: In South Asian and Southeast Asian mythology, the Nāga are semi-divine creatures which are half-human and half-serpent.


title: Reptilian humanoid

text: Claims of sightings of reptilian creatures occur in Southern United States, where swamps are common. In the late 1980s, there were hundreds of supposed sightings of a "Lizard Man" in Bishopville, South Carolina.


title: Reptilian humanoid

text: Anthropomorphic reptilian races or beings commonly appear in fantasy and science fiction. They can be based on various reptiles, like lizards, crocodiles, alligators, snakes, dinosaurs, and the fictional dragons. They are often depicted as powerful warriors, though their relative intelligence to humans varies – as with other anthropomorphic races, a greater resemblance to humans often denotes more "civilized" behavior.


title: Reptilian humanoid

text: The Serpent Men, reptilian humanoids who can project illusions of human form, appeared as villains throughout Robert E. Howard's King Kull stories starting in 1929 as well as in the linked Cthulhu Mythos. Edgar Rice Burroughs' Pellucidar series featured primitive dinosaur-descended humanoids living in the Hollow Earth called the "Horibs" or snake-men in his 1929–1930 crossover "Tarzan at the Earth's Core". These almost simultaneous inventions originated the modern reptilian humanoid trope. In the 1980s, the animated television series "Dino-Riders" feature a race called the Rulons, of which some individuals were reptilian humanoids, that served as the main antagonist to the protagonist Valorians upon which the series is based. Merchandise based on the series included several series of toys, among which they included replicas of the reptilian Rulons.


title: Reptilian humanoid

text: In works of science fiction, aliens are often depicted as closely resembling animals, with reptilian aliens being no exception. An early appearance was in the story "The Lizard-Men of Buh-Lo" (1930) by Francis Flagg. Other examples include the Gorn from "Star Trek" and the Dracs from the film "Enemy Mine" (1985). The television franchise "V" features the Visitors, a lizardlike alien race who disguise themselves as humans. The Cardassian race featured in multiple "Star Trek" series, is another example of reptilian humanoids in that particular science fiction universe. The "Tosk" people, featured on "", is another. The "Distant Origin" episode of "" then features the Voth, a race descended from the dinosaurs that had escaped extinction by leaving Earth and relocating to the Delta Quadrant. On the television series "Doctor Who", there are also races or reptilian humanoids, such as the Silurians.


title: Reptilian humanoid

text: Examples of reptilian races in fantasy games are the Lizardmen from Warhammer as well as Lizardfolk, Dragonborn and Kobolds of the "Dungeons & Dragons" tabletop role-playing game.


title: Reptilian humanoid

text: The Dragonborn in particular – based on the Draconians of "Dragonlance", which in that game were uniformly evil – were originally introduced in the "Dungeons & Dragons" 3.5 supplement book "Races of the Dragon", published by Wizards of the Coast in 2006. In 4th Edition, dragonborn are available as one of the core player character races in the "Player's Handbook".


title: Reptilian humanoid

text: The dragonborn were introduced to the core rules in an attempt to reflect contemporary trends in fantasy fiction and appeal to newer players. In addition, it reflected a perception among the game's designers that it should be possible to play dragon-like creatures in a game with "Dragons" in the title. Richard Baker, who helped design 4th Edition, noted that the introduction of dragonborn to the core rules allowed them to "grow the D&D world by allowing the mix of characters to evolve in the new edition." Jonathan Bolding of "The Escapist" noted that the inclusion of the dragonborn in the 5th edition "Player's Handbook" does "push the 'traditional "D&D"' mold a bit, but this is a greatest hits of "D&D" player races and powers from the last fifteen years of the game."


title: Reptilian humanoid

text: Anthropomorphic reptilians are also shown in video games, especially in fantasy games. The lizardlike Argonian race takes a prominent role in the fantasy video game franchise "The Elder Scrolls". Other examples of reptilian humanoids in fantasy games include the Man-Serpents from the game "Elden Ring" and the Naga from "World of Warcraft".


title: Sandstone

text: Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.


title: Sandstone

text: Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) because they are the most resistant minerals to weathering processes at the Earth's surface. Like uncemented sand, sandstone may be any color due to impurities within the minerals, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow, red, grey, pink, white, and black. Since sandstone beds often form highly visible cliffs and other topographic features, certain colors of sandstone have been strongly identified with certain regions.


title: Sandstone

text: Rock formations that are primarily composed of sandstone usually allow the percolation of water and other fluids and are porous enough to store large quantities, making them valuable aquifers and petroleum reservoirs.


title: Sandstone

text: Quartz-bearing sandstone can be changed into quartzite through metamorphism, usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts.


title: Sandstone

text: Sandstones are "clastic" in origin (as opposed to either "organic", like chalk and coal, or "chemical", like gypsum and jasper). The silicate sand grains from which they form are the product of physical and chemical weathering of bedrock. Weathering and erosion are most rapid in areas of high relief, such as volcanic arcs, areas of continental rifting, and orogenic belts.


title: Sandstone

text: Eroded sand is transported by rivers or by the wind from its source areas to depositional environments where tectonics has created accommodation space for sediments to accumulate. Forearc basins tend to accumulate sand rich in lithic grains and plagioclase. Intracontinental basins and grabens along continental margins are also common environments for deposition of sand.


title: Sandstone

text: As sediments continue to accumulate in the depositional environment, older sand is buried by younger sediments, and it undergoes diagenesis. This mostly consists of compaction and lithification of the sand. Early stages of diagenesis, described as "eogenesis", take place at shallow depths (a few tens of meters) and are characterized by bioturbation and mineralogical changes in the sands, with only slight compaction. The red hematite that gives red bed sandstones their color is likely formed during eogenesis. Deeper burial is accompanied by "mesogenesis", during which most of the compaction and lithification takes place.


title: Sandstone

text: Compaction takes place as the sand comes under increasing pressure from overlying sediments. Sediment grains move into more compact arrangements, ductile grains (such as mica grains) are deformed, and pore space is reduced. In addition to this physical compaction, chemical compaction may take place via pressure solution. Points of contact between grains are under the greatest strain, and the strained mineral is more soluble than the rest of the grain. As a result, the contact points are dissolved away, allowing the grains to come into closer contact.


title: Sandstone

text: Lithification follows closely on compaction, as increased temperatures at depth hasten deposition of cement that binds the grains together. Pressure solution contributes to cementing, as the mineral dissolved from strained contact points is redeposited in the unstrained pore spaces.


title: Sandstone

text: Mechanical compaction takes place primarily at depths less than . Chemical compaction continues to depths of , and most cementation takes place at depths of .


title: Sandstone

text: Unroofing of buried sandstone is accompanied by "telogenesis", the third and final stage of diagenesis. As erosion reduces the depth of burial, renewed exposure to meteoric water produces additional changes to the sandstone, such as dissolution of some of the cement to produce secondary porosity.


title: Sandstone

text: Framework grains are sand-sized ( diameter) detrital fragments that make up the bulk of a sandstone. Most framework grains are composed of quartz or feldspar, which are the common minerals most resistant minerals to weathering processes at the Earth's surface, as seen in the Goldich dissolution series. Framework grains can be classified into several different categories based on their mineral composition:


title: Sandstone

text: Matrix is very fine material, which is present within interstitial pore space between the framework grains. The nature of the matrix within the interstitial pore space results in a twofold classification:


title: Sandstone

text: Cement is what binds the siliciclastic framework grains together. Cement is a secondary mineral that forms after deposition and during burial of the sandstone. These cementing materials may be either silicate minerals or non-silicate minerals, such as calcite.


title: Sandstone

text: Sandstone that becomes depleted of its cement binder through weathering gradually becomes friable and unstable. This process can be somewhat reversed by the application of tetraethyl orthosilicate (Si(OCH)) which will deposit amorphous silicon dioxide between the sand grains. The reaction is as follows.


title: Sandstone

text: Pore space includes the open spaces within a rock or a soil. The pore space in a rock has a direct relationship to the porosity and permeability of the rock. The porosity and permeability are directly influenced by the way the sand grains are packed together.


title: Sandstone

text: Sandstones are typically classified by point-counting a thin section using a method like the Gazzi-Dickinson Method. This yields the relative percentages of quartz, feldspar, and lithic grains and the amount of clay matrix. The composition of a sandstone can provide important information on the genesis of the sediments when used with a triangular "Q"uartz, "F"eldspar, "L"ithic fragment (QFL diagrams). However, geologist have not been able to agree on a set of boundaries separating regions of the QFL triangle.


title: Sandstone

text: Visual aids are diagrams that allow geologists to interpret different characteristics of a sandstone. For example, a QFL chart can be marked with a provenance model that shows the likely tectonic origin of sandstones with various compositions of framework grains. Likewise, the stage of textural maturity chart illustrates the different stages that a sandstone goes through as the degree of kinetic processing of the sediments increases.


title: Sandstone

text: Dott's (1964) sandstone classification scheme is one of many such schemes used by geologists for classifying sandstones. Dott's scheme is a modification of Gilbert's classification of silicate sandstones, and it incorporates R.L. Folk's dual textural and compositional maturity concepts into one classification system. The philosophy behind combining Gilbert's and R. L. Folk's schemes is that it is better able to "portray the continuous nature of textural variation from mudstone to arenite and from stable to unstable grain composition". Dott's classification scheme is based on the mineralogy of framework grains, and on the type of matrix present in between the framework grains.


title: Sandstone

text: In this specific classification scheme, Dott has set the boundary between arenite and wackes at 15% matrix. In addition, Dott also breaks up the different types of framework grains that can be present in a sandstone into three major categories: quartz, feldspar, and lithic grains.


title: Sandstone

text: When sandstone is subjected to the great heat and pressure associated with regional metamorphism, the individual quartz grains recrystallize, along with the former cementing material, to form the metamorphic rock called quartzite. Most or all of the original texture and sedimentary structures of the sandstone are erased by the metamorphism. The grains are so tightly interlocked that when the rock is broken, it fractures through the grains to form an irregular or conchoidal fracture.


title: Sandstone

text: Geologists had recognized by 1941 that some rocks show the macroscopic characteristics of quartzite, even though they have not undergone metamorphism at high pressure and temperature. These rocks have been subject only to the much lower temperatures and pressures associated with diagenesis of sedimentary rock, but diagenesis has cemented the rock so thoroughly that microscopic examination is necessary to distinguish it from metamorphic quartzite. The term "orthoquartzite" is used to distinguish such sedimentary rock from "metaquartzite" produced by metamorphism. By extension, the term "orthoquartzite" has occasionally been more generally applied to any quartz-cemented quartz arenite. Orthoquartzite (in the narrow sense) is often 99% SiO with only very minor amounts of iron oxide and trace resistant minerals such as zircon, rutile and magnetite. Although few fossils are normally present, the original texture and sedimentary structures are preserved.


title: Sandstone

text: The typical distinction between a true orthoquartzite and an ordinary quartz sandstone is that an orthoquartzite is so highly cemented that it will fracture across grains, not around them. This is a distinction that can be recognized in the field. In turn, the distinction between an orthoquartzite and a metaquartzite is the onset of recrystallization of existing grains. The dividing line may be placed at the point where strained quartz grains begin to be replaced by new, unstrained, small quartz grains, producing a "mortar texture" that can be identified in thin sections under a polarizing microscope. With increasing grade of metamorphism, further recrystallization produces "foam texture", characterized by polygonal grains meeting at triple junctions, and then "porphyroblastic texture", characterized by coarse, irregular grains, including some larger grains (porphyroblasts.)


title: Sandstone

text: Sandstone has been used since prehistoric times for construction, decorative art works and tools. It has been widely employed around the world in constructing temples, churches, homes and other buildings, and in civil engineering.


title: Sandstone

text: Although its resistance to weathering varies, sandstone is easy to work. That makes it a common building and paving material, including in asphalt concrete. However, some types that have been used in the past, such as the Collyhurst sandstone used in North West England, have had poor long-term weather resistance, necessitating repair and replacement in older buildings. Because of the hardness of individual grains, uniformity of grain size and friability of their structure, some types of sandstone are excellent materials from which to make grindstones, for sharpening blades and other implements. Non-friable sandstone can be used to make grindstones for grinding grain, e.g., gritstone.


title: Sandstone

text: A type of pure quartz sandstone, orthoquartzite, with more of 90–95 percent of quartz, has been proposed for nomination to the Global Heritage Stone Resource. In some regions of Argentina, the orthoquartzite-stoned facade is one of the main features of the Mar del Plata style bungalows.


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: The story takes place in Hokkaido. 15-year-old high school freshman Sawako Kuronuma—dubbed Sadako by her classmates for her resemblance to the character from "The Ring"—has always been feared and misunderstood because of her appearance. Rumors around school report that she can see ghosts and curse people. However, despite her ominous appearance, she is actually a sweet and unassuming girl who only longs to be helpful. She has been shunned for so long that the idea of making friends has become foreign to her. When a popular boy, Kazehaya, begins talking with her, everything changes. She finds herself in a new world, making new friends and talking to different people, and she can't thank Kazehaya enough for giving her these opportunities. Slowly, but surely, a sweet love blossoms between the two as they overcome circumstances and obstacles standing in their way.


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: Originally planned on being a one-shot to be compiled in her previous work, "Crazy For You", Shiina decided to expand the story and make it into a full series. It has been running in Japan in "Bessatsu Margaret" since the September 2005 issue of the magazine, with 30 compiled volumes as of March 23, 2018. Shiina took a break starting in the March 2009 issue to have a baby; serialization resumed in the October issue. With the release of the September 2017 issue of "Betsuma", on August 12, 2017, "Kimi ni Todoke" entered its final arc. The manga ended in November 2017 and the final volume was released in March 2018. The series is licensed by Viz Media for an English-language North American release. An irregularly published spin-off/sequel manga series, titled (also a spin-off/sequel of Shiina's other manga "Crazy for You"), was serialized in "Bessatsu Margaret" from April 13, 2018 to May 13, 2022 and collected into three volumes.


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: "Kimi ni Todoke" has been adapted into two series of light novels in Japan released by Shueisha, one under their Cobalt imprint and one under their newer Mirai Bunko imprint. Sixeen volumes have been released in the Cobalt imprint series; the first was released on August 1, 2007, and the last on December 25, 2015. They were written by Kanae Shimokawa, who also novelized the "Nana" movie and "Yūkan Club". Thirteen volumes of the Mirai Bunko version have been released; the first on March 1, 2011, and the last on June 5, 2015. They were written by Kanako Shirai. Both series were illustrated by the author of the original, Karuho Shiina.


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: A separate volume, , also by Kanae Shimokawa, was released on September 11, 2009. The volume took the place of the manga serialization in Bessatsu Margaret magazine while Karuho Shiina took a break due to her pregnancy in 2009; it contains the story of Kazehaya and Sawako's first meeting, before the events of the manga.


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: Banpresto released a game for the Nintendo DS in Japan based upon the series on October 16, 2009, entitled . A second Nintendo DS game, also from Banpresto, was released in the Spring of 2011 under the title .


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: The first season of the "Kimi ni Todoke" anime adaptation aired between October 2009 and March 2010. A second season was announced in the November 2010 issue of Betsuma magazine. The second season aired in Japan on NTV in January 2011. Both seasons of the anime are produced by Production I.G. and directed by Hiro Kaburagi. The music is done by S.E.N.S. Project, with the opening sung by Tomofumi Tanizawa and the ending by Chara. NIS America announced at Anime Expo 2011 that they have licensed the first season of Kimi ni Todoke. They released the first season on DVD/Blu-ray on January 10, 2012, and released the second season later that year. NIS America later released the series from Volume 1 through Volume 3 alongside Natsume's Book of Friends seasons 1 and 2 on February 4, 2014. The North American license was passed to Funimation on April 15, 2021.


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: The February 2010 issue of Bessatsu Margaret (released in January 2010), announced that a live-action film adaptation of the series had been approved. Mikako Tabe and Haruma Miura starred in the film, released in Japanese theatres on September 25, 2010, and directed by Naoto Kumazawa. The Live-action movie was released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 11, 2011.


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: In September 2022, a live-action television series was announced. The series is a joint production by TV Tokyo and Netflix, and is directed by Takehiko Shinjō and Takeo Kikuchi, with Hayato Miyamoto handling series composition. The series will premiere in 2023.


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: Volumes of the series commonly ranked in listings of top selling manga in Japan. All the volumes have been translated and published in English.


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: At the debut of the twelfth volume, all twelve of the current volumes were ranked on Oricon's list of 100 best-selling manga for the week. According to Anime News Network, "Kimi ni Todoke" is now the "shōjo manga with the most #1 books and the most books to sell one million copies since 2008" in Japan. The series was the third best-selling manga series in Japan in 2010, with 6,572,813 copies sold. As of the release of the 16th volume in May 2012, "Kimi ni Todoke" will have reached a total of over 20 million copies in print. In 2013, "Kimi ni Todoke" sold over 3.4 million copies, placing 11th on Oricon's best selling manga series for that year.


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: Anime News Network called the series "hands down one of the best new English-translated manga series of 2009" and suggested that everyone, not just shōjo manga fans, read the series. The first volume of the series was listed as a "Hot Fall Graphic Novel" for libraries in the teen section by YALSA. The series was also listed in the Best Comics for Teens category of the School Library Journal's Best Comics for Kids in 2009 list. "Kimi ni Todoke" has also been included on the American Library Association's list of 2010 Great Graphic Novels for Teens.


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: According to Oricon, the series was listed as 3rd on a list of titles that Japanese readers wanted a drama adaptation for. The live action movie adaptation opened at second place in Kogyo Tsushinsha's box office chart during its first week in Japanese theaters. The movie was number 3 on Box Office Mojo's chart during its first two days, earning the equivalent to US$2,770,613 on 285 screens.


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: Many of the first season volumes have sold well enough in the first week of release to be ranked on the weekly Oricon Sales Chart for Japan's Animation DVDs.


title: Kimi ni Todoke

text: The second season of the anime was number one in a poll of Dengeki Online readers as their most anticipated anime series debuting in January 2011. Anime News Network reviewer Carl Kimlinger gave the second season 4½ out of 5 stars, saying, "This remains the finest series of its type since "Lovely Complex", and the most beautiful since...well, I don't know when." Japanese viewers voted it the most enjoyable anime of the Winter 2011 season during a poll taken just before the season ended.


title: J. Christopher Stevens

text: John Christopher Stevens (April 18, 1960 – September 11, 2012) was an American career diplomat and lawyer who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Libya from May 22, 2012, to September 11, 2012. Stevens was killed when the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked by members of Ansar al-Sharia on September 11–12, 2012.


title: J. Christopher Stevens

text: Stevens was born on April 18, 1960, in Grass Valley, California, the eldest of three siblings born to Jan S. Stevens, a California Assistant Attorney General, and his wife Mary J. Stevens (née Floris; born 1937), from a West Coast family of French, Swedish and Chinook ancestry. Stevens was raised in Northern California and had two younger siblings, Anne (b. 1962) and Thomas (b. 1965).


title: J. Christopher Stevens

text: Stevens' parents divorced in 1975, and both remarried. Stevens, himself, never married. His mother, a cellist, joined the Marin Symphony Orchestra (1969—2004), and in 1976 married Robert Commanday, a music critic with the "San Francisco Chronicle".


title: J. Christopher Stevens

text: Stevens was an AFS Intercultural Programs exchange student in Spain during summer of 1977, and graduated from Piedmont High School in 1978. He earned BA degree in history in 1982 at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. From 1983 to 1985, he taught English as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. He graduated with JD degree from University of California, Hastings College of Law in 1989, and received MS degree from the National War College of National Defense University in 2010.


title: J. Christopher Stevens

text: Prior to joining the United States Foreign Service, Stevens was an international trade attorney based in Washington, D.C. He was admitted as an active member of the State Bar of California on January 26, 1990; he went on an inactive status on August 1, 1991, and remained an inactive member for the remainder of his career.


title: J. Christopher Stevens

text: Stevens joined the United States Foreign Service in 1991. His early overseas assignments included: deputy principal officer and political section chief in Jerusalem, political officer in Damascus, consular/political officer in Cairo, and consular/economic officer in Riyadh. In Washington, Stevens served as director of the Office of Multilateral Nuclear and Security Affairs, Pearson Fellow with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senator Richard Lugar, special assistant to Undersecretary for Political Affairs, Iran desk officer, and staff assistant in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.


title: J. Christopher Stevens

text: He had served in Libya twice previously: as Deputy Chief of Mission, 2007 to 2009, and as Special Representative to the National Transitional Council, March 2011 to November 2011, during Libyan revolution. He arrived in Tripoli in May 2012 as U.S. Ambassador to Libya.


title: J. Christopher Stevens

text: During the 2012 Benghazi attack, a fire was set against the wall of the main consulate building while three Americans were inside—Stevens, Sean Smith, and a security officer. According to U.S. officials, the security officer escaped; the staff found Smith dead. They were unable to locate Stevens before being driven from the building under large arms fire. Local civilians found Stevens and brought him to the Benghazi Medical Centre in a state of cardiac arrest. Medical personnel tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at about 2 a.m. local time on September 12, 2012. Later reports suggested that the attack was coordinated and planned, with any protests either coincidental or possibly diversionary. Libyan president Muhammad Magariaf blamed elements of Ansar al-Sharia for the killing, linking them to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Libyan officials suggested that it might have been a revenge attack mounted by loyalists (of deceased Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi) who were defeated in the Libyan Civil War the previous year.


title: J. Christopher Stevens

text: The doctors who tended to Stevens said that no visible physical wounds were found on his body and that he died from smoke inhalation, making hypoxia the cause of his death.


title: J. Christopher Stevens

text: The surviving Americans were taken to a safe house. A rescue squad consisting of eight former U.S. military was sent from Tripoli, the capital. They were ambushed and the safe house came under attack. Two more Americans died, including one sent from Tripoli; several were wounded. Later reports identified the victims as Tyrone S. Woods and Glen A. Doherty, both former Navy SEALs working as security and intelligence contractors.


title: J. Christopher Stevens

text: Stevens is buried in New Elm Ridge Cemetery (formerly known as Forester's Cemetery) in Grass Valley, California.


title: Selangor

text: Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south, and the Strait of Malacca to the west. Selangor surrounds the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, both of which were previously part of it.


title: Selangor

text: The state capital of Selangor is Shah Alam, and its royal capital is Klang, while Kajang is the largest city. Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya received city status in 2006 and 2019, respectively. Selangor is one of four Malaysian states that contain more than one city with official city status; the others are Sarawak, Johor, and Penang.


title: Selangor

text: The state of Selangor has the largest economy in Malaysia in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), with RM 239.968 billion (roughly $55.5 billion) in 2015, comprising 22.60% of the country's GDP. It is the most developed state in Malaysia; it has good infrastructure, such as highways and transport, and has the largest population in Malaysia. It also has a high standard of living and the lowest poverty rate in the country.


title: Selangor

text: The origin of the name "Selangor" is uncertain. A common suggestion is that the name refers to the Malay word "langau", a large fly or blowfly that is found in the marshes along the Selangor River (Sungai Selangor) in the state's north-west. According to local lore, a warrior who escaped from Malacca after the Portuguese conquest, took a break from his journey north and rested under a tree here. However, he was disturbed by a persistent fly, whereupon he decided to explore the area. When he found the place to his liking and chose to settle there, he named the place "satu (se) langau" meaning "a large blowfly".


title: Selangor

text: In the absence of a firm etymological explanation, alternative theories abound. One suggestion is that the name may have originated from a kind of tree found in Kuala Selangor and along Selangor River named "mentangau". Another theory claims the state's name is derived from the term "Salang Ur" where "ur" means "town" or "village" in Tamil, meaning village of the Salang people. It has also been proposed that the name is derived from a combination of "salang" (stabbing) and "jemur" (dry in the sun), indicating that it was once a place where traitors were stabbed ("salang") then left to roast in the sun ("jemur").


title: Selangor

text: The most important settlement of the area in the ancient period may have been Klang. Ancient artifacts including Bronze Age axes and bronze bell dating from the 2nd century BC, and iron tools called ""tulang mawas"" ("ape bones") have been found in or near Klang. The Mao Kun map dating to the Ming dynasty and used by the Admiral Zheng He during his voyages of expedition between 1405 and 1433 refers to places in Selangor such as the Klang River estuary (吉令港) and perhaps a hilly area. The "Malay Annals" indicates that the Selangor area was under the control of the Sultanate of Malacca in the 15th century; however, Selangor at that time was not a unified domain—separate river states such as Klang and Jeram existed in the region. According to the "Malay Annals", Tun Perak was appointed the chief of Klang during the reign of Muzaffar Shah. Later, the son of Mansur Shah and Hang Li Po named Paduka Sri Cina was made raja of Jeram near Langat, which may be due to the presence of Chinese miners there.


title: Selangor

text: After the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese in 1511, the area came under the control of Johor Sultanate and was later governed by Sri Agar Diraja, son of the Bendahara family of Johor. In the 17th century, Johor was involved in a war against Jambi, and the Sultan of Johor engaged the help of Bugis mercenaries from Sulawesi to fight against Jambi. After Johor won in 1679, the Bugis decided to stay and started to gain power in the region. Many Bugis began to migrate and settled along the coast of Selangor such as the estuaries of Selangor and Klang rivers. Some Minangkabaus may have also settled in Selangor by the 17th century, perhaps earlier. The Bugis and the Minangkabaus from Sumatra struggled for control of Johor; Raja Kecil, backed by the Minangkabaus, invaded Selangor but were driven off by the Bugis in 1742. In order to establish a power base, the Bugis led by Raja Salehuddin founded the present hereditary Selangor Sultanate with its capital at Kuala Selangor in 1766. Selangor is unique as the only state on the Malay Peninsula that was founded by the Bugis.


title: Selangor

text: In the 19th century, the economy of Selangor boomed due to the exploitation of its tin reserves; mining occurred in various parts of Selangor, for example in Ampang, that led to the growth of Kuala Lumpur. In 1854, the Sultan of Selangor granted Raja Abdullah control of Klang, passing over Raja Mahdi, the son of the chief who previously ruled Klang, which led to the Selangor Civil War fought between 1867 and 1874. The war between the Malay factions was also partly a struggle for control of the revenues from tin. Tin mining had attracted a large influx of Chinese migrant labourers, and Chinese clans allied with Selangor chiefs also joined the civil war. The conflicts between Malay and Chinese factions in Perak and Selangor, as well as concerns over piracy that affected coastal trade, led to increasing British involvement in the affairs of the Malay states.


title: Selangor

text: In 1874, Sultan Abdul Samad of Selangor accepted a British Resident in a system that allowed the British to govern while the Sultan remained the apparent ruler. Klang was the capital of the British colonial administration for Selangor from 1875 until 1880 when it was moved to Kuala Lumpur. Under the stability imposed by the British, Selangor again prospered. In 1896, largely through the coordination of the Resident Frank Swettenham, Selangor united with Negeri Sembilan, Perak and Pahang to form the Federated Malay States, with Kuala Lumpur its capital.


title: Selangor

text: The Federated Malay States evolved into the Federation of Malaya in 1948, which became independent in 1957. The federation became known as Malaysia in 1963, when its existing states federated with the other British colonies of Sarawak, North Borneo and Singapore. The city of Kuala Lumpur functioned as the national capital of Malaysia and as the state capital of Selangor. In 1974, Selangor relinquished Kuala Lumpur to the federal government. The Sultan of Selangor commemorated the city's transfer by building an archway on the borders of the new Federal Territory and Selangor; this archway is the Kota Darul Ehsan that straddles a section of the Federal Highway between Bangsar and Petaling Jaya. The state capital was moved to Shah Alam after the cession.


title: Selangor

text: Putrajaya, a new city designed to be the new administrative capital of Malaysia, was built by the federal government in Selangor; Sultan Salahuddin was asked again to cede land to the federal government. Putrajaya became a federal territory in 2001.


title: Selangor

text: Selangor is located on the west of Peninsular Malaysia, overlooking the Straits of Malacca. The state is level on the west and hilly to the east, the hill and mountain, surrounding the western edge of the state effectively forming a valley and a basin area for the Klang River (also known as Sungai Klang), this valley is called Klang Valley and this is where most of the population are centered. Selangor, with an area of approximately 8,000 km², extends to the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia on the north coast of Melaka. It is located at the heart of the Peninsular Malaysia on the west coast and surrounds the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. Selangor is bordered north by Bernam River from Perak, south by Sepang River from Negeri Sembilan, east by the Titiwangsa Mountains and Strait of Malacca on the west. Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur is located in the heart of Selangor. It was once part of Selangor territory before it was ceded to the federal government to form a Federal Territory.


title: Selangor

text: Selangor is divided into 9 districts namely Sabak Bernam, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Selangor, Petaling Jaya, Klang, Kuala Langat, Hulu Langat and Sepang.


title: Selangor

text: Malaysian forest can be classified as tropical rainforest. Selangor has 250,129 ha of permanent reserve forest, of which 82,890 ha are peat swamp forest and 18,998 ha formed mangrove forest along the coast. The permanent reserve forest makes up about 32 percent of the state land. Ecoforests that are situated in Selangor are Gabai Waterfall, Taman Rimba Templer, Taman Rimba Ampang, Taman Rimba Komanwel, Sungai Chongkak, Sungai Tua, Sungai Sendat, Sungai Tekala, Kanching, Gunung Nuang and Bukit Tabur.


title: Selangor

text: Reserve forest in Selangor is managed and conserved by the state's forestry department, as the National Forestry Act 1984 of the federal constitution provides that forestry comes under the jurisdiction of the respective state. The Selangor's forestry department office is located at Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building in Shah Alam.


title: Selangor

text: Selangor is also home to a statutory agency of the Government of Malaysia, the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). Located in Kepong, FRIM promotes sustainable management and optimal use of forest resources in Malaysia by generating knowledge and technology through research, development and application in tropical forestry.


title: Selangor

text: Selangor has a few declared protected areas (PAs) in order to safeguard biodiversity and wildlife. They are Sungai Dusun Wildlife Reserve which is first to be reserved to protect the Sumatran Rhinos, Kutu Hill Wildlife Reserve, and Bukit Sungai Puteh Hill Wildlife Reserve which is located at Kuala Lumpur and Selangor's border. The state also has an ecotourism centre, Paya Indah Wetlands, which is located in the district Kuala Langat near Dengkil. It is a sanctuary to migratory and residential birds, Nile hippos and crocodiles.


title: Selangor

text: As in the rest of Malaysia, Selangor has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification "Af") bordering on a tropical monsoon climate. The climate is very much dictated by the surrounding sea and the prevailing wind system. It has high average temperature and high average rainfall.


title: Selangor

text: Selangor is Malaysia's most populous state; it has the nation's biggest conurbation, the Klang Valley. Selangor's geographical position in the centre of Peninsular Malaysia contributed to the state's rapid development as Malaysia's transportation and industrial hub, creating jobs and attracting migrants from other states and from other Asian countries, especially Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and China. In recent decades, an influx of immigrants, particularly from Indonesia, has also contributed to Selangor's population.


title: Selangor

text: Selangor's population has increased considerably in recent decades, due mostly to the development of the Klang Valley. The population was 1,426,250 in 1980, and by 2000 it had grown to 3,941,316, and further increased to 5,482,141 in 2010. , its population was 5,874,100.


title: Selangor

text: The traditional culture of Selangor's Malay majority is also influenced by those of Bugis, Minangkabau, Mandailing, Javanese, and Banjarese ancestry; most of whom are Muslims. Javanese ancestry are dominant in west coast districts such as Sabak Bernam, Kuala Selangor, Klang, Kuala Langat and Sepang. Whereas Minangkabau descent are dominant in Gombak and Hulu Selangor. Selangor's population also includes ethnic Chinese and Indian influences; those two groups form the largest minority populations. The 3,000 Mah Meri people, part of the Orang Asli—the indigenous peoples of the Peninsula—can be found on Carey Island and maintain their culture and language while adapting to the modern way of life. With its advanced state of development, Selangor has more international ties through trade, business and education than other rural states.


title: Selangor

text: According to the 2020 census, the population of Selangor is 61.1% Muslim, 21.6% Buddhist, 10.3% Hindu, 4.9% Christian/Catholic, 1% of unknown affiliations, 0.5% adherent of Taoism or Chinese religion, 0.4% follower of other religions and 0.4% non-religious. All Malays are necessarily Muslims because the definition of a Malay in the Malaysian constitution requires Malays to profess the religion of Islam.


title: Selangor

text: The state is a hereditary constitutional monarchy, of which the reigning Sultan since 2001 is Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. Since 19 June 2018, the Menteri Besar (chief executive of the state government) is Amirudin Shari, of the People's Justice Party (PKR) a component party of Pakatan Harapan (before, Pakatan Rakyat).


title: Selangor

text: Consisting of 19 chapters and 100 articles, the Constitution of the State of Selangor is the highest form of law in the state. It came into force on 26 February 1959 and was separated into two parts. Under the 1959 constitution, Selangor is a constitutional monarchy.


title: Selangor

text: The Sultan of Selangor is the constitutional Ruler of Selangor. The role, powers, and duties of the Sultan are set forth in the 1959 constitution, which proclaims that the office of Sultan is vested with the executive power of the state, are the head of the religion of Islam in the state and the "fountain of honours and dignities" in the state. This position is hereditary and can only be held by a member of Selangor's royal family. The current ruler is His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who has held this position since 2001.


title: Selangor

text: The State Executive Council, which along with the Sultan is Selangor's executive branch of government, was established by the constitution of 1959. It is composed of the Menteri Besar—who is its chairman and Selangor's head of government—and ten other members; all of whom are appointed by the Sultan of Selangor from members of the State Assembly. The current Menteri Besar is Yang Amat Berhormat Dato' Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari.


title: Selangor

text: The state also has a legislative branch, called the Selangor State Assembly. It is similar to the Parliament but is limited to making laws relating to the state. Its members are elected, usually simultaneously with federal elections. The term of each state assembly member is limited to five years. The state assembly must be dissolved before or once it expires its term for a fresh election of its members.


title: Selangor

text: The economy of Selangor is a progressive market economy whose core sectors are commerce and agriculture. Selangor is the richest state in Malaysia in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (PPP). On 27 August 2005, Selangor was officially declared the first developed state in Malaysia by the state government.


title: Selangor

text: Commerce, industry and services are a major contributor to the economy of Selangor, accounting for over 58% of the state's GDP. Several industrial sites produce electronic goods, chemicals and vehicles including Proton and Perodua cars. Imported vehicles from manufacturers including Toyota, Nissan, Volkswagen and BMW Motors are also assembled in the state.


title: Selangor

text: Many international manufacturing companies have set up bases here. Among the industrial cities in Selangor are Subang Jaya, Shah Alam, Klang, Kajang, Rawang, Selayang, Ampang Jaya and Petaling Jaya. Port Klang plays a key role in the industrial development of Selangor because it is the busiest port in Malaysia.


title: Selangor

text: The services sector is the second largest contributor to GDP, accounting for 60.1% of the state's GDP.


title: Selangor

text: Agriculture, a thriving sector of Selangor's economy, contributes 1.4% of the state's GDP. Significant crops grown in the state are star fruits, papayas and bananas. Selangor is not a major producer of rice; however, paddy fields exist in Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam. Other agricultural activities in the state include the establishment of palm oil and rubber plantation sites.


title: Selangor

text: Tourist attractions in Selangor include the I-City in Shah Alam, a retail and commercial hub with millions of LED lights and an indoor park; the National Zoo of Malaysia (Zoo Negara) in Ampang Jaya, the largest zoo in Malaysia with more than 4,000 animals; Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, the venue for the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix, the A1 Grand Prix and the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix; the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque; Wat Chetawan and Sunway Lagoon in Bandar Sunway, Malaysia's top theme park.


title: Selangor

text: Other attractions in Selangor include Batu Caves in Selayang, Shah Alam Gallery and Selangor State Library in Shah Alam, the Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery, Alam Shah Palace, GM Klang Wholesale City, and Crab Island (Pulau Ketam) off Port Klang. The most popular beaches in Selangor are located at Bagan Lalang, Sepang Gold Coast, Batu Laut Beach and Morib Beach. There are also a number of pristine nature sites such as the Firefly Sanctuary, Kuala Selangor Nature Park in Kuala Selangor, Malaysia Agriculture Park Bukit Cerakah in Shah Alam, Commonwealth Forest Park and Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) in Selayang, and Ampang Recreational Forest and Kanching Recreational Forest in Ampang Jaya.


title: Selangor

text: Selangor is also well known as a haven for massage and spa lovers. Since 2009 there has been an increase in businesses operating as traditional massage and reflexology parlors. While most of the businesses are genuine, some brothels masquerade as massage parlours and spas; the Royal Malaysian Police frequently raid such establishments when they receive tip-offs from the public.


title: Selangor

text: Selangor is linked to the rest of Malaysia by comprehensive air, road and rail connections. Public transport in the state is present but underused. Most of the major highways that run through the west coast of the peninsula, including the North–South Expressway, serve Selangor as well. The high-speed roads and expressways are tolled; motorists using these roads pay the tolls using stored value cards such as Touch 'n Go and SmartTAG. Cash transactions at all tolls in Malaysia were phased out between 2015 and 2017.


title: Selangor

text: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), the country's main airport, is located in Sepang District in the south of the state; it consists of the Main Terminal Building, Satellite terminal A and klia2. Selangor also has the domestic Subang Airport, which is a major hub for corporate and private aviation in south-east Asia.


title: Selangor

text: Paid bus routes in Kuala Lumpur connect Klang Sentral in Klang, Kompleks Perhentian Kajang in Kajang, One Utama Bus Transportation Hub in Petaling Jaya, and Terminal Seksyen 13 in Shah Alam to other states in Malaysia. Public bus services that connects towns in Selangor are also available such as Rapid Bus. Rapid Bus, operated by Rapid KL, offered services in Klang Valley area, namely Subang Jaya, USJ, Puchong, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, and Klang south of the Federal Highway and Area Six, which covers Damansara, Bandar Utama, Kota Damansara and areas of Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, and Klang north of the Federal Highway. The services was introduced on 23 September 2006 when Rapid KL decided to revamp the Klang Valley bus network. Other bus operators in Selangor includes Wawasan Sutera Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd (Klang and Banting), MARA Liner Sdn Bhd (Rawang and Hulu Selangor), Handal Ceria Sdn Bhd (Puchong, Klang south and Sepang) and The Selangor Omnibus Company Berhad (Damansara Damai and Kuala Selangor).


title: Selangor

text: Starting from 15 July 2015, free public bus services named "Bas Smart Selangor" are also available all over Selangor. It was initiate to encourage the citizens to use public transport. On 7 November 2017, a phone application called Selangor Intelligent Transport System to check Smart Selangor buses routes and schedules was launched.


title: Selangor

text: The KTM Komuter railway network serves many outlying districts and nearby towns and cities, including Kajang, Port Klang, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, and Rawang. It is linked to other rail transit services at KL Sentral Station, a modern transportation hub in the city centre. Selangor is accessible by the Rapid KL Light Rail Transit network, which is composed of the Ampang Line, the Kelana Jaya Line and the newly completed Sungai Buloh-Kajang Mass Rapid Transit Network.


title: Selangor

text: The MRT Kajang line, or previously known as SBK (Sungai Buloh-Kajang) Line, is the ninth rail transit line and the second fully automated and driverless rail system in the Klang Valley area, Malaysia after the . It is a part of Greater KL/Klang Valley Integrated Transit System. The line is numbered and coloured Green on official transit maps.


title: Selangor

text: The MRT Putrajaya line previously known as MRT Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya line (MRT SSP) is the twelfth rail transit line, the fourth fully automated and driverless rail system in Klang Valley area. It is a part of the larger rail transport system in Kuala Lumpur known as Greater KL/Klang Valley Integrated Transit System. The line is numbered 12 and coloured gold on transit maps.


title: Selangor

text: On 29 August 2006, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak announced that the western end of the Kelana Jaya Line would be extended to the suburbs of Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, UEP Subang Jaya (USJ) and Putra Heights. The extension will be part of a RM7 billion plan to expand Kuala Lumpur's public transport network.


title: Selangor

text: The expansion plan will also extend the Ampang Line to the suburb of Puchong and the south-west of Kuala Lumpur. The plan also involves the construction of a new line, tentatively called the Kota Damansara-Cheras Line, which will run from Sungai Buloh in the north-western flank of the city, to Kajang.


title: Selangor

text: In September 2009, Syarikat Prasarana Negara began a public viewing of the details of the alignment of the Ampang Line and Kelana Jaya Line at various locations. The public could provide feedback on the route during the three-month display period. The extension will add 13 new stations and of new track to the network. The new terminus will be at Putra Heights where the line will meet the Kelana Jaya Line and Ampang Line to provide a suburban interchange. Construction began in mid 2013 and the project was fully operational by July 2016.


title: Selangor

text: Selangor has several tertiary education institutions, most of which are concentrated in major towns and cities.


title: Selangor

text: There are five main power stations in Selangor, namely; Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Power Station, Connaught Bridge Power Station, Putrajaya Power Station, Kuala Langat Power Plant and Jimah Energy Ventures.


title: Selangor

text: Selangor water works provides water supply in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. It was run by Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (SYABAS) which is owned by the state government. There are seven dams in Selangor; Sungai Selangor Dam, Sungai Tinggi Dam, Sungai Semenyih Dam, Sungai Langat Dam, Klang Gates Dam, Sungai Batu Dam, ORS Sungai Labu Dam and Tasik Subang Dam.


title: Selangor

text: The traditional Malay cuisine in Selangor has influences from Johor, Bugis, Javanese and Minangkabau.


title: Selangor

text: "Rojak Klang" "and Lontong Klang" are famous cuisines in Klang and Shah Alam. Other famous dishes include "Mee Rebus", "Satay Kajang", "Nasi Ambeng", "Laksa Selangor", "Soto" "(Soto Nasi Himpit and Mee Soto)", "Sambal Tahun", "Bakso", "Ketam Darul Ehsan", "", "Ikan Masak Asam Pedas", "Ayam Masak Kicap" and "Sayur Masak Rebung".