title: Ulster Volunteer Force

text: The UVF's satellite organisation, the Red Hand Commando, was described by the IMC in 2004 as "heavily involved" in drug dealing.


title: Ulster Volunteer Force

text: The UVF has killed more people than any other loyalist paramilitary group. Malcolm Sutton's "Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland", part of the Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN), states that the UVF and RHC was responsible for at least 485 killings during the Troubles, and lists a further 256 loyalist killings that have not yet been attributed to a particular group. According to the book "Lost Lives" (2006 edition), it was responsible for 569 killings.


title: Kiran Rathod

text: Kiran Rathod (born 11 January 1981) is an Indian actress. She has acted in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films.


title: Kiran Rathod

text: Rathod was born on 11 January 1981 in Jaipur. She is a cousin of actress Raveena Tandon. Rathod graduated with a degree in Arts from Mithibai College in Mumbai. After college she got into modelling and worked in a few Hindi pop albums. In 2001, she acted in the film Yaadein.


title: Emily Swallow

text: Emily Swallow (born December 18, 1979) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Kim Fischer on "The Mentalist" and as Amara / The Darkness in the 11th season of "Supernatural". She also appears as The Armorer in the "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian" and had a minor role as Emily in the video game "The Last of Us Part II".


title: Emily Swallow

text: Swallow was born on December 18, 1979, in Washington, D.C. She grew up in Sterling, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida. While at Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville, she began acting in various college, amateur, and professional theatre productions. She graduated in 2001 with a BA in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Virginia, and then studied for an MFA in Acting from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.


title: Emily Swallow

text: Swallow started her career in Broadway theatre, where she performed in various productions, including "High Fidelity", "King Lear", "The Taming of the Shrew", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" at the Guthrie Theater, "Much Ado About Nothing" for Shakespeare in the Park, and the world-premiere of off-Broadway shows "Romantic Poetry" and "Measure for Pleasure".


title: Emily Swallow

text: In 2008, Swallow made her film debut in the military drama "The Lucky Ones". She starred in world premieres of Donald Margulies' play "The Country House" at Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse, opposite Mark Rylance in Louis Jenkins' play "Nice Fish" at the Guthrie Theatre, and in John Patrick Shanley's musical "Romantic Poetry" at Manhattan Theater Club. She won the Falstaff Award for best Female Performer in 2010 for her performance as Kate in "The Taming of the Shrew".


title: Emily Swallow

text: In 2012, Swallow and fellow singer/comedian Jac Huberman created a stage show called "Jac N Swallow", which they performed in New York at the Laurie Beeckman Theater and Joe's Pub. The show centers on the comic misadventures of the duo as they navigate very different life challenges with varying degrees of sanity and dignity. They are developing a series based on the characters. In 2013 she collaborated with Mark Rylance and poet Louis Jenkins on the world premiere of "Nice Fish" at the Guthrie Theater. In 2016 she was cast in the Center Theatre Group's production of Ayad Akhtar's "Disgraced".


title: Emily Swallow

text: Swallow's first television role was in "Guiding Light", and she later played parts in "Southland", "Ringer", "The Good Wife", "NCIS", "Flight of the Conchords", "Medium", as series regular Dr. Michelle Robidaux on TNT's medical drama "Monday Mornings" and "Rizzoli & Isles". She had a starring role in "The Mentalist" as FBI agent Kim Fischer. In 2015 she was cast in the eleventh season of "Supernatural" as the new character Amara, "the Darkness".


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has a strength of 234 members of whom are democratically elected using the First-past-the-post system. The presiding officer of the Assembly is the Speaker. The term of the Assembly is five years unless dissolved earlier.


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: Since Tamil Nadu has a unicameral legislature, the terms Tamil Nadu Legislature and Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly are almost synonymous and are often confused. However, they are not one and the same. The Tamil Nadu Legislature is the legislative body while the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is a part of it. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, along with the Governor of Tamil Nadu, constitutes the Tamil Nadu Legislature.


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: The present state of Tamil Nadu is a residuary part of the erstwhile Madras Presidency and was formerly known as Madras State. The first legislature of any sort for the Presidency was the Madras Legislative Council which was set up as a non-representative advisory body in 1861. In 1919, direct elections were introduced with the introduction of Diarchy under the Government of India Act 1919. Between 1920–1937, the Legislative Council was a unicameral legislature for the Madras Presidency. The Government of India Act 1935 abolished diarchy and created a bicameral legislature in the Madras Presidency. The Legislative Assembly became the Lower House of the Presidency.


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: After the Republic of India was established in 1950, the Madras Presidency became the Madras State and the bicameral setup continued. The Madras State's assembly strength was 375 and the first assembly was constituted in 1952. The current state was formed in 1956 after the reorganization of states and the strength of the assembly was reduced to 206. Its strength was increased to the present 234 in 1965. Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969 and subsequently, the assembly came to be called the "Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly". The Legislative Council was abolished in 1986, making the legislature a unicameral body and the assembly its sole chamber.


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: The present Sixteenth Legislative Assembly was constituted on May 2, 2021. It was constituted after the 2021 assembly election, which resulted in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led front winning and forming the government. The next election will take place in 2026.


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: The first Legislature of any kind to be established in Madras was the Madras Legislative Council in 1861. First established as a non-representative advisory body, it saw the introduction of elected members in 1892. The Indian Councils Act 1909 (popularly called as "Minto-Morley Reforms"), officially introduced indirect election of members to the Council. In 1919, direct elections were introduced with the introduction of Diarchy under the Government of India Act 1919. Between 1920–1937, the Legislative Council was a unicameral legislature for the Madras Presidency. The Government of India Act 1935 abolished diarchy and created a bicameral legislature in the Madras province. The Legislature consisted of the Governor and two Legislative bodies – a Legislative Assembly and a Legislative Council. The Assembly was the lower house and consisted of 215 members, who were further classified into general members and reserved members representing special communities and interests:


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: The first legislative assembly election for the Presidency was held in February 1937. The Indian National Congress obtained a majority by winning 159 of 215 seats. C. Rajagopalachari became the first elected chief minister of the Presidency under the provincial autonomy system guaranteed by the Government of India Act 1935. The first assembly was constituted in July 1937. Bulusu Sambamurti and A. Rukmani Lakshmipathi were elected as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: The first assembly lasted its term until February 1943, but the Congress cabinet resigned in October 1939, protesting India's participation in World War II. During 1939–46, Madras was under the direct rule of the Governor and no elections were held in 1943 when the assembly's term expired. Next elections were held only in 1946, when a political compromise was reached between the Congress and viceroy Lord Wavell. The second assembly of the presidency was constituted in April 1946 and J. Shivashanmugam Pillai was elected as the speaker. The Congress won an absolute majority in the elections and again formed the Government. On 15 August 1947, India became independent and the new Indian Constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950. Madras Presidency became Madras State and the existing assembly and the Government were retained till new elections could be held in 1951.


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: In the Republic of India, the Madras State Legislative Assembly continued to be the lower house in a bicameral legislature. The first election to the assembly on the basis of universal adult suffrage was held in January 1952. According to the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies (Madras) Order, 1951, made by the President under sections 6 and 9 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the assembly's strength was 375 members elected from 309 constituencies. Out of the 309 constituencies in the undivided Madras State, 66 were two member constituencies, 62 of which had one seat reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates and 4 for Scheduled Tribe candidates. The two member constituencies were established in accordance to Article 332 of the Indian Constitution. The voting method and the plurality electoral formula were defined in The Representation of People Act, 1950. These constituencies were larger in size and had greater number of voters (more than 1,00,000) when compared to general constituencies. Multiple members were elected only in the 1952 and 1957 elections as double member representation was abolished in 1961 by the enactment of Two-Member Constituencies Abolition Act (1961). Of the 375 seats, 143 were from what later became Andhra state, 29 were from Malabar, 11 from South Canara (part of present-day Karnataka) and the remaining 190 belonged to Tamil Nadu.


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: On 1 October 1953, a separate Andhra State consisting of the Telugu-speaking areas of the composite Madras State was formed and the Kannada-speaking area of Bellary District was merged with the then Mysore State. This reduced the strength of the Legislative Assembly to 231. On 1 November 1956, the States Reorganisation Act took effect and consequently the constituencies in the erstwhile Malabar District were merged with the Kerala State. This further reduced the strength to 190. The Tamil-speaking area of Kerala (present day Kanyakumari district) and Sengottai taluk were added to Madras State. According to the new Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order 1956, made by the Delimitation Commission of India under the provisions of the State Reorganisation Act of 1956, the strength of the assembly was increased to 205.


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: The 1957 elections were conducted for these 205 seats. In 1959, as result of The Andhra Pradesh and Madras (Alteration of Boundaries) Act 1959, one member from the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly was allotted to Madras increasing its Legislative Assembly strength to 206. The 1962 elections were conducted for these 206 seats. In 1965, the elected strength of the assembly was increased to 234 by the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 1965. In addition to the 234, the assembly also has one nominated member representing the Anglo-Indian community. From 1965, the number of members has remained constant. In 1969, Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu and subsequently the assembly came to be known as the "Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly". The Legislative Council was abolished with effect from 1 November 1986 through an Act of Parliament titled as The Tamil Nadu Legislative Council (Abolition) Act, 1986. With the abolition of the council, the legislature became a unicameral body and remained so for the next 24 years. Of the fourteen assemblies that have been constituted so far, four (the sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth) have been dismissed by the Central Government using Article 356 of the Indian Constitution.


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: This State Assembly is unique because, since 1991, the actual leader of the Official Opposition party, if he/she is an official member of the house will not attend the house proceedings.


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: The Legislative Assembly is seated at the Fort St. George, Chennai. Fort St. George has historically been the seat of the Government of Tamil Nadu since colonial times. During 1921–37, the precursor to the assembly – Madras Legislative Council, met at the council chambers within the fort. Between 14 July 1937 – 21 December 1938, the assembly met at the Senate House of the University of Madras and between 27 January 1938 – 26 October 1939 in the Banqueting Hall (later renamed as Rajaji Hall) in the Government Estate complex at Mount Road. During 1946–52, it moved back to the Fort St. George. In 1952, the strength of the assembly rose to 375, after the constitution of the first assembly, and it was briefly moved into temporary premises at the government estate complex. This move was made in March 1952, as the existing assembly building only had a seating capacity of 260. Then on 3 May 1952, it moved into the newly constructed assembly building in the same complex. The assembly functioned from the new building (later renamed as "Kalaivanar Arangam") during 1952–56. However, with the reorganisation of states and formation of Andhra, the strength came down to 190 and the assembly moved back to Fort St. George in 1956. From December 1956 till January 2010, the Fort remained the home to the assembly.


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: In 2004, during the 12th assembly, the AIADMK Government under J. Jayalalithaa made unsuccessful attempts to shift the assembly, first to the location of Queen Mary's College and later to the Anna University campus, Guindy. Both attempts were withdrawn after public opposition. During the 13th Assembly, the DMK government led by M. Karunanidhi proposed a new plan to shift the assembly and the government secretariat to a new building in the Omandurar Government Estate. In 2007, the German architectural firm GMP International won the design competition to design and construct the new assembly complex. Construction began in 2008 and was completed in 2010. The new assembly building was opened and the assembly started functioning in it from March 2010. After AIADMK's victory in the 2011 elections, the assembly shifted back to Fort St. George.


title: Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

text: The bust of P. Rajagopalachari and L. D. Swamikannu Pillai, former presidents of Madras Legislative Council adorns the assembly lobby.


title: Ozzy Osbourne discography

text: The discography of Ozzy Osbourne, an English heavy metal vocalist, consists of 13 studio albums, five live albums, seven compilation albums, five extended plays (EPs), 65 singles, nine video albums and 41 music videos. After being fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, Osbourne started his solo career with a band consisting of guitarist Randy Rhoads, bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake. The group released their debut album "Blizzard of Ozz" in 1980, which reached number 7 on the UK Albums Chart, number 8 on the Canadian Albums Chart, and number 21 on the US "Billboard" 200. Singles "Crazy Train" and "Mr Crowley" reached the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart, and the album has been certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). 1981's "Diary of a Madman" reached the top 20 in the UK, Canada and the US, and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA. The album was the last to feature Daisley and Kerslake, both of whom were fired before its release and replaced by Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge, respectively, as well as the last to feature Rhoads, who died in a plane crash on 19 March 1982.


title: Ozzy Osbourne discography

text: Osbourne's first live album "Speak of the Devil", featuring touring guitarist Brad Gillis, reached number 21 in the UK and number 14 in the US. Jake E. Lee joined in 1983, with "Bark at the Moon" released later in the year. The album reached number 24 in the UK and number 19 in the US, spawning UK top 40 singles "Bark at the Moon" and "So Tired". "The Ultimate Sin" followed in 1986, reaching the top ten in the UK and the US. Lead single "Shot in the Dark" reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart and number 68 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The 1987 live album "Tribute" charted in the top 20 in the UK and the top ten in the US. After Lee was replaced by Zakk Wylde, "No Rest for the Wicked" was released in 1988 and reached number 23 in the UK and number 13 in the US. The following year, Osbourne reached the top ten of the Hot 100 with Lita Ford on "Close My Eyes Forever", peaking at number 8. 1991's "No More Tears" reached the UK top 20, the US top ten, and was certified four times platinum by the RIAA. Singles "No More Tears" and "Mama, I'm Coming Home" both reached the UK top 50 and charted on the "Billboard" Hot 100. In 1992, Osbourne reached the UK Singles Chart top ten for the first time with Was (Not Was) and Kim Basinger on "Shake Your Head", which peaked at number 4.


title: Ozzy Osbourne discography

text: After briefly retiring, Osbourne returned with "Ozzmosis" in 1995, which was his first album to reach the top five of the "Billboard" 200 when it peaked at number 4. Lead single "Perry Mason" reached number 23 on the UK Singles Chart. 1997 compilation "The Ozzman Cometh" reached the US top 20 and was certified double platinum. In 2001 he released "Down to Earth", which reached number 19 in the UK and number 4 in the US. The album spawned the successful single "Dreamer", which was certified gold in Austria and Germany. In 2003, Osbourne collaborated with daughter Kelly on a recording of Black Sabbath's "Changes", which was both artists' first (and to date, only) number-one single in the UK. "The Essential Ozzy Osbourne" was released the same year, reaching number 21 in the UK. In 2005, Osbourne released an album of cover versions entitled "Under Cover", which charted in the UK at number 67. 2007's "Black Rain" reached number 8 in the UK and number 3 in the US, while 2010's "Scream" reached number 12 in the UK and number 4 in the US. The compilation "Memoirs Of A Madman" charted in the UK at number 23 in 2014.


title: Ozzy Osbourne discography

text: As of 2014, Osbourne has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, including those during his time in Black Sabbath.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: The last universal common ancestor (LUCA) is the most recent population from which all organisms now living on Earth share common descent—the most recent common ancestor of all current life on Earth. This includes all cellular organisms; the origins of viruses are unclear but they share the same genetic code. LUCA probably harboured a variety of viruses. The LUCA is not the first life on Earth, but rather the latest form ancestral to all existing life.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: While there is no specific fossil evidence of the LUCA, the detailed biochemical similarity of all current life confirms its existence. Its characteristics can be inferred from shared features of modern genomes. These genes describe a complex life form with many co-adapted features, including transcription and translation mechanisms to convert information from DNA to RNA to proteins. The LUCA probably lived in the high-temperature water of deep sea vents near ocean-floor magma flows around 4 billion years ago.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: A phylogenetic tree directly portrays the idea of evolution by descent from a single ancestor. An early tree of life was sketched by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in his "Philosophie zoologique" in 1809. Charles Darwin more famously proposed the theory of universal common descent through an evolutionary process in his book "On the Origin of Species" in 1859: "Therefore I should infer from analogy that probably all the organic beings which have ever lived on this earth have descended from some one primordial form, into which life was first breathed." The last sentence of the book begins with a restatement of the hypothesis: "There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one..."


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: The term "last universal common ancestor" or "LUCA" was first used in the 1990s for such a primordial organism.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: In 2016, Madeline C. Weiss and colleagues genetically analyzed 6.1 million protein-coding genes and 286,514 protein clusters from sequenced prokaryotic genomes representing many phylogenetic trees, and identified 355 protein clusters that were probably common to the LUCA. The results "depict LUCA as anaerobic, CO-fixing, H-dependent with a Wood–Ljungdahl pathway (the reductive acetyl-coenzyme A pathway), N-fixing and thermophilic. LUCA's biochemistry was replete with FeS clusters and radical reaction mechanisms." The cofactors also reveal "dependence upon transition metals, flavins, S-adenosyl methionine, coenzyme A, ferredoxin, molybdopterin, corrins and selenium. Its genetic code required nucleoside modifications and S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methylations." The results are rather specific: they show that methanogenic clostridia was basal, near the root of the phylogenetic tree, in the 355 protein lineages examined, and that the LUCA may therefore have inhabited an anaerobic hydrothermal vent setting in a geochemically active environment rich in H, CO, and iron,


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: While the gross anatomy of the LUCA can only be reconstructed with much uncertainty, its biochemical mechanisms can be described in some detail, based on the "universal" properties currently shared by all independently living organisms on Earth.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: The LUCA certainly had genes and a genetic code. Its genetic material was most likely DNA, so that it lived after the RNA world. The DNA was kept double-stranded by an enzyme, DNA polymerase, which recognises the structure and directionality of DNA. The integrity of the DNA was maintained by a group of repair enzymes including DNA topoisomerase. If the genetic code was based on dual-stranded DNA, it was expressed by copying the information to single-stranded RNA. The RNA was produced by a DNA-dependent RNA polymerase using nucleotides similar to those of DNA. It had multiple DNA-binding proteins, such as histone-fold proteins. The genetic code was expressed into proteins. These were assembled from 20 free amino acids by translation of a messenger RNA via a mechanism of ribosomes, transfer RNAs, and a group of related proteins.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: As for the cell's gross structure, it contained a water-based cytoplasm effectively enclosed by a lipid bilayer membrane; it was capable of reproducing by cell division. It tended to exclude sodium and concentrate potassium by means of specific ion transporters (or ion pumps). The cell multiplied by duplicating all its contents followed by cellular division. The cell used chemiosmosis to produce energy. It also reduced CO and oxidized H (methanogenesis or acetogenesis) via acetyl-thioesters.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: By phylogenetic bracketing, analysis of the presumed LUCA's offspring groups, LUCA appears to have been a small, single-celled organism. It likely had a ring-shaped coil of DNA floating freely within the cell. Morphologically, it would likely not have stood out within a mixed population of small modern-day bacteria. The originator of the three-domain system, Carl Woese, stated that in its genetic machinery, the LUCA would have been a "simpler, more rudimentary entity than the individual ancestors that spawned the three [domains] (and their descendants)".


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: An alternative to the search for "universal" traits is to use genome analysis to identify phylogenetically ancient genes. This gives a picture of a LUCA that could live in a geochemically harsh environment and is like modern prokaryotes. Analysis of biochemical pathways implies the same sort of chemistry as does phylogenetic analysis. Weiss and colleagues write that "Experiments ... demonstrate that ... acetyl-CoA pathway [chemicals used in anaerobic respiration] formate, methanol, acetyl moieties, and even pyruvate arise spontaneously ... from CO, native metals, and water", a combination present in hydrothermal vents.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: Some other researchers have challenged Weiss et al.'s 2016 conclusions. Sarah Berkemer and Shawn McGlynn argue that Weiss et al. undersampled the families of proteins, so that the phylogenetic trees were not complete and failed to describe the evolution of proteins correctly. A phylogenomic and geochemical analysis of a set of proteins that probably traced to the LUCA show that it had K-dependent GTPases and the ionic composition and concentration of its intracellular fluid was seemingly high K/Na ratio, , Fe, CO, Ni, Mg, Mn, Zn, pyrophosphate, and which would imply a terrestrial hot spring habitat. It possibly had a phosphate-based metabolism. Further, these proteins were unrelated to autotrophy (the ability of an organism to create its own organic matter), suggesting that the LUCA had a heterotrophic lifestyle (consuming organic matter) and that its growth was dependent on organic matter produced by the physical environment. Nick Lane argues that Na/H antiporters could readily explain the low concentration of Na in the LUCA and its descendants.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: The identification of thermophilic genes in the LUCA has also been criticized, as they may instead represent genes that evolved later in archaea or bacteria, then migrated between these via horizontal gene transfers, as in Woese's 1998 hypothesis. Further, the presence of the energy-handling enzymes CODH/acetyl-coenzyme A synthase in LUCA could be compatible not only with being an autotroph but also with life as a mixotroph or heterotroph. Weiss et al. 2018 reply that no enzyme defines a trophic lifestyle, and that heterotrophs evolved from autotrophs.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: Studies from 2000 to 2018 have suggested an increasingly ancient time for the LUCA. In 2000, estimates of the LUCA's age ranged from 3.5 to 3.8 billion years ago in the Paleoarchean, a few hundred million years before the earliest fossil evidence of life, for which candidates range in age from 3.48 to 4.28 billion years ago. This placed the LUCA shortly after the Late Heavy Asteroid Bombardment which was thought to have repeatedly sterilized Earth's surface.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: However, a 2018 study from the University of Bristol, applying a molecular clock model, found that the data (102 species, 29 common protein-coding genes, mostly ribosomal) is compatible only with LUCA as early as within 0.05 billion years of the maximum possible age given by the Earth-sterilizing Moon-forming event about 4.5 billion years ago.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: The most commonly accepted tree of life, based on several molecular studies, has its root between a monophyletic domain Bacteria and a clade formed by Archaea and Eukaryota. A small minority of studies place the root in the domain bacteria, in the phylum Bacillota, or state that the phylum Chloroflexota (formerly Chloroflexi) is basal to a clade with Archaea and Eukaryotes and the rest of bacteria (as proposed by Thomas Cavalier-Smith). Recent genomic analyses recover a two-domain system with the domains Archaea and Bacteria; in this view of the tree of life, Eukaryotes are derived from Archaea.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: With the later gene pool of the LUCA's descendants, sharing a common framework of the AT/GC rule and the standard twenty amino acids, horizontal gene transfer would have become feasible and could have been common. In 1998, Carl Woese proposed that no individual organism could be considered a LUCA, and that the genetic heritage of all modern organisms derived through horizontal gene transfer among an ancient community of organisms. Other authors concur that there was a "complex collective genome" at the time of the LUCA, and that horizontal gene transfer was important in the evolution of later groups; Nicolas Glansdorff states that "Of course, LUCA was not living alone at that time (as the African Eve herself) but among many other organisms that have no descendants today." In 2010, based on "the vast array of molecular sequences now available from all domains of life," a "formal test" of universal common ancestry was published. The formal test favored the existence of a universal common ancestor over a wide class of alternative hypotheses that included horizontal gene transfer. Basic biochemical principles make it overwhelmingly likely that all organisms do have a single common ancestor. While the test overwhelmingly favored the existence of a single LUCA, this does not imply that the LUCA was ever alone: Instead, it was the only cell whose descendants survived beyond the Paleoarchean, outcompeting all others.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: Based on how viruses are currently distributed across the bacteria and archaea, the LUCA may well have been prey to multiple viruses, ancestral to those that now have those two domains as their hosts. further, extensive virus evolution seems to have preceded the LUCA, since the jelly-roll structure of capsid proteins is shared by RNA and DNA viruses across all three domains of life. LUCA's viruses were probably mainly dsDNA viruses in the groups called "Duplodnaviria" and "Varidnaviria". Two other single-stranded DNA virus groups within the "Monodnaviria", the "Microviridae" and the "Tubulavirales", likely infected the last bacterial common ancestor. The last archaeal common ancestor was probably host to spindle-shaped viruses. All of these could well have affected the LUCA, in which case each must since have been lost in the host domain where it is no longer extant.


title: Last universal common ancestor

text: By contrast, RNA viruses do not appear to have been important parasites of LUCA, even though straightforward thinking might have envisaged viruses as beginning with RNA viruses directly derived from an RNA world. Instead, by the time the LUCA lived, RNA viruses had probably already been out-competed by DNA viruses.


title: Thoroughbreds (2017 film)

text: Thoroughbreds is a 2017 American black comedy thriller film, written and directed by Cory Finley in his directorial debut. It follows high school student Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her emotionless friend Amanda (Olivia Cooke) as they scheme to kill Lily's stepfather (Paul Sparks) via a contract with a drug dealer (Anton Yelchin); Francie Swift also stars, as Lily's mother.


title: Thoroughbreds (2017 film)

text: "Thoroughbreds" was filmed in mid-2016. Two weeks after production wrapped, Yelchin died in an accident. The film premiered as Thoroughbred at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2017. Over a year later, on March 9, 2018, it received a wide release by Focus Features. It is the last U.S. film to star Yelchin, and is dedicated to him.


title: Thoroughbreds (2017 film)

text: The film grossed $3 million against a "mid-seven-figure budget" and received positive reviews from critics, who praised the ambitious direction, screenplay, and performances, particularly from Cooke and Taylor-Joy.


title: Thoroughbreds (2017 film)

text: In suburban Connecticut, upper-class high schooler Amanda euthanizes her crippled horse with a knife, resulting in charges of animal cruelty.


title: Thoroughbreds (2017 film)

text: Sometime later, Amanda arrives at the home of the more popular and academically inclined Lily. The girls were previously best friends but grew apart after the death of Lily's father. They meet under the pretense of hanging out and having a casual tutoring session, but Amanda knows that her mother has paid Lily to socialize with Amanda. Lily denies being paid, but Amanda, who does not experience emotions due to an unspecified mental disorder, is unfazed. Lily meets with Amanda again, this time voluntarily, and they rekindle their friendship.


title: Thoroughbreds (2017 film)

text: Lily lives with her mother Cynthia and stepfather Mark, whom she hates. One night, Amanda asks if Lily has ever thought about killing Mark, upsetting Lily. However, tensions flare between Lily and Mark when Mark enrolls Lily in a boarding school for girls with behavioral issues. After seeing him berate Cynthia, Lily reconsiders and calls Amanda about the notion of killing him. She proposes that Amanda perform the murder as Amanda would not experience guilt. However, Amanda believes that her pending animal-cruelty trial would make her an immediate suspect. They decide instead to blackmail drug dealer Tim (who had previously been in jail for statutory rape) into murdering Mark while the two girls are out of town. On the night of the planned murder, Tim arrives at the property but leaves without killing Mark. The girls agree not to contact Tim again, as his own criminal history will prevent him from alerting the police. Lily impulsively prepares to kill Mark herself but is talked out of it by Amanda.


title: Thoroughbreds (2017 film)

text: One night, Lily and Amanda are watching a film at Lily's home when Lily reveals she spiked Amanda's drink with Rohypnol so she could stab Mark to death and frame Amanda. Lily attempts to back out of the plan, but Amanda, realizing a life spent without emotions is "meaningless," willingly finishes her drink. While Amanda falls unconscious, Lily murders Mark and smears Amanda with his blood, crying and holding her for comfort.


title: Thoroughbreds (2017 film)

text: Sometime later, Lily encounters Tim, who now works as a restaurant valet. Following Mark's death, Lily has once again found academic success and is interviewing for college admission. They talk about the murder (though Lily lies about what really happened), and Lily mentions having received a letter from Amanda, who has been committed to a psychiatric hospital for the crime. The letter is shown to detail Amanda's life at the hospital, including a recurring dream about a future in which humans let the world fall into disarray due to their vanity, leading to it being overrun by thoroughbred horses. When Tim asks what the letter said, Lily says she threw it away without reading it. In the last scene, Amanda is seen smiling at a photo of her and Lily together, riding horses.


title: Thoroughbreds (2017 film)

text: The script, which Finley had expected to be produced as a stage play, was instead acquired for production as a film by companies B Story (Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, and Kevin J. Walsh) and June Pictures.


title: Thoroughbreds (2017 film)

text: In April 2016, Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy and Anton Yelchin were announced to have joined the cast. Finley would direct the film.


title: Thoroughbreds (2017 film)

text: Principal photography began on May 9, 2016, in the Massachusetts towns of Cohasset, Tewksbury, Scituate, Westwood, and Wellesley, concluding on June 5, 2016, 14 days before Yelchin died. Finley said of his experience with Yelchin: "The whole experience was really amazing. As soon as he came on board, we had a great dinner, where we talked about film noir as a genre. He was very keyed into that aspect of this movie, he loved film noir. I felt really, like I knew nothing about movies, talking to him. He was also the sweetest guy, he would never make you feel less-than for not knowing these things. He was just delightful and funny from the beginning, he was awesome throughout and brought a jolt of energy."


title: Thoroughbreds (2017 film)

text: The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2017, under the name "Thoroughbred". Shortly after, Focus Features acquired distribution rights to the film, retitling it "Thoroughbreds" later in the year. It was released in the United States on March 9, 2018.


title: Thoroughbreds (2017 film)

text: On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 87% based on 167 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, ""Thoroughbreds" juggles genres with panache, delivering a well-written and refreshingly unpredictable entry in the teen thriller genre." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a 1969 children’s picture book, designed, illustrated, and written by Eric Carle. The book features a hungry caterpillar that eats a variety of foods before pupating and emerging as a butterfly. It has won many children’s literature awards and major graphic design awards. Furthermore, it has sold upwards of 50 million copies worldwide, selling roughly a copy per thirty seconds since its publication. The book has been lauded as “one of the greatest childhood classics of all time.” Its ‘eaten’ holes and collage artwork were innovative for its time. The book includes counting, days of the week, food, and a butterfly’s life cycle, which contribute to juvenile education. Carle’s original work has been the basis for various tie-in products.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: On an early Sunday morning, “a tiny and very hungry caterpillar” hatches from his egg. Then, he searches for something to eat. For the following five days, Monday through Friday, the very hungry caterpillar eats through an increasing quantity of delicious fruit: one apple on Monday, two pears on Tuesday, three plums on Wednesday, four strawberries on Thursday, and five oranges on Friday. Each day, however, the caterpillar is still hungry. On Saturday, he feasts, eating a piece of chocolate cake, a strawberry ice cream cone, a pickle, a slice of Swiss cheese, a slice of salami, a lollipop, a piece of cherry pie, a sausage, a cupcake and a slice of watermelon. That night, he gets a stomach ache from the unhealthy overeating.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: To recover from Saturday’s stomach ache, the very hungry caterpillar eats one green leaf on Sunday (a week has passed), and then feels much better. He is no longer little and hungry; he is now a big and fat caterpillar. He builds a cocoon around himself. He stays inside of it for two weeks, after which he nibbles a hole and pushes his way out. Finally, he develops into a large, beautiful, multi-colored butterfly. As a butterfly, the cycle begins again. Carle’s story mimics a caterpillar’s actual life cycle: eating, growing, spinning, and finally metamorphosing into a butterfly.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: Carle was inspired by a hole punch; one day he was hole punching a stack of paper, thought of a bookworm, and created the story "A Week with Willi the Worm". "A Week with Willi the Worm" featured a bookworm named Willi. Ann Beneduce, Carle's editor, advised that a green worm would not make a likable protagonist. Beneduce suggested a caterpillar to which Carle responded “butterfly”; hence, the idea for the book was cemented.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: The differently shaped pages with holes representing the caterpillar's trail through foodstuffs were a challenge, but Carle was familiar with "differently shaped pages" from books that he read as a child in Germany.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: The book was originally published by the World Publishing Company (US) in 1969. It was originally printed in Japan due to high US publishing costs. After the World Publishing Company, Penguin Random House became the book’s publisher. In 2019, Penguin bought the title from Carle.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: The book has been translated more than 60 languages, including Arabic, Dutch, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Russian, and Hebrew.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: The book has won numerous awards including the American Institute of Graphic Arts Award in 1970, the Best Children’s Books of England 1970, the Selection du Grand Prix des Treize in France in 1972, and the Nakamori Reader's Prize in Japan in 1975. "The New York Times" also cited it as one of the “Ten Best Picture Books of the Year” in 1969.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: Furthermore, the book placed at number 199 in the Big Read, a 2003 poll conducted by the BBC to determine the United Kingdom's best loved books. It was one of a few picture books to place on the list. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". Five years later, "School Library Journal s"urvey of readers named "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" as the second-best children’s book.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: More recently in 2020, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" was number ten on the list of "Top Check Outs of All Time" by the New York Public Library. It also won the best children’s classic accolade at the Sainsbury Children’s Book Awards in 2019. Carle said that this award was a “perfect way” to celebrate the book’s 50th anniversary.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" introduces Lepidoptera life stage concepts depicting metamorphosis from a ‘hungry caterpillar’ to a ‘beautiful butterfly;’ the Royal Entomological Society endorsed the book due to the scientific accuracy of this transformation.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: The book was removed from libraries in Herefordshire, England in an effort to promote healthy eating.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: In 2021, researchers from Edith Cowan University in Western Australia criticised a number of books, including "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", for not being culturally diverse, and finding that teachers were over-relying on classic titles which reflected dominant culture and outdated viewpoints and lifestyles. In an article for the "Australian Journal of Teacher Education", the researchers expressed concern about classic books which only contained animal characters, finding that animal stories decrease the likelihood of children from minority backgrounds seeing characters representative of themselves. They recommended classic titles be placed alongside more contemporary texts which better represent a more modern culturally-diverse society. The findings were criticised by media commentators such as Kel Richards and Erin Molan.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: This book includes educational themes including counting, the days of the week, foods, and a butterfly’s life stages. However, the book does not appear as didactic; rather, it presents information discreetly without children realizing it. It has been used by elementary school teachers, librarians, and parents as a teaching aid, with activities developed which use the book. Furthermore, the pictures allow for understanding without reading.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: In the story, the caterpillar builds a cocoon, and a butterfly emerges. In reality, a caterpillar that makes a cocoon emerges as a moth, while a butterfly will emerge from a chrysalis.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: The book contains “familiar sequences” or patterns when referencing days of the week and numbers. These patterns help young readers read naturally and reflect their own personal knowledge about the world. Furthermore, these patterns encourage word recognition strategies while reading, rather than beforehand. Therefore, predictability helps establish understanding within context.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: The book’s predictability also allows for oral cloze exercises, exercises where an adult reader can omit a day of the week or number and the child can insert it. These exercises help children gain confidence in predicting language and enforcing pre-existing knowledge.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: New elementary common core standards emphasize more informational texts in primary education; books like "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" mend the divide between informational texts and elementary engagement. The book is captivating for young learners, while also providing lessons on counting, days of the week, and metamorphosis.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s" format allows for expansion into a classroom activity. Children can engage in creative practice and storytelling by inserting their own foods and drawings into each day of the week. Using the book’s format children can incorporate their own interests; thus, they are telling their own stories. Sharing their renditions with peers, students again engage with storytelling.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" has met Beowulf in secondary classrooms in an effort to prompt academic and sophisticated discussion of picture books. Main reasons for integration include the universal themes of picture books and providing visual aids for comprehension. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" has themes that extend past young children and its integration with Beowulf helps engage secondary aged students.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: This book has been instrumental in fighting childhood obesity. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, philanthropic groups, and anti-obesity campaigns utilize this book to teach children about healthy eating. In 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics sent out special copies of the book, with associated learning tools, to health providers, for a campaign to healthy eating in the U.S. Carle supports the usage of his book to promote healthy eating.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: This book was used by former first lady Barbara Bush as part of her campaign to promote literacy. In 1999, the pizza restaurant Pizza Hut asked 50 U.S. governors to name their favorite books from childhood. The then-governor of Texas, George W. Bush, named "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", despite having been of college age at the time of its publication.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: In 2009, Google celebrated the book's 40th anniversary by rendering the logo on its main search page in the style used in the book.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" was adapted for UK television on September 1, 1993. Then on October 17, 1994, it was released as a VHS video distributed by PolyGram Video. After which, it was re-released on June 16, 1997, distributed by Channel 5 Video, a sub-label of PolyGram. On March 18, 2002, it was re-released by Universal Pictures as part of an anthology called The World of Eric Carle that included "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" along with four other Eric Carle stories.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: This anthology utilized a classical music–influenced soundtrack by Wallace & Gromit composer Julian Nott. Narration on the UK releases were performed by Roger McGough and Juliet Stevenson; this version was briefly released in the US by Scholastic. Then on August 5, 1995 Disney released a US dub version with narration by Brian Cummings and Linda Gary. After Disney’s adaptation, the film and TV rights were sold for £1 million.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" was released on DVD on April 24, 2006, as a part of an anthology called The World of Eric Carle; it was presented by the Illuminated Film Company and broadcast by Ventura Distribution.


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: The anthology, including "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and four other stories, was also released on DVD in the US by Disney. The DVD was also adapted into a 10-track CD, titled "The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories."


title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

text: There have been multiple unique book editions, with personalized features. Games, pop-up books, a book/card game combination via University Games, and an educational video game- "The Very Hungry Caterpillar's ABCs" – released by CYBIRD Co. Ltd. for WiiWare in 2010.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: The occurred at Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building in the Fushimi ward of Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, on the morning of 18 July 2019. The arson killed people, injured an additional 34 (including the suspect), and destroyed most of the materials and computers in Studio 1. It is one of the deadliest massacres in Japan since the end of World War II, the deadliest building fire in Japan since the 2001 Myojo 56 building fire, and the first massacre ever to have occurred at a studio associated with an entertainment company, and the animation industry.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: The suspect, who did not work for the studio, entered the front door carrying about of gasoline and doused the area and several employees before igniting it. After setting himself on fire while lighting the fuel, the suspect attempted to flee, but was apprehended by police about from the building. Witnesses stated they heard him accusing the studio of plagiarism. After awaiting his recovery from life-threatening burns for more than ten months, the police arrested 42-year-old Shinji Aoba on suspicion of murder and other offenses on 27 May 2020, and he was formally indicted on 16 December 2020.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: In addition to condolences and messages of support from national and international leaders, fans and businesses raised over in Japan and over US$2.3 million internationally to help the studio and its employees recover. As a result of the incident, some works and collaborations by the studio were delayed, and several events were suspended or cancelled.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: Kyoto Animation is one of Japan's most acclaimed anime studios, known for titles such as "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", "K-On!" and "Clannad". It has several different locations in Kyoto: Studio 1 (in Fushimi ward); Studio 2 (the head office), and Studio 5. Their merchandise development division is in Uji, one train station away from Studio 1. The building was used mainly by the animation production staff, and was constructed in 2007.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: In the year leading up to the attack, Kyoto Animation had received over 200 death threats. Company president Hideaki Hatta said they did not know if the threats were related to the incident, as they were sent anonymously, but he had informed police and lawyers of them. After the National Police Agency were informed of these threats in October 2018, they temporarily patrolled the head office at the time.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: The fire began with an explosion at around 10:31 a.m. (01:31 UTC) when the perpetrator walked into Studio 1 and set the building on fire with of gasoline. The perpetrator bought the gasoline away from the building, and it was believed that he walked to the building with the gasoline being carried on a platform trolley. The police believed that the gasoline dispersed on site mixed with the air, causing the explosion at the start. The perpetrator is reported to have been shouting as he carried out the attack. He also poured gasoline over some individuals before setting them alight—setting himself on fire in the process—causing them to run out into the street in flames.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: As the fire grew by the entrance, staff members were trapped inside the building. Twenty bodies were found on the stairs from the third floor to the roof, evidently indicating that the victims were attempting to escape. Tomoaki Nishino, associate professor at Disaster Prevention Research Institute of Kyoto University, estimated that the second and third floors were almost filled with smoke within 30 seconds of the explosion. The perpetrator fled the scene but was chased by two Kyoto Animation employees and soon collapsed on the street, where he was apprehended by police. Multiple unused knives were found lying by the scene.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: The fire was under control at 3:19 p.m. (06:19 UTC), and extinguished at 6:20 a.m. on the next day (21:20 UTC). Once the rescue efforts had ended, it was confirmed that all people in the studio had been accounted for. The building did not have fire sprinklers or indoor fire hydrants due to its classification as a small office building, but had no deficiencies in fire safety compliance during its last inspection on 17 October 2018. Initial reports claimed the studio's entrance required employee pass-cards, but the door was left unlocked as the studio was expecting visitors. However, this was inaccurate: there was no security system in place and the door was always left unlocked during business hours.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: The arson attack destroyed most of Kyoto Animation's materials and computers in Studio 1, though a small portion of keyframes were on exhibition in Tokushima and hence spared destruction. On 29 July, Kyoto Animation reported that it successfully recovered some digitized original drawings from a server that survived the fire.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: The attack is reported to be one of the deadliest massacres in Japan's history since the end of World War II and the deadliest building fire in the country since the Myojo 56 building fire in 2001. It was considered "suicidal terrorism" by one criminology professor at Rissho University, as the attack was reportedly intended to be a suicide mission by the suspect.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: Seventy people were inside Studio 1 at the time of the fire. Initially it was reported that 34 people had been killed before two more later died at a hospital. Some victims were difficult to identify, according to the Kyoto police, because they had been burned beyond recognition. Autopsy results released on 22 July 2019 revealed that a majority of victims had succumbed to burns (rather than carbon monoxide poisoning) due to the quick-spreading fire. DNA testing was done to aid in identifications, which lasted up to a week after the attack. It was reported that two-thirds of the victims (at least 20) were women, as the studio was known for hiring female animators. The president of Kyoto Animation asked the media through the police not to release the names of the victims out of respect for their families, stating that "releasing their names does nothing to serve the public good." On 25 July, Kyoto police said they had identified all 34 victims and had started to return the bodies of the victims to their relatives.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: Meanwhile, discussions were ongoing with Kyoto Animation on if, when, and how to reveal the identities of the deceased. Some of the families released their own findings early to the media regarding the status of their loved ones. The family of color designer Naomi Ishida confirmed her death on 24 July. Animator, scriptwriter, and director Yasuhiro Takemoto was confirmed dead by his family through DNA testing on 26 July. The first post-fire death occurred on 27 July which brought the number of deceased to 35. On 2 August, Kyoto police released the names of ten victims (including the people already mentioned) whose funerals had finished and relatives' consents obtained, and it was confirmed on the same day that animation directors Yoshiji Kigami and Futoshi Nishiya were among the dead. The remaining 25 victims were officially revealed on 27 August as the social impact of the case became a factor. On 4 October 2019, it was announced that one woman died from septic shock, bringing the death toll to 36.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: It was initially reported that 36 people were injured, but this figure dropped to 34 after two people later died at the hospital. By 18 September it was reported that all 34 people injured in the attack were no longer in life-threatening condition. Some still remained in the intensive care unit (ICU) with severe burns. According to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of the injured victims was a South Korean woman. Those who were reported safe include animation director Naoko Yamada, who directed "K-On!", "A Silent Voice" and "Liz and the Blue Bird".


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: , a 41-year-old man, was identified as the suspect by police and a warrant was quickly issued for his arrest.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: According to locals, a man resembling Aoba was spotted near Studio 1 days before the incident. He was also reported to have visited several places of interest related to "Sound! Euphonium" around the city in days prior to the attack. Immediately following the attack, Aoba fled the scene after being chased by employees of the studio but was apprehended by the Kyoto Prefectural Police near Rokujizō Station of Keihan Electric Railway, about from the studio; Aoba was then taken to a hospital with severe burns to the legs, chest, and face.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: During his transport to the hospital, Aoba admitted to having started the fire, possibly for revenge, accusing the studio of his novels. In spite of this, Hatta had initially stated that there is no record of anyone submitting work to their annual writing contest under Aoba's name. Subsequently, Kyoto Animation revealed that they had received a draft novel from Aoba; however, it did not pass the first-stage assessment and was forgotten, and its contents were confirmed to have no similarities to any of their published works. It was later revealed that Aoba believed that a scene about buying discounted meat in the fifth episode of "Tsurune" was similar to one in the novel he submitted.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: Due to serious burns sustained during the incident, Aoba was transferred to a university hospital in Osaka for further treatment, where he received necessary skin graft surgery. On 5 September 2019, it was reported that his injuries were no longer considered life-threatening, but he was still being treated in an ICU and required respiratory assistance from a ventilator. Aoba regained speech on 18 September and began rehabilitation by 8 October, being able to sit up on a wheelchair and hold short conversations. The police obtained a warrant for his arrest, but were required to await confirmation from doctors that Aoba could withstand confinement.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: On 14 November 2019, he was moved to another hospital in Kyoto for final rehabilitation. He recovered from most of his injuries and acknowledged responsibility for the attack. He expressed feelings of remorse and gratitude towards the hospital staff, who he said treated him better than anyone had ever done in his life. On the other hand, he told police that he lit the fire because Kyoto Animation had stolen his novel, and that he expected to get the death penalty. Most of Aoba's burned skin was replaced with experimental artificial skin as the victims were prioritized to receive donor human skin first. The use of artificial skin on such extensive burns is the first case in Japan.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: By January 2020, Aoba remained hospitalized, and was unable to stand or eat unassisted. On 27 May 2020, Aoba was judged to have sufficiently recovered from his burn injuries, and he was formally arrested on suspicion of murder and other charges. He was indicted on 16 December 2020 on murder and other charges.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: Aoba had a prior criminal history and a mental illness. In 2012, he robbed a convenience store with a knife in Ibaraki Prefecture and was subsequently jailed for three-and-a-half years. It is speculated that Aoba's mental illness may reduce his maximum penalty for the attack from a death sentence to life imprisonment.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: One month after the arson attack, the victims began to return to work at the other Kyoto Animation studio. As of October 2019, while the number of Kyoto Animation employees decreased from 176 to 137, 27 of the surviving 33 victims returned to work with several having decided to take extended breaks to cope with the stress and anxiety brought by the attack.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: The company has issued an official statement, requesting respect for the victims and their family members, and also stating that all future statements will be either through the police or their lawyers. The demolition process of the building was completed on 28 April 2020, with no further plans for the site revealed. In an earlier interview, Kyoto Animation's president Hideaki Hatta stated that he was considering replacing the building with a green public park and a memorial monument. However, residents in the neighbourhood did not wish for a memorial to be built as it would destroy "the peaceful lifestyle [of local residents]".


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: Due to recovery efforts, Kyoto Animation had suspended the 11th Kyoto Animation Awards, an annual award to discover new stories.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: In November 2019, the studio had decided to continue training programmes for aspiring animators, in which trainees would be trained in movies, sketching and animations. Upon graduating from the programme, outstanding trainees could be recruited by the studio after being examined further.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: In response to this incident, a publicity event for the upcoming 2020 film "Free!" was cancelled. Kyoto Animation's "Sound! Euphonium" collaboration with Keihan Main Line was delayed, as was episode 4 of "BEM". The third episode of David Production's "Fire Force", an anime series about firefighters and people dying from spontaneous combustion, was delayed for a week and released with the colours of the fires and narration modified. Subsequent episodes of "Fire Force" were dealt with in a similar manner. The studio decided to push on with premiering "" on 3 August 2019 at Germany's AnimagiC convention as originally scheduled. The Japanese theatrical screening dates were extended by an extra week and honored the victims in the end credits. Despite earlier news reports stating that the upcoming "Violet Evergarden" film would premiere as scheduled on 10 January 2020, it was later announced to be delayed to 24 April 2020, but as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the premiere was again delayed to 18 September 2020. An episode for "Animation x Paralympic", originally due to be aired in August 2019, was eventually announced as cancelled on 28 February 2020, citing that they would be unable to complete it in time for the 2020 Paralympics.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: The Fire and Disaster Management Agency and the National Police Agency issued a notice on 25 July 2019, requiring gas stations to maintain sales records of people purchasing gasoline in refillable containers, which conform to fire safety regulations. Each record is to contain the buyer's personal information such as name, address, the purpose of the purchase, and quantity purchased. Although the notice had no legal backing, most buyers complied with this additional requirement voluntarily. This measure was formalised with the relevant regulations revised and coming into force on 1 February 2020 to make the sales records mandatory. Post incident, the Kyoto Municipal Fire Department formulated guidelines for evacuation in the event of arson or terrorism and encouraged the installation of evacuation ladders.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: As a result of the attack, police in Japan are becoming more vigilant with each death threat directed at other companies (especially Khara, Square Enix, Animate, and "Clannad" developer company Key, all of which alluded to the incident and also received similar Kyoto Animation-referenced death threats), were able to identify the source of the threats, and arrested anyone who sent the threats before any further attacks transpire at these companies.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: A tribute video was published, one year after the attack, on 18 July 2020. The company had considered holding a memorial ceremony, but in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, decided against it. Similarly, at 10:30 am JST on 18 July 2021, Kyoto Animation's YouTube channel streamed a 13-minute video to "provide a place for everyone to share their thoughts and feelings". In the video were messages and tributes from the studio, from staff members, and from the families of some of the deceased. The company requested that fans not visit the former site of Studio 1 on the anniversary of the incident to respect the wishes of local residents.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: Kyoto Animation accepted direct donations through a local bank account to help the victims of the attack from 23 July 2019 to 27 December 2019. Eventually, the bank account had accumulated approximately . The donations included separate  million donations from the Japanese musician Yoshiki and game developer Key. It was estimated that the company would require as much as  billion to cover the cost of supporting the victims and affected families and company-related business operating recovery expenses. As of November 2019, the company has begun the process of distributing the funds raised to the victims, with each victim receiving an appropriate amount after factoring various considerations such as severity of injuries, whether the victim is a sole breadwinner, etc.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his condolences and stated that he was "speechless" at the scale of the incident. A first in Japanese corporate history, a measure was passed in the National Diet to allow for donations to the studio to be tax-exempt. The Chinese, French, Philippine, and Belgian embassies in Japan provided their own words of condolence.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: Numerous people and organisations related to the industry expressed concern and support, such as anime directors Makoto Shinkai and Tatsuki , "K-On!" voice actress Aki Toyosaki, "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" voice actresses Aya Hirano, Minori Chihara, and Yūko Gotō, "Hyōka" author Honobu Yonezawa, "Clannad" developer company Key, and media company Kadokawa Corporation. Animation studios such as Shaft, Sunrise, Bandai Namco Pictures, Toei Animation, Bones, Khara, Trigger, Walt Disney Japan, and Madhouse all offered their support as well.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: Animate, a major Japanese retailer of anime, video games, and manga, took donations at all of their stores to support the victims, and had raised over  million by 1 September.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: Several foreign dignitaries, including Tsai Ing-wen, António Guterres, and others, offered their own messages of support for the victims.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: In the wake of the fire, a GoFundMe appeal was launched by American anime licensor Sentai Filmworks. With a target of US$750,000, it surpassed the US$1 million donation mark within the first 24 hours. It had received US$2.3 million at the end of the appeal. As of 7 December 2019, Sentai had transferred all of the funds raised, except for credit card processing fees, to Kyoto Animation studio.


title: Kyoto Animation arson attack

text: Fans have also taken to Kyoto Animation's Japanese digital store to directly contribute by purchasing high-resolution downloadable images as they do not require staff to ship them. American licensing companies Aniplex of America, Funimation and Crunchyroll, and Nickelodeon Animation Studio, all offered their support. Adult Swim's anime-oriented Toonami block started their 20 July broadcast asking viewers to donate to the GoFundMe set up by Sentai Filmworks.


title: David Souter

text: David Hackett Souter ( ; born September 17, 1939) is an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1990 until his retirement in 2009. Appointed by President George H. W. Bush to fill the seat that had been vacated by William J. Brennan Jr., Souter sat on both the Rehnquist and the Roberts courts.


title: David Souter

text: Souter grew up in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and attended Harvard College, Magdalen College, Oxford, and Harvard Law School. After briefly working in private practice, he moved to public service. He served as a prosecutor (1966–1968) in the New Hampshire Attorney General's office (1968–1976), as the attorney general of New Hampshire (1976–1978), as an associate justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire (1978–1983), as an associate justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court (1983–1990), and briefly as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (1990).


title: David Souter

text: Souter was nominated to the Supreme Court without a significant "paper trail" but was expected to be a conservative justice. Within a few years of his appointment, Souter moved towards the ideological center. He eventually came to vote reliably with the Court's liberal wing. In mid-2009, after Democrat Barack Obama took office as U.S. president, Souter announced his retirement from the Court. He was succeeded by Sonia Sotomayor. Souter has continued to hear cases by designation at the circuit court level.


title: David Souter

text: Souter was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, on September 17, 1939, the only child of Joseph Alexander Souter (1904–1976) and Helen Adams (Hackett) Souter (1907–1995). At age 11, he moved with his family to their farm in Weare, New Hampshire.


title: David Souter

text: Souter graduated second in his class from Concord High School in 1957. He then attended Harvard University, graduating in 1961 with an A.B. "magna cum laude" in philosophy and writing a senior thesis on the legal positivism of Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. While at Harvard, Souter was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He was selected as a Rhodes Scholar and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (later promoted to a Master of Arts degree, as per tradition) from Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1963. He graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Laws degree.


title: David Souter

text: In 1968, after two years as an associate at the law firm of Orr & Reno in Concord, New Hampshire, Souter realized he disliked private practice and began his career in public service by accepting a position as an Assistant Attorney General of New Hampshire. As Assistant Attorney General he prosecuted criminal cases in the courts. In 1971, Warren Rudman, then the Attorney General of New Hampshire, selected Souter to be the Deputy Attorney General. Souter succeeded Rudman as New Hampshire Attorney General in 1976.


title: David Souter

text: In 1978, with the support of his friend Rudman, Souter was named an associate justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire. As a judge on the Superior Court he heard cases in two counties and was noted for his tough sentencing. With four years of trial court experience, Souter was appointed to the New Hampshire Supreme Court as an associate justice in 1983.


title: David Souter

text: Shortly after George H. W. Bush was sworn in as President, he nominated Souter for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Souter had had seven years of judicial experience at the appellate level, four years at the trial court level, and ten years with the Attorney General's office. He was confirmed by unanimous consent of the Senate on April 27, 1990.


title: David Souter

text: President George H. W. Bush originally considered appointing Clarence Thomas to Brennan's seat, but decided that Thomas did not have enough experience as a judge. Warren Rudman, who had since been elected to the U.S. Senate, and former New Hampshire Governor John H. Sununu, then Bush's chief of staff, suggested Souter, and were instrumental in his nomination and confirmation. Bush was reportedly "highly impressed by Souter's intellectual seriousness" and Souter's intellect, "particularly impressive in one-on-one meetings", was reported to have been a persuasive factor in his nomination. At the time, few observers outside New Hampshire knew who Souter was, although he had reportedly been on Reagan's short list of nominees for the Supreme Court seat that eventually went to Anthony Kennedy.


title: David Souter

text: Souter was seen as a "stealth justice" whose professional record in the state courts provoked little real controversy and provided a minimal "paper trail" on issues of U.S. Constitutional law. Bush saw the lack of a paper trail as an asset, because one of President Reagan's nominees, Robert Bork, had been rejected by the Senate partially because of his extensive written opinions on controversial issues. Bush nominated Souter on July 25, 1990, saying that he did not know Souter's stances on abortion, affirmative action, or other issues.


title: David Souter

text: Senate confirmation hearings were held beginning on September 13, 1990. The National Organization for Women opposed Souter's nomination and held a rally outside the Senate during his confirmation hearings. The president of NOW, Molly Yard, testified that Souter would "end freedom for women in this country." Souter was also opposed by the NAACP, which urged its 500,000 members to write letters to their senators asking them to oppose the nomination. In Souter's opening statement before the Judiciary Committee of the Senate he summed up the lessons he had learned as a judge of the New Hampshire courts:


title: David Souter

text: Despite the organized opposition, Souter won confirmation easily. Souter's performance at the confirmation hearings ensured his approval by the Senate; Walter Dellinger, a liberal Democrat and an adviser to the Senate Judiciary Committee, called Souter "the most intellectually impressive nominee I've ever seen". The Senate Judiciary Committee reported out the nomination by a vote of 13–1, and the Senate confirmed the nomination by a vote of 90–9; Souter was sworn into office shortly thereafter, on October 9, 1990.


title: David Souter

text: The nine senators voting against Souter included Ted Kennedy and John Kerry from Souter's neighboring state of Massachusetts. These senators, along with seven others, painted Souter as a right-winger in the mold of Robert Bork.


title: David Souter

text: Souter opposed having cameras in the Supreme Court during oral arguments because he said questions would be taken out of context by the media and the proceedings would be politicized.


title: David Souter

text: He also served as the Court's designated representative to Congress on at least one occasion, testifying before committees of that body about the Court's needs for additional funding to refurbish its building and for other projects.


title: David Souter

text: At the time of Souter's appointment, John Sununu assured President Bush and conservatives that Souter would be a "home run" for conservatism. In his testimony before the Senate, he was thought by conservatives to be a strict constructionist on constitutional matters, but he portrayed himself as a moderate who disliked radical change and attached a high importance to precedent. In the state attorney general's office and as a state Supreme Court judge, he had never been tested on matters of federal law.


title: David Souter

text: After the appointment of Clarence Thomas, Souter moved toward the ideological middle. In two 1992 cases, Souter voted with the Court's liberal wing: "Planned Parenthood v. Casey", in which the Court reaffirmed the essential holding in "Roe v. Wade" but narrowed its scope; and "Lee v. Weisman", in which Souter voted against allowing prayer at a high school graduation ceremony. In "Planned Parenthood v. Casey", Kennedy considered overturning "Roe" and upholding all the restrictions at issue in "Casey." Souter considered upholding all the restrictions but was uneasy about overturning "Roe". After consulting with O'Connor, the three (who came to be known as the "troika") developed a joint opinion that upheld all the restrictions in "Casey" except the mandatory notification of a husband while asserting the essential holding of "Roe", that the Constitution protects the right to an abortion.


title: David Souter

text: By the late 1990s, Souter began to align himself more with Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, although as of 1995, he sided on more occasions with the more liberal justice John Paul Stevens than either Breyer or Ginsburg, both Clinton appointees. O'Connor began to move to the center. On death penalty cases, workers' rights cases, defendants' rights cases, and other issues, Souter began increasingly voting with the Court's liberals, and later came to be considered part of the Court's liberal wing. Because of this, many conservatives view Souter's appointment an error of the Bush presidency. For example, after widespread speculation that President George W. Bush intended to appoint Alberto Gonzales—whose perceived views on affirmative action and abortion drew criticism—to the Court, some conservative Senate staffers popularized the slogan "Gonzales is Spanish for Souter".


title: David Souter

text: A "Wall Street Journal" opinion piece ten years after Souter's nomination called Souter a "liberal jurist" and said that Rudman took "pride in recounting how he sold Mr. Souter to gullible White House Chief of Staff John Sununu as a confirmable conservative. Then they both sold the judge to President Bush, who wanted above all else to avoid a confirmation battle." Rudman wrote in his memoir that he had "suspected all along" that Souter would not "overturn activist liberal precedents." Sununu later said that he had "a lot of disappointment" in Souter's positions on the Court and would have preferred him to be more like Antonin Scalia. In contrast, President Bush said several years after Souter's appointment that he was proud of Souter's "outstanding" service and "outstanding intellect" and that Souter would "serve for years on the Court, and he will serve with honor always and with brilliance".


title: David Souter

text: In the 1992 case "Planned Parenthood v. Casey", the Supreme Court upheld the right to abortion as established by the "essential holding" of "Roe v. Wade "(1973) and issued as its "key judgment" the imposition of the undue burden standard when evaluating state-imposed restrictions on that right. The controlling plurality opinion in the case was joined by Souter, Anthony Kennedy and Sandra Day O'Connor. Souter is widely believed to have written the section of the opinion that addresses the issue of "stare decisis" and set out a four-part test in determining whether to overrule a prior decision. David Garrow later called that section "the most eloquent section of the opinion" and said it includes "two paragraphs that rank among the most memorable lines ever authored by an American jurist".


title: David Souter

text: In 2000, Souter voted along with three other justices in "Bush v. Gore" to allow the presidential election recount to continue, while the majority voted to end the recount. The decision allowed the declaration of George W. Bush as the winner of the election in Florida to stand.


title: David Souter

text: The above passage was disputed by Souter's longtime friend Warren Rudman. Rudman told the "New Hampshire Union Leader" that while Souter was discomfited by "Bush v. Gore", it was not true that he had broken down into tears over it.


title: David Souter

text: Souter worked well with Sandra Day O'Connor and had a good relationship with both her and her husband during her days on the court. He generally had a good working relationship with every justice, but was particularly fond of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and considered John Paul Stevens to be the "smartest" justice.


title: David Souter

text: Even though Souter had never traveled outside the United States during his years with the Supreme Court, he still gained significant recognition abroad. In 1995, a series of articles based on his written opinions and titled "Souter Court" was published by a Moscow legal journal, "The Russian Justice". Those were followed by a book, written in Russian and bearing Souter's name in the title. Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation Yury Danilov, reviewing the 2nd edition of the book in a Moscow English-language daily, made the following remark on Souter's position in "Bush v. Gore": "In a most critical and delicate situation, David Souter had maintained the independence of his position and in this respect had become a symbol of the independence of the judiciary."


title: David Souter

text: Long before the election of President Obama, Souter had expressed a desire to leave Washington, D.C., and return to New Hampshire. The election of a Democratic president in 2008 may have made Souter more inclined to retire, but he did not want to create a situation in which there would be multiple vacancies at once. Souter apparently became satisfied that no other justices planned to retire at the end of the Supreme Court's term in June 2009. As a result, in mid-April 2009 he privately notified the White House of his intent to retire at the conclusion of that term. Souter sent Obama a retirement letter on May 1, effective at the start of the Supreme Court's 2009 summer recess. Later that day Obama made an unscheduled appearance during the daily White House press briefing to announce Souter's retirement. On May 26, 2009, Obama announced his nomination of federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 6.


title: David Souter

text: On June 29, 2009, the last day of the Court's 2008–09 term, Chief Justice Roberts read a letter to Souter that had been signed by all eight of his colleagues as well as retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, thanking him for his service, and Souter read a letter to his colleagues reciprocating their good wishes.


title: David Souter

text: Souter's papers have been donated to the New Hampshire Historical Society and will not be made public until at least 50 years after his death.


title: David Souter

text: As a Supreme Court justice with retired status, Souter remains a judge and is entitled to sit by designation on lower courts. After his retirement from the Supreme Court and until 2020, he regularly sat by designation on panels of the First Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Boston and covering Maine, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and his adopted home state of New Hampshire, generally in February or March of each year, but he did not do so in 2021 or 2022.


title: David Souter

text: Souter has maintained a low public profile since retiring from the Supreme Court. But in 2016, comments he made during a 2012 appearance at the Capitol Center for the Arts in New Hampshire about the dangers of "civic ignorance" were called "remarkably prescient" of the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.


title: David Souter

text: Once named by "The Washington Post" as one of "Washington's 10 Most Eligible Bachelors", Souter has never married, though he was once engaged.


title: David Souter

text: Souter was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1994, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1997.


title: David Souter

text: In 2004, Souter was mugged while jogging between his home and the Fort Lesley J. McNair Army Base in Washington, DC. He suffered minor injuries from the event, visiting the MedStar Washington Hospital Center for treatment. The problem led to public questioning of the Supreme Court Police's security detail, which was not present at the time.


title: David Souter

text: According to Jeffrey Toobin's 2007 book "The Nine", Souter has a decidedly low-tech lifestyle: He writes with a fountain pen, does not use e-mail, and has no cell phone or answering machine. While serving on the Supreme Court, he preferred to drive back to New Hampshire for the summer, where he enjoyed mountain climbing. Souter has also done his own home repairs and is known for his daily lunch of an apple and yogurt.


title: David Souter

text: Former Supreme Court correspondent Linda Greenhouse wrote of Souter: "to focus on his eccentricities—his daily lunch of yogurt and an apple, core and all; the absence of a computer in his personal office—is to miss the essence of a man who in fact is perfectly suited to his job, just not to its trappings. His polite but persistent questioning of lawyers who appear before the court displays his meticulous preparation and his mastery of the case at hand and the cases relevant to it. Far from being out of touch with the modern world, he has simply refused to surrender to it control over aspects of his own life that give him deep contentment: hiking, sailing, time with old friends, reading history."


title: David Souter

text: In early August 2009, Souter moved from his family farmhouse in Weare to a Cape Cod-style single-floor home in nearby Hopkinton, New Hampshire, a town in Merrimack County northeast of Weare and immediately west of the state capital of Concord. Souter told a disappointed Weare neighbor that the two-story family farmhouse was not structurally sound enough to support the thousands of books he owns and that he wished to live on one level.


title: David Souter

text: Over the years, Souter has served on hospital boards and civic committees. He is a former honorary co-chair of the National Advisory Committee.


title: Sai (weapon)

text: The sai (Japanese: 釵, ; Chinese: 鐵尺, ) is a traditional Okinawan stabbing weapon used for stabbing and striking. It is primarily used in ninjutsu and kobudo, as well as in southern Chinese martial arts. The basic form of the weapon is that of a sharp metal prong with two curved sideprongs ("yoku") projecting from the handle ("tsuka"). There are many different types of sai with varying prongs for trapping and blocking.


title: Sai (weapon)

text: Before its creation in Okinawa, similar weapons were already being used in other Asian countries including India, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. so the basic concept of the sai may have been brought to Okinawa from one or several of these places simultaneously. Based on the Indian trisula, early evidence in the form of Japanese art shows that the chabang may predate the sai in China. The word "trisula" itself can refer to either a long or short-handled trident. Because the trisula was created in India, it is possible that the concept of the sai originated in India and spread along with Hinduism and Buddhism. This is supported by the fact that the trisula is important as a Hindu-Buddhist symbol.


title: Sai (weapon)

text: In Okinawa the sai was used by domestic police ("ufuchiku") to arrest criminals and for crowd control. Use of the sai in Japanese martial arts was improved in 1668 by Moto Chohei, an Okinawan prince.


title: Sai (weapon)

text: The sai eventually reached Japan in the form of the jitte, which usually has only a single prong although some jitte have two prongs like a sai. Both are stabbing weapons, used to stab or strike.


title: Sai (weapon)

text: The sai is typically used in pairs, with one in each hand. Five kata are commonly taught, including two kihon kata. The utility of the sai as a weapon is reflected in its distinctive shape. It is a weapon used for fast stabs and strikes but it also has many defensive techniques. The style includes a variety of blocks, parries and captures against attackers from all directions and height levels. Use of the point, knuckle and main prong is emphasized, as well as rapid grip changes for multiple stabs and strikes.


title: Sai (weapon)

text: There are several different ways of wielding the sai, which give it the versatility to be used both lethally and non-lethally. One way to hold it is by gripping the handle with all of the fingers and pinching the thumb against the joint between the handle and the main prong. This allows one to manipulate the sai so that it can be pressed against the forearm and also help avoid getting the thumb caught in the handle when blocking an attack. The change is made by putting pressure on the thumbs and rotating the sai around until it is facing backwards and the index finger is aligned with the handle.


title: Sai (weapon)

text: The knuckle end is good for concentrating the force of a punch, while the long sharp prong can serve as a protection for a blow to the forearm. In practice, some prefer to keep the index finger extended in alignment with the main prong regardless of whether the knuckle end or the main prong is exposed. The finger may be straight or slightly curled. Used in this way, the other fingers are kept on the main prong, with the thumb supporting the handle.


title: Sai (weapon)

text: One technique commonly depicted is the use of one of a sai's hooks to entrap and lock an attacker's blade. Some variations of sai have their hooks pointing inwards towards the main prong to facilitate this maneuver. While this does not completely immobilize the attacker, it encumbers them in close quarters, especially if the defender can use twisting techniques to disarm the attacker.


title: Sai (weapon)

text: The grips described above leverage the versatility of this implement as both an offensive and a defensive weapon. Both grips facilitate flipping between the point and the knuckle being exposed while the sai is held in strong grip positions.


title: Sai (weapon)

text: Because there is no morphological plural in Japanese, the word "sai" refers to either a single weapon or multiple. Nicho sai refers to a kata that uses two sai, while sancho sai kata refers to kata using three sai.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: The New Zealand national cricket team represents New Zealand in men's international cricket. Named the Black Caps, they played their first Test in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. From 1930 New Zealand had to wait until 1956, more than 26 years, for its first Test victory, against the West Indies at Eden Park in Auckland. They played their first ODI in the 1972–73 season against Pakistan in Christchurch.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: Kane Williamson is the current captain of the team in T20I’s, Tim Southee is the current test captain as Kane Williamson stepped downs as captain in December 2022. The national team is organized by New Zealand Cricket.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: The New Zealand cricket team became known as the Blackcaps in January 1998, after its sponsor at the time, Clear Communications, held a competition to choose a name for the team. This is one of many national team nicknames related to the All Blacks.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: As of 25 November 2022, New Zealand have played 1429 international matches, out of which they have won 566, lost 635, tied 16 and drew 168 matches while 44 matches ended up as no result.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: As of 2022, the team has participated in all the 29 ICC Men's events taking place from 1975 onwards and have made six final appearances out of which they won two titles. In October 2000 they won the Knockout Trophy by defeating India which was their maiden ICC Title. They defeated South Africa to reach their maiden CWC Final in 2015. In the next edition they reached their second successive Final by defeating India. Then in June 2021 they won the inaugural WTC by defeating India and five months later they reached their maiden T20 WC Final by defeating England.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: The reverend Henry Williams provided history with the first report of a game of cricket in New Zealand, when he wrote in his diary in December 1832 about boys in and around Paihia on Horotutu Beach playing cricket. In 1835, Charles Darwin and called into the Bay of Islands on its epic circumnavigation of the Earth and Darwin witnessed a game of cricket played by freed Māori slaves and the son of a missionary at Waimate North. Darwin in "The Voyage of the Beagle" wrote:


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: several young men redeemed by the missionaries from slavery were employed on the farm. In the evening I saw a party of them at cricket.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: The first recorded game of cricket in New Zealand took place in Wellington in December 1842. The "Wellington Spectator" reports a game on 28 December 1842 played by a "Red" team and a "Blue" team from the Wellington Club. The first fully recorded match was reported by the "Examiner" in Nelson between the Surveyors and Nelson in March 1844.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: The first team to tour New Zealand was Parr's all England XI in 1863–64. Between 1864 and 1914, 22 foreign teams toured New Zealand. England sent 6 teams, Australia 15 and one from Fiji.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: On 15–17 February 1894 the first team representing New Zealand played New South Wales at Lancaster Park in Christchurch. New South Wales won by 160 runs. New South Wales returned again in 1895–96 and New Zealand won the solitary game by 142 runs, its first victory. The New Zealand Cricket Council was formed towards the end of 1894.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: New Zealand played its first two internationals (not Tests) in 1904–05 against a star-studded Australia team containing such players as Victor Trumper, Warwick Armstrong and Clem Hill. Rain saved New Zealand from a thrashing in the first match, but not the second, which New Zealand lost by an innings and 358 runs – currently the second-largest defeat in New Zealand first-class history.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: In 1927 NZ toured England. They played 26 first-class matches, mostly against county sides. They won seven matches, including those against Worcestershire, Glamorgan, Somerset and Derbyshire. On the strength of the performances of this tour New Zealand was granted Test status.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: In 1929/30 the M.C.C toured NZ and played 4 Tests all of 3 days in duration. New Zealand lost its first Test match but drew the next 3. In the second Test Stewie Dempster and Jackie Mills put on 276 for the first wicket. This is still the highest partnership for New Zealand against England. New Zealand first played South Africa in 1931–32 in a three match series but were unable to secure Test matches against any teams other than England before World War II ended all Test cricket for 7 years. A Test tour by Australia, planned for February and March 1940, was cancelled after the outbreak of the war.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: New Zealand's first Test after the war was against Australia in 1945/46. This game was not considered a "Test" at the time but it was granted Test status retrospectively by the International Cricket Council in March 1948. The New Zealand players who appeared in this match probably did not appreciate this move by the ICC as New Zealand were dismissed for 42 and 54. The New Zealand Cricket Council's unwillingness to pay Australian players a decent allowance to tour New Zealand ensured that this was the only Test Australia played against New Zealand between 1929 and 1972.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: In 1949 New Zealand sent one of its best-ever sides to England. It contained Bert Sutcliffe, Martin Donnelly, John R. Reid and Jack Cowie. However, 3-day Test matches ensured that all 4 Tests were drawn. Many have regarded the 1949 tour of England among New Zealand's best ever touring performances. All four tests were high-scoring despite being draws and Martin Donnelly's 206 at Lord's hailed as one of the finest innings ever seen there. Despite being winless, New Zealand did not lose a test either. Prior to this, only the legendary 1948 Australian team, led by the great Don Bradman, had achieved this.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: New Zealand played its first matches against the West Indies in 1951–52, and Pakistan and India in 1955/56.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: In 1954/55 New Zealand recorded the lowest ever innings total, 26 against England. The following season New Zealand achieved its first Test victory. The first 3 Tests of a 4 Test series were won easily by the West Indies but New Zealand won the fourth to notch up its first Test victory. It had taken them 45 matches and 26 years to attain.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: In the next 20 years, New Zealand won only seven more Tests. For most of this period New Zealand lacked a class bowler to lead their attack although they had two excellent batsmen in Bert Sutcliffe and Glenn Turner and a great all-rounder in John R. Reid.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: Reid captained New Zealand on a tour to South Africa in 1961–62 where the five-test series was drawn 2–2. The victories in the third and fifth tests were the first overseas victories New Zealand achieved. Reid scored 1,915 runs in the tour, setting a record for the most runs scored by a touring batsman of South Africa as a result.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: New Zealand won their first test series in their three match 1969/70 tour of Pakistan 1–0. This was the first ever series win by New Zealand after almost 40 years and 30 consecutive winless series.


title: New Zealand national cricket team

text: In 1973 Richard Hadlee debuted and the rate at which New Zealand won Tests picked up dramatically. Hadlee was one of the best pace bowlers of his generation, playing 86 Tests for New Zealand before he retired in 1990. Of the 86 Tests that Hadlee played in New Zealand won 22 and lost 28. In 1977/78 New Zealand won its first Test against England, at the 48th attempt. Hadlee took 10 wickets in the match.