title: Jersey Girl (2004 film)

text: Smith was quoted saying his film was "not for critics". Smith's reaction to "Jersey Girl" after its failure was dour. He referenced the film during his cameo appearance in "", jokingly telling Paige Michalchuk, whom his character had cut out of his fictional film "Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh!", that he cut Lopez out of most of "Jersey Girl" and wanted to cut Affleck out too, "but then it just would have been that little kid." In an interview on the "Clerks II" DVD, Smith noted "All these people were just trashing this movie's stars instead of looking at the movie itself. I get that a lot of people didn't like it but dude, I spent two years of my life on that movie."


title: Jersey Girl (2004 film)

text: The film was nominated for three Razzie Awards: Worst Actor for Ben Affleck, Worst Supporting Actress for Jennifer Lopez, and according to the press release, "Ben Affleck and either Jennifer Lopez or Liv Tyler" for Worst On-Screen Couple. Raquel Castro won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Actress Age Ten or Younger, for her performance, and the film was nominated for Best Family Feature Film – Comedy or Musical, but lost to "Christmas with the Kranks".


title: Karla DeVito

text: DeVito was born in suburban Chicago in Mokena, Illinois. She attended Willow Crest Grade School in Mokena and Lincoln-Way High School in New Lenox. She attended Loyola University Chicago and majored in theater. During her freshman year, she joined the Chicago cast of "Godspell". In 1971–72, Karla studied with Jo Forsberg at the Second City Company in Chicago and was part of the Second City Children's Theatre group with Bill Murray. In 1973, she was in the cast of the musical "Hair".


title: Karla DeVito

text: DeVito started her career in 1972, joining the national company of "Godspell". A few years later, she became the lead singer of the band Orchestra Luna, and through that joined the cast of Jim Steinman's show "Neverland", which had a run as a workshop production at the Kennedy Center in 1977.


title: Karla DeVito

text: Two months later, DeVito went on tour with Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman with their album "Bat Out of Hell". She is seen singing with Meat Loaf in the video clip of "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and "Bat Out of Hell", synced to the original vocal by Ellen Foley. After completing this tour, she returned to theatre in an off-broadway version of Cole Porter's "Jubilee" and LaMama's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". She then moved on to playing the lead role in "The Pirates of Penzance" on Broadway where she met future husband, Robby Benson.


title: Karla DeVito

text: She performed on Jim Steinman's only solo album, "Bad for Good", on the track "Dance in My Pants" and its subsequent music video.


title: Karla DeVito

text: In 1981, DeVito released her debut solo album, "Is This a Cool World or What?" and the track "Bloody Bess" was intended to be a rock musical about a female pirate in the 17th Century.


title: Karla DeVito

text: DeVito also contributed background vocals for some groups such as Blue Öyster Cult and the band Sorrows. As a solo performer, she opened shows for Hall & Oates and Rick Springfield in the 1980s.


title: Karla DeVito

text: DeVito's second album, "Wake 'Em Up in Tokyo" was released by A&M in 1986. Her song, "We Are Not Alone", was featured in the motion picture "The Breakfast Club" (1985). In 1989, DeVito performed in South Carolina and returned in 1990 as part of "An Evening of Andrew Lloyd Webber". In 1990, DeVito co-starred in the film "Modern Love" and sang on two of the songs for the soundtrack. In 2002, DeVito sang the part of Elizabeth for the CD recording of Graham Russell's rock opera "The Heart of the Rose" which had a limited release on CD. In 2016, she contributed vocals to Meat Loaf's "Braver Than We Are".


title: Karla DeVito

text: DeVito married actor, director, singer, and teacher Robby Benson on July 11, 1982. The couple have two children, a son and a daughter.


title: Catheter

text: In medicine, a catheter (/ˈkæθətər/) is a thin tube made from medical grade materials serving a broad range of functions. Catheters are medical devices that can be inserted in the body to treat diseases or perform a surgical procedure. Catheters are manufactured for specific applications, such as cardiovascular, urological, gastrointestinal, neurovascular and ophthalmic procedures. The process of inserting a catheter is "catheterization".


title: Catheter

text: In most uses, a catheter is a thin, flexible tube ("soft" catheter) though catheters are available in varying levels of stiffness depending on the application. A catheter left inside the body, either temporarily or permanently, may be referred to as an "indwelling catheter" (for example, a peripherally inserted central catheter). A permanently inserted catheter may be referred to as a "permcath" (originally a trademark).


title: Catheter

text: Catheters can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel, brain, skin or adipose tissue. Functionally, they allow drainage, administration of fluids or gases, access by surgical instruments, and also perform a wide variety of other tasks depending on the type of catheter. Special types of catheters, also called probes, are used in preclinical or clinical research for sampling of lipophilic and hydrophilic compounds, protein-bound and unbound drugs, neurotransmitters, peptides and proteins, antibodies, nanoparticles and nanocarriers, enzymes and vesicles.


title: Catheter

text: "Catheter" (from Greek καθετήρ "kathetḗr") comes from the Greek verb καθίεμαι "kathíemai", meaning "to thrust into" or "to send down" because the catheter allowed fluid to be "sent down" from the body.


title: Catheter

text: Ancient Chinese used onion stalks, the Romans, Hindus, and Greeks used tubes of wood or precious metals.


title: Catheter

text: The earliest invention of the flexible catheter was during the 18th century. Extending his inventiveness to his family's medical problems, Benjamin Franklin invented the flexible catheter in 1752 when his brother John suffered from bladder stones. Franklin's catheter was made of metal with segments hinged together with a wire enclosed to provide rigidity during insertion.


title: Catheter

text: According to a footnote in his letter in Volume 4 of the Papers of Benjamin Franklin (1959), Franklin credits Francesco Roncelli-Pardino from 1720 as the inventor of a flexible catheter. In fact, Franklin claims the flexible catheter may have been designed even earlier.


title: Catheter

text: An early modern application of the catheter was employed by Claude Bernard for the purpose of cardiac catheterization in 1844. The procedure involved entering a horse's ventricles via the jugular vein and carotid artery. This appears to be an earlier and modern application of the catheter because this catheter approach technique is still performed by neurosurgeons, cardiologists, and cardiothoracic surgeons.


title: Catheter

text: David S. Sheridan invented the modern disposable catheter in the 1940s. Prior to this, some reusable catheters consisted of braided cotton tubes, which were varnished, heat-treated and polished. As these were primarily produced in France, the advent of World War II threatened the supply chain.


title: Catheter

text: In 1959, Teschan first described central venous catheter as means of blood vessel access for haemodialysis.


title: Catheter

text: Other reusable catheters consisted of red rubber tubes. Although sterilized prior to reuse, they still posed a high risk of infection and often led to the spread of disease.


title: Catheter

text: In 1982, Quinton together with Dr Sakharam Mahurkar, a nephrologist at County Cook Hospital in Chicago, developed dual-lumen catheter which became the standard for haemodialysis and apheresis.


title: Catheter

text: Sheridan was dubbed the "Catheter King" by "Forbes" magazine in 1988. He also invented the modern "disposable" plastic endotracheal tube now used routinely in surgery.


title: Catheter

text: A range of polymers are used for the construction of catheters, including silicone rubber, nylon, polyurethane, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), latex, and thermoplastic elastomers. Silicone is one of the most common implantable choice because it is inert and unreactive to body fluids and a range of medical fluids with which it might come into contact. On the other hand, the polymer is weak mechanically, and a number of serious fractures have occurred in catheters. For example, silicone is used in Foley catheters where fractures have been reported, often requiring surgery to remove the tip left in the bladder.


title: Catheter

text: There are many different types of catheters for bladder problems. A typical modern intermittent catheter is made from polyurethane and comes in different lengths and sizes for men, women and children.


title: Catheter

text: Polyimides are used to manufacture vascular catheters for insertion into small vessels in the neck, head and brain.


title: Catheter

text: Guiding catheters (catheters that guides angioplasty balloons and stents) is made up of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) innermost layer which is lubricant, followed by stainless steel braid wire outer layer which helps to provide support for the catheter and prevent kinking while travelling through blood vessels, and Nylon elastomer outermost layer which provides extra support for the catheter and preserve the curvature of the catheter while passing through tortuous vessels.


title: Catheter

text: Some catheters have a thin hydrophilic surface coating. When immersed in water this coating swells to a smooth, slippery film making the catheter safer and more comfortable to insert. Since this wire is too slippery to handle, torque devices are used to control the direction and spin the wire. It is useful in subintimal angioplasty. However, care should be taken as it can easily cause dissection of vascular wall.


title: Catheter

text: There are various catheters used in angiography procedures. Diagnostic catheters direct wires through blood vessels. Radiocontrast agent is then injected through the catheter to visualise the vessels via various imaging methods such as computed tomography (CT), projectional radiography, and fluoroscopy. Pigtail catheter is a non-selective catheter with multiple side holes that can deliver large volumes of contrast into a blood vessel for imaging purposes. Cobra catheter is a selective catheter used to catheterise downgoing vessels in the abdomen. Cobra catheters move forward by pushing and are removed by pulling. Sidewinder catheter is a selective catheter is used to navigate the aorta. Headhunter, Newton, Simmons, Bentson, and Berenstein catheters are used to navigate the into one of the three branches of the arch of aorta. Yashiro Catheter is a selective, hydrophilic catheter designed for optimal entry into celiac trunk. Whereas endothelial cell sampling through endovascular sampling with coils, stents, stent retrievers, or guidewires suffer from poor selectivity and a low or highly variable cell yield, a micro-3D-printed device adapted for endovascular techniques can harvest endothelial cells for transcriptomic analysis.


title: Catheter

text: There are also balloon catheters used in angioplasty procedures such as plain balloon catheters that is useful in passing tight vessel stenosis, drug coated balloons that contains paclitaxel on the surface to prevent smooth muscle cells proliferation of the vessel walls, thus reducing the likehood of vessel blockage in the future, high pressure balloons that can open stubborn vessel stenoses in veins and arteriovenous fistula, and cutting balloon angioplasty that contains 3 to 4 small blades on its surface (endotomes) that helps to control the distribution of balloon dilatation more uniformly and cut through resistant stenosis due to fibrous scar tissue.


title: Catheter

text: There is no difference in achieving adequacy of blood flow, period of catheter usage, infection, and thromboembolism risk whether the dialysis catheter has step-tip, split-tip, or symmetrical tip. Palidrome catheter is superior to Permcath catheter in terms of maximum blood flow, dialysis adequecy, and annual patency rate. Similar to Permcath, Palidrome catheter has high infection and thromboembolism rate.


title: Catheter

text: "Any foreign object in the body carries an infection risk, and a catheter can serve as a superhighway for bacteria to enter the bloodstream or body", according to Milisa Manojlovich, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing.


title: Catheter

text: Catheters can be difficult to clean, and therefore harbor antibiotic resistant or otherwise pathogenic bacteria.


title: Scaffolding

text: Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings, bridges and all other man-made structures. Scaffolds are widely used on site to get access to heights and areas that would be otherwise hard to get to. Unsafe scaffolding has the potential to result in death or serious injury. Scaffolding is also used in adapted forms for formwork and shoring, grandstand seating, concert stages, access/viewing towers, exhibition stands, ski ramps, half pipes and art projects.


title: Scaffolding

text: There are five main types of scaffolding used worldwide today. These are tube and coupler (fitting) components, prefabricated modular system scaffold components, H-frame / façade modular system scaffolds, timber scaffolds and bamboo scaffolds (particularly in China and India). Each type is made from several components which often include:


title: Scaffolding

text: Specialized components used to aid in their use as a temporary structure often include heavy duty load bearing transoms, ladders or stairway units for the ingress and egress of the scaffold, beams ladder/unit types used to span obstacles and rubbish chutes used to remove unwanted materials from the scaffold or construction project.


title: Scaffolding

text: Sockets in the walls around the paleolithic cave paintings at Lascaux, suggest that a scaffold system was used for painting the ceiling, over 17,000 years ago.


title: Scaffolding

text: The Berlin Foundry Cup depicts scaffolding in ancient Greece (early 5th century BC). Egyptians, Nubians and Chinese are also recorded as having used scaffolding-like structures to build tall buildings. Early scaffolding was made of wood and secured with rope knots.


title: Scaffolding

text: Scaffolding was erected by individual firms with wildly varying standards and sizes. The process was revolutionized by Daniel Palmer Jones and David Henry Jones. Modern day scaffolding standards, practices and processes can be attributed to these men and their companies: Rapid Scaffold Tie Company Ltd, Tubular Scaffolding Company and Scaffolding Great Britain Ltd (SGB).


title: Scaffolding

text: David Palmer-Jones patented the "Scaffixer", a coupling device far more robust than rope which revolutionized scaffolding construction. In 1913, his company was commissioned for the reconstruction of Buckingham Palace, during which his Scaffixer gained much publicity. Palmer-Jones followed this up with the improved "Universal Coupler" in 1919 - this soon became the industry standard coupling and has remained so to this day.


title: Scaffolding

text: Advancements in metallurgy throughout the early 20th century saw the introduction of tubular steel water pipes (instead of timber poles) with standardized dimensions, allowing for the industrial interchangeability of parts and improving the structural stability of the scaffold. The use of diagonal bracings also helped to improve stability, especially on tall buildings. The first frame system was brought to market by SGB in 1944 and was used extensively for the postwar reconstruction.


title: Scaffolding

text: The European Standard, BS EN 12811-1, specifies performance requirements and methods of structural and general design for access and working scaffolds. Requirements given are for scaffold structures that rely on the adjacent structures for stability. In general these requirements also apply to other types of working scaffolds.


title: Scaffolding

text: The purpose of a working scaffold is to provide a safe working platform and access suitable for work crews to carry out their work. The European Standard sets out performance requirements for working scaffolds. These are substantially independent of the materials of which the scaffold is made. The standard is intended to be used as the basis for enquiry and design.


title: Scaffolding

text: The basic lightweight tube scaffolding that became the standard and revolutionised scaffolding, becoming the baseline for decades, was invented and marketed in the mid-1950s. With one basic 24 pound unit a scaffold of various sizes and heights could be assembled easily by a couple of labourers without the nuts or bolts previously needed.


title: Scaffolding

text: Tubes are usually made either of steel or aluminium; although there is composite scaffolding which uses filament-wound tubes of glass fibre in a nylon or polyester matrix, because of the high cost of composite tube, it is usually only used when there is a risk from overhead electric cables that cannot be isolated. If steel, they are either 'black' or galvanised. The tubes come in a variety of lengths and a standard outside diameter of 48.3 mm. (1.5 NPS pipe). The chief difference between the two types of metal tubes is the lower weight of aluminium tubes (1.7 kg/m as opposed to 4.4 kg/m). However they are more flexible and have a lower resistance to stress. Tubes are generally bought in 6.3 m lengths and can then be cut down to certain typical sizes. Most large companies will brand their tubes with their name and address in order to deter theft.


title: Scaffolding

text: Boards provide a working surface for scaffold users. They are seasoned wood and come in three thicknesses (38 mm (usual), 50 mm and 63 mm) are a standard width (225 mm) and are a maximum of 3.9 m long. The board ends are protected either by metal plates called hoop irons or sometimes nail plates, which often have the company name stamped into them. Timber scaffold boards in the UK should comply with the requirements of BS 2482. As well as timber, steel or aluminium decking is used, as well as laminate boards. In addition to the boards for the working platform, there are sole boards which are placed beneath the scaffolding if the surface is soft or otherwise suspect, although ordinary boards can also be used. Another solution, called a scaffpad, is made from a rubber base with a base plate moulded inside; these are desirable for use on uneven ground since they adapt, whereas sole boards may split and have to be replaced.


title: Scaffolding

text: Couplers are the fittings which hold the tubes together. The most common are called scaffold couplers, and there are three basic types: "right-angle couplers", "putlog couplers" and "swivel couplers". To join tubes end-to-end "joint pins" (also called spigots) or "sleeve couplers" are used. Only right angle couplers and swivel couplers can be used to fix tube in a 'load-bearing connection'. Single couplers are not load-bearing couplers and have no design capacity.


title: Scaffolding

text: Other common scaffolding components include base plates, ladders, ropes, anchor ties, reveal ties, gin wheels, sheeting, etc.


title: Scaffolding

text: Most companies will adopt a specific colour to paint the scaffolding with, in order that quick visual identification can be made in case of theft. All components that are made from metal can be painted but items that are wooden should never be painted as this could hide defects.


title: Scaffolding

text: Despite the metric measurements given, many scaffolders measure tubes and boards in imperial units, with tubes from 21 feet down and boards from 13 ft down.


title: Scaffolding

text: Bamboo scaffolding is widely used in Hong Kong and Macau, with nylon straps tied into knots as couplers. In India, bamboo or other wooden scaffolding is also mostly used, with poles being lashed together using ropes made from coconut hair (coir).


title: Scaffolding

text: The key elements of the scaffolding are "the standard", "ledger" and "transoms". The standards, also called uprights, are the vertical tubes that transfer the entire weight of the structure to the ground where they rest on a square "base plate" to spread the load. The base plate has a shank in its centre to hold the tube and is sometimes pinned to a "sole board". Ledgers are horizontal tubes which connect between the standards. Transoms rest upon the ledgers at right angles. "Main transoms" are placed next to the standards, they hold the standards in place and provide support for boards; "intermediate transoms" are those placed between the main transoms to provide extra support for boards. In Canada this style is referred to as "English". "American" has the transoms attached to the standards and is used less but has certain advantages in some situations.


title: Scaffolding

text: As well as the tubes at right angles there are "cross braces" to increase rigidity, these are placed diagonally from ledger to ledger, next to the standards to which they are fitted. If the braces are fitted to the ledgers they are called ledger braces. To limit sway a "facade brace" is fitted to the face of the scaffold every 30 metres or so at an angle of 35°-55° running right from the base to the top of the scaffold and fixed at every level.


title: Scaffolding

text: Of the couplers previously mentioned, right-angle couplers join ledgers or transoms to standards, putlog or single couplers join board bearing transoms to ledgers - Non-board bearing transoms should be fixed using a right-angle coupler. Swivel couplers are to connect tubes at any other angle. The actual joints are staggered to avoid occurring at the same level in neighbouring standards.


title: Scaffolding

text: The spacings of the basic elements in the scaffold are fairly standard. For a general purpose scaffold the maximum bay length is 2.1 m, for heavier work the bay size is reduced to 2 or even 1.8 m while for inspection a bay width of up to 2.7 m is allowed.


title: Scaffolding

text: The scaffolding width is determined by the width of the boards, the minimum width allowed is 600 mm but a more typical four-board scaffold would be 870 mm wide from standard to standard. More heavy-duty scaffolding can require 5, 6 or even up to 8 boards width. Often an "inside board" is added to reduce the gap between the inner standard and the structure.


title: Scaffolding

text: The lift height, the spacing between ledgers, is 2 m, although the base lift can be up to 2.7 m. The diagram above also shows a kicker lift, which is just 150 mm or so above the ground.


title: Scaffolding

text: Transom spacing is determined by the thickness of the boards supported, 38 mm boards require a transom spacing of no more than 1.2 m while a 50 mm board can stand a transom spacing of 2.6 m and 63 mm boards can have a maximum span of 3.25 m. The minimum overhang for all boards is 50 mm and the maximum overhang is no more than 4x the thickness of the board.


title: Scaffolding

text: Good foundations are essential. Often scaffold frameworks will require more than simple base plates to safely carry and spread the load. Scaffolding can be used without base plates on concrete or similar hard surfaces, although base plates are always recommended. For surfaces like pavements or tarmac base plates are necessary. For softer or more doubtful surfaces sole boards must be used, beneath a single standard a sole board should be at least with no dimension less than , the thickness must be at least . For heavier duty scaffold much more substantial baulks set in concrete can be required. On uneven ground steps must be cut for the base plates, a minimum step size of around is recommended. A working platform requires certain other elements to be safe. They must be close-boarded, have double guard rails and toe and stop boards. Safe and secure access must also be provided.


title: Scaffolding

text: Scaffolds are only rarely independent structures. To provide stability for a scaffolding (at left) framework ties are generally fixed to the adjacent building/fabric/steelwork.


title: Scaffolding

text: General practice is to attach a tie every 4 m on alternate lifts (traditional scaffolding). Prefabricated System scaffolds require structural connections at all frames - i.e. 2–3 m centres (tie patterns must be provided by the System manufacturer/supplier). The ties are coupled to the scaffold as close to the junction of standard and ledger (node point) as possible. Due to recent regulation changes, scaffolding ties must support +/- loads (tie/butt loads) and lateral (shear) loads.


title: Scaffolding

text: Due to the different nature of structures there is a variety of different ties to take advantage of the opportunities.


title: Scaffolding

text: "Through ties" are put through structure openings such as windows. A vertical inside tube crossing the opening is attached to the scaffold by a transom and a crossing horizontal tube on the outside called a bridle tube. The gaps between the tubes and the structure surfaces are packed or wedged with timber sections to ensure a solid fit.


title: Scaffolding

text: "Box ties" are used to attach the scaffold to suitable pillars or comparable features. Two additional transoms are put across from the lift on each side of the feature and are joined on both sides with shorter tubes called tie tubes. When a complete box tie is impossible a l-shaped "lip tie" can be used to hook the scaffold to the structure, to limit inward movement an additional transom, a "butt transom", is placed hard against the outside face of the structure.


title: Scaffolding

text: Sometimes it is possible to use "anchor ties" (also called "bolt ties"), these are ties fitted into holes drilled in the structure. A common type is a ring bolt with an expanding wedge which is then tied to a node point.


title: Scaffolding

text: The least 'invasive' tie is a "reveal tie". These use an opening in the structure but use a tube wedged horizontally in the opening. The reveal tube is usually held in place by a reveal screw pin (an adjustable threaded bar) and protective packing at either end. A transom tie tube links the reveal tube to the scaffold. Reveal ties are not well regarded, they rely solely on friction and need regular checking so it is not recommended that more than half of all ties be reveal ties.


title: Scaffolding

text: If it is not possible to use a safe number of ties "rakers" can be used. These are single tubes attached to a ledger extending out from the scaffold at an angle of less than 75° and securely founded. A transom at the base then completes a triangle back to the base of the main scaffold.


title: Scaffolding

text: Bamboo scaffolding is a type of scaffolding made from bamboo and widely used in construction work for centuries. Many famous landmarks, notably The Great Wall of China, were built using bamboo scaffolding, and its use continues today in some parts of the world.


title: Scaffolding

text: Bamboo scaffolding was first introduced into the building industry in Hong Kong immediately after colonization in the 1800s. It was widely used in the building of houses and multi-story buildings (up to four stories high) prior to the development of metal scaffolding. It was also useful for short-term construction projects, such as framework for temporary sheds for Cantonese Opera performances.


title: Scaffolding

text: In 2013, there were 1,751 registered bamboo scaffolders and roughly 200 scaffolding companies in Hong Kong. The use of bamboo scaffolding is diminishing due to shortages in labor and material. Despite the lack of labor force and material, recently safety issues have become another serious concern.


title: Scaffolding

text: The labor shortage may be due to the reluctance of younger generations to become scaffolders. “They even think that it’s a dirty and dangerous job. They are not going to do that kind of work,” said Yu Hang Flord, who has been a scaffolder for 30 years and later became the director of Wui Fai Holdings, a member of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Scaffolders General Merchants Association. “They refuse to step in, although we give them high pay. They are scared of it. Young generations do not like jobs that involve hard work.” Another reason fewer people are becoming scaffolders is that new recruits need to undergo training with the Hong Kong Construction Industry Council in order to acquire a license. Older scaffolders generally learned in apprenticeships, and may have been able to gather more hands-on experience.


title: Scaffolding

text: Material shortages are also a contributing factor to the decline. The bamboo scaffolding material was imported from mainland China. Bamboo—which matures after three years to the wide diameter and thick skin perfect for scaffolding—came from the Shaoxing area in Guangdong. Over the past two decades, firms have had to look to Guangxi instead. The industry's fear is that one day supplies will be blocked due to export embargoes and environmental concerns. Attempts to import bamboo from Thailand, or switch to synthetic or plastic bamboo, have so far proved unsuccessful.


title: Scaffolding

text: In many African countries, notably Nigeria, bamboo scaffolding is still used for small scale construction in urban areas. In rural areas, the use of bamboo scaffolding for construction is common. In fact, bamboo is an essential building and construction commodity in Nigeria; the bamboo materials are transported on heavy trucks and trailers from rural areas (especially the tropical rain forest) to cities and the northern part of Nigeria.


title: Scaffolding

text: Some of the structures in relaxation and recreation centres, both in urban and rural areas of Nigeria, are put in place using bamboo materials. This is not for reasons of poverty (especially in the cities) but to add more aesthetics to these centres. Bamboo materials are still used in the construction of some bukas (local restaurants) in rural areas.


title: Scaffolding

text: The perimeter of bamboo scaffold should be covered by nylon mesh against falling objects. The lapping of nylon mesh should be at least 100 mm wide.


title: Scaffolding

text: Suitable means of access should be provided from the building or ground level to the scaffold such as gangway, stairs and ladder etc.


title: Scaffolding

text: Sloping catch fans shall be erected at a level close to the first floor and at no more than 15 metres, vertical intervals should give a minimum horizontal protection coverage of 1500 mm. Large catch fans should be erected at specific locations to protect the public and/or workers underneath.


title: Scaffolding

text: A suitable receptacle, covered with galvanized zinc sheet, should be provided within each catch-fan to trap falling objects.


title: Scaffolding

text: Steel brackets shall be provided for supporting the standard of scaffold at about six floor intervals. The horizontal distance between steel brackets is about 3 metres.


title: Scaffolding

text: Mild steel bars or similar materials are required to tie any structure to maintain the bamboo scaffold in its position on every floor. The distance of adjacent putlogs is about 3 to 4 metres.


title: Scaffolding

text: Every working platform must be at least 400 mm wide and closely boarded by planks. The edges of working platforms should be protected by no less than 2 horizontal bamboo members of the scaffold, at intervals between 750 mm to 900 mm and suitable toe-boards no less than 200 mm high.


title: Scaffolding

text: They should complete a formal training in bamboo scaffolding work or hold a trade test certificate on bamboo scaffolding and have at least 10 years of relevant experience.


title: Scaffolding

text: They should complete formal training in bamboo scaffolding work or hold a trade test certificate on bamboo scaffolding and have at least 3 years of relevant experience.


title: Scaffolding

text: Bamboo scaffolding is a temporary structure to support people and materials when constructing or repairing building exteriors and interiors. In bamboo scaffolding, plastic fibre straps and bamboo shoots are bound together to form a solid and secure scaffold structure without screws. Bamboo scaffolding does not need to have a foundation on the ground, as long as the scaffolding has a fulcrum for structural support.


title: Scaffolding

text: Bamboo scaffolding is mostly seen in developing Asian countries such as India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.


title: Scaffolding

text: Chinese Opera is one of the world's "Intangible Cultural Heritages". One of bamboo scaffolding's main alternative uses is in drama theatres. The flexibility and convenience of this type of scaffolding suits stages set up for temporary use and also separates the audience from the performers.


title: Scaffolding

text: Respecting and promoting the traditional cultures of Chinese Opera, a huge event called the West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre has been held at the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade annually since 2012.


title: Scaffolding

text: Stages are built from bamboo scaffolding for the live Chinese operas and Chiu Chow–style dramas performed during every Yu Lan Ghost Festival to worship ghostly ancestors.


title: Scaffolding

text: The bamboo tower used in the famous Bun Scrambling Competition during the Cheung Chau Bun Festival on the island of Cheung Chau is constructed out of bamboo scaffolding. Nine thousand buns, representing fortune and blessing, are supported on the fourteen-meter tall bamboo tower in front of the Pak Tai Temple. For the Piu Sik Parade, bamboo stands and racks are used to hold the young costumed performers above the crowds.


title: Scaffolding

text: Types of scaffolding covered by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration in the United States include the following categories: Pole; tube and coupler; fabricated frame (tubular welded frame scaffolds); plasterers’, decorators’, and large area scaffolds; bricklayers' (pipe); horse; form scaffolds and carpenters’


title: Scaffolding

text: bracket scaffolds; roof brackets; outrigger; pump jacks; ladder jacks; window jacks; crawlingboards (chicken ladders); step, platform, and trestle ladder


title: Scaffolding

text: scaffolds; single-point adjustable suspension; two-point adjustable suspension (swing stages); multipoint adjustable suspension; stonesetters’ multipoint adjustable suspension scaffolds, and masons’ multipoint adjustable suspension scaffolds; catenary; float (ship); interior hung; needle beam; multilevel suspended; mobile; repair bracket scaffolds; and stilts.


title: Scaffolding

text: In addition to the putlog couplers (discussed above), there are also putlog tubes. These have a flattened end or have been fitted with a blade. This feature allows the end of the tube to be inserted into or rest upon the brickwork of the structure.


title: Scaffolding

text: A putlog scaffold may also be called a bricklayer's scaffold. As such, the scaffold consists only of a single row of standards with a single ledger. The putlogs are transoms - attached to the ledger at one end but integrated into the bricks at the other.


title: Scaffolding

text: Spacing is the same on a putlog scaffold as on a general purpose scaffold, and ties are still required.


title: Scaffolding

text: In recent years a number of new innovations have meant an increased scope of use for scaffolding, such as ladderbeams for spanning spaces that cannot accommodate standards and the increased use of sheeting and structure to create temporary roofs.


title: Scaffolding

text: Putlog tubes can also be used vertically when drove under downward pressure into the ground, most typically in greens and fields, where approx 1/4 of the putlog tube remains exposed above ground. The purpose for this alternative method is to create a good anchoring point for additional vertical scaffolding to clamp on to, most commonly used in live events and festivals with scaffolding poles up to 21 feet high where festoon lighting, cabling and bunting can be hung from safely.


title: Scaffolding

text: A pump-jack is a type of portable scaffolding system. The scaffold rests on supports attached to two or more vertical posts. The user raises the scaffolding by pumping the foot pedals on the supports, like an automobile jack.


title: Scaffolding

text: Baker staging is a metal scaffold which is easy to assemble. Rolling platforms typically wide by long and tall sections which can be stacked up to three high with the use of added outriggers. The work platform height is adjustable.


title: Scaffolding

text: The widespread use of scaffolding systems, along with the profound importance that they earned in modern applications such as civil engineering projects and temporary structures, led to the definition of a series of standards covering a vast number of specific issues involving scaffolding. Among the standards there are:


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: Denmark won the 1992 championship, having qualified only after Yugoslavia was disqualified as a result of the breakup of the country and the ensuing warfare there. Eight national teams contested the final tournament.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: The CIS national football team (Commonwealth of Independent States), representing the recently dissolved Soviet Union, whose national team had qualified for the tournament, were present at the tournament. It was also the first major tournament in which the reunified Germany (who were beaten 2–0 by Denmark in the final) had competed.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: It was the last tournament with only eight participants, to award the winner of a match with only two points, and before the introduction of the back-pass rule, the latter of which was brought in immediately after the tournament was completed. When the next competition was held in 1996, 16 teams were involved and were awarded three points for a win.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: On 16 December 1988, following a decision made by the UEFA Executive Committee, Sweden was chosen over Spain to host the event. Spain was at a disadvantage as they had already been chosen to host the EXPO 1992 in Seville and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: Seven of the eight teams had to qualify for the final stage; Sweden qualified automatically as hosts of the event. The Soviet Union qualified for the final tournament shortly before the break-up of the country, and took part in the tournament under the banner of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), before the former Soviet republics formed their own national teams after the competition. The CIS team represented the following former Soviet nations: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, and Tajikistan. Four out of 15 ex-republics were not members of the CIS: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania did not send their players; Georgia was not a member of the CIS at the time, but Georgian Kakhaber Tskhadadze was a part of the squad.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: Originally, Yugoslavia qualified for the final stage and were about to participate as FR Yugoslavia, but due to the Yugoslav Wars, the team was disqualified and Denmark, as the runners-up from Yugoslavia's qualifying group, was invited to take part instead. After a draw with England and a loss to host nation Sweden, Denmark beat France in their final group match to qualify for the semi-finals, where they would face the reigning European champions, the Netherlands. Denmark led 2–1 going into the last five minutes, but a Frank Rijkaard equaliser meant the game went to a penalty shoot-out; Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel saved Marco van Basten's kick, giving Denmark a 5–4 win on penalties and a place in the final against reigning world champions Germany. Denmark won the final 2–0 with goals from John Jensen and Kim Vilfort in either half to claim their first European title.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: Scotland and the hosts Sweden made their debuts despite having yet many appeareances at the World Cup. France qualified for the first Euro in which they are no hosts. They played after missing out the previous tournament.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: As of 2020, this is the last time the Czech Republic (then Czechoslovakia), Italy, Portugal and Spain failed to qualify for the European Championship finals.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: The draw for the final tournament took place on 17 January 1992 in Gothenburg. Only two teams were seeded: Sweden (as hosts) and the Netherlands (as holders). The remaining six teams were all unseeded and could be drawn in any group. Months after the draw, Yugoslavia was banned from participating and replaced by Denmark, which had come second in the qualifying group.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: In the draw procedure, the unseeded teams were drawn one by one. The first two were placed in position 4 of each group, the next two in position 3, and the last 2 in position 2. The two seeded teams were then drawn and placed consecutively into position 1 of the groups.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: Adidas Etrusco Unico was used as the official match ball of the tournament. The ball was previously used in the 1990 FIFA World Cup.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: The teams finishing in the top two positions in each of the two groups progress to the semi-finals, while the bottom two teams in each group were eliminated from the tournament.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: If two or more teams finished level on points after completion of the group matches, the following tie-breakers were used to determine the final ranking:


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: In the knockout phase, extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary. As with every tournament since UEFA Euro 1984, there was no third place play-off.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: "Small is Beautiful" was the official slogan of the contest. The official anthem of the tournament was "More Than a Game", performed by Towe Jaarnek and Peter Jöback.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: It was the last tournament to use the UEFA plus flag logo, and before the tournament was known as "Euro" (it is known as "Euro 1992" only retrospectively). It was also the first major football competition in which the players had their names printed on their backs, around the time that it was becoming a trend in club football across Europe.


title: UEFA Euro 1992

text: The official mascot of the competition was a rabbit named Rabbit, dressed in a Swedish football jersey, as well as wearing head and wristbands while playing with a ball.


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is the third studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, originally released only in Europe and Australia in 1976. The album was not released in the United States until 1981, more than one year after lead singer Bon Scott's death. This was also AC/DC's first album in its entirety to be recorded with the same lineup, rather than including at least one track recorded with a different bassist or drummer.


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: AC/DC began recording "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" in December 1975 at Albert Studios with Harry Vanda and George Young (elder brother of guitarists Malcolm and Angus) producing. In April 1976, the band went on their first tour of the UK, where "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" was released as a single. According to the book "AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll", Vanda and Young travelled to the UK to record several songs with the band at Vineland Studios for a scheduled EP, which was eventually scrapped. "Carry Me Home" later appeared in 1977 as a B-side to Dog Eat Dog, while "Dirty Eyes" remained unreleased and was later reworked into "Whole Lotta Rosie" for 1977's "Let There Be Rock". Only "Love at First Feel" was used for "Dirty Deeds", but not for the Australian release. A song titled "I'm a Rebel" was recorded at Maschener Studios as well, with music and lyrics written by another elder Young brother, Alex Young. This song was never released by AC/DC, and remains in Albert Productions' vaults. German band Accept later released it as a single, and named their second album after it. "High Voltage" was released in the United States in 1976. However, hampered by visa problems and a lack of interest from Atlantic Records in the US, the band returned to Australia to finish their third album.


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: Also according to "AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll," years later, Stephen King convinced the band to do the soundtrack for his film Maximum Overdrive (the soundtrack released as Who Made Who) by putting "Ain't No Fun" on the record player and singing along to the entire song line-for-line in order to prove how much of a fan he was of their music.


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: The title track would become one of the band's most famous songs. Its narrator invites people experiencing problems to either call him on 36-24-36, an actual phone number in Australia in the 1960s (then properly formatted as FM 2436 - 36 translated to FM on the rotary dial or keypad), or visit him at his home, at which point he will perform assorted unsavoury acts to resolve said problems. Situations in which he offers assistance include those involving lewd high school headmasters, and significant others who are either adulterous or who persistently find fault with their partners. The term "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" is an homage to the cartoon "Beany and Cecil", which Angus watched when he was a child. One of the cartoon's characters was named Dishonest John, and carried a business card that read, "Dirty deeds done dirt cheap. Special rates for Sundays and holidays." On the "Live on Donington" DVD, Malcolm and Angus explained that the concept of the album was to base it as a Bogartian mystery scenario. This was also backed by author Dave Rubin, who stated in his book "Inside Rock Guitar: Four Decades of the Greatest Electric Rock Guitarists" that Bogart's movies served as the basis for the album.


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: In 1981, after the album was released in the U.S., Norman and Marilyn White of Libertyville, Illinois filed a $250,000 lawsuit in Lake County, Illinois Circuit Court against Atlantic Records and its distributors because, they alleged, their telephone number was included in the song, resulting in hundreds of prank phone calls. Their attorney told the "Chicago Tribune" that the song's 36-24-36 digits were followed by what to his clients sounded like an "8", thus creating the couple's phone number.


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: Another fan-favorite from the album is "Ride On". Atypically for an AC/DC song, it has a sad, slow blues feel and features Bon Scott's reflective lyrics and restrained, soulful delivery. The lyrics concern a man ruminating on the mistakes he has made in a relationship while drinking. It has frequently been cited as one of AC/DC's best songs. The track is also significant for Angus Young's guitar solo. AC/DC biographer Murray Engleheart observes in his 2006 band memoir: "Overall, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" was rougher than "T.N.T." and highlighted the difficulties of recording between increasingly demanding touring commitments. Songs like 'Ain't No Fun,' 'RIP,' 'Jailbreak,' and particularly the lonely resignation of 'Ride On,' were almost character studies of Bon and had a sense of impatience...breaking free and just plain loneliness." "Ride On" was covered by the French band Trust on their self-titled 1979 debut album, after they supported AC/DC live in Paris in the autumn of 1978. Scott jammed the song with Trust at Scorpio Sound Studios in London on 13 February 1980, six days before his death in that city. A recording of this later surfaced on the "Bon Scott Forever Volume 1" bootleg. In an interview with Anthony O'Grady of "RAM" in August 1976, Scott stated that "Ride On" was "about a guy who gets pissed around by chicks...can't find what he wants." In the same 1976 "RAM" interview, Scott revealed that "Squealer" was about a sexual encounter with a virgin. In concert, Scott would often introduce "Problem Child" as being about Angus. "Ain't No Fun (Waiting 'Round to be a Millionaire)" is one of the few AC/DC songs that has cursing, with Scott shouting on the fade, "Hey Howard, how ya doin' friend, my next door neighbour? Oh yeah, get your fuckin' jumbo jet off my airport!" The rhythm of "There's Gonna Be Some Rockin'" is very similar to that of "The Seventh Son" by Willie Dixon.


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: A modified international edition was released on Atlantic on 17 December 1976, although the label was unhappy with its vocals and production. (According to bassist Mark Evans, band manager Michael Browning told him he assumed Bon Scott would be fired as a result.) The band even teetered on the brink of being dropped. "The Atlantic A&R department "[in the US]" said, 'We're sorry, but this album actually doesn't make it,'" recalled Phil Carson, who had signed the band. "'We're not gonna put it out and we're dropping the band'… So I went to "[Atlantic executive]" Nesuhi "(Ertegun)" and showed him the sales figures that we'd got for "High Voltage". They were not awe-inspiring but, considering we'd only paid $25,000 for the album, this was not so bad… Nesuhi backed me up and I re-signed the band at that point. I managed to claw it back in. Thank God."


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: As biographer Murray Engleheart observes in his book "AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll", the band had not even toured the States yet, a market the band longed to conquer:


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: Following the American success of "Highway to Hell" in late 1979, copies of the album began to appear as imports in the US. Some of these were the original Australian edition on Albert Productions; however, Atlantic also pressed the international version in Australia, and many of these were also exported to the US. Strong demand for both versions (in the wake of the even greater success of "Back in Black") led the US division of Atlantic to finally authorize an official US release in March 1981. It went straight to No. 3 on the Billboard album charts.


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: However, the release was also poorly timed, considering that AC/DC had successfully reinvented itself with a new singer, Brian Johnson. The band was working on a new album, which would ultimately become "For Those About to Rock We Salute You", released later that same year; the US release of "Dirty Deeds" was widely seen as damaging the momentum for that album, which it outsold. The band was forced to add songs from "Dirty Deeds" to its setlist on its subsequent tour, also taking the focus away from their new album.


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: In the book "The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC", author Jesse Fink quotes Phil Carson as saying that the release of "Dirty Deeds" was "one of the most crass decisions ever made by a record-company executive", blaming A&R man Doug Morris and his New York City cohorts:


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: The international release had significant variations from the original album. "Jailbreak" (which had preceded the LP's release in Australia and the UK) and "R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)" were jettisoned in favor of "Rocker" (from the 1975 Australian album "T.N.T.") and "Love at First Feel". "Jailbreak" did not see a release in the United States, Canada, and Japan until October 1984 as part of the international "'74 Jailbreak" EP. A promo-only single, with "Show Business" as its B-side, was released to radio stations in the US at the time. "Love at First Feel" is one of only two tracks from international AC/DC albums not to be available on the band's Australian albums (the other is "Cold Hearted Man", released on European pressings of "Powerage"); however, "Love at First Feel" was released in Australia as a single in January 1977, with "Problem Child" as its B-side, which peaked in the Kent Music Report Singles Chart Top 100. The international release of "Dirty Deeds" also contains "Big Balls", one of the band's most infamous compositions, that finds Scott, a deceptively clever lyricist, using double entendres by using ballroom and costume parties to obviously reference his own testicles. AC/DC had mined this territory before on "The Jack" and would again later on songs like "Given the Dog a Bone", but "Big Balls" could be their funniest attempt at sexual innuendo, although the song was controversial in its day and drew the ire of some critics who mistook the band's sense of humor for crude perversity. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" also led to more AC/DC appearances on Australia's "Countdown" music programme, following those in support of "High Voltage" and "T.N.T." These appearances included a live performance of the album's title track, as well as a music video for "Jailbreak".


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: Two songs on the international album were edited from the full-length versions on the original Australian album. The full-length "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" has the title of the song chanted four times, starting at 3:09, but on the edited version the chant is heard only twice. "Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)" lasted 7:29 on the Australian album but was faded out early to 6:57 on the international version. This means they trim off the Chuck Berry licks and title chanting to the end; however, both these full-length versions were restored on the 1994 Atco Records remastered CD of the international album. The most recent 2003 CD edition by Epic Records goes back to the edited versions, as originally on the 1976 and 1981 international vinyl editions. The uncut versions of both songs were released on the 2009 box set "Backtracks". On the original version of "Rocker", included on the Australian "T.N.T." album, the song lasts 2:55 and cuts out abruptly as the guitar riff hits its peak. Conversely, all international editions of the "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" album have a slightly shorter version where the song fades out at 2:50 before the cut. "Squealer" appears to be longer by thirteen seconds on the international version; this is due to it having a bumper of silence at the end, as it is the final track on the record. "Ride On" has a four-second difference (longer on the international version) which appears to be from a minor speed issue, although the last guitar slide can be heard better on the shorter Australian version.


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" has been certified 6× platinum both in Australia and in the US, selling at least six million copies, becoming the third-highest-selling album by AC/DC in the US after "Highway to Hell" (7× platinum) and "Back in Black" (25× platinum). Allmusic gives the album five out of five stars and proclaims "it captured the seething malevolence of Bon Scott...encouraged by the maniacal riffs of Angus and Malcolm Young" and that there was a "real sense of danger to this record." Greg Kot of "Rolling Stone" only gives the album three out of five stars (Which in Rolling Stones' album review terms means "Good: a record of average worth, but one that might possess considerable appeal for fans of a particular style."), but states: "The guitars of brothers Angus and Malcolm Young bark at each other, Phil Rudd swings the beat even as he's pulverizing his kick drum, and Scott brings the raunch 'n' wail. The subject matter is standard-issue rock rebellion; Scott pauses only once to briefly contemplate the consequences of his night stalking in 'Ride On.'"


title: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

text: The 1994 remastered international Atco CD release of the album included the full length Australian versions of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Big Balls", "Rocker", and "Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)". They were later reverted to the shortened versions for the 2003 Epic remastered versions of the album with "Big Balls" remaining in its longer version. The 2009 boxed set "Backtracks Deluxe Edition" featured the full-length original Australian versions of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" and "Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)", but not "Rocker", which is nevertheless billed as the original Australian version.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: Raj Shrikant Thackeray (Marathi pronunciation: ], born Swaraj Shrikant Thackeray; 14 June 1968) is an Indian politician and the founding chairperson of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a regional political party. Raj was a former member of Shiv Sena till he founded MNS in 2006. He is the nephew of Balasaheb Thackeray.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: Raj Thackeray's given name is a hypocorism of Swararaj. His parents were Shrikant Thackeray (younger brother of Bal Thackeray) and Kunda Thackeray (younger sister of Bal Thackeray's wife Meena Thackeray). As a child he learnt tabla, guitar and violin. Thackeray is a graduate of Mumbai's Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art. Upon graduation he joined "Marmik", the weekly magazine of Bal Thackeray, as a cartoonist.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: Thackeray started his political career by launching the student wing of Shiv Sena called Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena. He came to prominence during the campaign for 1990 Maharashtra assembly elections. During the 1990s, Raj believed himself to be heir of his uncle, Balasaheb. However, Balasaheb showed strong preference for his own son, Uddhav.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: Years after being sidelined by Bal Thackeray's other leaders working for him, Raj Thackeray resigned from Shiv Sena on 27 November 2005 and announced his intention to start a new political party. On 9 March 2006 in Mumbai, Thackeray founded Maharashtra Navnirman Sena which is now running as a governing party in Maharashtra.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: At a rally in Shivaji Park, Raj warned that if the "dadagiri" (intimidating dominance) of these people (North Indians) in Mumbai and Maharashtra continued, he would be compelled to make them leave the metropolis. Raj was arrested along with a Samajwadi Party leader, Abu Azmi, but was released on paying a penalty of .


title: Raj Thackeray

text: His party, along with Shiv Sena banned Australian cricketers participating in IPL 3 from playing in Mumbai as a protest against the attack on Indian students in Australia.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: In July 2008, Raj issued a public warning that shops in Mumbai needed to have Marathi signboards in addition to the existing English signboards. He warned that after one month, MNS workers would start blackening non-Marathi signboards. While there had been a law to this effect passed earlier by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, it had not been enforced. In September 2008, MNS workers resorted to blackening signboards, to enforce the demand, after which most shop owners complied. Six MNS workers were arrested but later released on bail.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: Jaya Bachchan, actor and MP of Samajwadi Party, during the Music launch of the Hindi film "Drona", said 'Hum UP (Uttar Pradesh) ke log hain, isliye Hindi mein baat karenge, Maharashtra ke log Maaf Kijiye' (We are people of UP, so we will speak in Hindi. People of Maharashtra, please excuse). Thackeray commented that she had no business alluding to all the people of Maharashtra in that statement. He threatened to ban all Bachchan films unless Jaya apologised in a public forum for hurting Maharashtrians. MNS workers began to attack theatres featuring films affiliated to her. It was only after Amitabh tendered an apology that the screening resumed. Following Raj's threat, Maharashtra Police acted against Raj, issuing a gag order preventing him from speaking to the media.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: In October 2008, Jet Airways laid off 800 temporary workers and announced layoffs of an additional 1100 workers. The laid-off workers included Marathi as well as North-Indians. Thackeray was asked to intervene. Following this, Raj Thackeray declared that most of these workers had paid security deposits to the company, and he would meet Jet management to plead their case. Unless Jet Airways cancelled the layoffs, his party would not allow any Jet Airways plane to take off from any airport in Maharashtra. Within 12 hours of Raj Thackeray's declaration, Jet chairman Naresh Goyal reversed the layoffs and reinstated the sacked employees. He said that he did it on his own and that there was no political pressure on him.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: On 2 October 2009, MNS workers disrupted the screening of the film "Wake Up Sid" on its release in a few Pune and Mumbai theatres, after Raj objected to references in the movie to "Bombay" rather than "Mumbai". The city of Mumbai was referred to as "Bombay" in many scenes and in some songs (lyrics by Javed Akhtar).


title: Raj Thackeray

text: The film's producer, Karan Johar, visited Raj's residence to apologise, and agreed to all of Raj's terms, including an apology on each of the 700 frames in the film.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: Telecom companies in Maharashtra had been providing customer service in English & Hindi only. Raj demanded that all telecom companies operating in Maharashtra start providing the service in Marathi also and set a deadline of 27 February 2010, after which his party MNS would launch an agitation. Following this demand, all telecom companies complied, introducing Marathi as an additional option in their customer service.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: In December 2011, Raj Thackeray meeting a group from MES (Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti) advised them that they should revisit their stand of merging Belgaum with Maharashtra in the interest of Marathi speaking people of Belgaum. In a major departure from the earlier held stand of traditional right-wing groups of Maharashtra, Raj Thackeray pointed out that a practical approach rather than an emotional one is the need of the hour. However, he advocated that if the Supreme Court of India itself gives a decision in favour of Belgaum's merger, he would welcome it but the local situation in Belgaum should not be vitiated for the sake of it. He asked the MES leaders to first identify the real issue as to whether Marathis in Belgaum are being targeted for espousing the cause of Marathi language or because they were supporting the merger of Belgaum with Maharashtra. Lamenting that strikes and bandhs only add to the misery of the Marathi-speaking community in Belgaum, Thackeray said: "If the Karnataka government is ready to respect the Marathi people, their culture and language, then there is nothing wrong in Belgaum being there." His comments were strongly criticised by his cousin Uddhav as a cruel joke on the Marathi people.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: Raj Thackeray and his party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, state that Maharashtra State, Marathi language and Marathi "Manoos" are subverted by the influence of Marathi politicians. He has opposed migration into Maharashtra from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: Raj reproached North Indian leaders for politicising Chhath Puja, a festival popular in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand calling it a "drama" and a "show of numerical strength". He stated that the Chhath Puja was a political gimmick by some parties to attract the north Indian vote. A petition was filed in the Patna civil court on 8 February against him for his remarks. His statements were criticised from political leaders, especially those from the North Indian states. He accused migrants of swamping Maharashtra, India's most industrialised state, in search of jobs. The MNS chief also accused migrants of disrespecting the local culture. In 2008, expressing his stance on new migrants settling in Mumbai, Raj said, "New immigrants to the city should be denied entry into the city, while those already staying here should show respect to the Marathi 'manoos' and his culture".


title: Raj Thackeray

text: Thackeray and his party have been criticised for use of violence during their agitations, especially directed towards immigrants from UP and Bihar. On use of violence, Thackeray says that violence is a part of all agitations in Indian politics, and there are several cases of much more violence carried out by other parties and organisations. According to him, the incidences of violence involving members of his party have been unduly highlighted by North Indian politicians and journalists.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: Thackeray had initially praised former Chief Minister of Gujarat and incumbent Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi for his governance, and the development of Gujarat during his tenure as chief minister. He had also expressed support for Modi for the post of Prime Minister for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. Although later on, he regretted his support for Modi and since then has been a vocal critic of him and the NDA government. For the 2019 elections to the Lok Sabha, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, did not contest any seats, and instead Thackeray urged the party supporters to vote for the NCP–Congress alliance, with Thackeray campaigning for candidates belonging to these parties.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: Thackeray-led MNS criticised the centre's move to award the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, to Adnan Sami, claiming that Sami was not an original Indian citizen.


title: Raj Thackeray

text: Thackeray is married to Sharmila Wagh, daughter of Marathi cinema photographer, producer-director Mohan Wagh. They got married on Dec 11, 1990 in Mumbai. They have a son, Amit Thackeray and a daughter, Urvashi Thackeray. His children attended the Christian School Bombay Scottish School, Mahim.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: × (pronounced "multiply") is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter, Ed Sheeran. It was released on 20 June 2014 in Australia and New Zealand, and worldwide on 23 June through Asylum Records and Atlantic Records. The album received positive reviews from music critics. It was an international commercial success, peaking at No. 1 in 15 countries, while topping both the UK Albums Chart and the US "Billboard" 200. "x" also reached the top five in seven other countries and was the best selling album of 2014 in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Five singles were released from the album: "Sing", "Don't", "Thinking Out Loud", "Bloodstream" (a collaboration with Rudimental), and "Photograph".


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: The lead single, "Sing", became Sheeran's first UK number-one song, reached number 13 in the US and peaked inside the top 10 in several other countries. The second single, "Don't", peaked at No. 8 in the UK and number nine on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming Sheeran's first top-10 single in the US. The album's third single, "Thinking Out Loud", achieved international success, peaking at number one in 12 countries, and the top five in 12 more. It became Sheeran's second UK number-one single and has been certified 3× Platinum, with sales of over one million copies in the UK. "Thinking Out Loud" also became Sheeran's biggest hit in the US at the time, peaking at number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100, until he released "Shape of You", which debuted at number one. The album has been certified 4× Platinum, with sales of over four million copies in the US alone. The album's fourth single, a remix of "Bloodstream", peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the fourth-consecutive single from "x" to hit the top 10 in Sheeran's native country. "Photograph" was released as the album's fifth and final single. It gave Sheeran his fifth consecutive top 10 single from the album in Australia and New Zealand, peaking at numbers nine and eight, respectively.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: In December 2014, Spotify named "x" the most-streamed album in the world for 2014, racking up more than 430 million streams for the year. "x" has been certified 12× Platinum in the UK with sales of over three million copies, making it the third best-selling album of the 2010s and the 20th best selling album in the history of the UK. The album has been certified 3× Platinum in Canada, 6× Platinum in New Zealand, and 4× Platinum in the US, with sales of over four million copies. It also became the first album ever to be certified Diamond in Australia. Also, "x" broke Adele's record for the longest charting top 10 album in the history of the United Kingdom. In 2015, "x" won the Brit Award for British Album of the Year, and at the 57th Grammy Awards it was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: Having written "hundreds" of songs, Sheeran entered the studio with Rubin and they cut that down to the 15 new songs that are feature on the album, excluding "I See Fire", which was recorded separately and saw release on the soundtrack for "". Sheeran stated that he "started off making another acoustic record, and it turned into a neo-soul-funk record," due to the influence of working with producers like Rubin and Benny Blanco that "pulled [him] out of [his] comfort zone." Getting into the studio with Rubin to "rerecord all the songs" after two years of writing them made the songs sound "raw and interesting", at a time when Sheeran was getting tired of them, giving him a chance to "actually set up the album instead of just putting it out." However, doing an entire album with Rubin "just wouldn't work on pop radio", so after working with Rubin he wrote the songs, "I'm a Mess", and "Thinking Out Loud", both about his girlfriend at the time, with a different producer. Jake Gosling, who co-wrote and produced the majority of Sheeran's debut album, has no writing credits on this album, while new collaborators include Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody and British drum and bass band, Rudimental.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "One" was the first song Sheeran wrote for the album, and is "particularly quiet". Written on a guitar made out of wood from a whisky barrel in a hotel room whilst on tour in Perth in 2011, the song was the last song written about the love interest that was the focus of the previous album.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "I'm a Mess" was one of the last songs written, after the recording sessions with Rubin. It is one of two songs written about his then-current girlfriend. It is described as a simple song, and was "written in the shower."


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: In an interview with Zane Lowe for BBC Radio 1, promoting the first single, "Sing", Sheeran talked about getting in the studio with Pharrell and him "playing [Sheeran] a lot of things, and then it stuck on this one riff," which eventually became the basis of the track. He stated he has always been a fan of R&B, but was just "trying to find the right way to make it." Sheeran expressed wishes to create an entire album with Pharrell, and "Sing" was to be a song for that project, but several musical peers, including Elton John, Taylor Swift and Pharrell himself, urged Sheeran to release it with X. Justin Timberlake's debut album, "Justified", was a favourite of Sheeran's, which he consciously tried to channel for "Sing". On working with Pharrell, Sheeran told MistaJam on BBC Radio 1Xtra that they had written two other songs together that were in the style he "usually did", but for "Sing" he was pushed "out of [his] comfort zone" which made the track stand out. Pharrell reportedly said that he wanted to "shake the world's view of [Sheeran] up" and make pioneering songs that no singer/songwriter has done before rather than just "a cool record". A remix of the track has been made with Korean recording artist Psy, and the music video for the song was based on a night out with the artist.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "Don't", which is about a girlfriend who cheated on Sheeran with a close friend, has been linked to several of Sheeran's fellow singers, including Ellie Goulding and Taylor Swift, but Sheeran has said it is "100 percent not about Taylor", but that he has played her the song, and she "never want[s] to piss [him] off that much." It started off "as a riff on his phone". "Don't" was planned to be released as the first single from the album, but it was decided that the chorus, especially the line "Don't f- with my love," was not suitable for a first single. The song was recorded first with Benny Blanco, then again with Rick Rubin, and the two producers came together to produce the final cut. The song almost didn't make it onto the album, as Sheeran felt it was "a bit personal", but was urged by those who had heard the demo to release it, as it was "an alright song... so it ended up on the record."


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "Nina" was written with Johnny McDaid, and was the first song the pair wrote for the album. According to McDaid, it is a "self-deprecating" love song about "heartbreak... where he basically calls someone up and advises her not to be with him."


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "Photograph", also written with McDaid whilst touring with his band Snow Patrol in May 2012, is a "timeless ballad". Sheeran plays "photograph" with careful piano keys and acoustic strums and carefully adds in arenasize drums. It started life as a "piano loop playing on [McDaid's] laptop" which Sheeran started singing along to. Sheeran has stated "it will be the one that will change my career path", and believes it to be the one song that will sell the album, even "if the rest of the album is shit." Described as "[Sheeran's] Angels", the song is a "ballad with big drums, set in New York."


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "Tenerife Sea", first played in demo form at Sheeran's sold out Madison Square Garden shows, is "trademark acoustic balladry". Sheeran wrote the song about his mother. Ed told the media that his mothers eyes were crystal blue - "the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen" - and that's what this song was based on.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "Runaway" is the second and final track from the album that is produced by Pharrell Williams. Described as "finger-clicking", it draws from the same influence, the sound of Justin Timberlake's debut album, that "Sing" does. Sheeran intended for the song to feature on a future project with Pharrell, but it was put on the album when he was persuaded to include "Sing".


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "The Man", produced by long-time collaborator Jake Gosling, features Sheeran rapping in a style similar to that of Mike Skinner from The Streets. The song focuses on a failed relationship, whilst touching on the subjects of marriage, chemical dependency and his career in the music industry.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "Thinking Out Loud" was the last song written for the album, and it is also Sheeran's favourite. Written about Sheeran's then-current girlfriend after the recording sessions with Rick Rubin were over, it is a "soul" song, and Sheeran "pinned [it] as the 'walking down the aisle' song." He described it as "the only happy song on the album", and he wrote it in his kitchen.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "Afire Love" was written about Sheeran's grandfather "two weeks before he passed away". He had suffered with Alzheimer's disease for twenty years, and Sheeran has been thinking "What if [he passed away]? And then he did." Sheeran finished writing the song at his funeral. It explains the aftermath of his death, with his family reuniting for the funeral, and explains the deep love between his grandparents.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "Take It Back" is the first track exclusive to the deluxe edition of the album. In it, Sheeran claims not to be a rapper, whilst delivering four rapped verses. In the same vein as previous single "You Need Me, I Don't Need You", he talks about "his personal struggles and his rise to fame."


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "I See Fire", the final track on the electronic deluxe edition (the physical deluxe version has a seventeenth track, "All of the Stars", the song used in the credits for the film "The Fault in Our Stars"), was previously released on the soundtrack for of "The Hobbit" film series. Sheeran was asked to write the song for the closing credits by the film's director, Peter Jackson, whose daughter was a fan of his work. After flying to New Zealand to watch the film, he wrote the majority of the song in a single day, performing all the instruments, apart from the cello, including a violin, which Sheeran taught himself to play for the song. The track was produced by Sheeran himself, and mixed in Abbey Road Studios by Peter Cobbin and Kirsty Whalley. It was released on 5 November 2013 as the first single from the soundtrack.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: The album was to originally include profanity, most notably in the songs "Sing", "Don't" and "The Man", however a taxi driver convinced Sheeran to censor the album due to his young daughter being a fan. As a result, the album does not bear the "Parental Advisory: Explicit Content" sticker.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: In a live webcast on YouTube, Sheeran stated that he "feel[s] every single one of [his] records should have a theme that runs through it, even if it's just a colour. The first one was orange, throughout, everything [he] did was orange. This one's going to be green throughout, and everything [he does] will be green in terms of artwork." He cited Coldplay as an influence for this, as they keep with the image of each album they release "for the next two years".


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: The countdown to the unveiling of the first single was posted on Sheeran's Facebook page, but it was accidentally announced early by Zane Lowe that he would have the first play of "Sing" on 7 April 2014, as his "Hottest Record in the World". The song was played twice in a row, and Sheeran discussed the album and working with Pharrell to produce the single. Sheeran performed "Sing" and "Don't" live for the first time on "Saturday Night Live" on 12 April 2014. He then went on to do an exclusive acoustic performance of "Take It Back" on "SB.TV" on 16 April. Sheeran later performed "Sing" on 27 April at the 2014 Logie Awards held annually in Melbourne, Australia. On 2 May, the singer released an acoustic version of "One" on his YouTube channel. The song was given away on 16 May to people who had preordered the album on iTunes. On 5 May, Sheeran played three "Multiplyed" gigs, starting at the Steamboat Pub in Ipswich, going on to Koko in London, and finishing in Dublin, where his entire show was streamed live on his website. The next day, he played a session for BBC Radio 1 at their Maida Vale studios, where Zane Lowe made a live rendition of "One" his "Hottest Record in the World". Sheeran stated that until the album was released, he would play very few new songs live, as fans "want to hear the hits", but once it is released he will play a lot more new songs, as "that's going to be what people want to see."


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: Sheeran played "Sing" on "Later Live... with Jools Holland" on 20 May, and showcased songs from the record on the extended version on 23 May, including the TV debut of "Thinking Out Loud". His live performance was exactly three years since his last appearance on the show. Sheeran performed "Sing" on the finale of "The Voice", alongside a duet with contestant Christina Grimmie of his song "All of the Stars", which features on the soundtrack for "The Fault in Our Stars". MTV announced that a behind-the-scenes documentary of Sheeran's life, titled "9 Days and Nights of Ed Sheeran", was being filmed, to be aired 10 June. The show would "show every aspect of [Sheeran's] life" while he is on tour, "with extraordinary intimate access to Sheeran", something he has never done before. Taylor Swift and Pharrell Williams appeared in the feature. After the music video for "Sing" was released, which featured a puppet version of Sheeran wearing a pair of Beats by Dre headphones, it was announced that Sheeran, and his then unreleased song "Don't", would feature in the advert for the latest Beats by Dre headphones, the Solo II. On 5 June, Sheeran appeared in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge for Annie Mac, performing "Sing" and a cover of Sam Smith's "Stay with Me", both with a live band. "Don't" was serviced to US contemporary hit radio on 15 July 2014 as the album's second official single.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: To promote the album, Sheeran embarked on the "X World Tour". He held several shows in Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Australia and New Zealand until December 2015.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: The special "Wembley Edition" was released on 13 November 2015. This edition includes bonus tracks and a DVD of the "" concert film.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "Sing" was released as the first single from the album on 7 April 2014 around the world, and 1 June in United Kingdom and Germany. The music video, released exclusively to Facebook on 22 May, features a puppet caricature of Sheeran on a night out in Los Angeles. The single entered the "Billboard" Hot 100 at No. 15, where it has since peaked at No. 13. It also became Sheeran's first number-one on the Australian ARIA Charts and in the UK, where it was released alongside a corresponding EP, which featured a live version of the track, a remix by Trippy Turtle and a new song, "Friends", that is not featured on x.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "Don't", previously released on iTunes as the second "instant grat" promotional single, impacted US contemporary hit radio as the second official single from the album. It has since sold in excess of 3 million copies worldwide, including 1,464,000 copies in the US alone. It has peaked within the top-ten of nine international charts, including Australia, the UK and the aforementioned US. It then hit No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "Thinking Out Loud", was sent to Oceanian radio on 21 September as the third single. The official music video was released on 7 October. The song was incredibly successful, selling in excess of 5 million copies worldwide as of April 2015. The song peaked at No. 1 on both the UK Singles Chart and the Australian ARIA Charts. Moreover, it peaked at No. 2 on both the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and the Canadian Hot 100. "Thinking Out Loud" also peaked within the top-ten in 27 more countries including New Zealand, Germany and India. The song became Sheeran's second million-selling single in the UK, following 2011's "The A Team" Moreover, the song has sold almost 5 million copies in the US, being certified 5× Platinum. In September 2015, it became just the fifth single released in the 21st century to go 3× Platinum.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: A remixed version of "Bloodstream" was released as the album's fourth single on 11 February 2015. The new version of the song was remixed by British drum and bass band, Rudimental and was released as a joint single. The song became Sheeran's fourth consecutive top-ten hit from the album by peaking at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "Photograph" was released as the fifth and final single from the album. On 22 April 2015, Sheeran tweeted "My next single from multiply is Photograph. Wait til you see the video, it's a special one. Very excited". Photograph then hit No.2 on Twitter Top Track Charts and also in Billboard Hot 100. The song first charted for a week in December 2014. Even before the announcement of an official release, "Photograph" was certified Silver in the UK for selling in excess of 200,000 copies. The music video for the single was released on 10 May 2015.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "Don't" was released as the second "instant grat" promotional single from the album on 13 June, ten days before the release of the album. It debuted at No. 21 in the Canadian Hot 100 on the chart dated 28 June 2014, the top debut for that week.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: Sheeran revealed that he would be releasing a track from the album every weekday in the week leading up to the release, as promotional "instant grat" singles available to those who had preordered the deluxe edition of the album on iTunes. The first of these was "Afire Love", released on 16 June, followed by "Bloodstream" on 17 June, "Thinking Out Loud" on 18 June, "The Man" on 19 June and "Photograph" on 20 June.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: Upon its release, "x" received positive reviews from music critics. The review aggregator website Metacritic assigns a "Metascore" to each album, which is based on the ratings and reviews of selected mainstream independent publications, and the release has a score of a 67 out of 100 based on 20 selected critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". At "The Daily Telegraph", Neil McCormick rated the album a perfect five stars, commenting how the album is like a "vehicle for emotional veracity, personal revelation and universal inclusion". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, remarking how Sheeran's usage of hip hop elements "keeps [the music] from being merely a bit of excellently crafted mature pop and gives it some appealing character." Jon O'Brien of AllMusic said that the album "encompassed [Sheeran's] acoustic/hip-hop hybrid sound, but also had an R&B feel in places along with straight-ahead pop." At "The A.V. Club", Annie Zaleski graded the album a B, indicating how Sheeran is showing in his music that "growing up is messy and tough [...] but affirms that navigating life with maturity and confidence is possible." Randall Roberts of "Los Angeles Times" rated the album two-and-a-half stars out of four, calling the music "well-crafted, generous and willing to lay it on thick when necessary, but fun to be around nonetheless". At "Entertainment Weekly", Melissa Maerz graded the album a B, commenting how even though Sheeran is "finally getting angry, taking aim at a pop-star girlfriend who slept with another guy" that "he's still a good boy after all." Alex Petridis of "The Guardian" rated the album four stars out of five, highlighting how the artist is "confidently pushing at the boundaries of what he does."


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: Jason Lipshutz of "Billboard" rated the album an 81 out of 100, and according to him, he "finds a hungry artist doing everything possible to elevate to another level, simply by abiding by his instincts". At "Q", John Aizlewood rated the album four stars out of five, describing how Sheeran's usage of many collaborators could have been "a potentially foolish move, but Sheeran pulls it off, chiefly because... his friends bend to him, not the other way round." In addition, Aizlewood remarks how Sheeran has "used his success rather than been used by it", Brian Mansfield of "USA Today" rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of four, calling it a "rare album that satisfies expectations while simultaneously raising them", and saying it "showcases the sweet, achingly vulnerable songs" that is a hallmark of Sheeran's work. Sarah Rodman of "The Boston Globe" gave a positive review of the album, finding how Sheeran "comes into his own" with the release.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: At "Rolling Stone", Jon Dolan rated the album three stars out of five, suggesting that "A better album title might have been "XXX"" and cautioning that the album has "plenty of oversweet ballad moments". Jim Farber of "New York Daily News" rated the album three stars out of five, writing how "Sheeran can write a hummable tune and, clearly, has something young girls love even more than looks: heart." but had several criticisms including noting how his music was "milky bland", his lyrics "rote and soppy" and the album's sound as a whole was "unconvincing". Writing for musicOMH John Murphy rated the album three stars out of five, noting how "x" will undoubtedly be another huge success for Sheeran, and if he can build on its good points, there could be an even better record lurking inside him as well", taking issue with the album's "huge reliance on epic sounding but bland ballad-anthems" which sound "calculated and a little bit cynical". Kitty Empire of "The Observer" was unimpressed by the album, rating it two stars out of five, and stated Sheeran's writing "[doesn't] actually find a new gear for the love song, just new turns of phrase, at a push". and "has a broad palette but lacks depth". Empire posited that Sheeran "can't cut it as a leading man", ultimately concluding that "Sing" is quite easily the best song on x, probably because it sounds nothing like Sheeran". At Drowned in Sound, Dave Hanratty rated the album a four out of ten; criticising the release because it "offers a few lively embers, but never quite ignites", saying that Sheeran lacks any kind of noteworthy identity and that the majority of the album "is alternatively as generic and simpering as it gets". "The Independent" was highly critical of the album; noting the lyrics as a "stolid plod through clichés" having a "serotonin-reducing effect"; and Sheeran and the album as "bleary", "so bland", "without wit or sex appeal" and "authentically uninspiring".


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: ABC News' Allan Raible found Sheeran spent much of the album "trying to force the groove in the name of pop success", concluding that it was "a mixed bag leaning on the negative side of the equation". "Time Out" noted his music was "cloying", ultimately rating the album three stars out of five, saying "There's enough awkward rapping and gooey-eyed sentiment here to put cynical listeners off." and any progression from his previous album was only "slight". "PopMatters" rated the album six out of ten, acknowledging Sheeran as a "talented wordsmith [who] uses past experiences and stories and moulds them into money making songs that stick in your head for days" but noted some of his songs "lack originality and flare" and criticising Sheeran as "predictable and boring to see another singer songwriter talk about relationships and emotions". In an essay for "Pitchfork", Michael Tedder noted that Sheeran's "Nice Guy Brand promises the consumer that the lovelorn troubadour is sensitive, nerdy[...] and won't break your heart like those other boys. But one listen to "x" reveals that he's not as far away from the macho types that unapologetically trash hotel rooms as he'd like you to think". He also explained that Sheeran is yet to appear in a Pitchfork Year End List due his inability to write music that "reroute[s] your brain and make you like it even when you don't want to like it", ultimately concluding that Sheeran's songwriting is "an unholy alliance between Simply Red and G. Love and Special Sauce (but, like, "really" white)".


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: "x" debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, marking Sheeran's second number one album in the United Kingdom. It sold 180,000 copies in its first week of release to become the fastest-selling album of 2014, overtaking Coldplay's "Ghost Stories". It stayed at number one for 12 non-consecutive weeks in the UK, the longest number one since Adele's "21" in 2011. "x" was the best-selling album of 2014 in the UK, selling over 1,689,000 copies and going five-time platinum. As of December 2015, the album has sold 2,660,000 copies in the UK. The album spent 74 consecutive weeks in the top ten, surpassing "21" 71-week record.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: In the United States, the album debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200 with first-week sales of 210,000 copies, becoming Sheeran's first number-one record in the country. Furthermore, Sheeran marked the second largest debut for a pop album in 2014 and the fourth-biggest opening overall of the year. In December 2015, the album was certified double platinum for shipments of two million albums by the Recording Industry Association of America. It reached 2 million copies sold there in February 2016. By July 2017, tracks from the album had accumulated over 1.51 billion on-demand audio streams in the US. In Canada, the album debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart; in its second week, the album remained at number one selling 7,000 copies. It became the year's fourth best-selling album in Canada, having sold 133,000 copies over the course of the year.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: In Australia, "x" spent eight non-consecutive weeks at number one and sold 490,000 copies. Until October 2015, the album had not left the top ten of the chart since its release. In November 2015, "x" became the first album to be certified Diamond by the Australian Recording Industry Association, a newly created category that denotes over 500,000 sales. "x" spent more than three years (156 weeks) in the top 10 of Ireland, where it spent 24 weeks at No. 1 with the last one being in its 137th charting week, and more than two years (104 weeks) in the top 10 of Denmark, New Zealand and Australia. The album reached the top 10 in 5 consecutive years, 2014 to 2018, in Australia, Denmark, Ireland (where it reached No. 1 in each of the years from 2014 to 2017), and the UK, and in 4 consecutive years, 2014 to 2017, in the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden.


title: X (Ed Sheeran album)

text: According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, "x" sold 4.4 million copies in 2014 and 3.5 million copies in 2015, becoming the third and second best-selling album, respectively.


title: Hillary Clinton email controversy

text: During her tenure as United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton drew controversy by using a private email server for official public communications rather than using official State Department email accounts maintained on federal servers. After a years-long FBI investigation, it was determined that Clinton's server did not contain any information or emails that were marked classified. Federal agencies did, however, retrospectively determine that 100 emails contained information that should have been deemed classified at the time they were sent, including 65 emails deemed "Secret" and 22 deemed "Top Secret". An additional 2,093 emails were retroactively designated confidential by the State Department.


title: Hillary Clinton email controversy

text: Some experts, officials, and members of Congress contended that Clinton's use of a private messaging system and a private server violated federal law, specifically 18 U.S. Code § 1924, regarding the unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or materials, as well as State Department protocols and procedures, and regulations governing recordkeeping. Clinton claimed that her use complied with federal laws and State Department regulations, and that former secretaries of state had also maintained personal email accounts (however Clinton was the only secretary of state to use a private server). News reports by NBC and CNN indicated that the emails discussed "innocuous" matters already available in the public domain. For example, the CIA drone program has been widely discussed in the public domain since the early 2000s; however, the existence of the program is technically classified, so sharing a newspaper article that mentions it would constitute a security breach, according to the CIA.


title: Hillary Clinton email controversy

text: The controversy was a major point of discussion and contention during the 2016 presidential election, in which Clinton was the Democratic nominee. In May, the State Department's Office of the Inspector General released a report about the State Department's email practices, including Clinton's. In July, FBI director James Comey announced that the FBI investigation had concluded that Clinton had been "extremely careless" but recommended that no charges be filed because Clinton did not act with criminal intent, the historical standard for pursuing prosecution.


title: Hillary Clinton email controversy

text: On October 28, 2016, eleven days before the election, Comey notified Congress that the FBI had started looking into newly discovered emails. On November 6, Comey notified Congress that the FBI had not changed its conclusion. Comey's timing was contentious, with critics saying that he had violated Department of Justice guidelines and precedent, and prejudiced the public against Clinton. The controversy received more media coverage than any other topic during the presidential campaign. Clinton and other observers argue that the reopening of the investigation contributed to her loss in the election. Comey said in his 2018 book "A Higher Loyalty" that his decision may have been unconsciously influenced by the fact that he considered it extremely likely that Clinton would become the next president.


title: Hillary Clinton email controversy

text: On June 14, 2018, the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General released its report on the FBI's and DOJ's handling of Clinton's investigation, finding no evidence of political bias and lending support for the decision to not prosecute Clinton. A three-year State Department investigation concluded in September 2019 that 38 individuals were "culpable" in 91 instances of sending classified information that reached Clinton's email account, though it found "no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information". Yet a September 2022 "Fact Checker" analysis by "The Washington Post", which followed a tweet by Clinton claiming, "I had zero emails that were classified", also quotes the same 2019 State Department report as having noted, "None of the emails at issue in this review were marked as classified."


title: Hillary Clinton email controversy

text: Prior to her appointment as Secretary of State in 2009, Clinton and her circle of friends and colleagues communicated via BlackBerry phones. State Department security personnel suggested this would pose a security risk during her tenure. The email account used on Clinton's BlackBerry was then hosted on a private server in the basement of her home in Chappaqua, New York, but that information was not disclosed to State Department security personnel or senior State Department personnel.