title: Polity

text: Polities do not necessarily need to be governments. A corporation, for instance, is capable of marshalling resources, has a governance structure, legal rights and exclusive jurisdiction over internal decision making. An ethnic community within a country or subnational entity may be a polity if they have sufficient organization and cohesive interests that can be furthered by such organization.


title: Horace Grant

text: Horace Junior Grant Sr. (born July 4, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for Michael Reinsdorf, the president and chief operating officer of the Chicago Bulls. He attended and played college basketball at Clemson University before playing professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he became a four-time champion with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Horace is the twin brother of former NBA player Harvey Grant.


title: Horace Grant

text: Grant was born in Augusta, Georgia. He and his twin brother, Harvey, grew up in Mitchell, Georgia and attended school in Sparta, Georgia.


title: Horace Grant

text: After he graduated from high school, he attended Clemson University, where he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha. With the Clemson Tigers, he became the first player in ACC history to lead the league in scoring (21.0 average), rebounding (9.6) and field goal shooting (70.8 percent). In 1987, Grant helped lead Clemson to the NCAA Tournament and was named ACC Player of the Year, becoming the first Clemson player to receive that honor.


title: Horace Grant

text: Grant was drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the 10th overall pick of the 1987 NBA draft. The 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) tall power forward / center teamed with fellow draft-day acquisition Scottie Pippen to form the Bulls' forward tandem of the future, although he initially backed up incumbent Charles Oakley, one of the league's premier rebounders and post defenders.


title: Horace Grant

text: In 1988, Grant moved into the starting lineup when Oakley was traded to the New York Knicks for center Bill Cartwright. He immediately became the Bulls' main rebounder, and established himself as the Bulls' third scoring option after Michael Jordan and Pippen, forming one of the league's best trios. Grant was noted for his defensive play; he was selected four times for the NBA All-Defensive Team. He helped Chicago win three consecutive NBA championships (1991, 1992, and 1993), securing the third with a last-second block on Kevin Johnson.


title: Horace Grant

text: Grant, who was diagnosed with myopia and wore eyeglasses, began wearing goggles fitted with prescription lenses on the court starting with the 1990–91 season. The goggles soon became a trademark for Grant. Although he eventually received LASIK surgery to correct his sight, he continued to wear the goggles on the court after he had heard from parents that he had become an inspirational figure to children who wore eyeglasses.


title: Horace Grant

text: After Jordan's first retirement following the 1992–93 season, Grant became the number-two star behind Pippen, and helped the Bulls push the Knicks to seven games in the second-round playoff series before being eliminated. Grant played in the 1994 NBA All-Star Game, posting four points and eight rebounds in 17 minutes. During the 1993–94 season he recorded career-best averages in scoring (15.1), rebounding (11.0), and assists (3.4).


title: Horace Grant

text: Grant left the Bulls as a free agent and joined the Orlando Magic, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. On May 5, 1995, Grant made the final basket in Boston Garden history in Orlando's series-clinching victory over the Boston Celtics. Grant helped the Magic reach the 1995 NBA Finals, where they were swept in four games by the Houston Rockets. Grant spent the next several seasons with the Magic.


title: Horace Grant

text: Grant was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics along with 2000 and 2001 second round picks for Dale Ellis, Don MacLean, Billy Owens, and rookie Corey Maggette just before start of the 1999–2000 season.


title: Horace Grant

text: After one year with the Sonics, Grant was involved in a three-way trade in which Glen Rice of the Los Angeles Lakers was sent to New York, Patrick Ewing of the Knicks was sent to Seattle, and Grant to the defending champion Lakers, reuniting him with Shaquille O'Neal and former Bulls coach Phil Jackson. He helped them win another championship in the 2000–01 season.


title: Horace Grant

text: In the offseason, Grant decided to leave Los Angeles and sign back with the Orlando Magic. The Los Angeles Lakers would go on to win the 2002 NBA championship without Grant. Grant was ultimately cut by the Magic in December 2002 after then-coach Doc Rivers said Grant had tried to undermine the coach and was a "cancer" on the team.


title: Horace Grant

text: Grant chose to retire after getting cut by the Magic. However, he decided to return for another run with the Lakers for the 2003–04 season as a backup to Karl Malone. He then retired permanently following the Lakers' loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals.


title: Horace Grant

text: In 2016 he became Special Advisor for Michael Reinsdorf, the president and chief operating officer of the Chicago Bulls.


title: Horace Grant

text: Grant's identical twin brother, Harvey Grant, played 11 NBA seasons for the Washington Bullets/Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, and Philadelphia 76ers.


title: Horace Grant

text: Grant was best friends with former teammate Scottie Pippen for many years when they were both on the Bulls. He said they grew apart when he left Chicago for Orlando, but that they are still friends and keep in touch.


title: Horace Grant

text: Though it has never been confirmed, Grant is rumored to be the main source for the material behind Sam Smith's controversial book "The Jordan Rules", alongside former Bulls assistant coach Johnny Bach.


title: Horace Grant

text: Three of Grant's nephews are also basketball players. Jerai Grant played college basketball for Clemson University and currently plays overseas; Jerian Grant played for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team and currently plays for Olimpia Milano; and Jerami Grant played for the Syracuse University Orange men's basketball team and currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers.


title: Horace Grant

text: Horace has three sons (Deon, Horace Jr, and Elijah) and five daughters (Coriel, Gianna, Maia, Naomi, and Eva).


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: The Boyz () is a South Korean boy band formed and managed by IST Entertainment. The group debuted on December 6, 2017, with the lead single "Boy" from their debut EP "The First". The group is composed of Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, New, Q, Ju Haknyeon, Sunwoo and Eric, and previously Hwall until his departure from the group in October 2019.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: In 2016 and early 2017, various members appeared in different artists' music videos, as cameos or lead roles. Kevin was first introduced to the public as a contestant on "Kpop Star 6", where he was eliminated early in the competition. Following this, he had the chance to release an OST for the drama Saimdang, Light's Diary in April 2017. Sunwoo became a contestant on "High School Rapper" in January 2017, where he was also eliminated early in the competition. In March 2017, Ju Haknyeon participated in "Produce 101" and reached 19th place during the final episode.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On July 4, the group was first announced as Cre.kerz, through the agency's social medias. On July 18, their official name was revealed. From August 23 to October 11, their first reality show "Flower Snack" aired, resulting in the release of the song "I'm Your Boy". They held their first fanmeeting "Heart to Heart" for 1,000 fans on October 28.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: In November, the twelve members signed contracts as exclusive models for the school uniform brand Skoolooks, as well as the cosmetic brand Siero Cosmetic.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On December 4, Cre.ker Entertainment confirmed that the group had signed a contract with Sony Music for their Japan promotions.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On December 6, The Boyz officially debuted with the release of their first extended play "The First" and its lead single "Boy". From February 12 to March 15, their second reality show "The 100" aired on V Live. As the result of this show, they held an online mini-concert on March 23. Sangyeon had his first fixed cast appearance on the show "We are the One" that aired from February 26 until its cancellation on March 26. The Boyz were invited to perform at the 12th Asian Film Awards on March 17 in Macau, their first overseas performance.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: The group released their second extended play "The Start" and its lead single "Giddy Up" on April 3, 2018. Due to health problems, Hwall couldn't promote with the group and subsequently had to halt all activities for three months.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: The twelve members, with Hwall back from his hiatus, released a special digital single titled "Keeper" on July 12, which was produced by Block B's Park Kyung. On July 24, they won their first "Rookie Award" during the Korea Brand Awards.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: The group appeared on the reality show Happy Arrived At Our House that aimed to raise awareness of the problem of abandoned street dogs in Korea. They temporarily took care of two puppies until they were found a home.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On August 30, the group won another "Rookie Award" at the Soribada Best K-Music Awards. On September 5, they made their first comeback in 5 months with the single "The Sphere" and the song "Right Here".


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: The group released their third extended play "The Only" and its lead single "No Air" on November 29, 2018.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: The group released their second single album "Bloom Bloom" and its lead single "Bloom Bloom" on April 29.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On October 23, Hwall officially left the group due to health issues and pursued a solo and acting career afterwards.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On November 6, The Boyz officially debuted in Japan with the release of their first Japanese extended play "Tattoo" and its lead single with the same name.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On December 6, the group released a special digital single titled "White (화이트)" to commemorate their second anniversary. Between December 11 and 20, the group toured in Berlin, Paris, London, and Amsterdam as part of their European tour titled "Dreamlike".


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On March 20, it was announced that the group will join Mnet's reality television competition "Road to Kingdom". On June 12, they released their new song "Checkmate" for the show's finale. The group eventually finished in first place, winning the show and securing a spot in upcoming Mnet program "".


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On September 21, the group released their fifth extended play "Chase" and its lead single "The Stealer".


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On December 7, the group released a special digital single titled "Christmassy!", to commemorate their third anniversary with 'The Azit: 永華' promotions.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On January 12, it was announced that the group will release their first Japanese studio album "Breaking Dawn" on March 17.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On July 11, The Boyz released the promotional single "Drink It" through Universe Music for the mobile application, Universe.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On August 9, The Boyz returned with their sixth extended play "Thrill-ing" with the lead single "Thrill Ride".


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On September 17, Kakao Entertainment announced The Boyz's company, Cre.ker Entertainment and PlayM Entertainment, will merge to launch a new integrated label.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On November 1, The Boyz made their comeback with their third single album "Maverick" with the lead single of the same name.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On December 6, the group released a special digital single titled "Candles", to commemorate their fourth anniversary.


title: The Boyz (South Korean band)

text: On May 27, 2022, The Boyz released their second Japanese extended play "She's the Boss", the first release under their new label, Universal Music IST.


title: Caramel

text: Caramel ( or ) is an orange-brown confectionery product made by heating a range of sugars. It can be used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, or as a topping for ice cream and custard.


title: Caramel

text: The process of caramelization consists of heating sugar slowly to around . As the sugar heats, the molecules break down and re-form into compounds with a characteristic colour and flavour.


title: Caramel

text: A variety of candies, desserts, toppings, and confections are made with caramel: brittles, nougats, pralines, flan, crème brûlée, crème caramel, and caramel apples. Ice creams sometimes are flavored with or contain swirls of caramel.


title: Caramel

text: The English word comes from French "caramel", borrowed from Spanish "caramelo" (18th century), itself possibly from Portuguese "caramelo". Most likely that comes from Late Latin "calamellus" 'sugar cane', a diminutive of "calamus" 'reed, cane', itself from Greek κάλαμος. Less likely, it comes from a Medieval Latin "cannamella", from "canna" 'cane' + "mella" 'honey'. Finally, some dictionaries connect it to an Arabic "kora-moħalláh" 'ball of sweet'.


title: Caramel

text: Caramel sauce is made by mixing caramelized sugar with cream. Depending on the intended application, additional ingredients such as butter, fruit purees, liquors, or vanilla can be used. Caramel sauce is used in a range of desserts, especially as a topping for ice cream. When it is used for crème caramel or flan, it is known as clear caramel and only contains caramelized sugar and water. Butterscotch sauce is made with brown sugar, butter, and cream. Traditionally, butterscotch is a hard candy more in line with a toffee.


title: Caramel

text: Caramel candy, or "caramels", and sometimes called "toffee" (though this also refers to other types of candy), is a soft, dense, chewy candy made by boiling a mixture of milk or cream, sugar(s), glucose, butter, and vanilla (or vanilla flavoring). The sugar and glucose are heated separately to reach ; the cream and butter are then added which cools the mixture. The mixture is then stirred and reheated until it reaches . Upon completion of cooking, vanilla or any additional flavorings and salt are added. Adding the vanilla or flavorings earlier would result in them burning off at the high temperatures. Adding salt earlier in the process would result in inverting the sugars as they cooked.


title: Caramel

text: Alternatively, all ingredients may be cooked together. In this procedure, the mixture is not heated above the firm ball stage (), so that caramelization of the milk occurs. This temperature is not high enough to caramelize sugar and this type of candy is often called milk caramel or cream caramel.


title: Caramel

text: Even though caramel candy is sometimes called "toffee" and is also compared with butterscotch, there is a difference. While toffee and butterscotch are more closely related than caramel, they do have most of the same ingredients. However, the difference is that toffee and butterscotch uses molasses or brown sugar while caramel uses white sugar. They are also cooked at different temperatures and they each have their own cooking techniques that makes them unique in taste and shape.


title: Caramel

text: The salted caramel was popularized in 1977 by the French pastry chef in Quiberon, Brittany, in the form of a salted butter caramel with crushed nuts ("caramel au beurre salé"), using Breton "demi-sel" butter. It was named the "Best confectionery in France" ("Meilleur Bonbon de France") at the Paris "Salon International de la Confiserie" in 1980. Le Roux registered the trademark "CBS" (caramel au beurre salé) the year after.


title: Caramel

text: In the late 1990s, the Parisian pastry chef Pierre Hermé introduced his salted butter and caramel macaroons and, by 2000, high-end chefs started adding a bit of salt to caramel and chocolate dishes. In 2008 it entered the mass market, when Häagen-Dazs and Starbucks started selling it.


title: Caramel

text: Originally used in desserts, the confection has seen wide use elsewhere, including in hot chocolate and spirits such as vodka. Its popularity may come from its effects on the reward systems of the human brain, resulting in "hedonic escalation".


title: Caramel

text: Caramel colouring, a dark, bitter liquid, is the highly concentrated product of near total caramelization, used commercially as food and beverage colouring, e.g., in cola.


title: Caramel

text: Caramelization is the removal of water from a sugar, proceeding to isomerization and polymerization of the sugars into various high-molecular-weight compounds. Compounds such as difructose anhydride may be created from the monosaccharides after water loss. Fragmentation reactions result in low-molecular-weight compounds that may be volatile and may contribute to flavor. Polymerization reactions lead to larger-molecular-weight compounds that contribute to the dark-brown color.


title: Caramel

text: Caramel can be produced in so many forms such as, sauce, a chewy candy, or a hard candy because of how much of an ingredient is added and the temperature it is being prepared at.


title: Caramel

text: In modern recipes and in commercial production, glucose (from corn syrup or wheat) or invert sugar is added to prevent crystallization, making up 10%–50% of the sugars by mass. "Wet caramels" made by heating sucrose and water instead of sucrose alone produce their own invert sugar due to thermal reaction, but not necessarily enough to prevent crystallization in traditional recipes.


title: Gulshan Devaiah

text: Gulshan Devaiah is an Indian actor who primarily appears in Hindi films. He is known for his roles in "Shaitan", "Hate Story" and "Hunterrr". His performance in Shaitan was critically praised and earned him a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.


title: Gulshan Devaiah

text: Devaiah was born on 28 May 1978 in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, and is a NIFT graduate. He is the son of Sri Devaiah and Pushpalata who were employed by Bharat Electronics Ltd. He completed his primary education at Cluny Convent and St Joseph's Indian High School. After graduation from NIFT, he got jobs in the fashion industry where he worked for 10 years. He also taught Bangalore students, fashion, at Wigan & Leigh College. Devaiah started his Bollywood journey with minor roles in Bangalore's English theatre. After he performed in several dramas, he moved to Mumbai for bigger opportunities.


title: Gulshan Devaiah

text: Gulshan Devaiah and Kallirroi Tziafeta, who got married in 2012, are divorced now. He confirmed the news and said that the split was amicable.


title: Gulshan Devaiah

text: Gulshan and Kallirroi, who is originally from Greece, got married in 2012, after being in a relationship for two years.


title: Gulshan Devaiah

text: Devaiah started his career from the Anurag Kashyap's short film "That Girl in Yellow Boots", alongside Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah in 2010. The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, followed by the Venice Film Festival. He played the role of Chitiappa in the film. Next in 2011, he appeared in Rohan Sippy's crime thriller "Dum Maaro Dum", starring Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu and Prateik Babbar, where he played the role of Ricky. In the same year, Devaiah appeared in Bejoy Nambiar's Hindi thriller film "Shaitan", starring Rajeev Khandelwal and Kalki Koechlin, where he portrayed the role of Karan Chaudhary "KC". Released in June 2011, the film was a critical and commercial success, where Devaiah's performance was acclaimed. He was nominated for the several awards including, Filmfare Awards, Screen Awards, Stardust Awards and Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards in the category of Best Male Debut and Best Actor in a Supporting Role, along with other ensemble characters.


title: Gulshan Devaiah

text: In 2012, Devaiah appeared in Vivek Agnihotri's erotic thriller Hate Story, produced by Vikram Bhatt, co-starring Paoli Dam. This was his first lead role, where he portrayed the antagonistic role of Siddharth Dhanrajgir, a cocky son of a rich business tycoon. The film went on to become a sleeper hit, and garnered the positive reviews from the critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated 3/5 to the film and labelled Devaiah's performance as "excellent". The same year, he played in Vasan Bala's crime thriller film "Peddlers" alongside Nimrat Kaur, where he portrayed the role of Ranjit D'souza, a 20-years old boy, who gets trapped in the drug trade. The film was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, which was muted by the critics. In 2013, Devaiah appeared in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's romantic-tragedy drama film "Ram-Leela", starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, where he played the role of Bhavani, which was a 'blockbuster' in the year. After a year gap, In 2015, Devaiah appeared in Harshavardan Kulkarni's adult comedy film "Hunterrr", co-starring Radhika Apte, where he portrayed the role of Mandar Ponkshe, a sex-addicted man and describing his lustful journey in life. The film did well at the box-office. In 2016, he was also seen playing the role of an NRI in Vivek Agnihotri's film "Junooniyat". Devaiah signed 3 films in 2017, "Cabaret", "A Death in the Gunj" and "CandyFlip". He played double role of twin brothers Karate Mani and Jimmy in action comedy film "Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota" for which he won Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He played the role of Buraq Ansari in action film "Commando 3". In 2020 he appeared in Amazon Prime's drama series "Afsos" and Netflix original film "Ghost Stories".


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: Super Mario Bros. 2 is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was first released in North America in October 1988, and in the PAL region in 1989.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: After the smash hit "Super Mario Bros." in 1985, Nintendo quickly released a minor adaptation of the original with advanced difficulty titled "", for its mature market in Japan in 1986. However, Nintendo of America found this sequel too similar to its predecessor, and its difficulty too frustrating, for the nascent American market. This prompted a second "Super Mario Bros." sequel based on Nintendo's 1987 Family Computer Disk System game which had been based on that "Super Mario" sequel prototype and released as an advergame for Fuji Television's Yume Kōjō '87 media technology expo. The characters, enemies, and themes in "Doki Doki Panic" have the mascots and theme of the festival, and were adapted into the "Super Mario" theme to make a second "Super Mario Bros." sequel.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: "Super Mario Bros. 2" was a resounding success, becoming the fifth-best-selling game on the NES, and was critically well-received for its design aspects and for differentiating the "Mario" series. It was re-released in Japan for the Famicom as (1992), and has been remade twice, first included in the "Super Mario All-Stars" (1993) collection for the Super NES, and as "Super Mario Advance" (2001) for the Game Boy Advance.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: "Super Mario Bros. 2" is a 2D side-scrolling platform game. The objective is to navigate the player's character through the dream world Subcon and defeat the main antagonist Wart. Before each stage, the player chooses one of four protagonists: Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Toadstool. All four characters can run, jump, and climb ladders or vines, but each character possesses a unique strength that causes them to be controlled differently. For example, Luigi can jump the highest; Princess Toadstool can float; Toad's strength allows him to pick up items quickly; and Mario represents the best balance between jumping and strength. Unlike "Super Mario Bros.", this game has no multiplayer functionality, and no time limit. The original only scrolls from left to right, but this game can also scroll vertically in some areas. Unlike other "Mario" games, the characters cannot defeat enemies by jumping on them; but they can stand on the enemies. Instead, the character lifts and throws objects at enemies or throws enemies to defeat them. These objects include enemies, blocks, or vegetables pulled from the ground.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: The game consists of 20 different levels across the seven worlds comprising Subcon. Each world has three levels, except World 7, which has two. Each world has a particular theme that dictates the obstacles and enemies encountered in its levels, such as desert areas with dangerous quicksand and snowy areas with slippery surfaces. Levels contain multiple sections or rooms that are connected via doors or ladders. Some rooms are accessible by entering certain jars. Magic potions found in each level are used to temporarily access "Sub-space", an inverted area where the player can collect coins and Mushrooms that increase the character's maximum health. In addition, certain jars, when entered in Sub-space, will warp the player to the later worlds, skipping levels altogether. Other items available include cherries, which are collected in order to acquire a Star; and the POW Block, which can be used to quickly destroy all the enemies visible on the screen. The player must defeat a boss enemy at the end of each of the first six worlds, then defeat Wart himself at the end of World 7 to complete the game.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: The player starts "Super Mario Bros. 2" with three lives, which are lost each time the player's character loses all health from enemy or hazard damage or when the character falls off the screen. The player can replenish health by collecting floating hearts that appear upon defeating a certain number of enemies. The player will receive a Game Over upon losing the last life, though the player may continue up to twice in one game. Additional extra lives may be obtained by collecting hidden 1-Up Mushrooms or by using the coins collected from Sub-space to win the Bonus Chance minigame played between the levels.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: Mario has a dream of a staircase leading to a mysterious door to a mysterious place. A voice identifies the world as the dreamland of Subcon, and asks for Mario's help in defeating the villainous frog named Wart, a tyrant who has cursed Subcon and its people. Mario suddenly awakes and decides to tell Luigi, Toad, and Princess Toadstool, who all report experiencing the same dream. The group goes on a picnic, but discovers a cave with a long staircase. Through a door at the top, they are transported to Subcon, revealing their dreams to have been real. After defeating Wart, the people of Subcon are freed and everyone celebrates. Mario suddenly awakes in his bed, unsure if these events were a dream. He soon goes back to sleep.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: Nintendo originally released a different game called "Super Mario Bros. 2" on Japan's Family Computer Disk System in 1986 (later released as "" for Super NES as part of "Super Mario All-Stars"). Its engine is an enhanced "Super Mario Bros.", with the same gameplay and more complex level designs, character features, and weather features. Some of the advanced level content had been culled from "Vs. Super Mario Bros.", a 1986 coin-operated arcade version of the original "Super Mario Bros." for NES. All of these factors combined to yield an incremental game design with significantly higher difficulty.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: Also that year, the young subsidiary Nintendo of America was just beginning its launch of the new Nintendo Entertainment System and its flagship game, "Super Mario Bros." This international adaptation of the Famicom platform had been deliberately rebranded in the wake of the American video game crash of 1983, a regional market recession which had not directly affected the mature Japanese market. Nintendo of America did not want the increasingly popular "Mario" series to be too difficult to a recovering, transfiguring, and expanding market — nor to be stylistically outdated by the time the Japanese "Super Mario Bros. 2" could be eventually converted to the NES's cartridge format, localized, and mass-produced for America. Utilizing its regional autonomy to avoid risking the franchise's popularity in this nascent market, Nintendo of America declined the Japanese sequel's localization to America and instead requested a newer and more player-friendly "Super Mario Bros." sequel for release outside Japan.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: An early prototype with vertical scrolling was developed by Kensuke Tanabe, designed by a team led by Shigeru Miyamoto, and programmed by Nintendo's frequent partner, SRD. The first prototype's gameplay emphasizes vertically scrolling levels with two-player cooperative action: lifting, carrying, and throwing each other; lifting, carrying, throwing, stacking, and climbing objects; and incrementally scrolling the screen upward when reaching the top. Dissatisfied so far, Miyamoto then added the traditional horizontal scrolling, saying to "make something a little bit more Mario-like", and saying "Maybe we need to change this up ... As long as it's fun, anything goes". However, the prototype software was too complex for Famicom hardware at the time, and the gameplay was still considered lacking, especially in single-player mode.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: Unwilling to compromise on gameplay, Tanabe suspended development of the prototype until eventually receiving instruction to use the Yume Kōjō festival mascots in a game. He recalls, "I remember being pulled over to Fuji Television one day, being handed a sheet with game characters on it and being told, 'I want you to make a game with this'." Tanabe re-implemented that prototype's elements in his new game, and released the advergame-themed "Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic" for the Family Computer Disk System in Japan on July 10, 1987.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: The title is derived from "doki doki", a Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of a quickly beating heart. The title and character concept were inspired by a license cooperation between Nintendo and Fuji Television to promote the broadcaster's Yume Kōjō '87 event, which showcased several of its latest TV shows and consumer products. The Yume Kōjō festival's mascots became the game's protagonists: a family consisting of the boy Imajin, his girlfriend Lina, and his parents Mama and Papa. The rest of the game's characters, including the main villain named Mamu, were created by Nintendo for the project. "Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic" takes place within a book with an Arabian setting. All four characters are optionally playable, though the game is not fully completed until the player clears all levels using each protagonist.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: Nintendo of America's Gail Tilden recalls that president Minoru Arakawa's request to convert the thematically unrelated "Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic" into a "Mario" sequel was "odd" at first but not unusual for Nintendo, which had already converted a canceled "Popeye" prototype into "Donkey Kong" and reconceived that into "Donkey Kong Jr." and "Donkey Kong 3". Summarizing Tanabe's recollections within a 2011 interview, "Wired" said "Although the initial concept for the game had been scrapped, the development of that original two-player cooperative prototype inspired all the innovative gameplay of "Super Mario Bros. 2"".


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: For the international conversion into "Super Mario Bros. 2", many graphical changes were made to the look, animation, and identity of the scenery and characters. The R&D4 staff modified the character likenesses of Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad, building them over their respective counterpart models of Imajin, Mama, Lina, and Papa. This marked the first time that Mario and Luigi had noticeably different heights, and Miyamoto originated the fluttering animation of Luigi's legs, to justify the enhanced jumping ability seen in the corresponding Mama character. "Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic" needed only a few alterations for its conversion into the "Mario" series because its gameplay elements were already so heavily rooted in it: Starman for invincibility, the sound effects of coins and jumps, POW blocks, warp zones, and a soundtrack by "Super Mario Bros." composer Koji Kondo. To reduce the game's overall difficulty, the designers made minor technical changes. They opted not to retain "Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic"s ultimate requirement to complete each level using each protagonist; therefore, this new "Super Mario Bros. 2" can be completed in only one pass by any combination of characters. In the tradition of the "Mario" series, they added the ability to run by holding the B button.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: "Super Mario Bros. 2" was first released in North America in October 1988, coincidentally the same month as "Super Mario Bros. 3" in Japan which would be delayed another two years internationally. In PAL regions, the game released the following year. It was such a commercial success and its contributions so substantial over "Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic", that it was eventually re-released in Japan in 1992 with the title "Super Mario USA". Likewise, Nintendo later re-released the Japanese "Super Mario Bros. 2" in America in the form of "Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels", a part of the 1993 re-release compilation "Super Mario All-Stars" on the Super NES. Nintendo has continued to re-release both games, each with the official sequel title of "Super Mario Bros. 2" in their respective regions.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: In 1993, Nintendo released an enhanced Super Nintendo Entertainment System compilation titled "Super Mario All-Stars". It includes the "Super Mario Bros." games released for the Famicom/NES. The version of "Super Mario Bros. 2" included in the compilation has modernized graphics and sound to match the Super NES's 16-bit capabilities, as well as minor alterations in some collision mechanics. It is possible to change the character after losing a single life, while the original version allows changing it only after completing a level or when the player loses all their lives and chooses "Continue", making the game more forgiving when choosing a character not adept at some specific level. The player begins with five lives instead of three, and the slot game gains an additional bonus: if the player obtains three sevens, the player wins 10 lives which is something that was not featured in the original NES version of the game. However, the game has a 99-life limit.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: In March–April 1996, Nintendo's partnership with the St.GIGA satellite radio station released an "ura" or "gaiden" version of the game for the Satellaview system, titled . Like all Satellaview games, it was released episodically in a number of weekly volumes, only in Japan, and only in this format.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: It features 16-bit audiovisual enhancements to the 8-bit original in the fashion of "Super Mario All-Stars", plus "SoundLink" narration (radio drama-style streaming voice data intended to guide players through the game and give helpful hints and advice) and broadcast CD-quality music. Due to the nature of SoundLink broadcasts, these games were only broadcast to players between 6:00 and 7:00 PM on broadcast dates, at which times players could download the game from the Events Plaza on the "BS-X" application cartridge. A single rerun of the broadcasts was conducted in the same weekly format from June 3, 1996, to June 29, 1996, at 5:00 to 6:00 PM. The "BS-X" download location for the rerun changed to Bagupotamia Temple.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: While the underlying gameplay itself is largely similar, new and arranged content has been added. For instance, the BS version newly featured a score counter. Furthermore, at the beginning of the game, Mario is the only playable character. Later in the game, time-dependent events occur triggering, among other things, the possibility of using other characters. Another feature unique to the game is the inclusion of gold Mario statues (ten in total for each chapter) that are hidden in various locations (including Sub-Space). Collection of the statues in-game grants the player an extra life and refills the life meter. After clearing a level, the player could press "Select" to see some statistics such as the number of statues, coins, cherries, and mushrooms collected, as well as displaying which bosses had been defeated.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: On March 21, 2001, "Super Mario Bros. 2" received another release, based on the "All-Stars" remake, as part of "Super Mario Advance", which also contains a remake of "Mario Bros." "Super Mario Advance" was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 2, and was a launch title for the Game Boy Advance. The "Super Mario Advance" version of "Super Mario Bros. 2" includes several new features such the addition of the enemy Robirdo, a robotic Birdo, replacing Mouser as the boss of World 3; the addition of the "Yoshi Challenge", in which players may revisit stages to search for Yoshi Eggs; and a new point-scoring system, similar to that used in the aforementioned "BS Super Mario USA Power Challenge". Graphical and audio enhancements appear in the form of enlarged sprites, multiple hit combos, digital voice acting, and such minor stylistic and aesthetic changes as an altered default health-meter level, boss-order, backgrounds, the size of hearts, Princess Toadstool being renamed to the now-standard "Princess Peach", and the inclusion of a chime to announce Stars. The game was released for the Wii U Virtual Console on July 16, 2014, in Japan and later in North America on November 6, 2014.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: "Super Mario Advance" received a "Gold" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: Upon release, "Super Mario Bros. 2" was the top-selling video game in the United States for fourteen consecutive months, from October 1988 through late 1988, into 1989 through spring and summer, to November 1989. By early 1990, copies were sold in the United States, eventually totaling million copies worldwide, making it the fourth highest-selling game ever released on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Although only the fourth highest-selling NES game overall, it is the best-selling standalone NES game which was never a pack-in game.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: "Super Mario Bros. 2" received positive reviews from critics. "Nintendo Power" listed it as the eighth best Nintendo Entertainment System video game, mentioning that regardless of its predecessor not being in the "Super Mario" franchise, it was distinguished on its own merits and its unique takes on the franchise's signature format. GamesRadar ranked it the 6th best NES game ever made. The staff complimented it and other third-generation games for being a greater improvement than sequels around 2012, which they thought had seen only small improvements. "Entertainment Weekly" picked the game as the #6 greatest game available in 1991, saying: "The second and still the best of the "Super Mario" franchise". In 1997 "Electronic Gaming Monthly" ranked the "All-Stars" edition as the 14th best console video game of all time, calling the level designs "unlike anything you've seen before" and highly praising the boss challenges. In the "Pak Source" edition of "Nintendo Power", which rated all NES games released in North America from October 1985 to March 1990, "Super Mario Bros. 2" was among the only three games (aside "Metroid" and "Mega Man 2") to receive the maximum score of 5 in at least one of the categories evaluated, which was not awarded to either "Super Mario Bros." nor "Super Mario Bros. 3". It was awarded the score of 5 for both "Challenge" and "Theme Fun".


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: The re-release as "Super Mario Advance" in 2001 received generally positive reviews, garnering an aggregate score of 84/100 on Metacritic. One reviewer concluded "all nostalgia and historical influence aside, "Super Mario Bros. 2" is still a game worth playing on the merits of its gameplay alone", and that "the only reason you may not want to pick it up is if ... you already own it in another form." However, GameSpot thought that "Super Mario Bros. 3" or "Super Mario World" would have been a better choice for a launch game considering their respective popularity; both games were eventually also remade as part of the "Super Mario Advance" series. Conversely, IGN praised the choice, calling it "one of the most polished and creative platformers of the era". The game was named one of the best NES games ever by IGN, saying that the game offers greater diversity in graphics and gameplay than the original, making it a great bridge game between the other NES "Mario" games. ScrewAttack named Wart's battle theme in a list of the top ten best 8-Bit Final Boss Themes. Game Informer placed the game 30th on their top 100 video games of all time in 2001. In 2009, "Official Nintendo Magazine" ranked the game 27th on a list of greatest Nintendo games.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: "Next Generation" reviewed the Game Boy Advance version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "This classic probably shouldn't have been brought back. It's well translated but hasn't aged gracefully."


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: Many elements in "Super Mario Bros. 2" have endured in subsequent sequels and in related franchise. The ability to lift and toss enemies and objects—a defining feature of its earliest prototype—has become part of the permanent repertoire of the "Super Mario" franchise, appearing in numerous subsequent "Super Mario" games. The Wii U game "Super Mario 3D World" features the same playable characters with the same basic physical abilities from "Super Mario Bros. 2".


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: The "New Super Mario Bros." series also includes elements and ideas originally proposed for the prototype of this game. The simultaneous multi-player elements originally prototyped, were finally realized in "New Super Mario Bros. Wii", where up to four players can play competitively or cooperatively. This gameplay incorporates the competitive elements from the original "Mario Bros.", with the platforming of "Super Mario Bros." Vertical scrolling multiplayer levels are frequent in this game and also the other games in the series that followed after the Wii release.


title: Super Mario Bros. 2

text: Many characters and features of "Super Mario Bros. 2" have been assimilated into the greater "Mario" universe, such as Birdo, Pokey, Bob-omb, and Shy Guy. This is the first game in which Princess Toadstool and Toad are playable characters. Princess Toadstool established a floating jump and stars in later "Mario" games such as "Super Princess Peach". Toad stars in later "Mario" games like "Wario's Woods", "New Super Mario Bros. Wii", and "". In "Super Mario Bros. 2", Luigi became distinguished from Mario's form, especially his tall stature and flutter jump. The "Super Smash Bros." series gained many direct homages to this game. The 1989 cartoon television show, "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!" is based on characters, settings, and music from "Super Mario Bros. 2".


title: Defecation

text: Defecation (or defaecation) follows digestion, and is a necessary process by which organisms eliminate a solid, semisolid, or liquid waste material known as feces from the digestive tract via the anus. The act has a variety of names ranging from the common, like pooping or crapping, to the technical, e.g. bowel movement, to the obscene ("shitting"), to the euphemistic ("dropping a deuce" or "taking a dump"). The topic, usually avoided among polite company, can become the basis for some potty humour.


title: Defecation

text: Humans expel feces with a frequency varying from a few times daily to a few times weekly. Waves of muscular contraction (known as "peristalsis") in the walls of the colon move fecal matter through the digestive tract towards the rectum. Undigested food may also be expelled this way, in a process called egestion. When birds defecate, they also expel urine and urates in the same mass, whereas other animals may also urinate at the same time, but spatially separated. Defecation may also accompany childbirth and death. Babies defecate a unique substance called meconium prior to eating external foods.


title: Defecation

text: There are a number of medical conditions associated with defecation, such as diarrhea and constipation, some of which can be serious. The feces expelled can carry diseases, most often through the contamination of food. "E. coli" is a particular concern.


title: Defecation

text: Before potty training, human feces are most often collected into a diaper. Thereafter, in many societies people commonly defecate into a toilet. However, open defecation, the practice of defecating outside without using a toilet of any kind, is still widespread in some developing countries. Some people defecate into the ocean. First world countries use sewage treatment plants and/or on-site treatment.


title: Defecation

text: The rectum ampulla stores fecal waste (also called stool) before it is excreted. As the waste fills the rectum and expands the rectal walls, stretch receptors in the rectal walls stimulate the desire to defecate. This urge to defecate arises from the reflex contraction of rectal muscles, relaxation of the internal anal sphincter, and an initial contraction of the skeletal muscle of the external anal sphincter. If the urge is not acted upon, the material in the rectum is often returned to the colon by reverse peristalsis, where more water is absorbed and the feces is stored until the next mass peristaltic movement of the transverse and descending colon.


title: Defecation

text: When the rectum is full, an increase in pressure within the rectum forces apart the walls of the anal canal, allowing the fecal matter to enter the canal. The rectum shortens as material is forced into the anal canal and peristaltic waves push the feces out of the rectum. The internal and external anal sphincters along with the puborectalis muscle allow the feces to be passed by muscles pulling the anus up over the exiting feces.


title: Defecation

text: The external anal sphincter is under voluntary control whereas the internal anal sphincter is involuntary. In infants, the defaecation occurs by reflex action without the voluntary control of the external anal sphincter. Defecation is voluntary in adults. Young children learn voluntary control through the process of toilet training. Once trained, loss of control, called fecal incontinence, may be caused by physical injury, nerve injury, prior surgeries (such as an episiotomy), constipation, diarrhea, loss of storage capacity in the rectum, intense fright, inflammatory bowel disease, psychological or neurological factors, childbirth, or death.


title: Defecation

text: Sometimes, due to the inability to control one's bowel movement or due to excessive fear, defecation (usually accompanied by urination) occurs involuntarily, soiling a person's undergarments. This may cause significant embarrassment to the person if this occurs in the presence of other people or a public place.


title: Defecation

text: The positions and modalities of defecation are culture-dependent. Squat toilets are used by the vast majority of the world, including most of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The use of sit-down toilets in the Western world is a relatively recent development, beginning in the 19th century with the advent of indoor plumbing.


title: Defecation

text: Regular bowel movements determine the functionality and the health of the alimentary tracts in human body. Defecation is the most common regular bowel movement which eliminates waste from the human body. The frequency of defecation is hard to identify, which can vary from daily to weekly depending on individual bowel habits, the impact from the environment and genetic. If defecation is delayed for a prolonged period the fecal matter may harden, resulting in constipation. If defecation occurs too fast, before excess liquid is absorbed, diarrhea may occur. Other associated symptoms can include abdominal bloating, abdominal pain, and abdominal distention. Disorders of the bowel can seriously impact quality of life and daily activities. The causes of functional bowel disorder are multifactorial, and dietary habits such as food intolerance and low fiber diet are considered to be the primary factors.


title: Defecation

text: Constipation, also known as defecatory dysfunction, is difficulty experienced when passing stools. It is one of the most notable alimentary disorders that affects different age groups in the population. The common constipation is associated with abdominal distention, pain or bloating. Researches revealed that the chronic constipation complied with higher risk of cardiovascular events such as 'coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke', while associating with an increasing risk of mortality. Besides the dietary factors, the psychological traumas and 'pelvic floor disorders' can also cause the chronic constipation and defecatory disorder respectively. Multiple interventions, including physical activities, 'high-fibre diet', probiotics and drug therapies can be widely and efficiently used to treat constipation and defecatory disorder.


title: Defecation

text: Inflammatory disease is characterized as a long-lasting chronic inflammatory throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the two universal type of inflammatory bowel diseases that have been studied over a century, and they are closely related to different environmental risk factors, family genetic and people's lifestyle such that smoking is considered highly associated with these diseases. Crohn's disease is discovered to be related to immune disorders particularly. Different level of cumulative intestinal injuries can cause different complications, such as "fistulae, damage of bowel function and symptoms reoccur, disability", etc. The patient group can vary from children to adults. The newest research revealed that immunodeficiency and monogenic are the causes of young patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. The onset rate keeps updating each year with dramatically increased number and the pathogen of the bowel disease are also complicated due to the complexity of the bowel organs, bowel diseases are diverse in terms of the small and big bowel.


title: Defecation

text: Common symptoms for inflammatory bowel diseases differ by the infection level, but may include severe abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fatigue and unexpected weight loss. Crohn's disease can lead to infection of any part of the digestive tract, including ileum to anus. Internal manifestations include diarrhoea, abdomen pain, fever, chronic anaemia, etc. External manifestations include impact on skin, joints, eyes and liver. Significantly reduced "microbat diversity" inside the gastrointestinal tract can also be observed. Ulcerative colitis mainly affects the function of the large bowel, and its incidence rate is three times larger than the Crohn's disease. In terms of clinical features, over 90% of patients exhibited constant diarrhoea, 'rectal bleeding, softer and mucus in the stool, tenesmus and abdomen pain'. At the same time, patient also reported to be having "arthralgia, episcleritis and erythema nodosum". The symptoms can continue for around 6 weeks or even more than that.


title: Defecation

text: The inflammatory bowel diseases could be effectively treated by 'pharmacotherapies' to relieve and maintain the symptoms, which showed in 'mucosal healing' and symptoms elimination. However, an optimal therapy for curing both inflammatory diseases are still under research due to the heterogeneity in clinical feature. Although both UC and CD are sharing similar symptoms, the medical treatment of them are distinctively different. Dietary treatment can benefit for curing CD by increase the dietary zinc and fish intake, which is related to mucosal healing of the bowel. Treatments vary from drug treatment to surgery based on the active level of the CD. UC can also be relieved by using immunosuppressive therapy for mild to moderate disease level and application of biological agents for severe cases.


title: Defecation

text: Irritable bowel syndrome is diagnosed as an intestinal disorder with chronic abdominal pain and inconsistency in form of stool, and is a common bowel disease that can be easily diagnosed in modern society. The variation in incident rate can be explained by different diagnostic criteria in different countries, with the 18–34 age group being recognized as the high frequency incident group. The definite cause of irritable bowel syndrome remains a mystery, however it has been found to relate to multiple factors, such as 'alternation of mood and pressure, sleep disorders, food triggers, changing of dysbiosis and even sexual dysfunction'. One third of irritable bowel syndrome patients has family history with the disease suggesting that genetic predisposition could be a significant cause for irritable bowel syndrome.


title: Defecation

text: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome commonly experience abdominal pain, changes to stool form, reourrent abdominal bloating and gas, co-morbid disorders and alternation in bowel habits that caused diarrhea or constipation. However, anxiety and tension can also be detected, although patients with irritable bowel disease seem healthy. Apart from these typical symptoms, rectal bleeding, unexpected weight loss and increased inflammatory markers require further medical examination and investigation.


title: Defecation

text: Treatment for irritable bowel disease is multimodal. Dietary intervention and pharmacotherapies can both relieve the symptoms to a certain degree. Avoiding allergic food groups can be beneficial by reducing fermentation in the digestive tract and gas production, hence effectively alleviating abdominal pain and bloating. Drug interventions, such as laxatives, loperamide, and lubiprostone are applied to relieve intense symptoms including diarrhea, abdominal pain and constipation. Psychological treatment, dietary supplements and gut-focused hypnotherapy are recommended for targeting depression, mood disorders and sleep disturbance.


title: Defecation

text: Bowel obstruction is a bowel condition which is a blockage that can be found in both the small intestines and large intestines. Increase of contractions can relieve blockages, however, continuous contractions with decreasing functionality may lead to terminated mobility of the small intestines, which then forms the obstruction. At the same time, the lack of contractility encourages liquid and gas accumulation. and "electrolyte disturbances". Small bowel obstruction can result in severe renal damage and hypovolemia. while evolving into "mucosal ischemia and perforation". Patients with small bowel obstruction were found to experience constipation, strangulation and abdominal pain and vomiting. Surgical intervention is primarily used to cure severe small bowel obstruction condition. Nonoperative therapy included nasogastric tube decompression, water-soluble-contrast medium process or symptomatic management can be applied to treat less severe symptoms


title: Defecation

text: According to research, large bowel obstruction is less common than small bowel obstruction, but is still associated with a high mortality rate. Large bowel obstruction, also known as colonic obstruction, includes acute colonic obstruction, where a blockage is formed in the colon. Colonic obstructions frequently occur within the elder population, often accompanied by significant 'comorbidities'. Although colonic malignancy is revealed as the major cause of the colonic obstruction, volvulus has also been founded as a secondary common cause around the world. In addition, lower mobility, unhealthy mentality and restricted living environment are also listed as risk factors. Surgery and colonic stent placements are widely applied for curing colonic obstructions.


title: Defecation

text: Attempting forced expiration of breath against a closed airway (the Valsalva maneuver) is sometimes practiced to induce defecation while on a toilet. This contraction of expiratory chest muscles, diaphragm, abdominal wall muscles, and pelvic diaphragm exerts pressure on the digestive tract. Ventilation at this point temporarily ceases as the lungs push the chest diaphragm down to exert the pressure. Cardiac arrest and other cardiovascular complications can in rare cases occur due to attempting to defecate using the valsalva maneuver. Valsalva retinopathy is another pathological syndrome associated with the Valsalva maneuver. Thoracic blood pressure rises and as a reflex response the amount of blood pumped by the heart decreases. Death has been known to occur in cases where defecation causes the blood pressure to rise enough to cause the rupture of an aneurysm or to dislodge blood clots (see thrombosis). Also, in releasing the Valsalva maneuver blood pressure falls; this, coupled with standing up quickly to leave the toilet, can result in a blackout.


title: Defecation

text: Open defecation is the human practice of defecating outside (in the open environment) rather than into a toilet. People may choose fields, bushes, forests, ditches, streets, canals or other open space for defecation. They do so because either they do not have a toilet readily accessible or due to traditional cultural practices. The practice is common where sanitation infrastructure and services are not available. Even if toilets are available, behavior change efforts may still be needed to promote the use of toilets.


title: Defecation

text: Open defecation can pollute the environment and cause health problems. High levels of open defecation are linked to high child mortality, poor nutrition, poverty, and large disparities between rich and poor.


title: Defecation

text: Ending open defecation is an indicator being used to measure progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal Number 6. Extreme poverty and lack of sanitation are statistically linked. Therefore, eliminating open defecation is thought to be an important part of the effort to eliminate poverty.


title: Defecation

text: The anus and buttocks may be cleansed after defecation with toilet paper, similar paper products, or other absorbent material. In many cultures, such as Hindu and Muslim, water is used for anal cleansing after defecation, either in addition to using toilet paper or exclusively. When water is used for anal cleansing after defecation, toilet paper may be used for drying the area afterwards. Some doctors and people who work in the science and hygiene fields have stated that switching to using a bidet as a form of anal cleansing after defecation is both more hygienic and more environmentally friendly.


title: Defecation

text: Some aspects of psychology surround the act of defecation. There is an inherent desire for privacy among humans. Freud stipulated a second stage of development, the Anal Stage, which centers around the release of waste from the bladder and bowels. He categorized two types: "anal retentive" and "anal expulsive".


title: Aja Volkman

text: Aja Volkman (; born March 4, 1980) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the frontwoman of the indie rock band Nico Vega. She has also released an EP titled "Egyptian" as a duo with her former husband Dan Reynolds (of Imagine Dragons) under the moniker Egyptian.


title: Aja Volkman

text: Volkman is the daughter of James Volkman and artist Rogene Manas. She attended South Eugene High School and graduated in the class of 1998 at the age of 18.


title: Aja Volkman

text: She married the lead singer of Imagine Dragons, Dan Reynolds, on March 5, 2011. They have three daughters and a son. Their oldest daughter was born August 2012, fraternal twin girls in March 2017, and their son in October 2019. On April 26, 2018, Reynolds announced that he and Volkman would divorce after 7 years of marriage. Volkman confirmed the pending divorce the following day. However, on November 6, 2018, along with the release of the Imagine Dragons song "Bad Liar", Reynolds announced that he and Volkman were dating once again and that she helped co-write the song with him earlier in the year. After nearly four more years together, they announced that they had separated once again on September 16, 2022.


title: Aja Volkman

text: Volkman was approached by Michael Peña after a solo performance in 2005. Although Peña later left the band to pursue acting, Dan Epand (drummer) joined and this formed the basic structure of Nico Vega in 2007. The band released a series of EPs. They signed to now defunct MySpace Records. Two years later the band released their debut eponymous album. Three tracks off of the album were produced by Linda Perry (Pink, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani) and the rest were produced by Tim Edgar. The album was mixed by Tchad Blake (The Black Keys, Sheryl Crow). Nico Vega performed on "Last Call with Carson Daly" later that year and then toured for the next couple years. They toured extensively with artists including Gavin Rossdale (of Bush), Manic Street Preachers, Imagine Dragons, She Wants Revenge, and Blondie. They have also opened for No Doubt. During this time the band signed to Five Seven Music. Their single "Beast" gained popularity in 2013 through BioShock Infinite advertisements, resulting in more than five million combined downloads and streams.


title: Aja Volkman

text: Their second album, "Lead To Light", was released on July 22, 2014, and featured production from Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons, X Ambassadors), Tony Hoffer (Beck, Fitz and the Tantrums), and Tim Edgar (Nico Vega). Their single "I Believe (Get Over Yourself)" was co-written by Volkman's husband, Reynolds. Track "Lightning" was co-written with Adam Bravin and Justin Warfield of rock group She Wants Revenge.


title: Aja Volkman

text: Aja Volkman and Dan Epand created a new band, named TWWO, and put out an EP, "Pull The Knife Out", in July 2020.


title: Aja Volkman

text: Invited to perform an opening set for Nico Vega, Reynolds met Volkman in 2010. He invited her to help him finish some demos he was working on. The two began a collaborative process which they titled Egyptian. They recorded and released independently a four track eponymous EP digitally.


title: Aja Volkman

text: In 2015, Reynolds mentioned that Volkman is working on a solo project. Album "Sandy" was released on May 19, 2017, and featured lead single "My Man". The album features production by Joshua James and producer Tim Edgar (Nico Vega, Imagine Dragons).


title: Rob Portman

text: Robert Jones Portman (born December 19, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Ohio since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Portman was the 35th director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from 2006 to 2007, the 14th United States trade representative from 2005 to 2006, and a U.S. representative from 1993 to 2005, representing Ohio's 2nd district.


title: Rob Portman

text: In 1993, Portman won a special election to represent in the United States House of Representatives. He was reelected six times before resigning upon his appointment by President George W. Bush as the U.S. trade representative in May 2005. As trade representative, Portman initiated trade agreements with other countries and pursued claims at the World Trade Organization. In May 2006, Bush appointed Portman the director of the Office of Management and Budget.


title: Rob Portman

text: In 2010, Portman announced his candidacy for the United States Senate seat being vacated by George Voinovich. He easily defeated then-Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher and was reelected in 2016. On January 25, 2021, he announced that he would not seek a third term in 2022.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman was born in 1955, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Joan (née Jones) and William C. "Bill" Portman II. His family was Presbyterian. His great-grandfather on his father's side, surnamed "Portmann", emigrated from Switzerland; Portman also has Scots-Irish, English, and German ancestry.


title: Rob Portman

text: In 1926, Portman's grandfather Robert Jones purchased the Golden Lamb Inn in Lebanon, Ohio, and, together with his future wife Virginia Kunkle Jones, refurbished it and decorated it with antique collectibles and Shaker furniture. The couple ran the inn together until 1969, when they retired.


title: Rob Portman

text: When Portman was young, his father started the Portman Equipment Company, a forklift dealership where he and his siblings worked growing up. From his mother Joan, a liberal Republican, Portman inherited his sympathy for the Republican Party.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman graduated from Cincinnati Country Day School in 1974 and attended Dartmouth College, where he started leaning to the right, and majored in anthropology and earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1978. In Cincinnati, Portman worked on Bill Gradison's Congressional campaign, and Gradison soon became a mentor to Portman. Portman next entered the University of Michigan Law School, earning his Juris Doctor degree in 1984 and serving as vice president of the student senate. During law school, he embarked on a kayaking and hiking trip across China and met Jane Dudley, whom he married in 1986. After graduating from law school, Portman moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked for the law firm Patton Boggs. Some describe his role there as a lobbyist; others say that such a description is inaccurate. Portman next became an associate at Graydon Head & Ritchey LLP, a law firm in Cincinnati.


title: Rob Portman

text: In 1989, Portman began his career in government as an associate White House Counsel under President George H. W. Bush. From 1989 to 1991, he served as Bush's deputy assistant and director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs. While serving as White House counsel, Portman visited China, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.


title: Rob Portman

text: In 1993, Portman entered a special election to fill the seat of Congressman Bill Gradison of Ohio's second congressional district, who had stepped down to become president of the Health Insurance Association of America. In the Republican primary, Portman faced six-term Congressman Bob McEwen, who had lost his Sixth District seat to Ted Strickland in November 1992; real estate developer Jay Buchert, president of the National Association of Home Builders; and several lesser known candidates.


title: Rob Portman

text: In the primary, Portman was criticized for his previous law firm's work for Haitian president Baby Doc Duvalier. Buchert ran campaign commercials labeling Portman and McEwen "Prince Rob and Bouncing Bob." Portman lost four of the district's five counties, but won the largest, Hamilton County, his home county and home to 57% of the district's population. Largely on the strength of his victory in Hamilton, Portman took 17,531 votes (36%) overall, making him the winner.


title: Rob Portman

text: In the general election, Portman defeated the Democratic nominee, attorney Lee Hornberger, 53,020 (70%) to 22,652 (29%).


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman was reelected in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2004, defeating Democrats Les Mann, Thomas R. Chandler, and then Waynesville mayor Charles W. Sanders four times in a row.


title: Rob Portman

text: As of 2004, Portman had a lifetime rating of 89 from the American Conservative Union, and ranked 5th among Ohio's 18 House members.


title: Rob Portman

text: One of Portman's first votes in Congress was for the North American Free Trade Agreement on November 17, 1993.


title: Rob Portman

text: Of Portman's work on the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayers Union said, "He set a professional work environment that rose above partisanship and ultimately gave taxpayers more rights." Democratic Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones from Cleveland said Portman, "compared to other Republicans, is pleasant and good to work with." During the first four years of the George W. Bush Administration, Portman served as a liaison between Congressional Republicans and the White House. Portman voted for the Iraq War Resolution in 2002. He was known for his willingness to work with Democrats to enact important legislation.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman has said that his proudest moments as a U.S. Representative were "when we passed the balanced budget agreement and the welfare reform bill." As a congressman, Portman traveled to Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait and Mexico. During his time in the House, Portman began assisting prominent Republican candidates prepare for debates by standing in for their opponents in practice debates. He took the role of Lamar Alexander (for Bob Dole in 1996), Al Gore (for George W. Bush in 2000), Hillary Clinton (for Rick Lazio in 2000), Joe Lieberman (for Dick Cheney in 2000), John Edwards (for Cheney in 2004), and Barack Obama (for John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012). His portrayals mimic not only the person's point of view but also their mannerisms, noting for instance that he listened to Obama's audiobook reading to study his pattern of speech.


title: Rob Portman

text: On March 17, 2005, Portman spoke at the White House during a ceremony at which Bush nominated him for United States Trade Representative, calling him "a good friend, a decent man, and a skilled negotiator." Portman was confirmed on April 29 and sworn in on May 17.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman sponsored an unfair-trading claim to the World Trade Organization against Airbus because American allies in the European Union were providing subsidies that arguably helped Airbus compete against Boeing. European officials countered that Boeing received unfair subsidies from the United States, and the WTO ruled separately that they each received unfair government assistance.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman spent significant time out of the United States negotiating trade agreements with roughly 30 countries, visiting Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, South Korea, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. During his tenure, he also helped to win passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement. Portman used a network of former House colleagues to get support for the treaty to lift trade barriers between the United States and Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras. According to "The Hill", Portman took his wife, Jane, with him to the Capitol on their wedding anniversary so he could work on the deal.


title: Rob Portman

text: As United States Trade Representative, Portman attended the WTO's Hong Kong conference in 2005. He addressed the conference with a speech on development in Doha, and advocated a 60% cut in targeted worldwide agricultural subsidies by 2010. Portman then sponsored a claim against China for extra charges it levied on American auto parts. U.S. steel manufacturers subsequently beseeched the White House to halt an influx of Chinese steel pipe used to make plumbing and fence materials. This was a recurring complaint and the United States International Trade Commission recommended imposing import quotas, noting "the economic threat to the domestic pipe industry from the Chinese surge." With Portman as his top trade advisor, Bush replied that quotas were in the U.S. economic interest. He reasoned the American homebuilding industry used the pipe and wanted to maintain a cheap supply and that other cheap exporters would step in to fill China's void if Chinese exports were curtailed. This occurred at a time when the U.S. steel industry lost $150 million in profit between 2005 and 2007, although China's minister of commerce cited the U.S. industry's "record high profit margins" in the first half of 2004 and continued growth in 2005. China next lobbied Portman to leave matters alone, meeting with his office twice and threatening in a letter that restrictions and what it called "discrimination against Chinese products" would bring "serious adverse impact" to the U.S.-China economic and trade relationship. Portman vowed to "hold [China's] feet to the fire" and provide a "top-to-bottom review" of the U.S.–China trade relationship. His claim that China had improperly favored domestic auto parts became the first successful trade suit against China in the WTO. During Portman's tenure as trade ambassador, the U.S. trade deficit with China increased by 21 percent.


title: Rob Portman

text: On April 18, 2006, Bush nominated Portman for Director of the Office of Management and Budget, replacing Joshua Bolten, who was appointed White House Chief of Staff. Portman said that he looked forward to the responsibility, adding, "It's a big job. The Office of Management and Budget touches every spending and policy decision in the federal government". Bush expressed his confidence in Portman, saying, "The job of OMB director is a really important post and Rob Portman is the right man to take it on. Rob's talent, expertise and record of success are well known within my administration and on Capitol Hill." The U.S. Senate confirmed him unanimously by voice vote on May 26, 2006.


title: Rob Portman

text: As OMB director from May 2006 to August 2007, Portman helped craft a $2.9 trillion budget for fiscal year 2008. "The Cincinnati Enquirer" wrote, "The plan called for making the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent, at a cost of more than $500 billion over the five-year life of the proposal. It requested a hefty increase in military spending, along with reductions in low-income housing assistance, environmental initiatives, and health care safety-net programs." Portman is said to have been "frustrated" with the post, calling the budget that Bush's office sent to Congress "not my budget, his budget," and saying, "it was a fight, internally." Edward Lazear of Bush's Council of Economic Advisers said that Portman was the leading advocate for a balanced budget, while other former Bush administration officials said that Portman was the leading advocate for fiscal discipline within the administration.


title: Rob Portman

text: On June 19, 2007, Portman resigned as OMB director, citing a desire to spend more time with his family and three children. Democratic Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee Kent Conrad expressed regret at Portman's resignation, saying, "He is a person of credibility and decency that commanded respect on both sides of the aisle."


title: Rob Portman

text: On November 8, 2007, Portman joined the law firm Squire Sanders as part of its transactional and international trade practice in Cincinnati, Ohio. His longtime chief of staff, Rob Lehman, also joined the firm as a lobbyist in its Washington, D.C. office. In 2007, Portman founded Ohio's Future P.A.C., a political action committee. In 2008, he was cited as a potential running mate for Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Portman remained critical of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, passed while he was out of office.


title: Rob Portman

text: On January 14, 2009, two days after George Voinovich announced he would not be running for re-election, Portman publicly declared his candidacy for the open U.S. Senate seat. Running unopposed in the Republican primary, Portman benefitted substantially from Tea Party support, and by July 2010 had raised more campaign funds than Democrat Lee Fisher by a 9 to 1 margin. Portman campaigned on the issue of jobs and job growth.


title: Rob Portman

text: Of all candidates for public office in the U.S., Portman was the top recipient of corporate money from insurance industries and commercial banks in 2010. Portman possessed the most campaign funds of any Republican during 2010, at $5.1 million, raising $1.3 million in his third quarter of fundraising.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman won the election by a margin of 57 to 39 percent, winning 82 of Ohio's 88 counties. In a 2010 campaign advertisement, Portman said a "[ cap-and-trade bill] could cost Ohio 100,000 jobs we cannot afford to lose;" subsequently, "The Cleveland Plain Dealer" and PolitiFact called Portman's claim "barely true" with the most pessimistic estimates.


title: Rob Portman

text: The 2016 re-election campaign posed several special challenges to Portman and his team—it would be run in heavily targeted Ohio, it would occur in a presidential year when Democratic turnout was expected to peak, and both parties would bombard Ohio voters with tens of millions of dollars in TV, cable and digital ads for the national, senatorial and downticket contests. For his campaign manager, Portman chose Corry Bliss, who had just run the successful re-election of Sen. Pat Roberts in Kansas. Portman and Bliss chose to run what "Time" magazine called "a hyperlocal campaign without betting on the nominee's coattails."


title: Rob Portman

text: As Real Clear Politics noted, Portman faced "the thorny challenge of keeping distance from Trump in a state Trump [was] poised to win. Portman, in the year of the outsider, [was] even more of an insider than Clinton ... Yet he [ran] a local campaign focused on issues like human trafficking and opioid addiction, and secured the endorsement of the Teamsters as well as other unions" (despite being a mostly conservative Republican).


title: Rob Portman

text: Polls showed the race even (or Portman slightly behind) as of June 2016; afterwards, Portman led Democratic ex-Gov. Ted Strickland in every public survey through Election Day. The final result was 58.0% to 37.2%, nearly a 21-point margin for Portman.


title: Rob Portman

text: Chris Cillizza of "The Washington Post" argued that the context of Ohio's result had wider implications. "There are a lot of reasons Republicans held the Senate this fall. But Portman's candidacy in Ohio is the most important one. Portman took a seemingly competitive race in a swing state and put it out of reach by Labor Day, allowing money that was ticketed for his state to be in other races, such as North Carolina and Missouri ..."


title: Rob Portman

text: "The Washington Post" said "Portman took the crown for best campaign", while "Real Clear Politics" said, "Sen. Rob Portman ran the campaign of the year.". Portman himself was generous in praising his campaign manager: "With an emphasis on utilizing data, grassroots, and technology, Corry led our campaign from behind in the polls to a 21-point victory. He's one of the best strategists in the country."


title: Rob Portman

text: In the 112th Congress, Portman voted with his party 90% of the time. However, in the 114th United States Congress, Portman was ranked as the third most bipartisan member of the U.S. Senate by the Bipartisan Index, a metric created jointly by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy to reflect Congressional bipartisanship. During the first session of the 115th Congress, Portman's bipartisanship score improved further, propelling him to second in the Senate rankings (only Senator Susan Collins scoring higher), Portman's intellectual leadership among the Senate G.O.P., and his fundraising capabilities, led to his being named the Vice Chairman for Finance of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 2014 election cycle. In March 2013, Portman was one of several Republican senators invited to have dinner with President Obama at The Jefferson Hotel in an attempt by the administration to court perceived moderate members of the upper chamber for building consensual motivation in Congress; however, Portman did not attend and instead had dinner with an unnamed Democratic senator.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman delivered the eulogy at the August 2012 funeral of Neil Armstrong, and the commencement address at the University of Cincinnati's December 2012 graduation ceremony.


title: Rob Portman

text: In August 2011, Portman was selected by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to participate in the United States Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. During the committee's work, Portman developed strong relationships with the other members, especially Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Chris Van Hollen. The committee was ultimately unsuccessful, with Portman left disappointed, saying "I am very sad about this process not succeeding because it was a unique opportunity to both address the fiscal crisis and give the economy a shot in the arm."


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman spoke at the May 7, 2011 Michigan Law School commencement ceremonies, which was the subject of criticism by some who opposed his stance on same-sex marriage. He and his wife walked in the 50th anniversary march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge commemorating Bloody Sunday and the March on Selma.


title: Rob Portman

text: On January 25, 2021, Portman announced that he would not run for a third term in 2022. In a statement, he said he looked forward to "focus[ing] all my energy on legislation and the challenges our country faces rather than on fundraising and campaigning." He added, "I have consistently been named one of the most bipartisan senators. I am proud of that and I will continue to reach out to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find common ground. Eighty-two of my bills were signed into law by President Trump, and 68 were signed into law by President Obama." Of why he chose not to seek another term, he said, "I don’t think any Senate office has been more successful in getting things done, but honestly, it has gotten harder and harder to break through the partisan gridlock and make progress on substantive policy, and that has contributed to my decision."


title: Rob Portman

text: According to the "Encyclopedia Britannica", while in the Senate, Portman has portrayed himself as a "deficit hawk" and is "considered a centrist-to-conservative Republican" who has typically voted with the party leadership, although he has broken with it on a number of issues, including same-sex marriage. In 2013, Portman was several times described as staunchly conservative. During the Trump administration, Portman was characterized as a centrist or moderate Republican. In 2020, Portman's former campaign manager described him as a "proud conservative". Chris Cillizza, writing in 2014, described Portman as more governance-oriented than campaign-oriented.


title: Rob Portman

text: GovTrack places Portman toward the center of the Senate's ideological spectrum; according to GovTrack's analysis, Portman is the third most moderate Republican in 2017 being to the right of Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski but to the left of his other Republican colleagues. The American Conservative Union gives Portman a lifetime 79% conservative grade. The progressive Americans for Democratic Action gave Portman a 25% liberal quotient in 2014. The non-partisan "National Journal" gave Portman a 2013 composite ideology score of 71% conservative and 29% liberal.


title: Rob Portman

text: According to "FiveThirtyEight", which tracks congressional records, Portman voted in line with Trump's position on legislation 90.4% of the time. As of October 2022, he has voted with Biden's positions about 61.8% of the time. CQ RollCall, which also tracks voting records, found that Portman voted with President Obama's positions on legislation 59.5% of the time in 2011. He was one of five Senate Republicans who voted with Obama's position more than half the time.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman was considered a possible pick for Vice President on the Republican presidential ticket in 2012. Chris Cillizza wrote that Portman's time in both the executive and legislative branches would qualify him for the role.


title: Rob Portman

text: After Mitt Romney selected Paul Ryan as his running mate, Portman spoke at the 2012 Republican National Convention about trade and his family business. On trade agreements, Portman stated: "President Obama is the first president in 75 years-Democrat or Republican-who hasn't even sought the ability to negotiate export agreements and open markets overseas. Now why is this important? Because 95 percent of the world's consumers live outside our borders. And to create jobs, our workers and our farmers need to sell more of what we make to those people." In October 2012, Romney spoke at and toured Portman's Golden Lamb Inn.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman portrayed President Obama in Romney's mock debate sessions for the general election, reprising a role that he played in the debate preparations of Republican presidential nominee John McCain in 2008.


title: Rob Portman

text: In March 2014, Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia Center for Politics speculated that Portman might run for president in 2016. In October 2014, students from the College of William and Mary formed the Draft Rob Portman PAC to encourage Portman to run for president in 2016. However, Portman announced in December 2014 that he would not run for president and would instead seek a second term in the United States Senate.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman initially endorsed his fellow Ohioan, Governor John Kasich, during the Republican primaries. In May 2016, after Kasich dropped out of the race and Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee, Portman endorsed Trump. After the emergence of old audio recordings where Trump bragged about inappropriately touching women without their consent in October 2016, Portman announced that he was rescinding his endorsement of Trump and would instead cast a write-in vote for Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.


title: Rob Portman

text: In the 2020 presidential election, Portman supported Trump, in a reversal of his 2016 vote. Portman maintained his support for Trump during the impeachment proceedings against Trump for his conduct in the Trump–Ukraine scandal. Portman said that it was "wrong and inappropriate" for Trump to ask a foreign government to investigate a political rival, and that he accepted that there was "quid pro quo" between Trump and Ukraine in which U.S. aid to Ukraine was on the line, but that he did not consider it to be an impeachable offense. Following the Senate trial of Trump, Portman voted to acquit Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Portman also opposed proposals to formally censure Trump.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman was the Ohio state co-chair of Trump's 2020 re-election campaign. After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election and Trump refused to concede, Portman initially refused to acknowledge Biden as the president-elect of the United States, although he did acknowledge that it was appropriate for Biden's transition to begin and that, contrary to Trump's false claims, there was no evidence of irregularities that would change the election outcome. Portman accepted the election results six weeks after the election, after the December 15 Electoral College vote.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman opposed Trump's attempt to overturn the election results, and did not back a last-ditch effort by Trump's Republican allies in Congress to object to the formal counting of the electoral votes from swing states in which Biden defeated Trump. Portman said, "I cannot support allowing Congress to thwart the will of the voters" and voted against the objections. Congress's counting of the electoral votes was interrupted by a pro-Trump mob that attempted an insurrection at the Capitol; Portman said Trump "bears some responsibility" for the attack. After Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for incitement of insurrection, Portman joined most Republican senators in an unsuccessful motion to dismiss the charges and avoid a Senate impeachment trial on the basis that Trump's term had expired and he had become a private citizen. On February 13, 2021, Portman voted to acquit Trump on charges of inciting the January 6 attack on the Capitol.


title: Rob Portman

text: On May 27, 2021, along with five other Republicans and all present Democrats, Portman voted to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol. The vote failed for the lack of 60 required "yes" votes.


title: Rob Portman

text: On abortion, Portman describes himself as pro-life. He voted in favor of banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Portman supports legal access to abortion in cases of rape and incest or if the woman's life is in danger. National Right to Life Committee and the Campaign for Working Families, both anti-abortion PACs, gave Portman a 100% rating in 2018; NARAL Pro-Choice America gives him a 0%, Planned Parenthood, which is pro-choice, gives him a lifetime 4% rating, and Population Connection, another pro-choice PAC, gave Portman an 11% rating in 2002.


title: Rob Portman

text: In 2013, Portman sponsored a bill that would have made it a federal crime to transport a minor across state lines for an abortion if doing so would circumvent state parental consent or notification laws.


title: Rob Portman

text: In July 2022, Portman voted for the SFC Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, which would provide care for veterans suffering from diseases caused by burn pit exposure while serving overseas. He put out a press release celebrating his vote, but changed his position when the House returned the final version of the bill to the Senate, and voted against it.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman is a leading advocate for a balanced budget amendment. Portman worked with Democratic Senator Jon Tester in 2012 to end the practice of government shutdowns and partnered with Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill on an inquiry into the Obama administration's public relations spending. Portman has proposed "a balanced approach to the deficit" by reforming entitlement programs, writing "[r]eforms should not merely squeeze health beneficiaries or providers but should rather reshape key aspects of these programs to make them more efficient, flexible and consumer-oriented." Portman became known for his ability to work in a bipartisan fashion when working to pass a repeal of the excise tax on telephone service. He also unsuccessfully proposed an amendment to the surface transportation reauthorization bill to allow states to keep the gas tax money they collect, instead of sending it to Washington with some returned later. On August 10, 2021, he was one of 19 Republican senators to vote with the Democratic caucus in favor of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. In October 2021, Portman voted with 10 other Republicans and every member of the Democratic caucus to end the filibuster on raising the debt ceiling, but voted against the bill to raise the debt ceiling.


title: Rob Portman

text: Until 2013, Portman opposed LGBT rights. While still in Congress, Portman co-sponsored the Defense of Marriage Act, a bill passed in 1996 that banned federal recognition of same-sex marriage; in 1999, he voted for a measure prohibiting same-sex couples in Washington D.C. from adopting children. On March 14, 2013, Portman publicly announced that he had changed his stance on gay marriage, and now supported its legalization, becoming the first sitting Republican U.S. senator to do so. The change came two years after his son Will came out to Portman and his wife as gay in 2011. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which supports same-sex marriage and gay rights, gave Portman a 45% score in 2014 and an 85% score in 2016; the HRC also gives Portman a 100% rating for sharing its position on same-sex marriage.


title: Rob Portman

text: In November 2013, Portman was one of 10 Republican senators to vote for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), after the Senate adopted an amendment he proposed to expand religious protections.


title: Rob Portman

text: After the House passed a bill to codify gay marriage on July 19, 2022, a press spokesman for Portman said he would cosponsor the bill in the Senate. He cosponsored the bill the following day. He was one of 12 Republicans in the Senate voting to advance and pass the Respect for Marriage Act, the legislation codifying same-sex marriage rights into federal law.


title: Rob Portman

text: In 2011, Portman voted to limit the government's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and in 2015, he voted to block the Clean Power Plan. In 2013, he voted for a point of order opposing a carbon tax or a fee on carbon emissions. In 2012, Portman said he wanted more oil drilling on public lands. Portman supported development of the Keystone XL pipeline, stating "The arguments when you line them up are too strong not to do this. I do think that at the end of the day the president [Obama] is going to go ahead with this."


title: Rob Portman

text: In 2013, Portman co-sponsored a bill that would reauthorize and modify the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act of 1998 and would authorize the appropriation of $20.5 million annually through 2018 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to mitigate the harmful effects of algal blooms and hypoxia.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman co-sponsored an amendment to the 2017 Energy Bill that acknowledged that climate change is real and human activity contributes to the problem.


title: Rob Portman

text: In March 2016, Portman authored the bipartisan bill Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act, along with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. Congressman Adam Kinzinger introduced the U.S. House version of the bill. After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, worries grew that Russian propaganda on social media spread and organized by the Russian government swayed the outcome of the election, and representatives in the U.S. Congress took action to safeguard the National security of the United States by advancing legislation to monitor incoming propaganda from external threats. On November 30, 2016, legislators approved a measure within the National Defense Authorization Act to ask the U.S. State Department to take action against foreign propaganda through an interagency panel. The legislation authorized funding of $160 million over a two-year-period. The initiative was developed through the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act.


title: Rob Portman

text: In 2018 Portman and Senator Ben Cardin co-authored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, which would make it illegal for companies to engage in boycotts against Israel or Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. They promoted the bill and sought to integrate it into omnibus spending legislation to be signed by Trump.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman supported free trade agreements with Central America, Australia, Chile and Singapore, voted against withdrawing from the World Trade Organization, and was hailed by Bush for his "great record as a champion of free and fair trade."


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman has repeatedly supported legislation to treat currency manipulation by countries as an unfair trade practice and to impose duties on Chinese imports if China does not stop the practice. In 2016, Portman opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement because he said it does not address currency manipulation and includes less-strict country-of-origin rules for auto parts. In April 2015, Portman co-sponsored an amendment to Trade Promotion Authority legislation which would require the Obama administration to seek enforceable rules to prevent currency manipulation by trade partners as part of TPP.


title: Rob Portman

text: In January 2018, Portman was one of 36 Republican senators who asked Trump to preserve the North American Free Trade Agreement.


title: Rob Portman

text: In November 2018, Portman was one of 12 Republican senators to sign a letter to Trump requesting the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement be submitted to Congress by the end of the month to allow a vote on it before the end of the year; the letter-writers cited concerns that "passage of the USMCA as negotiated will become significantly more difficult" if it had to be approved through the incoming 116th Congress, in which there was a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman has an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA), which has endorsed Portman in past elections. According to OpenSecrets, the NRA spent $3.06 million to support Portman between 1990 and 2018.


title: Rob Portman

text: In 2019, Portman was one of 31 Republican senators to cosponsor the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, a bill introduced by Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz that would allow persons concealed carry privileges in their home state to also carry concealed weapons in other states.


title: Rob Portman

text: In 2022, Portman became one of ten Republican senators to support a bipartisan agreement on gun control, which included a red flag provision, a support for state crisis intervention orders, funding for school safety resources, stronger background checks for buyers under the age of 21, and penalties for straw purchases.


title: Rob Portman

text: Portman has worked to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. In 2017, he voted to repeal it. He opposed steep cuts to Medicaid because the expansion of the program had allowed some Ohioans to gain coverage, including some impacted by Ohio's opioid crisis. As a member of a group of 13 Republican senators tasked with writing a Senate version of the AHCA, he supported proposed cuts to Medicaid that would be phased in over seven years.