title: Komodo (island)

text: In April 2019, Indonesian authorities announced a plan to close Komodo Island to tourism for a limited period to allow for conservation efforts amid concerns over animal-smuggling. In July 2019, it was confirmed that the island would be closed as from the beginning of 2020. In September 2019, the park attracted further controversy when tourists complained that their guides were encouraging 'selfies' with Komodo dragons. The Governor of Nusa Tenggara Timur province, Viktor Laiskodat, said that a budget of Rp 100 billion (around $US 7.2 million) would be provided to support the conservation program. The plan is controversial: Governor Laiskodat has suggested that an expensive entrance fee be charged to foreign tourists while local villagers who live on Komodo Island are worried about the possible loss of income.


title: Charlotte McKinney

text: Charlotte Ann McKinney (born August 6, 1993) is an American model and actress who first gained attention as an Instagram personality, eventually achieving wider recognition for her appearance in a Carl's Jr. commercial which aired regionally during Super Bowl XLIX in 2015.


title: Charlotte McKinney

text: McKinney was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. After dropping out of high school at age 17, McKinney, who describes herself as "a curvier bombshell with big boobs," pursued a modeling career but struggled to find success with an agency. Opting to rely on Instagram as a portfolio, she soon became "Insta-famous" and was profiled in "Esquire". McKinney credits the social networking service as a factor in her subsequent success, which includes campaigns for the fashion brand Guess. She signed with Wilhelmina Models. She has graced the cover of numerous fashion magazines, including "Jezebel", "Ocean Drive" "GQ" "Mexico, Galore" and "Miami Living", and appeared in editorials for "Social Life, Men's Health" and "Vanity Fair".


title: Charlotte McKinney

text: McKinney was the featured model in Carl's Jr.'s All Natural Burger commercial, which was released online in January 2015 and aired regionally during Super Bowl XLIX. The viral ad featured McKinney walking around a farmers' market, stating that she is "all natural" and using double entendres to imply that she is naked with strategically placed items in the market, until it reveals McKinney in a bikini eating the All Natural Burger. The success of the commercial has led to McKinney being dubbed "the next Kate Upton," who also garnered national attention for appearing in a Carl's Jr. commercial during a Super Bowl.


title: Charlotte McKinney

text: On February 24, 2015, McKinney was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 20 of "Dancing with the Stars". Her professional partner was Keoikantse Motsepe. The couple was the second to be eliminated and finished in 11th place.


title: Charlotte McKinney

text: McKinney appeared as Missy in the film "" (2015). In 2017, she appeared in the film adaptation of "Baywatch" and the remake of "Flatliners".


title: Audra Lindley

text: Audra Marie Lindley (September 24, 1918 – October 16, 1997) was an American actress, most famous for her role as landlady Helen Roper on the sitcom "Three's Company" and its spin-off "The Ropers".


title: Audra Lindley

text: Audra Lindley was born into Los Angeles show business. Her father, Bert Lindley, was a film and stage actor. Lindley got her Hollywood start as a stand-in. This progressed to stunt work, and she eventually became a contract player with Warner Bros.


title: Audra Lindley

text: In 1943, she went to New York in her mid-20s to work in theater. Among her many Broadway plays during her long career were: "On Golden Pond", "Long Day's Journey into Night", and "Horse Heavens".


title: Audra Lindley

text: After a break from acting to raise five children, she began to make steady appearances on television in the early 1960s, including the role of Sue Knowles on the soap opera "Search for Tomorrow", and a five-year stint as manipulative Aunt Liz Matthews on the soap opera "Another World". She had regular roles as Meredith Baxter's mother in the sitcom "Bridget Loves Bernie" as well as Lee Grant’s best friend in "Fay". Both series were short-lived.


title: Audra Lindley

text: In 1971, she starred in "Taking Off", the first American film of Miloš Forman. She had guest roles on "The Love Boat" in 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1981 (pilot movie 3, season 1 episode 4, season 2 episodes 1 & 2, season 3 episodes 1 & 2, season 4 episode 18, and season 5 episode 10).


title: Audra Lindley

text: Her greatest fame came when she began playing the wisecracking, perpetually unfulfilled and sexually frustrated Helen Roper on the hit sitcom "Three’s Company" (1977–79), in which she wore a wig to maintain her character's exaggerated hairstyle. The character and her husband Stanley, portrayed by Norman Fell, also starred in the spin-off series "The Ropers" (1979–80), which ran for two seasons.


title: Audra Lindley

text: Lindley continued to appear steadily on television and in films, such as "Revenge of the Stepford Wives" in 1980 and as Fauna, the owner of a brothel in the 1982 film "Cannery Row". In 1982, she appeared in the film "Best Friends", starring Goldie Hawn and Burt Reynolds.


title: Audra Lindley

text: She played a supporting role in the lesbian-themed film "Desert Hearts" (1985). In 1987, she had another supporting role as Judith Light's mother in the TV movie "Dangerous Affection". She also appeared in 1989's "Troop Beverly Hills" as outspoken director of the Wilderness Girls. Also in 1989, she was the main character of an episode of the horror anthology series "Tales from the Crypt".


title: Audra Lindley

text: In 1991, she starred in an episode of the horror anthology series "The Hidden Room". She got parts in various TV films and series, including playing Phoebe Buffay's grandmother on "Friends" and her last, a recurring role as Cybill Shepherd's mother on the sitcom "Cybill" (having previously played Shepherd's mother in the 1972 film "The Heartbreak Kid").


title: Audra Lindley

text: She was married to Hardy Ulm, with whom she had five children, from 1943 until his death in 1970. She was then married to actor James Whitmore from 1972 to 1979.


title: Audra Lindley

text: Lindley died of complications from leukemia on October 16, 1997, at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. She was age 79. She was cremated and her ashes buried in an unmarked grave near her parents at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Santa Monica, California.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: The game takes place on the tropical Isle Delfino, where Mario, Toadsworth, Princess Peach, and five Toads are taking a vacation. A villain resembling Mario, known as Shadow Mario, vandalizes the island with graffiti and leaves Mario to be wrongfully convicted for the mess. Mario is ordered to clean up Isle Delfino, using a device called the Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device (F.L.U.D.D.), while saving Princess Peach from Shadow Mario.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: "Super Mario Sunshine" received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising the game's graphics, gameplay, story, soundtrack, and the addition of F.L.U.D.D. as a mechanic, though some criticized the game's camera and F.L.U.D.D.'s gimmicky nature as well as the decision to use full voice acting for some characters. The game sold over five million copies worldwide by 2006, making it one of the best-selling GameCube games. The game was re-released as a part of the Player's Choice brand in 2003. Nintendo EPD re-released it alongside "Super Mario 64" and "Super Mario Galaxy" in the "Super Mario 3D All-Stars" collection for the Nintendo Switch in 2020.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: "Super Mario Sunshine" shares many similar gameplay elements with its predecessor, "Super Mario 64", while introducing various new gameplay features. Players control Mario as he tries to obtain 120 Shine Sprites in order to bring light back to Isle Delfino and prove his innocence after Bowser Jr. (disguised as Mario) steals the Shine Sprites and covers the island in toxic slime. Players start off in the hub world of Delfino Plaza and access various worlds via portals which become available as the game progresses. Similar to collecting Stars in "Super Mario 64", players obtain Shine Sprites by clearing a selected mission with a specific objective. Unlike its predecessor, these missions have a more strictly linear order and most other mission Shine Sprites cannot be collected until the previous missions are completed. There are also various hidden areas and challenges across Isle Delfino where more Shine Sprites can be obtained. Throughout the game, players may also find Blue Coins hidden across the island, which can be exchanged for more Shine Sprites in the boathouse at Delfino Plaza.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: In this game, Mario is joined by a robotic backpack named F.L.U.D.D. (Flash Liquidizing Ultra Dousing Device), which uses the power of water to clean away goop and help Mario reach new places. Mario starts with two default nozzles for F.L.U.D.D., Squirt and Hover, which he can quickly switch between. The Squirt nozzle lets Mario spray a stream of water which he can use to clean sludge, attack enemies, and activate certain mechanisms. The Hover nozzle lets Mario hover in the air for a short period of time, allowing him to cross large gaps while simultaneously spraying things directly below him. As the game progresses, Mario unlocks two additional nozzles for F.L.U.D.D. which can be substituted with the Hover nozzle: the Rocket nozzle, which shoots Mario high up into the air; and the Turbo nozzle, which moves Mario at high speeds, allowing him to run across water and break into certain areas. Each of F.L.U.D.D.'s nozzles use water from its reserves, which can be refilled via water sources such as rivers or fountains. There are also various secret courses where F.L.U.D.D. is taken away from Mario, forcing him to rely on his natural platforming abilities. Unlike "Super Mario 64", Mario can no longer long jump; he can instead perform a spin jump by twirling the analog stick and jumping, allowing Mario to jump higher and farther. Mario can also now perform dives at any time, giving Mario the ability to slide quickly across wet surfaces and serve as another alternative to the long jump. At certain points in the game, Mario may come across an egg which hatches into a Yoshi after being brought a fruit he asks for. Yoshi can be ridden upon and can attack by spitting juice, which can clear certain obstacles that water cannot. Yoshi can also use his tongue to eat enemies or other pieces of fruit which change his color, depending on the type of fruit. Yoshi will disappear if he runs out of juice or falls into deep water. Juice can be replenished by eating more fruit.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: The game takes place on Isle Delfino, a dolphin-shaped tropical island. The island is mainly inhabited by the Pianta and Noki people.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: Mario sets out for Isle Delfino for a vacation with Princess Peach, her steward Toadsworth, and several other Toads. Upon their arrival at Delfino Airstrip, they discover a mass of paint-like goop. After acquiring the Flash Liquidizing Ultra Dousing Device (F.L.U.D.D.), a water cannon created by Professor E. Gadd, Mario defeats a slime-covered Piranha Plant that emerges from the goop. However, Mario is arrested on suspicion of vandalizing the island with graffiti. As a result, the source of the island's power, Shine Sprites, have disappeared and the island is covered in shadow. After being convicted, Mario is assigned community service to clean up the island and track down the real criminal.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: The culprit is revealed to be a shadowy blue doppelgänger of Mario known as Shadow Mario. Using a magic paintbrush, also developed by Professor E. Gadd, Shadow Mario created the graffiti. He attempts to kidnap Princess Peach but is thwarted by Mario. After the player collects ten Shine Sprites, Shadow Mario successfully kidnaps Peach, and takes her to Pinna Island. Arriving at Pinna Park, a theme park on the island, Mario encounters and destroys Mecha Bowser, a giant Bowser robot controlled by Shadow Mario. Afterwards, Shadow Mario reveals that his true identity is Bowser Jr., and that he framed Mario because his father, Bowser, told him that Peach is his mother whom Mario was trying to kidnap. Mecha Bowser's head then transforms into a hot air balloon and Bowser Jr. takes Peach to Corona Mountain.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: After the player defeats Bowser Jr. (in his Shadow Mario disguise) in the seven main levels, Delfino Plaza becomes flooded, and the way to Corona Mountain is opened. Mario travels through the lava-filled caverns and finds Bowser, Bowser Jr. and Princess Peach in a giant hot tub in the sky. Mario defeats Bowser and Bowser Jr. by destroying the hot tub, causing everyone to fall from the sky. Bowser and Bowser Jr. land on a platform in the ocean, while Mario and Peach land on a small island. However, F.L.U.D.D. is damaged by the fall and powers down. Mario and Peach watch as the Shine Gate's power is restored while a group of Piantas and Nokis celebrate. Meanwhile, Bowser admits to his son that Peach is not really his mother, to which Bowser Jr. replies that he already knows, and that when he is older he wants to fight Mario again. Mario and Princess Peach watch the sunset at Sirena Beach, and the Toads present Mario with F.L.U.D.D., who has been repaired, and he declares that the vacation begins now.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: A sequel to "Super Mario 64" had been in development for several years; the canceled games "Super Mario 64 2/Super Mario 128" were some ideas Nintendo had for a direct sequel. "Super Mario Sunshine" began development in Late 2000/Early 2001"Super Mario Sunshine" was first shown at Nintendo Space World 2001. The game was later shown again at E3 2002. It was developed by Nintendo EAD.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: The game received the first lead directing role for Nintendo designer Yoshiaki Koizumi following a ten-year-long apprenticeship working on various other games. Super Mario creators Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka served as producers. It was the first Nintendo first-party game after Satoru Iwata became president of Nintendo, succeeding Hiroshi Yamauchi. Developing a Mario game for the GameCube was the last request Yamauchi gave the team before resigning. In an interview about the development of "Super Mario Sunshine" with Koizumi, Kenta Usui, and Tezuka, it was mentioned that the game's development began after showing Super Mario 128 and following the critical and commercial success of "", when Koizumi conceived the idea of gameplay involving a water pump. However, at first Koizumi, Miyamoto and Tezuka thought that the world was too daringly out of character with Mario. There were ten candidates for possible water nozzles, and F.L.U.D.D. was chosen because of fitting in the game's setting, though it was not one of the favorites. They also stated that several Yoshi features were omitted, such as Yoshi vomiting water fed to him. It was the first in the Mario series to include Peach’s panneria-like overskirt and ponytail and Toad’s different colored spots, and vests with yellow outlines.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: Koji Kondo and Shinobu Tanaka composed the score to "Super Mario Sunshine". Kondo composed the main motif for Isle Delfino, Bianco Hills, Ricco Harbor, and Gelato Beach, as well as the ending credits, while additional music was composed by Tanaka. The soundtrack features various arrangements of classic "Mario" tunes, including the underground music and the main stage music from the original "Super Mario Bros."


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: "Super Mario Sunshine" features many of the usual voice actors for the various Mario characters. Charles Martinet voices Mario, Jen Taylor voices Princess Peach and Toad, Kit Harris voices F.L.U.D.D. and the Nokis, Scott Burns voices Bowser in the character's first speaking role in a video game, Toadsworth, and the male Piantas, and Dolores Rogers voices Bowser Jr. and the female Piantas. Unlike most games of the series, the cutscenes in "Super Mario Sunshine" feature full English voice acting.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: "Super Mario Sunshine" was released in Japan on July 19, 2002. It was later released in the United States on August 26 of that year. A GameCube bundle containing the game along with a GameCube console was released in North America on October 14, 2002. The game was re-released alongside "Super Mario 64" (1996) and "Super Mario Galaxy" (2007) in the "Super Mario 3D All-Stars" collection on Nintendo Switch on September 18, 2020.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: "Super Mario Sunshine" was critically acclaimed by game critics. IGN praised the addition of the water backpack for improving gameplay, and GameSpy commented on the "wide variety of moves and the beautifully constructed environments". The game received a perfect score from "Nintendo Power", who commended the "superb graphics, excellent music, clever layouts, funny cinema scenes and ingenious puzzles".


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: "Super Mario Sunshine" won "GameSpot"s annual "Best Platformer on GameCube" award. "GamePro" gave it a perfect score, stating that the game was "a masterpiece of superior game design, infinite gameplay variety, creativity, and life." The American-based publication "Game Informer" said that the game is arguably "the best "Mario" game to date." "Computer and Video Games" also mentioned the game is "better than "Super Mario 64"." The game placed 46th in "Official Nintendo Magazine"'s 100 greatest Nintendo games of all time. Allgame gave a lower review, stating that "During the six-year span between "Super Mario 64" and "Super Mario Sunshine", platform games have become more epic, more interactive, and prettier. Yet the core element of collecting items in a world divided into sub-sections has been left unchanged. So it comes with a modicum of disappointment that "Super Mario Sunshine" doesn't shake up the genre with a number of new and fresh ideas other than the usual enhancements expected from a sequel."


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: Some reviewers were critical towards certain aspects of the game. GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann criticized the various additions, including F.L.U.D.D. and Yoshi, calling them "mere gimmicks." He also complained about the camera system. Gerstmann said that the game seemed somewhat unpolished and rushed, a sentiment shared by Matt Wales of "Computer and Video Games". "GameSpot" named it 2002's most disappointing GameCube game.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: In Japan, more than 400,000 copies of "Super Mario Sunshine" were sold within four days. In the United States, more than 350,000 copies were sold within its first ten days of release, surpassing launch sales of the PlayStation 2's "Grand Theft Auto III", the Xbox's "", and the Nintendo 64's "Super Mario 64", and boosting hardware sales of the GameCube. In Europe, 175,000 units were sold within a week of its release. In Japan, 624,240 units had been sold by October 2002. In 2002, "Super Mario Sunshine" was the tenth best-selling game in the United States according to the NPD Group. It was re-released in 2003 as part of the Player's Choice line, a selection of games with high sales sold for a reduced price. By July 2006, 2.5 million copies were sold for $85 million, in the United States alone. "Next Generation" ranked it as the ninth highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. By June 2006, over 5.5 million copies had been sold worldwide. Despite strong sales numbers, Satoru Iwata confirmed at E3 2003 that the game's sales (Along with those of Metroid Prime) had failed to live up to the company's expectations.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: "Super Mario Sunshine" introduced several elements that were carried over into subsequent "Mario" games. Many of the characters introduced in this game have been staples in the series ever since: Petey Piranha, Cataquacks, and Bowser Jr., who has been one of Mario's archrivals ever since this initial encounter. Many of the bosses from this game and "Luigi's Mansion" appear in multiple "Mario" spin-offs that followed on the GameCube, such as the unlockable Petey Piranha and King Boo in "" and the four unlockable characters in "". The central goop hazard featured in "Super Mario Sunshine" also reappears in later "Mario" titles, mostly through attacks by Bowser Jr. and Petey Piranha.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: "Super Mario Sunshine" introduces the Shine Sprites, which have appeared in later "Mario" games such as "Mario Kart DS" and "". It is also the debut of Bowser Jr., who has since become a recurring character in games such as "New Super Mario Bros.", "Mario Kart Wii", "New Super Mario Bros. Wii", "New Super Mario Bros. U", "Super Mario Galaxy", and "Super Mario Galaxy 2", and in later "Mario" spin-off and sports games. It introduces recurring character Petey Piranha. Piantas appear in "Super Mario Galaxy 2" in the Starshine Beach Galaxy.


title: Super Mario Sunshine

text: The game is the first 3D "Super Mario" game with the ability to ride Yoshi. The "Super Smash Bros." series has numerous references to original elements of "Super Mario Sunshine"; most notably, F.L.U.D.D. has been featured as a part of Mario's moveset since "Super Smash Bros. Brawl".


title: Cooku with Comali (season 3)

text: Cooku with Comali (Season 3) is the third season of the Tamil reality cooking TV show Cooku with Comali, that was launched on 22 January 2022. This season is hosted by Rakshan, and judged by Chef Damodharan and Chef Venkatesh Bhat.


title: Cooku with Comali (season 3)

text: The Grand Finale Telecasted on 24 July 2022, with Shrutika winning the title and Darshan emerging as the runner up of the show.


title: Cooku with Comali (season 3)

text: Sheethal Clarin, Mookuthi Murugan, Sakthi Raj, Madurai Muthu, Sarath Raj and Pugazh are frequent guest comalis of the show


title: Project Blue Book (TV series)

text: Project Blue Book is an American historical drama television series that premiered on History on January 8, 2019. The main role of Dr. J. Allen Hynek is played by Aidan Gillen, and the first season consisted of ten episodes. The series is based on the real-life Project Blue Book, a series of studies on unidentified flying objects conducted by the United States Air Force. On February 10, 2019, History renewed the series for a 10-episode second season which premiered on January 21, 2020. In May 2020, it was announced that the series had been canceled.


title: Project Blue Book (TV series)

text: The series revolves around the real-life Project Blue Book, a secret series of investigations into supposed UFO encounters and unexplained phenomena undertaken by the United States Air Force with skeptical astrophysics professor — and eventual ufologist — Dr. J. Allen Hynek in the 1950s and 1960s. With his partner, Air Force veteran Captain Michael Quinn, they investigate sightings across the U.S., and Dr. Hynek discovers that not everything can be explained by science.


title: Project Blue Book (TV series)

text: The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was co-produced by the History Channel and A&E Studios. Filming on the second season began on July 15, 2019, and was expected to conclude on November 13, 2019.


title: Project Blue Book (TV series)

text: On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 65% based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 6.65/10. The website's critical consensus reads, ""Project Blue Book" will likely intrigue fans of the paranormal with its loose adaptation of historically unexplained phenomena, but this buttoned-down series lacks the narrative verve to appeal beyond the true believers." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 56 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: Project Blue Book (TV series)

text: Paranormal investigator and skeptic Robert Sheaffer, reviewing the first four episodes, argued there are historical inaccuracies which extend beyond the claim of being based on real events.


title: Rat (zodiac)

text: The Rat or Mouse (鼠) is the first of the repeating 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac, constituting part of the Chinese calendar system (with similar systems in use elsewhere). The Year of the Rat in standard Chinese is . The rat is associated with the first branch of the Earthly Branch symbol 子 ("zǐ"), which starts a repeating cycle of twelve years. The Chinese word "shǔ" (鼠) refers to various small rodents (Muroidea), such as rats and mice. The term "zodiac" ultimately derives from an Ancient Greek term referring to a "circle of little animals". There are also a yearly month of the rat and a daily hour of the rat (, midnight, 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.). Years of the rat are cyclically differentiated by correlation to the Heavenly Stems cycle, resulting in a repeating cycle of five years of the rat (over a sixty-year period), each rat year also being associated with one of the Chinese wu xing, also known as the "five elements", or "phases": the "Five Phases" being Fire ( "huǒ"), Water ( "shuǐ"), Wood ( "mù"), Metal ( "jīn"), and Earth ( "tǔ").


title: Rat (zodiac)

text: In Chinese tradition, the first year was the equivalent of 2637 BCE (although others give other dates). The Prime Minister of the first emperor, Huangdi (also known as the Yellow Emperor), is said in this year to have worked out the sixty-year zodiacal cycle. Part of this achievement was the discovery and incorporation of the nineteen-year so-called Metonic cycle which correlates lunar and solar dates, as part of the system (using leap months).


title: Rat (zodiac)

text: People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the "Year of the Rat", while bearing the following elemental sign: The following is a chart of the dates of the Gregorian calendar.


title: Rat (zodiac)

text: In traditional Chinese astrology as well as traditional Chinese astronomy the sky was mapped into various asterisms or what are sometimes referred to as Chinese constellations. This is actually more similar to the zodiac of Western astrology than is the 12-animal cycle. The stars along the plane of the ecliptic were divided into groups known as the Twenty-Eight Mansions. Because the moon during its monthly cycle could be observed to appear to move from one mansion (or "camp") into the next each night in turn, they are also known as Lunar Mansions. Traditionally, these mansions were divided into four groups of seven each, and associated with one of four spiritual entities. The rat is generally associated with the celestial region of the Mystical Warrior, or Xuánwǔ ((玄武)), and specifically with the mansion Xū (虛), which in turn is associated with the direction North and the darkest part of the winter season, in the northern hemisphere. (Xū (虛) is more-or-less equivalent to Beta Aquarii, also known as Sadalsuud).


title: Rat (zodiac)

text: In old Chinese tradition, the hours of a day-night period were divided into 12 double-hours, each corresponding to one of the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, with similar symbolic motif and astrological significance. The first of the twelve double hours encompasses midnight, at the middle of the double hour, corresponding with 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., with midnight being the midpoint of the first double-hour, which is the Hour of the Rat, or the hour "zǐ" ().


title: Rat (zodiac)

text: In popular culture, the zodiacal idea of year of the rat is associated with various beliefs about prognostications for the upcoming year, lucky numbers, lucky colors, auspicious romantic connections, similarities between persons born in those years, correlations between Chinese astrology and Western astrology and the like. Traditional Chinese astrology and horoscope has paid much more attention to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches than to the zoology or symbolism of the 12 animals; rather the reference to the animals was more of a way of horology, keeping track of time. Nevertheless, modern times have shown an increased interest in the zodiacal animals, with a great deal of popular interest, in various places of the world. In any case, the rat has long been associated with keen and quick intelligence.


title: Rat (zodiac)

text: A popular modern story has it that the order of the animals in the twelve-year cycle was due to a competition between animal candidates, held by the ruler of Heaven, Earth, and Hell — the Jade Emperor. According to one version of this tale, the emperor's advisors selected twelve candidates from among the animal types, including the rat and the cat. The winner was to be selected based upon merit, as to personal appearance, lifestyle, and contributions to the world. Before the competition, the cat asked the rat for a wake up call in order to get to the show on time; however, the rat apprehensive of the competition, especially as to the cat's apparent beauty, did not wake the cat, who then overslept (and, ever afterwards, the embittered cat became a ratter and a mouser). The Jade Emperor mystified as to why there were only eleven candidate animals to show up inquired of his servants. These servants hastily acquired the first possible replacement animal which they encountered, (a pig). After the start of the competition, the rat achieved first place by performing on the flute while upon the back of the ox. Impressed, the Jade Emperor placed the rat at the beginning of the twelve-year cycle (and the ox second, for being so generous as to allow the rat to play the flute upon the ox's back). Then the other animals were placed in order according to the Jade Emperor's judgment.


title: Rat (zodiac)

text: In popular culture, much attention is directed towards supposed similarities of personalities of persons born in the year of the rat. For example, Al Gore, Richard Simmons, William Shakespeare, T. S. Eliot, and George Washington, and more, are all presented as examples of some sort of theme based upon being born in the year of the rat.


title: Rat (zodiac)

text: The zodiacal rat is known in other cultures besides China, in Asia and beyond. Generally, the rat/mouse is the first of a twelve-year animal cycle, although some of the other animals tend to vary. In Japan, the rat is known as "nezumi", and is the first in a twelve-year zodiacal cycle of animals. The Year of the Rat and the years of the subsequent other zodiacal animals is celebrated during Chinese New Year, in many parts of the world, with the animal appropriate to each new year serving as an artistic motif for decorations. The Rat and other zodiacal animals are also a popular motif on Chinese lunar coins and other coin series minted by various countries and also on various internationally issued postage stamps.


title: Glyph

text: A glyph () is any kind of purposeful mark. In typography, a glyph is "the specific shape, design, or representation of a character". It is a particular graphical representation, in a particular typeface, of an element of written language. A grapheme, or part of a grapheme (such as a diacritic), or sometimes several graphemes in combination (a composed glyph) can be represented by a glyph.


title: Glyph

text: In most languages written in any variety of the Latin alphabet except English, the use of diacritics to signify a sound mutation is common. For example, the grapheme requires two glyphs: the basic and the grave accent . In general, a diacritic is regarded as a glyph, even if it is contiguous with the rest of the character like a cedilla in French, Catalan or Portuguese, the ogonek in several languages, or the stroke on a Polish "Ł". Although these marks originally had no independent meaning, they have since acquired meaning in the field of mathematics and computing, for instance.


title: Glyph

text: Conversely, in the languages of Western Europe, the dot on a lower-case is not a glyph in because it does not convey any distinction, and an in which the dot has been accidentally omitted is still likely to be recognized correctly. However, in Turkish and adjacent languages, this dot is a glyph because that language has two distinct versions of the letter "i", with and without a dot.


title: Glyph

text: In Japanese syllabaries, some of the characters are made up of more than one separate mark, but in general these separate marks are not glyphs because they have no meaning by themselves. However, in some cases, additional marks fulfil the role of diacritics, to differentiate distinct characters. Such additional marks constitute glyphs.


title: Glyph

text: Some characters such as "æ" in Icelandic and the "ß" in German may be regarded as glyphs. They were originally typographic ligatures, but over time have become characters in their own right; these languages treat them as unique letters. However, a ligature such as "fi", that is treated in some typefaces as a single unit, is arguably not a glyph as this is just a design choice of that typeface, essentially an allographic feature, and includes more than one grapheme. In normal handwriting, even long words are often written "joined up", without the pen leaving the paper, and the form of each written letter will often vary depending on which letters precede and follow it, but that does not make the whole word into a single glyph.


title: Glyph

text: Older models of typewriters required the use of multiple glyphs to depict a single character, as an overstruck apostrophe and period to create an exclamation mark. If there is more than one allograph of a unit of writing, and the choice between them depends on context or on the preference of the author, they now have to be treated as separate glyphs, because mechanical arrangements have to be available to differentiate between them and to print whichever of them is required.


title: Glyph

text: In computing as well as typography, the term "character" refers to a grapheme or grapheme-like unit of text, as found in natural language writing systems ("scripts"). In typography and computing, the range of graphemes is broader than in a written language in other ways too: a typeface often has to cope with a range of different languages each of which contribute their own graphemes, and it may also be required to print non-linguistic symbols such as dingbats. The range of glyphs required increases correspondingly. In summary, in typography and computing, a glyph is a graphical unit.


title: Zak Penn

text: Zak Penn (born March 23, 1968) is an American screenwriter. Penn wrote and directed "Incident at Loch Ness" and "The Grand", wrote the script for "The Incredible Hulk", co-wrote the scripts for "X2", "", and the story for "The Avengers". With Michael Karnow, Penn is the co-creator of the TV series "Alphas" on the Syfy network.


title: Zak Penn

text: Penn was born in New York. He is the son of New York businessman and lawyer Arthur Penn, who led the acquisition of the Capital Markets Assurance Corporation from Citicorp.


title: Zak Penn

text: Zak Penn graduated from Wesleyan University in 1990. His screenplay for "PCU" was based on his experiences at the Eclectic Society house.


title: Zak Penn

text: Films that Penn has been involved in writing include "Last Action Hero", "X2", "", and "Elektra". Penn wrote early drafts of "Hulk", "The Incredible Hulk", "The Avengers" and "Free Guy".


title: Zak Penn

text: Penn is also a jury member for the digital studio Filmaka, a platform for undiscovered filmmakers to show their work to industry professionals.


title: Zak Penn

text: In July 2012, Avatar Press released the first issue of Penn's first comic book, "Hero Worship". The six-issue series is co-written with "" screenwriter Scott Murphy and drawn by Michael DiPascale. It centers on Zenith, an indestructible hero who has fans following every disaster, trying to catch a glimpse of the ultimate celebrity and risking their own lives in the process. One fan becomes so obsessed that it leads to the development of his own powers.


title: Deadweight tonnage

text: Deadweight tonnage (also known as deadweight; abbreviated to DWT, D.W.T., d.w.t., or dwt) or tons deadweight (DWT) is a measure of how much weight a ship can carry. It is the sum of the weights of cargo, fuel, fresh water, ballast water, provisions, passengers, and crew.


title: Deadweight tonnage

text: DWT is often used to specify a ship's maximum permissible deadweight (i.e. when it is fully loaded so that its Plimsoll line is at water level), although it may also denote the actual DWT of a ship not loaded to capacity.


title: Deadweight tonnage

text: Deadweight tonnage is a measure of a vessel's weight carrying capacity, not including the empty weight of the ship. It is distinct from the displacement (weight of water displaced), which includes the ship's own weight, or the volumetric measures of gross tonnage or net tonnage (and the legacy measures gross register tonnage and net register tonnage).


title: Deadweight tonnage

text: Deadweight tonnage was historically expressed in long tons but is now usually given internationally in tonnes (metric tons). In modern international shipping conventions such as the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, deadweight is explicitly defined as the difference in tonnes between the displacement of a ship in water of a specific gravity of 1.025 (corresponding to average density of sea water) at the draft corresponding to the assigned summer freeboard and the light displacement (lightweight) of the ship.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: St Mirren Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire, that competes in the Scottish Premiership after winning the 2017–18 Scottish Championship. Founded in 1877, the team has two nicknames, "the Buddies" and "the Saints".


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: St Mirren have won the Scottish Cup three times, in 1926, 1959 and 1987, and the Scottish League Cup in 2013. The club has played in European competition four times: in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1987–88 and the UEFA Cup in 1980–81, 1983–84 and 1985–86. They are also the only Scottish team to win the Anglo Scottish Cup, beating Bristol City 5–1 over two legs in 1979–1980.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: The club's home ground since 2009 is St Mirren Park, a 7,937 capacity all seater ground on Greenhill Road, Paisley. The club's former ground from 1894 until 2009 was also officially named St Mirren Park, but was more commonly known as Love Street.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: St Mirren were formed as a gentlemen's club which included, among other sports, cricket and rugby in the second half of the 19th century. The increasing popularity of football ensured that by 1877 the members had decided to play association football and 1877 is the football club's official foundation date. They are named after Saint Mirin, the founder of a church at the site of Paisley Abbey and Patron Saint of Paisley. There is also a street in Paisley named St Mirren Street.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: The club originally wore scarlet and blue strips, but after one season changed to the current black and white striped shirts, which have been worn every season bar one in the 1900s, when cream tops were used.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: St Mirren played their first match on 6 October 1877, defeating Johnstone Britannia 1–0 at Shortroods. Two years later, the club moved to another ground named Thistle Park at Greenhills. St Mirren's first Scottish Cup match came on 4 September 1880, a 3–0 victory over Johnstone Athletic. The following year, the Buddies reached their first cup final but were beaten 3–1 by Thornliebank in the Renfrewshire Cup. In 1883 however the scores were reversed with the Saints winning the Renfrewshire Cup, 3–1 against Thornliebank. It was in 1883 that they moved to their third home, that of West March (early maps indicate the area as West March rather than the commonly used Westmarch), defeating Queen's Park in the first game there. In 1885, St Mirren played their first match against Morton, resulting in a defeat.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: The 1890 season was a historic season for St Mirren, as they became founder members of the Scottish Football League along with fellow Paisley club Abercorn. Of the 11 founder clubs, only 5 survive in the current league system. It was during the match against Morton at Cappielow in this year that St Mirren played one of the first night games under light from oil lamps.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: St Mirren moved to Love Street in 1894 and reached their first Scottish Cup final in the 1907–08 season but were defeated 5–1 by Celtic. The Buddies went on to lift the trophy in 1926, 1959 and 1987.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: In 1922, St Mirren were invited to play in the Barcelona Cup invitational tournament to celebrate the inauguration of Les Corts, the then home of Barcelona. They won the tournament by beating Notts County in the final.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: In the 1979–80 season, St Mirren achieved their equal highest-ever finish in the top-flight finishing third behind Aberdeen and Celtic. That season Saints also became the first and last Scottish club to win the Anglo-Scottish Cup, defeating Bristol City in a two-legged final. The following season, St Mirren competed in European competition for the first time and won their initial game 2–1 vs. IF Elfsborg in Sweden, followed by a 0–0 draw in the second leg. The next round saw them play French team Saint-Étienne. Although St Mirren's home leg ended up a 0–0 draw, Saint-Étienne pulled off a 2–0 victory in the second leg to put St Mirren out of the cup.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: The club have been relegated from the Scottish Premier League twice (2000–01) and (2014–15) and the Premier Division of the Scottish Football League once (1991–92) having escaped relegation from the latter in 1991 after league re-construction. In 2001, St Mirren finished bottom of the Premier League despite losing only one of their final seven matches. The Saints however managed promotion after clinching the First Division title in 2005–06, a season which also saw St Mirren win the Scottish Challenge Cup, defeating Hamilton Academical 2–1 in the final at Airdrie United's ground, the Shyberry Excelsior Stadium, with goals from Simon Lappin and John Sutton.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: In 2010, they reached the final of the Scottish League Cup where they were defeated 0–1 by Rangers despite having a two-man advantage. However, three days later, they recorded a famous win over Celtic, a match that "The Buddies" won 4–0 with doubles from Andy Dorman and Steven Thomson. In March 2013, St Mirren won the Scottish League Cup beating Heart of Midlothian 3–2 at Hampden to win their first cup since 1987.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: In the 2010s the club drew praise for their youth development, bringing through several players from their academy (despite it not being listed among the 'elite' group assessed by the SFA in 2017) including Stevie Mallan, Jack Baird, Kyle Magennis, Jason Naismith, Kyle McAllister, Sean Kelly and full Scotland internationals Kenny McLean, Lewis Morgan and John McGinn.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: St Mirren played at four different venues before moving to their ground at St Mirren Park, or Love Street, in 1894. The record attendance for the ground was 47,438 versus Celtic in 1949. Love Street saw extensive redevelopment in the late 90s to comply with both the recommendations of the Taylor Report and SPL regulations and the ground eventually became a 10,866 seater venue. The ground had four stands of which the most recent, the West or Reid Kerr Family Stand, was built in 2000 in order for Love Street to meet the criteria for entry to the Scottish Premier League. The oldest stand was the main stand which had a basic wooden construction. The north bank was popular with the hardcore St Mirren fans while the largest stand, the steeply raked West Stand, housed a sporting facility underneath.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: On 24 May 2005, Renfrewshire Council granted permission for the club to develop their old ground. This involved the sale of the ground to a supermarket chain, and the construction of a ground in Ferguslie Park, Paisley (through a separate planning permission). The sale of their old ground allowed the club to finance the new stadium as well as clear their debts. In April 2007 it was announced that a deal had been struck with supermarket giant Tesco and on 15 January 2009 St Mirren moved to a new 8,000 seat stadium, also called St Mirren Park.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: The opening game finished as a 1–1 draw with Kilmarnock, with Killie's Kevin Kyle scoring the first goal, and Dennis Wyness equalising. St Mirren's first notable win at the new stadium came on 7 March 2009 in a 1–0 victory over Celtic in the Homecoming Scottish Cup Quarter Final.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: The stadium had a total seating capacity of 8,023 which was reduced in 2017 to 7,937 following the installation of a new disabled access platform.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: The stadium was known as The Simple Digital Arena after the club agreed a four-year, six-figure deal with Simple Digital Solutions on 13 June 2018.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: The traditional home colours of St Mirren are black and white stripes, however for the first season the colours were scarlet and blue. There is some dispute as to why the colours black and white were chosen. A popular theory is that the stripes represent the Black and White Cart rivers which run through Paisley. In recent years there has been evidence unearthed that the Monks in the local abbey wore black and white striped habits. The team strips have varied very little in the long history of the club, however the thickness of the stripes have often varied. Some years have seen horizontal stripes used.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: Having first played in black and white vertical stripes in 1884, Saints were the first club in the world to do so, six years before Notts County.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: Away tops are traditionally red or all black, but in some cases strips have varied from orange to light blue, as seen on the 2010–11 strip. From 2007–2011, the Danish firm, Hummel International, replaced Xara as kit manufacturers. After spells with Carbrini (2011-2012, 2015–2017) and Diadora (2012–2014) the club signed a deal with kit manufacturers Joma.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: St Mirren has had several main sponsors, mainly in the transport industry, with several local bus companies and car dealerships like Arriva and Phoenix Honda sponsoring in the club. St Mirren were sponsored by Braehead Shopping Centre, a local shopping centre four miles away in Renfrew from 2005–2017. They are currently sponsored by Skyview Capital.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: In August 2010, the club confirmed Barrhead company Compass Private Hire would have their name displayed on the back of the first team players' shirts as well as on their shorts. Compass Private Hire were co-owned by former St Mirren player, captain and manager, Tony Fitzpatrick.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: In recent years, St Mirren have been represented by three mascots, the Pandas. They are Paisley Panda, Junior P and Mrs Panda. The regular mascots are Paisley Panda and Junior P.


title: St Mirren F.C.

text: The club has a fierce rivalry with neighbours Greenock Morton, a rivalry which sees a large amount of animosity between the two sets of fans.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One motor race held on 29 August 2021 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was the twelfth round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. The race was also the 77th overall running of the Belgian Grand Prix, the 66th time the event was run as part of the Formula One World Championship, and the 54th World Championship Belgian Grand Prix held at the Spa circuit. The race was won by Max Verstappen, ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: The race was planned to run for 44 laps, but ended during the third lap due to wet conditions. Laps one and two took place behind the safety car before a red flag stopped the race on lap three. The sporting regulations required the results be taken from the end of lap one, with half points given to drivers who finished in the top 10 positions as less than 75% of the originally scheduled race distance had been completed.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: As of 2022, it holds the record for the shortest Formula One World Championship race in terms of distance () and number of laps raced (1). This beats the previous short distance record of set at the 1991 Australian Grand Prix and the fewest laps record, 12, set at the 1971 German Grand Prix. The race was also marked the first time since the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix that half points were awarded, the sixth time this occurred in Formula One, regulation changes for the 2022 season meant that half-points could no longer be awarded. The decision to run two laps behind the safety car and red flagging the race on lap three stirred much controversy. The FIA and then race director Michael Masi were criticised by media, fans, teams and drivers for their decision-making during the weekend, and particularly on race day.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: The race is the only World Championship race not to have any running under full green flag conditions. This led commentators to question the validity and sporting integrity of officially classifying and awarding points when the only laps completed were behind the Safety Car. Some commentators and competitors accused Formula One of putting commercial interests above those of paying spectators and fans in general by not abandoning the event with no race result, and not giving spectators a partial ticket refund. Other commentators and competitors felt the awarding of half points was justified to reward competitors who had qualified well, even if the race scenario was not ideal.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: In response to the negative reactions, the sport set about finding suitable methods of preventing a repeat scenario. It was decided to change the sporting regulations, which from 2022 onwards state a race must involve a minimum of two laps under green flag without a safety car or virtual safety car for points to be awarded. Subsequent changes in point structure for shortened races from 2022 mean that reduced points will be awarded to fewer drivers (depending on distance covered) in cases where a race ends under a red flag. , Formula One is exploring how to improve the raceability of cars in wet conditions in an attempt to reduce the need for safety cars and red flags in wet conditions.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: The event, which was held over the weekend of 27–29 August at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, was the twelfth round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship after a four-week summer break. It marked the sixty-sixth time the Belgian Grand Prix appeared on the season calendar. It rained throughout the weekend which excited some drivers. Mick Schumacher stated that he was "looking forward to getting onto some rain", while Lando Norris said that he was "hoping for a bit of rain" in the race. Nikita Mazepin stated that he "hope[s] it's dry." Going into the event the entry list for the event contained five former winners of the Belgian Grand Prix, these being Lewis Hamilton (with wins in 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2020), Kimi Raikkonen (with wins in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009), Sebastian Vettel (with wins in 2011, 2013 and 2018), Charles Leclerc (who won in 2019) and Daniel Ricciardo (who won in 2014) for whom this race was also a 200th Grand Prix start.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: This Grand Prix was the first to enforce article 12.8.4 of Formula One technical regulations, which stated “devices which are used to fit or remove wheel fasteners may only be powered by compressed air or nitrogen. Any sensor systems may only act passively.” Wheel guns came with sensors that informed mechanics when the wheel was securely fastened. Some teams designed their wheel guns to send this signal in anticipation of the wheel being fastened, mitigating reaction time and resulting in quicker service. The governing body deemed this practice unsafe, as it meant cars were potentially released from the pit stop without the wheels being securely fastened. The new technical directive banned this practice and new tolerance parameters were introduced to enforce the rule. A 0.15 second period between the tyres being securely fastened and the dropping of the jack, and a 0.2 second period from the dropping of the jack to the car being released by the pit crew. This made any benefits of the outlawed practices obsolete. In a further clarification, it was revealed the FIA could ensure adherence to the new tolerance limits by using an intelligent wheel gun. The change was originally planned for the Hungarian Grand Prix, but was postponed to this race.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: Following the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix one month earlier, Lewis Hamilton led the Drivers' Championship by 8 points from Max Verstappen. Lando Norris, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez were third, fourth and fifth, respectively. Mercedes led the Constructors' Championship by 12 points from Red Bull Racing. Scuderia Ferrari were third and McLaren fourth, each with 163 points (140 points behind Mercedes).


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: After causing collisions at the previous race, Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll each received a five-place grid penalty for the Grand Prix.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: Free practice 1 took place on 27 August at 11:30 CEST and ended without major incident. Yuki Tsunoda and Kimi Räikkönen spun at La Source in separate incidents. Räikkönen also hit the inside pit wall, ending his session. Charles Leclerc ran wide at turn 7, but was able to recover without incident. The Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas was fastest, followed by Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen, and Scuderia AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton finished in 18th, after his lap was impeded by a slow Nicholas Latifi.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: Free practice 2 took place at 15:00 CEST on the same day. The session was interrupted by two incidents, both resulting in red flags. First, Leclerc lost control over the rear end on the exit of Les Combes and crashed into the wall, ending his session. Verstappen had an incident at Malmedy, also losing control of the rear and hitting the wall. Esteban Ocon also spun, but was able to recover and return to the pits. Verstappen finished fastest, with Bottas in second and Hamilton in third.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: Free practice 3 took place on 28 August at 12:00 CEST. The final practice session ended with no major incidents, but saw many drivers sliding off the track. Bottas, Nikita Mazepin, George Russell, Sebastian Vettel, and Carlos Sainz Jr. all went off during FP3. Raikkonen finished his session early when his brakes failed—he managed to recover to the pits but didn't come back out. Gasly also spun. The Red Bulls took first and second, with Verstappen beating teammate Sergio Pérez, while Hamilton finished third.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: Qualifying took place on 28 August and was due to start at 15:00 CEST. Due to extreme rainfall, the start was delayed to 15:12. Everyone started on the full wet tyres, except for George Russell and Nicholas Latifi, who were first and second after the first qualifying laps. Everyone then fitted the intermediate tyres. The first session ended with Lando Norris in first, Max Verstappen in second, and Lewis Hamilton in third. Nikita Mazepin, Kimi Räikkönen, Mick Schumacher, Yuki Tsunoda, and Antonio Giovinazzi were eliminated from the remainder of qualifying.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: All drivers completed the second session on intermediate tyres. Norris once again was first, with Hamilton second and Valtteri Bottas third. Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz Jr., Nicholas Latifi, and Charles Leclerc were eliminated from the remainder of qualifying. The third segment of qualifying started with worsening rain. Immediately, drivers were calling for a delayed session or red flag. Norris soon aquaplaned at Eau Rouge resulting in a heavy crash at Raidillon and a red flag. Sebastian Vettel stopped at the scene to check on Norris after complaining over the radio about the dangerous conditions. Verstappen took pole on his final lap, with George Russell in second, and Hamilton third. Russell secured Williams Racing's first front row start since the 2017 Italian Grand Prix, and equalled his career-best start, it remained his best start until he achieved pole at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. Norris was cleared for Sunday's race after precautionary checks and an X-ray following his Q3 crash. After the Grand Prix, race director Michael Masi admitted it was a mistake to let the third segment of qualifying start on time.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: The race was due to start at 15:00 CEST on 29 August but was delayed multiple times due to persistent rain. Sergio Pérez was initially not expected to start the race after he crashed on his way to the grid; despite the FIA race director Michael Masi initially suggesting to the contrary, Pérez was allowed by race officials to join the race after the Red Bull Racing mechanics were able to repair Pérez's car during the delay following the first red flag. A first attempt was made to start the race at 15:25 CEST, with two formation laps (that did not count towards a race classification) being completed behind the safety car before the starting procedure was suspended with cars queueing in the pit lane, in line with the regulations. At 17:00 CEST, the stewards used the powers given to them under article 11.9.3.o of the 2021 edition of the FIA International Sporting Code (which allowed the stewards to permanently or temporarily stop an event) to suspend the race clock on grounds of "force majeure".


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: After over three hours of delays and suspended starts, at 18:17 CEST the race officially commenced from the pit lane and two more laps were completed under the safety car, with these laps being considered as race laps by race control, which allowed for the results to be classified and half points to be awarded. During the third lap, the race was suspended again and the race not resumed. The race result was taken after the first lap, in compliance with Formula One regulations which required a two-lap countback. Max Verstappen was declared the race winner (scoring his 16th career F1 win and 6th win of the season as a result) ahead of George Russell in second and Lewis Hamilton third. The remaining points scorers were Daniel Ricciardo in fourth, Sebastian Vettel in fifth, Pierre Gasly in sixth, Esteban Ocon in seventh, Charles Leclerc in eighth, Nicholas Latifi in ninth and Carlos Sainz Jr. in tenth. Verstappen's win was Red Bull Racing's fourth Belgian Grand Prix win and their first at the venue since Ricciardo's 2014 win as well as the first F1 win at Spa for a Honda powered car since the 1991 event. With only a single official lap completed, and an official completed distance of , it is the shortest ever race in the history of the sport, eclipsing the previous records set in terms of kilometres of distance covered at the 1991 Australian Grand Prix (which was raced over and 14 laps) and in terms of lap count at the 1971 German Grand Prix (which lasted 12 laps). For the sixth time in Formula One history and for the first time since the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix, half points were awarded. Russell's second place was his first career podium and the first for the Williams Racing team since Lance Stroll finished third for the team at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Stroll finished this race 18th on the road but was classified in 20th, having been handed a 10-second time penalty for a rear wing change under parc fermé conditions during the first red flag period. This promoted Kimi Räikkönen to 18th and Pérez to 19th. Charles Leclerc was investigated for a change of tyres during the start delays but was not penalised as the change was quickly reversed. , this race is the only World Championship Grand Prix where there is no officially recognised fastest lap. This was the eleventh Formula One World Championship Grand Prix where there were no retirements during the race, and the twelfth World Championship Grand Prix to finish under the safety car.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: In addition to admitting to making mistakes on qualifying day, Masi also faced criticism from drivers, teams and media for how he ran the race. On race day, due to poor weather and after numerous delays, Masi made the decision to run two full laps behind the safety car before abandoning the race on the third lap, which Masi said was a genuine attempt to go racing. Media and drivers criticised Masi's decision to hold two laps under the safety car in still-raining conditions, with seven-time World Champion Hamilton calling the race "a farce" and criticised, among others, the alleged attempt to fulfill the requirements for awarding points. They argued that points should never have been awarded. Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, and Alfa Romeo Racing criticised the decision to award half points for the race. Daniel Ricciardo defended the decision to do so, as did Red Bull's Pérez. Ricciardo's McLaren teammate Lando Norris was left conflicted by the FIA's decision to award points since this benefited his fellow driver but thought it was not a race "deserving of points". Verstappen commented that it was not "the way you want to win". Russell was pleased to achieve his first Formula One podium despite the unusual circumstances, saying: "You don't get rewarded for this very often." He added that he had been rewarded for a strong qualifying on Saturday, whilst also sympathising with, and apologising to, the attending fans for the lack of action in the Grand Prix itself. Despite his driver winning the event, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner felt the decision to award points was not right. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff called the decision to award half points "annoying".


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: Hamilton and Carlos Sainz Jr. called for spectators who bought tickets to be refunded. Hamilton stated his belief that Formula One had "made a bad choice" to complete two full laps behind the safety car before abandoning the race, alleging this was done purely to ensure Formula One fulfilled its commercial obligations. Formula One Group CEO Stefano Domenicali quickly rejected these claims. Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner suggested the criteria for awarding half points was possibly becoming outdated and needed updating. Pundit Scott Mitchell was also of the opinion that fans who attended the race deserve compensation, and that Formula One risked alienating some of its fanbase if it did not refund ticket holders in some way. In September 2021 Formula One and the race promoters then announced in a statement they would begin working on options for ticket holders following the race's suspension. However, despite this initial statement, in December 2021, it was announced that the race promoters would not refund ticketholders, and offer race attendees free passes for F1TV and the chance to be entered into a prize draw to win tickets to the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix. Two-time world champion Mika Häkkinen defended the decisions made by officials during the event. Scuderia AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly stated that Formula One needed to find a solution in order to reduce the amount of spray Grand Prix cars produce in wet conditions to improve driver visibility. Pirelli's head of motorsport Mario Isola said he felt the sport's decision to move to wider tyres from the season onwards was a contributing factor to drivers having more visibility problems in wet conditions, as they disperse more water compared to pre-2017 tyres. Vettel and Alonso dismissed the notion that the FIA was being overcautious with safety, citing the modern aerodynamics of the cars, downforce levels and wide Pirelli tyres that had made visibility worse when driving in wet weather – with races such as the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix (a race Vettel, Hamilton, Raikkonen and Alonso all took part in) conducted over a full distance in arguably worse heavy rain conditions than those seen in at Spa. Adam Cooper of Autosport felt that the two lap requirement – a requirement which had been in use since between the 1977 and 1980 seasons and long pre-dated the official introduction of the safety car in Formula One was "a ticking time bomb that exploded" during race day events at Spa.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: Journalist Josh Suttil considered the events at the race to be Formula One's biggest race-day debacle since the 2005 United States Grand Prix (where 14 cars withdrew at the end of the formation lap due to tyre safety concerns, leaving six cars in the race). Gary Anderson, Formula One pundit and ex-Formula One technical director, and Martin Brundle, ex-Formula One driver-turned-commentator, suggested that the race would have been better if cars had been running in virtual safety car conditions. Brundle also mentioned the idea of Formula One possibly introducing 'slow zones', where a speed limit is imposed on part of the track. Anderson also proposed that the criteria for half-points should be extended going forward to require that at least 50% of the original scheduled race distance be run, without changing the current distance requirement for full points (75% of scheduled distance complete). He included the additional stipulation that at least 25% of the laps completed before race-end must be done under green flag conditions for a race to be considered eligible for points-scoring of any kind. In January 2022, Anderson wrote: "Spa was also a disgrace. How can half-points be awarded after three laps behind a safety car? The official result was based on just one lap of that!" Journalist Luke Smith also advocated changing rules whilst saying the podium celebrations of Verstappen and Russell in particular were "tone deaf", and contrasted them to Hamilton's restrained reaction. GPFans.com called it a "step backwards for F1" with their pundit Ian Parkes saying "F1 must take us for fools" in response to the claim that there had been a genuine attempt to go racing. Parkes was also critical of the general confusion surrounding rules on race day, such as whether Sergio Perez could join the race after his pre-race crash, or when exactly the race itself and the race clock had been deemed to have started. Formula One managing director Ross Brawn described the events at Spa as "a challenging day", whilst praising Russell's performance.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: The Formula One regulations at the time of the race mandated that a minimum of two laps must be completed to award any points. Masi stated there was a genuine attempt to race under green-flag conditions before the rain got worse, and Hamilton said that "money talks". The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile noted that it was "impractical" to delay the race until the following day. There was post-race confusion as to whether points would be awarded given that the classification showed one was completed, but the regulations stated that a minimum of two laps must be completed for a race to be eligible for points. Masi clarified that race was eligible for points as, "three laps were completed ... The third lap was completed when cars crossed the control line in the [pit lane] ... And then the classification for points is taken on the penultimate lap before the lap the signal was given [, the end of the first lap]." Formula One Management stated in the race aftermath that it intended to have discussions with the teams and the FIA regarding changes to sporting regulations to prevent such an occurrence from happening again. The proposed changes would attempt to formulate a more satisfactory minimum requirement for a classification to be achieved than was required under the 2021 rules, as well as discussing the possibility of written provisions in the rules enabling race organisers to reschedule a race if it were unsuitable to run the race on its original date. After one of the races of the 2021 Sochi Formula 3 round had its start time changed due to poor weather, Masi suggested that Formula One could adopt a similar rule to reduce the chances of having to abandon a race for bad weather. In January 2022, McLaren CEO Zak Brown cited the aborted Spa race, alongside the last minute cancellation of the 2020 Australian Grand Prix and the controversial restart at the subsequent 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as signs that the FIA had suffered organisational and rule-making problems for a significant period of time which needed to urgently be resolved.


title: 2021 Belgian Grand Prix

text: At a Formula One Commission meeting held in October 2021, changes concerning how points are awarded were discussed. The commission then recommended that the matter be discussed further at the next meeting of the FIA's Sporting Advisory Committee to set out proposals for regulatory and procedural changes regarding the awarding of points at shortened races. Any changes agreed upon by the Sporting Advisory Committee were required to then go to the FIA's World Motorsport Council for final ratification. In response to the race, Formula One started research into how to improve wet weather racing, looking at possibility of redesigning the cars to reduce spray whilst also preventing aquaplaning. In February 2022, the Formula One Commission approved rule changes, ahead of the start of the 2022 championship: the new points scoring criteria for shortened races was introduced. Although this was intended to be applied to all races which had not reached full distance, a clarification at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix - where most of the paddock expected partial points to be awarded, but full points were given after 28 of 53 laps were completed - meant that changed rule only applied to races that were suspended and could not be restarted. , Formula One is exploring the possibilty of introducing wet-weather specific wheel arches to improve visibility and with it the raceabilty of cars in wet conditions. This is timetabled to be introduced in midway through the 2023 season, or in time for the start of the season.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was only one change: Uruguay replaced Russia. This was the first World Cup with no new teams to the tournament.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: Reigning champions New Zealand won the cup and defended their title by defeating Australia in the final 34–17; South Africa defeated Argentina to take third place. This was the first Rugby World Cup where no Northern Hemisphere team got beyond the quarter-finals. New Zealand were the first team to retain their title and the first to win for a third time.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The highly contested match between Japan and South Africa on the opening weekend, in which Japan scored the winning try in the final minute, was widely considered the biggest upset in the history of rugby. Hosts England were eliminated at the pool stage, after defeats by Wales and Australia; this was the first time the knockout stage did not feature a host nation.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The International Rugby Board (IRB) requested that any member unions wishing to host this tournament or the 2019 Rugby World Cup should indicate their interest by 15 August 2008. This would be purely to indicate interest; no details had to be provided at this stage. A record 10 unions indicated formal interest in hosting the 2015 and/or the 2019 events: Australia, England, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Russia, Scotland, South Africa and Wales. Argentina had been reported in early 2008 as having given preliminary consideration to bidding, but did not ultimately formally indicate an interest in bidding.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: Of the 10 nations that had expressed formal interest, many withdrew their candidacy in early 2009. Jamaica was the first to withdraw its candidacy. Russia withdrew in February 2009 to concentrate on bidding for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens, Australia and Ireland withdrew in spring 2009 due to financial reasons. Scotland withdrew in April 2009 after they were unable to secure co-hosting partners for the tournament. Wales was the last nation to officially pull out after they failed to submit a bid by 8 May 2009, but Wales backed England's bid and some games were played at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The final nations that bid for the right to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup were England, Japan, South Africa and Italy. Four confirmed bids was a record number for the Rugby World Cup.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: On 28 July 2009, the IRB confirmed that England would host the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and Japan would host the 2019 event, having voted 16–10 in favour of approving the recommendation from Rugby World Cup Ltd (RWCL) that England and Japan should be named hosts. RWCL chairman Bernard Lapasset revealed the result on 28 July 2009 at IRB headquarters.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: In September 2007, "The Guardian" reported that the Rugby Football Union had decided to submit a bid. BBC News reported in February 2009 that the intent was for a solo bid from the RFU, but with the possibility of some matches being played in Scotland, Wales or Ireland. It was hoped that the 2015 World Cup would add to Britain's "Decade of Sport" (including the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2013 Rugby League World Cup and 2014 Commonwealth Games).


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: It was also claimed that the bid had a very strong chance of success due to the IRB's belief that the 2011 tournament might make a loss, therefore making it particularly important to ensure a profit, which was considered a strong point of England's proposed bid. The chief executive of the Rugby Football Union, Francis Baron, said that the tournament would target sales of 3 million tickets. England's package was projected to generate £300 million for the IRB – £220 million in commercial returns from broadcasting, sponsorship and merchandising, and the £80 million tournament fee.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: Italy stated its desire to host, and an Italian bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2015 or 2019 was confirmed on 20 July 2008. Italy declared that it wanted to host "For the Enlargement of the Frontiers of Our Sport". It was a slogan relevant to the then-current landscape of World Cup rugby, given that 2007 was the first time that the Rugby World Cup was hosted by a primarily non-English-speaking country.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The Italian bid offered the largest cities and stadiums in the country and promised a fast domestic train system. The Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) also included the importance of the population and the growth of rugby since Italy joined the Six Nations in 2000 as reasons for hosting a World Cup. Rugby had been growing increasingly popular in Italy in recent years, with improved crowds at international matches.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The Stadio Olimpico in Rome had been proposed as the venue to host the final and the first match of the tournament. Milan and Naples were included as the other large venues. The entire list was a selection of large stadiums spread across the country. Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, France was also included as the tenth proposed venue.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The Japan Rugby Football Union officially submitted its tender to the IRB in May 2009. Japan was seen as a favourite to host after finishing as runner-up in the bidding for the 2011 event. Japan was seen as having a lot to offer rugby's growth in Asia. Its population of 127 million, its large economy, and its ability to place rugby before a new Asian audience made it a front-runner for hosting rights. Furthermore, rugby in Japan had developed a following, and with 126,000 registered players, Japan had more players than some of the Six Nations. Japan's Top League was a showcase for Japanese rugby, and there was excitement about Japan's entry into the RWC. Japan's experience in co-hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup was also seen as a boost, with Japan already possessing the necessary stadiums and infrastructure.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The South African Rugby Union (SARU) had confirmed its intent to bid for the 2015 tournament, and in May 2009 South Africa delivered its application to the IRB. South Africa had previously made an unsuccessful bid to host the 2011 RWC. The strengths of a South African bid would be that it is in the same time zone as Europe, the wealthiest television market from a rugby perspective, that South Africa were the current World Cup holders, that they had successfully hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, won the 2007 Rugby World Cup and that they were in the process of building large new stadiums for the then-upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: After England were appointed tournament hosts on 28 July 2009, the proposed stadia for the tournament were revealed. The final venues were confirmed, along with the tournament's schedule, on 2 May 2013. Twelve of the stadia were located in England, while the Millennium Stadium located in neighbour Wales was also to be used. In 2011, the IRB approved the use of the Millennium Stadium, despite being outside of the host country, due to its capacity and strategic location. Of the thirteen venues, two were dedicated rugby union grounds (Kingsholm Stadium and Sandy Park), two were national rugby stadia (Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium), two were multi-purpose stadia (Wembley Stadium and the Olympic Stadium), and the remainder were association football grounds.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: Proposed venues that did not make the final selection were the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Coventry's Ricoh Arena, St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, Pride Park Stadium in Derby, Anfield in Liverpool and Bristol's Ashton Gate. In April 2013, Old Trafford was withdrawn from consideration by its owners, Manchester United F.C., citing commitments to hosting rugby league and its Super League Grand Final and concerns about pitch degradation. The RWCL then approached neighbouring Manchester City about leasing their home stadium as a replacement. City agreed to let their stadium be used for the tournament but only for one match due to footballing commitments – down from the original three which were to be played at Old Trafford. Etihad Stadium, as it was known for football sponsorship purposes, would be called 'Manchester City Stadium' by organisers for the duration of the tournament.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The 41 venues that acted as bases for the teams were announced on 26 August 2014. All prospective team bases were subject to a rigorous selection process, which included a programme of detailed site visits as well as liaison with the competing teams. Each team base included an outdoor and indoor training facility, a swimming pool, gym and hotel and would be used by the competing teams in the lead up to and during the World Cup.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: Of the 20 teams competing at the 2015 World Cup, 12 of them qualified by finishing in the top three places in their pools in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The other eight teams qualified through regional competition. As the host nation, England qualified automatically. The qualification process for the remaining teams incorporated existing regional competitions such as the European Nations Cup.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: Twenty teams played in the final tournament. They are listed below, along with their pre-tournament positions in the World Rugby Rankings. The list of teams was the same as in the 2003 tournament.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: Seedings for the pools of the 2015 World Cup were based on the teams' respective IRB Rankings. The draw, hosted by Will Greenwood, was conducted on 3 December 2012 in London, and used the World Rankings as of that day, just after the 2012 end-of-year rugby union internationals, which finished on 1 December 2012. The 12 automatic qualifiers from 2011 were allocated to their respective bands based on their rankings:


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The remaining 8 qualifying places were allocated to Bands 4 and 5, based on previous World Cup playing strength;


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The draw saw a representative randomly draw a ball from a pot, the first drawn ball goes to Pool A, the second Pool B, the third Pool C and the fourth Pool D. The draw began with Pot 5, drawn by All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, followed by Pot 4, drawn by RWC 2015 Ambassador and English women's international Maggie Alphonsi, then Pot 3, drawn by Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Pot 2, drawn by the then Chief Executive for RWC 2015 Debbie Jevans, and finally Pot 1, drawn by IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The timing of the draw drew criticism due to the long period between the draw occurring and the commencement of the tournament – three years. Indeed, by the time of the pool match between England and Wales on 26 September, pool A contained the 2nd, 3rd and 4th (Australia, England and Wales) ranked teams in the world. Following England's elimination at the pool stage after defeats by Australia and Wales, Wales coach Warren Gatland noted that "Everyone is making a thing about the first home country to hold a World Cup to miss out on the quarter-finals, but the stupid thing, as we all know, is why was the World Cup draw done three years ago? That's just ridiculous as far as I am concerned. If they had followed the football model, then we wouldn't be in this position. There are other people outside this who need to have a look at themselves and why those decisions were made, and you have got to feel sorry for the people involved and who this has affected". The chief executive of World Rugby Brett Gosper subsequently acknowledged criticisms, saying "We’ll look at that next time to see if it’s possible to make the draw closer to the tournament".


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: Each country was allowed a squad of 31 players for the tournament. These squads were to be submitted to World Rugby by a deadline of 31 August 2015. Once the squad was submitted, a player could be replaced if injured, but would not be allowed to return to the squad. There was also a stand-down period of 48 hours before the new player was allowed to take the field. Hence, a replacement player called into a squad on the eve of a game would not be permitted to play in that game.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The opening ceremony of the 2015 Rugby World Cup took place at Twickenham Stadium in London on 18 September 2015 at 19:20 (BST). The ceremony told the legend of how William Webb Ellis created the sport of rugby union, and featured the choir of Rugby School singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", an anthem of rugby union in England. All the participating teams were represented by a former player in the ceremony; the host nation, England, was represented by World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson. The ceremony was directed by Kim Gavin, who was also responsible for directing the closing ceremonies of both the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Paralympics. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, who had an acting part previously in the ceremony, declared the tournament officially open, ending his speech with the words, "We're ready. Game on." British Prime Minister David Cameron said on social media that the 2015 Rugby World Cup would be the best ever.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The first round, or pool stage, saw the 20 teams divided into four pools of five teams, using the same format that was used in 2003, 2007, and 2011. Each pool was a single round-robin of ten games, in which each team played one match against each of the other teams in the same pool. Teams were awarded four points for a win, two points for a draw and none for a defeat. A team scoring four tries in one match scored a bonus point, as did a team that lost by fewer than eight points.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The teams finishing in the top two of each pool would advance to the quarter-finals. The top three teams of each pool received automatic qualification to the 2019 Rugby World Cup (Japan had already automatically qualified as hosts).


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: If three teams were tied on points, the above criteria would be used to decide first place in the Pool, and then the criteria would be used again (starting from criteria 1) to decide second place in the Pool.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: At the 2015 World Rugby Awards, Japan's game-winning final try against South Africa was named the best match moment of the tournament. A dream team was named made up of the best performing players of the tournament.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: New Zealand wing Julian Savea scored the most tries, eight, equalling the record for one tournament set by his compatriot Jonah Lomu and South African Bryan Habana.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: World Rugby named the following twelve referees, seven assistant referees and four television match officials to handle the pool stage games:


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: ITV Sport was the UK and worldwide host broadcaster for the 2015 event, having signed a deal in 2011 to broadcast the 2011 and 2015 RWC tournaments. ITV won the rights after outbidding rivals including the BBC and Sky Sports. It showed every match from the tournament live in the UK on ITV or ITV4.


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: The officially licensed "Rugby World Cup 2015" video game was released on 4 September 2015 on PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. IGN rated the game 1.5/10, calling it "unbearable to play".


title: 2015 Rugby World Cup

text: Ticket prices were announced in November 2013 with general sale applications launching in September 2014. Adult ticket prices started at £15 for pool matches and children's tickets were available from £7 at 41 of the 48 matches. Tickets for the final ranged from £150 to £715.


title: Mathieu Kassovitz

text: Mathieu Kassovitz (; born 3 August 1967) is a French actor, film director, film producer and screenwriter. He is the founder of MNP Entreprise, a film production company. He has won three César Awards: Most Promising Actor for "See How They Fall" (1994), and Best Film and Best Editing for "La Haine" (1995). He also received Best Director and Best Writing nominations.


title: Mathieu Kassovitz

text: He is the son of Peter Kassovitz, a director and writer, and Chantal Rémy, a film editor. His mother is a French Catholic, while his father is a Hungarian Jew who fled during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Mathieu has described himself as "not Jewish but I was brought up in a world of Jewish humor".


title: Mathieu Kassovitz

text: As a filmmaker, Kassovitz has made several artistic and commercial successes. He wrote and directed "La Haine" ("Hate", 1996), a film dealing with themes around class, race, violence, and police brutality. The film won the César Award for Best Film and netted Kassovitz the Best Director prize at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.


title: Mathieu Kassovitz

text: He later directed "Les Rivières Pourpres" (2000), a police detective thriller starring Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel, another massive commercial success in France, and "Gothika" (2003), a fantasy thriller (considered by some to be a commercial failure, although it grossed over three times its roughly $40 million budget), with Halle Berry and Penélope Cruz. He used the money he made from "Gothika" to develop a far more personal project "Babylon Babies", the adaptation of one of Maurice Dantec's books. Kassovitz established the film production firm MNP Entreprise in 2000 "to develop and produce feature films by Kassovitz and to represent him as a director and actor." MNP Entreprise is responsible for the co-productions of a number of films including "Avida" (2006) in which Kassovitz acts and "Babylon A.D." which he directed. Kassovitz purchased the film rights for the novel "Johnny Mad Dog" by Congolese writer Emmanuel Dongala. The film was also co-produced by MNP Entreprise, and directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire. The premiere of the film was made at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival where it was screened within the Un Certain Regard section.


title: Mathieu Kassovitz

text: In 2011, he starred in and directed "Rebellion", a war film based on a true story of French commandos who clashed with tribes in New Caledonia, the Melanesian territory of France. His future project science fiction film "MNP" is named after Mir Space Station, whose writing in Cyrillic letters (Мир) look like the letters MNP, and also the production company.


title: Mathieu Kassovitz

text: Kassovitz is most famous outside France for his acting role as Nino Quincampoix in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film" Amélie". He also had small roles in "La Haine" (which he also directed), "Birthday Girl," and "The Fifth Element". He played leading roles in "A Self-Made Hero" (1996) by Jacques Audiard and in "Amen." (2003) by Costa-Gavras. Kassovitz is also recognizable for playing a conflicted Belgian explosives expert in Steven Spielberg's 2005 film "Munich", alongside Eric Bana and Geoffrey Rush. Kassovitz was a jury member for the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.


title: Mathieu Kassovitz

text: Since 2015, Kassovitz has been starring in the acclaimed espionage thriller series "The Bureau", broadcast in France on Canal+ and made available around the world on Amazon TV. So far five seasons have been screened.


title: Mathieu Kassovitz

text: Kassovitz is married to French actress Julie Mauduech, whom he directed and acted alongside in his 1993 film "Métisse" ("Café au lait", English title) and who made a brief appearance in "La Haine" (during the scene in the Parisian art gallery).


title: Mathieu Kassovitz

text: In 2009, Kassovitz won with a Tesla Roadster (2008) the "Rallye Monte Carlo des Véhicules à Énergie Alternative" (starting event of the FIA Alternative Energies Cup) in the category reserved to electric vehicles.


title: Mathieu Kassovitz

text: Kassovitz is also known for his outspokenness, frequently making controversial comments on socio-political issues. Kassovitz was an ardent critic of former president Nicolas Sarkozy, whom he described in his blog as having "ideas that not only reveal his inexperience of politics and human relations, but which also illuminate the purely demagogical and egocentric aspects of a puny, would-be Napoleon." In a 2012 interview, he labeled the outgoing Sarkozy administration as "horrible".


title: Populus tremuloides

text: Populus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, mountain or golden aspen, trembling poplar, white poplar, and popple, as well as others. The trees have tall trunks, up to 25 meters (82 feet) tall, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden to yellow, rarely red, in autumn. The species often propagates through its roots to form large clonal groves originating from a shared root system. These roots are not rhizomes, as new growth develops from adventitious buds on the parent root system (the ortet).


title: Populus tremuloides

text: "Populus tremuloides" is the most widely distributed tree in North America, being found from Canada to central Mexico. It is the defining species of the aspen parkland biome in the Prairie Provinces of Canada and extreme northwest Minnesota.


title: Populus tremuloides

text: Quaking aspen is a tall, fast-growing tree, usually at maturity, with a trunk in diameter; records are in height and in diameter. The bark is relatively smooth, whitish (light green when young), and is marked by thick black horizontal scars and prominent black knots. Parallel vertical scars are tell-tale signs of elk, which strip off aspen bark with their front teeth.


title: Populus tremuloides

text: The leaves on mature trees are nearly round, in diameter with small rounded teeth, and a long flattened petiole. The leaves are green above and gray below. Young trees and root sprouts have much larger ( long), nearly triangular leaves. (Some species of "Populus" have petioles flattened partially along their length, while the aspens and some other poplars have them flattened from side to side along the entire length of the petiole.)


title: Populus tremuloides

text: Aspens are dioecious, with separate male and female clones. The flowers are catkins long, produced in early spring before the leaves. The fruit is a pendulous string of capsules, each capsule containing about ten minute seeds embedded in cottony fluff, which aids wind dispersal of the seeds when they are mature in early summer. Trees as young as 2–3 years old may begin seed production, but significant output begins starting at 10 years of age. Best seed production is obtained between the ages of 50 and 70 years.


title: Populus tremuloides

text: Quaking aspen grows more slowly in the dry conditions of western North America than it does in the more humid east and also lives longer—ages of 80–100 years are typical, with some individuals living 200 years; the root system can live much longer. In the east, stands decay faster, sometimes in 60 years or less depending on the region.


title: Populus tremuloides

text: The quaking or trembling of the leaves that is referred to in the common names is due to the flexible flattened petioles. The specific epithet, "tremuloides", evokes this trembling behavior and can be literally translated as "like "(Populus) tremula"", the European trembling aspen.


title: Populus tremuloides

text: Quaking aspen occurs across Canada in all provinces and territories, with the possible exception of regions of Nunavut north of the James Bay islands. In the United States, it can be found as far north as the northern foothills of the Brooks Range in Alaska, where road margins and gravel pads provide islands of well-drained habitat in a region where soils are often waterlogged due to underlying permafrost. It occurs at low elevations as far south as northern Nebraska and central Indiana. In the Western United States, this tree rarely survives at elevations lower than due to hot summers experienced below that elevation, and is generally found at . It grows at high altitudes as far south as Guanajuato, Mexico.


title: Populus tremuloides

text: Quaking aspen grows in a wide variety of climatic conditions. January and July average temperatures range from and in the Alaska Interior to and in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Average annual precipitation ranges from in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador to as little as in the Alaska Interior. The southern limit of the species' range roughly follows the mean July isotherm.


title: Populus tremuloides

text: In the sagebrush steppe, aspens occur with chokecherry, serviceberry, and hawthorn, forming a habitable haven for animal life.


title: Populus tremuloides

text: Shrub-like dwarf clones exist in marginal environments too cold and dry to be hospitable to full-size trees, for example at the species' upper elevation limits in the White Mountains.


title: Populus tremuloides

text: Quaking aspen propagates itself primarily through root sprouts, and extensive clonal colonies are common. Each colony is its own clone, and all trees in the clone have identical characteristics and share a single root structure. A clone may turn color earlier or later in the fall than its neighbouring aspen clones. Fall colors are usually bright tones of yellow; in some areas, red blushes may be occasionally seen. As all trees in a given clonal colony are considered part of the same organism, one clonal colony, named Pando, is considered the heaviest and oldest living organism at six million kilograms and perhaps 80,000 years old. Aspens do produce seeds, but seldom grow from them. Pollination is inhibited by the fact that aspens are either male or female, and large stands are usually all clones of the same sex. Even if pollinated, the small seeds (three million per pound) are only viable a short time as they lack a stored food source or a protective coating.


title: Populus tremuloides

text: The buds and bark supply food for snowshoe hares, moose, black bears, cottontail rabbits, porcupines, deer, grouse, and mountain beavers. The shoots are eaten by sheep, goats, and cattle. Sheep and goats also browse the foliage, as do game animals including elk. Grouse and quail especially eat the buds in winter. Mammals such as beavers and rabbits eat the bark, foliage, and buds. Beavers also store aspen logs for winter food. Other animals nest in aspen groves. The leaves of the quaking aspen and other species in the genus "Populus" serve as food for caterpillars of various moths and butterflies.


title: Populus tremuloides

text: Beginning in the 1990s, North American scientists noticed an increase in dead or dying aspen trees. As this accelerated in 2004, a debate over causes began. No insect, disease, or environmental condition has yet been definitively identified as a cause. Trees adjacent to one another are often stricken or not. In other instances, entire groves have died.