title: John Riggins

text: Since 2006, Riggins has served as color commentator on Westwood One for the network's weekly national radio broadcast of "Sunday Night Football".


title: John Riggins

text: On July 18, 2006, Triple X ESPN Radio was launched with Riggins hosting "The John Riggins Show". Riggins could be heard in the Washington, D.C. area weekdays from 4-7pm on 94.3 FM, 92.7 FM & 730 AM, WXGI 950 AM in Richmond, Virginia and WXTG-FM 102.1 FM in Virginia Beach, Virginia and WXTG (AM) 1490 in Hampton, Virginia. The last show of the series aired on its second anniversary, July 18, 2008. With the merger of Triple X into WTEM to form "ESPN 980", Riggins' afternoon show was replaced by WTEM's afternoon drive show, "The Sports Reporters". Riggins stayed with ESPN 980 as a commentator at large.


title: John Riggins

text: On January 3, 2008, Riggins co-hosted the 74th Orange Bowl pre-game show. That same night, the Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 24–21. It came 39 years after Riggins and the Jayhawks last played in the game in 1969. He offered congratulations to his Alma Mater in his closing comments, saying "The KU ship's been out at sea since '48. It finally came to port tonight!"


title: John Riggins

text: In September 2008 it was announced that Riggins would co-host the program "Sirius Blitz" with Adam Schein on Satellite Radio Stations Sirius 124 and XM 105. Following his involvement with "Sirius Blitz" Riggins began hosting his own show, The John Riggins Show, which simulcasts on television and radio on MASN-TV and WTOP-HD3, which airs each weekday afternoon. Riggins has been critical on his radio shows of the current management of the Washington Redskins under owner Dan Snyder.


title: John Riggins

text: Previously, he had been a panelist on "Redskins Report" until that show was canceled in December 2008 due to budget cuts.


title: John Riggins

text: In 2016, Riggins returned to ESPN 980 Redskins radio in a variety of roles. Weekly appearances consisted of a one-hour appearance on Tuesdays with Bram Weinstein, a Thursday appearance on moving drive with Kevin Sheehan & Chris Cooley and a Friday appearance on Inside The Locker Room with Doc Walker, Brian Mitchell and Scott Jackson. Additionally, Riggins co-hosted the Washington Redskins Radio Network pregame show with Kevin Sheehan before every Redskins game.


title: John Riggins

text: Riggins has been married twice and has six children Robert, Portia, Emil, Liberty, Hannah and Coco. He now resides in Cabin John, Maryland near the Potomac River with his wife Lisa Marie.


title: John Riggins

text: It was at the 1985 National Press Club's Salute to Congress that Riggins drunkenly told Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to "loosen up, Sandy baby" because she was "too uptight" when the two met at dinner. Riggins then fell asleep under the table. The next time Justice O'Connor and John Riggins met at a function years later, he gave her a dozen roses.


title: Hemostasis

text: In biology, hemostasis or haemostasis is a process to prevent and stop bleeding, meaning to keep blood within a damaged blood vessel (the opposite of hemostasis is hemorrhage). It is the first stage of wound healing. This involves coagulation, which changes blood from a liquid to a gel. Intact blood vessels are central to moderating blood's tendency to form clots. The endothelial cells of intact vessels prevent blood clotting with a heparin-like molecule and thrombomodulin, and prevent platelet aggregation with nitric oxide and prostacyclin. When endothelium of a blood vessel is damaged, the endothelial cells stop secretion of coagulation and aggregation inhibitors and instead secrete von Willebrand factor, which initiate the maintenance of hemostasis after injury. Hemostasis involves three major steps:


title: Hemostasis

text: The word "hemostasis" (, "sometimes" ) uses the combining forms and , New Latin from (similar to ), meaning "blood", and , meaning "stasis", yielding "motionlessness or stopping of blood".


title: Hemostasis

text: Hemostasis occurs when blood is present outside of the body or blood vessels. It is the innate response for the body to stop bleeding and loss of blood. During hemostasis three steps occur in a rapid sequence. Vascular spasm is the first response as the blood vessels constrict to allow less blood to be lost. In the second step, platelet plug formation, platelets stick together to form a temporary seal to cover the break in the vessel wall. The third and last step is called coagulation or blood clotting. Coagulation reinforces the platelet plug with fibrin threads that act as a "molecular glue". Platelets are a large factor in the hemostatic process. They allow for the creation of the "platelet plug" that forms almost directly after a blood vessel has been ruptured. Within seconds of a blood vessel's epithelial wall being disrupted, platelets begin to adhere to the sub-endothelium surface. It takes approximately sixty seconds until the first fibrin strands begin to intersperse among the wound. After several minutes the platelet plug is completely formed by fibrin. Hemostasis is maintained in the body via three mechanisms:


title: Hemostasis

text: Hemostasis can be achieved in various other ways if the body cannot do it naturally (or needs help) during surgery or medical treatment. When the body is under shock and stress, hemostasis is harder to achieve. Though natural hemostasis is most desired, having other means of achieving this is vital for survival in many emergency settings. Without the ability to stimulate hemostasis the risk of hemorrhaging is great. During surgical procedures, the types of hemostasis listed below can be used to control bleeding while avoiding and reducing the risk of tissue destruction. Hemostasis can be achieved by chemical agent as well as mechanical or physical agents. Which hemostasis type used is determined based on the situation.


title: Hemostasis

text: Developmental Haemostasis refers to the differences in the haemostatic system between children and adults.


title: Hemostasis

text: Debates by physicians and medical practitioners still continue to arise on the subject of hemostasis and how to handle situations with large injuries. If an individual acquires a large injury resulting in extreme blood loss, then a hemostatic agent alone would not be very effective. Medical professionals continue to debate on what the best ways are to assist a patient in a chronic state; however, it is universally accepted that hemostatic agents are the primary tool for smaller bleeding injuries.


title: Hemostasis

text: The body's hemostasis system requires careful regulation in order to work properly. If the blood does not clot sufficiently, it may be due to bleeding disorders such as hemophilia or immune thrombocytopenia; this requires careful investigation. Over-active clotting can also cause problems; thrombosis, where blood clots form abnormally, can potentially cause embolisms, where blood clots break off and subsequently become lodged in a vein or artery.


title: Hemostasis

text: Hemostasis disorders can develop for many different reasons. They may be congenital, due to a deficiency or defect in an individual's platelets or clotting factors. A number of disorders can be acquired as well, such as in HELLP syndrome, which is due to pregnancy, or Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), which is due to "E. coli" toxins.


title: Hemostasis

text: The process of preventing blood loss from a vessel or organ of the body is referred to as hemostasis. The term comes from the Ancient Greek roots "heme" meaning blood, and "stasis" meaning halting; Put together means the "halting of the blood".


title: Hemostasis

text: The origin of hemostasis dates back as far as ancient Greece; first referenced to being used in the Battle of Troy. It started with the realization that excessive bleeding inevitably equaled death. Vegetable and mineral styptics were used on large wounds by the Greeks and Romans until the takeover of Egypt around 332BC by Greece. At this time many more advances in the general medical field were developed through the study of Egyptian mummification practice, which led to greater knowledge of the hemostatic process. It was during this time that many of the veins and arteries running throughout the human body were found and the directions in which they traveled. Doctors of this time realized if these were plugged, blood could not continue to flow out of the body. Nevertheless, it took until the invention of the printing press during the fifteenth century for medical notes and ideas to travel westward, allowing for the idea and practice of hemostasis to be expanded.


title: Hemostasis

text: There is currently a great deal of research being conducted on hemostasis. The most current research is based on genetic factors of hemostasis and how it can be altered to reduce the cause of genetic disorders that alter the natural process hemostasis.


title: Hemostasis

text: Von Willebrand disease is associated with a defect in the ability of the body to create the platelet plug and the fibrin mesh that ultimately stops the bleeding. New research is concluding that the von Willebrand disease is much more common in adolescence. This disease negatively hinders the natural process of Hemostasis causing excessive bleeding to be a concern in patients with this disease. There are complex treatments that can be done including a combination of therapies, estrogen-progesterone preparations, desmopressin, and Von Willebrand factor concentrates. Current research is trying to find better ways to deal with this disease; however, much more research is needed in order to find out the effectiveness of the current treatments and if there are more operative ways to treat this disease.


title: Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000 TV series)

text: Clifford the Big Red Dog is an animated educational children's television series, based upon Norman Bridwell's children's book series of the same name. Produced by Scholastic Productions, it originally aired on PBS Kids from September 4, 2000, to February 25, 2003. A UK version (dubbed with British voice actors replacing the original American soundtrack) originally aired on BBC Two in April 2002.


text: Internationally, German-based TV-Loonland AG handled broadcast rights to the series, while Entertainment Rights held merchandising and home media rights.


text: John Ritter voices Clifford in every episode. By the time the series ended production and the subsequent film "Clifford's Really Big Movie" were completed, Ritter was back on ABC's prime time schedule, starring in "8 Simple Rules". Ritter's death on September 11, 2003, came less than two weeks before the debut of "Clifford's Puppy Days" (it is often mistakenly cited as the reason the spin-off was created in lieu of a third season).


text: Though production of "Clifford" ended before Ritter's death, voice actors for the main characters have reprised some of their roles for the "Ready to Learn" PBS Kids PSAs. "Clifford's Really Big Movie" served as the series finale, "Clifford's Puppy Days" still continued to air until its cancellation in 2006.


text: On May 16, 2018, Scholastic announced a reboot of the series of the same name, which was released on December 6, 2019, on Amazon Prime Video and December 7, 2019, on PBS Kids, starring Adam Sanders as the new voice of Clifford. However, PBS Kids continues to air reruns of this animated series.


text: Two stories made up each half-hour episode. Usually one story featured Clifford and his canine friends, Cleo, T-Bone and Mac among them; the other story would focus on Clifford's owner, Emily Elizabeth and her friends, Jetta, Vaz and Charley. During scenes focusing on the dogs' perspective, human speech would replace barking to show the storyline from the dogs' point of view.


text: The series was produced by Mike Young Productions and Scholastic Studios with animation produced by Hong Ying Universe Company Limited in Taipei, Taiwan and Hosem Animation Studio, a Shanghai-based outlet in China who did the uncredited work.


text: The TV series takes place in the fictional island of Birdwell Island, where Clifford lives. The name is inspired by Norman Bridwell, the author of the books, but the letters I and R are switched. Birdwell Island was inspired by Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, where Bridwell lived.


text: Emily Elizabeth used to live in an apartment in New York City, but she moved away with her parents and Clifford to Birdwell Island because Caroline told her that a small apartment is no place for a big dog like Clifford.


text: In the UK version, only one story is shown, with either the Storytime with Speckle or the Clifford's Big Ideas segments at the end, shortening the show to about 15 minutes.


text: "Clifford the Big Red Dog" has received generally positive reviews from television critics and parents of young children. Lynne Heffley of "Los Angeles Times" wrote," "Clifford: The Big Red Dog" focuses on positive messages with a fantasy approach. Based on the classic children's books by Norman Bridwell, this animated series is about a red dog who is the size of a jumbo jet to match the outsized love that his owner, a little girl named Emily, has for him."


text: "Clifford the Big Red Dog" was shown on CBeebies and Tiny Pop in the United Kingdom, and in Latin America on Discovery Kids. It aired in the Republic of Ireland on TG4 from 6 February 2001. It aired in Australia on Nine and in New Zealand on TV2.


text: On May 16, 2018, Scholastic announced a reboot of the series, which premiered on December 6, 2019, for both Amazon Prime Video and PBS Kids. Scholastic, 100 Chickens, 9 Story Media Group and Brown Bag Films produce the series. Excepting Clifford, Emily Elizabeth and Birdwell Island, the new series is a complete departure from the predecessor show's character base.


text: In 1988, before the television series, six direct-to-video episodes based on the "Clifford" series ("Clifford's Fun with Letters", "Clifford's Fun with Sounds", "Clifford's Fun with Rhymes", "Clifford's Fun with Opposites", "Clifford's Fun with Numbers" and "Clifford's Fun with Shapes") were produced by Nelvana Limited for Scholastic Media, and released on videocassette by Family Home Entertainment. Brent Titcomb voiced Clifford and Alyson Court voiced Emily Elizabeth.


text: In 2004, Warner Bros. Pictures distributed a feature-length animated film based on the show, "Clifford's Really Big Movie". In the film, Clifford, Cleo and T-Bone join an animal show to win a lifetime supply of dog food to provide for Clifford. This was one of John Ritter's last films as he died on September 11, 2003, after completing voice work for the film. "Clifford's Really Big Movie" was dedicated to his memory. The movie also stars Wayne Brady as Shackleford the Ferret, Judge Reinhold as Amazing Larry, John Goodman as George Wolfsbottom, and Jenna Elfman as Dorothy the Cow. The film also serves as the series finale, as no new episodes were produced after the film was released, until the reboot premiered on PBS Kids in 2019.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, whereas bombers and attack aircraft are developed specifically for bombing and attack roles.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: Although still used, the term fighter-bomber has less significance since the introduction of rockets and guided missiles into aerial warfare. Modern aircraft with similar duties are now typically called multirole combat aircraft or strike fighters.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: Prior to World War II, general limitations in available engine and aeronautical technology required that each proposed military aircraft have its design tailored to a specific prescribed role. Engine power grew dramatically during the early period of the war, roughly doubling between 1939 and 1943. The Bristol Blenheim, a typical light bomber of the opening stages of the war, was originally designed in 1934 as a fast civil transport to meet a challenge by Lord Rothermere, owner of the Daily Mail. It had two Bristol Mercury XV radial engines of each, a crew of three, and its payload was just of bombs. The Blenheim suffered disastrous losses over France in 1939 when it encountered Messerschmitt Bf 109s, and light bombers were quickly withdrawn.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: In contrast, the Vought F4U Corsair fighter—which entered service in December 1942—had in common with its eventual U.S. Navy stablemate, the Grumman F6F Hellcat and the massive, seven-ton USAAF Republic P-47 Thunderbolt—a single Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine of in a much smaller, simpler and less expensive single-seat aircraft, and was the first aircraft design to ever fly with the Double Wasp engine in May 1940. With less airframe and crew to lift, the Corsair's ordnance load was either four High Velocity Aircraft Rockets or of bombs; a later version could carry eight rockets or of bombs. The massive, powerful 18-cylinder Double Wasp engine weighed almost a ton—half as much again as the V12 Rolls-Royce Merlin and twice as much as the 9-cylinder Bristol Mercury that powered some heavy fighters.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: Increased engine power meant that many existing fighter designs could carry useful bomb loads, and adapt to the fighter-bomber role. Notable examples include the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Hawker Typhoon and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Various bombing tactics and techniques could also be used: some designs were intended for high-level bombing, others for the low-level semi-horizontal bombing, or even for low-level steep dive bombing as exemplified by the Blackburn Skua and North American A-36 Apache.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: Larger twin-engined aircraft were also used in the fighter-bomber role, especially where longer ranges were needed for naval strikes. Examples include the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the Bristol Beaufighter (developed from a torpedo bomber), and de Havilland Mosquito (developed from an unarmed fast bomber). The Beaufighter MkV had a Boulton-Paul turret with four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns mounted aft of the cockpit but only two were built. Bristol's Blenheim was even pushed into service as a fighter during the Battle of Britain but it was not fast enough. Equipped with an early Airborne Interception (AI) radar set, however, it proved to be an effective night fighter.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: The first single-seat fighters to drop bombs were on the Western Front, when fighter patrols were issued with bombs and ordered to drop them at random if they met no German fighters. The Sopwith Camel, the most successful Allied aircraft of the First World War with 1,294 enemy aircraft downed, was losing its edge by 1918, especially over . During the final German offensive in March 1918, it dropped Cooper bombs on advancing columns: whilst puny by later standards, the four fragmentation bombs carried by a Camel could cause serious injuries to exposed troops. Pilot casualties were also high. The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5. was used in the same role.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: The Royal Flying Corps received the first purpose-built fighter-bomber just as the war was ending. It was not called a fighter bomber at the time, but a Trench Fighter as that was what it was designed to attack. The Sopwith Salamander was based on the Sopwith Snipe fighter but had armour plating in the nose to protect the pilot and fuel system from ground fire. Originally it was intended to have two machine guns jutting through the cockpit floor so as to spray trenches with bullets as it passed low overhead. But this did not work and it was fitted with four Cooper bombs, instead. It was ordered in very large numbers, but most were canceled after the Armistice.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: In February and April 1918 the Royal Flying Corps conducted bombing tests at Orfordness, Suffolk dropping dummy bombs at various dive angles at a flag stuck into a shingle beach. Both WW1 fighter bombers were used with novice and experienced pilots. The best results were achieved with a vertical dive into the wind using the Aldis Sight to align the aircraft. But they were not considered good enough to justify the expected casualty rate.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: When war broke out in Europe, Western Allied Air Forces employed light twin-engined bombers in the tactical role for low-level attacks. These were found to be extremely vulnerable both to ground fire and to single-engine fighters. The German and Japanese Air Forces had chosen dive bombers which were similarly vulnerable. The Ilyushin Il-2 is a heavily armoured two-seat single-engine ground-attack aircraft. It first flew a month later although few had reached the Soviet Air Force in time for Operation Barbarossa. Naval forces chose both torpedo and dive bombers. None of these could be considered as fighter bombers as they could not combat fighters.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: During the Battle of Britain, the "Luftwaffe" conducted fighter-bomber attacks on the United Kingdom from September to December 1940. A larger fighter-bomber campaign was conducted against the UK from March 1942 until June 1943. These operations were successful in tying down Allied resources at a relatively low cost to the Luftwaffe, but the British Government regarded the campaign as a nuisance given the small scale of the individual raids.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: In August 1941, RAF pilots reported encountering a very fast radial engine fighter over France. First thought to be captured French Curtiss 75 Mohawks, they turned out to be Focke-Wulf Fw 190s, slightly faster and more heavily armed than the current Spitfire V. Kurt Tank had designed the aircraft when the Spitfire and Bf 109 were the fastest fighters flying; he called them racehorses, fast but fragile. As a former World War I cavalryman, Tank chose to design a warhorse. With a BMW 801 radial engine, wide-set undercarriage, and two 20mm cannons as well as machine guns it became a better fighter-bomber than either of the pure fighters.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: By mid-1942, the first of these "Jagdbombers" (literally "fighter" or "hunter" bomber, known for short as "Jabos") was operating over Kent. On October 31, 60 Fw 190s bombed Canterbury with only one aircraft lost, killing 32 civilians and injuring 116, in the largest raid since the Blitz. Flying at sea level, under the radar, these raids were hard to intercept. The Jabos reached the Eastern Front in time to bomb Russian positions in Stalingrad. By July 1943 Fw 190s were replacing the vulnerable Stukas over the Battle of Kursk: although winning the air war, they were unable to prevent subsequent Red Army advances.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: On New Year's Day 1945 in Operation Bodenplatte, over 1,000 aircraft (including more than 600 Fw 190s) launched a last-ditch attempt to destroy Allied planes on the ground in support of the Battle of the Bulge. Allied fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber losses were downplayed, at the time. Seventeen airfields were targeted, of which seven lost many aircraft. The surprise was complete as the few Ultra intercepts had not been understood. At the worst hit, the Canadian base at Eindhoven, 26 Typhoons and 6 Spitfires were destroyed and another 30 Typhoons damaged. In total, 305 aircraft, mostly fighters, and fighter-bombers were destroyed and another 190 damaged. The Luftwaffe lost 143 pilots killed, 71 captured and 20 wounded, making the worst one-day loss in its history; it never recovered.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: The Bristol Blenheim and Douglas A-20 Havoc (which the RAF called Boston) were used as night fighters during the Blitz, as they could carry the heavy early airborne radars


title: Fighter-bomber

text: The Hawker Henley, a two-seat version of the Battle of Britain-winning Hawker Hurricane, was designed as a dive bomber. It might have proved to be a capable fighter-bomber but overheating of its Rolls-Royce Merlin engine in this installation led to its relegation to a target tug role, where it could match the speed of the German bombers whilst towing a drone.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: In 1934, the British Air Ministry called for a carrier aircraft that could combine the roles of the dive bomber and fighter, to save limited space on small carriers. The Blackburn Skua was not expected to encounter land-based fighters but was to intercept long-range bombers attacking the fleet and also to sink ships. As a two-seater, it could not fight the Messerschmitt Bf 109 on equal terms. But the second seat carried a radio operator with a homing device that could find the carrier even when it had moved, in foul North Sea weather. It achieved one of the first kills of the war, when three from HMS "Ark Royal" downed a German Dornier Do 18 flying boat over the North Sea.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: On April 10, 1940, 16 Skuas operating from RNAS Hatston in Orkney under Commander William Lucy sank the German cruiser "Königsberg" which was tied to a mole in Bergen harbour. The Germans recorded five hits or near misses and as the ship started to sink, electric power failed, dooming the ship. The German cruiser "Köln" had departed during the night.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: With the failing of the Hawker Henley and the gradual fading of the Hawker Hurricane's performance compared to the latest German fighters, it was modified to carry four 20mm cannon and two bombs; once bombs were jettisoned the aircraft could put up a reasonable fight. Inevitably the type became known in the RAF as the “Hurribomber”, reaching squadrons in June 1941.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: It was soon found that it was hardly possible to hit fast-moving Panzers in the Western Desert, with bombs and cannon fire-making little impact on their armour. Daylight bombing raids were made on the French and Belgian coasts, targeting mostly oil and gas works. Losses were heavy, often more than the numbers of enemy fighters destroyed. By May 1942 Hurricane IICs with drop tanks were intruding at night over France. On the night of May 4–5, Czech pilot Karel Kuttelwascher flying from RAF Tangmere with No 1 Squadron shot down three Dornier Do 17s as they slowed to land at Saint-André-de-Bohon after raiding England.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: On September 25, 1942, the Gestapo HQ in Oslo was attacked by four de Havilland Mosquitoes, which had flown over the North Sea below by dead reckoning navigation from RAF Leuchars, Scotland, carrying four bombs each. The next day the RAF unveiled its new fast bomber. On December 31, 1944, the same aircraft was used against the same target, this time from RAF Peterhead in Scotland, flying high and diving onto the building. In February 1941 the Mosquito with two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and a streamlined wooden fuselage achieved , faster than the current Spitfire. It was used on all kinds of missions, including silencing Hermann Göring's Berlin Nazi anniversary broadcast on January 20, 1943, leading him to tell Erhard Milch, Air Inspector General that “when I see the Mosquito I am yellow and green with envy. (The British) have the geniuses and we have the nincompoops.”


title: Fighter-bomber

text: Initially used for high-level photo-reconnaissance, the Mosquito was adapted to precision bombing, night fighter, and fighter bomber roles. It was built in Canada and Australia as well as the UK. Fitted with a British Army Ordnance QF 6 pounder (57 mm) gun it could sink U-boats found on the surface. On April 9, 1945, three were sunk en route to Norway, and in the following month, Mosquitos sank two more.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: The Hawker Typhoon was being designed as a replacement for the Hurricane in March 1937 before production had even started. The reason was to take advantage of the new engines then being planned, either the Napier Sabre or Rolls-Royce Vulture which required a larger airframe than the nimble Hurricane. At the prototype stage, there were problems with the new engines and stability of the aircraft itself, which led the Minister of Aircraft Production, Lord Beaverbrook to decree that production must focus on Spitfires and Hurricanes.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: The Typhoon disappointed as a fighter, especially at altitude but found its true niche as a fighter bomber from September 1942. It was fitted with racks to carry two and then two bombs. By September 1943 it was fitted with eight RP-3 rockets each with a warhead, equivalent to the power of a naval destroyer's broadside.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: Claims of German tanks destroyed by rocket-armed Typhoons in Normandy after D-Day were exaggerated. In Operation Goodwood, the attempt by British and Canadian forces to surround Caen of 75 tanks recorded as lost by the Germans, only 10 were found to be due to rocket-firing Typhoons.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: At Mortain, where the German counter-offensive Operation Lüttich came within of cutting through US forces to Avranches, Typhoons destroyed 9 of 46 tanks lost but were more effective against unarmoured vehicles and troops and cause the armoured vehicles to seek cover. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, said "The chief credit in smashing the enemy's spearhead, however, must go to the rocket-firing Typhoon aircraft of the Second Tactical Air Force. The result of the strafing was that the enemy attack was effectively brought to a halt, and a threat was turned into a great victory".


title: Fighter-bomber

text: The disparity between claims and actual destruction at about 25-1 owed much to the difficulty of hitting a fast-moving tank with an unguided rocket, even from a stable aircraft like the Typhoon. But soft targets were simpler. When the 51st Highland Division moved to block German panzers reaching Antwerp in the Battle of the Bulge Tommy Macpherson saw a half-track full of SS soldiers. All were uninjured, powerful men over tall. All were dead, killed by the air blast from a Typhoon rocket.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: The Bristol Beaufighter was a long-range twin-engine heavy fighter derived from the Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber but with the Bristol Hercules radial engine to give it a top speed faster. By late 1942 the Beaufighter was also capable of carrying torpedoes or rockets. The main user was RAF Coastal Command although it was also used in the Royal Australian Air Force with some aircraft assembled in Australia and by the USAAF.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: Over 30 Beaufighters flying from RAF Dallachy in Scotland from Australian, British, Canadian, and New Zealand squadrons attacked the German destroyer Z33 sheltering in Førde Fjord Norway. They were escorted by only 10 to 12 North American P-51 Mustangs. German destroyers escorted convoys of Swedish iron ore, which in winter were forced to creep along the Atlantic Coast by night, hiding deep inside fjords by day. Z33 was moored close to the vertical cliffside of the fjords so Beaufighters had to attack singly with rockets without the normal tactic of having simultaneous attacks by other Beaufighters firing cannon at the numerous flak gunners. Twelve Focke-Wulf Fw 190s surprised the Mustangs and Norway's biggest ever air battle was soon raging. Nine Beaufighters and one Mustang were lost as were five Fw 190s. The destroyer was damaged and February 9, 1945, became known as Black Friday.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: Typhoons were involved in one of the worst tragedies at the end of the war when four squadrons attacked the luxury liners SS "Deutschland" and the SS "Cap Arcona" and two smaller ships SS "Athen" and SS "Thielbek" moored off Neustadt in Lübeck Bay The "Cap Arcona" had 4,500 concentration camp inmates and the "Thielbek" another 2,800 as well as SS Guards. The "Deutschland" had a Red Cross flag painted on at least one funnel. The previous day the Captain of the "Cap Arcona" refused to take any more inmates on board. On return to shore in longboats they were gunned down by Hitler Jugend, SS Guards and German Marines. Of an estimated 14,500 victims in the area two days earlier only 1,450 survived.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: The Hawker Tempest was a development of the Typhoon using the thin wing with an aerofoil developed by NACA and a more powerful version of the Napier Sabre engine, giving a top speed of . At a low level, it was faster than any other Allied or German aircraft, but slower than the Spitfire above . Fitted with four 20mm cannon it was a formidable fighter, respected even by Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter pilots as their most dangerous opponent. At its debut over the Normandy Beaches on D-Day +2, Tempests shot down three German fighters, without loss. Tempests supported the ambitious attempt to capture the bridge at Arnhem in Operation Market Garden in mid-September 1944. David C. Fairbanks, an American who joined the Royal Canadian Air Force was the top Tempest ace with 12 victories including an Arado Ar 234 jet bomber.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: General Henry H. Arnold, Chief of the United States Army Air Forces, urged the adoption of the Mosquito by the U.S. but was overruled by those who felt that the as yet untried Lockheed P-38 Lightning also twin-engined, could fulfill the same role. Although Lightning got its name from the RAF, the British eventually rejected it. Too slow and cumbersome to match Bf 109s as an escort fighter over Germany, it did fly over Normandy as a fighter bomber, where one tried skip-bombing a bomb through the door of Field Marshal Günther von Kluge's OB West HQ. A Lightning squadron also killed Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto over Bougainville in the Pacific acting on an Ultra intercept.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was a larger, evolutionary development of the P-43/P-44 fighter undertaken after the United States Army Air Forces observed Messerschmitt Bf 109s performing in the Battle of Britain. It was a massive aircraft built around the powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine and weighed up to eight tons with ordnance. The P-47 was twice as heavy and had four times the fuselage size of a Spitfire. Armed with eight .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns it could outshoot any enemy fighter, and as a fighter-bomber, it could carry half the bomb load of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress or 10 five-inch (127 mm) High-Velocity Aircraft Rockets.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: The first pilots to fly the Thunderbolt from England were Americans who had been flying Spitfires in the RAF before the U.S. joined the war. They were not impressed initially; the Thunderbolt lost out to the more nimble Spitfire so consistently in mock dogfights that these encounters were eventually banned. But by November 25, 1943 Thunderbolts had found their true niche, attacking a Luftwaffe airfield at Saint-Omer near Calais, France. On October 13, 1944, a Thunderbolt from 9th Air Force damaged the German Torpedoboot Ausland "38" (formerly the Italian 750 ton torpedo boat "Spada)" so badly near Trieste with gunfire alone that the ship was scuttled.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: The Vought F4U Corsair was built around the same Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine as the Thunderbolt, but for the U.S. Navy. Difficulties with carrier landings meant that the first aircraft were used by the United States Marine Corps from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal from February 12, 1943. In its first combat action, the following day over Kahili airfield two Corsairs and eight other aircraft were lost when attacked by 50 Mitsubishi A6M Zeros. This became known as the St Valentine's Day massacre. Despite this initiation the Corsair soon proved to be an effective fighter bomber, mostly flown by the Marine Corps, but also by the United States Navy, Fleet Air Arm and Royal New Zealand Air Force in the Pacific theater.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: When the British Purchasing Commission invited James H. Kindelberger, President of North American Aviation, to assemble the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in an underutilized plant, he promised a better fighter on the same timing. The resulting North American P-51 Mustang powered by a Packard-built Rolls-Royce Merlin engine became the outstanding long-range fighter of the war. When Lend-lease funding for the RAF Mustangs was exhausted, Kindleberger tried to interest the USAAC but no funds were available for a fighter; instead, the Mustang was fitted with dive brakes and emerged as the North American A-36 Apache, a dive bomber almost as fast as the Mustang itself. By April 1943 USAAF Apaches were in Morocco supporting Operation Torch, and they continued bombing trains and gun emplacements northwards through Italy.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: When Soviet-backed North Korea attacked South Korea on June 25, 1950, their forces quickly routed the South Korean army which lacked tanks, anti-tank and heavy artillery. Its Air Force had 22 planes, none of which were fighters, or jets. During a Soviet boycott of the United Nations, a vote was carried without Soviet veto, to intervene in support of the South. Most readily available were U.S. and British Commonwealth forces occupying Japan and the Pacific fleets. The first arrivals were fighter-bombers, which helped to repulse the Northern attack on the vital port of Pusan, the last small territory held by the South. Some strategists felt that air and battleship strikes alone could halt the invasion.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: USAF North American F-82 Twin Mustangs had the range to reach the front line from Japanese bases. The last piston-engined aircraft, produced in the U.S., it looked like two Mustangs, with two pilots in separate fuselages, bolted together. Initially intended to escort bombers over Japan from remote Pacific island bases, hence its long-range, it missed WWII and first saw action in Korea. Plain North American P-51 Mustangs of the Royal Australian Air Force soon also flew across from Japan.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: Vought F4U Corsairs and Hawker Sea Furys from U.S., British and Australian carriers in the Yellow Sea and later from Korean airfields, also attacked the Pusan perimeter. The Sea Fury, a development of the Hawker Tempest had a Bristol Centaurus engine of giving a top speed, one of the fastest piston-engined aircraft ever built. Initially, United Nations air forces using piston-engined fighter-bombers and straight wing jet fighters easily drove the North Koreans out of the sky and so disrupted logistics and hence the attack on Pusan.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: All changed when the Soviet Air Force intervened with swept-wing Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s flown by Russian pilots on November 1. The planes had Korean markings and the pilots had been taught a few Korean words, in a thin sham that the USSR was not fighting. The MiG-15 used captured German swept wing technology and tools and British jet engines, 25 of which had been a gift from Stafford Cripps the president of the Board of Trade and were quickly copied. Josef Stalin remarked “What fool will sell us his secrets?” The MiG's Rolls-Royce Nene had thrust, twice as much as the jets of its main British and US opponents, which used the older Rolls-Royce Derwent design. Only the Navy Grumman F9F Panther used a version of the Nene and could match the MiG-15, accounting for seven during November.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: Daylight heavy bomber raids over North Korea ceased and the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star and its all-weather variant the Lockheed F-94 Starfire were focused on bombing missions whilst the North American F-86 Sabre was rushed to Korea to combat the MiG-15s. There is much debate as to which was the better fighter. Recent research suggests a 13-10 advantage to the Sabre against Russian pilots, but the US pilots were mostly WWII veterans whilst the Russians were often “volunteers” with only a few hours aloft. The Australians converted from Mustangs to Gloster Meteor fighter-bombers, the first Allied jet fighter of WWII but no match for a MiG-15. It was pressed into combat but after four were lost when the squadron was bounced by 40 Mig-15s, reverted to ground attack, carrying 16 rockets. Although Meteors shot down 6 MiG-15s, 30 were lost, but mainly to ground fire. Both Corsairs and Sea Furies also shot down MiG-15s, but were vulnerable to the faster jet.


title: Fighter-bomber

text: Fighter-bombers became increasingly important in the 1950s and 1960s, as new jet engines dramatically improved the power of even the smallest fighter designs. Many aircraft initially designed as fighters or interceptors found themselves in the fighter-bomber role at some point in their career. Notable among these is the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, first designed as a high-performance day fighter and then adapted to the nuclear strike role for European use. Other U.S. examples include the North American F-100 Super Sabre and the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, each of which was widely used during the Vietnam War.


title: Marginal distribution

text: In probability theory and statistics, the marginal distribution of a subset of a collection of random variables is the probability distribution of the variables contained in the subset. It gives the probabilities of various values of the variables in the subset without reference to the values of the other variables. This contrasts with a conditional distribution, which gives the probabilities contingent upon the values of the other variables.


title: Marginal distribution

text: Marginal variables are those variables in the subset of variables being retained. These concepts are "marginal" because they can be found by summing values in a table along rows or columns, and writing the sum in the margins of the table. The distribution of the marginal variables (the marginal distribution) is obtained by marginalizing (that is, focusing on the sums in the margin) over the distribution of the variables being discarded, and the discarded variables are said to have been marginalized out.


title: Marginal distribution

text: The context here is that the theoretical studies being undertaken, or the data analysis being done, involves a wider set of random variables but that attention is being limited to a reduced number of those variables. In many applications, an analysis may start with a given collection of random variables, then first extend the set by defining new ones (such as the sum of the original random variables) and finally reduce the number by placing interest in the marginal distribution of a subset (such as the sum). Several different analyses may be done, each treating a different subset of variables as the marginal variables.


title: Marginal distribution

text: Given a known joint distribution of two discrete random variables, say, and , the marginal distribution of either variable – for example — is the probability distribution of when the values of are not taken into consideration. This can be calculated by summing the joint probability distribution over all values of . Naturally, the converse is also true: the marginal distribution can be obtained for by summing over the separate values of .


title: Marginal distribution

text: Intuitively, the marginal probability of "X" is computed by examining the conditional probability of "X" given a particular value of "Y", and then averaging this conditional probability over the distribution of all values of "Y".


title: Marginal distribution

text: This follows from the definition of expected value (after applying the law of the unconscious statistician)


title: Marginal distribution

text: Therefore, marginalization provides the rule for the transformation of the probability distribution of a random variable "Y" and another random variable :


title: Marginal distribution

text: Given two continuous random variables "X" and "Y" whose joint distribution is known, then the marginal probability density function can be obtained by integrating the joint probability distribution, , over "Y," and vice versa. That is


title: Marginal distribution

text: Finding the marginal cumulative distribution function from the joint cumulative distribution function is easy. Recall that:


title: Marginal distribution

text: The marginal probability is the probability of a single event occurring, independent of other events. A conditional probability, on the other hand, is the probability that an event occurs given that another specific event "has already" occurred. This means that the calculation for one variable is dependent on another variable.


title: Marginal distribution

text: The conditional distribution of a variable given another variable is the joint distribution of both variables divided by the marginal distribution of the other variable. That is,


title: Marginal distribution

text: Suppose there is data from a classroom of 200 students on the amount of time studied ("X") and the percentage of correct answers ("Y"). Assuming that "X" and "Y" are discrete random variables, the joint distribution of "X" and "Y" can be described by listing all the possible values of "p"("x","y"), as shown in Table.3.


title: Marginal distribution

text: The marginal distribution can be used to determine how many students scored 20 or below: , meaning 10 students or 5%.


title: Marginal distribution

text: The conditional distribution can be used to determine the probability that a student that studied 60 minutes or more obtains a scored of 20 or below: , meaning there is about a 11% probability of scoring 20 after having studied for at least 60 minutes.


title: Marginal distribution

text: Suppose that the probability that a pedestrian will be hit by a car, while crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing, without paying attention to the traffic light, is to be computed. Let H be a discrete random variable taking one value from {Hit, Not Hit}. Let L (for traffic light) be a discrete random variable taking one value from {Red, Yellow, Green}.


title: Marginal distribution

text: Realistically, H will be dependent on L. That is, P(H = Hit) will take different values depending on whether L is red, yellow or green (and likewise for P(H = Not Hit)). A person is, for example, far more likely to be hit by a car when trying to cross while the lights for perpendicular traffic are green than if they are red. In other words, for any given possible pair of values for H and L, one must consider the joint probability distribution of H and L to find the probability of that pair of events occurring together if the pedestrian ignores the state of the light.


title: Marginal distribution

text: However, in trying to calculate the marginal probability P(H = Hit), what is being sought is the probability that H = Hit in the situation in which the particular value of L is unknown and in which the pedestrian ignores the state of the light. In general, a pedestrian can be hit if the lights are red OR if the lights are yellow OR if the lights are green. So, the answer for the marginal probability can be found by summing P(H | L) for all possible values of L, with each value of L weighted by its probability of occurring.


title: Marginal distribution

text: Here is a table showing the conditional probabilities of being hit, depending on the state of the lights. (Note that the columns in this table must add up to 1 because the probability of being hit or not hit is 1 regardless of the state of the light.)


title: Marginal distribution

text: To find the joint probability distribution, more data is required. For example, suppose P(L = red) = 0.2, P(L = yellow) = 0.1, and P(L = green) = 0.7. Multiplying each column in the conditional distribution by the probability of that column occurring results in the joint probability distribution of H and L, given in the central 2×3 block of entries. (Note that the cells in this 2×3 block add up to 1).


title: Marginal distribution

text: The marginal probability P(H = Hit) is the sum 0.572 along the H = Hit row of this joint distribution table, as this is the probability of being hit when the lights are red OR yellow OR green. Similarly, the marginal probability that P(H = Not Hit) is the sum along the H = Not Hit row.


title: Marginal distribution

text: For multivariate distributions, formulae similar to those above apply with the symbols "X" and/or "Y" being interpreted as vectors. In particular, each summation or integration would be over all variables except those contained in "X".


title: Marginal distribution

text: That means, If "X","X",…,"X" are discrete random variables, then the marginal probability mass function should be


title: Marginal distribution

text: if "X","X",…,"X" are continuous random variables, then the marginal probability density function should be


title: Mat Osman

text: Mathew David Osman (born 9 October 1967) is an English musician and author, best known as the bassist in the rock band Suede. Osman and singer Brett Anderson are the only remaining founding members left in Suede, and along with the drummer Simon Gilbert who appeared on any Suede albums.


title: Mat Osman

text: Osman was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, but was raised mainly in Haywards Heath, West Sussex. Osman's younger brother is the presenter, author, and comedian Richard Osman. He studied at the London School of Economics where in 1989, he was awarded a BSc in Economics.


title: Mat Osman

text: Osman met future Suede lead singer Brett Anderson in Haywards Heath, and they played together in early garage bands such as The Pigs and Suave And Elegant. Osman co-wrote some of Suede's songs, including "Lost in TV", "Europe Is Our Playground", "Attitude" and "Golden Gun". After Suede broke up in 2003, Osman provided music for television programmes, such as "8 Out of 10 Cats", "The Marriage Ref" and "You Have Been Watching". He returned to perform with Suede when the band reformed in 2010.


title: Mat Osman

text: Osman was the London editor of the email magazine "le cool" and the editor of their London guidebook, published in summer 2008. His writing has also been published in British magazines and newspapers including "The Guardian", "The Independent" and "The Observer".


title: Mat Osman

text: Osman's first novel "The Ruins" was published in February 2020 by Repeater Books and his second, "The Ghost Theatre," was acquired by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2022. He co-authored the book "England on Fire" with Stephen Ellcock,


title: Trance

text: Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the directions of the person (if any) who has induced the trance. Trance states may occur involuntarily and unbidden.


title: Trance

text: The term "trance" may be associated with hypnosis, meditation, magic, flow, prayer, and altered states of consciousness.


title: Trance

text: Trance in its modern meaning comes from an earlier meaning of "a dazed, half-conscious or insensible condition or state of fear", via the Old French "transe" "fear of evil", from the Latin "transīre" "to cross", "pass over".


title: Trance

text: Wier, in his 1995 book, "Trance: from magic to technology", defines a simple trance (p. 58) as a state of mind being caused by cognitive loops where a cognitive object (a thought, an image, a sound, an intentional action) repeats long enough to result in various sets of disabled cognitive functions. Wier represents all trances (which include sleep and watching television) as taking place on a dissociated trance plane where at least some cognitive functions such as volition are disabled; as is seen in what is typically termed a 'hypnotic trance'. With this definition, meditation, hypnosis, addictions and charisma are seen as being trance states. In Wier's 2007 book, "The Way of Trance", he elaborates on these forms, adds ecstasy as an additional form and discusses the ethical implications of his model, including magic and government use which he terms "trance abuse".


title: Trance

text: John Horgan in "Rational Mysticism" (2003) explores the neurological mechanisms and psychological implications of trances and other mystical manifestations. Horgan incorporates literature and case-studies from a number of disciplines in this work: chemistry, physics, psychology, radiology and theology.


title: Trance

text: Trance conditions include all the different states of mind, emotions, moods and daydreams that human beings experience. All activities which engage a human involve the filtering of information coming into sense modalities, and this influences brain functioning and consciousness. Therefore, trance may be understood as a way for the mind to change the way it filters information in order to provide more efficient use of the mind's resources.


title: Trance

text: Trance states may also be accessed or induced by various modalities and may be a way of accessing the unconscious mind for the purposes of relaxation, healing, intuition and inspiration. There is an extensive documented history of trance as evidenced by the case-studies of anthropologists and ethnologists and associated and derivative disciplines. Hence trance may be perceived as endemic to the human condition and a Human Universal. Principles of trance are being explored and documented as are methods of trance induction. Benefits of trance states are being explored by medical and scientific inquiry. Many traditions and rituals employ trance. Trance also has a function in religion and mystical experience.


title: Trance

text: Castillo (1995) states that: "Trance phenomena result from the behavior of intense focusing of attention, which is the key psychological mechanism of trance induction. Adaptive responses, including institutionalized forms of trance, are 'tuned' into neural networks in the brain and depend to a large extent on the characteristics of culture. Culture-specific organizations exist in the structure of individual neurons and in the organizational formation of neural networks."


title: Trance

text: Hoffman (1998: p. 9) states that: "Trance is still conventionally defined as a state of reduced consciousness, or a somnolent state. However, the more recent anthropological definition, linking it to 'altered states of consciousness' (Charles Tart), is becoming increasingly accepted."


title: Trance

text: Hoffman (1998, p. 9) asserts that: "...the trance state should be discussed in the plural, because there is more than one altered state of consciousness significantly different from everyday consciousness."


title: Trance

text: According to Hoffman (1998: p. 10), pilgrims visited the Temple of Epidaurus, an asclepeion, in Greece for healing sleep. Seekers of healing would make pilgrimage and be received by a priest who would welcome and bless them. This temple housed an ancient religious ritual promoting dreams in the seeker that endeavored to promote healing and the solutions to problems, as did the oracles. This temple was built in honor of Asclepios, the Greek god of medicine. The Greek treatment was referred to as incubation, and focused on prayers to Asclepios for healing. The asclepion at Epidaurus is both extensive and well-preserved, and is traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Asclepius. (For a comparable modern tool see Dreamwork.)


title: Trance

text: The Oracle at Delphi was also famous for trances in the ancient Greek world; priestesses there would make predictions about the future in exchange for gold.


title: Trance

text: Stories of the saints in the Middle Ages, myths, parables, fairy tales, oral lore and storytelling from different cultures are themselves potentially inducers of trance. Often literary devices such as repetition are employed which is evident in many forms of trance induction. Milton Erickson used stories to induce trance as do many NLP practitioners.


title: Trance

text: Joseph Jordania proposed the term "battle trance" in 2011 for a mental state when combatants do not feel fear and pain, and they lose their individual identity and acquire a collective identity.


title: Trance

text: The Norse Berserkers induced a trance-like state before battle, called "Berserkergang". It is said to have given the warriors superhuman strength and made them impervious to pain during battle. This form of trance could have been induced partly due to ingestion of hallucinogenic mushrooms.


title: Trance

text: As the mystical experience of mystics generally entails direct connection, communication and communion with the divine; trance and cognate experience are endemic. (see Yoga, Sufism, Shaman, Umbanda, Crazy Horse, etc.)


title: Trance

text: As shown by Jonathan Garb, trance techniques also played a role in Lurianic Kabbalah, the mystical life of the circle of Moshe Hayyim Luzzatto and Hasidism.


title: Trance

text: Many Christian mystics are documented as having experiences that may be considered as cognate with trance, such as: Hildegard of Bingen, John of the Cross, Meister Eckhart, Saint Theresa (as seen in the Bernini sculpture) and Francis of Assisi.


title: Trance

text: Taves (1999) charts the synonymic language of trance in the American Christian traditions: "power" or "presence" or "indwelling" of God, or Christ, or the Spirit, or spirits. Typical expressions include "the indwelling of the Spirit" (Jonathan Edwards), "the witness of the Spirit" (John Wesley), "the power of God" (early American Methodists), being "filled with the Spirit of the Lord" (early Adventists; see charismatic Adventism), "communing with spirits" (Spiritualists), "the Christ within" (New Thought), "streams of holy fire and power" (Methodist holiness), "a religion of the Spirit and Power" (the Emmanuel Movement), and "the baptism of the Holy Spirit" (early Pentecostals). (Taves, 1999: 3)


title: Trance

text: Taves (1999) well-referenced book on trance charts the experience of Anglo-American Protestants and those who left the Protestant movement beginning with the transatlantic awakening in the early 18th century and ending with the rise of the psychology of religion and the birth of Pentecostalism in the early 20th century. This book focuses on a class of seemingly involuntary acts alternately explained in religious and secular terminology. These involuntary experiences include uncontrolled bodily movements (fits, bodily exercises, falling as dead, catalepsy, convulsions); spontaneous vocalizations (crying out, shouting, speaking in tongues); unusual sensory experiences (trances, visions, voices, clairvoyance, out-of-body experiences); and alterations of consciousness and/or memory (dreams, somnium, somnambulism, mesmeric trance, mediumistic trance, hypnosis, possession, alternating personality) (Taves, 1999: 3).


title: Trance

text: Trance-like states are often interpreted as religious ecstasy or visions and can be deliberately induced using a variety of techniques, including prayer, religious rituals, meditation, pranayama (breathwork or breathing exercises), physical exercise, sexual intercourse, music, dancing, sweating (e.g. sweat lodge), fasting, thirsting, and the consumption of psychotropic drugs such as cannabis. Sensory modality is the channel or conduit for the induction of the trance. Sometimes an ecstatic experience takes place in occasion of contact with something or somebody perceived as extremely beautiful or holy. It may also happen without any known reason. The particular technique that an individual uses to induce ecstasy is usually one that is associated with that individual's particular religious and cultural traditions. As a result, an ecstatic experience is usually interpreted within the context of a particular individual's religious and cultural traditions. These interpretations often include statements about contact with supernatural or spiritual beings, about receiving new information as a revelation, also religion-related explanations of subsequent change of values, attitudes and behavior (e.g. in case of religious conversion).


title: Trance

text: Benevolent, neutral and malevolent trances may be induced (intentionally, spontaneously and/or accidentally) by different methods:


title: Trance

text: Charles Tart provides a useful working definition of auditory driving. It is the induction of trance through the sense of hearing. Auditory driving works through a process known as entrainment.


title: Trance

text: The usage of repetitive rhythms to induce trance states is an ancient phenomenon. Throughout the world, shamanistic practitioners have been employing this method for millennia. Anthropologists and other researchers have documented the similarity of shamanistic auditory driving rituals among different cultures.


title: Trance

text: Said simply, entrainment is the synchronization of different rhythmic cycles. Breathing and heart rate have been shown to be affected by auditory stimulus, along with brainwave activity. The ability of rhythmic sound to affect human brainwave activity, especially theta brainwaves, is the essence of auditory driving, and is the cause of the altered states of consciousness that it can induce.


title: Trance

text: Nowack and Feltman published an article entitled "Eliciting the Photic Driving Response" which states that the EEG photic driving response is a sensitive neurophysiological measure which has been employed to assess chemical and drug effects, forms of epilepsy, neurological status of Alzheimer's patients, and physiological arousal. Photic driving also impacts upon the psychological climate of a person by producing increased visual imagery and decreased physiological and subjective arousal. In this research by Nowack and Feltman, all participants reported increased visual imagery during photic driving, as measured by their responses to an imagery questionnaire.


title: Trance

text: Dennis Wier states that over two millennia ago Ptolemy and Apuleius found that differing rates of flickering lights affected states of awareness and sometimes induced epilepsy. Wier also asserts that it was discovered in the late 1920s that when light was shined on closed eyelids it resulted in an echoing production of brainwave frequencies. Wier also opined that in 1965 Grey employed a stroboscope to project rhythmic light flashes into the eyes at a rate of 10–25 Hz (cycles per second). Grey discovered that this stimulated similar brainwave activity.


title: Trance

text: Research by Thomas Budzynski, Oestrander et al., in the use of brain machines suggest that photic driving via the suprachiasmatic nucleus and direct electrical stimulation and driving via other mechanisms and modalities, may entrain processes of the brain facilitating rapid and enhanced learning, produce deep relaxation, euphoria, an increase in creativity, problem solving propensity and may be associated with enhanced concentration and accelerated learning. The theta range and the border area between alpha and theta has generated considerable research interest.


title: Trance

text: Charles Tart provides a useful working definition of kinesthetic driving. It is the induction of trance through the sense of touch, feeling or emotions. Kinesthetic driving works through a process known as entrainment.


title: Trance

text: The rituals practiced by some athletes in preparing for contests are dismissed as superstition, but this is a device of sport psychologists to help them to attain an ecstasy-like state. Joseph Campbell had a peak experience whilst running. Roger Bannister on breaking the four-minute mile (Cameron, 1993: 185): "No longer conscious of my movement, I discovered a new unity with nature. I had found a new source of power and beauty, a source I never dreamt existed." Roger Bannister later became a distinguished neurologist.


title: Trance

text: Mechanisms and disciplines that include kinesthetic driving may include: dancing, walking meditation, yoga and asana, mudra, juggling, poi (juggling), etc.


title: Trance

text: Sufism (the mystical branch of Islam) has theoretical and metaphoric texts regarding ecstasy as a state of connection with Allah. Sufi practice rituals ("dhikr", "sema") use body movement and music to achieve the state.


title: Trance

text: Divination is a cultural universal which anthropologists have observed as being present in many religions and cultures in all ages up to the present day (see sibyl). Divination may be defined as a mechanism for fortune-telling by ascertaining information by interpretation of omens or an alleged supernatural agency. Divination often entails ritual, and is often facilitated by trance.


title: Trance

text: In Tibet, oracles have played, and continue to play, an important part in religion and government. The word "oracle" is used by Tibetans to refer to the spirit, deity or entity that enters those men and women who act as media between the natural and the spiritual realms. The media are, therefore, known as "kuten", which literally means, "the physical basis".


title: Trance

text: The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in northern India, still consults an oracle known as the "Nechung Oracle", which is considered the official state oracle of the government of Tibet. He gives a complete description of the process of trance and possession in his book "Freedom in Exile".


title: Trance

text: Convergent disciplines of neuroanthropology, ethnomusicology, electroencephalography (EEG), neurotheology and cognitive neuroscience, amongst others, are conducting research into the trance induction of altered states of consciousness resulting from neuron entrainment with the driving of sensory modalities, for example polyharmonics, multiphonics, and percussive polyrhythms through the channel of the auditory and kinesthetic modality.


title: Trance

text: Neuroanthropology and cognitive neuroscience are conducting research into the trance induction of altered states of consciousness (possibly engendering higher consciousness) resulting from neuron firing entrainment with these polyharmonics and multiphonics. Related research has been conducted into neural entraining with percussive polyrhythms. The timbre of traditional singing bowls and their polyrhythms and multiphonics are considered meditative and calming, and the harmony inducing effects of this tool to potentially alter consciousness are being explored by scientists, medical professionals and therapists.


title: Trance

text: Scientific advancement and new technologies such as computerized EEG, positron emission tomography, regional cerebral blood flow, and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, are providing measurable tools to assist in understanding trance phenomena.


title: Trance

text: There are four principal brainwave states that range from high-amplitude, low-frequency delta to low-amplitude, high-frequency beta. These states range from deep dreamless sleep to a state of high arousal. These four brainwave states are common throughout humans. All levels of brainwaves exist in everyone at all times, even though one is foregrounded depending on the activity level. When a person is in an aroused state and exhibiting a beta brainwave pattern, their brain also exhibits a component of alpha, theta and delta, even though only a trace may be present.


title: Trance

text: The University of Philadelphia study on some Christians at the Freedom Valley Worship Center in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, revealed that glossolalia-speaking (vocalizing or praying in unrecognizable form of language which is seen in members of certain Christian sects) activates areas of the brain out of voluntary control. In addition, the frontal lobe of the brain, which monitors speech, significantly diminished in activity as the study participants spoke glossolalia. Dr. Andrew B. Newberg, in analysis of his earlier studies as opposed to the MRI scans of the test subjects, stated that Buddhist monks in meditation and Franciscan nuns in prayer exhibited increased activity in the frontal lobe, and subsequently their behaviors, very much under voluntary control. The investigation found this particular beyond-body-control characteristic only in tongue-speakers (also see xenoglossia).


title: Evil clown

text: The evil clown is a subversion of the traditional comic clown character, in which the playful trope is instead depicted in a more disturbing nature through the use of horror elements and dark humor. The modern archetype of the evil clown was popularized by DC Comics character the Joker starting in 1940 and again by Pennywise in Stephen King's "It". The character can be seen as playing on the sense of unease felt by sufferers of coulrophobia, the fear of clowns.


title: Evil clown

text: The modern archetype of the evil clown has unclear origins; the stock character appeared infrequently during the 19th century, in such works as Edgar Allan Poe's "Hop-Frog", which is believed by Jack Morgan, of the University of Missouri-Rolla, to draw upon an earlier incident "at a masquerade ball", in the 14th century, during which "the King and his frivolous party, costumed—in highly flammable materials—as simian creatures, were ignited by a flambeau and incinerated, the King narrowly escaping in the actual case." Evil clowns also occupied a small niche in drama, appearing in the 1874 work "La femme de Tabarin" by Catulle Mendès and in Ruggero Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci" (accused of being a plagiarism of Mendès' piece), both works featuring murderous clowns as central characters.


title: Evil clown

text: During the 1980s the "National Lampoon" published a series of mock comic books in the pages of the magazine, entitled "Evil Clown", which featured a malevolent character named Frenchy the Clown. During that decade, American serial killer and rapist John Wayne Gacy became known as the "Killer Clown" when arrested in 1978, after it was discovered he had performed as Pogo the Clown at children's parties and other events; however, Gacy did not actually commit his crimes while wearing his clown costume.


title: Evil clown

text: Evil clown themes were occasionally found in popular music. Zal Cleminson, guitarist with the English rock band The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, wore black and white clown-style makeup and colorful clothes while on stage during the band's 1970s heyday, while his "happy-sad-happy" demeanor helped give their performances an edge of menace.


title: Evil clown

text: The modern stock character of the evil clown was popularized by Stephen King's "It" which introduced the fear of an evil clown to a modern audience. In the novel, the eponymous character is a pan-dimensional monster which feeds mainly on children by luring them in the form of a clown, named "Pennywise", and then assuming the shape of whatever the victim fears the most.


title: Evil clown

text: The evil clown archetype plays strongly off the sense of dislike it caused to inherent elements of coulrophobia; however, it has been suggested by Joseph Durwin that the concept of evil clowns has an independent position in popular culture, arguing that "the concept of evil clowns and the widespread hostility it induces is a cultural phenomenon which transcends just the phobia alone". A study by the University of Sheffield concluded "that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening and unknowable." This may be because of the nature of clowns' makeup hiding their faces, making them potential threats in disguise; as a psychology professor at California State University, Northridge stated, young children are "very reactive to a familiar body type with an unfamiliar face". This natural dislike of clowns makes them effective in a literary or fictional context, as the antagonistic threat perceived in clowns is desirable in a villainous character.


title: Evil clown

text: Researcher Ben Radford, who published "Bad Clowns" in 2016 and is regarded as an expert on the phenomenon, writes that looking throughout history clowns are seen as tricksters, fools, and more; however, they always are in control, speak their minds, and can get away with doing so. When writing the book "Bad Clowns", Radford found that professional clowns are not generally fond of the bad-clown (or evil-clown) persona. They see them as "the rotten apple in the barrel, whose ugly sight and smell casts suspicion on the rest of them," and do not wish to encourage or propagate coulrophobia. Yet, as Radford discovered, bad clowns have existed throughout history: Harlequin, the King's fool, and Mr. Punch. Radford argues that bad clowns have the "ability to change with the times" and that modern bad clowns have evolved into Internet trolls. They may not wear clown costume but, nevertheless, engage with people for their own amusement, abuse, tease and speak what they think of as the "truth" much like the court jester and "dip clowns" do using "human foibles" against their victims. Radford states that, although bad clowns permeate the media in movies, TV, music, comics, and more, the "good clowns" outnumber the bad ones. Research shows that most people do not fear clowns but actually love them and that bad clowns are "the exception, not the rule."


title: Evil clown

text: The concept of the evil clown is related to the irrational fear of clowns, known as coulrophobia, a neologism coined in the context of informal ""-phobia" lists".


title: Evil clown

text: The cultural critic Mark Dery has theorized the postmodern archetype of the evil clown in "Cotton Candy Autopsy: Deconstructing Psycho-Killer Clowns" (a chapter in his cultural critique "The Pyrotechnic Insanitarium: American Culture on the Brink").


title: Evil clown

text: Tracking the image of the demented or deviant clown across popular culture, Dery analyzes the "Pogo the Clown" persona of the serial killer John Wayne Gacy; the obscene clowns of the neo-situationist Cacophony Society; the Joker (of "Batman" fame); the grotesque art of R.K. Sloane; the sick-funny Bobcat Goldthwait comedy "Shakes the Clown"; "Scooby-Doo"'s Ghost Clown from the episode "Bedlam in the Big Top"; Horny the Clown in the 2007 horror-comedy movie Drive-Thru, and Pennywise from Stephen King's "It".


title: Evil clown

text: Using Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of the carnivalesque, Jungian and historical writings on the images of the fool in myth and history, and ruminations on the mingling of ecstasy and dread in the Information Age, Dery asserts the evil clown is an icon of our times. Clowns are often depicted as murderous psychopaths at many American haunted houses.


title: Evil clown

text: Wolfgang M. Zucker points out the similarities between a clown's appearance and the cultural depictions of demons and other infernal creatures, noting "[the clown's] chalk-white face in which the eyes almost disappear, while the mouth is enlarged to a ghoulish bigness, looks like the mask of death".


title: Evil clown

text: According to psychology professor Joseph Durwin at California State University, Northridge, young children are "very reactive to a familiar body type with an unfamiliar face". Researchers who have studied the phobia believe there is some correlation to the uncanny valley effect. Additionally, clown behavior is often "transgressive" (anti-social behavior) which can create feelings of unease.


title: Evil clown

text: The related urban legend of evil clown sightings in real life is known as "phantom clowns". First reported in 1981 in Brookline, Massachusetts, children said that men dressed up as clowns had attempted to lure them into a van. The panic spread throughout the US in the Midwest and Northeast. It resurfaced in 1985 in Phoenix, Arizona; in 1991 in West Orange, New Jersey; and 1995 in Honduras. Later sightings included Chicago in Illinois in 2008. Explanations for the phenomenon have ranged from Stephen King's "It" and the crimes of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, to a moral panic influenced by contemporaneous fears of Satanic ritual abuse. It also shows similarities to the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. In most cases the reports were made by children, and no adults or police officers were able to confirm the sightings.


title: Evil clown

text: In 2013, a character who became known as "the Northampton Clown" was repeatedly sighted standing silently around the English town. The work of three local filmmakers, Alex Powell, Elliot Simpson and Luke Ubanski, the Northampton clown was similar in appearance to Pennywise from Stephen King's "It". Although rumors said that the clown may have a knife, the clown himself denied these rumors through social media. In March 2014, Matteo Moroni from Perugia, Italy, owner of YouTube channel DM Pranks, began dressing up as a killer clown and terrifying unsuspecting passers-by, with his videos racking up hundreds of millions of views. In 2014, further complaints of evil clown pranksters were reported in France, the United States and Germany, possibly inspired by "".


title: Evil clown

text: In 2014, "the Wasco clown" attracted social media attention in California. Again this clown shared a similar resemblance to Pennywise, and it was revealed that the social media postings were part of a year-long photography project conducted by the artist's wife. In Bakersfield, California "menacing" clowns were reported, some with weapons. In July 2015, a "creepy" clown was seen around a local cemetery in Chicago and terrorizing anyone in the graveyard.


title: Evil clown

text: Researcher Ben Radford writes that there have been many surges of evil clown sightings reported, Radford says it is most likely pranksters. The urban legends and panic can cause real danger as "face-painted pranksters and innocent bystanders may be at risk" by interaction of well-intended public or police thinking a threat exists when it does not.


title: Evil clown

text: In 2014, Clowns of America International responded to the depiction of Twisty on "American Horror Story", and evil clowns in media generally. President Glenn Kohlberger said, "Hollywood makes money sensationalizing the norm. They can take any situation no matter how good or pure and turn it into a nightmare. ... We do not support in any way, shape or form any medium that sensationalizes or adds to coulrophobia or 'clown fear.


title: Evil clown

text: The contemporary "evil clown" archetype developed in the 1980s, notably popularized by Stephen King's "It", and perhaps influenced by John Wayne Gacy, a serial killer dubbed the "Killer Clown" in 1978. "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" is a 1988 horror comedy dedicated to the topic. The Joker character in the "Batman" franchise was introduced in 1940 and has developed into one of the most recognizable and iconic fictional characters in popular culture, leading "Wizard" magazine's "100 Greatest Villains of All Time" ranking in 2006. Although Krusty the Clown, a cartoon character introduced 1989 in the animated sitcom "The Simpsons", is a comical, non-scary clown, the character reveals darker aspects in his personality. In "The Simpsons" episode "Lisa's First Word" (1992), children's fear of clowns features in the form of a very young Bart being traumatized by an inexpertly built Krusty the Clown themed bed, repeatedly uttering the phrase "can't sleep, clown will eat me..." The phrase inspired an Alice Cooper song in the album "Dragontown" (2001) and became a popular catchphrase.


title: Evil clown

text: The American rap duo Insane Clown Posse have exploited this theme since 1989 and have inspired Twiztid and similar acts, many on Psychopathic Records, to do likewise. Websites dedicated to evil clowns and the fear of clowns appeared in the late 1990s.


title: Ryan Kent

text: Ryan Kent (born 11 November 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Rangers.


title: Ryan Kent

text: A graduate of the Liverpool academy, Kent made his single first-team appearance for the club in January 2016, after a loan spell with Coventry City. He spent the 2016–17 season on loan at Barnsley and won the club's Young Player of the Season award. After a loan spell with German club Freiburg in 2017, he departed on loan once again, joining Bristol City. Kent signed for Scottish club Rangers permanently in September 2019, after winning the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award while playing for them on loan in the 2018–19 season.


title: Ryan Kent

text: He is a former England youth international, having represented the nation at under-18 and under-20 levels.


title: Ryan Kent

text: Oldham-born Kent joined Liverpool at the age of seven and progressed through the Liverpool academy to become a regular member of the U21 squad. After an impressive end to the 2014–15 campaign for the reserves his performances were rewarded with a new four and a half-year contract in March 2015. This was followed by a call-up to the first-team squad for their 2015 pre-season tour with the player being named in Liverpool's 30-man squad for their tour of Thailand, Australia and Malaysia. On 17 July 2015 Kent made his first-team debut when he came off the bench in the 2–1 win over Australian A-League side Brisbane Roar and was handed a first-team squad number for the Reds.


title: Ryan Kent

text: Liverpool received a number of offers to take Kent on loan after the player impressed in preseason. Kent eventually joined Coventry City in September 2015, on a youth loan deal for four months until 16 January 2016. He made his professional debut while at Coventry City, as a substitute on 12 September 2015 in a 1–0 League One loss to Scunthorpe United. On 3 November, Kent played and scored in a 4–3 win over Barnsley. The next day it was announced that he would return to Liverpool during the upcoming international break to be assessed by new Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. On 5 January 2016, he was recalled by Liverpool and was named in the first-team to make his competitive debut for them, starting the FA Cup third round match away to Exeter City. The match ended 2–2 with Kent being withdrawn from the action after 57 minutes.


title: Ryan Kent

text: On 26 July 2016, Kent was loaned to Barnsley for the season. He scored his first goal for them in a 4–0 win against Rotherham United on 27 August 2016. Kent was named Barnsley's Young Player of the Season at the club's end of season awards.


title: Ryan Kent

text: On 10 August 2017, after an impressive preseason, Kent signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool, and was loaned out to Freiburg for the season on the last day of the summer transfer window. After making just six appearances, Kent's loan spell at Freiburg was terminated and he returned to parent club Liverpool on 8 January.


title: Ryan Kent

text: On 12 January 2018, Kent joined Bristol City on loan until the end of the season. His stint with the Robins was unsuccessful, as he played just 10 league games, failing to find the back of the net in any. It was later reported that Bristol City would be fined £300,000 by Liverpool due to Kent's lack of playing time.


title: Ryan Kent

text: On 22 July 2018, Kent joined Rangers on season-long loan for the 2018–19 season. He made his debut on 26 July 2018 in the Europa League 0–1 victory against NK Osijek. He made his SPFL debut on 5 August 2018, in a 1–1 draw against Aberdeen. His first goal for the club came on 15 September 2018, in a 4–0 victory against Dundee. On 31 March 2019, Kent scored in the Old Firm derby against Celtic in a 2–1 loss. During the match Kent became involved in an altercation with Celtic captain Scott Brown, who was shoved to the ground. Kent was charged by the Scottish FA retrospectively. He received a two match ban after losing his appeal.


title: Ryan Kent

text: He made 43 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals and making nine assists for the club. On 7 April, Kent won the 'Young Player of The Year Award for the 2018–19 season for Rangers at the club's end of season awards. On 5 May 2019, Kent won the 2018–19 PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year after his performance for Rangers. He was also voted in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year for the 2018–19 season.


title: Ryan Kent

text: Kent returned to Liverpool for the 2019–20 pre-season with manager Jürgen Klopp wanting to assess Kent's development, with Rangers manager Steven Gerrard advising he wanted Kent to re-sign for Rangers on loan. Kent was also subject of interest from Leeds United, with Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa also personally scouting Kent for Liverpool's pre-season friendly against Bradford City. Kent was involved in pre-season friendlies involving Bradford City, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting CP and Sevilla. Klopp singled out Kent for praise after his performance against Sevilla, saying: "Ryan had sensational moments in the Sevilla game – one-on-one situations are his big strength. He is a wonderful kid, a wonderful player."


title: Ryan Kent

text: Kent signed for Rangers permanently on 3 September 2019 on a four-year contract. Rangers paid Liverpool an initial transfer fee of £6.5 million, with further payments potentially due for future performance or Kent being sold.


title: Ryan Kent

text: Kent scored two goals in two appearances for the England under-18 team. He made six appearances and scored one goal for the England under-20 team.


title: Ryan Kent

text: Kent plays as a winger, comfortable on both flanks, but mainly playing as a left winger, he can also play as a second striker or an attacking midfielder. He is known for his dribbling ability running with the ball, especially with 'one-on-one situations', as well as his workrate and crossing ability.


title: AIA Group

text: AIA Group Limited, often known as AIA (), is a Hong Kong-based American multinational insurance and finance corporation. It is the largest public listed life insurance and securities group in Asia-Pacific. It offers insurance and financial services, writing life insurance for individuals and businesses, as well as accident and health insurance, and offers retirement planning, and wealth management services, variable contracts, investments and securities.


title: AIA Group

text: AIA is headquartered in Central, Hong Kong, with a presence in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific, with wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Macau, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and a 49% joint venture in India. Since 2013, AIA has had an exclusive bancassurance agreement with Citibank that encompasses 11 AIA markets in Asia-Pacific.


title: AIA Group

text: In August 2013, AIA became the official shirt partner of the English Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur. AIA's contract with Tottenham was renewed in May 2017 to extend through the 2021/22 Premier League season, and again in July 2019 to extend that date to the end of the 2026/27 season.


title: AIA Group

text: AIA traces its roots to 19 December 1919 when Cornelius Vander Starr founded what was then known as American Asiatic Underwriters in Shanghai, China (later American International Underwriters). Starr eventually expanded his business throughout the world. On 21 January 1939, Starr relocated his head office from Shanghai to New York City after the Japanese invasion of China and again on 5 April 1949 with the communist takeover of mainland China, and the Chinese AIA became a subsidiary of New York-based American International Group (AIG).


title: AIA Group

text: On 4 December 2009, AIG sold preferred equity interests in two newly formed international life insurance subsidiaries, American International Assurance Company, Limited (AIA) and American Life Insurance Company (ALICO), to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to reduce its debt by US$25 billion.


title: AIA Group

text: AIA had planned to be listed company in Hong Kong Stock Exchange and Securities and Futures Commission on 3 April 2010. However, on 2 March 2010, Prudential PLC, a UK-based financial services and securities company, announced that it would buy AIA for US$35.5 billion. The purchase later fell through, and AIA held an IPO in October 2010, raising approximately HK$159.08 billion (US$20.51 billion), the world's third largest IPO ever.


title: AIA Group

text: On 11 September 2012, AIA acquired a 92.3% stake in Sri Lankan insurer Aviva NDB Insurance from British insurer Aviva and Sri Lanka's National Development Bank (NDB). AIA also entered into an exclusive 20-year bancassurance agreement with NDB, one of Sri Lanka's largest financial conglomerates with a nationwide bank branch network.


title: AIA Group

text: On 7 October 2012, AIA acquired ING Group's Malaysian insurance subsidiaries for a cash consideration of €1.336 billion (US$1.73 billion).


title: AIA Group

text: Since 2 June 2013, AIA has had an exclusive bancassurance agreement with Citibank that encompasses 11 AIA markets in Asia-Pacific, namely Hong Kong, mainland China, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Australia, and India.


title: Ruth Connell

text: Ruth Connell (born 20 April 1979) is a Scottish theatre, television and film actress, and producer. She is also a former professional dancer and choreographer. Connell is known for her recurring role as Rowena in the CW series "Supernatural" (2014-2020). She was nominated as "Best Leading Actress" in the 2013 Broadway World Los Angeles Awards for her portrayal of Mrs Darling and Captain Hook at the Blank Theatre, Los Angeles in their award-winning production of "Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers".


title: Ruth Connell

text: Born in Falkirk and raised outside Bonnybridge, she was the only child of football manager and coach David Connell and teacher Fiona Murray. Connell was sent to dancing lessons at an early age to keep her cousin company; she showed promise and was accepted onto the Scottish Ballets Vocational Dance Education Scheme. She performed many child roles with Scottish Ballet including the lead role of Clara in their "Nutcracker". She won the titles of Scottish Junior Ballet Champion and Scottish Senior Ballet champion at Stage Festivals in Scotland as a teenager.


title: Ruth Connell

text: After working as a professional dancer with companies The Curve Foundation, Jazz Art UK, and with Leah Stein at Dancebase Edinburgh, Connell attended the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in London where she gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Acting. She was picked as the "Critics Choice" by the adjudicator from "The Stage" newspaper for her graduation showcase. After leaving drama college, she performed the lead role of Grusha in Bertolt Brecht's "The Caucasian Chalk Circle", which toured for The Palace Theatre, Watford in 2004.


title: Ruth Connell

text: Connell toured the UK in 2005 with the Oxford Stage Company's revival of "Men Should Weep" in the role of Isa. In 2006, she played the lead female roles of Gretchen and Helen of Troy in "Faust" at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. The production was CATS-nominated Critics Awards for theatre in Scotland. In 2007, Connell played ballroom dancer Lily at the Citizens Theater's sell out production of Alex Norton's "No Mean City" and in 2008, Connell played the dual roles of Mrs. Beaver/Mrs. Mcready to glowing reviews "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" at The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh.


title: Ruth Connell

text: Connell was cast as a series regular in the ITV sitcom pilot "Above Their Stations" in 2009, which also starred Denis Lawson, Ashley Madekwe, Andrew Brooke and Simon Dudley shown on BBC Three. Connell is also credited with producing "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Hansel and Gretel" at the Avenue Theatre Company based in Greenwich during this time period as well as the short film "Sapphire Strange" and web series "John and Jane".


title: Ruth Connell

text: Since moving to the United States in 2011, Connell has had lead roles in the award-winning independent film "Folklore" as well as in the feature films "The Cursed Man", based on the cult novel by Keith Rommel, and "Hara Kiri", a punk infused love story of two street skaters, directed by Aitch Alberto. She voiced Merida in the video game "Disney Infinity 3.0". She reprised the role in the "Sofia the First" episode "The Secret Library". Since 2014 Connell has played Rowena, mother of demon Crowley (Mark A. Sheppard), in popular TV series "Supernatural" starting in season 10 up until its fifteenth and final Season and is one of the longest running female characters on the show.


title: Karina Smirnoff

text: Karina Smirnoff (; born January 2, 1978) is a Soviet-born American professional ballroom dancer of Ukrainian origins. She is known as a professional dancer on "Dancing with the Stars," where she won the thirteenth season with army veteran and soap opera star J. R. Martinez.


title: Karina Smirnoff

text: She is a five-time U.S. National Champion, World Trophy Champion, and Asian Open Champion. She has won the title at the UK Open, is a three-time champion at the US Open, two-time champion at the Asian Open, five-time champion at the Dutch Open, and five-time US National Professional Champion. She has taken second at the British Open Blackpool Dance Festival, and the first woman to reach the British Professional Final with three different partners, and surpassed her own distinction by being the only woman to have made the final with four different partners between 1999 - 2006.


title: Karina Smirnoff

text: Karina Smirnoff was born in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, and is of half-Greek and half-Russian Jewish descent. At 11, she began competing in ballroom dancing. She chose to pursue ballroom dancing. In 1993, Smirnoff immigrated to the United States.


title: Karina Smirnoff

text: Smirnoff attended multiple schools, including Nerinx Hall High School in St. Louis and Christopher Columbus High School in The Bronx. She finally graduated from the Bronx High School of Science. Smirnoff graduated from New York City's Fordham University with a double major in economics and information system programming.


title: Karina Smirnoff

text: Early in Smirnoff's dancing career, she and Roman Nabatov competed as an amateur couple for USA. They ended their dance partnership in January 1997. Smirnoff soon after started dancing with Paul Killick in October 1998 as a professional couple for England; this partnership ended in July 1999. Immediately, Louis Van Amstel and Karina Smirnoff, in July 1999, entered a professional dance partnership, representing the U.S.A; the partnership ended in December 2000. From January 2001 to September 2005, Smirnoff was in a dance partnership with Slavik Kryklyvyy and they represented the U.S.A; this partnership thus far is her most successful one. Kryklyvyy and Smirnoff earned numerous top titles and high ratings together.


title: Karina Smirnoff

text: Smirnoff appeared in the 2004 film "Shall We Dance?" as a dance instructor and was Stanley Tucci's dance partner. She also released a fitness DVD, Shape Up With Karina Smirnoff.


title: Karina Smirnoff

text: Her last professional partner recorded in competitions was Dmitri Timokhin representing Russia in October 2005. They won first place at the 2006 Grand-Prix Dynamo in Moscow. They finished dancing together in June 2006. Smirnoff was the project manager/director of a dancing event entitled "Day & Night", held on November 18, 2006 at the Hollywood & Highlands Grand Ballroom. She guest starred as Madame Escajeda in an episode of "Hannah Montana". She is featured in a nude pictorial in the May 2011 American issue of "Playboy" magazine.


title: Karina Smirnoff

text: In November 2016, it was announced that Smirnoff would be joining the cast of E! reality series "Famously Single" for its second season.


title: Karina Smirnoff

text: Smirnoff was a performer on the third season of the ABC series "Dancing with the Stars" with celebrity partner Mario López. They finished in second place, losing to the team of Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke. Smirnoff


title: Karina Smirnoff

text: returned to the show on March 19, 2007 for Season 4, this time partnered with Billy Ray Cyrus, country singer and "Hannah Montana" star. The pair was the seventh to be eliminated from the competition on May 8, 2007. Her partner for Season 5 of the show was current five-division world champion boxer, Floyd Mayweather Jr. On October 16, 2007, Karina and Floyd were the fourth couple eliminated from competition and came in 9th place. She returned for Season 6, partnered with singer Mario and finished in 5th place. In Season 7, she was partnered with chef Rocco DiSpirito and they were the fourth pair to be eliminated with a finish of 9th place for the second time.


title: Karina Smirnoff

text: For the eighth season, Smirnoff's partner was Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak. They were eliminated in the fourth round on March 31, 2009, along with Holly Madison and her partner Dmitry Chaplin. For the ninth season, she was partnered with singer Aaron Carter. They were eliminated on November 10, 2009, placing fifth. In the eleventh season, she was partnered with The Situation from MTV's reality TV show "Jersey Shore". They were eliminated in the fourth week. In the twelfth season of Dancing with the Stars, she was partnered with movie star Ralph Macchio. They were eliminated in the semi-finals.


title: Karina Smirnoff

text: Smirnoff appeared on the thirteenth season of "Dancing with the Stars", where she was partnered with "All My Children" actor J. R. Martinez. Smirnoff and Martinez ended up winning the competition against Rob Kardashian and his partner Cheryl Burke & Ricki Lake and her partner Derek Hough. This was the first time Smirnoff had advanced to the finals since her inaugural season in season 3 with Mario López. For the fourteenth season of "Dancing With The Stars", Karina was partnered with singer Gavin DeGraw. They were eliminated in week 5. For the fifteenth season, she was partnered with season four winner, Apolo Anton Ohno and ended up placing 5th. For the sixteenth season, she is partnered with NFL star Jacoby Jones. Smirnoff became injured when she was performing a flip with partner Jones during rehearsals for their week 9 Lindy hop. The couple was able to reach finals but came in third place losing to Zendaya and Kellie Pickler who took second and first place respectively. For season 17 she was partnered with former "High School Musical" actor Corbin Bleu and landed in second place behind Amber Riley and Derek Hough. For season 18, she was partnered with former NHL player Sean Avery. They were the second couple eliminated in a double elimination on Week 2. This marked Smirnoff's earliest exit of the competition. For season 19 she was paired with UFC fighter and actor Randy Couture. They were eliminated in week 3, finishing in 11th place. After taking a one-season break, Smirnoff returned for season 21 and was paired with professional jockey, Victor Espinoza. The couple was eliminated on Week 2 and finished in 12th place. For season 22, she was partnered with former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie. They were eliminated on week 6 of competition and finished in 9th place.