title: Origin of the Albanians

text: Bulgarian linguist Vladimir I. Georgiev posits that Albanians descend from a Dacian population from Moesia, now the Morava region of eastern Serbia, and that Illyrian toponyms are found in a far smaller area than the traditional area of Illyrian settlement. According to Georgiev, Latin loanwords into Albanian show East Balkan Latin (proto-Romanian) phonetics, rather than West Balkan (Dalmatian) phonetics. Combined with the fact that the Romanian language contains several hundred words similar only to Albanian, Georgiev proposes that Albanian formed between the 4th and 6th centuries in or near modern-day Romania, which was Dacian territory. He suggests that Romanian is a fully Romanised Dacian language, whereas Albanian is only partly so. Albanian and Eastern Romance also share grammatical features (see Balkan language union) and phonological features, such as the common phonemes or the rhotacism of "n". This theory however has been challenged and dismantled by other scholars. While Noel Malcolm suggests Romanian and Aromanian originated in the Southern Balkans from Romanized Illyrians


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: Apart from the linguistic theory that Albanian is more akin to East Balkan Romance (i.e. Dacian substrate) than West Balkan Romance (i.e. Illyrian/Dalmatian substrate), Georgiev also notes that marine words in Albanian are borrowed from other languages, suggesting that Albanians were not originally a coastal people. According to Georgiev the scarcity of Greek loan words also supports a Dacian theory – if Albanians originated in the region of Illyria there would surely be a heavy Greek influence. According to historian John Van Antwerp Fine, who does define "Albanians" in his glossary as "an Indo-European people, probably descended from the ancient Illyrians", nevertheless states that "these are serious (non-chauvinistic) arguments that cannot be summarily dismissed." Romanian scholars Vatasescu and Mihaescu, using lexical analysis of Albanian, have concluded that Albanian was also heavily influenced by an extinct Romance language that was distinct from both Romanian and Dalmatian. Because the Latin words common to only Romanian and Albanian are significantly less than those that are common to only Albanian and Western Romance, Mihaescu argues that Albanian evolved in a region with much greater contact to Western Romance regions than to Romanian-speaking regions, and located this region in present-day Albania, Kosovo and Western North Macedonia, spanning east to Bitola and Pristina.


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: An argument against a Thracian origin (which does not apply to Dacian) is that most Thracian territory was on the Greek half of the Jireček Line, aside from varied Thracian populations stretching from Thrace into Albania, passing through Paionia and Dardania and up into Moesia; it is considered that most Thracians were Hellenized in Thrace (v. Hoddinott) and Macedonia.


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: The Dacian theory could also be consistent with the known patterns of barbarian incursions. Although there is no documentation of an Albanian migration, "during the fourth to sixth centuries the Rumanian region was heavily affected by large-scale invasion of Goths and Slavs, and the Morava valley (in Serbia) was a possible main invasion route and the site of the earliest known Slavic sites. Thus this would have been a region from which an indigenous population would naturally have fled".


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: Various genetic studies have been done on the European population, some of them including current Albanian population, Albanian-speaking populations outside Albania, and the Balkan region as a whole. Albanians share similar genetics with neighbouring ethnic populations with close clusters forming primarily with mainland Greeks and southern Italian populations.


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: A study by Battaglia et al. in 2008 found the following haplogroup distributions among Albanians in Albania itself:


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: The same study by Battaglia et al. (2008) also found the following distributions among Albanians in North Macedonia:


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: The same study by Battaglia et al. (2008) also found the following distributions among Albanians in Albania itself and Albanians in North Macedonia:


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: A study by Peričić et al. in 2005 found the following Y-Dna haplogroup frequencies in Albanians from Kosovo with E-V13 subclade of haplogroup E1b1b representing 43.85% of the total (note that Albanians from other regions have slightly lower percentages of E-V13, but similar J2b and R1b):


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: The same study by Peričić et al. in 2005 found the following Y-Dna haplogroup frequencies in Albanians from Kosovo with E-V13 subclade of haplogroup E1b1b representing 43.85% of the total (note that Albanians from other regions have slightly lower percentages of E-V13, but similar J2b and R1b):


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: A study on the Y chromosome haplotypes DYS19 STR and YAP and on mitochondrial DNA found no significant difference between Albanians and most other Europeans.


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: Apart from the main ancestors among prehistoric Balkan populations, there is an additional admixture from Slavic, Greek, Vlach, Italo-Roman, Celtic and Germanic elements.


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: Larger samples collected by volunteer-led projects, show the Albanians belong largely to Y-chromosomes J2b2-L283, R1b-Z2103/BY611 and EV-13 from Ancient Balkan populations.


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: In a 2013 study which compared one Albanian sample to other European samples, the authors concluded that it did not differ significantly to other European populations, especially groups such as Greeks, Italians and Macedonians.


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: Another study of old Balkan populations and their genetic affinities with current European populations was done in 2004, based on mitochondrial DNA on the skeletal remains of some old Thracian populations from SE of Romania, dating from the Bronze and Iron Age. This study was during excavations of some human fossil bones of 20 individuals dating about 3200–4100 years, from the Bronze Age, belonging to some cultures such as Tei, Monteoru and Noua were found in graves from some necropoles SE of Romania, namely in Zimnicea, Smeeni, Candesti, Cioinagi-Balintesti, Gradistea-Coslogeni and Sultana-Malu Rosu; and the human fossil bones and teeth of 27 individuals from the early Iron Age, dating from the 10th to 7th centuries BC from the Hallstatt Era (the Babadag culture), were found extremely SE of Romania near the Black Sea coast, in some settlements from Dobruja, namely: Jurilovca, Satu Nou, Babadag, Niculitel and Enisala-Palanca. After comparing this material with the present-day European population, the authors concluded:


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: Computing the frequency of common point mutations of the present-day European population with the Thracian population has resulted that the Italian (7.9%), the Albanian (6.3%) and the Greek (5.8%) have shown a bias of closer [mtDna] genetic kinship with the Thracian individuals than the Romanian and Bulgarian individuals (only 4.2%).


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: Analysis of autosomal DNA, which analyses "all" genetic components has revealed that few rigid genetic discontinuities exist in European populations, apart from certain outliers such as Saami, Sardinians, Basques, Finns and Kosovar Albanians. They found that Albanians, on the one hand, have a high amount of identity by descent sharing, suggesting that Albanian-speakers derived from a relatively small population that expanded recently and rapidly in the last 1,500 years. On the other hand, they are not wholly isolated or endogamous because Greek and Macedonian samples shared much higher numbers of common ancestors with Albanian speakers than with other neighbors, possibly a result of historical migrations, or else perhaps smaller effects of the Slavic expansion in these populations. At the same time the sampled Italians shared nearly as much IBD with Albanian speakers as with each other.


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: In Lazaridis et al. (2022) a transect of samples from Albania which date from the EBA to the present day were tested. The population of Albania "appears to be largely made up of the same components in similar proportions" since the MBA. The core part of this profile consists of 50% Anatolian Neolithic Farmers, 20-25% Caucasus Hunter-Gatherers, 10-15% Eastern Hunter-Gatherers.


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: Laonikos Chalkokondyles (c. 1423–1490), the Byzantine historian, considered the Albanians to be an extension of the Italians. The theory has its origin in the first mention of the Albanians, disputed whether it refers to Albanians in an ethnic sense, made by Attaliates (11th century): "...For when subsequent commanders made base and shameful plans and decisions, not only was the island lost to Byzantium, but also the greater part of the army. Unfortunately, the people who had once been our allies and who possessed the same rights as citizens and the same religion, i.e. the Albanians and the Latins, who live in the Italian regions of our Empire beyond Western Rome, quite suddenly became enemies when Michael Dokeianos insanely directed his command against their leaders..."


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: One of the earliest theories on the origins of the Albanians, now considered obsolete, incorrectly identified the proto-Albanians with an area of the eastern Caucasus, separately referred to by classical geographers as Caucasian Albania, located in what roughly corresponds to modern-day southern Dagestan, northern Azerbaijan and bordering Caucasian Iberia to its west. This theory conflated the two Albanias supposing that the ancestors of the Balkan Albanians ("Shqiptarët") had migrated westward in the late classical or early medieval period. The Caucasian theory was first proposed by Renaissance humanists who were familiar with the works of classical geographers, and later developed by early 19th-century French consul and writer François Pouqueville. It was soon rendered obsolete in the 19th century when linguists proved Albanian as being an Indo-European, rather than Caucasian language.


title: Origin of the Albanians

text: In terms of historical theories, an outdated theory is the 19th century theory that Albanians specifically descend from the Pelasgians, a broad term used by classical authors to denote the autochthonous, pre-Indo-European inhabitants of Greece and the southern Balkans in general. However, there is no evidence about the possible language, customs and existence of the Pelasgians as a distinct and homogeneous people and thus any particular connection to this population is unfounded. This theory was developed by the Austrian linguist Johann Georg von Hahn in his work "Albanesische Studien" in 1854. According to Hahn, the Pelasgians were the original proto-Albanians and the language spoken by the Pelasgians, Illyrians, Epirotes and ancient Macedonians were closely related. In Hahn's theory the term "Pelasgians" was mostly used as a synonym for "Illyrians". This theory quickly attracted support in Albanian circles, as it established a claim of predecence over other Balkan nations, particularly the Greeks. In addition to establishing "historic right" to territory this theory also established that the ancient Greek civilization and its achievements had an "Albanian" origin. The theory gained staunch support among early 20th-century Albanian publicists. This theory is rejected by scholars today. In contemporary times with the Arvanite revival of the Pelasgian theory, it has also been recently borrowed by other Albanian speaking populations within and from Albania in Greece to counter the negative image of their communities.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: Doctor Doctor (also known outside of Australasia as The Heart Guy) is an Australian television drama created by Tony McNamara, Ian Collie and Alan Harris, which premiered on the Nine Network on 14 September 2016, lasting five seasons, concluding on 23 June 2021. The cast includes Rodger Corser, Nicole da Silva, Ryan Johnson, Tina Bursill, Hayley McElhinney and Steve Bisley, and follows the story of Hugh Knight, a rising heart surgeon who is gifted, charming and infallible. He is a hedonist who, due to his sheer talent, believes he can live outside the rules. His "work hard, play harder" philosophy eventually comes to 'bite' him. The series was originally produced by Essential Media & Entertainment and Easy Tiger Productions in association with Screen NSW. Andy Ryan and Jo Rooney served as executive producers.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: "Doctor Doctor" has been positively received throughout its run and has also achieved success outside of Australia in countries such as New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom and Sweden. A ratings success for Nine Network, the series has occasionally been the highest-rated drama on Australian television, peaking at 854,000 during its first season. The series finale was watched by 516,000 viewers. It has been nominated for several awards, including 15 Logie Awards and three AACTA Awards.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: After a spectacular fall from grace, high-flying heart surgeon Dr Hugh Knight receives a life-changing punishment from the Medical Tribunal—he is forced to work for a year as a country general practitioner (GP) in his former home town of Whyhope. Now the only way to salvage his brilliant career is to work as a lowly GP in an under-resourced, small-town hospital surrounded by estranged family, former friends, crazed colleagues, oddball patients, jealous brothers and a newlywed ex-girlfriend.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: The series entered pre-production in early 2016, with executive producers Andy Ryan and Jo Rooney of the Nine Network and Ian Collie, Claudia Karvan and Tony McNamara of Essential Media & Entertainment. The Nine Network confirmed that "Doctor Doctor" would commence production in April 2016 with filming taking place in Sydney and regional New South Wales. In a statement, Nine's Head of Drama, Jo Rooney and Andy Ryan, commented "We are delighted to join forces with Essential Media & Entertainment on the irreverent new family drama series". Inspiration for the series came from discussions that Tony McNamara had with lawyers who talked with him about the Impaired Registrants Program, a practice operated by the Medical Council of New South Wales, which seeks to ensure that medical practitioners are fit for practice and in doing so, the program manages doctors who suffer from a psychiatric illness, self-administration of drugs, alcohol abuse, and physical illness. The series was produced by Essential Media and Entertainment and its first season created 800 jobs and production expenditure of $11.6 million in Sydney and Mudgee, as well as $300,000 in grants from Screen NSW.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: The series premiered on Nine Network on the earlier-than-expected broadcast date of 14 September 2016, and in the process, post-production of the ten-episode season was rushed. On 28 September 2016, prior to the broadcast of episode three, Nine renewed the series for a second season, due to its growing success. Ian Collie commented, "We love how the national audience has taken to Doctor Doctor. It’s a show with heart and smarts and thrilled that Nine are backing us to go again. Roll on season two!" On 11 October 2017, it was announced that the show was renewed for a third season at Nine Upfronts for the 2018 schedule. "Doctor Doctor" was renewed for a fourth season, which was confirmed on 17 October 2018, and went into production in April 2019. The season was set to premiere sometime in late 2019, however, it was announced on 16 October 2019, that it would premiere in 2020. On 31 March 2020, Nine announced that "Doctor Doctor" has been commissioned for a fifth season.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: Doctor Doctor was renewed for a fifth season in April 2020, with production beginning on 28 September and wrapping up in mid December 2020. In June 2021, Nine announced the series would end after the fifth season concludes.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: The casting director of "Doctor Doctor" is Kirsty McGregor, who has worked for casting on popular television series, such as "Modern Family" and "Top of the Lake". It was announced in early 2016 that Rodger Corser had received the leading role in the series as heart surgeon, Hugh Knight, before the Nine Network has formally announced the series. Corser was still appearing on the ABC drama series "The Doctor Blake Mysteries", for which he only appeared in Season 4 in 2016, and of the role he said that "he was enjoying playing a different style of character to those he had previously played." It was then confirmed that Nicole Da Silva would be cast in the role of Charlie Knight. Da Silva was currently filming the fourth season of "Wentworth", appearing only for six of the twelve episodes and in a supporting status, due to her new starring role in "Doctor Doctor", she had to travel between Sydney and Melbourne switching between roles. It had also seen her reconnect with her former "Rush" co-star, Rodger Corser. Tina Bursill was cast in the role of matriarch Meryl Knight; Bursill had not appeared in a production for two years and was a carer for her father. Following his death, Bursill was contacted six weeks later and asked to audition for the role. In an early announcement, it was stated that additional supporting cast would consist of Ryan Johnson, Hayley McElhinney, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Chloe Bayliss and Dave Eastgate It was later revealed that Steve Bisley would appear in the series as Jim Knight.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: For the second season of "Doctor Doctor", it was announced that "Packed to the Rafters" star Angus McLaren would join the cast as ex-army medic, Dr Toke, after a three-year hiatus from acting in television, while it had also been confirmed that New Zealand actress, Brittany Scott Clark, formerly of soap opera "Shortland Street", would portray Nurse Mia Holston.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: Ahead of Season 3, during a promo which screened in June 2018 on the Nine Network, it was revealed that the show would be losing a major character; in a spoiler, it was revealed to be Jim Knight. In May 2018, it was announced, that Steve Bisley would be returning for the third season, however, he only appeared in the opening episode.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: In April 2019, it was announced that Dustin Clare, Kate Jenkinson and Robyn Nevin would be joining the cast of "Doctor Doctor" for its fourth season.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: In September 2020, several new cast additions were announced for the fifth season; they include, Zoe Ventoura, Lincoln Younes, Darren McMullen, John Waters, Chantelle Jamieson, Rishikesh Shukre and Contessa Treffone.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: The series is filmed on location in Mudgee, a town in the Central West of New South Wales, while the entirety of the hospital scenes are shot in the Inner West Sydney suburb of Rozelle. The filming of Knight's home was shot in Sydney's south-west section in the town of Camden. The regional setting for the series has proved to be beneficial for narrative and production purposes. It has been stated that in addition to $100,000 worth of support from the Regional Filming Fund, the regional setting delivers a unique authenticity to the series that it would otherwise lack. Due to the success of the first season, The Knight's home, which was filmed in an actual house, was recreated within a disused wing of the building used to film the hospital scenes from the second season onwards; this was due to limited space in the original home.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: In 2017, Ian Collie departed Essential Media in order to establish his own production company, Easy Tiger Tiger, from which "Doctor Doctor" was produced under as of its second season. The company was majority owned by FremantleMedia.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: Doctor Doctor was the first Australian drama series to be renewed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming for the fifth season commenced on 28 September 2020 and wrapped in December 2020. During which time, social distancing requirements had been put in place so that filming could continue.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: The theme song is a cover version of the American band Canned Heat song "Going Up the Country", performed by Patience Hodgson of the Australian indie/alternative rock band The Grates. The song is not available for international airings of the series as the opening theme is replaced with the same instrumental music which is used over the end credits.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: "Doctor Doctor" was broadcast on the Nine Network on Wednesday nights 8.40 pm during its first two seasons; it was moved to Monday nights at 8.40 pm for its third season. Nine originally planned to air Season 4 in 2019, however it later delayed the broadcast to 5 February 2020. In October 2019, it was announced that the fourth season would premiere on the United Kingdom's Drama channel on 16 November 2019 before it aired in Australia. It returned to Wednesday nights in a 9.00 pm timeslot for its fourth season. The fourth season went on hiatus for


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: six weeks in Australia to make way for special "Nine News" reports on the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned in April 2020 with its seventh episode in a new 7.30 pm timeslot. The fifth season premiered on 28 April 2021 in the Wednesday night 8.30 pm timeslot. In June 2021, ahead of the final two episodes of season five, it was announced that the series would end after its five-year run.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: It premiered in New Zealand on 3 May 2017 on TVNZ 1, where it is broadcast Wednesday nights at 8.30 pm.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: The series, which is internationally re-titled as "The Heart Guy," airs on pay television broadcaster Sky Deutschland for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In Norway the series are available on TV2 Sumo. The program is also available in the United States with the title "The Heart Guy", where new episodes premiere on the streaming network Acorn TV and are broadcast for free on many PBS local affiliates.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: In the United Kingdom, the series premiered on 8 April 2018 on Drama Channel where it was broadcast Sunday nights at 8 pm. The second season began airing on 17 June 2018, while the third season commenced broadcast on 10 March 2019. Having secured the rights to screen the fourth season, it premiered on Drama on 16 November 2019, in a new 10 pm timeslot on Saturday nights, where it aired double episodes each week. The fifth and final season will commence on Drama on 12 March 2022 in a Saturday night 11 pm timeslot. It is available for catch-up streaming in the UK on UKTV Play.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: Reviews for the series have been generally positive. In a review from Debi Enker for the "Sydney Morning Herald", she stated that in contrast of other medical dramas it "Takes a different approach. It's gentler, funnier, and it's set in the country." Steve Molk of DeciderTV mentioned that ""Doctor Doctor" is dependable, honest and sincere Aussie Drama with a full cast stronger than has been seen in a long time." In a review for the online website, The Medium is Not Enough, the series was given a more mixed reception, when it was criticized for becoming more serious following the first episode with a mix of humour in turns; mentioning "If you're going to get serious then you need to do it consistently, not just in bits you like." However it was said of the series that "A decent enough show with potential that’s already been rewarded with a second season, "Doctor Doctor" nevertheless needs to look hard at what it wants to be in life if it’s to avoid losing patience." David Hinckley of the website TV Worth Watching gave the series a positive review prior to its premiere on Acorn TV in the United States, commenting that "The Heart Guy doesn't seem to have much of one, but the show does" and compared it somewhat to British drama "Doc Martin".


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: "Doctor Doctor" has been nominated for several awards throughout its run. At the AACTA Awards, Tina Bursill has been nominated twice in 2017 and 2018 in the categories of Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama and Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama respectively, while in 2020, the series was nominated for Best Television Drama Series.


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: It has received a total of 17 nominations at the Logie Awards, with Rodger Corser being the nominee for three Gold Logie Awards for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television, four Silver Logie Awards for Most Popular Actor, and two Silver Logie Awards for Most Outstanding Actor. The series has been nominated for four Logie Awards for Most Popular Drama Program, and two Logie Awards for Most Outstanding Drama Series, while other award nominations consist of the Logie Awards for Most Outstanding Supporting Actor (Ryan Johnson), and Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent (Shalom Brune-Franklin).


title: Doctor Doctor (Australian TV series)

text: Additional nominations come from the Casting Guild of Australia, the Screen Producers Australia, and TV Tonight.


title: Gold (2022 Indian film)

text: Gold is an 2022 Indian Malayalam-language crime comedy film written, edited, and directed by Alphonse Puthren. It was jointly produced by Supriya Menon of Prithviraj Productions and Listin Stephen of Magic Frames. The film stars Prithviraj Sukumaran and Nayanthara, along with a supporting cast of Mallika Sukumaran, Shammi Thilakan, Lalu Alex, Baburaj, Ajmal Ameer, Shanthi Krishna, Jagadish, Krishna Sankar, Roshan Mathew, Vinay Forrt, and Saiju Kurup. The plot follows a mobile store owner Joshi, who finds an abandoned pickup truck parked in front of his house, which he wants off his property, but soon discovers that it is loaded with gold bars.


title: Gold (2022 Indian film)

text: In addition to writing, editing and directing the film, Puthren also worked on the stunt choreography, visual effects, color grading, and animation titles of the film. It marks his return to direction after seven years since "Premam" (2015). Principal photography commenced in September 2021 and ended in June 2022. Initially set for worldwide theatrical release during Onam in September 2022, "Gold" release was deferred due to post-production delays and eventually opened in theatres on 1 December 2022. The film received negative reviews from critics and audiences and became a commercial failure at the box office.


title: Gold (2022 Indian film)

text: "Danger" Joshi. S Kunjan, a mobile shop owner, purchases a new car owing to a marriage alliance, that is almost fixed with a girl named Radha. However on the delivery day, Joshi and his mother find that someone has parked a pickup truck with a load of portable speakers. Joshi complains to the police, but they pay no heed, and the truck stays in the gate for a few days. One day, Joshi discovers that the small boxes inside the truck are not portable speakers, but gold bars.


title: Gold (2022 Indian film)

text: Production began with a pooja ceremony on 8 September 2021. Originally planned to shoot within Kerala, location was shifted outside of Kerala due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in the state. Produced by Supriya Menon of Prithviraj Productions and Listin Stephen of Magic Frames. Puthren was directing a film after a gap of six years since "Premam". With a song sequence choreographed by Puthren's wife Aleena Antony at Fort Kochi, the filming was wrapped up on 14 June 2022. Cinematography was done by Anend C. Chandran and Viswajith Odukkathil. Apart from directing, Puthren also handled editing, stunt choreography, visual effects, and color grading of the film.


title: Gold (2022 Indian film)

text: The music of the film was composed by Puthren's regular composer Rajesh Murugesan. The soundtrack is distributed by Magic Frames Music. The song "Hands Up Zindagi" contains a reprised version of the Hindi song "Zindagi Ek Safar Hai" from "Andaz" (1971).


title: Gold (2022 Indian film)

text: Initially, the film was scheduled for a theatrical release on 8 September 2022 on the occasion of Onam. Subbiah Shanmughan of SSI Productions distributed the Tamil and Malayalam version of the film in Tamil Nadu. The film completed censoring on 28 November 2022, with a runtime of 2 hours 45 minutes. With that, the release date was announced to be on 1 December 2022. Due to dubbing and censoring delays, the Tamil dubbed version was released only a days later on 2 December 2022. The digital rights of the film were bagged by Amazon Prime Video and satellite rights were sold to Sun TV Network.


title: Gold (2022 Indian film)

text: Princy Alexander of "Onmanorama" appreciated the movie for portraying its brilliance on a man's inner psyche for luxuries in life. If 'Premam' was a love story and 'Neram' focused on a man's tryst with time, 'Gold' definitely does justice to the film's theme. Manoj Kumar. R of "The Indian Express" gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "How do you enjoy an Alphonse Puthren film? By simply being in the moment. If you expect the narrative to take you someplace else, you might be left disappointed. Instead, if you choose to enjoy what the film is offering you at any given moment, you will find entertainment. Like life, in Alphonse’s films, it’s not the destination but the journey that matters."


title: Gold (2022 Indian film)

text: "OTTplay" gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "The highlight of Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Gold, right from its outset, is its making; Alphonse has carefully conceived and crafted each of the scenes of the film that blends with Rajesh Murugesan’s thumping music." Janani. K of "India Today" gave 2 out of 5 stars and criticized Alphonse's script as "wafer-thin" and "incohesive", but praised Prithviraj's performance by describing him as the "soul" of the film. In a 2/5 review for "Firstpost", Anna M. M. Vetticad wrote, “Despite its flaws, Gold’s first half is entertaining. The post-interval downhill slide is so rapid (...) No amount of catchy music, production polish and star wattage can camouflage skin-and-bones writing. Gold plating, after all, is just that – plating.”


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: Bhikaiji Rustom Cama (24 September 1861 – 13 August 1936) or simply as, Madam Cama, was one of the prominent figures in the Indian independence movement.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: Bhikaiji Cama was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) in a large, affluent Parsi Zoroastrian family. Her parents, Sorabji Framji Patel and Jaijibai Sorabji Patel, were well known in the city, where her father Sorabji—a lawyer by training and a merchant by profession—was an influential member of the Parsi community.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: She unfurled the first version of flag of independent India on August 21, 1907, when an International Socialist Conference was being held at Stuttgart, a city in Germany.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: Like many Parsi girls of the time, Bhikhaiji attended Alexandra Girls' English Institution. Bhikhaiji was by all accounts a diligent, disciplined child with a flair for languages.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: On 3 August 1885, she married Rustom Cama, who was the son of K. R. Cama. Her husband was a wealthy, pro-British lawyer who aspired to enter politics. It was not a happy marriage, and Bhikhaiji spent most of her time and energy in philanthropic activities and social work.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: In October 1896, the Bombay Presidency was hit first by famine, and shortly thereafter by bubonic plague. Bhikhaiji joined one of the many teams working out of Grant Medical College (which would subsequently become Haffkine's plague vaccine research centre), in an effort to provide care for the afflicted, and (later) to inoculate the healthy. Cama subsequently contracted the plague herself but survived. As she was severely weakened, she was sent to Britain for medical care in 1902.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: She was preparing to return to India in 1904 when she came in contact with Shyamji Krishna Varma, who was well known in London's Indian community for fiery nationalist speeches he gave in Hyde Park. Through him, she met Dadabhai Naoroji, then president of the British Committee of the Indian National Congress, and for whom she came to work as private secretary. Together with Naoroji and Singh Rewabhai Rana, Cama supported the founding of Varma's Indian Home Rule Society in February 1905. In London, she was told that her return to India would be prevented unless she would sign a statement promising not to participate in nationalist activities. She refused.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: That same year Cama relocated to Paris, where—together with S. R. Rana and Munchershah Burjorji Godrej—she co-founded the Paris Indian Society. Together with other notable members of the movement for Indian sovereignty living in exile, Cama wrote, published (in the Netherlands and Switzerland) and distributed revolutionary literature for the movement, including "Bande Mataram" (founded in response to the Crown ban on the poem "Vande Mataram") and later "Madan's Talwar" (in response to the execution of Madan Lal Dhingra). These weeklies were smuggled into India through the French colony of Pondichéry.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: On 22 August 1907, Cama attended the second Socialist Congress at Stuttgart, Germany, where she described the devastating effects of a famine that had struck the Indian subcontinent. In her appeal for human rights, equality and autonomy from Great Britain, she unfurled what she called the "Flag of Indian Independence".


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: It has been speculated that this moment may have been an inspiration to African American writers and intellectuals W. E. B. Du Bois in writing his 1928 novel "Dark Princess". Cama's flag, a modification of the "Calcutta Flag", was co-designed by Cama, and would later serve as one of the templates from which the current national flag of India was created.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: In 1909, following Madan Lal Dhingra's assassination of William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, an aide to the Secretary of State for India, Scotland Yard arrested several key activists living in Great Britain, The British Government requested Cama's extradition, but the French Government refused to cooperate. In return, the British Government seized Cama's inheritance. Lenin reportedly invited her to reside in the Soviet Union, but she declined.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: Influenced by Christabel Pankhurst and the Suffragette movement, Bhikhaiji Cama was vehement in her support for gender equality. Speaking in Cairo, Egypt in 1910, she asked, "I see here the representatives of only half the population of Egypt. May I ask where is the other half? Sons of Egypt, where are the daughters of Egypt? Where are your mothers and sisters? Your wives and daughters?" Cama's stance with respect to the vote for women was, however, secondary to her position on Indian independence; in 1920, upon meeting Herabai and Mithan Tata, two Parsi women outspoken on the issue of the right to vote, Cama is said to have sadly shaken her head and observed: "'Work for Indian's freedom and [i]ndependence. When India is independent women will not only [have] the right to [v]ote, but all other rights.'"


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, France and Britain became allies, and all the members of Paris India Society except Cama and Singh Rewabhai Rana left the country (Cama had been advised by fellow-socialist Jean Longuet to go to Spain with M.P. Tirumal Acharya). She and Rana were briefly arrested in October 1914 when they tried to agitate among Punjab Regiment troops that had just arrived in Marseilles on their way to the front. They were required to leave Marseilles, and Cama then moved to Rana's wife's house in Arcachon, near Bordeaux. In January 1915, the French government deported Rana and his whole family to the Caribbean island of Martinique, and Cama was sent to Vichy, where she was interned. In bad health, she was released in November 1917 and permitted to return to Bordeaux provided that she report weekly to the local police. Following the war, Cama returned to her home at 25, Rue de Ponthieu in Paris.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: Cama remained in exile in Europe until 1935, when, gravely ill and paralyzed by a stroke that she had suffered earlier that year, she petitioned the British government through Sir Cowasji Jehangir to be allowed to return home. Writing from Paris on 24 June 1935, she acceded to the requirement that she renounce seditionist activities. Accompanied by Jehangir, she arrived in Bombay in November 1935 and died nine months later, aged , at Parsi General Hospital on 13 August 1936.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: Bikhaiji Cama bequeathed most of her personal assets to the Avabai Petit Orphanage for girls, now the Bai Avabai Framji Petit Girls' High School, which established a trust in her name. Rs. 54,000 (1936: £39,300; $157,200) went to her family's fire temple, the Framji Nusserwanjee Patel Agiary at Mazgaon, in South Bombay.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: Several Indian cities have streets and places named after Bhikhaiji Cama, or Madame Cama as she is also known. On 26 January 1962, India's 11th Republic Day, the Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department issued a commemorative stamp in her honour.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: In 1997, the Indian Coast Guard commissioned a Priyadarshini-class fast patrol vessel "ICGS Bikhaiji Cama" after Bikhaiji Cama.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: A high-rise office complex in the posh location of South Delhi which accommodates major Government Offices and companies such as EPFO, Jindal Group, SAIL, GAIL, EIL etc. is named as Bhikaji Cama Place in tribute to her.


title: Bhikaiji Cama

text: Following Cama's 1907 Stuttgart address, the flag she raised there was smuggled into British India by Indulal Yagnik and is now on display at the Maratha and Kesari Library in Pune. In 2004, politicians of the BJP, India's political party, attempted to identify a later design (from the 1920s) as the flag Cama raised in Stuttgart. The flag Cama raised – misrepresented as "original national Tricolour" – has an (Islamic) crescent and a (Hindu) sun, which the later design does not have.


title: Peroni Brewery

text: Peroni Brewery () is a brewing company, founded by Francesco Peroni in Vigevano, Italy in 1846. It is probably best known worldwide for its pale lager, "Nastro Azzurro" (5.1% ABV), which was the 13th best-selling beer in the United Kingdom in 2010.


title: Peroni Brewery

text: By 2016, Peroni was owned by Miller Brands U.K. of SABMiller. As part of the agreements made with regulators before Anheuser-Busch InBev was allowed to acquire SABMiller, the company sold Peroni to Asahi Breweries on 13 October 2016.


title: Peroni Brewery

text: The Peroni company was established under the founding family name in the town of Vigevano, Italy, in 1846.


title: Peroni Brewery

text: Due to booming business, a second brewery was built in Rome. The company was moved to Rome by Giovanni Peroni in 1864, six years prior to Rome becoming the Italian capital in 1870. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the company became one of the most prominent brewing companies in the newly unified Italian nation.


title: Peroni Brewery

text: In the 1960s and through their expansion, Peroni Nastro Azzurro launched numerous successful advertising campaigns, keeping a strong focus upon the sea and sailing world; each campaign featuring a model styled in a sailor outfit and hat.


title: Peroni Brewery

text: In February 2021, Aston Martin F1 Team announced a partnership with Peroni to promote the Peroni Libera 0.0% alcohol free beer brand.


title: Peroni Brewery

text: By the 1990s, both the Peroni brand name and product line were distributed and known worldwide. The London-based brewing giant SABMiller bought the company in 2003, making it one of the few international brands in its portfolio.


title: Peroni Brewery

text: Beers under the Peroni brand include: "Crystall", a 5.6% abv pale lager; "Peroni Gran Riserva", a 6.6% abv strong lager; "Peroncino", a 5% pale lager; "Peroni Leggera", a 3.5% pale lager. The company also produces the "Wuhrer" brand – a 4.7% pale lager launched in Brescia in 1829. The main brands are "Peroni" and "Nastro Azzurro".


title: Peroni Brewery

text: "Peroni" is the Peroni company's original brand. According to Assobirra, it is the best selling beer in Italy. It is 4.7% abv and made with barley malt, maize, hop pellets and hop extract. By the 1950s and 1960s, "Peroni" was the most recognized brand of beer throughout the Italian peninsula and in 2019 was one of the five most popular Italian beers in the world.


title: Peroni Brewery

text: "Nastro Azzurro" is a 5.1% alcohol by volume pale lager. Launched in 1963, it is the Peroni Brewery's premium lager brand. The name means "Blue Ribbon" in Italian, in honor of the Blue Riband won by Italian ocean liner SS "Rex" in 1933. Nastro Azzurro has also sponsored teams in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. In 1997 they sponsored a 125cc Aprilia team with rider Valentino Rossi, who won the championship in that season. In 2000 and 2001 they sponsored a 500cc Honda team, again with Rossi as the rider.


title: Ministry of Corporate Affairs

text: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs is an Indian government ministry primarily concerned with administration of the Companies Act 2013, the Companies Act 1956, the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008, and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.


title: Ministry of Corporate Affairs

text: It is responsible mainly for the regulation of Indian enterprises in the industrial and services sector. The ministry is mostly run by civil servants of the ICLS cadre. These officers are elected through the Civil Services Examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission. The highest post, Director General of Corporate Affairs (DGCoA), is fixed at Apex Scale for the ICLS. The current minister is Nirmala Sitaraman.


title: Ministry of Corporate Affairs

text: In August 2013, The Companies Act, 2013 was passed to regulate corporations by increasing responsibilities of corporate executives and is intended to avoid the accounting scandals such as the Satyam scandal which have plagued India. It replaces The Companies Act, 1956 which has proven outmoded in terms of handling 21st century problems.


title: Ministry of Corporate Affairs

text: The Ministry has constituted a Committee for framing of National Competition Policy (India) and related matters (formulate amendments in the Act) under the Chairmanship of Dhanendra Kumar, former Chairman of Competition Commission of India.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Blondie is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Chic Young. The comic strip is distributed by King Features Syndicate, and has been published in newspapers since September 8, 1930. The success of the strip, which features the eponymous blonde and her sandwich-loving husband, led to the long-running "Blondie" film series (1938–1950) and the popular "Blondie" radio program (1939–1950).


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Chic Young wrote and drew "Blondie" until his death in 1973, when creative control passed to his son Dean Young. A number of artists have assisted on drawing the strip over the years, including Alex Raymond, Jim Raymond, Paul Fung Jr., Mike Gersher, Stan Drake, Denis Lebrun, Jeff Parker, and (since 2005) John Marshall. Despite these changes, "Blondie" has remained popular, appearing in more than 2,000 newspapers in 47 countries and translated into 35 languages. From 2006 to 2013, "Blondie" had also been available via email through King Features' DailyINK service.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Originally designed to follow in the footsteps of Young's earlier "pretty girl" creations "Beautiful Bab" and "Dumb Dora", "Blondie" focused on the adventures of Blondie Boopadoop—a carefree flapper girl who spent her days in dance halls along with her boyfriend Dagwood Bumstead, heir to an industrial fortune. The name "Boopadoop" derives from the scat singing lyric that was popularized by Helen Kane's 1928 song "I Wanna Be Loved by You."


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Blondie and Dagwood debuted on September 8, 1930, in the "New York American" and several other newspapers across North America. The strip was only moderately popular in its first two and a half years, as interest in humorous "pretty girl" stories dried up as a result of the Great Depression, turning "Blondie" into a parody of those strips taking a more melodramatic direction. In mid-1932, and considering the scenario to have run its course, Young briefly tried writing Dagwood out of the daily continuities by having his parents sending him on a cruise to Europe and replacing him as Blondie's boyfriend with a garage mechanic, but immediate reader response led to Dagwood returning by late August.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: On February 17, 1933, after much fanfare and build-up, Blondie and Dagwood were married. After a month-and-a-half-long hunger strike by Dagwood to get his parents' blessing, as they strongly disapproved of his marrying beneath his class, they disinherited him. Left only with a check to pay for their honeymoon, the Bumsteads were forced to become a middle-class suburban family. The marriage was a significant media event, given the comic strip's popularity. The catalog for the University of Florida's 2005 exhibition, "75 Years of Blondie, 1930–2005," notes:


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: "Dagwood Bumstead and family, including Daisy and the pups, live in the suburbs of Joplin, Missouri," according to the August 1946 issue of "The Joplin Globe", citing Chic Young.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Several running gags occur in "Blondie", reflecting the trend after Chic Young's death for the strip to focus almost entirely on Dagwood as the lead character:


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: During the early years of the strip, the Sunday installments were much in the vein of the then-popular genre of "pretty girl" strips, rather than spoofing them as in the daily continuities, including a series of different suitors, most notably Hiho Hennepin, a short character who played a similar role to the one held by "Dumb Dora"'s boyfriend Rod. In fact, Dagwood did actually not appear at all in a Sunday page until late 1931, and was only regularly featured in these beginning on January 29, 1933.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Young drew "The Family Foursome" as a topper from September 21, 1930, to April 21, 1935, after which it was replaced by the pantomime strip "Colonel Potterby and the Duchess", which ran until November 3, 1963 (becoming a stand-alone strip in 1958).


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: For years, the Sunday installments were noted for their histrionic plots, as well for having 12 panels, switching to the standard half-page format in 1986.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: While the distinctive look and running gags of "Blondie" have been carefully preserved through the decades, a number of details have been altered to keep up with changing times. The Bumstead kitchen, which remained essentially unchanged from the 1930s through the 1960s, has slowly acquired a more modern look (no more legs on the gas range and no more refrigerators shown with the compressor assembly on the top).


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Dagwood no longer wears a hat when he goes to work, nor does Blondie wear her previous hat and gloves when leaving the house. Although some bedroom and bathroom scenes still show him in polka-dot boxer shorts, Dagwood no longer wears garters to hold up his socks. When at home, he frequently wears sport shirts, his standard dress shirt with one large button in the middle is slowly disappearing, and he no longer smokes a pipe at all. Blondie now often wears slacks, and she is no longer depicted as a housewife, since she teamed with Tootsie Woodley to launch a catering business in 1991. Dagwood still knocks heads with his boss, Mr. Dithers, but now does so in a more modern office at J.C. Dithers Construction Company, where desks now sport flat-panel computer monitors, and Mr. Dithers, when in a rage, attempts to smash his laptop into Dagwood's head instead of his old manual typewriter. The staff no longer punches in at a mechanical "time clock", nor do they wear green eyeshades and plastic "sleeve protectors". Telephones have changed from candlestick style to more modern dial phones, to Touch-Tone, and on to cellphones. The round bedside alarm clock has been replaced by a more compact digital unit. Dagwood now begins each morning racing to meet his carpool rather than chasing after a missed streetcar or city bus. Even Mr. Beasley, the mail carrier, now dresses in short-sleeved shirts and walking shorts, rather than the military-style uniform of days gone by.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: During the late 1990s and 2000–2001, Alexander worked part-time after high school at the order counter of a fast-food restaurant, the Burger Barn. Occasional references are still made to Cookie and her babysitting. Daisy, which once had a litter of puppies that lived with the family, is now the only dog seen in the Bumstead household. Cookie and Alexander can be seen in modern clothing trends and sometimes use cellphones and reference current television shows and social networking sites, while talking about attending rock concerts of popular current rock, pop, and hip hop music acts.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Dagwood sometimes breaks the fourth wall by delivering the punchline to the strip, while looking directly at the reader, as in the above panel. Daisy occasionally does the same, though her remarks are limited to "?" and "!" with either a puzzled or a pained expression.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Strips in recent years have included references to recent developments in technology and communication, such as Facebook, Twitter, email, and text messaging.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: In 2005, the strip celebrated its 75th anniversary with an extended story arc in which characters from other strips, including "Curtis", "Garfield", "Beetle Bailey", and "Hägar the Horrible", made appearances in "Blondie". The strip "Pearls Before Swine" made fun of the fact that their cast was not invited, and decided to invite themselves. This cross-over promotion began July 10, 2005 and continued until September 4, 2005.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: "Blondie" has been translated to various languages. In Mexico and South America, it ran as "Lorenzo y Pepita", being quite popular between the 1940s and 1980s. While in most countries the family name was "Parachoques", in Chile they had "Jeringuis" as a surname. When it ran in Spain, however, the original names were kept. In French-speaking countries, the strip was known as "Blondinette", while Dagwood was known as Dagobert, a name which is still used in France and Belgium to refer to a kind of large-sized sandwich.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: "Blondie" was adapted into a long-running series of 28 low-budget theatrical B-features, produced by Columbia Pictures. Beginning with "Blondie" in 1938, the series lasted 12 years, through "Beware of Blondie" (1950). The two major roles were Penny Singleton as Blondie and Arthur Lake (whose first starring role was another comic strip character, Harold Teen) as Dagwood. Faithfulness to the comic strip was a major concern of the creators of the series. Little touches were added that were iconic to the strip, like the appearance of Dagwood's famous sandwiches—and the running gag of Dagwood colliding with the mailman amid a flurry of letters, which preceded the title sequence in almost every film.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Columbia was careful to maintain continuity, so each picture progressed from where the last one left off. Thus, the Bumstead children grew from toddlers to young adults onscreen. Larry Simms played the Bumsteads' son in all the films; his character was originally called Baby Dumpling, and later became Alexander. Marjorie Kent (born Marjorie Ann Mutchie) joined the series in 1943 as daughter Cookie. Daisy had pups in the 12th feature, "Blondie for Victory" (1942). Danny Mummert, who had originally been chosen to play Baby Dumpling, took the continuing role of wiseguy neighbor Alvin Fuddle. Rounding out the regular supporting cast, character actor Jonathan Hale played Dagwood's irascible boss, J.C. Dithers. Hale left the series in 1945 and was succeeded by Jerome Cowan as George M. Radcliffe in "Blondie's Big Moment". In the last film, "Beware of Blondie", the Dithers character returned, played by Edward Earle and shown from the back. The Bumsteads' neighbors, the Woodleys, did not appear in the series until "Beware of Blondie". They were played by Emory Parnell and Isabel Withers.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: In 1943, Columbia felt the series was slipping, and ended the string with "It's a Great Life" and "Footlight Glamour", deliberately omitting "Blondie" from the titles to attract unwary moviegoers. After 14 Blondies, stars Singleton and Lake moved on to other productions. During their absence from the screen, Columbia heard from many exhibitors and fans who wanted them back. The studio reactivated the series, which ran another 14 films until discontinued permanently in 1950. Because some demand from movie theaters still existed, Columbia began reissuing the older films, beginning with the 1938 "Blondie", and continued to release them in their original sequence well into the 1950s, when these were packaged for television by Columbia's video subsidiary Screen Gems.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Singleton and Lake reprised their film roles for radio; the "Blondie" radio program had a long run spanning several networks. Initially a 1939 summer replacement program for "The Eddie Cantor Show" (sponsored by Camel Cigarettes), "Blondie" was heard on CBS until June 1944, when it moved briefly to NBC. Returning to CBS later that year, "Blondie" continued there under a new sponsor (Colgate-Palmolive) until June 1949. In its final season, the series was heard on ABC from October 1949 to July 1950.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Blondie and Dagwood were featured prominently in the cartoon movie "Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter", which debuted on October 7, 1972. The movie was a part of "The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie" series.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Blondie and Dagwood made a brief animated appearance in "The Fantastic Funnies", a TV special focusing on newspaper comics that aired on CBS in 1980. They appeared in the beginning, singing a song to host Loni Anderson with other comic strip characters. Later on, after a short interview with Dean Young and Jim Raymond (who was drawing the strip at the time), they featured a short sequence where Blondie urges a reluctant Dagwood to get a haircut. The animation was produced by Bill Melendez Productions. Dagwood also makes a cameo appearance in "Garfield Gets Real".


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: An animated cartoon TV special featuring the characters was made in 1987 by Marvel Productions (who had earlier collaborated with King Features for the animated series "Defenders of the Earth", starring King Feature's adventure characters) and shown on CBS, with a second special, "Second Wedding Workout", telecast in 1989. Blondie was voiced by Loni Anderson, Dagwood by Frank Welker. Both animated specials are available on the fourth DVD of the "Advantage Cartoon Mega Pack". Both of these specials were paired with other comic strip-based specials; the first special was paired with a special based on "Cathy"; the second one was paired with "Hägar the Horrible". In Video (VHS) in UK: Leisureview Video in 1989.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: In a 1989 episode of the animated series "Muppet Babies", entitled "Comic Caper", Blondie and Dagwood make a cameo appearance. Blondie tells Dagwood that he is going to be late for work. As Dagwood rushes to the door, he knocks into the Muppet Babies, who have fallen into the world of the "Blondie" comic strip. Baby Kermit and Baby Piggy also parodied Blondie and Dagwood in one scene. The "Muppet Babies" series was produced by Marvel Productions, the producers of the 1987 and 1989 "Blondie" specials, and was also aired on the same network, CBS.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: Over the years, "Blondie" characters have been merchandised as dolls, coloring books, toys, salt and pepper shakers, paint sets, paper doll cutouts, coffee mugs, cookie jars, neckties, lunchboxes, puzzles, games, Halloween costumes, Christmas ornaments, music boxes, refrigerator magnets, lapel pinbacks, greeting cards, and other products. In 2001, Dark Horse Comics issued two collectible figures of Dagwood and Blondie as part of their line of Classic Comic Characters—statues No. 19 and 20 respectively.


title: Blondie (comic strip)

text: The Dagwood Sandwiches featured in the strip are a recurring licensing opportunity on their own. A counter-service restaurant called Blondie's opened at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure in May 1999, serving a traditional Dagwood-style sandwich. In fact, Blondie's bills itself as "Home of the Dagwood Sandwich." Lunch meats featuring Dagwood can be purchased at various grocery stores. In Canada, the Sobeys supermarket chain offers a family-sized sandwich called the Dagwood Sandwich.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) (, stylized as "KENYA ARMED FORCES" capitalized on its coat of arms) are the armed forces of the Republic of Kenya. They are made up of the Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, and Kenya Air Force. The current KDF was established, and its composition stipulated, in Article 241 of the 2010 Constitution of Kenya; it is governed by the KDF Act of 2012. Its main mission is the defence and protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kenya, recruitment to the KDF is done on yearly basis. The President of Kenya is the commander-in-chief of the KDF, and the Chief of Defence Forces is the highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military adviser to the President of Kenya.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: The Defence Forces, like many Kenyan government institutions, has been tainted by corruption allegations. Because the operations of the military have been traditionally cloaked by the ubiquitous blanket of "state security", the corruption has been less in public view, and thus less subject to public scrutiny and notoriety. But in 2010, credible claims of corruption were made with regard to recruitment, and procurement of Armoured Personnel Carriers. The decision on the Northrop F-5 "Tiger" aircraft procurement have been publicly questioned. In 2015, credible allegations were made that the KDF is involved with sugar smuggling from southern Somalia into Kenya, to avoid import dues.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: The KDF is regularly deployed in peacekeeping and warfighting missions, for example the counter-insurgency fight against Al-Shabaab in Somalia since 2011.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: The United Kingdom raised and maintained forces in Kenya Colony after it was established, eventually to become the King's African Rifles (KAR). The KAR fought during the two World Wars and in the Mau Mau Uprising. On the other side of the Mau Mau Uprising was the first Kenyan force raised by African themselves, the Kenya Land and Freedom Army.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: On independence, the Kenyan Parliament created the Kenya Military Forces through the KMF Act 1963. Thus 3 KAR, 5 KAR, and 11 KAR became 3 Kenya Rifles, 5 Kenya Rifles, and 11 Kenya Rifles respectively. The transformation of King's African Rifles to Kenya Military Forces on the midnight of 12 December 1963 was a major milestone. The new independence government retained senior British military officers as advisers and trainers to the new Kenyan army. They stayed on, administering the former KAR units as they developed more Kenyan characteristics. The Kenya Regiment composed of British settlers was disbanded.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: Between 1963 and 1967, Kenya fought the Shifta War against Somali residents who sought union with their kin in the Somali Republic to the north.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: On the evening of 24 January 1964, the failure of the Kenyan Prime Minister to appear on television, where 11th Kenya Rifles junior soldiers had been expecting a televised speech and hoping for a pay rise announcement, caused the men to mutiny. Parsons says it is possible that the speech was only broadcast on the radio in the Nakuru area where Lanet Barracks, home of the battalion, was located. Kenyatta's government held two separate courts-martial for 43 soldiers.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: In the aftermath of the mutiny and following courts-martial, the 11th Kenya Rifles was disbanded. A new battalion, 1st Kenya Rifles, was created entirely from 340 Lanet soldiers who had been cleared of participation in the mutiny by the Kenyan Criminal Investigations Division (CID). Hornsby writes that after the mutiny, '[Kenyatta] improved conditions, announced pay rises to the military, speeded Africanisation, and instructed the intelligence services to infiltrate and watch the army for signs of disaffection.'


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: Discussions began in March 1964 between Kenya and Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations Duncan Sandys on defence, and a formal agreement was signed on 3 June 1964. All British troops would leave by 12 December 1964, the British would assist the army, resource and train a new Kenya Air Force, and create a new Kenya Navy. They would also provide RAF and Army units to support internal security in the north-east. Significant military loans would be cancelled, and much military property made over to the Kenyan Government. In return, British aircraft would be able to transit through Kenya, RN ships of the Far East Fleet and other units could visit Mombasa, communications facilities could be used until 1966, and troops could exercise in Kenya twice a year. Army training deployments have continued up until 2015, as of 2015 supervised by British Army Training Unit Kenya.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: '..Kenyatta did not have to worry about the political reliability of the Kenyan Army because expatriate senior British military advisors ran it along KAR lines throughout the 1960s. Following the lessons of the Lanet protects, African officers assumed operational command of all major units, but a British training team still oversaw the Kenyan Army for most of the decade. More significantly, an informal defence arrangement with Britain reassured Kenyatta that he could rely on direct British military support in the event of an army mutiny or attempted coup.'


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: Within months of British Brigadier A.J. Hardy leaving the post of Commander Kenya Army and handing over to Brigadier Joseph Ndolo on 1 December 1966, British influence was underlined with the appointment of Major General Bernard Penfold as Chief of the General Staff, a new position as senior officer of the entire armed forces. Ndolo succeeded Penfold as Chief of General Staff in 1969, but was retired on 24 June 1971 after being implicated in a coup plot allegedly organised by Joseph Owino. The service chiefs thereafter reported directly to the Minister of Defence, James Gichuru. The post of Chief of the General Staff was only filled again seven years later when Daniel arap Moi moved Lieutenant General Jackson Mulinge from Army Commander to CGS in November 1978. Mahamoud Mohamed succeeded Mulinge in 1986, and was CGS until 1996. Mohamed was succeeded by General Daudi Tonje, CGS 1996–2000.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: Women were first recruited into the armed forces in 1971, with the establishment of the Women's Service Corps. The corps was initially made up of 150 women under Major Patricia Ineson of the British Women's Royal Army Corps, before she was replaced by Phyllis Ikua, formerly of the Kenya Prisons Service. Fatumah Ahmed joined the WSC in 1983.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: The South African Institute for Security Studies wrote when Moi was still in power: "the Kenyan armed forces' reputation as a politically neutral establishment has been undermined by irrefutable evidence of tribal favouritism in the appointment of key posts. In the military (and also the Police and GSU), there is a virtual monopoly of President Moi's ethnic group, the Kalenjin, in the top brass. Of 18 military generals, at least a third are Kalenjin; of 20 brigadiers, 7 are Kalenjin—an ethnic group that accounts for only a tenth of Kenya's population. This obviously works to the disadvantage, especially, of the Kikuyu and the Luo."


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: From the 1990s the Kenya Army became involved in United Nations peacekeeping operations, which, Hornsby says, 'offered both experience and a source of income for the army and its soldiers.' (The United Nations reimburses troop contributing countries for each soldier contributed.) Kenya's first peacekeeping deployment was to UNTAG in Namibia; from 1989 to 2001, Kenyan troops took part in UNTAG, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNCRO (Croatia), UNTAES, UNOMIL, UNPREDEP in Macedonia (1996–1999), MONUA in Angola (1997–1999), and UNTAET in East Timor (1999–2001). In 1999-2000, women were integrated into the regular units of the military, and the Women's Service Corps disbanded.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: In the early 21st century, the Ministry of State for Defence, just like that of Internal Security and Provincial Administration, is part of the presidential machinery. All but senior military officers are appointed, promoted, and, if necessary, removed by the military's personnel system. The president appoints and retires senior military officers. Under the authority of the president as Commander-in-Chief, the Minister of Defence presides over the National Defence Council. The Chief of General Staff is the tactical, operational and administrative head of the military. Under the 2010 constitution, the defence forces can no longer be deployed for combat operations within Kenya without the approval of Parliament.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: In the aftermath of the national elections of December 2007 and the violence that subsequently engulfed the country, a commission of inquiry, the Waki Commission, commended its readiness and adjudged it to "have performed its duty well." Nevertheless, there have been serious allegations of human rights violations, most recently while conducting counter-insurgency operations in the Mt Elgon area and also in the district of Mandera central.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: In October 2011, following a weekend preparatory meeting between Kenyan and Somali military officials in the town of Dhobley, Kenya Army units crossed the border to begin Operation Linda Nchi attacking the Al-Shabaab insurgents in southern Somalia. Kenya had coordinated with the transitional government in Mogadishu, and with the Somali militias in the border areas, but the drive on Kismayu was run by the KDF. In early June 2012, Kenyan forces were formally integrated into AMISOM.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: As of 2006, the Kenya Army had five brigades: two infantry, one with three battalions and one with two battalions; the Kenya Army Armoured Brigade with three battalions; the Kenya Army Artillery Brigade with two battalions; and the Engineer Brigade with two battalions. In addition, the army included an air defense artillery, 20 Parachute Battalion, independent infantry, and the independent 50 Air Cavalry Battalion with 35 armed helicopters at Embakasi.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: In February 2014, the official Ministry of State for Defence listed the following Army formations and services:


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: The Kenya Ranger Strike Force initiative began in 2006 with a request from the Ministry of Defence; creation of KRSF highlighted extensively in KMOD White Paper on Military Cooperation for 2011–2016. The total U.S. investment was $40M. Leveraged IMET courses for Ranger and Ranger Instructor courses, Section 1206 funding to secure training and equipment, multiple Joint Combined Exchange and Training (JCET) events, and East African Regional Security Initiative (EARSI now PREACT) to fund training and equipment. The first class taught by all Kenya Army Ranger Instructors graduated on 18 March 2011. Kenya formed a Special Operations Regiment (Kenya) composed of 20th Parachute Battalion, 30th Special Operations Battalion and 40th Kenya Ranger Strike Force Battalion. Kabete Barracks off Waiyaki Way in Nairobi is reported to house forces which are 'special'.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: By 2019–2020, the International Institute for Strategic Studies listed the army's formations as including one armoured brigade (one armoured reconnaissance battalion, two armoured battalions); one special operations battalion; one ranger battalion; one infantry brigade with three infantry battalions, and another infantry brigade with two infantry battalions; one independent infantry battalion; one air cavalry battalion [50 Air Cavalry Battalion]; one airborne battalion; one artillery brigade with two artillery battalions and a mortar battery; one air defence battalion; and one engineer brigade with two engineer battalions (IISS MB 2020, p.483).


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: The Kenya Air Force was formed on 1 June 1964, soon after independence, with the assistance of the United Kingdom.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: After a failed coup by a group of Air Force officers on 1 August 1982, the Air Force was disbanded. Air Force activity was reconstituted and placed under tighter army control as the 82 Air Force. The Air Force regained its independent status in 1994.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: The main airbase operating fighters is Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, while Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi is the headquarters. Other bases include Wajir Air Base, Forward Operating Base (FOB) Mombasa (Moi International Airport), FOB Mandera, & FOB Nyeri (mainly helicopters/small planes).


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: The Kenya Navy is the naval branch of the Kenyan Defence Forces. The Navy was established on 12 December 1964, exactly one year after Kenya gained independence. It was preceded by the colonial Royal East African Navy.


title: Kenya Defence Forces

text: The Navy operates several bases, Mtongwe base in Mombasa, Shimoni, Msambweni, Malindi, Kilifi and since 1995 another base located in Manda (part of Lamu Archipelago).


title: Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998 film)

text: Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya () is a 1998 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film. Written and directed by Sohail Khan, the film stars his real-life brothers Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan alongside Kajol and Dharmendra in pivotal roles. The film is shot in the school Daly College, Indore. The film is the first and only collaboration of Salman Khan and Kajol as a pair, after having previously appeared in "Karan Arjun" (1995) and later, in "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" (1998), both of which had Kajol in a romantic pairing with Shahrukh Khan. It was a commercial success at the box office.


title: Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998 film)

text: At the 44th Filmfare Awards, "Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya" received 7 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Sohail), Best Actor (Salman) and Best Supporting Actor (Arbaaz), and won R. D. Burman Award for New Music Talent (Kamaal Khan for "O O Jaane Jaana").


title: Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998 film)

text: Muskaan (Kajol) is an orphan girl living on a farm run by her overly-protective older brother, Vishal (Arbaaz Khan) and their 'Chachu' (Dharmendra). Muskaan's childhood friend, Ujaala (Anjala Zaveri), has been carrying a torch for the brooding Vishal since childhood, but he won't give her the time of day. Later on, Muskaan decides she wants to go to a university in Mumbai and has to persuade her brother to let her go. Once in the big city, Suraj (Salman Khan), an underachieving student, who does not get along with his stepmother and is estranged from his father, falls in love with Muskaan. After a few attempts at messing with Muskaan and trying to get her attention, Suraj finally succeeds and Muskaan falls in love with him. One day, when Vishal comes to visit Muskaan, he is mistakenly considered her boyfriend by Suraj and his group of friends. They consequently try to fight Vishal but are instead beaten up. Suraj later learns from Muskaan that Vishal is her brother and he apologizes to Muskaan and Vishal for beating him up. But Vishal does not like Suraj because his terms and conditions of his future brother-in-law are very strenuous physically and he thinks Suraj is neither competent nor a man to be taken seriously. And he decides to bring Muskaan back to the farm sensing Suraj's bad influence on her studies. Suraj pursues her and begins to work on the farm as a stable boy after a chance meeting with 'Chachu' in which he saves Chachu's life. Vishal gives Suraj another chance and puts him to the test; however, he is rejected. Vishal wants Muskaan to marry the brother of Thakur Vijay Singh, not knowing that Thakur Vijay Singh is doing this to merely exact vengeance against the Thakur family for a previous humiliation his own family received. So Suraj must now prevent this from happening and he must also be able to win Vishal's heart if he is really interested in marrying Muskaan. Chachu's half-shocked to know the reason why Suraj came to this village. Eventually, Suraj's friends told Suraj's family about this village. Suraj's family comes. Suraj's stepmother insults Muskaan, who runs away but she accidentally runs into the Singh family and their henchmen. Suraj, Suraj's father, Vishal and his Chachu arrive and rescue Muskaan. Despite injuries, Suraj's stepmother calls the Police because she now cares about Suraj. Vishal accepts Suraj as his future brother-in-law.


title: Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998 film)

text: The music for "Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya" was composed by Jatin–Lalit, Himesh Reshammiya, and Sajid–Wajid. It was released by T-Series. The lyrics for all tracks by Jatin–Lalit were written by Sameer, the lyrics for Himesh Reshammiya's tracks were written by Sudhakar Sharma, and the lyrics for Sajid–Wajid's track was written by Iqbal Sabri. The soundtrack, especially the song "O O Jaane Jaana", became highly popular, and was one of the highest-selling albums of 1998. In "Pagalpanti", the song "Tum Par Hum Hai" renames "Tum Par Hum Hai Atke" which is sung by Mika Singh, Neha Kakkar.


title: Christopher Doyle

text: Christopher Doyle, also known as Dù Kěfēng (Mandarin) or Dou Ho-Fung (Cantonese) () (born 2 May 1952) is an Australian-Hong Kong cinematographer. He has worked on over fifty Chinese-language films, being best known for his collaborations with Wong Kar-Wai in "Chungking Express", "Happy Together, In the Mood for Love" and "2046". Doyle is also known for other films such as "Temptress Moon", "Hero", "Dumplings", and "Psycho". He has won awards at the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival, as well as the AFI Award for cinematography, the Golden Horse award (four times), and the Hong Kong Film Award (six times).


title: Christopher Doyle

text: Doyle was born in Sydney, Australia in 1952. He left his native country on a Norwegian merchant ship at the age of eighteen. Doyle arrived in Taiwan for the first time in the 1970s, while his ship was docked in Keelung Harbor. Doyle met Stan Lai and Ding Nai-chu at Idea House, a restaurant in Taipei.


title: Christopher Doyle

text: While living in other countries, he took on several odd jobs, such as an oil driller in India, a cow herder in Israel, and a doctor of Chinese medicine in Thailand. In the late seventies, Doyle took an interest in Chinese culture and received the Chinese name Dù Kěfēng, which translates to "like the wind". After language studies in Taiwan, he started working as a photographer. A couple of years later, he became a cinematographer, working with director Edward Yang in the 1983 film "That Day, on the Beach."


title: Christopher Doyle

text: Doyle has worked on over 50 Chinese-language films. He is best known for his collaborations with Wong Kar-Wai in "Chungking Express", "Fallen Angels", "Happy Together", "In the Mood for Love" and "2046". He has collaborated with other Chinese filmmakers on projects including "Temptress Moon", "Hero" and "Dumplings". He has also made more than 20 films in various other languages, working as director of photography on Gus Van Sant's remake of "Psycho", "Liberty Heights", "Last Life in the Universe", "Rabbit-Proof Fence", "Paranoid Park", and "The Limits of Control", among others.


title: Christopher Doyle

text: He also wrote, shot, and directed "Warsaw Dark", "Away with Words" starring Asano Tadanobu, and "", an experimental portrait of three generations of Hong Kong people. He co-directed "The White Girl" with Jenny Suen.


title: Christopher Doyle

text: Among Doyle's 60 awards and 30 nominations are the Technical Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for "In the Mood for Love", as well as the Osella d’Oro for Best Cinematography for "Ashes of Time" at the Venice International Film Festival.


title: Christopher Doyle

text: On 26 May 2017, Doyle was honoured during the 70th Cannes Festival with the “Pierre Angénieux ExcelLens in Cinematography” award, in tribute to his successful and influential career.


title: Chris McCausland

text: Chris McCausland (born ) is a British actor and comedian. He is known to television audiences for his role as Rudi in the CBeebies show "Me Too!" He regularly appears at comedy venues around the UK, including The Comedy Store. McCausland is blind due to retinitis pigmentosa.


title: Chris McCausland

text: McCausland was born in West Derby Village in Liverpool but has lived in Surbiton, near Kingston upon Thames, since 1996, after moving there to study at Kingston University. He graduated in 2000, with a BSc Honours in software engineering. After a spell as a web developer, deteriorating eyesight prompted a change of direction, and he worked in sales for a number of years, during which time he first performed stand-up comedy in 2003.


title: Chris McCausland

text: McCausland first gave stand-up a go at a new act comedy night in Balham in July 2003. Within his first year of performing, he won the "Jongleurs J2O Last Laugh" competition, came runner up in the Laughing Horse New Act of The Year and placed third in Channel 4's So You Think You're Funny competition.


title: Chris McCausland

text: Between 2005 and 2012, he took six stand-up shows to the Edinburgh Festival and in 2011 was awarded the Creative Diversity Award for comedy by a Channel 4-led panel of broadcasters which also included BBC, ITV and Sky. He has performed all over the world, including across Asia and the Middle East, and regularly travels the UK playing the country's top comedy clubs. He appeared on the BBC's "Live at the Apollo" on 4 January 2018 and more recently on the 7th January 2022 he hosted the show.


title: Chris McCausland

text: In 2014, McCausland fronted a national television advert for Barclays, promoting the benefits of their new talking cash machines. Also in 2014, he starred in the Jimmy McGovern drama series "Moving On", alongside Anna Crilly and Neil Fitzmaurice. In 2012, he appeared alongside fellow comedians in Jimmy Carr's Comedians Special charity episode of "Celebrity Deal or No Deal".


title: Chris McCausland

text: He appeared in three series of "At The Comedy Store" in 2008 for Paramount Comedy, and in 2010 and 2012 for Comedy Central. In 2011 he appeared in ITV's series "Stand-up Hero". In 2010, he featured in BBC One's end of year spoof news review, "Unwrapped with Miranda Hart". He was also one of the principal characters in the CBeebies series "Me Too!", playing Rudi the market trader. Filmed in 2006, it aired on CBeebies and internationally until April 2016. On 20 August 2018, he appeared in the long running BBC soap opera "EastEnders".


title: Chris McCausland

text: On 18 October 2019, he appeared on the BBC comedy panel show "Would I Lie to You." Then, on 2 December 2019, he appeared on another BBC satirical comedy panel show, "Have I Got News for You" with his appearance also being shown on the extended version of the episode on "Have I Got A Bit More News For You".


title: Chris McCausland

text: In February 2020, he appeared on an episode of "8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown" on Channel 4. Despite his poor eyesight, Chris scored highly throughout the episode, playing by memory alone, and even correctly guessed the difficult end of game "Countdown Conundrum" before the sighted panellists. During the show, presenter Jimmy Carr produced blindfolds for the other contestants and encouraged them to try playing without sight.


title: Chris McCausland

text: In July 2022, Channel 4 announced McCausland will present a four-part travelogue series, provisionally titled "The Wonders of the World I Can't See".


title: Wood carving

text: Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object. The phrase may also refer to the finished product, from individual sculptures to hand-worked mouldings composing part of a tracery.


title: Wood carving

text: The making of sculpture in wood has been extremely widely practised, but doesn't survive undamaged as well as the other main materials like stone and bronze, as it is vulnerable to decay, insect damage, and fire. Therefore, it forms an important hidden element in the art history of many cultures. Outdoor wood sculptures do not last long in most parts of the world, so it is still unknown how the totem pole tradition developed. Many of the most important sculptures of China and Japan, in particular, are in wood, and so are the great majority of African sculpture and that of Oceania and other regions. Wood is light and can take very fine detail so it is highly suitable for masks and other sculpture intended to be worn or carried. It is also much easier to work on than stone.


title: Wood carving

text: Some of the finest extant examples of early European wood carving are from the Middle Ages in Germany, Russia, Italy and France, where the typical themes of that era were Christian iconography. In England, many complete examples remain from the 16th and 17th century, where oak was the preferred medium.


title: Wood carving

text: A special screw for fixing work to the workbench, and a mallet, complete the carvers kit, though other tools, both specialized and adapted, are often used, such as a router for bringing grounds to a uniform level, bent gouges and bent chisels for cutting hollows too deep for the ordinary tool.


title: Wood carving

text: The nature of the wood being carved limits the scope of the carver in that wood is not equally strong in all directions: it is an anisotropic material. The direction in which wood is strongest is called "grain" (grain may be straight, interlocked, wavy or fiddleback, "etc".). It is smart to arrange the more delicate parts of a design along the grain instead of across it. Often, however, a "line of best fit" is instead employed, since a design may have multiple weak points in different directions, or orientation of these along the grain would necessitate carving detail on end grain, (which is considerably more difficult). Carving blanks are also sometimes assembled, as with carousel horses, out of many smaller boards, and in this way, one can orient different areas of a carving in the most logical way, both for the carving process and for durability. Less commonly, this same principle is used in solid pieces of wood, where the fork of two branches is utilized for its divergent grain, or a branch off of a larger log is carved into a beak (this was the technique employed for traditional Welsh shepherd's crooks, and some Native American adze handles). The failure to appreciate these primary rules may constantly be seen in damaged work, when it will be noticed that, whereas tendrils, tips of birds beaks, etc., arranged across the grain have been broken away, similar details designed more in harmony with the growth of the wood and not too deeply undercut remain intact.


title: Wood carving

text: Probably the two most common woods used for carving in North America are basswood (aka tilia or lime) and tupelo; both are hardwoods that are relatively easy to work with. Chestnut, butternut, oak, American walnut, mahogany and teak are also very good woods; while for fine work Italian walnut, sycamore maple, apple, pear, box or plum, are usually chosen. Decoration that is to be painted and of not too delicate a nature is often carved in pine, which is relatively soft and inexpensive.


title: Wood carving

text: A wood carver begins a new carving by selecting a chunk of wood the approximate size and shape of the figure he or she wishes to create or if the carving is to be large, several pieces of wood may be laminated together to create the required size. The type of wood is important. Hardwoods are more difficult to shape but have greater luster and longevity. Softer woods may be easier to carve but are more prone to damage. Any wood can be carved but they all have different qualities and characteristics. The choice will depend on the requirements of carving being done: for example, a detailed figure would need a wood with a fine grain and very little figure as a strong figure can interfere with 'reading' fine detail.


title: Wood carving

text: Once the sculptor has selected their wood, he or she begins a general shaping process using gouges of various sizes. The gouge is a curved blade that can remove large portions of wood smoothly. For harder woods, the sculptor may use gouges sharpened with stronger bevels, about 35 degrees, and a mallet similar to a stone carver's. The terms "gouge" and "chisel" are open to confusion. Correctly, a gouge is a tool with a curved cross-section and a chisel is a tool with a flat cross-section. However, professional carvers tend to refer to them all as 'chisels'. Smaller sculptures may require the woodcarver to use a knife, and larger pieces might require the use of a saw. No matter what wood is selected or tool used, the wood sculptor must always carve either across or with the grain of the wood, never against the grain.


title: Wood carving

text: Once the general shape is made, the carver may use a variety of tools for creating details. For example, a “veiner” or “fluter” can be used to make deep gouges into the surface, or a “v-tool” for making fine lines or decorative cuts. Once the finer details have been added, the woodcarver finishes the surface. The method chosen depends on the required quality of the surface finish. The texture left by shallow gouges gives 'life' to the carving's surface and many carvers prefer this 'tooled' finish. If a completely smooth surface is required general smoothing can be done with tools such as “rasps,” which are flat-bladed tools with a surface of pointed teeth. “Rifflers” are similar to rasps, but smaller, usually double-ended, and of various shapes for working in folds or crevasses. The finer polishing is done with abrasive paper. Large grained paper with a rougher surface is used first, with the sculptor then using finer grained paper that can make the surface of the sculpture slick to the touch.


title: Wood carving

text: After the carving and finishing is completed, the artist may seal & colour the wood with a variety of natural oils, such as walnut or linseed oil which protects the wood from dirt and moisture. Oil also imparts a sheen to the wood which, by reflecting light, helps the observer 'read' the form. Carvers seldom use gloss varnish as it creates too shiny a surface, which reflects so much light it can confuse the form; carvers refer to this as 'the toffee apple effect'. Objects made of wood are frequently finished with a layer of wax, which protects the wood and gives a soft lustrous sheen. A wax finish (e.g. shoe polish) is comparatively fragile though and only suitable for indoor carvings.


title: Wrongful death claim

text: Wrongful death claim is a claim against a person who can be held liable for a death. The claim is brought in a civil action, usually by close relatives, as enumerated by statute. In wrongful death cases, survivors are compensated for the harm, losses, and suffering they've suffered after losing a loved one.


title: Wrongful death claim

text: Any fatality caused by the wrongful acts of another may result in a wrongful death claim. Wrongful death claims are often based upon death resulting from negligence, for example following a motor vehicle accident caused by another driver, a dangerous roadway or defective vehicle, product liability, and medical malpractice. Dangerous roadway claims result from deaths caused in whole or in part by the condition of the roadway.


title: Wrongful death claim

text: In most common law jurisdictions, there was no common law right to recover civil damages for the wrongful death of a person. Under common law, a dead person cannot bring a suit (under the maxim "actio personalis moritur cum persona"), and this created an anomaly in which activities that resulted in a person's injury would result in civil sanction, but activities that resulted in a person's death would not. Some jurisdictions recognized a common law right of recovery for wrongful death, reasoning that "there is no present public policy against allowing recovery for wrongful death." In other jurisdictions the cause of action did not exist until the passage of a wrongful death statute.


title: Wrongful death claim

text: Jurisdictions that recognize the common law right to recovery for wrongful death have used the right to fill in gaps in statutes or to apply common law principles to decisions. Many jurisdictions enacted statutes to create a right to such recovery. The issue of liability will be determined by the tort law of a given state or nation.


title: Wrongful death claim

text: It may be possible for a family to seek retribution against someone who kills or is accused of killing a family member through tort rather than a criminal prosecution, which has a higher burden of proof. However, the two actions are not mutually exclusive; a person may be prosecuted criminally for causing a person's death (whether in the form of murder, manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, or some other theory) and that person can also be sued civilly in a wrongful death action (as in the O.J. Simpson murder case).


title: Wrongful death claim

text: To an extent, people can protect themselves from wrongful death lawsuits by having the participants sign a waiver.


title: Wrongful death claim

text: "Wrongful death" is a cause of action, or type of claim, that can be brought when one person or entity wrongfully causes someone's death. It allows a lawsuit to be filed even though the person who was harmed is no longer alive to bring the case. Each state has its own wrongful death statute and, although the details of the statutes vary significantly from state to state, the roots of most can be traced back to Lord Campbell's Act, passed by the United Kingdom's Parliament in 1846. In some states, the family of the decedent must bring two different types of claims: a "wrongful death" claim to recover the "full value of the life" of the deceased, and a "survival" claim on behalf of the decedent's estate to recover for funeral expenses, pain and suffering, or punitive damages.


title: Wrongful death claim

text: The standard of proof in the United States is typically preponderance of the evidence as opposed to clear and convincing or beyond a reasonable doubt.


title: Wrongful death claim

text: Each state has different laws regarding wrongful death claims. In most states, the statute of limitations (time limit to file a case) varies according to how the death occurred. For example, in Oregon, many wrongful death claims are subject to a three-year statute of limitations - but there are many exceptions, including: when alcohol is involved, when a public body is involved, or in product liability claims.


title: Wrongful death claim

text: One of the most difficult wrongful death issues — and a particularly poignant illustration of how wrongful death expands liability beyond what was available at common law — is whether a wrongful death claim can be founded upon intentional infliction of emotional distress that caused the decedent to commit suicide. The first jurisdiction to allow such a claim was California in 1960, followed by Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Wyoming.


title: Wrongful death claim

text: In the United Kingdom, liability for causing a wrongful death arose from the Fatal Accidents Act 1846 (Lord Campbell's Act). The burden of proof in a wrongful death action is 'on the balance of probabilities'.


title: Sea captain

text: A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the ship, including its seaworthiness, safety and security, cargo operations, navigation, crew management, and legal compliance, and for the persons and cargo on board.


title: Sea captain

text: The captain ensures that the ship complies with local and international laws and complies also with company and flag state policies. The captain is ultimately responsible, under the law, for aspects of operation such as the safe navigation of the ship, its cleanliness and seaworthiness, safe handling of all cargo, management of all personnel, inventory of ship's cash and stores, and maintaining the ship's certificates and documentation.


title: Sea captain

text: One of a shipmaster's particularly important duties is to ensure compliance with the vessel's security plan, as required by the International Maritime Organization's ISPS Code. The plan, customized to meet the needs of each individual ship, spells out duties including conducting searches and inspections, maintaining restricted spaces, and responding to threats from terrorists, hijackers, pirates, and stowaways. The security plan also covers topics such as refugees and asylum seekers, smuggling, and saboteurs.


title: Sea captain

text: On ships without a purser, the captain is in charge of the ship's accounting. This includes ensuring an adequate amount of cash on board, coordinating the ship's payroll (including draws and advances), and managing the ship's slop chest.


title: Sea captain

text: On international voyages, the captain is responsible for satisfying requirements of the local immigration and customs officials. Immigration issues can include situations such as embarking and disembarking passengers, handling crew members who desert the ship, making crew changes in port, and making accommodations for foreign crew members. Customs requirements can include the master providing a cargo declaration, a ship's stores declaration, a declaration of crew members' personal effects, crew lists and passenger lists.


title: Sea captain

text: The captain has special responsibilities when the ship or its cargo are damaged, when the ship causes damage to other vessels or facilities. The master acts as a liaison to local investigators and is responsible for providing complete and accurate logbooks, reports, statements and evidence to document an incident. Specific examples of the ship causing external damage include collisions with other ships or with fixed objects, grounding the vessel, and dragging anchor. Some common causes of cargo damage include heavy weather, water damage, pilferage, and damage caused during loading/unloading by the stevedores.


title: Sea captain

text: All persons on board including public authorities, crew, and passengers are under the captain's authority and are his or her ultimate responsibility, particularly during navigation. In the case of injury or death of a crew member or passenger, the master is responsible to address any medical issues affecting the passengers and crew by providing medical care as possible, cooperating with onshore medical personnel, and, if necessary, evacuating those who need more assistance than can be provided on board the ship.


title: Sea captain

text: There is a common belief that ship captains have historically been, and currently are, able to perform marriages. This depends on the country of registry, however most do not permit performance of a marriage by the master of a ship at sea.


title: Sea captain

text: In the United States Navy, a captain's powers are defined by its 1913 Code of Regulations, specifically stating: "The commanding officer shall not perform a marriage ceremony on board his ship or aircraft. He shall not permit a marriage ceremony to be performed on board when the ship or aircraft is outside the territory of the United States." However, there may be exceptions "in accordance with local laws and the laws of the state, territory, or district in which the parties are domiciled" and "in the presence of a diplomatic or consular official of the United States, who has consented to issue the certificates and make the returns required by the consular regulations."