title: Battle of the Pelennor Fields

text: The arrival of Rohan is heralded, the Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey writes, by two calls: a cockerel crowing as the morning comes, and "as if in answer ... great horns of the North wildly blowing". The cock-crow recalls multiple accounts in Western literature that speak, Shippey writes, of renewed hope and life after death; of the call which told Simon Peter that he had denied Christ three times, and that there would, despite him, be a resurrection; of the cock-crow in Milton's "Comus" that would "be some solace yet"; of the cockerel in the Norse "Ódáinsakr", killed and thrown over a wall by the witch, but crowing to King Hadding a moment later. As for the horns of Rohan, in Shippey's view "their meaning is bravado and recklessness", and in combination with the cock-crow, the message is that "he who fears for his life shall lose it, but that dying undaunted is no defeat; furthermore that this was true before the Christian myth that came to explain why". Shippey writes that warhorns exemplify the "heroic Northern world", as in what he calls the nearest "Beowulf" has to a moment of eucatastrophe, when Ongentheow's Geats, trapped all night, hear the horns of Hygelac's men coming to rescue them. The style of chivalry, too, the Tolkien scholar Thomas Honegger notes, is consciously of Anglo-Saxon knights (Old English: "cniht"), not a French-style "chevalier". Shippey writes that prominent at the critical moment of the battle, the decisive charge of the Riders of Rohan, is panache, which he explains means both "the white horsetail on [Eomer's] helm floating in his speed" and "the virtue of sudden onset, the dash that sweeps away resistance." Shippey notes that this allows Tolkien to display Rohan both as English, based on their Old English names and words like ""eored"" (troop of cavalry), and as "alien, to offer a glimpse of the way land shapes people".


title: Battle of the Pelennor Fields

text: The Tolkien scholar Janet Brennan Croft notes that the battle is seen some of the time through the eyes of the Hobbit, Pippin, who like "the common soldier in the trenches of World War I" feels his part to be "far from glorious; there is tedious waiting, a sense of uselessness and futility, terror and pain and ugliness". Yet, Croft writes, Tolkien does not follow the Modernists and adopt irony as his tone; the Hobbits too are courageous, carrying on without hope. She cites Hugh Brogan's remark that their determination "master[s] all the grief and horror ... giving it dignity and significance", a therapeutic thought for a man whose mind had been darkened by war.


title: Battle of the Pelennor Fields

text: Julaire Andelin, in the "J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia", writes that prophecy in Middle-earth depended on characters' understanding of the Music of the Ainur, the divine plan for Arda, and was often ambiguous. Thus, Glorfindel's prophecy "not by the hand of man will [the Lord of the Nazgûl] fall" did not lead the Lord of the Nazgûl to suppose that he would die at the hands of a woman and a hobbit (Éowyn and Meriadoc).


title: Battle of the Pelennor Fields

text: Robert Lee Mahon states in "CEA Critic" that Tolkien's account of the battle is tinged with the elegiac, so that whatever the outcome, much will be lost. Men have the gift of Iluvatar, death. In the battle, Aragorn and Éomer "were unscathed, for such was their fortune and the skill and might of their arms, and few indeed had dared to abide them ... in the hour of their wrath". So far so heroic, in the fantasy, Mahon notes; "But many others were hurt or maimed or dead upon the field." The battle chapter ends with "an elegiac lay", in which Tolkien has a scop of Rohan imitate his beloved "Beowulf": "We heard of the horns in the hills ringing, the swords shining in the South-kingdom... There Théoden fell, Thengling mighty ... high lord of the host. ... Death in the morning and at day's ending lords took and lowly. Long now they sleep under grass in Gondor." Mahon comments that the reader mourns even while rejoicing, in his view "the essence of great fantasy".


title: Battle of the Pelennor Fields

text: James Shelton, in "Journal of Tolkien Research", writes that Éomer's (and Tolkien's) use of alliterative verse during the battle functions on different levels. After Théoden's death, Éomer declaims "Mourn not overmuch! Mighty was the fallen, meet was his ending. When his mound is raised, women then shall weep. War now calls us!" Shelton notes that Shippey rightly called this "'midway between' a lament and a battle-cry". This both honours the fallen king, and calls for Théoden's last fight to be continued with valour; yet, he writes, in a modern novel, the possibility is opened that Éomer will not live up to that ancient ideal: Éomer "wept as he spoke". This "northern courage" is to go on fighting, even if one knows one will die. Tolkien has thus, in Shelton's view, both portrayed Anglo-Saxon attitudes and humanized Éomer as a man with emotions behind the armour and the tradition.


title: Battle of the Pelennor Fields

text: Nancy Martsch, in "Mythlore", writes that Tolkien's descriptions of battle are vivid, noting that he served in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. She quotes another war veteran, C. S. Lewis's comment: "[Tolkien's] war has the very quality of the war my generation knew. It is all here: the endless, unintelligible movement, the sinister quiet of the front when 'everything is now ready', the flying civilians, the lively, vivid friendships, the background of something like despair and the merry foreground, and such heaven-sent windfalls as a cache of choice tobacco 'salvaged' from a ruin". She adds to this Tolkien's account of recovery in the Houses of Healing, "a subject usually passed over in fantasy literature". As for the siege of Minas Tirith, she writes that Tolkien could have been influenced by what he had seen of the British attack on Thiepval Ridge, with its fiery night-time bombardment, the fortifications across a river, allied aircraft "scouting and strafing" Nazgul-like over the German lines.


title: Battle of the Pelennor Fields

text: David Bell, writing in "Mallorn", analyses the battle, concluding that "the Captains of the West were lucky", as Napoleon had reportedly asked that his generals should be. He notes that if Aragorn had been late, the battle would have been lost. All the same, Men were, he writes, usually bigger and stronger than Orcs; they were arguably better armed and armoured; and they were motivated by leadership, where the Orcs were "driven to battle"; with the loss of the Witch-King of Angmar, the Orcs were leaderless and demoralised. On the matter of armour, Honegger considers Tolkien's mention of prince Imrahil's shining vambrace. He writes that it was a piece of plate armour, hinting at a late medieval pattern; but given Tolkien's likening of Rohan's army to those of the Bayeux tapestry, and his explicit mentions of mail shirts, the armour in the battle must mainly have been the earlier "Beowulf"-style mail, with additional plate.


title: Battle of the Pelennor Fields

text: In the BBC radio series "The Lord of the Rings", the Battle of the Pelennor Fields is heard from two sides, the first being mainly Pippin's. One hears him discussing with Denethor, and as in the book, he has to find Gandalf to prevent Denethor from burning Faramir. The second side is the battle itself. Théoden's speech is declaimed, followed by music. A vocalist sings how the Rohirrim host rides forth and attacks the forces of darkness. Then the vocalism changes again and one hears Jack May and Anthony Hyde, voicing respectively Théoden and Éomer, saying a Nazgûl is coming. The 'opera' begins again, stating the Witch-king attacks Théoden, strikes him down and prepares to kill him. The vocalism ends here, then one hears Éowyn facing the Witch-king and slaying him.


title: Battle of the Pelennor Fields

text: The battle is the centrepiece of Peter Jackson's film ""; "The Telegraph" wrote that "the battle scenes involving the storming of Minas Tirith and the climactic battle of Pelennor Fields are quite simply the most spectacular and breathtaking ever filmed". Jackson stated that he had taken inspiration from Albrecht Altdorfer's 1529 oil painting, "The Battle of Alexander at Issus", depicting the events of 333 BC, with "people holding all of these pikes and spears [against an] incredibly stormy landscape".


title: Battle of the Pelennor Fields

text: CNN.com put the battle on a list of best and worst battle scenes in film, where it appeared twice: one of the best before the Army of the Dead arrives, and one of the worst after that, dubbing the battle's climax an "oversimplified cop out" as a result of their involvement.


title: Atari SA

text: Atari SA (formerly Infogrames Entertainment SA) is a French video game holding company headquartered in Paris. Its subsidiaries include Atari Interactive and Atari, Inc. It is the current owner of the Atari brand through Atari Interactive. Because of continuing pressures upon the company and difficulty finding investors, it sought bankruptcy protection under French law in January 2013; its subsidiaries in the United States have sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as well. All three subsidiaries have since exited bankruptcy.


title: Atari SA

text: The founders wanted to christen the company "Zboub Système" (which can be approximately translated to "Dick System" in English), but were dissuaded by their legal counsel. According to Bonnell in a TV interview, they then used a mix-and-match computer program to suggest other names, one of which was "Infogramme": a portmanteau of the French words "informatique" (information technology) and "programme" (computer program). The final choice, Infogrames, was a slightly modified version of that suggestion.


title: Atari SA

text: The company logo and mascot is an armadillo ("tatou" in French), chosen when the company was moved to Villeurbanne. Bonnell commented: "This dinosaur is our symbol. The armadillo has always survived changes to its environment, from the melting of glaciers to the worst of heat waves."


title: Atari SA

text: In the late 1980s, Infogrames was noted for its French computer games that often featured original game ideas and occasionally humorous content. They had acquired several licences for popular Franco-Belgian comics.


title: Atari SA

text: By 1995, Infogrames was held by many shareholders, including a 20% stake from Pathé Interactive (joint-venture between Phillips Media and Chargeurs) and 3.3% by Productions Marcel Dassault. By August, Phillips Media acquired Chargeurs' stake in Pathé Interactive, which led to the 20% shareholding stake of the company transferring fully over to Phillips.


title: Atari SA

text: In 1996, Infogrames embarked on an acquisition campaign that would last seven years and cost more than $500 million; the objective was to become the world's leading interactive entertainment publisher. While the company's debt increased from $55 million in 1999 to $493 million in 2002, the company's revenue also increased from $246 million to $650 million during the same period.


title: Atari SA

text: The company began their acquisitions by purchasing the British-based holding company Ocean International Ltd. for $100 million, with their UK and US subsidiaries rebranding as distribution arms of Infogrames. This was followed up with the purchase of French distributor Phillips Media for ₣191.5 million, which also included two German companies, distributor Bomico Entertainment Software GmbH and publisher Laguna Video Games, but didn't include the UK-based Leisuresoft.


title: Atari SA

text: In 1998, Infogrames acquired three distributors; ABS Multimedia, Arcadia, and the Swiss Gamecity GmbH, followed with a 62.5% in the Australian game distributor OziSoft in December following its then-recent relinquishment from Sega, followed up in February 1999 with a 50% stake in Canal+ Multimedia and the purchase of the Gremlin Group for $40 million in March, which included developers Gremlin Interactive and DMA Design. The former was renamed as Infogrames Sheffield House, while the latter was soon sold by Infogrames to Take-Two Interactive.


title: Atari SA

text: On April 5, 1999, Infogrames purchased the Paris-based development studio of Phygnosis. On April 20, the company made another major acquisition by purchasing Accolade for $60 million, which was renamed as "Infogrames North America, Inc.", and the Australian-based Beam Software, which was renamed to "Infogrames Melbourne House Pty Ltd".


title: Atari SA

text: In December 1999, Infogrames bought 70% of GT Interactive for $135 million, and assumed the new subsidiary's $75 million bank debt. IESA justified the purchase by stating that GT Interactive provided Infogrames with a "distribution network for all of its products in the United States, as well as a catalog of products that includes Driver, Duke Nukem, Oddworld, Unreal Tournament and Deer Hunter". By June 2000 Infogrames had invested another $30 million in GT Interactive, and renamed the publisher as Infogrames, Inc. immediately. Included in the GT Interactive purchase were the game development studios SingleTrac, Humongous Entertainment, Legend Entertainment and Reflections Interactive; however, SingleTrac was closed down by the end of the year.


title: Atari SA

text: In 2000, the developer Paradigm Entertainment was bought for $19.5 million and in-flight games developer Den-o-Tech Int. (DTI), later renamed to "Infogrames DTI", was also acquired for $5.6 million. In June 2000, the company was one of the interested parties to acquire Eidos Interactive.


title: Atari SA

text: In January 2001, IESA purchased Hasbro Interactive and the handheld game console "Game.com" from Hasbro for $100 million; with $95 million as 4.5 million common shares of Infogrames and $5 million in cash. With the acquisition of Hasbro Interactive, which was renamed as Infogrames Interactive, Inc., IESA became the owner of the MicroProse and Atari brand names, alongside titles such as "Civilization", "Falcon", "RollerCoaster Tycoon", "Centipede", "Missile Command", and "Pong". Under the terms of the sale agreement, Infogrames gained the exclusive rights to develop and publish games based on Hasbro properties, which included "Dungeons & Dragons", "Mr. Potato Head", "My Little Pony" and others, for a period of 15 years plus an option for an additional 5 years based on performance. In October, Infogrames announced to "reinvent" the Atari brand with the launch of three new games featuring prominent Atari branding on their boxarts: "Splashdown", "MX Rider" and "TransWorld Surf". The company focused the Atari brand mainly for console games aimed at a 18–34 year-old demographic. PC, educational and casual games retained the Infogrames banner.


title: Atari SA

text: In April 2002, the company's Japanese division Infogrames Japan K.K. signed a Japanese distribution deal with Konami for select titles and soon relaunched the Atari brand in the country with the publication of "Splashdown", "TransWorld Surf" and "V-Rally 3" in the region. In May, Infogrames purchased Shiny Entertainment from Interplay Entertainment for $47 million, with the purchase also including exclusive publishing rights to publish games based on "The Matrix". In October, Infogrames acquired the remaining 80% of Eden Studios for $4.1 million, and IESA bought the remaining shares of "OziSoft" and other share holders for $3.7 million, then renamed them to Infogrames Australia Pty, Ltd. and Infogrames New Zealand Pty, Ltd. During 2002, the company shuttered their Chippenham and Lyon House development studios. In the fiscal year of 2002, IESA had a net loss of $67 million on revenues of $650 million, and in 2003 the net losses increased to $89 million.


title: Atari SA

text: On 7 May 2003, IESA officially reorganized its subsidiaries under Atari branded names and became a holding company. Infogrames, Inc. was renamed as Atari, Inc., Infogrames Interactive, Inc. to Atari Interactive, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of IESA, Infogrames Australia Pty Ltd to Atari Australia Pty Ltd, renamed Infogrames Melbourne House Pty Ltd to Atari Melbourne House Pty Ltd, Infogrames UK to Atari UK, and Infogrames Europe to Atari Europe.


title: Atari SA

text: Atari is a public company that, as of 2007, had, as a majority stockholder, the company California U.S. Holdings, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of IESA. Atari licences the "Atari" trademark from Atari Interactive, a licence which was set to expire in 2013. Atari, Inc. has the rights to publish and sublicense in North America certain intellectual properties either owned or licensed by IESA or its subsidiaries, including Atari Interactive. Atari's Australian subsidiary also distributes games for Konami of Europe, Codemasters UK, Eidos Interactive and SCi. Konami has an Australian headquarters but this is for Konami's Gaming Machines.


title: Atari SA

text: By 2003, the company continued to shutter more development studios, with Sheffield House, Atari Hunt Valley, and Legend Entertainment all closing within this time.


title: Atari SA

text: On July 29, 2004, Epic Games, the developer behind the "Unreal" franchise, announced they had ended their publishing contract with Atari and signed a three-game publishing deal with Midway Games beginning with "" in 2005, although Atari would continue to publish the existing back catalog of titles. On November 25, 2004, Infogrames sold the "Civilization" franchise to an undisclosed partner for $22.3 million., revealed to be Take-Two Interactive the following year in January, purchasing all previous titles and other Sid Meier titles previously handled by Infogrames, such as the then-recent "Sid Meier's Pirates!" after signing a new deal with Firaxis Games.


title: Atari SA

text: On June 9, 2005, Hasbro bought back the digital gaming rights for their properties from Atari for $65 million. Within the deal, Hasbro purchased back the video game rights to "Transformers", "My Little Pony", "Tonka", "", "Connect Four", "Candy Land" and "Playskool", while obtaining a seven-year exclusive deal to produce video games based on "Monopoly", "Scrabble", "Game of Life", "Battleship", "Clue", "Yahtzee", "Simon", "Risk" and "Boggle", alongside an expanded separate deal with the "Dungeons & Dragons" franchise.


title: Atari SA

text: Infogrames through the remainder of 2006 sold intellectual properties and some studios in order to raise cash and stave off the threat of bankruptcy.


title: Atari SA

text: Their first sell-offs were on May 10, 2006, when they sold Games.com site to AOL, Paradigm Entertainment and the "Stuntman" franchise to THQ and the publishing rights to "TimeShift" to Vivendi Games. The sales generated $25 million in revenue. On June 17, 2006, Midway acquired the publishing rights to the "Unreal" back catalogue from Infogrames, this was followed on in when developer Reflections Interactive and the "Driver" franchise were sold for $21.6 million to Ubisoft. In October, Shiny Entertainment was acquired by Foundation 9 Entertainment for $1.6 million., with the last studio put up for sale - Atari Melbourne House, being sold to Krome Studios in November 2006, and was renamed to Krome Studios Melbourne. After this the only developers still owned by Atari were Eden Games and Humongous, Inc.


title: Atari SA

text: On September 1, 2006, Atari, Inc. announced that its stock faced delisting from the NASDAQ stock exchange due to its price having fallen below $1.00. On September 5, 2006, David Pierce was appointed as new CEO of Atari, replacing Bruno Bonnell. Pierce previously worked as an executive at Universal Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, and Sony Wonder.


title: Atari SA

text: In April 2007, Infogrames' founding chairman Bruno Bonnell left the company after 24 years; on the day of the announcement of his departure IESA's shares jumped 24%. In the same year, Infogrames fired the majority of Atari's directors and laid off 20% of its workforce. For the 2006–2007 fiscal year, Atari posted a net loss of $70 million. In July 2007, Atari sold back their exclusive Hasbro licensing deal back to Hasbro for $19 Million, which concluded with Hasbro signing a new casual game deal with Electronic Arts a month later. On November 7, GameSpot reported that Atari was beginning to run out of money, losing 12 million dollars in the first fiscal quarter of 2008.


title: Atari SA

text: On 6 March 2008, Infogrames made an offer to Atari Inc. to buy out all remaining public shares for a value of US$1.68 per share or US$11 million total. The offer would make Infogrames the sole owner of Atari Inc., making it a privately held company. On 30 April, Atari Inc. announced its intentions to accept Infogrames' buyout offer and merge with Infogrames, which was completed by October 9. With that acquisition Infogrames was the only owner of the Atari brand. Infogrames said that it planned to reduce administrative costs and to focus on online gaming. On May 9, 2008, it was revealed that NASDAQ would be removing Atari from the NASDAQ stock exchange. Atari has stated its intentions to appeal the decision. Atari was notified of NASDAQ's final decision on April 24, 2008, and the appeal hearing took place on May 1, 2008. Atari was expected to raise its value to $15 million USD from the period of December 20, 2007 through to March 2008. Atari received notice of its absolute delisting on September 12, 2008.


title: Atari SA

text: In September 2008, Namco Bandai Games and Infogrames formed a joint venture called Distribution Partners. Distribution Partners was defined by Infogrames as a regrouping of "Infogrames' distribution operations in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America." This new entity consisted mainly of Infograme's distribution network in the PAL region. Distribution Partners was 34% owned by Namco Bandai and 66% owned by Atari.


title: Atari SA

text: In December 2008, Infogrames bought Cryptic Studios for $26.7 million in cash plus performance bonuses. Cryptic Studios is a massively multiplayer online game developer and its acquisition is in line with the company's new business strategy which focuses on online games.


title: Atari SA

text: In May 2009, Namco Bandai acquired Atari Europe from Infogrames. Its sale and marketing personnel were transferred to Distribution Partners. In March 2009, Infogrames announced that it was getting out of the distribution business in the PAL region with its decision to sell its 66% stake at Distribution Partners. According to an Infogrames press-release, this sale allowed "Atari to focus its financial resources and creative energy exclusively on developing and publishing online-enabled games".


title: Atari SA

text: In July, the deal valued at €37 million was completed; Distribution Partners was renamed to Namco Bandai Partners. At that time the company had operations in 50 countries and 17 dedicated offices.


title: Atari SA

text: Despite restructuring, Infogrames continued to struggle to become profitable. For the 2008 fiscal year the company posted €51.1 million ($72.17 million) in net losses and for the 2009 fiscal year, which ended in March, Infogrames posted losses of €226.1 million ($319.33 million).


title: Atari SA

text: During their fiscal year meeting (May 2009), IESA announced that it would be changing its corporate name to an Atari branded name, in line with the use of the name for its subsidiaries. In reference to this, Atari, Inc.'s CEO Jim Wilson said: ""We've gotten rid of the Infogrames and Atari duality, the confusion around that. We are one simplified company, under one management team, under one brand.""


title: Atari SA

text: An earnings press release on 24 July 2009 also provided clarification regarding the ensuing name change that was initially announced some two months prior, rebranding themselves as Atari, SA from Infogrames Entertainment, SA. Furthermore, this release also stated their intentions of henceforth utilising the much more recognisable 'Atari Group' moniker with all Atari-related brands and similar such subsidiaries already under their control.


title: Atari SA

text: On 21 October 2010, Atari announced Atari's reference shareholders BlueBay Value Recovery (Master) Fund Limited and BlueBay Multi-Strategy (Master) Fund Limited are exploring a disposal of the shares and equity-linked instruments held by them. However, BlueBay shareholders later interrupted the sale process of its holding in Atari. BlueBay later converted the conversion of a portion of the ORANEs held by them.


title: Atari SA

text: In 2012, Atari, SA, BlueBay Value Recovery (Master) Fund Limited, and The BlueBay Multi-Strategy (Master) Fund Limited reached an agreement following their negotiations regarding the restructuring of the debt and capital structure of the Atari group. As part of the agreement, the €20.9 million Credit Facility Agreement was extinguished via €10.9 million loan forgiveness from BlueBay Value Recovery (Master) Fund Limited and Atari's payment of €10 million; the cancellation of the dilutive effect of the ORANEs held by BlueBay; €20 million capital increases to be submitted to the vote of Atari shareholders (of which €10 million with preferential subscription right).


title: Atari SA

text: On 21 January 2013, Atari, Inc., Atari Interactive, Inc., Humongous, Inc. and California US Holdings, Inc. (collectively, the "Companies") filed petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.


title: Atari SA

text: In July 2013, Atari began to sell its game assets, developers and the famous "Fuji" logo and the Atari name in a bankruptcy auction. During the sale, the "Battlezone" and "MoonBase Commander" games were bought by Rebellion Developments. The "Backyard Sports" franchise was sold to Epic Gear LLC and later to Day 6 Sports Group LLC. Appeal Studios acquired "Outcast". Glu Mobile acquired the "Deer Hunter" franchise. Tommo bought Humongous Inc. and over 100 different games (Including games from the companies Accolade and MicroProse, and "Math Gran Prix"). Nordic Games acquired the rights to "" and "Silver"." Total Annihilation" and "Master of Orion" were sold to Wargaming and lastly, "Star Control" was bought by Stardock. Atari also had plans to sell off the "Test Drive" and "RollerCoaster Tycoon" franchises. Eden Games also closed down during the bankruptcy, but reopened a year later as an independent developer by its founder, David Nadal.


title: Atari SA

text: In 2015, Alternative Software acquired "Hogs of War" and "Fragile Allegiance" and re-released them both on Steam.


title: Atari SA

text: In December 2016, Atari sold the "Test Drive" franchise to Bigben Interactive and also sold the "V-Rally" series to the company without a formal announcement.


title: Atari SA

text: In 2017, Piko Interactive acquired several titles from Atari: "40 Winks", "Bubble Ghost", "", "Death Gate", "Drakkhen", "Eternam", "Glover", "Monty Mole", "Hostage: Rescue Mission", "Marco Polo" and "".


title: Atari SA

text: On 19 September 2018, THQ Nordic announced they had acquired the "Alone in the Dark" franchise and "".


title: Atari SA

text: On March 3, 2020, Ziggurat Interactive acquired dozens of ex-Atari owned titles, including "Deadly Dozen".


title: Atari SA

text: In 2014, all 3 Ataris emerged from bankruptcy and entered the social casino gaming industry with Atari Casino. Frédéric Chesnais, who now heads all three companies, stated their entire operations consist of a staff of 10 people.


title: Atari SA

text: In 2015, Atari announced a turnaround strategy that would focus on re-releasing the catalogue of Atari games. The strategy was focused on "download games, MMO games, mobile games and licensing activities, based in priority around traditional franchises." Projects in the turnaround strategy included:


title: Atari SA

text: On 8 June 2017 a short teaser video was released, promoting a new product; and the following week CEO Fred Chesnais confirmed the company was developing a new game console – the hardware was stated to be based on PC technology, and be still under development. In mid July 2017 an Atari press release confirmed the existence of new hardware, referred to as the "Ataribox". The box design was derived from early Atari designs (e.g. 2600) with a ribbed top surface, and a rise at the back of the console; two versions were announced; one with a traditional wood veneer front, and another with a glass front. Connectivity options were given as including HDMI, USB (x4), and an SD card – the console was said to support both classic and current games. According to an official company statement of 22 June 2017 the product was to initially launch via a crowdfunding campaign in order to minimise financial risk to the parent company. In March 2018, the Ataribox was renamed the Atari VCS.


title: Atari SA

text: In April 2019, Atari announces that they would begin trading on the Nasdaq Nordic stock exchange under the ticker ATA SDB.


title: Atari SA

text: In 2020, the Atari Token was launched by Atari, in equal partnership with the ICICB Group. The group was granted with issuance license to launch an online gaming platform using crypto-currencies, including the Atari Token.


title: Atari SA

text: The group partnering with Atari gave birth to a new company incorporated in Gibraltar called Atari Chain LTD.


title: Atari SA

text: In March 2021, Atari extended its partnership with ICICB Group for the development of Atari branded hotels, with the first hotels to be constructed in Dubai, Gibraltar and Spain. The licensing agreement includes potential additional countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia.


title: Atari SA

text: On April 2021, Atari restructured the company by splitting into Atari Gaming, who will focus on video games; and Atari Blockchain, who will focus on cryptocurrency, blockchain, and other businesses.


title: Atari SA

text: On July 5, 2021, Atari Gaming announced to fully reenter the premium console and handheld industry and put a lesser extent to free-to-play and mobile games, leading to possible titles being closed or sold, alongside the closure of Atari Casino.


title: Atari SA

text: On November 24, 2021, Atari announced they had invested $500,000 in retro gaming streaming platform Antstream, and a deal to potentially purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million through to the end of March 2022. The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.


title: Atari SA

text: As of 2018, Atari SA own the rights to the following games and game franchises. The majority of these are original works by Atari, Hasbro Interactive or Infogrames, however the most notable outside of these are a large number of intellectual properties formerly belonging to Ocean Software, to which Atari SA never lost the rights.


title: Libation

text: A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid, or grains such as rice, as an offering to a deity or spirit, or in memory of the dead. It was common in many religions of antiquity and continues to be offered in cultures today.


title: Libation

text: Various substances have been used for libations, most commonly wine or other alcoholic drinks, olive oil, honey, and in India, ghee. The vessels used in the ritual, including the patera, often had a significant form which differentiated them from secular vessels. The libation could be poured onto something of religious significance, such as an altar, or into the earth.


title: Libation

text: In East Asia, pouring an offering of rice into a running stream symbolizes the detachment from karma and bad energy.


title: Libation

text: The Sumerian afterlife was a dark, dreary cavern located deep below the ground. This bleak domain was known as Kur, where the souls were believed to eat nothing but dry dust and family members of the deceased would ritually pour libations into the grave through a clay pipe, thereby allowing the dead to drink.


title: Libation

text: Libation was part of ancient Egyptian society where it was a drink offering to honor and please the various divinities, sacred ancestors, humans present and not present, as well as the environment. It is suggested that libation originated somewhere in the upper Nile Valley and spread out to other regions of Africa and the world. According to Ayi Kwei Armah, “[t]his legend explains the rise of a propitiatory custom found everywhere on the African continent: libation, the pouring of alcohol or other drinks as offerings to ancestors and divinities.”


title: Libation

text: In Isaiah 53:12, Isaiah uses libation as a metaphor when describing the end of the Suffering Servant figure who "poured out his life unto death".


title: Libation

text: Idolatrous libations were forbidden, along with the Torah's prohibitions on idolatrous sacrifice and worship generally.


title: Libation

text: Libation is present and in Christianity appears in the New Testament and is the practice of Jesus and other biblical figures.


title: Libation

text: This phrasing in Luke refers to the act of libation as the new covenant, to the blood of Jesus to be poured out in death.


title: Libation

text: Libations were normally conducted in a spirit of peace, the Greek term for libation, σπονδή ("spondȇ"), became synonymous with "peace treaty".


title: Libation

text: Libation (, , ) was a central and vital aspect of ancient Greek religion, and one of the simplest and most common forms of religious practice. It is one of the basic religious acts that define piety in ancient Greece, dating back to the Bronze Age and even prehistoric Greece. Libations were a part of daily life, and the pious might perform them every day in the morning and evening, as well as to begin meals. A libation most often consisted of mixed wine and water, but could also be unmixed wine, honey, oil, water, or milk.


title: Libation

text: The typical form of libation, "," is the ritualized pouring of wine from a jug or bowl held in the hand. The most common ritual was to pour the liquid from an "oinochoē" (wine jug) into a "phiale", a shallow bowl designed for the purpose. After wine was poured from the "phiale", the remainder of the "oinochoē's" contents was drunk by the celebrant. A libation is poured any time wine is to be drunk, a practice that is recorded as early as the Homeric epics. The etiquette of the symposium required that when the first bowl "(krater)" of wine was served, a libation was made to Zeus and the Olympian gods. Heroes received a libation from the second "krater" served, and (, "Zeus who Finishes") from the third, which was supposed to be the last. An alternative was to offer a libation from the first bowl to the Agathos Daimon and from the third bowl to Hermes. An individual at the symposium could also make an invocation of and libation to a god of his choice.


title: Libation

text: Libation generally accompanied prayer. The Greeks stood when they prayed, either with their arms uplifted, or in the act of libation with the right arm extended to hold the "phiale".


title: Libation

text: In conducting animal sacrifice, wine is poured onto the offering as part of its ritual slaughter and preparation, and then afterwards onto the ash and flames. This scene is commonly depicted in Greek art, which also often shows sacrificers or the gods themselves holding the "phiale".


title: Libation

text: The Greek verb ' (σπένδω), "pour a libation", also "conclude a pact", derives from the Indo-European root ', "make an offering, perform a rite, engage oneself by a ritual act". The noun is " ("plural ")", "libation." In the middle voice, the verb means "enter into an agreement", in the sense that the gods are called to guarantee an action. Blood sacrifice was performed to begin a war; ' marked the conclusion of hostilities, and is often thus used in the sense of "armistice, treaty." The formula "We the polis have made libation" was a declaration of peace or the "Truce of God", which was observed also when the various city-states came together for the Panhellenic Games, the Olympic Games, or the festivals of the Eleusinian Mysteries: this form of libation is "bloodless, gentle, irrevocable, and final".


title: Libation

text: Libations poured onto the earth are meant for the dead and for the chthonic gods. In the Book of the Dead in the "Odyssey", Odysseus digs an offering pit around which he pours in order honey, wine, and water. For the form of libation called ' (", ", "that which is poured"; from IE '), a larger vessel is tipped over and emptied onto the ground for the chthonic gods, who may also receive "spondai". Heroes, who were divinized mortals, might receive blood libations if they had participated in the bloodshed of war, as for instance Brasidas the Spartan. In rituals of caring for the dead at their tombs, libations would include milk and honey.


title: Libation

text: "The Libation Bearers" is the English title of the center tragedy from the "Orestes Trilogy" of Aeschylus, in reference to the offerings Electra brings to the tomb of her dead father Agamemnon. Sophocles gives one of the most detailed descriptions of libation in Greek literature in "Oedipus at Colonus", performed as atonement in the grove of the Eumenides:


title: Libation

text: First, water is fetched from a freshly flowing spring; cauldrons which stand in the sanctuary are garlanded with wool and filled with water and honey; turning towards the east, the sacrificer tips the vessels towards the west; the olive branches which he has been holding in his hand he now strews on the ground at the place where the earth has drunk in the libation; and with a silent prayer he departs, not looking back.


title: Libation

text: Hero of Alexandria described a mechanism for automating the process by using altar fires to force oil from the cups of two statues.


title: Libation

text: The English word "libation" derives from the Latin ', an act of pouring, from the verb ', "to taste, sip; pour out, make a libation" (Indo-European root "", "pour, make a libation"). In ancient Roman religion, the libation was an act of worship in the form of a liquid offering, most often unmixed wine and perfumed oil. The Roman god "Liber Pater" ("Father Liber"), later identified with the Greek Dionysus or Bacchus, was the divinity of "libamina", "libations," and "liba", sacrificial cakes drizzled with honey.


title: Libation

text: In Roman art, the libation is shown performed at a "mensa" (sacrificial meal table), or tripod. It was the simplest form of sacrifice, and could be a sufficient offering by itself. The introductory rite "()" to an animal sacrifice included an incense and wine libation onto a burning altar. Both emperors and divinities are frequently depicted, especially on coins, pouring libations. Scenes of libation commonly signify the quality of "", religious duty or reverence.


title: Libation

text: The libation was part of Roman funeral rites, and may have been the only sacrificial offering at humble funerals. Libations were poured in rituals of caring for the dead (see and ), and some tombs were equipped with tubes through which the offerings could be directed to the underground dead.


title: Libation

text: Milk was unusual as a libation at Rome, but was regularly offered to a few deities, particularly those of an archaic nature or those for whom it was a natural complement, such as , a goddess of birth and childrearing who promoted the flow of breast milk, and Cunina, a tutelary of the cradle. It was offered also to Mercurius Sobrius (the "sober" Mercury), whose cult is well attested in Roman Africa and may have been imported to the city of Rome by an African community.


title: Libation

text: Libation was part of ancient Egyptian society where it was a drink offering to honor and please the various divinities, sacred ancestors, humans present and not present, as well as the environment. It is suggested that libation originated somewhere in the upper Nile Valley and spread out to other regions of Africa and the world. According to Ayi Kwei Armah, “[t]his legend explains the rise of a propitiatory custom found everywhere on the African continent: libation, the pouring of alcohol or other drinks as offerings to ancestors and divinities.”


title: Libation

text: In African cultures, African traditional religions the ritual of pouring libation is an essential ceremonial tradition and a way of giving homage to the ancestors. Ancestors are not only respected in such cultures, but also invited to participate in all public functions (as are also the gods and God). A prayer is offered in the form of libations, calling the ancestors to attend. The ritual is generally performed by an elder. Although water may be used, the drink is typically some traditional wine (e.g. palm wine), and the libation ritual is accompanied by an invitation (and invocation) to the ancestors, gods and God. In the Volta region of Ghana, water with a mixture of corn flour is also used to pour libation.


title: Libation

text: Libation is also commonly recognized as the break within the famous performance of Agbekor, a ritual dance performed in West African cultures. It is also poured during traditional marriage ceremony, when a child is born and funeral ceremony. Traditional Festivals like Asafotu and Homowo of the Ga Adangbe people of Ghana and Togo. Also during installment of Kings, Queens, Chiefs libation is poured.


title: Libation

text: In the Quechua and Aymara cultures of the South American Andes, it is common to pour a small amount of one's beverage on the ground before drinking as an offering to the Pachamama, or Mother Earth. This especially holds true when drinking Chicha, an alcoholic beverage unique to this part of the world. The libation ritual is commonly called "challa" and is performed quite often, usually before meals and during celebrations. The sixteenth century writer Bernardino de Sahagún records the Aztec ceremony associated with drinking "octli":


title: Libation

text: Libation was done in this manner: when "octli" was drunk, when they tasted the new "octli", when someone had just made "octli"...he summoned people. He set it out in a vessel before the hearth, along with small cups for drinking. Before having anyone drink, he took up "octli" with a cup and then poured it before the hearth; he poured the "octli" in the four directions. And when he had poured the "octli" then everyone drank it.


title: Libation

text: In Burmese Buddhism, the water libation ceremony, called "yay zet cha" (), which involves the ceremonial pouring of water from a vessel of water into a vase, drop by drop, concludes most Buddhist ceremonies, including donation celebrations, shinbyu, and feasts. This ceremonial libation is done to share the accrued merit with all other living beings in all 31 planes of existence. The ceremony has three primary prayers: the confession of faith, the pouring of water, and the sharing of merits. While the water is poured, a confession of faith, called the "" (), is recited and led by the monks.


title: Libation

text: Afterward, in unison, the participants repeat thrice a declaration of affirmation: ' (, '), Pali for "well done", akin to the Christian use of amen. Afterward, the libated water is poured on soil outside, to return the water to Vasudhara. The earth goddess Vasudhara is invoked to witness these meritorious deeds.


title: Libation

text: Prior to colonial rule, the water libation ceremony was also performed during the crowning of Burmese kings, as part of procedures written in the "Raza Thewaka Dipani Kyan", an 1849 text that outlines proper conduct of Burmese kings.


title: Libation

text: Although the offering of water to Vasudhara may have pre-Buddhist roots, this ceremony is believed to have been started by King Bimbisara, who poured the libation of water, to share his merit with his ancestors who had become pretas.


title: Libation

text: This ceremony is also practiced at the end of Thai and Laotian Buddhist rituals to transfer merit, where it is called "kruat nam" (กรวดน้ำ) and "yaat nam" respectively.


title: Libation

text: In Hinduism the ritual is part of "Tarpan" and also performed during Pitru Paksha (Fortnight of the ancestors) following the Bhadrapada month of the Hindu calendar, (September–October).


title: Libation

text: In India and Nepal, Lord Shiva (also Vishnu and other deities) is offered abhiṣeka with water by devotees at many temples when they go visit the temple, and on special occasions elaborately with water, milk, yogurt, ghee, honey, and sugar.


title: Libation

text: In Chinese customs, rice wine or tea is poured in front of an altar or tombstone horizontally from right to left with both hands as an offering to gods and in honour of deceased. The offering is usually placed on the altar for a while before being offered in libation. In more elaborate ceremonies honouring deities, the libation may be done over the burning paper offerings; whereas for the deceased, the wine is only poured onto the ground.


title: Libation

text: In Shinto, the practice of libation and the drink offered is called "Miki" (神酒), lit. "The Liquor of the Gods". At a ceremony at a Shinto shrine, it is usually done with sake, but at a household shrine, one may substitute fresh water which can be changed every morning. It is served in a white porcelain or metal cup without any decoration.


title: Libation

text: Shamanism among Siberian peoples exhibits the great diversity characteristic of shamanism in general. Among several peoples near the Altai Mountains, the new drum of a shaman must go through a special ritual. This is regarded as "enlivening the drum": the tree and the deer who gave their wood and skin for the new drum narrate their whole lives and promise to the shaman that they will serve him. The ritual itself is a libation: beer is poured onto the skin and wood of the drum, and these materials "come to life" and speak with the voice of the shaman in the name of the tree and the deer. Among the Tubalar, moreover, the shaman imitates the voice of the animal, and its behaviour as well.


title: Libation

text: In Cuba a widespread custom is to spill a drop or two of rum from one's glass while saying "" (‘for the Saints’). An identical form is done in Brazil when one drinks cachaça, with the drops being offered "" or "". These customs are similar to the practise of Visayans living on Mindanao, the Philippines, where they spill a capful of rum as soon as the bottle is opened while saying ""para sa yawa"" ('for the Devil').


title: Libation

text: In Russia and surrounding countries, it is an old tradition to pour vodka onto a grave, an act possibly connected with "dziady" custom. In Georgia, where wine plays an important part in the local culture, it is common to pour a glass of wine on graves, especially around Easter.


title: Libation

text: In the contemporary United States, occasionally libations are offered in the name of a deceased person on various occasions, usually when drinking socially among friends in a private setting. There is also a tradition of pouring libations of malt liquor from a forty before drinking, which is particularly associated with African-American rappers. This is referred to as "tipping" to one's [dead] homies (friends), or "pouring one out". This is performed in movies, such as "Boyz n the Hood", and referenced in various songs, such as the 1993 "Gangsta Lean (This Is For My Homies)" by DRS ("I tip my 40 to your memory"), and sometimes accompanied by ritual expressions such as "One for me, and one for my homies" as well as the 1994 song "Pour Out a Little Liquor" by 2Pac. This was parodied in "" (1999).


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: The "Colonel Bogey March" is a British march that was composed in 1914 by Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts (1881–1945) (pen name Kenneth J. Alford), a British Army bandmaster who later became the director of music for the Royal Marines at Plymouth. The march is often whistled. Featuring in films since it first appeared in "The Bridge on the River Kwai" in 1957, "Empire" magazine included the tune in its list of 25 of Cinema's Catchiest Earworms.


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: Since service personnel were, at that time, not encouraged to have professional lives outside the armed forces, British Army bandmaster F. J. Ricketts published "Colonel Bogey" and his other compositions under the pseudonym Kenneth J. Alford in 1914. One supposition is that the tune was inspired by a British military officer who "preferred to whistle a descending minor third" rather than shout "Fore!" when playing golf. It is this descending interval that begins each line of the melody. The name "Colonel Bogey" began in the late 19th century as an imaginary "standard opponent" in assessing a player's performance, and by Edwardian times the Colonel had been adopted by the golfing world as the presiding spirit of the course. Edwardian golfers on both sides of the Atlantic often played matches against "Colonel Bogey". Bogey is now a golfing term meaning "one over par".


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: The sheet music was a million-seller, and the march was recorded many times. At the start of World War II, "Colonel Bogey" became a British institution when a popular song was set to the tune: "Hitler Has Only Got One Ball" (originally "Göring Has Only Got One Ball" after the Luftwaffe leader suffered a grievous groin injury), with the tune becoming an unofficial national anthem, essentially exalting rudeness. "Colonel Bogey" was used as a march-past by the 10th and 50th Battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, the latter perpetuated today by The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC) of the Canadian Forces, who claim "Colonel Bogey" as their authorised march-past in quick time.


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: The "Colonel Bogey March" melody was used for a song of the Women's Army Corps, a branch of the U.S. Army from 1943 until its absorption into the regular Army in 1978. The lyrics written by Major Dorothy E. Nielsen (USAR) were this: "Duty is calling you and me, we have a date with destiny, ready, the WACs are ready, their pulse is steady a world to set free. Service, we're in it heart and soul, victory is our only goal, we love our country's honor and we'll defend it against any foe."


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: In 1951, during the first computer conference held in Australia, the "Colonel Bogey March" was the first music played by a computer, by CSIRAC, a computer developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: In the 1961 film "The Parent Trap", the campers at an all-girls summer camp whistle the "Colonel Bogey March" as they march through camp, mirroring the scene from "The Bridge on the River Kwai".


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: In episode 28 (1976) of The Benny Hill Show, Sale of the Half-Century game show sketch, the march was used in a Name That Tune-style question. One of the contestants' answers was "After the Ball" after which the host (Benny) responded with, "well, you're sort of half-right" referring to the anti-Hitler slur.


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: The march has been used in German commercials for Underberg digestif bitter since the 1970s, and has become a classic jingle there. A parody titled "Comet" is a humorous song about the ill effects of consuming the cleaning product of the same name.


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: In the 1985 film "The Breakfast Club", all the teenage main characters are whistling the tune during their Saturday detention when Principal Vernon (played by Paul Gleason) walks into the room. It was also used in "Short Circuit" and "Spaceballs".


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: In the UK, the Colonel Bogey March is still (2019) one of the most common tunes played by ice-cream vans.


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: In the 2019, the Colonel Bogey March was used in the TV series "The Man in the High Castle", in episode 8 of season 4.


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: The song was featured in episode 5 of season 6 of "Outlander", revealing a returning character from season 5. The song also continued through the credits.


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: English composer Malcolm Arnold added a counter-march, which he titled "The River Kwai March", for the 1957 dramatic film "The Bridge on the River Kwai", set during World War II. The two marches were recorded together by Mitch Miller as "March from the River Kwai – Colonel Bogey" and it reached #20 in the US in 1958.


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: The Arnold march forms part of the orchestral concert suite made of the Arnold film score by Christopher Palmer published by Novello & Co in London.


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: On account of the film, the "Colonel Bogey March" is often miscredited as the "River Kwai March". While Arnold did use "Colonel Bogey" in his score for the film, it was only the first theme and a bit of the second theme of "Colonel Bogey", whistled unaccompanied by the British prisoners several times as they marched into the prison camp. Since the film depicted prisoners of war held under inhumane conditions by the Japanese, Canadian officials were embarrassed in May 1980, when a military band played "Colonel Bogey" during a visit to Ottawa by Japanese prime minister Masayoshi Ōhira. A British actor, Percy Herbert, who appeared in "The Bridge on the River Kwai" suggested the use of the song in the movie. According to Kevin Brownlow’s interviews with David Lean, it was actually David Lean who knew of the song and fought during the screenwriting process to have it whistled by the troops. He realized it had to be whistled rather than sung because the lyrics were racy and would not get past the censors. Percy Herbert was used as a consultant on the film because he had first-hand experience of Japanese POW camps, he was paid an extra £5 per week by director David Lean. However, he did not suggest the song.


title: Colonel Bogey March

text: S.D. Burman used this composition in the 1967 Hindi spy thriller heist film "Jewel Thief". The opening lines of ""Yeh Dil Na Hota Bechaara"" draw inspiration from the marching song.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: The Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, also known as Plant Vogtle (), is a two-unit nuclear power plant located in Burke County, near Waynesboro, Georgia, in the southeastern United States. It is named after a former Alabama Power and Southern Company board chairman, Alvin Vogtle.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: Each unit has a Westinghouse pressurized water reactor (PWR), with a General Electric steam turbine and electric generator.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: Each unit has a gross electricity generation capacity of 1,215 MW, for a combined capacity of 2,430 MW.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: Four smaller mechanical draft cooling towers provide nuclear service cooling water (NSCW) to safety and auxiliary non-safety components, as well as remove the decay heat from the reactor when the plant is offline.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: In 2009, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) renewed the licenses for both units for an additional 20 years to 1/16/2047 for Unit 1, and 2/9/2049 for Unit 2. During the construction of Vogtle's first two units, capital investment required jumped from an estimated $660 million to $8.87 billion. ($ in dollars)


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: Natural-draft type cooling towers were also selected, and the two new cooling towers are nearly tall.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: The certified construction & capital costs for these two new units were originally $14 billion, according to the Seventeenth Semi-annual Vogtle Construction Monitoring Report in 2017.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: This last report blames the latest increase of costs on the contractor not completing work as scheduled.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: In 2018 costs were estimated to be about $25 billion. By 2021 they were estimated to be over $28.5 billion.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: Upon completion of Units 3 and 4 in 2023, Vogtle will become the largest nuclear power station in the United States.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: The Vogtle Electric Generating Plant has two operational reactors with two additional units under construction.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: In 2008, both reactors were increased in power by 1.7% by an "Appendix K" uprate, also called a Measurement Uncertainty Recapture (MUR) uprate. Measurement uncertainty recapture power uprates are less than 2 percent, and are achieved by implementing enhanced techniques for calculating reactor power. This involves the use of state-of-the-art feedwater flow measurement devices to more precisely measure feedwater flow, which is used to calculate reactor power. More precise measurements reduce the degree of uncertainty in the power level, which is used by analysts to predict the ability of the reactor to be safely shut down under postulated accident conditions. Because the reactor power can now be calculated with much greater accuracy than with the old venturi type measurement, the plant can safely run within a tighter margin of error to its limits. The new flowmeter works by comparing the time it takes ultrasonic sound pulses to travel upstream versus downstream inside the pipe, and uses the time differential to figure the flow rate of the water in the pipe.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: The NRC approved Vogtle's License Amendment Request (LAR) in March 2008. The NRC staff determined that Southern Nuclear could safely increase the reactor's power output primarily through more accurate means of measuring feedwater flow. NRC staff also reviewed Southern Nuclear's evaluations showing that the plant's design can handle the increased power level. Unit 1 was uprated during its Spring 2008 refueling outage, and Unit 2 was uprated in the Fall outage of the same year.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: At 9:20 a.m., a truck carrying fuel and lubricants in the plant's 230 kV switchyard backed into a support column for the feeder line supplying power to the Unit 1-A reserve auxiliary transformer (RAT). At the time, the 1-B RAT was de-energized for maintenance and RAT 1-A was powering both trains of emergency electrical power. The non-emergency electrical trains were being powered by back-feeding from the switchyard through the main step-up transformer to the 1-A and 1-B unit auxiliary transformers (UAT). Additionally, emergency diesel generator (EDG) 1-B was out of service for planned maintenance. After the power loss, EDG 1-A failed to start due to a protective safety trip. The resulting loss of electrical power in the plant's "vital circuits" shut down the residual heat removal (RHR) pump that was cooling the core of Unit 1 (which was nearing the end of a refueling outage) and prevented the backup RHR from activating. Even though Unit 1 was offline at the time, residual heat from the natural decay of the radioactive fuel must be removed to prevent a dangerous rise in core temperature. While the non-safety power was not interrupted, there was no physical connection between the vital and non-vital electrical trains, preventing the vital trains from receiving power from the unaffected path through the UATs.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: At 9:40 a.m., the plant operators declared a site area emergency (SAE) per existing procedures which called for an SAE whenever "vital" power is lost for more than 15 minutes. At 9:56 a.m., after trying multiple times to start the 1-A EDG normally, plant operators performed an emergency startup of the EDG by activating the generator's emergency start "break-glass" which bypassed most of the EDG's safeties and forced it to start. The startup was successful. RHR-A was then started using power from EDG-A. With core cooling restored, the SAE was downgraded to an alert at 10:15 a.m. At 11:40 a.m., crews energized RAT 1-B which had been shut down for maintenance, restoring power to the "B" safety electrical train. At 12:57 p.m., the "A" safety train was switched from the EDG to RAT 1-B and the EDG was shut down. With both trains receiving offsite power, the alert was terminated at 1:47 p.m.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: The temperature of the Unit 1 core coolant increased from to during the 36 minutes required to re-energize the A-side bus. Throughout the event, non-vital power was continuously available to Unit 1 from off-site sources. However, the Vogtle electrical system was not designed to permit easy interconnection of the Unit 1 vital busses to non-vital power or the Unit 2 electrical busses. Since this incident, Plant Vogtle has implemented changes to the plant that allow the non-vital electrical buses to transfer power to the vital buses in this type of scenario.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: This electrical fault also affected Unit 2 by causing breakers in the 230 kV switchyard to trip, cutting off power to RAT 2-B and vital bus "B." EDG 2-B subsequently started and restored power to the vital bus. At the same time, the electrical disturbance from the falling line striking the ground was detected by protective safeties on the Unit 2 main step-up transformer and a protective relay actuated, opening the transformer's output breaker. This caused a full load rejection to Unit 2, leading to a turbine trip and subsequently, a reactor scram. After Unit 2 tripped, the "B" non-vital electrical train lost power as it attempted to transfer from UAT 2-B (powered by the turbine generator) to the failed RAT 2-B, causing two of the reactor coolant pumps and one of the main feedwater pumps to trip. Despite this, plant cool-down proceeded safely. At 9:03 p.m., the RAT 2-B breakers in the switchyard were reset and offsite power was restored to the vital and non-vital "B" electrical trains, allowing reactor coolant pumps 2 and 4 to be restarted. EDG 2-B was shutdown. It was later determined that the fault disturbance caused by the line falling was not of significant magnitude to trip the protective relay per design and should not have caused Unit 2 to shut down. Further investigation found that current transformers on the main transformer were improperly set. The controls were adjusted to the proper setting. Had the CTs been properly set initially, the Unit 2 would have remained online.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: On August 15, 2006, Southern Nuclear formally applied for an Early Site Permit (ESP) for two additional units.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: The ESP determined whether the site was appropriate for additional reactors, and this process is separate from the Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) application process.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: On March 31, 2008, Southern Nuclear announced that it had submitted an application for a COL, a process which would take at least 3 to 4 years.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: On April 9, 2008, Georgia Power Company reached a contract agreement for two AP1000 reactors designed by Westinghouse; owned by Toshiba.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: Westinghouse partnered with the Shaw Group (Baton Rouge, LA) and its Stone & Webster division to manage the project with Westinghouse responsible for engineering, design, and overall management, and Shaw responsible for manufacturing the pre-fabricated component modules and managing the on-site construction.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: The contract represented the first agreement for new nuclear development in the United States since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, and it received approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission on March 17, 2009.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: On August 26, 2009, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued an Early Site Permit and a Limited Work Authorization.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: Limited construction at the new reactor sites began, with Unit 3 then expected to be operational in 2016, followed by Unit 4 in 2017, pending final issuance of the Combined Construction and Operating License by the NRC.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: In December 2011, a 19th revision was written for the AP1000 Design Certification, which effectively included a complete redesign of the containment building:The wall is appropriately reinforced and sized where the composite wall module joins the reinforced concrete sections and as appropriate to accommodate seismic loads and aircraft loads. This design is new to the amendment; previously the structure was all reinforced concrete. [emphasis added]As this change to the design requirements was made after engineering contacts were already signed and manufacturing had begun on the reactor's long-lead-time components, it resulted in a halting of construction as the containment building had to be re-designed.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: On February 16, 2010, President Barack Obama announced $8.33 billion in federal loan guarantees toward the construction cost, although as of December 2013, Georgia Power had not availed itself of those guarantees, at first awaiting the construction license, and after the construction stop lawsuit outcome.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: Georgia power's share was around $6.1 billion, while remaining ownership of the two reactors is split among Oglethorpe Power Corp., the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power), and Dalton Utilities.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: In February 2012, the NRC approved the construction license of the two proposed AP1000 reactors at Vogtle. NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko cast the lone dissenting vote on plans to build and operate the two new nuclear power reactors, citing safety concerns stemming from Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, saying, "I cannot support issuing this license as if Fukushima never happened." One week after Southern Company received the license to begin construction, many environmental and anti-nuclear groups sued to stop the expansion project, claiming "public safety and environmental problems since Japan's Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear reactor accident have not been taken into account". On July 11, 2012, the lawsuit was rejected by the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: In February 2013, the project's construction contractor, Shaw, was purchased by Chicago Bridge & Iron Company (CB&I). On March 12, 2013, construction on Unit 3 officially began with the pour of the basemat concrete for the nuclear island. This operation was completed on March 14. During the weekend of June 1, 2013, assembly of the containment vessel began with the bottom head of the vessel being lifted into place on the nuclear island. By June 2013, the construction schedule had been extended by at least 14 months. On November 21, 2013, the basemat pour for Unit 4 was completed.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: In February 2014, the Department of Energy approved a $6.5 billion loan guarantee for Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power and Oglethorpe Power Corp. The Department of Energy initially demanded a credit subsidy fee, but the demand was ultimately dropped given the financial strength of Southern Co. and the Vogtle project.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: Further delays and cost increases were incorporated in a revised schedule in early 2015. As a result of the increased delays and cost overruns, contractor CB&I exited the project and Westinghouse took direct control of the project as contractor and hired construction firm Fluor to replace CB&I/Shaw on-site managing the day-to-day work. Westinghouse purchased certain assets of the former Shaw Group from CB&I to allow the project to go forward. In 2016, Southern Company and Westinghouse added construction firm Bechtel to the project to share construction management responsibilities.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: Recent construction milestones include setting the final of the "big six" structural modules for Unit 3 (CA-02 and CA-03, which form the walls of a storage tank that is part of the reactor's passive cooling system). The "big six" modules also include the previously installed CA-01, CA-04, and CA-05 in-containment structural modules, as well as the previously installed CA-20 structural module which forms part of the internal structure of the auxiliary building, containing many of the reactor's support systems. CA-02 and CA-03 were placed within the containment vessel in May 2016. The setting of these modules is a fairly significant milestone and allows other construction activities to commence. In June 2016, the final reactor coolant pump for Unit 3 was received on site. In November 2016, the reactor vessel for Unit 3 was set within the nuclear island. 2017 progress includes the installation of the reactor coolant loop piping and both steam generators at Unit 3. Progress has also been made in the turbine, auxiliary, and annex building. Unit 4 has also seen progress with the installation of the final two "big six" structural modules. Construction of both cooling towers is complete, with each nearly tall.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: In March 2017, Westinghouse Electric Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to losses from its two U.S. nuclear construction projects. The U.S. government has given $8.3 billion of loan guarantees to help finance construction of the Vogtle reactors, and a way forward to completing the plant has been agreed upon. On July 31, 2017 Southern Company division, Southern Nuclear, officially took over construction from Westinghouse and opened a bid for a new construction management contract to manage the day-to-day work on the site. Southern received bids from both Fluor and Bechtel. On August 31, 2017, Southern announced its decision to move forward with Bechtel to be the day-to-day construction manager for the remainder of the project. Bechtel will replace Fluor, who will no longer be involved in the project.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: In November 2017 the Georgia Public Service Commission (GPSC) requested additional documentation following concerns that design blueprints had not been approved by appropriately licensed engineers, which has legal implications. On December 21, 2017, the PSC approved the continuation of construction on Units 3 and 4, with conditions that reduced the costs that can be recovered from ratepayers over the life of the project, causing a scheduled monthly consumer rate increase of $3.78 after first power.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: In the February 2018 Vogtle Construction Monitoring Report (VCM), GPSC approved November 2021 and November 2022 as the target in-service dates for Units 3 & 4 respectively. The report notes that the project is being completed on an accelerated schedule and is currently tracking ahead of the 2021 & 2022 in-service target dates.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: In August 2018 a $2.3 billion increase in costs was recognized. The total cost, including financing costs, is estimated at about $25 billion.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: In September 2018, in order to sustain the project, Georgia Power agreed to pay an additional proportion of the costs of the smaller project partners if the cost of completion went beyond $9.2 billion.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: In March 2019 further federal loan guarantees of $3.7 billion were given to the various build partners, taking total federal loan guarantees up to $12 billion. The Georgia Power CEO said the loan guarantees played a key role in reducing financing costs for the build. Also in March 2019, Georgia Power confirmed that the Unit 3 containment cap had been lowered into place and the reactor would be ready to load nuclear fuel in 2020. This was preceded by the containment vessel third ring, as well as reactor coolant pump and polar crane installation in unit 3 during 2018 and 2019. The containment vessel top head was set during a site visit by Secretary of Energy Rick Perry and executives of the plant's owners. Recent progress on unit 4 includes the installation of the final steam generator and pressurizer. Unit 4 is being constructed utilizing lessons learned from Unit 3 and from the failed Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station (V.C. Summer) project and as a result the order in which some components are being installed has been modified. On November 22, 2019 the third ring of the containment vessel was set for unit 4, and on December 8, 2019 the unit 3 shield building roof was set above the unit 3 containment vessel. On December 16, 2019 the control room of unit 3 became operational and is now available for testing systems. On February 11, 2020, Southern Nuclear announced that the final concrete placement inside the Unit 3 containment vessel was completed which will allow installation of the reactor's fueling machine. As of February 2020, assembly continues on the final top most vertical feature of the overall Unit 3 reactor building, the passive containment cooling system storage tank, which will be set on top of the Shield Building Roof.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: A three month delay to completion of both units was announced in October 2021, with unit 3 expected operational in the third quarter of 2022 and unit 4 in the second quarter of 2023. In August 2022 a further delay was announced, first quarter of 2023 for unit 3 and the fourth quarter of 2023 for unit 4. Costs were expected to rise to over $30 billion due to the delays.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of , concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about , concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: The 2010 U.S. population within of Vogtle was 5,845, a decrease of 16.3 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within was 726,640, an increase of 8.8 percent since 2000. Cities within include Augusta, GA ( to city center).


title: Vogtle Electric Generating Plant

text: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to either reactor at Vogtle was 1 in 140,845, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: "" (; ) was a personal anthem to Francis II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and later of the Austrian Empire, with lyrics by Lorenz Leopold Haschka (1749–1827) and music by Joseph Haydn. It is sometimes called the "Kaiserhymne" (; Emperor's Hymn). Haydn's tune has since been widely employed in other contexts: in works of classical music, in Christian hymns, in alma maters, and as the tune of the "Deutschlandlied", the national anthem of Germany.


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: The song was written when Austria was seriously threatened by Revolutionary France and patriotic sentiments ran high. The story of the song's genesis was narrated in 1847 by Anton Schmid, who was Custodian of the Austrian National Library in Vienna:


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: I had a text fashioned by the worthy poet Haschka; and to have it set to music, I turned to our immortal compatriot Haydn, who, I felt, was the only man capable of creating something that could be placed at the side of ... "God Save the King".


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" was first performed on the Emperor's birthday, 12 February 1797. It proved popular, and came to serve unofficially as Austria's first national anthem.


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: As elsewhere in Haydn's music, it has been conjectured that Haydn took part of his material from folk songs he knew. This hypothesis has never achieved unanimous agreement, the alternative being that Haydn's original tune was adapted by the people in various versions as folk songs. For discussion, see Haydn and folk music.


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: Irrespective of the original source, Haydn's own compositional efforts went through multiple drafts, discussed by Rosemary Hughes in her biography of the composer. Hughes reproduces the draft fragment given below (i.e., the fifth through eighth lines of the song) and writes: "His sketches, preserved in the Vienna National Library, show the self-denial and economy with which he struggled to achieve [the song's] seemingly inevitable climax, pruning the earlier and more obviously interesting version of the fifth and sixth lines, which would have anticipated, and so lessened, its overwhelming effect."


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: The original version of the song (see autograph score, above) included a single line for voice with a rather crude piano accompaniment, with no dynamic indications and what David Wyn Jones calls "an unevenness of keyboard sonority". This version was printed in many copies (two different printers were assigned to the work) and sent to theatres and opera houses across the Austrian territories with instructions for performance. The Vienna premiere took place in the Burgtheater on 12 February 1797, the day the song was officially released. The Emperor was present, attending a performance of Dittersdorf's opera "Doktor und Apotheker" and Joseph Weigl's ballet "Alonzo und Cora". The occasion celebrated his 29th birthday.


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: Joseph Haydn seems to have been particularly fond of his creation. During his frail and sickly old age (1802–1809), the composer often would struggle to the piano to play his song, often with great feeling, as a form of consolation; and as his servant Johann Elssler narrated, it was the last music Haydn ever played:


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: The "Kaiser Lied" was still played three times a day, though, but on 26 May [1809] at half-past midday the Song was played for the last time and that 3 times over, with such expression and taste, well! that our good Papa was astonished about it himself and said he hadn't played the Song like that for a long time and was very pleased about it and felt well altogether till evening at 5 o'clock then our good Papa began to lament that he didn't feel well...


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: Later composers in the Western classical canon have repeatedly quoted or otherwise employed Haydn's tune, as is demonstrated by the following chronological list. As the tune was widely known, the uses by other composers were heard as quotations and served as an emblem of Austria, of Austrian patriotism, or of the Austrian monarchy.


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: After the death of Francis in 1835, the tune was given new lyrics that praised his successor, Ferdinand: "Segen Öst'reichs hohem Sohne / Unserm Kaiser Ferdinand!" ("Blessings to Austria's high son / Our Emperor Ferdinand!"). After Ferdinand's abdication in 1848, the original lyrics were used again because his successor (Francis Joseph) was also named Francis. However, in 1854, yet again new lyrics were selected: "Gott erhalte, Gott beschütze / Unsern Kaiser, unser Land!" ("God preserve, God protect / Our Emperor, our country!").


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: There were versions of the hymn in several languages of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (e.g., Czech, Serbo-Croatian, Slovene, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Polish, Italian).


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: At the end of the First World War in 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was abolished and divided into multiple states, one of them being the residual state of Austria, which was a republic and had no emperor. The tune ceased to be used for official purposes. When the last Emperor, Charles I, died in 1922, monarchists created an original stanza for his son Otto von Habsburg. Since the emperor was in fact never restored, this version never attained official standing.


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: The hymn was revived in 1929 with completely new lyrics, known as "Sei gesegnet ohne Ende", which remained the national anthem of Austria until the Anschluss. The first stanza of the hymn's 1854 version was sung in 1989 during the funeral of Empress Zita of Austria and again in 2011 during the funeral of her son Otto von Habsburg.


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: Long after Haydn's death, his melody was used as the tune for Hoffmann von Fallersleben's poem "Das Lied der Deutschen" (1841). The third stanza (which begins with ""Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"") is sung to the same melody, and is the present national anthem of Germany and formerly of West Germany. The first verse of Fallersleben's poem was formerly the national anthem of the Weimar Republic, and later, Nazi Germany.


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: In the ordinary nomenclature of hymn tunes, the melody of "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" is classified as 87.87D trochaic metre. When employed in a hymn it is sometimes known as "Austria", or "Austrian Hymn". It has been paired with various lyrics.


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: During Haydn's lifetime, his friend the musicologist Charles Burney, made an English translation of the first verse which is more poetical albeit less literal than the one given above:


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: Burney's penultimate couplet about sheep has no counterpart in the original German and appears to be Burney's own contribution.


title: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

text: For translations into several of the languages that were spoken in the Austrian Empire, see Translations of Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser.


title: Chiba (city)

text: Chiba City is one of the Kantō region's primary seaports, and is home to Chiba Port, which handles one of the highest volumes of cargo in Japan. Much of the city is residential, although there are many factories and warehouses along the coast. There are several major urban centres in the city, including Makuhari, a prime waterfront business district in which Makuhari Messe is located, and Central Chiba, in which the prefectural government office and the city hall are located.


title: Chiba (city)

text: Chiba is famous for the Chiba Urban Monorail, the longest suspended monorail in the world. Some popular destinations in the city include: Kasori Shell Midden, the largest shellmound in the world at , Inage Beach, the first artificial beach in Japan which forms part of the longest artificial beach in Japan, and the Chiba City Zoological Park, popular on account of the standing red panda Futa.


title: Chiba (city)

text: The name of Chiba in the Japanese language is formed from two "kanji" characters. The first, , means "thousand" and the second, means "leaves". The name first appears as an ancient "kuni no miyatsuko", or regional command office, as . The name was adopted by a branch of the Taira clan, which moved to the area in present-day Chiba City in the late Heian period. The branch of the Taira adopted the name and became the Chiba clan, which held strong influence over the area of the prefecture until the Azuchi–Momoyama period. The name "Chiba" was chosen for Chiba Prefecture at the time its creation in 1873 by the , an early Meiji-period body of prefectural governors that met to decide the structure of local and regional administration in Japan.


title: Chiba (city)

text: The first records related to the city of Chiba record the emigration of Taira Tsuneshige (1083?–1088), a powerful "bushi" warlord of the late Heian period, to Shimōsa Province, which historically occupied the north of Chiba Prefecture. Tsuneshige was appointed as "gunji" administrator of Sōma District, but was transferred to the same position in Chiba District two years later. Here he proclaimed himself , became a "kokushi" governor of the province, and used the area around present-day Chiba City as a power base to rule over Shimōsa Province, Kazusa Province, as well as establish himself as a military force in the Kantō region. Tsuneshige's son, (1118–1201) was instrumental in aiding Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199) with the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate. Tsuneshige built a spacious residence and numerous temples in present-day Chiba City, and in the same period he transferred his power base from Ōji Castle to Inohana Castle on Mount Inohana. The area of present-day Chiba City became "jōkamachi" , or castle town, and prospered under the Chiba clan. The clan's power extended in the region until the Muromachi period.


title: Chiba (city)

text: The Chiba clan's power and influence declined because of wars around the Kantō region during the Nanboku-chō and Muromachi periods. In the 16th century, instead of the Chiba clan, the Hara clan, which was one of the servants of Chiba clan, wielded power in this region. In the Sengoku period, the Hara clan was forcibly removed by Ashikaga Yoshiaki (足利義明, not to be confused with 足利義昭). Then, Ashikaga Yoshiaki was also removed by the Sakai (酒井 not to be confused with the Sakai clan in Mikawa) clan, which was one of the servants of the Satomi (里見) clan. Finally both the Chiba and Sakai clans were annihilated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.


title: Chiba (city)

text: In the Edo period, the ,　 clan, and the clans governed the area now occupied by the city. A part of the area was also governed directly by the Tokugawa Bakufu. The Oyumi clan governed their territory stably. On the other hand, according to the Sakura clan, from the beginning of the Edo period, changed governors frequently, including Takeda Nobuyoshi, Matsudaira Tadateru, , and Doi Toshikatsu. Finally the Hotta clan stabilized the governance of their territory. Chiba prospered in this period as a post-town of the Tokugawa shogunate.


title: Chiba (city)

text: After the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and the advent of the railroad in Japan, Chiba became the political, economic, and cultural capital of Chiba Prefecture. The town of Chiba was established within Chiba District with the creation of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Chiba City formed on January 1, 1921. Numerous small villages and towns were merged into the previous , a process that continued until 1944. Large-scale land reclamation added to the area of the city throughout the 20th century. The city was a major center of military production leading up to World War II, and as such, was a target of aerial bombing by the United States. The city was almost completely destroyed by the end of the war. Post-war industrialization led to the city becoming a major part of the Keiyō Industrial Zone. Chiba became a Designated City of Japan on April 1, 1992.


title: Chiba (city)

text: As of February 2016, the city had an estimated population of 972,861 and a population density of 3,580 persons per km. The total area of the city is . There were 19,135 registered foreign residents in the city as of March 31, 2007, making up for about 2% of the total population. It is the 14th most populated city in Japan.


title: Chiba (city)

text: Chiba was governed by Keiichi Tsuruoka, an independent (elected with support of LDP and Kōmeitō), until May 1, 2009. He was arrested in April 2009 during a corruption investigation by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. He was succeeded by Toshihito Kumagai of the DPJ, who won election in June 2009.


title: Chiba (city)

text: Chiba has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification "Cfa") with hot summers and cool to mild winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is somewhat lower in winter.


title: Chiba (city)

text: Chiba plays host to the annual International Chiba Ekiden and the Chiba International Cross Country takes place just outside the city. Chiba Velodrome is located within the city. It also hosts the Bridgestone Open golf tournament.


title: Chiba (city)

text: There is no commercial airport within city limits. Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) are the closest major airports.


title: Chiba (city)

text: The Chiba Urban Monorail runs through Chiba City. The major intercity railway stations are Chiba Station, (Sobu Line, Sotobō Line, Uchibo Line, Sōbu Main Line, Narita Line, transfer for Chiba Urban Monorail), Keisei Chiba Station (Keisei Chiba Line), and Soga Station, (Keiyō Line, Sotobō Line, Uchibo Line) all in Chūō-ku.


title: Chiba (city)

text: Chiba has 20 public high schools operated by the Chiba Prefectural Board of Education and two public high schools operated by the Chiba City Board of Education, including Inage Senior High School. There are also nine private high schools, including the Makuhari Junior and Senior High School.


title: Genetic testing

text: Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or through biochemical analysis to measure specific protein output. In a medical setting, genetic testing can be used to diagnose or rule out suspected genetic disorders, predict risks for specific conditions, or gain information that can be used to customize medical treatments based on an individual's genetic makeup. Genetic testing can also be used to determine biological relatives, such as a child's biological parentage (genetic mother and father) through DNA paternity testing, or be used to broadly predict an individual's ancestry. Genetic testing of plants and animals can be used for similar reasons as in humans (e.g. to assess relatedness/ancestry or predict/diagnose genetic disorders), to gain information used for selective breeding, or for efforts to boost genetic diversity in endangered populations.


title: Genetic testing

text: The variety of genetic tests has expanded throughout the years. Early forms of genetic testing which began in the 1950s involved counting the number of chromosomes per cell. Deviations from the expected number of chromosomes (46 in humans) could lead to a diagnosis of certain genetic conditions such as trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) or monosomy X (Turner syndrome). In the 1970s, a method to stain specific regions of chromosomes, called chromosome banding, was developed that allowed more detailed analysis of chromosome structure and diagnosis of genetic disorders that involved large structural rearrangements. In addition to analyzing whole chromosomes (cytogenetics), genetic testing has expanded to include the fields of molecular genetics and genomics which can identify changes at the level of individual genes, parts of genes, or even single nucleotide "letters" of DNA sequence. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are tests available for more than 2,000 genetic conditions, and one study estimated that as of 2018 there were more than 68,000 genetic tests on the market.


title: Genetic testing

text: Genetic testing is "the analysis of chromosomes (DNA), proteins, and certain metabolites in order to detect heritable disease-related genotypes, mutations, phenotypes, or karyotypes for clinical purposes." It can provide information about a person's genes and chromosomes throughout life.


title: Genetic testing

text: Genetic testing is often done as part of a genetic consultation and as of mid-2008 there were more than 1,200 clinically applicable genetic tests available. Once a person decides to proceed with genetic testing, a medical geneticist, genetic counselor, primary care doctor, or specialist can order the test after obtaining informed consent.


title: Genetic testing

text: Genetic tests are performed on a sample of blood, hair, skin, amniotic fluid (the fluid that surrounds a fetus during pregnancy), or other tissue. For example, a medical procedure called a buccal smear uses a small brush or cotton swab to collect a sample of cells from the inside surface of the cheek. Alternatively, a small amount of saline mouthwash may be swished in the mouth to collect the cells. The sample is sent to a laboratory where technicians look for specific changes in chromosomes, DNA, or proteins, depending on the suspected disorders, often using DNA sequencing. The laboratory reports the test results in writing to a person's doctor or genetic counselor.


title: Genetic testing

text: Routine newborn screening tests are done on a small blood sample obtained by pricking the baby's heel with a lancet.


title: Genetic testing

text: The physical risks associated with most genetic tests are very small, particularly for those tests that require only a blood sample or buccal smear (a procedure that samples cells from the inside surface of the cheek). The procedures used for prenatal testing carry a small but non-negligible risk of losing the pregnancy (miscarriage) because they require a sample of amniotic fluid or tissue from around the fetus.


title: Genetic testing

text: Many of the risks associated with genetic testing involve the emotional, social, or financial consequences of the test results. People may feel angry, depressed, anxious, or guilty about their results. The potential negative impact of genetic testing has led to an increasing recognition of a "right not to know". In some cases, genetic testing creates tension within a family because the results can reveal information about other family members in addition to the person who is tested. The possibility of genetic discrimination in employment or insurance is also a concern. Some individuals avoid genetic testing out of fear it will affect their ability to purchase insurance or find a job. Health insurers do not currently require applicants for coverage to undergo genetic testing, and when insurers encounter genetic information, it is subject to the same confidentiality protections as any other sensitive health information. In the United States, the use of genetic information is governed by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) (see discussion below in the section on government regulation).


title: Genetic testing

text: Genetic testing can provide only limited information about an inherited condition. The test often can't determine if a person will show symptoms of a disorder, how severe the symptoms will be, or whether the disorder will progress over time. Another major limitation is the lack of treatment strategies for many genetic disorders once they are diagnosed.


title: Genetic testing

text: Another limitation to genetic testing for a hereditary linked cancer, is the variants of unknown clinical significance. Because the human genome has over 22,000 genes, there are 3.5 million variants in the average person's genome. These variants of unknown clinical significance means there is a change in the DNA sequence, however the increase for cancer is unclear because it is unknown if the change affects the gene's function.


title: Genetic testing

text: A genetics professional can explain in detail the benefits, risks, and limitations of a particular test. It is important that any person who is considering genetic testing understand and weigh these factors before making a decision.


title: Genetic testing

text: Other risks include incidental findings—a discovery of some possible problem found while looking for something else. In 2013 the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) that certain genes always be included any time a genomic sequencing was done, and that labs should report the results.


title: Genetic testing

text: DNA studies have been criticised for a range of methodological problems and providing misleading, interpretations on racial classifications.


title: Genetic testing

text: Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing (also called at-home genetic testing) is a type of genetic test that is accessible directly to the consumer without having to go through a health care professional. Usually, to obtain a genetic test, health care professionals such as physicians, nurse practitioners, or genetic counselors acquire their patient's permission and then order the desired test, which may or may not be covered by health insurance. DTC genetic tests, however, allow consumers to bypass this process and purchase DNA tests themselves. DTC genetic testing can entail primarily genealogical/ancestry-related information, health and trait-related information, or both.


title: Genetic testing

text: There is a variety of DTC tests, ranging from tests for breast cancer alleles to mutations linked to cystic fibrosis. Possible benefits of DTC testing are the accessibility of tests to consumers, promotion of proactive healthcare, and the privacy of genetic information. Possible additional risks of DTC testing are the lack of governmental regulation, the potential misinterpretation of genetic information, issues related to testing minors, privacy of data, and downstream expenses for the public health care system. In the United States, most DTC genetic test kits are not reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the exception of a few tests offered by the company 23andMe. As of 2019, the tests that have received marketing authorization by the FDA include 23andMe's genetic health risk reports for select variants of BRCA1/BRCA2, pharmacogenetic reports that test for selected variants associated with metabolism of certain pharmaceutical compounds, a carrier screening test for Bloom syndrome, and genetic health risk reports for a handful of other medical conditions, such as celiac disease and late-onset Alzheimer's.


title: Genetic testing

text: DTC genetic testing has been controversial due to outspoken opposition within the medical community. Critics of DTC testing argue against the risks involved, the unregulated advertising and marketing claims, the potential reselling of genetic data to third parties, and the overall lack of governmental oversight.


title: Genetic testing

text: DTC testing involves many of the same risks associated with any genetic test. One of the more obvious and dangerous of these is the possibility of misreading of test results. Without professional guidance, consumers can potentially misinterpret genetic information, causing them to be deluded about their personal health.