title: End of history

text: A name that is commonly linked to the concept of the end of history in contemporary discourse is Francis Fukuyama. Fukuyama brought the term back to the forefront with his essay "The End of History?" that was published months before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. In this essay, which he later expanded upon in his book "The End of History and the Last Man" in 1992, Fukuyama builds on the knowledge of Hegel, Marx and Kojève. The essay centers around the idea that now that its two most important competitors, fascism and communism, have been defeated, there should no longer be any serious competition for liberal democracy and the market economy.


title: End of history

text: In his theory, Fukuyama distinguishes between the material or real world and the world of ideas or consciousness. He believes that in the realm of ideas liberalism has proven to be triumphant, meaning that even though a successful liberal democracy and market economy have not yet been established everywhere, there are no longer any ideological competitors for these systems. This would mean that any fundamental contradiction in human life can be worked out within the context of modern liberalism and would not need an alternative political-economic structure to be resolved. Now that the end of history is reached, Fukuyama believes that international relations would be primarily concerned with economic matters and no longer with politics or strategy, thus reducing the chances of a large scale international violent conflict.


title: End of history

text: Fukuyama concludes that the end of history will be a sad time, because the potential of ideological struggles that people were prepared to risk their lives for has now been replaced with the prospect of "economic calculation, the endless solving of technical problems, environmental concerns and the satisfaction of sophisticated consumer demands." This does not mean that Fukuyama believes that a modern liberal democracy is the perfect political system, but rather that he does not think another political structure can provide citizens with the levels of wealth and personal liberties that a liberal democracy can.


title: Naha

text: Naha is located on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of Okinawa Prefecture. The modern city was officially founded on May 20, 1921. Before that, Naha had been for centuries one of the most important and populous sites in Okinawa.


title: Naha

text: Naha is the political, economic and education center of Okinawa Prefecture. In the medieval and early modern periods, it was the commercial center of the Ryukyu Kingdom.


title: Naha

text: Central Naha consists of the Palette Kumoji shopping mall, the Okinawa Prefecture Office, Naha City Hall, and many banks and corporations, located at the west end of Kokusai-dōri, the city's main street. boasts a 1.6 kilometer (1 mile) long stretch of stores, restaurants and bars. Kokusai-dōri ends at the main bus terminal in Okinawa and is served by several stations along the Okinawa Urban Monorail, the only train system in the prefecture.


title: Naha

text: Spurring off from Kokusai-dōri is the covered Heiwa-dōri Shopping Arcade and Makishi Public Market, a massive "shōtengai" filled with fresh fish, meat, and produce stands, restaurants, tourist goods shops, and liquor shops. Just outside the market area is the neighborhood of , which was once a major center of ceramic production (see Tsuboya-yaki).


title: Naha

text: Northeast of Kokusai-dōri is a relatively new commercial district called . The area, formerly United States military housing, was released to Okinawa in 1987, but major development only began in the mid-1990s. Omoromachi Station is attached directly to an upscale shopping mall; another mall, Naha Main Place, a few hundred meters (yards) down the street, contains many upscale Western-brand fashion boutiques, with restaurants and other shops. Frequented by young people, the area boasts large stores such as Toys R Us and Best Denki (an electronics store), a co-op market, many restaurants and a movie theater.


title: Naha

text: The Okinawa Prefectural Museum, containing sections devoted to the art, history, and natural history of the Ryukyus, opened in the area in November 2007 and sits in front of Shintoshin Park.


title: Naha

text: According to the , the name of Naha comes from its original name, Naba, which was the name of a large, mushroom-shaped stone in the city. ("Naba" is a Western Japanese and Ryukyuan word for "mushroom.") Gradually, the stone wore away and became buried, and the name's pronunciation and its kanji gradually changed.


title: Naha

text: In Naha, some archeological relics of the Stone Age were found. From a Jōmon period "kaizuka" (shell mound), ancient Chinese coins were found. Pottery found by archaeologists indicates that the area was an active site of trade with the Japanese archipelago and Korean peninsula at least as early as the 11th century. Though it is not known just when the area first became organized as a functioning port city, it was active as such by the time of the unification of the Ryūkyū Kingdom in the early 15th century.


title: Naha

text: Though today Naha has grown to incorporate the former royal capital city of Shuri, center of Chinese learning Kumemura, and other towns and villages, in the period of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, it was a smaller city, prominent as a major port, but not as a political center.


title: Naha

text: Medieval Naha was on a tiny island called Ukishima, connected to the mainland of Okinawa Island by a narrow causeway called which led on to Shuri. The main port area for international trade, Naha proper, was divided into the and districts and was on the southwestern portion of Ukishima. A large open-air marketplace was active in front of the royal government trading center, or . A number of Japanese temples and shrines were located here, along with a residence and embassy, known as the , for visiting Chinese officials. A pair of forts (Mie gusuku and Yarazamori gusuku) built atop embankments extending out across the entrance to the harbor defended the port, and a small island within the harbor held a warehouse, , used for storing trade goods.


title: Naha

text: , on the mainland of Okinawa Island to the northeast of Ukishima, served as the chief port for trade within the Ryūkyū Islands. The administrators of Tomari were also responsible for collecting and managing the tribute paid to the kingdom by the Amami Islands, whose tribute ships made port here.


title: Naha

text: Major sites in the community included the Tensonbyō Taoist temple near the northern end of Kume-Ōdōri and two shrines called Upper and Lower Tenpigū, dedicated to the Taoist goddess of the sea Tenpi, also known as Matsu. A Confucian temple, the gift of the Kangxi Emperor, was built in Kumemura in the 1670s; the Meirindō, a school of classic Confucian Chinese learning, was established in 1718. Following their destruction in World War II, the Meirindō, Confucian temple, and Tenpigū shrines were rebuilt on the site of the Tensonbyō in northern Kume, where they stand today as the Confucian temple Shiseibyō.


title: Naha

text: On the northwest side of Ukishima lay , a community traditionally said to have been founded by Japanese settlers. It was organized around Wakasamachi-Ōdōri, an avenue which intersected with Kume-Ōdōri and ran across tidal mudflats to the east of Ukishima, connecting the community to the port of Tomari on the Okinawan mainland. A number of Japanese shrines and temples were located in Wakasamachi, including the Naminoue Shrine, the Zen temple Kōganji, and temples devoted to Ebisu and Jizō. The community had lodgings specifically set aside for traders and travelers from the Tokara Islands.


title: Naha

text: Another settlement, known as Izumizaki, lay on the mainland of Okinawa Island, just across the Kumoji River from Ukishima. Izumizaki had no notable or major port facilities and is believed to have been simply an extension of the residential community of Naha proper, which thus spread onto the mainland as the population and according demand for land grew. At some point, the tidal mudflats and Kumoji River separating Ukishima, that is, Naha, from Okinawa Island were filled in. The neighborhoods of Kume, Wakasa, and Tomari can still be found in Naha today.


title: Naha

text: Commodore Matthew C. Perry's expeditionary squadron stopped in Naha en route to Tokyo in 1853; and the American ships visited several more times. The lithographs prepared from drawings made by the expedition's official artist would be widely circulated. These images would provide the basis for 19th century impressions of the geography and people of the Ryūkyū islands.


title: Naha

text: After the replacement of the Ryūkyū Kingdom with the Ryūkyū Domain in 1872, Naha became the capital city. The Ryūkyū Domain was abolished in 1879 and the former Ryūkyū Kingdom came to an end, fully annexed by Japan as Okinawa Prefecture, with Naha remaining as the capital city. Shuri and other neighboring municipalities were absorbed into the city.


title: Naha

text: An Imperial decree in July 1899 established Naha as an open port for trading with the United States and the United Kingdom.


title: Naha

text: During the battle of Okinawa in World War II, Naha suffered extensive damage from the fighting. The entire centre of the city had to be rebuilt. On 1 September 1954, the village of Oroku was merged into the city.


title: Naha

text: On April 1, 2013, Naha became a core city, a category of cities of Japan under the Local Autonomy Law of Japan. Naha now carries out many of the functions, notably for public health care, normally delegated to the prefectural government. Naha is the first core city in Okinawa Prefecture.


title: Naha

text: There are numerous shrines throughout the city, ranging from small huts to temples consisting of several houses. The religion is a mix of Shintoism, Buddhism and Taoism. The most visible part of the local beliefs though is by far the shisa, the Okinawan shiisaa ("lion dogs") that are considered protectors of the island and are found everywhere - walls, roofs, windows, street corners and parks.


title: Naha

text: The Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Kainan Church) is the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Naha.


title: Naha

text: The restored and rebuilt Shuri Castle, the former royal palace of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, is one of the finest "gusuku" (Okinawan castle) and among the most important historical sites in Naha. The palace, and a series of tunnels underneath it, were used as a major command post by the Imperial Japanese military during World War II, and the castle was subsequently almost destroyed in 1945 by the US Marines, Army and Navy. After the war, the University of the Ryūkyūs was constructed on the site. Today Shuri Castle has been reconstructed, including the famous Shureimon, its main gate, and is registered, along with a number of other "gusuku" and other Okinawan historical and sacred sites, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


title: Naha

text: Lake Man, covered with mangrove woods on the boundary of the city of Tomigusuku, is listed on the Ramsar list of wetlands.


title: Naha

text: Four universities are in the Naha area. Two are run by Okinawa Prefecture; two are private. The University of the Ryukyus, the sole national university in Okinawa Prefecture, was also in Naha, on the site of Shuri Castle. Before the restoration of the castle, the university moved to the town of Nishihara to the northeast of Naha.


title: Naha

text: Naha's public elementary and junior high schools are operated by the Naha City Board of Education. Naha's public high schools are operated by the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education. Private schools include the Okinawa Actors' School.


title: Naha

text: "Naha-te", (Naha-hand), called "Nawate" by Gichin Funakoshi, is a type of martial art developed in Naha. The successor styles to Naha-te include Gōjū-ryū, Uechi-ryū, Ryūei-ryū, and Tōon-ryū.


title: Naha

text: Naha has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification "Cfa")—bordering on tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification "Af")—with hot summers and mild winters. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year; September is the wettest month and December is the driest. Naha has hot and humid summers with July and August being the city's warmest months, exceeding an average high of 31 degrees Celsius (88 °F). Naha has warm winters, with average high temperatures in the coolest months of January and February, hovering around 19-20 degrees Celsius (66 to 68 °F) and average lows around 14-15 degrees Celsius (57 to 59 °F). The city sees a substantial amount of rainfall, averaging in excess of of rain per year.


title: Naha

text: Naha is an economic center of Okinawa dominated by tourism, retail and service industries. Okinawa's largest banks, Bank of the Ryukyus, Bank of Okinawa and Okinawa Kaiho Bank, are headquartered in Naha. The Bank of Japan, Mizuho Bank, Shoko Chukin Bank and Japan Post Bank also have branches in Naha. Major international insurance companies also have call centers based in the city.


title: Naha

text: Naha Airport is a major transportation hub for the region, and Japan Transocean Air and Ryukyu Air Commuter, subsidiaries of Japan Airlines, are headquartered in Naha.


title: Naha

text: The Okinawa Urban Monorail, also known as the carries passengers from Naha Airport Station to the center of Naha, Kokusai-dōri, Shintoshin, Shuri, and to the terminal at Tedako-Uranishi Station in Urasoe.


title: Naha

text: Two designated yakuza groups, the Kyokuryu-kai and the Okinawa Kyokuryu-kai, are based in Naha. The Okinawa Kyokuryu-kai is the largest yakuza group in Okinawa Prefecture, followed by the Kyokuryu-kai.


title: Yan Xiaonan

text: Yan Xiaonan (born June 16, 1989) is a Chinese mixed martial artist (MMA). She currently competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 8, 2022, she is ranked #6 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings and #15 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.


title: Yan Xiaonan

text: Yan's background is in Sanda. Yan attended Xi'an Sports University and was introduced to an MMA program by her coach Zhao Xuejun in 2009. At the Xi'an Sports University, Yan continued her practice in Sanda. It wasn't until 2015 that Yan switched over to MMA.


title: Yan Xiaonan

text: Yan began training martial arts at the age of 13. She started her professional MMA career in 2009 and she has fought in various promotions, most notably Road Fighting Championship. She amassed a record of 7-1 (NC), before signing with the UFC.


title: Yan Xiaonan

text: Yan made her UFC debut on November 25, 2017 against Kailin Curran at . She won the fight via unanimous decision.


title: Yan Xiaonan

text: Her next fight came on June 23, 2018 at against Nadia Kassem; however she was replaced by Viviane Pereira due to injury. She won the fight via unanimous decision.


title: Yan Xiaonan

text: Yan was expected to face Felice Herrig on June 8, 2019 at UFC 238. However, on April 30, 2019 it was reported that Herrig suffered from a torn ACL and withdrew from the event. Herrig was replaced by Angela Hill. Yan won the fight by unanimous decision.


title: Yan Xiaonan

text: Yan was scheduled to face Ashley Yoder on October 26, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 20. However, Yan pulled out of the fight in late-September citing a foot injury. She was replaced by Randa Markos.


title: Yan Xiaonan

text: Yan faced Karolina Kowalkiewicz on February 22, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 168. She won the fight by unanimous decision.


title: Yan Xiaonan

text: Yan talked of difficulty leading up to the Kowalkiewicz fight due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. She and her team moved her camp to Thailand to train for the fight.


title: Yan Xiaonan

text: Yan was scheduled to face Cláudia Gadelha on September 27, 2020 at UFC 253, but a knee injury sustained by Gadelha ruled her out of the bout. The pair was rescheduled to on November 7, 2020 instead. As opposed to her last camp where Yan was forced to move around three times, Yan says that the pandemic situation in China is completely under control and the fight camp for Gadelha was normal. She won the fight by unanimous decision.


title: Yan Xiaonan

text: Yan faced Carla Esparza on May 22, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 188. For her camp with Esparza, Yan has spent her camp splitting time between the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai and Las Vegas. She lost the bout via TKO after being dominated on the ground throughout the bout.


title: Clip Studio Paint

text: Clip Studio Paint (previously marketed as Manga Studio in North America), informally known in Japan as , is a family of software applications developed by Japanese graphics software company Celsys. It is used for the digital creation of comics, general illustration, and 2D animation. The software is available in versions for macOS, Windows, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and ChromeOS.


title: Clip Studio Paint

text: The application is sold in editions with varying feature sets. The full-featured edition is a page-based, layered drawing program, with support for bitmap and vector art, text, imported 3D models, and frame-by-frame animation. It is designed for use with a stylus and a graphics tablet or tablet computer. It has drawing tools which emulate natural media such as pencils, ink pens, and brushes, as well as patterns and decorations. It is distinguished from similar programs by features designed for creating comics: tools for creating panel layouts, perspective rulers, sketching, inking, applying tones and textures, coloring, and creating word balloons and captions.


title: Clip Studio Paint

text: The original version of the program ran on macOS and Windows, and was released in Japan as "Comic Studio" in 2001. It was sold as "Manga Studio" in the Western market by E Frontier America until 2007, then by Smith Micro Software until 2017; after which it has been sold and supported by Celsys and Graphixly LLC.


title: Clip Studio Paint

text: Early versions of the program were designed for creating black and white art with only spot color (a typical format for Japanese manga), but version 4 – released in 2007 – introduced support for creating full-color art. In 2013 a redesigned version of the program was introduced, one based on Celsys' separate Comic Studio and Illust Studio applications. Sold in different markets as "Clip Studio Paint" version 1 or "Manga Studio" version 5, the new application featured new coloring and text-handling tools, and a new file system which stored the data for each page in a single file (extension ".lip"), rather than the multiple files used for each page by Manga Studio 4 and earlier. In 2015, Comic Studio and Illust Studio were discontinued.


title: Clip Studio Paint

text: In 2016, the name "Manga Studio" was deprecated, with the program sold in all markets as "Clip Studio Paint". The version released under this unified branding (build 1.5.4 of the redesigned application) also introduced a new file format (extension ".clip") and frame-by-frame animation. In late 2017, Celsys took over direct support for the software worldwide, and ceased its relationship with Smith Micro. In July 2018, Celsys began a partnership with Graphixly for distribution in North America, South America, and Europe.


title: Clip Studio Paint

text: Clip Studio Paint for the Apple iPad was introduced in November 2017, and for the iPhone in December 2019. Clip Studio Paint for Samsung Galaxy tablets and smartphones was released in August 2020, with versions for other Android devices and Chromebooks released in December.


title: Clip Studio Paint

text: The Windows and macOS versions of the software have been sold and distributed either from the developer's web site or on DVD, and purchased either with a perpetual license or an ongoing subscription. The versions for iPhone, iPad, and Android-based devices are distributed through the corresponding app stores free of charge, but require a subscription – which includes cloud storage – for unrestricted use; without a subscription the tablet versions can be used for only a specified number of months, and the phone versions can be used for only 1 hour per day.


title: Clip Studio Paint

text: Regular updates for version 1 have been distributed free of additional charge, to both perpetual and subscription users. With the planned release of version 2 in 2023, users with perpetual licenses who wish to upgrade will need either a new license, the annual purchase of an "upgrade pass", or to switch to subscription licensing.


title: Clip Studio Paint

text: Early versions were sold in Japan as: Mini with very limited features (bundled with graphics tablets), Debut with entry-level features, Pro as the standard edition, and EX as the full-feature edition.


title: Clip Studio Paint

text: E Frontier and Smith Micro only sold the Debut and EX editions of the original application; with the overhauled version 5, Smith Micro sold only the Pro and EX editions, as standard and advanced editions of the program.


title: Clip Studio Paint

text: Under the Clip Studio Paint branding, the application is available in three editions: Debut (only bundled with tablets), Pro (adds support for vector-based drawing, custom textures, and comics-focused features), and EX (adds support for multi-page documents, book exporting).


title: Clip Studio Paint

text: Companion programs include Clip Studio (for managing and sharing digital assets distributed through the Clip Studio web site, managing licenses, and getting updates and support) and Clip Studio Modeler (for setting up 3D materials to use in Clip Studio Paint).


title: Gia Allemand

text: Gia Marie Allemand (December 20, 1983 – August 14, 2013) was an American actress, model, and reality television contestant. She was known for appearing in "Maxim" and competing on two ABC reality shows "" and "Bachelor Pad".


title: Gia Allemand

text: Allemand began modeling early, and as a baby she appeared in Johnson & Johnson ads and as a Gerber Baby. As a teenager, Allemand initially never thought about a career in modeling. However, at 19 she began modeling after she was asked to enter a swimsuit competition that she won. Allemand finished second in the Miss Hawaiian Tropic competition and the Miss Red Hot Taj Mahal Super Bowl contest in 2005. She is best known for appearing as a swimsuit model in "Maxim" in 2007. In 2008, she was named Miss Bikini-USA's Model of the Year. The following year Allemand placed first in the bikini short class of the NPC Arnold Amateur Championships. In addition to modeling, Allemand worked for the modeling and creative-fields consultancy Dream It Make It.


title: Gia Allemand

text: Allemand said in an interview that she has always had a passion for acting and performing. She was a former professional ballet dancer, but her dancing career was shortened after she injured her hamstring and Achilles tendon. Nevertheless, Allemand took acting classes in high school and at Hartford College.


title: Gia Allemand

text: In 2010, she was selected to play a role in an upcoming film produced by Brett Ratner on the life of actor Gianni Russo. She was cast to play the supporting role of actress Ava Gardner. Russo cast her for the role saying, "Gia looks a lot like Ava, but it's really the passion that she had that convinced me to cast her."


title: Gia Allemand

text: Allemand's work in television began when she was selected as a cast member on ABC's reality show "The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love", season 14 of "The Bachelor" series, which first aired on January 4, 2010. The show placed her with 24 other women all contending for the affection of pilot Jake Pavelka. She was the second to the last contestant eliminated by Pavelka. On February 18, 2010, Allemand appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show", where she discussed her life after being on "The Bachelor".


title: Gia Allemand

text: Afterwards, Allemand joined the cast of ABC's "Bachelor" spinoff, "Bachelor Pad". The show premiered August 9, 2010, on ABC. Allemand cited an existing relationship as the reason she refused to participate in the show's "kissing contest" game which led to her elimination in the third episode. Before appearing on "Bachelor Pad" Allemand was featured in a special edition of ABC's "20/20": "Inside the Bachelor: Stories Behind the Rose".


title: Gia Allemand

text: Allemand appeared in the episodic short film "Ghost Trek: The Kinsey Report", a horror-comedy about a paranormal reality show, in which Allemand plays the role of producer Shawna Leibowitz.


title: Gia Allemand

text: Gia Marie Allemand was born to Eugene and Donna Allemand in the Howard Beach neighborhood of Queens, New York City, and grew up in the borough of Staten Island and nearby in suburban Manorville, New York, on Long Island, where she graduated from Lindenhurst High School in 2001. Allemand's parents separated in 1992, later divorcing; Donna Allemand married Tony Micheletti, whom she described as closer to Gia than was Gia's biological father.


title: Gia Allemand

text: In 2013, she was living in New Orleans and dating NBA player Ryan Anderson, who was playing for the New Orleans Pelicans.


title: Gia Allemand

text: Allemand died on August 14, 2013, at the age of 29, and her death was confirmed to be a suicide. She had attempted suicide two days before.


title: Gia Allemand

text: Her longtime publicist, Penelope Jean Hayes, was interviewed by Phil McGraw on "Dr. Phil" on the topic of Allemand's suicide and the pressures of celebrity, image, and finding love and happiness. Allemand's death was noted during a 2014 episode of "The Bachelor".


title: Hecuba

text: Hecuba (; also Hecabe; , ) was a queen in Greek mythology, the wife of King Priam of Troy during the Trojan War.


title: Hecuba

text: Hecuba was described by the chronicler Malalas in his account of the "Chronography" as "dark, good eyes, full grown, good nose, beautiful, generous, talkative, calm". Meanwhile, in the account of Dares the Phrygian, she was illustrated as ". . .beautiful, her figure large, her complexion dark. She thought like a man and was pious and just."


title: Hecuba

text: Ancient sources vary as to the parentage of Hecuba. According to Homer, Hecuba was the daughter of King Dymas of Phrygia, but Euripides and Virgil write of her as the daughter of the Thracian king Cisseus. The mythographers Pseudo-Apollodorus and Hyginus leave open the question which of the two was her father, with Pseudo-Apollodorus adding a third alternative option: Hecuba's parents could as well be the river god Sangarius and Metope.


title: Hecuba

text: Some versions from non-extant works are summarized by a scholiast on Euripides' "Hecuba": according to those, she was a daughter of Dymas or Sangarius by the Naiad Euagora, or by Glaucippe the daughter of Xanthus (Scamander?); the possibility of her being a daughter of Cisseus is also discussed. A scholiast on Homer relates that Hecuba's parents were either Dymas and the nymph Eunoe or Cisseus and Telecleia; the latter option would make her a full sister of Theano, which is also noted by the scholiast on Euripides cited above.


title: Hecuba

text: According to Suetonius in "The Twelve Caesars", the emperor Tiberius pestered scholars with obscure questions about ancient mythology, with one of his favorites being "Who was Hecuba's mother?"


title: Hecuba

text: Hecuba had 19 children, some of which included major characters of Homer's "Iliad" such as the warriors Hector and Paris, as well as the prophetess Cassandra. Two of them, Hector and Troilus, are said to have been born as a result of Hecuba's relationship with the god Apollo. Other named children of Hecuba by Priam are Helenus, Deiphobus, Laodice, Polyxena, Creusa, Polydorus, Polites, Antiphus, Pammon, Hipponous and Iliona.


title: Hecuba

text: Hecuba appears six times in the "Iliad". In Book 6.326–96, she meets Hector upon his return to the city and offers him the libation cup, instructing him to offer it to Zeus and to drink from it himself. Taking Hector's advice, she chooses a gown taken from Alexander's treasure to give as an offering to the goddess and leads the Trojan women to the temple of Athena to pray for help. In Book 22, she pleads with Hector not to fight Achilles, expressing her premonition of "never get[ting] to mourn you laid out on a bier." In Book 24.201–16, she is stricken with anxiety upon hearing of Priam's plan to retrieve Hector's body from Achilles' hut. Further along in the same episode, at 24.287–98, she offers Priam the libation cup and instructs him to pray to Zeus so that he may receive a favourable omen upon setting out towards the Achaean camp. Unlike in the first episode in which Hector refuses her offer of the cup, Priam accepts and is rewarded with the requested omen. Finally, she laments Hector's death in a well-known speech at 24.748–59.


title: Hecuba

text: Stesichorus states that after the sack of Troy, Apollo, Hecuba's former lover, took her to safety and placed her in Lycia.


title: Hecuba

text: The "Bibliotheca" ("Library") of Pseudo-Apollodorus states that Hecuba had a son named Troilus with the god Apollo. An oracle prophesied that Troy would not be defeated if Troilus reached the age of 20 alive. Troilus is killed by Achilles.


title: Hecuba

text: Hecuba is a main character in two plays by Euripides: "The Trojan Women" and "Hecuba". "The Trojan Women" describes the aftermath of the fall of Troy, including Hecuba's enslavement by Odysseus. "Hecuba" also takes place just after the fall of Troy. Polydorus, the youngest son of Priam and Hecuba, is sent to King Polymestor for safekeeping, but when Troy falls, Polymestor murders Polydorus. Hecuba learns of this, and when Polymestor comes to the fallen city, Hecuba, by trickery, blinds him and kills his two sons.


title: Hecuba

text: Another story says that when she was given to Odysseus as a slave, she snarled and cursed at him, so the gods turned her into a dog, allowing her to escape.


title: Hecuba

text: In another tradition, Hecuba went mad upon seeing the corpses of her children Polydorus and Polyxena. Dante described this episode, which he derived from Italian sources:


title: Hecuba

text: Another legend has it that Hecuba threw herself into the sea and was transformed into "a she-dog with fiery eyes" and that she was buried in a "wretched" place called Kynosema ('dog's grave'), a "landmark for sailors". The Kynosema is said to be a promontory located in modern day Kilitbahir.


title: Hecuba

text: Hecuba is frequently referenced in classical literature, and in many medieval, Renaissance, and modern works. Among the works which are about Hecuba are:


title: Hecuba

text: • In Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country, she describes Mrs. Spragg as “gaz[ing]after [Undine and Mr. Spragg] with the pale stare of Hecuba.”


title: Butch Walker

text: Bradley Glenn "Butch" Walker (born November 14, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band SouthGang from the late 1980s to early 1990s as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for rock band Marvelous 3 from 1997 until 2001.


title: Butch Walker

text: Walker grew up in Cartersville, Georgia, working as a guitarist and performer in several rock bands in the 1980s, including Badd Boyz and Byte the Bullet. Byte the Bullet moved to Los Angeles in 1988 and were signed to Virgin Records within the year. The band then changed their name to SouthGang and released two albums, "Tainted Angel" in 1991 and "Group Therapy" in 1992. SouthGang was one of the first bands to tour China in the early 1990s, however they eventually disbanded after Virgin modified their contract and tried to send them in the wrong direction. Walker and the rest of the SouthGang members continue to remain on good terms.


title: Butch Walker

text: After Southgang, Walker formed a new band with ex-SouthGang members Jayce Fincher and Mitch McLee ( Doug Mitchell), calling themselves Floyd's Funk Revival after Walker's birthplace Floyd County, Georgia. Walker shared lead vocals in the band with Fincher's wife, Chrystina Lloree. They released one full-length album, "Creamy". The album contained thirteen original tracks with Lloree taking a large share of the lead vocals and heavy reliance on guitar.


title: Butch Walker

text: The band then shortened their name to The Floyds. They released one self-titled album on the Deep South label, which contained ten original tracks along with a humorous intro piece. Bonus tracks included a cover of Duran Duran's "Rio", and a live rendition of the Shasta soda jingle from the late seventies. The style of both these albums was guitar-oriented, mainstream rock with mild funk influences, and was a forerunner to the more basic guitar-oriented rock approach Walker took later with Marvelous 3.


title: Butch Walker

text: Although the albums are highly regarded among fans, they failed to sell many copies and are now quite rare. They are highly coveted by fans of Butch Walker, and the few copies that surface in the used CD market today command high prices.


title: Butch Walker

text: In 1997, Walker, Fincher, and McLee scaled back to a trio and adopted a power pop sound with Walker handling lead vocals. Calling themselves Marvelous 3, they released the album "Math and Other Problems" in 1997. They followed this in 1999 with "Hey! Album" and had a minor hit with the song "Freak of the Week". The next year, they released their final album, "ReadySexGo", which failed to continue the momentum created by the prior releases, and perceiving a lack of support from their record label, they disbanded in 2001. Their final concert was on August 3, 2001 at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park in front of their hometown fans.


title: Butch Walker

text: Butch Walker then began a solo career, releasing the albums "Left of Self-Centered" in 2002, "Letters" in 2004 and "The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites" in 2006. In 2005 he played over 200 live shows across both the U.S. and Japan, and he released his first DVD, "Live at Budokan". At the end of 2005, he was named as "Rolling Stone"'s producer of the year. Butch Walker was featured as a headlining artist on the MySpace-promoted Inaugural Hotel Cafe tour, supporting independent artists from the Los Angeles venue of the same name.


title: Butch Walker

text: In 2008, Walker released the live album "Leavin' the Game on Luckie Street". He then collaborated with Michael Chislett of The Academy Is... and Darren Dodd of The Let's Go Out Tonites under the name 1969, releasing a full-length debut album titled "Maya" on April 1, 2008.


title: Butch Walker

text: His 4th album, "Sycamore Meadows", was released on November 11, with the first single being "The Weight of Her". A music video was released for "Ships in a Bottle" which documents Walker walking on the grounds of his home on Sycamore Meadows Drive in Southern California after it was destroyed by the wildfires of November 2007. Both "Maya" and "Sycamore Meadows" were released on a limited run of vinyl.


title: Butch Walker

text: Walker played a series of sold-out live shows with just acoustic guitar and vocals beginning in fall 2009, accompanied at various times by Pink, actor Jeremy Piven, Jim Bianco, the Chapin Sisters, Gregory Macdonald of Sloan (band) and more. Out of the shows came a cover of Taylor Swift's single "You Belong with Me" on banjolin, which was later recorded as a video and audio version in his studio. Swift blogged about the video and then invited Walker to appear with her at the winter 2010 Grammy Awards.


title: Butch Walker

text: Walker began work on his next album in 2009, and ultimately released "I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart" on February 23, 2010 under the band name Butch Walker & the Black Widows. Recording sessions were held at RubyRed Productions in Santa Monica, California. Walker's support of the record included touring with Train beginning March 2010, a headlining tour of the US, and opening for Pink in Europe on her Stadium Festival Tour.


title: Butch Walker

text: On August 30, 2011 Butch Walker released his second album with the Black Widows, titled "The Spade". On October 25, 2011 Walker released his first book, an autobiography entitled "Drinking with Strangers: Music Lessons from a Teenage Bullet Belt". In late 2012, Walker was featured on the show "Live from Daryl's House" on MTV Live (then Palladia).


title: Butch Walker

text: Following the release of two EPs in 2013 and 2014, Walker released his seventh full-length album, "Afraid of Ghosts", on February 3, 2015. The album was produced by Ryan Adams.


title: Butch Walker

text: In June 2016 it was announced that Walker's upcoming album would be titled "Stay Gold". It was released on August 26, 2016, on Dangerbird Records in the United States and on Lojinx in Europe. The album is once again self-produced by Walker, with the songs "Stay Gold", "East Coast Girl" and "Descending" (featuring Ashley Monroe) issued before the album's release.


title: Butch Walker

text: On March 27, 2020, Butch premiered the first promo track for his upcoming album named "American Love Story", which is set to be released on May 8. This song, "Pretty Crazy", was released on social media and streaming services.


title: Butch Walker

text: On July 25, 2022, Butch released the music video for "Holy Water Hangover" off his upcoming tenth studio album "Butch Walker as...Glenn" due out August 26 of the same year.


title: Butch Walker

text: Butch Walker has been called "one of America's best singer-songwriters" by "Rolling Stone". He has penned choruses for artists ranging from Frank Turner to Fall Out Boy. He has produced and composed multiple Pink records and songs including "Leave Me Alone (I’m Lonely)" from "I'm Not Dead", "Bad Influence" from "Funhouse", and "Heartbreak Down" from "Greatest Hits... So Far!!!"


title: Butch Walker

text: In 2019, he was a producer on Green Day's highly anticipated 2020 release, "Father of All Motherfuckers", which debuted at number four on the US "Billboard" 200.


title: Butch Walker

text: Butch Walker worked with Weezer on their albums "Raditude" and "Pacific Daydream". Walker mentioned working with the band during a radio interview with 99X. Walker co-wrote and produced several songs on "Raditude", including the first single, "If You're Wondering if I Want You To... (I Want You To)", which hit number two on the Modern Rock Chart.


title: Butch Walker

text: In 2007, Walker provided guest vocals on Fall Out Boy's third record "Infinity on High", on the track, "You're Crashing, but You're No Wave", and co-produced the track "Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?" with singer Patrick Stump. He also made a brief cameo in the video for "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race". In 2012, Walker produced Fall Out Boy’s fifth studio album "Save Rock and Roll", which debuted at number one on the U.S. "Billboard" 200, earning the band’s second career number one.


title: Butch Walker

text: In 2007, Walker also helped write and produce Panic! At The Disco’s album, "Vices & Virtues". Preceded by the lead single, "The Ballad of Mona Lisa", the album debuted at number seven on the "Billboard" 200 selling 56,000 copies within its first week. The album has sold 750,000 copies worldwide.


title: Butch Walker

text: Walker also appears in The Academy Is... videos for "Slow Down" and "We've Got a Big Mess on Our Hands" as well as the video for "So What" by Pink. He also co-wrote the songs "Breaking" and "Younglife", both of which are performed and co-written by Anberlin.


title: Butch Walker

text: Walker also joined the 9th annual Independent Music Awards judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers.[17] He was also a judge for the 8th annual Independent Music Awards.[18] In 2008 Walker signed on to judge a competition called Spin's Hot Pursuit to find an unsigned band for Epic Records/Original Signal hosted on Music Nation.[19]


title: Butch Walker

text: In January 2009, post-hardcore band Saosin tapped Walker to produce their second album for Capitol Records.


title: Butch Walker

text: In March 2009, the song "Open Happiness" debuted, a new business venture by Coca-Cola, written by Walker, and featuring Cee-Lo Green, Brendon Urie, Patrick Stump, Janelle Monáe and Travis McCoy. This song has a Cantonese cover version by Joey Yung on her new album, A Time For Us, and she is also filming advertisements for Coca-Cola in Chinese.


title: Butch Walker

text: In 2012, Walker produced the song "Everything Has Changed", written and recorded by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran for Swift's fourth studio album, "Red". In 2021, Walker produced the re-recorded version of the song for Swift's second re-recorded album, "Red (Taylor's Version)".


title: Butch Walker

text: In 2022, Walker produced the song "August is Falling" by pop-punk band August is Falling, featuring on the EP "The Simple Plan". The song received widespread commercial and critical acclaim and in the months following its release brought pop-punk as a genre back into public consciousness.


title: Butch Walker

text: Many of the songs that he co-wrote or produced have been hits for other artists, including SR-71, Avril Lavigne, Sevendust, Injected, The Donnas, Hot Hot Heat, American Hi-Fi, Default, Gob, Midtown, Puffy AmiYumi, Pink, Katy Perry, Pete Yorn, Quietdrive, Green Day, Adam Lambert, Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20, Rayland Baxter, Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra, Train, The Wallflowers, Jewel, The All-American Rejects, The Academy Is..., The Cab, Saosin, Never Shout Never, Weezer, New Politics, Fall Out Boy, The Struts, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, August is Falling, Matt Nathanson, and Elizabeth Cook.


title: Butch Walker

text: The documentary "Out of Focus" premiered at the Nashville Film Festival in April 2012. Directed by Shane Valdés and Peter Harding, it focuses on Butch Walker's life and music. Its first European showing was at Oldenburg Filmfest, Germany in August 2012.


title: Butch Walker

text: In November 2007, Walker and his family lost all of their possessions, including the master recordings to every song he had ever recorded, when the Malibu home he was renting from Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers burned down as a result of a wildfire in Southern California. He titled his next album "Sycamore Meadows" after the street the house was on.


title: Butch Walker

text: Butch is an ordained minister in the state of Ohio. At a concert September 7, 2016, at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio, Butch climbed off the stage and into the crowd to marry a couple live before the end of the show.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of the same name and is adjacent to Waterloo East station on the South Eastern Main Line. The station is the terminus of the South West Main Line to via Southampton, the West of England main line to Exeter via , the Portsmouth Direct line to which connects with ferry services to the Isle of Wight, and several commuter services around west and south-west London, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The station was opened in 1848 by the London and South Western Railway, and it replaced the earlier as it was closer to the West End. It was never designed to be a terminus, as the original intention was to continue the line towards the City of London, and consequently the station developed in a haphazard fashion, leading to difficulty finding the correct platform. The station was rebuilt in the early 20th century, opening in 1922, and included the Victory Arch over the main entrance, which commemorated World War I. Waterloo was the last London terminus to provide steam-powered services, which ended in 1967. The station was the London terminus for Eurostar international trains from 1994 until 2007, when they were transferred to St. Pancras.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Waterloo is the busiest railway station in the UK, handling 41 million passengers in the year to March 2022. It is also the country's largest station in terms of floor space and has the greatest number of platforms.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The station's formal name is London Waterloo, and appears as such on all official documentation. It has the station code WAT. It is in the London Borough of Lambeth on the south bank of the River Thames, close to Waterloo Bridge and northeast of Westminster Bridge. The main entrance is to the south of the junction of Waterloo Road and York Road. It is named after the eponymous bridge, which itself was named after the Battle of Waterloo, a battle that occurred exactly two years prior to the opening ceremony for the bridge.


title: London Waterloo station

text: London Buses routes 1, 26, 59, 68, 76, 77, 139, 168, 172, 176, 188, 211, 243, 341, 381, 507, 521 and night routes N1, N68, N171 and N381 serve the station.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Waterloo was built by the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR). It was not designed to be a terminus, but simply a stop on an extension towards the City. It replaced the earlier , which had opened on 21 May 1838 and connected London to Southampton since 11 May 1840. By the mid-1840s, commuter services to Wandsworth, , Kingston upon Thames, and had become an important part of L&SWR traffic, so the company began to look for a terminus closer to Central London and the West End. An Act of Parliament was granted in 1845 to extend the line towards a site on York Road, close to Waterloo Bridge. The extension past Nine Elms involved demolishing 700 houses, and most of it was carried on a brick viaduct to minimise disruption. The longest bridge was long and took the line over Westminster Bridge Road. The approach to the new station carried four tracks, with the expectation that other companies would use it.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The station was designed by William Tite and opened on 11 July 1848 as "Waterloo Bridge Station". Nine Elms closed for regular services at the same time, but Queen Victoria was fond of the privacy afforded by the old station, so it was kept open for her, and a replacement private station built on Wandsworth Road in 1854. Waterloo Bridge was originally laid out as a through station, as it was expected that services would eventually continue towards the City of London. The L&SWR purchased several properties along the route, before the plans were cancelled owing to the financial crisis following the Panic of 1847. In October 1882, Waterloo Bridge station was officially renamed Waterloo, reflecting long-standing common usage, even in some L&SWR timetables.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The L&SWR's aim throughout much of the 19th century was to extend its main line eastward beyond Waterloo into the City of London. Given this, it was reluctant to construct a dedicated grand terminus at Waterloo. Consequently, Waterloo had none of the usual facilities expected of a terminus until 1853, when a small block was built on the far east side of the station. In 1854, the London Necropolis & National Mausoleum Company opened a private station inside Waterloo that provided services to Brookwood Cemetery. The station was demolished and replaced with a dedicated building in 1902, as part of the reconstruction of Waterloo in the early 20th century.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Traffic and passengers to Waterloo increased throughout the century, and Waterloo was extended in an ad hoc manner to accommodate this. In 1860, new platforms were added on the northwest side of the station; these were known as the Windsor Station after its intended destination. An additional dock siding of the main station opened on 17 March 1869. A link to the South Eastern Railway (SER) line from to opened in July 1865. It was diverted from London Bridge to on 1 February 1867, before being withdrawn the following year. The SER opened Waterloo Junction station on 1 January 1869 as a replacement, that allowed LSWR passengers to change and access services to Cannon Street. A further extension on the southeastern side of Waterloo, to provide more services, opened on 16 December 1878. A further extension to the north, beyond the Windsor Station, opened in November 1885.


title: London Waterloo station

text: For each extension, the long-term plan was that the expansion was "temporary" until the line was extended past Waterloo, and therefore these additions were simply added alongside and around the existing structure rather than as part of an overall architectural plan. This resulted in the station becoming increasingly ramshackle. The platform numbering had grown in an ad hoc manner, resulting in the confusing situation of No. 1 being in the middle of the station complex, where it had been since 1848. The original station became known as the "Central Station" as other platforms were added. The new platform sets were known by nicknames – the two platforms added for suburban services in 1878 were the "Cyprus Station", and the six built in 1885 for use by trains on the Windsor line became the "Khartoum". Each of these stations-within-a-station had its own booking office, taxi stand and public entrances from the street, as well as often poorly marked and confusing access to the rest of the station.


title: London Waterloo station

text: By 1899, Waterloo had 16 platforms but only 10 numbers allocated in different sections of the station or on different levels; some numbers were duplicated. This complexity and confusion became the butt of jokes by writers and music hall comics for many years in the late 19th century, including Jerome K. Jerome in "Three Men in a Boat". It was criticised and satirised in several "Punch" cartoons.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The L&SWR spent the 1880s and 90s trying to finalise plans to continue the line beyond Waterloo to the City. An overhead line was proposed in 1882, and again in 1891, but both times was rejected due to cost. In 1893, an act was passed for a tube railway. On 8 August 1898, the company opened the Waterloo & City line, a deep level underground railway that ran directly between Waterloo and Bank–Monument station in the City. This gave the company the direct commuter service it had long desired (albeit with the need to change from surface to underground lines at Waterloo). With Waterloo now destined to remain a terminus station, and with the old station becoming a source of increasingly bad will and publicity amongst the travelling public, the L&SWR decided on total rebuilding, in a project they called the "Great Transformation"


title: London Waterloo station

text: Legal powers to carry out the work were granted in 1899 and 1900. About of land was purchased to accommodate the new building, which included six streets (and part of two others), along with All Saints' Church. The L&SWR built six blocks of flats to rehouse around 1,750 people as compensation for those displaced. Extensive groundwork and slum clearance were carried out before construction on the terminus proper began, including several rundown buildings that had been extensively used for prostitution. By 1903, the land had been cleared for work to start.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The new station was opened in stages. It was partially ready in 1909, with the main booking hall opening on 11 June 1911. A vehicular roadway to the station opened on 18 December 1911. The connection to Waterloo Junction was removed in March that year, but a siding remained until 3 May 1925. The bridge remained in place and was used as a walkway between the two stations. Construction of the main station continued sporadically throughout World War I, and the new station finally opened in 1922, with 21 platforms and a long concourse. The roof and platforms were initially designed by J. W. Jacomb-Hood, who travelled to the US to look at station designs for inspiration. Following Jacomb-Hood's death in 1914, work was taken over by Alfred Weeks Szlumper. It was built in an Imperial Baroque style out of Portland stone. James Robb Scott designed the office range. The new station included a large stained glass window depicting the L&SWR's company crest over the main road entrance, surrounded by a frieze listing the counties served by the railway (the latter still survives today). These features were retained in the design, despite the fact that, by the time the station opened, the Railways Act 1921 had been passed, which spelt the end of the L&SWR as an independent concern.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Waterloo was a major terminal station for soldiers in World War I, and for sailors travelling to Southampton for the British Expeditionary Force. It also handled ambulance trains and mail from overseas. A free buffet operated at the station between December 1915 and April 1920. The station itself saw little damage, except for an explosion on one of the lines on 29 September 1917.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The rebuilt station was formally opened on 21 March 1922 by Queen Mary. The main pedestrian entrance, the Victory Arch (known as Exit 5), was designed by Scott and is a memorial to company staff who were killed during the war. Upon opening, it marked 585 employees who had been killed in World War I. It was flanked by two sculptures featuring Roman goddesses; "1914" with Bellona in armour with a sword and torch, and "1918" showing Pax, the goddess of Peace sitting on Earth.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The LSWR began to look at electrification of suburban services during the 1910s, using a 600 volt DC third rail mechanism. The first such service to Wimbledon via East Putney opened on 25 October 1915, with services to Shepperton following on 30 January 1916, the Hounslow Loop Line on 12 March and on 18 June. Ownership of Waterloo underwent a succession, broadly typical of many British stations. Under the 1923 Grouping it passed to the Southern Railway (SR). The SR continued the third rail electrification of lines from Waterloo, including a full service to Guildford on 12 July 1925, and to Windsor on 6 July 1930.


title: London Waterloo station

text: A public address system first ran in Waterloo on 9 March 1932, and by the following decade was regularly broadcasting music around the station. In 1934, the SR planned to invest £500,000 (£ million as of ) to improve the signalling and track layout to allow better use of all platforms. A full electric service to Woking, Guildford and (for the Isle of Wight) opened on 4 July 1937, as did connecting services to and . On 1 January, an electric service opened between Waterloo and Reading, with a branch to and Aldershot, which was designed equally for the anticipated increase in military traffic in the area as well as commuters.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Waterloo was bombed several times during World War II. On 7 September 1940, the John Street viaduct immediately outside the station was destroyed by a bomb, which prevented any services running for 12 days. Full services did not resume until 1 October, which particularly affected mail traffic with over 5,000 unsorted bags piling up on the station platform. Waterloo was closed again after bombing on 29 December 1940. It re-opened on 5 January 1941, on the same day that station offices on York Road were destroyed by bombing. The station took heavy damage again after an overnight raid on 10–11 May 1941, with fires lasting for four days. One bomb was not discovered until it was uncovered during building work along York Road in 1959.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Following nationalisation in 1948, ownership of the station transferred to British Railways (BR) as part of the Southern Region. Under BR, more of the network was electrified and boat train traffic declined in favour of air travel. Waterloo was the last London terminus to run steam-hauled trains. The final journey took place on 9 July 1967 and featured a large group of rail enthusiasts with cameras and recording equipment, attempting to capture the departure of the final steam service to . The electrified service began the next day.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The station was managed by Network SouthEast also under BR. Following the privatisation of British Rail, ownership and management passed to Railtrack in April 1994 and finally, in 2002, to Network Rail.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Although the London terminus of the international railway connection via the Channel Tunnel had long planned to be in the north of London, the major construction works required to accommodate this plan had not started by the time the Channel Tunnel was completed in 1994. Instead, new platforms were built on the western side of Waterloo station, replacing platforms 20 and 21. The new Waterloo International railway station was the first London terminus of Eurostar international trains to Gare du Nord, Paris and . An inaugural service left Waterloo on 6 May for a joint opening ceremony with Queen Elizabeth II and the French president François Mitterrand. Regular services began on 14 November. Construction necessitated the removal of decorative masonry forming two arches from that side of the station, bearing the legend "Southern Railway". This was re-erected at the private Fawley Hill Museum of Sir William McAlpine, whose company built Waterloo International.


title: London Waterloo station

text: In the meantime, London and Continental Railways (LCR), created at the time of British Rail privatisation, was selected by the government in 1996 to reconstruct St Pancras railway station, which it had owned since privatisation, as well as a new rail connection, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), to link St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Construction of the CTRL, the second phase of High Speed 1, was completed in 2007, and Waterloo International closed on 13 November 2007 when the Eurostar service transferred to the new St Pancras International station. Ownership of the former Waterloo International terminal then passed to BRB (Residuary) Limited.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Waterloo station was to be the central London terminus for the proposed Heathrow Airtrack rail service. This project, promoted by British Airport Authority Limited (BAA), envisaged the construction of a spur, from on the Waterloo to Reading line, to Heathrow Airport, creating direct rail links from the airport to Waterloo, and Guildford. Airtrack was planned to open in 2015, but was abandoned by BAA during 2011. That October, Wandsworth Council proposed a revised plan called Airtrack-Lite, which would provide trains from Waterloo to Heathrow, via the same proposed spur from Staines to Heathrow, but, by diverting or splitting current services, the frequency of trains over the existing level crossings would not increase. BAA's earlier plan had controversially proposed more trains over the level crossings, leading to concerns that they would be closed to motorists and pedestrians for too long.


title: London Waterloo station

text: After the transfer of Eurostar services from Waterloo, the former Eurostar platforms 20–24 of Waterloo International remained unused until they were fully brought back into service in May 2019, after partial re-opening in December 2018. Waterloo suffered significant capacity problems, until the former international station were brought back into service for domestic use. In December 2008 preparatory work was carried out to enable platform 20 to be used by South West Trains suburban services. However, the conversion of the remaining platforms was delayed as it required alterations to the track layout outside the station. Platforms 20–22 were reopened for domestic use at the end of 2018. The final set, 23–24, opened in May 2019. The refurbishment and reopening of platforms 20–24 increased capacity at Waterloo by 30%. The international platforms were only designed to cope with six trains per hour, well below the current capacity for commuter services.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The project was criticised for its delayed completion date; in 2009 the Department for Transport confirmed that Network Rail was developing High Level Output Specification options for the station, with an estimated date for the re-opening of the platforms of 2014, seven years after their closure. The cost of maintaining the disused platforms up to late 2010 was found via a Freedom of Information request to have been £4.1 million. South West Trains subsequently confirmed that platform 20 would be brought back into use in 2014, hosting certain services to and from Reading, Windsor, Staines and Hounslow. These would be 10-car trains newly formed from refurbished SWT and former Gatwick Express rolling stock. Platform 20 reopened in May, with access via platform 19, and platforms 21 and 22 in October after steps were constructed over the former Eurostar entrance to access the platforms.


title: London Waterloo station

text: In May 2016, it was announced that platforms 1 to 4 would be lengthened to allow new ten-car Class 707 trains to run. Work started on 5 August 2017, and was completed on 28 August.


title: London Waterloo station

text: There have been relatively few accidents at Waterloo compared to other London terminal stations. On 21 August 1896, an engine leaving the locomotive yard overran its clearance point, colliding with a departing passenger train. Five passengers were injured. On 5 May 1904, a linesman accidentally stepped on a signal wire. This gave a false clear signal to a goods van, which collided with a passenger train, killing one, while on 25 October 1913, a collision between two passenger trains at Waterloo Junction killed three people.


title: London Waterloo station

text: On 13 April 1948, the goods hoist to the Waterloo and City line began to sink while a M7 class tank engine was pushing loaded coal wagons onto it. The engine dropped into the hoist's shaft, ending up upside-down and spurting steam over it. The driver and fireman managed to jump free, and the locomotive was rescued piecemeal and used for spares.


title: London Waterloo station

text: On 3 June 1960, an empty stock train formed of two 4COR electric multiple units overran signals and was in a sidelong collision with a steam-hauled passenger train that was departing for , Dorset. A few people suffered slight injuries. On 11 April the following year, an electric multiple unit overran signals and was in a head-on collision with a steam locomotive. One person was killed and fifteen were injured.


title: London Waterloo station

text: On 10 March 2000, a passenger train collided with an empty stock train in platform 5 due to driver error. Thirty-five people were injured.


title: London Waterloo station

text: On 15 August 2017, a Class 456 electric multiple unit collided with an engineers' train at the station. The passenger train was derailed, causing disruption for the remainder of the day. Three people were checked for injuries, but nobody was hospitalised. The cause was both a change to the interlocking, that failed to be accounted for in the test regime and that a temporary connection for testing had not been removed (probably added to overcome the change to the interlocking – it was entirely undocumented and unapproved) which meant that a set of points not correctly set was not detected. This allowed a proceed signal to be shown when it should not have been possible to do so. The problem would have been indicated to the signaller when a previous train 'ran through' the points and moved them had the temporary connection been removed. The temporary connection prevented this detection by providing a false feed to the detection relay. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) investigation into the accident concluded that mistakes were made similar to those which caused the Clapham Junction rail crash in 1988. The RAIB expressed concerns that lessons learnt from that accident were being forgotten over time.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The major transport interchange at Waterloo comprises London Waterloo, Waterloo East, Waterloo Underground station, and several bus stops. There are more than 130 automated ticket gates on the station concourse, along with another 27 in the subway below.


title: London Waterloo station

text: A four-faced clock hangs in the middle of the main concourse. Each panel has a diameter of . It was erected as part of the early 20th century rebuilding and designed by Gents' of Leicester. In 2010, the clock was fitted with technology to automatically switch to and from British Summer Time. Meeting "under the clock at Waterloo" is a traditional rendezvous.


title: London Waterloo station

text: There are 24 platforms at this stations, numbered 1-24 from the South East to the North West (left to right when viewed from the passenger entrance):


title: London Waterloo station

text: In contrast, platforms at are lettered to avoid confusion with the numbered platforms at this station.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Network Rail has constructed a balcony along almost the whole width of the concourse at the first-floor level. The project's aims were to provide 18 new retail spaces and a champagne bar, reduce congestion on the concourse, and improve access to Waterloo East station by providing additional escalators leading to the high-level walkway between Waterloo and Waterloo East. Retail and catering outlets have been removed from the concourse to make more circulation space. First-floor offices have been converted into replacement and additional retail and catering spaces. Work was completed in July 2012, at a cost of £25 million.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The British Transport Police maintained a police station by the Victory Arch at Waterloo, with a custody suite of three cells. Although relatively cramped, it served over 40 police officers until the late 1990s. The police station shut in February 2009, following the closure of the Eurostar Terminal at Waterloo. The railway station is now policed from a new Inner London Police Station a few yards from Waterloo at Holmes Terrace. Until July 2010, the Neighbourhood Policing Team for Waterloo consisted of an inspector, a sergeant, two constables, special constables, and 13 police community support officers.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The main part of the railway station complex is known as "Waterloo Main" or simply Waterloo. This is the London terminus for services towards the south coast and the south-west of England. All regular trains are operated by South Western Railway. Waterloo main line station is one of nineteen in the country that are managed by Network Rail and the station complex is in London fare zone 1.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Waterloo has been Britain's busiest railway station by patronage, with just under 100 million National Rail passenger entries/exits in 2015–16. Waterloo railway station alone is the 91st-busiest in the world as of 2013. However, including National Rail interchanges, the Underground station, and Waterloo East, the complex handled a total of 211 million arrivals and departures in the 2015/2016 financial year (not including interchanges on the Underground). It is therefore the busiest transport hub in Europe. It has more platforms and a greater floor area than any other station in the UK (though Clapham Junction, just under down the line, sees the greatest number of passengers alighting or departing trains). As of 2017, the South Western Railway run around 1,600 trains per day, used by over 651,000 passengers, making it Europe's busiest commuter service. According to the Estimates of Station Usage, there were 94,192,690 entries and exits at Waterloo during 2018–19, continuing to be the highest in the country. Along with other stations, usage dropped dramatically as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, Waterloo was the busiest railway station in the UK, with an estimated 86.9 million passenger entries/exits. It had been the busiest in the country for 16 consecutive years until patronage fell 86% in 2020/21 to 12.2 million due to the pandemic, ranking it fourth in terms of usage.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Adjacent to the main station is , the last stop on the South Eastern Main Line towards London before the terminus at Charing Cross. Waterloo East has four platforms, which are lettered A to D rather than numbered to avoid confusion with the numbered platforms in the main station by staff who work at both stations. Waterloo East is managed and branded separately from the main station. Trains go to southeast London, Kent and parts of East Sussex. All regular services are operated by Southeastern.


title: London Waterloo station

text: During August 2017, some Southeastern trains were diverted into Waterloo via the former Eurostar connection line between Vauxhall and Clapham High Street whilst engineering works took place between Hither Green and London Charing Cross/Cannon Street/Blackfriars via London Bridge.


title: London Waterloo station

text: London River Services operate boats from nearby London Eye Pier (also known as the Waterloo Millennium Pier) and Festival Pier, and run to the City and Greenwich. The piers also provide access to corporate and leisure services.


title: London Waterloo station

text: There had been plans to connect Waterloo to the West End via an underground railway since the 1860s. The Waterloo & Whitehall Railway began construction of a line towards Whitehall, but it was abandoned in 1868 because of financial difficulties. The first underground line to be opened at Waterloo was the Waterloo & City Railway to Bank, colloquially known as "The Drain" owing to its access via a sloping subway at the Bank end. It opened on 8 August 1898, and was part-owned by the L&SWR, who took over full ownership in 1907. It is primarily designed for commuters and is not normally open on Sundays.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The Baker Street and Waterloo Railway (now part of the Bakerloo line) opened on 10 March 1906, and was initially accessed from Waterloo by lifts at the York Road end of the station. The Northern line's station at Waterloo opened on 13 September 1926, as part of the overall extension from Charing Cross to Kennington. The Jubilee line station opened on 24 September 1999 as part of the eastward extension to Stratford.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Crossrail 3, backed by former London Mayors Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson would include a underground section in new tunnels connecting and Waterloo, connecting the West Coast Main Line corridor with services to the south.


title: London Waterloo station

text: In the 1990s, after Waterloo station was chosen as the British terminus for the Eurostar train service, Florent Longuepée, a municipal councillor in Paris, wrote to the British Prime Minister requesting that the station be renamed because he said it was upsetting for the French to be reminded of Napoleon's defeat when they arrived in London by Eurostar. There is a name counterpart in Paris: the Gare d'Austerlitz is named after the Battle of Austerlitz, one of Napoleon's greatest victories (over the Russians and Austrians).


title: London Waterloo station

text: The clock at Waterloo has been cited as one of the most romantic spots for a couple to meet, and fictional examples include Derek "Del Boy" Trotter meeting Raquel in the British sit-com "Only Fools and Horses" and Jack meeting Nancy in the film "Man Up".


title: London Waterloo station

text: Waterloo has appeared in fiction several times. In Jerome K. Jerome's 1889 comic novel, "Three Men in a Boat", the protagonists spend some time in the station, trying to find their train to Kingston upon Thames. After being given contradictory information by every railway employee they speak to, they eventually bribe a train driver to take his train to their destination. In Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne's 1889 novel "The Wrong Box", much of the farcical plot revolves around the misdelivery of two boxes at Waterloo station, and the attempts by the various protagonists to retrieve them. In H. G. Wells' 1897 science fiction novel, "The War of the Worlds", the little used, and long since vanished, connecting track across the station concourse to Waterloo East station makes an appearance. John Cowper Powys refers to the Waterloo Station steps in "Wolf Solent" where his protagonist, when leaving Waterloo for Dorset at the start of the novel, sees a vagrant with a face of "inert despair" who haunts him throughout the ensuing action as a reminder of eternal human suffering. The station features prominently in the action film "The Bourne Ultimatum", with a complex chase sequence and assassination.


title: London Waterloo station

text: The station is the subject of John Schlesinger's 1961 documentary film "Terminus", while the 1970 British Transport film "Rush Hour" includes several scenes filmed in the station. The underground scenes in the 1998 romantic comedy "Sliding Doors" were partly shot at Waterloo tube station.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Two well-received images of the station are the two Southern Railway posters "Waterloo Station – War" and "Waterloo Station – Peace", painted by Helen McKie for the 1948 centenary of the station. The two pictures show hundreds of busy travellers all in exactly the same positions and poses, but with altered clothing and roles. The preparatory sketches for these were drawn between 1939 and 1942. In 1981, Shell UK ran a competition a work of art to be exhibited above Waterloo's Shell exit. The winner, Jane Boyd, went on to be Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge. Other paintings of the station include the huge 1967 work by Terence Cuneo, in the collection of the National Railway Museum. A statue of Terence Cuneo by Philip Jackson was installed on the concourse in 2004.


title: London Waterloo station

text: In 2010, two of the disused platforms hosted a theatrical performance of "The Railway Children" by E. Nesbit. The audience was seated either side of the actual railway track. The show included the use of a steam locomotive coupled to one of the original carriages from the 1970s film (propelled by a diesel locomotive). The performance moved to London after two acclaimed summer runs at the National Railway Museum in York.


title: London Waterloo station

text: Waterloo and Waterloo Underground are the setting for the Kinks' song "Waterloo Sunset", recorded in 1967. It was originally titled "Liverpool Sunset" but changed as the band decided there were too many songs about that city. Its lyric describes two people (Terry and Julie) meeting at Waterloo Station and crossing the river, and was also inspired by the 1951 Festival of Britain. The band's biographer, Nick Hasted said the song "has made millions contemplatively pause around Waterloo, a busy urban area the record gives a sacred glow".


title: Emperor Yingzong of Ming

text: Emperor Yingzong of Ming (; 29 November 1427 – 23 February 1464), personal name Zhu Qizhen (), was the sixth and eighth Emperor of the Ming dynasty. He ascended the throne as the Zhengtong Emperor () in 1435, but was forced to abdicate in 1449, in favour of his younger brother the Jingtai Emperor, after being captured by the Northern Yuan dynasty during the Tumu Crisis. In 1457, he deposed the Jingtai Emperor and ruled again as the Tianshun Emperor () until his death in 1464.


title: Emperor Yingzong of Ming

text: Zhu Qizhen was the son of the Xuande Emperor and his second wife Empress Sun. At the beginning of the Zhengtong reign, the Ming dynasty was prosperous and at the height of its power as a result of the Xuande Emperor's able administration. The Zhengtong Emperor's accession at the age of eight made him the first child emperor of the dynasty – hence the Zhengtong Emperor was easily influenced by others, especially the eunuch Wang Zhen. At first, Wang Zhen was kept under control by his father's mother, Grand Empress Dowager Zhang, the unofficial regent, who collaborated closely with three ministers, all with the surname Yang (hence the common name "Three Yangs"), thus the good administration continued. In 1442 though, Empress Zhang died, and the three Yangs also died or retired around that time. The emperor began to completely rely on Wang Zhen for advice and guidance.


title: Emperor Yingzong of Ming

text: At the age of 21, in 1449, the Zhengtong Emperor, advised by Wang Zhen, personally directed and lost the Battle of Tumu Fortress against the Mongols under Esen Taishi (d.1455). In one of the most humiliating battles in Chinese history, the Ming army, half million strong, led by Zhengtong, was crushed by Esen's forces, estimated to be 20,000 cavalry. His capture by the enemy force shook the empire to its core, and the ensuing crisis almost caused the dynasty to collapse had it not been for the capable governing of a prominent minister named Yu Qian. Yu Qian was responsible for the Defense of Beijing.


title: Emperor Yingzong of Ming

text: Although the Zhengtong Emperor was a prisoner of the Mongols, he became a good friend to both Tayisung Khan Toghtoa Bukha (1416–1453) and his grand preceptor (taishi) Esen. Meanwhile, to calm the crisis at home, his younger brother Zhu Qiyu was installed as the Jingtai Emperor. This reduced the Zhengtong Emperor's imperial status and he was granted the title of "Tàishàng Huángdi" (emperor emeritus).


title: Emperor Yingzong of Ming

text: Historians at the time, in an effort to avoid what is an obvious taboo of the country's head of state becoming a prisoner of war, referred to this chapter of Yingzong's life as the "Northern Hunt" ().


title: Emperor Yingzong of Ming

text: The Zhengtong Emperor was released one year later in 1450, but when he returned to China, he was immediately put under house arrest by his brother for almost seven years. He resided in the southern palace of the Forbidden City, and all outside contacts were severely curtailed by the Jingtai Emperor. His son, who later became the Chenghua Emperor, was stripped of the title of crown prince and replaced by the Jingtai Emperor's own son. This act greatly upset and devastated the former Zhengtong Emperor, but the heir apparent died shortly thereafter. Overcome with grief, the Jingtai Emperor fell ill, and the former Zhengtong Emperor decided to depose his brother by a palace coup. The emperor emeritus was successful in seizing the throne from the Jingtai Emperor when the latter was ill, after which he changed his regnal name to "Tianshun" (lit. "obedience to Heaven") and went on to rule for another seven years. Jingtai Emperor was demoted to the Prince of Cheng and put under house arrest and soon died, probably murdered.


title: Emperor Yingzong of Ming

text: On 6 August 1461, the Tianshun Emperor issued an edict warning his subjects to be loyal to the throne and not to violate the laws. This was a veiled threat aimed at the general Cao Qin (d. 1461), who had become embroiled in a controversy when he had one of his retainers kill a man whom Ming authorities were attempting to interrogate (to find out about Cao's illegal foreign business transactions). On 7 August 1461, Cao Qin and his cohorts of Mongol descent attempted a coup against the Tianshun Emperor. However, during the first hours of the morning of 7 August, prominent Ming generals Wu Jin and Wu Cong, who were alerted of the coup, immediately relayed a warning to the emperor. Although alarmed, the Tianshun Emperor and his court made preparations for a conflict and barred the gates of the palace. During the ensuing onslaught in the capital later that morning, the Minister of Works and the Commander of the Imperial Guard were killed, while the rebels set the gates of the Forbidden City on fire. The eastern and western gates of the imperial city were only saved when pouring rains came and extinguished the fires. The fight lasted for nearly the entire day within the city; during which three of Cao Qin's brothers were killed, and Cao himself received wounds to both arms. With the failure of the coup, in order to escape being executed, Cao fled to his residence and committed suicide by jumping down a well within the walled compound of his home.


title: Emperor Yingzong of Ming

text: The Tianshun Emperor died at the age of 36 in 1464 and was buried in the Yuling Mausoleum of the Ming tombs. Before he died, he had given an order, which was rated highly as an act of imperial magnanimity, that ended the practice of burying alive concubines and palace maids (so that they could follow emperors to the next world).


title: Biogeographic realm

text: A biogeographic realm or ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms. They are subdivided into bioregions, which are further subdivided into ecoregions.


title: Biogeographic realm

text: The realms delineate large areas of Earth's surface within which organisms have evolved in relative isolation over long periods of time, separated geographic features, such as oceans, broad deserts, or high mountain ranges, that constitute natural barriers to migration. As such, biogeographic realm designations are used to indicate general groupings of organisms based on their shared biogeography. Biogeographic realms correspond to the floristic kingdoms of botany or zoogeographic regions of zoology.


title: Biogeographic realm

text: From 1872, Alfred Russel Wallace developed a system of zoogeographic regions, extending the ornithologist Philip Sclater's system of six regions.


title: Biogeographic realm

text: Biogeographic realms are characterized by the evolutionary history of the organisms they contain. They are distinct from biomes, also known as major habitat types, which are divisions of the Earth's surface based on "life form", or the adaptation of animals, fungi, micro-organisms and plants to climatic, soil, and other conditions. Biomes are characterized by similar climax vegetation. Each realm may include a number of different biomes. A tropical moist broadleaf forest in Central America, for example, may be similar to one in New Guinea in its vegetation type and structure, climate, soils, etc., but these forests are inhabited by animals, fungi, micro-organisms and plants with very different evolutionary histories.


title: Biogeographic realm

text: The distribution of organisms among the world's biogeographic realms has been influenced by the distribution of landmasses, as shaped by plate tectonics over the geological history of the Earth.


title: Biogeographic realm

text: The "biogeographic realms" of Udvardy were defined based on taxonomic composition. The rank corresponds more or less to the floristic kingdoms and zoogeographic regions.


title: Biogeographic realm

text: The usage of the term "ecozone" is more variable. It was used originally in stratigraphy (Vella 1962, Hedberg 1971). In Canadian literature, the term was used by Wiken in macro level land classification, with geographic criteria (see Ecozones of Canada). Later, Schültz would use it with ecological and physiognomical criteria, in a way similar to the concept of biome.


title: Biogeographic realm

text: In the Global 200/WWF scheme, originally the term "biogeographic realm" in Udvardy sense was used. However, in a scheme of BBC, it was replaced by the term "ecozone".


title: Biogeographic realm

text: The World Wildlife Fund scheme is broadly similar to Miklos Udvardy's system, the chief difference being the delineation of the Australasian realm relative to the Antarctic, Oceanic, and Indomalayan realms. In the WWF system, the Australasia realm includes Australia, Tasmania, the islands of Wallacea, New Guinea, the East Melanesian Islands, New Caledonia, and New Zealand. Udvardy's Australian realm includes only Australia and Tasmania; he places Wallacea in the Indomalayan Realm, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and East Melanesia in the Oceanian Realm, and New Zealand in the Antarctic Realm.


title: Biogeographic realm

text: Following the nomenclatural conventions set out in the International Code of Area Nomenclature, Morrone defined the next biogeographic kingdoms (or realms) and regions:


title: Biogeographic realm

text: The drainage basins of the principal oceans and seas of the world are marked by continental divides. The grey areas are endorheic basins that do not drain to the ocean.


title: Vivek Ram Chaudhari

text: Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, is an air officer of the Indian Air Force. He currently serves as the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS). He took over as the 27th CAS succeeding Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria on 30 September 2021. He earlier served as the 45th Vice Chief of the Air Staff and as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command.


title: Vivek Ram Chaudhari

text: Chaudhari was born to Rambhau Ganapat Chaudhari. His mother was a school headmistress. His grandfather was a teacher at the Zila Parishad school at Koli, a village in Hadgaon taluka. He studied in primary school at Nanded. The family moved to Hyderabad as his father started a company there. He thus did his schooling from BHEL Higher Secondary School, Ramachandrapuram, Hyderabad. He subsequently moved to Pune and enrolled in a military school. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (61'st Course), the Air Force Academy and the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington (DSSC).


title: Vivek Ram Chaudhari

text: Chaudhari was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot on 29 December 1982. He is a Category 'A' qualified flying instructor, and Instrument Rating Instructor and examiner. He has a flying experience of over 3800 hours on various fighter aircraft including MiG-21, MiG-23MF, MiG-29 and Su-30MKI. He was also a pioneer member of the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Display Team. As a fighter pilot, he flew operational missions during Operation Meghdoot and Operation Safed Sagar.


title: Vivek Ram Chaudhari

text: Chaudhari has commanded the MiG-29 squadron No. 28 Squadron IAF at Jamnagar and the forward base in Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir. He also served as the chief operations officer of the Srinagar Air Force Station.


title: Vivek Ram Chaudhari

text: As an air commodore, he served as the Air assistant to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik. He subsequently commanded the Lohegaon air base in Pune. He has served as an instructor at DSSC Wellington as well as Defence Services Command and Staff College at Lusaka, Zambia.


title: Vivek Ram Chaudhari

text: After promotion to Air Vice Marshal, Chaudhari served as the Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Air Defence) at Air headquarters and as the Deputy Commandant at the Air Force Academy, Dundigul. He subsequently was appointed the Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Personnel Officers) and later as Deputy Chief of Air Staff at Air HQ. On 1 October 2019, he was appointed Senior Air Staff Officer of the Eastern Air Command in Shillong. After a short stint, on 1 August 2020, he was appointed Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Air Command.


title: Vivek Ram Chaudhari

text: On 21 September 2021, the Government of India appointed Chaudhari as the next Chief of the Air Staff after the retirement of Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria on 30 September 2021.


title: Vivek Ram Chaudhari

text: During his career, Chaudhari has been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in 2004, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2015 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2021 for his service.


title: Vivek Ram Chaudhari

text: He is married to Neeta Chaudhari. They have two sons. His son is also in Indian Air Force, he is a Rafale fighter jet pilot.


title: Truck-kun

text: Truck-kun is an Internet meme that refers to a common trope used in the "isekai" genre of anime and manga, in which characters are transported to other worlds. Typically, the protagonists of the "isekai" anime or manga are sent to these worlds via reincarnation after death. Though recently, many "isekai" works have featured characters being transported upon being hit and killed by a truck. After several "isekai" works featured this as a means to kill their characters, a meme claiming the existence of a character named "Truck-kun" spread. It is purported Truck-kun's role is to kill people in their original world and subsequently send them to a new one.


title: Truck-kun

text: Early examples of discussion of the trope include a Reddit thread entitled "Trucks in Manga – "RE: Marina"" by user poloport from April 14, 2015. In the post, a page from the manga "RE: Marina" shows the central character Rinosuke being hit by a truck. The character is not killed, but the incident brings the main characters in the story together. This post resulted in further posts in which people pointed out examples of trucks running into the protagonists of manga, with "isekai" manga featuring heavily.


title: Truck-kun

text: In 2017, an anime fan compiled a list of causes of death among "isekai" protagonists, which was updated in 2018. Deaths caused by "Traffic accident by truck" came third in the study with 37 cases, with general traffic accidents coming second with 38 cases, and unknown causes first with 102 cases.


title: Truck-kun

text: Critics have since recorded the appearance of "Truck-kun" in multiple series. These include "Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!", "Mushoku Tensei", "The Eminence in Shadow", "Zombie Land Saga" and "Wise Man's Grandchild". There are also alternative versions of the plot device, such as in "KonoSuba", where lead character Kazuma Satō dies from shock after rescuing someone from being run over by what he thinks is a truck, but is later discovered to be a slow-moving tractor that posed no danger to the person he was attempting to save.


title: Truck-kun

text: Since the creation of the meme, people have retrospectively examined earlier series to see other uses of motor accidents in anime and manga. Examples include Osamu Tezuka's sci-fi manga "Astro Boy", in which Tobio Tenma is killed in a car accident at the beginning of the story, resulting in his father creating the robot Astro Boy in his image; as well as the anime series "Magical Princess Minky Momo", in which Momo loses her powers and is killed by a truck late in the series before being reincarnated as a baby.


title: Rama I

text: Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now Thailand). His full title in Thai is "Phra Bat Somdet Phra Paramoruracha Mahachakkriborommanat Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok" (). He ascended the throne in 1782, following the deposition of King Taksin of Thonburi. He was also celebrated as the founder of Rattanakosin (now Bangkok) as the new capital of the reunited kingdom.


title: Rama I

text: Rama I was born from a Mon male line descent family, great-grandson of Kosa Pan. His father served in the royal court of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, and had served King Taksin in wars against the Burmese Konbaung dynasty and helped him in the reunification of Siam. During this time he emerged as Siam's most powerful military leader. Thongduang was the first "Somdet Chao Phraya", the highest rank the nobility could attain, equaled to that of royalty. In 1782, he took control of Siam and crowned himself as the monarch. The most famous event in his reign was the Burmese–Siamese War of 1785–86, which was the last major Burmese assault on Siam.


title: Rama I

text: Like other high-ranking figures of old Siam, Rama I's name changed several times during his lifetime, depending on his respective position, and even posthumously. His name at birth was Thongduang (also spelled "Thong Duang" ทองด้วง), family names had not yet been introduced in Siam at that time.


title: Rama I

text: When Thongduang served as deputy governor of Ratchaburi Province during the rule of King Ekkathat of Ayutthaya, he bore the title of "Luang Yokkrabat". After the demise of Ayutthaya, the new king Taksin to whom he served as an important military commander, awarded him successively the titles of "Phra Ratcharin Chao Krom Phra Tamruat" (head of the police department), "Phraya Aphaironnarit", "Phraya Yommarat", "Phraya Chakri" and "Chaophraya Chakri" (minister of the northern provinces). Finally Taksin created him the title of "Somdet Chaophraya Maha Kasatsuek", a noble title as high as no Siamese official had born before him, making him quasi-royalty.


title: Rama I

text: When he ascended to the throne in 1782, he took the name "Ramathibodi", just like the founder of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. His full title was much longer ("Phra Borommarachathirat Ramathibodi Sisin Borommaha Chakkraphat Rachathibodin" etc.), intended to demonstrate his universal claim to power like of earlier Siamese kings.


title: Rama I

text: After his death, the people referred to him simply as "Phaendin Ton" ("the first reign"), to his son as "Phaendin Klang" ("the middle reign"). Continuing this system consequently, his grandson Rama III would have been "the last reign". To avoid this inauspicious title, he ended this practice by donating two Buddha statues that were placed to the sides of the Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Kaeo and dedicated one each to his father and grandfather. He demanded to refer to his two predecessors using the names of these Buddha statues. The one dedicated to the first Chakri king was named "Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok" ("the Buddha on top of the sky and the crown of the worlds"). This is how this king is still referred to in Thai history books.


title: Rama I

text: His descendant Vajiravudh (Rama VI) who had studied in England, realised that most Siamese kings' names were difficult to reproduce and remember for Westerners. He therefore disposed to use for all kings of the Chakri dynasty the name "Rama" together with the respective ordinal number. So this king is "Rama I" in Western literature. In 1982, 200 years after his accession, the Thai cabinet decided to award him the epithet "Maharat" ("The Great").


title: Rama I

text: Thongduang was born in 1737 in the reign of King Boromakot of Ayutthaya. His father was Thongdi, a Mon noble serving the royal court (posthumously raised to Somdet Phra Prathom Borommahachonnok – "the grand primordial father") who was "Phra Akson Sunthonsat" (Royal Secretary of northern Siam, Keeper of the Royal Seal). Phra Akson Sunthonsat was also a descendant of Kosa Pan, the leader of King Narai's embassy to the French court. His mother, Daoreung (original name Yok), was part-Chinese. Thongduang had six other siblings.


title: Rama I

text: Thongduang at a young age entered the Royal Palace as one of the royal pages of King Uthumphon, where he met his childhood friend Taksin. In 1757, aged 21, he became a monk temporarily, in accordance with Siamese custom. In 1760, he married Nak, daughter of a town patron in Samut Sakorn. He was later appointed the "Luang Yokkrabat" (deputy governor) of Ratchaburi Province by King Ekkathat in 1758.


title: Rama I

text: On the eve of the fall of Ayutthaya, Phraya Wachiraprakan (later King Taksin) had foreseen that the fall of the city was certain. Wachiraprakan decided to break the siege of the city of Ayutthaya by the Burmese army and establish a new base outside. Phraya Ratchaburi also joined this venture. In 1767, Ayutthaya under King Ekkathat fell to Burmese invaders, the city was completely destroyed; burned and looted. Local warlords rose up to establish their supremacy in the absence of a central authority.


title: Rama I

text: Despite the fall of Ayutthaya, Taksin and his men in the same year managed to capture Chantaburi and Trat. During this time Phraya Ratchaburi became one of Taksin's six ministers and together with Phraya Pichai they were regarded by Taksin as his two most valuable generals.


title: Rama I

text: Swiftly Taksin made a strategic plan and under it recaptured Ayutthaya in one year. In 1768 Taksin crowned himself and founded the Kingdom of Thonburi on the west bank of the mouth of the Chao Phraya river, using Thonburi as a new capital. Under the new Thonburi regime, Thongduang was appointed head of the royal police department, bearing the title "Phra Ratcharin". After subjugating the warlord of Phimai with his brother Bunma (at that time called Phra Mahamontri, the future Maha Sura Singhanat), he was raised to "Phraya Aphairanarit".


title: Rama I

text: After the campaign to subdue the lord of Fang in 1769, Thongduang was raised to "Phraya Yommarat" and in the next year became "Chao Phraya Chakri" – the "Samuhanayok" (chief minister of the northern provinces). Chakri commanded the Siamese troops in the wars against Burma and went on to subjugate Cambodia. His brother Bunma (who by that time held the title of Phraya Anuchit Raja), accompanied him in various campaigns. Chakri and his brother were sent to the north to Lan Na in 1774 to free the kingdom from Burmese rule with the help of Phraya Kawila, a prince from Lampang. In 1776, he conquered Khmer Pa Dong (around modern Surin). He was assigned the task of conquering Lao kingdoms in 1778 and all the three kingdoms (Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Champasak) fell to the Siamese in the same year. He was eventually raised to "Somdet Chao Phraya Maha Kasatsuek", the first official to ever hold this rank.


title: Rama I

text: In 1781, he went on the campaigns against Cambodia, only to return prematurely due to the instability of Thonburi. The rebellion of Phraya Sun had broken out and the rebels deposed King Taksin. Some sources report that Taksin was consigned to a monastery. After arriving in Thonburi in 1782, Chao Phraya defeated the Phraya Sun with his forces. Later sources widely reported that the general eventually executed the ousted Taksin, contradicting to some earlier sources. He then seized power and made himself King, establishing the Chakri dynasty, which continues to rule Thailand to this day.


title: Rama I

text: General Maha Kasatsuek crowned himself on 6 April 1782. Soon after, he decided to move the capital of Siam to the east bank of the Chao Phraya river for several reasons, including its better strategic location and a desire to promote his legitimacy by starting from a clean slate. He decided to name his new capital "Rattanakosin" ("Keeping place of the Emerald Buddha"). Rama I also raised various members of his family to royalty. He appointed his brother Surasi (Anuchit Raja) or Maha Sura Singhanat as the "Front Palace" (conventional title of the viceroy and heir apparent) and his nephew Thong-In or Anurak Devesh as the "Rear Palace".