title: Nemertea

text: The proboscis is an infolding of the body wall, and sits in the rhynchocoel when inactive. When muscles in the wall of the rhynchocoel compress the fluid inside, the pressure makes the proboscis jump inside-out to along a canal called the rhynchodeum and through an orifice, the proboscis pore. The proboscis has a muscle which attaches to the back of the rhynchocoel, and which can stretch up to 30 times its inactive length and then retract the proboscis.


title: Nemertea

text: The proboscis of the class Anopla exits from an orifice which is separate from the mouth, coils around the prey and immobilizes it by sticky, toxic secretions. The Anopla can attack as soon as they move into the range of the proboscis. Some Anopla have branched proboscises which can be described as "a mass of sticky spaghetti". The animal then draws its prey into its mouth.


title: Nemertea

text: In most of the class Enopla , the proboscis exits from a common orifice of the rhynchocoel and mouth. A typical member of this class has a stylet, a calcareous barb, with which the animal stabs the prey many times to inject toxins and digestive secretions. The prey is then swallowed whole or, after partial digestion, its tissues are sucked into the mouth. The stylet is attached about one-third of distance from the end of the everted proboscis, which extends only enough to expose the stylet. On either side of the active stylet are sacs containing back-up stylets to replace the active one as the animal grows or an active one is lost. Instead of one stylet, the Polystilifera have a pad that bears many tiny stylets, and these animals have separate orifices for the proboscis and mouth, unlike other Enopla. The Enopla can only attack after contacting the prey.


title: Nemertea

text: Some nemerteans, such as "L. longissimus", absorb organic food in solution through their skins, which may make the long, slim bodies an advantage. Suspension feeding is found only among the specialized symbiotic bdellonemerteans, which have a proboscis but no stylet, and use suckers to attach themselves to bivalves.


title: Nemertea

text: Nemerteans lack specialized gills, and respiration occurs over the surface of the body, which is long and sometimes flattened. Like other animals with thick body walls, they use fluid circulation rather than diffusion to move substances through their bodies. The circulatory system consists of the rhynchocoel and peripheral vessels, while their blood is contained in the main body cavity. The fluid in the rhynchocoel moves substances to and from the proboscis, and functions as a fluid skeleton in everting the proboscis and in burrowing. The vessels circulate fluid round the whole body and the rhynchocoel provides its own local circulation. The circulatory vessels are a system of coeloms.


title: Nemertea

text: In the simplest type of circulatory system, two lateral vessels are joined at the ends to form a loop. However, many species have additional long-wise and cross-wise vessels. There is no heart nor pumping vessels, and the flow of fluid depends on contraction of both the vessels and the body wall's muscles. In some species, circulation is intermittent, and fluid ebbs and flows in the long-wise vessels. The fluid in the vessels is usually colorless, but in some species it contains cells that are yellow, orange, green or red. The red type contain hemoglobin and carry oxygen, but the function of the other pigments is unknown.


title: Nemertea

text: Nemertea use organs called protonephridia to excrete soluble waste products, especially nitrogenous by-products of cellular metabolism. In nemertean protonephridia, flame cells which filter out the wastes are embedded in the front part of the two lateral fluid vessels. The flame cells remove the wastes into two collecting ducts, one on either side, and each duct has one or more nephridiopores through which the wastes exit. Semiterrestrial and freshwater nemerteans have many more flame cells than marines, sometimes thousands. The reason may be that osmoregulation is more difficult in non-marine environments.


title: Nemertea

text: The central nervous-system consists of a brain and paired ventral nerve cords that connect to the brain and run along the length of the body. The brain is a ring of four ganglia, masses of nerve cells, positioned round the rhynchocoel near its front end – while the brains of most protostome invertebrates encircle the foregut. Most nemertean species have just one pair of nerve cords, many species have additional paired cords, and some species also have a dorsal cord. In some species the cords lie within the skin, but in most they are deeper, inside the muscle layers. The central nervous-system is often red or pink because it contains hemoglobin. This stores oxygen for peak activity or when the animal experiences anoxia, for example while burrowing in oxygen-free sediments.


title: Nemertea

text: Some species have paired cerebral organs, sacs whose only openings are to the outside. Others species have unpaired evertible organs on the front of their heads. Some have slits along the side of the head or grooves obliquely across the head, and these may be associated with paired cerebral organs. All of these are thought to be chemoreceptors, and the cerebral organs may also aiding osmoregulation. Small pits in the epidermis appear to be sensors. On their head, some species have a number of pigment-cup ocelli, which can detect light but not form an image. Most nemerteans have two to six ocelli, although some have hundreds. A few tiny species that live between grains of sand have statocysts, which sense balance.


title: Nemertea

text: "Paranemertes peregrina", which feeds on polychaetes, can follow the prey's trails of mucus, and find its burrow by backtracking along its own trail of mucus.


title: Nemertea

text: Nemerteans generally move slowly, though they have occasionally been documented to successfully prey on spiders or insects. Most nemerteans use their external cilia to glide on surfaces on a trail of slime, some of which is produced by glands in the head. Larger species use muscular waves to crawl, and some aquatic species swim by dorso-ventral undulations. Some species burrow by means of muscular peristalsis, and have powerful muscles. Some species of the suborder Monostilifera, whose proboscis have one active stylet, move by extending the proboscis, sticking it to an object and pulling the animal toward the object.


title: Nemertea

text: Larger species often break up when stimulated, and the fragments often grow into full individuals. Some species fragment routinely and even parts near the tail can grow full bodies. But this kind of extreme regeneration is restricted to only a few types of nemerteans, and is assumed to be a derived feature. All reproduce sexually, and most species are gonochoric (the sexes are separate), but all the freshwater forms are hermaphroditic.


title: Nemertea

text: Nemerteans often have numerous temporary gonads (ovaries or testes), forming a row down each side of the body in the mesenchyme. Temporary gonoducts (ducts from which the ova or sperm are emitted), one per gonad, are built when the ova and sperm are ready. The eggs are generally fertilised externally. Some species shed them into the water, some lay them in a burrow or tube, and some protect them by cocoons or gelatinous strings. Some bathypelagic (deep sea) species have internal fertilization, and some of these are viviparous, growing their embryos in the female's body.


title: Nemertea

text: The zygote (fertilised egg) divides by spiral cleavage and grows by determinate development, in which the fate of a cell can usually be predicted from its predecessors in the process of division. The embryos of most taxa develop either directly to form juveniles (like the adult but smaller) or to form planuliform larvae. The planuliform larva stage may be short-lived and lecithotrophic ("yolky") before becoming a juvenile, or may be planktotrophic, swimming for some time and eating prey larger than microscopic particles. However, many members of the order Heteronemertea and the palaeonemertean family Hubrechtiidae form a pilidium larva, which can capture unicellular algae and which Maslakova describes as like a deerstalker cap with the ear flaps pulled down. It has a gut which lies across the body, a mouth between the "ear flaps", but no anus. A small number of imaginal discs form, encircling the archenteron (developing gut) and coalesce to form the juvenile. When it is fully formed, the juvenile bursts out of the larva body and usually eats it during this catastrophic metamorphosis. This larval stage is unique in that there are no Hox genes involved during development, which are only found in the juveniles developing inside the larvae.


title: Nemertea

text: Most nemerteans are marine animals that burrow in sediments, lurk in crevices between shells, stones or the holdfasts of algae or sessile animals. Some live deep in the open oceans, and have gelatinous bodies. Others build semi-permanent burrows lined with mucus or produce cellophane-like tubes. Mainly in the tropics and subtropics, about 12 species appear in freshwater, and about a dozen species live on land in cool, damp places, for example under rotting logs.


title: Nemertea

text: The terrestrial "Argonemertes dendyi" is a native of Australia but has been found in the British Isles, in Sao Miguel in the Azores, in Gran Canaria, and in a lava tube at Kaumana on the Island of Hawaii. It can build a cocoon, which allows it to avoid desiccation while being transported, and it may be able to build populations quickly in new areas as it is a protandrous hermaphrodite. Another terrestrial genus, "Geonemertes", is mostly found in Australasia but has species in the Seychelles, widely across the Indo-Pacific, in Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic, in Frankfurt, in the Canary Islands, in Madeira and in the Azores. "Geonemertes pelaensis" has been implicated in the decline of native arthropod species on the Ogasawara Islands, where it was introduced in the 1980s.


title: Nemertea

text: Most are carnivores, feeding on annelids, clams and crustaceans, and may kill annelids of about their own size. They sometimes take fish, both living and dead. Insects and myriapods are the only known prey of the two terrestrial species of "Argonemertes".


title: Nemertea

text: A few nemerteans are scavengers, and these generally have good distance chemoreception ("smell") and are not selective about their prey. A few species live commensally inside the mantle cavity of molluscs and feed on micro-organisms filtered out by the host.


title: Nemertea

text: Near San Francisco the nemertean "Carcinonemertes errans" has consumed about 55% of the total egg production of its host, the Dungeness crab "Metacarcinus magister". "C. errans" is considered a significant factor in the collapse of the dungeness crab fishery. Other coastal nemerteans have devastated clam beds.


title: Nemertea

text: The few predators on nemerteans include bottom-feeding fish, some sea birds, a few invertebrates including horseshoe crabs, and other nemerteans. Nemerteans' skins secrete toxins that deter many predators, but some crabs may clean nemerteans with one claw before eating them. The American "Cerebratulus lacteus" and the South African "Polybrachiorhynchus dayi", both called "tapeworms" in their respective localities, are sold as fish bait.


title: Nemertea

text: Recent molecular phylogenetic studies divided the group into two superclasses, three classes, and eight orders:


title: Nemertea

text: As nemerteans are mostly soft-bodied, one would expect fossils of them to be extremely rare. Knaust (2010) reported nemertean fossils and traces from the Middle Triassic of Germany. One might expect the stylet of a nemertean to be fossilized, since it is made of the mineral calcium phosphate, but no fossilized stylets have been found.


title: Nemertea

text: The Middle Cambrian fossil "Amiskwia" from the Burgess Shale has been classed as a nemertean, based on a resemblance to some unusual deep-sea swimming nemerteans, but few paleontologists accept this classification as the Burgess Shale fossils show no evidence of rhynchocoel nor intestinal caeca.


title: Nemertea

text: Knaust & Desrochers (2019) reported fossils of vermiform organisms with a wide range of morphologies occurring on bedding planes from the Late Ordovician (Katian) Vauréal Formation (Canada). In the specimens preserving the anterior end of the body, this end is pointed or rounded, bearing a rhynchocoel with the proboscis, which is characteristic for nemerteans. The authors attributed these fossils to nemerteans and interpreted them as the oldest record of the group reported so far. However, Knaust & Desrochers cautioned that partly preserved putative nemertean fossils might ultimately turn out to be fossils of turbellarians or annelids.


title: Nemertea

text: It has been suggested that "Archisymplectes", one of the Pennsylvanian-age animals from Mazon Creek in northern and central Illinois, may be a nemertean. This fossil, however, only preserves the outline of the "worm", and there is no evidence of a proboscis, so there is no certainty that it represents a nemertean.


title: Nemertea

text: There is no doubt that the phylum Nemertea is monophyletic (meaning that the phylum includes all and only descendants of one ancestor that was also a member of the phylum. The synapomorphies (trait shared by an ancestor and all its descendants, but not by other groups) include the eversible proboscis located in the rhynchocoel.


title: Nemertea

text: While Ruppert, Fox and Barnes (2004) treat the Palaeonemertea as monophyletic, Thollesson and Norenburg (2003) regard them as paraphyletic and basal (contains the ancestors of the more recent clades). The Anopla ("unarmed") represent an evolutionary grade of nemerteans without stylets (comprising the Heteronemertea and the Palaeonemerteans), while Enopla ("armed") are monophyletic, but find that Palaeonemertea is doubly paraphyletic, having given rise to both the Heteronemertea and the Enopla. Ruppert, Fox and Barnes (2004) treat the Bdellonemertea as a clade separate from the Hoplonemertea, while Thollesson and Norenburg (2003) believe the Bdellonemertea are a part of the Monostilifera (with one active stylet), which are within the Hoplonemertea – which implies that "Enopla" and "Hoplonemertea" are synonyms for the same branch of the tree. The Polystilifera (with many tiny stylets) are monophyletic.


title: Nemertea

text: English-language writings have conventionally treated nemerteans as acoelomate bilaterians that are most closely related to flatworms (Platyhelminthes). These pre-cladistics analyses emphasised as shared features: multiciliated (with multiple cilia per cell), glandular epidermis; rod-shaped secretory bodies or rhabdites; frontal glands or organs; protonephridia; and acoelomate body organization. However, multiciliated epidermal cells and epidermal gland cells are also found in Ctenophora, Echiura, Sipuncula, Annelida, Mollusca and other taxa. The rhabdites of nemertea have a different structure from those of flatworms at the microscopic scale. The frontal glands or organs of flatworms vary a lot in structure, and similar structures appear in small marine annelids and entoproct larvae. The protonephridia of nemertea and flatworms are different in structure, and in position – the flame cells of nemertea are usually in the walls of the fluid vessels and are served by "drains" from which the wastes exit by a small number of tubes through the skin, while the flame cells of flatworms are scattered throughout the body. Rigorous comparisons show no synapomorphies of nemertean and platyhelminth nephridia.


title: Nemertea

text: According to more recent analyses, in the development of nemertean embryos, ectomesoderm (outer part of the mesoderm, which is the layer in which most of the internal organs are built) is derived from cells labelled 3a and 3b, and endomesoderm (inner part of the mesoderm) is derived from the 4d cell. Some of the ectomesoderm in annelids, echiurans and molluscs is derived from cells 3a and 3b, while the ectomesoderm of polyclad flatworms is derived from the 2b cell and acoel flatworms produce no ectomesoderm. In nemerteans the space between the epidermis and the gut is mainly filled by well-developed muscles embedded in noncellular connective tissue. This structure is similar to that found in larger flatworms such as polyclads and triclads, but a similar structure of body-wall muscles embedded in noncellular connective tissue is widespread among the Spiralia (animals in which the early cell divisions make a spiral pattern) such as sipunculans, echiurans and many annelids.


title: Nemertea

text: Nemerteans' affinities with Annelida (including Echiura, Pogonophora, Vestimentifera and perhaps Sipuncula) and Mollusca make the ribbon-worms members of Lophotrochozoa, which include about half of the extant animal phyla. Lophotrochozoa groups: those animals that feed using a lophophore (Brachiopoda, Bryozoa, Phoronida, Entoprocta); phyla in which most members' embryos develop into trochophore larvae (for example Annelida and Mollusca); and some other phyla (such as Platyhelminthes, Sipuncula, Gastrotricha, Gnathostomulida, Micrognathozoa, Nemertea, Phoronida, Platyhelminthes and Rotifera). These groupings are based on molecular phylogeny, which compares sections of organisms DNA and RNA. While analyses by molecular phylogeny are confident that members of Lophotrochozoa are more closely related to each other than of non-members, the relationships between members are mostly unclear.


title: Nemertea

text: Most protostome phyla outside the Lophotrochozoa are members of Ecdysozoa ("animals that molt"), which include Arthropoda, Nematoda and Priapulida. Most other bilaterian phyla are in the Deuterostomia, which include Echinodermata and Chordata. The Acoelomorpha, which are neither protostomes nor deuterostomes, are regarded as basal bilaterians.


title: Bradley Pierce

text: Bradley Michael Pierce is an American actor, producer and cinematographer. Along with other roles and bit parts in television, films, direct-to-video animation, advertising, and video games, he played Peter Shepherd in "Jumanji", the original voice of Chip in "Beauty and the Beast", one of the original voices for Tails from the "Sonic the Hedgehog" franchise and Pete Lender in the 1997 film adaptation of "The Borrowers".


title: Bradley Pierce

text: Pierce began acting at age six, and has since appeared in various projects ranging from commercial and voiceover to television and film. He played the role of Andrew Shawn Donovan IV on "Days of Our Lives" for just over a year. He is also known for voicing Chip in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" as well as Flounder in the television series "The Little Mermaid" and Tails in the Saturday morning cartoon series "Sonic the Hedgehog".


title: Bradley Pierce

text: Other roles include Peter in "Jumanji" and a starring role in "The Borrowers" with John Goodman. Pierce provided additional voices in "The Busy World of Richard Scarry" and appeared with Patty Duke and Melissa Gilbert in the TV film "Cries from the Heart/Touch of Truth" as an autistic child named Michael.


title: Bradley Pierce

text: He has guest-starred on such TV shows including "Life Goes On", "Roseanne", "Herman's Head", "Mad About You", "", "Touched by an Angel", "Profiler", "", and voiced the character Nibs in the 2002 film "Return to Never Land".


title: Bradley Pierce

text: In addition to acting, Bradley is producing short films and new media "Geek" content with the production company "ZFO Entertainment", a company he started with his good friend and fellow actor Joey Zimmerman. They are primarily working as a press/media outlet, in addition to producing their own short film content. Their first short film "Vultures" is slated for release late 2016.


title: Bradley Pierce

text: Outside of film-making, Bradley is the co-founder of Pierce & Luna, a cocktail community geared towards bartending education and liquor reviews. Along with his partner, Bella Luna, Pierce has begun providing bartending services and consultations for elite parties. They also provide custom speciality cocktails for festivals such as the Hollywood Burlesque Festival and the Hollywood Fringe Festival.


title: Bradley Pierce

text: Pierce and his wife Shari Holmes were married in 2005, together they have three children. Holmes filed for divorce from Pierce in 2015, and was finalized in 2017.


title: Jamtara

text: Jamtara is a city and a notified area in the Jamtara Sadar subdivision of the Jamtara district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the headquarters of the epynomous district, subdivision and community development block.


title: Jamtara

text: It is also nicknamed the phishing capital of India. It got this title because there were numerous incidents of phishing across the country whose centre point was there. In the span of two years between April 2015 and March 2017, police from 12 Indian states reportedly made 23 journeys to Jamtara. They did so to investigate cybercrimes — primarily phishing that were emanating from one of the most underdeveloped districts, was responsible for 8 percent of them by some estimates. Those involved had bought luxury SUVs and put up fancy bungalows next to ramshackle cottages.


title: Jamtara

text: It is located 250 km from Ranchi, the state capital and 54 km from Dhanbad the 'Coal Capital'. It has an area of 1801 km². Distance from other major cities like from Kolkata is 260 km and from Patna is 290 km.


title: Jamtara

text: It came into existence on 26 April 2001. This small district of Jharkhand state consists of only four blocks. It was created by carving out four blocks from Dumka District.


title: Jamtara

text: Other towns in this district are Karmatar, Nala, Kundahit, Narayanpur, Fatehpur and Mihijam. The Ajay River passes through the district and forest areas cover the district.


title: Jamtara

text: The map shows a large area, which is a plateau with low hills, except in the eastern portion where the Rajmahal hills intrude into this area and the Ramgarh hills are there. The south-western portion is just a rolling upland. The entire area is overwhelmingly rural with only small pockets of urbanisation.


title: Jamtara

text: Parwat Vihar Park is located 5 km from Jamtara Railway Station. It is situated in the Northern Side of Jamtara.


title: Jamtara

text: Karamdaha temple of Dukhia Mahadev is situated 44 km from Jamtara railway station. A fair is held at this place every year from 14 January to 27 January.


title: Jamtara

text: India census, Jamtara had a population of 29,415 with 89% Hindu & 10% Muslim. Males constituted 52% of the population and females 48%. Jamtara had an average literacy rate of 63.73%, lower than the national average of 74.4%: male literacy was 76.85%, and female literacy was 50.08%. In Jamtara, 13% of the population was under 6 years of age.


title: Jamtara

text: According to a 2011 census, Bengali was the most spoken language in Jamtara with 12,713 speakers followed by Hindi at 8,412, Khortha at 4,553 and Santali at 1,038.


title: Jamtara

text: Jamtara was featured in a Netflix show titled "Jamtara – Sabka Number Ayega". The TV Show revolves around a group of small-town young men who run a lucrative phishing operation, until a corrupt politician wants in on their scheme and a cop wants to fight it.


title: Wonsu

text: The title of "Wonsu" or its variations had been used as the title of high-ranking military commanders in Korean history since Goryeo Dynasty onward. For example, Gwon Yul, a famous general in 16th century who rose to the supreme command of Korean forces during Imjin War held the title of "Do-Wonsu", roughly translated as "high marshal".


title: Wonsu

text: "Wonsu" is a rank in the Korean People's Army of North Korea, equivalent to marshal in other armies. This rank is held by all Supreme Leaders of the DPRK.


title: Wonsu

text: While he was the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, Kim Il-sung became North Korea's first marshal during the Korean War by the decision of the Supreme People's Assembly, the unicameral parliament of North Korea, on February 4, 1953. Period photographic evidence demonstrates that the early marshal shoulder board rank insignia was the same as that of the current vice marshal shoulder boards (a large star overlain with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea coat-of-arms).


title: Wonsu

text: The rank of vice marshal ("chasu") is unique to the North Korean ranking system. Vice marshal was first conferred in February 1953 on Choe Yong-gon. Sources suggest that the shoulder board rank insignia for marshal and vice marshal then became a single large star without the state coat-of-arms (for marshals) and the state coat-of-arms without a star (for vice marshals). By the time the next conferral of rank to vice marshal was awarded (1985), the shoulder board rank insignia for marshal and vice marshal had taken on their current design.


title: Wonsu

text: The next change in the DPRK marshal ranks took place in 1992 when the rank of "dae wonsu" or grand marshal (full title grand marshal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) was created for Kim Il-sung. At this time the rank of marshal was divided into two ranks: the rank of marshal with the title "marshal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" ("konghwaguk wonsu") was conferred upon Kim Il-sung's son Kim Jong-il, and the same rank but with the title "marshal of the Korean People's Army" was conferred upon O Jin-u. In 1995, two other military officers were conferred the rank of marshal with the title "marshals of the Korean People's Army", i.e. Choe Kwang and Ri Ul-sol. Insignia of rank of the two grades of marshal are different (with the insignia for marshal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea being more like that of grand marshal—the grand marshal insignia has a larger wreath encompassing the marshal's star—but is smaller as it is below the star itself).


title: Wonsu

text: Also, in 1992 eight other generals were promoted to vice marshal at which time in North Korea there was one grand marshal, one marshal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, one marshal of the Korean People's Army and eight vice marshals.


title: Wonsu

text: On April 15, 2016, Kim Yong-chun and Hyon Chol-hae were promoted to the rank of Marshal of the Korean People's Army, the first promotions of active duty officers after 21 years.


title: Wonsu

text: (), known in English as "General of the Army of the Republic of Korea" or "Admiral of the Fleet of the Republic of Korea", is the highest military rank of the Republic of Korea (ROK) armed forces and is the combined equivalent of a field marshal, fleet admiral and marshal of the Air Force in other nations. The rank is senior to that of . only exists on paper, and has never been held by an officer of the South Korean Armed Forces. According to the Armed Forces Personnel Act of National Defense Law of the Republic of Korea, the is appointed from the who has distinguished achievements.


title: Wonsu

text: The rank insignia for is heavily influenced by United States military insignia of General of the Army and General of the Air Force for Army and Air Force. While the rank insignia for the Navy remains the same the sleeve insignia for a naval officer promoted to the rank is the same sleeve insignia of Fleet admiral used in the United States Navy.


title: Wonsu

text: Coincidentally, "wonsu" is also a word meaning "mortal enemy" (怨讐). The two words have different etymologies and hanja, but in South Korea are homophonous and so are written identically in hangul. In North Korea, the government has addressed the issue by changing the word for "enemy" to "wonssu" (원쑤).


title: Jantar Mantar, New Delhi

text: Jantar Mantar is located in the modern city of New Delhi. “Jantar Mantar” literally means “instruments for measuring the harmony of the heavens”. It consists of 13 architectural astronomy instruments. The site is one of five built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur, from 1723 onwards, revising the calendar and astronomical tables. Jai Singh, born in 1688 into a royal Rajput family that ruled the regional kingdom, was born into an era of education that maintained a keen interest in astronomy. There is a plaque fixed on one of the structures in the Jantar Mantar observatory in New Delhi that was placed there in 1910 mistakenly dating the construction of the complex to the year 1710. Later research, though, suggests 1724 as the actual year of construction. Its height is .


title: Jantar Mantar, New Delhi

text: The primary purpose of the observatory was to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon and planets. Some of these purposes nowadays would be classified as astronomy.


title: Jantar Mantar, New Delhi

text: Completed in 1724, the Delhi Jantar Mantar had decayed considerably by 1857 uprising. The Ram Yantra, the Samrat Yantra, the Jai Prakash Yantra and the Misra Yantra are the distinct instruments of Jantar Mantar. The most famous of these structure, the Jaipur, had also deteriorated by the end of the nineteenth century until in 1901 Maharaja Ram Singh set out to restore the instrument.


title: Jantar Mantar, New Delhi

text: Jantar Mantar located in New Delhi is built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur in the year 1724. The maharaja built five observatories during his ruling time in the 18th century. Among these five the one in Delhi is the first to be built. The other four observatories are located in Ujjain, Mathura, Varanasi, and Jaipur.


title: Jantar Mantar, New Delhi

text: The objective behind the construction of these observatories was to assemble astronomical data and to accurately predict the movement of the planets, moon, sun, etc. in the solar system. It was one of its kind at the time it was built. By the year 1867, when India was under the British Raj, the observatory had underwent considerable decay.


title: Jantar Mantar, New Delhi

text: The 4 distinct instruments within the observatory of Jantar Mantar in New Delhi: the Samrat Yantra, the Jayaprakash, Rama Yantra and the Misra Yantra.


title: Jantar Mantar, New Delhi

text: Between 1727 and 1734 Jai Singh II built five similar observatories in west-central India, all known by the name Jantar Mantar. They are located at


title: Jantar Mantar, New Delhi

text: While the purpose of the Jantar Mantar was astronomy and astrology (Jyotish), they are also a major tourist attraction and a significant monument of the history of astronomy.


title: Administrative divisions of France

text: The administrative divisions of France are concerned with the institutional and territorial organization of French territory. These territories are located in many parts of the world. There are many administrative divisions, which may have political (local government), electoral (districts), or administrative (decentralized services of the state) objectives. All the inhabited territories are represented in the National Assembly, Senate and Economic and Social Council and their citizens have French citizenship and elect the President of France.


title: Administrative divisions of France

text: The French Republic is divided into 18 regions: 12 in mainland France and 6 elsewhere (1 in Europe: Corsica; 2 in the Caribbean (the Lesser Antilles): Guadeloupe and Martinique; 1 in South America: French Guiana; and 2 in the Indian Ocean near East Africa: Mayotte and Réunion). They are traditionally divided between the metropolitan regions, located on the European continent, and the overseas regions, located outside the European continent. Both have the same status and form the most integrated part of the French Republic.


title: Administrative divisions of France

text: Furthermore, , there exist 2,585 intercommunal structures grouping 34,077 communes (93.2% of all the communes of metropolitan France), with 87.4% of the population of metropolitan France living in them. These intercommunal structures are:


title: Administrative divisions of France

text: Five overseas regions ("régions d'outre-mer", or ROM), which have the same status as metropolitan regions. The overseas regions are as follows:


title: Administrative divisions of France

text: The French Republic includes five overseas collectivities ("collectivités d'outre-mer", or COM) with a semi-autonomous status:


title: Administrative divisions of France

text: New Caledonia's status is unique in the French Republic: it is the only French local government that is not a territorial collectivity (although its subdivisions are territorial collectivities). It is regarded as a sui generis collectivity, which means that local government and parliament have the power to pass and enforce specific laws without seeking the consent of the French Government; unless such laws are declared illegitimate by the Constitutional Council in a specific proceeding brought to the Constitutional Council. As agreed in the 1998 Nouméa Accord, a New Caledonian citizenship was established (in addition to the French citizenship which is kept in parallel, along with the consequent European citizenship) and a self-determination referendum was held in 2018. Two follow-up referendums were held in 2020 and 2021.


title: Administrative divisions of France

text: These territories have no permanent civilian population. The residents consist of military personnel, scientific researchers, and support staff.


title: Administrative divisions of France

text: 1 overseas territory ("territoire d'outre-mer", or TOM): the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, which have no permanent population and no communes.


title: Administrative divisions of France

text: French subdivisions that have a (limited) freedom of administration are called territorial collectivities. Among them are regions, departments, communes, overseas collectivities, provinces (only present in New Caledonia), and the territorial collectivity of Corsica which belongs to no category (but is usually grouped with the regions). New Caledonia is unique as it is not a territorial collectivity.


title: Administrative divisions of France

text: Citizens from all parts of France, including the overseas administrative divisions, vote in national elections (presidential, legislative), and all of the collectivities are represented in the Senate.


title: Administrative divisions of France

text: In the Medieval period, the territory of modern metropolitan France was occupied by a complex mosaic of more or less independent entities. Their gradual incorporation into France may be followed in the article Territorial formation of France.


title: Tony Moran (actor)

text: Anthony Moran (born August 14, 1957) is an American actor and producer. He is known for playing the unmasked Michael Myers in the 1978 horror classic "Halloween". Since then he has gone on to make guest appearances in television series "The Waltons" and "CHiPs". He is the elder brother of fellow actors Erin Moran (of "Happy Days" fame) and John Moran.


title: Tony Moran (actor)

text: Tony Moran was a struggling actor before he got the role of Michael Myers in "Halloween". At the time he had a job on Hollywood and Vine dressed up as Frankenstein. Moran had the same agent as his sister, Erin, who played Joanie Cunningham on "Happy Days". When Moran went to audition for the role of Michael Myers in 1978, he met for an interview with director John Carpenter and producer Irwin Yablans. He has since stated that he originally did not want to do the movie, only changing his mind when he got confirmation that Donald Pleasence would be in it. He later got a call back and was told he had got the part.


title: Tony Moran (actor)

text: Moran was paid $250 for his appearance in "Halloween" and did not return for any of the sequels, although he was paid for his appearance at the beginning of "Halloween II", which was a recap of the first film.


title: Tony Moran (actor)

text: Moran appeared at two Halloween conventions in Salem at Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery on Derby Street.


title: Tony Moran (actor)

text: "Halloween" was Moran's only film for 30 years. Through the late seventies and early eighties, he has made guest appearances in several television series including "CHiPs", "The Waltons", "James at 15", and "California Fever".


title: Tony Moran (actor)

text: In 2008, Moran returned to acting with the short film "The Lucky Break". In 2010, he produced and starred in the horror film "Beg", which also stars his "Halloween" co-star P.J. Soles. In 2014 he starred in "Dead Bounty". In 2014 he appeared in the documentary film "Horror Icon: Inside Michael’s Mask with Tony Moran", which premiered in October 2015.


title: Tony Moran (actor)

text: In 2017, Moran reprised the role of Michael Myers in a "Halloween" fan film, "Halloween: The Night Evil Died", becoming only the fourth actor to play Michael Myers more than once.


title: Gru (Despicable Me)

text: Felonius Gru, or Felonious Gru, is the protagonist of the "Despicable Me" film series. Voiced by American actor Steve Carell, he has appeared in all five films in the series. In fact, he is grouchy, quick-witted and extremely cynical.


title: Gru (Despicable Me)

text: Gru is the son of Marlena and the Bald Terror, twin brother of Dru, the adoptive father of Margo, Edith, and Agnes, husband of Lucy, and the boss of the Minions. At the beginning of the first film, Gru is an ambitious supervillain who constantly seeks approval from his mother, until the adoption of his daughters convinces him that their happiness is important. In the second film, Gru leaves his villainous past behind to care for his daughters, but then soon joins forces - unwillingly - with secret agent Lucy Wilde, whom he later marries. In the third film, after he and Lucy are fired from their jobs at the Anti-Villain League, Gru learns that he has a twin brother, Dru, because his mother and father took care of each child separately. Along with Lucy and the girls, Gru meets Dru at his mansion in Freedonia, and they form a brotherly relationship over the course of the film. Gru has a complicated relationship with Dru in the beginning, although by the end of the film they have ended up bonding and created a great friendship between them. Gru and Lucy are also later rehired by the Anti-Villain League.


title: Gru (Despicable Me)

text: The character that would become Gru was conceived by animator Sergio Pablos, who envisioned him as a Dracula-like character, but directors of "Despicable Me" Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin later opted for a more sleek character that would echo "the world of James Bond", with Auric Goldfinger being cited as a particular influence. Gru also bears some design similarities with British comic-book character Grimly Feendish, and with the pre-Crisis version of Lex Luthor.


title: Gru (Despicable Me)

text: Gru's distinctive accent, described as "quasi-Russian" by A. O. Scott and "halfway between a Russian mafioso and a crazed Nazi" by Roger Ebert, was largely a product of his voice actor Steve Carell's experimentation. According to "Despicable Me" producer Chris Meledandri, the voice Carell eventually settled on was conceived as "halfway between Ricardo Montalbán and Bela Lugosi".


title: Gru (Despicable Me)

text: The use of flashbacks to characterise Gru in "Despicable Me" was compared by "Variety" to those used in Pixar's 2007 film "Ratatouille" to characterise Anton Ego. Gru was cited by Katy Marriner, writing in "Screen Education", as one of the premier examples of a protagonist in an animated film who reforms themselves, in contrast to the traditional animated film protagonist who remains heroic throughout. Gru was psychologically analysed by Nofika Dewi of Universitas Pamulang, who found that his rude and ambitious qualities represented his Id; his villainy and tenaciousness represented his Ego, while his competence as a parent and bravery were part of his Super-ego.


title: Gru (Despicable Me)

text: Gru has also been interpreted as a Russian stereotype, with a 2017 study stating that elements of his characterisation had been designed to support supposed American political agendas that label Russians as backwards and violent.


title: Bones (season 4)

text: The fourth season of the American television series "Bones" premiered on September 3, 2008, with a two-hour episode and concluded on May 14, 2009, on Fox. The show changed time slots again, airing on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm ET before moving to Thursdays at 8:00 pm ET in 2009. The season consisted of 26 episodes and averaged 10.8 million viewers.


title: Bones (season 4)

text: The season premieres with its first two-part episode, "Yanks in the U.K." which was filmed on-location in the United Kingdom. Due to the season's extended episode count of 26 and multiple pre-emptions, Fox aired seven episodes throughout the month of April 2009, with new episodes airing on Monday and Wednesday, along with its regular timeslot of Thursday. This season sees the return of The Grave Digger, who was last seen in the second season. This time, The Grave Digger captures Booth. After Booth is rescued, the team discovers the true identity of The Grave Digger.


title: Bones (season 4)

text: The fourth season of "Bones" was released on DVD (subtitled "Body Bag Edition") in region 1 on October 6, 2009, in region 2 on October 26, 2009 and in region 4 on October 27, 2009. This was the first season to be released on Blu-ray, and was only released in region A alongside the region 1 DVD release. The region 1 DVD set only includes 22 episodes of season four, as the first four episodes of the season were made available as bonus episodes on the season three DVD set. While the Blu-ray release, and the region 2 and 4 versions include all 26 episodes of the season. Special features include two featurettes—"Androgyny: Playing Haru Tanaka" and "Squints in Training"; three extended episodes—"The Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond", "The Doctor in the Den" and "The Girl in the Mask". Also included are deleted scenes and a gag reel.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: Straight Outta Lynwood is the twelfth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on September 26, 2006, the title drawing inspiration from hip hop group N.W.A's "Straight Outta Compton". It was the sixth studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the mid-2000s. The album's lead single, "White & Nerdy", is a parody of Chamillionaire's hit single "Ridin'". The single debuted at #28 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and peaked at #9 the following week; "Canadian Idiot", a parody of Green Day's "American Idiot", also charted, peaking at #82.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: The album contains three further parodies, based on "Confessions Part II" by Usher, "Do I Make You Proud" by Taylor Hicks, and "Trapped in the Closet" by R. Kelly. The other half of the album is original material, containing many "style parodies"—musical imitations of existing artists, such as Brian Wilson, Rage Against the Machine, Sparks, animated musical specials, Cake, and 1980s charity songs. Originally, there were plans for the album's lead single to have been a spoof of James Blunt's hit "You're Beautiful" entitled "You're Pitiful", but Blunt's record label, Atlantic, blocked the commercial release of the parody.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: In 2006, the album was released as both a digital download and as a DualDisc (a double-sided optical disc that contained a CD on one side and a DVD on the other) containing both the album and animated music videos for a number of the album's songs. "Straight Outta Lynwood" was met with mostly positive reviews: Many critics applauded "White & Nerdy" and "Trapped in the Drive-Thru", while some of the other parody songs were met with a more muted response. The album peaked at number 10 on the "Billboard" 200. "White & Nerdy" became Yankovic's highest-charting single as well as his first Platinum-certified single. The record itself was certified Gold for shipments of over 500,000 copies.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: On July 5, 2005, recording for "Straight Outta Lynwood" officially began at Santa Monica Sound Records, in Santa Monica, California. By late 2005, six originals—"Pancreas", "Close but No Cigar", "Virus Alert", "Don't Download This Song", "I'll Sue Ya", and "Weasel Stomping Day"—had been recorded. "Weasel Stomping Day" describes, in the style of animated musical specials of the 1960s, a supposedly traditional holiday in which participants don Viking helmets, spread mayonnaise on their lawns, and "snap [the titular animals'] weasely spines in half." "I'll Sue Ya" is a Rage Against the Machine style parody, satirizing frivolous litigation. Yankovic chose to juxtapose the style of Rage Against the Machine with lyrics about lawsuits because he felt that humor could be derived by pairing the anger of the band's music with a topic so vacuous. "Don't Download This Song", a style parody of 1980s charity songs, such as "We are the World", "Hands Across America", and "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "describes the perils of online music file-sharing". According to Yankovic himself, the song takes a moderate approach to the peer-to-peer music download situation, arguing that both sides—people trying to illegally download music and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)—can act hypocritically depending on the situation.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: "Virus Alert" is a style parody of Sparks, specifically their work in the mid-1970s, such as their album "Kimono My House" (1974). It details "the evil that lurks in your email inbox." "Close but No Cigar" is a style parody of Cake that tells the story of a man who breaks up with his seemingly perfect girlfriends due to the most inconsequential of flaws. The track was inspired by an actual friend of Yankovic's who was never satisfied with any of his dates; Yankovic later explained that "the song was inspired by [the] attitude, that nothing could ever be good enough." The final original recorded, "Pancreas", is a song mainly about the biological functions of the aforementioned organ. The song is an imitation of the musical stylings of Brian Wilson, specifically his work found on the 1966 album "Pet Sounds", released by the Beach Boys, and their aborted follow-up album, "Smile" which Brian Wilson had finally released as a solo record in 2004. Yankovic joked that the reason the song was written was because "my pancreas has given so much to me over the years, I felt like I needed to give something back to it".


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: On February 19, 2006, Yankovic began working on the album's parodies. During these sessions, three parodies were recorded; the first of these, "Canadian Idiot", is a play on "American Idiot" by Green Day. It is a satirical commentary on American nationalism and the stereotypical American view of Canadians. The song is ironic, and Yankovic has stated that the song's anger is a joke and that he loves Canada. Next, Yankovic began working on "Trapped in the Drive-Thru", a parody of R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet". Yankovic was inspired to pen the spoof after hearing the "brilliant and wonderful and ridiculous" original. Efforts to make the parody more convoluted than the original were first considered but then abandoned by Yankovic; he eventually reasoned, however, that he could make his version "a little more stupid". Thus, the song is an excruciatingly detailed narrative about a couple going to a drive-thru, which was "the most banal thing [Yankovic] could think of at the time." Because the song was three times the length of a normal song, legally, Yankovic would have been required to pay thrice the statutory rate for royalties. This in turn would have forced Yankovic to remove one of his parodies from the album. However, R. Kelly allowed Yankovic to only pay the royalty rate for one song. To round out the first session, Yankovic recorded "Confessions Part III", a play on "Confessions Part II" by Usher. The song purports to be a continuation of the Usher songs "Confessions" and "Confessions Part II", focusing on trivial, silly, strange, and disturbing confessions; Yankovic explained that, "After hearing Usher do [the original songs], I couldn't help but think that maybe he'd left a few things out, that there were a few confessions he had yet to make."


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: After being denied permission to include "You're Pitiful" on the album, Yankovic wrote "Do I Creep You Out" and "White & Nerdy" to take its place, recording both on July 22, 2006. The first of these is a play on "Do I Make You Proud" by Taylor Hicks, in which a singer addresses the object of his affection and stalking; the song was also Yankovic's jab at "American Idol", a musical competition show that Hicks had won in May 2006. The final parody written and recorded for the album was "White & Nerdy", a parody of "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone. The song describes the life of a white nerd whose wish to "roll with the gangstas" is impeded by his stereotypically white and nerdy behavior; the song is also filled with references to nerd culture. Yankovic later joked that it was a song he "was born to write" due to his association with nerd humor. While Yankovic usually records his songs together with his band, the backing tracks for "White & Nerdy" were completely recorded by guitarist Jim West—who handled the synthesizer production—and Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz—who was tasked with recording the drums. The two musicians recorded their specific tracks at their home studios, and the finished audio tracks were then brought to Westlake Studio in Los Angeles, California, where Yankovic added his vocals. Chamillionaire himself put "White & Nerdy" on his official MySpace page and said that he enjoys the parody. In an interview, he also stated he was pleasantly surprised by Yankovic's rapping ability, saying: "He's actually rapping pretty good on it, it's crazy ... I didn't know he could rap like that."


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: "Polkarama!", a medley of popular hit songs set to a polka beat, was recorded during the second parody session. Yankovic explained that, "if there's a song that I think is really ripe for parody but I just can't think of a clever enough idea, sometimes it'll end up in the polka medley." Regarding their popularity, Yankovic has said, "At this point, it's sort of mandatory for me to do a polka medley. Fans would be rioting in the streets, I think, if I didn't do a polka medley."


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: Yankovic had originally wanted to record a parody of James Blunt's hit "You're Beautiful" and release it as the lead single for the album. The parodist had approached Blunt about the spoof, and the singer approved his idea. Yankovic then went into the recording studio on April 12, 2006, and recorded his version, entitled "You're Pitiful". However, Blunt's record company, Atlantic Records, told Yankovic that he could not include the song on his album. Yankovic eventually learned that Atlantic felt "it was 'too early' in James' career for a parody, and that they were afraid that focusing any more attention on 'Beautiful' at that point might lead to the perception of James as a 'one-hit wonder.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: At first, the label promised that they would let Yankovic release the parody at an unspecified later date. Yankovic, however, later learned that they had no such intentions. Since Blunt himself was fine with the parody, Yankovic decided to release "You're Pitiful" as a free digital download on his website, noting that, "if James Blunt himself were objecting I wouldn't even offer my parody for free on my Web site. But since it's a bunch of suits—who are actually going against their own artist's wishes—I have absolutely no problem with it."


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: Yankovic had wanted to record a parody of Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" for the album entitled "You Had a Bad Date", but Powter initially refused. Powter then changed his mind "literally the day before [Yankovic] went into the studio to record 'White & Nerdy'", at which point, according to Yankovic, "the train had left the station". T-Pain had also given Yankovic permission to record a parody of "I'm N Luv (Wit A Stripper)" called "I'm in Luv Wit Da Skipper", referencing the character from the 1960s sitcom "Gilligan's Island". Yankovic later decided not to record the song, but T-Pain was still thanked in the album's liner notes, and Yankovic still performed the song in the parody medley during his Straight Outta Lynwood Tour. Besides his "Bad Day" and "I'm N Luv (Wit A Stripper)" parodies, Yankovic also claimed to have several "mediocre" ideas such as "Holodeck Girl" (a spoof of "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani), "IRS" (a play on "S.O.S." by Rihanna), and "HairyBack" (a parody of "SexyBack" by Justin Timberlake). In addition, Nickelback had originally given Yankovic permission to use their song "Photograph" in "Polkarama"; however, Yankovic was unable "to find a way to incorporate the song into ["Polkarama"] where it didn't sound wedged in or tacked on", and he decided not to use it. Yankovic nonetheless thanked Nickelback in the liner notes to "Straight Outta Lynwood", however.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: The title is a takeoff on "Straight Outta Compton," an album by N.W.A. Lynwood, California, Yankovic's home town, is a neighboring community to Compton, California. The cover art, inspired by "gangsta imagery", depicts Yankovic, wearing a Lynwood, California, letterman's jacket and holding a pit bull on a leash, in front of a 1967 Chevrolet Impala Convertible Lowrider. All of the images from the album were photographed by Michael Blackwell on April 22, 2006. Blackwell is an Atlanta, Georgia-based photographer who has also taken images of notable hip hop stars as T.I., Lil' Scrappy, and Young Jeezy. The cover features a pit bull named Dough Boy, owned by a local couple that was walking by during the photo shoot. Yankovic had always planned for this album to be titled "Straight Outta Lynwood", even when the lead single was going to be "You're Pitiful"; Yankovic had liked the ironic juxtaposition of having a gangsta rap-inspired album cover and title, with "such a toothless ballad for the lead parody". However, the cover ended up being unintentionally appropriate when "White & Nerdy" became the lead track on the album. The numbers and letters on the album cover each have double meanings: "NLY" are the initials of both Yankovic's daughter and his father. The number "27" is an in-joke with Yankovic's fans, but February 7 was also his mother's birthday. The license plate originally read "27 4LIFE" during the photo shoot. The photo featured on the back of the CD case was Yankovic's initial pick to be the album's cover, before the current image was selected.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: While Yankovic's previous albums usually generated only one or two official music videos, "Straight Outta Lynwood" spawned nine, and the DualDisc release of the album included videos for all six original songs. Yankovic's record label had suggested he release a DualDisc, and he was in favor of the idea once he realized that he could hire animators to create videos for the original songs to make the release more rewarding for fans who purchased it. At first, Yankovic was unsure whom he would be able to hire, because of the budget, but to his surprise, many notable artists signed on. Bill Plympton created a hand-drawn video for "Don't Download This Song", which preceded the release of the album, and Thomas Lee, best known for his Flash music video "Star Wars Gangsta Rap", animated a video for "I'll Sue Ya". A music video for "Virus Alert" was helmed by David Lovelace, creator of Retarded Animal Babies; Yankovic admitted to exercising more creative control over this video than the others present on the DVD, citing concern with Lovelace's previous content. John Kricfalusi and Katie Rice animated a video for "Close but No Cigar". Yankovic had long been a fan of Kricfalusi, who is perhaps best known as the creator of the cartoon series "Ren & Stimpy". The video "takes an irreverent look at the world of dating as seen thru the eyes of Cigarettes the cat." Jim Blashfield created a video for "Pancreas" using stock footage from the Prelinger Archives. Finally, Shadowmachine Films released a stop-motion video for "Weasel Stomping Day" that aired on September 24, 2006 as part of "The Munnery", the show's 32nd episode of the Adult Swim TV show "Robot Chicken".


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: Subsequent videos were also made for three of the album's parodies. On August 15, 2006, Yankovic announced that he planned to shoot a music video for "White & Nerdy" in the Los Angeles area on August 21, 24, 25, and 27. He posted a solicitation for volunteers to appear in the video on his MySpace blog. The video was filmed in high definition. Originally, it was going to be released on September 18 at 9 PM Pacific Time on AOL.com, but, since the video had been leaked, AOL cancelled the premiere event and uploaded the video early. Soon thereafter, VH1 began airing the video in "large rotation", meaning it was shown roughly 20 times a day. Near the end of 2006, animators at JibJab made a video for "Do I Creep You Out", and Doug Bresler released a video for "Trapped in the Drive Thru" in 2007. In regards to the latter, Bresler's original cut of the video modelled the male in the song after Yankovic. Yankovic later asked that Bresler give the character a more neutral look, noting that if a live action video had been made, he "would almost certainly be playing a character [in the video, and] not 'Weird Al'". Bresler complied, and gave the character a more generic hairstyle. MuchMusic, a 24-hour Canadian cable music and variety television channel, ran a fan-made "Canadian Idiot" video contest on their website, but it was later scrapped due to lack of entries.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: Following the release of "Straight Outta Lynwood", Yankovic undertook the two-year-long Straight Outta Lynwood Tour. Starting on March 10, 2007 and concluding on August 28, 2008, Yankovic played 163 shows across the United States. To promote the album, a promotional website was launched for the single "Don't Download This Song", "dontdownloadthissong.com". The site allowed a user to launch an e-card that included a download and stream of the song, as well as options to email the card to friends.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: Chris Carle of IGN awarded the album an 8 out of 10, denoting a "great" release. He called it "another solid record to add to the collection; just the right nostalgic blend of parodies, gross-out songs and polka." Specifically, he selected "White & Nerdy", "Polkarama!", and "Weasel Stomping Day" as the album's stand-out tracks, but felt that original songs like "Pancreas" and "I'll Sue Ya" were either not funny or "late to the party". David Jeffries of AllMusic awarded the record three-and-a-half stars out of five and called it "inspired". He highlighted "White & Nerdy" as a choice single, calling it a "reason to celebrate [Yankovic's] return". Jeffries applauded "Canadian Idiot" and "Trapped in the Drive-Thru", calling both funny, and he also noted that the originals from the album were humorous as well. However, he felt that the Usher and Taylor Hicks parodies were "only mildly humorous" and that some of the original songs "really drag" when compared to the others. Gavin Edwards of "Rolling Stone" awarded the album three out of five stars and highlighted "Trapped in the Drive-Thru" as the album's best song, writing, "'Weird Al' is funniest when he's singing about food."


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: Al Shipley of "Stylus" gave the album a "B−" and felt that, while "White & Nerdy" was a solid parody, the other spoofs on the album were not quite up to par. He praised "Pancreas" and "Virus Alert" as the album's best style parodies, comparing the latter to the 1985 single "Dare to Be Stupid", while criticizing "I'll Sue Ya", "Close but No Cigar", and "Don't Download This Song". Shipley concluded that the most hilarious moment on the album was Yankovic singing the lyrics to "Candy Shop" by 50 Cent over a polka beat in "Polkarama!" Scott Shetler of "Slant Magazine" awarded the album three stars out of five. He felt that in the 2000s, Yankovic's work had gradually declined in quality, but that "Straight Outta Lynwood" displayed "occasional flashes of genius", such as "White & Nerdy", which he praised for Yankovic's rapping ability. Shetler also felt that "Trapped in the Drive-Thru", was impressive, although he noted it was not as spectacular as it could have been. Once again, "Confessions, Pt. III" and "Do I Creep You Out" were described as "throwaways". However, Shetler wrote that "for once, Yankovic's originals are better than his parodies", highlighting "Pancreas", "I'll Sue Ya", and "Don't Download This Song" as the best songs on the album.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: "Straight Outta Lynwood" was nominated for two Grammy Awards in the categories for "Best Comedy Album" and "Best Surround Sound Album". "Rolling Stone" later named "Trapped in the Drive Thru" as one of the 100 Greatest Songs of 2006, ranking it at 77th, while "Blender" ranked "White & Nerdy" at number 76 on their Top 100 Songs of 2006.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: "Straight Outta Lynwood" was released on September 26, 2006. On April 4, 2007, the album was certified gold for shipments exceeding 500,000 copies. The album's lead-off single, "White & Nerdy", was a hit on the "Billboard" Hot 100, charting at number 9. This made it his highest-charting single, surpassing "Eat It", which had peaked at number 12 in 1984. It also marked the first time that Yankovic had ever cracked the top ten of the "Billboard" Hot 100. "Canadian Idiot" also charted on the Hot 100, peaking at number 82. On June 15, 2007, "White & Nerdy" was certified gold—his first gold single since "Eat It" in 1984—and on January 31, 2008, the single was certified platinum for selling over 1,000,000 copies, making this the first time that Yankovic had ever achieved this level of certification. In addition, the ringtone for "White & Nerdy" was certified gold.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: Internationally, the album charted at number 27 on the Australian Albums Chart. "White & Nerdy" also peaked at number 14 on the Swedish singles chart, and number 80 on the UK Singles Chart.


title: Straight Outta Lynwood

text: In late 2013, Yankovic sued his label, Volcano, and its parent company Sony Music Entertainment, for unpaid publishing royalties from several of his albums, as well as for his track "White & Nerdy". Yankovic claimed thatdespite the song's viral successhe never earned royalties from the single. The initial lawsuit was for $5 million; Yankovic won the lawsuit and was awarded an undisclosed sum of money from Sony.


title: Love and Rockets (band)

text: Love and Rockets were an English rock band formed in 1985 by former Bauhaus members Daniel Ash (vocals, guitar and saxophone), David J (bass guitar and vocals) and Kevin Haskins (drums and synthesisers) after that group split in 1983. Ash and Haskins had recorded and performed in another band, Tones on Tail, between 1982 and 1984. Love and Rockets' fusion of underground rock music with elements of pop music provided an early catalyst for alternative rock. They released seven studio albums before breaking up in 1999 and reformed briefly in 2007 for a few live shows, before splitting again in 2009.


title: Love and Rockets (band)

text: They are perhaps best known for their 1989 single "So Alive", which reached No. 3 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart.


title: Love and Rockets (band)

text: The band's name was taken from the comic book series "Love and Rockets" by the Hernandez brothers. Gilbert Hernandez later referred to the confusion caused by this in his book "Love and Rockets X", as there were several different bands named "Love and Rockets" for a period.


title: Love and Rockets (band)

text: Despite their previous band's status as a gothic rock act, Love and Rockets moved towards a slightly brighter and more pop-influenced sound, as demonstrated by their first minor hit being a cover of the Motown classic "Ball of Confusion" (reached #18 on the Canadian charts in January 1986). Their first studio album, 1985's "Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven" (1985), was an early example of alternative rock, combined with post-punk and psychedelic leanings. Their second album, 1986's "Express", continued in the same vein, adding even more of a pop feel to the mix. It included the dance hit "Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man)". The 1987 follow-up, "Earth, Sun, Moon", had a more acoustic sound and spawned the minor hit "No New Tale to Tell". The following year, they released the single "The Bubblemen Are Coming" under the alias The Bubblemen.


title: Love and Rockets (band)

text: In 1989 the band released their self-titled album, which presented a more AOR sound. The second single from the album was the T. Rex-inspired song "So Alive", which became a hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, a feat no Bauhaus-related band or artist has achieved before or since.


title: Love and Rockets (band)

text: After a gruelling tour schedule in support of their big hit, Love and Rockets took a few years off before returning to the studio together. The result was a move to an electronic sound that had more in common with The Orb than their rock or goth roots. Their label, RCA Records, dropped them. They signed with Rick Rubin's American Recordings to release "Hot Trip to Heaven" in 1994, followed in 1996 by "Sweet F.A.". In April 1995, during the recording of "Sweet F.A.", a fire broke out in the house owned by American Recordings, where the band were living and recording. None of the members were injured, but their visiting friend Genesis P. Orridge of Psychic TV was injured whilst escaping the fire. The band lost their gear (a photo of a burnt guitar was used for the album cover of "Sweet F.A.") and months of work on the album. There was a lengthy legal battle between the band, their label, and the label's insurance company. Love and Rockets were found not responsible for the fire, but were left with a large legal bill. "Lift" came out in 1998 on Red Ant Records, and, after performing in Toronto in April, 1999, the Love and Rockets disbanded.


title: Love and Rockets (band)

text: Love and Rockets announced in October 2007 on their MySpace page that they would reform to play one song at "Cast a Long Shadow", a tribute to Joe Strummer and benefit for Strummerville, The Joe Strummer Foundation for New Music, on 22 December 2007 at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California. They covered The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go", playing the song twice, the second time inviting members of the audience to join them onstage to sing along. They performed on 27 April 2008 at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and also at Lollapalooza on 3 August 2008 in Chicago.


title: Love and Rockets (band)

text: In an interview in June 2009, Ash emphatically stated that he had no further plans to play with Love and Rockets. "We've worked together since 1980. I really want to work with new people, I'm sure everybody feels the same."


title: Love and Rockets (band)

text: A tribute album titled "" was released on 18 August 2009 featuring contributions from The Flaming Lips, Frank Black, Puscifer, A Place to Bury Strangers, Film School, Better Than Ezra, Johnny Dowd, The Dandy Warhols, Blaqk Audio, The Stone Foxes and Monster Magnet.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The Congreve rocket was a type of rocket artillery designed by British inventor Sir William Congreve in 1808.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The design was based upon the rockets deployed by the Kingdom of Mysore against the East India Company during the Second, Third, and Fourth Anglo-Mysore Wars. Lieutenant general Thomas Desaguliers, colonel commandant of the Royal Artillery at Woolwich, was impressed by reports of their effectiveness, and undertook several unsuccessful experiments to produce his own rocket weapons. Several captured Mysorean rockets were sent to England following the annexation of the Mysorean kingdom into British India following the death of Tipu Sultan in the siege of Seringapatam.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The project was continued chiefly with William Congreve, who set up a research and development programme at the Woolwich Arsenal's laboratory. After development work was complete the rockets were manufactured in quantity further north, near Waltham Abbey, Essex. He was told that "the British at Seringapatam had suffered more from the rockets than from the shells or any other weapon used by the enemy." "In at least one instance", an eyewitness told Congreve, "a single rocket had killed three men and badly wounded others." The rockets were used by the British, the Russians and Paraguay during the nineteenth century.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The sultan of Mysore, Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali developed the military tactic of using massed wave attacks supported by rocket artillery against enemy positions. In 1792, Tipu Sultan wrote a military manual called "Fathul Mujahidin", in which two hundred artillerymen specialising in rocket artillery were prescribed to each Mysorean brigade (known as "cushoons"). Mysore had between sixteen and twenty-four "cushoons" of infantry. The areas of towns where rockets and fireworks were manufactured were known as ""taramandal pet"" ("galaxy market").


title: Congreve rocket

text: The rocket men were trained to launch their rockets at an angle calculated from the diameter of the cylinder and the distance of the target. In addition, wheeled rocket launchers were used in war that were capable of launching five to ten rockets almost simultaneously.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Rockets could be of various sizes, but usually consisted of a cylindrical housing of soft hammered iron about long and in diameter, closed at one end, which was strapped to a shaft of bamboo about 4 ft long. The iron tube acted as a combustion chamber and contained well-packed black powder to act as the propellant. A rocket carrying about one pound of powder could travel almost . In contrast, rockets in Europe were not iron cased and could not take large chamber pressures. As a consequence European rockets were not capable of reaching distances anywhere near as great.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Hyder Ali's father was the "naik" or chief constable at Budikote, and he commanded 50 rocketmen for the Nawab of Arcot. There was a regular rocket corps in the Mysore Army, beginning with about 1,200 men in Hyder Ali's time.


title: Congreve rocket

text: At the Battle of Pollilur (1780) during the Second Anglo-Mysore War, Colonel William Baillie's ammunition stores are thought to have been detonated by a hit from one of Tipu Sultan's Mysorean rockets, which contributed to the British defeat.


title: Congreve rocket

text: In the Third Anglo-Mysore War in 1792, there is mention of two rocket units fielded by Tipu Sultan, 120 men and 131 men respectively. Lieutenant Colonel Knox was attacked by rockets near Srirangapatna on the night of 6 February 1792, while advancing towards the Kaveri River from the north. The rocket corps ultimately reached a strength of about 5,000 in Tipu Sultan's army. Mysore rockets were also used for ceremonial purposes. The Jacobin Club of Mysore sent a delegation to Tipu Sultan, and 500 rockets were launched as part of the gun salute.


title: Congreve rocket

text: During the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, rockets were again used on several occasions. One of these involved Colonel Arthur Wellesley, later famous as the First Duke of Wellington and the hero of the Battle of Waterloo. Quoting Forrest:"At this point (near the village of Sultanpet, Figure 5) there was a large tope, or grove, which gave shelter to Tipu's rocketmen and had obviously to be cleaned out before the siege could be pressed closer to Srirangapattanam Island. The commander chosen for this operation was Col. Wellesley, but advancing towards the tope after dark on 5 April 1799, he was set upon with rockets and musket-fires, lost his way and, as Beatson politely puts it, had to "postpone the attack" until a more favourable opportunity should offer. Wellesley's failure was glossed over by Beatson and other chroniclers, but the next morning he failed to report when a force was being paraded to renew the attack.


title: Congreve rocket

text: "On 22 April [1799], twelve days before the main battle, rocketeers worked their way around to the rear of the British encampment, then 'threw a great number of rockets at the same instant' to signal the beginning of an assault by 6,000 Indian infantry and a corps of Frenchmen, all directed by Mir Golam Hussain and Mohomed Hulleen Mir Mirans. The rockets had a range of about 1,000 yards. Some burst in the air like shells. Others, called ground rockets, on striking the ground, would rise again and bound along in a serpentine motion until their force was spent.According to one British observer, a young English officer named Bayly:


title: Congreve rocket

text: "So pestered were we with the rocket boys that there was no moving without danger from the destructive missiles ...". He continued: "the rockets and musketry from 20,000 of the enemy were incessant. No hail could be thicker. Every illumination of blue lights was accompanied by a shower of rockets, some of which entered the head of the column, passing through to the rear, causing death, wounds, and dreadful lacerations from the long bamboos of twenty or thirty feet, which are invariably attached to them'."


title: Congreve rocket

text: During the decisive British victory at Srirangapattanam on 2 May 1799, a British shot struck a magazine of rockets within Tipu Sultan's fort, causing it to explode and send a towering cloud of black smoke up from the battlements, with cascades of exploding white light. Baird led the final attack on the fort on the afternoon of 4 May, and he was again met by "furious musket and rocket fire" - but it did not help much. The fort was taken in about an hour's time; in another hour or so, Tipu had been shot (the precise time of his death is not known) and the war was effectively over.


title: Congreve rocket

text: After the fall of Srirangapatna, 600 launchers, 700 serviceable rockets, and 9,000 empty rockets were found. Some of the rockets had pierced cylinders to allow them to act like incendiaries, while some had iron points or steel blades bound to the bamboo. These blades caused the rockets to become very unstable towards the end of their flight, causing the blades to spin around like flying scythes, cutting down all in their path.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Congreve began in 1804 by buying the best rockets on the London market, but found that their greatest range was only 600 yards. After spending "‘several hundred pounds’" of his own money on experiments, he was able to make a rocket that would travel 1,500 yards. He then "‘applied to Lord Chatham (the responsible minister in charge of the Ordnance Department) for permission to have some large rockets made at Woolwich’". Permission was granted and "‘several six-pounder rockets’" made "‘on principles [he] had previously ascertained’" achieved a range of "‘full two thousand yards’". By the spring of 1806, he was producing 32-pounder rockets ranging 3,000 yards.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Congreve enjoyed the friendship of the Prince Regent, who supported his rocket projects and in whose household he served as an equerry from 1811. The Prince Regent was also the Elector of Hanover, and he was awarded the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Hanoverian army's artillery in 1811. In 1813, Congreve declined the offer to command the Rocket Corps with rank in the Regiment of Artillery.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The initial rocket cases were constructed of cardboard, but by 1806 they were made from sheet iron. The propulsion was of the same ingredients as gunpowder, the mixture of which varied with the different sizes of rocket. The warheads had side-mounted brackets which were used to attach wooden sticks of differing lengths, according to the sizes of rocket.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Rocket sizes were designated by the calibre of the tube, using the then-standard British method of using weight in pounds as a measure of cannon bore. Larger diameter rockets also had correspondingly longer tubes.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The 32-pounder was generally used for longer range bombardment, while a 12–pounder case shot was generally used for support of infantry and cavalry, with an extreme range of some 2,000 yards. The rockets could be fired from a wheeled bombarding frame, from a portable tripod, or even from a shallow trench or sloping bank. One in three horse artillerymen carried a launching trough for ground firing.


title: Congreve rocket

text: In December 1815, Congreve demonstrated a new design of rocket that had the rocket stick screwing centrally into the base of the case. This remained in service from 1817 until 1867, when it was replaced by the Hale rocket which required no stick and used clockwise rotation to impart stability in flight.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Contrary to popular belief, rockets could not out-range the equivalent smooth bore guns of the period. In real terms, the maximum effective range for the 12-pounder rockets and for the six-pounder gun was some 1,400 yards or about 1,280 meters. However, the rate of fire with rockets could be higher than the equivalent muzzle loading ordnance. The absence of weighty ordnance meant that fewer horses were required. Captain Richard Bogue needed just 105 horses for his troop, compared with the 220 of Captain Cavalié Mercer's troop.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Rockets could be easily carried and readily deployed, particularly over difficult terrain or in small boats. This was amply demonstrated by the Royal Marine Artillery, as well as in the crossing of the river Adour and the Battle of Toulouse.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Their lack of specific accuracy with the larger rockets at long range was not a problem if the purpose was to set fire to a town or a number of moored ships; this was shown with the attack on the French Fleet in Aix and Basque roads and at the bombardment of Copenhagen. As Congreve himself had warned, however, they were of little use against fortified places, such as against Fort Henry, because of the lack of combustible structures.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The 12-pounder deployed at very close range was a fearsome weapon, as was seen at the battles of Göhrde and Leipzig in 1813, as well as the crossing of the Adour and the Battle of Toulouse in 1814.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Accuracy at medium range remained a problem. This is illustrated by Mercer's description of G Troop Royal Horse Artillery during the retreat from Quatre Bras on 17 June 1815:


title: Congreve rocket

text: The main user of Congreve rockets during the Napoleonic Wars was the Royal Navy, and men from the Royal Marine Artillery became experts in their use. The navy converted HMS "Galgo" and "Erebus" into rocket ships. The army became involved and was represented by various rocket detachments that changed into the two Rocket Troops, Royal Horse Artillery, on 1 January 1814.


title: Congreve rocket

text: In the autumn of 1805, the government decided upon an attack on Boulogne for the first test. William Sidney Smith was chosen to lead the expedition, accompanied by Congreve. Strong winds and rough seas hampered the operations on both the 20th and 21st, and the attack was not successful.


title: Congreve rocket

text: In April 1806, Rear Admiral Sidney Smith took rockets on a little-known mission to the Mediterranean to aid Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples in their struggle against the French. It was perhaps at Gaeta, near Naples, that Congreve's rockets had their first successful debut in battle. The second Boulogne rocket expedition, however, is more famous and is usually considered the first successful attempt.


title: Congreve rocket

text: On 8–9 October 1806, Commodore Edward Owen attacked the French flotilla at Boulogne. Captain William Jackson aboard HMS "Musquito" directed the boats firing 32 pound Congreve rockets. As night drew in on the channel, 24 cutters fitted with rocket frames formed a line and fired some 2,000 rockets at Boulogne. The barrage took only 30 minutes. Apparently the attack set a number of fires, but otherwise had limited effect. Still, it was enough to lead the British to employ rockets on a number of further occasions.


title: Congreve rocket

text: In 1807, Copenhagen was bombarded by more than 14,000 various missiles in the form of metal balls, explosive and incendiary bombs from cannons and mortars, and about 300 Congreve rockets. The rockets contributed to the conflagration of the city.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The lighter, six-pounder battlefield rockets had been sent on the second Egyptian campaign in 1807, a further field trial which proved to be unsuccessful.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Congreve accompanied Lord Cochrane in the fire-ship, rocket, and shell attack on the French Fleet in Aix and Basque roads on 11 April 1809.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The Walcheren Campaign in 1809 saw the deployment of , a merchant sloop converted to a warship and then converted to fire Congreve rockets from 21 "rocket scuttles"' installed in her broadside. This rocket ship was deployed at the naval bombardment of Flushing, where they wrought such havoc that "‘General Monnet, the French commandant, made a formal protest to Lord Chatham’" against their use. Congreve was also present at this engagement and commanded five land frames.


title: Congreve rocket

text: In 1810, Wellington agreed to a field trial of Congreve's new 12-pounder rocket carrying case shot. It was not successful and was withdrawn.


title: Congreve rocket

text: In May 1813, a detachment which had been training with rockets at Woolwich under Second Captain Richard Bogue RHA was inspected by a committee of Royal Artillery officers who recommended that it be tried in combat. On 7 June 1813, Bogue's unit was designated the "Rocket Brigade". At the same time as being granted its new title, The Rocket Brigade was ordered to be augmented and to proceed on active service, with orders to join the Army of the North commanded by Bernadotte, the Crown Prince of Sweden. Using the modified 12-pounder at low trajectory from ground firing-troughs, the brigade saw action at the Battle of Gohrde and at the Battle of Leipzig on 18 October 1813, where it was successfully employed to attack the French stronghold of Paunsdorf, occupied by five French and Saxon battalions. Captain Bogue was however killed by a sharpshooter in the subsequent cavalry charge, and the village of Paunsdorf was eventually retaken by the French Imperial Guard. In the continuing campaign, the Rocket Brigade was also used in the sieges of Frederiksfort and Glückstadt, which surrendered on 13 December 1813 and 5 January 1814, respectively. On 1 January 1814, the unit assumed the title of the "2nd Rocket Troop RHA" and on 18 January it received orders to join the force under the orders of Sir Thomas Graham in Holland.


title: Congreve rocket

text: In September 1813, Wellington agreed, with much reservation, that rockets could be sent out to join the army in Spain. On 3 October 1813, another Royal Artillery detachment embarked from Woolwich, trained in firing rockets. This group was called the "Rocket Company" and consisted of almost sixty men under Captain Lane. On 1 January 1814, together with another detachment under Captain Eliot, it assumed the title of the "1st Rocket Troop RHA". Captain Lane's rockets were very successfully deployed at the crossing of the Adour on 23 February 1814 and in the final battle in the Peninsular War at the Battle of Toulouse on 10 April 1814. Later that year, they were sent to be part of the disastrous expedition against the American Army at New Orleans, in Louisiana.


title: Congreve rocket

text: By the time of the Waterloo campaign on 30 April 1815, the command of the 2nd Rocket Troop was formally taken over by Captain Whinyates. Wellington remained averse to rockets, so Whinyates took just 800 rockets into the field, as well as five 6-pounder guns; it would appear that the rockets replaced the usual howitzer in the structure of the troop.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The Royal Marine Artillery used Congreve rockets in several engagements during this conflict. Two battalions of Royal Marines were sent to North America in 1813. Attached to each battalion was a rocket detachment, each with an establishment of 25 men, commanded by lieutenants Balchild and John Harvey Stevens. Both rocket detachments were embarked aboard the transport vessel "Mariner" Rockets were used in the engagements at Fort Oswego and Lundy's Lane.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The British used the Congreve rocket on U.S. soil for the first time in an attack on Lewes, DE, 6 & 7 April 1813. The town was bombarded for 22 hours.


title: Congreve rocket

text: A third battalion of Royal Marines arrived in North America in 1814, with an attached rocket detachment commanded by Lieutenant John Lawrence, which subsequently participated in the Chesapeake campaign. During this campaign, the British used rockets at the Battle of Bladensburg to rout the American forces (which led to the capture and burning of Washington, D.C.), and at the Battle of North Point.


title: Congreve rocket

text: It was the use of ship-launched Congreve rockets by the British in the bombardment of Fort McHenry in the US in 1814 that inspired a phrase in the fifth line of the first verse of the United States' National Anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner": "the rockets’ red glare". fired the rockets from a 32-pound rocket battery installed below the main deck, which fired through portholes or scuttles pierced in the ship's side.


title: Congreve rocket

text: In Canada, rockets were used by the British at the Second Battle of Lacolle Mills, 30 March 1814. Rockets fired by a detachment of the Royal Marine Artillery, though inaccurate, unnerved the attacking American forces, and contributed to the defense of the blockhouse and mill. Rockets were used again at the Battle of Cook's Mills, 19 October 1814. An American force, sent to destroy General Gordon Drummond's source of flour, was challenged by a contingent of infantry which was supported by a light field cannon and a frame of Congreve rockets. The rockets succeeded in discouraging the Americans from forming lines on the battlefield.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Captain Henry Lane's 1st Rocket Troop of the Royal Horse Artillery embarked at the end of 1814 in the transport vessel "Mary" with 40 artillerymen and 500 rockets and disembarked near New Orleans. Lieutenant Lawrence's rocket detachment took part in the final land engagement of the War of 1812 at Fort Bowyer in February 1815.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Algiers had been the centre for pirates for some years, and her fleet had reached considerable proportions. Things reached a head after a particular atrocity; Britain decided to stamp out their activities, and the Netherlands agreed to assist. The combined fleet was composed of six British ships of the line and four frigates, plus five Dutch frigates; there were also 37 gun boats, 10 mortar boats, and eight rocket boats. Lieutenant JT Fuller and 19 other ranks from the Rocket Troop accompanied the expedition, together with 2,500 rockets, and were engaged alongside the Royal Marine Artillery.


title: Congreve rocket

text: In the bombardment of Algiers the rocket boats, gun boats, and mortar boats engaged the enemy's fleet moored inside the harbour. "It was by their fire that all the ships in the port, with the exception of the outer frigate, were in flames which extended rapidly over the whole arsenal, storehouses and gun boats, exhibiting a spectacle of awful grandeur".


title: Congreve rocket

text: On her voyage to the Greenland whale fishery in 1821 carried Congreve rockets. Sir William Congreve equipped her with rockets at his own expense to test their utility in whaling hunting. The Master General of Ordnance and the First Lord of the Admiralty had Lieutenant Colquhoun and two Marine artillerymen accompany the rockets. Captain Scoresby wrote a letter from the Greenland fishery in June reporting that the rockets had been a great success. Subsequent reports made clear that the rockets were fired from about 40 yards and were highly effective in killing whales that had already been conventionally harpooned.


title: Congreve rocket

text: A separate trial took place on another whaler. A letter from Captain Kay, of the ship "Margaret", of London, dated 7 September, addressed to Lieut. Colquhoun, R.A., says


title: Congreve rocket

text: I have taken the liberty of inclosing you an account of a few trials I have made of Congreve's Rockets. Fearing the harpooners would not fire it correctly, I had determined to try its effect myself, and it was not until the 8th June that an opportunity presented. Early on that morning a whale, of the largest size, was discovered near the ship ; I immediately pursued it, and when sufficiently near, fired a rocket into its side; the effect it had on the fish was tremendous—every joint in its body shook, and, after lying for a few seconds in this agitated way, it turned on its back and died. It appeared on flinching, that the rocket had penetrated through the blubber and exploded in the crann (sic) near the ribs ; the stick and lower part of the rocket was taken out entire, the upper part was blown to pieces. My next attempt was on the 9th July, on a whale of the same size as the former, but owing to the rapid motion of the fish, and a heavy swell of the sea, which rendered the boat unsteady, the rocket entered below the middle part of the body, in consequence of which its effect was considerably lessened, its frame, however, was much shook by the explosion, and it immediately sunk, but rose again, blowing an immense quantity of blood: it was then struck with a harpoon, and killed with lances. On flinching, part of the stick of the rocket could only by found; it therefore appears probable that the rocket had burst in the inside of the fish.


title: Congreve rocket

text: In December Lieutenant Colquohon demonstrated the use of the rockets at Annapolis, Maryland. A newspaper story gave a detailed account of the experiments he performed.


title: Congreve rocket

text: A new shipment of Congreve rockets – which the Burmese had never seen – were used in the closing phase of the Battle of Yangon (May–December 1824) and in the subsequent battle of Danubyu (March–April 1825) where rocket fire stopped fighting elephants.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Having witnessed the effects of incendiary rockets on grain warehouses of Danzig in 1813, artillery captain Józef Bem of the Kingdom of Poland started his own experiments with what was then called in Polish "raca kongrewska". These culminated in his 1819 report "Notes sur les fusées incendiaires" (German edition: "Erfahrungen über die Congrevischen Brand-Raketen bis zum Jahre 1819 in der Königlichen Polnischen Artillerie gesammelt", Weimar, 1820). The research took place in the Warsaw Arsenal, where captain Józef Kosiński also developed the multiple-rocket launchers adapted from horse artillery gun carriage.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The 1st Rocketeer Corps was formed in 1822 under the command of brigade general and received its launchers in 1823. The unit received its baptism of fire during the Polish–Russian War 1830–31.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The rocket salvos fired by captain Karol Skalski's rocketeers during the twilight hours of the Battle of Olszynka Grochowska (25 February 1831) disrupted the Russian cavalry charges and forced them to retreat, which changed the tide of battle.


title: Congreve rocket

text: The rockets were also used several times (over a thousand stockpiled) by Polish freedom fighters during the final Battle of Warsaw (September 1831) in defense of the city.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Congreve rockets were used from the bombardment of the Canton ports, by Nemesis (1839) in January 1841, to their use at the Battle of Palikao, in September 1860.


title: Congreve rocket

text: During the period of the New Zealand Wars, the British Army used Congreve rockets against Māori fortifications—along with cannon fire—but found that simply digging trenches were sufficient to ensure the rockets became militarily ineffective so much that, like cannon, they became virtually unused and pointless.


title: Congreve rocket

text: During the war between Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina against Paraguay (1865–1870), the Paraguayans deployed Congreve rockets in several battles including: Battle of the Riachuelo (11 June 1865) when land-based rockets were used against Brazilian naval forces without success; Battle of Paso de las Cuevas (12 August 1865) when the Paraguayans utilized artillery and rockets; combat of Corrales (31 January 1866) when Paraguayan rockets were used against the Allied infantry and cavalry; Battle of Tuyutí (24 May 1866) when Paraguayan forces used them to attack the advancing allied cavalry; battle of Yatayti Corá (10 July 1866) where Paraguay used two launchers of 68-pound rockets; again in "Yatayti Cora" (20 January 1867) when Paraguayan rockets caused a fire in the Argentinian camp. The Brazilian Navy employed them during the Battle of Curupayti (22 September 1866), trying to destroy the reinforced Paraguayan trench field, but the rockets went short.


title: Congreve rocket

text: During the Crimean War (1853 - 1856) and the Indian Rebellion of 1857, marines and sailors from the Royal Navy used Congreve Rockets. "Bluejackets" armed with rockets from HMS Shannon and HMS Pearl, under the command of Captain William Peel, were among the Naval Brigade participating in the force led by Sir Colin Campbell at the Second Relief of Lucknow. There is an eye-witness narrative of the taking of the heavily-fortified Shah Najaf mosque written by William Forbes Mitchell: at a late stage "Captain Peel had ... brought his infernal machine, known as a rocket battery, to the front, and sent a volley of rockets through the crowd on the ramparts.". After a second salvo from the rocket battery, many of the rebels fled and the mosque was finally taken by storm. When Forbes-Mitchell entered the enclosure he found only numerous dead defenders. According to a modern historian, "Peel's rockets had tipped the scale and the Shah Najaf fell to the British just as they had been about to fall back"..


title: Congreve rocket

text: As a weapon it remained in use until the 1850s, when it was superseded by the improved spinning design of William Hale. In the 1870s, Congreve rockets were used to carry rescue lines to vessels in distress, gradually superseding the mortar of Captain Manby in operation from 1808 and rockets designed by John Dennett (1780-1852) that had been deployed in the late 1820s, first used to carry out a rescue in 1832 and used in the "Irex" rescue as late as 1890.


title: Congreve rocket

text: A wide variety of Congreve rockets were displayed at Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum in South-East London, ranging in size from .


title: Congreve rocket

text: The Science Museum has two eighteenth-century Indian war rockets in its collection. The Musée national de la Marine in Paris also features one rocket. The Stonington Historical Society in Stonington, Connecticut has one rocket in their collection that was fired at the town by the British in August 1814 during the Battle of Stonington.


title: Congreve rocket

text: Other examples in the United States can be seen at The Smithsonian National Museum and the Fort McHenry Museum. The Wittenburg Museum in Germany has a later-era rocket, and there is a reproduction of it in the Leipzig Museum; there is also one in a private collection in Leipzig.


title: Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R

text: The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R is a motorcycle in the Ninja sport bike series from the Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki, the successor to the Ninja ZX-9R. It was originally released in 2004 and has been updated and revised throughout the years. It combines an ultra-narrow chassis, low weight, and radial brakes. In 2004 and 2005 the ZX-10R won "Best Superbike" from "Cycle World" magazine, and the international Masterbike competition.


title: Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R

text: Kawasaki engineers used a stacked design for a liquid-cooled, inline four-cylinder engine. The crankshaft axis, input shaft, and output shaft of the Ninja ZX-10R engine are positioned in a triangular layout to reduce engine length, while the high-speed generator is placed behind the cylinder bank to reduce engine width. With a bore and stroke of , the ZX-10R engine's one-piece cylinder, and crankcase assembly reduces weight and increases rigidity. The DOHC are machined from Chromoly steel, built for strength; four valves per cylinder improve high-rpm breathing; and the forged, lightweight pistons offer high heat resistance to further enhance the bike's power-to-weight ratio.


title: Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R

text: In addition to liquid cooling, the ZX-10R engine has an oil cooler adjacent to the oil filter to reduce oil temperatures. Slosh analysis was also used to design the internal structure of the oil pan, thereby reducing windage losses and helping to maintain low oil temperatures.


title: Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R

text: A multi-plate wet slipper clutch transfers power to a six-speed, close-ratio transmission ideal for closed-course competition. The back-torque limiter automatically disengages the clutch (partially) under hard downshifting at high engine speeds to prevent rear-wheel hop during corner entry.


title: Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R

text: A new six-spoke wheel design is claimed to be almost as light as special purpose race wheels. Since the 2006 model, the sidewall profile of the rear tire has been increased from 190/50/ZR17 to 190/55/ZR17.


title: Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R

text: The 2004 model was the debut of the Ninja ZX-10R with minor updates in 2005. It was compact, and with a chassis rivaling those of a 600cc sportbike and with a short wheelbase and a high power-to-weight ratio, which helped the handling. The exhaust system was fully titanium with a single muffler.


title: Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R

text: Among other changes, the 2006 model had twin underseat exhausts which contributed to a increase in dry weight. The engine remained largely unchanged.