title: Slavonia

text: The Ottoman wars instigated great demographic changes. Croats migrated towards Austria and the present-day Burgenland Croats are direct descendants of these settlers. The Muslim population in Slavonia at the end of Turkish rule accounted for almost half of Slavonia's population who was indigenous, primarily Croats, less immigrants from Bosnia and Serbia and rarely genuine Turks or Arabs. In the second half of the 16th century Vlachs from Slavonia were no longer an exclusive part of population because the Vlach privileges were attractive for many non-Vlachs who mixed with the Vlachs in order to get their status. To replace the fleeing Croats, the Habsburgs called on the Orthodox populations of Bosnia and Serbia to provide military service in the Croatian Military Frontier. Serb migration into this region peaked during the Great Serb Migrations of 1690 and 1737–39. The greatest Serb concentrations were in the eastern Slavonia, and Sremski Karlovci became the see of Serbian Orthodox metropolitans. Part of the colonists came to Slavonia from area south of the Sava, especially from the Soli and Usora areas, continuing the process which already started after 1521. At beginning of the 17th century it seems that there was a new wave of colonization, about 10,000 families which are assumed to come from Sanjak of Klis or with less possibility from area of Sanjak of Bosnia.


title: Slavonia

text: The areas acquired through the Treaty of Karlowitz were assigned to Croatia, itself in the union with Hungary and the union ruled by the Habsburgs. The border area along the Una, Sava and Danube rivers became the Slavonian Military Frontier. At this time, Osijek took over the role of the administrative and military centre of the newly formed Kingdom of Slavonia from Požega. The 1830s and 1840s saw romantic nationalism inspire the Croatian National Revival, a political and cultural campaign advocating unity of all South Slavs in the empire. Its primary focus was the establishment of a standard language as a counterweight to Hungarian, along with the promotion of Croatian literature and culture. During the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 Croatia sided with the Austrians, Ban Josip Jelačić helping to defeat the Hungarian forces in 1849, and ushering in a period of Germanization policy. By the 1860s, failure of the policy became apparent, leading to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and creation of a personal union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. The treaty left the issue of Croatia's status to Hungary as a part of Transleithania—and the status was resolved by the Croatian–Hungarian Settlement of 1868, when the kingdoms of Croatia and Slavonia were united as the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia. After Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina following the 1878 Treaty of Berlin, the Military Frontiers were abolished and the Croatian and Slavonian Military Frontier territory returned to Croatia-Slavonia in 1881, pursuant to provisions of the Croatian-Hungarian Settlement. At that time, the easternmost point of Croatia-Slavonia became Zemun, as all of Syrmia was encompassed by the kingdom.


title: Slavonia

text: On 29 October 1918, the Croatian Sabor declared independence and decided to join the newly formed State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, which in turn entered into union with the Kingdom of Serbia on 4 December 1918 to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. The Treaty of Trianon was signed in 1920, at the end of World War I, between the Allies of World War I and Hungary as one of the successor states to Austria-Hungary. The treaty established the southern border of Hungary along the Drava and Mura rivers, except in Baranya, where only the northern part of the county was kept by Hungary. The territorial acquisition in Baranya was not made a part of Slavonia, even though adjacent to Osijek, because pre-1918 administrative divisions were disestablished by the new kingdom. The political situation in the new kingdom deteriorated, leading to the dictatorship of King Alexander in January 1929. The dictatorship formally ended in 1931 when the king imposed a more unitarian constitution transferring executive power to the king, and changed the name of the country to Yugoslavia. The Cvetković–Maček Agreement of August 1939 created the autonomous Banovina of Croatia incorporating Slavonia. Pursuant to the agreement, the Yugoslav government retained control of defence, internal security, foreign affairs, trade, and transport while other matters were left to the Croatian Sabor and a crown-appointed 'Ban'.


title: Slavonia

text: In April 1941, Yugoslavia was occupied by Germany and Italy. Following the invasion the territory of Slavonia was incorporated into the Independent State of Croatia, a Nazi-backed puppet state and assigned as a zone under German occupation for the duration of World War II. The regime introduced anti-semitic laws and conducted a campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Serb and Roma populations, exemplified by the Jasenovac and Stara Gradiška concentration camps, but to a much lesser extent in Slavonia than in other regions, due to strategic interests of the Axis in keeping peace in the area. The largest massacre occurred in 1942 in Voćin.


title: Slavonia

text: Armed resistance soon developed in the region, and by 1942, the Yugoslav Partisans controlled substantial territories, especially in mountainous parts of Slavonia. The Serbian royalist Chetniks, who carried out genocide against Croat civilian population, struggled to establish a significant presence in Slavonia throughout the war. Partisans led by Josip Broz Tito took full control of Slavonia in April 1945. After the war, the new Yugoslav government interned local Germans in camps in Slavonia, the largest of which were in Valpovo and Krndija, where many died of hunger and diseases.


title: Slavonia

text: After World War II, Croatia—including Slavonia—became a single-party Socialist federal unit of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, ruled by the Communists, but enjoying a degree of autonomy within the federation. The autonomy effectively increased after the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution, basically fulfilling a goal of the Croatian Spring movement, and providing a legal basis for independence of the federative constituents. In 1947, when all borders of the former Yugoslav constituent republics had been defined by demarcation commissions, pursuant to decisions of the AVNOJ of 1943 and 1945, the federal organization of "Yugoslav Baranya" was defined as Croatian territory allowing its integration with Slavonia. The commissions also set up the present-day border between Serbia and Croatia in Syrmia, and along the Danube River between Ilok and mouth of the Drava and further north to the Hungarian border, the section south of confluence of the Drava matching the border between the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia and the Bács-Bodrog County that existed until 1918 and the end of World War I.


title: Slavonia

text: In the 1980s the political situation in Yugoslavia deteriorated with national tension fanned by the 1986 Serbian SANU Memorandum and the 1989 coups in Vojvodina, Kosovo and Montenegro. In January 1990, the Communist Party fragmented along national lines, with the Croatian faction demanding a looser federation. In the same year, the first multi-party elections were held in Croatia, with Franjo Tuđman's win raising nationalist tensions further. The Serbs in Croatia, intent on achieving independence from Croatia, left the Sabor and declared the autonomy of areas that would soon become the unrecognized self-declared Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK). As tensions rose, Croatia declared independence in June 1991; however the declaration came into effect on 8 October 1991. Tensions escalated into the Croatian War of Independence when the Yugoslav National Army and various Serb paramilitaries attacked Croatia. By the end of 1991, a high intensity war fought along a wide front reduced Croatia to controlling about two-thirds of its territory.


title: Slavonia

text: In Slavonia, the first armed conflicts were clashes in Pakrac, and Borovo Selo near Vukovar. Western Slavonia was occupied in August 1991, following an advance by the Yugoslav forces north from Banja Luka across the Sava River. This was partially pushed back by the Croatian Army in operations named Otkos 10, and Orkan 91, which established a front line around Okučani and south of Pakrac that would hold virtually unchanged for more than three years until Operation Flash in May 1995. Armed conflict in the eastern Slavonia, culminating in the Battle of Vukovar and a subsequent massacre, also included heavy fighting and the successful defence of Osijek and Vinkovci. The front line stabilized and a ceasefire was agreed to on 2 January 1992, coming into force the next day. After the ceasefire, United Nations Protection Force was deployed to the occupied areas, but intermittent artillery and rocket attacks, launched from Serb-held areas of Bosnia, continued in several areas of Slavonia, especially in Slavonski Brod and Županja. The war effectively ended in 1995 with Croatia achieving a decisive victory over the RSK in August 1995. The remaining occupied areas—eastern Slavonia—were restored to Croatia pursuant to the Erdut Agreement of November 1995, with the process concluded in mid-January 1998.


title: Slavonia

text: After the war, a number of towns and municipalities in the region were designated Areas of Special State Concern.


title: Slavonia

text: The Croatian counties were re-established in 1992, but their borders changed in some instances, with the latest revision taking place in 2006. Slavonia consists of five counties—Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja, Požega-Slavonia, Virovitica-Podravina and Vukovar-Syrmia counties—which largely cover the territory historically associated with Slavonia. The western borders of the five-county territory lie in the area where the western boundary of Slavonia generally has been located since the Ottoman conquest, with the remaining borders being at the international borders of Croatia. This places the Croatian part of Baranya into the Slavonian counties, constituting the Eastern Croatia macroregion. Terms "Eastern Croatia" and "Slavonia" are increasingly used as synonyms. The Brod-Posavina County comprises two cities—Slavonski Brod and Nova Gradiška—and 26 Municipalities of Croatia. The Osijek-Baranja County consists of seven cities—Beli Manastir, Belišće, Donji Miholjac, Đakovo, Našice, Osijek and Valpovo—and 35 municipalities. The Požega-Slavonia County comprises five cities—Kutjevo, Lipik, Pakrac, Pleternica and Požega—and five municipalities. The Virovitica-Podravina County covers three cities—Orahovica, Slatina and Virovitica—and 13 municipalities. The Vukovar-Srijem County encompasses five cities—Ilok, Otok, Vinkovci, Vukovar and Županja—and 26 municipalities. The whole of Slavonia is the eastern half of Central and Eastern (Pannonian) Croatia NUTS-2 statistical unit of Croatia, together with further areas of Central Croatia. Other statistical units correspond to the counties, cities and municipalities. The five counties combined cover area size of , representing 22.2% of territory of Croatia.


title: Slavonia

text: The boundaries of Slavonia, as a geographical region, do not necessarily coincide with the borders of the five counties, except in the south and east where the Sava and Danube rivers define them. The international borders of Croatia are boundaries common to both definitions of the region. In the north, the boundaries largely coincide because the Drava River is considered to be the northern border of Slavonia as a geographic region, but this excludes Baranya from the geographic region's definition even though this territory is part of a county otherwise associated with Slavonia. The western boundary of the geographic region is not specifically defined and it was variously defined through history depending on the political divisions of Croatia. The eastern Croatia, as a geographic term, largely overlaps most definitions of Slavonia. It is defined as the territory of the Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja, Požega-Slavonia, Virovitica-Podravina and Vukovar-Syrmia counties, including Baranya.


title: Slavonia

text: Slavonia is entirely located in the Pannonian Basin, one of three major geomorphological parts of Croatia. The Pannonian Basin took shape through Miocenian thinning and subsidence of crust structures formed during Late Paleozoic Variscan orogeny. The Paleozoic and Mesozoic structures are visible in Papuk, Psunj and other Slavonian mountains. The processes also led to the formation of a stratovolcanic chain in the basin 17 – 12 Mya (million years ago) and intensified subsidence observed until 5 Mya as well as flood basalts about 7.5 Mya. Contemporary uplift of the Carpathian Mountains prevented water flowing to the Black Sea, and the Pannonian Sea formed in the basin. Sediments were transported to the basin from uplifting Carpathian and Dinaric mountains, with particularly deep fluvial sediments being deposited in the Pleistocene during the uplift of the Transdanubian Mountains. Ultimately, up to of the sediment was deposited in the basin, and the Pannonian sea eventually drained through the Iron Gate gorge. In the southern Pannonian Basin, the Neogene to Quaternary sediment depth is normally lower, averaging , except in central parts of depressions formed by subduction—around in the Slavonia-Syrmia depression, in the Sava depression and nearly in the Drava depression, with the deepest sediment found between Virovitica and Slatina.


title: Slavonia

text: The results of those processes are large plains in eastern Slavonia, Baranya and Syrmia, as well as in river valleys, especially along the Sava, Drava and Kupa. The plains are interspersed by the horst and graben structures, believed to have broken the Pannonian Sea surface as islands. The tallest among such landforms in Slavonia are Psunj, and Papuk—flanking the Požega Valley from the west and the north. These two and Krndija, adjacent to Papuk, consist mostly of Paleozoic rocks which are 350 – 300 million years old. Požeška Gora and Dilj, to the east of Psunj and enveloping the valley from the south, consist of much more recent Neogene rocks, but Požeška Gora also contains Upper Cretaceous sediments and igneous rocks forming the main, ridge of the hill and representing the largest igneous landform in Croatia. A smaller igneous landform is also present on Papuk, near Voćin. The two mountains, as well as Moslavačka gora, west of Pakrac, are possible remnants of a volcanic arc related to Alpine orogeny—uplifting of the Dinaric Alps. The Đakovo – Vukovar loess plain, extending eastward from Dilj and representing the watershed between the Vuka and Bosut rivers, gradually rises to the Fruška Gora south of Ilok.


title: Slavonia

text: The largest rivers in Slavonia are found along or near its borders—the Danube, Sava and Drava. The length of the Danube, flowing along the eastern border of Slavonia and through the cities of Vukovar and Ilok, is , and its main tributaries are the Drava and the Vuka. The Drava discharges into the Danube near Aljmaš, east of Osijek, while mouth of the Vuka is located in Vukovar. Major tributaries of the Sava, flowing along the southern border of Slavonia and through cities of Slavonski Brod and Županja are the Orljava flowing through Požega, and the Bosut—whose course in Slavonia takes it through Vinkovci. There are no large lakes in Slavonia. The largest ones are Lake Kopačevo whose surface area varies between , and Borovik Reservoir covering . The Lake Kopačevo is connected to the Danube via Hulovski canal, situated within the Kopački Rit wetland, while the Lake Borovik is an artificial lake created in 1978 in the upper course of the Vuka River.


title: Slavonia

text: The entire Slavonia belongs to the Danube basin and the Black Sea catchment area, but it is divided in two sub-basins. One of those drains into the Sava—itself a Danube tributary—and the other into the Drava or directly into the Danube. The drainage divide between the two sub-basins runs along Papuk and Krndija mountains, in effect tracing the southern boundary of the Virovitica-Podravina County and the northern boundary of Požega-Slavonia County, cuts through the Osijek-Podravina County north of Đakovo and finally bisects the Vukovar-Syrmia County running between Vukovar and Vinkovci to reach Fruška Gora southwest of Ilok. The Entire Brod-Posavina County is located in the Sava sub-basin.


title: Slavonia

text: Most of Croatia, including Slavonia, has a moderately warm and rainy continental climate as defined by the Köppen climate classification. Mean annual temperature averages , with the warmest month, July, averaging just below . Temperature peaks are more pronounced in the continental areas—the lowest temperature of was recorded on 24 January 1963 in Slavonski Brod, and the highest temperature of was recorded on 5 July 1950 in Đakovo. The least precipitation is recorded in the eastern parts of Slavonia at less than per year, however in the latter case, it mostly occurs during the growing season. The western parts of Slavonia receive precipitation. Low winter temperatures and the distribution of precipitation throughout the year normally result in snow cover, and freezing rivers—requiring use of icebreakers, and in extreme cases explosives, to maintain the flow of water and navigation. Slavonia receives more than 2,000 hours of sunshine per year on average. Prevailing winds are light to moderate, northeasterly and southwesterly.


title: Slavonia

text: According to the 2011 census, the total population of the five counties of Slavonia was 806,192, accounting for 19% of population of Croatia. The largest portion of the total population of Slavonia lives in Osijek-Baranja county, followed by Vukovar-Syrmia county. Požega-Slavonia county is the least populous county of Slavonia. Overall the population density stands at 64.2 persons per square kilometre. The population density ranges from 77.6 to 40.9 persons per square kilometre, with the highest density recorded in Brod-Posavina county and the lowest in Virovitica-Podravina county. Osijek is the largest city in Slavonia, followed by Slavonski Brod, Vinkovci and Vukovar. Other cities in Slavonia have populations below 20,000. According to the 2001 census, Croats account for 85.6 percent of population of Slavonia, and the most significant ethnic minorities are Serbs and Hungarians, comprising 8.8 percent and 1.4 percent of the population respectively. The largest portion of the Serb minority was recorded in Vukovar-Syrmia county (15 percent), while the largest Hungarian minority, in both relative and absolute terms, was observed in Osijek-Baranja county. The census recorded 85.4% of the population declaring themselves as Catholic, with further 4.4% belonging to Serbian Orthodox Church and 0.7% Muslims. 3.1% declared themselves as non-religious, agnostics or declined to declare their religion. The most widely used language in the region is Croatian, declared as the first language by 93.6% of the total population, followed by Serbian (2.6%) and Hungarian (1.0%).


title: Slavonia

text: The demographic history of Slavonia is characterised by significant migrations, as is that of Croatia as a whole, starting with the arrival of the Croats, between the 6th and 9th centuries. Following the establishment of the personal union of Croatia and Hungary in 1102, and the joining of the Habsburg monarchy in 1527, the Hungarian and German speaking population of Croatia began gradually increasing in number. The processes of Magyarization and Germanization varied in intensity but persisted until the beginning of the 20th century. The Ottoman conquests initiated a westward migration of parts of the Croatian population; the Burgenland Croats are direct descendants of some of those settlers. To replace the fleeing Croats the Habsburgs called on the Orthodox populations of Bosnia and Serbia to provide military service in the Croatian Military Frontier. Serb migration into this region peaked during the Great Serb Migrations of 1690 and 1737–39. Following the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918, the Hungarian population declined, due to emigration and ethnic bias. The changes were especially significant in the areas north of the Drava river, and Baranja County where they represented the majority before World War I.


title: Slavonia

text: Since the end of the 19th century there was substantial economic emigration abroad from Croatia in general. After World War I, the Yugoslav regime confiscated up to 50 percent of properties and encouraged settlement of the land by Serb volunteers and war veterans in Slavonia, only to have them evicted and replaced by up to 70,000 new settlers by the regime during World War II. During World War II and in the period immediately following the war, there were further significant demographic changes, as the German-speaking population, the Danube Swabians, were either forced or otherwise compelled to leave—reducing their number from the prewar German population of Yugoslavia of 500,000, living in Slavonia and other parts of present-day Croatia and Serbia, to the figure of 62,000 recorded in the 1953 census. The 1940s and the 1950s in Yugoslavia were marked by colonisation of settlements where the displaced Germans used to live, by people from the mountainous parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and migrations to larger cities spurred on by the development of industry. In the 1960s and 1970s, another wave of economic migrants left—largely moving to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Western Europe.


title: Slavonia

text: The most recent changes to the ethnic composition of Slavonian counties occurred between censuses conducted in 1991 and 2001. The 1991 census recorded a heterogenous population consisting mostly of Croats and Serbs—at 72 percent and 17 percent of the total population respectively. The Croatian War of Independence, and the ethnic fracturing of Yugoslavia that preceded it, caused an exodus of the Croat population followed by an exodus of Serbs. The return of refugees since the end of hostilities is not complete—a majority of Croat refugees returned, while fewer Serbs did. In addition, ethnic Croats moved to Slavonia from Bosnia and Herzegovina and from Serbia.


title: Slavonia

text: The economy of Slavonia is largely based on wholesale and retail trade and processing industry. Food processing is one of the most significant types of the processing industries in the region, supporting agricultural production in the area and encompassing meat packing, fruit and vegetable processing, sugar refining, confectionery and dairy industry. In addition, there are wineries in the region that are significant to economy of Croatia. Other types of the processing industry significant to Slavonia are wood processing, including production of furniture, cellulose, paper and cardboard; metalworking, textile industry and glass production. Transport and civil engineering are two further significant economic activities in Slavonia. The largest industrial centre of Slavonia is Osijek, followed by other county seats—Slavonski Brod, Virovitica, Požega and Vukovar, as well as several other cities, especially Vinkovci.


title: Slavonia

text: The gross domestic product (GDP) of the five counties in Slavonia combined (in year 2008) amounted to 6,454 million euro, or 8,005 euro per capita—27.5% below Croatia's national average. The GDP of the five counties represented 13.6% of Croatia's GDP. Several Pan-European transport corridors run through Slavonia: corridor Vc as the A5 motorway, corridor X as the A3 motorway and a double-track railway spanning Slavonia from west to east, and corridor VII—the Danube River waterway. The waterway is accessed through the Port of Vukovar, the largest Croatian river port, situated on the Danube itself, and the Port of Osijek on the Drava River, away from confluence of the rivers.


title: Slavonia

text: Another major sector of the economy of Slavonia is agriculture, which also provides part of the raw materials for the processing industry. Out of of utilized agricultural land in Croatia, , or more than 45%, are found in Slavonia, with the largest portion of the land situated in the Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Syrmia counties. The largest areas are used for production of cereals and oilseeds, covering and respectively. Slavonia's share in Croatia's agriculturally productive land is greatest in the production of cereals (53.5%), legumes (46.8%), oilseeds (88.8%), sugar beet (90%), tobacco (97.9%), plants used in pharmaceutical or perfume industry (80.9%), flowers, seedlings and seeds (80.3%) and plants used in the textile industry (69%). Slavonia also contributes 25.7% of cattle, 42.7% of pigs and 20% of the poultry stock of Croatia. There are of vineyards in Slavonia, representing 18.6% of total vineyards area in Croatia. Production of fruit and nuts also takes up a significant agricultural area. Apple orchards cover , representing 42.3% of Croatia's apple plantations, plums are produced in orchards encompassing or 59.7% of Croatia's plum plantations and hazelnut orchards cover , which account for 72.4% of hazelnut plantations in Croatia. Other significant permanent crops are cherries, pears, peaches and walnuts.


title: Slavonia

text: In 2010, only two companies headquartered in Slavonia ranked among top 100 Croatian companies—Belje, agricultural industry owned by Agrokor, and Belišće, paper mill and paper packaging material factory, headquartered in Darda and Belišće respectively, both in Osijek-Baranja County. Belje ranks as the 44th and Belišće as the 99th largest Croatian company by income. Other significant businesses in the county include civil engineering company Osijek-Koteks (rank 103), Saponia detergent and personal care product factory (rank 138), Biljemerkant retail business (rank 145), and Našicecement cement plant (rank 165), a part of Nexe Grupa construction product manufacturing company. Sugar refining company Viro, ranked the 101st and headquartered in Virovitica, is the largest company in Virovitica-Podravina County. Đuro Đaković Montaža d.d., a part of metal processing industry Đuro Đaković Holding of Slavonski Brod, ranks the 171st among the Croatian companies and it is the largest business in Brod-Posavina County. Another agricultural industry company, Kutjevo d.d., headquartered in Kutjevo, is the largest company in Požega-Slavonia County, ranks the 194th in Croatia by business income. Finally, the largest company by income in Vukovar-Syrmia county is another Agrokor owned agricultural production company—Vupik, headquartered in Vukovar, and ranking the 161st among the companies headquartered in Croatia.


title: Slavonia

text: The cultural heritage of Slavonia represents a blend of social influences through its history, especially since the end of the 17th century, and the traditional culture. A particular impact was made by Baroque art and architecture of the 18th century, when the cities of Slavonia started developing after the Ottoman wars ended and stability was restored to the area. The period saw great prominence of the nobility, who were awarded estates in Slavonia by the imperial court in return for their service during the wars. They included Prince Eugene of Savoy, the House of Esterházy, the House of Odescalchi, Philipp Karl von Eltz-Kempenich, the House of Prandau-Normann, the House of Pejačević and the House of Janković. That in turn encouraged an influx of contemporary European culture to the region. Subsequent development of the cities and society saw the influence of Neoclassicism, Historicism and especially of Art Nouveau.


title: Slavonia

text: The heritage of the region includes numerous landmarks, especially manor houses built by the nobility in largely in the 18th and the 19th centuries. Those include Prandau-Normann and Prandau-Mailath manor houses in Valpovo and Donji Miholjac respectively, manor houses in Baranja—in Bilje, at a former Esterházy estate in Darda, in Tikveš, and in Kneževo. Pejačevićs built several residences, the most representative ones among them being manor house in Virovitica and the Pejačević manor house in Našice. Further east, along the Danube, there are Odescalchi manor house in Ilok, and Eltz manor house in Vukovar—the latter sustained extensive damage during the Battle of Vukovar in 1991, but it was reconstructed by 2011. In the southeast of the region, the most prominent are Kutjevo Jesuit manor house, and Cernik manor house, located in Kutjevo and Cernik respectively. The period also saw construction of Tvrđa and Brod fortifications in Osijek and Slavonski Brod. Older, medieval fortifications are preserved only as ruins—the largest among those being Ružica Castle near Orahovica. Another landmark dating to the 19th century is the Đakovo Cathedral—hailed by the Pope John XXIII as the most beautiful church situated between Venice and Istanbul.


title: Slavonia

text: Slavonia significantly contributed to the culture of Croatia as a whole, both through works of artists and through patrons of the arts—most notable among them being Josip Juraj Strossmayer. Strossmayer was instrumental in the establishment of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts, later renamed the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the reestablishment of the University of Zagreb. A number of Slavonia's artists, especially writers, made considerable contributions to Croatian culture. Nineteenth-century writers who are most significant in Croatian literature include Josip Eugen Tomić, Josip Kozarac, and Miroslav Kraljević—author of the first Croatian novel. Significant twentieth-century poets and writers in Slavonia were Dobriša Cesarić, Dragutin Tadijanović, Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić and Antun Gustav Matoš. Painters associated with Slavonia, who contributed greatly to Croatian art, were Miroslav Kraljević and Bela Čikoš Sesija.


title: Slavonia

text: Slavonia is a distinct region of Croatia in terms of ethnological factors in traditional music. It is a region where traditional culture is preserved through folklore festivals. Typical traditional music instruments belong to the tamburica and bagpipe family. The tamburica is the most representative musical instrument associated with Slavonia's traditional culture. It developed from music instruments brought by the Ottomans during their rule of Slavonia, becoming an integral part of the traditional music, its use surpassing or even replacing the use of bagpipes and gusle. A distinct form of traditional song, originating in Slavonia, the bećarac, is recognized as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.


title: Slavonia

text: Out of 122 Croatia's universities and other institutions of higher education, Slavonia is home to one university—Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek— as well as three polytechnics in Požega, Slavonski Brod and Vukovar, as well as a college in Virovitica—all set up and run by the government. The University of Osijek, has been established in 1975, but the first institution of higher education in the city was "Studium Philosophicum Essekini" founded in 1707, and active until 1780. Another historical institution of higher education was "Academia Posegana" operating in Požega between 1761 and 1776, as an extension of a gymnasium operating in the city continuously, since it opened in 1699 as the first secondary education school in Slavonia.


title: Slavonia

text: The cuisine of Slavonia reflects cultural influences on the region through the diversity of its culinary influences. The most significant among those were from Hungarian, Viennese, Central European, as well as Turkish and Arab cuisines brought by series of conquests and accompanying social influences. The ingredients of traditional dishes are pickled vegetables, dairy products and smoked meats. The most famous traditional preserved meat product is kulen, one of a handful Croatian products protected by the EU as indigenous products.


title: Slavonia

text: Slavonia is one of Croatia's winemaking sub-regions, a part of its continental winegrowing region. The best known winegrowing areas of Slavonia are centered on Đakovo, Ilok and Kutjevo, where Graševina grapes are predominant, but other cultivars are increasingly present. In past decades, an increasing quantity of wine production in Slavonia was accompanied by increasing quality and growing recognition at home and abroad. Grape vines were first grown in the region of Ilok, as early as the 3rd century AD. The oldest Slavonian wine cellar still in continuous use for winemaking is located in Kutjevo—built in 1232 by Cistercians.


title: Slavonia

text: Slavonian oak is used to make "botti", large barrels traditionally used in the Piedmont region of Italy to make nebbiolo wines.


title: Combat helmet

text: A combat helmet or battle helmet is a type of helmet. It is a piece of personal armor designed specifically to protect the head during combat. Modern combat helmets are mainly designed to protect from shrapnel and fragments, offer some protection against small arms, and offer a mounting point for devices such as night-vision goggles and communications equipment.


title: Combat helmet

text: Helmets are among the oldest forms of personal protective equipment and are known to have been worn by the Akkadians/Sumerians in the 23rd century BC, Mycenaean Greeks since the 17th century BC, the Assyrians around 900 BC, ancient Greeks and Romans, throughout the Middle Ages, and up to the end of the 17th century by many combatants. Their materials and construction became more advanced as weapons became more and more powerful. Initially constructed from leather and brass, and then bronze and iron during the Bronze and Iron Ages, they soon came to be made entirely from forged steel in many societies after about 950 AD. At that time, they were purely military equipment, protecting the head from cutting blows with swords, flying arrows, and low-velocity musketry.


title: Combat helmet

text: Iron helmets were deployed into the cavalry of the Mali Empire to protect the cavalrymen and their mount.


title: Combat helmet

text: Military use of helmets declined after 1670, and rifled firearms ended their use by foot soldiers after 1700 but the Napoleonic era saw ornate cavalry helmets reintroduced for cuirassiers and dragoons in some armies which continued to be used by French forces during World War I as late as 1915.


title: Combat helmet

text: World War I and its increased use of artillery renewed the need for steel helmets, with the French Adrian helmet and the British Brodie helmet being the first modern steel helmets used on the battlefield, soon followed by the adoption of similar steel helmets, such as the Stahlhelm by the other warring nations. Such helmets offered protection for the head from shrapnel and fragments.


title: Combat helmet

text: Today's militaries often use high quality helmets made of ballistic materials such as Kevlar and Twaron, which offer improved protection. Some helmets also have good non-ballistic protective qualities, against threats such as concussive shock waves from explosions.


title: Combat helmet

text: Many of today's combat helmets have been adapted for modern warfare requirements and upgraded with STANAG rails to act as a platform for mounting cameras, video cameras and VAS Shrouds for the mounting of night-vision devices.


title: Combat helmet

text: Beginning in the early 20th century, combat helmets have often been equipped with helmet covers to offer greater camouflage. There have been two main types of covers—mesh nets were earlier widely used, but most modern combat helmets use camouflage cloth covers instead.


title: Combat helmet

text: By the late 20th century, starting in the 1970s and 1980s, new materials such as Kevlar and Twaron began replacing steel as the primary material for combat helmets, in an effort to improve weight reduction and ballistic protection, and protection against traumatic brain injury. This practice still continues into the 21st century, with further advancement and refinements in the fibers used, design and shape of the helmet, and increased modularity. Early helmet systems of this new design are the American PASGT, the Spanish MARTE, the Italian SEPT-2 PLUS, and British Mk6.


title: Combat helmet

text: Cushioning is used to negate concussive injuries. Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory published a study in 2011 that concluded that the addition of an ⅛ inch (3 mm) of cushion decreased the impact force to the skull by 24%.


title: Shahana Goswami

text: Shahana Goswami is an Indian actress. She is the daughter of Indian economist and writer Omkar Goswami.


title: Shahana Goswami

text: Through her theater circle Goswami met talent consultant Shaanu Sharma who asked her to audition for a role in Naseeruddin Shah's directorial debut "Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota". Subsequently, she stumbled upon the small role of Boman Irani's daughter in Reema Kagti's "Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.", when she visited the production house for some other work. Meanwhile, a cinematographer who noticed her work in "Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota" recommended her and she auditioned for the lead role in Percept Picture Company's "Ru Ba Ru", directed by Arjun Bali, with Randeep Hooda as her co-star. For Goswami, "Ru Ba Ru" happened while she was still in college completing her graduation. She gave her first shot for the film in Bangkok, much before she was signed on for "Rock On!!".


title: Shahana Goswami

text: Her friends Shaanu Sharma and Simran, who were in the middle of casting for "Rock On!!", at that time suggested her name to the film's director, Abhishek Kapoor. Later, she auditioned for the film and got her big break in the role of Debbie. Her performance earned her the Filmfare Best Actress (Critics) award.


title: Shahana Goswami

text: She then appeared in the music video for Dido's "Let's Do the Things We Normally Do" as a taxi driver in Mumbai. The video was shot by Siddharth Sikand. In between, she also featured in a Fevicol commercial set in a village in Rajasthan.


title: Shahana Goswami

text: Goswami's first international project was Deepa Mehta's "Midnight's Children" (2013), an adaptation of Salman Rushdie's Booker Prize winning novel.


title: Shahana Goswami

text: Goswami played the female lead in "" directed by Khyentse Norbu (director of "The Cup" and "Travellers & Magicians", which was shot in Sri Lanka. She received the Asian Award for best actress for her performance in the film.


title: Shahana Goswami

text: Goswami will be next seen in the upcoming web series 'Bombay Begums', directed by Alankrita Shrivastava. Starring Pooja Bhatt, Amruta Subhash, Plabita Borthakur and Aadhya Anand.


title: Life Unexpected

text: Life Unexpected is an American teen drama television series that aired for two seasons from January 18, 2010 to January 18, 2011. It was produced by Best Day Ever Productions and Mojo Films in association with CBS Productions and Warner Bros. Television and broadcast by The CW. Created by Liz Tigelaar, who served as an executive producer with Gary Fleder and Janet Leahy, the series stars Britt Robertson, Shiri Appleby, Kristoffer Polaha, and Kerr Smith.


title: Life Unexpected

text: Set in Portland, the story follows Lux Cassidy, a teenager who was given up at birth and has spent her life in foster care who finds her biological parents, Nate Bazile and Cate Cassidy. Wishing to become emancipated, Lux is instead given in to their custody.


title: Life Unexpected

text: While "Life Unexpected" received mostly positive reviews, it struggled in the ratings and was canceled by The CW in 2011.


title: Life Unexpected

text: Lux Cassidy (Britt Robertson) has been through the foster care system for almost her whole life. Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby) gave birth to her at 16 but gave her up for adoption after Social Services promised her that the baby would be adopted quickly. But the baby had heart problems (ventricular septal defect) and needed countless surgeries, so she was not a desirable candidate for adoption and ended up in the foster-care system and group homes.


title: Life Unexpected

text: Just before her 16th birthday, Lux petitions a court to become an emancipated minor, but she learns that she must get signatures from her unknown birth parents. She locates her father, Nate Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha), who operates the Open Bar inside a building his father gave him. "Baze" lives like an overgrown frat boy above the bar with two roommates: his childhood best friend Math (Austin Basis), a high-school teacher; and Jamie (Reggie Austin), who also works at the bar. However, even when he signs the papers, Baze discovers that he is already bonding with his newfound daughter, and realizes that she has his eyes.


title: Life Unexpected

text: Baze introduces Lux to her mother Cate Cassidy, co-host of the "Morning Madness" drive time show at Portland radio station K-100 and Baze's former one-night stand from high school. Lux has been listening to Cate's voice on the radio for as long as she can remember, so she feels an instant connection to the mom she's never met. Baze takes Lux to meet Cate, who is shocked and saddened to learn that Lux has grown up in foster care instead of the real adoptive home she had been promised her baby would have, and she's reluctant to commit to her daughter. Eventually Cate wants to be a part of Lux's life, and she shows that she really does care.


title: Life Unexpected

text: When a judge decides that Lux isn't ready for emancipation and unexpectedly grants temporary joint custody to Baze and Cate, they agree to try to get past the awkwardness. Because of her radio-host job and suitable house, Cate is given primary custody of Lux. Ryan Thomas (Kerr Smith), her radio-broadcast partner and fiancé, also bonds with Lux and is sometimes better able to reach her than her parents, because he's faced issues similar to hers.


title: Life Unexpected

text: As the series progresses, Baze becomes more responsible and works harder to get the bar and the loft apartment in shape so it's fit for Lux to stay with him sometimes; eventually he sets aside a corner of the loft for her bedroom. Their close bond is causing slacker-esque Baze to prove that he can come through for Lux and provide support and love. As for Cate, she constantly disappoints Lux, but she does mean well, and Alice (Erin Karpluk), producer of her radio show, often serves as her much-needed confidante.


title: Life Unexpected

text: Ryan breaks up with Cate, but eventually they reconcile and the engagement is back on. He also relents a bit towards Baze after the two have drinks and Baze explains that all he is to Cate is Lux's father. But by the series' send, Baze and Ryan are good friends.


title: Life Unexpected

text: Baze's bar is owned by his father Jack (Robin Thomas), who considers Baze a disappointment, but softens towards him somewhat in later episodes, due to Lux's entrance in their lives. Baze himself later buys the bar. Also seen is Cate's four-times-divorced mother, who had convinced Cate to give up Lux; and Baze's level-headed, understanding mother Ellen (Susan Hogan). Both love Lux when they meet her, though Ellen seems to have the stronger grandmotherly bond with her.


title: Life Unexpected

text: Lux had been attending Longfellow High, a rough high school in Portland, but Cate enrolls her at Westmonte High, the alma mater of herself, Baze, and Math, and the institution at which Math currently teaches. At first infuriated, Lux soon adapts and makes friends, among them popular Jones Mager (Austin Butler) who is the quarterback like her father was. Meanwhile, she wonders how friends from her old life might fit into her new one. Tasha Siviac has been her best friend since she was seven (they met at Sunnyvale, the foster-care home), and Lux hopes to stay in touch with her, her boyfriend Gavin, and Lux's own first boyfriend Bug, who has been in trouble with the law; this might imperil Lux's new life with Baze and Cate. Lux's longtime social worker Fern Redmund is instrumental in helping Cate and Baze get their parental rights reinstated and helping the three become an official family. Fern thus becomes a family friend.


title: Life Unexpected

text: At various times Baze incurs Cate's wrath by sleeping with Cate's younger sister, Lux's Aunt Abby, a neurotic therapist and yoga practitioner. Baze also sleeps with Ryan's sister Paige after a drunk incident in season two.


title: Life Unexpected

text: Lux meets a young man, Eric Daniels, at Baze's bar; after she goes on a date with him she discovers that he is her new teacher. The second season deals with this affair, which ends when Eric leaves town when Cate and Baze threaten to call the police if he doesn't resign his job and leave Portland; Cate and Ryan's new marriage and attempts to conceive; and Baze's relationship with coworker Emma Bradshaw who has a son, Sam. Later Tasha becomes more a part of the family's life after she strikes out on her own. Bug and Gavin disappear, Bug having left town after Lux rejected his marriage proposal.


title: Life Unexpected

text: Cate miscarried her child with Ryan because of a condition she developed after having Lux. Lux being the only child she would ever have created a stronger bond between mother and daughter, and Lux finally realizes that she has a real mom who loves her and won't let anything or anyone harm her. After nearly giving in to desire, Baze breaks up with Emma after learning from Lux that Emma had had an affair with his dad. It didn't happen when Baze was going out with her, but it meant his dad cheating on his mother, and he decided that he could never be with Emma without thinking of his father.


title: Life Unexpected

text: The show then fast-forwards two years to Lux delivering the commencement speech at her graduation. It is revealed that Ryan and Julia are together and have a young son from their affair, and that Baze and Cate are finally together as a couple. Math and Alice are married and expecting. Jones also kisses Lux, revealing that they end up together, and Tasha is seen happy for them. At the end, the family and friends take a photo together.


title: Life Unexpected

text: Creator Liz Tigelaar came up with the idea for the show in 2007 and developed it with director Gary Fleder. Tigelaar and Fleder pitched the show, then titled "Light Years", to ABC Studios who accepted it, selling the show to The CW. In September 2008 The CW ordered the show to pilot. After the pilot was ordered, ABC dropped the show for financial reasons. The show was picked up by CBS Television Studios. The pilot was filmed in January 2009, written by Tigelaar and directed by Fleder. Both served as executive producers.


title: Life Unexpected

text: The CW announced the series in January 2009 under the working title of "Light Years" because the main character Lux's name means Light. According to Tigelaar, the title "tested way too sci-fi" and it was changed to "LUX" in April. Soon changed again into "Life Unexpected," the series was promoted at the CW Upfronts in May as "Parental Discretion Advised". That June, the network reverted to the name "Life UneXpected", highlighting the name of the main character in capital letters. Initial advertising for the series in fall 2009 listed it without the capitalized "X", which became the final version.


title: Life Unexpected

text: While the show is set in Portland, Oregon, most of the filming was done in Vancouver, British Columbia. Many external scenes were filmed in Portland, including the many bridges, MAX Lightrail, China Town Arch, Portland's Amtrak Union Station, and other Portland locations. Scenes of Westmonte High were filmed at Sutherland Secondary School in North Vancouver and H. J. Cambie Secondary School in Richmond, British Columbia. The exterior of Baze's bar is located on Granville Island and the Ironworks Building in Vancouver. North Shore Studios, formally Lionsgate, was used as the primary studio for season one while Coast Mountain Film Studios housed the show for the second and final season.


title: Life Unexpected

text: The show premiered on The CW on Monday, January 18, 2010. The 13-episode first season run ended on April 12, 2010. The series was picked up for a second season for an initial thirteen episode order, which premiered on September 14, 2010 airing on Tuesdays at 9/8c (following "One Tree Hill)".


title: Life Unexpected

text: In October 2010, The CW ordered two additional scripts. In November 2010 The CW declined to order the back 9 episodes for the show's second and final season, leaving the season's episode count at 13. Members of the cast campaigned to save the show. On December 6, 2010 series creator, Liz Tigelaar made the TV show's cancellation official via Twitter.


title: Life Unexpected

text: In an attempt to improve "Life Unexpected"'s ratings by attracting "One Tree Hill" viewers, The CW aired a crossover event involving both programs on October 12, 2010. Beginning with "One Tree Hill" installment "Nobody Taught Us to Quit", Haley James Scott (Bethany Joy Lenz) and Mia Catalano (Kate Voegele) traveled to Portland (where "Life Unexpected" is set) to perform at the Sugar Magnolia Music Festival hosted by K-100. Haley and Cate meet in the crossover and are "surprised to learn that they share a similar back story [as] mothers." "Music Faced," the "Life Unexpected" episode of the crossover, also featured Sarah McLachlan, Ben Lee and Rain Perry whose song "Beautiful Tree" serves as the series' opening theme.


title: Life Unexpected

text: The series was renewed by The CW for a second season on May 20, 2010. It was also moved to Tuesday nights at 9:00 p.m.


title: Life Unexpected

text: The first season of "Life Unexpected" scored a 69 out of 100 on Metacritic. The series has garnered mostly positive feedback, with many reviews favorably comparing the show to the critically acclaimed series "Gilmore Girls" and "Everwood". Maureen Ryan, from the "Chicago Tribune", stated that the show "recall[s] the good things about shows like "Gilmore Girls" and "Everwood"," and similarly, Hank Stuever from "The Washington Post" called it "a pleasant mix of a little "Juno" hipitude and a lot of "Everwood" glow." Furthermore, the "Chicago Tribune" review called "Life Unexpected" a program "that parents and their older kids could enjoy together without feeling condescended to," and "The Boston Globe"'s Matthew Gilbert states that "the show works, in its own hokey, feel-good, alt-soundtrack way."


title: Life Unexpected

text: Show writer Liz Tigelaar (who has also worked on "Brothers & Sisters", "American Dreams", and "Once and Again"), has received much praise. A review in the "Los Angeles Times" called Tigelaar's writing smart and insightful. Similarly, Randee Dawn, from "The Hollywood Reporter" stated that Tigelaar "has a delicate, spot-on feel for dialogue." "The Futon Critic"'s Brian Ford Sullivan singled out writer Liz Tigelaar and director Gary Fleder for adeptly exploring Lux's perceived lack of love in her life.


title: Life Unexpected

text: On a negative note, a review in the "Chicago Sun Times" by Paige Wiser called the show "somewhat predictable" and "The Post"'s Stuever adds that "Life Unexpected" "burns off its most interesting plot twist [...] in the first 20 minutes."


title: Life Unexpected

text: In Canada the show premiered on the free-to-air channel CBC Television and on the pay TV channel YTV Canada. In Europe the show premiered on E4 for the United Kingdom from September 19, 2010, on Sixx for Germany from January 4, 2011, and on RTÉ Two for Ireland from August 2011. In Oceania the show premiered on MediaWorks' C4 for New Zealand from October 2010 and on Network Ten for Australia from November 5, 2011. In India the show premiered on Big CBS Prime from February 2013.


title: Life Unexpected

text: The two seasons were released together on DVD in Region 1 on April 5, 2011. It was later released in Region 4 in 2012.


title: Aesop (brand)

text: Aesop (stylised as Aēsop) is an Australian luxury cosmetics brand owned by Brazilian company Natura & Co that produces skin, hair, and body care products headquartered in Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.


title: Aesop (brand)

text: Aesop was established in 1987 by Dennis Paphitis in Armadale, several suburbs away from the brand's current headquarters. At the time, Paphitis owned and operated a hair salon named Emeis where part of his business involved blending essential oils into hair products. After continued success, he rebranded to Aesop. Naming the brand after the Greek fabulist and storyteller was an intentional ploy by Paphitis to mock the puffery exhibited in the advertising of competing cosmetic brands. He eventually sold the brand to Naturua & Co while maintaining a role as advisor.


title: Aesop (brand)

text: Each Aesop store has a unique interior design developed in collaboration with various architects, interior designers and artists. As of 2019, the brand had over 320 points of sale across 25 countries. Aesop currently produces 83 product formulations and three shaving accessories.


title: Aesop (brand)

text: Aesop was founded by hairdresser Dennis Paphitis in 1987 in Armadale, Melbourne. Suzanne Santos, whose current job title is Chief Customer Officer, was instrumental in the founding and growth of the company. She was Paphitis's first employee. In 2020, Aesop introduced their first Candle product line with 3 new scents titled Ptolemy, Aganice, and Callippus.


title: Aesop (brand)

text: In 2010 Harbert Australia Private Equity bought a minority stake in the company; Aesop used the capital injection to fund growth. In December 2012, Aesop sold a 65% stake in its business to Brazilian direct-sales cosmetics company Natura Cosméticos for US$71.6 million (approximately A$100 million). Natura took total ownership in December 2016. In September 2018, Aesop launched a luxe homewares product.


title: Aesop (brand)

text: For the company's national and international experience in sustainable development, and eco-friendly products, the Environment Possibility Award conferred the "Award of Green-Trend Leader" to Aesop in 2020.


title: Aesop (brand)

text: The brand has been noted for following a modern approach to prestige branding. This includes not using traditional advertisements or discount sales to promote its products but rather getting noticed and talked about for the design of its products, stores, events and communications.


title: Aesop (brand)

text: According to founder Dennis Paphitis, the brand's name was inspired by the Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables. Originally named "Emeis" - which in Greek means "us", and the namesake of Paphitis's hairdressing salon at the time, the brand's name was changed to Aesop in response to the sometimes exaggerated claims made by competitors about their products. Aesop has a minimalist approach to branding, with their logo being a simple transcription of the brand's name in Optima font. Their brand image is described by Social Entrepreneur and Writer Tony Kearney as the key behind its success who credits Aesop with having crafted one of the most beautiful brand programs in existence. After 20 years of operation, the brand retained digital strategist Work & Co to redesign the online experience. The website redesign was critically acclaimed, winning three awards.


title: Aesop (brand)

text: Aesop retail stores are considered to place local relevance and understatement as a priority in their design. The brand consistently uses authentic materials in store construction projects, with this described as a “sensible use of the existing space and façade”. Notable designers and architects have been involved in the creation of Aesop stores. In 2008, British designer Ilse Crawford designed the first London based store for the brand, located in a Victorian Grade II listed mansion block in Mayfair. The store was noted for its restoration of a historic building with modern additions with brass and ceramic while maintaining original fittings such as the pitch pine floor. In 2021, Odami, a Spanish-Canadian design studio was retained by Aesop to design a new store in Yorkville. Odami described the project as one which paid homage to the history of Yorkville, which retains many homes of Victorian design. The Victorian-style finishing's were noted, as was the design's minimalist approach.


title: Aesop (brand)

text: Aesop has a distinct internal company culture consisting of minimalism and order. Aesop employees are referred to as "Aesopian's" and are subject to certain unique company rules and guidelines such as using only black Moleskin notebooks, black pens, and sending all emails with a greeting or pleasantry at its beginning and end. Its offices have been described as "minimal...upmarket prison cell[s]", and employees are not permitted to eat food at or keep personal items on desks. This order is said to stem from Paphitis's inclination for control over Aesop, who has acknowledged "[Aesop] labour[s] over seemingly inane decisions...to make things appear effortless...there's a great deal of energy involved". Other elements of the internal culture include keeping mobile phones on silent inside offices, and using Aesop's brand colours on company documents. Former General Manager of Marketing Lisa D'Amico has stated "the colours used on PowerPoint presentations are really, really important, particularly to the board. If [one is] not OK with that, [they] just won't enjoy [working at Aesop]". Such edicts have been described as "specific yet vague" that make being an potentially employee stressful. D'Amico acknowledged Aesop takes "cultural alignment to the nth degree" and noted cultural fit between Aesop and its employees ought to be mutual.


title: Aesop (brand)

text: Aesop has over 235 company owned signature stores across Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, USA, Taiwan, Italy, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Hong Kong, Sweden, Norway,Spain, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Belgium and the UK. In the US, it is also available at Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. In Canada, Aesop's products can be found at Holt Renfrew, Ogilvy, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue.


title: Aesop (brand)

text: Its largest store in 2017 was its space in the Broadway Theater District in Downtown Los Angeles where the walls are lined with reclaimed cardboard tubing from fabric rolls discarded by the nearby fashion district. Other elements of the store's interior are made entirely from recycled paper.


title: Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

text: The Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shri Ganesh. It is located in Prabhadevi, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was originally built by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil on 19 November 1801. It is one of the richest temples in India.


title: Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

text: The temple has a small mandap with the shrine for Siddhi Vinayak ("Ganesha who grants your wish"). The wooden doors to the sanctum are carved with images of the Ashtavinayak (the eight manifestations of Ganesha in Maharashtra). The inner roof of the sanctum is plated with gold, and the central statue is of Ganesha. In the periphery, there is a Hanuman temple as well. The exterior of the temple consists of a dome which is lit up with multiple colors in the evenings and they keep changing every few hours. The statue of Shri Ganesha is located exactly under the dome. The pillars are carved out with the images of ashtvinayak.


title: Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

text: In the later half of the twentieth century the Siddhivinayak Mandir evolved from a small shrine to the grand temple of today.


title: Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

text: Siddhivinayak is well known as "Navsacha Ganapati" or "Navasala Pavanara Ganapati" ('Ganapati bestows whenever humbly genuinely prayed a wish') among devotees. Facilities for performing different kind of puja are made available by the temple authorities.


title: Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

text: It was constructed on 19 November 1801. The original structure of the Siddhivinayak Temple was a small 3.6 meter x 3.6 meters square brick structure with a dome-shaped brick shikhara. The temple was built by the contractor Laxman Vithu Patil. The building was funded by a rich Agri woman named Deubai Patil. Childless due to infertility, Deaubai built the temple so that Ganesha should grant children to other infertile women. Ramakrishna Jambhekar Maharaj, a disciple of the Hindu saint Akkalkot Swami Samarth, buried two divine idols in the front of the presiding deity of the temple on the orders of his guru. It is claimed that after 21 years of the burial of the icons, a mandar tree grew at that spot with a svayambhu Ganesha in its branches – as prophesied by Swami Samartha.


title: Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

text: The 2550 temple complex had two 3.6 meter Deepamalas, a rest house and living quarters for the caretaker. It had an adjoining lake, 30 x 40 square meters in size on the eastern and southern side of the temple. The lake, dug by Nardulla in the early 19th century to counter the scarcity of water, was filled up in the later years and the land is now not part of the temple complex. Around 1952, a small Hanuman shrine was built in the temple complex for the Hanuman icon that was found during the road extension project of Sayani Road near Elphinstone Road. In the 1950s and 60s, the fame of the temple spread and a significant number of devotees began visiting. However, in the same period, the owner of the plot sold some of the temple land, reducing the complex area. After 1975, the number of devotees increased dramatically.


title: Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

text: Temple donations and other activities related to temple are governed by the board members of Shree Siddhi Vinayak Ganpati Temple Trust. Trust is registered under "Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1950", with the name “Shree Ganpati Temple at Prabhadevi Road, Dadar, Bombay".


title: Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

text: Trust is regulated by "Shree Siddhi Vinayak Ganpati Temple Trust (Prabhadevi) Act, 1980". It was adopted on 11 October 1980.


title: Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

text: The Siddhivinayak temple receives donations of around – every year, which makes it Mumbai city's richest temple trust. In 2004, the Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple Trust, which operates the temple, was accused of mismanaging donations. Consequently, the Bombay High Court appointed a committee headed by retired judge V P Tipnis to scrutinize the trust's donations and probe the allegations. The committee reported that "The most shocking aspect of the matter is that there is no method or principle followed for particular institutions. The only criteria for selection were recommendation or reference by trustees or the minister or a political heavy-weight, generally belonging to the ruling party".


title: Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

text: In 2006 the Bombay High Court directed the state government, the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust and the petitioner Keval Semlani to prepare "suggestive guidelines" for using the temple's trust funds.


title: Dexter (season 6)

text: The sixth season of "Dexter" premiered on October 2, 2011, on the television cable network Showtime, and consisted of 12 episodes. The season follows Dexter's and Miami Metro's investigations into a string of bizarre ritualistic killings featuring overtly religious apocalyptic symbolism. On November 18, 2011, it was announced that "Dexter" had been renewed for two more seasons.


title: Dexter (season 6)

text: Angel Batista's younger sister Jamie has become Harrison's babysitter, and Dexter Morgan and Debra visit a Catholic pre-school in hopes of signing Harrison up. Meanwhile, María LaGuerta is promoted to Captain after blackmailing Deputy Chief Matthews, whose name was on a prostitute's ledger. Vince Masuka is teaching a group of forensic science students, and after his first choice faints at a crime scene, he asks an attractive female student, Ryan Chambers, to become his intern. Masuka eventually fires Ryan when she steals a painted prosthetic hand from the Ice Truck Killer crime scenes, which shows up on an internet auction site. Masuka quickly hires another intern, video game designer and computer programmer Louis Greene, to fix the problem. Greene claims he made the auction page vanish, but was unable to get the hand back.


title: Dexter (season 6)

text: LaGuerta and Batista have divorced, but try to remain friends; this is further complicated by Matthews' decision to promote Debra to LaGuerta's vacant lieutenant position instead of Batista. Batista thinks he was passed over due to the feud between Matthews and LaGuerta. LaGuerta continuously thwarts Debra's attempts to make a good first impression as the new lieutenant by giving her the wrong advice; however, Debra makes an independent decision to hire Mike Anderson as her replacement, against LaGuerta's recommendation.


title: Dexter (season 6)

text: Joey Quinn proposes to Debra, but she refuses and they break up. Shortly after, Quinn learns of Deb's promotion and surmises that it was her reason for ending their relationship. Quinn begins a long pattern of barhopping, drunkenness, and one-night stands; his unprofessional behavior angers and ultimately endangers Batista, his new partner.


title: Dexter (season 6)

text: A new threat appears in Miami in the form of the Doomsday Killers (or DDK), Professor James Gellar and his student Travis Marshall, who seek to bring about the end of the world through killings based on the Book of Revelation. They leave signs of the Apocalypse including the Alpha and Omega or the Four Horsemen as a cryptic tableau at each crime scene. Meanwhile, Dexter learns of Brother Sam, a former drug addict and murderer who repented and became a minister. He operates a body shop where he employs other ex-convicts, to lead them to crime-free lives.


title: Dexter (season 6)

text: Initially believing Sam to be behind the first Doomsday Killer murder, Dexter decides to kill Sam but is quickly proven wrong and finds himself befriending him. However, Brother Sam is murdered by Nick, one of his trusted ex-convicts. Before dying, Brother Sam implores Dexter to forgive his assailant. After confronting Nick, who admits to intentionally killing Brother Sam, Dexter goes against Brother Sam's wish and strangles Nick.


title: Dexter (season 6)

text: Dexter learns that the Trinity Killer's wife and daughter have been found dead in Nebraska, which Jonah Mitchell reports was the work of his father, Arthur Mitchell. Dexter, the only person who knows the Trinity Killer is dead, suspects that Jonah is following in his father's footsteps and goes to Nebraska to kill Jonah, encouraged by a vision of his brother, Brian Moser, the Ice Truck Killer. However, after confronting Jonah, Dexter learns that his sister committed suicide and Jonah killed his mother in a fit of rage, and wants to die out of guilt. Dexter decides to forgive Jonah and leaves him alive to deal with his demons.


title: Dexter (season 6)

text: Dexter's investigation of the Doomsday Killers leads him to Travis Marshall. Travis says that all he has done was at the request of Professor Gellar, so Dexter asks Travis to help him kill the professor, thinking if he can save Travis then he can save himself. However, Dexter eventually discovers that Professor Gellar had been killed by Travis three years ago and now exists only in the latter's mind. Travis marks Dexter as "the Beast" and tries to kill him in one of his tableaux, the Lake of Fire, but Dexter escapes and is saved by a passing migrant boat. Finally, Travis kidnaps Dexter's son to use as a sacrifice in his final tableau, thinking that "the Beast" is dead. Dexter rescues Harrison and knocks Travis unconscious. He takes Travis back to the church where Travis carried out his earlier murders, which Dexter has set up as a kill room.


title: Dexter (season 6)

text: Meanwhile, Jamie starts dating Louis Greene. Greene wants to impress the police force, especially Dexter, and is revealed to have acquired the prosthetic hand from the Ice Truck Killer case, which he mails to Dexter to mess with him after he badmouths a game about serial killers Louis is designing. Debra refuses to yield to pressure to close the case of the overdose death of a prostitute, eventually discovering that Deputy Chief Matthews was present when the woman died. Matthews is forced to retire after LaGuerta leaks the information. Finally, Debra attends department-ordered therapy sessions after being involved in a shoot-out. During her sessions, she begins to realize that she may have romantic feelings for Dexter. She goes to the church (she knew Dexter was doing forensics there) but winds up walking in on him just as he plunges a knife into Travis' chest, to which Dexter responds, "Oh God".


title: Dexter (season 6)

text: The sixth season of "Dexter" received mixed reviews from critics. According to Metacritic, the sixth season of "Dexter" received "generally favorable reviews" with a score of 63/100 based on 10 critic reviews. It is, however, the lowest rated season of the series on the site, and the only one to average a score that is below 70.


title: Dexter (season 6)

text: Martin Chilton of "The Daily Telegraph" gave the first episode of season 6 a score of 1.5 / 5, writing that "With each season, the quality of a show that once won an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe for Hall has been sliding."


title: Dexter (season 6)

text: R.L. Shaffer of IGN wrote of the season that "while this season saw a few new twists and turns...it also handed us a fairly hammy story that tied "Dexter" to an apocalyptic serial killer." However he goes on to write that "even in its weak moments, "Dexter" is a fascinating show to watch" and that "the subtle seeds of the show's ultimate conclusion...planted throughout season six, are not only compelling, but the real reason to keep watching."


title: Centuries (song)

text: "Centuries" is a song by American rock band Fall Out Boy, released September 9, 2014 as the lead single from their sixth studio album, "American Beauty/American Psycho" (2015). It was co-written by Fall Out Boy, with two producers. A gladiator-themed music video was created. The single reached No. 10 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and was certified 4× Platinum by the RIAA. It reached first position on the UK Rock and Metal Chart. The song was also the band's fourth top ten hit and first in eight years, since "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" in 2007. In 2015, "Centuries" was nominated for the Kerrang! Award for Best Single. Fall Out Boy has played the song numerous times on televised performances and was used as ESPN's official theme song for sports coverage.


title: Centuries (song)

text: "Centuries" was written by Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Joe Trohman, Andy Hurley, J.R. Rotem, Justin Tranter, Raja Kumari and Julian Lennartz in mid-2014 and was produced by Omega and Rotem. Stump originally came forward with the song while Fall Out Boy were on the Monumentour tour with fellow American band Paramore. In an interview with "Kerrang!", Wentz described the idea of the song as a "David vs. Goliath story", stating "We wanted to write a song that empowered people who are a little weird." Tranter later confirmed the song was partially inspired by Marsha P. Johnson.


title: Centuries (song)

text: "Centuries" contains part of the melody from the song "Tom's Diner" by DNA featuring Suzanne Vega. The segment is not a sample, but instead an interpolation as it was actually re-recorded by American singer Lolo for the track. Stump described the inclusion as "a tip of the hat" to "Tom's Diner", a song which the band wanted to "re-inject" into popular culture. Vega is credited as a co-writer for "Centuries." "Centuries" is written in the key of E minor.


title: Centuries (song)

text: Days after the ending of co-headlining the Monumentour tour with Paramore, on September 4, 2014, Fall Out Boy released a teaser video depicting the title of the song in Morse code. "Centuries" received its worldwide premiere on BBC Radio 1 on September 8, 2014, before being released worldwide the next day. The song is featured as the second track of "Now! 54" (2015).


title: Centuries (song)

text: "Centuries" has received favorable reviews from music critics. MTV described the song as "The ultimate battle cry of a track".


title: Centuries (song)

text: The official music video, which features the band members in a gladiator-style battle, and a cameo from rapper Rick Ross, was released on October 17, 2014. The video features strong Christian imagery and thematic elements, including a scene of a crucified figure, a cross in place of the "T" in the song title, the use of a sling against a "giant" (in reference to the Hebrew story of David and Goliath), and an angelic figure depicted as a human with white wings. The "giant" is portrayed by Canadian actor Jon Ambrose, and the band's gladiator doubles were Simu Liu, Ben Devries, Sebastian Deery and Paul Ebejer. "Centuries" was shot on-site at Fort Henry National Historic Site in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Prior to the release of an official music video, Fall Out Boy released a video for "Centuries" filmed in Chicago featuring the use of the mobile app Hyperlapse on September 8, 2014.


title: Centuries (song)

text: The official video features four gladiators doomed for some unknown reason prior to entering the Colosseum in Rome for the entertainment of the crowds. They are given two lengths of rope, a cloth, and a stone by a mysterious cloaked figure. This is followed by scenes of a woman styled as the Virgin Mary opening her arms to a crowd, another woman with two lions behind her, a "Christ" figure, and a decadent emperor spreading his arms showing several women sitting at his feet. The ostensible "crowd favourite", a large, muscular man, easily defeats the four, cheered on by the crowd and their laughing emperor. In desperation, the four, having realized that they need to work together, combine their items into a sling, which is then used to slay the warrior. The video ends as another, unknown challenger enters the ring while the emperor laughs.


title: Centuries (song)

text: "Centuries" debuted at No. 22 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and No. 4 on Digital Songs with 133,000 first week sales. It also opened at No. 2 on Hot Rock Songs and No. 14 on Alternative Songs. "Centuries" peaked at No. 4 on Alternative Songs in December on strong airplay, the band's third highest position on that chart behind "Dance, Dance" and "Sugar, We're Goin Down". As a cross-over radio success, it reached No. 16 on mainstream Pop Songs by January 2015. In its nineteenth week on the Hot 100, it reached No. 12, selling 111,000 downloads that week, and propelling the band to No. 10 on the Artist 100. It eventually peaked at No. 10 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in its 20th week (week ending February 7, 2015; the same as "American Beauty/American Psycho"'s debut), becoming the band's first top 10 in almost eight years after "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" peaked at No. 2 in February 2007; "Centuries" also reached a new high of No. 15 on Pop Songs. In its 21st week, it held at No. 10 on the Hot 100 and reached No. 13 on both Pop and Adult Pop with heavy airplay. It became their fourth and last top ten hit in the US.


title: Centuries (song)

text: "Centuries" has spent twelve consecutive weeks in the top 20 of the Hot 100 and twenty-two consecutive frames at No. 2 on Hot Rock Songs. It was certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA in December 2014 and was upgraded to 4× Platinum in October 2015. In Australia, the song debuted at No. 59 but rose to No. 55 in the following week. "Centuries" debuted at No. 36 on the Canadian Hot 100 and peaked at No. 26 in its fifteenth week. In the UK, "Centuries" made its appearance in the UK top 40 singles chart at No. 22, scoring the band another top 40 hit. On the singles sales format of the chart, the song reached No. 12. As of June 2015, the song has spent 21 weeks in the UK top 100 and has been certified Silver by the BPI, denoting 200,000 copies.


title: Centuries (song)

text: On September 10, 2014, ESPN announced "Centuries" as a promotional song for its coverage of the inaugural College Football Playoff. The song was featured across promotions for the event throughout the 2014 college football season, and during coverage of the semi-final and national championship games. In a January 2015 interview with FoxSports.com, the band apologized for ESPN's overexposure of the song; it was estimated that across its coverage of the two semi-final bowls, along with the National Championship game, that "Centuries" had been played a total of 45 times.


title: Centuries (song)

text: Fall Out Boy performed "Centuries" live for the first time on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on September 17, 2014. They next played on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" with Suzanne Vega as a special guest on October 29, 2014.


title: Centuries (song)

text: "Centuries" was used by WWE as the official theme song for Friday Night SmackDown's 15th anniversary show. "Centuries" was also performed at the 2015 NHL All-Star game at Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio in between periods. On April 5, 2015, the band performed "Centuries" as part of pre-game festivities at Wrigley Field in their hometown of Chicago for the opening game of the 2015 Major League Baseball season; the performance was televised by ESPN2 as part of its coverage. "Centuries" was performed at the 2015 MTV Movie Awards on April 12, 2015. "Centuries" was also used for an intro video of the 2015 Chicago White Sox season home games and Calgary Flames playoff home games.


title: Centuries (song)

text: "Centuries" also used in the trailer for Nickelodeon's original movie inspired by mid-90s game show "Legends of the Hidden Temple".


title: Kunjali Marakkar

text: Kunjali Marakkar (alternatively spelled Kunhali Marakkar) was the title inherited by the Admiral of the fleet of the Samoothiri / Zamorin, the king of Kozhikode / Calicut, in present-day Kerala, India. There were four Marakkars whose war tactics defended against the Portuguese invasion from 1520 to 1600. The Kunjali Marakkars are credited with organizing the first naval defense of the Indian coast.


title: Kunjali Marakkar

text: The Kunjali IV had rescued a Chinese boy, called Chinali, who had been enslaved on a Portuguese ship. The Kunjali was very fond of him, and he became one of his most feared lieutenants, a Muslim and enemy of the Portuguese. The Portuguese were terrorized by the Kunjali and his Chinese right-hand man, eventually, after the Portuguese allied with Calicut's Samorin, under André Furtado de Mendonça they attacked the Kunjali and Chinali's forces, and they were handed over to the Portuguese by the Samorin after he reneged on a promise to let them go. Diogo do Couto, a Portuguese historian, questioned the Kunjali and Chinali when they were captured. He was present when the Kunjali surrendered to the Portuguese and was described: "One of these was Chinale, a Chinese, who had been a servant at Malacca, and said to have been the captive of a Portuguese, taken as a boy from a fusta, and afterwards brought to Kunhali, who conceived such an affection for him that he trusted him with everything. He was the greatest exponent of the Moorish superstition and enemy of the Christians in all Malabar, and for those taken captive at sea and brought thither he invented the most exquisite kinds of torture when he martyred them." However, de Couto's claim that he tortured Christians was questioned, since no other source reported this, and is dismissed as ridiculous.


title: Kunjali Marakkar

text: François Pyrard de Laval referred Marakkar IV as "the greatest corsair ever seen on those parts". . The metropolis of Malabar pirates is what foreigners called the Marcaire Coste ("Marakkar Kotta"). His district was "large, men came from all sides to reside there". Their first fortress was small, a river flowed past it and at the mouth of the river Marakkar IV built "a large fortress" in "the Malayalam fashion" with permission from Samoothiri, and beyond that he built two more forts on either sides of the river mouth to safeguard the entering vessels. The first fortress "almost surrounded by the sea and the river" protected the town from seas-side and land-side. According to Diogo do Couto, the Portuguese called the fortress Cognaily's Country (Kunjali's Country). It was situated two leagues away from Badara (Vadakara) and 10 leagues from Calicut. The fortress was besieged by the Portuguese in 1600. Within the Marcaire Coste there was an organisation for collecting customs duty, clerks and officers of the Samoothiri always stationed there at a custom-house, they examined all vessels and goods arrived at the port. Such a practice also prevailed in Calicut, registering the goods, Pyrard called the system "most admirable". Malabar pirates had four harbours under the ambit of the Samoothiri, there they built their galleys. These harbours were Moutingue (Muttungal), Badara (Vadakara), Chombaye (Chambal), and Cangelotte (Kaniyaram Kottu). They were fortified only on the seas-side under the patronage of Samoothiri, who granted these ports to Marakkar family who fortified them. These ports were two leagues from each other. Portuguese made multiple attempts to conquer these fortified ports, without effect or to their own loss, mainly at Badara.


title: Ben Gordon

text: Benjamin Ashenafi Gordon (born April 4, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Gordon played for 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and he played college basketball for the University of Connecticut, where he won a national championship in 2004.


title: Ben Gordon

text: He is the only player to have ever won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award as a rookie. Gordon is third in career three-point field goals for the Chicago Bulls, behind Kirk Hinrich and Zach LaVine.


title: Ben Gordon

text: Gordon was born in London, England, to Jamaican father and African-American mother. He moved to the United States as an infant, and grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. Gordon played high school basketball for the Mount Vernon Knights, and helped lead the team to the 2000 New York State Public and Federation Championships. Gordon was an All-State player at Mount Vernon and a top-40 national recruit. He was heavily recruited by Seton Hall, but decided to attend UConn.


title: Ben Gordon

text: As a freshman at UConn, Gordon ranked second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg), despite coming off the bench for most of the season. He hit the game winning 3-point shot against Villanova in the Big East tournament. As a sophomore Gordon averaged a team-leading 19.5 points (which ranked 50th in the nation) and also led the Huskies with 156 total assists, which earned Gordon Second Team All-Big East honors.


title: Ben Gordon

text: In Gordon's junior and final year at UConn, he averaged a team-leading 20.5 points (again ranked 50th in the nation), 4.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He also connected on 104 three-pointers, the second-highest single-season total in UConn's history. Gordon set a Big East Tournament record with 81 total points, earning the tournaments' Most Outstanding Performer honors. Gordon also earned the Most Outstanding Player award of the Phoenix Regional honors in the NCAA tournament. He also led the tournament field with 127 total points, as he helped lead the Huskies to the NCAA Championship. Following his junior year, Gordon declared himself eligible for the 2004 NBA draft and was selected third overall by the Chicago Bulls, one pick after the Charlotte Bobcats drafted his UConn teammate, Emeka Okafor.


title: Ben Gordon

text: Before the 2004 NBA draft, Gordon thought that he would be drafted anywhere from 7th to 12th, but as the draft got closer he claimed to have an inkling that the Bulls might draft him third as they did with Michael Jordan 20 years earlier in the 1984 NBA draft. "I'm a guy who looks at the significance of numbers a lot. Before the draft, I had no idea I'd get drafted third. I thought I was going to go anywhere from 7th to 12th. As we started getting closer and I started to get an inkling that the Bulls could be a team that I could end up playing for, I started to look at the numbers. Michael Jordan was drafted by the Bulls and he was the third pick just like you." Gordon wore the number 4 on his jersey in high school and college, but had to wear the number 7 with the Bulls due to the number 4 being retired. Gordon said, "I wore No. 4 my whole career but, of course, Jerry Sloan already had that number beforehand so there wasn't much I could do about it. So all I did was just [put together] being the third pick with my old No. 4. That's why I wear No. 7." The Bulls also acquired Luol Deng in the same draft.


title: Ben Gordon

text: Between Michael Jordan's departure in 1998 and Gordon's arrival in 2004, the Bulls did not win more than 30 games in a single season. In his rookie year, Gordon helped lead a turnaround from a 3–14 start to finish 47–35 and secure the fourth seed in the playoffs. He averaged 15.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while playing 24.2 minutes per game. Gordon also finished with 21 double-digit fourth-quarter-point performances, second to only LeBron James's 22 in the NBA. In their first playoff appearance in the post-Jordan era, the Bulls (without Luol Deng) lost to the Washington Wizards in six games. After the season, Gordon became the first rookie in league history to be awarded the NBA Sixth Man Award. Gordon was also the NBA's Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month 3 times (January through to March), and was also voted onto the NBA All-Rookie First Team.


title: Ben Gordon

text: Gordon also had problems with turnovers (4.46 per 48 minutes; sixth in the league in 2004–05), however, and an overall lack of stamina in his rookie season. He remarked, "More than anything, I just want to come back [in the fall] in better shape. ... A lot of this game is about conditioning and how long you can give your best performance." Gordon also revealed that he was in the process of designing an energy drink called BG7, an allusion to his initials and jersey number. Gordon unveiled the drink at One Sixty Blue, a restaurant co-owned by Michael Jordan. The drink was made with white tea, which has a very high amount of antioxidants, and the most polyphenols of any tea.


title: Ben Gordon

text: In his sophomore campaign, Gordon alternated between the starting lineup and bench for the Bulls, starting 47 games (mostly in the later half of the season) while coming off of the bench for 35. The minutes Gordon played per game rose, as did his scoring and assist averages. Gordon was selected to play for the Sophomores in the Rookie Challenge held during the NBA All-Star Weekend, in which he scored 17 points.


title: Ben Gordon

text: On April 14, 2006, in a Bulls win over the Washington Wizards, Gordon tied the record for the most consecutive three-pointers made in a game with 9. The Bulls returned to the playoffs but were again eliminated in the first round in six games; this time they lost to the Miami Heat, who went on to win the NBA Championship.


title: Ben Gordon

text: Gordon's third season marked a giant step forward for himself and the Bulls. He adjusted to becoming the team's starting shooting guard, averaging 21.4 points on near-46% shooting in 33 minutes per game. Chicago rebounded from a 3–9 start to finish 49–33. On March 4, 2007, Gordon established a career-high 48 points, leading a miraculous comeback effort to win 126–121 in overtime against the Milwaukee Bucks. In the first round of the playoffs the Bulls again faced the Heat, but this time won the series in four games, becoming the first team in NBA history to sweep the defending champions in the first round. They lost to the Detroit Pistons in the second round, but were able to force the series to six games after initially falling behind 3–0.


title: Ben Gordon

text: On the heels of their first playoff series win in nearly a decade, the Bulls entered the 2007–08 season with high expectations. Prior to the season, Gordon and Deng both turned down offers for contract extensions, believing they could earn more in free agency. Following a 9–16 start, Scott Skiles was fired and the Bulls did not recover. The Bulls drafted Derrick Rose with their first overall pick in 2008, raising questions about how Gordon and Rose could coexist in Chicago's backcourt (both were score-first guards).


title: Ben Gordon

text: On October 1, 2008, Gordon finally accepted a one-year qualifying offer of $6.4 million after being unable to secure the contract that he was hoping for. On December 27, 2008, Gordon passed Scottie Pippen as the Chicago Bulls' career leader in three-pointers made. As had been the case in his previous four seasons, the Bulls' season got off to a rocky start. However Gordon and Rose developed chemistry playing with each other, and helped the Bulls finish the season on a 15–8 run to just qualify for the playoffs at 41–41.


title: Ben Gordon

text: Entering the playoffs as the seventh seed and matched with the defending champion Boston Celtics, critics and observers expected the Bulls to be swept. However, in a series that featured the scoring exploits of Gordon (42 points in game 2) and Ray Allen (51 points in game 6), seven overtime periods and five games decided by a single basket, the Bulls pushed the series to seven games before finally losing. Gordon led the Bulls in scoring for the season and playoffs, averaging 20.7 and 24.3 points, respectively.


title: Ben Gordon

text: In July 2009, Gordon signed a five-year deal with the Detroit Pistons worth between $55 million and $60 million. With the Pistons, Gordon continued his role as a sixth man off the bench. On January 9, 2010, Gordon scored the 10 millionth point in NBA history. After the season, Gordon had surgery on his left ankle.


title: Ben Gordon

text: On March 22, 2012, Gordon again tied the NBA record for most three-point shots made without a miss with 9. He scored 45 points to help bring Detroit back from a 25-point deficit, though they still lost to the Denver Nuggets 116–115.


title: Ben Gordon

text: On June 26, 2012, Gordon and a future first-round pick were traded to the Charlotte Bobcats in a deal that sent Corey Maggette to the Pistons.


title: Ben Gordon

text: On November 28, 2012, Gordon scored 20 points in the fourth quarter of an eventual 91–94 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. The 20 points were the most in one quarter for any player in Bobcats history. He finished with 26 points on 7-of-11 shooting, making 7-of-10 from beyond the arc, to go with 5 free throw attempts and makes.


title: Ben Gordon

text: On July 11, 2014, Gordon signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Orlando Magic. On June 29, 2015, he was waived by the Magic.


title: Ben Gordon

text: On September 28, 2015, Gordon signed with the Golden State Warriors. However, he was waived on October 14, 2015, after appearing in two preseason games.


title: Ben Gordon

text: On April 1, 2008, Gordon was named to the shortlist for the British national basketball team. Gordon is eligible for the team by virtue of his British birth and dual citizenship. In 2010, he said he hoped to represent Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics. However, Gordon missed the beginning of Great Britain's June 2012 pre-Olympic training camp in Houston, Texas. He later said he could not commit to the team after being traded from Detroit to Charlotte.


title: Ben Gordon

text: On July 22, 2016, it was announced that Gordon would be selected for Great Britain's 24-man preliminary roster for the EuroBasket 2017 qualifiers. Gordon made Great Britain's 12-man roster for the EuroBasket 2017 qualifiers, and during the qualification games, he averaged 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.


title: Ben Gordon

text: In October 2017, Gordon was hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation after an altercation with a female patron at a holistic wellness center in Mount Vernon, New York.


title: Ben Gordon

text: He was arrested once more on November 20, 2017, in Manhattan for punching the manager of an apartment complex, pulling a knife on him and robbing him of his security deposit. He was ticketed, released on $50,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court.


title: Ben Gordon

text: In February 2020, Gordon revealed that he was suffering from bipolar disorder, and detailed his battles with mental illness since retirement in an article about mental health for The Players' Tribune, including a suicide attempt.


title: Ben Gordon

text: Gordon was arrested on October 10, 2022, for allegedly punching his son at LaGuardia Airport in New York and subsequently resisting arrest. Gordon's son had an order of protection since 2018 legally barring his father from taking him outside of Illinois and "committing physical abuse, harassment, or the interference with personal liberty".


title: Greek Football Cup

text: The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.


title: Greek Football Cup

text: The Greek Cup is the second most important domestic men's football event, after the championship of Super League. The organizing authority of the institution is the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO). Since its inception in 1931 it has been held 80 times, in which cup winner emerged 79.


title: Greek Football Cup

text: The Greek Cup under EPO began in 1931. In its early years, entry was optional. Teams were paired against each other by the football associations, without a draw taking place. Later on, for many years, a proper draw took place and also two-legged matches were added.


title: Greek Football Cup

text: The participation of Olympiacos and Panathinaikos in the final 1962 is counted for both as the presence of a finalist, since the match was stopped due to darkness in overtime (0-0). Due to the incidents between the players of the two teams, the incidents in the stands, the excessive delays and the suspicion that all this was intentional for the match to be repeated and for the teams to make bigger profits, the GGA council decided to punish the EPO with a reprimand and banned the replay of the match as a penalty for both teams


title: Greek Football Cup

text: Until 1964, if the final score was a draw (including extra time), the two teams played a replay match, while penalties didn't exist. That year, in the semi-final between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos (1–1 at the time),fans of both teams stormed the pitch, damaged the football field and virtually stopped the game, believing that it was fixed to end in a draw, in order to be replayed for financial reasons. Both teams were ejected from the competition and therefore, in 1964 AEK won the title but the final match was not held. AEK also won in similar fashion in 1966 when Olympiacos did not show up in the final.


title: Greek Football Cup

text: In 1965, a new rule was applied, to determine that, if the game was undecided even after extra time, the winner would be determined by the toss of a coin. Panathinaikos won this way in the 1969 final against Olympiacos


title: Greek Football Cup

text: Until 1971, teams from all over the country, professional and amateur, had been taking part. Each team first played against clubs from its own association and the winners continued in a nationwide competition. Due to this, strong professional sides met amateur neighbourhood teams, sometimes beating them with high scores; a 23–0 win in an Apollon Athens vs. PAO Neas Melandias match on 23 September 1959 remains a record win for the Greek Cup until today. Since 1971, only teams from professional divisions are allowed to participate, while amateur clubs take part in the Amateur Cup.


title: Greek Football Cup

text: It is widely considered that the most exciting match in the history of the competition was the 2009 final between Olympiacos and AEK (3–3 full time, 4–4 after extra time and 15–14 on penalties).


title: Greek Football Cup

text: • In 1933–38 and 1940–46, the competition was not held (in 1940–41, only the first round was played).


title: Greek Football Cup

text: • In 1961–62, the final match between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos was abandoned and the Cup withheld.


title: Greek Football Cup

text: • In 80 editions of the competition, 79 have concluded with a Cup winner, and 78 finals have been played (one was abandoned).


title: Geneva Carr

text: Geneva Carr (born May 6, 1971) is an American television and stage actress with an extensive acting résumé. She is best known for her portrayal of Marissa Morgan on the CBS television series "Bull" and for her performance as Margery in the original Broadway cast of "Hand to God", earning a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.


title: Geneva Carr

text: Carr was born in Jackson, Mississippi, to George and Phyllis (née Duba) Carr. She has two brothers, George Carr II and Joseph Carr.


title: Geneva Carr

text: Carr studied French at Mount Holyoke College and initially had a career in banking before deciding to become an actress. She studied French in Paris and earned her MBA in Business from ESCP. She studied acting with Jane Hoffman at the Actors Studio. To support herself while she honed her craft and auditioned for parts, Carr waited on tables, bartended, and did gigs as a voice actress.


title: Geneva Carr

text: She played "Mom" on the AT&T commercials where she fretted over lost "rollover" minutes, and her big break was in the Broadway play "Hand to God" in 2015.


title: Mona Fandey

text: Nur Maznah binti Ismail (1 January 1956 – 2 November 2001), better known as Mona Fandey, was a Malaysian pop singer and murderer. She was executed on 2 November 2001 at the age of 45, after being convicted of the murder of Batu Talam state assemblyman, Mazlan Idris in 1993.


title: Mona Fandey

text: After she killed Mazlan Idris, she reportedly went on a shopping spree in Pahang right after withdrawing RM 300,000 (US$116,000 at the time) from a local bank.