title: Earl of Snowdon

text: "Nymans", chosen as territorial designation of the viscountcy, relates to an English garden near Handcross in West Sussex, where Anne Armstrong-Jones, "née" Messel, Countess of Rosse, mother of the 1st Earl of Snowdon, had grown up.


title: Earl of Snowdon

text: In November 1999, the 1st Earl of Snowdon received a life peerage as Baron Armstrong-Jones, under a device designed to allow first-generation hereditary peers to retain their seats in the House of Lords, after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999.


title: Earl of Snowdon

text: The heir apparent is the present holder's only son, Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (b. 1999). He is alone in the line of succession to the earldom.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. In 1941, he won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film "The Great McGinty" (1940), his first of three nominations in the category.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Sturges took the screwball comedy format of the 1930s to another level, writing dialogue that, heard today, is often surprisingly naturalistic, mature, and ahead of its time, despite the farcical situations. It is not uncommon for a Sturges character to deliver an exquisitely turned phrase and take an elaborate pratfall within the same scene.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Prior to Sturges, other figures in Hollywood (such as Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, and Frank Capra) had directed films from their own scripts; however, Sturges is often regarded as the first Hollywood figure to establish success as a screenwriter and then move into directing his own scripts, at a time when those roles were separate. Sturges famously sold the story for "The Great McGinty" to Paramount Pictures for $10, in return for being allowed to direct the film. He was also the screenplay writer and director of "The Lady Eve" (1941), "Sullivan's Travels" (1941), and "The Palm Beach Story" (1942), each considered to be classic comedies. In 1944, Sturges received two Academy Award nominations for Best Screenplay - for "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" and "Hail the Conquering Hero".


title: Preston Sturges

text: Sturges was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Mary Estelle Dempsey (later known as Mary Desti or Mary D'Este) and travelling salesman Edmund C. Biden. His maternal grandparents, Catherine Campbell Smyth and Dominick d'Este Dempsey, were immigrants from Ireland, and his father was of English descent.


title: Preston Sturges

text: When Sturges was three years old, his eccentric mother left America to pursue a singing career in Paris, where she annulled her marriage with Preston's father. Returning to America, Dempsey met her third husband, the wealthy stockbroker Solomon Sturges, who adopted Preston in 1902. According to biographers, Solomon Sturges was "diametrically opposite to Mary and her bohemianism". This included her close friendship with Isadora Duncan, as the young Sturges would sometimes travel from country to country with Duncan's dance company. Mary also carried on a romantic affair with Aleister Crowley and collaborated with him on his magnum opus "Magick". As a young man, Sturges bounced back and forth between Europe and the United States. As Sturges spent much of his childhood and youth in France, he ended up fluent in French and a Francophile who always considered France his "second home".


title: Preston Sturges

text: In 1916, he worked as a runner for New York stock brokers, a position he obtained through Solomon Sturges. The next year, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Service, and graduated as a lieutenant from Camp Dick in Texas without seeing action. While at camp, Sturges wrote an essay, "Three Hundred Words of Humor", which was printed in the camp newspaper, becoming his first published work. Returning from camp, Sturges picked up a managing position at the Desti Emporium in New York, a store owned by his mother's fourth husband. He spent eight years (1919–1927) there, until he married the first of his four wives, Estelle De Wolfe.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Sturges' 1928 turn to playwriting was accidental. While on a date with a young actress of certain renown, the actress informed Sturges that while she had pretended to find him witty and charming, she actually considered him a bore. "The only reason I'm going out with you, sir, is for the same reason that a scientist embraces a guinea pig; I just like to try my situations out on you to see how they turn out." She claimed that the dramatic research was for a play she was writing. Outraged, Sturges told her that if she could write a play, he could write a play, but that his would be better and run longer. Within two months, he had written his first play: "The Guinea Pig", only to find out that she wasn't writing a play at all, and that she was surprised and flattered that he had taken her ravings so seriously.


title: Preston Sturges

text: In 1928, Sturges performed on Broadway in "Hotbed", a short-lived play by Paul Osborn, and Sturges' first produced play, "The Guinea Pig", opened in Massachusetts. The play was a success and Sturges moved it to Broadway the following year, a turning point in his career. That same year also saw the opening of Sturges' second play, the hit "Strictly Dishonorable". Written in just six days, the play ran for sixteen months and earned Sturges over $300,000, a staggering amount at the time. It attracted interest from Hollywood, and Sturges was writing for Paramount by the end of the year.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Three other Sturges stage plays were produced from 1930 to 1932, one of them a musical, but none of them were hits. By the end of the year, he was working more in Hollywood as a writer-for-hire, operating on short contracts, for Universal, MGM, and Columbia studios. He also sold his original screenplay for "The Power and the Glory" (1933) to Fox, where it was filmed as a vehicle for Spencer Tracy. The film told the story of a self-involved financier via a series of flashbacks and flashforwards, and was an acknowledged source of inspiration for the screenwriters of "Citizen Kane". Fox producer Jesse Lasky had been prepared to customarily pass Sturges' screenplay along to other writers for rewriting, but said, "It was the most perfect script I'd ever seen ... Imagine a producer accepting a script from an author and not being able to make one change." Lasky paid Sturges $17,500 plus 7% of the profits above $1 million. It was a then-unprecedented deal for a screenwriter, which instantly elevated Sturges' reputation in Hollywood – although the lucrative deal irritated as many as it impressed. Sturges later recalled, "The film made a lot of enemies. Writers at that time worked in teams, like piano movers. And my first solo script was considered a distinct menace to the profession."


title: Preston Sturges

text: For the remainder of the 1930s, Sturges operated under the strict auspices of the studio system, working on a string of scripts, some of which were shelved, sometimes with screen credit and sometimes not. While he was highly paid, earning $2,500 a week, he was unhappy with the way directors were handling his dialogue, and he resolved to take creative control of his own projects. He accomplished this goal in 1939 by trading his screenplay for "The Great McGinty" (written six years earlier) to Paramount in exchange for the chance to direct it. Paramount promoted the unusual deal as part of the film's publicity, saying that Sturges had received just ten dollars. Sturges' success quickly paved the way for similar deals for such writer-directors as Billy Wilder and John Huston. Sturges said, "It's taken me eight years to reach what I wanted. But now, if I don't run out of ideas – and I won't – we'll have some fun. There are some wonderful pictures to be made, and God willing, I will make some of them."


title: Preston Sturges

text: Sturges won the first-ever Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for "The Great McGinty". He also received two screenwriting Academy Award nominations in the same year, for 1944's "Hail the Conquering Hero" and "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek", a feat since matched by Frank Butler, Francis Ford Coppola, and Oliver Stone. (In the second Academy Awards, under a different nomination process, eleven screenplays were considered, including two by Bess Meredyth, two by Tom Barry, two by Hanns Kräly and four by Elliott J. Clawson.)


title: Preston Sturges

text: Though he had a thirty-year Hollywood career, Sturges' greatest comedies were filmed in a furious five-year burst of activity from 1939 to 1944, during which he turned out "The Great McGinty", "Christmas in July", "The Lady Eve", "Sullivan's Travels", "The Palm Beach Story", "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" and "Hail the Conquering Hero", for each of which he served as both screenplay writer and the director. Half a century later, four of these – "The Lady Eve", "Sullivan's Travels", "The Palm Beach Story" and "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" – were chosen by the American Film Institute as being among the 100 funniest American films.


title: Preston Sturges

text: The film critic Ephraim Katz wrote that Sturges films "...parodied with pungent wit various aspects of American life from politics and advertising to sex and hero worship. They were marked by their verbal wit, opportune comic timing, and eccentric, outrageously funny camo characterizations." Film critic Andrew Sarris wrote, "Sturges repeatedly suggested that the lowliest boob could rise to the top with the right degree of luck, bluff, and fraud." Critic Andrew Dickos wrote that "the touchstone of Preston Sturges' screenwriting lies in the respect paid to the play and density of verbal language" and "establishes the standard of eloquence as one of poetry, of a cacophony of Euro-American vernacularisms and utterances, peculiarly—and appropriately—spoken with scandalous indifference."


title: Preston Sturges

text: Sturges' rich writing style has been described as that of "a lowbrow aristocrat, a melancholy wiseguy." His scripts were almost congenitally unable to deliver a single mood. In "Hail the Conquering Hero", the series of lies, crimes, and embarrassments all somehow bolster the film's theme of patriotism and duty. Sometimes this attitude could be conveyed in a single line of dialogue, such as in "The Lady Eve" when Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck) vows revenge on Charles Pike (Henry Fonda), declaring, "I need him like the axe needs the turkey."


title: Preston Sturges

text: In recent years, film scholars such as Alessandro Pirolini have also argued that Sturges' cinema anticipated more experimental narratives by contemporary directors such as Joel and Ethan Coen, Robert Zemeckis, and Woody Allen, along with prolific "The Simpsons" writer John Swartzwelder: "Many of [Sturges'] movies and screenplays reveal a restless and impatient attempt to escape codified rules and narrative schemata, and to push the mechanisms and conventions of their genre to the extent of unveiling them to the spectator. See for example the disruption of standardized timelines in films such as "The Power and the Glory" and "The Great McGinty" or the way an apparently classical comedy such as "Unfaithfully Yours" (1948) shifts into the realm of multiple and hypothetical narratives."


title: Preston Sturges

text: He is essentially a satirist without any stable point of view from which to aim his satire. He is apt to turn his back on what he has been sniping at to demolish what he has just been defending. He is contemptuous of everybody except the opportunist and the unscrupulous little woman who, at some point in every picture, labels the hero a poor sap. That the invariable fairy godfather of each picture is not only expressive of his own cold-blooded cynicism but of typical Hollywood fantasy is an example of how this works. Another phase of his attack is shrouding in slapstick the fact that the godfather pays off not for perseverance or honesty or ability but merely from capriciousness.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Production on these films did not always go smoothly. "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" was being written by Sturges at night even as the production was being filmed in the daytime, and Sturges the screenwriter was rarely more than 10 pages ahead of the cast and crew.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Despite box office success for "The Lady Eve" and "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek", conflict with Paramount's studio bosses increased. In particular, executive producer Buddy DeSylva never really trusted his star writer-director and was wary (and arguably jealous) of the independence Sturges enjoyed on his projects. One of the sources of conflict was that Sturges liked to reuse many of the same character actors in his films, thus creating what amounted to a regular troupe he could call upon within the studio system. Paramount feared that the audience would tire of repeatedly seeing the same faces in Sturges productions. But the director was adamant, stating, "[T]hese little players who had contributed so much to my first hits had a moral right to work in my subsequent pictures." The way Sturges wrote and directed these actors created a succession of what film critic Andrew Sarris later called "self-expressive cameos of aggressive individualism."


title: Preston Sturges

text: Members of Sturges' unofficial "stock company" included: George Anderson, Al Bridge, Georgia Caine, Chester Conklin, Jimmy Conlin, William Demarest, Robert Dudley, Byron Foulger, Robert Greig, Harry Hayden, Esther Howard, Arthur Hoyt, J. Farrell MacDonald, George Melford, Torben Meyer, Charles R. Moore, Frank Moran, Jack Norton, Jane Buckingham, Franklin Pangborn, Emory Parnell, Victor Potel, Dewey Robinson, Harry Rosenthal, Julius Tannen, Max Wagner and Robert Warwick. In addition, Sturges re-used other actors, such as Sig Arno, Luis Alberni, Eric Blore, Porter Hall and Raymond Walburn, and even stars such as Joel McCrea and Rudy Vallee, who both made three films with Sturges, and Eddie Bracken, who did two.


title: Preston Sturges

text: The prolonged clashes between Sturges and Paramount came to a head as the end of his contract approached. He had filmed "The Great Moment" and "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" in 1942 and "Hail the Conquering Hero" in 1943, but Paramount was suffering from a surfeit of films. Indeed, some of the studio's finished movies were sold off to United Artists, which needed films to distribute. The studio held onto Sturges' three films, since he was their star filmmaker at the time, but did not immediately release them.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Internally, studio heads expressed serious reservations about them, as did the censors at the Breen Office. Sturges managed to get "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" released with only minor changes, but "The Great Moment" and "Hail the Conquering Hero" were taken out of his control and tinkered with by DeSylva. When the revamped "Hail the Conquering Hero" had a disastrous preview, Paramount allowed Sturges – who by that time had left the studio – to come back and fix the film. Sturges did some rewriting, shot some new scenes, and re-edited the film back to his original vision, all without pay. He was unable to similarly rescue "The Great Moment", however. The historical biography about the dentist who discovered the use of ether for anesthesia ended up being Sturges' only flop during this period. More significantly, it marked the onset of a downturn from which Sturges did not fully recover.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Preston Sturges was a temperamental talent who fully recognized his own worth. He had invested in entrepreneurial projects, such as an engineering company, and The Players, a popular restaurant and nightclub at 8225 Sunset Boulevard, projects which were both net losses. At one point the third highest paid man in America – for writing, directing, producing, and numerous other Hollywood projects – he was often known to borrow money (from his stepfather and studio, amongst others).


title: Preston Sturges

text: Millionaire Howard Hughes, who had formed a friendship with Sturges, offered to bankroll him as an independent filmmaker. In early 1944, Sturges and Hughes formed a partnership called California Pictures. The deal represented a major pay cut for Sturges, but it established him as a writer-producer-director, the only one in Hollywood besides Charles Chaplin and one of only four in the world, along with England's Noël Coward and France's René Clair. The status led, again, to widespread admiration and envy among his Hollywood peers.


title: Preston Sturges

text: However, this career peak also marked the beginning of Sturges' professional decline as Hughes proved an unstable and mercurial partner. While the startup California Pictures was being created and structured, it was three years until Sturges' next release. That film, a Harold Lloyd vehicle entitled "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock" (1947), for which Sturges had coaxed the silent film icon out of retirement, went over budget and far behind schedule, and was poorly received when it was released. Hughes, who had promised not to interfere in the film's production, stepped in and pulled the movie from distribution in order to re-edit it, taking almost four years to do so. Released in 1950 by RKO, which was by that time owned by Hughes, the retitled "Mad Wednesday" was no more successful than Sturges' original version.


title: Preston Sturges

text: In the meantime, California Pictures had put another film into production, "Vendetta". At Hughes' behest, Sturges had written the script as a vehicle for Hughes' protégé, Faith Domergue. Max Ophüls was hired to direct, but after only a few days of filming, Hughes demanded that Sturges fire Ophüls and take over the direction himself. Seven weeks later, Sturges himself was fired or quit (accounts differ). The promising partnership between the two iconoclasts was dissolved after just one completed picture. As Sturges later recalled, "When Mr. Hughes made suggestions with which I disagreed, as he had a perfect right to do, I rejected them. When I rejected the last one, he remembered he had an option to take control of the company and he took over. So I left."


title: Preston Sturges

text: Coming on the heels of the failure of "The Great Moment", these further flops, disappointments and setbacks served to tarnish the once stellar reputation of the golden boy of Hollywood.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Sturges was left professionally adrift. Accepting an offer from Darryl Zanuck, he landed at Fox where he wrote, directed, and produced two films. The first, "Unfaithfully Yours" (1948), was not initially well received by either reviewers or the public, though its critical reputation has since improved. However, his second Fox film, "The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend" (1949), was the first serious flop in star Betty Grable's career, and Sturges was again on his own. He built a theater at his Players restaurant, but the project did not pan out.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Over the next several years, Sturges continued to write, but many of the projects were underfunded or stillborn, and those that emerged did not approach the same success as his earlier triumphs. His 1951 Broadway musical, "Make a Wish", underwent extensive rewriting by Abe Burrows and ran for only a few months. His next Broadway project, "Carnival in Flanders", a musical which Sturges wrote and directed in 1953, closed after six performances.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Sturges was having no better luck in Hollywood, where his clout was gone. Katharine Hepburn, who had starred in the 1952 Broadway production of the George Bernard Shaw play, "The Millionairess" got Sturges to agree to adapt the script and direct. But she could not get a single Hollywood studio to back the project.


title: Preston Sturges

text: A 1953 lien by the Internal Revenue Service, with whom he had been having tax problems, cost Sturges the Players nightclub and other assets. Sturges put a brave public face on the situation, writing, "I had so very much for so very long, it is quite natural for the pendulum to swing the other way for a while, and I really cannot and will not complain." However, his drinking became heavy, and his marriage and many of his relationships continued to deteriorate.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Sturges began spending more time in Europe, as he had as a young man. His last directorial effort took place there when he wrote and directed "Les Carnets du Major Thompson", an adaptation of a popular French novel. The film was released in France in 1955 and two years later in the U.S., under the title "The French, They Are a Funny Race". It failed to register with critics or the audience.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Sturges made four brief onscreen appearances during his career: in two of his own films – "Christmas in July" and "Sullivan's Travels" – in the Paramount all-star extravaganza "Star Spangled Rhythm", and, in the years of his decline, in the Bob Hope comedy "Paris Holiday", which was filmed in France and would be the last film he worked on. Two decades earlier, Sturges had been a writer on one of Hope's earliest film successes, "Never Say Die".


title: Preston Sturges

text: Between flops, it is true, I have come up with an occasional hit, but compared to a good boxer's record, for instance, my percentage has been lamentable. I fought a draw in my first fight, stupified everyone by winning the championship in my second, got a couple of wins with picture rights, then was knocked out three times in a row. Dragging my weary carcass to Hollywood, I was immediately knocked out again, won a big fight some six months later, then marked time for six years as an ordinary ham-and-beaner, picking up what I could. Suddenly I saw a chance and offered to fight for the world championship for a dollar. To everyone's astonishment, I won that championship and defended it successfully for a number of years, winning nine times by knockout, fighting three draws, losing twice and getting one no-decision in Europe. I have just come over to America for a fight, but it was called off at the last moment, one of the promoters having gone nuts and having to have been locked up. Why I'm not walking on my heels after all this, I don't know. Maybe I "am" walking on my heels. It would be surprising if I weren't.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Sturges took the screwball comedy format of the 1930s to another level, writing dialogue that, heard today, is often surprisingly naturalistic, mature, and ahead of its time, despite the farcical situations. It is not uncommon for a Sturges character to deliver an exquisitely turned phrase and take an elaborate pratfall within the same scene. Such versatility and dexterity can be seen in "The Lady Eve", where a tender love scene takes place between Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck, which is enlivened by a horse as it repeatedly pokes its nose into Fonda's head.


title: Preston Sturges

text: Sturges died of a heart attack at the Algonquin Hotel while writing his autobiography (which, ironically, he had intended to title "The Events Leading Up to My Death"), and was interred in the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. His book, "Preston Sturges by Preston Sturges: His Life in His Words", was published in 1990. In 1975, he became the first writer to be given the Screen Writers Guild's Laurel Award posthumously. He has a star dedicated to him on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1601 Vine Street.


title: Sylvain Sylvain

text: Sylvain Mizrahi (February 14, 1951 – January 13, 2021), known professionally as Sylvain Sylvain, was an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.


title: Sylvain Sylvain

text: Sylvain was born in Cairo, Egypt, to a Jewish family, but his family fled in the 1950s, first to France and finally to New York, United States. The Mizrahis lived first on Lafayette Avenue in Buffalo, New York, but later moved to the New York City neighborhood of Rego Park, Queens, while he was still a child. Sylvain had dyslexia. He attended Newtown High School in Queens and Quintano's School for Young Professionals in Manhattan.


title: Sylvain Sylvain

text: Prior to joining the New York Dolls, Sylvain and future New York Doll bandmate Billy Murcia ran a clothing company called "Truth and Soul," which helped define his fashion sense and would play a role in the band's groundbreaking look. He had one brother, Leon (deceased), and one sister, Brigitte.


title: Sylvain Sylvain

text: Before joining the New York Dolls in 1971, Sylvain was a member of the band Actress, which also featured Arthur Kane, Johnny Thunders and former fashion partner, Billy Murcia. He played rhythm guitar for the Dolls from 1971 until the group's final dissolution in 1977. Sylvain and singer David Johansen were the last remaining members at the time the group broke up. After the dissolution of the Dolls, he frequently played with Johansen on some of his solo records. He started his own band, The Criminals, with another ex-Doll, Tony Machine, and continued to play the New York club scene. He landed a solo recording contract with RCA, and released one album with Lee Crystal (drums; later of Joan Jett's Blackhearts) and Johnny Ráo (guitar).


title: Sylvain Sylvain

text: He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1990s and recorded one record, "Sleep Baby Doll" for Fishhead Records. His band mates on this record were: Brian Keats, drums, John Carlucci, bass, and Olivier LeBaron' on lead guitar, with guest appearances by Frank Infante of Blondie and Derwood Andrews of Generation X. In the late 90s he teamed up with the LA punk band The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs for some touring and they recorded a live radio broadcast on KXLU that remains unreleased. The tour ended with an Atlanta show at the Navarre annual conference co-headlining with John Entwistle. In 2004 he reunited with the surviving members of the New York Dolls, along with Steve Conte, Brian Koonin and Brian Delaney. Arthur Kane, who died in 2004, was replaced by Sami Yaffa. They released three records: "One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This", "Cause I Sez So", and "Dancing Backward in High Heels". The reunion was filmed as part of a documentary on former band member Kane that was released in 2005 as "New York Doll".


title: Sylvain Sylvain

text: On March 18, 2010, at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, Sylvain and Cheetah Chrome of The Dead Boys and Rocket from the Tombs debuted their new band, The Batusis. Their EP is on Smog Veil Records.


title: Sylvain Sylvain

text: In November 2012, Sylvain posted a video for his new single, "Leaving New York," on the Internet, and available on iTunes on December 2, 2012.


title: Sylvain Sylvain

text: In 2015, Sylvain emerged with a new band called Sylvain Sylvain and the Sylvains from Austin, Texas, consisting of Chris Alaniz (drums), Jason "Ginchy" Kottwitz (guitar), and Gabriel Von Asher (bass). In March 2016, they performed at South by Southwest.


title: Sylvain Sylvain

text: In 2018, Sylvain joined forces with Steve Conte, Sami Yaffa, and Robert Eriksson for two one-off dates in Tokyo as "The Dolls." They played at Shinjuku Marz on February 11, and Shimokitazawa Garden on February 12.


title: Sylvain Sylvain

text: On April 27, 2019, Sylvain announced that he had cancer. He set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help pay for treatment. He died from cancer at his home on January 13, 2021, at age 69.


title: Blind Fury

text: Blind Fury is a 1989 American action comedy film directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Rutger Hauer, Brandon Call, Terry O'Quinn, Lisa Blount, Randall "Tex" Cobb, and Noble Willingham. The screenplay by Charles Robert Carner is a loosely based, modernized remake of "Zatoichi Challenged", the 17th film in the Japanese "Zatoichi" film series.


title: Blind Fury

text: The film follows Nick Parker (Hauer), a blind, sword-wielding Vietnam War veteran, who returns to the United States and befriends the son of an old friend. Parker decides to help the boy find his father, who has been kidnapped by a major crime syndicate.


title: Blind Fury

text: While serving in Vietnam, American soldier Nick Parker was blinded by a mortar explosion. Rescued by local villagers, he recovered his health and, though he remains blind, was trained to master his other senses and be an expert swordsman.


title: Blind Fury

text: 20 years later, having returned to the United States, he visits old army buddy Frank Deveraux, only to find that Deveraux is missing. Parker meets Frank's son Billy and his mother Lynn, Frank's ex-wife. Minutes later, Frank's evil boss Claude MacCready's henchman Slag arrives with two corrupt police officers to kidnap Billy to use as leverage over Frank. Nick stops them; the officers are killed, Billy is knocked unconscious, but Slag mortally wounds Billy's mom before he escapes. With her last words, Lynn tells Nick to take Billy to his father in Reno, Nevada.


title: Blind Fury

text: At a rest stop on the way to Reno, Parker tells Billy about his mother's death. Billy runs away from Nick and is grabbed by Slag and some henchmen. Slag escapes as Nick rescues Billy a second time, and Billy and Nick (now called Uncle Nick) become fond of one another.


title: Blind Fury

text: They reach Reno and find Frank's girlfriend Annie, who agrees to take them to Frank. After escaping yet another attempted kidnapping by MacCready's men, Annie suggests they hide out at the home of her friend Colleen. Annie takes Nick to MacCready's casino, where Frank is making MacCready's drugs. Annie returns to Colleen's to watch over Billy while Nick saves Frank. Nick and Frank are reunited; Frank takes the key ingredient in MacCready's drugs and destroys the lab. Avoiding casino security, Nick and Frank escape and head to Colleen's to reunite Billy with his dad; they find Colleen dead, Billy and Annie kidnapped, and a note instructing them to bring the drugs to MacCready's mountain penthouse in exchange for Billy and Annie.


title: Blind Fury

text: Knowing it is an ambush, Nick and Frank arm themselves with homemade napalm bombs. After killing all of MacCready's men, they find MacCready holding Billy and Annie at gunpoint. MacCready hired a Japanese assassin to kill Nick, but after an epic swordfight between the two, Nick wins by electrocuting the assassin in a hot tub. Slag shoots Nick in the shoulder and Nick throws his sword at Slag, impaling him. MacCready then tries to interfere only to be stopped by Frank. Billy escapes his rope and throws Nick's sword to him, but it lands in the hot tub. As Slag reaches for his gun, Nick grabs hold of the assassin's sword and slashes him, cutting him in half and causing him to fall out of a window.


title: Blind Fury

text: Frank is reunited with Billy and Annie, and they leave for San Francisco. Nick drops his ticket, choosing not to go. Billy follows Nick, telling him that he needs him. Nick says that while he is fond of Billy, he should go back to his father. Nick crosses the street and vanishes as a bus passes him. Saddened by Nick's departure, Billy throws a toy dinosaur off the bridge where Nick catches it. Billy calls out to Nick one last time and tells him that he'll miss him. As Frank catches up to Billy, they embrace. Nick smiles or sheds a tear, puts on his sunglasses while holding Billy's toy dinosaur with left arm in a sling, and walks off into the distance.


title: Blind Fury

text: "Blind Fury" marked the producing debut of actor Tim Matheson. Matheson produced the film having been a fan of the Zatoichi film series. Matheson and producer Daniel Grodnik spent seven years trying to find a distributor for the film. In 1986, the producers landed a deal with film distributor Tri-Star Pictures. According to Grodnik, various writers and directors were attached to the project before Phillip Noyce was hired as the film's director.


title: Blind Fury

text: Hauer calls "Blind Fury" one of his "most difficult jobs" because of the combination of swordplay with playing a blind man; and Hauer spent a month training with Lynn Manning whose first words to him were "I don't get confused about what I see ...".


title: Blind Fury

text: Filming took place around the Midwestern United States, where the cast and crew underwent humid weather conditions. Of the intense weather conditions, Matheson stated, "We shot in the Midwest and West, and it was incredibly hot. Everything was burning up. We ended up buying a three-foot pool for the cast and crew to wade through to cope with the heat." After principal photography was completed, a sequel to the film was planned, but never materialized.


title: Blind Fury

text: On their syndicated television program "Siskel and Ebert and the Movies", film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel gave the film "Two thumbs up".


title: Blind Fury

text: Reviewer Ian Jane of "DVD Talk" wrote, "Hauer does a commendable job in the lead and is reasonably convincing as a blind man. Like its Japanese predecessors, there is some humor interjected into the storyline that is handled well without becoming overbearing or taking over the action sequences."


title: Blind Fury

text: On Rotten Tomatoes "Blind Fury" holds an approval rating of 56% based on 16 reviews, with a rating average of 4.9 out of 10.


title: Kavan (film)

text: Kavan () is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language political thriller film, directed by K. V. Anand, written by Subha and Kabilan Vairamuthu and produced by AGS Entertainment. The film stars Vijay Sethupathi and Madonna Sebastian.It also stars T. Rajendar, Vikranth, Pandiarajan, Akashdeep Saighal, Bose Venkat and Jagan in supporting roles. The film, which has a soundtrack and score composed by Hiphop Tamizha, began its production in July 2016. The film released on 31 March 2017. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and audience and became a commercial success.


title: Kavan (film)

text: Thilak is a news anchor who works for Zen One TV, which is run by Kalyan, a corrupt and unethical media baron who uses blatant sensationalism to gain TRP and is closely associated with Dheeran Maniarasu, a corrupt and powerful politician. Kalyan ensures that his channel does not report anything negatively about Dheeran and receives kickbacks in return. Also working for Zen One is Malar, Thilak's ex-girlfriend. Though Malar avoids Thilak initially, she soon realizes her feelings for him, and they get back together.


title: Kavan (film)

text: One day, Malar gets the news that her friend Kalpana, who is a social activist, has been assaulted and her boyfriend Abdul Kader has been blamed. Thilak, creative head Ashok, and Malar manage to smuggle out Kalpana from the hospital and convince her to tell her story. Kalpana had been assaulted by Dheeran's goons in retribution for protesting against Dheeran's pesticide factory, which had ruined a once-prosperous village due to the effluents coming out of the factory, and the blame was put on Abdul instead. This confession is telecasted live, and Kalpana gains massive support from the public. However, Kalyan telecasts another video that depicts Kalpana as "mentally ill" and had tried to malign Dheeran due to her "mental state". Enraged, Thilak attempts to expose Dheeran during a talk show, despite being bound by the Zen One management to ask questions framed by them to Dheeran. A brawl eventually ensues between Thilak and Dheeran, and Thilak brutally assaults Ashok, who is responsible for the video which had defamed Kalpana. Thilak then confronts Kalyan for his cronyism and lack of journalism ethics and is fired and blacklisted from all major media networks in response. Malar, executive producer Jagan, and two other colleagues, Nisha and Aishwarya also walk out with Thilak in a show of solidarity, and they too are blacklisted.


title: Kavan (film)

text: With nowhere else to go, Thilak, Malar, Jagan, Nisha and Aishwarya take up jobs with Muthamizh TV, a struggling local news channel run by Mayilvaganan. Thilak goes to the village and reports on how the villagers are affected as a result of the pesticide factory and telecasts it on Muthamizh. He also makes Abdul and Kalpana reveal their side of the story and also gets that telecasted along with a video showing Dheeran assaulting him at the Zen One studio. With Zen One as well as Dheeran now exposed, Kalyan decides to take revenge on Thilak by orchestrating a bomb blast with the help of Dheeran at the DC's office and putting the blame on Abdul, who was present at the Collector's Office minutes before the bomb exploded, thereby sensationalising it as a "terrorist attack". He also frames Thilak, Malar, and Muthamizh as co-conspirators, leading to Muthamizh being blacked out by the Central Government.


title: Kavan (film)

text: On the run, Thilak manages to capture a video of Abdul revealing that he was not involved in any terrorist attack and was framed by Dheeran and Zen One. Thilak also records a video showing Ashok and the police orchestrating a fake encounter to kill Abdul. He manages to get both videos telecasted on Zen One itself with the help of Jagan, Aishwarya and Nisha, who have rejoined Zen One TV as part of Thilak's plan to expose Kalyan and Dheeran, as well as his former boss Pillai, the chief editor at Zen One who had suffered in silence against the atrocities committed by the Zen One management. Having been exposed completely, Kalyan and Dheeran, who are at the Muthamizh studio, boldly admit their crimes to Thilak and defend themselves, but unfortunately for them, their confession is recorded by the Police Commissioner, who was working undercover in Muthamizh. Kalyan and Dheeran are arrested. Thilak, Mayilvaganan, Malar, Jagan, Pillai, Nisha and Aishwarya celebrate their victory.


title: Kavan (film)

text: After the release of "Anegan" director K. V. Anand expressed his desire to commence his next film, which is said to be on the lines of the directors own "Ko". The project was confirmed on 22 March 2016, with Vijay Sethupathi joining hands with popular director K. V. Anand for a mega budget film. Also this marked the collaboration of K. V. Anand with AGS Entertainment for the third time after Maattrraan and Anegan.


title: Kavan (film)

text: The film stars filmmaker-actor T. Rajendar in an important role, who is making a comeback as an actor after a gap of ten years since he acted in a full-fledged role. He considered the role to reflect his "real" self of soft-spoken, contrary to his reputation for speaking powerfully. Initially actress Tamannaah was reported to play female lead. But due to date issues, she was later replaced by Madonna Sebastian and Hiphop Tamizha have been roped in to compose music. Also actor Akashdeep Saighal who was last seen in Ayan was signed on to play a key role in the film he joined the filming from August 2016.


title: Kavan (film)

text: The first schedule commenced on 11 July 2016. It is also revealed that, the script is co-written by Kabilan Vairamuthu along with K. V. Anand's favorite duo, Suresh and Balakrishnan. As of 29 August 2016, it is said to be 40% complete from around 30 days of shoot. The second schedule has started recently in Chennai and the team has been canning a few scenes in T. Nagar, Chennai which involves Vijay Sethupathi and T. Rajendar. Madonna Sebastian will also be a part of this schedule and she's expected to join the sets very soon after these. This schedule is likely to go on for another 2 weeks and the makers are planning to complete the entire shoot portion by the month of October but since they need to complete over 50% of the film, the possibility of wrapping the shoot portion before October is less, adds source. The title "Kavan" was revealed in late October 2016. Regarding the decision to choose this title, Anand said, "We chose 'Kavan', which means 'catapult', because it perfectly suits the story line, which involves a hero aiming for his target, and also sounded good."


title: Kavan (film)

text: The soundtrack album was composed by Hiphop Tamizha, making their first collaboration with director K. V. Anand. One of the songs in the album, "Happy New Year", was released on YouTube as a single song on New Year's Eve, which was well received by audience. The audio rights are also secured by the production house itself, alongside Divo. The whole album was launched at Suryan FM 93.5 on 12 February 2017. The album received positive reviews from critics. Behindwoods gave 3 out of 5 stating, 'An album that blends a number of genres that can satisfy mass and class'. Indiaglitz gave a verdict, 'a full on innovative album' and rated 3/5.


title: Kavan (film)

text: The movie released worldwide on 31 March 2017 alongside Nayanthara's Dora. It had its world premiere in Dubai, one day before the movie released. "Kavan" is releasing in a total of 624 screens, where 324 of the screens were in Tamil Nadu, 44 in Karnataka and 37 in Kerala. In the overseas area, the movie released in more than 170 screens. The official trailer of the film was released on 11 March 2017 on YouTube, reaching 1 million views within a day. The satellite rights of the film were sold to Zee Tamil.


title: Kavan (film)

text: The film received generally positive reviews from critics. Indiaglitz rated it 3.5/5 and said to "go for it to experience top class acting and message driven home effectively". Behindwoods rated it 3.25/5 and called it "a bold, engrossing take on good and bad sides of Media. India Today gave it a 3/5 and said that "Vijay Sethupathi shines in this media-bashing, media-glorifying film". The Indian Express rated it 3/5 and said that it was "fun to watch". Sreedhar Pillai of Firstpost rated it a 3/5 and called it a "commercial entertainer, which keeps you hooked". Sify praised the film by calling it "a well-made commercial film that delivers a solid kick". M. Suganth from The Times of India gave it a 3/5 and said that it "keeps us engaged with its crowd-pleasing quality". Kaushik L. M. gave 3.25/5 stating 'Kavan is a good entertainer to pass your time this summer. It is largely gripping, topical and thought-provoking. Go watch'.


title: Kavan (film)

text: In contrast, Gautaman Bhaskaran from Hindustan Times rated it 2/5 and called it "a film without focus, but Vijay Sethupathi shines, as usual". Baradwaj Rangan from Film Companion rated it 1/5 and called it "a 'satire' on the television industry", which "is overlong and laughably overblown".


title: Kavan (film)

text: The film had an excellent opening at the box office collecting on its opening weekend in Tamil Nadu alone, where was its opening day collection, increasing to a number of on its second day, with the help of positive word of mouth. In Chennai city alone, the film netted on its 3 days opening weekend with a tremendous 95% occupancy. In its second week, the film grossed in Tamil Nadu alone within 10 days of its release, despite new movie, Kaatru Veliyidai releasing, it is still holding strong at the box office. In Chennai city, it witnessed 90% occupancy and the collections in total was .


title: Ron Carey (actor)

text: Ronald Joseph Cicenia (December 11, 1935 – January 16, 2007), known as Ron Carey, was an American film and television actor. The actor was best known for playing ambitious NYPD Police Officer Carl Levitt on TV's "Barney Miller", in which he was almost always surrounded by male actors (and sometimes female guest stars) who stood at least taller. The series' stars (Hal Linden, Max Gail, Abe Vigoda, Ron Glass, Steve Landesberg) all stood or more. Carey appeared in the recurring role for the last six of the eight seasons of "Barney Miller"s run. He first appeared on the show as a criminal, Angelo Molinari (aka The Mole), in Season 2, Episode 22.


title: Ron Carey (actor)

text: Carey was among the slate of actors who were members of Mel Brooks unofficial repertory company, appearing in several of the director's films; Carey was featured in "Silent Movie", "High Anxiety", and "". He also appeared in "Fatso", directed by Brooks' wife Anne Bancroft and featuring several Brooks regulars.


title: Ron Carey (actor)

text: Carey was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Fanny and John Cicenia, and was raised in an Italian American Catholic family. He attended Barringer High School, where he was class president in his senior year. Carey did stand-up comedy in the 1960s, after earning a bachelor's degree in communications from Seton Hall University in 1956. His comedy centered mostly on Catholicism and his childhood of being the undersized but quick-witted kid on the block. His break came in 1966 when he appeared on "The Merv Griffin Show" and in 1967 he released a comedy album entitled "The Slightly Irreverent Comedy of Ron Carey".


title: Ron Carey (actor)

text: From the mid-1970s on, Carey was a member of Mel Brooks' comedy troupe, appearing in featured roles in films such as "High Anxiety", "Silent Movie", and "History of the World, Part I". He also appeared in supporting roles in other films and on television, and was seen in scores of commercials, including some T-shirt ads for Hanes, an ad for Nabisco's snack cracker Better Cheddars, where he sang, and a Post Honeycomb ad, in which he played a character named Mr. Big who came to the Honeycomb Hideout looking for a cereal with "a big, big bite." He is most remembered for his role as the diligent but somewhat obsequious and passive-aggressive Officer Carl Levitt, which he played from 1976 to 1982 on the TV series "Barney Miller".


title: Ron Carey (actor)

text: Carey died of a stroke at a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, in January 2007. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Sharon, and his brother, James Cicenia.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: Virbhadra Singh () (23 June 19348 July 2021) was an Indian politician who served 6 terms and 21 years as the 4th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. A leader of the Indian National Congress party, he was elected 9 times as a Member of Legislative Assembly to the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha and 5 times as Member of Parliament to the Lok Sabha. Virbhadra Singh was popularly known by the honorific Raja Sahib. Singh holds the distinction of being the longest serving Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, holding the office from 1983 to 1990, from 1993 to 1998, from 2003 to 2007 and finally from 2012 to 2017, when he was succeeded by the BJP's Jai Ram Thakur. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1962, 1967, 1971, 1980 and 2009. Singh served as a Union Minister in the governments of Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. At the time of his demise, he was serving as an MLA from Arki constituency.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: Virbhadra Singh was born on 23 June 1934 at Sarahan, Shimla district in the royal Rajput family of the erstwhile princely state of Bushahr. He was the 122nd titular Raja of Bushahr from 1947 until 1971, when, by the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India, the privy purses of the princes were abolished and official recognition of their titles came to an end.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: Singh was educated at Colonel Brown Cambridge School, Dehradun, St. Edward's School, Shimla and Bishop Cotton School, Shimla and later obtained a BA Honours degree from St. Stephen's College, Delhi.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: He was married to Ratna Kumari, princess of Jubbal in May 1954. They had four daughters including Abhilasha Kumari, a former judge who served on the High Court of Gujarat from 2006 to 2018. Ratna Kumari died in 1983 after prolonged sickness.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: In 1985, he was married for the second time, to Pratibha Singh, princess of Keonthal. Pratibha is currently elected to the Lok Sabha from Mandi. She had been elected thrice to the Lok Sabha from Mandi, currently after 2021 bypoll and previously for the first time in 2004 and later in bypoll in 2013. They both had a daughter and a son. His daughter Aparajitha Singh is married to the Maharaja of Patiala and former Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh's grandson. His son Vikramaditya Singh is currently serving as Member of Legislative Assembly from Shimla Rural constituency.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: Singh gained a seat in the Lok Sabha—which is the lower house of the Parliament of India—in the Indian general elections of 1962. He repeated that success in the elections of 1967 and 1971. He was again elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980 and a further election to that house came in 2009, following an absence from the intervening two Lok Sabhas. His wife had served a term following her victory in the 2004 elections.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: Between 1976 and 1977, Singh held the national office of Deputy Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation in central cabinet. He was Minister of State for Industries between 1980 and 1983. From May 2009 until January 2011, he held the cabinet post of Minister for Steel. He then became cabinet minister with responsibility for Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, until resigning from office in June 2012.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: Aside from his role in national politics, Singh had also been elected on seven occasions to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly. The first occasion was in a by-election in October 1983, when he was returned for the Jubbal-Kotkhai constituency. He won that seat again in the 1985 elections. Thereafter, he was elected from the Rohru constituency in 1990, 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2007 and in 2012 from Shimla rural assembly constituency.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: Singh became the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh for the first time in April 1983 and held the post until March 1990. He was again appointed to the role between December 1993 and March 1998; and once more from March 2003. With reappointments within those years, this record amounted to him holding the office on five occasions.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: Between 1998 and 2003, Singh was Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly. He was president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee in 1977, 1979 and 1980 and from 26 August 2012 to December 2012. In July 2012, he quit all key party posts at a crucial time prior to the state elections of November 2012. It has been reported that the trigger for the resignations was his exclusion from the Screening Committee for short-listing of election candidates.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: Singh was appointed to lead the party on the eve of the November 2012 elections and did so with success. The party then agreed to him becoming Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh for a record sixth time. His party lost majority in the 2017 elections and he tendered his resignation afterwards.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: Outside of politics, Singh had an involvement with various social and cultural bodies. A consequence of these interests is that he was president of the Sanskrit Sahitya Sammelan and of the Himachal Pradesh branch of the Friends of the Soviet Union.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: On 3 August 2009, a legal case was registered against Singh and his wife by the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Himachal Pradesh. The allegations were that they had breached the Prevention of Corruption Act in 1989, when Singh was Chief Minister of the state. The Bureau alleged that it had evidence in recorded conversations between the couple and various others concerning suspect financial transactions. The alleged recordings, which involved a now-dead officer of the Indian Administrative Service and several industrialists, dated from 2007 and were provided by a political opponent, Vijai Singh Mankotia.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: The couple were granted bail in December 2010, but in April 2011, the state government requested that this be rescinded due to allegations of witness tampering. This request followed attempts by two industrialists to remove themselves from the prosecution case, claiming that the evidence was forged and incorrect.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: The Singhs have attempted to have the matter taken out of police hands and passed to the Central Bureau of Investigation, as well as seeking a stay on further trial court proceedings. In January 2012, the Himachal Pradesh High Court had refused the latest of their petitions aimed at achieving the transfer and stay. The court ordered that the examination of potential charges and evidence by a trial court should go ahead. On 26 June 2012, Singh resigned from the Union Cabinet as a consequence of corruption charges being pressed against him. The couple were acquitted on the eve of Singh taking the role of Chief Minister in December 2012.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: In 2015 the Central Bureau of Investigation filed a case against Singh and his family for owning assets to the tune of Rs. 6.1 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income when he was the union minister between 2009 and 2011. Cases have been filed against his wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya and daughter Aparajita as well. On Saturday, 26 September, the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) raided 11 properties of Virbhadra Singh to probe the charges of accumulating disproportionate assets. A case had been filed by the agency one day before the raids. On 26 October 2015, the Indian Supreme Court turned down a CBI plea seeking stay against an earlier order issued by the Himachal Pradesh High Court granting protection from arrest and other relief to him and his wife in a disproportionate assets case. The SC, however, issued a notice to Singh and his wife, seeking response from Singh on the two petitions filed by the CBI.


title: Virbhadra Singh

text: Singh's health deteriorated after he suffered from a cardiac arrest on 5 July 2021 in Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla. He had tested positive for COVID-19 on 11 June for the second time in two months. Virbhadra Singh died on 8 July 2021 due to multiple organ failure. The Himachal Pradesh government observed a three-day state mourning as a mark of respect to him. Virbhadra Singh was cremated with full state honours in Shimla's Rampur Bushahr on 10 July 2021.


title: Celtic music

text: Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considerably to include everything from traditional music to a wide range of hybrids.


title: Celtic music

text: "Celtic music" means two things mainly. First, it is the music of the people that identify themselves as Celts. Secondly, it refers to whatever qualities may be unique to the music of the Celtic nations. Many notable Celtic musicians such as Alan Stivell and Paddy Moloney claim that the different Celtic music genres have a lot in common.


title: Celtic music

text: Often, the term "Celtic music" is applied to the music of Ireland and Scotland because both lands have produced well-known distinctive styles which actually have genuine commonality and clear mutual influences. The definition is further complicated by the fact that Irish independence has allowed Ireland to promote 'Celtic' music as a specifically Irish product. However, these are modern geographical references to a people who share a common Celtic ancestry and consequently, a common musical heritage.


title: Celtic music

text: These styles are known because of the importance of Irish and Scottish people in the English speaking world, especially in the United States, where they had a profound impact on American music, particularly bluegrass and country music. The music of Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Brittany, Galician traditional music (Spain) and music of Portugal are also considered Celtic music, the tradition being particularly strong in Brittany, where Celtic festivals large and small take place throughout the year, and in Wales, where the ancient eisteddfod tradition has been revived and flourishes. Additionally, the musics of ethnically Celtic peoples abroad are vibrant, especially in Canada and the United States. In Canada the provinces of Atlantic Canada are known for being a home of Celtic music, most notably on the islands of Newfoundland, Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island. The traditional music of Atlantic Canada is heavily influenced by the Irish, Scottish and Acadian ethnic makeup of much of the region's communities. In some parts of Atlantic Canada, such as Newfoundland, Celtic music is as or more popular than in the old country. Further, some older forms of Celtic music that are rare in Scotland and Ireland today, such as the practice of accompanying a fiddle with a piano, or the Gaelic spinning songs of Cape Breton remain common in the Maritimes. Much of the music of this region is Celtic in nature, but originates in the local area and celebrates the sea, seafaring, fishing and other primary industries.


title: Celtic music

text: In "Celtic Music: A Complete Guide", June Skinner Sawyers acknowledges six Celtic nationalities divided into two groups according to their linguistic heritage. The Q-Celtic nationalities are the Irish, Scottish and Manx peoples, while the P-Celtic groups are the Cornish, Bretons and Welsh peoples. Musician Alan Stivell uses a similar dichotomy, between the Gaelic (Irish/Scottish/Manx) and the Brythonic (Breton/Welsh/Cornish) branches, which differentiate "mostly by the extended range (sometimes more than two octaves) of Irish and Scottish melodies and the closed range of Breton and Welsh melodies (often reduced to a half-octave), and by the frequent use of the pure pentatonic scale in Gaelic music."


title: Celtic music

text: There is also tremendous variation between "Celtic" regions. Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany have living traditions of language and music, and there has been a recent major revival of interest in Celtic heritage in the Isle of Man. Galicia has a Celtic language revival movement to revive the Q-Celtic "Gallaic language" used into Roman times. Most of the Iberian Peninsula had a similar Celtic language in pre-Roman times. A Brythonic language was used in parts of Galicia and Asturias into early Medieval times brought by Britons fleeing the Anglo-Saxon invasions via Brittany. The Romance language currently spoken in Galicia, Galician (Galego) is closely related to the Portuguese language used mainly in Brazil and Portugal. Galician music is claimed to be "Celtic". The same is true of the music of Asturias, Cantabria, and that of Northern Portugal (some say even traditional music from Central Portugal can be labeled Celtic).


title: Celtic music

text: Breton artist Alan Stivell was one of the earliest musicians to use the word "Celtic" and "Keltia" in his marketing materials, starting in the early 1960s as part of the worldwide folk music revival of that era with the term quickly catching on with other artists worldwide. Today, the genre is well established and incredibly diverse.


title: Celtic music

text: There are musical genres and styles specific to each Celtic country, due in part to the influence of individual song traditions and the characteristics of specific languages:


title: Celtic music

text: The modern Celtic music scene involves a large number of music festivals, as it has traditionally. Some of the most prominent festivals focused solely on music include:


title: Celtic music

text: The oldest musical tradition which fits under the label of Celtic fusion originated in the rural American south in the early colonial period and incorporated English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, German, and African influences. Variously referred to as roots music, American folk music, or old-time music, this tradition has exerted a strong influence on all forms of American music, including country, blues, and rock and roll. In addition to its lasting effects on other genres, it marked the first modern large-scale mixing of musical traditions from multiple ethnic and religious communities within the Celtic diaspora.


title: Celtic music

text: In the 1960s several bands put forward modern adaptations of Celtic music pulling influences from several of the Celtic nations at once to create a modern pan-celtic sound. A few of those include bagadoù (Breton pipe bands), Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Steeleye Span and Horslips.


title: Celtic music

text: In the 1970s Clannad made their mark initially in the folk and traditional scene, and then subsequently went on to bridge the gap between traditional Celtic and pop music in the 1980s and 1990s, incorporating elements from new-age, smooth jazz, and folk rock. Traces of Clannad's legacy can be heard in the music of many artists, including Enya, Donna Taggart, Altan, Capercaillie, The Corrs, Loreena McKennitt, Anúna, Riverdance and U2. The solo music of Clannad's lead singer, Moya Brennan (often referred to as the First Lady of Celtic Music) has further enhanced this influence.


title: Celtic music

text: Later, beginning in 1982 with The Pogues' invention of Celtic folk-punk and Stockton's Wing blend of Irish traditional and Pop, Rock and Reggae, there has been a movement to incorporate Celtic influences into other genres of music. Bands like Flogging Molly, Black 47, Dropkick Murphys, The Young Dubliners, The Tossers introduced a hybrid of Celtic rock, punk, reggae, hardcore and other elements in the 1990s that has become popular with Irish-American youth.


title: Celtic music

text: Today there are Celtic-influenced subgenres of virtually every type of popular music including electronica, rock, metal, punk, hip hop, reggae, new-age, Latin, Andean and pop. Collectively these modern interpretations of Celtic music are sometimes referred to as Celtic fusion.


title: Celtic music

text: Outside of America, the first deliberate attempts to create a "Pan-Celtic music" were made by the Breton Taldir Jaffrennou, having translated songs from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales into Breton between the two world wars. One of his major works was to bring "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" (the Welsh national anthem) back in Brittany and create lyrics in Breton. Eventually this song became ""Bro goz va zadoù"" ("Old land of my fathers") and is the most widely accepted Breton anthem. In the 70s, the Breton Alan Cochevelou (future Alan Stivell) began playing a mixed repertoire from the main Celtic countries on the Celtic harp his father created.


title: Celtic music

text: Probably the most successful all-inclusive Celtic music composition in recent years is Shaun Daveys composition 'The Pilgrim'. This suite depicts the journey of St. Colum Cille through the Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany and Galicia. The suite which includes a Scottish pipe band, Irish and Welsh harpists, Galician gaitas, Irish uilleann pipes, the bombardes of Brittany, two vocal soloists and a narrator is set against a background of a classical orchestra and a large choir.


title: Celtic music

text: Modern music may also be termed "Celtic" because it is written and recorded in a Celtic language, regardless of musical style. Many of the Celtic languages have experienced resurgences in modern years, spurred on partly by the action of artists and musicians who have embraced them as hallmarks of identity and distinctness. In 1971, the Irish band "Skara Brae" recorded its only LP (simply called "Skara Brae"), all songs in Irish. In 1978 Runrig recorded an album in Scottish Gaelic. In 1992 Capercaillie recorded "A Prince Among Islands", the first Scottish Gaelic language record to reach the UK top 40. In 1996, a song in Breton represented France in the 41st Eurovision Song Contest, the first time in history that France had a song without a word in French. Since about 2005, Oi Polloi (from Scotland) have recorded in Scottish Gaelic. Mill a h-Uile Rud (a Scottish Gaelic punk band from Seattle) recorded in the language in 2004.


title: Celtic music

text: Several contemporary bands have Welsh language songs, such as Ceredwen, which fuses traditional instruments with trip hop beats, the Super Furry Animals, Fernhill, and so on (see the Music of Wales article for more Welsh and Welsh-language bands). The same phenomenon occurs in Brittany, where many singers record songs in Breton, traditional or modern (hip hop, rap, and so on.).


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: Jamaat-e-Islami () () is an Islamic movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamic theologian and socio-political philosopher, Syed Abul Ala Maududi.


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: Along with the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928, Jamaat-e-Islami was one of the original and most influential Islamist organisations, and the first of its kind to develop an ideology based on the modern revolutionary conception of Islam. This movement still has a significant legacy.


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: The group split into separate independent organisations in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh following the Partition of India in 1947. Other groups related to or inspired by Jamaat-e-Islami developed in Kashmir, Britain, and Afghanistan (see below). The Jamaat-e-Islami parties maintain ties internationally with other Muslim groups.


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: Islam is the ideology of the Jamaat-e-Islami. Its structure is based on its belief on the three-fold concept of the Oneness and sovereignty of God (Monotheism), the Concept of Prophethood and the Concept of Life after Death. From these fundamentals of belief follow the concepts of unity of all mankind, the purposefulness of man's life, and the universality of the way of life taught by the Muhammed.


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: It was the first organised Islamic reformist movement in the Indian subcontinent formed on 26 August 1941 in Lahore under the leadership of Syed Abul Ala Maududi, the Jamaat Addressed all Indians regardless of caste and creed. It appeals to all sections of humanity to eschew the path of violence and mutual hatred, terrorism and oppression, and to settle down to the task of building a Righteous Society on stable and abiding foundations. From its very inception it advocated the cause of the Righteous Way, the way of peace and abiding well-being. It recalls to the Indian mind the message and teachings of all apostles, prophets and divine messengers.


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: The Jamaat believes that Islam and Muslims have a special commitment to building a peaceful and prosperous world, a world where there is no material exploitation, no division of human life into separate material and spiritual domains, and where divine values hold good in all walks of life. A world where religion is no tool for hegemonisation, but is a way of life that is holistic and profoundly positive.


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: Maududi was the creator and leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposed the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan, actively working to prevent it. Though he opposed the creation of Pakistan fearing the liberalism of its founders and the British-trained administrators, when it happened, he viewed it as a gradual step to the Islamization of its laws and constitution even though he had earlier condemned the Muslim League for the same approach. After the partition of India, the organisation became the spearhead of the movement to transform Pakistan from a Muslim homeland into an Islamic state. Madudi, like the traditionalist ulama, believed in the six canonical hadiths and the Quran, and also accepted much of the four schools of "fiqh". His efforts focused on transforming to a "theo-democracy" based on the Sharia which would enforce things like abolition of interest-bearing banks, sexual separation, veiling of women, hadd penalties for theft, adultery, and other crimes. The promotion of Islamic state by Maududi and Jamaat-e Islami had broad popular support.


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: Maududi believed politics was "an integral, inseparable part of the Islamic faith". Islamic ideology and non-Islamic ideologies (such as capitalism and socialism, liberalism or secularism) were mutually exclusive. The creation of an Islamic state would be not only be an act of piety but would be a cure for all of the many (seemingly non-religious) social and economic problems that Muslims faced. Those working for an Islamic state would not stop at India or Pakistan but would effect a sweeping revolution among mankind, and control all aspects of the world's life.


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: Maududi opposed British rule but also opposed both the anti-colonialist Muslim nationalist Muslim League's proposal for a separate Muslim state led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the composite nationalism ("muttahida qaumiyyat") idea of Jam'iyyat al-Ulama-ye Hind and Deobandi scholar Maulana Sayyid Hussain Ahmad Madani for a united independent India with separate institutional structures for Hindus and Muslims.


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: At the time of the Indian independence movement, Maududi and the Jamaat-e-Isami actively worked to oppose the partition of India. Maududi argued that the division of India violated the Islamic doctrine of the ummah and believed that the partition would separate Muslims by a temporal boundary. As such, before the partition of colonial India happened, the Jamaat-e-Islami actively worked to prevent it. Its Pakistan branch would actively oppose the split between East and West Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh.


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: In his view Muslims were not one religious or communal group among many working to advance their social and economic interests, but a group "based upon principles and upon a theory" or ideology. A "righteous" party (or community) that had "a clearly defined ideology, allegiance to a single leader, obedience, and discipline", would be able to transform the whole of India into Dar al-Islam. Unlike fascists and communists, once in power an Islamic state would not be oppressive or tyrannical, but instead just and benevolent to all, because its ideology was based on God's commands.


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: In 1940, the Muslim League met in Lahore and passed the Lahore Resolution, calling for autonomous states in the Muslim majority areas of India. Maududi believed the nationalism in any form was un-Islamic, concerned with mundane interests of people and not Islam. In response he launched his own party, Jamaat-e-Islami, founded on 26 August 1941, at Islamia Park, Lahore. Seventy-five people attended the first meeting and became the first 75 members of the movement.


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: Maududi saw his group as a vanguard of Islamic revolution following the footsteps of early Muslims who gathered in Medina to found the first "Islamic state". Members uttered the "Shahada", the traditional statement of conversion to Islam, when they joined, implying to some that Jama'ati felt they had been less-than-true Muslims before joining. Jamaat-e-Islami was and is strictly and hierarchically organised in a pyramid-like structure. All supporters work toward the common goal of establishing an ideological Islamic society, particularly through educational and social work, under the leadership of the emir. Being a vanguard party, not all supporters could be members, only the "elite". Below members were/are "affiliates", and "sympathizers" beneath them. The party leader is called an "ameer" (commander).


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: Maududi sought to educate the elite of the Muslim community in the principles of Islam and correct "their erroneous ways of thinking" both because he believed societies were influenced from the top down.


title: Jamaat-e-Islami

text: During the years before the partition of India, Jamaat-e-Islami stood aloof from the intense political fights of the time in India, concentrating on "training and organising" and refining and strengthening the structure of Jamaat-e-Islami.


title: Diary of a Future President

text: Diary of a Future President is an American comedy-drama television series created by Ilana Peña which premiered on Disney+ on January 17, 2020. Gina Rodriguez serves as an executive producer through her company I Can & I Will Productions, which produces the series in association with CBS Studios. Robin Shorr serves as the series showrunner alongside additional executive producers Peña and Emily Gipson.


title: Diary of a Future President

text: Told through a collection of voice-overs by central character Elena as she reads from her diary, the series centers on the 13-year-old Cuban American girl, who attends middle school as she aspires to be a future president of the United States. The series stars Tess Romero, Charlie Bushnell, Selenis Leyva and Michael Weaver. Rodriguez also appears through flashforwards as the adult version of Elena, as she serves as President of the United States.


title: Diary of a Future President

text: In May 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on August 18, 2021, with all ten episodes. In December 2021, the series was canceled after two seasons.


title: Diary of a Future President

text: Elena is a 13-year-old Cuban American girl who attends middle school and must make her way through the personal and social pressures of adolescence. As the series is told through Elena's narration as written in her diary, it follows the daily events of her life and her interactions with friends and family. She lives with her older brother, Bobby; and mother, Gabi, who develops a new relationship with Sam, a lawyer from her firm. Elena has a strong desire to become a president of the United States, which is made visible through flashforwards to her tenure as President.


title: Diary of a Future President

text: On January 31, 2019, it was announced that Disney+ had ordered a ten episode first season of a new single-camera comedy, which was originally titled "Diary of a Female President". It was reported that the series was created by Ilana Peña, who would also serve as an executive producer alongside Gina Rodriguez and Emily Gipson. Robin Shorr was expected to be involved as the showrunner. The series is produced by Rodriguez's company I Can & I Will in association with CBS Television Studios, who sold the series to Disney. CBS chief creative officer David Nevins stated that the series was considered to air on The CW, but that it was more ultimately more suitable for the target audience of Disney+. The program was the first scripted series produced by an external studio to be ordered by Disney+. In December 2019, it was revealed that the program's titled had changed to "Diary of a Future President". On May 29, 2020, Disney+ renewed the series for a second season. On July 12, 2021, it was revealed that the second season would premiere a month later on August 18, along with the release of a short first look of the season. On December 13, 2021, Disney+ canceled the series after two seasons.


title: Diary of a Future President

text: The series represents a Latino family, with Elena being referred to as Cuban American in character descriptions. Rodriguez stated that she established her production company in an effort to express stories "for and by the underrepresented". The series has been stated to be inspired by Peña's own childhood.


title: Diary of a Future President

text: In July 2019, executive producer Rodriguez was announced to be playing the adult version of Elena, who appears in flashforwards as she undertakes her political campaign. Rodriguez was also revealed to be directing the first episode of the series. It was also announced that Tess Romero and Charlie Bushnell would be playing siblings Elena and Bobby respectively, while Selenis Leyva was cast as their mother, Gabi; and Michael Weaver as her love interest, Sam.


title: Diary of a Future President

text: Production on the first season began in July 2019 in Los Angeles. It was originally expected that the season would film from June to September. The second season began filming in October 2020, after multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Diary of a Future President

text: The first episode was released on the streaming service Disney+, in the United States and internationally on January 17, 2020, in 4K HDR. Episodes were released weekly. All ten episodes of the second season were released on August 18, 2021.


title: Diary of a Future President

text: The first poster was released on December 16, 2019, alongside details of the first two episodes. The first trailer for the series was released on January 6, 2020, with an additional poster also revealed.


title: Diary of a Future President

text: According to Whip Media, "Diary of a Future President" was the 3rd rising show, based on the week-over-week growth in episodes watched for a specific program, during the week of August 22, 2021.


title: Diary of a Future President

text: Daniel Fienberg of "The Hollywood Reporter" complimented how the series manages to focus on different aspects of adolescence, while praising the performances of the cast and its diversity. Brian Lowry of "CNN" compared the series to "Jack & Bobby" for its premise, stated that "Diary of a Future President" manages to skillfully approach Tess Romero's character's process of living through adolescence, while finding Romero's performance very well executed. Emily Ashby of "Common Sense Media" rated the show 3 out of 5 stars, found the depiction of self-assurance and positivity across Romero's character inspirational, and complimented the diversity among the cast members.


title: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light

text: , known in Japan as "Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi," is a tactical role-playing video game developed by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Famicom. It is the first installment in the "Fire Emblem" series and was originally released in Japan in 1990. Set on the fictional continent of Archanea, the story follows the tale of Marth, prince of the kingdom of Altea, who is sent on a quest to reclaim his throne after being forced into exile by the evil sorcerer Gharnef and his dark master Medeus, the titular Shadow Dragon. Forming new alliances with neighboring kingdoms, Marth must gather a new army to help him retrieve the sacred sword Falchion and the Fire Emblem shield in order to defeat Gharnef and Medeus and save his kingdom. The gameplay revolves around turn-based battles on grid-based maps, with defeated units being subject to permanent death.


text: Beginning development in 1987, it was conceived by designer and writer Shouzou Kaga: he wanted to combine the strategic elements of Intelligent Systems's previous simulation project, "Famicom Wars", with the story, characters, and world of a traditional role-playing video game influenced by Kure Software's "First Queen" (1988). Keisuke Terasaki acted as director and Gunpei Yokoi produced, while the music was composed by Yuka Tsujiyoko. The scale of the game meant that the team needed to find ways around memory storage problems, and make compromises with the graphics and storyline. While initial sales and critical reception were lackluster, it later became popular, launching the "Fire Emblem" series. The game would later be credited with popularizing the tactical role-playing genre in general.


text: The game was officially localized and released outside of Japan for the first time on the Nintendo Switch on December 4, 2020 in commemoration of the franchise's 30th anniversary. This updated version features new quality-of-life improvements such as fast-forwarding and rewinding through player and enemy turns, and the ability to create suspend points in the middle of gameplay.


text: "Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light" is a tactical role-playing game where players take on the role of Marth and his growing army during their campaign across the continent of Archanea. The game progresses in a linear fashion, with maps being unlocked and played as dictated by the storyline. Each playable character is assigned to unique character classes that have various functions in battle, such as being mounted or having access to magic. A unit's class affects their range of movement and strength on the battlefield; mounted or flying units have greater mobility, archers have a greater attack range, while heavily armored characters have more defense. Each character has a set character class, and each time a unit raises its experience level its various stats increase randomly. There are a total of 25 characters that can be recruited over the course of the game and 21 available classes for the majority of characters, with the exception of main protagonist Marth.


text: Battles use a turn-based battle system, with a limited number of player units and enemy units each taking turns and moving across a grid-based battlefield: battles are won by the player defeating key enemy units such as commanders and other boss characters. In battle, the game transitions to a dedicated battle arena, where the battle plays out in real-time. Each action yields experience points (EXP), and when the character earns 100 EXP, they level up, their health increases, and their class-specified statistics are randomly raised. During missions, towns and secret vendors can be visited, where new items such as healing potions, weapons and armor can be purchased. Weapons and armor are specific to different characters, and each weapon has a limited lifespan before breaking when it reaches its limit. Currency is limited to certain scripted or player-driven events, or wagering on arena battles. If a character falls in battle, they are subjected to permanent death, removing them from subsequent missions and the rest of the storyline. The game ends if Marth falls in battle.


text: Long ago, the continent of Archanea was invaded by the Dolhr Empire, led by the Shadow Dragon Medeus. Anri, a youth from Altea, defeated the Shadow Dragon using the divine sword Falchion. The Kingdom of Archanea was restored and the world entered an era of peace. However, 100 years later, Medeus is resurrected by the evil wizard Gharnef, who has conquered the mage-state of Khadein. The two form an alliance with the kingdoms of Macedon and Grust in order to conquer the world. Cornelius, the king of Altea and successor of Anri, takes up Falchion and leaves to battle them, leaving his son Prince Marth and daughter Princess Elice in the care of his castle manned by Altea's ally, Gra. However, Gra betrays Altea to Dolhr; Cornelius is killed, Falchion is stolen, and Elice sacrifices herself so Marth can escape. Accompanied by a handful of knights, he takes refuge in the island nation of Talys.


text: Several years later, Marth repels a pirate invasion of Talys, leading its king to conclude that he is ready to battle Dolhr; he sends Marth out with several of his most trusted men and his daughter, Princess Caeda. Marth first rescues the kingdom of Aurelis and enlists the aid of its king's younger brother, Duke Hardin and his retainers. He meets Princess Nyna, the last survivor of the Archanean royal family and leader of the resistance against Dohlr. She gives him the Fire Emblem, a legendary treasure given to the hero destined to save the world. The two march to Archanea and free it from Grust's grasp. After briefly invading Khadein in search of Falchion, Marth retakes Altea. He learns that his mother was killed in the invasion and that Gharnef is holding Elice prisoner. Marth next battles Grust and their top general, Camus, who rescued Nyna from execution at Dohlrian hands; he chooses to uphold his honor as a knight of Grust, and Marth is forced to defeat him.


text: Marth is contacted by Gotoh, a wise old sage, who informs him that Gharnef wields the tome Imhullu, making him invincible; the only thing capable of defeating him is the magic of Starlight. Gotoh sends Marth to the Fane of Raman to find the materials needed to create Starlight; he also rescues the divine dragon, Tiki. Marth then invades Macedon and deposes the tyrannical King Michalis with the aid of Michalis' sister Princess Minerva. There, Gotoh reforges Starlight. Marth invades Khadein once more, defeats Gharnef, reclaims Falchion, and rescues Elice. He then makes his way to Dolhr, battles, and defeats Medeus, returning peace to the land. If Caeda has survived the events of the game, she and Marth declare their love for one another.


text: "Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light" was co-developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo Research & Development 1. It began after Intelligent Systems turned its attention away from developing hardware for the Famicom towards creating what they called "simulation games". It was directed by Keisuke Terasaki and produced by Gunpei Yokoi. The initial concept was created by Shouzou Kaga, who acted as scenario writer and designer. The graphics and character art was cooperatively handled by Tohru Ohsawa, Naotaka Ohnishi, Satoshi Machida and Toshitaka Muramatsu. The music was composed by Yuka Tsujiyoko, with technical guidance from Hirokazu Tanaka. Tsujiyoko, who would become a recurring composer for the series, became involved as she was the only composer then employed by Intelligent Systems. The initial development team was not very large, and several staff members undertook multiple tasks.


text: Conceptual development for "Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light" began in 1987, three years prior to its release. The concept was first decided upon after the completion of "Famicom Wars", as the team wanted to move away from the war-based setting of "Famicom Wars" and create a role-playing experience. The project was first proposed to Nintendo by Kaga with a design document. The document included all the basic elements, including the story, main character and gameplay mechanics. At this stage, the project was called ""Battle Fantasy Fire Emblem"". Kaga cites Kure Software's "First Queen" (1988) as an influence for the game. The staff never considered the game as a commercial product, being defined by Kaga as a dōjin project that was made on a whim. To make the game accessible to a wide audience, Kaga did his best to avoid emphasizing stats and other numerical data. The game's genre necessitated the extensive use of the Famicom cartridge's memory. "Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light" exceeded these limits, so Intelligent Systems used a portion of memory dedicated to saving games to get around this limitation. With Nintendo's help, they created a new chip for the cartridge that could process and display Japanese text.


text: Kaga wanted to create a scenario where players would care about the characters in a similar way to a role-playing video game. According to Kaga, while role-playing games had strong stories but limited protagonists, tactical games had multiple characters but a weak story: "Fire Emblem" was his solution, combining the two to create a fun gameplay experience with relatable characters. This lack of emphasis on a single character was intentional, to the point that even Marth was not considered by Kaga to be the main character. The setting and characters drew inspiration from Classical mythology. During the early story draft, there were two dragons that acted as bosses: the Earth Dragon Gaia and the Water Dragon Neptune. While Neptune was scrapped due to hardware limitations, Gaia would evolve into the character of Medeus. The series' titular "Fire Emblem" appears in its first and most recognizable form as a shield with mystical power. The artifact's title made reference to war and the power of dragons, which would form a key part of future entries. The use of such an extensive story approach was a rarity in Famicom games at the time, which were still beset by memory storage problems. Multiple scenarios were also planned by Kaga to alleviate the linear feel of the campaign, but this could not be managed.


text: The initial plan was to create setpiece graphics for key story moments, similar to simulation titles on PC games. Among the scenes initially planned were Marth kneeling next to the character Jagen in a pool of blood, and two characters escaping from an ambush. To try and accommodate the advanced graphics, the team opted to use an MMC3 memory chip. The adoption of the MMC3 was influenced by memory space difficulties experienced by the team during the development of "Famicom Wars". When it was discovered that the chip only had one megabyte of memory, the team were forced to streamline the graphics and visuals, resulting in the setpiece graphics being cut. The reduced emphasis on graphics meant that the game was not visually impressive, which was later regretted by Kaga and other team members.


text: During its early advertising, the game was dubbed , and used character and narrative concepts that did not appear in the final product. The graphics also underwent changes, being particularly noticeable with Marth's hair color and style. The game was advertised on television with a live-action commercial featuring a version of the "Fire Emblem" theme. Filming the commercial proved troublesome: the actors overheated due to their heavy costumes, and the light and sound effects made the actor horse skittish. The commercial required twenty retakes. The game released on April 20, 1990.


text: In Japan, an emulated version of the game was released via Virtual Console. It was released for Wii on October 20, 2009; for Nintendo 3DS on August 1, 2012; and for Wii U on June 4, 2014. The game was made available for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in Japan and Hong Kong as of March 13, 2019.


text: It was released for the Nintendo Switch on December 4, 2020 for a limited time in North America, Europe, and Oceania. This was the game's first release in which it was officially localized into English. A special edition "Fire Emblem 30th Anniversary Edition" bundle was available exclusively in North America, which includes a download code for the game as well as various physical items, including a replica NES Game Pak with its own packaging and instruction manual. The game was delisted from the eShop on March 31, 2021.


text: According to Kaga, upon release "Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light" received extensive criticism from Japanese publications. Many of them noted that it was difficult to understand and had fairly poor graphics, awarding it low scores. In contrast, popular opinion was more positive: in a poll taken by "Family Computer Magazine", the game scored 23.48 points out of 30. Likewise, sales of the game were flat for the first two months of sales, but improved after word of mouth had spread. According to Kaga, a notable journalist devoted a "Famitsu" column to the game, and this prompted sales to pick up around half a year after release. As of 2002, "Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light" had sold 329,087 units, being the third best-selling title in the series to that date.


text: According to Metacritic, the Nintendo Switch version received "mixed or average reviews", based on a weighted average score of 62 out of 100 from 29 critics. The website also stated that the game "understandably failed to impress modern critics."


text: Despite the slow start, "Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light" proved enough of a success that a sequel was commissioned. This would become "Fire Emblem Gaiden", which was released in 1992. "Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light" was partially remade as part of the third installment, "", which also continued the story of Marth. A full remake for the Nintendo DS was released internationally under the title "", marking the first time the content of the first "Fire Emblem" was made available outside Japan. The setting of Archanea would be used again for the thirteenth entry, "Fire Emblem Awakening".


text: "Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light" not only launched the wider "Fire Emblem" series, but is also seen as the reason tactical role-playing genre became popular in Japan. It has thus been credited with indirectly influencing the creation of other notable games within the genre, including "", "Final Fantasy Tactics", and the "Disgaea" series. The basic mechanics within "Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light" would form the basis for the gameplay of nearly all subsequent "Fire Emblem" titles. In addition to helping popularize the genre, it is also credited with pioneering multimedia advertising through its use of a live-action television commercial in addition to magazine previews, which would later be used for series such as "The Legend of Zelda". Its combination of battle and story segments also provided inspiration for the gameplay of the "Sakura Wars" series.


title: Enterprise architecture

text: Enterprise architecture (EA) is a business function concerned with the structures and behaviors of a business, especially business roles and processes that create and use business data. By international consensus, Enterprise Architecture has been defined as "a well-defined practice for conducting enterprise analysis, design, planning, and implementation, using a comprehensive approach at all times, for the successful development and execution of strategy. Enterprise architecture applies architecture principles and practices to guide organizations through the business, information, process, and technology changes necessary to execute their strategies. These practices utilize the various aspects of an enterprise to identify, motivate, and achieve these changes."


title: Enterprise architecture

text: As practitioners of enterprise architecture, enterprise architects support an organization’s strategic vision by acting to align people, process and technology decisions with actionable goals and objectives that result in quantifiable improvements toward achieving that vision. The practice of enterprise architecture:


title: Enterprise architecture

text: It helps business and IT managers to figure out the best strategies to support and enable business development and business change – in relation to the business information systems that the business depends on.


title: Enterprise architecture

text: The term "enterprise" can be defined as describing an organizational unit, organization, or collection of organizations that share a set of common goals and collaborate to provide specific products or services to customers.


title: Enterprise architecture

text: In that sense, the term enterprise covers various types of organizations, regardless of their size, ownership model, operational model, or geographical distribution. It includes those organizations' complete socio-technical systems, including people, information, processes, and technologies.


title: Enterprise architecture

text: The term "architecture" refers to fundamental concepts or properties of a system in its environment, embodied in its elements, relationships, and in the principles of its design and evolution.


title: Enterprise architecture

text: Understood as a socio-technical system, the term enterprise defines the scope of the enterprise architecture.


title: Enterprise architecture

text: Perspectives, or beliefs, held by enterprise architecture practitioners and scholars, with regards to the meaning of the enterprise architecture, typically gravitate towards one or a hybrid of three schools of thought:


title: Enterprise architecture

text: One’s belief with regards to the meaning of enterprise architecture will impact how one sees its purpose, its scope, the means of achieving it, the skills needed to conduct it, and the locus of responsibility for conducting it


title: Enterprise architecture

text: According to the standard ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010, the product used to describe the architecture of a system is called an "architectural description". In practice, an architectural description contains a variety of lists, tables, and diagrams. These are models known as "views". In the case of enterprise architecture, these models describe the logical business functions or capabilities, business processes, human roles and actors, the physical organization structure, data flows and data stores, business applications and platform applications, hardware, and communications infrastructure.


title: Enterprise architecture

text: Normally an EA takes the form of a comprehensive set of cohesive models that describe the structure and functions of an enterprise. The individual models in an EA are arranged in a logical manner that provides an ever-increasing level of detail about the enterprise.


title: Enterprise architecture

text: Paramount to "changing" the enterprise architecture is the identification of a sponsor. His/her mission, vision, and strategy, and the governance framework define all roles, responsibilities, and relationships involved in the anticipated transformation. Changes considered by enterprise architects typically include:


title: Enterprise architecture

text: A methodology for developing and using architecture to guide the transformation of a business from a baseline state to a target state, sometimes through several transition states, is usually known as an enterprise architecture framework. A framework provides a structured collection of processes, techniques, artifact descriptions, reference models, and guidance for the production and use of an enterprise-specific architecture description.


title: Enterprise architecture

text: The benefits of enterprise architecture are achieved through its direct and indirect contributions to organizational goals. It has been found that the most notable benefits of enterprise architecture can be observed in the following areas:


title: Enterprise architecture

text: Documenting the architecture of enterprises is done within the U.S. Federal Government in the context of the Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) process.


title: Enterprise architecture

text: The Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) reference model guides federal agencies in the development of their architectures.


title: Enterprise architecture

text: Companies such as Independence Blue Cross, Intel, Volkswagen AG and InterContinental Hotels Group use enterprise architecture to improve their business architectures as well as to improve business performance and productivity.


title: Enterprise architecture

text: For various understandable reasons, commercial organizations rarely publish substantial enterprise architecture descriptions. However, government agencies have begun to publish architectural descriptions they have developed. Examples include:


title: Enterprise architecture

text: Establishing enterprise architecture, as accepted, recognized, functionally integrated and fully involved concept at operational and tactical levels is identified as one of the biggest challenges facing Enterprise Architects today and one of the main reasons why many EA-Initiatives fail.


title: Enterprise architecture

text: Despite the benefits that enterprise architecture claims to provide, for more than a decade, writers and organizations raised concerns about enterprise architecture as an effective practice. Here is a partial list of those objections: