title: Amused to Death

text: On 15 April 2015, Waters announced that the album would be remastered and reissued on 24 July 2015 featuring a new 5.1 multichannel audio mix, as well as a new stereo mix. It was made available in a number of formats, including CD, SACD, Blu-ray and high-resolution downloads. In a review of the 2015 remastering of the album, journalist J.C. Maçek III of Spectrum Culture wrote that "Not every album can be a masterpiece, but Waters has stated that "Amused to Death" is an underrated effort that serves as a third part to "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall". But it's nowhere near those other albums. The 2015 remastering makes it a good sounding album, but it's just not the kind of infinitely listenable album that Waters is capable of creating." In its review of the 2015 reissue, PopMatters wrote: "not only has "Amused to Death" aged well musically, it has unfortunately aged well thematically too. [...] "Amused to Death" was and still is a powerful statement from one of rock music's most literate misanthropes. As time goes on, it gets harder and harder to believe that it slipped under everyone's radar so thoroughly." Drowned in Sound wrote: ""Amused to Death" stands up on its own as one of the better, more intriguing post-Floyd records".


title: Amused to Death

text: In 2016 "Amused to Death" won the Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. The winners were listed as follows:


title: Amused to Death

text: "James Guthrie, surround mix engineer; James Guthrie & Joel Plante, surround mastering engineers; James Guthrie, surround producer (Roger Waters)


title: Amused to Death

text: "Amused to Death" reached No. 8 on the UK Albums Chart, Waters' first Top 10 in his homeland, and a career high of No. 21 on the "Billboard" 200, aided by "What God Wants, Part I", which hit No. 4 on "Billboard" Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1992. It was also certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry for sales of over 60,000 in the UK.


title: Codiaeum variegatum

text: Codiaeum variegatum (fire croton, garden croton, or variegated croton; syn. "Croton variegatum" L.) is a species of plant in the genus "Codiaeum", which is a member of the family Euphorbiaceae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, and the western Pacific Ocean islands, growing in open forests and scrub.


title: Codiaeum variegatum

text: The garden crotons should not be confused with "Croton", a cosmopolitan genus also in the Euphorbiaceae, containing more than 700 species of herbs, shrubs and trees.


title: Codiaeum variegatum

text: It is a tropical, evergreen, monoecious shrub growing to tall and has large, thick, leathery, shiny evergreen leaves, alternately arranged, long and broad. The leaf blades can, for example, be ruler-lanceolate, oblong, elliptic, lanceolate, ovate inverted, ovate spatulate, or violin-shaped and coloured green, yellow, or purple in various patterns, depending on the variety. The petiole has a length of 0.2 to 2.5 cm. The inflorescences are long racemes, long, with male and female flowers on separate inflorescences; the male flowers are white with five small petals and 20–30 stamens, pollens are oval approximately 52x32 microns in size. The female flowers are yellowish, with no petals. The flowering period is usually in early autumn. The fruit is a capsule in diameter, containing three seeds that are in diameter. When cut, stems bleed a milky sap like many of the Euphorbiaceae.


title: Codiaeum variegatum

text: In tropical climates, crotons make attractive hedges and potted patio specimens, valued for their striking foliage. They only survive outdoors where temperatures do not normally drop below in winter; colder temperatures can cause leaf loss. In colder climates, the plants are grown in greenhouses or as house plants. The cultivated garden crotons are usually smaller than the wild plant, rarely over tall, and come in a wide diversity of leaf shapes and colours. They are sometimes grouped under the name "Codiaeum variegatum" var. "pictum" (Lodd.) Müll. Arg., though this is not botanically distinct from the species and usually treated as a synonym of it.


title: Codiaeum variegatum

text: The several hundred cultivars are selected and bred for their foliage. Depending on the cultivar, the leaves may be ovate to linear, entire to deeply lobed or crinkled, and variegated with green, white, purple, orange, yellow, red, or pink. The colour patterns may follow the veins or the margins, or be in blotches on the leaf. Popular cultivars include 'Spirale', which has spirally twisted red and green leaves; 'Andreanum', which has broadly oval yellow leaves with gold veins and margins; 'Majesticum', which has pendulous branches, with linear leaves up to long with midrib veins yellow maturing to red; and 'Aureo-maculatum', which has leaves spotted with yellow.


title: Codiaeum variegatum

text: As with many of the Euphorbiaceae, the sap can cause contact dermatitis in some people. The bark, roots, latex, and leaves are poisonous. The toxin is the chemical compound 5-desoxyingenol. The plant contains an oil which is violently purgative and is suspected of being a carcinogen. Consumption of the seeds can be fatal to children.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: Norman Mack Van Brocklin (March 15, 1926 – May 2, 1983), nicknamed "The Dutchman", was an American football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He spent his first nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles during his final three. Following his playing career, he was the inaugural head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 1961 to 1966 and the second head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 1968 to 1974.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: Van Brocklin received All-American honors at Oregon, but was not selected by the Rams until the fourth round of the 1949 NFL Draft due to concerns over his professional availability. During his first three seasons, he and teammate Bob Waterfield alternated as the starting quarterback, culminating with them leading Los Angeles to victory in the 1951 championship. After Waterfield retired, Van Brocklin served as the Rams' primary starter from 1952 to 1957, concluding his tenure with six consecutive Pro Bowl selections and a passing-yards leading season in 1954. He joined Philadelphia in 1958, where his three seasons all saw him receive further Pro Bowl selections, bringing his total to nine. In his final season, he was named Most Valuable Player en route to winning the 1960 championship with the Eagles.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: As the head coach of the expansion Vikings and Falcons, Van Brocklin had less success and was unable to reach the postseason with either team. Nevertheless, he recorded the first winning seasons for both franchises. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: Born in Parade, South Dakota, Van Brocklin was one of nine children of Mack and Ethel Van Brocklin. His father was a watchmaker. The family moved to Northern California and settled in Walnut Creek, east of Oakland. Van Brocklin was a three-sport standout at Acalanes High School in Lafayette, where he quarterbacked the football team to a 5–3 record as a sophomore and a 4-2-2 record as a junior. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 through 1945, foregoing his senior year of high school.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: Following World War II, Van Brocklin followed two former high school teammates north and enrolled at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He became the starting quarterback in 1947 under first-year head coach Jim Aiken, and led the Ducks to a 16–5 record in his two seasons as a starter. In 1948, Oregon tied with California for the title of the Pacific Coast Conference, forerunner of the Pac-12. California was undefeated overall, and Oregon's only loss was at undefeated Michigan, that year's national champions, and the Ducks had seven victories in the PCC to Cal's six. Oregon did not go to the Rose Bowl, however, because Cal was voted by the other schools to represent the PCC in the game. Oregon needed only a 5–5 tie vote, as Cal had been to the game more recently, and with six Northwest schools and four in California, appeared favored to advance. Oregon had opted for a playoff game, but California declined. Among the Cal voters was the University of Washington, which elevated the intensity of the Oregon-Washington rivalry. Breaking with tradition, the PCC allowed Oregon to accept an invitation to play SMU in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. It was the first time that a Pacific Coast team played in a major bowl game other than the Rose Bowl (a policy which was continued by the Pac-8 through 1974). Both Oregon and California lost their New Year's Day bowl games. That season, Van Brocklin was honored with an All-America selection and finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Coincidentally, the Heisman Trophy winner that year was SMU running back Doak Walker. Both Walker and Van Brocklin got Outstanding Player recognition for their performance in the Cotton Bowl Classic.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: Van Brocklin left Oregon for the NFL with one remaining year of college eligibility. At that time, a player was not allowed to join the NFL until four years after graduating from high school. Though he had only been at the University of Oregon for three years, he was eligible due to his time in the Navy during World War II. At age 23, he completed his bachelor's degree in June 1949.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: Van Brocklin was selected 37th overall in the 1949 NFL Draft, taken in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Rams. Teams were not sure if he planned to play the 1949 season in college or not, so he fell in the draft, conducted in December 1948. Van Brocklin signed with the Rams in July and joined a team that already had a star quarterback, Bob Waterfield. Beginning in 1950, new Rams coach Joe Stydahar solved his problem by platooning Waterfield and Van Brocklin. The 1950 Rams scored a then-record 466 points (38.8 per game – which is still a record) with a high octane passing attack featuring Tom Fears and Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch. Fears led the league and set a new NFL record with 84 receptions. Van Brocklin and Waterfield finished 1–2 in passer rating as well. They were defeated by the Cleveland Browns in the 1950 title game, 30–28.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: In 1951, Van Brocklin and Waterfield again split quarterbacking duties and the Rams again won the West. That year, Hirsch set an NFL record with 1,495 receiving yards and tied Don Hutson's record of 17 touchdown receptions. This time, the Rams won the title rematch against Cleveland, 24–17. Waterfield (9-24, 125 yards) took most of the snaps at the L.A. Coliseum, but Van Brocklin (4-6, 128 yards) threw a game-winning 73-yard touchdown pass to Fears. It was the Rams' only NFL championship while originally based in southern California; their next came in 1999, several years after the move east to St. Louis. After returning to Los Angeles for the 2016 season, the Rams subsequently won Super Bowl LVI in 2022.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: Earlier in 1951 on opening night, Van Brocklin threw for an NFL record 554 yards on September 28, breaking Johnny Lujack's single-game record of 468 set two years earlier. Waterfield was injured so Van Brocklin played the entire game and completed 27 of 41 attempts with five touchdowns. Despite the increase in passing attacks by NFL teams in recent years, the yardage record still stands, set .


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: Waterfield retired after the 1952 season and Van Brocklin continued to quarterback the Rams, leading them to the title game again in 1955, hosted at the L.A. Coliseum. In that game, the visiting Browns crushed the Rams 38-14 as Van Brocklin threw six interceptions. In early January 1958, he announced his retirement from pro football after nine seasons and had plans to enter private business in Oregon at Portland.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: Less than five months later in late May, Van Brocklin changed his mind and was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for two players (offensive lineman Buck Lansford and defensive end Jimmy Harris) and a first round draft pick. It was disclosed he did not want to play another season for the Rams under head coach Sid Gillman's offense, but it was not a personality issue with Gillman. Under famed head coach Buck Shaw, Van Brocklin was given total control of the offense in Philadelphia in 1958, and he steadily improved the Eagles' attack. In his third and final season with Philly in 1960, the team had the best regular season record in league at 10–2, and hosted the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship Game at Franklin Field. Throwing to his favorite receiver, Tommy McDonald, Van Brocklin led the Eagles to victory. In a game dominated by defense, he led a fourth quarter comeback, resulting in a final score of 17–13.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: During his twelve-year career, Van Brocklin played on two NFL championship teams: the 1951 Los Angeles Rams and the 1960 Philadelphia Eagles. Following the latter triumph, he retired. As it turned out, the Eagles were the only team to defeat the Packers in a playoff game during Vince Lombardi's tenure as Green Bay's head coach. Van Brocklin led the NFL in passing three times and in punting twice. On nine occasions, he was selected to the Pro Bowl.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: Van Brocklin cut his ties with the Eagles after his belief that the team had reneged on an agreement to name him head coach to replace the retiring Buck Shaw. On January 18, 1961, he accepted the head coaching position for the expansion Minnesota Vikings, less than a month after winning the NFL Championship game. During his six years with Minnesota, Van Brocklin compiled a record of 29-51-4 (). The tenure was highlighted by his contentious relationship with quarterback Fran Tarkenton. Van Brocklin was displeased with Tarkenton's penchant for scrambling, preferring that he stay in the pocket. The feud culminated with Tarkenton's demand for a trade and Van Brocklin's surprise resignation on February 11, 1967. Tarkenton was traded to the New York Giants shortly after Van Brocklin's departure, but was reacquired by Van Brocklin's successor, Bud Grant, five years later in 1972. One thing Van Brocklin was known for was his disdain for soccer-style kickers (now the standard in the NFL). In one game, soccer-style kicker Garo Yepremian beat Van Brocklin's team and after the game, a reporter asked about how felt about losing the game on a last-second field goal, and he replied "They ought to change the god-damned immigration laws in this country".


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: During his first year off the field in over two decades, Van Brocklin served as a commentator on NFL broadcasts in 1967 for CBS.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: In 1968, Van Brocklin took over as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons on October 1, replacing Norb Hecker, who had started the season with three defeats, extending the team losing streak to ten games. Over the next seven seasons, Van Brocklin had mixed results, putting together a 37-49-3 mark. He led the team to its first winning season in 1971 with a 7-6-1 record, then challenged for a playoff spot in 1973 with a 9–5 mark. His 1973 Falcons handed the Fran Tarkenton-led, 9-0 Minnesota Vikings its first defeat, on "Monday Night Football". However, after winning just two of his first eight games in 1974, he was fired.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: Following his dismissal, Van Brocklin returned to his pecan farm in Social Circle, Georgia, east of Atlanta. His only connections to football during this era were as a running backs coach for Georgia Tech under head coach Pepper Rodgers in 1979, who was fired that December. It was his only stint as an assistant coach. Rodgers's successor Bill Curry brought in a new staff in 1980 and Van Brocklin then was a college football analyst on "Superstation" WTBS in Atlanta.


title: Norm Van Brocklin

text: Van Brocklin, a heavy cigarette smoker, suffered a number of illnesses, including a brain tumor. After it was removed, he told the press, "It was a brain transplant. They gave me a sportswriter's brain, to make sure I got one that hadn't been used." He died of a heart attack in 1983 at age 57, five weeks after former teammate Bob Waterfield.


title: The Rum Diary (novel)

text: The Rum Diary is an early novel by American writer Hunter S. Thompson. It was written in the early 1960s but was not published until 1998. The manuscript, begun in 1959, was discovered among Thompson's papers by Johnny Depp. The story involves a journalist named Paul Kemp who, in the 1950s, moves from New York to work for a major newspaper, "The Daily News", in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is Thompson's second novel, preceded by the still-unpublished "Prince Jellyfish".


title: The Rum Diary (novel)

text: Set in the late 1950s, the novel encompasses a tangled love story involving jealousy, treachery and violent alcoholic lust among the Americans who staff the newspaper. Thompson himself travelled from New York to San Juan in 1960 to write for an ill-fated sports newspaper on the island of Puerto Rico. Thompson had unsuccessfully applied to work at the larger English-language daily called "The San Juan Star" which novelist William J. Kennedy edited. While in Puerto Rico, Thompson befriended many of the writers at the "Star", providing the context for "The Rum Diary"s fictional storyline.


title: The Rum Diary (novel)

text: Although Thompson wrote his narrative at the age of 22, it deals extensively with a fear of "going over the hill" and growing old. The prominent characters are typical of Thompson's work: violent, maniacal and alcoholic, stumbling through life. The narrative uses a highly paced and rather exciting style, also typical of Thompson's oeuvre. Thompson himself stated that he wanted to write the Great American Novel. "I still can't beat that goddamn Gatsby."


title: The Rum Diary (novel)

text: Thompson finished a draft of "The Rum Diary" in the early sixties but continued to work on it throughout that decade, ultimately selling it to Random House after they agreed to publish his first book, "". However, he felt that the more time passed, the more difficult it was to write about an increasingly distant era. After missing various deadlines, he gave up on "The Rum Diary" until 1998, when it was finally published.


title: The Rum Diary (novel)

text: Parts of the novel were published in 1990 in Thompson's collection, "Songs of the Doomed". In these excerpts, it is possible to see how the manuscript was changed before its final publication. David S. Wills explains in "High White Notes: The Rise and Fall of Gonzo Journalism" that the original manuscript, as well as the 1990s excerpts, were "littered with" racial epithets and racist depictions, but that these had almost all been removed by the time it was released as a book.


title: The Rum Diary (novel)

text: When it was published in 1998, "The Rum Diary" was billed as "The Long Lost Novel" but it had never in fact been lost. Thompson had always felt it was too weak to sell, but now he needed money. His assistant, Lynn Nesbit, explained: “"The Rum Diary" came out when it did because he needed money, absolutely. He never would’ve published that twenty years before.” The book sold well but Thompson was disappointed, calling it "the sloppiest job of Book Publishing I've ever seen."


title: The Rum Diary (novel)

text: "The Rum Diary" has been adapted into a film. Bruce Robinson wrote the screenplay and directed the film, which stars Johnny Depp as journalist Paul Kemp. Filming took place in Puerto Rico during 2009. It was released on October 28, 2011.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy is a 2011 American comedy film written and directed by Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck. It stars Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Bibb, Lake Bell, Michelle Borth, Nick Kroll, Tyler Labine, Angela Sarafyan, Lindsay Sloane, Martin Starr, Lucy Punch and Will Forte. The main plot follows Eric, who, having thrown parties at his father's house for years, decides to have one last party when the house is to be sold: an orgy.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: The world premiere of "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy" was held at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on April 29, 2011. The film received a limited theatrical release in the United States on September 2, 2011.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: Eric (Jason Sudeikis) is a 30something perpetual adolescent who lives to party, holding lavish theme-events with his friends using his father's large house in the Hamptons. On July 3, Eric throws a bash party attended by his friends Sue (Michelle Borth), Adam (Nick Kroll), Mike (Tyler Labine), Laura (Lindsay Sloane), Kate (Lucy Punch), Glenn (Will Forte), Doug (Martin Starr) and his girlfriend Willow (Angela Sarafyan), Alison (Lake Bell) and her boyfriend Marcus (Rhys Coiro). Eric meets Kelly (Leslie Bibb) at the party. The following morning, Eric's father (Don Johnson) arrives and informs him that he is selling the house. The next weekend, the group arrive back at the house and find it for sale by Dody (Lin Shaye) and Kelly.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: Eric and Mike decide to throw a last ultimate party at the house on Labor Day weekend. Lamenting the more liberal sex attitude of the younger generation that passed over his own, Eric suggests having an orgy. When they present the idea to their friends, they are all reluctant, but when Mike and Eric argue that afterwards everyone will be moving away from each other and that this might be their last real time all together, Sue agrees to join. Laura joins the plan to improve her self-esteem, and is later joined by Alison after she breaks up with Marcus. Sue has feelings for Eric from high school, but Eric pursues a relationship with Kelly, to attempt to interfere with her selling the house. Doug and Willow join the orgy, hoping it will make him more confident. At Kate and Glenn's wedding, a drunken Adam reveals he has lost his job because Eric destroyed his phone at the bash, and agrees to join the orgy. Glenn finds out about the orgy and informs Kate, causing the pair to fall out with the group for not including them.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: Eric and Mike go to an underground sex club to research orgies, and gain advice from Mike's uncle Vic (David Koechner). Later, during a date with Kelly, she asks Eric to meet with her friends on Labor Day, to which he reluctantly agrees. Eric admits to Mike that he is developing feelings for Kelly and is no longer sure about taking part in the orgy. The week before Labor Day, Kate and Glenn ask to join the orgy but the group refuses because the couple have a child. Kelly tells Eric that she has asked Dody to slow the house sale down until the end of the summer.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: The Labor Day weekend arrives and the group prepare for the orgy. Doug decides to back out at the last minute, causing the group to descend into arguments, culminating when Alison publicly reveals Sue's feelings for Eric, and Doug accuses Mike of being Eric's "pet". Glenn and Kate arrive uninvited, intending to gatecrash the orgy, but they end up having sex in their car. Eric decides to leave and go to Kelly's home, but discovers she is on a date. Eric returns to the party where the group reconcile, and the orgy finally begins. In true Shakespearean tradition, the orgy consists of four men and four women (not counting the couple that has sex outside of the orgy) although the sex couples are not clearly defined.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: On Labor Day, Doug gives Mike a copy of his finished album, having finally found the confidence to pursue his music career. Sue gets over her feelings for Eric, Adam and Laura enter into a relationship, and Eric reconciles with Kelly. Kelly tells Eric that the house deal fell through and it will now take longer to sell. Eric begins planning a party for Memorial Day.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: Gregory and Huyck cameo in the film as a pizza delivery man and a date of the character Kelly, respectively.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy" was long in development, with Gregory and Huyck beginning writing the script as early as 1997 while they were writers on the television series, "The Larry Sanders Show". The concept of the film was based upon a story told by a fellow writer concerning a party he had attended in the Hollywood Hills that ended in an impromptu orgy. Skeptical about the amount of truth to the story, believing that people would be "too full of shame, fear and guilt to make a successful orgy happen," it nevertheless inspired Gregory and Huyck. The pair believed that the concept would make for an interesting ensemble comedy due in part to the powerful emotions that such a sexually charged situation would entail. The characters were all based upon Gregory, Huyck and their own friends. Gregory claimed that Eric (Sudeikis) and Mike (Labine) are based largely on Huyck with both Sudeikis' and Labine's wardrobe being based on him. Huyck claimed that Adam, Glenn and Marcus were based on Gregory.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: Gregory and Huyck brought their first draft to their current TV agent who advised them to progress no further with the idea and abandon the project. Undaunted, the pair circulated the early draft and met with several producers to assemble a production team. With producers in place, the pair then began thinking about casting, initially setting their sights on Vince Vaughn. Vaughn ultimately did not take part in the film but worked with Gregory and Huyck on reworking the script. On Vaughn's input, Gregory stated:


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: With the new plot direction, the pair revisited the casting of the lead role, Eric. Huyck eventually saw Sudeikis singing karaoke at a "Saturday Night Live" after party and felt he would fit the role. At the time, Sudeikis was only a writer for "Saturday Night Live" and it was felt that his playing the film's lead would require a leap of faith. After Gregory saw Sudeikis acting on the comedy show "30 Rock" however, he was also convinced that Sudeikis would be perfect for the role. While interviewing casting directors, Susie Farris stated her first choice for the role would also be Sudeikis, resulting in her being hired.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: Principal photography for the film commenced in May 2008 in Wilmington, North Carolina, taking place over 30 days. Wilmington was chosen due to it possessing the largest studio infrastructure on the east coast of America and because of the native architecture that bore similarities to homes found in the Hamptons of New York City. No stages or sets were created for the production with all filming occurring on location in actual businesses and locations using local residents as extras. One business in particular, only agreed to filming after it was agreed that the business name, "Fred's Beds", appear in the racy scene involving research for the orgy at a sex club. A late night party scene involved local extras and was filmed over 10 hours. During filming, the producers commissioned The Wallnuts Crew to spray paint graffiti on the wall of a local business for the punk rocker polaroid photo shoot scene. As the graffiti artist worked on the backdrop the police stormed the set completely unaware there was a permit issued.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: In February 2011, Samuel Goldwyn Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) obtained the distributions rights to the film in the United States. Samuel Goldwyn theatrically released the film, aiming for a late Summer 2011 release. SPWA also obtained the Australian and Canadian rights to release the film. The film premiered at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on April 29, 2011. The US West coast premiere occurred at the ArcLight Hollywood cinema in Hollywood, California on August 25, 2011.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy" received a limited release in the United States on September 2, 2011 across 143 theaters. During its opening weekend, the film grossed $154,604 over the 4-day Labor Day weekend. The film ultimately earned $200,227 in the United States and $1,178,720 elsewhere for a total of $1,378,947 worldwide.


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy" received mixed reviews from critics. , the film holds approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on reviews with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus reads, "Its titillating title promises ribald laughs, but the lazily written, indifferently acted, and only sporadically funny "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy" fails to consummate." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 44 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: John Defore of "The Hollywood Reporter" compared the film favorably to "'80s summer romp-romances", describing it as a "solidly commercial picture". DeFore appreciated the "witty banter" delivered by the cast but singled out Labine as "inherently funny" and the "cast's only automatic laugh-getter". DeFore however lamented that the film was "less outrageous than expected" given the premise and "may leave audiences wanting more". DeFore was critical of the film for including women who "look like models" in the orgy "while only one of the men can be called handsome." John Anderson of "Variety" reacted positively to the film, stating "the comic timing of this sex-saturated farce...adds up to a winner in the laughs department", echoing DeFore's sentiments that the dialog is "smart".


title: A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

text: Katie Calautti of "Comic Book Resources" appreciated the "whip-smart humor" and "palpable chemistry" between the cast. Calautti concluded her review by saying "The happy ending, though, is that their spot-on casting and solid narrative deliver bang for your buck." "The Village Voice" enjoyed the film, stating "riffs and one-liners fly from every corner, fast enough to avert the sting of the lamer gambits" and concluded that it "may be the sex comedy this generation deserves."


title: Census of Quirinius

text: The Census of Quirinius was a census of Judea taken by Publius Sulpicius Quirinius, governor of Roman Syria, upon the imposition of direct Roman rule in 6 CE. The Gospel of Luke uses it to date the birth of Jesus, which the Gospel of Matthew places in the time of Herod the Great (who died in 4 BCE). Luke appears to have conflated Quirinius's census with the death of Herod, and most critical scholars acknowledge a confusion and misdating by Luke.


title: Census of Quirinius

text: Herod I (Herod the Great, ), was a Roman client king whose territory included Judea. Upon his death, his kingdom was divided into three, each section ruled by one of his sons. In 6 CE, Emperor Augustus deposed Herod Archelaus, who had ruled the largest section, and converted his territory into the Roman province of Judea. Publius Sulpicius Quirinius, the legate (governor) of the province of Roman Syria starting in 6 CE, was assigned to carry out a census of the new province of Judea for tax purposes. This was a property tax, and required that the value of real property be registered along with the identity of the owners. The census triggered a revolt of Jewish extremists (called Zealots) under the leadership of Judas of Galilee. (Galilee itself was a separate territory under the rule of Herod Antipas.) Judas seems to have found the census objectionable because it ran counter to a biblical injunction (the traditional Jewish reading of ) and because it would lead to taxes paid in heathen coins bearing an image of the emperor.


title: Census of Quirinius

text: A first-century funerary inscription of a prefect named Quintus Aemilius Secundus mentions his service served under Quirinius in Syria, where he oversaw the census in Apamea.


title: Census of Quirinius

text: Contrary to the Gospel of Matthew, which places Jesus's birth in the time of Herod I, the Gospel of Luke () correlates Christ's birth with the census:


title: Census of Quirinius

text: Luke's apparent error has led most biblical scholars to acknowledge that this gospel is incorrect. Luke seems to have incorporated the census to move Joseph and Mary from Nazareth, "their own city" (), to Bethlehem, where the birth was to occur. (The author of Matthew had the reverse problem; believing that Joseph, Mary and Jesus lived in a house in Bethlehem prior to their flight into Egypt, they move to Nazareth to avoid the recently appointed Herod Archelaus.) Luke's author may also have wanted to contrast the rebellious Zealots with the peaceable Joseph and Mary, who had obeyed the Roman edict, and to find a prophetic fulfilment of Psalm 87:6: "In the census of the peoples, this one will be born there." (In the Greek or Septuagint version, it is "princes" who will be born.)


title: Census of Quirinius

text: Scholars point out that there was no single census of the entire Roman Empire under Augustus and the Romans did not directly tax client kingdoms; further, no Roman census required that people travel from their own homes to those of their ancestors. A census of Judea would not have affected Joseph and his family, who lived in Galilee under a different ruler; the revolt of Judas of Galilee suggests that Rome's direct taxation of Judea was new at the time. Catholic priest and biblical scholar Raymond E. Brown postulates that Judas's place of origin may have led the author of Luke to think that Galilee was subject to the census, although the region is clearly distinguished from Judea elsewhere in the gospel. Brown also points out that in the Acts of the Apostles, Luke the Evangelist (the traditional author of both books) dates Judas's census-incited revolt as following Theudas's rebellion of four decades later.


title: Census of Quirinius

text: The writings of two second-century Christian apologists assert that census records existed in archives evidencing Jesus' birth.


title: Census of Quirinius

text: Now there is a village in the land of the Jews, thirty-five stadia from Jerusalem, in which Jesus Christ was born, as you can ascertain also from the registers of the taxing made under [Quirinius], your first procurator in Judæa.


title: Census of Quirinius

text: Tertullian (c. 155 – c. 220) suggests that there was a census in Judea under Sentius Saturninus, a governor of Syria during Herod I's rule who has been argued to have reigned from 13–7 BCE, when there was no direct control of the Roman government in Judea.


title: Census of Quirinius

text: May a man rather not have fathers and sisters (living), or even no relatives at all? But there is historical proof that at this very time a census had been taken in Judæa by Sentius Saturninus, which might have satisfied their inquiry respecting the family and descent of Christ.


title: Census of Quirinius

text: Some religious scholars have made attempts to reconcile Luke's dating disparity. Some suggest that Quirinius might have served two terms as governor of Syria and conducted two censuses in Judea, but the career of Quirinius and the names and dates of the governors are well documented and there is no time before 6 CE when he could have served as governor of Syria. Anglican bishop Paul Barnett theorizes that an earlier census unrelated to taxation took place, which Brown points out requires the scripture to be reinterpreted to mean that the census took place "before" Quirinius's tenure. Géza Vermes describes attempts to defend the historicity of the biblical birth narratives as "exegetical acrobatics"; Ralph Martin Novak points out that such views spring from the belief that the Bible is without error.


title: Flores de Mayo

text: Flores de Mayo (Spanish for "flowers of May") is a festival held in the Philippines in the month of May. It is one of the May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary and lasts for the entire month.


title: Flores de Mayo

text: The Santacruzan (from the Spanish "santa cruz", "holy cross") is the ritual pageant held on the last day of the "Flores de Mayo". It honors the finding of the True Cross by Helena of Constantinople (known as "Reyna Elena") and Constantine the Great. Its connection with May stems from the May 3 date of Roodmas, which Pope John XXIII deleted in the 1960s due to the trend at the time to abolish holy days that were either duplicates or dedicated to ahistorical saints. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14, which commemorates the recovery of the relic by Emperor Heraclius from the Persians instead of the finding by Saint Helena combines that occasion with Roodmas in the present General Roman Calendar.


title: Flores de Mayo

text: The name of the festival is derived from the Spanish language word "flores" meaning "flowers." Other names are ""Flores de María"" ("Flowers of Mary") and ""Álay"" (Filipino for "offering").


title: Flores de Mayo

text: In the Bicol Region, the ritual begins with the recitation of the rosary, and the last day is simply called the ""katapusan"" which is marked with a Mass, a Santacruzan and procession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.


title: Flores de Mayo

text: The traditional "María" with its respective meaning is said after the recitation of the "Salve Regina" in Spanish and the Litany of Loreto. After the ceremony, simple snacks are given to the children who attended the devotion. "Alabasyón" (from the Spanish for "praising") is the term for prayers sung in honor of the Holy Cross.


title: Flores de Mayo

text: The towns particularly in Iloilo has their respective "puroks" or "streets" and the barangays which has their respective chapel or house of prayer or even in the church where an image of the Virgin Mary is venerated and children gathers to have a simple catechism and teachings about the life and story of Mary, history of Marian apparitions, Christian doctrines and values, holistic values and virtues and other life's teachings. They were also taught some prayers and some songs uniquely recited only during the "Flores de Mayo" and the children offer some flowers before the image of the Virgin Mary as a symbol of love, affection and veneration. This is a commemoration and reminiscent of the Our Lady of Fatima apparition to the three children which first took place on 13 May in 1917. After a while, they were offered some snacks.


title: Flores de Mayo

text: Some churches and areas are giving children some paper tickets for actively participating and doing well during the catechism in which at the end of the month of May which also coincides with the end of the Flores de Mayo, the children redeem the value of the tickets which are school supplies ready for the school opening. Until 2019, this was in June, the supplies are brought currently in August or September beginning 2020, depending on the date set by the Department of Education. With the switch of the calendar, the paper ticket tradition among these children also mark one of the final salvos of the school year. Santacruzan is usually held during the last few days of May to coincide with the end of the catechism for children.


title: Flores de Mayo

text: Amongst the Tagalog people, the custom began after the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854 and after the circa 1867 publication of Mariano Sevilla's translation of the devotional ""Flores de María"" ("Flowers of Mary"), also known by its longer title ""Mariquít na Bulaclac nasa Pagninilaynilay sa Buong Buannang Mayo ay Inihahandog nañg mañga Devoto cay María Santísima"" ("Beautiful Flowers that in the Meditations in the Whole Month of May are Presented by Devotees to Mary Most Holy").


title: Flores de Mayo

text: One famous May tradition in Batangas (particularly in Lipa) is the "Luglugan", or nightly devotion and party honoring the Virgin Mary. Held in structures called "tuklóng", devotees offer flowers and prayers to an image of Mary every night. After the prayer, the "Hermanos" or "Hermanas" for the day will give away treats to the participants, followed by the party. The Luglugan lasts for a month until the "Tapusan" ("ending") which is marked with a Mass, a Santacruzan and procession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and capped with a final Luglugan that lasts until the following morning.


title: Flores de Mayo

text: A "Santacruzan" is a religio-historical beauty pageant held in many cities, towns, and even in small communities throughout the Philippines during the month of May. One of the most colorful aspects of this festival, the pageant depicts the finding of the True Cross by Queen Helena, mother of Constantine the Great. Many movie and television personalities participate in the events and are featured in major "santacruzan". This festival became part of Filipino traditions identified with youth, love, and romance. Prior to the "Santacruzan", a novena is held in honor of the Holy Cross. The procession itself commemorates the search of the Holy Cross by "Reyna Elena" and her son, Emperor Constantine. It is said to have roots in the joyous thanksgiving celebrations that followed the finding of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem and its translation to Constantinople (now İstanbul).


title: Flores de Mayo

text: Each figure in this group refers to a title of the Virgin Mary in the Litany of Loreto, or to a figure associated with her. They are preceded by adolescent or adult ladies dressed in white ball gown as angels, each holding a letter of the angelic salutation "AVE MARÍA".


title: Flores de Mayo

text: 1. "Reina de las Flores" (Queen of Flowers) – She is The Queen of the Flores de Mayo. She walks under an arch festooned with the blossoms of flowers and She carries a grand bouquet of flowers.


title: Flores de Mayo

text: 2. "Reina Elena" (Queen Helena) – She is the Representation of Saint Helena herself, whose the symbol of the finding of the True Cross is the cross or crucifix that she bears in her arms. This considerably prestigious role is often awarded to the most beautiful girl or most important matron in the pageant. Some communities keep the identity of the chosen "Reina Elena" a closely guarded secret, revealing her identity at the Santacruzan itself. Other places are more accommodating, allowing three women to be "Reina Elena".


title: Flores de Mayo

text: 3. "Reina Emperatríz" (Queen Empress) – She is always the last member of the procession, a representation of Saint Helena of Constantinople, specifically her title "Augusta" ('empress' or 'queen mother'), which she received from Constantine in 325 AD. It is Quite Wise to Take Note That It is Best to Omit the Title "Reina Emperatriz" Because Having So Will Duplicate the Representation of Saint Helena in the Procession. A Belief Commonly Held As to The Origin of the Two Titles Existing is the Possibility of Two Women Wanting to Portray The "Most Important Role" in the Procession, Thus Creating the Title "Reina Emperatriz".


title: Flores de Mayo

text: The procession is accompanied by the steady beat of a local brass band, playing and singing the "" (the Spanish version of the Hail Mary). Devotees bear lighted candles and sing the prayer as they walk. Due to modernization and unavailability of the brass band, It is sometimes accompanied by a speaker truck playing trending songs from the app TikTok or from the app Spotify. It is customary for males participating in the Santacruzan to wear traditional Barong Tagalog or Sometimes, Suits or Tuxedos, while females wear any Filipiniana-inspired dress or Sometimes, Renaissance-inspired or Baroque-Inspired Queen's Dress.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi), also known as the imperial zebra, is the largest living wild equid and the most threatened of the three species of zebra, the other two being the plains zebra and the mountain zebra. Named after Jules Grévy, it is found in parts of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. Superficially, Grévy's zebras’ physical features can help to identify it from the other zebra species; their overall appearance is slightly closer to that of a mule, compared to the more “equine” (horse) appearance of the plains and mountain zebras. Compared to other zebra species, Grévy’s are the tallest; they have mule-like, larger ears, and have the tightest stripes of all zebras. They have distinctively erect manes, and more slender snouts.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: The Grévy's zebra live in semi-arid savanna, where they feed on grasses, legumes, and browse, such as acacia; they can survive up to five days without water. They differ from the other zebra species in that they do not live in a harem, and they maintain few long-lasting social bonds. Stallion territoriality and mother–foal relationships form the basis of the social system of the Grévy's zebra. Despite a handful of zoos and animal parks around the world having had successful captive-breeding programs, in its native home this zebra is listed by the IUCN as endangered. Its population has declined from 15,000 to 2,000 since the 1970s. In 2016, the population was reported to be “stable”; however, as of 2020, the wild numbers are still estimated at only around 2,250 animals, in part due to anthrax outbreaks in eastern Africa.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: The Grévy's zebra was first described by French naturalist Émile Oustalet in 1882. He named it after Jules Grévy, then president of France, who, in the 1880s, was given one by the government of Abyssinia. Traditionally, this species was classified in the subgenus "Dolichohippus" with plains zebra and mountain zebra in "Hippotigris". Groves and Bell (2004) place all three species in the subgenus "Hippotigris".


title: Grévy's zebra

text: Fossils of zebra-like equids have been found throughout Africa and Asia in the Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits. Notable examples include "E. sanmeniensis" from China, "E. cautleyi" from India, "E. valeriani" from central Asia and "E. oldowayensis" from East Africa. The latter, in particular is very similar to the Grévy's zebra and may have been its ancestor.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: The modern Grévy's zebra arose in the Middle Pleistocene. Zebras appear to be a monophyletic lineage and recent (2013) phylogenies have placed Grevy's zebra in a sister taxon with the plains zebra. In areas where Grévy's zebras are sympatric with plains zebras, the two may gather in same herds and fertile hybrids do occur.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: The Grévy's zebra is the largest of all wild equines. It is in head-body with a tail, and stands high at the withers. These zebras weigh . Grévy's zebra differs from the other two zebras in its more primitive characteristics. It is particularly mule-like in appearance; the head is large, long, and narrow with elongated nostril openings; the ears are very large, rounded, and conical and the neck is short but thick. The zebra's muzzle is ash-grey to black in colour with the lips having whiskers. The mane is tall and erect; juveniles have a mane that extends to the length of the back and shortens as they reach adulthood.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: As with all zebra species, the Grevy's zebra's pelage has a black and white striping pattern. The stripes are narrow and close-set, being broader on the neck, and they extend to the hooves. The belly and the area around the base of the tail lack stripes and are just white in color, which is unique to the Grevy's zebra. Foals are born with brown and white striping, with the brown stripes darkening as they grow older.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: The Grévy's zebra largely inhabits northern Kenya, with some isolated populations in Ethiopia. It was extirpated from Somalia and Djibouti and its status in South Sudan is uncertain. It lives in "Acacia"-"Commiphora" bushlands and barren plains. Ecologically, this species is intermediate between the arid-living African wild ass and the water-dependent plains zebra. Lactating mares and non-territorial stallions use areas with green, short grass and medium, dense bush more often than non-lactating mares and territorial stallions.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: Grévy's zebras rely on grasses, legumes, and browse for nutrition. They commonly browse when grasses are not plentiful. Their hindgut fermentation digestive system allows them to subsist on diets of lower nutritional quality than that necessary for ruminant herbivores. Grevy's zebras can survive up to a week without water, but will drink daily when it is plentiful. They often migrate to better watered highlands during the dry season. Mares require significantly more water when they are lactating. During droughts, the zebras will dig water holes and defend them. The Grévy's zebra's main predator is the lion, but adults can be hunted by spotted hyenas. African hunting dogs, cheetahs and leopards almost never attack adults, even in desperate times, but sometimes prey on young animals, although mares are fiercely protective of their young. In addition, they are susceptible to various gastro-intestinal parasites, notably of the genus "Trichostrongylus".


title: Grévy's zebra

text: Adult stallions mostly live in territories during the wet seasons but some may stay in them year round if there's enough water left. Stallions that are unable to establish territories are free-ranging and are known as bachelors. Mares, young and non-territorial stallions wander through large home ranges. The mares will wander from territory to territory preferring the ones with the highest-quality food and water sources. Up to nine stallions may compete for a mare outside of a territory. Territorial stallions will tolerate other stallions who wander in their territory. However, when an oestrous mare is present the territorial stallion keeps other stallions at bay. Non-territorial stallions might avoid territorial ones because of harassment. When mares are not around, a territorial stallion will seek the company of other stallions. The stallion shows his dominance with an arched neck and a high-stepping gait and the least dominant stallions submit by extending their tail, lowering their heads and nuzzling their superior's chest or groin.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: Zebras produce numerous sounds and vocalisations. When alarmed, they produce deep, hoarse grunts. Whistles and squeals are also made when alarmed, during fights, when scared or in pain. Snorts may be produced when scared or as a warning. A stallion will bray in defense of his territory, when driving mares, or keeping other stallions at bay. Barks may be made during copulation and distressed foals will squeal. The call of the Grévy's zebra has been described as "something like a hippo's grunt combined with a donkey's wheeze". To get rid of flies or parasites, they roll in dust, water or mud or, in the case of flies, they twitch their skin. They also rub against trees, rocks and other objects to get rid of irritations such as itchy skin, hair or parasites. Although Grévy's zebras do not perform mutual grooming, they do sometimes rub against a conspecific.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: Grévy's zebras can mate and give birth year round, but most mating takes place in the early rainy seasons and births mostly take place in August or September after the long rains. An oestrous mare may visit as many as four territories a day and will mate with the stallions in them. Among territorial stallions, the most dominant ones control territories near water sources, which mostly attract mares with dependant foals, while more subordinate stallions control territories away from water with greater amounts of vegetation, which mostly attract mares without dependant foals.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: The resident stallions of territories will try to subdue the entering mares with dominance rituals and then continue with courtship and copulation. Grévy's zebra stallions have large testicles and can ejaculate a large amount of semen to replace the sperm of other males. This is a useful adaptation for a species whose mares mate polyandrously. Bachelors or outside territorial stallions sometimes "sneak" copulation of mares in another stallion's territory. While mare associations with individual stallions are brief and mating is promiscuous, mares who have just given birth will reside with one stallion for long periods and mate exclusively with that stallion. Lactating females are harassed by stallions more often than non-lactating ones and thus associating with one male and his territory provides an advantage as he will guard against other males.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: Gestation of the Grévy's zebra normally lasts 390 days, with a single foal being born. A new-born zebra will follow anything that moves, so new mothers prevent other mares from approaching their foals while imprinting their own striping pattern, scent and vocalisation on them. Mares with young foals may gather into small groups. Mares may leave their foals in "kindergartens" while searching for water. The foals will not hide, so they can be vulnerable to predators. However, kindergartens tend to be protected by an adult, usually a territorial stallion. A mare with a foal stays with one dominant territorial stallion who has exclusive mating rights to her. While the foal may not be his, the stallion will look after it to ensure that the mare stays in his territory. To adapt to a semi-arid environment, Grévy's zebra foals have longer nursing intervals and wait until they are three months old before they start drinking water. Although offspring become less dependent on their mothers after half a year, associations with them continue for up to three years.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: The Grévy's zebra was known to the Europeans in antiquity and was used by the Romans in circuses. It was subsequently forgotten in the Western world for a thousand years. In the seventeenth century, the king of Shoa (now central Ethiopia) exported two zebras; one to the Sultan of Turkey and another to the Dutch governor of Jakarta. A century later, in 1882, the government of Abyssinia sent one to French president Jules Grévy. It was at that time that the animal was recognised as its own species and named in Grévy's honour.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: The Grévy's zebra is considered endangered. Its population was estimated to be 15,000 in the 1970s and by the early 21st century the population was lower than 3,500, a 75% decline. In 2008 it was estimated that there are less than 2,500 Grévy's zebras still living in the wild, further declining to fewer than 2,000 mature individulas in 2016. Nonetheless, the Grévy's zebra population trend was considered stable as of 2016.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: There are also an estimated 600 Grévy's zebras in captivity. Captive herds have been known to thrive, like at White Oak Conservation in Yulee, Florida, United States, where more than 70 foals have been born. There, research is underway in partnership with the Conservation Centers for Species Survival on semen collection and freezing and on artificial insemination.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: The Grévy's zebra is legally protected in Ethiopia. In Kenya, it is protected by the hunting ban of 1977. In the past, Grévy's zebras were threatened mainly by hunting for their skins which fetched a high price on the world market. However, hunting has declined and the main threat to the zebra is habitat loss and competition with livestock. Cattle gather around watering holes and the Grévy's zebras are fenced from those areas. Community-based conservation efforts have shown to be the most effective in preserving Grévy's zebras and their habitat. Less than 0.5% of the range of the Grévy's zebra is in protected areas. In Ethiopia, the protected areas include Alledeghi Wildlife Reserve, Yabelo Wildlife Sanctuary, Borana National Park, and Chelbi Sanctuary. In Kenya, important protected areas include the Buffalo Springs, Samburu and Shaba National Reserves and the private and community land wildlife conservancies in Isiolo, Samburu and the Laikipia Plateau.


title: Grévy's zebra

text: The mesquite plant was introduced into Ethiopia around 1997 and is endangering the zebra's food supply. An invasive species, it is replacing the two grass species, "Cenchrus ciliaris" and "Chrysopogon plumulosus," which the zebras eat for most of their food.


title: Firehouse Subs

text: Firehouse Subs is an American restaurant chain based in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1994 by former firefighter brothers Chris and Robin Sorensen.


title: Firehouse Subs

text: Brothers Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen followed the same career path as their father Rob Sorensen, a 43-year veteran of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department in Jacksonville, Florida.


title: Firehouse Subs

text: On October 10, 1994, the first Firehouse Subs restaurant opened in Jacksonville. Firehouse Subs first attempted franchising in 1995. Soon after, the founders decided to pull back on the idea, eventually buying back those franchised locations. Instead, they chose to focus on operating company-owned stores only, especially in the Jacksonville area.


title: Firehouse Subs

text: In 1998, Firehouse Subs surpassed 10 locations, and later that year opened the first location outside of Florida.


title: Firehouse Subs

text: In 2000, the founders decided to take a different approach, using consultants to plan franchise growth. They were able to set up financing for potential franchisees. The second wave of franchising began in 2001.


title: Firehouse Subs

text: In 2011, Firehouse Subs opened its first franchises in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, via local franchisee Caribbean Restaurants.


title: Firehouse Subs

text: By 2012 the company had 500 locations, ending the year with nearly 600. In July 2016, Firehouse Subs opened its 1,000th location.


title: Firehouse Subs

text: In 2015, Firehouse Subs opened its first locations in Canada, with its first location opening in Oshawa, Ontario in October with franchisee OnFire Restaurant Group. Currently, the group operates 50 Canadian restaurants, with plans to open a total of 90 in Ontario alone. The chain also launched a loyalty program.


title: Firehouse Subs

text: In June 2017, Firehouse Subs opened its first airport location at Jacksonville International. In December 2017, the brand's second airport location opened at Orlando International. In April 2018, the chain opened its first on-campus location at Western New England University. In 2020 the chain opened a location at Jacksonville's Baptist Medical Center.


title: Firehouse Subs

text: On November 15, 2021, Restaurant Brands International announced that it would acquire Firehouse Subs for $1 billion. The acquisition was completed on December 15, 2021.


title: Firehouse Subs

text: Owning to the Sorensens' involvement in firefighting, the interior decor of Firehouse Subs locations are inspired by fire stations, and often include firefighter equipment and memorabilia. Each restaurant features a custom mural, hand drawn and painted at the company's headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida. The murals reflect fire and police service unique to each restaurant's community or town. No two of the more than 1,200 murals painted are the same.


title: Firehouse Subs

text: The menu, which features hot specialty subs, salads, and other seasonal items, takes inspiration from the firehouse with names like Hook & Ladder, Engineer, and Firehouse Hero. The subs are prepared with meats and cheeses, on toasted sub rolls, and served "Fully Involved" with vegetables and condiments. Chris and Robin remain in charge of the menu, and work alongside their director of product development Jay Miller, who joined the company in 2017.


title: Head girl and head boy

text: Head boy and head girl are student leadership roles in schools, representing the school's entire student body. They are normally the most senior prefects in the school. The terms are commonly used in the British education system as well as in Australia and private schools throughout the Commonwealth. Some schools use alternative titles such as school captain.


title: Head girl and head boy

text: Head boys and head girls are usually responsible for representing the school at events, and will make public speeches. They also serve as a role model for students, and may share pupils' ideas with the school's leadership. They may also be expected to lead fellow prefects in their duties. Deputy head boys and girls may also be appointed. Some schools in the UK no longer use the titles of head boy and head girl, and now have a role of "head pupil".


title: Band-Aid

text: Band-Aid is a brand of adhesive bandages distributed by the American pharmaceutical and medical-devices company Johnson & Johnson. Invented in 1920, the brand has become a generic term for adhesive bandages in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, the Philippines, and others.


title: Band-Aid

text: The Band-Aid was invented in 1920 by a Johnson & Johnson employee, Earle Dickson, in Highland Park, New Jersey, for his wife Josephine, who frequently cut and burned herself while cooking. The prototype allowed her to dress her wounds without assistance. Dickson passed the idea on to his employer, which went on to produce and market the product as the Band-Aid. Dickson had a successful career at Johnson & Johnson, rising to vice president before his retirement in 1957.


title: Band-Aid

text: The original Band-Aids were handmade and not very popular. By 1924, Johnson & Johnson introduced machine-made Band-Aids and began the sale of sterilized Band-Aids in 1939.


title: Band-Aid

text: In 1951, the first decorative Band-Aids were introduced. They continue to be a commercial success, with such themes as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Superman, Spider-Man, Rocket Power, Rugrats, smiley faces, Barbie, Dora the Explorer, Elmo, and Batman.


title: Band-Aid

text: In World War II, millions were shipped overseas, helping popularize the product. Since then, Johnson & Johnson has estimated a sale of over 100 billion Band-Aids worldwide.


title: Band-Aid

text: In 2022, Band-Aid was named the most trusted brand in the United States, beating the second place brand, Lysol, by more than two points.


title: Band-Aid

text: Band-Aid has, over time, become a well-known example of a genericized trademark in the United States, Canada and South America, but Johnson & Johnson has registered Band-Aid as a trademark on the Principal Register of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the registration is valid and legal. Johnson & Johnson continues to defend the Band-Aid trademark against it being genericized.


title: Bartini Beriev VVA-14

text: The Bartini Beriev VVA-14 "Vertikaľno-Vzletayushchaya Amfibiya" (vertical take-off amphibious aircraft) was a wing-in-ground-effect aircraft developed in the Soviet Union during the early 1970s. Designed to be able to take off from the water and fly at high speed over long distances, it was to make true flights at high altitude, but also have the capability of flying efficiently just above the sea surface, using aerodynamic ground effect. The VVA-14 was designed by Hungarian-born designer Robert Bartini in answer to a perceived requirement to destroy United States Navy Polaris missile submarines. The final aircraft was retired in 1987.


title: Bartini Beriev VVA-14

text: Bartini, in collaboration with the Beriev Design Bureau intended to develop the prototype VVA-14 in three phases. The VVA-14M1 was to be an aerodynamics and technology testbed, initially with rigid pontoons on the ends of the central wing section, and later with these replaced by inflatable pontoons. The VVA-14M2 was to be more advanced, with two starting engines to blast into the cavity under the wing to give lift and later with a battery of lift engines to give VTOL capability, and with fly-by-wire flight controls. The VVA-14M3 would see the VTOL vehicle fully equipped with armament and with the Burevestnik computerised anti-submarine warfare (ASW) system, Bor-1 magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) and other operational equipment.


title: Bartini Beriev VVA-14

text: After extensive research, including the development of the small prototype Be-1 wing in ground effect aircraft, the first VVA-14 prototype was completed in 1972. Its first flight was from a conventional runway on 4 September 1972.


title: Bartini Beriev VVA-14

text: In 1974, inflatable pontoons were installed, though their operation caused many problems. Flotation and water taxi tests followed, culminating in the start of flight testing of the amphibious aircraft on 11 June 1975.


title: Bartini Beriev VVA-14

text: The inflatable pontoons were later replaced by rigid pontoons, while the fuselage was lengthened and the starting engines added. This incarnation was given the designation 14M1P. The bureau supplying the intended battery of 12 RD-36-35PR lift engines did not deliver, and this made VTOL testing impossible.


title: Bartini Beriev VVA-14

text: After Bartini's death in 1974, the project slowed and eventually drew to a close, the aircraft having conducted 107 flights, with a total flight time of 103 hours. The only remaining VVA-14, No. 19172, was retired to the Soviet Central Air Force Museum, Moscow in 1987. As a result of uncertain accidents during the shipping to museum, the aircraft received some damage, but these damages were not repaired afterwards. The aircraft still resides at the museum in a dismantled state, where it carries the designations "10687" and "Aeroflot".


title: Studio Ponoc

text: Yoshiaki Nishimura founded Studio Ponoc on April 15, 2015, and gained the support of several animators previously working under Studio Ghibli, including director Hiromasa Yonebayashi. The name of the studio comes from the Serbo-Croatian word , for "midnight", meant to signify "the beginning of a new day".


title: Studio Ponoc

text: The studio worked on an advertisement for JR West for its 2015 summer campaign. "Mary and The Witch's Flower", the studio's first feature film, was able to reach number six of the highest-grossing films of the year in Japan. The film is based on "The Little Broomstick" by Mary Stewart. Several former employees of Studio Ghibli have joined the studio to work on the film. Studio Ponoc produced an animated short film titled “Tomorrow’s Leaves”, written by Yoshiaki Nishimura and directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage, timed to coincide with the opening of the Tokyo Olympic Games and inspired by Olympic values of “Excellence, Friendship and Respect". Production on the film started in June 2019. Its release was postponed along with the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, and the film had its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival during its opening ceremony on June 14, 2021. The animated short film screened at the Tokyo Skytree from July 12 until September 5. The animated short film officially premiered when it was made available on YouTube by the International Olympic Committee and on Studio Ponoc’s official website at ponoc.jp on July 23, the opening date of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.


title: United States Polo Association

text: The United States Polo Association (USPA) is the national governing body for the sport of polo in the United States.


title: United States Polo Association

text: Established in 1890, by David Grubbs the USPA provides resources to over 4,500 individual members and 250 polo clubs across the U.S. and Canada, including promoting the game of polo, coordinating the activities of its member clubs and registered players, arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions and games and providing rules, handicaps and conditions for those tournaments, competitions and games, including the safety and welfare of participants and mounts. The first chairman of the USPA was H.L. Herbert (1890-1921). The first chief executive officer was Peter J. Rizzo (2011-2015).


title: United States Polo Association

text: The USPA has established a number of programs for new players to learn the sport in the U.S. including Regional Polo Centers and clubs that host schools and lessons across the country. In 2010, the USPA created Team USPA, a program to enhance and grow the sport of polo in the U.S. by identifying young, talented American players and providing mentored training and playing opportunities leading to a pool of higher rated amateur and professional players. The organization also coordinates youth polo programs and competitions through Interscholastic/Intercollegiate polo


title: United States Polo Association

text: In 2012, “60 Minutes” aired a special feature on polo's resurgence in America and included several interviews with dedicated players and ambassadors in the United States. The segment highlighted one of the USPA's specialty programs, Work to Ride www.worktoride.net, which is dedicated to helping inner-city youth in Philadelphia through polo and other equine activities.


title: United States Polo Association

text: Polo was first played in the United States in 1876, introduced by James Gordon Bennett, Jr. (May 10, 1841 – May 14, 1918), who had first observed the game played in England. Bennett came to be known as the father of American polo as it was he who assembled the players, knowledge, equipment and Texas horses to play the first loosely structured matches in the United States. During that winter of 1876, the first game was held indoors at Dickel's Riding Academy in New York and the first formal U.S. club was established, the Westchester Polo Club.


title: United States Polo Association

text: Westchester alternated seasons between New York City and Newport, Rhode Island before making Newport its permanent home. On May 13, 1876, the Jerome Park Racetrack in Westchester County (future home of the New York Giants baseball team and hence the name “polo grounds”) was the site of the first outdoor polo match. Then in 1879 Meadowbrook became a polo club and began play on the Mineola fairgrounds of Long Island. The foundation had now been laid for American polo and the sport was here to stay and flourish.


title: United States Polo Association

text: As players and teams proliferated, the development of the sport demanded a governing body. The Polo Association (later known as the United States Polo Association), with H.L. Herbert serving as first chairman, was founded March 21, 1890. The USPA's purpose was to coordinate games, standardize rules and establish handicaps. Mr. Herbert was credited with instituting a handicapping system in 1888 so that teams could be more evenly matched in games. His rating system is essentially the same today, with player handicaps spanning minus one through 10, with 10 being highest handicap. H.L. Herbert, with W.A. Hazard as his dedicated assistant, continued to guide the Association until 1921. Hazard then followed as USPA Chairman until 1922.


title: United States Polo Association

text: The first USPA headquarters was appropriately located in New York, the center of polo at that time. The Association began operations on a voluntary basis of committee structure and continues as such today with a small office staff. Elected Officers and Governors serve annually along with appointed Committee Members.


title: United States Polo Association

text: USPA membership originally included seven clubs and, the following year, 142 players registered and there were five new clubs. In its early days of organization, the Association initiated changes in the number and length of time periods (chukkers) in a match. Equipment became standardized and pony training improved significantly. Scoring was also adjusted to allow for fractioning of points for penalties—later abolished as an unnecessarily complex method of scoring that was replaced with free shots. Even before the Association was formed, the Westchester Cup, one of the oldest tournaments in the world, was contested in 1886 by the United States and Britain. This prestigious international polo tournament was played at the time when the Kentucky Derby, Wimbledon and the British Open were all new events in a sparse sporting calendar. Though the British won that first match at Westchester easily, the Americans would use the defeat as a catalyst to improve their game strategy and the quality of their horses. The Association continued the series and the United States won nine of the next eleven matches including the 1939 competition, when the tournament was played for the last time at Meadowbrook before a crowd of 40,000. The Cup was not played again until 1988, when the United States defeated an Australasian team in Lexington, Kentucky. The U.S. won again against England in 1992 and later lost to the British in 1997.


title: United States Polo Association

text: In 1904 another important tournament evolved, the United States Open. The first Open was won by the Wanderers, who scored 4-1/2 to the Freebooters 3. The tournament resumed in 1910 and continued every year with the exception of 1911, 1915, 1917, 1918, and 1942-1945. The U.S. Open Polo Championship® would become polo's most prestigious tournament still played annually and most recently at the International Polo Club – West Palm Beach, Florida.


title: United States Polo Association

text: The excitement of the sport was contagious; many of the early polo matches in the 1920s and 1930s attracted as many as 20,000 spectators. This would be an impressive attendance even by today's standards, yet when one considers the communication and transportation capabilities of that era it was truly incredible. The center of much of this excitement was Meadowbrook Polo Club in Westbury, NY, the site of many of the first U.S. Open and Westchester Cup Championships. During the 1913-14 season, the Westchester Cup packed 20,000 spectators into the stands. Even as polo gained in popularity across the country, eventually extending west to Texas, California and Hawaii, Meadowbrook would dominate the sport and be the center of polo during the first half of the century.


title: United States Polo Association

text: During these early years of the USPA, one of the more famous players in polo was Foxhall Keene, handicapped for 14 years at 10 goals, and then 16 years at 9 goals. Though there were many other greats, four players stood out in the 1890s and early 1920s. They were: Harry Payne Whitney, the Waterbury brothers, Larry, Monty and Devereux Milburn. These four players were known as the original “Big Four” and won the Westchester Cup in 1909, 1911, and 1913. Milburn would go on to play in seven international matches and established a reputation as one of the most outstanding players of all time. Credited with creating and leading the “Big Four”, Harry Payne Whitney played a pivotal role in the sport by helping develop a more fluid open form of play integrating better teamwork.


title: United States Polo Association

text: By 1913, Circuit Cup play began with the first USPA Inter-circuit Cup held in 1916. The USPA claimed 1,407 members and began registration of the ponies as well though pony registration would later be dropped in the 1920s. College polo came of age and indoor polo grew in popularity championed by George Sherman and Robert A. Graviss. Contributing to the growth of polo during this period was the U.S. Army, who after joining the USPA in 1902, encouraged their members to participate in polo to improve their riding ability. From that time until World War II, the military would play a significant role in growing and sustaining the sport of polo by adding significant numbers of players and polo ponies.


title: United States Polo Association

text: Polo's greatest era began in the years between the first and second World Wars. The sport not only survived the Great Depression, but expanded into the 1930s with increased international competition. The number of registered clubs had increased to 88 and playing membership was 2,889, of which 1,276 were military players. Louis Stoddard, a ten-goal player and member of two Westchester Cup Championship teams served as Chairman from 1922 to 1936. He would direct and expand the USPA during the period of great change. Other great names in polo emerged, such as ten-goaler Tommy Hitchcock, Jr., who reigned for 20 years and captured America's hearts. Both of Hitchcock's parents were strong supporters of polo; his mother taught young children the game and coached many polo players to greatness. Thomas Hitchcock, Sr. was also an outstanding player who was rated at ten goals in 1891.


title: United States Polo Association

text: By 1928, another international match, The Cup of the Americas, was initiated between highly rated teams from the U.S. and Argentina. The U.S. Team won the first two competitions; however, from 1936, Argentina would go on to be the victor in future matches. The 1930s also saw women creating an impact on the sport, though they would not become official USPA members for years to come.


title: United States Polo Association

text: During polo's heyday it was only fitting that Hollywood would become involved with this great sport. With a wonderful climate for the game and the appeal for movie stars and moguls, California polo expanded. The geographic spread of polo led to the first East-West match up in 1933, with the West winning two of three matches, proving the Westerners were a force with which to be reckoned. Humorist Will Rogers, a talented player and supporter of polo was thrilled. He is still remembered today as saying, “The hillbillies beat the dudes and took the polo championship right out of the drawing room and into the bunkhouse”.


title: United States Polo Association

text: The Great Depression eventually took its toll on the fabric of American society and polo, like most things, faced some dire times. As World War II began, the number of civilian players dropped from 1600 to 750. Though the number of military players peaked in 1940 with 1,432 registered members, Army polo would later disappear as the mechanization of the era outmoded the need for the cavalry. From 1942-1945 USPA tournaments were not played, though polo continued on private fields. Chairman, R.E. Strawbridge, Jr., headed the Association from 1936-1940, followed by Elbridge T. Gerry to 1946 and then Strawbridge served again from 1946-1950.


title: United States Polo Association

text: Polo survived after the war, thanks in great part to Cecil Smith of Plano, Texas, considered one of the first “professional” or paid players. By 1950, the number of active clubs was 56 with 614 USPA playing members. Devereux Milburn, Jr., son of the great 10-goal star, served as Chairman of the Association from 1950 to 1960. The early 1950s also marked the closing of Meadowbrook to make way for a highway; Meadowbrook relocated to Jericho, Long Island. The club would never regain its earlier dominance.


title: United States Polo Association

text: A new star was on the horizon—Oak Brook in Chicago, Illinois. When the first U.S. Open was played there in the 1950s, the ascent of Oak Brook began and continued as American interest in polo revived during the 1960s. USPA clubs increased to 77 and 675 players were registered. The Indoor Polo Association combined with the USPA in 1954. Indoor polo, also known as arena polo - expanded the scope of the sport and intercollegiate polo made a comeback with George C. Sherman, Jr. serving as USPA Chairman from 1960 to 1966. In 1967 the USPA moved its headquarters from New York to Oak Brook, the new home of American polo. This era also marked the introduction of sponsor money for horses and professional players. With the help of William T. Ylvisaker, the Polo Training Foundation was established in 1967 for the purpose of raising donations for the purposes of teaching polo fundamentals and improving the sport.


title: United States Polo Association

text: In 1970 the Association listed 100 clubs and 917 registered players. Northrup R. Knox would head the USPA from 1966 to 1970, followed by William Ylvisaker 1970-1975 and Hugo Dalmar, Jr. 1975-1976. The early 1970s brought about increased popularity in polo's major tournaments and in the club ranks. Polo flourished in Florida, encouraged by John T. Oxley's interest in high-goal polo and William T. Ylvisaker's promotion of the sport by courting corporate sponsorship. International play increased as the Camacho Cup, played at Juarez, Mexico, was revived. Norman Brinker closed out the decade as USPA Chairman from 1976 to 1980.


title: United States Polo Association

text: Polo evolved from a society sport to include a far broader base of budget-minded horsemen, professional players and commercial sponsorship. With William Sinclaire as Chairman in 1980, the USPA registered 134 clubs and almost 1,400 players. Sinclaire was followed by S.K. Johnston, Jr. as Chairman from 1984 to 1988 who oversaw the move of the USPA offices to Lexington, KY. With the dominance of Oak Brook fading, the polo centers of the 1980s grew to include Florida, Texas and California.


title: United States Polo Association

text: In 1986 the United States Polo Association moved its national headquarters to a more central location in the heart of thoroughbred country, Lexington, KY. Pride and spectator interest were at a high point, particularly after the 1989 Federation of International Polo World Championship in West Berlin, Germany. Eight teams from all over the world battled with the U.S. team riding away as the victor over Britain in the final match. Led by Chairman, John C. Oxley (1988-1991) prior to and during the Centennial year of the United States Polo Association, one looked back fondly at the memories and heritage of yesteryear and forward with anticipation to another glorious 100 years. Since that time, Chairmen Stephen A. Orthwein (1991-1995), Richard C. Riemenschneider (1995-1999), Orrin H. Ingram (1999-2003), Jack Shelton(2003-2007), Thomas Biddle, Sr. (2007-2011) and Charles Weaver (2011- 2015) have made great strides in the areas of umpiring, safety, rules, rules interpretation, development of international rules, and refinement of the handicapping process. The USPA national headquarters moved from Lexington KY. and are currently located In Lake Worth, FL.


title: United States Polo Association

text: The USPA completed two major strategic planning efforts (2005 and 2011) that resulted in many new and innovative programs and services that were designed to grow and sustain the sport. The establishment of a professional leadership staff was a main objective of the strategic planning sessions. Polo continues to grow stronger, with current membership exceeding 4,500 members, many of whom are women players. Over two hundred fifty clubs and intercollegiate and interscholastic schools are registered with the USPA. Continued growth at the collegiate level assures a bright future as polo's strength depends on these young players of tomorrow.


title: Will Smith discography

text: American rapper Will Smith has released four studio albums, one compilation album, 18 singles (12 as lead artist and five as featured artist), one video album and 20 music videos (14 as lead artist, three as featured artist and three guest appearances). After working in the late 1980s and early 1990s with Jeff Townes as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Smith began his solo career in 1997 with the release of "Men in Black", the theme song for the film of the same name, which topped singles charts in several regions across the world, including the UK. "Men in Black" (and second single "Just Cruisin'") was later included on Smith's debut solo album "Big Willie Style", which reached the top ten of the US "Billboard" 200 and was certified nine times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The third single from the album, "Gettin' Jiggy wit It", became Smith's first "Billboard" Hot 100 number one when it was released in 1998.


title: Will Smith discography

text: Smith's second album was again supported by the release of a film theme song as the lead single: "Wild Wild West", featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee, topped the "Billboard" Hot 100 and was certified gold by the RIAA. The album in question, "Willennium", reached number five on the "Billboard" 200 and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. "Will 2K", the second single from the album, reached number 25 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Before the end of 1999, a video album was released featuring Smith's seven music videos released to date, which reached number 25 on the UK Music Video Chart. The same year, the rapper was also featured on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" co-star Tatyana Ali's single "Boy You Knock Me Out", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and topped the UK R&B Singles Chart.


title: Will Smith discography

text: In 2002, Smith returned with his third album "Born to Reign", which reached number 13 on the "Billboard" 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA. The album's lead single was "Men in Black II" theme song "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart. Later in the year, Smith's first compilation album "Greatest Hits" was released, featuring songs from his three solo albums as well as those produced with DJ Jazzy Jeff. Smith's latest album "Lost and Found" was released in 2005, peaking at number six on the "Billboard" 200. Lead single "Switch" reached the top ten of both the "Billboard" Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: Freedom of religion in India is a fundamental right guaranteed by Article 25-28 of the Constitution of India. Modern India came into existence in 1947 and the Indian constitution's preamble was amended in 1976 to state that India is a secular state. Supreme Court of India ruled that India was already a secular state from the time it adopted its constitution, what actually was done through this amendment is to state explicitly what was earlier contained implicitly under article 25 to 28. Every citizen of India has a right to practice and promote their religion peacefully. However, there have been numerous incidents of religious intolerance that resulted in riots and violence, notably, the 1984 Anti-Sikh Massacre in Delhi, 1990 Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir and Punjab, 2002 Anti-Muslim Gujarat Riots and the 2008 Anti-Christian riots in Odisha. Some perpetrators of the 1984 Anti-Sikh Massacre in Delhi have not been brought to justice despite widespread condemnation.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: India is one of the most diverse nations in terms of religion, it being the birthplace of four major world religions: Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Even though Hindus form 80 percent of the population, India also has region-specific religious practices: for instance, Jammu and Kashmir has a Muslim majority, Punjab has a Sikh majority, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram have Christian majorities and the Indian Himalayan States such as Sikkim and Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh and the state of Maharashtra and the Darjeeling District of West Bengal have large concentrations of Buddhist population. The country has significant Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Jain and Zoroastrian populations. Islam is the largest minority religion in India, and the Indian Muslims form the third largest Muslim population in the world, accounting for over 14 percent of the nation's population.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: Rajni Kothari, founder of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies has written, "India is a country built on the foundations of a civilisation that is fundamentally tolerant."


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: The plural nature of Indian society in the 3rd century BC was encapsulated in an inscription of Ashoka:


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: King Priyadarshi (Ashoka) dear to the Gods, honours all sects, the ascetics (hermits) or those who dwell at home, he honours them with charity and in other ways. But the King, dear to the Gods, attributes less importance to this charity and these honours than to the vow of seeing the reign of virtues, which constitutes the essential part of them. For all these virtues there is a common source, modesty of speech. That is to say, One must not exalt one’s creed discrediting all others, nor must one degrade these others Without legitimate reasons. One must, on the contrary, render to other creeds the honour befitting them.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: Emperor Kharvela (born in the family of Rajarshi Vasu) declares himself in his inscription (approximately 2nd century BCE):


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: Kharvela's self-description must be contrasted with other rulers around the world, who took pride in calling themselves "but-shikan" or "defender of the (only true) faith".


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: Badayuni in his Muntakhab-ut-Tawáríkh reports that the Mughal Emperor Akbar, who had established the Din-i-Ilahi faith, decreed the following in AH 1000 (1551–1552 CE):


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: Hindus who, when young, had from pressure become Musalmans, were allowed to go back to the faith of their fathers. No man should be interfered with on account of his religion, and every one should be allowed to change his religion, if he liked. ...People should not be molested, if they wished to build churches and prayer rooms, or idol temples, or fire temples.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: The Sikh Gurus built freedom of religion in their faith to such an extent that while being a persecuted minority themselves under many Mughal rulers like Aurangzeb, Sikhs felt obliged to fight for the religious freedom of others. The sixth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Hargobind, even had a mosque built for his Muslim disciples, instead of putting them under any pressure to adopt the Sikh faith.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: The tradition of religious freedom continued under Sikh Empire, and other Sikh Principalities where Sikh rulers commissioned several Gurdwaras, Temples and Mosques for their subjects of various faiths.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: India, with its traditional tolerance, has served as a refuge for groups that have encountered persecution elsewhere.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: After the advent of Islam, when religious bias against the non-Islamic sects began to get severe , Hinduism began to take on a distinctive identity. During the 16th century, Sikhism also arose and drew into its fold a number of people in Punjab. Christianity has a history that traces back to the advent of Saint Thomas the Apostle in India around 48 AD. He is said to have been followed by Bartholomew around 55 AD. It is reported that when Vasco Da Gama visited Calicut in 1498 AD, he found over 2 lakh Christians in the Kerala area. The British Government in the beginning discouraged any missionary work; however, in 1837, it permitted entry of white missionaries in its territory because of the pressure from the evangelical lobby in the British parliament.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: Religious conversion has sparked a lot of attention and has caused hostilities in Indian families. Though conversion resolved the pre-conversion crisis, it resulted in more troubles in the convert's life. Different kinds of hostilities were: being killed, threatened with death, fear of future troubles or being disowned by parents and friends.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: Human Rights Watch stated in 2019 that dozens of vigilante killings against religious minorities in India have gone unpunished due to inertia or collusion, mostly in BJP-run states. In 2020 the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom stated the BJP government under Prime minister Narendra Modi "allowed violence against minorities and their houses of worship to continue with impunity and also engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence". The commission recommended India be labeled a "country of particular concern" which is the lowest of categories on the basis of religious freedom; a dissenting member of the commission stated such a label would incorrectly place India in "a gallery of rogue nations in which it does not belong".


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: On 21 June 2022, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced a resolution (H.Res.1196) to condemn human rights violations and violations of international religious freedom in India, including those targeting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Adivasis, and other religious and cultural minorities. The resolution calls on the U.S. Secretary of State to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act, which has been recommended by the independent, bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for the past three years.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: The Preamble of the Indian Constitution has the word "secular", and articles 25 to 28 implying that the State will not discriminate, patronise or meddle in the profession of any religion. However, it shields individual religions or groups by adding religious rights as fundamental rights. Article 25 says "all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion subject to public order, morality and health." Further, Article 26 says that all denominations can manage their own affairs in matters of religion. All these rights are subject to be regulated by the State.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: Article 25 (2b) uses the term "Hindus" for all classes and sections of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs. Sikhs and Buddhists objected to this wording that makes many Hindu personal laws applicable to them. However, the same article also guarantees the right of members of the Sikh faith to bear a Kirpan. Religions require no registration. The government can ban a religious organisation if it disrupts communal harmony, has been involved in terrorism or sedition, or has violated the Foreign Contributions Act. The government limits the entry of any foreign religious institution or missionary and since the 1960s, no new foreign missionaries have been accepted though long term established ones may renew their visas. Many sections of the law prohibit hate speech and provide penalties for writings, illustrations, or speech that insult a particular community or religion.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: Some major religious holidays like Diwali (Hindu), Christmas (Christian), Eid (Muslim) and Guru Nanak's birth anniversary (Sikh) are considered national holidays. Private schools offering religious instruction are permitted while government schools are non-religious.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: The government has set up the Ministry of Minority Affairs, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) to investigate religious discrimination and to make recommendations for redressal to the local authorities. Though they do not have any power, local and central authorities generally follow them. These organisations have investigated numerous instances of religious tension including the implementation of "anti-conversion" bills in numerous states, the 2002 Gujarat violence against Muslims and the 2008 attacks against Christians in Orissa.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: For Shia Muslims, the Grand Ashura Procession In Kashmir where they mourn the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali has been banned by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir from the 1990s. People taking part in it are detained, and injured by Jammu and Kashmir Police every year. According to the government, this restriction was placed due to security reasons. Local religious authorities and separatist groups condemned this action and said it is a violation of their fundamental religious rights.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: The Article 25 of the Indian Constitution is a basic human right guarantee (see Articles 18 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) that cannot be subverted or misinterpreted in any manner. Anti-conversion laws are promulgated on the premise that forced or induced conversions happen and need to be prevented.


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: has been done by the All Indian Christian Council. Several Indian states passed Freedom of Religion Bills primarily to prevent people from converting to Christianity. Orissa was the first state to bring such law named as 'Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967'. It was followed by Madhya Pradesh in 1968 and Arunachal Pradesh in 1978. Christians protested against this saying that propagation of their faith was an important part of Christianity. Both laws enacted by the Orissa and Madhya Pradesh high courts were challenged stating Article 25 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court supported the laws saying, "What is freedom for one is freedom for the other in equal measure and there can, therefore, be no such thing as a fundamental right to convert any person to one's own religion".


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: Chhattisgarh in 2000 and Gujarat State in 2003 passed anti-conversion laws that prohibit forced or money induced conversions. In July 2006, the Madhya Pradesh government passed legislation requiring people who desire to convert to a different religion to provide the government with one month's notice, or face fines and penalties. In August 2006, the Chhattisgarh State Assembly passed similar legislation requiring anyone who desires to convert to another religion to give 30 days' notice to, and seek permission from, the district magistrate. In February 2007, Himachal Pradesh became the first Congress Party-ruled state to adopt legislation banning illegal religious conversions. It was followed by Rajasthan in 2008,


title: Freedom of religion in India

text: but it has still not became an act. So total there are 10 states where freedom of religion bill has become an act- Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana,Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.