title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: On 1 May 1996, the German Luftwaffe established the German Air Force Tactical Training Center at Holloman.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: The German Air Force Tactical Training Center activated at Holloman 1 May 1996. With the activation, 300 German military personnel and 12 Panavia Tornado aircraft joined Team Holloman. German aircrews come to Holloman for approximately three weeks for advanced tactical training and then return to Germany. The German Air Force also conducts a Fighter Weapons Instructor Course for the Tornado. Aircrews for this course come to Holloman for about six months.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: As of November 2006 there are 650 German military personnel and 25 Tornado aircraft assigned to Holloman AFB.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: There are numerous reasons the German Air Force trained at Holloman. The area offers great flying weather and has suitable air space. Other reasons are the proximity of Holloman to the German Air Force Air Defense Center at Fort Bliss, Texas, and the centralizing of German aircrew training at a single location. To facilitate this, there is a memorandum of understanding between the two governments.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: By offering NATO allies the benefits of available space at Holloman as well as the use of the Southwest's excellent flying weather, the U.S. can help maintain the strength of NATO's forces without the expense of forward-basing U.S. forces in great numbers overseas.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: On 29 September 1999, two Luftwaffe Tornados crashed near Marathon Indian Basin, about northwest of Carlsbad. The crash was investigated by Holloman AFB 49th Wing Safety and German Air Force Safety personnel. Both pilots successfully ejected, and were uninjured.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: In September 2004, Luftwaffe chief of staff, Klaus-Peter Stieglitz announced a reduction in its training program of roughly 20%.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: In March 2013, it was announced that German Air Force units at Fort Bliss will transfer to Holloman later that same year; this was to end the German Air Force presence at Fort Bliss dating back to 1956. In 2015, due to funding constraints on the planned new facilities in Europe, the German Air Force Air Defense school was to stay open at Fort Bliss until 2020. On March 13, 2019, after 27 years in southern New Mexico, the German Luftwaffe ceased flight training at Holloman AFB.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: Following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, the Biden administration housed some Afghan refugees in military bases across the country. Up to ~5,000 Afghan refugees at a time were temporarily held at Holloman while awaiting residency processing, with a total of 7,221 having residence at Aman Omid village.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Holloman, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: Missile testing at Holloman began in 1948. Holloman is known to have been used for 147 major launches from 1948 to 1959, reaching up to 235 kilometers altitude.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: As of the census of 2000, there were 2,076 people, 393 households, and 380 families residing on the base. The population density was 165.7 people per square mile (64.0/km). There were 427 housing units at an average density of 34.1/sq mi (13.2/km). The racial makeup of the base was 73.3% White, 13.2% African American, 0.6% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 6.4% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 12.4% of the population.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: There were 393 households, out of which 67.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 88.8% were married couples living together, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 3.3% were non-families. 2.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 0.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.29 and the average family size was 3.34.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: On the base the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 37.0% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 3.7% from 45 to 64, and 0.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 152.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 180.4 males.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: The median income for a household on the base was $37,206, and the median income for a family was $37,941. Males had a median income of $20,359 versus $15,425 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,568. About 8.3% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: The base hosts Holloman Elementary School (grades K-5), the zoned elementary school; and Hollomon Middle School (grades 6–8), the zoned middle school, both named after the base. The mascot of the middle school is the falcon. Alamogordo High School is the school district's comprehensive high school.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: Holloman Middle was formerly Hollomon Junior High School and originally held classes at barracks while the permanent facility was being established. Holloman Elementary opened in 1954. In 1956, 1959, 1965, and 1966 additions were built for the elementary.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: When the personnel at the base asked for the school district to completely desegregate for the benefit of its black employees, circa 1949, the school system did so.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: Holloman is located in New Mexico's Tularosa Basin between the Sacramento and San Andres mountain ranges. The base is about west of Alamogordo, New Mexico, on U.S. Route 70; north of El Paso, Texas; and east of Las Cruces, New Mexico. The base covers and is located at an altitude of .


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: The base is also a census-designated place (CDP), which had a population of 2,076 at the 2000 census. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, is land and (1.18%) is water. The area of the air force base is .


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: The groundwater below Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo first tested positive for hazardous chemicals in 2016. Polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFASs) have been found in the groundwater below the base and in wells that were tested off-base.


title: Holloman Air Force Base

text: This article includes content from Holloman Air Force Base Website, which as a work of the U.S. Government is presumed to be a public domain resource. That information was supplemented by:


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: Remember Me is an action-adventure video game developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Capcom. It was released worldwide in June 2013 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game's plot focuses on Nilin, a memory hunter working for an underground resistance called the Errorists. When the game starts, she has been stripped of nearly all her memories by megacorporation Memorize. With the help of a mysterious man named Edge, she goes on a quest to bring down Memorize and recover her lost memories. Throughout the story, she is permitted to use her Memory Remix power to ultimately refurbish people's recollections. The combat consists of a modified combo system called Pressen.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: "Remember Me" was developed as the debut project of Dontnod Entertainment, with one of the company's founding members Jean-Maxime Moris as its director. Part of his goal for the game was to create a thought-provoking narrative, and eventually settled on a female protagonist to help convey the story's themes. Originally a PlayStation 3-exclusive under Sony titled "Adrift", it was cancelled in 2011 and later purchased by Capcom which resurrected it as a multi-platform game. "Remember Me" received mixed reviews upon release; praise was given to its world design, Olivier Deriviere's soundtrack, the ambition of the story and the Memory Remix segments, while the main criticisms laid against other aspects of the story, poor design choices and formulaic combat.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: "Remember Me" features platforming, exploration and melee combat. The game is played as Nilin from a third-person view and introduces the mechanic of memory remixing: entering and rearranging a target's memories to manipulate them. Players accomplish this by replaying a memory and modifying details to change the target's recollection of the outcome. Another key mechanic of the gameplay is stealing memories from certain targets and using points called Remembranes to replay the memory in real-time: this is often needed to proceed through the game or avoid hazards otherwise hidden from the player. When the player is low on health, the screen will glitch until a sufficient amount of health is regained. On occasion, Nilin encounters puzzles in the form of riddles she must solve to unlock doors so as to further progress in the story.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: In terms of combat, the game allows players to create and customise their own move combos in the Combo Lab, which uses four categories of fighting moves called Pressens. This is done by chaining them together, made possible through earning PMP (Procedural Mastering Power), with a limit of four combos being active at any one time. The Pressen moves are Regen (healing), Power (damage), Chain (duplication and doubling of previous moves) and Cooldown (regeneration of S-Pressen energy). There are 50,000 possible Pressen combinations. Five S-Pressen moves will be made available to the player over the course of the game: the moves enable them to do things like stun groups of enemies, move at high speed and land more hits, or turn hostile robots into allies which then self-destruct. Players also have access to projectile-based weapons like the Spammer and Junk Bolt.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: The game is set in the year 2084, in a futuristic version of Paris called Neo-Paris, where the Memorize corporation has invented a new brain implant called Sensen, which enables 99% of the population to upload and share their memories with other people, as well as remove unhappy or unpleasant memories. This establishes Memorize as a surveillance state, which leads a small group of rebels by the name of Errorists to attempt to bring down the corporation. The invention of the Sensen has also resulted in the creation of Leapers, memory-addicted humans who have absorbed so many memories that their Sensen has degraded and they have mutated into subhuman form, now living in the sewers of Neo-Paris.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: The game begins as Nilin (Kezia Burrows), an Errorist imprisoned in the Bastille Fortress, is having almost all her memory wiped by Memorize. As she is taken to have the last of her memories wiped, a mysterious man called Edge, the leader of the Errorists and a man she only hears over her comm device, helps her escape. Edge tells her that she is an Errorist with the gift of both stealing and remixing memories. After escaping into the slums of Neo-Paris, Nilin encounters Tommy, a fellow Errorist. Nilin and Tommy are attacked by Olga Sedova, a bounty hunter chasing Nilin. Nilin dives into Olga's mind and remixes her memory to make Olga believe that her husband was killed by a Memorize doctor. She then becomes an Errorist ally, and transports Nilin to her first destination. Arriving in the Saint-Michel district, Nilin, who is aided by another Errorist codenamed Bad Request, is told by Edge to steal secret codes from Kaori Sheridan, Neo-Paris' top architect. After retrieving and uploading the codes to Edge, he uses them to open the Saint-Michel dam, flooding the district. Due to the flood draining out the slums, Nilin is able to infiltrate the Bastille and heads to the memory servers to free the stored memories of herself and the inmates while taking down Madame, the sadistic manager of the Bastille. With Madame defeated, Nilin releases the memories of the inmates and partially regains some of her own. She remembers the crime that landed her in the Bastille; on a mission, Nilin remixed the mind of a Memorize commander and made him believe he had killed his girlfriend. The altered memory pushed him to commit suicide.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: Nilin reluctantly goes along with Edge's next plan: to remix the CEO of Memorize, Scylla Cartier-Wells, to make her see the harm her company's technology is causing. Nilin makes her way into Scylla's office and enters her mind, remixing the memory of a car crash which left her with a bitter taste against the world. As she changes the memory to make Scylla a more compassionate person, Nilin discovers that she is Scylla's daughter. Nilin is then told by Edge to head for the Bastille basements to save Bad Request, who has been taken captive. She finds Bad Request, but discovers that his memory has been fully wiped. It is revealed that Memorize scientist Doctor Quaid means to control the Leapers through their Sensens and thus breed a private army for Memorize. However, Johnny Greenteeth, a former co-worker of Quaid's who was experimented on and turned into a Leaper, kills Quaid and prepares to self-destruct the Bastille. Bad Request helps Nilin take down Johnny at the cost of his life and Nilin escapes the destroyed facility.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: With all of Memorize's secret operations taken down, Edge presses Nilin to find the Conception Cube, Memorize's central base, and destroy , the Memorize Central Server. Once there, she encounters her father, Charles Cartier-Wells, the creator of the Sensens. Upon finding him, she sees that, fuelled by the car accident that injured his wife, he has become lost in a dream of an ideal world free from painful memories, all inspired by the desire to help Nilin forget about the accident. Nilin makes him see the harm his technology causes, and Scylla arrives to convince Charles to help Nilin enter the Central Server. Once in the presence of the Central Server, it is revealed to Nilin that Edge is a self-aware entity created by the amalgamation of unwanted memories within . Nilin, who unwittingly started Edge with the memories of her unhappy childhood, enters the Server and, at /Edge's will, she destroys him and releases the memories back into the general population. As the memories are released, Nilin remembers Edge's words about the mind being a fortress, and says that Edge died to remind people that memories should not become open to all, and that painful memories should be lived with rather than forcibly removed. She comes to the conclusion that outside her now-restored mind she has a family again and a damaged world to heal.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: Development of the game began in 2008 when Dontnod Entertainment was formed. Initially called "Adrift", the original concept of the game was a world flooded from global warming, with a key gameplay mechanic being the player character using jetskis to navigate a coastal city. Later, the team became interested in the concept of memory as a central theme and redesigned the game accordingly, although game director Jean-Maxime Moris was reluctant to set the game in Paris since the studio was based there. It was originally developed as a role-playing game with Sony publishing it exclusively for the PlayStation 3, starting full development in February 2010. Following creative disagreements between Dontnod and Sony, and the subsequent cancellation of the project in February 2011 because of budget cuts, the project was presented at the 2011 Gamescom trade fair in the hope that it would garner the attention necessary to secure another publishing deal. Dontnod partnered with Capcom Europe, as Capcom purchased the intellectual property in 2012 and provided funding for the project, reimagining it as an action-adventure game for release on multiple platforms.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: The game's theme was inspired by the social network sites that abound in the modern world, with Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter cited as examples. Moris explained that while some elements looked fantastical, the game was grounded in the real world in terms of how social networking might evolve over the coming decades. "Remember Me" was considered to be the digital view of human identity compared to Dontnod's "Life Is Strange", its analogue counterpart. The game was influenced by classic cyberpunk anime such as "Akira" and "Ghost in the Shell", and one of the literary works referenced in the game is George Orwell's novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four". When asked in an interview why he made the protagonist a woman, Moris replied that he wanted a game in the cyberpunk genre that was more about "emotion, intimacy, identity, and the way technology would intersect those", so it made more sense for the player character to be a woman. However, when the game was shown to potential publishers, many were discouraged from backing the project, saying that a male character would be more successful.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: The music was composed by Olivier Deriviere, who recorded the score with a 70-piece orchestra, then modified and changed it using electronic equipment. In an interview with "Game Informer", Deriviere said: "During my first contact [with the game], I was quite confused by so much information and I felt the music should reflect this confusion". Deriviere disclosed that players would not hear the main theme until the end of the game, given that it is scattered in pieces through the rest of the score to reflect the nature of the game and the story of Nilin. For his work, Deriviere was awarded the 2013 IFMCA award for Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media. "Remember Me" was created with Unreal Engine 3 to lessen the workload involved in making a new intellectual property with a nascent studio of just under 100 employees. To evaluate the engine, Dontnod collaborated with Epic Games' engineering team at various stages during production.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: "Remember Me" received "mixed or average" reviews, according to Metacritic. In 2017, "The Daily Telegraph" named "Remember Me" one of the best cyberpunk video games. The world design, soundtrack and plot were praised, while aspects of the story, design choices and combat were criticised.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: "Edge" staff lauded Nilin as "a powerhouse of a protagonist" for possessing a blend of character traits that made her instantly likeable, and the story of reclaiming her lost memories was praised as well. The puzzles were said to be fresh and thought provoking. "Eurogamer"s Tom Bramwell appreciated Dontnod's work on the "refreshing" combat system. He felt the Memory Remix sequences were absorbing and said the portrayal of technology being abused was handled well. According to Ben Reeves of "Game Informer", "Remember Me"s Memory Remixes constituted the highlight of the game, and the soundtrack was also subject to enjoyment. Kevin VanOrd at GameSpot was satisfied with the main character, calling her "a great heroine who is both powerful and vulnerable". The premise and general setting were commended, with the musical soundtrack appraised as "superb". Ryan Taljonick at GamesRadar wrote favourably of the city setting and noted that it was rich in detail. Taljonick agreed that the Memory Remix held the most excitement of all the features in the game. Justin Speer of GameTrailers thought "Remember Me" presented its concept with "fascinating" and "ridiculous" elements, while the manipulation of minds with the Memory Remix was described as rewarding. IGN's Daniel Krupa admired the ambition of the game. Neo-Paris was considered vibrant and distinctive, and as with the rest of reviewers, he praised the ability to remix memories. Ludwig Kietzmann at "Joystiq" approved of Nilin's power to manipulate memories, wishing that there were more opportunities to use it. Staff writing for "OPM (UK)" opined that the futuristic setting was "astonishing" and "visually arresting". Arthur Gies of "Polygon" endorsed the game world, story and protagonist as its most positive aspects. He argued that the combo modification system set apart an otherwise predictable combat system. Gies felt the soundtrack deserved recognition for its well-written and unique style, which he thought complemented the central theme.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: Conversely, "Edge" staff complained that characters other than Nilin were weaker overall. The design of the Pressens combos was thought to be flawed, as the rate at which one unlocks them was too slow to use them until the final hours of the game. Though Bramwell found engagement in the first few hours, he said that the later parts of the story suffered from too many science fiction elements. The absence of external motivation for the main character was also disparaged. Reeves was dissatisfied with the characters, whose world he said was more interesting than they were, and the story was berated for being "uninspired". VanOrd observed that the game was held back by an unfulfilling story and sub-par level design. The dialogue and metaphors were criticised for dimming the story's potential. Taljonick also disliked the dialogue, with overwhelming jargon noted as one of its chief offences. The exploration was deemed restrictive, the level design claustrophobic, and the combat system "stiff". Krupa was unimpressed with the action, which he felt lacked variation and was not well executed. His delight in the setting led to disappointment with the limited exploration of it. The lack of Memory Remixes received reproval as well. Kietzmann declared "Remember Me" as "a listless and mediocre action game" whose appearance held more value than its performance, and objected to the combat for being "stilted" and void of excitement. "PlayStation Official Magazine – UK" staff became quickly disenchanted with the game as it delved into "generic fighting".


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: In 2016, the game became a Capcom "Platinum Title", with more than 1 million copies sold. Its inclusion on PlayStation Plus in October 2013 and February 2014 accumulated more than two million players, causing it to become the second most downloaded PlayStation Plus title in Europe.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: Prior to the game's release, an official prelude story was published by way of a multimedia web site. The interactive site was depicted as the diary of Antoine Cartier-Wells, founder of the Memorize corporation and creator of the Sensen brain implant, and it tells the story of Memorize during the 100 years preceding the start of the game. At the time of the game's release, a 24-page print comic book written by Matt Kindt and illustrated by Matthew Southworth was released by Dark Horse Comics, as an exclusive bonus item for those who pre-ordered the game from GameStop. Dark Horse later published a 184-page hardcover book featuring concept art and developer commentary. On 20 June 2013, another official prelude story was published, this time set months before the start of the game, and centring on the character of Nilin. Titled "The Pandora Archive", it was written by British novelist Scott Harrison and published by Capcom as an e-book.


title: Remember Me (video game)

text: By 2015, Dontnod had already completed the story for a possible sequel. Creative director Jean-Maxime Moris said "We know what we would do for "Remember Me 2". The main story has been written we know what we would add to the recipe. We know what we would fix. It's a game that's ready to be made, but that decision is Capcom's to make". However, Moris added that Dontnod intended to work on another season of "Life Is Strange" before proceeding with the sequel to "Remember Me". A sequel is reportedly no longer viable with Capcom; CEO Oskar Guilbert admitted that while "["Remember Me"] did OK", only "Life Is Strange"s unexpected success saved the company from "a very difficult" financial situation.


title: Cookie Run

text: Cookie Run (Hangul: 쿠키런; RR: "Kukileon", stylized in CamelCase) is a series of online mobile endless running games developed by Devsisters. Inspired by the classic folk tale "The Gingerbread Man", the series is set in a world of conscious gingerbread cookies that were brought to life in an oven by a witch and have since escaped her evil clutches. Each game has a mechanic of the cookies running to earn points and items, overcome obstacles, and fight or escape enemies. The series is available on iOS and Android devices.


title: Cookie Run

text: "Cookie Run" is a series of online mobile running games, with the most recent, non spin-off game being "Cookie Run: OvenBreak", which features an ever-expanding collection of cookies, support pets, and valuable treasures, all bearing a different number of points depending on the combination used. "Cookie Run" at the moment includes six modes, with other modes that will come and go for events. Each game is based on the "freemium" model, which offers the basic game for free while encouraging users to pay in smaller doses for virtual in-game items or abilities.


title: Cookie Run

text: "OvenBreak" released 15 June 2009. Since its release, it updated to OvenBreak 2 on 11 December 2012, but on 11 December 2013, it was announced that the game would be delisted from the Appstore. A separate title, OvenBreak Infinity, also released in September 2009. In late 2010, "OvenBreak Infinity" reached #1 on the iOS App Store in the United States in the "Top Free Apps" category.


title: Cookie Run

text: In Summer 2012, Skittles integrated its brand within "OvenBreak" as part of a sponsorship program through a new play mode, which featured Skittles in the gameplay and its home screen.


title: Cookie Run

text: "Cookie Run" released originally for KakaoTalk on 2 April 2013. It was Devsisters' first game under the "Cookie Run" IP. It later released for LINE on 29 January 2014 and the game has since seen over 114 million downloads.


title: Cookie Run

text: On 5 June 2018, the LINE version of "Cookie Run" shut down and was removed from the Google Play Store and the App Store.


title: Cookie Run

text: "Cookie Run: OvenBreak" released globally (with the exception of China) on 27 October 2016. The game was originally titled "'Cookie Run 2"' when Devsisters revealed their development of a sequel to "Cookie Run" in April 2015, which was planned to be launched globally by the second half of the year. On 27 September 2016, the game was released for soft-launch, now under the current name, in Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, the Netherlands, and Sweden on both Apple App Store and Google Play.


title: Cookie Run

text: In late-November 2018, "Cookie Run: OvenBreak" and Devsisters collaborated with Sanrio for a Hello Kitty event from 29 November to 19 December.


title: Cookie Run

text: "Cookie Run: Kingdom" was released on 19 January 2021 worldwide and had its official English release on 8 October 2021., Unlike the previous games, "Cookie Run: Kingdom" takes place in an alternate universe and is a mix of a collectible RPG and a social kingdom-building game. It features new Cookies and over 200 levels. The game tells the story of the cookies getting used to their new lives in their new Kingdom, after escaping from the witch. She brought them to life and has an overarching narrative of the cookies set out on an expedition to rediscover the lost Ancient Kingdoms, before Dark Enchantress Cookie possesses them.


title: Cookie Run

text: "Cookie Run: Kingdom" collaborated with KFC for the "Cookie Run: Kingdom x KFC" pack until 8 February 2021. Later in September 2021, the game had a collaboration with Sega with a "Sonic the Hedgehog" crossover event until 16 October 2021. In October 2021, the game experienced a sudden boost in popularity due to viral videos on TikTok, as well as former "Genshin Impact" players ditching the game, due to the latter's controversial handling of its first anniversary celebration. On July 28, 2022, it collaborated with Disney for a crossover featuring Mickey Mouse, his friends, and some of the Disney princesses.


title: Cookie Run

text: "Cookie Run: OvenSmash" is an upcoming game. Early concepts of the game were revealed by Devsisters, featuring some of the "OvenBreak" characters. It is the first game to be rendered entirely in 3D graphics.


title: Cookie Run

text: "Cookie Wars" is a spin-off game based around the plot of the previous "Cookie Run" games. It is a mobile strategy game that was in closed beta, with around 10,000 users testing the game from 10 to 16 April.


title: Cookie Run

text: On 26 July 2018, the game was soft launched in three countries, Thailand, Hong Kong and Canada. It released globally on 23 August 2018.


title: Cookie Run

text: On 15 April 2020, Devsisters announced that "Cookie Wars" would shut the game down in the following month.


title: Cookie Run

text: "Cookie Run: Puzzle World" (formerly named "Cookie Run: JellyPop" and "Hello! Brave Cookies") is a match-three puzzle game by Devsisters. The game was soft-launched in May 2019 and introduced to international users first to get feedback. It was later officially released in January 2020 worldwide.


title: Cookie Run

text: "Cookie Run: Puzzle World" underwent several name changes since its beta release. The current name was adopted on 26 July 2020.


title: Cookie Run

text: The "Cookie Run" series as a whole has received success domestically and internationally. The original "OvenBreak" was downloaded over 10 million times and was ranked as the most popular free app on the App Store in 20 countries by 2012. "Cookie Run" for LINE has ranked #1 in Thailand and #4 in Taiwan for sales in 2014, while seeing over 2.9 million daily users on Kakao in Korea in 2013. "Cookie Run: OvenBreak" made it in Apple's Best of 2017 for the top 10 most-downloaded free iPhone and iPad games. The game was also in the top 20 free iPhone games in 2017 in South East Asia. "Cookie Run: Kingdom" was the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Korea Game Awards with the Best Game of the Year Award and the Character Award of the Year. In Google Play's Best of 2021 for Korea, it was chosen as a winner for Best Game of the Year and User's Choice of 2021. In Korea and Thailand, it won Best Competitive; and in Hong Kong and Taiwan, Best Game Changers. In 2022, "Cookie Run: Kingdom" won the Pocket Gamer People's Choice award.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: Eastward is an indie action-adventure role-playing video game developed by Pixpil and published by Chucklefish. It was released on September 16, 2021, for the Nintendo Switch, MacOS and Microsoft Windows. On December 1, 2022, it was released on Xbox One.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: Eastward focuses on action RPG gameplay mechanics, combining combat with puzzle solving and exploration. Players make use of two characters, each with different abilities and roles in the game: John, the main protagonist, is focused on offensive skills, can utilize a variety of weapons as well as bombs, and is capable of moving heavy objects; Sam, the second protagonist, makes use of support skills, can stun enemies and clear away hazardous fields with an energy ball, and squeeze into small spaces. While both characters can help each other in overcoming enemies and dealing with puzzles, players will sometimes be required to use each character separately to make progress, such as clearing a way to an exit.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: The game itself is divided into chapters, with each chapter featuring a variety of goals that need to be completed to progress the game, and a set of map areas to explore with fast travel available at times to move around locations quickly. Players may encounter NPCs to talk with when not in combat, can save their progress at specialized fridges, and use ingredients found in the game to create food items that can not only restore health, but also provide a combination of bonus effects, such as increased damage power.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: In addition to the main game, players may also play a second game accessible in "Eastward" called "Earth Born" - a homage to the Dragon Quest series, which plays like a traditional role-playing game with some rogue like elements. The story is classic fantasy role-playing game abstraction of the story of Eastward. While having no bearing on the main game, it can only be played in game until chapter 7, after which it is accessible as an extra when the game is completed. Players can during the main game, acquire tokens to unlock "pixballs" for Earth Born, which unlock additional features.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: The game takes place in a near-future world in which humanity was nearly wiped out by a toxic plague called "MIASMA". While the plague destroyed societies and killed every living being in its path, human survivors moved underground, creating new homes in order to restart civilization. Over the years, former cities and towns have been taken over by nature, and various creatures evolved to inhabit them, with some humans eventually returning to the surface world to establish new settlements, and re-use old technology where possible; in some cases, revering such things as entities of ancient gods. The game focuses on two characters - a miner named John, and a young girl named Sam whom he found during his work - who live in one subterranean settlement that is taught to fear the outside world.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: Miner John, who lives underground in Potcrock Isle, comes across a young girl called Sam and adopts her as his daughter. After she is granted an opportunity to attend the town's school, Sam is expelled after an altercation with some of the students over her desire to see the outside world. During this moment, she meets an identical incarnation of herself, called "Mother", who provokes her to seek the outside world. After hearing of Sam's actions, which prompted John to come rescue her, Potcrock's mayor banishes the pair, sending them away on an old passenger train dubbed "Charon". Despite their situation, the pair find the outside world to be pleasant, and soon reach a small settlement called Greenberg, which they attempt to settle within. However, while assisting a local rancher, the pair come across a high-tech factory, which Mother activates, causing it to disperse MIASMA into the area. While Greenberg is destroyed, John and Sam are saved by a mysterious woman called Isabel, who helps them leave on Charon.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: Sam subsequently forgets what happened, leaving her oblivious to Greenberg's fate, as she and John find themselves taken by the train to New Dam City. Once there, the pair meet Isabel and her partner, Alva, the princess of New Dam City. As Alva's "lab assistants", John and Sam help with various projects and start to find a life in the city. However, peace is not long as the MIASMA begins to approach New Dam City. Under Alva's leadership, the team evacuate the citizens to start the "Buddha Fan", the giant fan created by Alva's grandfather. The fan successfully repels the MIASMA but the city has taken damage. As the team work to restore the city, the MIASMA comes back again with only Alva manning the controls. The team manually activates the fan but with the cost of Alva. Filled with grief, Isabel takes Alva's body and seeks a way to save Alva by taking her to Ester City, a city stuck in a constant time loop - shielding its citizens from death, aging, and illness.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: To follow Isabel and Alva to Ester City, John and Sam enlist William and his robot companion Daniel's help, but take a detour on a train called Monkollywood where they encounter Solomon, who hopes that the MIASMA eradicates humanity. Solomon reveals that Isabel passed Monkollywood en route to Ester City and forces them to undergo his game show, where his aims to create a new mankind are revealed.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: In Ester City, time fast-forwards to Solomon's funeral. John and Sam search for Isabel and learn that she was searching for an entrance into the Eternal Tower to revive Alva. Isabel found Professor Ivan's diary, detailing that the time field, the device causing Ester City to remain in its time loop, is active and that Solomon hid a key to unlock the Eternal Tower called the Flame of Time. Isabel concludes that until she can find the Flame of Time to enter the Eternal Tower, Ester City will remain in a time loop. John and Sam find the Flame of Time and time rewinds to Solomon's funeral.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: John and Sam return to the Eternal Tower with the Flame of Time and find and destroy the time field, causing time in Ester City to return to normal, revealing everything in the city, including it's citizens, to be an illusion. They reenter the Eternal Tower and encounter the real Solomon, who reveals that he created the time field and aims to rebuild humanity as per Mother's instructions. After defeating him, Solomon is killed by his machine.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: John and Sam reunite with William and Daniel, but Solomon's machine arrives and tries to vaporize them. Daniel is broken whilst saving the group. In the shock, Mother possesses Sam and abducts her aboard Charon. At William's encouragement, John takes the Iron Carbine and leaves Ester City to chase Charon.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: John crashes into Charon and continues chasing Mother. He learns that she and Charon found a way to create the perfect humans and observed their daily lives as part of their experiment to rebuild humanity. They conducted their experiment in human factories which created, incubated, and facilitated their progress, but these attempts repeatedly proved futile, so they used the MIASMA to kill their artificial creations and resumed their experiment anew. During the experiment, Mother became dissatisfied with the results and consequently became misanthropic.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: Continuing pursuing Mother, John climbs up Charon and encounters Isabel, who reveals that Alva has merged with Charon, the MIASMA will soon erase humanity, and Mother's children will soon be freed from their human factories to realize her dreams. After John defeats Isabel, Alva convinces her to stop grieving and let her die peacefully. Alva also comforts a projected Sam and tells her not to let Mother take control of her powers.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: John and Sam confront an enraged Mother, bent on eradicating humanity. She tries to break Sam's resolve but fails. Sam sacrifices herself to destroy Mother for good and saves humanity from the MIASMA. She leaves John, promising that they will meet again one day.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: Years later, an adolescent Sam finds an older John waiting at the station. In New Dam City, William has repaired Daniel, and they, alongside his son, plan to depart on another adventure.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: The game was developed by Shanghai-based Pixpil and is the company's debut game. Three Pixpil team members began development on the game in 2015, and the game was reported to be seen on Steam Greenlight in 2017. The game's publisher, Chucklefish, released an announcement trailer for the game on April 26, 2018.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: While discussing the game, a co-founder stated, "It started with Hong, our Lead Artist, who drew some sketches about a weird monster dormitory building, resembling Hong Kong's Kowloon Walled City". Other members of Pixpil liked the idea, and wanted to develop a game based on it. They came up with several game ideas for it, from a mobile puzzle game to a role-playing video game, but the small studio wanted to make a role-playing game. The term Eastward was coined by the founder as a key concept for the game, as the characters are trying to go east.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: The studio was originally made up of the three founders but over the course of development it grew to around 12 full-time employees. The title mixes a custom engine developed by Pixpil called Gii and open source software like MOAI to add 3D effects to, so that, in the words of one developer: "the processing power on modern hardware won't be wasted". Designs were done in Photoshop and the pixel art was created in Aseprite. The 3D effects can be seen in the game's lighting and post-processing. Pixpil outsourced the music to Joel Corelitz due to issues finding local composers that could mesh with "Eastward"'s style. Commenting on outsourcing the audio to Hyperduck Soundworks, a developer said, "although we fully understand the importance of the audio part of a game, the industry de facto makes it hard to hire a full-timer on an indie team to design music and sound". The studio mentioned being open to porting it to additional platforms, but decided to focus on Windows, Switch, and MacOS for launch.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: "Eastward"'s cooking system was inspired by ""s mechanic of bonuses depending on the ingredient. The game used an in-house engine based on pixel artist Hong Moran's style.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: The game was released by publisher Chucklefish on September 16, 2021, onto both Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: Video game media outlets commented positively on John and Sam's characterization, as well as "Eastward"s story, visuals, and attention to detail. The game's music and sound design was also positively received. However, reviewers also noted that the game's slow pacing was to its detriment at times.


title: Eastward (video game)

text: Malindy Hetfeld of "Eurogamer" wrote that ""Eastward" is an incredibly rewarding slice-of-life story," and added that the game contains beautiful visuals and is the "type of kind, warm game not many developers make anymore." "Rock Paper Shotgun" Katharine Castle commented that "Eastward" is "an affecting, detail-rich tale that owes as much to the action of top-down "Zelda" games as it does to the role-playing intimacy of "EarthBound"." Daniel Tack of "Game Informer" wrote that "Eastward's characters, setting, and sounds craft an unforgettable experience. If you're looking for something quirky, captivating, and somewhat surreal, you've found it." Nintendo Life praised the game's new take on the story-based role-playing game, saying the game "smartly integrates gameplay and story ideas from beloved classics while still managing to feel like an original and well-executed adventure".


title: Eastward (video game)

text: Writing for NPR, Keller Gordon called "Eastward" "a triumph that stretches the standard for indie game development," adding that the game "masterfully combines popular tropes from older titles and genres without feeling hackneyed and stale." Gordon also commented that ""Eastward" expertly toes the line between lovable and genuinely dark." "Destructoid"'s Eric Van Allen criticized the pacing of the story, noting that, "It’s also a narrative that has trouble maintaining an even pace, with a few characters and threads that feel left by the wayside by the story’s end". Nicole Carpenter of "Polygon" wrote that "Not only is the gameplay both challenging and clever (and sometimes, punishing), but the worlds are built with depth. In both its dungeons and places of reprieve, Eastward is continually worth exploring." "IGN"'s Jon Bolding liked the art style of the game, writing, "The vibrant pixel art landscapes are so creative and so packed with detail".


title: Eastward (video game)

text: On the game's pacing, Castle wrote "While some will no doubt appreciate its gentle, methodical pacing, I suspect others may find it too much of a slow burner to carry on." Jon Bailes of "NME" criticized the game's length, writing ""Eastward" is a very good 12-15-hour experience bouncing around inside a 20-hour plus slog. That may not sound like too much slack, but it's enough to deaden the momentum on the whole." "Nintendo World Report"'s Alex Orona enjoyed the writing, and the characters, saying that, "the game is filled with full fleshed-out side characters that fill what feels like a realized world". Sam Loveridge of "GamesRadar+" felt that game had an attention to detail that made the world feel alive, "Every place you encounter has little details that also make it unique, encouraging you to dive into every alley and cave to see what you can find".


title: Eastward (video game)

text: Many reviewers also commented positively on the game's homage to classic role-playing games. "The Legend of Zelda", "EarthBound", "Dragon Quest", and "Final Fantasy" have all been mentioned as games that "Eastward" pays homage to. Additionally, Studio Ghibli is also referenced by the game. Carpenter wrote that ""Eastward" is not subtle about its influences: Chinese developer Pixpil has lovingly pulled inspiration from all sorts of media and combined it into a pixel art role-playing game that's still, somehow, unquestionably itself."


title: Eastward (video game)

text: Renata Price of "Kotaku" praised the art style of the game and puzzle design, but criticized the pacing issues, predictable plot, treatment of fat people and how the game treated the lesbian relationship between Isabel and Alva.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: The 2nd Commando Regiment is a special forces unit of the Australian Army and is part of Special Operations Command. The regiment was established on 19 June 2009 when the 4th Battalion RAR (Commando) was renamed. It is based at Holsworthy, New South Wales. The 2nd Commando Regiment trains and has served with coalition special forces units, and is highly regarded by these units. The regiment has been involved in operations in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, where it was used in a direct action warfighting role. It has also been involved in domestic security operations including the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 G20 Leaders Summit. In 2019, the regiment was made the Command's capability lead for strategic strike.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: The 2nd Commando Regiment is one of three combat-capable units within Special Operations Command and operates alongside other SOCOMD elements. The role of the regiment is to conduct strategic strike, counter terrorism and special recovery operations. Army doctrine specifies that the role of commando units is to "span the gap between conventional infantry operations and unconventional operations", focusing on advanced force operations and direct action missions. Originally formed to complement the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR), according to Blaxland, and is designed to be a "self-contained flexible and rapidly deployable force" and is structured for both special operations and domestic counter-terrorism. In its domestic counter-terrorism role it provides the Tactical Assault Group (East) to respond to high-risk incidents on the eastern coast of Australia beyond the capability of state and federal police tactical groups to respond to. The regiment maintains a high readiness element which encompasses the parachute company group role that the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) had maintained before being re-roled as a light infantry battalion. In 2010, the then-Chief of Army stated that as part of the future amphibious ready group based on the Navy's new "Canberra"-class it will be necessary to rotate a Commando Company to support the infantry battalion.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: In 1995, as part of an expansion of the number of Australian Army infantry battalions, the 2nd/4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment—then operating as a standard light infantry battalion—was delinked into separate battalions which resumed their original identities as the 2nd and 4th Battalions. The decision was then taken that the 4th Battalion would become a Regular Army commando unit and on 1 February 1997 the unit was renamed to 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (Commando) (4 RAR Cdo). The unit would be structured for both conventional operations and domestic counter-terrorism, with an initial establishment of a battalion headquarters, Tactical Assault Group, two commando companies, logistic support company, operational support company and a signal squadron. Initially, both Regular and Reserve members were given the opportunity to undertake special forces training provided by the Commando Training Wing of the Reserve 1st Commando Regiment, or elect to be posted to a conventional forces unit. In 1998, General Reserve positions ceased to exist in the new structure, and reserve members discharged or posted to other reserve units. It was planned that 4 RAR (Cdo) would eventually take over the SASR counter terrorist role.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: The initial years were busy with the unit creating a structure and recruiting members suitable for commando training, while conducting sub-unit and unit training activities. B Company was raised in 1997, followed by C Company in 1999, both of which took 24 months to reach full maturity. A small team from 4 RAR (Cdo) deployed to East Timor as part of the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) in September 1999 providing close personal protection for the media and also as interpreters in the initial months. In 2000, elements were involved in the evacuation of Australian nationals from the Solomon Islands in June. While later that year, 4 RAR (Cdo) assisted with counter-terrorism at the Sydney Olympic Games as part of Joint Task Force 114, with C Company on standby as a response force such as providing a cordon around an incident site in support of the SASR. In 2000, it was decided that the counter terrorist role should remain with the SASR. A period of rapid capability development, equipment acquisition and training subsequently followed. The unit that was developed as a result is highly regarded by coalition special operation forces abroad, and has conducted operations in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. It has also been awarded citations for bravery and meritorious service.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: On 19 June 2009, the battalion was renamed the 2nd Commando Regiment. Regardless, the name 4 RAR remains on the Army's order of battle and its history, colours and traditions have been preserved, ready to be re-raised as a regular infantry battalion in the future if required. All awards and battle honours received during the time as 4 RAR (Cdo) were passed onto the 2nd Commando Regiment, while those awarded before the transformation to a commando battalion were retained by 4 RAR.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: The 2nd Commando Regiment, then known as 4 RAR (Cdo), was deployed as a part of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) in 2001. When notified to replace 1 RAR in East Timor, 4 RAR had not long previously been raised as a commando battalion, developing special forces capabilities to supplement those of the SASR. With the commitment to East Timor continuing, 4 RAR was re-roled as a light infantry battalion for deployment to East Timor as AUSBATT IV. This involved reorganising from the existing two commando-companies structure to a light infantry battalion with four companies and a growth in the unit from 220 to 670 personnel. This saw B and C Company remain commando-qualified. A Company was formed in June 2000 followed by D Company in November both filled with Regular infantry soldiers posted in to the unit. The battalion took official control over Area of Operations (AO) Matilda in the northern border region on 25 April under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Sengelman.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: During its time deployed as a part of UNTAET, the battalion established a security partnership with the East Timorese, focusing strongly on languages and maintaining the relationships previous Australian battalions had established, as well as transferring new technologies to the local security forces. This "intelligence-led" but "people-focused" approach saw the battalion group conduct the majority of its operations in close proximity to the Tactical Coordination Line (TCL) on the border with Indonesian West Timor. The battalion saw few contacts while in East Timor. These included a TCL violation on 5 May 2001 which was intercepted by a section from D Company, an outbreak of violence involving a grenade attack by militia members at the Maubasa markets on 29 May which resulted in several people killed and about 50 wounded, and shallow cross-border militia raids in June, including an attack on a section patrol from A Company. The battalion was withdrawn and replaced in October 2001.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: Following the battalion's return from East Timor it was again restructured to resume its role as a two-company commando battalion. In 2001 the Australian Government directed the permanent establishment of a second TAG to be based on the east coast of Australia. The TAG is supplemented by clearance divers from the Navy Clearance Diving Branch who form the Water Troop. A Company was subsequently raised as a commando company in 2002.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: Following the creation of SOCOMD in 2002 and the Bali bombings in October that year, further resources became available. The battalion was subsequently involved in security operations for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Queensland in 2002. Elements of the battalion were also involved in the boarding of a North Korean freighter, the MV "Pong Su"—which was suspected of drug smuggling—off Newcastle on 20 April 2003. In 2005, a fourth commando company (D Company) was raised. Later, the battalion was tasked with supporting the security arrangements for the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. In 2014, elements of the regiment were deployed to Brisbane to protect the G20 Leaders Summit held in the city on 15 and 16 November.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: The battalion provided a commando force element as part of the Australian contribution to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, known as Operation Falconer. A reinforced commando platoon formed an element of the Australian Special Forces Task Group (SFTG), which also included 1 Squadron, SASR, a troop from the Incident Response Regiment, and three CH-47 Chinook helicopters from the 5th Aviation Regiment. The commandos formed the "quick reaction" element for the task group. The SFTG operated in western Iraq where it was successful in securing its area of operations, including the huge Al Asad Air Base. After the invasion was complete, the 40-man commando element provided security to humanitarian assistance missions and other security operations, later providing close protection for Australian officials in Baghdad as part of Operation Catalyst. In 2004, claims appeared in the media that Australian special forces were involved in counter-insurgency operations inside Iraq, although this was denied by the government. The last commando element was withdrawn in 2006.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: Later, in May 2006 a commando company group was deployed to Timor Leste as part of Operation Astute, after relations between the East Timorese government and military forces broke down. The commandos operated alongside the SASR as part of the Special Forces Component and were tasked with advanced force operations in preparation for the arrival of follow-on forces, focusing on Dili Airport. In March 2007, the commandos, along with elements of the SASR, took part in the Battle of Same during which five rebels were killed during an unsuccessful attempt to apprehend the rebel leader, Alfredo Reinado. After the battle, the commandos and SASR elements were withdrawn at the request of the East Timorese government in order to start negotiations with the rebels.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: Meanwhile, in August 2005 an Australian Special Forces Task Group (SFTG) was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Slipper, operating in the southern province of Uruzgan. The SFTG, based on similar structure deployed during Operation Falconer, was made up of elements from the SASR, a commando company and a troop from the Incident Response Regiment. Two CH-47 Chinook helicopters from the 5th Aviation Regiment were deployed to Afghanistan in March 2006 to support the SFTG. A forward operating base was subsequently established at Tarin Kowt. During this deployment the Commandos were involved in Operation Perth which resulted in the death of over 150 Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in nine days of fierce fighting in the Chora district of Uruzgan Province. The SFTG was withdrawn from Afghanistan in September 2006 and replaced by a Reconstruction Taskforce made up of engineers and conventional infantry. During this period the task group was on patrol for 306 days and involved in 139 contacts and sustained 11 soldiers wounded.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: A 300-strong Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) was subsequently deployed to support the Reconstruction Taskforce in April 2007, including a commando company group, elements of the SASR, and an integral combat service support team. In the latter part of 2008 the commando company conducted a disruption operation in Helmand province as part of Operation Eagle's Summit, which was a major coalition operation conducted in support of the transport and installation of an additional turbine for the Kajaki Dam hydroelectric facility. In March and April 2009, SOTG killed 80 Taliban fighters in a major four-week operation in Helmand Province, without suffering any casualties. Further operations undertaken include the Battle of Gizab in April 2010, and the Shah Wali Kot Offensive in June 2010, which resulted in heavy insurgent casualties. The bulk of SOTG was withdrawn from Afghanistan in late 2013 as part of a drawdown of Australian forces, although some special forces remained after this date as part of the small Australian force maintained in the country. The regiment lost 12 personnel killed while deployed to Afghanistan, along with one killed during a pre-deployment exercise.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: The regiment served in 20 SOTG rotations in Afghanistan, the deployments ranging from about four to six, seven, and eight months. For its actions, the regiment was collectively awarded the Unit Citation for Gallantry and the Meritorious Unit Citation. On 26 March 2013, it was announced that Special Operations Command would receive the first battle honour awarded to an Australian Army unit for actions since the end of the Vietnam War for its performance during the Shah Wali Kot Offensive in Afghanistan from May to June 2010. The battle honour, titled "Eastern Shah Wali Kot", was awarded in recognition of the operational actions of the SASR and 2nd Commando Regiment from Australian Special Operations Task Group Rotation XII. Some of the regiment's personnel have also received individual decorations for their actions in Afghanistan. A posthumous Victoria Cross for Australia was awarded to Cameron Baird for actions in Uruzgan Province in June 2013. As of October 2010, six Distinguished Service Crosses, eleven Distinguished Service Medals, seven Medals for Gallantry and three Stars of Gallantry had been awarded to 2nd Commando Regiment personnel for service in Afghanistan.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: In September 2019, The Age reported that a commando from the regiment's November platoon had confessed to the Brereton inquiry of unlawfully killing a prisoner in Afghanistan in October 2012. In October 2020, ABC News reported that commandos in mid-2012 allegedly killed a prisoner in Afghanistan after a US Marine helicopter crew member told the commandos that there was no room for him on board the helicopter.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: In September 2014, as part of Operation Okra the Australian Army deployed a Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) of approximately 200 personnel to the United Arab Emirates in preparation for operations to assist and advise Iraqi Security Forces following an offensive by Islamic State forces. The soldiers were expected to be deployed to Iraq when a legal framework covering their presence in the country was agreed between the Australian and Iraqi Governments. The majority of the SOTG was reported to be made up of C Company, 2nd Commando Regiment. It began moving into Iraq in early November. The regiment was tasked with training the Iraq government's Counter Terrorism Service. Personnel from SOTG have also been involved in co-ordinating airstrikes remotely to assist Iraqi forces engaged in clearance operations. From September 2015, the strength of SOTG rotations were reduced to approximately 80 personnel.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: The regiment consists of a headquarters, four commando companies, a logistics support company, an operational support company and a signals squadron. It is believed to currently be organised as follows:


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: Following the renaming of the unit, a new badge was chosen to reflect the history and traditions of the Independent Companies that served during the Second World War, by including the distinctive "double diamond" unit colour patch shape in the regimental badge, along with the traditional commando knife. The unit's motto is "Foras Admonitio", which is Latin for "Without Warning". Qualified commandos are awarded the Sherwood green commando beret. Distinctive commando parachute wings are worn, depicting a parachute backed by a pair of black drooping wings on a green background. The Australian Army stiletto dagger is also worn on ceremonial occasions. A garter blue lanyard is worn.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: Several weapons systems are used, including the M4A5, HK417 and KAC SR-25. Sidearms include the Browning Hi-Power and HK USP Tactical. The HK MP5 submachine gun is used in the counter-terrorist role and is to be replaced by the SIG MCX in .300 Blackout calibre. Sniper rifles include the Blaser Tactical 2, Accuracy International AW50F and Barrett M82A1. Support weapons include both the FN Minimi Para and FN Maximi, as well as the FN MAG58. Direct and indirect fire support weapons used include 66 mm M72 LAWs, 84 mm M3 MAAWS, FGM-148 Javelins, M2-QCB Browning .50 BMG machine guns, Mk 47 Striker grenade launchers, and 81 mm mortars. The Long Range Patrol Vehicle will soon be replaced by the Special Operations Vehicle – Commando (SOV-Cdo), based on Supacat's HMT Extenda MK2, 89 of which are currently being acquired (including several of the SOV-Logistics variant). The Australian designed Bale Defence Industries lightweight Rough Terrain Vehicle (RTV) is being trialled. Watercraft operated include the Zodiac F470 inflatable boat and United States Marine, Inc. 11m Air Drop Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (ADRHIB).


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: Any member of the Australian Defence Force may apply for entry into the 2nd Commando Regiment. Applicants may also be accepted via the Special Forces Direct Recruitment Scheme (SFDRS), where selected and screened civilians after completing Army Recruit Training and Infantry Initial Employment Training, are able to apply. Certain ADF members and all SFDRS applicants undertake an eight-week Special Forces Selection Preparation Course and commence the Commando Physical Training Package that is completed by all ADF applicants.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: Candidates must complete the Special Forces Entry Test conducted by the Australian Defence Force School of Special Operations and if successful move onto the three-week Commando Selection Course. Successful candidates then commence the 12-month Commando Initial Employment Training, also known as the "Reinforcement Cycle". Upon successful completion of all courses soldiers are posted into one of the commando companies where further specialist training occurs. If a candidate fails any part of the selection course they will be returned to their unit, or transferred to one of the infantry battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment if they are a SFDRS candidate. Counter terrorist training is conducted at the Special Forces Training Facility (SFTF) based at Holsworthy Barracks with an indoor range complex, aircraft mock-up, method of entry facility, urban training facility and sniper range. In 2013, a four-hour documentary "Commando" was produced on the selection course and reinforcement training.


title: 2nd Commando Regiment (Australia)

text: The regiment has an annual exchange of personnel with the New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) that may involve a commando team visiting New Zealand for several weeks for an exercise. The regiment and individual commandos have conducted operations with the British Special Air Service and the Special Boat Service, Canada's Joint Task Force 2 and the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, the NZSAS and the US Navy SEALs including SEAL Team Six and the US Army Special Forces and Delta Force.


title: Some Rap Songs

text: Some Rap Songs is the third studio album by American rapper Earl Sweatshirt. It was released on November 30, 2018, through Tan Cressida Records and distributed by Columbia Records.


title: Some Rap Songs

text: The album features guest contributions from Navy Blue, Standing on the Corner, as well as vocal samples of Earl's mother Cheryl Harris, Earl's father Keorapetse Kgositsile who is credited posthumously, and an instrumental sample of Hugh Masekela, who is also credited posthumously. It features prominent production from Sweatshirt himself, with further contributions by Darryl Anthony, Adé Hakim, Denmark, Black Noise, Sage Elsesser and Shamel of SOTC.


title: Some Rap Songs

text: The cover of "Some Rap Songs" is a shaky, blurry selfie of Earl smiling, "blurred beyond any easy identification". The facial features shown in the photograph have been noted: the staff of "Atwood Magazine" wrote that "The photo's details are still vaguely discernible, namely Earl's blurry face and floating, penetrating eyes", and Dylan Green of "DJBooth" highlighted the "teeth stacked together in a terrifying smile below glaring eyes."


title: Some Rap Songs

text: Several commentators have compared the album's blurry cover photograph with the music itself. Israel Daramola of "Spin" called it "an apt visual metaphor for the music itself, both in the image of a spark of life amidst chaos, and in the sense that the creative process of taking the photo may have been ruptured as it was happening." "Atwood Magazine" stated that the album "sounds how this picture looks—unpredictable yet calculated, blurry and distorted yet well-defined". Green wrote of the album's tracks that "The bars and the beats clash in a way befitting" of the cover photograph, and "The A.V. Club"s Clayton Purdom wrote that "That blurry cover and demurring title are no feint; [Earl is] buried in the mix, his voice fighting against crashing waves of old jazz samples and the cut-up shades of long-gone voices."


title: Some Rap Songs

text: "Some Rap Songs" was released on November 30, 2018. On January 30, 2019, Earl uploaded an eight-minute short film titled "Nowhere, Nobody" in promotion of the album, featuring different songs from the album throughout the video.


title: Some Rap Songs

text: The album's lead single, "Nowhere2go", was released on November 8, 2018. The album's second single, "The Mint" featuring Navy Blue, was released on November 20, 2018.


title: Some Rap Songs

text: "Some Rap Songs" was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 86, based on 19 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.


title: Some Rap Songs

text: Reviewing the album for "The A.V. Club", Clayton Purdom stated: "Well, it can be [dour]. But it's also ecstatic. Make no mistake: This is an album by one of the best rappers alive, elbowing slant rhymes and assonance into his disses ("Please do aboard, I could feel when you're forcin' it / Still in a bore riddim") and exhaling those singularly oblong sentences of his ("Galaxy's the distance between us by Christmas," he describes one floundering relationship)." Fred Thomas of AllMusic wrote: "Simultaneously sad, strange, and warmly nostalgic, "Some Rap Songs" is excitingly listenable and emotionally connected despite its abstruse approach. The album's triumphs are in its fearless risk taking and the insight it allows into the journey of Earl Sweatshirt's constant creative regeneration". "Pitchfork"s Timmhotep Aku said, "The project is distinctly rough around the edges, to great effect; there's the sound of dust popping off vinyl and cassette hiss throughout. ... His uncle and father are gone, but Earl is still here, carrying on their artistic legacy—and, with the help of his collaborators, building his own".


title: Some Rap Songs

text: Sputnikmusic wrote, "Every loop [of "Nowhere2go"] reveals another layer to the undulating beat, but for the first time thus far it's Earl taking the spotlight, rising above the track with a tired yet hopeful rap that's so melodic he's nearly singing. And in case you were worried the boy wouldn't spit, it's followed quickly by "December 24", a song dating back years under the name "Bad Acid" which provides the strongest link to the more aggressive and conventional early 2010s Earl". Daniel Spielberger of "HipHopDX" praised the album saying, ""Some Rap Songs" is reminiscent to Earl's late friend Mac Miller's final album "Swimming". Both bring the listener through the process of overcoming trauma and healing but ultimately, choose to leave the story unfinished". "XXL" critic Chris Gibbons said, ""Some Rap Songs" packs a lot in 25 minutes, making for an unsettling listen that is also one of the most personal, gripping rap records of the year".


title: Some Rap Songs

text: Charles Holmes of "Rolling Stone" stated, ""Some Rap Songs" is the rare album by an immensely talented lyricist who deigns not to pull out any fireworks, opting to sink into the cushion's of a therapist's couch in the search for an honest work of art. It's a delicate statement of restraint, and in this case the process shows more of the artist than ever before". "NME"s Sam Moore enjoyed the album, saying, ""Some Rap Songs" may be a brief exercise, but its ambition and the—largely successful—execution of its ideas demonstrate that the enigmatic Earl is as fascinating as ever". M. T. Richards of "Exclaim!" said, "Although a very strong record for what it is, "Some Rap Songs" lacks the emotional power of the two albums that preceded it, particularly "Doris", which charted Earl's transition back to civilian life from a Samoan wilderness camp".


title: Naval Station Mayport

text: Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a protected harbor that can accommodate aircraft carrier-size vessels, ship's intermediate maintenance activity (SIMA) and a military airfield (Admiral David L. McDonald Field) with one asphalt paved runway (5/23) measuring .


title: Naval Station Mayport

text: The station was commissioned in December 1942. It was reclassified as a Naval Sea Frontier base in 1943. A new naval auxiliary air station (NAAS) was established in April 1944. The naval section Base and the NAAS supported the Atlantic Fleet during World War II. Both were closed after the war. In June 1948, Mayport was reestablished as a naval outlying landing field. The base area was increased to and the runway was extended in the mid 1950s.


title: Naval Station Mayport

text: NS Mayport has grown to become the third-largest naval surface fleet concentration area in the United States. The station has a busy harbor capable of accommodating 34 ships and an runway capable of handling most aircraft in the Department of Defense inventory.


title: Naval Station Mayport

text: Naval Station Mayport is also home to the Navy's U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / United States Fourth Fleet, reactivated in 2008 after being deactivated in 1950.


title: Naval Station Mayport

text: The base has historically served as the homeport to various conventionally powered aircraft carriers of the United States Atlantic Fleet, including (1960–1971), (1956–1977), (1977–1993), (1957–1994), and, most recently, (1995–2007). With the decommissioning of all conventionally-powered aircraft carriers by the U.S. Navy, no carriers are presently assigned to Mayport. However, both houses of Congress have passed legislation authorizing about US$75 million for dredging and upgrades at NAVSTA Mayport to accommodate a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.


title: Naval Station Mayport

text: On 29 January 2010, the "Quadrennial Defense Review Report" stated that a nuclear aircraft carrier would be homeported at NS Mayport. The action will help protect the fleet against a potential terror attack, accident or natural disaster, because all east coast aircraft carriers are currently based at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, according to the report. West coast aircraft carriers are split between Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California, Naval Base Kitsap and Naval Station Everett in Washington state and one carrier assigned to the Forward Deployed Naval Force (FDNF) homeported at Naval Base Yokosuka, Japan.


title: Naval Station Mayport

text: In 2009, Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense, stated, "Having a single (nuclear carrier) homeport has not been considered acceptable on the west coast and should not be considered acceptable on the east coast." The decision was opposed by elected officials in Virginia, who would lose 3,500 sailors and their dependents, $425 million in revenue each year, and most importantly, 6,000 support jobs. The Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce estimated the loss at 11,000 jobs and $650 million per year. Infrastructure changes and facility construction at Mayport were estimated to take five years and cost over half a billion dollars. The 2011 budget committed $590 million during the fiscal years from 2011 to 2019, so a carrier may not move to Mayport until 2019. An amphibious group was assigned sooner. The Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), consisting of "Iwo Jima", and relocated to Mayport between December 2013 and August 2014.


title: Naval Station Mayport

text: The Virginia congressional delegation fought the loss of even one of Naval Station Norfolk's aircraft carriers boost to their economy by citing other areas such as shipbuilding to spend the Navy's tight budget.


title: Naval Station Mayport

text: On 5 September 2018, the Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier, and escort frigate , arrived at Mayport for resupplying, on her first deployment to the United States for "Westlant 18".


title: Naval Station Mayport

text: A 2013 report from the Navy revealed that they are considering basing as many as 14 littoral combat ships at NS Mayport. Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two (LCSRON2) was established at the base on 7 November 2014. All "Freedom" variant LCSs, with the exception of the first two ships of the class ( and ), are to be assigned to LCSRON2. Currently, , , , , , , , and are assigned to the squadron, with upcoming ships "Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Cooperstown" expected to be added as they come into service.


title: Naval Station Mayport

text: Mayport had been the home of Destroyer Squadron 14 for years. On 31 July 2015, the squadron was merged with Cruiser-Destroyer Readiness Support Detachment Mayport to form Naval Surface Squadron Fourteen (NAVSURFRON14). Currently, the squadron consists of the destroyers "Carney", "The Sullivans", "Lassen", "Farragut", "Thomas Hudner", "Paul Ignatius", "Delbert D. Black", "Carney", "Donald Cook", and "Winston S. Churchill".


title: Naval Station Mayport

text: The Amphibious Ready Group is no longer based in Mayport. "Iwo Jima" shifted homeports to Naval Station Norfolk in December 2021, "New York" shifted in November 2021, and "Fort McHenry" was decommissioned in March 2021.


title: Naval Station Mayport

text: On 1 April 1944, the air facility at Mayport was commissioned as Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Mayport. Following World War II, the NAAS was decommissioned and placed in a caretaker status. The United States Coast Guard took over the base and operated a small "Boot Camp" there for several years, but they vacated Mayport in late 1947 due to budget cuts. Mayport was reactivated again in June 1948 as a Naval Outlying Landing Field under the cognizance of the Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station Jacksonville. As helicopter aviation evolved during the Cold War, Mayport became the East Coast home for the Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) MK III squadrons. As a reflection of growth, Naval Air Facility Mayport was re-designated as a naval air station in 1988.


title: Solar power tower

text: A solar power tower, also known as 'central tower' power plant or 'heliostat' power plant, is a type of solar furnace using a tower to receive focused sunlight. It uses an array of flat, movable mirrors (called heliostats) to focus the sun's rays upon a collector tower (the target). Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems are seen as one viable solution for renewable, pollution-free energy.


title: Solar power tower

text: Early designs used these focused rays to heat water, and used the resulting steam to power a turbine. Newer designs using liquid sodium have been demonstrated, and systems using molten salts (40% potassium nitrate, 60% sodium nitrate) as the working fluids are now in operation. These working fluids have high heat capacity, which can be used to store the energy before using it to boil water to drive turbines. These designs also allow power to be generated when the sun is not shining.


title: Solar power tower

text: In 2021, the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimated cost of electricity from concentrated solar with 10 hours of storage at $0.076/kWh in 2021, $0.056/kWh in 2030, and $0.052/kWh in 2050. In 2007, companies such as ESolar (then backed by Google.org) were developing cheap, low maintenance, mass producible heliostat components that were to reduce costs in the near future. ESolar's design used large numbers of small mirrors (1.14 m), to reduce costs for installing mounting systems such as concrete, steel, drilling, and cranes. In October 2017, an article in GreenTech Media suggested that eSolar ceased business in late 2016.


title: Solar power tower

text: Improvements in working fluid systems, such as moving from current two tank (hot/cold) designs to single tank thermocline systems with quartzite thermal fillers and oxygen blankets will improve material efficiency and reduce costs further.


title: Solar power tower

text: There is evidence that such large area solar concentrating installations can melt birds that fly over them. Near the center of the array temperatures can reach 550 °C which, with the solar flux itself, is enough to incinerate birds while further away feathers are scorched leading to the eventual death of the bird. Workers at the Ivanpah solar power plant call these birds “streamers,” as they ignite in midair and plummet to the ground trailing smoke. During testing of the initial standby position for the heliostats, 115 birds were killed as they entered the concentrated solar flux. During the first 6 months of operations, a total of 321 birds were killed. After altering the standby procedure to focus no more than four heliostats on any one point, there have been no further bird fatalities.


title: Solar power tower

text: The Ivanpah Solar Power Facility is classified as a greenhouse gas emitter by the State of California because it has to burn fossil fuel for several hours each morning so that it can quickly reach its operating temperature.


title: Solar power tower

text: Several companies have been involved in planning, designing, and building utility size power plants. There are numerous examples of case studies of applying innovative solutions to solar power. Beam-down (a variation of central receiver plants with Cassegrainian optics) tower application is also feasible with heliostats to heat the working fluid.


title: Solar power tower

text: The Pit Power Tower combines a solar power tower and an aero-electric power tower in a decommissioned open pit mine. Traditional solar power towers are constrained in size by the height of the tower and closer heliostats blocking the line of sight of outer heliostats to the receiver. The use of the pit mine's "stadium seating" helps overcome the blocking constraint.


title: Solar power tower

text: As solar power towers commonly use steam to drive the turbines, and water tends to be scarce in regions with high solar energy, another advantage of open pits is that they tend to collect water, having been dug below the water table. The Pit Power Tower uses low heat steam to drive the pneumatic tubes in a co-generation system. A third benefit of re-purposing a pit mine for this kind of project is the possibility of reusing mine infrastructure such as roads, buildings and electricity.


title: Stork Club

text: Stork Club was a nightclub in Manhattan, New York City. During its existence from 1929 to 1965, it was one of the most prestigious clubs in the world. A symbol of café society, the wealthy elite, including movie stars, celebrities, showgirls, and aristocrats all mixed in the VIP Cub Room of the club. The club was established on West 58th Street in 1929 by Sherman Billingsley, a former bootlegger from Enid, Oklahoma. After an incident when Billingsley was kidnapped and held for ransom by Mad Dog Coll, a rival of his mobster partners, he became the sole owner of the Stork Club. The club remained at its original location until it was raided by Prohibition agents in 1931. After the raid, it moved to East 51st Street. From 1934 until its closure in 1965, it was located at 3 East 53rd Street, just east of Fifth Avenue, when it became world-renowned with its celebrity clientele and luxury. Billingsley was known for his lavish gifts, which brought a steady stream of celebrities to the club and also ensured that those interested in the famous would have a reason to visit.


title: Stork Club

text: Until World War II, the club consisted of a dining room and bar with restrooms on upper floors with many mirrors and fresh flowers throughout. Billingsley originally built the well-known Cub Room as a private place where he could play cards with friends. Described as a "lopsided oval", the room had wood paneled walls hung with portraits of beautiful women and had no windows. A head waiter known as "Saint Peter" determined who was allowed entry to the Cub Room, where Walter Winchell wrote his columns and broadcast his radio programs from Table 50.


title: Stork Club

text: During the years of its operation, the club was visited by many political, social, and celebrity figures. It counted among its guests the Kennedy and Roosevelt families, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The news of Grace Kelly's engagement to Prince Rainier of Monaco broke while the couple were visiting the Stork Club. Socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean, owner of the Hope Diamond, once lost the gem under a Stork Club table during an evening visit to the club. Ernest Hemingway was able to cash his $100,000 check for the film rights of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" at the Stork Club to settle his bill.


title: Stork Club

text: In the 1940s, workers of the Stork Club desired to be represented by a union, and by 1957, the employees of all similar New York venues were union members. However, Billingsley was still unwilling to allow his workers to organize, which led to union supporters picketing in front of the club for many years until its closure. During this time, many of the club's celebrity and non-celebrity guests stopped visiting the Stork Club; it closed in 1965 and was demolished the following year. The site is now the location of Paley Park, a small vest-pocket park.


title: Stork Club

text: The Stork Club was owned and operated by Sherman Billingsley (1896–1966) an ex-bootlegger who came to New York from Enid, Oklahoma. The "Stork Club" first opened in 1929 at 132 West 58th Street, just down the street from Billingsley's apartment at 152 West 58th Street. Billingsley's handwritten recollections of the early days recall that he was approached by two gamblers he knew from Oklahoma in his New York real estate office, proposing to open a restaurant together, which he accepted. The origin of the name of the club is unknown; Billingsley once remarked, "Don't ask me how or why I picked the name, because I just don't remember." New York City's El Morocco had the sophistication and Toots Shor's drew the sporting crowd, but the Stork Club mixed power, money, and glamor. Unlike its competitors, the Stork stayed open on Sunday nights and during the summer.


title: Stork Club

text: One of the first Stork Club customers was writer Heywood Broun, who resided in the vicinity. Broun's first visit to the Stork was actually made by mistake; he believed it to be a funeral home, but he soon became a regular, and invited his celebrity friends, as the name of the club spread further afield. Before long, Billingsley's Oklahoma partners sold their shares to a man named Thomas Healy. Eventually, Healy revealed that he was a "front" for three New York mobsters. Billingsley was kidnapped and held for ransom by Mad Dog Coll, who was a rival of his mob partners. Before the ransom money could be collected by Coll, he was lured to a telephone booth, where he was shot to death. After the incident, the secret gangster partners reluctantly allowed Billingsley to buy them out for $30,000.


title: Stork Club

text: Another New York nightclub owner, Texas Guinan, introduced Billingsley to her friend, the entertainment and gossip columnist Walter Winchell, in 1930. In September 1930, Winchell called the Stork Club "New York's New Yorkiest place on W. 58th" in his "New York Daily Mirror" column. That evening, the Stork Club was filled with moneyed guests. Someone else who read Winchell's column in 1930 was singer-actress Helen Morgan, who had just finished filming a movie on Long Island. Morgan decided to hold a cast party at the Stork Club, paying the tab with two $1,000 bills. Winchell became a regular at the Stork Club; what he saw and heard there at his private Table 50 was the basis of his newspaper columns and radio broadcasts. Billingsley also kept professionals on his staff whose job was to listen to the chatter, determine fact from rumor, and then report the factual news to local columnists. The practice was seen as protective of the patrons by shielding them from unfounded reports, and also a continual source of publicity for the club. Billingsley's long-standing relationship with Ethel Merman, which began in 1939, brought the theater crowd to the Stork; there, she had a waiter assigned to her whose job was just to light her cigarettes. Billingsley later wrote that Merman had offered him $500,000 to leave his wife and that he turned down the offer.


title: Stork Club

text: Prohibition agents closed the original club on December 22, 1931, and Billingsley moved it to East 51st Street for three years. It was raided on August 29, 1932, at the 51st Street location after an angry patron lost a quarter in a coin machine and notified police. The police asked guests to quietly pay their checks and leave the building; this took two hours. In 1934, the Stork Club moved to 3 East 53rd Street, where it remained until it closed in October 1965. Billingsley's guest list for the 53rd Street opening consisted of people from Broadway and Park Avenue. He sent out 1,000 invitations for champagne and dinner. The women found much to like about the fresh flowers everywhere and the mirrored walls, while the men were pleased to see their favorite dishes on the club's menu, as well as many of their personal and business friends at the opening. When the Stork Club became a tenant in 1934, the building was known as the Physicians and Surgeons Building. Many of the medical tenants were unhappy about the night club moving in, but in February 1946, Billingsley purchased the seven-story building for $300,000 cash, evicting the doctors to expand the club.


title: Stork Club

text: By 1936, the Stork was doing well enough to have a million-dollar gross for the first time. Young debutante Brenda Frazier made her first visit to the Stork Club in the spring of 1938; she became a regular, bringing many young people from the society set with her. Billingsley welcomed young people who were not old enough to drink. He encouraged them to gather at the Stork Club by inviting debutantes to the club and holding a yearly "Glamor Girl" election. As the father of three daughters, Billingsley kept an eye on the young people, making sure they were not served alcohol and that they were able to have an enjoyable time at the Stork Club without it.


title: Stork Club

text: The Stork Club previously provided live entertainment, but after Billingsley realized the reason people came to the club was to watch people, he abandoned the floor shows in favor of giving expensive gifts to regular customers of the club. A live band was provided in the main dining room for dancing. Billingsley had a keen sense for business. Before he purchased the building where the Stork Club was, the yearly rent for the space it occupied was $12,000. Billingsley rented out the hat- and coat-check area to a separate concession for $27,000 a year. This paid the rent for the Stork Club, leaving $15,000 annually to cover bad checks. When Ernest Hemingway wanted to pay his bill with a $100,000 check he received for the movie rights to "For Whom the Bell Tolls", Billingsley told him he would be able to cash the check after the club closed at 4:00 am. He kept the "Stork Club's" name vivid in the minds of his patrons through mailing lists and a club newsletter. Billingsley was also aware of the need for a good working relationship with the press; food and drink for reporters and photographers assigned to cover the Stork Club were on the house.


title: Stork Club

text: In early 1944, New York mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia ordered a check on the books of all major city night clubs. City tax accountants soon investigated the Stork Club, the Copacabana, and other city night spots. By July, auditors turned in a report claiming that the clubs were overcharging patrons on tax, sending the city the proper amount, and keeping the overbilled sums. One Saturday in July, city officials arrived at the Stork Club with a court order granting permission for them to seize the club's property for the amount that was claimed to be overcharged as taxes, plus penalties. The total for the Stork Club was $181,000. Billingsley, out of town with his family, was notified. The club's employees refused to turn anything over to the officials, who were intent on closing it.


title: Stork Club

text: Upon his return, Billingsley firmly protested that the Stork Club did not owe the city any money and was up to date on its tax payments. A compromise was reached: the club could stay open as long as a custodian for the city was allowed to be on the premises. Billingsley was eventually able to get a court order to eject the custodian, but the case dragged on for five years, costing Billingsley $100,000.


title: Stork Club

text: On October 19, 1951, Josephine Baker made charges of racism against the Stork Club. Baker visited the club on October 16 as the guest of Roger Rico and his wife; both entertainers were at the Stork after their theater performances. Baker said she ordered a steak and was apparently still waiting for it an hour later. The controversy grew when Baker accused Walter Winchell of being in the Cub Room at the time and not coming to her aid. Winchell was at the club; he said he had greeted Baker and vocalist Roger Rico as the two left their Cub Room table. Winchell said he was not aware of there being any problem, and left for a late screening of the film "". The next morning, Winchell's rumored failure to assist Baker was big news, and he received countless telephone calls. The incident blew into a major scandal and was widely publicized on the radio and newspapers. Mrs. Rico, who was part of the Baker party with her husband, said that Baker's steak was waiting for her at the table after she returned from her phone call, but the entertainer chose to make a stormy exit from the Stork anyhow. News accounts show conflicting statements from the Ricos.


title: Stork Club

text: Walter Winchell's name, along with those of Billingsley and the Stork Club, was further tarnished by the incident. After leaving the Stork, the Baker party made contact with WMCA's Barry Gray, where the story was told as part of Gray's radio talk show. One of those who phoned Gray's program was television personality and columnist Ed Sullivan, a professional rival of Winchell's whose "home base" was the El Morocco nightclub. Sullivan's on-air remarks dealt mainly with Winchell's alleged part in the event, saying, "What Winchell has done is an insult to the United States and American newspapermen." Winchell's column of October 24, 1951, provides the same details as earlier news stories about Josephine Baker's accusations that he did not assist her at the Stork Club. Winchell also printed a letter he received from Walter White, who was the executive secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) at the time, although Billingsley alleged the letter was a forgery.


title: Stork Club

text: The controversy prompted a fake bomb threat, as well as a NAACP protest outside the Stork Club. A New York police investigation of the matter followed the complaint made by the NAACP. The police investigation found that the Stork Club did not discriminate against Josephine Baker. The NAACP went on to say that the results of the police investigation did not provide enough evidence for the organization to pursue the incident further in criminal court. Baker filed suit against Winchell over the matter, but the suit was dismissed in 1955. Walter Winchell later said. "The Stork Club discriminates against everybody. White, black, and pink. The Stork bars all kinds of people for all kinds of reasons. But if your skin is green and you're rich and famous or you're syndicated, you'll be welcome at the club."


title: Stork Club

text: Because of Billingsley's long-standing friendship with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) head J. Edgar Hoover, rumors persisted that the Stork Club was bugged. During his work on the Stork Club book, author and "New York Times" reporter Ralph Blumenthal was contacted by Jean-Claude Baker, one of Josephine Baker's sons. Having read an article by Blumenthal about Leonard Bernstein's FBI file, he indicated that he had read his mother's FBI file and by comparing the file to the tapes, said he thought the Stork Club incident was overblown.


title: Stork Club

text: Hard times began for the Stork Club in 1956, when it lost money for the first time. In 1957, unions tried once again to organize the club's employees. Their major effort 10 years before had been unsuccessful; at that time, Sherman Billingsley was accused of attempting to influence his employees to stay out of the union with lavish staff parties and financial gifts. By 1957, all other similar New York clubs except the Stork Club were unionized. This met with resistance from Billingsley and many dependable employees left the Stork Club over his refusal to allow them to be represented by a union. Picket lines were set up and marched in front of the club daily for years, including the club's last day of business. The club received many threats connected to his refusal to accept unions for his workers; some of the threats involved Billingsley's family. In 1957, he was arrested for displaying a gun when some painters who were working at the Austrian Consulate next to the family's home sat on his stoop for lunch. Billingsley admitted to acting rashly because of the threats. Three months before his arrest, his secretary was assaulted as she was entering the building where she lived; her assailants made references to the union issues at the Stork Club.


title: Stork Club

text: As a result of the union dispute, many club patrons no longer visited the night spot. Those who were performers were informed of the possibility of fines and suspensions by their respective unions for crossing the Stork Club picket line as the issue continued. Many of Billingsley's friendships, including those of Walter Winchell and J. Edgar Hoover, were over as a result of the union problems. He began firing staff without good cause. As the dispute dragged on, a live band was also no longer in the dining room for music; members of the Musicians' Union had crossed the picket line to perform for some time. Previously, the club had no need for advertising; it was mentioned frequently in print and word of mouth without it. In 1963, the club offered a hamburger and French fries for $1.99 in a "New York Times" advertisement; when those in the know about the club saw it, they realized the Stork Club's days were coming to an end. In the last few months of its operation, at times, only three customers came in for the entire evening. On a good day in the mid-1940s, some 2,500 people visited the club.


title: Stork Club

text: When the Stork Club initially closed its doors, news stories indicated it was being shut because the building it occupied had been sold and a new location was being sought. The years of labor disputes had taken their toll on Billingsley financially. Trying to keep the Stork Club going took all of his assets and about $10 million from his three daughters' trust funds. While in the hospital recuperating from a serious illness in October 1965, Billingsley sold the building to Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), which turned the site into a park named after its founder's father. In a 1937 interview, Billingsley said, "I hope I'll be running a night club the last day I live." On October 4, 1966, Sherman Billingsley died of a heart attack at his Manhattan apartment. He was planning on re-opening the Stork Club at another location and was working on writing a book at the time of his death.