title: Denzil Smith

text: Smith has acted in many Indian television serials as well as international tele-series. Prominent ones include ITV's Beecham House which is Gurinder Chadha's Indian period piece, Netflix's "Delhi Crime" directed by Richie Mehta on the Nirbhaya gang rape tragedy, renewed for Season 2. Smith also played the therapist in Amazon Prime's sitcom "Mind the Malhotras" (2019) and "P.O.W.- Bandi Yuddh Ke" (2016-2017) on Star Plus for which he won 2017 Indian Television Academy Awards Best Actor in a Negative Role. In 2019, Netflix and BBC cast Smith to play the father of serial killer Charles Sobhraj in their eight-part series "The Serpent".


title: Denzil Smith

text: Smith is also in an episode of "Made in Heaven (TV Series)" (2019) on Amazon Video, "C.I.D." (1997-2013) on Sony, "Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin" (2012-2014), "Hansa: A Love Story", "Rishtey" and "Time Bomb 9/11" on Zee TV, The Sword of Tipu Sultan (1990) on Doordarshan, "The Return of Sandokan" on Italian National TV, and "Samvidhaan: The Making of the Constitution of India" (2014) produced by Rajya Sabha TV and directed by Shyam Benegal.


title: Denzil Smith

text: Smith regularly lends his voice for various radio dramas, documentaries and advertisements. His voice has been featured in "Tiger's Eye" and "The Mrichhakatikaa" for BBC Radio, and on Personality Hour for Times FM.


title: Denzil Smith

text: Has also dubbed in Hindi feature films like "Hanuman", "House of Flying Daggers", "The Boolean Conspiracy", "Up", "Bolt", "James and the Giant Peach", "Amar Chitra Katha", "A Bugs Life", "Shoot at Sight", "Making of The Mahatma", "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Red Cliff". He has done and several voiceovers for commercials, corporate films and documentaries.


title: Denzil Smith

text: Smith’s love of music – Jazz in particular – has translated into being a regular host of jazz festivals, music and other events. He regularly hosts Jazz tribute concerts on International Jazz Day at the National Centre for the Performing Arts and Blue Frog in Mumbai. He also co-hosted the META awards in 2014 with Perizaad Zorabian.


title: Denzil Smith

text: Smith has been involved in charities such as Avehi Abacus. He also conducts voice workshops in theatre institutes and colleges in India.


title: Denzil Smith

text: Smith founded Stagesmith Productions in 2006 with an aim to produce Indian English Theatre rooted in homegrown narratives. Its first production, titled "Jazz", starred actor Bhargava Krishna, saxophonist Rhys D’souza, and featured musical compositions by Merlin D’Souza. The play opened to a full-house at the Prithvi Theatre Festival in 2007, and won a 'Best Actor' award for Krishna at the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards in 2008. The play has also been credited with laying the seed for Fernandes' now-iconic book on the history of Jazz music in India and Goan Jazz musicians in Bombay’s film industry – "Taj Mahal Foxtrot: The Story of Bombay’s Jazz Age".


title: Denzil Smith

text: In 2015, StageSmith revived "Jazz", and renamed it "Bombay Jazz" with Smith himself playing the mentor – an amalgamation of jazz musicians Sebastian D’Souza, Chris Perry, Micky Correa, Chic Chocolate (also known as Louis Armstrong of India) Frank Fernand and Anthony Gonsalves – with saxophonist Rhys Sebastian D’Souza playing the mentee.


title: Denzil Smith

text: In 2016, StageSmith created a new production "Poetrification" dubbed as "Your moment to get smashed by some poetry & music." In the performance, Denzil Smith, Danish Husain, and a musician craft a performance of poetry, music, and banter. Denzil performs pieces by English poets from the sub-continent - Dom Moraes, AK Ramanujan, Jeet Thayil, Arundhathi Subramaniam - while Danish recites Urdu poets - Ghalib, Noon Meem Rashed, Faiz, Zehra Nigah, Afzal Ahmed Syed. Through this, Adil Manuel or Beven Fonesca weave words with music.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: Minnetonka ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. A western suburb of the Twin Cities, Minnetonka is located about west of downtown Minneapolis. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 53,781.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: Minnetonka is the home of Cargill, the country's largest privately owned company, and UnitedHealth Group, the state's largest publicly owned company. Interstate 494 runs through the city while Interstate 394 (U.S. Route 12) and U.S. Route 169 are situated along the suburb's northern and eastern boundaries respectively.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: Since the mid-19th century, Minnetonka has evolved from heavily wooded wilderness through extensive farming and industrialization to its present primarily residential suburban character. The Minnetonka area was home to the Dakota and Ojibwe Native American tribes before Euro-Americans arrived in the 1800s. They believed Lake Minnetonka ("mni" meaning water, and "tanka" meaning big, anglicized to Minnetonka) and the land around it to be sacred. The first recorded exploration of the area by Euro-Americans was in 1822, when a group from newly constructed Fort Snelling made its way up Minnehaha Creek (then known as Brown's Creek or Falls Creek) to the lake. In 1851, the Dakota sold the area including Minnetonka to the United States with the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux. The first census, the Territorial Census of 1857, lists 41 households. Twenty-nine of the heads of households are listed as farmers. The occupations of the remaining twelve are associated with the operations of Minnetonka Mill and a nearby hotel.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: In 1852, a claim was staked on Minnehaha Creek near McGinty Road. The sawmill that was constructed in the thick woods of maple, oak, elm, red cedar and basswood was the first privately operated mill in Minnesota west of the Mississippi River. Oak timbers from this mill were used to build the first suspension bridge across the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in 1853. The settlement of Minnetonka Mills that grew up around the mill was the first permanent European–American settlement west of Minneapolis in Hennepin County. In 1855, a two-story sawmill was constructed with a furniture factory on the second floor. A building for varnishing furniture was built on the south side of the creek, at the present Bridge Street. Production consisted mainly of chairs and bedsteads.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: In 1860, after only 8 years of operation, the sawmill closed. In 1869, a flour and grist mill were constructed and operated until the late 1880s. In 1874, Charles H. Burwell came to manage the Minnetonka Mill Company, and he built a Victorian home on the north bank of Minnehaha Creek (Minnetonka Boulevard at McGinty Road East) for his family. The Charles H. Burwell House is now on the National Register of Historic Places and is owned by the city. There were two other mills in Minnetonka: the St. Alban's Mill, which was less than downstream from Minnetonka Mills on Minnehaha Creek, operated as a flour mill from 1874 to 1881. A grist mill built on Purgatory Creek was washed out in a flood shortly after construction. Minnetonka Mills, with its post office and port for Lake Minnetonka, was the principal business and trading center for a large area until the 1870s.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: Between 1883 and 1956, the area within the original township grew smaller as Wayzata, Hopkins, Deephaven, Woodland and Saint Louis Park incorporated or annexed portions of then-Minnetonka Township.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: Until as late as the 1960s, many portions of Minnetonka were still rural in character, with horse pasture and farms. Those final areas have since been developed with the city now a fully developed suburban community.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Part of the city includes the eastern tip of Lake Minnetonka, one of the largest lakes in Minnesota. The outlet of Lake Minnetonka is Minnehaha Creek, which winds through south Minneapolis and flows over Minnehaha Falls and into the Mississippi River. Minnetonka is located west of Minneapolis, in Hennepin County.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: The headquarters of Carlson are in Minnetonka. The headquarters of Cargill are located in Minnetonka and are in the Wayzata Post Office area. Founded in 1865, Cargill is the largest privately held corporation in the U.S. in terms of revenue. Other companies based in Minnetonka include Digital River, Radisson Hotel Group, and the uniform companies AmeriPride Services and G&K Services.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: The city of Minnetonka is covered by three independent school districts. The Hopkins School District, which encompasses the central and eastern part of Minnetonka; the Minnetonka School District, in the western part of city north of Lake Minnetonka; and the Wayzata School District, which covers an area along the northern boundary of the city. Some students attend public schools in other school districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: The Minnetonka School District also includes four schools outside of the city of Minnetonka: Deephaven Elementary School (Deephaven), Excelsior Elementary School (Excelsior), Minnewashta Elementary School (Shorewood), and Minnetonka Middle School West (Chanhassen).


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: The Hopkins School District comprises two-thirds of the city of Minnetonka, the entirety of Hopkins, and portions of the cities of Golden Valley, Edina, St. Louis Park, Wayzata, and Plymouth. In addition to schools located within Minnetonka, the Hopkins School District also includes four schools in the cities of Hopkins and Golden Valley:


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: Eisenhower Elementary School/Xin Xing Academy (Hopkins), Alice Smith Elementary School (Hopkins), Meadowbrook Elementary School (Golden Valley), and Harley Hopkins Early Childhood/Family Center (Hopkins).


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: The Hennepin County Library has its headquarters in the Ridgedale Library in Minnetonka. The system also operates the Minnetonka Library.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: As of the census of 2010, there were 49,734 people, 21,901 households, and 13,619 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 23,294 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.0% White, 3.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: There were 21,901 households, of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.8% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.85.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: The median age in the city was 45 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 33.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: As of the census of 2000, there were 51,301 people, 21,393 households, and 14,097 families living in the city. The population density was 1,893.0 persons per square mile (729.7/km). There were 22,228 housing units at an average density of 818.9 per square mile (316.2/km). The racial makeup of the city was 94.40% White, 1.50% African American, 0.20% Native American, 2.29% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.28% of the population. 24.7% were of German, 13.8% Norwegian, 9.1% Irish, 8.2% Swedish and 6.7% English ancestry.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: There were 21,393 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of single individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.92.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: The City Council of Minnetonka consists of the mayor and six council members. Of the six council members, two are elected at large and the remaining four are elected from wards. The council exercises the legislative power of the city and determines all matters of policy. It has the responsibility of basic decisions for the community, including appointment of the city manager. The city manager is responsible for putting council policies into effect and administering affairs of city government.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: The United States Postal Service operates the Minnetonka Post Office and the Minnetonka Carrier Annex. In addition, Minnetonka is served by four zip codes: one representing Minnetonka (55345), two representing Hopkins and Minnetonka (55305, 55343) and one representing Wayzata (55391).


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: Minnetonka is located in Minnesota's 3rd congressional district, represented by Democrat Dean Phillips.


title: Minnetonka, Minnesota

text: The Minnetonka Millers, a Class A baseball club, became state champions in 2015, 2016, and 2017. The Millers play at Veterans Field, located on the campus of Minnetonka High School.


title: Stefon

text: Stefon Meyers ("né" Zolesky), simply referred to as Stefon, is a character created by Bill Hader and former "SNL" writer John Mulaney, played by Hader on "Saturday Night Live", who appeared as the New York City correspondent for "Weekend Update" with Seth Meyers. Meyers introduced Stefon as a guide who knows all about New York and asks him for tips on essential destinations and events for visitors. Stefon recommends unusual clubs and parties with bizarre characters and very specific tastes, described as "visions a dying gay man would have if he was under too many blankets", "nightmares of a crystal-meth addict", or a "coked-up gay Candyland"; these outlandish descriptions often resulted in Hader breaking character.


title: Stefon

text: Stefon's segments were inspired by real people Hader and Mulaney had encountered. One was a club promoter who sent Mulaney an e-mail about a club that "had everything," including "rooms full of broken glass" as one of the highlights. The character's mannerisms were based on a barista at a coffee shop in Chelsea, Manhattan, that Hader frequented, whose look and talking style inspired the creation of Stefon. Mulaney decided that Stefon should wear an Ed Hardy shirt, under the assumption that it was made of latex and looked like something out of the Macaulay Culkin and Seth Green film, "Party Monster". Stefon's hair was inspired by the characters in that film, "specifically based in popup club culture in New York City circa 2007".


title: Stefon

text: Initially, Stefon appeared in a 2008 sketch with Ben Affleck titled "Movie Pitch with Stefon," with Stefon portraying the outrageous brother of Affleck's more serious character, David Zolesky; however, the idea "barely worked as a sketch," said Bill Hader. "It was a long walk to get to what the sketch was about."


title: Stefon

text: The character was instead introduced as a correspondent on "Weekend Update" the following season, after an invitation from the head of the segment. According to Seth Meyers, "It was a lot easier to just say, 'Hey, here's Stefon.'" During the production for his first appearance on "Weekend Update", on the April 24, 2010 episode, Mulaney assumed it would be cut after rehearsal. He stated, "It was so weird that I so assumed it would be cut, and I said, 'When you cut this, can we try it again?' We just thought it was not going to be liked by anyone." However, the character became immensely popular.


title: Stefon

text: Often Hader can be seen suppressing fits of laughter (known as "breaking" or "corpsing"), as some of the more outlandish descriptions are new to him; he does this by covering his face with his hands. Hader, on late-night TV interviews, said that this happens with such frequency because changes are often made to the script up until the live show, and frequently Hader does not see the final cue cards until the live broadcast. Mulaney would deliberately change bits of lines just before Hader went on as Stefon and, as a result, some of the more outrageous things that Stefon says are relatively or completely new to Hader. "I have not gotten through a single Stefon update without breaking," Hader says. "Still working on it."


title: Stefon

text: After being unable to perform the character without breaking for two and a half years, Hader successfully remained in character as Stefon during the season finale of the show's 36th season, with host Justin Timberlake. However, this appearance was much briefer than his others, with his appearance only lasting about 30 seconds. According to Hader, it is "completely ironic" that he played a character like Stefon, because he avoids loud places such as clubs.


title: Stefon

text: Stefon's last regular appearance on "SNL" was on May 18, 2013, due to Bill Hader's leaving the show. When Meyers' "Late Night" premiered on February 24, 2014, a Stefon matryoshka doll with a veil embellishment, originally hand-crafted by matryoshka artist Irene Hwang and commissioned for a crew holiday gift, was unveiled as part of the decor of Meyers' desk. Mulaney began writing a Stefon feature film before he left "SNL". The film was intended to be a mockumentary, showing Stefon visiting different New York hotspots as a correspondent for "Weekend Update". Mulaney wanted to cast director Garry Marshall as Lorne Michaels. However, the film never moved beyond an initial writing stage.


title: Stefon

text: Stefon is a flamboyantly gay "city correspondent" for "Weekend Update". He appears to be always nervous, as indicated by how he can never keep his hands still and constantly rubs them together. Stefon always touches his face and hair, and it seems like he has frequent anxiety attacks. A possible explanation for this is his excessive consumption of recreational drugs. Stefon is very knowledgeable about parties and nightclubs featuring very bizarre themes and characters, which he recommends when host Seth Meyers asks for suggestions for tourists, much to Meyers' frustration. Stefon is apparently infatuated with Meyers; he expresses disappointment when Meyers mentions his girlfriend, and has stated that he envies Meyers' mother for changing his diapers as a child.


title: Stefon

text: According to the May 7, 2011, episode of "Saturday Night Live", his mother is named Ms. Stefon, and his father is David Bowie. In the October 20, 2012, episode, he mentions that he has a dog named Bark Ruffalo. He lives in a trashcan outside the RadioShack at 23rd and 7th. Stefon wears gaudy Ed Hardy shirts, multiple rings, and an asymmetrical, highlighted haircut.


title: Stefon

text: Stefon, the City Correspondent on "Weekend Update", is introduced by Seth Meyers and is asked for recommendations for tourists. Stefon's dialogue always begins with "New York’s hottest club is …" and then he starts listing the outlandish patrons that you can meet at this club. He is frequently interrupted by Seth Meyers, who asks for more family-friendly destinations, but Stefon only continues talking about increasingly ludicrous New York clubs with suggestive or nonsensical names (Crease, Gush, Push, Booooooooof ["with nine O's"], Spicy, Kevin?, Whimsy, Your Mother and I Are Separating, PANTS!, etc.).


title: Stefon

text: Security, entertainers, and clientele at the venue are surreal, implied to be from hyper-specific or obscure subcultures, which an impressed Stefon usually introduces by complimenting "this place has "everything"". Bouncers include: jacked-up homeless guys in period swimming costumes, Hobocops (homeless RoboCops), a bulldog who looks like Wilford Brimley, and a rabbi who looks like Joaquin Phoenix. Passwords for some of the clubs include "My wallet? YEEEEAH, RIGHT!" ("the last words of murdered blues legend Sweet Willie Walker"), "Diabetes" (said in a Wilford Brimley voice) and onomatopeias. When mentioning the club's typical patrons, he lists outlandish characters such as screaming babies in Mozart wigs, puppets in disguise, an Albino who looks like Susan Powter, Puppets practicing Karate, sunburned drifters with soap bubble beards, and groups of guys with afros in graduation caps. Underground celebrities to be found at the venues include Blingo (Black Ringo), Jewish Dracula Sidney Applebaum, nine-year-old Tokyo pimp Ichi Yakaguro and 300-pound Chinese baby deejay, DJ Baby Bok Choy.


title: Stefon

text: When describing the club's attractions, Stefon repeatedly uses vague faux pop culture portmanteaux and slang terms including "Jewpids" (Jewish Cupids), "Furkels" (fat Urkels) and "Teddy Graham people" ("...when a guy has the stumpy arms but with the belly"). Stefon also frequently mentions objects personified by little people ("human fanny packs," "human traffic cones," "human fire hydrants," "human boomboxes," "human suitcases," "human kites", "human R2-D2s", "human piñatas", "human Roombas" (also called "Hoombas") and "human Magic 8 balls."), which he originally referred to as "midgets". When Seth Meyers pointed out in one segment that the term "midget" was politically incorrect, Stefon corrected himself and referred to them as "fun-sized"; in a 2018 guest appearance alongside Colin Jost and Michael Che, Stefon brought his lawyer Shy (John Mulaney) to the segment to advise him the correct term was "little people". The club owners Stefon describes are almost always malapropisms of famous celebrities' names, e.g., Snoozin Lucci, Jew Diamond Phillips, Tranderson Cooper, Baloney Danza, Fat Sajak, Gay Liotta, Gay Dunaway, Tranny Oakley, D-bag Chopra, and Blow J. Simpson. His style comes close to absurdist humor, mocking New York City's notorious Club Kid scene.


title: Stefon

text: Stefon made his last recurring "Weekend Update" appearance on Season 38 Episode 21 on May 18, 2013. After Stefon's usual comment on "New York's hottest club", Meyers again criticized his recommendations, making Stefon flee out of NBC Studios to get married. Seeing the error of his ways, Seth goes after him to the wedding at the Marble Collegiate Church on Fifth Avenue only to find out that Stefon is marrying Anderson Cooper. Seth goes in after Stefon and takes him away from the wedding back to Studio 8H, where they proclaim their love for each other.


title: Stefon

text: The guests at the wedding included many of the weird types of people Stefon has mentioned during his "Weekend Update" segments, including: Black George Washington as the minister, a puppet in disguise (ALF in a trenchcoat), human traffic cones and a human fire hydrant, HoboCops, Jewpids, infamous gay running back Blowjay Simpson, a group of guys with afros and graduation caps, grown men in wedding dresses, jacked homeless guys in period bathing suits, Gizblow the coked-up Gremlin, Furkel (fat Steve Urkel), evil chef Wario Batali, Germfs (German Smurfs), Jewish Dracula Sidney Applebaum, a screaming geisha, Hanukkah cartoon character Menorah the Explorer, and DJ Baby Bok Choy. Ben Affleck makes a cameo appearance reprising his role as Stefon's brother, David Zolefsky. After Seth and Stefon return to the studio, various "Weekend Update" characters gathered to congratulate them, including: David Paterson (Fred Armisen), Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy (Vanessa Bayer), Drunk Uncle (Bobby Moynihan), Arianna Huffington (Nasim Pedrad), The Devil (Jason Sudeikis), Jean K. Jean (Kenan Thompson), Ann Romney (Kate McKinnon) and The Girl You Wished You Didn't Start a Conversation with at a Party (Cecily Strong) along with Amy Poehler. Seth refers to them as Seth and Stefon Meyers and closes out "Weekend Update".


title: Stefon

text: In his first guest appearance, Stefon returned to "Weekend Update" in a guest appearance along with Amy Poehler to bid Meyers adieu in his final "Weekend Update", as Meyers prepared to become the new host of "Late Night". Stefon's jokes included that the world (outside "SNL") "has everything...", such as homeless weightlifters that look like The Croods, Japanese daredevil YOLO Ono and human DVRs, to which Stefon replied "It's that thing where a midget sits on your TV and tells you what happened on "Scandal". And like a regular cable box, it goes down all the time". Before Seth's final "Weekend Update" goodbye, he acknowledged Stefon as his husband. In this appearance, Hader again broke character after the human DVR joke.


title: Stefon

text: During Hader's first time hosting "SNL", on October 11, 2014, Stefon recommended clubs for tourists interested in autumn in New York. The sketch was co-written by John Mulaney, who worked on it with Hader over Skype and texted new jokes to the writers to once again surprise Hader, who barely began the sketch before having to cover his face from laughing. Hader had particular trouble staying in character due to each club Stefon recommended including at the end of its list of features Dan Cortese (mispronounced "Dan Cortez" due to a misspelling on Mulaney's part). Stefon referenced his now-husband Meyers by explaining that he was at home "practicing sitting behind a desk," and ended the sketch by announcing he was pregnant.


title: Stefon

text: As part of "Saturday Night Live"s 40th Anniversary Special, Edward Norton appeared as Stefon during the special's 40th anniversary-themed "Weekend Update". Feeling like Norton was failing his impression, Stefon appeared to try to guide him into doing the correct hand gestures. After that, Meyers appeared behind both Norton and Stefon and briefly mentioned their unnamed children.


title: Stefon

text: During Hader's second time hosting, on March 17, 2018, three years after his last appearance, Stefon returned to "Weekend Update" for a St. Patrick's Day-themed segment of his New York City recommendations, which included multiple references to recent Academy Award-winning films, Farrahchauns (leprechauns that look like Farrah Fawcett) and human squatty potties. Stefon, who usually uses the term "midget" to describe his bizarre recommendations, chose not to use it in order to not be insensitive and consulted his attorney and conceptual piss artist named Shy (played by John Mulaney, who co-created Stefon) for a better term, ultimately using "little people". Mulaney caused Hader to break character yet again by whispering into his ear during his brief appearance, "My girlfriend works at Yoshinoya Beef Bowl." Stefon also made a reference to spouse Seth Meyers' "A Closer Look" segment at "Late Night".


title: Stefon

text: In December 2011, Hader (as Stefon) and Seth Meyers made an appearance at A Funny Affair for Autism benefit.


title: Stefon

text: In the November 10, 2012 episode, hosted by Anne Hathaway, Stefon did not appear, but Hathaway made a joking reference to playing him.


title: Oh Mercy

text: Oh Mercy is the 26th album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on September 12, 1989, by Columbia Records. Produced by Daniel Lanois, it was hailed by critics as a triumph for Dylan, after a string of poorly reviewed albums. "Oh Mercy" gave Dylan his best chart showing in years, reaching on the "Billboard" charts in the United States and in the UK.


title: Oh Mercy

text: The composition of the songs at Dylan's home in Malibu and the recording of the album in New Orleans are described by Dylan in detail in the "Oh Mercy" chapter of his memoir "". Engineer Mark Howard noted that Dylan had previously attempted to record the songs with Ronnie Wood but was dissatisfied with the results: "There’s a whole version of "Oh Mercy" that was recorded with Ron Wood already. But I think Dylan had maybe decided he didn’t like what had happened". In the spring or summer of 1988, U2 singer Bono put Dylan in touch with producer Daniel Lanois and the two agreed to work together although the recording sessions would not commence until early 1989. Dylan biographer Clinton Heylin notes that Dylan finished recording the basic tracks for the album on March 29, 1989 but added new vocals (and other overdubs) for almost all the tracks the following month.


title: Oh Mercy

text: In their book "Bob Dylan - All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track", authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon call "Oh Mercy" "a renaissance" for Dylan and write of the recording sessions: "The arrangements are very reminiscent of "Yellow Moon" by the Neville Brothers, and Dylan eventually got familiar with this particular atmosphere. Lanois claimed "Oh Mercy" was a record you listen to at night because it was 'designed at night': 'Bob had a rule, we only recorded at night. I think he's right about that: the body is ready to accommodate a certain tempo at nighttime. I think it's something to do with the pushing and pulling of the moon. At nighttime we're ready to be more mysterious and dark. "Oh Mercy" is about that'. He added that if there was one lesson he learned from Dylan, it was working relentlessly while searching first and foremost for efficiency and speed. And he concluded, "'Oh Mercy" was two guys on a back porch, that kind of vibe'. As for the songwriter, he recognized 'There's something magical about this record' and felt sincere admiration for the work of the Canadian producer'".


title: Oh Mercy

text: During a "Sound Opinions" interview broadcast on Chicago FM radio, Lanois told "Chicago Tribune" critic Greg Kot that "Series of Dreams" was his pick for the opening track, but ultimately, the final decision was Dylan's. Music critic Tim Riley would echo these sentiments, writing that ""Series of Dreams" should have been the working title song to "Oh Mercy", not a leftover pendant." "Series of Dreams" would become the final track on "The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991", and was later included on 1994's "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3".


title: Oh Mercy

text: "Dignity", another outtake, was performed live during a 1994 appearance on "MTV Unplugged", and the same performance was later issued on the accompanying album. A remixed version of "Dignity" featuring new overdubs by producer Brendan O'Brien was also released on "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 3", while the original Lanois production would not see release until the of the television show "Touched by an Angel".


title: Oh Mercy

text: Listed as "Broken Days/Three of Us" on the track sheets, the original version of "Everything Is Broken" was briefly issued on-line as an exclusive download on Apple Computer's iTunes music store. In 2008, it was remastered from a better source and reissued on "". Described by Heylin as an "evocation of a fragmented relationship", the lyrics were later rewritten and overdubbed with new vocals and an additional guitar part.


title: Oh Mercy

text: Two more outtakes, "Born in Time" and "God Knows", were set aside and later re-written and re-recorded for Dylan's next album, "Under the Red Sky". Versions of both songs from the "Oh Mercy" sessions were also included on "". "The "Oh Mercy" outtake of 'Born In Time' was one of those Dylan performances that so surrendered itself to the moment that to decry the lyrical slips would be to mock sincerity itself", wrote author Clinton Heylin.


title: Oh Mercy

text: The photo on the cover of the album shows a mural that Dylan came across on a wall of a Chinese restaurant in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen on 9th Avenue and 53rd Street. The artist, Trotsky, who created the image of two people dancing was located (he lived near the mural) and permission was granted.


title: Oh Mercy

text: After disappointing sales with "Knocked Out Loaded" and "Down in the Groove", "Oh Mercy" was hailed as a comeback. Consensus was strong enough to place "Oh Mercy" at in "The Village Voice"'s Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for 1989. Also in 1989, "Oh Mercy" was ranked on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s.


title: Oh Mercy

text: "Oh Mercy"'s production drew praise from a majority of critics. Robert Christgau of "The Village Voice" wrote, "Daniel Lanois's understated care and easy beat suit [Dylan's] casual ways, and three or four songs might sound like something late at night on the radio, or after the great flood. All are modest and tuneful enough to make you forgive 'Disease of Conceit,' which is neither." But as Heylin notes, "Though many a critic who had despaired at the sound of Dylan's more recent albums enthused about the sound on "Oh Mercy", it was evident that rock music's foremost lyric writer had also rediscovered his previous flair with words".


title: Oh Mercy

text: Rock critic Bill Wyman criticized the production but praised the songs. "Taken over by Daniel Lanois, master of a shimmering and distinctive electronically processed guitar sound...[the album] is overdone", writes Wyman. "It's irritating to hear Dylan's songs so manipulated, but there are sufficient nice tracks—"Most of the Time", "Shooting Star", both simple and direct, among them—to make this by far the most coherent and listenable collection of his own songs Dylan has released since "Desire"".


title: Oh Mercy

text: Though it did not enter "Billboard"s Top 20, "Oh Mercy" remained a consistent seller, enough to be considered a modest commercial success.


title: Oh Mercy

text: To celebrate the album's 20th anniversary, "Montague Street Journal: The Art of Bob Dylan" dedicated roughly half of its debut issue (published in 2009) to a roundtable discussion on "Oh Mercy".


title: Oh Mercy

text: It was voted number 438 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000). In 2006, "Q" magazine placed the album at in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s". During that same year, "Political World" appeared in the film "Man of the Year". Michael Azerrad in a "Rolling Stone" article felt that "it would be unfair to compare "Oh Mercy" to Dylan's landmark Sixties recordings".


title: Urea-formaldehyde

text: Urea-formaldehyde (UF), also known as urea-methanal, so named for its common synthesis pathway and overall structure, is a nontransparent thermosetting resin or polymer. It is produced from urea and formaldehyde. These resins are used in adhesives, plywood, particle board, medium-density fibreboard (MDF), and molded objects.


title: Urea-formaldehyde

text: UF and relate amino resins are a class of thermosetting resins of which urea-formaldehyde resins make up 80% produced worldwide. Examples of amino resins use include in automobile tires to improve the bonding of rubber to in paper for improving tear strength, in molding electrical devices, jar caps, etc.


title: Urea-formaldehyde

text: UF was first synthesized in 1884 by Dr Hölzer, who was working with Bernhard Tollens, neither of whom realized that the urea and formaldehyde were polymerizing.


title: Urea-formaldehyde

text: In 1896, Carl Goldschmidt investigated the reaction further. He also obtained an amorphous, almost insoluble precipitate, but he did not realize that polymerization was occurring; he thought that two molecules of urea were combining with three molecules of formaldehyde. In 1897 Carl Goldschmidt patented the use of UF-resins as a disinfectant. General commercialisation followed this and in the following decades, more and more applications were described in the literature.


title: Urea-formaldehyde

text: In 1919, Hanns John (1891–1942) of Prague, Czechoslovakia, obtained the first patent for UF resin in Austria.


title: Urea-formaldehyde

text: Urea-formaldehyde was object matter of judgment via the European Court of Justice (now CJEU) of 5 February 1963, Case 26–62 "Van Gend & Loos v Netherlands Inland Revenue Administration".


title: Urea-formaldehyde

text: Urea-formaldehyde resin's attributes include high tensile strength, flexural modulus, high heat-distortion temperature, low water absorption, mould shrinkage, high surface hardness, elongation at break, and volume resistance. It has a refractive index of 1.55.


title: Urea-formaldehyde

text: The chemical structure of UF polymer consists of [(O)CNHCHNH] repeat units. In contrast, melamine-formaldehyde resins feature NCHOCHN repeat units. Depending on the polymerization conditions, some branching can occur. Early stages in the reaction of formaldehyde and urea produce bis(hydroxymethyl)urea.


title: Urea-formaldehyde

text: About 20 million metric tons of UF are produced annually. Over 70% of this production is then put into use by the forest-products industry for bonding particleboard, MDF, hardwood plywood, and laminating adhesive.


title: Urea-formaldehyde

text: Urea-formaldehyde is pervasive. Examples include decorative laminates, textiles, paper, foundry sand molds, wrinkle-resistant fabrics, cotton blends, rayon, corduroy, etc. It is also used as wood glue. UF was commonly used when producing electrical appliances casing (e.g. desk lamps). Foams have been used as artificial snow in movies.


title: Urea-formaldehyde

text: UF is also used in agriculture as a slow-release source of nitrogen. Its rate of decomposition into and is determined by the action of microbes found naturally in most soils. The activity of these microbes, and the rate of ammonia release, is temperature-dependent. The optimum temperature for microbe activity is around .


title: Urea-formaldehyde

text: Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) commercialisation dates to the 1930s as a synthetic insulation with R-values up to 5.0 °F⋅ft2⋅h/BTU (0.8 K⋅m2/W). UFFI is a foam with similar consistency to shaving cream, that is easily injected or pumped into voids. It is normally made on site using a pump set and hose with a mixing gun to mix the foaming agent, resin, and compressed air. The fully expanded foam is pumped into areas in need of insulation. It becomes firm within minutes, but cures within a week. UFFI is generally found in homes built or retrofitted from the 1930s to the 1970s, often in basements, wall cavities, crawl spaces and attics. Visually, it looks like oozing liquid that has been hardened. Over time, it tends to vary in shades of butterscotch, but new UFFI is a light yellow colour. Early forms of UFFI tended to shrink significantly. Modern UF insulation with updated catalysts and foaming technology have reduced shrinkage to minimal levels (between 2 and 4%). The foam dries with a dull matte colour with no shine. When cured, it often has a dry and crumbly texture.


title: Urea-formaldehyde

text: Health effects occur when UF-based materials and products release formaldehyde into the air. Generally, no health effects from formaldehyde are seen when air concentrations are below 1.0 ppm. The onset of respiratory irritation and other health effects, and even increased cancer risk, begin when air concentrations exceed 3.0–5.0 ppm. This triggers watery eyes, nose irritations, wheezing and coughing, fatigue, skin rash, severe allergic reactions, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty in breathing in some humans (usually > 1.0 ppm). Occupants of UFFI-insulated homes with elevated formaldehyde levels experienced systemic symptoms such as headache, malaise, insomnia, anorexia, and loss of libido. Irritation of the mucous membranes (specifically the eyes, nose, and throat) was a common upper respiratory tract symptom related to formaldehyde exposure. However, when compared to control groups, the frequency of symptoms did not exceed the controls except for wheezing, difficult breathing, and a burning skin sensation. Controlled studies have suggested that tolerance to formaldehyde's odor and irritating effects can occur over a prolonged exposure.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Vernon is a city in the Okanagan region of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is northeast of Vancouver. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former MLA of British Columbia who helped establish the Coldstream Ranch in nearby Coldstream, the City of Vernon was incorporated on December 30, 1892. The City of Vernon has a population of 40,000 (2013), while its metropolitan region, Greater Vernon, has a population of 58,584 as of the Canada 2011 Census. With this population, Vernon is the largest city in the North Okanagan Regional District. A resident of Vernon is called a "Vernonite".


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: The site of the city was discovered by the Okanagan people, a tribe of the Interior Salish people, who initially named the community Nintle Moos Chin, meaning "jumping over place where the creek narrows". This name refers to a section of the Swan Lake that passes through Downtown Vernon, the community's central business district. Some of these were part of the Okanagan Indian Band, a First Nations government part of the Okanagan Nation Alliance. This was followed by Priest's Valley, which serves as an Indigenous reserve, and its present name, in honour of Forbes George Vernon, a pioneer member part of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Yale. The Okanagan people settled around the city's two lakes, Okanagan Lake and Swan Lake, obtaining seasonal sources of food. In that same decade, a section of a road near Fort Kamloops became its first road. Pleasant Valley Road, north of that street, was also historically developed.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: In 1811, fur traders began travelling around the area. After one of these, David Stuart, began working with the Pacific Fur Company, which was bought out by the North West Company; Luc Girouard became the first white settler. However, the North West Company was forced to merge with the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821. Fur traders decided to camp in Vernon, which started to develop in 1863, following a gold discovery at the Cherry Creek, Monashee Mountains, Mission Creek and the east side of Okanagan Lake. After the development began, numerous ranches were constructed. Centreville, the community's original central business district, was formed in 1885. That same year, a post office, hotel, general store, and school house was constructed. A Hudson's Bay Company store was established in 1887, in a rough wooden structure. Historically a major economic hub destination in the Okanagan, Vernon was home to many cattle ranches and fruit orchard areas, attracting British families.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Vernon's growth accelerated beginning in 1891, after the Canadian Pacific Railway was opened in the Okanagan and Shuswap regions of the British Columbia Interior, connecting in Sicamous, a town in the Shuswap area; services by this railway were offered to Vernon by 1891, in addition to its neighbourhood of Okanagan Landing. Shortly after, the sternwheeler "S.S. Aberdeen" was launched by the Canadian Pacific Railway for use on Okanagan Lake in 1893 connecting Vernon to Penticton at the south end of Okanagan Lake, and points between. Fruit trees were planted in Vernon, which first grew by the early 1890s, while water supplies were shipped to the community by canal in 1906 for use at local orchard or farm areas. In 1908, the Okanagan Mounted Rifles military program was formed in it, thus bringing a number of people to the area during World War I and World War II for lessons.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Vernon was incorporated as a city on December 30, 1892, with a city hall formed in 1903 for the governing body, which included a fire hall and a public reading space. The following year, it was declared the largest municipality in the Okanagan and first of which to contain a bank and telephone. As population expanded, more services were made available at Vernon, while its city centre switched from Coldstream Road to 30th Avenue. A school and Vernon Jubilee Hospital were public services made available in 1909. Despite a growth drop during World War I, citizens voted to open a new high school, sports stadium, and, later, a shopping mall, Village Green Centre, and library, in the city.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Three provincial highways connect Vernon: Highway 97 which connects north–south (south to Kelowna, north to Kamloops); Highway 97A which begins in Vernon, and goes north to Armstrong and Enderby; and Highway 6 which ends in Vernon running east–west to Lumby. In recent years, each of these highways has undergone major renovations, including a new $22-million interchange system and four lane expansion at the Highway 97 and Highway 6 junction.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: The City of Vernon, in conjunction with the District of Coldstream and the North Okanagan Regional District, operates Vernon Regional Transit through BC Transit. This transit system is responsible for all local full-service and handyDART public bus transportation. eBUs, a sister brand for the luxury transportation company Red Arrow, also serves Vernon for out-of-town destinations from their downtown bus terminal.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Vernon is served by the Vernon Regional Airport (IATA: YVE, ICAO: CYVK) in the Okanagan Landing area. The airport has no scheduled air service, and is primarily used by civilian aircraft. The Greater Vernon area is also served by Kelowna International Airport, located approximately 40 kilometres (about a 30 to 40 minute drive) south on Hwy 97. Numerous airlines provide scheduled passenger and cargo services to points throughout British Columbia and Alberta, and areas beyond such as Toronto and Seattle.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Vernon has a humid continental climate (Koppen: Dfb) with warm, sometimes hot summers and cold winters with highs around freezing, though mild by Canadian standards. Precipitation is well-distributed year-round.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Vernon had a population of 44,519 living in 19,776 of its 21,287 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 40,116. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: In 2016, the median age was 48.4, higher than the national median age of 41.2. 25.5% of residents were age 65 or older. The median income before tax was $31,455. The median value of a dwelling was $349,932.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: 86.6% of Vernon residents are white, 7.2% are aboriginal and 6.2% are visible minorities. The largest visible minority groups are South Asian (1.9%), Chinese (1.0%), Filipino (0.9%), and Japanese (0.7%). 87.7% of residents claim English as their mother tongue. Other common first languages are German (2.5%), French (1.4%), Punjabi (1.0%), and Russian, Ukrainian and Dutch (0.7% each).


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: 51.2% of residents were Christian as of 2011. The largest denominations were other Christian (16.9%), Catholic (12.4%), United Church (7.2%), Anglican (5.6%), and Lutheran and Baptist (2.6% each). 45.5% of residents held no religious affiliation. All other religions combined make up 3.3% of the population.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Vernon is served by School District 22 Vernon, a school district that includes 14 elementary schools and five high schools. The high schools are: Vernon Secondary School, Kalamalka High School, Clarence Fulton High School, W.L. Seaton Secondary, and Charles Bloom Secondary. Vernon Secondary School (VSS) is in the neighbourhood of East Hill. This building was renovated in the early 21st century to give the students a new and better learning environment. Kalamalka Secondary School, otherwise known as Kal, is in the neighbouring municipality of Coldstream which is near Kalamalka Lake. It is also below Middleton Mountain, a prominent landmark in Coldstream. Fulton Secondary School is near the airport in South Vernon. Seaton High School, also known as Seaton, is located directly off 27th Street which merges into Highway 97. Charles Bloom Secondary is in the town of Lumby, which is about 20 minutes East of Vernon on Highway 6. Competitions are common among the schools, with all of them taking part in annual grad pranks as well as healthy sports competitions. Vernon is home to few independent schools such as the Vernon Christian School, which has both an elementary (preschool-grade 6) and secondary campus with a middle school (grades 7-9) and high school (grades 10-12).


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: For post-secondary education, Vernon is home to Okanagan College, a multi-campus full degree granting college. Many summer courses and yearly courses are offered there. Other smaller community and specialty colleges exist within Vernon.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Each winter, Vernon plays host to the Vernon Winter Carnival. First held in 1961, it is now Western Canada's largest and North America's second largest Winter Carnival.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Sunshine festival is an annual event held in the Downtown core of Vernon. This event features live music, artisan booths, community program booths, food trucks, kids entertainment and much, much more.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Vernon is also home to the state-of-the-art Vernon and District Performing Arts Center. The society presents three series of entertainment including dance, theatre, and child oriented. The performing arts centre also hosts hundreds of touring musical acts, local talent and community based events.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: The city is also home to the 60 year old Powerhouse Theatre, which is housed in a former power station. The theatrical society of Powerhouse Theatre operates on a seasonal basis and is largely reliant on the coordinated efforts by passionate volunteers.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Vernon's Towne Cinema is the home of The Vernon Film Society and is a classic example of a 1930s Art Deco style theatre. Built in 1929–30, the Towne Cinema began its life as The National Ball Room, presenting live entertainment on stage, hosting banquets and stage plays. It was the main venue in Vernon for entertaining the troops during the Second World War and was heavily involved in selling war bonds and the collection of aluminum from its customers for the war effort. Children could bring an old aluminum pot or pan and receive a ticket for a free movie, the aluminum going towards the construction of war planes and other military materials so necessary for the achievement of victory over the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: The Vernon Community Arts Centre (VCAC) is located in Polson Park. This community centre is a studio-based facility and is operated by the Arts Council of the North Okanagan. The VCAC offers year-round programming for youth and adults such as art classes and workshops, an artist in residence program and independent study sessions.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Every Summer in June, Vernon hosts the largest craft show in western Canada, called Creative Chaos. Artisans from across western Canada gather to sell their original handmade goods and services: jewellery, chocolates and candies, unique clothing, and other household items and/or decorations. A food fair and entertainment are also a feature of this craft fair. The fair usually lasts three days and many of the citizens of Vernon partake.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Vernon displays a variety of public art from murals to sculptures and mosaics. A collection of 28 heritage murals was created under the direction of lead artist Michelle Loughery. The mural project is in a continual state of growth, with new pieces of art being added at regular intervals. One of the most notable murals is a depiction of Sveva Caetani, daughter of Italian noble Leone Caetani. She was an Italian immigrant who survived captivity by her mother to become a famed artist and local art instructor.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: In 2016, Canada's first inclusive memorial sculpture was installed on the grounds of Vernon Secondary School.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Vernon is known for its lakes and beaches in the summer, and skiing and hockey in the winter. It is therefore a year-round tourist destination and weekend getaway for people from Vancouver and Calgary. During the summer Vernon hosts a large slo-pitch tournament (Funtastic).


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: The Vernon area is home to several golf courses. Among these is the prestigious Predator Ridge Resort, a 36-hole golf resort and community. This resort is one of only two public golf courses in Western Canada to have been ranked by Score Magazine as one of the country's top 25 golf courses over the last 8 years. Predator Ridge Resort also hosted the Skins Game twice - first in 2000 featuring Fred Couples, Sergio García, Phil Mickelson, and Mike Weir, then in 2008 featuring Mike Weir, Fred Couples, Greg Norman, Colin Montgomerie and Camilo Villegas.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: One of the most popular winter sports in Vernon is skiing. With two major ski locations nearby located in Regional District of North Okanagan Electoral Area C, each winter locals and tourists alike flock to Silver Star Mountain Resort and Sovereign Lake Nordic Club. Known as one of the top ski resorts in North America, Silver Star also has a large cross-country skiing area which hosted a 1991 FIS Cross-Country World Cup event. As another world-class ski area, Sovereign Lake is the region's premier cross-country skiing location with over 50 kilometers of skiing terrain. This Nordic Club gained worldwide exposure as the host of a 2005 FIS Cross-Country World Cup event.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Curling also has a strong following in Vernon, with local curlers being found at the Vernon Curling Club. In past years, the city has hosted several major national curling events, including the 1979 Canadian Senior Women's Curling Championship, the 1992 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, and the 2004 Canadian Senior Curling Championships. Its first international event, the 2008 Ford World Women's Curling Championship was held at the Vernon Multiplex.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Another popular sport in Vernon is tennis, with many courts in picturesque locations. The Vernon Tennis Association (VTA) was started in October 2008 to bring together tennis players of all skill levels within the Vernon area and to offer both competitive and social programs that are not being offered currently to players. Presently the VTA operates programs 15 hours per week in "partnership" with Greater Vernon Parks, Recreation and Culture.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: A more recent sport with growing popularity is pickleball. The Vernon Pickleball Association was incorporated in 2014, and currently has more than 500 members. It recently spearheaded a campaign to construct a roof over its pickleball complex of 12 courts, which will facilitate year-round playing when it opens early 2021.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Kalamalka Beach (Kal Beach) is the most popular of many unique beaches in and around Vernon. A large pier built by a local service club is used for sunbathing and jumping. On summer evenings the beach is used extensively for beach volleyball. Kin Beach and Paddle Wheel Park Beach on Okanagan Lake are also among the twenty or so larger beaches in Vernon.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Vernon has several areas for mountain biking including Ellison Provincial Parc, Kal Lake Park, Sovereign Lake Provincial Park Predator Ridge and Silver Star ski hill.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Cougar Canyon is near Vernon, with both a popular rock climbing site and an ecological preserve. Another place for cliff jumpers and campers is Ellison Provincial Park, located about 15–20 minutes out of South Vernon.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Vernon has also seen success in junior hockey. The Vernon Vipers (former the Vernon Lakers) are one of the most decorated junior teams in Canadian history having won the Royal Bank Cup (formerly the Centennial Cup) six times, with four of those wins in the 1990s. They won while hosting the tournament in 1990, repeated in 1991, again in 1996, in 1999 and most recently won back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010; giving arguably the most dominant performance of any franchise in a single decade since the introduction of the Centennial Cup in 1971. To date, the Vernon Vipers have won 4 Royal Bank Cups, 2 Centennial Cups, 4 Abbott Cups, 5 Doyle Cups, 8 Mowat Cups and 9 League Titles.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: The Vernon Tigers Junior B Lacrosse Club was established in 2000, coinciding with the inception of the Thompson Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League. Since that time, they have won three league titles and two provincial silver medals.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: In 2019 Vernon city council decided to install free-standing toilets, which can be ""used by all community members"", with specific design features to prevent it being used inappropriately.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Council had originally considered purchasing a pair of "Portland loos", for $275,000. That design that had been installed in dozens of cities, but, due to the long waiting list, Vernon decided to commission a similar facility from local suppliers.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: The local design was installed on time, and at a lower cost than that projected for the Portland Loo. However, it needed a bit of work, as it did not function on opening day. Like the Portland Loo, the toilet designed for Vernon is built from stainless steel and is painted with special paint designed to counter graffiti. Like the Portland Loo there is no washbasin inside, only a toilet, and a dispenser for waterless hand cleanser. Slats allow police enough visual access to confirm there is only one occupant.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: Requests for new toilets were first brought to council by the Activate Safety Task Force, in 2018. Initially Vernon planned to leave the facility open 24 hours a day, as is done with almost every city that has installed a Portland Loo, but, in the end, Council decided the facility will only be open from 7am to 9pm.


title: Vernon, British Columbia

text: If the new facility proves satisfactory, toilets like it will replace the public toilets near the city's bus station.


title: Delahaye

text: Delahaye was a family-owned automobile manufacturing company, founded by Émile Delahaye in 1894 in Tours, France. Manufacturing was moved to Paris following incorporation with two unrelated brothers-in-law as equal partners in 1898. The company built a low volume line of limited production luxury cars with coachbuilt bodies; trucks; utility and commercial vehicles; busses; and fire-trucks. Delahaye made a number of technical innovations in its early years; and, after establishing a racing department in 1932, the company came to particular prominence in France in the mid-to-late 1930s, with its Type 138, Type 135SC, and type 145 cars winning numerous races, and setting International records. The company faced setbacks due to the Second World War, and was taken over by amalgamation with arch competitor Hotchkiss in 1954. Both were taken over by the Brandt organization, within mere months, with automotive product manufacturing ended.


title: Delahaye

text: Engineer Émile Delahaye began experimenting with belt-driven cars in 1894, while he was manager of the Brethon Foundry and Machine-works in Tours, France. These experiments encouraged him to acquire the foundry and machine-works, so that Monsieur Brethon could retire. Emile soon entered his automobiles in the 1896 Paris–Marseille–Paris race, and the 1897 Paris–Dieppe race, followed in 1898 by the Marseilles–Nice rally, the Course de Périgeux, and the Paris–Amsterdam–Paris race.


title: Delahaye

text: Delahaye's automotive company was incorporated in 1898 with investors George Morane – who had driven one of Delahaye's cars in the Marseilles–Nice rally – and Morane's brother-in-law Leon Desmarais. The company moved its manufacturing from Tours to Paris, to a former hydraulic machinery plant owned by the Morane family. Charles Weiffenbach was made operations manager. The company initially produced three models at this location: the 1.4 litre single-cylinder Type 0, and the twin-cylinder and Type 2. All three had bicycle-style tiller steering, rear-mounted water-cooled engines, automatic valves, surface carburetors, and trembler coil ignition; drive was a combination of belt and chain, with three forward speeds and one reverse.


title: Delahaye

text: Desmarais and Morane took control of the company when Émile Delahaye retired in 1901; Weiffenbach took over from them in 1906. The company ceased its participation in racing after Delahaye's death in 1905. Weiffenbach had no interest in racing, and focused on production of practical motorized automotive chassis, heavy commercial vehicles, and early firetrucks for the French government.


title: Delahaye

text: By 1904, about 850 automobiles had been built. The company introduced its first production four-cylinder in 1903 and shaft-drive transmissions in 1907. Delahaye's chief design-engineer Amédée Varlet invented and pioneered the V6 engine in the 1911 Type 44. Varlet also designed the Delahaye Titan marine engine, an enormous cast-iron multi-valve twin-cam four-cylinder engine that was fitted into purpose-built speedboat "La Dubonnet", which briefly held the world speed record on water.


title: Delahaye

text: German manufacturer Protos began licensed production of Delahaye models in 1907, while in 1909, H. M. Hobson began importing Delahaye vehicles to Britain. US manufacturer White pirated the Delahaye design; the First World War interrupted efforts to recover damages. By the end of the war, Delahaye's major income was from manufacturing trucks.


title: Delahaye

text: Following the war, Delahaye attempted, in 1927, to increase profits by adopting a modest form of assembly-line production, in a tripartite agreement with FAR Tractor Company and Chenard & Walcker automakers, and Rosengart, an entry-level manufacturer of small family cars. However, the range of vehicles undertaken to produce was excessively extensive, too diverse, and totally devoid of practical standardization. The collaboration did not last long as shrinking sales volume threatened the company's survival. By 1931, the triumverate had disintegrated. It has been alleged that Weiffenbach met with his friend and competitor Ettore Bugatti, to seek his opinion on turning Delahaye around. In 1932, Desmarais's widow and majority shareholder, Madame Leon Desmarais, instructed Weiffenbach to develop a new, higher quality, and considerably sportier automotive-chassis line, with an appealingly distinctive appearance, improved horsepower, better handling, and a higher price-point. Delahaye was repositioned to appeal to a wealthier, younger, more sporting oriented customer base. Varlet was instructed to establish both the new drawing office, and the racing department, neither of which Delahaye ever had before. Weiffenbach hired Jean François, as Varlet's assistant, and the company's designer and chief engineer. Delahaye had escaped near disaster, to arise with virtually immediate success, in the new Type 134, followed almost immediately by the International speed record setting Type 138, and then the model that made Delahaye deservedly famous: the Type 135.


title: Delahaye

text: In 1934, Delahaye set eighteen class records at Montlhéry, in a specially-prepared, stripped and streamlined 18 Sport. The company also introduced the 134N, a 12cv car with a 2.15-litre four-cylinder engine, and the 18cv Type 138, powered by a 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine – both developed from their successful truck engines. In 1935, success in the Alpine Trial led to the introduction of the sporting Type 135 "Coupe des Alpes". By the end of 1935, Delahaye had won eighteen minor French sports car events and a number of hill-climbs, and came fifth at Le Mans. In 1936, Delahaye ran four cars (based on the Type 135) in the Ulster TT, placing second to Bugatti, and entered four at the Belgian 24 Hours, finishing 2-3-4-5 behind an Alfa Romeo. Delahaye was able to leverage their racing success to acquire automaker Delage in 1935.


title: Delahaye

text: American heiress Lucy O'Reilly Schell paid the developmental costs for short "Competition Court" 2.70-metre-wheelbase Type 135 cars for rallying and racing. She purchased 12 of these, reserving half for her Ecurie Bleue amateur racing team.


title: Delahaye

text: In 1937, René Le Bègue and Julio Quinlin won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Delahaye. Delahaye also ran first and second at Le Mans. Against the German government-sponsored juggernauts Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union, Delahaye entered the Type 145, powered by a complicated -litre V12. Called the "Million Franc Delahaye" after a victory in the Million Franc Race, the initial Type 145 was driven by René Dreyfus to an average speed over at Montlhéry in 1937, earning a government prize. Dreyfus also scored a victory in the Ecurie Bleu Type 145 at Pau in 1938, using the model's fuel economy to beat the more powerful Mercedes-Benz W154. Another Type 145 finished third in the same race.


title: Delahaye

text: These victories combined with French patriotism ensured demand for Delahaye cars up until the German occupation of France during World War II. In early 1940, 100 Type 134N and Type 168 chassis were built and bodied by Renault as military cars under contract for the French army. The French government had ordered all private automobile production to cease in June 1939, but small numbers of cars continued to be built for the occupying German forces until at least 1942.


title: Delahaye

text: After World War II, French luxury car makers struggled under the depressed economy. General Pons's five-year reconstruction program (the Pons Plan) allocated the majority of its vehicles for export, and installed an increasingly punitive tax regime aimed at luxurious non-essential products, including cars with engines larger than . In 1947, 88% of Delahaye production was exported, primarily to French colonies in Asia and Africa. Delahaye's meagre production of 573 cars in 1948 (compared to 34,164 by market-leader Citroën), was unsustainably low.


title: Delahaye

text: The new face of the postwar Delahaye was styled in-house by industrial designer Philippe Charbonneaux. Production of the outdated pre-war Type 135 and 148L was resumed in 1946, to restart cash flow and because the Type 175 and its two longer-wheelbased versions were not ready for introduction. The Type 175 was very modern when it had been envisioned in 1938 but its production was delayed until 1948 due to the war, post-war shortages, and the death of its designer.


title: Delahaye

text: With a license agreement in place and no viable alternatives, Delahaye proceeded with production of the Type 175. However, suspension components underwent catastrophic failure, and Delahaye was obliged to buy back a number of its vehicles to avoid litigation. The risk of negative publicity was so great that the company kept no records of these events. The affair could not be effectively contained and resulted in disinterest among prospective buyers. The Type 175, 178 and 180 models were unable to generate enough sales to recover development and production costs. Their production was discontinued in mid-1951.


title: Delahaye

text: Until early 1951, continuing demand from the French army for the company's light reconnaissance vehicles (VLR) enabled the company to operate. A small demand for the Type 163 trucks allowed the business to remain solvent.


title: Delahaye

text: A one-ton capacity light truck (later sharing its 3.5-litre six-cylinder overhead-valve engine with the company's Type 235 luxury cars) made its debut at the 1949 Paris Motor Show as the Type 171. During the next twelve months the Type 171 spawned several brake-bodied versions, including ambulance and 9-seater "familiale" variants. The vehicle was intended for use in France's African colonies, having large wheels and high ground clearance, and was also exported to Brazil. By 1952, thirty Type 171s were produced per month.


title: Delahaye

text: Delahaye's last entirely new model, a 2-litre Jeep-like vehicle known as Delahaye VLR (Véhicule Léger de Reconnaissance Delahaye) was released in 1951. The French army believed that this vehicle offered a number of advantages over the traditional American-built Jeep of the period. During 1953, the company built 1,847 VLRs, as well as 537 "special" military vehicles. In that year no more than 36 Delahaye or Delage-branded passenger cars were registered.


title: Delahaye

text: In 1953, the Type 235 was introduced. Fernand Lecour, working with a small group of enthusiastic factory employees, convinced Weiffenbach to introduce an updated version of the Type 135, fitted with hydraulic instead of mechanical brakes, and a triple Solex carbureted version of the 3.6-litre Type 135 engine, which produced . This power was roughly equal to that of the previous series. Only 84 examples of the Type 235 were built.


title: Delahaye

text: Delahaye's main competitor, Hotchkiss, negotiated a licensing agreement with Kaiser-Willys Motors, and obtained sanction to manufacture its Willys MB 'Jeep' in France. The French army began to appreciate the simpler machine, available at a much lower price, and cancelled the contract for the more sophisticated Delahaye VLR. In August 1953, the company laid off more than 200 employees. A merger was discussed with Hotchkiss, which was facing similar problems. On 19 March 1954, an agreement was signed by Delahaye president Pierre Peigney and Hotchkiss president Paul Richard. Less than three months later, on 9 June, Delahaye shareholders accepted a takeover of Delahaye by Hotchkiss, after which Hotchkiss shut down Delahaye car production. By the end of 1954, after a brief period selling trucks with the Hotchkiss-Delahaye nameplate, the combined firm was itself taken over by Brandt. By 1956, the brands Delahaye, Delage, and Hotchkiss were no longer in use.


title: Delahaye

text: Emile Delahaye, a successful Tours foundry and machine works owner, built his first car in 1894. By 1898, the demand required that he expand facilities and obtain investment capital. Emile Delahaye agreed to partner equally with coppersmith business owners and brothers-in-law, Leon Desmarais and George Morane. The arrangement was duly incorporated in 1898, and car assembly was moved to the vacant Paris factory owned by the incoming partners. When Delahaye retired in 1901, from failing health, he sold his shares to his partners, with Desmarais purchasing more, thus gaining a majority. As the Desmarais and Morane families were connected by marriage, Delahaye was a family owned business, from 1901 until its takeover by Hotchkiss in 1954. The board of directors was composed of the shareholders, plus their appointed manager of operations, Charles Weiffenbach, as chief executive officer.


title: Delahaye

text: Emile Delahaye had been the company's president, it's sole engineer, and the administrator, until his retirement. In 1898, Delahaye hired Weiffenbach as his managerial assistant; and, Amédée Varlet as the company's design engineer. Both men were qualified mechanical engineers, with differing talents, and both stayed with the company for their entire career. Weiffenbach became the operations manager in 1906, while Varlet focused on technical engineering advancements and technical manufacturing advances. In 1932, 42 year old Jean Francois was hired as chief design-engineer. Amadee Varlet was promoted to head up the new drawing office, and set up and manage the new racing department, assisted by much younger engineer Jean Francois.


title: Delahaye

text: Pierre Peigney, a family relative, was the president, but his was more a formal role, since it was Charles Weiffenbach who had been mandated by the partners to run the company, literally single-handedly.


title: Delahaye

text: This he did, including after orchestrating the merger in 1954 with Hotchkiss, a prime competitor. President Peigney signed for Delahaye, and president Richard signed for Hotchkiss. Delahaye was the minority partner, but neither company had the strength and resources to avoid being absorbed by the gigantic Brandt group of companies. Delahaye was wound down on December 31, 1954, to vanish into extinction.


title: Rice noodles

text: Rice noodles, or simply rice noodle, are noodles made with rice flour and water as the principal ingredients. Sometimes ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the noodles. Rice noodles are most common in the cuisines of East and Southeast Asia. They are available fresh, frozen, or dried, in various shapes, thicknesses and textures. Fresh noodles are also highly perishable; their shelf life may be just several days.


title: Rice noodles

text: The origin of rice noodles dates back to China during the Qin dynasty when people from northern China invaded the south. Due to climatic conditions, the northern Chinese have traditionally preferred wheat and millet which grew in cold weather while the southern Chinese preferred rice which grew in hot weather. Noodles are traditionally made out of wheat and eaten throughout northern China so to adapt, northern cooks tried to prepare "noodles" using rice, thus inventing rice noodles. Over time rice noodles and their processing methods have been introduced around the world, becoming especially popular in Southeast Asia. In India, idi-appam, strings of cooked rice, was known in ancient Tamil country around 1st century AD, as per references in the Sangam literature, according to food historian K. T. Achaya.


title: Rice noodles

text: The shelf life may be extended by drying and removing its moisture content. Studies of drying rice noodles were conducted by the International Food Research Journal.


title: Rice noodles

text: Pasta made from brown rice flour is also available (in health food stores in Western nations) as an alternative to wheat flour-based noodles for individuals who react poorly to gluten.


title: Save Romania Union

text: The Save Romania Union (, USR) is a liberal and neoliberal political party active in Romania and Moldova, currently the third largest party in the Parliament with 43 deputies and 22 senators, and fifth at national level (following the 2020 Romanian local elections), after the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ) and the People's Movement Party (PMP), two smaller centre-right political parties in the country.


title: Save Romania Union

text: The party was founded following the success of the Save Bucharest Union (USB) party in the 2016 local elections. After being officially registered as a political party in 2016, it united with the local USB and Union for Codlea parties, thus gaining most of its initial membership base from the two latter parties.


title: Save Romania Union

text: Between 2016 and 2020, it was the third largest political party in the Romanian Parliament after the 2016 legislative elections and ran on an anti-corruption platform. In 2019, it established a political alliance with the Freedom, Unity and Solidarity Party (PLUS) led by former technocratic Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș which it eventually absorbed in 2021. Dacian Cioloș, who was also subsequently elected president of the party but who resigned in the meantime from this position, left the USR with a group of followers (most notably several MEPs) in late May 2022 in order to form his own party called REPER.


title: Save Romania Union

text: Starting from December 2020 onwards, USR is still the third largest political party in the Romanian Parliament after the 2020 Romanian legislative elections, running once more on an even successful anti-corruption platform compared to the previous legislative elections from 2016.


title: Save Romania Union

text: USR continued the political project "Save Bucharest Union" () at the national level, established on 1 July 2015. At the Save Bucharest Union (USB) kick off conference talking about goals of the new movement, Nicușor Dan stated:


title: Save Romania Union

text: Besides Nicușor Dan, the founding members of the "Save Bucharest Union" were Ioan Miloș, Alina Vernon, Dan Podaru, and Argentina Traicu, the last two have retreated as founding members and from the Initiative Committee in January 2016.


title: Save Romania Union

text: On 23 February 2016, Nicușor Dan published on his Facebook account the document "„Programul pentru București al candidatului Nicușor Dan (Uniunea Salvați Bucureștiul) la Primăria Generală”" (""The Bucharest program of the candidate Nicușor Dan (Save Bucharest Union) at the General City Hall""), which he submitted to the public debate. In 2016, at the local elections held that year, the Save Bucharest Union had obtained a score of 25% in Bucharest and was ranked in second place according to Bucharest's preferences.


title: Save Romania Union

text: On 21 August 2016, Save Bucharest Union (USB) merged with the Union for Codlea and Save Romania Union, the new formation bearing the name Save Romania Union, and participated in the parliamentary elections held in 2016. During the merger congress, Nicușor Dan was elected the president of the party, the vice presidents became Cristian Ghica, Clotilde Armand, Dumitru Dobrev, Roxana Wring, and Erwin Albu. For the legislative elections, Nicușor Dan has predicted at least 10% of votes for the new formation. Officially, the merger process has been hampered by numerous appeals, filed by PSD, PER, and private individuals. By a decision of 29 December 2016 issued by the Bucharest Court of Appeal, the merger remained final.


title: Save Romania Union

text: At the congress held on 28 October 2017 in Poiana Brașov, Dan Barna was elected the new president of the party, for a two-year term.


title: Save Romania Union

text: The fifth National Congress of the USR was held in Timișoara on 14–15 September 2019. At this congress, the leader Dan Barna was reconfirmed as president of the party, at the same time being elected nine vice-presidents, as well as the new members of the National Bureau<ref name="HotNews.ro_2019/09/15"></ref> and the members of the National Commissions of Arbitration and Censors.


title: Save Romania Union

text: On 11 October 2021, Klaus Iohannis nominated USR leader and former technocratic Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș to form a new government. On 7 February 2022, Dacian Cioloș resigned as USR leader, after his agenda of internal party reforms was rejected by the party's National Bureau, with Cătălin Drulă becoming acting/ad interim president.


title: Save Romania Union

text: Currently, the party is in parliamentary first/official opposition towards the CNR grand coalition, formed by their former allies, the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ) along with their longtime opponents, the Social Democratic Party (PSD). USR is in continuous parliamentary opposition towards the CNR government since late 2021 onwards.


title: Save Romania Union

text: On 31 May 2022, former technocratic Prime Minister and party president Dacian Cioloș left the USR with several MEPs who were previously elected on the lists of the party for the 2019 European Parliament election in Romania in order to establish a new party called Renewing Romania's European Project (or REPER for short). The party was established in opposition to the current acting/ad interim leadership of the USR led by Cătălin Drulă.


title: Save Romania Union

text: The National Bureau of USR decided on 11 June that the next party congress will be held in July (first round between 6 and 10 July, second round between 11 and 15 July, and the online congress for validating the election of the party president on the 16 July), thereby changing the initial date of the congress which was previously set at a particular point in October 2022. According to some sources, it has been recently reported that incumbent Brașov mayor Allen Colliban is willing to face Cătălin Drulă (who filled his candidacy for party leadership in late May 2022) for the leadership of the party at the forthcoming party congress. In the meantime, Octavian Berceanu has filled his candidacy for party leadership in late June 2022.


title: Save Romania Union

text: At the end of June 2022, eight candidates running for the leadership of the party have officially filled their candidacies. On 1 July 2022, it was announced that Allen Coliban lost the internal elections for being the contender of Cătălin Drulă for the leadership of the party. Subsequently, Cătălin Drulă was elected USR president with 71% of the total votes cast. Among others, Drulă most notably stated that USR's objective is to become the main force in a governing coalition after the 2024 Romanian legislative election and that it will return to government with the PNL only if the party will have the Prime Minister position. Drulă announced in November 2022 that the party has plans to expand in Moldova with Lilian Carp becoming the head of the Moldovan branch.


title: Save Romania Union

text: Dan Barna (USR) and Dacian Cioloș (PLUS), as leaders of the 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance, declared on 2 February 2019 that the two parties reached an agreement to participate jointly in European elections and that the project was a first step towards a possible success in the 2020 Romanian legislative election.


title: Save Romania Union

text: On 7 March 2019, the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) rejected the application for registration of the 2020 USR-PLUS Alliance for the European Parliament elections, motivating that Barna and Cioloș were not listed as presidents of the two parties in the Register of Political Parties. Barna was elected president of the USR in October 2017, and Cioloș was elected president of the PLUS in February 2019. Both requested their registration as presidents at the Bucharest Tribunal, but until the Alliance's registration they did not receive a final decision. Deputy Nicușor Dan, former president of the USR, declared that "I found, together with the legal team, the solution that would allow me to legally countersign the protocol of the USR-PLUS Alliance". On March 8, the High Court of Cassation and Justice accepted USR-PLUS' appeal to the decision of the BEC to not to allow the alliance to be registered. The alliance's chosen slogan used to be "Fără hoție ajungem departe", meaning "Without thievery we go far" and referring to the existing corruption in Romania. Nowadays, the slogan is "O Românie fără hoție" ("A Romania without thievery").


title: Save Romania Union

text: On 15 August 2020, members of the USR and PLUS held an online congress to decide whether to formally unite the two parties or not, with 84.65% of the participants voting in favor of a merger. This new party would still be called USR (Save Romania Union) and would be led by Barna and Cioloș until a judicial decision on the merger was made; then, the party would be renamed to "USR PLUS".


title: Save Romania Union

text: The parties, USR and PLUS, officially and legally merged into one single party on 16 April 2021 after the approval of this by the Court of Appeal of Bucharest. In addition, the party was said to be preparing for a new congress, probably held in the autumn of 2021, to vote a single leadership, with Barna and Cioloș announcing that they would both participate in this vote.


title: Save Romania Union

text: In early October 2021, Dacian Cioloș was elected president of the party in the congress. Subsequently, the 24 members of the National Political Bureau were elected and the name of the political party changed back to Save Romania Union (USR), consequently dropping "USR PLUS" as a name.


title: Save Romania Union

text: On 5 October 2016, the Save Romania Union (USR) had officially launched its political programme, with nine chapters on the following areas: transparency, industry, agriculture, education, culture, health, infrastructure, environmental protection, and foreign policy.


title: Save Romania Union

text: USR militates for maximum transparency, industrialization with modern means, support for small farmers, education reform, a new paradigm in the cultural field, granting 6% of GDP for Health, construction of highways and infrastructure in collaboration with European partners, environmental protection in particular by stopping deforestation as well as close cooperation with the European Union (EU), NATO, and support for accession in these international organizations for neighbouring Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The president of the USR, Nicușor Dan, said that the program is still in public debate, and could be improved in the nearest future, according to the society's suggestions and recommendations.<ref name="HotNews.ro_2016/10/05"></ref>


title: Save Romania Union

text: In October 2016, the USR declared the public support for then Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș for a new mandate, following the December's parliamentary elections. On 26 October 2016, the Save Romania Union (USR) has announced several candidates for the parliamentary elections in 2016. Mihai Goțiu, journalist and civic activist, writer Dan Lungu, former ministers from Cioloș Vlad Vladrescu's cabinet<ref name="HotNews.ro_2016/10/19"></ref> and Cristian Ghinea, with former state secretaries of the cabinet have joined the project.


title: Save Romania Union

text: The party has been described as one "whose chief identity marker is not a clear program or ideology, but the profile of its candidates." It has also been referred to as a bringing together of "neoliberals, environmentalists, left-liberals, genuine social democrats, Christian Democrats, NGO supporters and minority rights activists". Another source labelled the party as "a diverse group of activists, academics and people from business and the arts, which grew out of a Save Bucharest movement to protect the city’s historic buildings." Its politics have been labelled by some as syncretic.


title: Save Romania Union

text: Dan Barna, the president of USR, characterized the party as "generally centre-right", leaning centre-right on economic policy and centrist in terms of social policy. However, USR has a substantial amount of both progressive and conservative members. He compared the party with Emmanuel Macron's La République En Marche!, while mentioning that the key difference between the two is that USR predominantly consists of people who have not been involved in politics before.


title: Save Romania Union

text: Since its foundation USR has supported the anti-corruption drive in Romania and the activity of the National Anticorruption Directorate. USR was against the modifications to the justice laws initiated by the government coalition PSD-ALDE and requested the rejection of OUG 13 ("see also the 2017–2019 Romanian protests").


title: Save Romania Union

text: In 2018, USR helped and supported the initiators of "Fără Penali în Funcții Publice" ("No Convicts in Public Office") civic campaign, whose objective is to bar the persons convicted to final imprisonment sentences for intentional offences from being elected to local government, the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate, or the office of President of Romania by amending the Article 37 of the Romanian Constitution (which regulates the nomination rules). USR and volunteers collected more than 1million signatures from eligible voters.


title: Save Romania Union

text: USR supports the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) led by Maia Sandu and supports the European path of Moldova. At the June 2018 elections for the Chișinău mayoralty, USR supported the candidate of the pro-European forces, more specifically Andrei Năstase. Subsequently, with the invalidation of the mandate by Judge Rodica Berdilo, Dan Barna stated:


title: Save Romania Union

text: USR's position on LGBT issues is not clearly defined. The ex-party leader, Dan Barna, declared: "Gay marriage is not yet a subject for the public agenda, there is no initiative promoting same-sex marriage. Maybe in 20, 30 years next generations will take care of this problem, but for now, this is not a priority."


title: Save Romania Union

text: However, USR was the only parliamentary party in Romania that did not support the constitutional referendum, proposed by Coaliția pentru Familie (CpF) and supported by the Romanian Orthodox Church. The constitutional amendment proposed to change the definition of family in order to prohibit the same-sex marriage, however it failed, as the turnout was only 21.1%, below the required voter turnout threshold of 30%. USR considered the referendum a way to divide the Romanian people and to distract the attention from the real issues Romania currently faces, such as corruption.


title: Save Romania Union

text: USR supported the inclusion of the Roşia Montană site in UNESCO World Heritage. At the 42nd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in Manama, Bahrain, the government's representative, Ștefan Răzvan Rab, state secretary of the Ministry of Culture, in Bahrain, on June 24 to July 4, asked for postponement on behalf of Romania including the Roșia Montană Mining Cultural Landscape in the World Heritage List until the completion of the judicial dispute with Gabriel Resources, an unprecedented fact in the history of UNESCO. USR Senator Vlad Alexandrescu, under whose Ministry of Culture 2015–2016 Roșia Montană was included in the UNESCO indicative list, accused the PSD-ALDE government coalition of treason, writing in a post on 2 July 2018 on Facebook:


title: Save Romania Union

text: USR supports Romania's membership of the European Union (EU) and is in favor of a joint European external policy and military and of Romania's accession to the Schengen Area. While not being part of any European political party during its first 3 years of existence, USR has had negotiations with Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE) and to a lesser extent with the European People's Party (EPP) and the European Greens (EGP). USR's hesitation to join ALDE was due to the fact that a Romanian party they vehemently opposed at that time (which was part of a tremendously toxic governmental coalition with the PSD), more specifically the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), was already part of that European party and had the same acronym.


title: Save Romania Union

text: In May 2019, the party stated that it would take part in the new liberal group in the European Parliament that includes France's La République En Marche!, named Renew Europe in June 2019. On 30 May 2019, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats withdrew from ALDE. Therefore, with no more obstacles on its way, USR joined ALDE on 28 June 2019.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: Shahriyar Hamid oghlu Mammadyarov (; born 12 April 1985), known internationally as Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, is an Azerbaijani chess grandmaster. he is ranked No. 1 in Azerbaijan and No. 13 in the world. His personal best rating of 2820 makes him the sixth-highest-rated player in chess history.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: Mamedyarov has competed in the Candidates Tournament in 2011 (eliminated in quarterfinals), in 2014 (placing fourth) and in 2018 (placing second). He is a two-time World Junior Champion (2003 and 2005) and was World Rapid Champion in 2013.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: A gold medalist at the 2012 Chess Olympiad on the third board, he is a three-time European Team Champion (2009, 2013, 2017) with Azerbaijan. He is also a two-time winner at Tal Memorial (2010 joint and 2014 Blitz) and Shamkir Chess (2016 and 2017), as well as the winner of 2018 Biel Chess Festival where he beat reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: Shakhriyar's parents are from the Zangilan District of Azerbaijan. In 1980, his family moved to the then-flourishing industrial city of Sumqayit, Azerbaijan, where Shakhriyar was born. His first chess trainer was his father, who is also a former boxer and taught boxing to Shakhriyar for some time. Mamedyarov has two sisters, Zeinab Mamedyarova and Turkan Mamedyarova, who are Woman Grandmasters. Mamedyarov got married in 2012, but later divorced. He remarried in July 2017.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: In 2003 he won the World Junior Chess Championship. He repeated his victory in 2005, becoming the only two-time champion, achieving a 2953 performance rating after eight rounds, earning an invitation to the Essent Tournament 2006 in Hoogeveen, and after winning this and the 2007 edition, Mamedyarov achieved world fame.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: In 2005 Mamedyarov competed at the European Club Cup and had the second-highest performance rating (2913), after Vassily Ivanchuk, of all of the participants.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: Mamedyarov attained joint first place at the Aeroflot Open in Moscow in February 2006, with a score of 6½/9. In May he won the combined FiNet/Ordix rapid event. In October 2006, he won the closed Essent Chess Tournament in Hoogeveen with 4½/6, beating Judit Polgár on Sonneborn-Berger tie-breaks.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: At the Chess World Cup 2007 Mamedyarov reached the third round where he was knocked out by Ivan Cheparinov.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: In 2010, he tied for first place with Vladimir Kramnik and Gata Kamsky at the President's Cup in Baku, followed by joint first in the Tal Memorial.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: In June 2013, Mamedyarov won the World Rapid Chess Championship, scoring 11½/15. The next month he won the Geneva Masters rapid event.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: In June 2016, Mamedyarov won the 3rd Shamkir Chess Tournament, the Vugar Gashimov Memorial. He defeated both top seeds Fabiano Caruana and Anish Giri in the last two rounds, which put him in a tiebreak situation with Caruana. He defeated Caruana in the tiebreak, thus giving him tournament victory.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: In April 2017, Mamedyarov won the Vugar Gashimov Memorial for the second year in a row with a score of 5½/9.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: In April 2018, he participated in the fifth edition of the Gashimov Memorial, finishing fourth with a score of 4½/9 (+1–1=7).


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: From 28 May to 7 June 2018, he competed in the sixth edition of Norway Chess, placing seventh with 3½/8 (+0–1=7).


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: From 22 July 2018 to 1 August, he competed in the 51st Biel Chess Festival, winning the event by one-and-a-half points ahead of Magnus Carlsen.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: On 14 June 2020, Mamedyarov won Sharjah online Chess tournament with 7.5 points from 10 rounds which is his first online tournament win.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: On 26 June 2020, Mamedyarov placed 2nd-6th in the 1st Mukhtar Ismagambetov Memorial along with Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Dmitriy Bocharov, Kazybek Nogerbek, and Davit Maghalashvili, with a score of 8.5/11.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: In June 2021, Mamedyarov won Superbet Chess Classic tournament in which Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian, Alexander Grischuk, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Anish Giri, Teimour Radjabov and Wesley So participated.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: Through February and March 2022, Mamedyarov played in the FIDE Grand Prix 2022. In the second leg, he placed second in Pool D with a 3/6 result. In the third leg, he won his pool with a result of 3.5/6 and a 3/4 result in rapid and blitz tiebreakers against Vincent Keymer.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: In 2011, Mamedyarov was the tournament organisers' nominee, qualifying him for the Candidates Tournament for the World Chess Championship 2012, where he lost to Boris Gelfand in the first round.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: In the 2014 cycle, he qualified for the Candidates Tournament by coming second in the FIDE Grand Prix 2012–13. He finished fourth in the Candidates, with a score of 7/14.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: He failed to qualify for the 2016 Candidates. He came sixth in the FIDE Grand Prix 2014–15, and was knocked out in the quarter finals of the Chess World Cup 2015 by eventual winner Sergey Karjakin.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: In the 2018 cycle, he qualified for the Candidates Tournament 2018 by winning the FIDE Grand Prix 2017. He finished as a runner-up in Candidates one point behind Caruana, with a score of 8/14.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: In the 2020 cycle, he failed to qualify for Candidates, finishing fourth in FIDE Grand Prix 2019, and being knocked out in the Fourth round of Chess World Cup 2019, by Teimour Radjabov.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: In the 2022 cycle, he failed to qualify for Candidates, finishing seventh in FIDE Grand Prix 2022, and being knocked out in the Third round of Chess World Cup 2021, by Haik Martirosyan.


title: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

text: He played for Azerbaijan at the Chess Olympiads of 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018. In 2009, 2013 and 2017 he won the team gold medal for Azerbaijan at the European Team Chess Championship, having won the bronze medal in 2007 and silver in 2011.


title: Bellamkonda Suresh

text: Bellamkonda Suresh is married to Bellamkonda Padmavathi and has two sons named Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas and Bellamkonda Ganesh Babu. Sreenivas made his debut with "Alludu Seenu" in 2014.