title: Jasmine Harman

text: The programme is also broadcast daily on More4, Discovery Real Time and Discovery Travel & Living, as well as channels in Europe and beyond, including New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. She has also featured in property, travel, health and lifestyle programmes for "This Morning", GMTV and the Travel Channel.


title: Jasmine Harman

text: On 16 August 2011 a BBC1 documentary, "My Hoarder Mum and Me" featuring her mother Vasoulla's hoarding was broadcast, featuring Jasmine and her siblings trying to help. On 8 May 2012, the documentary was extended to include other hoarders as "Britain's Biggest Hoarders".


title: Jasmine Harman

text: She was a presenter on the programme The Truth About Your Teeth which was broadcast on BBC One in June 2015.


title: Jasmine Harman

text: Jasmine presented the second series of "Collectaholics" on BBC Two. The series aired in April 2015. She replaced Mel Giedroyc who hosted the first series in 2014.


title: Jasmine Harman

text: Harman is a writer and commentator on topics such as overseas property, travel and homes, and has written for "Company", "Living Abroad", and "My Travel" magazines. She is the resident travel columnist at "Look" magazine, and a contributor to "A Place in the Sun magazine".


title: Jasmine Harman

text: She appears at "A Place in the Sun Live" giving presentations on her top tips for buying property abroad. Harman is also a regular on BBC Radio Kent where she joins PJ and Harris for the "Sunday Supplement".


title: Jasmine Harman

text: Harman is the eldest of seven children, with two half siblings on her father's side, and one half sibling on her mother's. She has Greek-Cypriot ancestry and many of her relatives reside in Cyprus, although her closer family live in England. Her hobbies include boxercise, salsa and budgerigar breeding. She has been a vegetarian since about the age of six, and a vegan since 2014.


title: Jasmine Harman

text: Harman has supported a number of charity projects, including becoming a celebrity waiter in aid of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, trading billions of pounds on the stock market to raise money for Breast Cancer Care, and in March 2010 dog sledding in Lapland, Sweden above the arctic circle in −31 °C for the Dogs Trust. In April 2010 Harman was one of a number of celebrities who participated in a nude photo shoot in aid of Cancer Research UK.


title: Victoria Alonso

text: Victoria Alonso (born 22 December 1965) is an Argentine film producer and President of Physical, Post Production, VFX and Animation at Marvel Studios.


title: Victoria Alonso

text: at the age of 19 to pursue an acting career. She relocated again to Los Angeles, where she began working in the visual effects industry, including at Digital Domain as a visual effects producer for four years, working on films such as "Big Fish" (2003), which was nominated for Best Special Visual Effects at the 57th British Academy Film Awards.


title: Victoria Alonso

text: Alonso joined Marvel Studios in 2005 as executive vice president of visual effects and postproduction, working as a co-producer on Marvel Cinematic Universe films "Iron Man" (2008), "Iron Man 2" (2010), "Thor" (2010), and "" (2011), and serving as executive producer on every Marvel Studios production since "The Avengers" (2012), including television shows. She was promoted to Executive Vice President of Production in 2015. In 2021, Alonso was promoted to President of Physical, Post Production, VFX and Animation at Marvel Studios.


title: Victoria Alonso

text: In 2016, Alonso became the first woman to win the Advanced Imaging Society's Harold Lloyd Award for her achievements in visual effects. In January 2020, she was awarded the Filmmaker Award by the Motion Picture Sound Editors at the 67th Golden Reel Awards. In October 2021, it was announced that Alonso would be the top honoree at Outfest's Visionary Award at the November ceremony at LA's Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.


title: Blancmange (band)

text: Blancmange () are an English synth-pop band formed in Harrow, London, in 1979. The band were a duo for much of their career, composed of Neil Arthur (vocals) and Stephen Luscombe (keyboards). They came to prominence in the early 1980s, releasing four UK top-20 singles: "Living on the Ceiling", "Waves", "Blind Vision" and "Don't Tell Me". They released three studio albums during that decade: "Happy Families" (1982), "Mange Tout" (1984) and "Believe You Me" (1985).<br>


title: Blancmange (band)

text: The duo amicably broke up in 1986 but reformed in the late 2000s, and in 2011 released their fourth studio album, "Blanc Burn". Luscombe left following the release due to ill health, and since then Arthur alone has continued to perform under the Blancmange name, releasing nine new studio albums along with a re-recording of the band's debut studio album, titled "Happy Families Too..." (2013). He has also been involved in a further three collaborative albums as Fader (with Benge) and Near Future (with Jez Bernholz).


title: Blancmange (band)

text: Blancmange was formed in Harrow, London, in 1979 by lead vocalist Neil Arthur (born 15 June 1958, Darwen, Lancashire), instrumentalists Stephen Luscombe (born 29 October 1954, Hillingdon, Middlesex) and Laurence Stevens. Stevens left shortly after the band was formed, and Arthur and Luscombe continued as a duo. The group's name derived from the dessert of the same name. The duo released their first EP, "Irene and Mavis", the following year, but their first real exposure came via the track "Sad Day" on the compilation album "Some Bizzare Album" (1981), alongside acts such as Soft Cell and Depeche Mode. This led to them signing a recording contract with London Records. In December 1981 they supported Japan on their "Visions of China" UK tour.


title: Blancmange (band)

text: The duo found minor success with their 1982 double A-sided single, "God's Kitchen"/"I've Seen the Word", which peaked at no. 65 in the UK. This was followed by "Feel Me", which peaked at no. 46. Later that year, they broke through with "Living on the Ceiling", which reached no. 7 on the UK Singles Chart and was an international hit. Their debut studio album, "Happy Families" (which featured a sleeve painting in the style of Louis Wain and of the cover artwork of Enid Blyton's books), also reached the top 30.


title: Blancmange (band)

text: Further hits followed with "Waves" (no. 19), "Blind Vision" (no. 10), "That's Love, That It Is" (no. 33) and "Don't Tell Me" (no. 8), while their second studio album "Mange Tout" (1984) also reached no. 8 in the UK Albums Chart. The album featured a cover version of ABBA's "The Day Before You Came", which reached no. 22 in the UK (slightly higher than Abba's original less than two years earlier). However, after this, the band's fortunes declined. Their 1985 single "What's Your Problem" only reached no. 40, and the subsequent studio album "Believe You Me" (1985) spent only two weeks in the UK Albums Chart, peaking at no. 54. The duo announced that they were breaking up in June 1986 after a Greenpeace concert at London's Royal Albert Hall.


title: Blancmange (band)

text: Luscombe released an album of Indian-influenced music, "New Demons", with Pandit Dinesh, Peter Culshaw, Priya Khajuria and Asha Bhosle under the name West India Company, in 1989. Meanwhile, Arthur released his debut solo studio album, "Suitcase", in 1994, which spawned the charting single "I Love I Hate" (UK No. 50). In 2008, Edsel re-released the three studio albums as expanded versions.


title: Blancmange (band)

text: Following a gap of a quarter of a century, Blancmange reunited and released their fourth studio album, "Blanc Burn", in March 2011. After suffering from an abdominal aortic aneurysm, Luscombe was forced to leave the band. Since then Arthur elected to continue recording and performing as Blancmange, with the assistance of session musicians.


title: Blancmange (band)

text: Blancmange performed a UK tour in November 2013, during which they played their debut studio album "Happy Families" (1982) in its entirety at each show. They also released a new album, "Happy Families Too...", featuring updated recordings of the original tracks from their 1982 debut album. Initially the new album was only available to buy on the tour, but a digital download followed and a physical CD was released on 7 April 2014 which included four brand new remixes.


title: Blancmange (band)

text: On 2 December 2014, the official Blancmange website announced details of a new studio album for release on 23 March 2015 on Cherry Red Records. The album, "Semi Detached", contains ten tracks. On 9 March 2015, the first single from "Semi Detached", "Paddington", was released as a digital download. The second single from the album, "Useless", was announced for release on 11 May 2015.


title: Blancmange (band)

text: On 23 April 2015, Blancmange announced a new album of instrumental music titled "Nil by Mouth". This release was initially only available for purchase at the band's two shows at London's Red Gallery in May 2015. It subsequently became available as a CD through the official Blancmange website on 25 September 2015. On 29 May 2015, Blancmange announced the release of their cover of Can's "I Want More" as a limited edition 12" record for Record Store Day, making it the third single from "Semi Detached".


title: Blancmange (band)

text: "Commuter 23", a studio album containing 14 tracks, was released on 11 March 2016. On 20 March 2017, the band announced on their website that a new studio album, "Unfurnished Rooms," would be released on 22 September 2017. On 23 June 2017, Fader, a new musical project between Neil Arthur and Benge, released their debut studio album, "First Light". It was preceded by a single, "I Prefer Solitude", on 7 June 2017. In August 2017, Edsel Records released the 9-CD boxset "The Blanc Tapes" that expanded each of the three 1980s albums over three discs with additional material and liner notes by Neil Arthur.


title: Blancmange (band)

text: In February 2018, Near Future, another side project comprising Neil Arthur and Jez Bernholz (from Gazelle Twin), announced they will release their debut studio album, "Ideal Home", on 25 May 2018. In April 2018, Blancmange announced a forthcoming studio album, "Wanderlust", and a UK tour in November. In July 2019, "In Shadow", the second studio album by the Fader project (Neil Arthur and Benge), was announced for release on 18 October 2019.


title: Blancmange (band)

text: An instrumental album by Blancmange, "Nil by Mouth II", was released on 22 November 2019 as a limited-edition run of 1000 copies. The album was released on a larger scale on CD in June 2020. A new album, titled "Mindset", preceded by a single with the same title in February, was released in June 2020.


title: Svarog

text: Svarog is a Slavic god of fire and blacksmithing, who was once interpreted as a sky god on the basis of an etymology rejected by modern scholarship. He is mentioned in only one source, the "Primary Chronicle", which is problematic in interpretation. He is presented there as the Slavic equivalent of the Greek god Hephaestus. The meaning of his name is associated with fire. He is the father of Dazhbog and Svarozhits.


title: Svarog

text: This theonym is preserved in several forms, in the "Primary Chronicle" as Соварога, "Sovaroga", Сварогъ, "Svarogǔ", Сварогом, "Svarogom", Сварога, "Svaroga", and in the "Sofia Chronograph" as: Сваро, "Svaro", Сваро, "Svaro".


title: Svarog

text: The fire etymology was one of the first to be proposed by the Slovene linguist Franc Miklošič (1875), who explained the theonym "Svarog" as consisting of the stem "svar" 'heat', 'light', and the suffix "-og". The stem "svar" itself was to be derived from an earlier "*sur" "shining". That etymology is also supported by contemporary linguists and etymologists, but the etymology of the stem "svar" is explained differently. The root "svar" derives from the Proto-Slavic "*sъvarъ", which consists of the prefix "*sъ-" meaning "good, (ones') own" and the stem "*varъ" "fire, heat", which is continued, for example, by Old Church Slavonic варъ, "varǔ" "heat", or Old East Slavic варъ, "varǔ" "sunny heatwave, scorching heat, heat" (from Proto-Indo-European "*wār-" "warmth"). This root was then extended by the suffix "*-ogъ", which has no specific function. The common noun "*sъvarogъ" "good, own fire, heat" was then transferred to the name of the god because of his function as a divine blacksmith, a god wielding fire, working with fire. The "*sъvarъ" stem is also the origin of words related to blacksmithing, e.g. Old East Slavic сварити, "svariti" "to forge something at high temperature", Old Polish "zwarzyć" "to weld, chain two pieces of iron", as well as modern Russian words, e.g. сварить, "swarit"' "to melt", "to weld".


title: Svarog

text: Some researchers, including Aleksander Brückner and Vatroslav Jagić, suggested that the name stemmed from the word "svar" meaning "argument, disagreement", or the verb "svariti" "to quarrel". Brückner translated this theonym literally as "wrangler, brawler", which would also be associated with fire. However, this etymology has been criticized.


title: Svarog

text: In earlier scholarship, the dominant view was that the root "sva"r was borrowed from an Indo-Iranian language, e.g. from Sanskrit स्वर्, "svar" "radiance", "sky", "sun", but this etymology is nowadays rejected due to phonetic difficulties.


title: Svarog

text: After Christianization, Svarog was preserved in toponymy and vocabulary. In Bulgaria these are the towns of Сва́рог, "Svarog", Сва́рошка бара, "Svaroshka bara", in the Czech Republic it is the "Svaroh" mountain, and the Sorbian name "Zwarogk". Brückner also added the Polish town of "Swarożyn" here, based on a notation in the German Latin "Swarozino" from 1205, but the original notation was "Swarozina" and is dated 1305, so it should be read as "Swarocino", from the personal name "Swarota", or, as other records indicate, the town was called "Swaryszewo", from the personal name "Swarysz". Modern notation "Swarożyn" should be regarded as false transcription.


title: Svarog

text: In the Russian dialect (Novgorod) the obsolete word сва́рог, "svarog" meaning "fire" and "blacksmith", is preserved. The Romanian word "sfarog", meaning "something burnt, charred, dried", was probably borrowed from an unspecified South Slavic language, probably Bulgarian, and the source word is reconstructed as "*svarogъ".


title: Svarog

text: A god named "Svarozhits" appears in the sources as well. Some scholars have suggested that Svarozhits means 'young Svarog' or is a diminutive of "Svarog". The argument for the existence of only one god is based on the fact that in Serbo-Croatian the suffix "-ić" means 'young' or 'small' (e.g., "Djurdjić" is not the 'son of Djurdjo', but 'little Djurdjo'). Brückner also believed that the Lithuanians called their gods fondly, e.g. "Perkune dievaite" meaning 'little god Perkun' and not 'god Perkun'. However, most scholars disagree with this interpretation. The suffix "-its", "-ich" (from Proto-Slavic "*-iťь") is most often a patronymic suffix (e.g. Polish "pan" 'master' → "panicz" 'son of a master'). The family relationship between Svarog and Svarozhits is also indicated by accounts of these gods.


title: Svarog

text: The only source that mentions Svarog is the Slavic translation of the "Chronicle" ("Chronography") of John Malalas, which was placed in the "Primary Chronicle" under year 1114. In this translation, in glosses, the Greek god of fire and smithing Hephaestus is translated as Svarog, and his son, the sun god Helios, is translated as Dazhbog (glosses are in italics):


title: Svarog

text: This source is problematic for several reasons. The first problem is place and time the glosses about Svarog and Dazhbog were included in the Slavonic translation of the "Chronography". Some scholars believe that these glosses come from the 10th-century Bulgarian translator of the "Chronography" (the first Slavic translation in general), and some scholars assume that the glosses were added by a Ruthenian copyist. Aleksander Brückner supported this thesis by adding that the Bulgarian texts avoided mentioning Slavic or Turkic paganism in Bulgaria. Vatroslav Jagić suggested that the glosses were written in Novgorod because the "Chronography" translation also contains references to Lithuanian paganism, which the Bulgarian translator could not do. The downside of this theory is that the glosses must have been written before 1118 (this is probably when they first found their way into the compilation of the "Primary Chronicle"), and in the 11th century Ruthenian writers were not interested in Lithuanian paganism because of underdeveloped contacts with Lithuania. For this reason, Viljo Mansikka has proposed that the Baltic interpolation and glosses came into translation in 1262 in Lithuania or Western Rus. However, this explanation raises some objections: Svarog is not mentioned in any other Russian sources (unlike Dazhbog), and he is also omitted by Nikon in his list of deities worshiped by Vladimir the Great. According to Henryk Łowmiański, who identified Svarozhits with Dazhbog, an argument for the Bulgarian origin of the glosses is the fact that in these glosses Dazhbog is called "the son of Svarog" – in Bulgarian the patronymic suffix "-ic", "-ič" has been forgotten, so that Dazhbog could not be called simply Svarozhits. If the Bulgarian origin of the glosses is recognized, Svarog must also be considered a South Slavic god, not an East Slavic one.


title: Svarog

text: The second problem is that it is not clear which information in the glosses pertains to Slavic mythology and which to Greek mythology. According to the glosses Svarog is: (1) the Slavic equivalent of Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire and smithing, (2) the father of Dazhbog, and (3) the creator of monogamy. According to Andrzej Szyjewski, the myth of the adulterous wife fits Hephaestus (pagan Slavs were polygamous), whereas the myth of the blacksmith god being the father of the Sun does not appear anywhere in Greek mythology. Łowmiański believed that Hephaestus was not translated as Svarog because of his association with fire and smithing, but precisely because of his being the father of the Sun. Brückner and Dimitri Obolensky interpreted this account as a distorted myth about a blacksmith god who forged a sun disk. Such an affinity may be indicated by the Baltic parallel where Teliavelis forges the sun and casts it on the sky.


title: Svarog

text: Because it is unclear to what extent the fragmentary translation of the "Chronography" can be used, and because of only a single source about Svarog, as well as uncertain clues in folklore, the interpretation of this god is problematic. Some scholars have even suggested that Svarog was created from the figure of Svarozhits and never existed in the beliefs of the Slavs.


title: Svarog

text: Czech historians Martin Pitro and Petr Vokáč believe that Svarog is a god who receded into the background after the creation of the world, but at the same time is a celestial smith and sun god.


title: Svarog

text: It is possible that Svarog echoes the mythology of northern Europe: the smith god in Norse and Baltic mythology forges weapons for the Thunderer, and as in Finnish mythology, the smith god Ilmarinen is the creator of the Sun, the sky, and many wondrous objects. The smith god also fights the powers of chaos in defense of his creation.


title: Svarog

text: Aleksander Gieysztor interpreted Svarog as celestial fire (the sun), Perun as atmospheric fire (the thunderbolt), and Svarozhits-Dazhbog as earthly fire (fire).


title: Svarog

text: Jiří Dynda rejects the understanding of Svarog as a sovereign deity of heaven or a "deus otiousus" type deity, and points out that in the source Svarog, or rather his prefiguration, does not bear the characteristics of such a deity, except for the paternity of the solar deity, which he considers a secondary feature. Instead, he compares him to the figure of the magician and hero Volkh Vseslavyevich from Russian bylines, and to the ancient blacksmiths who, in Russian folklore, make weapons for heroes and weld the hair of men and women symbolically uniting them into marriage, which include, for example, the blind father of the hero Svyatogor.


title: Svarog

text: It is possible that Svarog is related in some way to mythological bird Rarog (saker falcon), perhaps on the taboo basis pointed out by Roman Jakobson. In Vedism Indra is sometimes called "Indra Vritrahan", "Indra the victor of Vritra". In the Iranian version of this motif, Veretragna is transformed into the falcon "Varhagan" during his duel with Vritra. Czech "Raroh", "Rarach" is a generous yet vengeful demonic being associated with the campfire, taking the form of a bird or dragon, with a body and hair of flame, who flies out through the chimney as a ball of fire or whirlwind. He indicates a Balto-Slavic motif: the names "raróg", "rarok" in Polish, "jarog" in Czech, and "raragas" or "vanagas" in Lithuanian refer to a bird with glowing eyes.


title: Svarog

text: On the basis of solar and celestial etymology, Svarog is often interpreted as a celestial creator deity whose role in cult mythology has been overlooked. Svarog would have been the heir of a hypothetical Proto-Indo-European "*Dyḗus". In this case, he would correspond to deities such as the Vedic Dyaus or the Baltic Dievs, but also to the Greek Zeus or the Roman Jupiter – the latter two deities, however, took on thunderer characteristics and occupied an important place in their respective pantheons.


title: Svarog

text: Michal Téra interprets Svarog as the counterpart of the Vedic sky-god Dyaus, who according to some accounts is the father of the fire-god Agni-Svarozhits and of the sun-god Surya-Dazhbog. He also links him to the mystical figure Svyatogor, whose place in the bylinas is taken by Ilya Muromets, Perun's heir – according to Téra described as tired, whose weight the earth cannot bear, and he compares this last motif to the mythical separation of Heaven and Earth which is necessary to put the world in order. He also believes that Svarog appears in the myths of the creation of the world.


title: Svarog

text: Łowmiański developed a theory that the cult of the Proto-Indo-European god "*Dyḗus" developed among the Slavs in two forms: in the form of Svarog among the West Slavs, and in the form of Perun among the East Slavs. Subsequently, the cult of Svarog was to be transported in the 6th century by Serbs and Croats from West Slavs to the Balkans.


title: Hourman

text: Hourman or Hour-Man is the name of three different fictional superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The original Hourman was created by writer Ken Fitch and artist Bernard Baily in "Adventure Comics" #48 (March 1940), during the Golden Age of Comic Books. The first Hourman is chemist Rex Tyler, who creates a new synthesis, "Miraclo", which grants him super-strength and endurance, but only for one hour.


title: Hourman

text: Rex Tyler made his live action debut in the season one finale of The CW series "Legends of Tomorrow" portrayed by Patrick J. Adams. Both Rex and Rick Tyler also appear in the DC Universe series "Stargirl" portrayed by Lou Ferrigno Jr. and Cameron Gellman respectively.


title: Hourman

text: The original Hourman is Rex Tyler who appeared in the Golden Age of Comic Books and is a common member of the Justice Society of America.


title: Hourman

text: Rick Tyler, Rex's son, took over the Hourman mantle during the "Crisis on Infinite Earths". Rick swallowed some of his father's Miraclo pills to help him save people trapped in a burning hospital. After serving for a few years as a member of Infinity, Inc., a team composed largely of other JSA-member children, Rick began to grow addicted to Miraclo just as his father did. He spent many years after leaving the group critically ill until Amazo, posing as a future incarnation of the android Hourman, cured him of his Miraclo addiction. Having conquered his personal demons and regaining his health, Rick joined the JSA in its incarnation as a small band of freedom fighters during the "Stealing Thunder" arc. The android had given him an hourglass full of tachyons that gave Rick random visions one hour into the future. As a second gift, Rick could visit with his father in an otherworldly dimension called the Timepoint, frozen in time, just before Rex's death. At one point, Rick is severely injured in battle, and switched places with his father to save his life. Tyler, the android known as the third Hourman, took Rex and some other JSA members to the Timepoint to save Rick's life. The one hour Rex was allotted in the Timepoint expired just as Doctor Mid-Nite and Tyler had healed Rick of his injuries. Father and son fought over who would perish in the battle with Extant. Ultimately, Tyler the android took Rex's place and was destroyed when Rick and Rex returned to Earth. Rick is once again active as Hourman and is an active member of the JSA. He is married to Jesse Chambers.


title: Hourman

text: In the 853rd century another Hourman, an android that was modeled on Rex Tyler's DNA, served with both the Justice League and the Justice Society for a time. He often perceived himself as Rex and also as Rex's descendant. Originally possessing the time-manipulating cosmic artifact known as the Worlogog, he divested himself of most of its power at the suggestion of Snapper Carr and went about learning to be human. After failing to stop Extant from escaping a fight, Hourman quit the JSA and began travelling through the timestream, returning when he received a distress call from the JSA. As noted above, he is believed to have been destroyed at the hands of Extant in Rex's place, although the time-traveler Rip Hunter mentioned that his actions would leave him inactive for a relative year, indicating his probable return. Before he died, the android also gave his hourglass to Rex Tyler, who hopes to rebuild him. The android briefly used the alias Matthew Tyler and was often simply called Tyler.


title: Hourman

text: Neither Rex nor Rick have any innate powers (though it was once theorized that their powers derive from a metagene, like many DC superheroes). Any superhuman abilities they display are derived from the use of Miraclo. Taking Miraclo grants a user several abilities for the span of an hour. Most obvious are the superhuman strength, durability, increased resistance to physical damage (to the extent of being impervious to small arms fire) and speed enhancements. Other, lesser known and mentioned powers include night vision and the ability to survive underwater. Rex and Rick both took Miraclo in pill form, but Rick later changed to using a transdermal patch.


title: Hourman

text: The amount of Miraclo that can be taken per day has varied. Normally, it is once a day, but in some instances, Rex has been shown taking another pill as soon as an "Hour of Power" runs out. One story states that Rex needed to wait another hour after the Miraclo wore off before taking another dose. Miraclo works specifically on the Tylers and may or may not work on others who take it. In one instance it worked on an animal, Dr. Mid-Nite's owl Hootie, as well as the villain Bane.


title: Hourman

text: Rex and Rick both wore an hourglass around their necks given to them by the Hourman Android. It was filled with energized tachyons, time in its most basic form. It gives Rick "time vision", flashes of events that will happen exactly one hour later as well as the ability to touch those out of phase with normal time. The latter effect comes to anyone holding the hourglass. Rex displayed neither of these abilities.


title: Hourman

text: "Tyler" is often simply called an android, but is actually an intelligent machine colony (possibly a form of nanotechnology) created by Tylerco in the far future. If damaged, this colony can effortlessly multiply and repair. His software is encoded with the genetics of Rex Tyler, giving him all of Rex's memories. He originally possessed the Worlogog, which gave him complete control over time. He later gave all but a shard of it up, but not before he absorbed all of Batman's memories of the JLA.


title: Hourman

text: Though not as powerful as he was originally, Tyler still retained super strength, durability, and speed equivalent to a person using Miraclo. He was able to access an "Hour of Power", sixty minutes during which he had power over time. He can do many things with this control: move between picoseconds, travel through time, use his own time vision (which allows him to see a person's past and future, as well as their age) or make people and things younger, slow a person down until essentially frozen, create tunnels between different time periods, and share power with other individuals (though the amount of time that he provides them power for directly takes away from his sixty minutes). Tyler activates the Hour of Power at will and the hourglass on his chest keeps count of the time. There seems to be some doubt how often he can use his Hour of Power. Like the other Hourmans' use of Miraclo, sometimes Tyler is said to only have one Hour of Power a day, while at other times he simply must wait another hour to recharge before he can reactivate, and it is unclear if he must use that Hour of Power in one go or if he can spread it out over the course of the day.


title: Hourman

text: Tyler also has a timeship that he can summon from the timestream. It is connected to him and reacts to his thoughts. It normally appears as a Viking-style wooden sailing ship adorned with clocks, but it can change form as Tyler dictates to anything from a simple wooden skiff to a futuristic spaceship and also be used as a weapon, as when Hourman made a large hand out of it to trap Extant. The ship can travel through time, to alternate timelines, or through hypertime.


title: Malte Gårdinger

text: Malte Myrenberg Gårdinger (born 23 July 2000) is a Swedish actor. In 2021, he starred as August in the Netflix series "Young Royals". He is the son of the Swedish television personality Pontus Gårdinger.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: Ezequiel Marcelo Garay González (; born 10 October 1986) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a central defender.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: He started his career with Newell's Old Boys but moved to Spain at the age of 19, going on to amass La Liga totals of 201 games and 21 goals over ten seasons with Racing de Santander, Real Madrid and Valencia. In 2011 he signed with Benfica, winning four major titles, most notably the domestic treble in 2013–14.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: Garay was born in Rosario, Santa Fe. At the early age of 18, he made his professional debut for hometown's Newell's Old Boys, in the Primera División. His first match was against Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, as the local team eventually won the Apertura championship in the 2004–05 season.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: Garay made another 12 league appearances for Newell's, scoring his first and only goal for the club in the local derby against Rosario Central, a 2–1 win.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: Garay joined La Liga club Racing de Santander in December 2005, helping with seven complete matches as the Cantabria side barely avoided relegation. His first full season was nothing short of spectacular as he netted nine league goals in 31 games, being the second top scorer in his position in Europe's major leagues only behind Inter Milan's Marco Materazzi (ten); against Real Madrid only, he scored three times – 2–1 home victory (both through penalties, as well as five other goals) and 3–1 away loss – as Racing eventually finished tenth, their best since returning to the top flight in 2002.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: On 19 March 2008, in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey against Getafe CF, Garay suffered a serious leg injury which put him out of action for the remainder of the campaign. He still scored three goals in 22 matches with his team finishing in a best-ever sixth position, qualifying for the first time to the UEFA Cup– one of those came on 30 September 2007 in a 1–0 win at UD Almería.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: On 18 May 2008, Racing sold Garay to Real Madrid, but received the player again on a season-long loan. Returned in July 2009, he made his league debut for the latter on 29 August, in the opening game of the campaign against Deportivo de La Coruña, a 3–2 home win. On 12 December, after coming on as a substitute for severely injured Pepe, he scored his first goal for the club, heading in a free kick from Xabi Alonso to make it 3–2 at Valencia CF with six minutes to go.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: Garay was only fourth-choice stopper in 2010–11 under new manager José Mourinho, only making five league appearances, adding two in the Spanish Cup (including one minute in the final against FC Barcelona, a 1–0 extra-time triumph).


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: On 5 July 2011, Garay transferred to S.L. Benfica for a fee of €5.5 million, signing a four-year contract; initially part of the deal that sent Fábio Coentrão to Real Madrid, Garay eventually signed a separate deal. Real Madrid also remained eligible for 50% of any transfer fee Benfica would receive, and the latter also sold part of his rights to Benfica Stars Fund for €1.175 million, making the club owner of 40%.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: During his spell in Lisbon, Garay shared teams with a host of compatriots, and often partnered with Luisão in central defence. On 24 April 2014, he scored his eighth official goal of the season, his team's first in a 2–1 home win over Juventus F.C. in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: On 25 June 2014, Russian club FC Zenit Saint Petersburg signed Garay in a transfer totalling €6 million, with Benfica receiving €2.4 million for their 40% part of the player's rights.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: He appeared in 42 games in all competitions in his first season, helping the team to their fourth Russian Premier League championship.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: On 31 August 2016, Garay joined Valencia for a fee reported at around €20 million. He scored four goals in his debut campaign, but his side could only finish 12th.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: Garay was on the starting XI in the 2019 Copa del Rey Final, a 2–1 defeat of Barcelona. In February 2020, after suffering a cruciate ligament injury to his right knee which would sideline him for up to six months, he asked to be released so that another player in his position could be signed.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: Having been without a club for over one year, the 34-year-old Garay announced his retirement on 16 July 2021. He revealed that he had been suffering with a long-term injury since 2018 and had had offers since leaving Valencia, but felt that it would have been dishonest to accept them since the injury situation would have meant he would only have been available for one game out of every three.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: In 2005, Garay helped the Argentine under-20s win the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands. That side also included Sergio Agüero, Fernando Gago, Lionel Messi and Oscar Ustari.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: Garay earned his first cap for the senior team cap in a friendly against Norway, a 2–1 loss on 22 August 2007. He had previously been called in May by coach Alfio Basile to a series of friendlies prior to the 2007 Copa América, but injury prevented him from appearing in those matches and the official competition.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: Garay was selected by new national team manager Sergio Batista to the 2011 Copa América. He was also picked by the following coach, Alejandro Sabella, for his 2014 FIFA World Cup squad, making his debut in the competition on 15 June by featuring the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 group stage win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was first-choice in all the remaining games and, on 9 July, converted his penalty shootout attempt against the Netherlands (0–0 after 120 minutes) to send his country to the final for the first time in 24 years.


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: Garay made the list for the 2015 Copa América, starting in the team's opening fixture with Paraguay in La Serena (2–2).


title: Ezequiel Garay

text: On 15 March 2020, Garay became the first La Liga player to test positive for COVID-19. On 21 September 2021, shortly following his retirement, he was reported to have started real estate development in Valencia.


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: Nickla Ann Roberts-Byrd (born February 13, 1962) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and valet, better known by her ring name, "The Perfect 10" Baby Doll. She is best known for her appearances with World Class Championship Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions in the 1980s.


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: Roberts was born in Lubbock, Texas to Nick Roberts and Lorraine Johnson. Both Nick Roberts and Johnson were professional wrestlers and promoted weekly events at the Fair Park Coliseum. During her childhood, Roberts sold programs at her father's events, in the process befriending future wrestlers Bruce and Keith Hart and Kerry and Kevin Von Erich. From an early age, Roberts aimed to become a professional wrestler.


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: In the summer of 1984, while training to become an emergency medical technician (EMT), Roberts overheard her parents say that her childhood crush, World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) wrestler Gino Hernandez, was in need of a valet. Unbeknownst to her parents, Roberts contacted David Manning, the WCCW booker, and proposed that she could manage Hernandez. After Manning agreed, Roberts left college and traveled to San Antonio, Texas, making her debut alongside Hernandez in the sold-out Freeman Coliseum. She went on to train under Nelson Royal for the remainder of the summer.


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: Performing under the ring name Andrea, the Lady Giant (a reference to André the Giant), Roberts was booked to dominate both male and female wrestlers in the ring. Her character had a punk haircut and typically wore leather pants, a leather jacket, metal studded belts, spiked dog collars and wristbands and scarves and T-shirts relating to rock bands such as Aerosmith and Mötley Crüe. Hernandez and Roberts feuded with Mike Von Erich and his manager, Sunshine.


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: Roberts left WCCW in December 1984. In February 1985, she joined the National Wrestling Alliance member Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). She was introduced by Tully Blanchard as his new manager, "The Perfect 10" Baby Doll. She assisted Blanchard during his feuds with Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T. A. After Rhodes defeated Blanchard for the NWA World Television Championship at The Great American Bash on July 6, 1985, Roberts was forced to be Rhodes' valet for 30 days. During this time, vignettes aired in which Rhodes tried to turn her into a "real lady."


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: In December 1985, JCP ran an angle to get J.J. Dillon in as Blanchard's manager. Baby Doll was missing from Blanchard's side for some time and then returned on December 28 at a house show. Tully confronted her in an interview and demanded to know where she had been. The angle played out that J.J. had given her a ticket to Mexico and said it was from Tully for her Christmas present. Dillon denied it and Tully hit Baby Doll who was then "saved" by Dusty Rhodes.


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: During a weekly Monday night television taping in Greenville, South Carolina in 1986, Jim Cornette and Beautiful Bobby Eaton attacked Roberts with a tennis racquet. She responded by introducing The Warlord as her newest client. The Warlord briefly feuded with Big Bubba Rogers before leaving JCP to further his training. At the 1986 Great American Bash on July 5, 1986, Roberts, Rhodes and Magnum T. A. defeated Cornette and The Midnight Express in a steel cage match. In addition to Rhodes and Magnum T. A., She also teamed with the Rock and Roll Express and the Road Warriors against Cornette and the Midnight Express throughout the 1986 Great American Bash Tour.


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: On August 23, 1986, Roberts turned on Rhodes, helping Ric Flair to keep the NWA World Heavyweight Championship during a title bout with Rhodes in St. Louis, Missouri. Roberts briefly managed Flair before the JCP booking office sent her to the NWA Central States territory due to their disapproval of her marriage to fellow wrestler Michael "Sam Houston" Smith.


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: In 1987, Roberts left JCP and joined the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-based Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) alongside her husband. Upon leaving the UWF, she began appearing on the independent circuit with Houston.


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: In 1988, Roberts returned to Jim Crockett Promotions, managing Larry Zbyszko during his feud with Barry Windham over the NWA Western States Heritage Championship. Her tenure was short lived as her husband was then working for the rival World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in what was regarded as a conflict of interest.


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: Roberts heard about the WWF restarting their women's division and trained with Nelson Royal to improve her ring-skills alongside her sister-in-law Robin Smith. Both tried out with the WWF, but Smith was chosen over Roberts.


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: At the inaugural WrestleReunion event on January 29, 2005 in Tampa, Florida, Roberts accompanied Jeff Jarrett to ringside for his successful defense of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a bout with Tully Blanchard. She went on to manage a number of wrestlers on the independent circuit throughout the late 2000s (decade). In 2016, Baby Doll appeared for Big Time Wrestling in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Morganton, North Carolina, in "Battle of the Sexes" matches vs. Jim Cornette.


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: Roberts married fellow wrestler Michael "Sam Houston" Smith on July 30, 1986 in Lubbock, Texas. She gave birth to two daughters; Mikka Tyler Smith, in 1991, and Mikala Joy Smith, in 1992. Roberts retired from professional wrestling upon the birth of her second daughter, opting to devote her time to her children. She and Smith separated in 1991, briefly reconciled in 1992 and ultimately were divorced on February 17, 1995.


title: Baby Doll (wrestler)

text: After retiring from professional wrestling, Roberts worked in a number of fields, including baggage handling, cable installation, the manufacture of apparel for wrestlers and 13 years at Wal-Mart.


title: Grand Mufti

text: The Grand Mufti (also called Chief Mufti, State Mufti and Supreme Mufti) is the head of regional muftis, Islamic jurisconsults, of a state. The office originated in the early modern era in the Ottoman empire and has been later adopted in a number of modern countries.


title: Grand Mufti

text: Muftis are Islamic jurists qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ("fatwa") on a point of Islamic law ("sharia"). In the 15th century, muftis of the Ottoman empire, who had acted as independent scholars in earlier times, began to be integrated into a hierarchical bureaucracy of religious institutions and scholars. By the end of the 16th century, the government-appointed mufti of Istanbul came to be recognized under the title "Shaykh al-Islam" (Turkish: "şeyhülislam") as the Grand Mufti in charge of this hierarchy. The Ottoman Grand Mufti performed a number of functions, including advising the sultan on religious matters, legitimizing government policies, and appointing judges. After the dissolution the Ottoman Empire the office of the Grand Mufti has been adopted in a number of countries across the Muslim world, often serving the role of providing religious support for government policies. The Grand Mufti is generally an individual appointed by the state, although the office has collective or elective character in some modern countries.


title: Grand Mufti

text: Muftis are Muslim religious scholars who issue legal opinions (fatwas) interpreting Sharia (Islamic law). The Ottoman Empire began the practice of giving official recognition and status to a single mufti, above all others, as the Grand Mufti. The Sheikh ul-Islam (or "grand mufti") of Istanbul had, since the late 16th century, come to be regarded as the head of the religious establishment. He was thus not only pre-eminent but bureaucratically responsible for the body of religious-legal scholars and gave legal rulings on important state policies such as the dethronement of rulers. This practice was subsequently borrowed and adapted by Egypt for the head of its Dar al-Ifta (House of Fatwas) from the mid-19th century. From there, the concept spread to other Muslim states, so that today there are approximately 16 countries with sizable Muslim populations which have a Grand Mufti. The relationship between the Grand Mufti of any given state and the state's rulers can vary considerably, both by region and by historical era.


title: Grand Mufti

text: The Grand Mufti of India is elected by the Electoral college and appointed by the Islamic Community of India.


title: Grand Mufti

text: Throughout the era of British colonialism, the British retained the institution of Grand Mufti in some Muslim areas under their control and accorded the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem the highest political stature in Palestine. During World War I (1914–1918), there were two competing Grand Muftis of Jerusalem, one endorsed by the British and one by the Ottoman Empire. When Palestine was under British rule, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem was a position appointed by the British Mandate authorities. In the Palestinian National Authority, the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Grand Mufti is appointed by the president.


title: Grand Mufti

text: Malaysia has a unique system of collective mufti. Nine of the fourteen Malaysian states have their own constitutional monarchy; nine are ruled by their own constitutional monarch while the country is led by a monarch elected from the nine. These nine monarchs have authority over religious matters within their own states: therefore, each of these nine states have their own mufti who usually controls the Islamic Council or Islamic Department of the state. At the national level, a National Council of Fatwa (Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan) has been formed under the Department of Islamic Advancement of Malaysia (Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia or JAKIM). JAKIM appoints five Muftis for the five states which do not have monarchs. The muftis of the nine monarchical states, together with the five officials appointed by JAKIM in the National Council of Fatwā, collectively issue fatāwā at the national level.


title: Grand Mufti

text: In the Ottoman Empire, the Grand Mufti was a state official, and the Grand Mufti of Constantinople was the highest of these.


title: Grand Mufti

text: According to Article 78 of the 2014 Constitution, the Grand Mufti of Tunisia is appointed and can be dismissed by the President of the Republic.


title: Grand Mufti

text: The list includes the names of currently appointed Grand Muftis who will take office on an appointed date and appointed by a governing committee.


title: Romblon

text: Romblon ( , ) is an archipelagic province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. Its main islands include Tablas, the largest, which covers nine municipalities; Sibuyan with its three towns; as well as the smaller island municipalities of Corcuera, Banton, Concepcion, San Jose, and the municipality of the same name (which also serves as the provincial capital). The province lies south of Marinduque and Quezon, east of Oriental Mindoro, north of Aklan and Capiz, and west of Masbate. According to the 2020 census, it has a total population of 308,985.


title: Romblon

text: Romblon has been inhabited by aboriginal Filipinos prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1569. Archaeological artifacts recovered by the National Museum in 1936 indicate that the aborigines of Romblon already have a rich and advanced culture. During the Spanish colonial rule, Romblon was initially administered under the province of Arevalo (Iloilo) until 1716, when it was transferred to the jurisdiction of the newly created province of Capiz. With arrival of the Americans in 1901, Romblon was declared a province and placed under civilian rule. It lost its provincial status for a short while between 1907 and 1945, but regained it in 1946, just after World War II.


title: Romblon

text: The inhabitants of Romblon are divided into three ethnolinguistic groups: Romblomanon, Onhan and Asi. These groups occupy specific islands in the province and have their own language and customs. Romblomanon is mainly spoken in the town of Romblon, in all of three towns of Sibuyan Island, and the town of San Agustin in Tablas. Onhan is mainly spoken in the municipalities in the southern part of Tablas (Alcantara, Looc, Ferrol, Santa Fe, San Andres, and Santa Maria), as well as in the island municipality of San Jose. The northwestern part of Tablas Island (in Odiongan and Calatrava, as well as the islands municipalities of Corcuera, Banton, and Concepcion), speaks the Asi language.


title: Romblon

text: Currently, the province relies on agriculture, particularly rice and copra farming as well as fishing, for its livelihood. It also has a lucrative marble industry due to an abundance of Italian-quality marble, hence, its moniker as the "Marble Capital of the Philippines." In recent years, the province has also become an ecotourism destination, with several white sand beaches, diving spots, mountains and rainforests that tourists visit annually.


title: Romblon

text: According to legend, the name "Romblon" was derived from the Romblomanon word "Nagalumyom", which pertains to a chicken in the act of sitting on its eggs on a nest. This eventually evolved to "Lomlom", and later on to "Donblon", the name reported by Spanish chronicler Miguel de Loarca in his book "Relacion de las Islas Filipinas" in 1582, before finally evolving to Romblon.


title: Romblon

text: Meanwhile, local historians Roland Madeja and Evelyn Reyes relate the origin of the name "Romblon" to the shape of Romblon Island. Madeja claims that the name was derived from the Spanish word "ronblon", another term for "tornillo", meaning "screw." According to him, the Spanish claimed to have observed the screw-like shape of Romblon Island. Meanwhile, Reyes claims Romblon originated from "doubloon", which refers to the Spanish coin used by Moro pirates in paying dowries for their brides-to-be. The Spanish might have named the island after the shape of the coin.


title: Romblon

text: Romblon's aboriginal inhabitants were the Negritos from Panay and Mangyans from Mindoro, who settled in the islands during the precolonial period. Ancient wooden coffins discovered in the Guyangan Cave System of Banton Island in 1936 signify a rich ancient civilization and culture in the province before the arrival of the Spaniards in 1569. These artifacts are currently on display at the National Museum in Manila. Remnants of Negrito and Mangyan aborigines now live in the mountains of Tablas and Sibuyan after they were displaced by the influx of Hiligaynon, Aklanon, Bicolano and Tagalog migrants as early as 1870.


title: Romblon

text: According to historians Emma Helen Blair and James Alexander Robertson, the Spanish arrived in Romblon in 1569 led by conquistador Martin de Goiti who was dispatched by Miguel López de Legazpi to explore the western and northern portion of the Visayas region including Romblon and Mindoro. The islands were later organized into three "encomiendas" and were administered from Arevalo. De Loarca visited Romblon in 1582 and conducted the first census of the islands.


title: Romblon

text: In 1635, Augustinian Recollect missionaries arrived in Romblon to establish Catholic missions and settlements. They helped the Spanish authorities establish peace and order in the islands. In 1868, they established seven missionary centers at Romblon, Badajoz (San Agustin), Cajidiocan, Banton, Looc, Odiongan and Magallanes (Magdiwang). They also built massive forts, churches and watchtowers in the province, such as Fort San Jose in Banton and Fort San Andres in Romblon, following a Dutch attack in 1646 which destroyed the capital town and to repulse recurring Moro raids.


title: Romblon

text: Romblon was separated from the jurisdiction of Arevalo and annexed to Capiz, when the province was created in 1716. More than a century later in 1850, the inhabitants of the province began using Spanish family names after governor-general Narciso Clavería decreed on 21 November 1849 the use of surnames from the "Catálogo alfabético de apellidos". Asi-speaking natives were assigned the letter F, Romblomanon speakers were assigned the letter M, speakers of the Sibuyanon style of Romblomanon were assigned the letter R, while Onhan-speaking natives were assigned the letter G.


title: Romblon

text: In 1853, the islands were organized into a politico-military "comandancia" ("sub-province" in English) administered from Capiz and continued to be so until the end of the Spanish rule in 1898. As a sub-province, Romblon was under an army officer with the rank of captain. The town of Romblon was its capital and the other municipalities were Azagra, Badajos (now San Agustin), Banton, Cajidiocan, Corcuera, Looc, Magallanes (now Magdiwang), Odiongan, Despujols (now San Andres) and Santa Fe.


title: Romblon

text: In 1898, amid the Philippine Revolution, Katipunan leader Emilio Aguinaldo sent his generals to several provinces in the Visayas to expand the recognition of his revolutionary government in the central and southern Philippines. The Katipunan general Mariano Riego de Dios and his forces liberated Romblon, while generals Ananias Diocno and Leandro Fullon proceeded to Panay. On 25 July the same year, Riego de Dios took the Romblon capital and captured Spanish officials. Four days later, the Spanish politico-military governor Don Carlos Mendoza formally signed the surrender of Romblon's district government, ending more than three hundred years of Spanish rule in the archipelagic province.


title: Romblon

text: Later, Don Wenceslao Molo, a local from Romblon town, was appointed governor and became responsible for the collection of a total amount of , Romblon's share to the war expenditures of the Revolutionary Government from 31 May 1898 to 28 February 1899. A local election was also held in Romblon town for its ministers of justice and barrio officials. However, Molo's term was a brief transition to another era as the Americans arrived in the province a few months later.


title: Romblon

text: Upon the restoration of peace and order in the province following the Philippine–American War, the Americans established civilian government in the islands on 16 March 1901. Romblon was created as a regular province in the same year but due to insufficient income, it became a sub-province of Capiz again in 1907 until 7 December 1917 when Act No. 2724 reestablished the province. Under Commonwealth Act No. 581, enacted without executive approval on 8 June 1940, the province was reorganized with four towns or municipalities, namely: Tablas (composed of Odiongan, Looc, and Badajoz), Romblon (including the islands of Logbon, Cobrador and Alad), Maghali (comprising Banton, Corcuera, and Concepcion), and Sibuyan (composed of the towns of Cajidiocan, Magdiwang and San Fernando).


title: Romblon

text: During World War II, the Japanese Imperial Forces established a garrison in Romblon on 21 March 1942 which they maintained until the end of the war. The islands became one of the centers of resistance movement against the Japanese. The movement was led by the Free Panay Guerilla Forces composed of members from the 6th Military District under the direction of Col. Macario Peralta, Jr. One of the major naval engagements during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Battle of Sibuyan Sea, happened off the waters of Romblon on 23–24 October 1944 between Japanese Admiral Kurita’s fleet from Singapore and Admiral Halsey's carrier planes from the US Third Fleet then stationed east of the Philippines. Units from Company C of the 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division landed on Sawang, Romblon on the night 11 March 1945. By 18 March, the province was liberated from Japanese forces.


title: Romblon

text: On 1 October 1946, Congress passed Republic Act No. 38, sponsored by Cong. Modesto Formilleza, which abolished the four special municipalities and restored Romblon and its municipalities to its pre-war status. In the decades that followed, the province saw the creation of new municipalities, such as Alcantara (1961) from Looc, Calatrava (1969) from San Agustin, Ferrol (1978) from Odiongan, and Santa Maria (1984) from San Agustin.


title: Romblon

text: Romblon is strategically situated at the center of the Philippine archipelago. Geographically part of the Visayas, it is composed of three major islands (Tablas, Sibuyan and Romblon) and 17 smaller islands. It is surrounded by deep waters, and is bounded by Masbate in the east, Mindoro in the west, Marinduque in the north and Panay in the south. It is approximately and south of Manila. The islands are dispersed and accessible only via sea transportation except for Tablas Island where a domestic airport is located in the municipality of Alcantara.


title: Romblon

text: The province has a total land area of approximately representing about 5.3 percent of the total land area of Region IV-B Mimaropa. It is generally mountainous with about 40 percent of its land area having an inclination of more than 50 percent. Only four percent of the total area has an inclination of three to eight percent, while a sparse 10 percent has an inclination of three to zero percent. Narrow strips of coastal lowlands, low hills and plains typify the topography of some of the islands.


title: Romblon

text: Romblon Island is hilly with a maximum elevation of about above sea level. Tablas Island shows varied relief characteristics. The western coastal areas are level to undulating while the eastern coastal areas are rough to rugged. The southern section covering Santa Fe and the mid-western portion may be described as having rolling to rough terrain. Extremely rugged areas can be found in the central section of the island. The highest elevation is almost above sea level. Sibuyan Island is a thickly forested mountain mass. The western portion of the island may be characterized as extensively rugged, having ascents of 60 percent or more while the eastern section is relatively undulating to rolling. The highest elevation, the peak of Mt. Guiting-Guiting, reaches about 2,058 meters (6,750 feet) above sea level.


title: Romblon

text: The major areas that are highly productive and buildable are basically in Tablas and Sibuyan. These include Odiongan, San Andres, Looc and Santa Fe in Tablas Island. All three municipalities in Sibuyan Island, on the other hand, have substantial level to gently sloping lands. Overall, good developable lands represent about 13 percent of the province's total area.


title: Romblon

text: Romblon, particularly Sibuyan Island, is among the few places in the Philippines with a well-preserved natural environment. Uninterrupted rainforest covers 75 percent of the island. It is also home to the country's cleanest inland body of water, the Cantigas River, as well as 34 waterfalls. Sibuyan is commonly known the country as the "Galapagos of Asia" because of its many endemic plant and animal species, some of which have just been discovered recently. Among these endemic species are nine mammals, seven lizards, two amphibians, three birds and 112 vascular plants, such as the "Nepenthes argentii", "Nepenthes sibuyanensis", "Nepenthes armin", Sibuyan striped shrew rat, Sibuyan shrew, Philippine tube-nosed fruit bat, indigo-banded kingfisher, and the Romblon hawk-owl. In Tablas Island, at least two endemic bird species can be found: the Tablas drongo and Tablas fantail.


title: Romblon

text: Romblon comprises 17 municipalities. Of these, nine are located in Tablas Island (San Agustin, Calatrava, San Andres, Odiongan, Ferrol, Santa Fe, Looc, Alcantara and Santa Maria), three in Sibuyan Island (Magdiwang, Cajidiocan and San Fernando) and five (Romblon, San Jose, Banton, Concepcion and Corcuera) are island municipalities.


title: Romblon

text: Romblon falls under Type III of the Corona climatic classification system which was devised in 1920. It is characterized by no pronounced wet and dry seasons. Generally, the wet season is from June to November and sometimes extends up to December when the southwest monsoon is predominant. The dry season is from January to May but is sometimes interrupted by erratic rainfall. The annual mean temperature is , with February as the coldest month with temperatures dropping to , and May as the warmest month with temperatures reaching up to . "Habagat" monsoon winds pass through the province from June to October while northeasterly winds or "Amihan" blows through the islands from December to February.


title: Romblon

text: The population of Romblon in the 2020 census was 308,985 people, with a density of , ranking it fourth among the five provinces of Mimaropa in terms of population with 9.9 percent of the region's population.


title: Romblon

text: San Jose and Romblon are the two most-densely populated municipalities in the province at 490/km and 450/km, respectively. Cajidiocan is the least densely populated municipality at 110/km.


title: Romblon

text: Males outnumber females in the province with a sex ratio of 102:100 according to the 2010 census. Of the province's 283,482 household population, males accounted for 144,091 or 50.8 percent while females made up 139,391 or 49.2 percent. The voting-age population (18 years old and over) accounted for 56.6 percent of the household population of the province in 2010, up from 52.7 percent in 2000. There were more females (50.2 percent) than males (49.8 percent) among the voting age population.


title: Romblon

text: The languages of Romblon, as well as all languages native to the Philippines, belong to the Austronesian language family, the second largest language family in the world with 1,257 known languages, second only to the Niger–Congo family's 1,538 languages. All of the languages of the Philippines, except Samalan, are classified as Philippine languages under the Western Malayo-Polynesian branch of Austronesian. The Philippine language group has three main branches: Northern, Southern and Central, the latter of which is composed of the Bisayan, Bikol and Tagalog languages.


title: Romblon

text: Unlike other islands or provinces in the Philippines where all local languages are classifiable under the same subgroup of languages, each of the three languages of Romblon — Romblomanon, Onhan and Asi — actually belongs to a different subgroup of the Visayan language group. Romblomanon belongs to the Central Visayan subgroup, which spans from Waray-Waray in Samar and Leyte, through Masbatenyo and Sorsoganon, and as far west as Hiligaynon and Capiznon on Panay. It is spoken in Romblon and Sibuyan Islands, as well as in the municipality of San Agustin in Tablas Island.


title: Romblon

text: Onhan, on the other hand, belongs to the Western Visayan subgroup, which includes Kinaray-a and Aklanon, as well as several minor languages spoken on Mindoro, Palawan, and some small islands in between. Its speakers are mainly from the southern portion of Tablas Island, in the municipalities of San Andres, Santa Maria, Alcantara, Ferrol, Looc, and Santa Fe, as well as in the municipality of San Jose in Carabao Island. Finally, Asi is not classified under any specific subgroup of Visayan, and instead makes up its own immediate branch of Visayan. David Paul Zorc, a linguist from the Australian National University whose expertise is on Philippine languages, notes that Asi speakers may have been the first Visayan speakers in the region. He also suggests that Asi may have a Cebuano substratum and that many of its words may have been influenced by the later influx of other languages such as Romblomanon. It is spoken in the island municipalities of Banton, Corcuera and Concepcion, as well as in Odiongan and Calatrava in Tablas. Hiligaynon is spoken in municipalities near Capiz and Aklan. As Romblon is part of Mimaropa which is also known as Southwestern Tagalog Region, provincial settlers speak Tagalog/Filipino as "lingua franca" between different Visayan languages.


title: Romblon

text: The people of the province are predominantly Roman Catholic. In 2012, the UP School of Economics reported that in recent years, 69 percent were Catholics, 30 percent belong to Iglesia Filipina Independiente while five percent to Muslims, and around three percent belonged to Iglesia ni Cristo. Mainline Protestants and Evangelicals then formed a significant minority of up to 8% of the population.


title: Romblon

text: Romblon used to be one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines until 2015 when it recorded lower poverty incidence of 38.63 percent, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Poverty incidence in the province further declined to 28.28 percent in 2018. The provincial economy is heavily reliant on agriculture, tourism and mineral extraction which can be greatly affected by typhoons the frequently pass through the province yearly.


title: Romblon

text: Agriculture is the main industry in Romblon. Coconut is the most cultivated crop with a total planted area of . San Agustin has the most extensive area with coconut plants followed by Romblon and Cajidiocan. Rice is the next crop, cultivated particularly in Odiongan, Looc, Cajidiocan and Santa Fe. Other crops grown include root crops, vegetables and fruits. Odiongan, Banton and Magdiwang have the greatest areas planted with root crops and correspondingly, have the highest volume of production. Vegetable production is mostly for home consumption and grown in small scale.


title: Romblon

text: Livestock development and poultry production is a viable small scale enterprise for farmers in the province. The provincial government maintains breeding facilities in strategic locations province-wide to encourage farmers to engage in livestock and poultry production to augment their income. Livestock and poultry management training and seminars is provided to interested clients.


title: Romblon

text: Due to the geographical condition of the province, crops and livestock production is generally deficient as compared to the food requirements of Romblon population. To meet the rice requirements, Romblon relies on imports from the neighboring provinces while vegetables, poultry meat, vegetables and fruits are supplied mostly by Luzon.


title: Romblon

text: Fishing industry is a major enterprise as Romblon is surrounded by water on all sides. The fishing grounds of Romblon are a migratory path of fish from Sulu and Visayan Seas passing Tablas Strait, Sibuyan Sea and Romblon Pass. The waters also abound with demersal fish due to the coral reefs surrounding the islands.


title: Romblon

text: Because the province has a great potential for aqua-marine development, the province implemented a coastal and resource management program. Each municipality established a fish sanctuary and passed laws on fishery. The use of air compressors in the municipal waters was regulated and banned altogether in some municipalities.


title: Romblon

text: Marble is the most significant mineral deposit of Romblon and is the most renowned product of the province. Based on statistics, Romblon is the second biggest provincial marble producer of the country next to Bulacan. Romblon marble is of very high quality and comes in shades of white, green, pink, red and black. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau has estimated that Romblon is endowed with about 150 million metric tons of marble. At current rates of extraction, the supply may last for three more centuries. Tablas Island is also believed to have vast reserves of marble.


title: Romblon

text: Marble quarrying and processing are major activities in Romblon. Among the most common marble products are categorized into the following: novelty items (gifts, ashtray, table bars), furniture (dining tables, baptismal fonts) and construction materials (tiles, balusters, marble chips). Other mineral resources with considerable quantity include nickel ore and gold mostly to be found in Sibuyan Island. Gold panning and small-scale mining is a lucrative undertaking in Magdiwang.


title: Romblon

text: Being an archipelago, Romblon has numerous beaches and dive sites. Among its best white sand beaches are Bonbon, Cobrador and Tiamban Beach in Romblon, Macat-ang, Tabunan and Tambak Beach in Banton, Lunas and Bignay Beach in San Jose, and Cresta del Gallo in San Fernando. The sea surrounding Cresta del Gallo is a famous diving site teeming with marine life. Romblon is also home to the only known blue hole in the Philippines in the town of San Agustin. The entrance to the blue hole is a wide volcanic chimney, which drops for before opening up into the massive chamber below with a total depth of .


title: Romblon

text: Mount Guiting-Guiting in Sibuyan, the province's tallest mountain, is considered one of the most difficult climbs in the Philippines, and is thus a major destination of local mountain climbers because of its steep and jagged summit. Another a suitable place for hiking and trekking is Mount Payaopao is Tablas. Meanwhile, Banton's Guyangan Cave System, an Important Cultural Treasure, is where the Banton Cloth — the earliest known warp "ikat" textile in Southeast Asia — was found in 1936.


title: Romblon

text: Aside from the precolonial Guyangan Cave System in Banton, the province also has several heritage sites built during the Spanish colonial period. In Romblon town, the forts of San Andres and Santiago served as fortifications against Muslim pirates in the 17th century, while the St. Joseph Cathedral and Belfry houses a centuries-old image of the Santo Niño de Cebú or the Holy Child. Both heritage sites were declared National Cultural Treasures by the National Museum. The town also has colonial-era bridges that were declared Important Cultural Treasures. A similar fort in Banton, the centuries-old Fort San Jose and Banton Church, were built in the 1600s and was also used as defenses against Muslim pirates.


title: Romblon

text: Every second week of January, Romblon town celebrates the feast of the Santo Niño de Cebú, also known as the Biniray Festival. In that week, a fluvial parade featuring the image of the Santo Niño goes around Romblon Bay in order to bring good luck to the villages. A mardi gras is also held in the town with various street dancing, food, drinks and music. A similar Biniray Festival also occurs in Banton every 10 September in commemoration of the island's patron, San Nicolas de Tolentino. Other festivals include the Saginyogan Festival in Alcantara, the Sanrokan Festival in Banton, and Looc's Talabukon Festival, which honors the giant genie-like epic hero, Talabukon, who saved the people from pirates.


title: Romblon

text: In recent years Romblon Island has attracted more scuba divers. It has pristine and untouched reefs with almost undisturbed hard and soft corals around the islands of Romblon, Logbon, Alad and Cobrador. With multiple marine sanctuaries and private associations most of the marine life around Romblon is protected. In addition to the reefs, Romblon has been becoming famous for its rare and unique macro habitat, such as the "Melibe colemani", the "Cyerce nigra" and the "Cyerce bourbonica".


title: Romblon

text: Just like any other province in the Philippines, Romblon's chief executive and head is the provincial governor. Elected to a term of three years and limited to three consecutive terms, he or she appoints the directors of each provincial department, which include the office of administration, engineering office, information office, legal office, and treasury office. As of 30 June 2019, the incumbent governor of Romblon is Jose "Otik" Riano, from the PDPLBN. He was elected in 2013 as vice-governor and reelected in 2016.


title: Romblon

text: The provincial vice governor performs duties as acting governor in the absence of the provincial governor. He or she also automatically succeeds as governor upon the death of the provincial governor. The provincial vice governor also convenes the Provincial Board or "Sangguniang Panlalawigan", the provincial legislative body. The incumbent provincial vice governor of Romblon is Felix Ylagan from the LAKAS. He is a grandson of the late governor of the same province, Perpetuo Ylagan.


title: Romblon

text: The province, which is a lone congressional district, is represented in the Philippine House of Representatives by longtime Representative Eleandro Jesus "Budoy" Madrona from the Nacionalista Party. He first assumed office from 1992 to 2001, serving three terms. Following two terms wherein Perpetuo Ylagan and Eduardo Firmalo respectively represented the district in Congress, Madrona ran and won again in 2007. His third and last term will expire in 2016.


title: Romblon

text: Within the province, the Provincial Board or "Sangguniang Panlalawigan" crafts all provincial ordinances, performs appropriation of provincial funds, issues franchises and permits, impose fees on provincial services, and exercise other duties and powers as stipulated by the Local Government Code of 1991. Romblon, being a third-class province in terms of income, is entitled to a Provincial Board composed of eight members, four each from the province's two board districts. , the incumbent board members from the province's two districts are: (First District) Samuel Romero, Anthony Rugas, Abner Perez, Nelson Lim ; (Second District) Felix Ylagan, Juliet Fiel, Venizar Maravilla, and Andres Fondevilla.


title: Romblon

text: Romblon's provincial sea is composed of two concentric circles: A smaller blue circle over a larger white circle. The white circle forms a band, with the words "Lalawigan ng Romblon" (Province of Romblon) on top and "Pilipinas" (Philippines) on the bottom each written in semi-circular fashion. The blue circle symbolizes Romblon's geography as an archipelago surrounded by sea. On the middle of the blue circle is the province's designated five-sided white shield. At the center of the shield are 17 green human figures that appear to be linking arms. These symbolize the 17 municipalities that make up the province. Its green color represents the island's ecological and agricultural resources.


title: Romblon

text: The human figures form a circle surrounding five figures: A marble craftsman and a marble "almirez" (mortar and pestle), representing the province's marble industry. On its left side is the image of a fish, representing the province's fishing industry, and on its right side is a coconut, representing the province's copra industry. Behind the craftsman is a green outline of a mountain, representing Mount Guiting-Guiting National Park, a protected nature reserve where the province's tallest mountain is located. Behind the mountain is a rising sun, similar to the sun found on the Philippine flag, representing the Divine Providence of abundant natural resources.


title: Romblon

text: Romblon province is connected by a network of national and provincial roads. National roads form much of this network, with a total length of . Provincial roads, meanwhile, total in length. Municipal and barangay roads in far-flung villages and island municipalities are not part of these figures. The primary modes of land transportation in the province are jeepneys, passenger motorcycles, minibuses and tricycles that serve inter-municipal movements and linkages.


title: Romblon

text: Sea transportation is the primary mode of transportation linking Romblon with Luzon and islands in the Visayas. Inter-island ferries, RORO, and cargo ships from Manila, the southern Luzon ports of Batangas City, Lucena City in Quezon province, Roxas, Oriental Mindoro, and Roxas City in Capiz province are the primary modes of transportation linking the province to the rest of the country. Montenegro Lines, 2GO, and Romblon Shipping Lines all have ferry service from Manila to the main ports of entry of Odiongan and the capital town of Romblon and vice versa. From Romblon, Montenegro also serves Magdiwang in Sibuyan, while Romblon Shipping Lines also serves Cajidiocan. Pump boats and wooden launches also link the province to the towns of Buenavista, Marinduque and Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro. These pump boats are also used in going to barangays where there are no existing road networks or between municipalities in the province that do not have existing ferry service.


title: Romblon

text: Tugdan Airport in Alcantara is the only airport in the province and is less than an hour away from Metro Manila. Philippine Airlines, the country's flag carrier, used to fly thrice a week (Sunday, Wednesday and Friday) to the airport via its budget carrier, PAL Express, but has ceased as of 1 September 2016 due to transfer of some of its flights to Clark International Airport in Pampanga. Currently, only Cebu Pacific has flights to the airport, with four flights weekly from Manila. At Barangay Azagra, San Fernando in Sibuyan Island, there is also a small airstrip that caters to tourism and general aviation.


title: Romblon

text: Power supply in Romblon is generated by the National Power Corporation (NPC) and serviced by two electric cooperatives. Tablas Island Electric Cooperative (TIELCO) serves the power needs of Tablas Island including San Jose. It operates a 5.070 MW diesel power plant in Odiongan and 1.740 MW power barge in San Agustin. The electric cooperative serves a total of 21,097 house connections. In 2013, TIELCO has entered into a 15-year power supply agreement with Sunwest Water and Electric Company (SUWECO) to fill the island's energy needs. In 2015, SUWECO opened a diesel power plant in Barangay Batiano, Odiongan, which supplies TIELCO with 8.8 MW of electricity. In 2019, TIELCO and SUWECO inaugurated the 7.5 MW peak Tumingad Solar Power Plant in Odiongan. The two power plants supply electricity to the towns of Odiongan, San Andres, Calatrava, San Agustin, Santa Maria, Santa Fe, Alcantara, Looc, and Ferrol in Tablas. Likewise, TIELCO supplies electricity to San Jose and has recently held the bidding for the competitive selection process (CSP) for a new power provider to the island municipality.


title: Romblon

text: Romblon Electric Cooperative (ROMELCO) supplies electricity to the capital town of Romblon through a 1.720 MW diesel power plant and a 1.30 MW power barge. It also serves Sibuyan Island using a 3.006 MW diesel power plant in San Fernando. ROMELCO has 5,288 house connections in Romblon and 5,150 house connections in the three municipalities located in Sibuyan Island or a total of 10,438 house connections in their franchise area. Additionally, ROMELCO installed in 2010 a mini hydro power plant in Cantigas, San Fernando, producing 900 kW of power. In 2019, ROMELCO also inaugurated the Romblon Wind Farm composed of three 300-kW wind turbines in Barangays Agnay, Bagacay and Lonos in Romblon, Romblon with a combined capacity to generate 2,000,100 kilowatt hours of green energy, or equivalent to 25 percent of the total annual energy requirement of the island. The 42-meter tall wind turbines were manufactured by Japanese company Komaihaltec Inc. and supported by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan. An additional 900-kW wind turbines will be installed in 2020. ROMELCO also provides 24-hour electricity to the island municipalities of Banton, Concepcion and Corcuera through diesel power plants operated by the NPC.


title: Romblon

text: Out of 17 municipalities, 14 have Level III water supply systems serving 18,590 households or about 32.57 percent of the total provincial households. Level III has a reservoir with house-to-house connections. 5,252 households were serviced by Level II water systems and 24,700 households by Level I water system. Level I category is a common facility where the community members get their water supply from deep wells and shallow wells, while Level II has a reservoir with communal faucet. Based on the report from the Provincial Health Office in 2007, a total of 48,542 households out of the 57,079 or 85.04 percent have access to safe drinking water.


title: Romblon

text: There are eight government-owned hospitals in Romblon that serve the local population's healthcare needs. Four of these hospitals are located in Tablas Island: the 75-bed, Romblon Provincial Hospital in Odiongan, the 25-bed Tablas Island District Hospital in San Agustin, the 25-bed Don Modesto Formilleza Sr. District Hospital in Looc, and the six-bed San Andres District Hospital in San Andres. Of these hospitals, only Romblon Provincial Hospital is a Level 1 hospital, which has an emergency room and intensive care unit. Two privately owned hospitals, the Tablas Doctors' Hospital and ISIAH Hospital and Medical Center, also operates in Odiongan. In Romblon, the 35-bed Romblon District Hospital provides the healthcare needs of residents in the capitol. It is the only other Level 1 hospital in the province after Romblon Provincial Hospital. In Sibuyan, the 25-bed Sibuyan District Hospital provides basic healthcare for the residents of the island's three municipalities. It opened in 1958 with the enactment of Republic Act No. 2400 by congressman Jose Moreno. There is also the 10-bed San Jose District Hospital in Carabao Island and the 10-bed Malipayon District Hospital in the town of Corcuera in Simara Island. Municipalities that do not have a district hospital or a Level 1 hospital are served by their respective rural health units.


title: Romblon

text: The province has several operating telecommunication exchanges, namely Kayumanggi, Romblontel, Odiongan Telephone Corporation (OTELCO), the


title: Romblon

text: Telecommunication Office (TELOF), telegram system, Liberty Telecom, public calling stations under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Provincial Communication System (PCS) radio transceivers and receivers. Smart Communications, Sun Cellular and Globe Telecom already have relay stations in Romblon, Odiongan and Cajidiocan, enabling most areas province-wide connected through cellphones, except on some area where the signal is weak or non-existent because of mountains that block the signal. The Triple Peak in Santa Maria has a relay station for PLDT and Liberty Telecom.


title: Romblon

text: There are four radio stations in the province, two of which are operated by the Radyo Natin Network and the other, 95.7 FMR Romblon owned by the Philippine Collective Media Corporation, GM FM 100.5 MHz owned by the Polytechnic Foundation of Cotabato and Asia and Radyo Natin Network operates the call sign DWMM at 104.5 MHz on FM radio from Looc, as well as the call sign DZVG 101.3 MHz on FM radio from Odiongan owned by Manila Broadcasting Company. As for print media, "Romblon Text" and "Romblon Sun" are the two major newspapers circulating in the province, aside from broadsheet and tabloid newspapers from Manila. "Romblon News", meanwhile, provides provincial and national news and information via the web and social media.


title: Romblon

text: A relay station for GMA Network and Romblon Community TV (affiliate of People's Television Network) in Santa Maria allows the province to access television shows broadcast by the network from Manila. There are also existing cable providers and local cable stations operating in several municipalities in the province, namely Romblon Cable Corporation (Romblon), Accutronics System Inc. (Odiongan), San Agustin Cable Antenna Corp. (San Agustin), Countryside Satellite Television System Inc. (Looc and Romblon), Gateway Cable TV Network (Calatrava), San Andres CATV Service Coop. (San Andres), Josefa J. Martinez CATV Services (Alcantara), Magdiwang Cable Television (Magdiwang), and Sibuyan Cable TV (San Fernando and Cajidiocan). Aside from these cable stations, there are also distributors of direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV such as Cignal Digital TV, Dream Satellite TV, G Sat, and Sky Direct who provide television services for its subscribers.


title: Romblon

text: The Division of Romblon of the Department of Education (DepEd) supervises and oversees the delivery of education and operations of public schools in the province. It is composed of 13 districts, where there are 228 elementary schools, 216 of which are public and 12 are private. Of the 216 public elementary schools, 162 offer preschool education, while 20 of the private schools have the same offering. There are also 10 private preschools offering pre-elementary. For secondary level, a total of 44 schools offer secondary education, of which 37 are public schools and seven are private institutions. The Virginia Centurione Bracelli School offers both primary and secondary education. There are 13 vocational schools in the province, while tertiary education is offered by privately owned Romblon College and the Romblon State University (RSU), one of the oldest state universities in the Philippines. RSU, which was founded in 1915, is the oldest agricultural university in the Philippines and has campuses in Romblon, Odiongan, Cajidiocan, Calatrava, San Agustin, San Andres, San Fernando, Santa Fe, and Santa Maria.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: Lake City is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 12,329. It is the principal city of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is composed of Columbia County, and had a 2010 population of 67,531. Lake City is 60 miles west of Jacksonville.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: Lake City began as the town of Alligator in 1821 near the Seminole settlement known as Alligator Village. Alligator became the seat of Columbia County in 1832 when it was formed from Duval and Alachua counties. In 1858 Alligator was incorporated and renamed Lake City. The largest American Civil War battle in Florida took place near here in the Battle of Olustee in 1864; the Confederates won. In 1884 the Florida Agricultural College was established in Lake City as a land grant college; it was relocated to Gainesville in 1905 to form part of the University of Florida. The city's sesquicentennial was held in 2009.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: Lake City is known as "The Gateway to Florida" because it is adjacent to the intersection of Interstate 75 and Interstate 10. The city is the site of Lake City Gateway Airport, formerly known as NAS Lake City. Florida Gateway College is located in Lake City.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: In 1539 Hernando de Soto and his Spanish expedition arrived in Tampa Bay. The de Soto expedition proceeded north from Tampa Bay looking for gold. His expedition met a large Native American group called the northern Utina, possibly near present-day Lake City, who were part of the western Timucua people. Some northern Utina were led by powerful chiefs. In the 17th century Spanish missionaries established missions in this area, west of the site of present-day Lake City. Called Santa Cruz de Tarihica, it was used by the Spanish to develop agriculture and bring Native Americans within their sphere.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: In the 18th century, a Seminole community called Alligator Village ("Alpata Telophka") occupied this area. Historians do not know when it was established, but its existence was documented by the U.S. Army in 1821. A February 1821 report by Captain John H. Bell mentions that the "mico" (chief) of Alligator Village had recently died and missed a gathering of chiefs. The most famous resident of Alligator Village was Alligator Warrior ("Halpatter Tustenuggee"), also known as Chief Alligator. He was the grandson of Micanopy (King) Payne ("Mekk-Onvpv Pin") and led Seminole warriors in the Second Seminole War (1835–1842) to resist their people's relocation to the Arkansas Territory (now known as Oklahoma).


title: Lake City, Florida

text: After Florida became a territory of the United States in 1821, pioneer and immigrant settlers from the United States formed their own settlement adjacent to Alligator Village and called it Alligator. Following the 1823 Treaty of Moultrie Creek, the residents of Alligator village relocated to the banks of Peace Creek in the newly established Seminole reservation, leaving Alligator Town on its own. When Columbia County was formed in 1832 from Duval and Alachua counties, Alligator Town was designated as the seat of the county government.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: During the Seminole Wars, several forts were established in the area, including Fort White on the Santa Fe River, and Fort Alligator, also called Fort Lancaster, in present-day downtown Lake City. By 1845 the last of the Seminole left the area of present-day Lake City or were forcibly removed by the US Army. In 1847 Company C of the Florida Volunteers, which was composed of Lake City members, served in the Mexican–American War.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: In November 1858 a railroad was completed connecting Jacksonville to Alligator, which opened the town to more commerce and passenger traffic. Alligator Town was incorporated and its name changed to Lake City in 1859; M. Whit Smith was elected as the town's first mayor. According to an urban legend, the name was changed because the mayor's wife Martha Jane, who had recently moved to the town, refused to hang her lace curtains in a town named Alligator.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: During the American Civil War the railroad between Lake City and Jacksonville was used to send beef and salt to Confederate soldiers. In February 1864 Union troops under Truman Seymour advanced west from Jacksonville. His objective was to disrupt Confederate supplies, and obtain African-American recruits and supplies. Confederate General Joseph Finnegan assembled troops and called for reinforcements from P. G. T. Beauregard in response to the Union threat. On February 11, 1864, Finnegan's troops defeated a Union cavalry raid in Lake City. After the Union cavalry was repulsed, Finnegan moved his forces to Olustee Station about ten miles east of Lake City. The Confederate presence at Olustee Station was reinforced to prepare for the Union troops coming from Jacksonville.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: Union forces engaged the Confederates at the Battle of Olustee on February 20, 1864, near the Olustee Station. It was the only major battle in Florida during the war. Union casualties were 1,861 men killed, wounded or missing; Confederate casualties were 946 killed, wounded or missing. The Confederate dead were buried in Lake City. In 1928 a memorial for the Battle of Olustee was established in downtown Lake City.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: The Civil War badly damaged Florida's railroads, including the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad. The railroad was rebuilt by carpetbagger George William Swepson and was renamed the Florida Central Railroad in 1868. In 1869 the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad was merged with a railroad from Jacksonville to Lake City to form the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad. In 1874 a fire destroyed most of the wooden buildings in Lake City.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: In 1874 Lake City's first newspaper was published, called the "Lake City Reporter". In 1876 the Bigelow Building was completed; it later was adapted for use as the City Hall. In 1891 Lake City became the first city in Florida to have electric lights from a local power and light company.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: By the early 20th century, Lake City had become an important railroad junction, served by the Seaboard Air Line, Atlantic Coast Line, Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad. Hotel Blanche was built in 1902 as an attraction for expected tourists. The hotel was Lake City and Columbia County's major hotel and central business center from 1902 to 1955.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: Florida Agricultural College was established in 1884 as part of the Morrill Land Grant Act; in 1904 it became a full university with twenty-five instructors. In 1905 the Florida Agricultural College was moved to Gainesville, becoming part of the University of Florida. Columbia High School constructed a second building in 1906 that was used until 1922.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: In 1907 Lake City officials leased the former property of the Florida Agricultural College to the Florida Baptist Convention; they founded a Baptist college called Columbia College. Columbia College lasted for ten years until the college became overwhelmed with debt. Columbia College deeded the land and buildings back to Lake City in 1919. During World War I, the campus of Columbia College was used as a training site for local troops for the war. The facility was adapted for use as U.S. Hospital No. 63, the predecessor of the Veterans Hospital constructed in Lake City. More than 34 Lake City soldiers were killed in World War I.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: In 1940 the population of Lake City was 5,836. During World War II, a number of institutions were established to help with the war effort as well as those in Lake City. The Lake Shore Hospital was dedicated in 1940 to provide medical care for those in the Lake City area. The Lake City Woman's Club became the United Service Organizations (USO) headquarters to entertain service personnel stationed in Lake City. Naval Air Station Lake City was commissioned in 1942 on the site of the Lake City Flying Club air field. NAS Lake City was a support facility for Naval Air Station Jacksonville and trained pilots to fly the Lockheed Ventura. Military operations at NAS Lake City ended in March 1946, and it was decommissioned as an active naval air station.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: After World War II a local air base was converted for use in 1947 as the Columbia Forestry School. The Columbia Forestry School had low enrollments and funds, forcing the school to seek help from the Florida legislature. The University of Florida assumed management of the school, and in 1950 it became the University of Florida Forest Ranger School. As part of the network of community colleges established in Florida, the school became the Lake City Junior College and Forest Ranger School in 1962. Lake City Junior College was renamed to Lake City Community College in 1970; in 2010 it was renamed as Florida Gateway College.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: By 1950, the population of Lake City was 7,467. The forestry products industry (turpentine, lumber, and pulpwood) had become a mainstay of the local economy.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: During the Korean War, five Lake City soldiers were killed. A monument was dedicated in 1985 in their honor and memory.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: In 1958, the Columbia Amateur Radio Society was formed. This was a group of amateur radio operators who enjoyed the ability to communicate all over the world. This radio club still exists today. Lake City's centennial was celebrated in 1959 with parades, fireworks and a 58-page book documenting one hundred years of progress, "A Century in the Sun". The citizens of the town dressed in period attire, complete with whiskers. A good-natured clash arose between the men with additional facial hair and the women who did not like it.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: In 1963 Interstate 75 and Interstate 10 were opened, intersecting at Lake City. In the 1960s Columbia County schools were not desegregated. In 1970 a judge ordered all Columbia County public schools to integrate. During the Vietnam War, 23 local Lake City soldiers were either killed or M.I.A.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: In 1978 the Columbia County Public Library was established. Downtown Lake City was revitalized in the 1990s with new businesses, shops and restaurants. In 2000 Lake City had a population of 9,980.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: On 10 June 2019, Lake City was hit by a cyber ransomware attack that rendered many of the city's communication systems inoperable. On 25 June 2019, the City's insurance company, the Florida League of Cities, paid 42 bitcoins—over US$480,000—for a mechanism to retrieve the City's files and data.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: Lake City is located in northern Florida at 30°11′N 82°38′W (30.1896, –82.6397). It lies near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Interstate 75. Jacksonville is to the east, Tallahassee is to the west, Gainesville is to the south, and Valdosta, Georgia, is to the northwest.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: According to the United States Census Bureau, Lake City has a total area of , of which is land, and or 3.20%, is water.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: Lake City is part of the humid subtropical climate zone of the Southeastern United States. Due to its latitude and relative position north of Florida's peninsula it is subject at times to continental conditions, which cause rare cold snaps that may affect sensitive winter crops. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the city was on June 4, 1918, and the coldest temperature ever recorded was on February 13, 1899.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: As of the census of 2010, there were 12,046 people, 4,650 households, 2558 Family households, residing in the city. The population density was 1002.4 per square mile. There were 5,539 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 56.6% White, 37.3% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. 5.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: There were 4,650 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.5% were married couples living together, 20.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.01.


title: Lake City, Florida

text: In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.