title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: In "Superman Beyond", the antimatter Ultraman was recruited on a journey to the DC Universe's version of Limbo, along with several other alternate universe Supermen, briefly combining - albeit against his will - with Superman to activate a massive robotic version of themselves to defeat Mandrakk, the dark Monitor, their raw power combining in the robot along with Superman's moral strength and Ultraman's pragmatic ruthlessness. In "Superman Beyond" #2, he was shown to have been converted into a vampiric being. In the seventh issue of "Final Crisis", the antimatter Ultraman was apparently slain by the united Supermen alongside his new master, Mandrakk.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: In "52" Week 52, a new version of Earth-Three was shown as one universe amongst the Post-Crisis DC Multiverse. In the depiction was the "Crime Society of America", whose members were twisted versions of the original Justice Society of America, including Superman. The names of the characters and the team are not mentioned in the two panels in which they appear, but this Post-"Crisis" Earth-3 Ultraman was originally shown to be aged, as he was a counterpart of the aged Superman of Post-"Crisis" Earth-2. When the Earth-3 Ultraman is shown in later appearances of the "Countdown" series, he is no longer aged but young. The Earth-3 team is the "Crime Society of America".


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: The Society make their first solo appearance in "Countdown Presents The Search for Ray Palmer: Crime Society" #1 (origin of Post Crisis Earth-3 Owlmen, Talons, Jokester, who is a heroic Joker) written by Sean McKeever and illustrated by Jamal Igle. In subsequent appearances, the Crime Society are agents of Monarch's Multiversal army. Ultraman, along with several other members of the Crime Society, were in the Earth-51 dimension when Superman-Prime destroyed the Monarch's containment armor unleashing all of Monarch's quantum energy which destroyed the entire Earth-51 dimension. As such, Ultraman is presumed dead along with his fellow Crime Society members.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: In The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity, a new version of Ultraman is introduced as one of the members of the Crime Syndicate to arrive from Earth-Three at the conclusion of the "Trinity War" event.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: This version of Ultraman is Kal-Il, who comes from a version of Krypton whose people are mean-spirited and selfish. Unlike their other incarnations, they gain power when exposed to green Kryptonite. Just before this Krypton was destroyed, Kal-Il's parents Jor-Il and Lara sent him to Earth-3 to one day seek vengeance against the being that destroyed Krypton (whom Jor-Il inadvertently summoned), teaching him to become the strongest being on the planet, or become nothing at all. Upon his arrival on Earth-3, the young Kal-Il coerced two alcoholic drug addicts, Johnny and Martha Kent, to adopt him, only to murder them years later once he had no further need of them. He went on to found the Crime Syndicate and take over the world. Ultraman is a violent, homicidal megalomaniac, as well as an elitist and Darwinist who values strength and selfishness, and hates weakness and altruism. After Earth-3 was devastated by the same being that destroyed Krypton-3, Ultraman led the Crime Syndicate to the Prime Earth to conquer it.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: This version of Ultraman possesses the standard powers of a Kryptonian, only he is empowered by green Kryptonite (being able to crush it into powder and even snort it like cocaine) and is weakened by yellow sunlight. He was responsible for murdering Monocle when he claimed that the Crime Syndicate was the Justice League in disguise. Ultraman moved the moon in front of the sun to eclipse the Crime Syndicate's section of Earth as well as to protect himself from its rays.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: The "New 52" version of Ultraman is shown as incredibly strong (fights Black Adam and swiftly defeats him), and is fairly impervious to "Shazam magic", which, in pre-New 52 continuity, is one of mainstream Superman's weaknesses (possibly because Ultraman comes from an alternate universe and is unaffected by magic of a different universe). Also Outsider mentioned that Ultraman has killed many gods from Earth-3 In the final battle, Ultraman engages Alexander Luthor but is beaten, Alexander leaves him to steal Deathstorm's powers. Ultraman later returns and attempts to attack Lex Luthor after he murdered Alexander Luthor only to be weakened after Sinestro and Black Adam move the moon and expose him to yellow sunlight. Lex Luthor opts not to kill Ultraman and kills Atomica instead. In the aftermath of the battle, Ultraman and Superwoman are in the custody of the authorities. He is seen sobbing in his cell.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: During the "Darkseid War" storyline, Ultraman is released and given Kryptonite in order to battle the former Anti-Monitor: Mobius. When he attacks Mobius by himself against Superman's advice, he find himself overpowered. Mobius then brutally kills Ultraman in cold blood.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: During the "Year of the Villain" event, Earth 3 alongside the Crime Syndicate of America was revived. Ultraman was present when Perpetua as Ultraman becomes impressed with her bloodshed. After witnessing Johnny Quick get killed when he suspects that allying with her is a bad idea, Ultraman agrees to have his Crime Syndicate lead the people of Earth 3 in her army where the people of Earth 3 were turned into Apex Predators.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: During the "" storyline following Perpetua's conquest of the Multiverse, Ultraman and Superwoman fight Green Lantern, Superman of Earth 23, and Wonder Woman of Earth 6 when they target Perpetua's tuning fork that is powering her Anti-Crisis Energy. Weary about what Perpetua would do to Earth 3, Owlman uses a gun made on Qward to kill Ultraman and Superwoman. Using a Black Lantern ring, Batman was able to revive Ultraman and Johnny Quick to help fight the forces of the Darkest Knight.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: Following the reboot of the multiverse after "", a new Earth-3 and Ultraman are created. Kal Il is the last survivor of the dead planet Krypton, sent to Earth as a baby. He was found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who adopted him and named him Clark. His powers manifested early and he never bothered to hide them, so the other children were afraid of and ostracised him, telling him that he was from space. The Kents exploited Clark and his powers for free labour, teaching him that obedience was the ultimate virtue and that people who did not contribute to society were to be reviled as "freeloaders". They also manipulated him to be emotionally dependent on them so that he would never leave the farm. When he was a teenager in 1963 his parents showed him his spacecraft and revealed to him that he was the last of his kind, telling him they were all he had. They hoped this would make him afraid to ever break free of them, but in fact he turned on them, realising that they had only ever taken advantage of him. He flew away from Smallville, carrying his ship.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: Ultraman revealed himself to the world on November 22, 1963 by assassinating the hated President John F. Kennedy with his heat vision. He was his world's only known metahuman until other beings with unnatural powers began to emerge at the start of the year 2021. He rules over Metropolis as a semi-benevolent dictator, beloved by some but feared and hated by many others. Ultraman allows the people of Metropolis some limited freedoms but tolerates no dissent, the only people who dare to challenge him openly are the editrix of the Daily Planet Cat Grant and Alexander Luthor.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: Following the Starro invasion, a number of metahumans revealed themselves to the world and Luthor began recruiting them into his Legion of Justice. Owlman and Superwoman approached Ultraman for an alliance to counter Luthor and rule the world, offering to make him their leader. Ultraman accepts and Superwoman also offers herself to him, hoping to conceive an heir.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: Ultraman possesses, essentially, the same Kryptonian superpowers as Superman, albeit most portrayals show him gaining powers from exposure to Kryptonite, even snorting it like a drug in the New 52 series; contrasting Superman, who is empowered by yellow sunlight. Ultraman is also weakened by yellow sunlight in the New 52 comics as his parents state that direct sunlight from Earth's sun breaks down the Kryptonite radiation in the cells of Earth-Three Kryptonians, stripping them of their powers and causing physical weakness and possibly emotional distress as well. A few portrayals have shown Ultraman being empowered by "Anti-Kryptonite", but not weakened by Kryptonite from the mainstream universe or yellow sunlight as in the New 52.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: In the animated movie "", Ultraman is weakened by blue Kryptonite that came from his earth and alternate earths though it is never explicitly stated what produces his abilities. "Smallville"'s Ultraman was shown to be vulnerable to Kryptonite (from both Earths) and strengthened by yellow sunlight like Earth-One Superman. The Anti-Matter Ultraman was a human empowered by Anti-Kryptonite and required it on his person to maintain his powers while regular Kryptonite did not affect him.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: There is a difference in the names of some of his abilities (super strength is called ultra strength, super vision is called ultra vision, super speed is called ultra speed, super hearing is called ultra hearing, etc.). His other powers are flight, heat vision (which he often uses to intimidate or murder people), x-ray vision, and invulnerability.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: Superman noted during a fight with Ultraman that Ultraman constantly murdering his opponents in their first confrontations actually made him weaker than Superman, as he simply eliminated his enemies upon encountering them as they were still getting used to their powers, while Superman fought them as they continued to get stronger and thus had to improve himself, putting Ultraman at a disadvantage when facing Superman's ability to think tactically, although this confrontation occurred when Superman was subject to a complex spell that was causing him to 'merge' with Batman and Wonder Woman, allowing him to draw on their superior tactical expertise. Also the first comic book portrayal showed Ultraman being defeated when over-exposed to kryptonite as he gained too much power for his body to handle; this is similar to what caused Superman a slow death in "All-Star Superman" when he flew too close to the sun and gained more power than his body could handle.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: As well as Earth-3, there is also a further New 52 iteration of Ultraman (as opposed to Superman) on vampire-dominated Earth-43, who is a member of the ex-metahuman vampiric "Blood League", which also includes vampire analogues of Batman, Robin, Cyborg, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman, as well as supervillains such as the Joker and Doctor Sivana. It is possible that this iteration of Ultraman may share Superman's vulnerability to magic, which is presumably how Ultraman was infected on that alternate Earth.


title: Ultraman (DC Comics)

text: Ultraman appears in "", voiced by Brian Bloom as the leader of the Crime Syndicate. Known as the "Boss of Bosses", Ultraman is vulnerable to Blue Kryptonite and enjoys tormenting President Slade Wilson and the First Daughter, Rose, after he murdered the First Lady, Adeline Wilson. After being defeated by the Justice League and betrayed by Owlman, Ultraman and the Crime Syndicate are arrested by Marines led by President Wilson.


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: Gears of War: Judgment is a third-person shooter video game, developed by People Can Fly and Epic Games and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360. It was released in North America and Australia on March 19, 2013, and in Europe on March 22. It is a spin-off of the "Gears of War" series and a prequel to the entire franchise.


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: Microsoft announced the development of "Gears of War: Judgment" at the company's press conference during the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012 in June, before releasing a debut trailer and demonstrating the upcoming multiplayer features. Prior to Microsoft's announcement, video game journalists had already determined that the chronology of events in "Gears of War: Judgment" would pre-date that of the other releases in the franchise, and that the prequel would feature Damon Baird and Augustus Cole as protagonists.


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: "Gears of War: Judgment" received positive reactions from critics, but underperformed commercially, selling 1 million copies by August 2013.


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: Like its predecessors, "Gears of War: Judgment" is a third-person shooter, with an "over the shoulder" perspective and cover system.


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: The main campaign is divided into six chapters, each with several missions. Unlike the previous games in the series, which used very large, open environments, missions are self-contained portions of the overall story and returning to earlier missions' settings is never possible. Each mission is scored on several criteria including the number of kills by the player, head shots, and gibs, and up to three stars are awarded. During each mission an optional, harder setting is available mandates certain criteria such as a time limit or a restriction on usable weapons; doing so increases the score. Obtaining 40 stars unlocks the separate "Aftermath" campaign, which consists of one chapter and is a follow up to the "Gears of War 3" campaign. Aftermath does not award stars or offer the harder setting seen in the "Gears of War: Judgment" campaign.


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: "Gears of War: Judgment" has two new multiplayer modes, OverRun and Free-for-All. The game has eight maps (four of which are exclusive to OverRun and four of which are exclusive to COG versus COG (Blue Team vs. Red Team)) and four game modes. Several key multiplayer features of the series have been changed as well, including the ability to plant grenades on walls, damage boosts from active reloads, and the ability to carry both a shotgun and a rifle into combat, though this last feature was later reinstated for all standard versus multiplayer modes except Free-For-All, due to fan dissatisfaction. However, it has been confirmed that the "Execution" mode will return through free downloadable content two weeks after the game launches, with the addition of two free maps. Also absent, are the Locust, who only appear in OverRun; instead, it is now COG versus COG (multiplayer).


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: The game's story takes place during flashbacks recalled by Baird and his team during a hearing at a COG military tribunal. Each level is a recollection by a different member of the team. Lieutenant and mechanical genius Damon Baird, former Thrashball player Augustus Cole, Onyx Guard cadet Sofia Hendrick and former UIR soldier Garron Paduk. The reason for the hearing is Baird's unauthorized use of a lightmass missile and subsequent death penalty. Upon hearing Baird's testimony it flashes back to Kilo Squad early in Emergence Day, surviving as the Locust were seizing control of many human areas and seeking to take over Sera.


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: Kilo Squad is put on trial for various crimes by Colonel Ezra Loomis and is given the chance to explain their actions:


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: Following orders, Kilo checks out a convoy in the Old Town part of Halvo Bay only to find it destroyed. Kilo proceeds to battle through Old Town and into the Museum of Military Glory where they encounter the fearsome Locust General Karn and his mount Shibboleth accompanied by hundreds of Locust. Contacting Colonel Loomis, Cadet Sofia Hendrick suggests using a powerful weapon known as the Lightmass Missile to take Karn out, but Loomis is against the idea. Realizing how dangerous Karn is, Kilo decides to do it anyway and travels to the Onyx Guard Academy where they find and protect the missile's targeting beacon, a bot that Lieutenant Damon Baird later names Troy. With Troy in their possession, Kilo travels to the Seashore Hills to the mansion of Professor Elliot, creator of the missile in order to get the launch codes needed to fire the missile. Fighting into the mansion, Kilo must defend Troy from repeated waves of Locust as he downloads the launch codes. Once they have the codes, Kilo travels to the island of Onyx Point where the missile itself is, fighting through entrenched Locust forces to reach and arm the missile. Despite orders to the contrary, they arm the missile and head back to the museum where they figure Karn is heading to lay a trap. Fighting across the rooftops of Old Town, Kilo sends Troy in to guide the missile and despite Loomis threatening to execute them if they go through with their plan, Baird fires the Lightmass Missile at the museum, blowing it up and killing hundreds of Locust, Karn presumably among them. Kilo then defends themselves from a massive Locust attack on their rooftop and once its over, are arrested by Loomis for their actions.


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: In the present, Loomis prepares to execute the squad when the Locust break into the courtroom. Private Garron Paduk, who particularly hates Loomis, saves his life and he flees while Kilo must fight their way out and to a nearby King Raven. Reaching the King Raven with Loomis, Karn is revealed to have survived the Lightmass Missile and he attacks Kilo and Loomis who manage to kill his mount Shibboleth. Loomis executes the heavily injured Karn and drops the charges against Kilo, but demotes Baird from Lieutenant to Private for his actions.


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: In the Aftermath campaign, set during "Gears of War 3", Baird and Cole return to Halvo Bay with Clayton Carmine to find a ship and reinforcements for the assault on Azura. There, they encounter Paduk, who left the COG with Sofia sometime after the original battle and set up a community in the ruins of Halvo Bay that has both COG and UIR members with no one caring about sides, only survival. He agrees to lead the three to a ship that can take them to Azura. As they make their way through the ruined city to the washed-up Imulsion rig where Paduk's people are located, the squad comes into conflict with the Locust. Finally arriving at the rig, the group finds no living humans and it occupied by packs of Formers (Lambent Humans). Fighting through the Formers, they send off a flare from the roof of the rig and the survivors of Paduk's people, who have moved to another part of the city, send a King Raven to pick them up but they first have to hold off a determined Locust and Lambent assault. Finally, they board the King Raven and Paduk takes them to the flooded part of the city where a tidal wave from the sinking of Jacinto in "Gears of War 2" has beached a ship on the roof of a hotel. The squad collects explosives from an armory at a police station and Baird sets them on columns at the hotel while the others cover him. Unfortunately, the explosives fail to collapse the hotel and the team must come up with an alternate plan. Making their way into a restaurant in the hotel, Baird opens three gas valves, releasing the gas into the building then detonates the gas with a grenade while he, Cole, Paduk and Carmine use a zip-line to get off the building. This time, the effort is successful and the building collapses, putting the ship back into the water. Having explained their plan to Paduk, Baird asks his old friend to come with them, but Paduk refuses as a group of Gears kidnapped Sofia, whom he was romantically involved with, causing him to hate the COG even more than he did before. Paduk leaves and tells Baird to never see him again if they are to remain friends. Baird, Cole and Carmine set sail for Azura on the ship, joining with Gorasni forces to help Marcus Fenix and the others in their assault on the island.


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: According to Tim Sweeney, "Gears of War: Judgment" cost $60,000,000 to develop. GameSpot confirmed that gamers who pre-order the game at Wal-Mart's website would receive either "Gears of War 2" or "Gears of War 3" at no additional cost. All customers who pre-order their games elsewhere would receive a download code for the original "Gears of War" as well as another download token for the Classic Hammerburst weapon and any playable multiplayer character skin.


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: Players could purchase a "VIP Season Pass" which offered players a permanent double experience boost and early access to two additional expansions which include six new multiplayer maps, two modes, five weapon skins, four armor skins, and two character skins.


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: "Gears of War: Judgment" has received positive reviews from critics. It received an average review score of 79/100 on Metacritic. "GameSpot" gave it a score of 7.5/10. Giant Bomb gave it a score of 3/5, saying its campaign "twists the ["Gears of War"] formula in some interesting ways but the rest of the package feels pretty thin for a full-priced retail product". IGN scored the game a score of 9.2/10, calling the game "amazing" and "a fantastic prequel with super combat".


title: Gears of War: Judgment

text: According to Cowen and Company the first-month sales of "Gears of War: Judgment" were very poor compared to "Gears of War 3" selling about 425,000 units, around a fifth of the two million "Gears of War 3" managed in September 2011. In the United States, the game was the third best-selling title behind "BioShock Infinite" and "Tomb Raider". In August 2013 it was revealed that "Gears of War: Judgment" sold just over one million copies.


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: Soldier of Love is the sixth studio album by English band Sade, released on 5 February 2010 by Epic Records. Following the release of "Lovers Rock" (2000), the band went into a 10-year hiatus. In 2008, the band regrouped in order to begin work on their sixth album, making it the first time each member had been together. The recording of the album primarily took place at the Real World Studios in Box, England, with additional sessions at El Cortijo in San Pedro de Alcántara, Spain. The album's recording began in 2009 and was completed in the summer of that year.


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: The album produced three singles. The first single "Soldier of Love" premiered on US radio on 8 December 2009, and was released digitally on 11 January 2010. Subsequent singles "Babyfather" and "The Moon and the Sky" were serviced to US urban AC radio on 13 April and 24 August 2010, respectively.


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: The album debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart. It also debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200 with first-week sales of 502,000 copies in the United States, marking Sade's first number-one debut on the chart in 25 years since 1985's "Promise" while also spending three weeks at the top of the chart. Upon its release, "Soldier of Love" received generally positive reviews from most music critics and won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The band promoted the album with their first concert tour in 10 years, Sade Live.


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: Following an eight-year hiatus, Sade released their fifth studio album, "Lovers Rock", in November 2000, which became a commercial success, selling 3.9 million copies in the United States by February 2010. To promote the album, the band embarked on their fifth concert tour, the Lovers Rock Tour. Following the release of "Lovers Rock", the group took a 10-year hiatus. During this time, Sade made only one rare public appearance in 2002 to accept an Order of the British Empire (OBE) at Buckingham Palace for services to music. She then moved to rural Gloucestershire where, in 2005, she bought a run-down, stone-built cottage to renovate near Stroud. Sade stated that she was in no rush to release music and was not interested in releasing music just for the sake of selling a product.


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: Following the hiatus, Sade began to collect ideas for studio sessions, and in 2008, a call was made by her asking for the band to regroup and begin to record. Afterwards, the band met up and began recording at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios. It was the first time the four members had met up since the Lovers Rock Tour concluded in 2001. Bassist Paul Denman decamped from Los Angeles, where he had been managing his teenage son's punk band, Orange. Guitarist and saxophonist Stuart Matthewman interrupted his film soundtrack work in New York, and keyboardist Andrew Hale gave up his A&R consultancy.


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: According to "Billboard", the band had been working on the album throughout June 2009. At that time, Sony Music had not set a release date, but it hoped to put the record out by the end of 2009. "She is in the studio and the album will come when it is ready", a source at Sony Music told "Billboard". "You don't wait for years for one and then rush it." In a series of sessions at Real World, Sade sketched out the material for a new album which, they all felt, was shaping up to be their most ambitious.


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: Hale said, "The big question for all of us at the beginning was, 'Did we still want to do this and could we still get along as friends?' She's never, ever seemed to doubt what it was she wanted. You feel like you're all on this quest that's always been in the back of her mind. She's got more stamina than the rest of us." In March 2009, American singer Maxwell, a fellow Sony Music recording artist and longtime friend and collaborator with Stuart Matthewman, sent a message to fans via his private Facebook page in which he indicated that he had heard some of Sade's new recordings, saying, "Trust me, it's so monolithic it'll shake you in your shoes!" Denman stated that because each member of the band lived on different continents and did not bring any completed songs into the studio, the writing and recording process took a long time. The album was completed in the summer of 2009, mainly at Real World studios. The cover art for the album were taken by Sophie Muller in the Zapotec ruins of Monte Albán, Mexico.


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: In April 2011, the band began their Sade Live tour (also known as the Once in a Lifetime Tour or the Soldier of Love Tour). The tour visited Europe, the Americas, Australia and Asia in support of "Soldier of Love", as well as the band's second compilation album, "The Ultimate Collection". This trek marked the band's first tour in nearly a decade. The tour ranked 27th on "Pollstar" "Top 50 Worldwide Tour (Mid-Year)", earning over $20 million. In late 2011, the tour placed 10th on "Billboard"s annual "Top 25 Tours" list, earning over $53.1 million with 59 shows.


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: "Soldier of Love" received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 79, based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". At AnyDecentMusic?, that collates critical reviews from more than 50 media sources, the album scored 6.5 points out of 10, based on 18 reviews.


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: "Chicago Tribune" writer Greg Kot wrote favorably of Sade Adu's singing, stating "she remains alluring and subtly rewarding, while still keeping the listener at a safe distance, as if she had even deeper secrets to guard." "The Daily Telegraph"s Tom Horan gave the album five stars and commented that its songs are "beautifully balanced between warmth and toughness, vulnerability and hauteur." "The Observer"s Kitty Empire called it a "triumph for quality over quantity." Jim DeRogatis of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the album three out of four stars and complimented its "sophisticated and soulful grooves", stating, "Sade may not be giving us anything radically new, but it's a pleasure just to have her back doing what she's always done so well." Stephen M. Duesner of "Paste" called it Sade's "most musically adventurous collection to date, and also its most expansive and rewarding". Nathan Rabin of "The A.V. Club" felt that the album "benefits from a divine sense of intimacy; Sade seems to be whispering secret thoughts directly into the listener's ears." Benjamin Boles of "Now" wrote that its production "sounds a bit tougher and chunkier than the band's early work, but the classic Sade vibe we love is still front and centre."


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: In a mixed review, AllMusic's Andy Kellman felt that the album's lyrical themes are bleak, writing that "a fair portion ... comes off as drained-sounding, only echoed with vanilla arrangements that are merely functional". Peter Paphides of "The Times" perceived a lack of "catchy tracks" as a weakness and called it "an album bordering upon ambient in its statuesque stillness". "The Guardian" writer Caroline Sullivan was ambivalent towards the group's "pop-soul" and "quiet storm" style on the album, but added that the "lushness and understatement" is balanced by "lyrics of surprising transparency". Despite calling its mood "morose" and expressing a mixed response towards its "bleakness and melancholy", "All About Jazz" critic Jeff Winbush viewed "Soldier of Love" as an improvement over Sade's previous album, "Lovers Rock". MSN Music's Robert Christgau gave the album a one-star honorable mention, citing "Babyfather" and the title track as highlights, and quipped, "I'm glad she finally put some beats on her sang-froid, but by the time she gets around to setting Ghost up with a 16 he'll probably be out of the life."


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: At the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2011, the title track won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, while the song "Babyfather" was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: "Soldier of Love" debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart, selling 42,997 copies in its first week. It had sold 116,672 copies in the United Kingdom by May 2011, and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 22 July 2013. The album debuted atop the "Billboard" 200 in the United States with first-week sales of 502,000 copies, becoming Sade's first number-one debut and second number-one album on the chart, as well as the best sales week for an album by a group since AC/DC's "Black Ice" entered the "Billboard" 200 at number one in November 2008 with 784,000 copies sold. It remained at number one for three consecutive weeks, selling 190,000 copies in its second week and 127,000 copies in its third. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) within one month of its release, on 15 March 2010, and as of April 2011, it had sold 1.3 million copies in the US.


title: Soldier of Love (album)

text: The album debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart with first-week sales of under 20,000 units, spending three consecutive weeks atop the chart. The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) certified the album platinum on 24 March 2010, denoting shipments in excess of 80,000 copies. In France, "Soldier of Love" sold 18,986 copies to enter the French Albums Chart at number one. The album topped the charts in several other countries, including Belgium (Wallonia), Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, while peaking at number one on "Billboard"s European Top 100 Albums for four consecutive weeks. "Soldier of Love" had sold 2.3 million copies outside the UK by the end of 2010, becoming that year's second best-selling album worldwide by a British artist, behind Susan Boyle's "The Gift".


title: Devin Vassell

text: Devin Anthony Vassell (born August 23, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles.


title: Devin Vassell

text: Vassell grew up in Suwanee, Georgia and attended Peachtree Ridge High School. As a senior, Vassell averaged 21.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game and was named the regional Player of the Year by the "Gwinnett Daily Post". Vassell committed to play college basketball at Florida State over offers from Texas Tech, North Florida, and Stetson.


title: Devin Vassell

text: As a true freshman, Vassell averaged 4.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game and led all ACC freshman with a .419 three-point shooting percentage. He scored a season-high 16 points on December 17, 2018 in a win over Southeast Missouri State. Vassell made a three-pointer with 4.5 seconds left in regulation to force overtime in the Seminoles' 65–63 win over Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals of the 2019 ACC men's basketball tournament.


title: Devin Vassell

text: He was named a starter for the Seminoles' going into his sophomore season. Vassell was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2019 Emerald Coast Classic after scoring 16 points against Chicago State, 13 against 17th-ranked Tennessee and 13 points against Purdue in the final. Midway through the season Vassell's play lead him to be considered as a potential first round pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He scored a career-high 18 points against Virginia in a 54–50 victory and set a new career high the next game with 23 points and 11 rebounds against Miami and was named the ACC co-Player of the Week. Vassell surpassed his previous career high with 27 points while going 7–for–7 on three point shots against Virginia Tech on February 1, 2020. Vassell missed a game against Syracuse for undisclosed reasons on February 15. At the conclusion of the regular season, Vassell was selected to the Second Team All-ACC. He led the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game and in rebounding with 5.1 per game and was second on the team in blocks (29), assists (49) and steals (42). Following the end of the season, Vassell announced that he would enter the 2020 NBA draft.


title: Devin Vassell

text: Vassell was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 11th pick of the first round of the 2020 NBA draft which was hosted on November 18, 2020. On November 27, Vassell signed with the Spurs.


title: Bill Lumbergh

text: William Lumbergh is a fictional character, who appeared initially in the "Milton" animated shorts, and later was portrayed by Gary Cole in the 1999 film "Office Space". A caricature of corporate management, Lumbergh is a division vice president of the software company Initech, based in Texas, and serves as the main antagonist of the film. He drives a blue Porsche 911 SC with a vanity license plate "MY PRSHE". He wears formal, solid-color day dress shirts with Winchester collars and suspenders with a belt—a fashion "faux pas"—as well as an MIT college class ring. According to his Initech employee's personnel file, Lumbergh graduated from MIT with a BS in physics.


title: Bill Lumbergh

text: Lumbergh is a micromanager who is focused on busy work and paperwork, notably TPS reports. He has been described as "the antithesis of the motivational management leadership ideal". He greets subordinates with an unenthusiastic "What's happening?", and when asking an employee to do an unpleasant task, starts the sentence with, "I'm gonna need you to", or "If you could go ahead and", as well as ending these requests with "that'd be great/terrific" and "mmmkay?" A "Wharton Journal" article said that the character "brilliantly exposed the emptiness of linguistic conventions at work." Social historian Joe Moran writes that Lumbergh's "non-confrontational" communication style "masks the reality of management coercion".


title: Transcendental function

text: In mathematics, a transcendental function is an analytic function that does not satisfy a polynomial equation, in contrast to an algebraic function.


title: Transcendental function

text: In other words, a transcendental function "transcends" algebra in that it cannot be expressed algebraically.


title: Transcendental function

text: Examples of transcendental functions include the exponential function, the logarithm, and the trigonometric functions.


title: Transcendental function

text: Formally, an analytic function "f"("z") of one real or complex variable "z" is transcendental if it is algebraically independent of that variable. This can be extended to functions of several variables.


title: Transcendental function

text: The transcendental functions sine and cosine were tabulated from physical measurements in antiquity, as evidenced in Greece (Hipparchus) and India (jya and koti-jya). In describing Ptolemy's table of chords, an equivalent to a table of sines, Olaf Pedersen wrote:


title: Transcendental function

text: A revolutionary understanding of these circular functions occurred in the 17th century and was explicated by Leonhard Euler in 1748 in his Introduction to the Analysis of the Infinite. These ancient transcendental functions became known as continuous functions through quadrature of the rectangular hyperbola "xy" = 1 by Grégoire de Saint-Vincent in 1647, two millennia after Archimedes had produced "The Quadrature of the Parabola".


title: Transcendental function

text: The area under the hyperbola was shown to have the scaling property of constant area for a constant ratio of bounds. The hyperbolic logarithm function so described was of limited service until 1748 when Leonhard Euler related it to functions where a constant is raised to a variable exponent, such as the exponential function where the constant base is e. By introducing these transcendental functions and noting the bijection property that implies an inverse function, some facility was provided for algebraic manipulations of the natural logarithm even if it is not an algebraic function.


title: Transcendental function

text: The exponential function is written Euler identified it with the infinite series where "k"! denotes the factorial of "k".


title: Transcendental function

text: The even and odd terms of this series provide sums denoting cosh("x") and sinh("x"), so that These transcendental hyperbolic functions can be converted into circular functions sine and cosine by introducing (−1) into the series, resulting in alternating series. After Euler, mathematicians view the sine and cosine this way to relate the transcendence to logarithm and exponent functions, often through Euler's formula in complex number arithmetic.


title: Transcendental function

text: For the second function formula_7, if we set "formula_8" equal to "formula_9", the base of the natural logarithm, then we get that formula_10 is a transcendental function. Similarly, if we set "formula_8" equal to "formula_9" in formula_13, then we get that formula_14 (that is, the natural logarithm) is a transcendental function.


title: Transcendental function

text: The most familiar transcendental functions are the logarithm, the exponential (with any non-trivial base), the trigonometric, and the hyperbolic functions, and the inverses of all of these. Less familiar are the special functions of analysis, such as the gamma, elliptic, and zeta functions, all of which are transcendental. The generalized hypergeometric and Bessel functions are transcendental in general, but algebraic for some special parameter values.


title: Transcendental function

text: A function that is not transcendental is algebraic. Simple examples of algebraic functions are the rational functions and the square root function, but in general, algebraic functions cannot be defined as finite formulas of the elementary functions.


title: Transcendental function

text: The indefinite integral of many algebraic functions is transcendental. For example, the logarithm function arose from the reciprocal function in an effort to find the area of a hyperbolic sector.


title: Transcendental function

text: Differential algebra examines how integration frequently creates functions that are algebraically independent of some class, such as when one takes polynomials with trigonometric functions as variables.


title: Transcendental function

text: Most familiar transcendental functions, including the special functions of mathematical physics, are solutions of algebraic differential equations. Those that are not, such as the gamma and the zeta functions, are called "transcendentally transcendental" or "hypertranscendental" functions.


title: Transcendental function

text: If formula_15 is an algebraic function and formula_16 is an algebraic number then formula_17 is also an algebraic number. The converse is not true: there are entire transcendental functions formula_15 such that formula_17 is an algebraic number for any algebraic formula_20 For a given transcendental function the set of algebraic numbers giving algebraic results is called the exceptional set of that function. Formally it is defined by:


title: Transcendental function

text: In many instances the exceptional set is fairly small. For example, formula_22 this was proved by Lindemann in 1882. In particular is transcendental. Also, since is algebraic we know that cannot be algebraic. Since is algebraic this implies that is a transcendental number.


title: Transcendental function

text: In general, finding the exceptional set of a function is a difficult problem, but if it can be calculated then it can often lead to results in transcendental number theory. Here are some other known exceptional sets:


title: Transcendental function

text: While calculating the exceptional set for a given function is not easy, it is known that given "any" subset of the algebraic numbers, say "A", there is a transcendental function whose exceptional set is "A". The subset does not need to be proper, meaning that "A" can be the set of algebraic numbers. This directly implies that there exist transcendental functions that produce transcendental numbers only when given transcendental numbers. Alex Wilkie also proved that there exist transcendental functions for which first-order-logic proofs about their transcendence do not exist by providing an exemplary analytic function.


title: Transcendental function

text: In dimensional analysis, transcendental functions are notable because they make sense only when their argument is dimensionless (possibly after algebraic reduction). Because of this, transcendental functions can be an easy-to-spot source of dimensional errors. For example, log(5 metres) is a nonsensical expression, unlike or log(3) metres. One could attempt to apply a logarithmic identity to get log(5) + log(metres), which highlights the problem: applying a non-algebraic operation to a dimension creates meaningless results.


The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn is the third and final add-on for the action role-playing open world video game "". It was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and released by Bethesda Softworks on the Xbox Live Marketplace on December 4, 2012. The Microsoft Windows version was released on February 5, 2013, and the PlayStation 3 version was released on February 12, 2013.


title: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn

text: "Dragonborn" involves the player character (the current Dragonborn) coming into contact with the first Dragonborn, Miraak. The game takes place on the island of Solstheim, previously featured in the "" expansion for "".


text: "Dragonborn" follows the same gameplay style as "Skyrim", with the player free to explore the island of Solstheim at will, pursuing quests at their leisure. New armors, weapons, locations, and enemies have been introduced. A new feature in "Dragonborn" is the ability to tame and ride dragons. The player can use a dragon to target and attack enemies, but does not have complete control of the flight. New dragon shouts have also been introduced.


text: The expansion is set on the island of Solstheim, located off the north coast of Morrowind. Solstheim was a territory belonging to Skyrim until the High King gave the island to Morrowind to serve as a refuge for the Dunmer fleeing Morrowind after the eruption of the Red Mountain volcano. Geographically, half of Solstheim is similar to northern Skyrim, covered in icy glaciers and snow. The other half is barren, and covered in ash following the Red Mountain disaster. The island's settlements and buildings also reflect the differing cultures, with the Nordic half of the land featuring architecture similar to Skyrim's. The rest of the island follows a Dunmeri (Dark Elves) architectural style, even containing a giant mushroom transformed into a house. The island's main settlement, Raven Rock, is governed by House Redoran, one of five Great Houses who rule over Morrowind, and protected by their personal hold guards, the Redoran Guard.


text: "Dragonborn"'s main quest line is initiated following an attack on the player, the Last Dragonborn, by cultists worshipping someone named Miraak, who is also referred to as First Dragonborn. The player defeats the cultists and, upon investigating them, discovers a set of orders revealing their origins: the island of Solstheim. The player then journeys to Solstheim to confront Miraak and his followers by chartering a ship, the "Northern Maiden", out of Windhelm to take them to Raven Rock.


text: After arriving on the island, the player begins interrogating the citizens of Solstheim about Miraak. It immediately becomes apparent that a majority of Solstheim's population has been unconsciously enslaved by Miraak and forced to work on several runic monoliths called "All-Maker Stones", scattered across the island. Among the unaffected observers is a Telvanni wizard, Neloth, who directs the player to the Temple of Miraak. The player reaches the Temple and encounters a Nord named Frea, who is immune to Miraak's control, attempting in vain to break his spell over her people, the Skaal. She accompanies the player into the Temple. Inside, the player discovers a "Black Book", and after reading it, is unwittingly transported into a realm of Oblivion called Apocrypha, where they witness Miraak planning his invasion of Tamriel. Miraak discovers their presence, incapacitates them, and dismisses the player as inferior before having a pair of Seekers, guardians of Apocrypha, return them to Solstheim.


text: Upon their return, the player visits Skaal Village and, advised by the Skaal shaman Storn, performs a special dragon shout on an All-Maker Stone, purifying the monolith and freeing the Skaal and the other denizens of the island from Miraak's control, while also having to contend with Lurkers, the other guardians of Apocrypha, sent by Miraak to reclaim the All-Maker Stones. Storn then sends the player to Neloth, who reveals that the Black Books are relics belonging to Hermaeus Mora, the Daedric Prince of Fate, Knowledge, and Memory, who is otherwise known as the "keeper of forbidden knowledge", and the source of Miraak's power.


text: Neloth accompanies the player to the Dwemer ruin of Nchardak to retrieve another Black Book sealed inside a complex container. They release the mechanism and learn of a shout called "Bend Will", which is believed to be instrumental in defeating Miraak. Through the Black Books, the player journeys into Apocrypha again, and personally encounters Hermaeus Mora. Mora explains that if the player wishes to defeat Miraak, he must gain the same knowledge that Miraak possesses. He agrees to impart such knowledge in exchange for the secrets of the Skaal, one of the few remaining pieces of knowledge kept from the Daedric prince to place in his vast library in Apocrypha. After encountering and killing the dragon Krosulhah outside Nchardak, sent by Miraak to eliminate the player, they return to Skaal Village and persuade Storn to surrender the tribe's secrets. If the Water, Earth, Wind, and Beast stones have been freed from Miraak’s control, Storn will agree. Despite Frea's protests, Storn communicates directly with Mora, who then proceeds to sap him of his knowledge, killing him in the process in front of the entire village. The player then learns the final word of "Bend Will", enabling them to defeat Miraak.


text: The player returns to Apocrypha and uses "Bend Will" to subdue Miraak's dragon, Sahrotaar, allowing them to mount him in flight. Sahrotaar flies the player to Miraak's tower, the Summit of Apocrypha. There, the player and Miraak battle, with Miraak sacrificing Sahrotaar and his other two dragons, Relonikiv and Kruziikrel, to replenish his strength until Hermaeus Mora intervenes, fatally impaling Miraak while expressing anger at his rebellion and betrayal of Mora's trust with the knowledge he was granted by the Daedric Prince. Mora transfers Miraak's soul and power to the player, who is then transported back to Solstheim. The Summit of Apocrypha becomes a place where the player can exchange dragon souls for recovering perk points to place on other skills, customizing their skills to their liking for other quests both in Solstheim and back in Skyrim.


text: The soundtrack associated with "Dragonborn" includes music previously used in "", as well as several new tracks composed by Jeremy Soule, who composed the soundtrack for several other games in "The Elder Scrolls" series.


text: "Dragonborn" was originally announced via a trailer on November 5, 2012. "Dragonborn" was released on the Xbox Live Marketplace on December 4, 2012. The Microsoft Windows version was released on February 5, 2013. The PlayStation 3 version was released on February 12, 2013 in North America, and February 13, 2013 in Europe.


text: "Dragonborn" has received mainly positive critical reception. "GamesRadar" applauded the number of side quests, and the new weapons and dragon shouts, but dismissed the dragon riding feature as "gimmicky". "Eurogamer" gave the content 9 out of 10, praising the quests, new enemies and new location. "Joystiq" applauded the amount of content in "Dragonborn", including the new settings and enemies, but felt that the narrative was too familiar.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: Artists' charcoal is charcoal used as a dry art medium. Both compressed charcoal (held together by a gum or wax binder) and charcoal sticks (wooden sticks burned in a kiln without air) are used.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: The marks it leaves behind on paper are much less permanent that with other media such as graphite, and so lines can easily be erased and blended. Charcoal can produce lines that are very light or intensely black. The dry medium can be applied to almost any surface from smooth to very coarse. Fixatives are used with charcoal drawings to solidify the position to prevent erasing or rubbing off of charcoal dusts.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: The method used to create artists' charcoal is similar to that employed in other fields, such as producing gunpowder and cooking fuel. The type of wood material and preparation method allow a variety of charcoal types and textures to be produced.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: There are various types and uses of charcoal as an art medium, but the commonly used types are: Compressed, Vine, and Pencil.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: Vine charcoal is a long and thin charcoal stick that is the result of burning grape vines in a kiln without air. It comes in shades of gray.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: Willow charcoal is a long and thin charcoal stick that is the result of burning willow sticks in a kiln without air. It is darker in color than vine charcoal.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: The removable properties of willow and vine charcoal, through dusting and erasing, are favored by artists for making preliminary sketches or basic compositions. This also makes such charcoal less suitable for creating detailed images.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: Compressed charcoal (also referred as charcoal sticks) is shaped into a block or a stick. Intensity of the shade is determined by hardness. The amount of gum or wax binders used during the production process affects the hardness, softer producing intensely black markings while firmer leaves light markings.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: Charcoal pencils consist of compressed charcoal enclosed in a jacket of wood. Designed to be similar to graphite pencils while maintaining most of the properties of charcoal, they are often used for fine and crisp detailed drawings, while keeping the user's hand from being marked.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: Other types of artists' charcoal such as charcoal crayons were developed during the 19th century and used by caricaturists. Charcoal powders are used to create patterns and pouncing, a transferring method of patterns from one surface to another.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: There are wide variations in artists' charcoal, depending on the proportion of ingredients: compressed charcoal from burned birch, clay, lamp black pigment, and a small quantity of ultramarine. The longer this mixture is heated, the softer it becomes.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: Paper used with artists' charcoal can vary in quality. Rough texture may allow more charcoal to adhere to the paper. The use of toned paper allows different possibilities as white oil pastels (commonly referred to by the brand name Conté) can be used in combination with charcoal to create contrast.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: Rubbing is done by pressing a sheet of paper against a targeted surface, then rubbing charcoal against the paper to create an image of the texture of the surface.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: Blending is done to create smooth transitions between darker and lighter areas of a drawing. It can also create a shadow effect. Two common methods of blending are, using a finger to rub or spread charcoal which has been applied to the paper or the use of paper blending stumps also called a Tortillon. Many prefer to use a chamois, which is a soft square piece of leather.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: Erasing is often performed with a kneaded rubber eraser. This is a malleable eraser that is often claimed to be self-cleaning. It can be shaped by kneading it softly with hands, into tips for smaller areas or flipped inside out to clean.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: Charcoal was often a key component of cave painting, with examples dating back to at least 28,000 years ago.


title: Charcoal (art)

text: Throughout western art history, artists well known for other mediums have used charcoal for sketching or preliminary studies for final paintings. Examples of contemporary artists using charcoal as a primary medium are Robert Longo, William Kentridge, Dan Pyle and Joel Daniel Phillips.


title: 60 metres

text: 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes. The format of the event is similar to other sprint distances. The sprinters follow three initial instructions: 'ready', instructing them to take up position in the starting blocks; 'set', instructing them to adopt a more efficient starting posture, which also isometrically preloads their muscles. This will enable them to start faster. The final instruction is the firing of the starter's pistol. Upon hearing this the sprinters stride forwards from the blocks.


title: 60 metres

text: The 60 metres was an Olympic event in the 1900 and 1904 Summer Games but was removed from the schedule thereafter. American Christian Coleman currently holds the men's world record in the 60 metres with a time of 6.34 seconds, while Russian Irina Privalova holds the women's world record at 6.92.


title: 60 metres

text: In the past, it was common for athletes to compete in the 60 yards (54.86 m) race. This is not part of the lineage of the 60 metres, but is the predecessor of the 55 metres race. 60 metres is 65.6168 yards.


title: 60 metres

text: Note: The following athletes have had their associated 100 m performances annulled due to doping offences:


title: Brian Baker (musician)

text: Brian Baker (born February 25, 1965) is an American punk rock musician. He is best known as one of the founding members of the hardcore punk band Minor Threat, and as a guitarist in Bad Religion since 1994. In Minor Threat, he originally played bass guitar before switching to guitar in 1982 when Steve Hansgen joined the band, and then moved back to bass after Hansgen's departure. He also founded Dag Nasty in 1985, was part of the original line-up of Samhain, and has had stints in Doggy Style, The Meatmen (with fellow Minor Threat member Lyle Preslar), Government Issue, and Junkyard (a hard rock band).


title: Brian Baker (musician)

text: In 1994 Baker was offered a spot as a touring musician with R.E.M. but declined, opting instead to accept a position in Bad Religion as Brett Gurewitz's replacement. He also experimented with a more pop direction influenced by U2, with a band called 400. Baker briefly toured with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes in 2005 and appeared on Canadian punk band Penelope's second album ("Face au silence du monde"). He has been a frequent guest guitarist on many songs and albums by artists as varied as Blood Bats, Tesco Vee, Ric Ocasek, Teenage Time Killers, Mind Over Four, Dangerous Toys, Pollen Art, Unwritten Law, Travis Cut, Lickity Split, Hot Water Music, Down By Law, Bash & Pop, Middle Aged Brigade, Careless, and many others.


title: Brian Baker (musician)

text: In 2020, The band Fake Names, composed of Baker, Swedish vocalist Dennis Lyxzén (Refused, International noise conspiracy, INVSN), guitarist Michael Hampton (S.O.A., Embrace, One Last Wish) and bassist Johnny Temple (Girls Against Boys, Soulside), released its first album (self-titled).


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: The ASM-135 ASAT is an air-launched anti-satellite multistage missile that was developed by Ling-Temco-Vought's LTV Aerospace division. The ASM-135 was carried exclusively by United States Air Force (USAF) F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: Starting in the late 1950s, the United States began development of anti-satellite weapons. The first US anti-satellite weapon was the Bold Orion Weapon System 199B (also the High Virgo missile, Weapon System 199C, attempted to conduct an ASAT test but failed to intercept its target; High Virgo's test was a few weeks before Bold Orion's). Like the ASM-135, the Bold Orion missile was air-launched, but in this case from a B-47 Stratojet. The Bold Orion was tested on 13 October 1959 against the Explorer 6 satellite. The two-stage Bold Orion missile passed within of Explorer 6. From this distance, only a relatively large yield nuclear warhead would likely have destroyed the target.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: Starting in 1960 the Department of Defense (DoD) started a program called SPIN (SPace INtercept). In 1962, the US Navy launched Caleb rockets as part of the Satellite Interceptor Program, with the objective of developing an anti-satellite weapon.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: The United States developed direct ascent anti-satellite weapons. A modified United States Army Nike Zeus missile successfully intercepted an orbiting satellite in May 1963. One missile from this system known as Project MUDFLAP and later as Project 505 was available for launch from 1964 until 1967. A nuclear-armed Thor anti-satellite system deployed by the Air Force under Program 437 eventually replaced the Project 505 Nike Zeus in 1967. The Program 437 Thor missile system remained in limited deployment until 1975. One drawback of nuclear-armed anti-satellite weapons was that they could also damage United States reconnaissance satellites. As a result, the United States anti-satellite weapons development efforts were re-directed to develop systems that did not require the use of nuclear weapons.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: After the Soviet Union started developing an anti-satellite system, in 1978, U.S. President Jimmy Carter directed the USAF to develop and deploy a new anti-satellite system.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: In 1978, the USAF started a new program initially designated the Prototype Miniature Air-Launched Segment (PMALS) and Air Force Systems Command's Space Division established a system program office. The USAF issued a Request for Proposal for the Air-Launched Miniature Vehicle (ALMV). The requirement was for an air-launched missile that could be used against satellites in low Earth orbit.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: In 1979, the USAF issued a contract to LTV Aerospace to begin work on the ALMV. The LTV Aerospace design featured a multi-stage missile with an infrared homing kinetic energy warhead.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: The ASM-135 was designed to be launched from an F-15A in a supersonic zoom climb. The F-15's mission computer and heads-up display were modified to provide steering directions for the pilot.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: A modified Boeing AGM-69 SRAM missile with a Lockheed Propulsion Company LPC-415 solid propellant two pulse rocket engine was used as the first stage of the ASM-135 ASAT.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: The LTV Aerospace Altair 3 was used as the second stage of the ASM-135. The Altair 3 used the Thiokol FW-4S solid propellant rocket engine. The Altair 3 stage was also used as the fourth stage for the Scout rocket and had been previously used in both the Bold Orion and Hi-Hoe (Caleb) anti-satellite weapons efforts. The Altair was equipped with hydrazine fueled thrusters that could be used to point the missile towards the target satellite.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: LTV Aerospace also provided the third stage for the ASM-135 ASAT. This stage was called Miniature Homing Vehicle (MHV) interceptor. Prior to being deployed the second stage was used to spin the MHV up to approximately 30 revolutions per second and point the MHV towards the target.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: A Honeywell ring laser gyroscope was used for spin rate determination and to obtain an inertial timing reference before the MHV separated from the second stage. The infrared sensor was developed by Hughes Research Laboratories. The sensor used a strip detector where four strips of Indium Bismuth were arranged in a cross and four strips were arranged as logarithmic spirals. As the detector was spun, the infrared target's position could be measured as it crossed the strips in the sensor's field of view. The MHV infrared detector was cooled by liquid helium from a dewar installed in place of the F-15's gun ammunition drum and from a smaller dewar located in the second stage of the ASM-135. Cryogenic lines from the second stage were retracted prior to the spin up of the MHV.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: The MHV guidance system solely tracked targets in the field of view of the infrared sensor, but did not determine altitude, attitude, or range to the target. Direct Proportional Line of Sight guidance used information from the detector to maneuver and null out any line-of-sight change. A Bang-bang control system was used to fire 56 full charge "divert" and lower thrust 8 half charge "end-game" solid rocket motors arranged around the circumference of the MHV. The half charge 8 "end-game" motors were used to perform finer trajectory adjustments just prior to intercepting the target satellite. Four pods at the rear of the MHV contained small attitude control rocket motors. These motors were used to damp off center rotation by the MHV.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: On 21 December 1982, an F-15A was used to perform the first captive carry ASM-135 test flight from the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB, California in the United States.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: On 20 August 1985 President Reagan authorized a test against a satellite. The test was delayed to provide notice to the United States Congress. The target was the Solwind P78-1, an orbiting solar observatory that was launched on 24 February 1979.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: On 13 September 1985, Maj. Wilbert D. "Doug" Pearson, flying the "Celestial Eagle" F-15A 76-0084 launched an ASM-135 ASAT about west of Vandenberg Air Force Base and destroyed the Solwind P78-1 satellite flying at an altitude of . Prior to the launch, the F-15 — flying at Mach 1.22 — executed a zoom climb at an angle of 65 degrees. The ASM-135 ASAT was automatically launched at while the F-15 was flying at . The MHV collided with the Solwind P78-1 satellite at closing velocity of .


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: NASA learned of U.S. Air Force plans for the Solwind ASAT test in July 1985. NASA modeled the effects of the test. This model determined that debris produced would still be in orbit in the 1990s. It would force NASA to enhance debris shielding for its planned space station.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: Earlier the U.S. Air Force and NASA had worked together to develop a Scout-launched target vehicle for ASAT experiments. NASA advised the U.S. Air Force on how to conduct the ASAT test to avoid producing long-lived debris. However, congressional restrictions on ASAT tests intervened.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: In order to complete an ASAT test before an expected Congressional ban took effect (as it did in October 1985), the DoD chose to use the existing Solwind astrophysics satellite as a target.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: NASA worked with the DoD to monitor the effects of the tests using two orbital debris telescopes and a reentry radar deployed to Alaska.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: NASA assumed the torn metal would be bright. Surprisingly, the Solwind pieces turned out to appear so dark as to be almost undetectable. Only two pieces were seen. NASA Scientists theorized that the unexpected Solwind darkening was due to carbonization of organic compounds in the target satellite; that is, when the kinetic energy of the projectile became heat energy on impact, the plastics inside Solwind vaporized and condensed on the metal pieces as soot.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: NASA used U.S. Air Force infrared telescopes to show that the pieces were warm with heat absorbed from the Sun. This added weight to the contention that they were dark with soot and not reflective. The pieces decayed quickly from orbit, implying a large area-to-mass ratio. According to NASA, as of January 1998, 8 of 285 trackable pieces remained in orbit. The last piece of debris, COSPAR 1979-017GX, SATCAT 16564, deorbited 9 May 2004 according to SATCAT.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: In the end, the Solwind ASAT test had few consequences for the planned U.S. space station as station completion (indeed, even the launch of first module) was pushed beyond the mid-1990s. The record-high level of solar activity during the 1989–1991 solar maximum heated and expanded the atmosphere more than anticipated in 1985, accelerating Solwind debris decay.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: The United States Air Force intended to modify 20 F-15A fighters from the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron based at McChord Air Force Base in Washington and the 48th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron based at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for the anti-satellite mission. Both squadrons had airframes modified to support the ASM-135 by the time the project was cancelled in 1988.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: The deployment of the ASM-135 was central to a policy debate in the United States over the strategic need for an anti-satellite weapon and the potential for anti-satellite weapon arms control with the Soviet Union. Starting in 1983, Congress placed various restrictions on the ASM-135 program, and in December 1985, banned testing the ASM-135 on targets in space. This decision was made only a day after the Air Force sent two target satellites into orbit for its next round of tests. The Air Force continued to test the ASAT system in 1986, but stayed within the limits of the ban by not engaging a space-borne target.


title: ASM-135 ASAT

text: In the same year the deployment of the ASM-135 was estimated to cost $US5.3 billion up from the original $US500 million estimate. The USAF scaled back the ASM-135 program by two-thirds in attempt to control costs. The USAF also never strongly supported the program and proposed canceling the program in 1987. In 1988, the Reagan Administration canceled the ASM-135 program because of technical problems, testing delays, and significant cost growth.


title: P. A. Sangma

text: Purno Agitok Sangma (1 September 1947 – 4 March 2016) was an Indian politician who served as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990 and Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1996 to 1998. He was the candidate for the 2012 Indian presidential election, supported by BJP and AIADMK, however he lost to Congress politician Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, posthumously in 2017 in the field of Public Affairs and was the first recipient of Padma Vibhushan from Meghalaya.


title: P. A. Sangma

text: In 1973, Sangma became Vice-President of the Pradesh Youth Congress in Meghalaya and became the General Secretary of the party in 1975. He served in that position from 1975 to 1980.


title: P. A. Sangma

text: In 1977, he was elected to the 6th Lok Sabha from Tura constituency in Meghalaya and represented the same constituency multiple times, from 1977-1988, 1991-2008, 2014-2016. The breaks in 1988 and 2008 were caused by his return to Meghalaya state politics. He became Speaker of Lok Sabha in 1996.


title: P. A. Sangma

text: Sangma was expelled from the Congress on 20 May 1999, along with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar, for raising the banner of revolt against Sonia Gandhi over the fact that she was a foreign-born citizen. Sangma along with Pawar and Anwar wanted a native-born citizen to be projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate. After his departure from the Congress Party, he was one of the founders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) along with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar in 1999. In January 2004, P.A. Sangma created a split in the NCP after Sharad Pawar became close to the NCP's former rival, Sonia Gandhi. After losing a battle for the NCP election symbol, Sangma later merged his faction with Mamata Banerjee's All India Trinamool Congress, forming the Nationalist Trinamool Congress.along with P. A. Sangma In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, P. A.Sangma and mamta banerji are the founders of Nationalist Trinamool Congress.Sangma was one of two NTC MPs elected. He resigned from his Lok Sabha seat on 10 October 2005 as a member of AITC, and was re-elected as an NCP candidate in February 2006. He resigned from the 14th Lok Sabha for the second time in March 2008 to take part in the 2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election.


title: P. A. Sangma

text: On 5 January 2013, Sangma launched the National People's Party on the national level. The National People's Party managed to win two seats in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly in the 2013 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election. In 2014, Sangma was elected to Lok Sabha from Tura, and died mid-term in 2016.


title: P. A. Sangma

text: Sangma's candidature was proposed by AIADMK and BJD, and later, supported by BJP as well. Sangma resigned from the NCP on 20 June 2012 after opposition from Sharad Pawar over his presidential candidature. Former Union Minister and a Congress tribal leader Arvind Netam also came out strongly in favour of the candidature of Sangma for the presidential post.


title: P. A. Sangma

text: On 22 July 2012, Pranab Mukherjee was declared the victor over P. A. Sangma, crossing the half-way mark of 525,140 votes after votes in half the states had been tallied. While securing the required quota, Mukherjee secured 558,194 votes to Sangma's 239,966. After the final results were published, Mukherjee secured 7,13,424 value of votes, while P. A. Sangma secured 3,17,032 values of votes. The Returning Officer for the Election, and the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha, Vivek Agnihotri, then declared Mukherjee to be elected as President of India. Sangma subsequently accused the President-elect of graft.


title: P. A. Sangma

text: Sangma was born on 1 September 1947 in Chapahati, a village in the erstwhile Garo Hills district of Assam (in present-day West Garo Hills, Meghalaya), to Dipchon Ch. Marak and Chimri A. Sangma as one of their seven children. He lost his father when he was 11 and had to quit studies due to poverty. He was helped to return to school by a Salesian Father Giovanni Battista Busolin. Later, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Anthony's College in Shillong before shifting to Dibrugarh in Assam, where he taught in the Don Bosco High School while pursuing Master of Arts in international politics from Dibrugarh University.


title: P. A. Sangma

text: Sangma married Soradini K. in 1973. They had two sons and two daughters together. Son Conrad was appointed as National President of Nationalist Youth Congress and daughter Agatha are politicians. Agatha was elected from Tura to the 15th Lok Sabha elections in 2009, and at 29, was the youngest minister in the UPA ministry.


title: P. A. Sangma

text: President, (i) Indian Parliamentary Group, (ii) National Group of Inter-Parliamentary Union; and (iii) India Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: MCMXC a.D. is the debut studio album by the German musical project Enigma, led by Romanian-German musician Michael Cretu. It was released in Europe by Virgin Records on 3 December 1990, and in the United States by Charisma Records on 12 February 1991. Cretu became fascinated with mixing archaic sounds with modern music after producing German pop singer Sandra's song "Everlasting Love", for which he experimented with Gregorian chant. Following Michael Cretu and Sandra's marriage in 1988, Michael developed the idea of the musical project Enigma and recorded the album over the course of eight months in 1990 at A.R.T. Studios.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: "MCMXC a.D." combines new-age music with dance rhythms, as well as combining themes of religion and Gregorian chant with sexuality, for which the album received generally positive reviews from music critics. The Gregorian chant was taken from recordings by Capella Antiqua München, which resulted in the Munich-based choir's label, Polydor Germany suing Cretu and Virgin Records for infringing on its "right of personality". The case was dropped after Cretu agreed to pay compensation.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: Commercially, "MCMXC a.D." became a worldwide success, reaching the top 10 on record charts in 10 countries, including charting at number six in the United States, staying on the country's "Billboard" 200 chart for 282 weeks. It was certified quadruple platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Four singles from the album were released: "Sadeness (Part I)", "Mea Culpa (Part II)", "Principles of Lust", and "The Rivers of Belief". The lead single topped charts worldwide.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: In 1987, Michael Cretu worked with Sandra on her song "Everlasting Love". Cretu experimented with Gregorian chant while working on the song with Sandra, and the chants appeared at the beginning of her song. He would become fascinated with incorporating archaic sounds into contemporary songs. Michael Cretu married Sandra in 1988 and came up with the idea of a new-age musical project, which would become known as "Enigma". "MCMXC a.D." was recorded in 1990 in eight months at A.R.T. Studios, Cretu's studio located on the Spanish island of Ibiza. Cretu conceived the album as one continuous song; his philosophy when creating it was, "Contrary to the usual record-company philosophy, people are open-minded and starved for something unique." Cretu produced "MCMXC a.D.", with creative input from Frank Peterson and Fabrice Cuitad.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: The first song recorded for the album was "Sadeness (Part I)". After making the song, Michael told Sandra Cretu, "This will be a huge hit or nothing at all." "Sadeness (Part I)" was released as a single on 1 October 1990. Michael Cretu wanted to be anonymous and wished for the single not to be promoted. He believed that it was not important for consumers to know who the producer is and wanted them to buy the single for the music itself. Due to this, he was credited as Curly M.C., while Peterson was credited as F. Gregorian, and Cuitad was credited as David Fairstein. Virgin Records promoted the song with radio and club-play only. Despite having virtually no promotion, "Sadeness (Part I)" became an international hit and reached number one in Germany faster than any previous new release, and prior to the completion of its music video.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: "MCMXC a.D." was released in Europe by Virgin Records on 3 December 1990, and in the United States by Charisma Records on 12 February 1991. Cretu still wanted to remain anonymous, believing that the consumers would buy the album for the music itself. The three producers were credited on MCMXC a.D. under the same monikers as on "Sadeness (Part I)": Cretu as Curly M.C., Peterson as F. Gregorian, and Cuitad as David Fairstein.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: "MCMXC a.D." is 40 minutes and 16 seconds long and is divided into seven tracks, two of which contain three separate songs each. The track "The Principles of Lust" contains "Sadeness", "Find Love", and "Sadeness (Reprise)"; and "Back to the Rivers of Belief" contains "Way to Eternity", "Hallelujah", and "The Rivers of Belief". The album encompasses a range of genres, including new-age, worldbeat, and pop music; and it utilizes hip-hop and dance rhythms. The album is well known for its mixing of Gregorian chant and other religious overtones with sexuality; the lead single, "Sadeness (Part I)", being the prime example. It is a common misconception that, because "Sadeness (Part I)" employs Gregorian chants, the entire album contains such chants. In debunking this notion, Cretu stated that Sadeness' is only one piece of the puzzle." Larry Flick from "Billboard" further clarified, saying that "Mea Culpa" maintains the atmosphere of "Sadeness", but "without the aid of Gregorian chants." According to the "Journal of Religion and Health", "MCMXC a.D." follows the narrative of facing one's demons and making peace with them.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: "The Voice of Enigma" was written solely by Cretu, and starts with a foghorn sound that is known as the "Enigma horn". After the foghorn, Sandra Cretu starts talking and invites the listener to relax and take a deep breath, while an environmental soundscape plays in the background. "The Principles of Lust" track employs a drumbeat throughout similar to the R&B 1989 song "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" by Soul II Soul, flute synth lines, and Cretu's whispers and "orgasmic breathing" that mark the song breaks. The first part, "Sadeness", includes a Gregorian chant taken from the track "Procedamus in pace!" from the 1976 album "Paschale Mysterium" by Capella Antiqua München. It also includes contributions from Fabrice Cuitad and Peterson. The song's French lyrics are a quizzical look at, and defense of, the 18th-century writer Marquis de Sade, who was notorious for writing literature delving into themes of sexual violence and domination.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: "Callas Went Away" was written solely by Michael Cretu, and samples Maria Callas's singing. "Mea Culpa" was written by Cretu and Fabrice Cuitad and is a follow-up to "Sadeness". Like "Sadeness", "Mea Culpa" samples Gregorian chant from the Capella Antiqua München and thus evokes the same atmosphere. The song's theme "centers around guilt", according to the official Enigma website. "The Voice & the Snake", written by Cretu and Peterson, is based on the Book of Revelation. "Knocking on Forbidden Doors" was written solely by Cretu. The "Back to the Rivers of Belief" track's three songs were mainly written by Cretu, with the song "The Rivers of Belief"—which centers around the Indian river Ganges and differs from the other songs in being more soulful—including contributions from Fabrice Cuitad.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: Four songs from "MCMXC a.D." were released as singles. "Sadeness (Part I)", known as "Sadeness" in the album and the first part of "The Principles of Lust" track, was released as the lead single on 1 October 1990. The single has sold at least 7 million copies worldwide, and was the fastest German single to reach number one, the week of 12 November 1990. "The Los Angeles Times" reported that the single reached number one in at least 14 other countries. "Mea Culpa (Part II)", known as "Mea Culpa" in the album, was released as the second single on 17 April 1991, and reached number seven on both the German charts and on the "Billboard" Dance Club Songs chart. The song charted at number four in France, and received a gold certification from the French National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing (SNEP). Cretu considers "Mea Culpa (Part II)" his favorite song from the album. "Principles of Lust" and "The Rivers of Belief" were both as singles released in 1991. The "Principles of Lust" single is the song "Find Love" renamed. The single charted at number 90 in Germany, number 59 in the UK, and number 29 in France. "The Rivers of Belief" single is the third song of the "Back to the Rivers of Belief" album track. The single charted in the United Kingdom at number 68, and in Sweden at number 37.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: "MCMXC a.D." was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Danny Serbib of "Colorado Springs Magazine" said that by adding Gregorian chant to the album, "[Cretu had] redefined the possible future of popular music." Mikko Stübner-Lankuttis from "Deutsche Welle" put "MCMXC a.D." at number one on his "The Top 10 albums from Germany", saying "His combination of new-age sounds with dance beats regularly took the project to the top of the international charts."


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: AllMusic critic Ned Raggett said, "Michael Crétu's attempt at fusing everything from easy listening sex music and hip-hop rhythms to centuries-old Gregorian chants could not have been more designed to tweak the nose of high art." Marisa Fox wrote, for "Entertainment Weekly", that while the album doesn't have as many accessible hits as other ones, "[the] journey through what the group calls 'music, spirit, and meditation' is entrancing as well as provocative."


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: In contrast, Brian Bourke, in the "Syracuse Herald-Journal", stated that "once the novelty of Enigma's approach wears off", the rhythms underneath the songs have a sameness that is "irritating" in his eyes, with the exception of "The Rivers of Belief". "The Village Voice" critic Robert Christgau asserted that the "mellow electrobeat and Gregorian fog" of "Sadeness (Part I)" "provide[s] mutual relief", and suggested the other songs are disco filler with sexual content that is too lacking in vulgarity for his tastes.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: "MCMXC a.D." was a worldwide commercial success. According to "The New York Times", the album had sold 12 million copies worldwide as of February 1994. In Germany, "MCMXC a.D." entered the German Albums chart at number 60 for the week of 10 December 1990. It peaked at number three for the week of 24 December 1990 and left after appearing at number 72 for the week of 8 July 1991. The album re-entered the chart at number 68 for the week of 21 February 1994 and left after appearing at number 69 for the week of 21 March 1991. "MCMXC a.D." re-entered the German Albums chart at number 80 for the week of 9 December 1996 and left after appearing at number 73 for the week of 13 January 1997. The album spent 46 weeks on the German chart, and has been certified double platinum by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI), indicating shipments in excess of one million copies in Germany.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: In the US, "MCMXC a.D." entered the "Billboard" 200 at number 169 for the week of 2 March 1991. It stayed on the "Billboard" 200 for 262 weeks, peaking at number six for the week of 3 May 1991. On the US Top Catalog Albums chart, "MCMXC a.D." peaked at number four for the week of 10 May 1997. The album has since been certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments in excess of four million copies in the US.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: "MCMXC a.D." topped the UK Albums Chart for the week of 20 January 1991, spending 60 weeks on the chart. The album has since been certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments in excess of 900,000 copies in the UK. Elsewhere, "MCMXC a.D." reached number one in Belgium, Greece, Portugal, and Spain; number two in Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland; number three in Austria, Canada, and Sweden; number four in Ireland and Norway; and number seven in the Netherlands.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: Because "MCMXC a.D." has themes of balancing good with evil, Cretu has been accused of putting satanic content into the album. Many of the accusations were concerned with the Gregorian chant being satanic. This resulted in many Catholic-backed radio stations in Europe banning "Sadeness (Part I)" from being played. While most of the press did not think that "MCMXC a.D" had satanic implications, Charisma Records issued a press release denying such claims. Cretu stated that he did not mean for there to be any implications of satanism with the album, revealing he wanted the combination of Gregorian chant and lyrics relating to the Marquis de Sade to be seen as a paradox.


title: MCMXC a.D.

text: In a 1990 interview with "Verdens Gang", Cretu claimed that the Gregorian chants used on "MCMXC a.D." were recorded in Romania and said that the singers were given their share of the "D-marks" Cretu got from "Sadeness" and the album. This proved to be false; in 1991 Capella Antiqua München, a Munich-based choir, recognized a sample of one of their recordings on "MCMXC a.D." Their label, Polydor Germany, sued Cretu and Virgin Records for infringing on its "right of personality" in using the Gregorian chant samples in "Sadeness (Part I)" and "Mea Culpa". The lawsuit was settled out of court after Virgin publicly apologized for the infringement and Cretu agreed to pay compensation to the original creator of the samples.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple is third of the Six Abodes of Murugan (Aarupadai veedugal). It is located in the city of Palani earlier it was known as "Thiruaavinankudi("as mentioned in the old Sangam literature Thirumurugatrupadai), Dindigul district, southeast of Coimbatore and northwest of Madurai in the foothills of the Palani Hills, Tamil Nadu, India. Palani temple is considered synonymous with "Panchamritam", a sweet mixture made of five ingredients.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: As per Hindu legendary beliefs, Sage Narada visited the celestial court of Shiva at Mount Kailash to present to him a fruit, the "gnana-palam" (literally, the fruit of knowledge). He decided to award it to whichever of his two sons who first encircle the world thrice. Accepting the challenge, Murugan started his journey around the globe on his mount peacock. However, Ganesha, who surmised that the world was no more than his parents Shiva and Shakti combined, circumambulated them and won the fruit. Murugan was furious and felt the need to get matured from boyhood and hence chose to remain as a hermit in Palani. The idol of the Muruga in Palani was created and consecrated by sage Bogar, one of Hinduism's eighteen great "siddhaars", out of an amalgam of nine poisonous herbs or "Navapashanam".


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: Other than the steps and sliding elephant way, there is a winch and rope car service used for transportation of devotees uphill. Six poojas are performed from 6.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m and special poojas on festival days in the temple, when it is open from 4.30 a.m.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: As of 2016, the temple was the richest among temples in the Tamil Nadu state with a collection of 33 crore during the period of July 2015 to June 2016. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: Sage Narada once visited the celestial court of Shiva at Mount Kailash to present to him a fruit, the "gyana-palam" (literally, the fruit of knowledge), that held in it the elixir of wisdom. Upon Shiva expressing his intention of dividing the fruit between his two sons, Ganesha and Murugan, the sage counseled against cutting it. He decided to award it to whichever of his two sons first circled the world thrice. Accepting the challenge, Karthikeya started his journey around the globe on his mount peacock. However, Ganesha, who surmised that the world was no more than his parents Shiva and Shakti combined, circumambulated them. Pleased with their son's discernment, Shiva awarded the fruit to Ganesha. When Kartikeya returned, he was furious to learn that his efforts had been in vain. He left Kailash and took up his abode in the Palani hills in South India. It is believed that Karthikeya felt the need to get matured from boyhood and hence chose to remain as a hermit and discarded all his robes and ornaments. He went into meditation to know about himself.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: As per another legend, once all sages and gods assembled in Kailash, the abode of Shiva. It resulted in the tilting of earth towards one direction. Shiva asked sage Agathiyar to move towards the South to balance the tilt. Agastya employed a demon by name Ettumba to carry two hills in his shoulders to be placed in the South. The demon carried the hills down south and rested in a place. When he tried to lift one of the hills, it didn't budge and he found a young man standing at the top of the hill not allowing it to be moved. The demon tried to attack the young man but was defeated. Sage Agastya identified the young man as Murugan (Karthikeya) and asked him to pardon the demon. Murugan readily did so and let the hill remain there at Palani. It is a practice followed in the modern times where people carry milk in both their shoulders as a devotion to please the Lord. The demon carried the other hill to Swamimalai, which is another of the six abodes of Lord Murugan.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: The idol of the Muruga in Palani was created and consecrated by sage Bogar (Bhoga Muni), one of Hinduism's eighteen great "siddhas" out of an amalgam of nine rocks or "navapashanam" (Pashana in Sanskrit means poison). The legend also holds that the sculptor had to work very rapidly to complete its feature and made it perfect. Later, some people who had access to the deity used hideous chemicals and robbed off the idol's contents greatly damaging the idol and conspirated theories that the sage did not sculpt the outer features well as he did to the face. A shrine to Bhogar exists in the southwestern corridor of the temple, which, by legend, is said to be connected by a tunnel to a cave in the heart of the hill, where Bhogar continues to meditate and maintain his vigil, with eight idols of Muruga.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: The deity, after centuries of worship, fell into neglect and was suffered to be engulfed by the forest. One night, Perumal a king of the Chera Dynastys, who controlled the area between the second and fifth centuries A.D., wandered from his hunting party and was forced to take refuge at the foot of the hill. It so befell, that the Subrahmanyan, appeared to him in a dream, and ordered him to restore the idol to its former state. The king commenced a search for the idol, and finding it, constructed the temple that now houses it, and re-instituted its worship. This is commemorated by a small stela at the foot of the staircase that winds up the hill.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: The idol of the deity is said to be made of an amalgam of nine poisonous substances which forms an eternal medicine when mixed in a certain ratio. It is placed upon a pedestal of stone, with an archway framing it and represents the god Subrahmanya in the form He assumed at Palani - that of a very young recluse, shorn of his locks and all his finery, dressed in no more than a loincloth and armed only with a staff, the "dhandam", as befits a monk.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: The temple was re-consecrated by the Cheras, whose dominions lay to the west, and the guardian of whose eastern frontier was supposed to be the Kartikeya of Palani. Housed in the "garbhagriham", the "sanctum sanctorum", of the temple, the deity may be approached and handled only by the temple's priests, who are members of the "Gurukkal" community of Palani, and hold hereditary rights of sacerdotal worship at the temple. Other devotees are permitted to come up to the sanctum, while the priests' assistants, normally of the "Pandāram" community, are allowed up to the ante-chamber of the sanctum sanctorum.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: The temple is situated upon the higher of the two hills of Palani, known as the Sivagiri. Traditionally, access to it was by the main staircase cut into the hill-side or by the "yanai-padhai" or elephant's path, used by the ceremonial elephants. Pilgrims bearing water for the ritual bathing of the idol, and the priests, would use another way also carved into the hill-side but on the opposite side. Over the past half-century, three funicular railway tracks have been laid up the hill for the convenience of the pilgrims, and supplemented by a rope-way within the past decade. There are two modes of transport from the foothills to uphill. There is a winch, which operate from 6 a.m. on ordinary days and 4 a.m. during festive occasions. There is another rope car which operates from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Both winch and the rope car are closed after the "Irakkala" Pooja at 8 p.m.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: The "sanctum" of the temple is of early Chera architecture while the covered ambulatory that runs around it bears unmistakable traces of Pandya influence, especially in the form of the two fishes, the Pandyan royal insignia. The walls of the "sanctum" bear extensive inscriptions in the old Tamil script. Surmounting the "sanctum", is a "gopuram" of gold, with numerous sculptures of the presiding deity, Kartikeya, and gods and goddesses attendant upon him. In the first inner "prahāram", or ambulatory, around the heart of the temple, are two minor shrines, one each, to Shiva and Parvati, besides one to the sage Bhogar who is by legend credited with the creation and consecration of the chief idol. In the second precinct, is a celebrated shrine of Ganapati, besides the carriage-house of the Muruga's Golden Chariot.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: The most common form of worship at the temple is the "abhishekam" - anointment of the idol with oils, sandalwood paste, milk, unguents and the like and then bathing it with water in an act of ritual purification. The most prominent abhishekams are conducted at the ceremonies to mark the hours of the day. These are four in number - the "Vizha Poojai", early in the morning, the "Ucchikālam", in the afternoon, the "Sāyarakshai", in the evening and the "Rakkālam", at night, immediately prior to the temple being closed for the day. These hours are marked by the tolling of the heavy bell on the hill, to rouse the attention of all devotees to the worship of the lord being carried out at that hour. On a quiet day, the bell can be heard in all the countryside around Palani. In addition to worship within the precincts of the temple, an idol of the Lord, called the "Uthsavamoorthy", is also carried in state around the temple, in a golden chariot, drawn by devotees, most evenings in a year. As of 2016, the temple was the richest among temples in the state with a collection of 33 crore during the period of July 2015 to June 2016.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: One of the main traditions of the temple, is the tonsuring of devotees, who vow to discard their hair in imitation of the form that Kartikeya assumed here. Another is the anointing of the head of the presiding deity's idol with sandalwood paste, at night, prior to the temple being closed for the day. The paste, upon being allowed to stay overnight, is said to acquire medicinal properties, and is much sought after and distributed to devotees, as "rakkāla chandaṇam". Traditionally, the hill-temple of Palani is supposed to be closed in the afternoon and rather early in the evening to permit the deity to have adequate sleep, being but a child, and therefore, easily tired by the throngs of devotees and their constant importunations. A tradition that is not very well known is that of the "Paḷḷi-Arai" or bedroom, wherein, each night, the Lord is informed of the status of the temple's accounts for the day, by the custodians of the temple, and then put to sleep to the singing of an "ōdhuvār" or bard. Devotees carry "kavadi", an ornamental mount decked with flowers, glazed paper and tinsel work and wearing ochre clothes themselves on foot from long distances is a commonly followed worship practice.


title: Dhandayuthapani Temple

text: "Panchamirdam" (mixture of five) is believed to be a divine mix prepared by Vinayagar at the end of the divine encounter. He mixed honey, dates, banana, raisins and jaggery and distributed it to Shiva Karthikeya. The practice is followed in modern times where the devotees are provided "Panchamirdam" as a Prasad.