title: Dagupan

text: Tondaligan Beach is an urban beach park complex with numerous amenities. The extensive Tondaligan baywalk, dubbed as the longest in the region, is a prominent feature along the Bonuan shore wherein cyclists can enjoy biking and savor Lingayen Gulf's picturesque view.


title: Dagupan

text: Being the Bangus (Milkfish) Capital of the Philippines, Dagupan has been celebrating its well-renowned produce through Bangus Festival which started in 2002. It's a month-long celebration every April annually. A historic Guinness World Record for the longest barbecue measuring 1,007.56 meters (3,305.64 feet) was achieved by the people of Dagupan City on May 3, 2003.


title: Dagupan

text: The festival features the famous bangusine (bangus cuisine) which is one of the main highlights of the event, street dancing where competing barangays parade in the city's main avenue wearing colorful Bangus Festival costumes, bangus grilling, deboning, variety shows, trade fairs, beauty pageants, sports fest, cooking show, medical mission, visual arts, band concerts, sports activities, dog show, fluvial parade, drum and lyre parade, and street party. The festival concludes every April 30 with main events: Kalutan ed Dalan in the daytime and Bangusan Street Party concerts in the nighttime.


title: Dagupan

text: Pista'y Dayat (Festival of the Sea) is held the day after the conclusion of Bangus Festival. It is simultaneously being celebrated together with all the neighboring towns in the Lingayen Gulf area. It serves as a thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest and abundant fishing from the sea in the Province of Pangasinan.


title: Dagupan

text: Dagupan City Fiesta is a month-long celebration held every December with a Catholic fiesta mass and Procession at St. John Cathedral in honor of St. John the Evangelist, the patron saint of Dagupan and of fishermen.


title: Dagupan

text: Since it coincides with the Christmas festivities, Christmas decoration-building, nativity scene displays and Christmas tree using indigenous materials has become a permanent fixture in the Dagupan City Fiesta.


title: Dagupan

text: On The Edades Day, events such as Arts and Painting Contests are held on December 23, honoring national artist on Modern Arts Victorio Edades, a Dagupeño from Barangay Bolosan. Other events such Miss Dagupan pageant, job fairs, NGO, Organizations, & Barangay Nights, various alumni homecoming Nights, Battle of Bands, and Hip Hop Dance Contest, among others are usually parts of the festivities. The Dagupan City fiesta ends on Rizal Day at the City Plaza.


title: Dagupan

text: Dagupan, belonging to the fourth congressional district of the province of Pangasinan, is governed by a mayor designated as its local chief executive and by a municipal council as its legislative body in accordance with the Local Government Code. The mayor, vice mayor, and the councilors are elected directly by the people through an election which is being held every three years.


title: Dagupan

text: Dagupan is connected with other cities by networks of national roads. Romulo Highway and Pangasinan – La Union Road (N55) and Urdaneta – Dagupan Road (N56) are the principal highways that serve the city.


title: Dagupan

text: The Philippine National Railways (PNR) once served Dagupan through Dagupan station, that went defunct in the late 1980s. The first railroad in the Philippines, the Manila-Dagupan Railway, terminated at the city.


title: Dagupan

text: Intercity/interprovincial buses from Manila serve the city, and are usually operated by Dagupan Bus Company, Victory Liner, Five Star, and Pangasinan Solid North. Jeepneys provide intracity travel, as well as for towns and cities of close proximities.


title: Dagupan

text: Since 2019, Taxi service becomes available as the newest transportation mode in the city. It is the first ever taxi operation in Region 1 and is authorized to serve Pangasinan and the entire Region 1. Dagupan was chosen as the launching area being the center of business and education in North Central Luzon.


title: Dagupan

text: Modern PUVs, more commonly known as Modern Jeeps, are now plying in different parts of the city as part of the nationwide PUJs modernization campaign. They are equipped with CCTV camera, air conditioning, a television, and equipments to comply with the government’s health and safety protocols against COVID-19.


title: Dagupan

text: Medical and health service centers abound in Dagupan. Out of 51 hospitals in Pangasinan, 12 are located in the city. The largest of these is the Region 1 Medical Center with hospital bed capacity of 1000. Other notable hospitals are Dagupan Doctors Villaflor Memorial Hospital, Nazareth General Hospital, and The Medical City Pangasinan.


title: Dagupan

text: Since the colonial era, Dagupan has always been the center of education in Ilocos Region (Region 1). The private sector-driven centers of education University of Pangasinan, Universidad de Dagupan, University of Luzon and Lyceum-Northwestern University lead, 14 colleges and 18 vocational schools and 3 technical learning centers, 19 secondary schools and 53 elementary schools both in public and private.


title: Dagupan

text: Dagupan City is home to regional stations and some television network in Baguio's master control of originating stations.


title: Damsel (upcoming film)

text: Damsel is an upcoming fantasy film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo starring Millie Bobby Brown, Nick Robinson, Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Brooke Carter, and Shohreh Aghdashloo that is set for release on Netflix.


title: Damsel (upcoming film)

text: A princess is shocked to discover that she’ll be sacrificed to the kingdom’s sacred cave dragon, after being married to her prince charming. She must survive long enough until someone comes to save her – only no one is coming.


title: Damsel (upcoming film)

text: "Damsel" was announced in March 2020, with Juan Carlos Fresnadillo set as director, Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum set as producers, and the script written by Dan Mazeau. In November 2020, Millie Bobby Brown was cast as Princess Elodie, along with being an executive producer for the film, with a projected budget of $60-70 million set for the film.


title: Damsel (upcoming film)

text: The film started shooting in February 2022, and lasted until July 1, 2022, in Tomar, a municipality in the Santarém district of Portugal. In April 2022, Angela Bassett joined the cast, as did Nick Robinson, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Brooke Carter, and Shohreh Aghdashloo.


title: Dubbo

text: Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021.


title: Dubbo

text: The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Golden highways. The nearest city, Orange, is about away. Dubbo is located roughly above sea level, north-west of Sydney ( by road) and is a major road and rail freight hub to other parts of New South Wales. It is linked by national highways north to Brisbane, south to Melbourne, east to Sydney and Newcastle, and west to Broken Hill and Adelaide.


title: Dubbo

text: Dubbo is included in the rainfall and weather forecast region for the Central West Slopes and in the Central West Slopes and Plains division of the Bureau of Meteorology forecasts.


title: Dubbo

text: Explorer and surveyor John Oxley was the first European to report on the area, now known as Dubbo, in 1818. The first permanent British colonists in the area were English-born Robert Dulhunty and his brother Lawrence Dulhunty.


title: Dubbo

text: Dulhunty occupied a property, known as Dubbo Station (established in 1828), from the early 1830s on a squatting basis. With the passing of the Squatting Act in 1836, he took out a licence on the property.


title: Dubbo

text: Dulhunty showed an affinity with Indigenous Australians, his party included some 40 Aboriginals and he favoured using Aboriginal names for properties, including Dubbo. Dubbo is now thought to be a mispronunciation of the local Wiradjuri word "thubbo", but because of a lack of precise records from Dulhunty at the time and an incomplete knowledge of the Wiradjuri language today, some conjecture remains over the word's meaning. Some references indicate that Dubbo was the name of an old Wiradjuri man who resided at the site when Dulhunty took the land. Dubbo's name apparently meant "red soil", consistent with the local landscape. "Thubbo" or "tubbo" possibly is Wiradjuri for "head covering".


title: Dubbo

text: Dundullimal Homestead is a farmhouse from that period, built around 1840 by John Maugham on his sheep station. The building is one of the oldest homesteads still standing in western NSW and today is open to visitors.


title: Dubbo

text: In 1846, due to the number of settlers in the area, the government decided to establish a courthouse, police station, and lock-up in the Dubbo area. A constable's residence was completed in 1847 and a wooden slab-construction courthouse and lock-up was completed in early 1848. By this time, the settlement had only four buildings - the constable's residence, courthouse and lock-up, a store, and an inn.


title: Dubbo

text: Due to the lack of title for the land, in 1848, storekeeper Jean Emile Serisier organised a petition asking for a land sale of town allotments. The plan was presented to the colony's surveyor general in May 1849 by surveyor G. Boyle White. The settlement was gazetted as a village in November 1849 with the first land sales taking place in 1850. Population growth was slow until the Victorian gold rush of the 1860s brought an increase in north–south trade. The first bank was opened in 1867. Steady population growth caused the town to be proclaimed a municipality in 1872, when its population was 850. The railway extension of the main western railway from Wellington to Dubbo was formally opened on 1 February 1881. By 1897, Dubbo had a general store, Carrier Arms, a slab courthouse, a gaol, and a police hut. The final section of the Molong to Dubbo railway opened in late May 1925.


title: Dubbo

text: The Macquarie River runs through Dubbo, as does Troy Creek. The City of Dubbo lies within a transition zone between the ranges and tablelands of the Great Dividing Range to the east and the Darling Basin plains to the west.


title: Dubbo

text: Dubbo falls in the warm temperate climate zone. Under Köppen climate classification, Dubbo has a humid subtropical climate ("Cfa") that borders the semi-arid climate ("BSk"). Summers are warm to hot, and winters cool to cold, bringing some occurrences of early morning frost but generally no snowfall – unlike the nearby city of Orange. The last occurrence of snow was recorded by "The Dubbo Liberal and Macquarie Advocate" in July 1951 and 1920. The town's location in this transition area allows a large temperature variation during the year, with high summer temperatures, sometimes peaking above typical of the Western Plains of New South Wales and colder subzero temperatures typical of the Central Tablelands in winter.


title: Dubbo

text: Dubbo's location in the transition area between the Central Tablelands and the Central Western Plains has provided a mild distribution of rainfall throughout the year. Dubbo's wettest month is January with an average rainfall of occurring on average over five days. Evaporation in the Dubbo area averages around per year. Dubbo is considerably sunny, receiving 148.6 days of clear skies annually, in contrast to Sydney's 104 days.


title: Dubbo

text: Wind patterns vary over the whole year. The prevailing winds at Dubbo are from the southeast, south, southwest and west, which account for a combined 64.4% of the wind direction over the whole year.


title: Dubbo

text: In August 2021, the population of Dubbo was 43,516; 51.6% of residents were female and 48.4% were male. The median age is 35, slightly younger than the national average of 38. People aged 0–14 constitute 21.5% of the population compared to 18.2% nationally, and 15.6% of residents are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander; the median age in this group is 22.


title: Dubbo

text: About 81.2% of residents report being born in Australia, notably higher than the national average of 66.9%. Other than Australia, the most common countries of birth are India (1.7%), Nepal (1.6%), England (1.0%), the Philippines (0.8%), and New Zealand (0.7%). The most common reported ancestries in Dubbo are Australian, English, Australian Aboriginal, Irish, and Scottish.


title: Dubbo

text: Around 72.3% of residents report both parents having been born in Australia, significantly higher than the national average of 45.9%. About 82.7% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Nepali (1.7%), Punjabi (0.8%), Malayalam (0.5%), Urdu (0.5%), and Mandarin (0.4%).


title: Dubbo

text: The top religious groups in Dubbo are Catholic (26.4%), Anglican (17.7%), and Uniting Church (3.7%); 27.2% reported no religion (lower than the 38.4% nationally) and 9.2% did not answer the question.


title: Dubbo

text: The city's largest private employer is Fletcher International Exports, which exports lamb and mutton globally. Other local industries reflect the city's status as a regional base for surrounding agricultural regions.


title: Dubbo

text: A large employer is the Dubbo Base Hospital, with hospitals (excluding psychiatric hospitals) being the area's single largest employer.


title: Dubbo

text: Dubbo is also considered a major shopping centre for the surrounding regional areas in the Central and Far Western districts of New South Wales. Dubbo has many shopping districts, including the large and very recently renewed Orana Mall (East Dubbo), Macquarie and Talbragar Streets (City Centre), Centro Dubbo, Riverdale, and Tamworth Street local stores (South Dubbo). Dubbo features many boutiques and unique stores, as well as major national stores including Myer, Big W, Kmart (replaced Target in October 2020), Officeworks, Coles, Woolworths, Mitre 10, Bunnings Warehouse, The Good Guys, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Sportsmans Warehouse and The Coffee Club.


title: Dubbo

text: A new suburban shopping centre in West Dubbo contains a Woolworths supermarket (Dubbo's third) and 15 smaller retail shops.


title: Dubbo

text: Tourism is also a significant local industry. Dubbo features the open-range Taronga Western Plains Zoo, which is home to various species of endangered animals, including the white, black, and Indian rhinoceroses, and runs a successful breeding program for a number of endangered species. The zoo is home to numerous specimens from around the world in spacious open-range moat enclosures, grouped according to their continent of origin. Other town attractions include the historic Dundullimal Homestead and the historic Old Dubbo Gaol in the middle of the commercial centre of Macquarie Street. The Western Plains Cultural Centre includes four gallery exhibition spaces, two museum exhibition spaces, and a community arts centre.


title: Dubbo

text: The Royal Flying Doctor Service base at Dubbo airport has a large visitor information centre, staffed by volunteers, which features a King Air 200 turboprop aircraft and a variety of touch-screen interactive displays illustrating aspects of RFDS operations.


title: Dubbo

text: The 20 schools and secondary colleges include the Dubbo School of Distance Education. It is home to one of the four main campuses of Charles Sturt University, which is located next to the Senior Campus of Dubbo College (successor to Dubbo High School, founded in 1917). There are three private K-12 schools located in Dubbo which are Macquarie Anglican Grammar School, Dubbo Christian School and St Johns College.


title: Dubbo

text: Dubbo has several fine examples of Victorian civic architecture, including the (third) Courthouse (1887), the Lands Office with its use of timber and corrugated iron cladding, and the railway station (1881). Towards the centre of the city, the older residential areas contain numerous examples of red brick houses built in the "California Bungalow" style architecture of the early 20th century, together with Victorian terraced houses (mostly in the Darling Street area) and a few Edwardian semidetached homes.


title: Dubbo

text: Dubbo railway station lies on the Main Western railway line between Sydney and Bourke and opened in 1881. The station is the terminus for the daily NSW TrainLink "Central West XPT" service from Sydney with connecting road coach services to Broken Hill, Bourke, Cootamundra, Lightning Ridge and Nyngan. The Mindyarra Maintenance Centre is scheduled to open 700 metres to the east of the station in the early 2020s, as the home depot for the NSW TrainLink Regional Train fleet.


title: Dubbo

text: Dubbo Buslines operate services within the city. BusBiz operate coach services under contract to NSW TrainLink and maintain a depot in the city.


title: Dubbo

text: Dubbo City Regional Airport has flights to Sydney (QantasLink, Regional Express), Newcastle (FlyPelican), Canberra (FlyPelican) and other small outback New South Wales towns (Airlink).


title: Dubbo

text: ABC Radio broadcasts five services to the Dubbo area: ABC Local, ABC Radio National, Triple J, ABC Classic FM, and ABC NewsRadio.


title: Dubbo

text: The city also has narrowcast stations on 90.3 FM Racing Radio, a tourist radio station and a country music station. The city has two community stations: DCFM 88.9 Dubbo Community radio, and Rhema FM, which broadcasts Christian music.


title: Dubbo

text: The Dubbo area is served by five television stations. In common with all Australian TV stations, they now broadcast digital transmissions only, with the primary program in each case being designated as:


title: Dubbo

text: Prime7 and WIN Television both produce half-hour-long local news bulletins. Prime7 News screens at 6 pm, while WIN News screens at 7 pm from Monday to Friday. Nine News Central West is an hour-long bulletin that mixes local and national news.


title: Dubbo

text: Sports play a big role in Dubbo's community life. Rugby league is popular in Dubbo. Two teams compete in the Group 11 Rugby League – the Dubbo CYMS and Dubbo Macquarie Raiders. The city also has an Australian rules football team, the Dubbo Demons, who were premiers in the Central West Australian Football League in 2007. Two rugby union teams are active, the Dubbo Kangaroos (Roos) and the Dubbo Rhinos, which compete in the Central West Rugby competition, the Blowes Clothing Cup. Dubbo Junior Cricket Association conducts cricket for over 500 children aged between 5 and 16 during October to March and also conducts first-, second-, and third-grade competitions during this time.


title: Dubbo

text: Dubbo has a turf club, which incorporates a pony club and horse racing, and organises shows and gymkhana. Ultimate Frisbee is a new sport to the town and is rapidly growing in popularity.


title: Dubbo

text: The Dubbo Ultimate Frisbee Federation (DUFF) is the local Ultimate club and organises a local league and the Dubbo Meerkats Mixed rep side.


title: Dubbo

text: The Dubbo Rams compete in the men's and women's NSW State Basketball Leagues. Netball is also popular in Dubbo with competitions every weekend for all age groups during netball season at the Nita McGrath netball courts near the Macquarie River in Central Dubbo. Dubbo has a large Junior and Senior Hockey Association with representative teams for all ages, while also participating in the Premier League Hockey Competition in both the Men's (Dubbo Lions) and Women's (Dubbo Blue Jays). Soccer is very popular, particularly among children. Dubbo has its own all-age men's and women's competition and has three teams – Dubbo FC Bulls, Westside Panthers, and Orana Spurs, who compete in the Western Premier League. Dubbo also has one of the only 10 lane pools outside of Sydney in NSW, the Dubbo Aquatic and Leisure Centre. The centre hosts meets through the Western Swimming Association (and affiliated clubs Dubbo City Swimtech and Orana Aquatic) and school carnivals.


title: Dubbo

text: Dubbo's Caltex Park hosted the annual City vs Country Origin match in 2006, with an attendance of 11,423, and in 2014, with an attendance of more than 9,600 in rainy conditions.


title: Dubbo

text: In 2007, Dubbo hosted the Junior World Orienteering Championships with most of the events held in the granite outcrops of the nearby Sappa Bulga Range. From this event, the orienteering club Western Plains Orienteers was born. Other sports popular in Dubbo include lawn bowls, via the huge variety of bowling clubs, and golf (on Dubbo's 27-hole golf course).


title: Mr. Turner

text: Mr. Turner is a 2014 biographical drama film based on the last 25 years of the life of artist J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851). Written and directed by Mike Leigh, the film stars Timothy Spall in the title role, with Dorothy Atkinson, Paul Jesson, Marion Bailey, Lesley Manville, and Martin Savage. It premiered in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where Spall won the award for Best Actor and Dick Pope received a special jury prize for the film's cinematography.


title: Mr. Turner

text: The film was critically acclaimed and received four nominations each at the 87th Academy Awards and 68th British Academy Film Awards.


title: Mr. Turner

text: Describing Turner as "a great artist: a radical, revolutionary painter", writer/director Leigh explained, "I felt there was scope for a film examining the tension between this very mortal, flawed individual, and the epic work, the spiritual way he had of distilling the world".


title: Mr. Turner

text: The film depicts the last quarter-century of the British painter J. M. W. Turner's life. Profoundly affected by the death of his father, loved by his housekeeper, Hannah Danby, whom he takes for granted and occasionally uses sexually, he forms a close and loving relationship with a seaside landlady, Mrs. Booth, with whom he eventually lives incognito in Chelsea, where he dies.


title: Mr. Turner

text: Turner travels, paints, stays with the country aristocracy, visits a brothel, is a popular if anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts, has himself strapped to the mast of a ship so that he can paint a snowstorm, and is both celebrated and reviled by the public and by royalty.


title: Mr. Turner

text: The story recreates the memorable occasion during the Royal Academy salon of 1832 when Turner's seascape "Helvoetsluys" was placed next to Constable's "The Opening of Waterloo Bridge seen from Whitehall". Seeing how the muted tones of his own painting paled next to Constable's vibrant work, in a quick stroke Turner adds a smear of red paint representing a buoy. Recognising Turner's genius, Constable says, "He's been here and fired a gun."


title: Mr. Turner

text: The original screenplay was written by Mike Leigh with research by historian Jacqueline Riding. "Mr. Turner" was filmed in several locations around the UK. Margate was not used to represent Turner's Margate, which was filmed at Kingsand in Cornwall. The production visited Kent to shoot a couple of scenes. Wentworth Woodhouse in Rotherham stood in for the Royal Academy in London, with the production crew meticulously recreating the way the paintings of the era were displayed. in the Historic Dockyard Chatham was used in the scene where Turner has himself strapped to the mast of a sailing ship during a storm. Stangate Creek doubled as the Thames when Turner and his friends are rowed along the Thames and discuss , then toast .


title: Mr. Turner

text: "Mr. Turner" had its premiere at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or, with Spall winning Best Actor and Dick Pope winning the Vulcan Award. Entertainment One released the film in the United Kingdom on 31 December 2014. Sony Pictures Classics handled the United States distribution, with a release date of 19 December 2014. It was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.


title: Mr. Turner

text: The film was leaked by the hacker group "Guardians of Peace" onto peer-to-peer file sharing websites on 27 November 2014, more than three weeks ahead of its intended U.S. theatrical release, as part of the Sony Pictures Entertainment hack. Along with it came "Fury" and three other then unreleased Sony Pictures films ("Annie", "Still Alice" and "To Write Love on Her Arms"). Within three days of the initial leak, an estimated 63,379 unique IPs had downloaded "Mr. Turner".


title: Mr. Turner

text: "Mr. Turner" received wide praise from critics. Spall's performance was lauded, along with Yershon's score and Pope's cinematography. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a "Certified Fresh" rating of 97%, based on 196 reviews, with an average score of 8.40/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Led by a masterful performance from Timothy Spall and brilliantly directed by Mike Leigh, "Mr. Turner" is a superior Hollywood biopic." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 94 out of 100 based on 44 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".


title: Mr. Turner

text: Critic Katie Kilkenny of "The Atlantic" called it "a gorgeous, important film". "Observer" critic Mark Kermode described the film as a "portrait of a man wrestling light with his hands as if it were a physical element: tangible, malleable, corporeal". "Slate" reviewer Dana Stevens wrote, "Writing about "Mr. Turner" a few weeks after seeing it, I feel a craving to be again immersed in its world, which is rich with colors, textures, and, it sometimes almost seems, smells".


title: Mr. Turner

text: The consonance between the film and its subject was addressed by Sir Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate Galleries in England: “Mike Leigh and Timothy Spall’s great achievement is showing us how the artist approached the physical business of painting. But they also convey the spirit of a man whose reputation as a curmudgeon is unwarranted, given his passionate interest in people and the world around him. There is a great humanitarian streak in Turner and Mike Leigh has found a way of capturing this on film, as he has done so often before.”


title: Mr. Turner

text: Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gave the film three and a half out of four stars, writing that like Leigh's 1999 film "Topsy-Turvy", about the creation of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera "The Mikado", "["Mr. Turner"] understands creative people on every conceivable level, and translates that understanding with a deftness rarely seen outside of astute documentaries about creative people. To watch it is to feel as though you're a part of its world... experiencing tiny fluctuations in received wisdom and sudden changes of artistic direction that can only be sensed by professionals who are plugged into their art form, and completely in command of their talents."


title: Coles Group

text: Coles Group Limited is an Australian public company operating several retail chains. Its chief operations are primarily concerned with the sale of food and groceries through its flagship supermarket chain Coles Supermarkets, and the sale of liquor and petrol through its Coles Liquor and Coles Express outlets. Since its foundation in Collingwood, Victoria in 1914, Coles has grown to become the second-largest retailer in Australia after its principal rival Woolworths in terms of revenue.


title: Coles Group

text: Formerly known as Coles Myer Ltd. from 1985 to 2006, Coles Group was owned by Western Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers from 2007 until 2018, when it was spun-off, with it once again listed as an independent public company on the Australian Stock Exchange, containing Coles Supermarkets, Coles Online, Coles Express, Coles' liquor division, Coles' financial division and Flybuys.


title: Coles Group

text: In 1914, the first Coles "variety store" was opened in Melbourne. Coles was founded in 1914 by George Coles when he opened what was called the "Coles Variety Store" in Smith Street in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood. More stores opened and the chain was regarded as the leaders in providing value to Australian shoppers. The building formerly occupied by the original Coles Variety Store is now the location of a Woolworths outlet – the major competitor to Coles.


title: Coles Group

text: Coles was run in succession by members of the Coles family from 1914 until the mid-1970s by the "famous five knights", brothers Sir George, Sir Arthur, Sir Edgar, Sir Kenneth and Sir Norman – known by their first initials – GJ, AW, EB, KF, NC.


title: Coles Group

text: In 1960, the first supermarket was opened in the Melbourne suburb of North Balwyn and in 1973, a Coles store had been established in all capital cities of the country.


title: Coles Group

text: Kmart Australia Limited was born out of a joint venture between G.J Coles & Coy (Coles) and Kmart Corporation in the US. The first store opened in the Melbourne suburb of Burwood in 1969.


title: Coles Group

text: In 1978 Coles acquired full ownership of the Australian K-Mart operation and in 1994 bought back all shares Kmart Corporation held in Coles Myer. They are all trademarked under the Coles Group.


title: Coles Group

text: In Australia, BI-LO was established by John Weekes in Adelaide during the late 1970s. It was a major supermarket chain owned and operated by retail giant Coles Group in parallel to Coles Supermarkets. It had more than 200 stores in Australia. BI-LO stores were renamed as Coles.


title: Coles Group

text: A new head office opened in 1987 at Hawthorn East, Melbourne. As of 2008, it remained the head office for Coles Supermarkets and associated subsidiaries.


title: Coles Group

text: In 1996, BI-LO acquired the six-store Newmart discount supermarket chain in Western Australia which then became the equivalent to BI-LO in Western Australia. By August 2002, it grew to 16 stores before being transferred to the management and being re branded as Coles, though some stores were sold off to Foodland Associated Limited and became Action Supermarkets.


title: Coles Group

text: Coles Group Limited was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange with the code CGJ, which references back to its first ever registered company name of G.J. Coles & Coy Proprietary Limited. The company has in the past been listed on the NYSE (de-listed 6 January 2006), the New Zealand Stock Exchange (de-listed 1989) and the London Stock Exchange.


title: Coles Group

text: Sidney Myer arrived in Melbourne in 1899, working briefly at a drapery store before moving to Bendigo where he and his partner, Jacob Slonim, opened the first store in 1900. A second store opened in 1908. In 1911 Myer bought a drapery store in Bourke Street, Melbourne, which later became the flagship Myer store, the Myer Emporium. Myer expanded to Adelaide, acquiring a shareholding in Marshall's department store in 1925, later renaming this company as Myer SA Stores Ltd. Expansion across Australia followed. (Coles owned many subsidiaries so the name was changed to Coles Group)


title: Coles Group

text: Both chains grew throughout Australia through growth and acquisitions, and both independently listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.


title: Coles Group

text: By the 1980s, Coles primarily operated supermarkets, whilst Myer (Myer Emporium Limited) operated the department store chains Myer and Grace Bros, as well as the Target discount variety store chain in Australia. In August 1985, the Myer Emporium Ltd and GJ Coles & Coy Ltd merged, becoming the largest ever Australian Corporation. The official name change to "Coles Myer Limited" followed in January 1986.


title: Coles Group

text: The office stationery chain Officeworks, based on the US chain Office Depot, was established in 1993 with the first store opening in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in June 1994. This represented a successful introduction of a "category killer" – by comparison, around the same time Coles unsuccessfully attempted to negate the arrival of Toys "R" Us with the short-lived chain World 4 Kids.


title: Coles Group

text: In 1996, the operations of Target and Fosseys (earlier "Coles-Fossey") merged and the first Baby Target speciality store was opened, followed in 1998 by Target Home. In 1999, regional Fosseys stores were re-badged as Target Country, with metropolitan stores closed. Following Target's operating loss of $43m in 2001, the chain's format was repositioned to compete less with Kmart, Woolworths Limited's Big W, Harris Scarfe and The Warehouse, and more with Myer, with a focus on "middle class" quality products, especially clothing and home wares.


title: Coles Group

text: In 1998, Coles Myer opened the first Megamart store, in Coorparoo, Queensland. Harris Technology, a computer hardware and software reseller started by Ron Harris in 1986, was acquired in 1999.


title: Coles Group

text: By 2001, Coles Myer planned to expand the Megamart chain of furniture and electrical stores, but by 2005 had decided to divest the struggling chain. Six of the nine stores were sold to competitor Harvey Norman, with the remainder closed.


title: Coles Group

text: In 2001, the Company appointed John Fletcher, formerly of Brambles, as chief executive. Fletcher engineered a brief turnaround in the company's fortunes. Fletcher abolished the shareholder discount card, on the basis that it had eroded margins while providing little benefit, and was unpopular with institutional investors. Since their introduction in the early 1990s, the card had induced a tenfold increase in the number of Coles Myer's shareholders, with the overwhelming majority owning only small parcels of shares.


title: Coles Group

text: Fletcher also engineered the acquisition of the retail fuel operations of Shell Australia with the fuel outlets rebranded as Coles Express, allowing Coles Group to counter the success of Woolworths' discount petrol operation. Woolworths subsequently gained entry to part of Caltex Australia's network to provide a recognised brand for its fuel offer.


title: Coles Group

text: In August 2006, Coles announced that a group of private equity companies led by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) was looking to buy the company, with an initial proposal of $14.50 per share. The Coles board rejected the offer stating it significantly undervalued the company, and was conditional on a due diligence process, without a guarantee that the deal would go ahead. A second proposal of $15.25 per share in October 2006 was rejected for largely the same reasons.


title: Coles Group

text: In November 2006, long-term senior supermarkets executive Peter Scott was dismissed for an unspecified breach of the company's code of conduct.


title: Coles Group

text: On 23 February 2007, the company announced a downgrade of expected earnings and that it was considering ownership options, including the possibility of a full sale of the business or restructuring such as a demerger. On 20 March 2007, it deferred its plans to rebrand Kmart under the Coles banner and create supercentres, and subsequently paused its conversion of BI-LO stores to Coles Supermarkets given the lack of success of this move.


title: Coles Group

text: On 23 March, Coles Group stated it planned to sell its businesses as either an entire package, or in three parts (Officeworks, Target and the remaining businesses Kmart, Coles, Bi-Lo, Liquorland, Vintage Cellars and First Choice Liquor).


title: Coles Group

text: On 3 April, Solomon Lew, the former chairman and long-time antagonist of the current board and management team, sold his 5.8% shareholding of the company. A large portion of these shares were bought by Wesfarmers, which was believed to be part of a consortium of bidders including Macquarie Bank, PEP and Permira. The share price at which the transaction took place was reportedly $16.47, then 2.2% above the market price. A bid for the entire company at this price would have valued Coles Group at A$19.7 billion, well above the two KKR proposals announced in 2006.


title: Coles Group

text: In May 2007, Coles reported its slowest sales growth in at least seven years with continuing poor performance from Coles Supermarkets and Kmart.


title: Coles Group

text: In July 2007, Wesfarmers announced it intended to buy Coles Group for $22 billion, the largest take-over bid in Australia. The sale was expected to be completed in October 2007.


title: Coles Group

text: In August 2007, Wesfarmers foreshadowed its plans for the restructuring of Coles Group following its anticipated takeover, including investment of A$5 billion, establishing three separate divisions (including a combined Bunnings/Officeworks "big box" retailing division), the possible sale of Kmart, and the exit of Coles Group from its head office base at Tooronga.


title: Coles Group

text: The independent expert report published in October 2007, advising shareholders preparatory to the proposed sale was critical of the culture within Coles Group.


title: Coles Group

text: At a shareholder meeting in Melbourne on 7 November 2007, shareholders voted overwhelmingly with 99.25% approval of the sale of Coles Group to Wesfarmers. The Scheme of Arrangement between Coles Group and its shareholders was approved by the Supreme Court of Victoria on 9 November 2007, the last day Coles Group shares traded on the Australian Securities Exchange. The Scheme was implemented on 23 November 2007, ending Coles Group as a company with its subsidiaries merged into Wesfarmers' business structure.


title: Coles Group

text: In September 2022, Coles announced that it would sell its Coles Express stations to Viva Energy for $300 million.


title: Coles Group

text: Coles Group Limited was spun-off from Wesfarmers on 21 November 2018, with the company once again listed as a public company on the Australian Stock Exchange under the trading code , debuting at A$12.49.


title: Coles Group

text: At the time of listing, the company included 806 Coles Supermarkets, 712 Coles Express outlets, 894 liquor stores including Liquorland, Vintage Cellars and First Choice Liquor, Coles-branded financial services and 88 Spirit Hotels, as well as joint-ownership of the flybuys loyalty program.


title: Tony Nese

text: Anthony Nese (born August 6, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he is a former one-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion.


title: Tony Nese

text: Nese made his wrestling debut on September 23, 2005, for the New York Wrestling Connection promotion in a #1 contender's battle royal match for the NYWC Interstate Championship, which was won by Rob Eckos. On November 11, 2005, Nese made his in-ring debut under the ring name Matt Maverick in a losing effort against Spyder. Nese won his first match on December 17, 2005, in a triple threat match defeating Spyder and Amazing Red. Nese continued to wrestle for the promotion for several years, shortening his ring name to Maverick. His independent wrestling career was jumpstarted after he competed in the 2008 ECWA Super 8 Tournament, where he won the first round around against Loca Vida but lost in the semi-finals to Aden Chambers. Nese would then later on compete in various dark matches for Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2009.


title: Tony Nese

text: Nese made his debut for Total Nonstop Action (TNA) on the July 7, 2011, episode of "Impact Wrestling" as part of the X Division Showcase tournament. He was eliminated from the tournament after losing to Jack Evans in a three-way match that included Jesse Sorensen On August 18, TNA announced that Nese had signed a contract with the promotion. On that evening's episode of "Impact Wrestling", he took part in a gauntlet match to determine the #1 contender to the X-Division Championship which he would be eliminated early in the match. Nese did not appear on television for a while after this. He made his return on the December 15 episode of "Impact Wrestling", where he would compete in a Best of Three Series with Zema Ion to determine the third and final challenger for the X Division Championship at Genesis. Nese would lose the first match of the series.


title: Tony Nese

text: On the December 22 edition of "Impact Wrestling", Nese defeated Ion in the second round of the series. Two weeks later, Nese lost to Ion in a Contract on a Pole match in the final round of the series. Nese appeared on the March 22, 2012 episode of "Impact Wrestling", competing in fatal-four-way match that included Austin Aries, Kid Kash, and Zema Ion which ended in a no contest. This would also mark Nese's final appearance in company. Nese was released from TNA on May 17, 2012, after asking permission to work a scheduled tag team match for Pro Wrestling Syndicate, which would include Nese teaming with Sami Callihan against The Great Muta and Kai. Nese was offered his release from TNA which he accepted.


title: Tony Nese

text: Nese returned for one night only for the company's One Night Only pay-per-view show, X-Travaganza on January 12 the following year competing in a tag team match in a losing effort.


title: Tony Nese

text: After departing from TNA, Nese returned to the independent wrestling circuit continuing to appear for the New York Wrestling Connection promotion also competing in several independent wrestling promotions including Pro Wrestling Syndicate. He started using his real name, Anthony Nese as his ring name. Nese became the first PWS Tri-State champion and was undefeated. He shortly feuded with Matt Hardy, defeating him in a match for the Tri-State title before eventually losing the title to Star Man on November 9, 2012, in a triple threat match. On October 12, 2013, Nese defeated the FWE Tri Borough Champion Paul London in a non-title match. In early 2013, Nese began working for Dragon Gate USA and Evolve. On November 3, Nese began his first tour of Dragon Gate USA's Japanese parent promotion, Dragon Gate, unsuccessfully challenging Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!! for the Open the Brave Gate Championship. On November 9, 2013, at House of Hardcore 3, Nese defeated Alex Reynolds and Petey Williams. On December 8, 2013, Nese won the Family Wrestling Entertainment's Openweight Grand Prix.


title: Tony Nese

text: On September 14, 2014, at Evolve 35, Nese and Caleb Konley won the Open the United Gate Championship from The Bravado Brothers (Harlem and Lancelot) in a three-way match, also involving A. R. Fox and Rich Swann. At FWE ReFueled day 1, Nese and Jigsaw defeated Adrenaline Express to win the FWE Tag Team Championship. The following day, they lost the title to The Young Bucks.


title: Tony Nese

text: On June 11, 2016, at Evolve 63, Nese defeated Lince Dorado, Drew Gulak, Johnny Gargano and T. J. Perkins to qualify for WWE's Cruiserweight Classic tournament. The tournament began on June 23, with Nese defeating Anthony Bennett in his first round match. On July 14, Nese was eliminated from the tournament by Brian Kendrick.


title: Tony Nese

text: On the September 26 episode of "Raw", Nese made his main roster debut, losing to Cruiserweight Champion T.J. Perkins. On the October 3 episode of "Raw", Nese won his first match on the main roster against Rich Swann. Nese made his pay-per-view debut on the Hell in a Cell pre-show, teaming with Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari in a losing effort to Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado and Sin Cara. On the Survivor Series pre-show, Nese, Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari lost to T.J. Perkins, Rich Swann, and Noam Dar. In early 2017, Nese would later wrestle on "205 Live" and "Main Event", trading wins and losses over Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado and Mustafa Ali. Nese began aligning with Enzo Amore's faction which consisting of Ariya Daivari, Drew Gulak and Noam Dar, they dubbed themselves as "The Zo Train". On the December 12 episode of "205 Live", Nese was attacked by The Zo Train. Nese returned two weeks later, unsure of his position as a member of the Zo Train, and defeated Akira Tozawa. Amore was fired from WWE in January 2018, thus quietly disbanding The Zo Train.


title: Tony Nese

text: On the February 13 episode of "205 Live", Nese was entered into a Cruiserweight Championship tournament to determine a new Cruiserweight Champion, where he was defeated by Drew Gulak in a first round. On the March 27 episode of "205 Live", Nese was defeated by Mark Andrews. On the April 10 episode of "205 Live", Nese saved Andrews from an attack of Drew Gulak, turning face in the process. On April 27, Nese participated in the Greatest Royal Rumble, entering at number 10, eliminating Hornswoggle, before being eliminated by Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.


title: Tony Nese

text: Some weeks later, he aligned himself with Buddy Murphy, turning heel once again. They went on to feud with Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado), with the two sides trading victories. On the October 10 episode of "205 Live", Nese defeated Cedric Alexander, who had recently lost the Cruiserweight Championship to Murphy. On the October 17 episode of "205 Live", Nese won a fatal five-way match including Alexander, Gran Metalik, TJP and Lio Rush after pinning Alexander. On the October 31 episode of "205 Live", Nese lost to Mustafa Ali in a number one contender's match for the Cruiserweight Championship. Nese then began feuding with Noam Dar as the two traded victories over each other. On the January 29, 2019 episode of "205 Live", he was suspended indefinitely for attacking Dar in the parking lot. Nese returned on the February 12 episode of "205 Live", defeating Dar in a well-received No Disqualification match, ending their feud.


title: Tony Nese

text: Prior to WrestleMania 35, a tournament to determine the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship was arranged, in which Nese defeated Kalisto in the first round, Drew Gulak in the semifinals, and Cedric Alexander in the finals to become the number one contender for the Cruiserweight Championship against his ally Buddy Murphy. After the match, he was attacked by Murphy, turning face in the process. On April 7, during the pre-show of WrestleMania 35, Nese defeated Murphy to win the Cruiserweight Championship for the first time. Two days later, on the April 9 episode of "205 Live", Nese defeated Murphy in a rematch to retain his championship. At Money in the Bank, Nese defeated Ariya Daivari to retain the Cruiserweight Championship. On June 23 at the Stomping Grounds, Nese lost the title to Drew Gulak in a triple threat match which also involved Akira Tozawa, ending his reign at 77 days. He would go on to lose a subsequent rematch against Gulak at Extreme Rules.


title: Tony Nese

text: On the September 3 episode of "205 Live", after losing to Mike Kanellis, Nese attacked Oney Lorcan backstage. On that same night, Nese joined forces with Drew Gulak to attack Humberto Carrillo and Lince Dorado. On the September 17 episode of "205 Live", Nese defeated Lorcan with assistance from Gulak. Nese continued teaming with Gulak before he was drafted to SmackDown Live in October. Following this, Nese would find himself feuding with members of the NXT roster who began appearing on 205 Live such as Oney Lorcan and Tyler Breeze which culminated in a 5-on-5 match pitting himself, Brian Kendrick, Jack Gallagher, Ariya Daivari and Mike Kanellis representing Team 205 against Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch, Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, Tyler Breeze and Kushida representing Team NXT where they were defeated.


title: Tony Nese

text: In April 2020, Nese was announced as a participant in the Interim Cruiserweight Title tournament representing Group A in the tournament. Nese was defeated by Kushida, Drake Maverick and Jake Atlas failing to score a single win in the tournament. Nese would then begin feuding with Scott who made fun of him for not scoring a single win in the tournament which led to them facing off on the June 3 episode of NXT and again on the June 26 episode of 205 Live where Nese lost. On the July 3 episode of 205 Live, Nese assisted Scott in defeating Ever-Rise in a tag team match and shook hands with him after. In late 2020, Nese aligned himself with Ariya Daivari and referred to themselves as the "205 Live OGs", and throughout the first half of 2021 would feud with newcomers such as August Grey, Curt Stallion, and Ikemen Jiro. On June 25, 2021, Nese was released from his WWE contract.


title: Tony Nese

text: On the October 23 episode of AEW Dynamite, Nese was shown seated in the crowd during the show with commentators hyping him as "one of the hottest free agents in pro wrestling". Nese made his AEW debut on the November 3rd episode of AEW Dark in a winning effort against Fuego Del Sol. On December 3, it was announced that Nese had officially signed with AEW. That same night, he unsuccessfully challenged Sammy Guevara for the AEW TNT Championship on AEW Rampage. In the summer of 2022, Nese formed a tag team with Josh Woods, and the duo would acquire the services of Mark Sterling as their manager and on-screen attorney. On the August 5 edition of "Rampage", Nese & Woods unsuccessfully challenged Swerve in our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland) for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. On the October 7 edition of "Rampage", Nese & Woods defeated The Varsity Blonds (Brian Pillman Jr. & Griff Garrison), and after the match, Sterling revealed he had "trademarked" the term Varsity as it relates to professional wrestling, and that Woods & Nese would be known as The Varsity Athletes going forward.


title: Tony Nese

text: Nese is married to a woman named Liz. They have two children, a girl and a boy. His son Eric Nese was born on November 21, 2019.


title: Caliche

text: Caliche () is a sedimentary rock, a hardened natural cement of calcium carbonate that binds other materials—such as gravel, sand, clay, and silt. It occurs worldwide, in aridisol and mollisol soil orders—generally in arid or semiarid regions, including in central and western Australia, in the Kalahari Desert, in the High Plains of the western United States, in the Sonoran Desert, Chihuahuan Desert and Mojave Desert of North America, and in eastern Saudi Arabia at Al-Hasa. Caliche is also known as calcrete or kankar (in India). It belongs to the duricrusts. The term "caliche" is Spanish and is originally from the Latin "calx", meaning lime.


title: Caliche

text: Caliche is generally light-colored, but can range from white to light pink to reddish-brown, depending on the impurities present. It generally occurs on or near the surface, but can be found in deeper subsoil deposits, as well. Layers vary from a few inches to feet thick, and multiple layers can exist in a single location. A caliche layer in a soil profile is sometimes called a K horizon.


title: Caliche

text: In northern Chile and Peru, "caliche" also refers to mineral deposits that include nitrate salts. Caliche can also refer to various claylike deposits in Mexico and Colombia. In addition, it has been used to describe some forms of quartzite, bauxite, kaolinite, laterite, chalcedony, opal, and soda niter.


title: Caliche

text: Caliche forms where annual precipitation is less than per year and the mean annual temperature exceeds . Higher rainfall leaches excess calcium completely from the soil, while in very arid climates, rainfall is inadequate to leach calcium at all and only thin surface layers of calcite are formed. Plant roots play an important role in caliche formation, by releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the A horizon of the soil. Carbon dioxide levels here can exceed 15 times normal atmospheric values. This allows calcium carbonate to dissolve as bicarbonate. Where rainfall is adequate but not excessive, the calcium bicarbonate is carried down into the B horizon. Here there is less biological activity, the carbon dioxide level is much lower, and the bicarbonate reverts to insoluble carbonate. A mixture of calcium carbonate and clay particles accumulates, first forming grains, then small clumps, then a discernible layer, and finally, a thicker, solid bed.


title: Caliche

text: However, caliche also forms in other ways. It can form when water rises through capillary action. In an arid region, rainwater sinks into the ground very quickly. Later, as the surface dries out, the water below the surface rises, carrying up dissolved minerals from lower layers. These precipitate as water evaporates and carbon dioxide is lost. This water movement forms a caliche that is close to the surface. Caliche can also form on outcrops of porous rocks or in rock fissures where water is trapped and evaporates. In general, caliche deposition is a slow process, requiring several thousand years.


title: Caliche

text: The depth of the caliche layer is sensitive to mean annual rainfall. When rainfall is around per year, the caliche layer will be as shallow as . When rainfall is around per year, the caliche layer will be at a depth of around . The caliche layer disappears complete in temperate climates if annual rainfall exceeds .


title: Caliche

text: The source of the calcium in caliche may be the underlying bedrock, but caliche can form even over bedrock that is not rich in calcium. This is attributed to calcium brought in as aeolian dust.


title: Caliche

text: While the formation of other caliches is relatively well understood, the origin of Chilean caliche is not clearly known. One possibility is that the deposits were formed when a prehistoric inland sea evaporated. Another theory is that it was deposited due to weathering of the Andes.


title: Caliche

text: One of the world's largest deposits of calcrete is in the Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana, where surface calcretes occur at the location of a now-desiccated prehistoric lake.


title: Caliche

text: Highly indurated caliche is known as calcrete, and it gives rise to characteristic landforms in arid environments. Calcrete is found throughout the geologic record, forming a record of past climate. Examples include Mississippian calcretes in South Wales and Pliocene to Pleistocene caprock of the Llano Estacado of Texas, US, and Mormon Mesa, Nevada, US.


title: Caliche

text: Caliches can store significant amounts of carbon, making them of significance to the overall global carbon cycle.


title: Caliche

text: Caliche is used in construction worldwide. Its reserves in the Llano Estacado in Texas can be used in the manufacture of Portland cement; the caliche meets the chemical composition requirements and has been used as a principal raw material in Portland cement production.


title: Caliche

text: The Great House at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Arizona, US, was built with walls of caliche. Caliche was also used in mortars used in of the Mayan buildings in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. A dormitory in Ingram, Texas, and a demonstration building in Carrizo Springs, Texas, for the United States Department of Energy were also built using caliche as part of studies by the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems.


title: Caliche

text: In many areas, caliche is also used for road construction, either as a surfacing material, or more commonly, as base material. It is one of the most common road materials used in Southern Africa. Caliche is widely used as a base material when it is locally available and cheap. However, it does not hold up to moisture (rain), and is never used if a hard-rock base material, such as limestone, is available.


title: Caliche

text: A nearly pure source of calcium carbonate is necessary to refine sugar. It must contain at least 95% calcium carbonate (CaCO) and have a low magnesium content. In addition, the material must meet certain physical requirements so it does not break down when burned. Although caliche does not generally meet all of the requirements for sugar refining, it is used in areas where another source of calcium carbonate, such as limestone, is not present. While caliche requires beneficiation to meet the requirements, its use can still be significantly cheaper than shipping in limestone.


title: Caliche

text: In the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, vast deposits of a mixture, also referred to as "caliche", are composed of gypsum, sodium chloride and other salts, and sand, associated to "salitre" ("Chile saltpeter"). "Salitre", in turn, is a composite of sodium nitrate (NaNO) and potassium nitrate (KNO). "Salitre" was an important source of export revenue for Chile until World War I, when Europe began to produce both nitrates industrially in large quantities.


title: Caliche

text: The deposits contain an average of 7.5% sodium nitrate, as well as sodium sulfate (18.87%), sodium chloride (4.8%), and smaller amounts of potassium, calcium, magnesium, borate, iodine, and perchlorate. About two-thirds of the deposits are insoluble gangue minerals. The caliche beds are from 2 cm to several meters thick in alluvial deposits, where the soluble minerals form a cement in unconsolidated regolith. Nitrate-bearing caliche is also found impregnating bedrock to form bedrock deposits.


title: Caliche

text: Caliche beds can cause problems for agriculture. First, an impermeable caliche layer prevents water from draining properly, which can keep roots from getting enough oxygen. Salts can also build up in the soil due to the lack of drainage. Both of these situations are detrimental to plant growth. Second, the impermeable nature of caliche beds prevents plant roots from penetrating the bed, which limits the supply of nutrients, water, and space so they cannot develop normally. Third, caliche beds can also cause the surrounding soil to be basic. The basic soil, along with calcium carbonate from the caliche, can prevent plants from getting enough nutrients, especially iron. An iron deficiency makes the youngest leaves turn yellow. Soil saturation above the caliche bed can make the condition worse. Its hardness can also make digging for projects such as canals more difficult.


title: Rebels Motorcycle Club

text: The Rebels Motorcycle Club is an outlaw motorcycle club. At its peak in Australia, it had around 70 chapters and over 1,000 members and associates nationwide, making it the largest club in the country. It was founded by Clint Jacks in Brisbane, Queensland in 1969 and was originally named the "Confederates". Their insignia is a Confederate flag with a cap-wearing skull and 1% patch in the centre. The Australian government and law enforcement consider the Rebels to be a criminal organisation, but the club claims to be a group of motorcycle enthusiasts rather than gangsters.


title: Rebels Motorcycle Club

text: After the former National President, Maltese boxer Alex Vella, was stranded in Malta after a visit in 2014, it is presumed that Damien Vella, who was permitted to return to the country, took the role of National President.


title: Rebels Motorcycle Club

text: Its constitution states it is a non-profit organisation which promotes the riding of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Members are only permitted to join the club once and never to join another motorcycle club.


title: Rebels Motorcycle Club

text: In November 2000, police raided Rebels clubhouses in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia and seized drugs, firearms and even a crocodile. A number of people were arrested on charges relating to the items seized.


title: Rebels Motorcycle Club

text: Two Rebel associates were arrested for the murder of Bandidos member Ross Brand after their clubhouse was raided, on 16 November 2008. Brand was shot dead outside the Bandidos clubhouse in Breakwater, Victoria on 22 October.


title: Rebels Motorcycle Club

text: A series of raids across Australia ended in 27 members of the Rebels being arrested on a number of charges, on 23 April 2009. Drugs including methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine were seized as well as firearms, cash, stolen goods and stolen vehicles.


title: Rebels Motorcycle Club

text: Edin "Boz" Smajovic, a Bosnian refugee and Rebels member, was shot dead at the Macarthur Auto Centre in Campbelltown, New South Wales. His funeral, which was held on 15 January 2009 at Auburn Gallipoli Mosque, was attended by over 300 Rebels, including National President Alex Vella. He was referred to as their 'little brother'.


title: Rebels Motorcycle Club

text: On 18 May 2009, Michael Paul Falzon was sentenced to ten years in prison for the trafficking of methamphetamine, which he produced in Mackay, Rockhampton and Dalby and used the Rebels to transport and sell it throughout Queensland and South Australia. The drug ring operated from 1999 until 2003 and made at least $1.5 million.


title: Rebels Motorcycle Club

text: On September 16 2022, an unnamed Chapter President and 6 associates were arrested in relation to possessing and producing dangerous drugs (methylamphetamine and cannabis), unlawful possession of weapons, possessing explosives and receiving tainted firearm/ammunition property.


title: Rebels Motorcycle Club

text: The Rebels began to be involved in a conflict, when a Rock Machine chapter was established in the Perth suburb of Myaree in 2009 by then Rock Machine MC Canada leader Critical J. The Rock Machine had arrived in Australia during 2008. At the time Sean Brown had given permission for a Nomads chapter to formed. The defection of Rebels MC members to the Rock Machine MC sparked an ongoing violent feud between the groups, when the Rock Machine settled in Perth in 2009 there was allegations by media that a turf war broke out between the two rival motorcycle clubs, with exchanges between the two groups including firebombings, assaults and the assassination attempt in 2011 of Rebels WA president Nick Martin, who survived being shot, tensions remain ongoing.


title: Rebels Motorcycle Club

text: On 14 April 2012, Anthony Perish (a Gypsy Joker Motorcycle Club member), his brother Andrew (a Rebels Motorcycle Club member) and Matthew Lawton were sentenced to eighteen, nine and fifteen years respectively imprisonment for the homicide of convicted Sydney drug trafficker Terry Falconer, as well as firearms and drug dealing offences.


title: Rebels Motorcycle Club

text: In January 2011 the New Zealand Police announced that the Rebels were attempting to set up a New Zealand chapter, and that this was not welcome. New Zealand has reportedly been deporting Australian Rebels members. Despite this, many members wearing Rebels patches have been spotted throughout the North Island of New Zealand and it is believed they now have a permanent presence in the country.


title: Barbary sheep

text: The Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia), also known as aoudad (pronounced [ˈɑʊdæd]) is a species of caprine native to rocky mountains in North Africa. While this is the only species in genus Ammotragus, six subspecies have been described. Although it is rare in its native North Africa, it has been introduced to North America, southern Europe, and elsewhere. It is also known in the Berber language as "waddan" or "arwi", and in former French territories as the moufflon.


title: Barbary sheep

text: Barbary sheep stand tall at the shoulder, with a length around , and weigh . They are sandy-brown, darkening with age, with a slightly lighter underbelly and a darker line along the back. Upper parts and the outer parts of the legs are a uniform reddish- or grayish-brown. Some shaggy hair is on the throat (extending down to the chest in males) with a sparse mane. Their horns have a triangular cross-section. The horns curve outward, backward, then inward, and can exceed in length. The horns are fairly smooth, with slight wrinkles evident at the base as the animal matures.


title: Barbary sheep

text: Barbary sheep naturally occur in northern Africa in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, northern Chad, Egypt, Libya, northern Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Sudan (west of the Nile, and in the Red Sea Hills east of the Nile).


title: Barbary sheep

text: Barbary sheep have been introduced to southeastern Spain, the southwestern United States (Chinati Mountains on La Escalera Ranch, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Palo Duro Canyon, the Trans-Pecos, and other parts of Texas and New Mexico), Niihau Island (Hawaii), Mexico, and some parts of Africa.


title: Barbary sheep

text: They have become common in a limited region of southeastern Spain, since its introduction in 1970 to Sierra Espuña regional park as a game species. Its adaptability enabled it to colonise nearby areas quickly, and private game estates provided other centers of dispersion. The species is currently expanding, according to recent field surveys, now being found in the provinces of Alicante, Almería, Granada, and Murcia. This species is a potential competitor to native ungulates inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula. The species has also been introduced to La Palma (Canary Islands), and has spread throughout the northern and central parts of the island, where it is a serious threat to endemic vegetation. Aoudad has also been introduced in Croatia several times and there is a population in Mosor.


title: Barbary sheep

text: "A. lervia" is the only species in the genus "Ammotragus". However, some authors include this genus in the goat genus "Capra", together with the sheep genus "Ovis".


title: Barbary sheep

text: Barbary sheep are found in arid mountainous areas where they graze and browse grasses, bushes, and lichens. They are able to obtain all their metabolic water from food, but if liquid water is available, they drink and wallow in it. Barbary sheep are crepuscular - active in the early morning and late afternoon and rest in the heat of the day. They are very agile and can achieve a standing jump over . They are well adapted to their habitat, which consist of steep, rocky mountains and canyons. They often flee at the first sign of danger, typically running uphill. They are extremely nomadic and travel constantly via mountain ranges. Their main predators in North Africa were the Barbary leopard, the Barbary lion, and caracal, but now humans, feral dogs, competition due to overgrazing by domestic animals and drought threaten their populations.


title: Barbary sheep

text: The binomial name "Ammotragus lervia" derives from the Greek ἄμμος "ámmos" ("sand", referring to the sand-coloured coat) and τράγος "trágos" ("goat").


title: Barbary sheep

text: "Lervia" derives from the wild sheep of northern Africa described as "lerwee" by Rev. T. Shaw in his "Travels and Observations" about parts of Barbary and Levant.


title: Barbary sheep

text: The Spanish named this sheep the "arruis", from Berber "arrwis", and the Spanish Legion even used it as a mascot for a time.


title: Barbary sheep

text: "Aoudad" () is the name for this sheep used by the Berbers, a North African people, and it is also called "arui" and "waddan" (in Libya).


title: Robert Rozier

text: Born in Alaska but raised in California, Rozier was a high-school and collegiate athlete before briefly playing professional gridiron football. In the 1980s, he joined the Nation of Yahweh, and by Halloween 1986 had killed at least four people on behalf of the religious group. Charged therefor, Rozier turned state's evidence against the group and its leader, and was sentenced to 22 years in prison; he was paroled after ten and put into witness protection. After Rozier was caught bouncing checks in 1999, he was sentenced to 25 years-to-life under California's three-strikes law in 2001.


title: Robert Rozier

text: Born on July 28, 1955 in Anchorage, Alaska Territory, Robert Earnest Rozier Jr. was a United States Air Force brat who grew up in California.


title: Robert Rozier

text: At Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova, California, he scored a 1.32 grade point average and did not receive his high school diploma. Rozier was later a student at both Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen, Washington and the University of California, Berkeley (majoring in African-American studies), but graduated from neither school.


title: Robert Rozier

text: By 1999, Rozier was living in Cameron Park, California, owned an auto detailing business in Sacramento, worked in web design, and had raised two children.


title: Robert Rozier

text: At Cordova High, Rozier was an athletic wunderkind: the teen played American football as a defensive end and was "all-league, all-conference, all-Northern California." The high-schooler could also high jump , vertical jump , sprint the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds, and bench press . When he was passed over to play college football for lacking his Cordova High diploma, he enrolled at Grays Harbor College where he was eventually recruited by University of California, Berkeley's football coach, Mike White. At California, team captain Ralph DeLoach described Rozier as "the best athlete on the team".


title: Robert Rozier

text: The and Bob Rozier was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth round of the 1979 NFL Draft (228th overall). A defensive end, Rozier played as number 75 for six games in 1979, starting for none of them. Rozier's professional sports career in the states was derailed by "allegations of drug use and petty crime." Rozier briefly moved on to the Canadian Football League, playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and finally signed with the Oakland Raiders ("a team with a reputation for collecting misfits") for only two weeks.


title: Robert Rozier

text: While playing professional football in Canada, Rozier allegedly wrote bad checks for (equivalent to about $– in ). By November 1986, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had 32 warrants for fraud against Rozier.


title: Robert Rozier

text: After meeting founder Yahweh ben Yahweh in 1982, by 1986, Rozier had become an ardent supplicant to the Nation of Yahweh, a religious movement that "teaches that American blacks are the true Jews." He donated all of his possessions, and took the name Neariah Israel.


title: Robert Rozier

text: In an effort to join the Yahweh's "Brotherhood"—"a secret group […] of tall, muscular young men available for discrete missions"—Rozier undertook the initiation of killing random "white devils". In April 1986, in the Miami neighborhood of Coconut Grove, Rozier followed a drunk white man to his apartment and killed him and his roommate with a Japanese knife. On September 5, Rozier and another Brotherhood member killed the unconscious 61-year-old Raymond Kelly, who was parked in a bar parking lot; the two men cut off the victim's ear to show ben Yahweh, and when they lost it, returned to the body to cut off the other. Fifteen days later, Rozier and three other Yahwehs killed 45-year-old Cecil Branch (stabbing him 25 times) in retaliation for a previous confrontation.


title: Robert Rozier

text: On October 27, 1986, the Nation of Yahweh bought a five-building apartment complex in Opa-locka, Florida for (equivalent to about $ million in ). Under the auspices of trying to improve the property, Yahweh members spent that week attempting to evict residents. On October 31, 28-year-old Anthony Brown and 37-year-old Rudolph Broussard were shot to death, and Rozier was charged with one count of first-degree murder.


title: Robert Rozier

text: Upon Rozier's arrest, he told police that "he was 404 years old and couldn't remember his life before conversion." For seven months, the Nation supported Rozier with a lawyer (Ellis Rubin) and a public-relations campaign; when Rozier issued an ultimatum to the church for a different lawyer, he was excommunicated. In March 1988, Rozier turned state's evidence in exchange for a 22-year sentence. He told of the Nation of Yahweh's crimes to the Metro-Dade Police Department (MDPD): some murders were committed in retaliation, some members of the church would brag about killing on behalf of the group, and a church rumor told of its own involvement in the 1983 public beating death of martial artist Leonard Dupree. Rozier also explained about the Brotherhood, its initiation, and its purpose. All-told, Rozier personally confessed to four murders.


title: Robert Rozier

text: By 1990, the MDPD had built a "14-murder conspiracy indictment against 16 members of the Yahweh Nation and their spiritual leader, Yahweh Ben Yahweh." This case relied heavily upon Rozier's claims, a vector of attack used by Yahwehs' criminal defense lawyers; Patricia Williams (defending Judith Israel a.k.a. Linda Gaines) claimed "Robert Rozier is singing a song in order to avoid a life sentence or death sentence", and Curtis Jones (defending Isaiah Solomon Israel a.k.a. James Littlejohn) alleged that "He's the biggest liar […] I dare say the man would lie on his mother, much less Yahweh Ben Yahweh, his friends and associates. ... He's been able to elude Old Sparky (Florida's electric chair) four times." Despite these attacks on Rozier, the MDPD had never caught the man in a lie. Ultimately, ben Yahweh was acquitted of murder after Rozier was discredited.


title: Robert Rozier

text: For his 22-year sentence, Rozier was imprisoned outside of Florida under a new name courtesy the United States Federal Witness Protection Program. In 1996, after ten years behind bars, Rozier was paroled with the new identity of Robert Rameses. In 1999, he expressed remorse for his crimes, telling the Associated Press that he had "rebuilt his life in an intense spiritual and intellectual transformation."


title: Robert Rozier

text: On February 5, 1999, Rozier was arrested (as Rameses) by El Dorado County, California sheriff's deputies for a bounced check of . Rozier volunteered his criminal past and former identity; though the new charge would otherwise be a misdemeanor, under California's then-new three-strikes law, state prosecutors sought felony charges. His bail was set at (equivalent to about $M in ). By May 2000, Rozier was imprisoned in South Lake Tahoe, California, waiting for a June trial. At the conclusion of his trial in Placerville, California, Rozier was convicted of bouncing 27 checks for a total of ; he was sentenced to prison for 25 years-to-life on January 12, 2001. Under his witness-protection alias, Rozier was denied parole on February 16, 2022, and is not eligible for another hearing until 2027.


title: World Series Most Valuable Player Award

text: The Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is given to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance in the World Series, which is the final round of the MLB postseason. The award was first presented in 1955 as the "SPORT" Magazine Award, but is now decided during the final game of the Series by a committee of reporters and officials present at the game. On September 29, 2017, it was renamed in honor of Willie Mays in remembrance of the 63rd anniversary of The Catch. Mays never won the award himself.


title: World Series Most Valuable Player Award

text: Pitchers have been named Series MVP twenty-nine (29) times; four of them were relief pitchers. Twelve of the first fourteen World Series MVPs were won by pitchers; from 1969 until 1986, the proportion of pitcher MVPs declined—Rollie Fingers (1974) and Bret Saberhagen (1985) were the only two pitchers to win the award in this period. From 1987 until 1991, all of the World Series MVPs were pitchers, and, since 1995, pitchers have won the award nine times. Bobby Richardson of the 1960 New York Yankees is the only player in World Series history to be named MVP despite being on the losing team. Stephen Strasburg (2019 winner), is the only first overall draft pick to win the award. The most recent winner is Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, who won the award in .


title: World Series Most Valuable Player Award

text: The World Series MVP award up to 2017 was a trophy that was similar to the Commissioner's Trophy, albeit scaled down and with a single large gold-plated flag.


title: World Series Most Valuable Player Award

text: After being renamed to Willie Mays World Series MVP Award for the 2018 edition and onward, the trophy is a wooden pedestal topped by a bronze sculpture of Willie Mays making the iconic catch in the 1954 World Series.


title: World Series Most Valuable Player Award

text: General Motors has provided a vehicle to the World Series MVP winner for 14 straight seasons through 2018.


title: Lieutenant general (Pakistan)

text: Lieutenant General is a three-star army officer rank in the Pakistan Army. It is equivalent to a vice admiral in the Pakistan Navy and an air marshal in the Pakistan Air Force. A lieutenant general is also called a three-star general. Like other armies, this rank is higher than a major general and lower than a full general. There are currently 27 Lieutenant Generals in the Pakistan Army, with each usually presiding over a corps.


title: Lieutenant general (Pakistan)

text: The Pakistan Army has followed the British Army rank system since its independence from the British Empire in 1947. However, the crown in the ranks has been replaced with a star and crescent, which symbolizes the sovereignty of the Government of Pakistan.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Kerala, a state situated on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Named as one of the "ten paradises of the world" by "National Geographic Traveler", Kerala is famous especially for its ecotourism initiatives and beautiful backwaters. Its unique culture and traditions, coupled with its varied demography, have made Kerala one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Growing at a rate of 13.31%, the tourism industry is a major contributor to the state's economy.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Until the early 1980s, Kerala was a relatively unknown destination, with most tourism circuits concentrated around the north of the country. Aggressive marketing campaigns launched by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation—the government agency that oversees tourism prospects of the state—laid the foundation for the growth of the tourism industry. In the decades that followed, Kerala Tourism was able to transform itself into one of the niche holiday destinations in India. The tag line "Kerala – God's Own Country" was adopted in its tourism promotions and became a global superbrand. Kerala is regarded as one of the destinations with the highest brand recall. In 2010, Kerala attracted 660,000 foreign tourist arrivals.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Kerala is a popular destination for both domestic as well as foreign tourists. Kerala is well known for its beaches, backwaters in Alappuzha and Kollam, mountain ranges and wildlife sanctuaries. Other popular attractions in the state include the beaches at Kovalam, Muzhappilangad, Bekal and Kappad; backwater tourism and lake resorts around Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam; hill stations and resorts at Munnar, Wayanad, Nelliampathi, Vagamon and Ponmudi; and national parks and wildlife sanctuaries at Wayanad, Periyar, Parambikulam, Silent Valley National Park and Eravikulam National Park. The "backwaters" region—an extensive network of interlocking rivers, lakes, and canals that centre on Vembanad Lake, also see heavy tourist traffic. Heritage sites, such as the Padmanabhapuram Palace, Hill Palace, and Mattancherry Palace, are also visited. To further promote tourism in Kerala, the Grand Kerala Shopping Festival was started by the Government of Kerala in 2007. Since then it has been held every year during the December–January period.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: The state's tourism agenda promotes ecologically sustained tourism, which focuses on the local culture, wilderness adventures, volunteering and personal growth of the local population. Efforts are taken to minimize the adverse effects of traditional tourism on the natural environment and enhance the cultural integrity of local people.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Since its incorporation as a state, Kerala's economy largely operated under welfare-based democratic socialist principles. This mode of development, though it resulted in a high Human Development Index and standard of living among the people, led to an economic stagnation in the 1980s (growth rate are 2.3% annually). This apparent paradox—high human development and low economic development—led to a large number of educated unemployed seeking jobs overseas, especially in the Gulf countries. Due to a large number of expatriates, many travel operators and agencies set up shop in the state to facilitate their travel needs. However, the trends soon reciprocated, with the travel agencies noticing the undermined potential of the state as a tourist destination. The first travel agency in Kerala, Kerala Travels, was founded by Col G.V. Raja of the Travancore royal family along with P.G.C. Pillai.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: By 1986, tourism had gained an industry status. Kerala Tourism subsequently adopted the tagline "God's Own Country" in its advertisement campaigns. Aggressive promotion in print and electronic media was able to invite a sizable investment in the hospitality industry. By the early 2000s, tourism had grown into a full-fledged, multi-billion-dollar industry in the state. The state was able to carve a niche for itself in the world tourism industry, thus becoming one of the places with the "highest brand recall". In 2003, Kerala, a hitherto unknown tourism destination, became the fastest-growing tourism destination in the world.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Flanked on the western coast by the Arabian Sea, Kerala one of the long coastline of ; all of which is virtually dotted with sandy beaches.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Kovalam beach near Thiruvananthapuram was among the first beaches in Kerala to attract tourists. Rediscovered by back-packers and tan-seekers in the 1960s and followed by hordes of hippies in the 1970s, Kovalam is today the most visited beaches in the state.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Other popularly visited beaches in the state include those at Kappad, Alappuzha, Kozhikode Beach, Marari Beach (Mararikulam, Alappuzha), Thumpoly (thumpoly beach ) Alappuzha,Alappuzha , Nattika (Thrissur), Vadanappilly beach (Thrissur), Cherai Beach, Ponnani beach, Bekal, Kappad Beypore beach, Marari beach, Fort Kochi, and Varkala. The Muzhappilangad Beach at Kannur and Thikkodi Beach at Kozhikode are the only two drive-in beach in India. Marari beach was rated as one of the world's top five Hammock Beaches by the National Geographic survey and has been cited in the international press. Payambalam beach is one of the most beautiful beach in Kerala situated in Kannur. Other beaches in Kannur include Baby beach, Meenkunnu Beach, Azhikode Beach, Madaiparra Beach, Chootath Beach, Mermaid Beach.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: The backwaters in Kerala are a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast (known as the Malabar Coast). "Houseboat" or "Kettuvallam" rides in backwaters are a major tourist attraction in kerala. Backwater tourism is centered mostly around of Kerala like Alleppey, Kumarakom, Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam, Ponnani, Kavvayi Backwaters, and Bekal. Boat races held during festival seasons are also a major tourist attraction in the backwater regions.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: The backwater network includes large lakes such as the Ashtamudi Lake, the largest among them, linked by 1500 km of canals, both man-made and natural and fed by several rivers, and extending virtually the entire length of Kerala state. The backwaters were formed by the action of waves and shore currents creating low barrier islands across the mouths of the many rivers flowing down from the Western Ghats range.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Backwaters in Kerala for honeymoon and family holidays are quite popular. You may sort some of the best Kerala backwaters tour packages after reading about Kerala backwaters' reviews available on various websites.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Eastern Kerala consists of land encroached upon by the Western Ghats; the region thus includes high mountains, gorges, and deep-cut valleys. The wildest lands are covered with dense forests, while other regions lie under tea and coffee plantations (established mainly in the 19th and 20th centuries) or other forms of cultivation.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: The Western Ghats rise an average to 1500 m elevation above sea level. Some of the popular hill stations in the region are Munnar, Vagamon, Paithalmala, Wayanad, Nelliyampathi, Nilambur, Elapeedika, Peermade, Thekkady and Ponmudi.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Most of Kerala, whose native habitat consists of wet evergreen rainforests at lower elevations and highland deciduous and semi-evergreen forests in the east, is subject to a humid tropical climate. However, significant variations in terrain and elevation have resulted in a land whose biodiversity registers as among the world's most significant. Most of Kerala's significantly biodiverse tracts of wilderness lie in the evergreen forests of its easternmost districts. Kerala also hosts two of the world's Ramsar Convention-listed wetlands: Lake Sasthamkotta and the Vembanad-Kol wetlands are noted as being wetlands of international importance. There are also numerous protected conservation areas, including 1455.4 km of the vast Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. In turn, the forests play host to such major fauna as Asian elephant ("Elephas maximus"), Bengal tiger ("Panthera tigris tigris"), leopard ("Panthera pardus"), Nilgiri tahr ("Nilgiritragus hylocrius"), and grizzled giant squirrel ("Ratufa macroura"). More remote preserves, including Silent Valley National Park in the Kundali Hills, harbour endangered species such as the lion-tailed macaque ("Macaca silenus"), Indian sloth bear ("Melursus (Ursus) ursinus ursinus"), and gaur (the so-called "Indian bison"—"Bos gaurus"). More common species include Indian porcupine ("Hystrix indica"), chital ("Axis axis"), sambar ("Cervus unicolor"), gray langur, flying squirrel, swamp lynx ("Felis chaus kutas"), boar ("Sus scrofa"), a variety of catarrhine Old World monkey species, gray wolf ("Canis lupus"), and common palm civet ("Paradoxurus hermaphroditus").


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Many reptiles, such as king cobra, viper, python, various turtles and crocodiles are to be found in Kerala—again, disproportionately in the east. Kerala's avifauna include endemics like the Sri Lanka frogmouth ("Batrachostomus moniliger"), Oriental bay owl, large frugivores like the great hornbill ("Buceros bicornis") and Indian grey hornbill, as well as the more widespread birds such as peafowl, Indian cormorant, jungle and hill myna, Oriental darter, black-hooded oriole, greater racket-tailed and black drongoes, bulbul ("Pycnonotidae"), species of kingfisher and woodpecker, jungle fowl, Alexandrine parakeet, and assorted ducks and migratory birds. Additionally, freshwater fish such as "kadu" (stinging catfish—"Heteropneustes" fossilis) and brackishwater species such as "Choottachi" (orange chromide—"Etroplus maculatus", valued as an aquarium specimen) also are native to Kerala's lakes and waterways.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Historical monuments in Kerala include palaces, forts, and religious institutions. Notable forts include Bekal Fort, St.Angelo Fort, Arikady fort, Chandragiri fort, Hosdurg Fort, Palakkad Fort, Thalassery Fort, "Fortaleza da São Tomé", Fort Kochi, St Thomas Fort, East Fort and Anchuthengu Fort. Notable palaces include Padmanabhapuram Palace, Kanakakkunnu Palace, Kowdiar Palace, Mattancherry Palace, Arakkal Palace, Shakthan Thampuran Palace etc. The Malabar Coast is also home to some of the oldest temples, oldest mosques, oldest churches, and oldest synagogues in South Asia. The historic trading food streets in Kerala include the S. M. Street (Sweetmeat street) at Kozhikode. Mappila Bay harbour at Kannur is home to both fort and palace. Thalassery Cuisine, a traditional style of cuisine originated in Northern Kerala due to its historical trade relations, also attracts tourists.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: The major festival in Kerala is Onam. Kerala has a number of religious festivals. Thrissur Pooram, Attukal Pongala, Beema Palli Uroos, and Chettikulangara Bharani are the major temple festivals in Kerala. The Thrissur Pooram is conducted at the Vadakumnathan temple, Thrissur. The Chettikulangara Bharani is another major attraction. The festival is conducted at the Chettikulangara temple near Mavelikkara. The Sivarathri is also an important festival in Kerala. This festival is mainly celebrated in Aluva Temple and Padanilam Parabrahma Temple. Padanilam Temple is situated in Alappuzha district of Kerala, about from Mavelikkara town. "Parumala Perunnal", "Manarkadu, Arthunkal , Thumpoly , Edathua Perunnal" are the major festivals of Christians. Muslims also have many important festivals. Annual festival Thirayattam is conducted Sacred groves and village shrine of the south Malabar region (Kozhikode and Malappuram districts) in Kerala. "Thirayattam" is a vibrant Ethnic performing art. it is an admixture of dance, drama, songs, instrumental music, facial and body makeup, satire, martial art and ritualistic function, composed in a harmonizing manner.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Kerala is also known for the many events conducted by the Ministry of Tourism for tourist attractions. Kochi-Muziris Biennale, the first Biennale in India was conducted in Kochi from 12 December 2012 till 13 March 2013. The government contributed about 12-150  million on the event. An International Coir Fest is conducted annually that is aimed at developing the coir industry of Kerala and tourism.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Medical tourism, promoted by traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda and Siddha, is widely popular in the state, and draws increasing numbers of tourists. A combination of many factors has led to the increase in popularity of medical tourism: high costs of healthcare in industrialised nations, ease and affordability of international travel, improving technology and standards of care.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: However, the rampant recent growth in this sector has made the government apprehensive. The government is now considering the introduction of a grading system that would grade hospitals and clinics, thus helping tourists in selecting one for their treatments.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Kerala's culture is mainly Hindu in origin, deriving from a greater region known as Tamilakam. Later, Kerala's culture was elaborated on through centuries of contact with overseas cultures. Native performing arts include "koodiyattom", "kathakali"—from "katha" ("story") and "kali" ("play")—and its offshoot "Kerala Natanam", "koothu" (akin to stand-up comedy), "mohiniaattam" ("dance of the enchantress"), "thullal", "padayani", "thirayattam", and "theyyam". Other arts are more religion- and tribal-themed. These include "chavittu nadakom", "oppana" (originally from Malabar), which combines dance, rhythmic hand clapping, and "ishal" vocalisations. However, many of these art forms largely play to tourists or at youth festivals, and are not as popular among most ordinary Keralites, who look to more contemporary art and performance styles, including those employing mimicry and parody. Additionally, a substantial Malayalam film industry effectively competes against both Bollywood and Hollywood.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Several ancient ritualised arts are Keralite in origin; these include "kalaripayattu" ("kalari" ("place", "threshing floor", or "battlefield") and "payattu" ("exercise" or "practice")). Among the world's oldest martial arts, oral tradition attributes "kalaripayattu"'s emergence to Parasurama. Other ritual arts include"Thirayattam", "theyyam", "poorakkali" and "Kuthiyottam". Thirayattam is a ritual performing folk art form of South Malabar region in Kerala.This vibrant art form blend of dance, music, theatre, satire, facial and body-painting, masking, martial art and ritualistic function. Thirayattam is enacted in courtyards of "Kaavukal" (sacred groves) and village shrines.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Kuthiyottam is a ritualistic symbolic representation of human bali (homicide). Folklore exponents see this art form, with enchanting well–structured choreography and songs, as one among the rare Adi Dravida folklore traditions still preserved and practised in Central Kerala in accordance with the true tradition and environment. Typical to the Adi Dravida folk dances and songs, the movements and formations of dancers (clad in white thorthu and banyan) choreographed in Kuthiyottam are quick, peaks at a particular point and ends abruptly. The traditional songs also start in a stylish slow pace, then gain momentum and end abruptly.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Kuthiyotta Kalaris', run by Kuthiyotta Ashans (Teachers or leaders), train the group to perform the dances and songs. Normally, the training starts about one to two months before the season. Boys between 8 and 14 years are taught Kuthiyottam, a ritual dance in the house amidst a big social gathering before the portrait of the deity. Early in the morning on Bharani, after the feast and other rituals, the boys whose bodies are coiled with silver wires, one end of which is tied around his neck and an arecanut fixed on the tip of a knife held high over his head, are taken in procession to the temple with the accompaniment of beating of drums, music, ornamental umbrellas, and other classical folk art forms, and richly caparisoned elephants.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: All through the way to the temple tender coconut water will be continually poured on his body. After the circumambulation the boys stands at a position facing the Sreekovil (Sanctum Sanctorum) and begins to dance. This ceremony ends with dragging the coil pierced to the skin whereby a few drops of blood comes out.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: On this day just after midday the residents of the locality bring huge decorated effigies of Bhima panchalia, Hanuman and extremely beautiful tall chariots in wheeled platforms, and after having darshan the parties take up their respective position in the paddy fields lying east of the temple.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: During the night, the image of Devi will be carried in procession to the effigies stationed in the paddy fields. On the next day these structures will be taken back. A big bazaar is also held at Chetikulangara as part of this festival. Kuthiyottam is the main vazipadu of the Chettikulangara temple, Mavelikkara.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: In respect of Fine Arts, the State has an abounding tradition of both ancient and contemporary art and artists. The traditional Kerala murals are found in ancient temples, churches and palaces across the State. These paintings, mostly dating to between the 9th to 12th centuries AD, display a distinct style, and a colour code which is predominantly ochre and green.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Like the rest of India, religious diversity is very prominent in Kerala. The principal religions are Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam; Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, and Buddhism have smaller followings. The state's historic ties with the rest of the world have resulted in the state having many famous temples, churches, and mosques notably 8 of the world's oldest churches—from the 1st century CE, founded by Thomas the Apostle when he reached Indian shores, the first mosque of India, which existed even before the death of the prophet Muhammad and the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations.


title: Tourism in Kerala

text: Recognising the potential of tourism in the diversity of religious faiths, related festivals and structures, the tourism department launched a "Pilgrimage tourism" project. Major pilgrim tourism attractions include Guruvayur, Sabarimala, Malayatoor, Paradesi Synagogue, Arthunkal , Thumpoly church, St. Mary's Forane (Martha Mariam) Church Kuravilangad built in 105 A.D, Attukal Pongala (which has the Guinness record for being the largest gathering of women in the planet), and Chettikulangara Bharani.


title: 2005 in video games

text: 2005 saw the release of many sequels and prequels in video games, such as "Resident Evil 4", "", "", "Mario Kart DS", "", "", and "", alongside prominent new releases including "Brain Age", "F.E.A.R.", "Forza Motorsport", "God of War", "Guitar Hero", "Nintendogs", "Shadow of the Colossus", and "Sniper Elite". The seventh generation of video game consoles also began with the launch of the Xbox 360 on November 22nd 2005


title: 2005 in video games

text: The year's best-selling video game worldwide was "Gran Turismo 4" for the PlayStation 2. The year's most critically acclaimed title was "Resident Evil 4" for the GameCube and PlayStation 2.


title: 2005 in video games

text: In 2005, the total U.S. sales of video game hardware, software and accessories rose 6% over 2004 to $10.5 billion USD ($9.9 billion, 2004) breaking 2002's $10.3 billion record for the industry.


title: 2005 in video games

text: The increase is largely due to the portable game market which counterbalanced sluggish console game sales. Delays, hardware shortages, and anticipation of next-generation video game consoles have been cited as reasoning for slow sales for both console games and console hardware. Console games and hardware dropped by 12% and 3% respectively.


title: 2005 in video games

text: The portable market of the video game industry rose to $1.4 billion, the second time sales broke the $1 billion mark in the industry's history. Mostly due to the release of the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation Portable in North America, sales for portable hardware rose 96% over 2004. Although the release of the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP aided in spurring growth in the portable market, the Game Boy Advance still represented 62% total portable software units sold and 52% of total portable software dollar sales.


title: 2005 in video games

text: Computer games continued its trend and declined by 14%, dropping from $1.1 billion in 2004 to $953 million. Although sales did decrease, NPD claims that playing games on the PC is actually increasing through a variety of different mediums including online websites and MMO subscriptions.


title: 2005 in video games

text: Additionally, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii were officially unveiled during or just prior to E3; however, only the Xbox 360 was released in 2005. The Xbox 360 was released in North America on November 22, Europe on December 2, and Japan on December 10.


title: Standard diving dress

text: Standard diving dress, also known as hard-hat or copper hat equipment, deep sea diving suit or heavy gear, is a type of diving suit that was formerly used for all relatively deep underwater work that required more than breath-hold duration, which included marine salvage, civil engineering, pearl shell diving and other commercial diving work, and similar naval diving applications. Standard diving dress has largely been superseded by lighter and more comfortable equipment.