title: Managed care

text: The overall impact of managed care remains widely debated. Proponents argue that it has increased efficiency, improved overall standards, and led to a better understanding of the relationship and quality. They argue that there is no consistent, direct correlation between the cost of care and its quality, pointing to a 2002 Juran Institute study which estimated that the "cost of poor quality" caused by overuse, misuse, and waste amounts to 30 percent of all direct healthcare spending. The emerging practice of evidence-based medicine is being used to determine when lower-cost medicine may in fact be more effective.


title: Managed care

text: Critics of managed care argue that "for-profit" managed care has been an unsuccessful health policy, as it has contributed to higher health care costs (25–33% higher overhead at some of the largest HMOs), increased the number of uninsured citizens, driven away health care providers, and applied downward pressure on quality (worse scores on 14 of 14 quality indicators reported to the National Committee for Quality Assurance).


title: Managed care

text: The most common managed care financial arrangement, capitation, places healthcare providers in the role of micro-health insurers, assuming the responsibility for managing the unknown future health care costs of their patients. Small insurers, like individual consumers, tend to have annual costs that fluctuate far more than larger insurers. The term "Professional Caregiver Insurance Risk" explains the inefficiencies in health care finance that result when insurance risks are inefficiently transferred to health care providers who are expected to cover such costs in return for their capitation payments. As Cox (2006) demonstrates, providers cannot be adequately compensated for their insurance risks without forcing managed care organizations to become price uncompetitive vis-a-vis risk retaining insurers. Cox (2010) shows that smaller insurers have lower probabilities of modest profits than large insurers, higher probabilities of high losses than large insurers, provide lower benefits to policyholders, and have far higher surplus requirements. All these effects work against the viability of healthcare provider insurance risk assumption.


title: Managed care

text: As managed care became popular, health care quality became an important aspect. The HMO Act in 1973 included a voluntary program of "federal qualification", which became popular, but over time this role was largely taken over by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), which began accrediting plans in 1991. Accreditation by the NCQA is often expected or require by employers. The Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is a prominent set of measurements and reporting on it is often mandated by states as well as Medicare; as of 2017, HEDIS data was collected for plans covering 81% of the insured.


title: Managed care

text: Performance measurements can be burdensome on doctors; as of 2017, there were an estimated 900 performance measurements, of which 81 were covered by HEDIS, and providers used a combination of electronic health records and manual data entry to collect and report on the data.


title: Managed care

text: Aside from the NCQA, other organizations involved in quality include the Joint Commission, URAC, Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement (PCPI), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, with all these groups coordinating in the National Quality Forum.


title: Managed care

text: A comparison of HEDIS metrics reported in 2006 and 2007 for Medicare Advantage and Medicare fee-for-service plans found a mixed picture.


title: Managed care

text: The French healthcare system as it existed in the 1990s was cited as an "unmanaged" system, where patients could select their provider without the types of networks and utilization review found in the United States.


title: Managed care

text: In June 2021 Australian specialist doctors mounted a campaign to resist the introduction of US style managed care by health fund nib Health Funds in association with Cigna.


title: Surendra Pal

text: Surendrapal Singh (born 25 September 1953) is an Indian film and television character actor who works in Hindi films and TV series. He is best known for his roles of Dronacharya in "Mahabharat", Amatya Rakshas in "Chanakya", Tamraj Kilvish in "Shaktiman" and Daksha in "Devon Ke Dev - Mahadev".


title: Surendra Pal

text: Starting in 1984, Pal has worked in numerous films ("Khuda Gawah", "Sehar" and "Jodhaa Akbar") and television serials such as "Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki", "Left Right Left" and "Vishnu Puran", where he played the role of Guru Shukracharya, teacher of the demons.


title: Surendra Pal

text: One of his most notable roles on TV was that of Vikranta Jabbar. He played Vikranta Jabbar in Ramsay Brothers produced horror TV serial "Zee Horror Show"s episode "Saya".


title: Surendra Pal

text: In 2007, Pal started a production company to produce and direct Bhojpuri films. He produced a Bhojpuri film "Bhauji Ke Sister".


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: The New Zealand flag debate is a periodic question over whether the national flag should be changed. For several decades, alternative designs have been proposed, with varying degrees of support. There is no consensus among proponents of changing the flag as to which design should replace the current one. Common criticisms of the existing form of the New Zealand flag are its similarity to the Australian flag and the inappropriateness of retaining the Union Jack in the design. A series of polls conducted since the 1970s have shown that a majority of New Zealanders prefer the current flag.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: New Zealand's Government held a two-stage binding referendum on a flag change in 2015 and 2016. The four designs chosen as finalists faced criticism for their similarity and reliance on sporting iconography more closely associated with a subset of the population. The referendum was also criticised as an expensive distraction from more important political issues—especially because of the overt endorsement of two silver fern flag designs by Kyle Lockwood (one of which was the flag design at top right) by then-Prime Minister John Key—and for the amateur nature of the crowd-sourced entries. Voters chose to retain the current flag, by a vote of 56.6% to 43.1%. Turnout in the referendum was 67%—relatively low compared to the 74-80% turnout in general elections in the 21st century. The referendum, especially the alternative designs offered, was mocked by commentators in New Zealand and abroad, and John Key named it as one of his main regrets when he announced his retirement from politics in 2016.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: During World War II, Prime Minister Peter Fraser received suggestions to include a Māori emblem on the flag. He deferred the matter until after the war, but never brought it up again.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: Debate on keeping or changing the New Zealand Flag started before May 1973, when a remit to change the flag, declare New Zealand a republic, and change the national anthem (then only "God Save the Queen") was voted down by the Labour Party at their national conference. At this time, proposals for changing the flag were typically linked with republicanism.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: In November 1979, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Allan Highet, suggested that the design of the flag should be changed, and sought an artist to design a new flag with a silver fern on the fly. The proposal attracted little support.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: In 1988, Minister of Foreign Affairs Russell Marshall made a call for a flag change, which also had little effect.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: The "New Zealand Listener" magazine held a flag design contest in 1989, attracting nearly 600 entries. Out of the seven semi-finalists, which included the national flag and the Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, the national flag won with a minority vote of 45.6%.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: In February 1992, the former Minister of Māori Affairs, Matiu Rata, called for a flag change "to re-establish our national identity".


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: In 1998, Prime Minister Jenny Shipley backed Cultural Affairs Minister Marie Hasler's call for the flag to be changed. Shipley, along with the New Zealand Tourism Board, supported the quasi-national silver fern flag, by using a white silver fern on a black background, along the lines of the Canadian Maple Leaf flag.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: In 2004, the NZ Flag.com Trust was founded by businessman Lloyd Morrison with the aim of bringing about a non-binding referendum on the subject. Under New Zealand law, a referendum may be held on any issue if 10% of electors sign a petition which is presented to Parliament. The Trust launched their petition for such a referendum in 2005. Their campaign used a stylised silver fern flag designed by Cameron Sanders.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: In response to the petition, the New Zealand Flag Institute was founded to oppose the referendum campaign and promote the current flag, as well as to offer a more scholarly view of the flag. The Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association (RNZRSA), the New Zealand organisation for war veterans, did not openly back the current flag at its annual conference, passing a remit that "It is the view of RNZRSA that any change to the New Zealand Flag should be solely the prerogative of the people of New Zealand as determined by a substantial majority of electors in a referendum. It is also the association's view that this matter should be taken out of the political arena."


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: The petition attracted 100,000 signatures out of the required approximately 270,000 and was withdrawn in July 2005, well before the general election in September. The NZ Flag.com Trust cited public apathy to change as the main reason for withdrawing the petition.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: On 5 August 2010, Labour list MP Charles Chauvel introduced a member's bill for a consultative commission followed by a referendum on the New Zealand flag.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: In January 2014, Prime Minister John Key floated the idea of a referendum on a new flag at the 2014 general election. The proposal was met with mixed response. In March, Key announced that, should the National government be re-elected for a third term, the government would hold a nationwide referendum within the next three years asking whether or not to change the flag design. Following National's re-election later that year, the details of the referendum were announced.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: Shortly after the referendum announcement, party leaders reviewed draft legislation and selected candidates for a Flag Consideration Panel. The purpose of this group was to publicise the process, seek flag submissions and suggestions from the public, and decide on a final shortlist of options. Open consultation and design solicitation garnered 10,292 design suggestions from the public, later reduced to a longlist of 40 designs and then a shortlist of 4 designs to contend in the first referendum.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: The first referendum took place between 20 November and 11 December 2015 and asked, "If the New Zealand flag changes, which flag would you prefer?" Voters were presented with several options selected by the Flag Consideration Panel. The black, white, and blue silver fern flag by Kyle Lockwood advanced to the second referendum.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: The second referendum took place between 3 and 24 March 2016 and asked voters to choose between the selected alternative (the black, white and blue silver fern flag) and the existing New Zealand flag. The final decision was to retain the current flag, by a vote of 56.6% to 43.1%.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: Reception of the process and the official options were highly critical, with no great enthusiasm shown among the public. From an aggregation of analyses, the consensus was that the referendum was "a bewildering process that seems to have satisfied few". Political communications professor Claire Robinson labelled the debate an example of groupthink, writing: "I can't figure how the panel can rationalise drawing on old symbols as a way of celebrating us as progressive."


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: Prime Minister John Key said that he was disappointed by the decision to retain the current flag, while stating he was pleased that the country had a valuable discussion about what it stood for. The failure of the referendum resulted in a loss of political prestige for Key.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: In 2009, "The New Zealand Herald" surveyed various political party leaders and the twenty two members of the Order of New Zealand, with the results showing an even split.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: The silver fern flag is a popular unofficial flag of New Zealand. The silver fern itself is a recognised national symbol, and its current and historic usage including:


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: The proposal of replacing the national flag of New Zealand with the silver fern flag has been supported by then-Cultural Affairs Minister Marie Hasler, then-Prime Minister Jenny Shipley and the New Zealand Tourism Board in 1998, and then-Prime Minister John Key in 2010. Key later changed his preference to Kyle Lockwood's "Silver Fern (Red, White & Blue)" design, due to the similarity of the silver fern flag with the Jihadist black flag, used by Islamic extremist groups such as ISIL. Amongst the public, polls have shown that the silver fern is the most preferred alternative design for a new national flag.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: The New Zealand Flag Institute objects to the silver fern flag, describing it as the logo of some of New Zealand's national sporting teams, and accordingly, not representative of the nation itself. This design originated from the All Blacks. The New Zealand Rugby Union has attempted to copyright claim silver fern flags.


title: New Zealand flag debate

text: On 1 September 2015, the Flag Consideration Panel announced the final four designs to be included in the first referendum. On 23 September, Prime Minister John Key confirmed the Red Peak flag would be added as a fifth option in the flag referendum after growing popular support for the design to be added to the referendum options.


title: Jade Carey

text: Jade Ashtyn Carey (born May 27, 2000) is an American artistic gymnast who represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Best known for her abilities on vault and floor exercise, she is the 2020 Olympic champion on floor exercise, a two-time World medalist (2017 silver, 2022 bronze), the 2018 Pan American Champion, and a four-time American national silver medalist (2017-2019, 2022). On vault, she is the 2022 World champion, a two-time World silver medalist (2017, 2019), the 2018 Pan American champion, and a two-time American national champion (2017, 2022). She was a member of the teams that won gold at the 2019 World Championships, the 2022 World Championships, and the 2018 Pan American Champion. With a total of eight Olympic and World Championship medals, Carey is the sixth most decorated U.S. female gymnast of all time.


title: Jade Carey

text: In 2016, Carey competed at the Junior Olympics Nationals where she successfully completed a tucked Kasamatsu full on vault, after which it was named "The Carey" in the J.O. code of points. Carey was invited to her first elite level national team camp in late 2016.


title: Jade Carey

text: Carey began 2017 as a Level 10 gymnast, which is below elite level in USA Gymnastics. She was invited to The Ranch by national team coordinator Valeri Liukin throughout the start of the year where she qualified for elite status.


title: Jade Carey

text: Carey made her elite debut at the American Classic at Karolyi Ranch on July 7, 2017. She only competed on vault, floor, and balance beam but placed first on each of those events. Later that month, she competed at the 2017 U.S. Classic and once again only competed on vault, floor, and balance beam. She placed first on vault, where she competed an Amanar and a double-twisting Tsukahara, first on floor, including both a full-twisting double layout (Chusovitina) and double-twisting double tuck (Silivas) in her routine, and fourth on balance beam. In August, Carey participated in the 2017 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships where she won gold on vault and silver on floor exercise, behind Ragan Smith. She was named to the national team for the first time.


title: Jade Carey

text: In September, Carey was selected to represent the United States at the 2017 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Montreal alongside Ragan Smith, Morgan Hurd, and Ashton Locklear. On the first day of competition, Carey competed only on floor and vault. With clean performances on both, she qualified third for the floor exercise final (14.100), behind Smith and Mai Murakami of Japan, and second for the vault final, behind reigning world champion Maria Paseka of Russia.


title: Jade Carey

text: During event finals, Carey won the silver medal on both vault and floor exercise, once again finishing behind Paseka and Murakami respectively.


title: Jade Carey

text: Carey competed at the American Classic in early July in Salt Lake City, Utah. She competed her first elite uneven bars routine in addition to her routine on balance beam and placed 10th on each apparatus. On July 28, Carey made her elite all-around debut at the 2018 U.S. Classic. She placed first on vault, where she debuted a Lopez as her new second vault, and second on floor behind Simone Biles, where she debuted a Moors (double-twisting double layout) as her opening pass. However, she only placed 10th all-around due to a fall on uneven bars and a major error on her beam dismount.


title: Jade Carey

text: In August, Carey competed at the National Championships where she placed sixth in the all-around, earning an automatic national team spot. She also finished third on vault behind Biles and Jordan Chiles, second on floor exercise behind Biles, 15th on uneven bars, and 9th on balance beam. On August 20 Carey was named to the team to compete at the Pan American Championships alongside Grace McCallum, Trinity Thomas, Kara Eaker, and Shilese Jones. There she won gold in the team finals and on vault and floor exercise.


title: Jade Carey

text: In October, the nominative team roster for the 2018 World Championships in Doha, Qatar was posted. Carey was noticeably absent despite her strong performances at the previous two competitions. USAG later revealed that Carey had declined her invitation to the Worlds qualification camp and was going to pursue qualifying for the 2020 Olympics "as an individual through the apparatus World Cup series, which precludes her competing on the 2018 World Team". As the American team later won the gold medal at the championships and thus qualified to the Olympics, she would have been ineligible to qualify a nominative spot on the World Cup series had she competed in Doha.


title: Jade Carey

text: In November, USAG announced that Carey would be competing at the Cottbus World Cup. She qualified second to the vault final behind Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and first to the floor exercise final. During event finals Carey won silver on vault, once again behind Andrade, and fifth on floor exercise after stepping out of bounds three times.


title: Jade Carey

text: In February, USA Gymnastics announced that Carey would compete at the Baku and Doha World Cups in March. In Baku, Carey qualified in first place to the vault final after upgrading her López (start value 5.2) to a Cheng (start value 6.0) and qualified second to the floor exercise final behind Lara Mori of Italy after going out of bounds and performing a watered down routine. She received the AGF Trophy for having the highest combined execution score in the qualification round. Carey won the gold medal in the vault final and was the only gymnast to earn execution scores above nine on both of her vaults. The following day, she competed in the floor exercise final with higher difficulty and won the gold medal ahead of Mori and three-time Olympian Vanessa Ferrari. At the Doha World Cup, Carey qualified to the vault final in second place behind Maria Paseka and first to the floor exercise final, 0.8 points ahead of second place Marine Boyer of France and Kim Bui of Germany. In the vault final, Carey won the gold medal, defeating Paseka by 0.117 points. Once again she was the only competitor to earn an execution score above 9 on both of her vaults. In the floor exercise final, Carey once again won the gold medal ahead of Mori and Ferrari, defeating them by more than one point.


title: Jade Carey

text: At the 2019 GK US Classic in July, Carey placed tenth in the all-around. She won the gold medal on vault ahead of Aleah Finnegan and Shilese Jones and she tied with Grace McCallum for the silver medal on floor exercise behind Simone Biles. She placed fifteenth on uneven bars and tied for seventeenth on balance beam with Alexis Jeffrey.


title: Jade Carey

text: At the 2019 U.S. National Championships Carey competed on all four events and ended the first day of competition in third in the all-around behind Biles and Sunisa Lee. On the second day of competition she fell off the uneven bars and finished seventh in the all-around but won silver on vault and floor exercise, finishing behind Biles on both. As a result she was added to the national team for the third time.


title: Jade Carey

text: In September Carey competed at the US World Championships trials where she placed fifth in the all-around behind Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Kara Eaker, and MyKayla Skinner. The following day she was named to the team to compete at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart alongside Biles, Lee, Eaker, Skinner, and Grace McCallum.


title: Jade Carey

text: During qualifications she helped the USA qualify to the team final in first place over five points ahead of second place China. Individually she qualified to the vault final in first place ahead of Biles and recorded the second highest floor exercise score, behind Biles and tied with Lee. However, due to Lee receiving a higher execution score, Carey did not qualify to the floor exercise final due to the rule limiting individual finals to two competitors per country. In the team final, Carey competed on vault and floor exercise, receiving the second highest scores of the day on each, behind Biles, and helping the USA win the gold medal ahead of Russia and Italy. During the vault final Carey performed a Cheng and an Amanar, taking a step out of bounds on the latter, earning an average score of 14.883 and winning the silver medal behind Biles and ahead of Ellie Downie of Great Britain.


title: Jade Carey

text: In November Carey traveled to Zürich, Switzerland to compete at the Swiss Cup, a unique team competition that featured one female gymnast and one male gymnast from the same country going head-to-head with other teams. She was partnered with Allan Bower. Together they finished in first place, beating the Ukrainian team of Diana Varinska and Oleg Verniaiev.


title: Jade Carey

text: In late January Carey was listed on a nominative roster that was released for the Melbourne World Cup, scheduled to take place on February 20. She qualified in first place to both the vault and floor exercise event finals, 0.833 points ahead of Shoko Miyata and 0.633 points ahead of Vanessa Ferrari respectively. During the vault final she competed the Cheng and double twisting Yurchenko and won gold ahead of Coline Devillard of France. The following day she won gold on floor exercise as well, once again finishing ahead of Ferrari.


title: Jade Carey

text: In February Carey competed at the 2021 Winter Cup where she only competed on vault, uneven bars, and balance beam. She finished second on vault behind Jordan Chiles, sixth on uneven bars, and ninth on balance beam. The following month at a National Team camp Carey was named to the National Team for the fourth time. In May Carey competed at the U.S. Classic on only the uneven bars and balance beam. She finished fifth and fifteenth respectively.


title: Jade Carey

text: During podium training for the National Championships Carey debuted a laid out version of the "Biles II" (triple twisting double salto). At the National Championships Carey finished sixth in the all-around after competing a watered-down floor exercise routine and vault. She finished fourth on vault, eighth on uneven bars and floor exercise, and eleventh on balance beam. As a result she was added to the national team and qualified to compete at the Olympic Trials. At the Olympic Trials Carey competed all-around the first day of competition and only competed on uneven bars and balance beam the second day. Days after trials had concluded Carey was officially awarded an Olympic berth via the Apparatus World Cup series.


title: Jade Carey

text: At the Olympic Games, Carey performed the all-around during qualifications. She hit all four routines and qualified for the vault final in second place behind Simone Biles as well as the floor exercise final in third place behind Vanessa Ferrari and Biles.


title: Jade Carey

text: Despite finishing ninth in the all-around, she initially did not qualify to the all-around final due to two-per-country limitations as Biles and Sunisa Lee placed higher. However, Biles later withdrew from the all-around final, and Carey, as the next-highest scoring American, took her place. During the all-around final Carey recorded the second highest vault (behind Rebeca Andrade) and floor exercise (behind Mai Murakami and tied with Angelina Melnikova) scores; however she fell off the balance beam and finished eighth overall.


title: Jade Carey

text: In the vault final, Carey was a heavy medal favorite but finished in last place after balking her first vault due to missteps on the runway; she had intended to perform a Cheng vault but performed only a tucked Yurchenko, a vault with a difficulty score of just 3.3. She went on to successfully perform her second vault, an Amanar with a difficulty of 5.8, but was deducted two points for performing two vaults with the same entry, finishing with an average score of 12.416, more than two full points behind the seventh finisher.


title: Jade Carey

text: The following day, Carey won the gold medal in the floor exercise final with a score of 14.366, outperforming her qualifications score of 14.100 and placing ahead of Italy's Vanessa Ferrari. She is the third consecutive American champion on the event, following Aly Raisman in 2012 and Simone Biles in 2016.


title: Jade Carey

text: Upon returning home to Arizona, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego proclaimed August 17 as "Jade Carey Day". Days later it was announced that Carey would be joining Simone Biles' "Gold Over America Tour". On August 30 Carey threw the ceremonial first pitch for the Arizona Diamondbacks.


title: Jade Carey

text: Carey made her elite return at the U.S. National Championships in August. She placed fifth in the all-around, first on vault, second on floor exercise behind Shilese Jones, seventh on balance beam, and ninth on uneven bars. She was named to the national team for the sixth time. Additionally she was named USA Gymnastics Athlete of the Year. In September Carey competed at the Paris World Challenge Cup; she only competed on vault and balance beam. She qualified to the vault final in first and the balance beam final in second behind teammate Shilese Jones. During event finals she won gold on vault and silver on balance beam behind Marine Boyer of France.


title: Jade Carey

text: In October Carey was selected to compete at the 2022 World Championships alongside Skye Blakely, Jordan Chiles, Shilese Jones, and Leanne Wong. During the qualification round Carey helped the USA qualify to the team final in first place. Individually she qualified to the all-around, vault, and floor exercise finals. During the team final Carey contributed scores on vault, balance beam, and floor exercise towards the USA's gold medal finish. Additionally she posted the second highest vault and floor exercise scores of the competition behind Rebeca Andrade and Jessica Gadirova respectively. During the all-around final Carey place sixth after a tentative balance beam routine. On the first day of apparatus finals Carey won gold on vault, earning her first individual world title. On the final day of competition she won bronze on floor exercise, tied with Andrade and behind Gadirova and Chiles. With eight world and Olympic medals Carey became the sixth most decorated American female artistic gymnast of all time.


title: Jade Carey

text: Carey verbally committed to compete in NCAA gymnastics at Oregon State University, starting in the 2018-19 school year. She officially signed with the Oregon State Beavers on November 9, 2017. She deferred enrollment until after the 2020 Olympics, starting in the 2020–21 school year. However, due to the postponement of the Olympics, Carey enrolled in classes for the 2020–21 school year but deferred competing for the Beavers until after the Olympics in 2021.


title: Jade Carey

text: Carey made her long awaited NCAA debut on January 15, 2022, 1528 days after she signed her national letter of intent with Oregon State University. In the tri-meet against Washington and San Jose State Carey competed on all four apparatuses earning a 9.95 on the uneven bars and a 9.90 on the other three events, totaling a 39.650 all-around score. She outright won the all-around, vault, uneven bars, and floor exercise titles and co-won the balance beam title alongside teammate Jenna Domingo and Skylar Killough-Wilhelm of Washington. Additionally Carey competed various elite-level skills including the double-twisting Yurchenko on vault, the Bhardwaj on the uneven bars, and the double-twisting double salto (Silivas) on floor exercise.


title: Jade Carey

text: Due to the new NIL rule change for NCAA athletes in the summer of 2021, Carey was eligible to profit off of her name, image, and likeness. It was later reported that Carey had earned the biggest deal of all athletes from Oregon-based universities.


title: Jade Carey

text: On January 23, at the second meet of the season against UCLA and UC Davis, Carey scored 9.975 on balance beam and floor exercise, 9.950 on uneven bars, and 9.90 on vault, totaling 39.800 in the all-around. She outright won all five contested titles. Additionally Carey's all-around score beat Oregon State gymnastics' previous all-around record of 39.750, set by Chari Knight in 1993. As a result Carey was named both Pac-12 gymnast of the week and freshman of the week. In her third collegiate meet and her first away meet Carey once again won the all-around with a score of 39.775, Oregon State's second highest program all-around score. She also outright won the vault (9.95), uneven bars (9.95), and floor exercise (9.95) titles and co-won the balance beam (9.925) title with California's Emi Watterson. Carey was subsequently named Freshman of the Week for the second time. On February 5, in a meet against Arizona State, Carey earned her first career perfect ten on the uneven bars. Her all-around score of 39.825 beat Oregon State's all-around program record that she had set two weeks prior. Additionally she outright won all five contested titles and was named Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week for the second time. On February 13 Carey earned her second career perfect 10 and first on floor exercise; she was once again named both Pac-12 gymnast and freshman of the week. On February 25, in a meet against Stanford, Carey score another perfect ten on floor exercise. Additionally she posted an all-around score of 39.825, tying Oregon State's program all-around record that she set earlier in the month. Carey ended the regular season competing at a quad meet in Denver on March 13. She posted a 9.95 on all four apparatuses and won her ninth consecutive all-around title. She was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the sixth time.


title: Jade Carey

text: Carey was named Pac-12 gymnast of the year and freshman of the year. At the Pac-12 Championships Carey led Oregon State to a third place finish. Individually she won the all-around title and co-won the title on floor exercise alongside Olympic teammate Grace McCallum. She placed second on the remaining three apparatuses. At the NCAA regional semifinal in Seattle, Carey earned an all-around score of 39.850, beating her previous record. Although Oregon State was eliminated after finishing third behind Utah and Stanford, Carey earned an individual all-around berth to compete at the upcoming NCAA Championship.


title: Jade Carey

text: In early April Carey announced her decision to continue pursuing elite level gymnastics while competing NCAA gymnastics. At the NCAA championship Carey rotated with the Oklahoma Sooners in the first semi-final. She earned an all-around score of 39.650, the highest in the first semi-final but fourth highest overall. Her score of 9.950 on the uneven bars was the second highest behind Trinity Thomas.


title: Jade Carey

text: Carey was born and raised in Phoenix. Her parents, Brian Carey and Danielle Mitchell-Greenberg, divorced when she was young. Carey began taking gymnastics classes in 2002. She attended Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, Arizona, graduating in 2018.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt (; ; born 11 April 1953) is a Belgian politician who was the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 2009 to 2019, and has been a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium since 2009. He was the prime minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008 and deputy prime minister and minister of Budget from 1985 to 1992. He was a member of the Chamber of Representatives from 1985 to 2009.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Since 2009, he has been a member of the European Parliament, led the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group (ALDE) from 2009 to 2019, and founded the inter-parliamentarian federalist Spinelli Group. He was the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party nominee for President of the European Commission in the 2014 European Parliament election. He served as the European Parliament's Brexit Coordinator and Chair of the Brexit Steering Group from 2016 to 2020. He is an advocate for federalisation of the European Union.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Born in 1953 in Dendermonde, he became president of the Liberaal Vlaams Studententverbond (Liberal Flemish Students' Association) (1972–1974) while studying law at the University of Ghent. He quickly became the secretary of Willy De Clercq, who was at that time the president of the Flemish liberal party (PVV). In 1982, at age 29, he became president of the party. In 1985 he was elected into the Chamber of Deputies, and became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Budget under Prime Minister Wilfried Martens. Because of his economic views and his young age, he became known as "Baby Thatcher".


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: After being ousted from government he became leader of the opposition. After a failed attempt to form a government in November 1991, he changed the PVV into the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD). This new party attracted many politicians from other parties, notably from the Volksunie (VU) and the Christian People's Party (CVP).


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: However, despite the fact that many had high expectations, the party did not manage to outstrip the CVP. Verhofstadt resigned and disappeared from the political scene, only to return to the party's presidency in 1997 with a less radical image. He gradually moved away from neoliberalism (partly under the influence of his brother Dirk, a social liberal political philosopher), and became more of a centrist figure, a change which especially became clear during his first term as Prime Minister.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Partly because of a food scandal that broke out just before the 1999 elections, the VLD became the largest party in the country, obtaining over 22% of the vote in Flanders. He quickly formed a coalition with the Flemish socialists and greens and the French-speaking counterparts of these parties (a symmetric coalition) in Brussels and Wallonia. He was appointed Prime Minister on 12 July 1999, the first liberal to hold that office since 1938. It was the first Belgian government without a Christian Democratic party since 1958, and the first one to include green parties.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Verhofstadt was awarded the Vision for Europe Award in 2002 for his work toward a more unified Europe. The economic situation gave him leeway to raise the lowest social benefits and lower taxation. After 2001, the economic situation worsened. The 'Aging Fund' or 'Silver Fund' was set up, in order to ensure the maintenance of pensions until 2030.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Much to the disapproval of his coalition partners, Verhofstadt and his VLD opposed granting the right to vote to non-EU residents. Instead, they proposed and were able to liberalise the procedure for obtaining Belgian citizenship. During the prelude to the Iraq crisis of 2003, Belgium joined France, Germany and Russia in opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Following the 2003 general elections, Verhofstadt formed his second cabinet without the green parties, who were virtually annihilated in the election. For various reasons, the formation of the second government was delayed well beyond normal: the economic situation worsened to 1999 levels, both politically similar parties (liberals and socialists) gained approximately the same seats.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Guy Verhofstadt's second Government consisted of his liberal Open VLD their sister liberal MR, the Flemish social democratic SP.a and their sister social democratic party PS to form another Purple coalition.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Following international pressure over Belgium's War Crimes Law, which asserted universal jurisdiction, allowing anyone to bring war crime charges in Belgian courts, Verhofstadt's second government agreed to amend the law in favour of more limited jurisdiction. The law had faced criticism that it was encouraging politically motivated complaints.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In the Flemish regional elections of 13 June 2004, his party lost votes, slipping into third place in Flanders. Though this has had no direct impact upon his position as Prime Minister, there were rumours that the Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) party that won the elections, would participate in federal government. Verhofstadt was suggested as a candidate to replace Romano Prodi as the next President of the European Commission, but his candidacy was opposed and rejected by a coalition led by Tony Blair and other leaders who had disagreed with Verhofstadt's uncompromising criticisms of the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq the previous year.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: After this Verhofstadt was faced with a succession of internal crises. The first, coming to a head in the autumn of 2004, was the question whether DHL would invest in Brussels Airport, located in the Flemish municipality of Zaventem. The question which nearly caused the collapse of the cabinet was whether to grant DHL extra landing rights during the night, this being a hot topic of public debate and various court cases. In the end the split between employment and night rest was for nought as DHL had only used the Zaventem option in order to get better conditions from Leipzig.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Following the DHL crisis, Verhofstadt faced a crisis over the allocation of constitutional and administrative powers and responsibilities for the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde district (commonly abbreviated as BHV). Division of the powers had been written into the government coalition agreement by the parties controlling the Flemish regional government. This triggered a veto from the Walloon parties. The crisis dragged on until spring 2005 when the matter was shelved till after the federal elections of 2007. By 2005 the Flemish parties participating in the government did not want the government to collapse, given their poor ratings in the opinion polls.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Verhofstadt voiced concern over the 2006 Lebanon War. Verhofstadt said that Israel has the right to defend itself, but has now responded with excessive violence.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: On 13 December 2006 a regular programming on the Belgian national television channel "La Une" was interrupted for a news bulletin claiming that the Flemish parliament had issued a unilateral declaration of independence from the Kingdom of Belgium, mimicking the Belgian secession from the Netherlands some 175 years earlier. The broadcast of the report led to widespread alarm and consternation in French-speaking Belgium and Verhofstadt condemned the report as "irresponsible". In the years coming to the hoax there was rising Flemish separatism and the Vlaams Belang party received strong support in the regional elections. The hoax almost became reality in 2007 after a major political crisis drove many to believe that the partition of Belgium was almost certain.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: The constitutional court of Belgium ruled that all elections held after 10 June 2007 would be constitutionally invalid because of the non-separation of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde. In the autumn of 2005, Verhofstadt managed to score a success when he was able to negotiate a "Generation Pact" with regard to employment and social reforms, regardless of the opposition and actions of the unions.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Verhofstadt was sworn in as municipal councilor in Ghent in January 2007, as a result of the 2006 municipal elections. In the council, he is seated next to another cabinet minister, Freya Van den Bossche, who was elected a municipal councillor as well. He even postponed a visit to the Russian President Vladimir Putin to be able to go to the first session of the newly elected council.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Verhofstadt led the VLD into the 2007 general election. Already with the 2006 municipal elections, the VLD showed signs of fatigue with the Flemish voter, who seem to have had enough of eight years of Verhofstadt, and the purple coalition governments. In an evening speech on election day, Verhofstadt conceded defeat and asked for a new generation to lead the VLD; he was to step down as prime minister after formation of a new government. However, the formation of a new government was complicated, and in the end, CD&V politician Yves Leterme failed to bring about a new government.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Yet certain policy matters became politically urgent. The King therefore asked Verhofstadt to mediate an "interim government" that would be in office for three months and could propose a 2008 budget. A deal was struck in December, and the "interim government" was set for inauguration on 21 December 2007. Two days later, this interim government won a vote of confidence in parliament, with 97 votes in favor, 46 opposed, and one abstention, assuring its legitimacy for three months.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Belgium was one of the first countries to recognise Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence on 24 February 2008.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: One of the first decisions of the new government, on 21 December 2007, was to raise the security level after foiling an attempted jail break of an Al Qaeda operative.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In the 2009 European Parliament election, Verhofstadt was elected a member of the European Parliament for the term 2009–2014. He has since been appointed to the Committee on Constitutional Affairs.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: On 1 July 2009 Verhofstadt was elected President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group in the European Parliament. In this capacity, he was also a member of the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament until July 2019.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Verhofstadt was put forward as the possible candidate for replacing José Manuel Barroso as the president of the European Commission by a coalition of greens, socialists and liberals. On 15 September 2010, he supported the new Spinelli Group, which was founded to reinvigorate the drive for federalisation of the European Union.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In 2010, Belgian Liberal member of the European Parliament and Verhofstadt's close ally Louis Michel called King Leopold II of Belgium, the Congo Free State's colonial master responsible for the deaths of between 3 million and 10 million Congolese Africans, a "visionary hero". Verhofstadt, then leader of the Liberals in the European Parliament, refused to comment on Michel's controversial remarks.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In September 2016, Verhofstadt was named the European Parliament's representative on matters relating to Brexit. In his public statements, Verhofstadt has focused on the rights of EU citizens within the UK and British citizens in the EU. In November 2016 Verhofstadt warned the European Parliament of a coming "ring of autocrats", citing the increasing assertiveness of Russia and Turkey, and contemplating the (at that time widely discounted) possibility of a Trump presidency.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: From 2019, Verhofstadt was a member of the Working Group on the Conference on the Future of Europe. By 2021, the European Parliament appointed him as its chair to lead the Conference on the Future of Europe.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Since 2011, Verhofstadt has written monthly commentaries on strategic spotlights for Project Syndicate, an international media organization.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Verhofstadt opposed the American-led invasion of Iraq. In 2005, during a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush, Verhofstadt said: "The time has come to draw a line under the tensions of the recent past. It makes little sense to continue arguing about who was right and who was wrong."


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Verhofstadt condemned the killings of protesters during Bahrain's pro-democracy uprising in 2011. He said: "Protestors were killed, tortured and imprisoned. These incidents need to be properly investigated and brought to justice - not swept under the carpet. Until this has happened, I fully agree that the Formula One Grand Prix should not return to Bahrain."


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In 2017, Verhofstadt opposed the Catalan independence referendum, but also denounced Spain's use of violence. Verhofstadt said that "referendum lacked basic democratic legitimacy". According to Verhofstadt, the former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont "left Catalonia in chaos and devastation".


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In April 2015, Verhofstadt criticized Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras over his meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in the wake of the Russo-Ukrainian War and difficult negotiations between the EU/ECB/IMF and Tsipras's recently elected Syriza-led government. Via Twitter according to the New York "Times", Verhofstadt said Tsipras "should stop trying to play Putin against the EU" and that Tsipras "should play according to the common rules and conduct serious reforms".


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In May 2015, news media reported that Verhofstadt was included in a Russian blacklist of prominent people from the European Union who are not allowed to enter the country.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In June 2018, Verhofstadt said there was a "circle of evil around our continent": Putin's Russia, Erdoğan's Turkey and Trump's United States. Verhofstadt added: "But our problem runs deeper than that, deeper than only foreign policy or external security. Europe has a fifth column in its ranks. ... I call them the cheerleaders of Putin: Le Pen, Wilders, Farage. ... Together with government leaders like Orbán, Kaczyński, Salvini: these people have only one goal and that is to destroy Europe, to kill our liberal democracy."


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: On 8 September 2017, Verhofstaft branded Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi "a disgrace" following her controversial comments about the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In November 2016, Verhofstadt said "There is broad, broad majority in the house to say you have to freeze accessions talks for the moment and put a number of conditions to restart them once Turkey is compliant."


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In May 2017, he accused President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of cynicism for advocating freedom of speech while journalists are imprisoned in Turkey.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In August 2015, Verhofstadt called for a reform of the EU's asylum and migration system, in reaction to the European migrant crisis. He also criticised UK Prime Minister David Cameron and French president François Hollande for opposing the European Commission's proposal to distribute asylum requests for migrants over all countries of the European Union. He also called on governments of France, the UK, and Hungary to stop building up walls and border security measures, and to shift their effort on humanitarian assistance. This humanitarian assistance includes asking the dysfunctional countries that source migrants to address their own dysfunction.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: Following the results of 2005 European Constitution referendum in France and The Netherlands, Verhofstadt released his book, Verenigde Staten van Europa ("United States of Europe"). Written in Dutch, the book claims – based on the results of a Eurobarometer questionnaire – that the average European citizen wants "more Europe".


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In September 2019, Verhofstadt gave a speech at the conference of the UK Liberal Democrats in Bournemouth, saying that "the world of tomorrow is not a world order based on nation states or countries. It is a world order that is based on empires. China, is not a nation, it's a civilisation. India is not a nation. The US is also an empire, more than a nation. And then finally the Russian Federation. The world of tomorrow is a world of empires in which we Europeans, and you British, can only defend your interests, your way of life, by doing it together, in a European framework and in the European Union."


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In January 2013, three years before the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, Verhofstadt said "Brexit is stupidity for a country with 53 percent of its exports going to the Continent and to the rest of Europe. It's even so stupid that Britain's best friends, the United States, don't understand it all."


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In February 2016, in the run-up to the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, Verhofstadt said "The only winners from a Brexit would be Nigel Farage and Vladimir Putin; who would relish a divided Europe."


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In July 2016, Verhofstadt said "Politically, the UK is already on its way to becoming an adversary, rather than a trusted partner, of the EU… Theresa May actually opposed Brexit, yet her anti-European hostility differs only in degree, not in kind, from that of pro-Brexit politicians… who rejoice at the possibility of additional exit referenda across the EU."


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In October 2017, Verhofstadt claimed that Northern Ireland was stuck in a "frozen conflict". He said: "There are fences 12 metres high and this is in the 21st Century."


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In a Twitter post on 13 June 2018, Verhofstadt accused Nigel Farage of using "Kremlin money and claimed Aaron Banks "colluded with the Russians to deliver Brexit". Lawyers, on behalf of Banks, issued Verhofstadt with a legal letter and said the allegations "are false".


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In February 2019, Verhofstadt said that Brexit leaders such as Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg would suffer a similar fate to the leaders of the French Revolution and "end up on the guillotine".


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In May 2019, Verhofstadt made public a private joke between him and the UK's chief negotiator, Olly Robbins, in which Robbins "joked that he would want EU citizenship after Brexit".


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: On 10 May 2019, Verhofstaft joined anti-Brexit supporters in London. He said "We have to stop nationalism and populism the fastest as possible because otherwise, it could be the end of a fantastic project".


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: On 25 July 2019, Guy Verhofstadt branded UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's vow to take the UK out of the EU on 31 October as "irresponsible", due to the possibility of a No-deal Brexit.


title: Guy Verhofstadt

text: In September 2019, Guy Verhofstadt attacked the words used by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during the Brexit process, calling it "the language of Europe's dark past".


title: Alexander Hammerstone

text: Alex Rohde (born January 17, 1991), better known by his ring names Alexander Hammerstone or simply Hammerstone is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling, where he is the current MLW World Heavyweight Champion in his first reign. He was also the inaugural and longest reigning MLW National Openweight Champion.


title: Alexander Hammerstone

text: Hammerstone is originally from Phoenix, Arizona. He debuted on the Arizona independent circuit in 2013 with Championship Wrestling from Arizona (CWFA) and Arizona Wrestling Federation (AWF). In 2014, he wrestled in Las Vegas for Paragon Pro Wrestling (PPW) and Future Stars of Wrestling (FSW) and West Coast Wrestling Connection (WCWC) in Oregon. There he won his first championship, the WCWC Legacy Championship, in 2014, which he held for 132 days. He followed that later in 2014 with the WCWC Tag Team Championship with partner Grappler 3 (as The Wrecking Crew). Later in 2014, Hammerstone capped his time at WCWC by winning the WCWC Pacific Northwest Championship. In 2015, Hammerstone had a tryout with WWE. In April 2015, he won the PPW Tag Team Championship. In February 2016, he would participate in another WWE tryout. Around this time he also did extra work for the company, one time appearing as Tyler Breeze's bodyguard.


title: Alexander Hammerstone

text: In 2016, Hammerstone started working in California where he appeared for Championship Wrestling from Hollywood and made his debut for PCW Ultra. In 2017, he won the FSW Championship from Eli Drake. During the next two years he would hold the FSW Championship for over 600 combined days. He would receive additional tryouts from WWE in October 2017 and February 2018.


title: Alexander Hammerstone

text: In 2018, he started being pushed heavily in PCW Ultra, getting wins against veteran wrestlers such as, Jeff Cobb, Brian Cage, Daga, Brody King, A. C. H., and Timothy Thatcher. In September of that year, at PCW Ultra Vision Quest, he challenged Penta El Zero M for the PCW Ultra Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort. That same year, he would wrestle for the nationally broadcast Ring Warriors during their first season.


title: Alexander Hammerstone

text: On January 3, 2019, Hammerstone competed in a one night tournament for West Coast Pro Wrestling at their event, When the Smoke Clears, to crown the first WCPW Heavyweight Champion. He defeated Tyler Bateman in the finals. In January 2019 , he also competed on Impact Wrestling's Impact Xplosion, making his debut for the promotion.


title: Alexander Hammerstone

text: On February 2, 2019, Hammerstone debuted for Major League Wrestling (MLW). His first match featured him in a squash match against Ariel Dominguez. On the March 16 episode of "Fusion", Hammerstone attacked The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart, Brian Pillman Jr. and Davey Boy Smith Jr.) and joined the villainous stable The Dynasty, the other members including Richard Holliday and Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Hammerstone later defeated Pillman on the March 23 episode of "Fusion".


title: Alexander Hammerstone

text: During WrestleMania 35 weekend, he wrestled in the second annual Battle Riot match at the namesake event as the #34 entrant. He eliminated Brian Pillman Jr., Ariel Dominguez and Davey Boy Smith Jr., lasting until the final four until being eliminated by Mance Warner. On the April 26 episode of "Fusion", Dynasty defeated Hart Foundation in a tables match. The match ended with Hammerstone putting Pillman through the table. Hammerstone was announced for the tournament to crown the inaugural National Openweight Champion. He defeated Gringo Loco in the semi-final on the May 11 episode of "Fusion", and Brian Pillman Jr. in the final at Fury Road on June 1 to become the first National Openweight Champion.


title: Alexander Hammerstone

text: Hammerstone successfully defended the title against Kotto Brazil at Kings of Colosseum, Davey Boy Smith Jr. via disqualification on the July 20 episode of "Fusion" and the Caribbean Heavyweight Champion Savio Vega on the August 10 episode of "Fusion". On the October 12 episode of "Fusion", Hammerstone defended the title against the Crash Heavyweight Champion Rey Horus in a title versus title match. Hammerstone lost via disqualification after interference by the Dynasty. The feud between Dynasty and the Hart Foundation continued as Hammerstone successfully defended the National Openweight Championship against Davey Boy Smith Jr. at MLW's first pay-per-view event Saturday Night SuperFight. After a successful title defense against Douglas James on the November 23 episode of "Fusion", Hammerstone participated in the inaugural Opera Cup tournament, where he defeated his teammate MJF in the quarterfinal but lost to the eventual winner Davey Boy Smith Jr. in the semifinal.


title: Alexander Hammerstone

text: Hammerstone continued to successfully defend the National Openweight Championship against the likes of Aero Star, T-Hawk and Laredo Kid in 2020 before MLW went on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The storyline explanation was that Contra Unit attacked several MLW wrestlers and hijacked MLW's headquarters. MLW resumed holding events in November. It was explained in storyline that Hammerstone was a primary force in retrieving MLW from Contra Unit's occupation. The first episode of "Fusion" in several months took place on November 18, where Hammerstone defeated Jason Dugan and demanded a title shot against Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship due to being ranked #1 in MLW by Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI). Hammerstone confronted Fatu later that night but was attacked by Contra's newest member, the debuting Mads Krügger, turning Hammerstone into a fan favorite. As a result, Hammerstone began feuding with Krügger, leading to a match between the two for Hammerstone's National Openweight Championship at Kings of Colosseum on January 6, 2021. The match ended in a double count-out resulting in Hammerstone retaining the title. Hammerstone defeated Krügger in a Baklei Brawl on the March 2 episode of "Fusion" to end the feud.


title: Alexander Hammerstone

text: After successfully defending the National Openweight Championship against the likes of L.A. Park and Mil Muertes, Hammerstone participated in the Battle Riot match as the #35 entrant at Battle Riot III on July 24, 2021. Hammerstone eliminated the Sentai Death Squad, Josef Samael, Simon Gotch, Daivari and lastly Mads Krügger to win the Battle Riot, thus earning the Golden Ticket which required Hammerstone to cash-in for a World Heavyweight Championship match anytime and anywhere. After retaining the National Openweight Championship against Tom Lawlor on the September 29 episode of "Fusion: Alpha", Hammerstone defeated Jacob Fatu in a title versus title match to win the World Heavyweight Championship and retain his National Openweight Championship at Fightland, which aired on October 7. As a result of winning the World Heavyweight Championship, Hammerstone relinquished the National Openweight Championship, ending his two-year reign at 865 days. The following month, at War Chamber, Hammerstone captained The Hammerheads (EJ Nduka, Richard Holliday, Matanza Duran and Savio Vega) to defeat the Contra Unit in the titular match.


title: Alexander Hammerstone

text: He then feuded with Cesar Duran after he refused the promoter's offer, feuding with Black Taurus and King Muertes. On the premiere episode of "Azteca" on January 6, 2022, Hammerstone and Pagano defeated Taurus and Muertes in an Apocalypto Hardcore match. However, Pagano turned on Hammerstone, taking him on a warehouse, which Richard Holliday rescued him. On the January 27 episode of "Azteca", Hammerstone retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Octagon Jr. Hammerstone successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Pagano in a falls count anywhere match on the February 10, 2022 episode of "Fusion". After the match, Holliday turned on Hammerstone by attacking him, thus breaking up the Dynasty.


title: Alexander Hammerstone

text: Hammerstone retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Davey Richards at SuperFight and Jacob Fatu and Mads Krügger in a three-way match at Intimidation Games. Hammerstone continued his feud with Holliday. At Rise of the Renegades, Hammerstone teamed with The Von Erichs (Marshall and Ross) as The Von Hammers against King Muertes, Mads Krügger and Richard Holliday in a losing effort in a six-man tag team match. Hammerstone successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Holliday at Kings of Colosseum. On the November 24 episode of "Fusion", Hammerstone defeated Holliday in a falls count anywhere match to retain the title and end the feud.


title: Alexander Hammerstone

text: On July 26, 2019, MLW announced a working agreement with Japanese based promotion Pro Wrestling Noah, which would include a talent-exchange agreement and content collaboration between the two promotions On July 29, it was announced that Hammerstone would represent MLW by participating in the 2019 N1-Victory, where he wrestled in Block A from August 18 to September 16.


title: Malaysian Grand Prix

text: The Malaysian Grand Prix (officially the Malaysia Grand Prix from 1963–1965 and 2011–2017 and Malayan Grand Prix in 1962) was an annual auto race held in Malaysia. It was part of the Formula One World Championship from 1999 to 2017 and it was held during these years at the Sepang International Circuit. The Malaysian Grand Prix was held annually from 1962 to 1964 in Singapore, whilst it was a member of the Malaysian federation. Subsequent Grands Prix were held in Peninsular Malaysia.


title: Malaysian Grand Prix

text: From 1962 to 1965 an annual race weekend for motorcycles and Formula Libre cars was held at the Thomson Road circuit in Singapore, named the Malaysia Grand Prix. After Singapore gained independence from Malaysia in 1965 the event was renamed the Singapore Grand Prix and continued until 1973.


title: Malaysian Grand Prix

text: Between Singapore's departure from the Malaysian federation and the opening of Sepang Circuit, Malaysia hosted a range of other racing categories in the Malaysian Grand Prix at Shah Alam's own circuit between 1968 and 1995 including Formula Libre (1968), Tasman Formula, (1969-1972), Formula Atlantic (1973–1975), Formula Two (1977) Formula Pacific (1978–1982) and Formula Brabham (1995).


title: Malaysian Grand Prix

text: As part of a series of major infrastructure projects in the 1990s under Mahathir Mohamad's government, the Sepang International Circuit was constructed between 1997 and 1999 close to Putrajaya, the then-newly founded administrative capital of the country, with the intent of hosting the Malaysian Grand Prix. Similar to other of the country's circuits, the circuit is known for its unpredictable humid tropical weather, varying from clear furnace hot days to tropical rain storms.


title: Malaysian Grand Prix

text: The inaugural Grand Prix at Sepang was held in , and saw Michael Schumacher return to the sport after his absence due to a broken leg sustained at that year's British Grand Prix. Ferrari dominated the race, with Schumacher handing the victory to title-hopeful teammate Eddie Irvine, only for both Ferraris to be disqualified due to a technical irregularity, before later being reinstated.


title: Malaysian Grand Prix

text: From 2001, the Malaysian Grand Prix moved from the end of the season to the beginning, which has seen some topsy-turvy results as teams and drivers got to grips with their new equipment, with many races heavily influenced by the winners and losers of the scramble for position into the tight double hairpin bend at the first corner.


title: Malaysian Grand Prix

text: The 2001 event was hit by a heavy rainstorm in the middle of the race which made conditions very difficult. Conditions were so bad that the two Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello spun off almost simultaneously at the same corner. Remarkably, they both recovered to score a Ferrari 1–2, because for a long time they were nearly 5 seconds faster than anyone else on the field. Elsewhere, the race was even led by Jos Verstappen, surprisingly. However, as the track begun to dry, he fell back to seventh, but his efforts to keep positions were memorable.


title: Malaysian Grand Prix

text: On 8 April 2007, shortly before the 2007 Malaysian Grand Prix, Formula One president Bernie Ecclestone was quoted as stating that the circuit was getting "shabby" and "a bit tired" from the lack of care, describing it as "an old house that needs a bit of redecorating". He noted that the circuit itself is not the issue, but rather the surrounding environment; rubbish is said to be littered all over the place, potentially damaging the circuit's good reputation when it was opened in 1999.


title: Malaysian Grand Prix

text: The day before, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had met Ecclestone to discuss an extension of the Formula One contract beyond 2010. While the government had been given an additional extension to host the Grand Prix until 2015, the government was still mulling the offer, as of 23 April 2007. The circuit was given a renewed contract in 2006 to organise the Malaysian Grand Prix for another five years.


title: Malaysian Grand Prix

text: On 13 February 2008, the management of the Sepang International Circuit announced its aim to become Formula One's second night race from after Singapore, following discussions about buying a floodlighting system. Mokhzani Mahathir, the chairman of the circuit, was quoted as saying that the lights "might be custom made for the circuit." However, the organisers ended up settling for a late-afternoon start time.


title: Malaysian Grand Prix

text: The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix was held around sunset, starting at 17:00 local time (09:00 UTC). This proved disastrous due to heavy rainfall. The race was red-flagged and ultimately not restarted due to the low light level making it through the clouds. The race ended on lap 33, and with the regulations requiring 42 laps for full points, both driver and constructor results were halved in relation to points.


title: Malaysian Grand Prix

text: On 7 April 2017, it was announced that the 2017 race would be the swansong of the Malaysian Grand Prix. The race's contract was due to expire in 2018, but its future had been under threat due to rising hosting fees and declining ticket sales. Malaysia's youth and sports minister at the time Khairy Jamaluddin said on Twitter: "I think we should stop hosting the F1. At least for a while. Cost too high, returns limited. When we first hosted the F1 it was a big deal. First in Asia outside Japan. Now so many venues. No first mover advantage. Not a novelty." The BBC reported that "Malaysia had struggled in recent years to attract a significant crowd, its appeal having been damaged by the more glamorous night-time event on a street track in Singapore."


title: Clitoridectomy

text: Clitoridectomy or clitorectomy is the surgical removal, reduction, or partial removal of the clitoris. It is rarely used as a therapeutic medical procedure, such as when cancer has developed in or spread to the clitoris. It is often performed on intersex newborns. Commonly, non-medical removal of the clitoris is performed during female genital mutilation (FGM).


title: Clitoridectomy

text: A clitoridectomy is often done to remove malignancy or necrosis of the clitoris. This is sometimes done along with a radical complete vulvectomy. Surgery may also become necessary due to therapeutic radiation treatments to the pelvic area.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: Female infants born with a 46,XX genotype but have genitalia affected by congenital adrenal hyperplasia and are treated surgically with vaginoplasty that often reduces the size of the clitoris without its total removal. The atypical size of the clitoris is due to an endocrine imbalance in utero. Other reasons for the surgery include issues involving a microphallus and those who have Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster disorder. Treatments on children raise human rights concerns.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: Clitoridectomy surgical techniques are used to remove an invasive malignancy that extends to the clitoris. Standard surgical procedures are followed in these cases. This includes evaluation and biopsy. Other factors that will affect the technique selected are age, other existing medical conditions, and obesity. Other considerations are the probability of extended hospital care and the development of infection at the surgical site.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: The surgery proceeds with the use of general anesthesia, and prior to the vulvectomy/clitoridectomy an inguinal lymphyadenectomy is first done. The extent of the surgical site extends one to two centimeters beyond the boundaries of malignancy. Superficial lymph nodes may also need to be removed. If the malignancy is present in muscular tissue in the region, it is also removed. In some cases, the surgeon is able to preserve the clitoris though the malignancy may be extensive. The cancerous tissue is removed and the incision is closed.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: Post operative care may employ the use of suction drainage to allow the deeper tissues to heal toward the surface. Follow up after surgery includes the stripping of the drainage device to prevent blockage. A typical hospital stay can be up to two weeks. The site of the surgery is left unbandaged to allow for frequent examination.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: Complications can be the development of lymphedema though not removing the saphenous vein during the surgery will help prevent this. In some instances, foot elevation, diuretic medication and compression stockings can reduce the build up of fluid.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: In a clitoridectomy for intersex infants, the clitoris is often reduced instead of removed. The surgeon cuts the shaft of the elongated phallus and sews the glans and preserved nerves back onto the stump. In a less common surgery called clitoral recession, the surgeon hides the clitoral shaft under a fold of skin so only the glans remains visible.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: While much feminist scholarship has described clitoridectomy as a practice aimed at controlling women's sexuality, the historic emergence of the practice in ancient European and Middle Eastern cultures may have possibly derived from ideas about intersex people and the policing of boundaries between the sexes.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: In the seventeenth century, anatomists remained divided on whether a clitoris was a normal female organ, with some arguing that only intersex people had one and that, if large enough to be visible, it should always be removed at birth. In the 19th century, a clitoridectomy was thought by some to curb female masturbation. Isaac Baker Brown (1812–1873), an English gynaecologist who was president of the Medical Society of London believed that the "unnatural irritation" of the clitoris caused epilepsy, hysteria, and mania, and he worked "to remove [it] whenever he had the opportunity of doing so", according to his obituary in the "Medical Times and Gazette". Peter Lewis Allen writes that Brown's views caused outrage, and he died penniless after being expelled from the Obstetrical Society.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: Occasionally, in American and English medicine of the nineteenth century, circumcision was done as a cure for insanity. Some believed that mental and emotional disorders were related to female reproductive organs and that removing the clitoris would cure the neurosis. This treatment was discontinued in 1867.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: Aesthetics may determine clitoral norms. A lack of ambiguity of the genitalia is seen as necessary in the assignment of a sex to infants and therefore whether a child's genitalia is normal, but what is ambiguous or normal can vary from person to person.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: Sexual behavior is another reason for clitoridectomies. Author Sarah Rodriguez stated that the history of medical textbooks has indirectly created accepted ideas about the female body. Medical and gynecological textbooks are also at fault in the way that the clitoris is described in comparison to a male's penis. The importance and originality of a female's clitoris is underscored because it is seen as "a less significant organ, since anatomy texts compared the penis and the clitoris in only one direction." Rodriguez said that a male's penis created the framework of the sexual organ.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: Not all historical examples of clitoral surgeries should be assumed to be clitoridectomy (removal of the clitoris). In the nineteen thirties, the French psychoanalyst Marie Bonaparte studied African clitoral surgical practices and showed that these often involved removal of the clitoral hood, not the clitoris. She also had a surgery done to her own clitoris by the Viennese surgeon Dr Halban, which entailed cutting the suspensory ligament of the clitoris to permit it to sit closer to her vaginal opening. These sorts of clitoral surgeries, contrary to reducing women's sexual pleasure, actually appear aimed at making coitus more pleasurable for women, though it is unclear if that is ever their actual outcome.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: Clitoridectomies are the most common form of female genital mutilation. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that clitordectomies have been performed on 200 million girls and women that are currently alive. The regions that most clitoridectomies take place are Asia, the Middle East and west, north and east Africa. The practice also exists in migrants originating from these regions. Most of the surgeries are for cultural or religious reasons.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: Clitoridectomy of women with intersex conditions is controversial when it takes place during childhood or under duress. Intersex women exposed to such treatment have spoken of their loss of physical sensation, and loss of autonomy. In recent years, multiple human rights institutions have criticized early surgical management of such characteristics.


title: Clitoridectomy

text: In 2013, it was disclosed in a medical journal that four unnamed elite female athletes from developing countries were subjected to gonadectomies and partial clitoridectomies after testosterone testing revealed that they had an intersex condition. In April 2016, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on health, Dainius Pūras, condemned this treatment as a form of female genital mutilation "in the absence of symptoms or health issues warranting those procedures."


title: Iljimae

text: Iljimae (; literally "One blossom branch") is a 2008 South Korean period-action television series, starring Lee Joon-gi in the title role of Iljimae. It is loosely based on the comic strip "Iljimae", published between 1975 and 1977, written by Ko Woo-young based on Chinese folklore from the Ming dynasty about a masked Robin Hood-esque character during the Joseon era.


title: Iljimae

text: It was directed by Lee Yong-suk, and produced by Chorokbaem Media. It aired on SBS from 21 May to 24 July 2008 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.


title: Iljimae

text: Joseon, around 1633. Lee Gyeom (Lee Joon-gi) is the son of the virtuous nobleman Lee Won-ho, who is the king's trustworthy supporter and brother, and a central member of the secret organization Cheonwoohoe, composed of other five important nobles with the king as their leader. When a blind fortune teller, looking at Lee Won-ho's home, refers to the king that he sees a person as bright as the sun who would be adored by the people, the king killed Lee Won-ho as he believed that 'two suns cannot exist on the same sky'. Gyeom, from the inside of a safe, manages to survive and witnesses the murder; later, when he is forced to throw a rock at his mother's head to prove that he isn't her son, he loses his memory for the shock and is adopted by a retired thief, Soe-dol, who renames him "Yong-i". Thirteen years later, Yong-i regains his memories and begins to search for his older sister Yeon, only to see her being sentenced and hanged.


title: Iljimae

text: The murder of his older sister leaves Gyeom seeking revenge and, with the emblem on the killer's sword he remembers from thirteen years ago as his only clue, he swears to avenge his family. To find the sword and its owner, he disguises himself as the mysterious, black-swathed thief Iljimae, who breaks into the nobles' estates the members of the secret organization, Cheonwoohoe. Meanwhile, he also helps the people with injustices, becoming a hero. At the scene of each robbery, he leaves a handkerchief portraying a branch of red plum blossoms, symbol of the house where he lived and of his childhood memories: the very name of Iljimae reflects this, as "il" means "one", "ji" means "branch" and "mae" means "plum tree". The king and the nobility try to catch Iljimae and find his identity, especially the guard Byeon Si-hoo, who sees this as an opportunity to redeem himself from his life of misery and become a noble. In the meantime, Yong-i falls in love with Eun-chae, daughter of nobleman Byeon Shik and Si-hoo's stepsister, who can't forget her first love Lee Gyeom.


title: Iljimae

text: There have been several versions of this story, which first appeared in two Ming dynasty novels, including a 1994 Hong Kong film, a 2005 TVB series and a 2011 Chinese television series, called "The Vigilantes in Masks".


title: Iljimae

text: MBC bought the rights to the comic strip for their adaptation, hence the SBS version features an original storyline. Lee is the second Korean actor to play the hero following Jang Dong-gun in 1993 and followed by Jung Il-woo for MBC's "The Return of Iljimae" in 2009.


title: Iljimae

text: So-net TV began broadcasting the series in Japan on 24 November 2008. Reruns aired on terrestrial channel TV Tokyo from 15 June to 24 August 2009, and Mnet Japan starting 25 August 2009.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: , for short, is a fictional character from Square Enix's "Final Fantasy" video game series. Noctis is a playable character and the main protagonist of "Final Fantasy XV", which was originally a spin-off titled "Final Fantasy Versus XIII". The crown prince and protector of Lucis, Noctis, and his allies must reclaim their country when the empire of Niflheim attacks Lucis in an attempt to take control of its magical crystal. Noctis has also appeared in the game's expanded media, including "Final Fantasy" crossover titles and other games, including "Puzzle & Dragons" and the fighting game "Tekken 7".


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: Noctis was created and co-designed by Tetsuya Nomura, and his design was later revised by Yusuke Naora. Nomura created Noctis as a type of protagonist that had not before been used in a leading role in the "Final Fantasy" series, focusing on realism. Hiromu Takahara, lead designer for Japanese fashion house Roen, designed Noctis' clothes to be asymmetric, mirroring the fashion house's trademark style, and indicative of the game's themes and atmosphere. Before his design was finalized, Noctis was given a story-inspired, temporary outfit that was used in early trailers.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: Since being revealed, Noctis's appearance has been compared with those of other asocial characters in the series. Journalists have positively received Noctis, many of whom noted his growth during the story and contrasted him with other "Final Fantasy" protagonists. His appearances in the expanded media of "Final Fantasy XV" and other games have prompted multiple types of responses.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: Noctis was created and designed by Tetsuya Nomura, the original director of "Final Fantasy XV", which was originally titled "Final Fantasy Versus XIII" and was planned as a series spin-offs within the "Fabula Nova Crystallis" sub-series and companion to "Final Fantasy XIII". Nomura did not want Noctis to look strong but to be used to communicate the story's darkness, which caused some difficulties for the team. His full name loosely translates from Latin into "Light of [the] Night Sky"; his nickname "Noct" translates as "of the Night". Noctis' name was not going to be based on the sky or weather, as with previous protagonists Nomura designed. The character was named after Lightning, the main protagonist of "Final Fantasy XIII", was given a weather-based name. This name was a reference to Sora, the main protagonist of the "Kingdom Hearts" series; "Sora" and "Caelum" both mean "sky" in their respective languages, and Nomura considered Noctis to be his latest "son".


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: The character's clothing was designed by Hiromu Takahara, the main designer at Japanese fashion house Roen. Takahara's key inspiration for the clothing's style and coloring was "jet black", which was meant to exemplify and represent of the game's atmosphere. Takahara designed the outfit along the same lines as the asymmetrical designs that are common to Roen's clothing lines. His outfit was designed to make Noctis look as though he went to a high-class public house. Roen created a set of real clothes and kept them in the office for reference by the developers; Nomura had been constantly asked by graphic artists which materials his characters' outfits were made from. A ring later known as the is central to the game's story; Noctis wears this on his right hand, whereas the gloves he wears are simply for "design purposes". When the game was first revealed, Noctis wore a temporary outfit while his final look was being created. The character's temporary clothing was based on the game's script to give a visual impression in trailers. Takahara also designed a formal suit for Noctis, which he wears in the original opening section of the game. All Roen designs, including Noctis' suit, were retained when "Versus XIII" was rebranded as "Final Fantasy XV" because the team felt the looks should not be changed.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: While the game changed names, platforms and eventually directors, Nomura worked with new director Hajime Tabata to ensure Noctis remained as unchanged as possible in the final product. Naora supervised changes to his character model. The main goal was to make Noctis appear realistic; his skin texture was enhanced and subtleties were added to its depiction and the effect of different lighting on it, and elements such as subtle birthmarks and skin blotches were added. One of the major goals was keeping the same character impression while making adjustments and enhancements because series fans already had a concept of the character. His hair shadow effects needed to be adjusted after an upgrade in technology so they did not cast too much shade on his face, while the hairstyle was kept consistent. His hairstyle was meant to look ordered from the front but wild from the rear. To make his hair movements realistic, the team worked with a professional hairstylist to create the design using a mannequin's wig, then used the Luminous Engine to render it in real-time—a technique that was first used for the characters in the engine's 2012 tech demo "Agni's Philosophy".


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: Noctis's aging during the course of "Final Fantasy XV" was major departure from previous Japanese role-playing game protagonists. The developers made the change despite fearing a poor reception from fans; Tabata said it "felt that it was important in communicating [the party's] development and wanting to express it in a way that we only can with the current generation of consoles". When creating the development of Noctis' facial features over time, the team used photographs of war veterans and actors to add fine details to mature the character's expressions. His features were designed to be similar to Regis, reflecting the game's theme of the father-son relationship. Noctis' mature appearance was designed by art co-director Yusuke Naora. A version of Noctis was incorporated into a new post-game version of the Yoshitaka Amano-designed logo. The logo was included based on a request by Noctis's Japanese voice actor Tatsuhisa Suzuki to include him. This combined logo was described as representing both the beginning of a new journey, and the game's development history.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: Since the reveal of "Versus XIII", Nomura said the team mainly focused on developing the then-unnamed protagonist's weaponry, later dubbed the , as well as his pose while sitting in the throne. Noctis was originally one of four controllable characters in "Versus XIII", and is the sole playable character in "Final Fantasy XV". He is the only character who can use summoned monsters, recurring elements in the "Final Fantasy" series. Noctis can manipulate multiple weapons at once; his special technique also enables him to summon crystalline weapons known as into battle. In the story, these powers are passed down through the royal line of Lucis. Nomura said while Noctis was overpowered in the first E3 trailer, by the time"Versus XIII" was drafted, the character was weakened until the player grants Noctis several weapons. Early in the game's development Noctis was the only character in the world of "XV" that could use magic, which would not have worked from a gameplay standpoint so the team engineered it so Noctis' companions could share Noctis' magical abilities. At some points during both story scenes and gameplay, Noctis' eyes, which are normally blue, turn red. This feature was present in both "Versus XIII" and "Final Fantasy XV".


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: Nomura did not want Noctis to have a personality like Squall Leonhart or Cloud Strife, the respective protagonists of "Final Fantasy VIII" and "VII", defining their personality type as that of "a silent, gloomy little boy". Nomura wanted to create a realistic character type that had not yet been seen in the "Final Fantasy". Nomura was wary about the character because he was new to the series and might fall "out of bounds". To avoid interfering with player empathy, earlier protagonists did not have strong personalities. Nomura wanted Noctis to have "an overabundance of idiosyncrasy" so he would leave an impression on the player. Nomura also wanted the character to perform actions that bore both heroic and villainous traits, creating someone akin to an anti-hero. He thought these qualities would match the game's themes very well. Noctis hides his shyness under a cold exterior, through which his close friends can see. A key scene in "Versus XIII" that demonstrates his personality is his first meeting with Stella Nox Fleuret, the game's original hero. Tabata wanted gamers to immerse themselves in Noctis' character by learning everything from his point of view. Some scenes might be confusing to both the player and his avatar. The choice of the game's theme song, a cover of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" performed by Florence and the Machine, was meant as a message of gratitude from Noctis, which he is unable to express in words. While also caring for his teammates, Noctis relates to Talcott Hester, a side character in the narrative, due to their parallels.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: The bond between Noctis and his father, and the Regalia and its representation in the story of "Final Fantasy XV", was important to Tabata, according to whom children in Japan are proud of their father's car; it is a "big thing" to go on a ride and have one's father explain the car's functions. Tabata listed this as a wonderful experience from his childhood and wanted to present it in the game. According to Tabata, Noctis' cool mannerisms and reserved exterior stem from his lonely childhood and a fear of losing those closest to him. His words and actions stem from a fear of disappointing those around him, causing him to work to fulfill expectations and bring people happiness. When comparing the personalities of Noctis and Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Tabata said Noctis as the weaker of the two, and that Noctis needs protection instead of her. Noctis' transition from prince to king is a key part of the narrative. According to scenario writer Saori Itamuro, Noctis faces the future as king with both dread and acceptance, having been raised to expect such an event. This part of his story influenced aspects of his appearance. Noctis' fate to battle the antagonist is a major tragedy because while Noctis defeats his nemesis, he dies in the aftermath, reuniting with Luna in the afterlife. Accordin to the developers, the rivalry between Noctis and Ardyn rivalry is unusual in the franchise because the two initially are on friendly terms despite the development of their hatred for each other.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: Suzuki voiced Noctis as an adult, with Miyuki Satō portraying him as a child. Suzuki was cast in 2009, seven years before the game's final release, when the project still had the "Versus XIII" name. When he was first voicing the character, Suzuki said Noctis was far more introverted, speaking with a gruff manner and showing little sympathy for those beyond his immediate circle. When the project was retitled "Final Fantasy XV", Suzuki worked with the production team to create a new persona for Noctis, who became more outgoing and emotional. Suzuki recorded his lines for the game with the rest of the main cast. Suzuki modeled Noctis' persona on the stage mannerisms of Kurt Cobain, former lead singer of the grunge band Nirvana. While he did not do continuous work on the game due to the production's "twists and turns", he found himself constantly keeping Noctis in mind so he could easily portray him in recording sessions. According to Suzuki, some of the recordings he made for "Versus XIII" were used in "Final Fantasy XV". When playing Noctis for the anime series "", Suzuki talked with the main cast, with whom he had established a good rapport, about shifting their portrayals for the altered storytelling medium.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: Localization lead writer Dan Inoue's English-language interpretation of the character is based by Suzuki's influence. Inoue wanted to avoid creating a generic "emo" role-playing lead but he knew Noctis was struggling with his role in the world. Inoue used musician Kurt Cobain as a model for Noctis, who would act like "a rockstar who spurns the spotlight". Inoue said Square Enix devised a model for conversational chemistry between the group of friends who are the main party in "Final Fantasy XV". This model included a complex diagram of the characters' relationships with each other and a series of linguistic techniques to make the dialogue between them feel natural, including nonverbal communication and what Inoue calls "Sorkinization"—each line picking up on the words of the previous one, which he compared to dialogue written by Aaron Sorkin.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: For the English localization, Noctis is voiced by Ray Chase as an adult and by Hyrum Hansen as a child. Speaking about his role, Chase was told rather than create an English version of the Japanese performance outside a few select scenes, Chase was to make a performance that would resonate with Western audiences, resulting in Noctis' English version being noticeably different from the Japanese one. If anything seemed wrong, localization directors Inoue and Keythe Farley would have Chase re-record his dialogue. Noctis was Chase's first "Final Fantasy" character and his first lead role in a video game project. He was initially shocked when he was told what character he would be voicing. Group recording sessions were discontinued because developers needed to match the timings of English dialogue and the Japanese performances. The game's opening scene, in which Noctis sets out on his journey, is the only one that was recorded with several English-speaking actors together.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: English voice work was included for "Episode Duscae" but it was cut close in terms of production scheduling. During the ROM-checking stage, Tabata felt the performance was wrong for the character, an opinion reflected in player feedback after the demo's release, but it was too late to re-record. Tabata said the original performance made the character sound too old, comparing it negatively to Batman. After release, the voice work was redone to show the character's youth and charm, along with his "sense of ennui". Due to the feedback from "Episode Duscae" recasting Noctis was considered, but instead Chase worked with the localization team to find a different voice for Noctis. After putting together a demo reel of Chase performing a variety of lines, Tabata chose the one he thought best suited the character. According to Chase, the most emotional part of the original recording was Noctis's final farewell to his comrades during a post-credit scene, which for him symbolized saying goodbye to the localization team. Noctis's scene on his throne at the end of the game needed re-recording; originally sounding on the point of tears, the dialogue was re-recorded to emphasize Noctis's resolve.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: Noctis Lucis Caelum is the only son and heir of King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII of Lucis. The Caelum dynasty safeguards the Crystal, a artifact connected to the Astrals, god-like protectors for the world of Eos. When he was five years old, the Crystal chose Noctis as the "True King", a prophesied figure who would purge Eos of the Starscourge, a plague that will trigger eternal darkness on Eos and turns living things into monstrous Daemons. At eight years old, Noctis is attacked by a Daemon and is sent to the nation of Tenebrae for healing, where he meets and bonds with its princess Lunafreya. Noctis and Regis are forced to flee Tenebrae when it is attacked by the Niflheim Empire. By the time of the events of "Final Fantasy XV", Niflheim has besieged Lucis and Regis agrees to a ceasefire. As part of the treaty, Noctis will marry Lunafreya; Regis dispatches him to Altissia where they are to be married. Following Noctis' departure, Niflheim attacks Lucis' capital Insomnia, steals the Crystal and kills Regis. Noctis, with his companions and sworn protectors Gladiolus Amicitia, Prompto Argentum and Ignis Scientia, sets out on a quest to retrieve the Crystal and defeat Niflheim.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: To fulfill his role, Noctis collects the Royal Arms—weapons of the ancient Lucian monarchs—from tombs across Lucis, and gains the blessing of the Astrals. He is in turn aided remotely by Lunafreya, and in person by her attendant Gentiana, and Niflheim's chancellor Ardyn Izunia. Ardyn is later revealed to be Ardyn Lucis Caelum, immortal older brother of Noctis's ancestor Somnus, who swore revenge on both the Crystal and Somnus's bloodline when corrupted by the Starscourge. Noctis gains the favor of the Astrals Titan and Ramuh, but Ardyn mortally wounds Lunafreya and disrupts the ritual to summon Leviathan. With a last effort, Lunafreya helps Noctis subdue the rampaging Leviathan before giving him the Ring of the Lucii, an artifact through which he can access the Crystal's magic. Burdened by the loss of Lunafreya and tormented by Ardyn, Noctis heads for Niflheim's capital Gralea.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: Arriving in Gralea to find its population turned into Daemons, Noctis finds and is pulled into the Crystal, where he learns from the Astral Bahamut that he combine his power with the Astrals and the Crystal to destroy the Starscourge, the price being his life. Ten years later, Noctis awakens and reunites with his companions; they travel to Insomnia where they defeat the rogue Astral Ifrit and the enslaved Lucii before facing Ardyn. After defeating Ardyn in the physical world, Noctis sacrifices himself to fulfill his role as the True King by purging the Starscourge, destroying Ardyn's spirit in the afterlife with the aid of the Lucii. In the game's mid-credits and post-credit scenes, Noctis confesses his feelings for his friends during a rest before the final battle, and reunites with Lunafreya in the afterlife.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: Noctis is one of the main characters in "Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV", an original net animation that follows his early life and the story of his companions. The animation tells the story of Noctis and those of his companions from his childhood to the game's opening. The first and last episodes tie into the events of "Platinum Demo: Final Fantasy XV", a free tech demo showing Noctis' journey through a dreamworld during a near-death experience. In the opening and concluding episodes, Noctis learns of the fall of Lucis and faces the Daemon that nearly killed him in his youth. Initially helpless against it, he draws strength from his friends and the memories of his father to kill the Daemon. The game "" features a chibi Noctis as a playable character.


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: Noctis briefly appears as a young, wheelchair-bound child in the 2016 CGI movie "Kingsglaive", and during a post-credits scene at the beginning of his journey to Lestallum. Noctis is also the main character of the manga adaptation of "Final Fantasy XV".


title: Noctis Lucis Caelum

text: "A King's Tale", which is set thirty years before the base game's events, follows the exploits of Regis being told to a young Noctis as a fairy tale.