title: Facial symmetry

text: A wide variety of methods have been used to examine the claim that facial symmetry plays a role in judgments of beauty. Blending of multiple faces to create a composite and face-half mirroring have been among the techniques used.


title: Facial symmetry

text: Conclusions derived from face mirroring, however, have been called into question, because it has been shown that mirroring face-halves creates artificial features. For example, if the nose of an individual is slightly bent to the right side, then mirroring the right side of the face will lead to an over-sized nose, while mirroring the left side will lead to an unnaturally small nose.


title: Facial symmetry

text: Facial symmetry has been found to increase ratings of attractiveness in human faces. More symmetrical faces are perceived as more attractive in both males and females, although facial symmetry plays a larger role in judgments of attractiveness concerning female faces.


title: Facial symmetry

text: While studies employing the composite faces produced results that indicate that more symmetrical faces are perceived as more attractive, studies applying the face-half mirroring technique have indicated that humans prefer slight asymmetry. Also, studies have shown that nearly symmetrical faces are considered highly attractive as compared to asymmetrical ones. The symmetry of the nose seems to be more important than that of the lips.


title: Facial symmetry

text: Highly conspicuous directional asymmetries can be temporary ones. For example, during speech, most people (76%) tend to express greater amplitude of movement on the right side of their mouth. This is most likely caused by the uneven strengths of contralateral neural connections between the left hemisphere of the brain (linguistic localization) and the right side of the face.


title: Facial symmetry

text: Facial symmetry is also a valid marker of cognitive aging. Progressive changes occurring throughout life in the soft tissues of the face will cause more prominent facial asymmetry in older faces. Therefore, symmetrical transformation of older faces generally increases their attractiveness while symmetrical transformation in young adults and children will decrease their attractiveness.


title: Facial symmetry

text: Research indicates that facial symmetry is correlated with the 'big-five' model of personality. The five factors are:


title: Facial symmetry

text: A consistent finding is that facial symmetry is positively correlated with extraversion, indicating that individuals with more symmetric faces are also more extroverted. More symmetrical faces are also judged to be lower on neuroticism but higher on conscientiousness and agreeableness (asymmetrical faces were rated as less agreeable than normal ones, but the more symmetrical were again rated as somewhat less agreeable than the normal). More symmetrical faces are also more likely to have more desirable social attributes assigned to them, such as sociable, intelligent or lively.


title: Facial symmetry

text: However, the relationship of facial symmetry and the 'big-five' personality model remains somewhat unclear with regard to neuroticism, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness. Openness and agreeableness appear to be significantly negatively related to facial symmetry, while neuroticism and conscientiousness do not seem to be linked to facial symmetry. With respect to trustworthiness it has been found that the facial muscles become imbalanced when lying.


title: Facial symmetry

text: Sexual selection is a theoretical construct within evolution theory. According to sexual selection, mate choice can have profound influence on the preferred features. Sexual selection can only influence features that potential mates can perceive, such as smell, audition (e.g. song) and vision. Such features might be reliable indicators of hidden fitness parameters such as a good immune system or developmental stability.


title: Facial symmetry

text: It has been argued that more symmetric faces are preferred because symmetry might be a reliable sign of such hidden fitness parameters. However it is possible that high facial symmetry in an individual is not due to their superior genetics but due to a lack of exposure to stressors during development.


title: Facial symmetry

text: It has been found that more symmetrical faces are rated as healthier than less symmetrical faces. Indeed, facial symmetry was found to be positively associated with the perceived healthiness of the facial skin. Also, facial asymmetry was found to be correlated with physiological, psychological and emotional distress.


title: Facial symmetry

text: Some evidence suggests that face preferences in adults might be correlated to infections in childhood.


title: Blood and Iron (speech)

text: Blood and Iron (German: "Blut und Eisen") is the name given to a speech made by Otto von Bismarck given on 30 September 1862, at the time when he was Minister President of Prussia, about the unification of the German territories. It is also a transposed phrase that Bismarck uttered near the end of the speech that has become one of his most widely known quotations.


title: Blood and Iron (speech)

text: In September 1862, when the Prussian House of Representatives were refusing to approve an increase in military spending desired by King Wilhelm I, the monarch appointed Bismarck Minister President and Foreign Minister. A few days later, Bismarck appeared before the House's Budget Committee and stressed the need for military preparedness to solve the German Question. He concluded his speech with the following statement: “The position of Prussia in Germany will not be determined by its liberalism but by its power [...] Prussia must concentrate its strength and hold it for the favourable moment, which has already come and gone several times. Since the treaties of Vienna, our frontiers have been ill-designed for a healthy body politic. Not through speeches and majority decisions will the great questions of the day be decided—that was the great mistake of 1848 and 1849—but by iron and blood ("Eisen und Blut").”This phrase, relying on a patriotic poem written by Max von Schenkendorf during the Napoleonic Wars, was popularized as the more euphonious "Blut und Eisen" ("Blood and Iron"), and became symbolic of Bismarckian "Machtpolitik" ("Power politics").


title: Blood and Iron (speech)

text: Although Bismarck was an outstanding diplomat, the phrase "blood and iron" has become a popular description of his foreign policy partly because he did on occasion resort to war to further the unification of Germany and the expansion of its continental power. Therefore, he became known as "the iron chancellor."


title: Blood and Iron (speech)

text: The speech is recreated in the 1940 German film "Bismarck". The propaganda film does much to connect Otto von Bismarck with Adolf Hitler.


title: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department

text: The serves as the prefectural police department of Tokyo Metropolis. Founded in 1874, it is headed by a Superintendent-General, who is appointed by the National Public Safety Commission, and approved by the Prime Minister.


title: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department

text: The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, with a staff of more than 40,000 police officers, and over 2,800 civilian personnel; making it the largest police force in the world by number of officers, manages 102 stations in the prefecture.


title: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department

text: The main building of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is located in the Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda ward, Tokyo. Built in 1980, it is 18 stories tall, a large wedge-shaped building with a cylindrical tower. It is easily seen from the street and a well-known landmark.


title: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department

text: To prepare for the G20 summit in 2019, the TMPD announced the establishment of the Water Response Team in order to police bodies of water near G20 summit venues.


title: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department

text: In 1978, the TMPD was investigated when a uniformed officer killed a female university student inside her residence. In 1997, an officer was caught for making up information in an amphetamine case.


title: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department

text: In 2007, the TMPD was under scrutiny when a serving TMPD officer was involved in an incident where he used his official sidearm to shoot a female person to death before he committed suicide. The TMPD was investigating an incident in the Kamata Police Station in Ota Ward where a police officer committed suicide in February 2014 due to harassment at work. The chief in charge was disciplined.


title: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department

text: The TMPD is under the command of a Superintendent-General and reports directly to the Tokyo Metropolitan Public Safety Commission. The Superintendent-General can be appointed and replaced at any time as long as the prime minister and the TMPSC receives their approval.


title: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department

text: The ranks used in the TMPD have been slightly revised in 2013, changing only the English translation of some of the ranks used by the force.


title: Community (ecology)

text: In ecology, a community is a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time, also known as a biocoenosis, biotic community, biological community, ecological community, or life assemblage. The term community has a variety of uses. In its simplest form it refers to groups of organisms in a specific place or time, for example, "the fish community of Lake Ontario before industrialization".


title: Community (ecology)

text: Community ecology or synecology is the study of the interactions between species in communities on many spatial and temporal scales, including the distribution, structure, abundance, demography, and interactions between coexisting populations. The primary focus of community ecology is on the interactions between populations as determined by specific genotypic and phenotypic characteristics.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Community ecology also takes into account abiotic factors that influence species distributions or interactions (e.g. annual temperature or soil pH). For example, the plant communities inhabiting deserts are very different from those found in tropical rainforests due to differences in annual precipitation. Humans can also affect community structure through habitat disturbance, such as the introduction of invasive species.


title: Community (ecology)

text: On a deeper level the meaning and value of the community concept in ecology is up for debate. Communities have traditionally been understood on a fine scale in terms of local processes constructing (or destructing) an assemblage of species, such as the way climate change is likely to affect the make-up of grass communities. Recently this local community focus has been criticised. Robert Ricklefs has argued that it is more useful to think of communities on a regional scale, drawing on evolutionary taxonomy and biogeography, where some species or clades evolve and others go extinct.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Within the community, each species occupies a niche. A species' niche determines how it interacts with the environment around it and its role within the community. By having different niches species are able to coexist. This is known as niche partitioning. For example, the time of day a species hunts or the prey it hunts.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Niche partitioning reduces competition between species. Such that species are able to coexist as they suppress their own growth more than they limit the growth of other species. The competition within a species is greater than the competition between species. Intraspecific competition is greater than interspecific.


title: Community (ecology)

text: The number of niches present in a community determines the number of species present. If two species have the same niche (e.g., the same food demands) then one species outcompetes the other. The more niches filled, the higher the biodiversity of the community.


title: Community (ecology)

text: A species’ trophic level is their position in the food chain or web. At the bottom of the food web are autotrophs, also known as primary producer. Producers provide their own energy through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, plants are primary producers. The next level is herbivores (primary consumers), these species feed on vegetation for their energy source. Herbivores are consumed by omnivores or carnivores. These species are secondary and tertiary consumers. Additional levels to the trophic scale come when smaller omnivores or carnivores are eaten by larger ones. At the top of the food web is the apex predator, this animal species is not consumed by any other in the community. Herbivores, omnivores and carnivores are all heterotrophs.


title: Community (ecology)

text: A basic example of a food chain is; grass → rabbit → fox. Food chains become more complex when more species are present, often being food webs. Energy is passed up through trophic levels. Energy is lost at each level, due to ecological inefficiencies.


title: Community (ecology)

text: The trophic level of an organism can change based on the other species present. For example, tuna can be an apex predator eating the smaller fish, such as mackerel. However, in a community where a shark species is present the shark becomes the apex predator, feeding on the tuna.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Decomposers play a role in the trophic pyramid. They provide energy source and nutrients to the plant species in the community. Decomposers such as fungi and bacteria recycle energy back to the base of the food web by feeding on dead organisms from all trophic levels.


title: Community (ecology)

text: A guild is a group of species in the community that utilise the same resources in a similar way. Organisms in the same guild experience competition due to their shared resource. Closely related species are often in the same guild, due to traits inherited through common descent from their common ancestor. However, guilds are not exclusively composed of closely related species.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Carnivores, omnivores and herbivores are all basic examples of guilds. A more precise guild would be vertebrates that forage for ground dwelling arthropods, this would contain certain birds and mammals. Flowering plants that have the same pollinator also form a guild.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Certain species have a greater influence on the community through their direct and indirect interactions with other species. The loss of these species results in large changes to the community, often reducing the stability of the community. Climate change and the introduction of invasive species can affect the functioning of key species and thus have knock-on effects on the community processes.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Foundation species largely influence the population, dynamics and processes of a community. These species can occupy any trophic level but tend to be producers. Red mangrove is a foundation species in marine communities. The mangrove's root provides nursery grounds for young fish, such as snappers.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Whitebark pine ("Pinus albicaulis") is a foundation species. Post fire disturbance the tree provides shade (due to its dense growth) enabling the regrowth of other plant species in the community, This growth prompts the return of invertebrates and microbes needed for decomposition. Whitebark pine seeds provide food for grizzly bears.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Keystone species have a disproportionate influence on the community than most species. Keystone species tend to be at the higher trophic levels, often being the apex predator. Removal of the keystone species causes top-down trophic cascades. Wolves are keystone species, being an apex predator.


title: Community (ecology)

text: In Yellowstone National Park the loss of the wolf population through overhunting resulted in the loss of biodiversity in the community. The wolves had controlled the number of elks in the park, through predation. Without the wolves the elk population drastically increased, resulting in overgrazing. This negatively affected the other organisms in the park; the increased grazing from the elks removed food sources from other animals present. Wolves have since been reintroduced to return the park community to optimal functioning. See Wolf reintroduction and History of wolves in Yellowstone for more details on this case study.


title: Community (ecology)

text: A marine example of a keystone species is "Pisaster ochraceus". This starfish controls the abundance of "Mytilus californianus", allowing enough resources for the other species in the community.


title: Community (ecology)

text: An ecosystem engineer is a species that maintains, modifies and creates aspects of a community. They cause physical changes to the habitat and alter the resources available to the other organisms present.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Dam building beavers are ecological engineers. Through the cutting of trees to form dams they alter the flow of water in a community. These changes influence the vegetation on the riparian zone, studies show biodiversity is increased. Burrowing by the beavers creates channels, increasing the connections between habitats. This aids the movement of other organisms in the community such as frogs.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Community structure is the composition of the community. It is often measured be measured through biological networks, such as food webs.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Holistic theory refers to the idea that a community is defined by the interactions between the organisms in it. All species are interdependent, each playing a vital role in the working of the community. Due to this communities are repeatable and easy to identify, with similar abiotic factors controlling throughout.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Frederic Clements developed the holistic (or organismic) concept of community, as if it were a superorganism or discrete unit, with sharp boundaries. Clements proposed this theory after noticing that certain plant species were regularly found together in habitats, he concluded that the species were dependent on each other. Formation of communities is non-random and involves coevolution.


title: Community (ecology)

text: The Holistic theory stems from the greater thinking of Holism—which refers to a system with many parts, all required for the system to function.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Henry Gleason developed the individualistic (also known as open or continuum) concept of community, with the abundance of a population of a species changing gradually along complex environmental gradients. Each species changes independently in relation to other species present along the gradient. Association of species is random and due to coincidence. Varying environmental conditions and each species' probability of arriving and becoming established along the gradient influence the community composition.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Individualistic theory proposes that communities can exist as continuous entities, in addition to the discrete groups referred to in the holistic theory.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Stephen P. Hubbell introduced the neutral theory of ecology. Within the community (or metacommunity), species are functionally equivalent, and the abundance of a population of a species changes by stochastic demographic processes (i.e., random births and deaths).


title: Community (ecology)

text: Equivalence of the species in the community leads to ecological drift. Ecological drift leads to species' populations randomly fluctuating, whilst the overall number of individuals in the community remains constant.


title: Community (ecology)

text: When an individual dies, there is an equal chance of each species colonising that plot. Stochastic changes can cause species within the community to go extinct, however, this can take a long time if there are many individuals of that species.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Species can coexist because they are similar, resources and conditions apply a filter to the type of species that are present in the community. Each population has the same adaptive value (competitive and dispersal abilities) and resources demand. Local and regional composition represent a balance between speciation or dispersal (which increase diversity), and random extinctions (which decrease diversity).


title: Community (ecology)

text: Species interact in various ways: competition, predation, parasitism, mutualism, commensalism, etc. The organization of a biological community with respect to ecological interactions is referred to as community structure.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Species can compete with each other for finite resources. It is considered an important limiting factor of population size, biomass and species richness. Many types of competition have been described, but proving the existence of these interactions is a matter of debate. Direct competition has been observed between individuals, populations and species, but there is little evidence that competition has been the driving force in the evolution of large groups.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Predation is hunting another species for food. This is a positive-negative interaction, the predator species benefits while the prey species is harmed. Some predators kill their prey before eating them, also known as kill and consume. For example, a hawk catching and killing a mouse.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Other predators are parasites that feed on prey while alive, for example, a vampire bat feeding on a cow. Parasitism can however lead to death of the host organism over time.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Predation may affect the population size of predators and prey and the number of species coexisting in a community.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Predation can be specialist, for example the least weasel predates solely on the field vole. Or generalist, e.g. polar bear primarily eats seals but can switch diet to birds when seal population is low.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Species can be solitary or group predators. The advantage of hunting in a group means bigger prey can be taken, however, the food source must be shared. Wolves are group predators, whilst tigers are solitary.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Predation is density dependant, often leading to population cycles. When prey is abundant predator species increases, thus eating more prey species and causing the prey population to decline. Due to lack of food the predator population declines. Due to lack of predation the prey population increases. See Lotka–Volterra equations for more details on this. A well-known example of this is lynx-hare population cycles seen in the north.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Predation can result in coevolution – evolutionary arms race, prey adapts to avoid predator, predator evolves. For example, a prey species develops a toxin that kills its predator and the predator evolves resistance to the toxin making it no longer lethal.


title: Community (ecology)

text: An example is "Rhizobium" bacteria growing in nodules on the roots of legumes. This relationship between plant and bacteria is endosymbiotic, the bacteria living on the roots of the legume. The plant provides compounds made during photosynthesis to the bacteria, that can be used as an energy source. Whilst Rhizobium is a nitrogen fixing bacteria, providing amino acids or ammonium to the plant.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Insects pollinating the flowers of angiosperms, is another example. Many plants are dependent on pollination from a pollinator. A pollinator transfers pollen from the male flower to the female's stigma. This fertilises the flower and enables the plant to reproduce. Bees, such as honeybees, are the most commonly known pollinators. Bees get nectar from the plant that they use as an energy source. Un-transferred pollen provides protein for the bee. The plant benefits through fertilisation, whilst the bee is provided with food.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Commensalism is a type of relationship among organisms in which one organism benefits while the other organism is neither benefited nor harmed. The organism that benefited is called the "commensal" while the other organism that is neither benefited nor harmed is called the "host".


title: Community (ecology)

text: For example, an epiphytic orchid attached to the tree for support benefits the orchid but neither harms nor benefits the tree. This type of commensalism is called inquilinism, the orchid permanently lives on the tree.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Phoresy is another type of commensalism, the commensal uses the host solely for transport. Many mite species rely on another organism, such as birds or mammals, for dispersal.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Metabiosis is the final form of commensalism. The commensal relies on the host to prepare an environment suitable for life. For example, Kelp has a root like system, called a holdfast, that attaches it to the seabed. Once rooted it provides molluscs, such as sea snails, with a home that protects them from predation.


title: Community (ecology)

text: The opposite of commensalism is amensalism, an interspecific relationship in which a product of one organism has a negative effect on another organism but the original organism is unaffected.


title: Community (ecology)

text: An example is an interaction been tadpoles of the common frog and a freshwater snail. The tadpoles consume large amounts of micro-algae. Making algae less abundant for the snail, the algae available for the snail is also of lower quality. The tadpole, therefore, has a negative effect on the snail without a gaining noticeable advantage from the snail. The tadpoles would obtain the same amount of food with or without the presence of the snail.


title: Community (ecology)

text: An older, taller tree can inhibit the growth of smaller trees. A new sapling growing in the shade of a mature tree struggles to get light for photosynthesis. The mature tree also has a well-developed root system, helping it outcompete the sapling for nutrients. Growth of the sapling is therefore impeded, often resulting in death. The relationship between the two trees is amensalism, the mature tree is unaffected by the presence of the smaller one.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Parasitism is an interaction in which one organism, the host, is harmed while the other, the parasite, benefits.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Parasitism is a symbiosis, a long-term bond in which the parasite feeds on the host or takes resources from the host. Parasites can live within the body such as a tapeworm. Or on the body's surface, for example head-lice.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Malaria is a result of a parasitic relationship between a female Anopheles mosquito and ‘’Plasmodium’’.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Mosquitos get the parasite by feeding on an infected vertebrate. Inside the mosquito the plasmodium develops in the midgut's wall. Once developed to a zygote the parasite moves to the salivary glands where it can be passed on to a vertebrate species, for example humans. The mosquito acts as a vector for Malaria. The parasite tends to reduce the mosquito's lifespan and inhibits the production of offspring.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Cuckoos regularly do this type of parasitism. Cuckoos lay their eggs in the nest of another species of birds. The host, therefore, provides for the cuckoo chick as if it were as their own, unable to tell the difference. The cuckoo chicks eject the host's young from the nest meaning they get a greater level of care and resources from the parents. Rearing for young is costly and can reduce the success of future offspring, thus the cuckoo attempts to avoid this cost through brood parasitism.


title: Community (ecology)

text: In a similar way to predation, parasitism can lead to an evolutionary arms race. The host evolves to protect themselves from the parasite and the parasite evolves to overcome this restriction.


title: Community (ecology)

text: Neutralism is where species interact, but the interaction has no noticeable effects on either species involved. Due to the interconnectedness of communities, true neutralism is rare. Examples of neutralism in ecological systems are hard to prove, due to the indirect effects that species can have on each other.


title: Teenage Euthanasia

text: Teenage Euthanasia is an American adult animated fantasy comedy television series created by Alyson Levy and Alissa Nutting. The series stars Maria Bamford, Jo Firestone, Tim Robinson and Bebe Neuwirth. The series premiered on Adult Swim on September 6, 2021.


title: Teenage Euthanasia

text: In the mildly apocalyptic near future, Trophy Fantasy is a teenage mother who left her baby daughter Euthanasia "Annie" Fantasy in the custody of her undertaker mother Baba and her half-brother Pete at their funeral home Tender Endings in the fictional town of Fort Gator, Florida. After getting a devastating divorce from her current husband and dying from an overdose 15 years later, Trophy's corpse is delivered to Baba at Tender Endings as her written demand to those who found her dead. An unexpected combination of Baba's embalming fluid, Annie's tears, and a lightning bolt from a thunderstorm revives Trophy as a sentient zombie with supernatural abilities that involves housing a swarm of sentient beetles in her crotch.


title: Wendy Choo

text: Karen Yu (born January 18, 1992) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to the promotion WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Wendy Choo. She is also known for her appearances with Ring of Honor and on the independent circuit as Karen Q and for her appearances with WWE as Mei Ying.


title: Wendy Choo

text: Yu grew up in the Bayside, Queens neighborhood of New York City, attending Benjamin N. Cardozo High School. Yu participated in gymnastics from the age of five. She received an NCAA Division II scholarship for volleyball, earning a bachelor's degree in physical education from Queens College and a master's degree in teaching from Lehman College. Before becoming a full-time professional wrestler, she taught physical education at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and coached gymnastics at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School.


title: Wendy Choo

text: Yu was first trained to wrestle by Johnny Rodz at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, then by Damian Adams at the Team Adams Pro Wrestling Academy in Wharton, New Jersey. She debuted in 2014 under her birth name, appearing with the Centereach, New York-based Victory Pro Wrestling (VPW) promotion. Over the following years, she competed on the independent circuit, primarily in the Northeastern United States. In 2016, she adopted the ring name "Karen Q". She won her first title in April 2016, defeating Nikki Addams for the VPW Women's Championship. In 2017, she won the East Coast Wrestling Association Women's Championship. She took part in the ECWA Super 8 ChickFight Tournament in 2016 and 2017, losing to Deonna Purrazzo in the finals in 2016 and winning the tournament in 2017.


title: Wendy Choo

text: In April 2017, Yu began appearing with Ring of Honor. At Survival of the Fittest in November 2017, she lost to Deonna Purrazzo in a no disqualification match. At Final Battle in December 2018, Yu took part in a four way match for the Women of Honor World Championship that was won by Kelly Klein, marking her first pay-per-view appearance.


title: Wendy Choo

text: Yu made her first appearance with WWE in August 2018, competing in the Mae Young Classic tournament under the ring name "Karen Q". In February 2019, she signed a contract with WWE and was assigned to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida for further training. From February to July 2019, she wrestled for WWE as "Karen Q", primarily teaming with Xia Li on NXT house shows. In July 2019, Yu suffered a fractured lateral malleolus; she spent the next two years rehabilitating, undergoing two surgeries. In December 2020, Yu was reintroduced on "NXT" as "Mei Ying", the leader of the stable "Tian Sha" alongside Xia Li and Boa. She returned to the ring in August 2021. In November 2021, the Mei Ying character was dropped and Yu was again repackaged, this time as "Wendy Choo". In March 2022, Choo and Dakota Kai competed in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, losing to Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray in the finals. In June 2022 at In Your House, Choo unsuccessfully challenged Mandy Rose for the NXT Women's Championship.


title: Wendy Choo

text: Choo wrestles in a "technical" style with a mix of "technical wizardry and breathtaking aerial assaults". Her finishing moves have included a modified Boston crab (dubbed the "Spring Roll") and a fujiwara armbar. She utilizes "an array of stunning suplexes".


title: Wendy Choo

text: In 2020 and 2021, Yu portrayed the "enigmatic and destructive" character of "Mei Ying", a 1,000 year old woman who acted as a "Yoda" for the Tian Sha stable. In 2022, she adopted the gimmick of "Wendy Choo", a constantly tired wrestler who performs in a onesie.


title: Pepsi Globe

text: The Pepsi Globe is the logo for Pepsi, named for the red, white, and blue design in a sphere-like shape. It is one of the most recognizable logos in the world.


title: Pepsi Globe

text: The modern Pepsi logo has its origins in the 1940s, during World War II. Pepsi unveiled a new bottle cap that featured the Pepsi script surrounded by red and blue colors on a white background. Since Pepsi was recognizable with its script logo in the same manner as its main rival, Coca-Cola, the cap logo was meant as a show of U.S. patriotism.


title: Pepsi Globe

text: The cap logo became Pepsi's primary logo around 1945. The logo was redesigned in 1962 as a bottle cap, replacing the script in favor of a modern "Pepsi" type treatment


title: Pepsi Globe

text: The logo was updated again in 1973, when the wordmark was made smaller to fit in the white section of the logo. The bottle cap motif was dropped and the logo was flanked with a red bar on the left and a light-blue bar on the right. A vertical variation of this would also have the red bar on the bottom and the light-blue bar on the top or omitted. The logo was modified in a new font in 1987.


title: Pepsi Globe

text: In 1991, no typeface of any kind would be in the white section of the logo on a regular Pepsi product. Instead, the red bar would be lengthened slightly, the light-blue bar removed, and the Pepsi wordmark was moved to the top.


title: Pepsi Globe

text: In 1998, the red bar was removed as Pepsi adopted all-blue packaging, and visually detailed the Pepsi Globe to appear three-dimensional. This was the first official use of the logo as the “Pepsi Globe.” The design was refined in early 2003 when the typeface was updated and the Pepsi Globe became more detailed. This version remained mostly the same in 2006 when Pepsi redesigned the packaging once more to show different backgrounds on each can, though the color remained blue.


title: Pepsi Globe

text: In October 2008, Pepsi announced it would be redesigning its logo and re-branding many of its products by mid-2009. The New York-based brand consultancy agency Arnell Group was hired on a $1 million contract to perform the brand update, leading to a 27-page design proposal titled "BREATHTAKING Design Strategy". The document was subsequently leaked on Reddit by a user claiming to be an industry freelancer and garnered mixed reception, being described in some press reports as "bizarre", "nonsensical", and "brand-equity pop-psychobabble". Rumors were reported that the document was a hoax perpetrated by the Arnell Group itself as a component of a viral marketing campaign. In an interview with "AdAge", agency namesake Peter Arnell commented on the project:


title: Pepsi Globe

text: "When I did the Pepsi logo, I told Pepsi that I wanted to go to Asia, to China and Japan, for a month and tuck myself away and just design it and study it and create it … There was a lot of research, a lot of consumer data points … and dialogue that I had with the folks at Pepsi, consumers and retailers. We knew what we were doing."


title: Pepsi Globe

text: Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and Pepsi Max now use all lower-case fonts for name brands, Mountain Dew has been renamed "Mtn Dew," and Diet Pepsi Max has been re-branded as Pepsi Max, because the original 1993 version is no longer available in the United States. The new imagery has started to be used. The new lower-case font used on Pepsi's products are reminiscent of the font used in Diet Pepsi's logo from the 1970s to the mid-1980s.


title: Pepsi Globe

text: The white area of the logo became a series of "smiles," with the central white band arcing at different angles depending on the product until mid 2010. Regular Pepsi had a medium-sized "smile", while Diet Pepsi had a small "grin". Pepsi Max's variant was the most different, using a large "laugh" and also used black in the bottom third of the globe as opposed to the more standard royal blue. In July 2010, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, and all other Pepsi variants (except Pepsi ONE) began using the regular "smile" logo as it was redesigned to match the global branding.


title: Pepsi Globe

text: The new Pepsi design was unveiled in Canada in 2009. It was then released in other countries outside the US in 2010 such as France and the UK, meaning the 2003 design was phased out completely. In the UK, the current "smile" logo features the globe in the center, and the "Pepsi" text below it, as opposed to the tilted text in the US.


title: Pepsi Globe

text: As of 2014, the only Pepsi product not using the redesigned Pepsi Globe is Pepsi Throwback. Throwback deliberately uses retro 1973 logo on the packaging due to the drink using an older formula of Pepsi containing sugarcane instead of high-fructose corn syrup that is more commonly found in soft drinks today in the US. The product was renamed Pepsi-Cola Made With Real Sugar in 2014, and uses the 1950s-era script logo in addition to the modern globe logo. Pepsi ONE previously used the 2005 logo until late 2012, when it adopted the current smile logo to keep in line with Pepsi's current branding; Pepsi ONE would be discontinued in 2015.


title: Pepsi Globe

text: The true cost of the new logo is difficult to quantify including the costs of replacing the old logo on trucks, vending machines, stadium signs, billboards, point-of-sale materials and other places that displayed the old Pepsi logo. One expert estimated that this cost could easily reach several hundred million dollars. The estimated time to remake this icon was about 5 months. The CEO of Pepsi, Indra Nooyi, called for a "quantum leap" forward in reconstructing the soft drink business and for Pepsi to be recognized as a cultural leader. Pepsi needed to find ways to cut costs in the next few years. It laid off many workers, primarily in the Frito-Lay division, and spent significantly less on television advertising in 2010 and 2011. In those years Coca-Cola spent roughly 8% of sales on television advertising while Pepsi spent 3%. In 2012 Pepsi spent an estimated $400 million to $500 million on advertising spending.


title: Pepsi Globe

text: Diet Pepsi was using 1960s-style script with light-blue waves below the script on a white background from the 1970s to 1980s.


title: Pepsi Globe

text: When the product was reformulated with NutraSweet in 1984, Diet Pepsi received a jagged, multi-layered version of the Pepsi Globe. With the "Diet Pepsi" typeface positioned above the globe, it marked the first time no text was in the white section of the Pepsi Globe on any Pepsi product. The text being absent from the Pepsi Globe would carry over with regular Pepsi in 1991.


title: Pepsi Globe

text: Diet Pepsi has used the Pepsi Globe since, as it became more standardized in 1991, along with Pepsi's other products.


title: All for Love (song)

text: "All for Love" is a song written by Bryan Adams, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, and Michael Kamen for the soundtrack " The Three Musketeers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". It is performed by Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting. The power ballad was released as a CD single in the United States on November 16, 1993. It was a worldwide hit, reaching number one across Europe, in Australia and in North America.


title: All for Love (song)

text: Adams also did a live version in 1994 featuring Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Nancy Gustafson, and Giorgia Todrani. Michael Kamen, who co-wrote the song with Adams, conducted the orchestra.


title: All for Love (song)

text: Alan Jones from "Music Week" rated "All for Love" five out of five. He wrote, "With the minimum of formalities Bryan, Rod and Sting launch into their-threeway rendilion of this powerful ballad from the movie "The Three Musketeers". Their vocals blend well, and though the song itself is a trifle predictable, their combined fan base should be strong enough to send this hurtling into the Top Five in next to no time." Mark Frith from "Smash Hits" gave it four out of five, stating that it has "drama and powerful choruses on top. And it's got one of those searing guitar solos in the middle." He added, "Genius! Love or hate it, you can't deny the professionalism that will probably make this number 1."


title: All for Love (song)

text: In the United States, the single reached number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100 on January 22, 1994. It remained atop the charts for three weeks before it was knocked out of the top spot by "The Power of Love" by Celine Dion. It sold 1.2 million copies domestically and earned a platinum certification from the RIAA. In Canada, the song reached number one on the RPM Singles chart on January 17, 1994, replacing Adams's solo hit "Please Forgive Me", which had been number one for six weeks. With "All for Love" remaining at number one for five weeks, Adams was in the number one position for 11 straight weeks on the Canadian chart. In the United Kingdom, it reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. In 2007, the Swedish band E.M.D. released a cover of the song, peaking at number one in their native country. Bryan Adams would also do a French-language remake with Garou and Roch Voisine, entitled "Tous ensemble", for the Quebecois film "Il était une fois Les Boys".


title: Galla Placidia

text: Galla Placidia (388–89/392–93 – 27 November 450), daughter of the Roman emperor Theodosius I, was a mother, tutor, and advisor to emperor Valentinian III, and a major force in Roman politics for most of her life. She was queen consort to Ataulf, king of the Visigoths from 414 until his death in 415, briefly empress consort to Constantius III in 421, and managed the government administration as a regent during the early reign of Valentinian III, until her death.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Placidia was the daughter of Theodosius I and his second wife, Galla, who was herself daughter of Valentinian I and his second wife, Justina. Galla Placidia's date of birth is not recorded, but she must have been born either in the period 388-89 or 392–93. Between these dates, her father was in Italy following his campaign against the usurper Magnus Maximus, while her mother remained in Constantinople.


title: Galla Placidia

text: A surviving letter from Bishop Ambrose of Milan, dated 390, refers to a younger son of Theodosius named Gratianus, who died in infancy; as Gratian must have been born in the period 388–89, it is most probable that Galla Placidia was born during the second period, 392–93. Placidia's mother Galla died some time in 394, perhaps giving birth to a stillborn son.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Placidia was a younger, paternal half-sister of emperors Arcadius and Honorius. Her older half-sister Pulcheria predeceased her parents according to Gregory of Nyssa, placing the death of Pulcheria prior to the death of Aelia Flaccilla, the first wife of Theodosius I, in 385. Coins issued in Placidia's honour in Constantinople after 425 give her name as AELIA PLACIDIA; this may have been intended to integrate Placidia with the eastern dynasty of Theodosius II. There is no evidence that the name Aelia was ever used in the west, or that it formed part of Placidia's official nomenclature.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Placidia was granted her own household by her father in the early 390s and was thus financially independent while underage. She was summoned to the court of her father in Mediolanum (Milan) during 394, and was present at Theodosius' death on 17 January 395. She was granted the title of "nobilissima puella" ("most noble girl") during her childhood.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Placidia spent most of her early years in the household of Stilicho and his wife, Serena. She is presumed to have learned weaving and embroidery. She might have also been given a classical education. Serena was a first cousin of Arcadius, Honorius and Placidia. The poem "In Praise of Serena" by Claudian and the "Historia Nova" by Zosimus clarify that Serena's father was an elder Honorius, a brother to Theodosius I. According to ""De Consulatu Stilichonis"" by Claudian, Placidia was betrothed to Eucherius, only known son of Stilicho and Serena. Her scheduled marriage is mentioned in the text as the third union between Stilicho's family and the Theodosian dynasty, following those of Stilicho to Serena and Maria, their daughter, to Honorius.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Stilicho was the magister militum of the Western Roman Empire. He was the only known person to hold the rank of "magister militum in praesenti" from 394 to 408 in both the Western and the Eastern Roman Empire. He was also titled "magister equitum et peditum" ("Master of the Horse and of Foot"), placing him in charge of both the cavalry and infantry forces of the Western Roman Empire. In 408, Arcadius died and was succeeded by his son Theodosius II, only seven years old. Stilicho planned to proceed to Constantinople and "undertake the management of the affairs of Theodosius", convincing Honorius not to travel to the East himself. Shortly after, Olympius, 'Magister Scrinii', attempted to convince Honorius that Stilicho was in fact conspiring to depose Theodosius II, to replace him with Eucherius. Olympius proceeded to lead a military coup d'état which left him in control of Honorius and his court. Stilicho was arrested and executed on 22 August 408. Eucherius sought refuge in Rome but was arrested there and executed by the eunuchs Arsacius and Tarentius, on imperial orders. Honorius appointed Tarentius imperial chamberlain, and gave the next post under him to Arsacius.


title: Galla Placidia

text: In the disturbances that followed the fall of Stilicho, wives and children of "foederati" living in the cities of Italy were killed. Most of the "foederati", regarded as loyal to Stilicho, joined the forces of Alaric I, King of the Visigoths. Alaric led them to Rome and put it under siege, with minor interruptions, from autumn 408 to 24 August 410. Zosimus records that Placidia was within the city during the siege. When Serena was accused of conspiring with Alaric, "the whole senate therefore, with Placidia, uterine sister to the emperor, thought it proper that she should suffer death".


title: Galla Placidia

text: Placidia was captured by Alaric before the fall of Rome, and accompanied the Visigoths from Italy to Gaul in 412. Their ruler Ataulf, having succeeded Alaric, entered an alliance with Honorius against Jovinus and Sebastianus, rival Western Roman emperors located in Gaul, and managed to defeat and execute both in 413.


title: Galla Placidia

text: After the heads of Sebastianus and Jovinus arrived at Honorius' court in Ravenna in late August, to be forwarded for display among other usurpers on the walls of Carthage, relations between Ataulf and Honorius improved sufficiently for Ataulf to cement them by marrying Galla Placidia at Narbonne on 1 January 414. The nuptials were celebrated with high Roman festivities and magnificent gifts. Priscus Attalus gave the wedding speech, a classical epithalamium. The marriage was recorded by Hydatius and Jordanes, although the latter states that it was earlier, in 411 at Forum Livii (Forlì) (possibly a more informal event).


title: Galla Placidia

text: Placidia and Ataulf had one son, Theodosius, born in Barcelona by the end of 414, but the child died early in the following year, eliminating an opportunity for a Romano-Visigothic line; years later the corpse was exhumed and reburied in the imperial mausoleum in Old St. Peter's Basilica, Rome. In Hispania, Ataulf imprudently accepted into his service a man identified as "Dubius" or "Eberwolf", a former follower of Sarus. Sarus had been a Germanic chieftain killed while fighting under Jovinus and Sebastianus, and his follower harbored a secret desire to avenge the death of his patron. In August/September, 415, in the palace at Barcelona, the man brought Ataulf's reign to a sudden end by killing him while he bathed.


title: Galla Placidia

text: The Amali faction proceeded to proclaim Sigeric, a brother of Sarus, as the next king of the Visigoths. Sigeric killed Ataulf's six children from a former wife by taking them away from Sigesar, bishop of the Goths. Galla Placidia, Ataulf's widow, was forced to walk more than twelve miles on foot among the crowd of captives driven ahead of the mounted Sigeric. After 7 days of ruling, Sigeric was assassinated and replaced with Wallia, Ataulf's relative.


title: Galla Placidia

text: According to the "Chronicon Albeldense", included in the "Códice de Roda", Wallia was desperate for food supplies. He surrendered to Constantius III, at the time magister militum of Honorius, negotiating terms giving foederati status for the Visigoths. Placidia was returned to Honorius as part of the peace treaty. Her brother Honorius forced her into marriage to Constantius III on 1 January 417. Their daughter Justa Grata Honoria was probably born in 417 or 418. The history of Paul the Deacon mentions her first among the children of the marriage, suggesting that she was the eldest. Their son Valentinian III was born 2 July 419.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Placidia intervened in the succession crisis following the death of Pope Zosimus on 26 December 418. Two factions of the Roman clergy had proceeded to elect their own popes, the first electing Eulalius (27 December) and the other electing Boniface I (28 December). They acted as rival popes, both in Rome, and their factions plunged the city into tumult. Symmachus, Prefect of Rome, sent his report to the imperial court at Ravenna, requesting an imperial decision on the matter. Placidia and, presumably, Constantius petitioned the emperor in favor of Eulalius. This was arguably the first intervention by an Emperor in the Papal election.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Honorius initially confirmed Eulalius as the legitimate pope. As this failed to put an end to the controversy, Honorius called a synod of Italian bishops at Ravenna to decide the matter. The synod met from February to March 419 but failed to reach a conclusion. Honorius called a second synod in May, this time including Gaulish and African bishops. In the meantime, the two rival popes were ordered to leave Rome. As Easter approached, however, Eulalius returned to the city and attempted to seize the Basilica of St. John Lateran in order to "preside at the paschal ceremonies". Imperial troops managed to repel him, and on Easter (30 March 419) the ceremonies were led by Achilleus, Bishop of Spoleto. The conflict cost Eulalius the imperial favor, and Boniface was proclaimed the legitimate pope as of 3 April 419, returning to Rome a week later. Placidia had personally written to the African bishops, summoning them to the second synod. Three of her letters are known to have survived.


title: Galla Placidia

text: On 8 February 421, Constantius was proclaimed an Augustus, becoming co-ruler with the childless Honorius. Placidia was proclaimed an Augusta. She was the only Empress in the West, since Honorius had divorced his second wife Thermantia in 408 and had never remarried. Neither title was recognised by Theodosius II, the Eastern Roman Emperor. Constantius reportedly complained about the loss of personal freedom and privacy that came with the imperial office. He died of an illness on 2 September 421.


title: Galla Placidia

text: According to Olympiodorus of Thebes, a historian used as a source by Zosimus, Sozomen and probably Philostorgius, the public grew suspicious of the increasingly scandalous public caresses she was said to have received from her own brother Honorius after her husband's death. However, the siblings' relationship suddenly turned hostile, and around this time, she may have plotted against him. After her soldiers clashed with those of Honorius, Galla Placidia herself was now forced to flee to Constantinople with her children. Despite this setback, Bonifacius, governor of the Diocese of Africa continued to be loyal to her.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Placidia, Valentinian, and Honoria arrived in Constantinople around 422/423. On 15 August 423, Honorius died of edema, perhaps pulmonary edema. With no member of the Theodosian dynasty present at Ravenna to claim the throne, Theodosius II was expected to nominate a Western co-emperor. However, Theodosius hesitated and the decision was delayed. Taking advantage of the power vacuum, Castinus the Patrician proceeded to become a kingmaker. He declared Joannes, the "primicerius notariorum" "chief notary" (the head of the civil service), to be the new Western Roman Emperor. Among their supporters was Flavius Aetius. Joannes' rule was accepted in the provinces of Italia, Gaul and Hispania, but not in the province of Africa.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Theodosius II reacted by preparing Valentinian III for eventual promotion to the imperial office. In 423/424, Valentinian was named "nobilissimus". In 424, Valentinian was betrothed to Licinia Eudoxia, his first cousin once removed. She was a daughter of Theodosius II and Aelia Eudocia. The year of their betrothal was recorded by Marcellinus Comes. At the time of their betrothal, Valentinian was approximately four years old, Licinia only two.


title: Galla Placidia

text: The campaign against Joannes also started in the same year. Forces of the Eastern Roman army gathered at Thessaloniki, and were placed under the general command of Ardaburius, who had served in the Roman-Persian War. The invasion force was to cross the Adriatic Sea by two routes. Aspar, son of Ardaburius, led the cavalry by land, following the coast of the Adriatic from the Western Balkans to Northern Italy. Placidia and Valentinian joined this force. Along the way, Valentinian was proclaimed "Caesar" by Helion, a magister officiorum under Theodosius in 23 October 424.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Ardaburius and the infantry boarded ships of the Eastern Roman navy in an attempt to reach Ravenna by sea. Aspar marched his forces to Aquileia, taking the city by surprise and with virtually no resistance. The fleet, on the other hand, was dispersed by a storm. Ardaburius and two of his galleys were captured by forces loyal to Joannes and were held prisoners in Ravenna. Ardaburius was treated well by Joannes, who probably intended to negotiate with Theodosius for an end to the hostilities. The prisoner was allowed the "courteous freedom" of walking the court and streets of Ravenna during his captivity. He took advantage of this privilege to come into contact with the forces of Joannes and convinced some of them to defect to Theodosius' side. The conspirators contacted Aspar and beckoned him to Ravenna. A shepherd led Aspar's cavalry force through the marshes of the Po to the gates of Ravenna; with the besiegers outside the walls and the defectors within, the city was quickly captured. Joannes was taken and his right hand cut off; he was then mounted on a donkey and paraded through the streets, and finally beheaded in the hippodrome of Aquileia.


title: Galla Placidia

text: With Joannes dead, Valentinian was officially proclaimed the new Augustus of the Western Roman Empire on 23 October 425, by Helion, in the presence of the Roman Senate, with Theodosius II's support. Three days following Joannes' death, Aetius brought reinforcements for his army, a reported number of sixty thousand Huns from across the Danube. After some skirmishing, Placidia, Valentinian and Aetius came to an agreement and established peace. The Huns were paid off and sent home, while Aetius received the position of "comes" and "magister militum per Gallias "(commander-in-chief of the Roman army in Gaul).


title: Galla Placidia

text: Galla Placidia was regent of the Western Roman Empire until Aetius' rise. Among her early supporters were Bonifacius and Felix. Aetius, their rival for influence, managed to secure Arles against Theodoric I of the Visigoths. The Visigoths concluded a treaty and were given Gallic noblemen as hostages. The later Emperor Avitus visited Theodoric, lived at his court and taught his sons. Felix, her ally, was assassinated in 430, possibly by Aetius.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Conflict between Placidia and Bonifacius started in 429. Placidia appointed Bonifacius general of Libya. Procopius records that Aetius played the two against each other, warning Placidia against Bonifacius and advising her to recall him to Rome; simultaneously writing to Bonifacius, warning him that Placidia was about to summon him for no good reason in order to put him away.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Bonifacius, trusting the warning from Aetius, refused the summons; and, thinking his position untenable, sought an alliance with the Vandals in Spain. The Vandals subsequently crossed from Spain into Libya to join him. To friends of Bonifacius in Rome, this apparent act of hostility toward the Empire seemed entirely out of character for Bonifacius. They traveled to Carthage at Placidia's behest to intercede with him, and he showed them the letter from Aetius. The plot now revealed, his friends returned to Rome to apprise Placidia of the true situation. She did not move against Aetius, as he wielded great influence, and as the Empire was already in danger; but she urged Bonifacius to return to Rome "and not to permit the empire of the Romans to lie under the hand of barbarians."


title: Galla Placidia

text: Bonifacius now regretted his alliance with the Vandals and tried to persuade them to return to Spain. Gaiseric offered battle instead, and Bonifacius was besieged at Hippo Regius in Numidia by the sea. (Augustine of Hippo was its bishop and died in this siege.) Unable to take the city, the Vandals eventually raised the siege. The Romans, with reinforcements under Aspar, renewed the struggle but were routed and lost Africa to the Vandals.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Bonifacius had meanwhile returned to Rome, where Placidia raised him to the rank of patrician and made him "master-general of the Roman armies". Aetius returned from Gaul with an army of "barbarians", and was met by Bonifacius in the bloody Battle of Ravenna (432). Bonifacius won the battle, but was mortally wounded and died a few days later. Aetius was compelled to retire to Pannonia.


title: Galla Placidia

text: With the generals loyal to her having either died or defected to Aetius, Placidia acknowledged Aetius' political role as legitimate. In 433, Aetius was given the titles "magister militum" and "patrician". The appointments effectively left Aetius in control of the entire Western Roman army and gave him considerable influence over imperial policy. Aetius later played a pivotal role in the defense of the Western Empire against Attila. Placidia continued to act as regent until 437, though her direct influence over decisions was diminished. She would continue to exercise political influence until her death in 450—no longer, however, the only power at court.


title: Galla Placidia

text: During these years, Galla Placidia befriended bishop Peter Chrysologus, both having a shared interest in building churches.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Attila was diverted from Constantinople towards Italy by a letter from Placidia's own daughter Justa Grata Honoria in the spring of 450, asking him to rescue her from an unwanted marriage to a Roman senator that the Imperial family, including Placidia, was trying to force upon her. Honoria included her engagement ring with the letter. Though Honoria may not have intended a proposal of marriage, Attila chose to interpret her message as such. He accepted, asking for half of the western Empire as dowry. When Valentinian discovered the plan, only the influence of Placidia persuaded him not to kill Honoria. Valentinian wrote to Attila denying the legitimacy of the supposed marriage proposal. Attila, unconvinced, sent an emissary to Ravenna to proclaim that Honoria was innocent, that the proposal had been legitimate, and that he would come to claim what was rightfully his. Honoria was quickly married to Flavius Bassus Herculanus, though this did not prevent Attila from pressing his claim.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Placidia died shortly afterwards at Rome, in November 450, and was buried in the Theodosian family mausoleum adjacent to Old St. Peter's Basilica, later the chapel of Saint Petronilla. She did not live to see Attila ravage Italy in 451–453, using Honoria's letter as his "legitimate" excuse.


title: Galla Placidia

text: Being a devout Christian, she was involved in the building and restoration of various churches throughout her period of influence. She restored and expanded the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. She built San Giovanni Evangelista, Ravenna in thanks for the sparing of her life and those of her children in a storm while crossing the Adriatic Sea. The dedicatory inscription reads "Galla Placidia, along with her son Placidus Valentinian Augustus and her daughter Justa Grata Honoria Augusta, paid off their vow for their liberation from the danger of the sea."


title: Galla Placidia

text: Her Mausoleum in Ravenna was one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites inscribed in 1996. However, the building never served as her tomb, but was initially erected as a chapel dedicated to Lawrence of Rome. It is unknown whether the sarcophagi therein contained the bodies of other members of the Theodosian dynasty, or when they were placed in the building.


title: Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt

text: Princess Marie Auguste of Anhalt (10 June 1898 – 22 May 1983) was the daughter of Eduard, Duke of Anhalt, and his wife, Princess Louise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg. She married and divorced a son of Kaiser Wilhelm II, then married and divorced a baron.


title: Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt

text: On 10 June 1898, Marie-Auguste was born in Ballenstedt, Anhalt, Germany, to the then Prince Eduard of Anhalt and his wife Princess Louise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg. Her father would not succeed his brother Frederick II until 1918, the year he also died.


title: Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt

text: Her paternal grandparents were Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt and Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg. Her maternal grandparents were Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Meiningen.


title: Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt

text: Marie-Auguste was raised in Dessau, the capital of the duchy of Anhalt. She had five siblings, but her elder sister Friederike and brother Leopold died while infants. Marie-Auguste was an elder sister of Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt.


title: Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt

text: On 11 March 1916 in Berlin, Marie-Auguste married Prince Joachim of Prussia, the youngest son of German Emperor Wilhelm II. She and Joachim, who was Wilhelm's last unmarried child, had been officially engaged since 14 October of the previous year. The wedding was celebrated at Bellevue Palace, and was attended by Joachim's father and mother Empress Augusta Viktoria, the Duke and Duchess of Anhalt, as well as other relatives. They had a simple Lutheran ceremony.


title: Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt

text: The couple had one son, Prince Karl Franz Josef Wilhelm Friedrich Eduard Paul (15 December 1916 in Potsdam – 23 January 1975 in Arica, Chile). Their grandson, Prince Franz Wilhelm, married Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, a pretender to the Imperial Russian throne.


title: Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt

text: The couple were divorced soon after the end of WWI. The direct causes of the divorce are not really known to the public, only that there had been no previous report of marital troubles before the divorce was announced. According to another report, Marie-Auguste had previously abandoned her husband and child to run away with another man, had been forcibly brought back home on the orders of the Kaiser, and had filed for divorce as soon as the war ended, when she saw that her husband's family were at their lowest ebb. Regardless of the reasons, this event was one of the main reasons why Prince Joachim died by suicide only weeks after the divorce was finalized.


title: Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt

text: On 18 July 1920, very shortly after the divorce, Joachim shot himself in Potsdam. One source reports that he had been in financial straits and suffered from "great mental depression". His own brother Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia commented that he suffered from "a fit of excessive dementia".


title: Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt

text: After Joachim's suicide, Marie-Auguste's son Karl Franz was taken into the custody of his paternal uncle Prince Eitel Friedrich. As the acting head of the House of Hohenzollern, he claimed this right, due to the fact that the Emperor Wilhelm had issued an edict placing Hohenzollern powers in Eitel's hands. This action was later declared to have been unlawful, and in 1921, Marie-Auguste was given full custody of her son, despite that fact that she had previously run away from her husband and despite numerous servants having testified against her, with Eitel's counsel arguing that Marie-Auguste was unfit to have custody of Karl Franz. However, she appeared in court and pleaded that she was heartbroken, which may have helped to win the case for her. In 1922, Marie-Auguste sued her former father-in-law for the financial support that had been promised in the marriage contract between her and Prince Joachim. Wilhelm's advocate argued that the laws of the House of Hohenzollern were no longer in force, so there was no longer a financial obligation to support her.


title: Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt

text: On 27 September 1926, she married Johannes-Michael Freiherr von Loën (b. 1902), a childhood friend. They were divorced in 1935, and Marie-Auguste reverted to her maiden name.


title: Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt

text: In 1980, Princess Marie-Auguste legally adopted the businessman Hans Lichtenberg, who subsequently took the name Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt. According to Prinz von Anhalt, who thereafter proceeded to sell knighthoods and marriages related to his new station, he gave her $4,000 a month (German sources say 2000 Deutsche Mark a month) in financial support.


title: Hassan Yazdani

text: Hassan Yazdani Charati ( born 26 December 1994 in Lapu Sahra, Chapakrud Rural District, Juybar County, Iran) is an Iranian wrestler. Yazdani is an Olympic and World Champion in freestyle wrestling in two weight categories. He became Olympic champion in the 74kg category at the 2016 Summer Olympics after defeating Russian wrestler Aniuar Geduev in the final. The following year he became World Champion at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships in the Men's freestyle 86 kg category. He won his second world title at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships in Kazakhstan and the third one at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships in Norway.


title: Hassan Yazdani

text: Yazdani earned a gold medal at the 2014 Junior World Championships in the 66 kg division, by defeating his American opponent Aaron Pico in the final.


title: Hassan Yazdani

text: The following year, he placed second at the Senior World Championships, losing to Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov of Russia in the finals by a score of 10–3.


title: Hassan Yazdani

text: After bumping up to 74 kg. Yazdani claimed gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, defeating Aniuar Geduev 6–6 with criteria by scoring the final points.


title: Hassan Yazdani

text: After once again bumping up in weight, Yazdani won gold at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games in the 86 kg division. He defeated former Olympic gold medalist Sharif Sharifov with a score of 11-0 and 2016 Olympic silver medalist Selim Yaşar with the same score en route to becoming champion.


title: Hassan Yazdani

text: In July 2017, Yazdani won the Iran Freestyle Wrestling Nationals at 86 kg, defeating Alireza Karimi 5-0 on his path to victory. This gained him a place at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships in Paris. In 2017 World Wrestling Championships in Paris, Hassan Yazdani participated in 86 kg. He became the champion with decisive wins, 4 out of 5 matches including the final with technical superiority. In the entire championship, Yazdani gave out only two points. Right after the matches, he stated that he "came to Paris for a decisive gold, with no ifs or buts".


title: Hassan Yazdani

text: He won the silver medal in the men's 86kg event at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: The Real World: Seattle is the seventh season of MTV's reality television series "The Real World", which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. It is the third season of "The Real World" to be filmed in the Pacific States region, specifically in Washington and is also the first season to be filmed in the Pacific Northwest.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: The season featured seven people who lived on Pier 70 of Seattle, Washington's Elliott Bay. The season premiered on June 16, 1998, and consisted of 20 episodes. It is the first of two seasons to be filmed in Seattle. Eighteen years later, the show returned to the city in its season.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: It is notable for an incident in which cast member Stephen Williams slapped Irene McGee as she moved out of the house, which is cited as one of the series' memorable moments by "Time" magazine.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: This season was the first to feature cast members who knew each other before arriving at the house. David and Nathan were both cadets at the Virginia Military Institute, which is why they say "This is the true story of seven people" instead of "seven strangers" in the opening sequence.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: Almost every season of "The Real World", beginning with its , has included the assignment of a season-long group job or task to the housemates. The Seattle cast worked as "modulators" at KNDD-FM, an alternative rock radio station. Their job begins as a series of promotional duties but eventually leads to producing and hosting a live radio show.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: The cast lived at Pier 70, a pier located at 2815 Alaskan Way in Seattle, just north of the intersection of Alaskan Way and Clay Street, on Elliott Bay. It was built in 1902 by shipping industry pioneers Ainsworth & Dunn. One of the largest docks on the waterfront, Pier 70 initially served sailing and steamer ships, such as the famous Blue Funnel Line, a fleet of large freighters that operated between Europe, the Orient and the Pacific Coast. In 1916, a spectacular fire destroyed the upper Pier and roof, and required rebuilding of the dock. During World War II, the Washington state Liquor Board used the Pier as a warehouse, and from 1946 to 1955, the United States Coast Guard used it as its Seattle base. In 1970, Ainsworth & Dunn converted it into for retail and restaurant space. Triad Development bought it in 1995 and converted it into office/retail space for tenants such as Pier 1 Imports. A pier would again be used for a season residence on "" in 2009.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: For filming of the season, the interior design was handled by Two Downtown, Ltd. Residential use of the Pier is prohibited by urban harborfront districting, which required the production to obtain a special permit declaring the Pier a 24-hour film set. It has since been completely remodeled, with its brick surface replaced with conventional siding, and only somewhat resembles the pier seen during filming. It is now used for retail and office space, and is home to the Waterfront Seafood Grill, which changed its name to Aqua by El Gaucho in 2011. The original seven roommates of "Real World Seattle: Bad Blood" dined at Aqua by El Gaucho in their season's first episode in 2016.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: Nathan must deal with the perils of a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend, exacerbated in part by his close friendship with housemate Irene.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: Lindsay is horrified when she is told over the phone that a friend has committed suicide. She does not attend the funeral, wanting to remember her friend how he was. The cast tries to console her, but she pushes them away. Janet and others worry about Lindsay's mental and physical health because she will not talk about the suicide. Lindsay says that keeping things to herself is how she deals with things.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: Stephen's mother has another baby, and Stephen is worried about his mother surviving the delivery. He is seen crying on his bed and Lindsay comforts him, assuring him that both his mom and the baby will be fine.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: The cast traveled to Nepal. In addition to the customary exotic vacation that is handed to RW cast members in each season, the trip was also used as a means of promoting REI, a local outdoor equipment store, and also for creating an audio diary to support their radio program. The cast climbs part of Mt. Everest, and Janet smokes on the trek. She eventually passes out from the elevation, and this frightens the cast.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: The cast reacts negatively to the way the city of Seattle takes to "The Real World" being videotaped there. At one point, they notice a lot of people selling and wearing shirts that say, "Seattle says: The Real World sucks!"


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: In Episode 15, Irene moves out because, as she explains, she is experiencing a relapse of Lyme Disease. As Stephen and her are walking out to her car, she outs Stephen as homosexual. After exchanging insults and heated gestures with her and throwing her Teddy bear in the water; Stephen runs to her car door, opens it and slaps her. The cast is subsequently shown the video, and is appalled. They are given the option to evict Stephen from the house, and after some deliberation, they agree to allow him to stay, provided he attends an anger management course.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: In a previously unaired interview filmed at the time of her departure that aired during the 2000 reunion show, "The Real World Reunion 2000", she explained that the main reason was her ethical objections to aspects of the show's production, which she characterized as an inauthentic environment designed to fabricate drama and conflict, and not the social experiment it was portrayed to be. McGee further explained that this was an unhealthy environment for her to live in, and that the stress and manipulation of the production exacerbated her illness.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: After the cast left the "Real World" pier, six of them, except for Irene, appeared to discuss their experiences both during and since their time on the show, "Real World Seattle Blooper Show" which aired after the season ended in 1998, and was hosted by Ananda Lewis.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: While earning a master's degree in broadcast and communications from San Francisco State University, Irene McGee began a youth-oriented radio show/podcast, "No One's Listening", The show has included interviews with Noam Chomsky, Lawrence Lessig, Brewster Kahle, Violet Blue, and Jimmy Wales, and won the 2006 "Pubbie Award" as Best Bay Area Podcast by the San Francisco Bay Area Publicity Club. She tours colleges to speak about media manipulation and reality television, has appeared on VH1 and E! Entertainment Television and was involved with a documentary about Lyme Disease, "Under Our Skin: The Untold Story of Lyme Disease". She has a daughter, also named Irene.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: Lindsey Brien went on to become both a TV reporter for local affiliate KHAS-TV in Hastings, NE and eventually to become part of the cast of morning team "The Bert Show" at radio station WWWQ in Atlanta. At last knowledge, Brien was co-host of a Tampa, Florida based TV show called "The Spot".


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: Stephen Williams was arrested in 2001 for prostitution, and again in 2002 for stealing a car. At the 2008 "Real World Awards Bash", he announced that he was gay, and engaged to his male partner Sheldon. He also stated that he apologized to Irene, and had rekindled his friendship with her, but Nathan refuted this. In the same night, Irene won the "Gone Baby Gone" award.


title: The Real World: Seattle

text: Rebecca Lord recorded a song with rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot. She is the leader of the pop band Becky, in which Keanu Reeves once played bass.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: What Is to Be Done? (, 'What to Do?') is an 1863 novel written by Russian philosopher, journalist, and literary critic Nikolai Chernyshevsky, written in response to "Fathers and Sons" (1862) by Ivan Turgenev. The chief character is Vera Pavlovna, a woman who escapes the control of her family and an arranged marriage to seek economic independence.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: When he wrote the novel, Chernyshevsky was himself imprisoned in the Peter and Paul fortress of St. Petersburg and was to spend years in Siberia. He asked and received permission to write the novel in prison; the authorities passed the manuscript along to the newspaper "Sovremennik", his former employer which also approved it for publication in installments in its pages.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: "What Is to Be Done?" begins with an unknown man checking into a hotel asking for a meal, a bed, and to be awakened in the morning. He then locks the door and is not heard for the rest of the night. The waiter knocks on the man's door the following day to wake him but gets no response and eventually contacts the police. The policeman finally forces through the door only to find a room empty except for a note linking the man to Liteing Bridge. The police inform the butler that at that bridge, at half past two that morning, a lone gunshot was heard, and it was thought to be a suicide. But no body could be found, leading some to conclude it was a suicide, others a drunkard, and others a practical joker. Next, we skip to a scene where the protagonist to-be Vera Pavlovna is preparing her maid a dress to wear to Vera's wedding. The maid, Macha, presents her with a letter that causes her to become upset and irate. She then gets into a fight with her fiancé and tells him to leave.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: The novel in the main revolves around the life of Vera Rozalsky. It begins in the year 1852 with Vera living with her tyrannical mother, scheming father, and young brother. Vera's parents intend to marry her to a hedonistic young military officer. She is saved from this fate when she meets the medical student, Dmitry Lopukhov, who has been tutoring her younger brother. Lopukhov and Vera began meeting privately to avoid her mother's suspicion and to discuss Socialism, gender equality, science, and ways to save her from the arranged marriage. Over time they grow feelings for one another, and because of this and of Lopukhov's desire to save her, they secretly elope and move in together.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: Vera and Lopukhov intend to live in accordance with their beliefs and draw up a system of elaborate rules, such as not being able to enter each other's sleeping quarters without express permission, so as to give each other the utmost equality, privacy, freedom, and independence. Vera aspires not only to have economic independence for herself but also to save other young women from the fate she almost faced. She becomes a seamstress and starts a commune of seamstresses with other young women, many of whose stories are related in the novel. The commune evolves to include shared living arrangements, profit-sharing, and classes provided by educated individuals such as Lopukhov and his best friend and classmate Alexander Kirsanov.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: The commune thrives, leading to a second becoming established. But in the meantime, Kirsanov has fallen in love with Vera, and she has come to realize that she does not love Lopukhov as much as she thought she did. Lopukhov, whose ardour for his wife remains undimmed, recognises this too and tries to manipulate events in the background before eventually discussing the problem with a distraught Vera. In secret, Lopukhov disappears and fakes his own suicide, as described in the preface. This leaves Kirsanov and Vera free to marry one another. Eventually, the famed Rakhmetov character reveals to Vera the ruse that is the faked suicide. Though satisfied with her work with the seamstress commune, Vera begins to study medicine to become a doctor and break the public prejudice against women joining such a profession.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: The book's final section focuses on Kirsanov and the patient he is treating. This young woman is suffering partly because of a lack of freedom to marry as she pleases. Kirsanov not only solves this problem but helps her to realize that the man she wishes to marry is a licentious and lackluster partner. The woman eventually meets and falls in love with Charles Beaumont, a man who claims to have been an American industrialist partially raised in Russia. Charles steers the young woman towards Vera's circle, which she quickly joins. Finally, Charles and the woman marry. Vera meets Charles for the first time and realizes that Charles is Lopukhov returned from the U.S. And the Kirsanovs and "Beaumonts" eventually move in together in a ménage à quatre.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: The novel advocates the creation of small socialist cooperatives based on the Russian peasant commune, but ones that are oriented toward industrial production. The author promoted the idea that the intellectual's duty was to educate and lead the laboring masses in Russia along a path to socialism that bypassed capitalism. Despite his minor role, Rakhmetov, one of the characters in the novel, became an emblem of the philosophical materialism and nobility of Russian radicalism. Through one character's dream, the novel also expresses a society gaining "eternal joy" of an earthly kind.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: The work itself can be analyzed as a work of literary utopia through its alternating narrative style, wherein Cherneshevsky makes use of metaliterary techniques that implicate the reader through the author's interruptions and direct addresses to the reader. The reader's complicity with the author, who is presumably the narrator, further implicates them in the political act of engaging with Cherneshevsky's ideology.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: Vera Pavlovna has four dreams throughout the course of the novel. Vera's dreams ultimately work to transform her own desires into action. Vera Pavlovna's dreams follow in the Russian literary tradition of the prophetic dream, having a predictive relationship from sleep to waking life.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: In her first dream, Vera's "dream-guide" (a version of herself) introduces herself as "the bride of your [Vera's] bridegroom," solidifying Vera's intention to marry Lopukhov and free herself from her cellar. In her dream, Vera continues to free other young girls from their own cellars. Vera does so in real life by forming her sewing co-operative and residential commune that affords both herself and other young girls the ability to become financially independent and self-sufficient.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: Vera Pavlovna witnesses a theoretical conversation between Lopukhov and Kirsanov about the philisophical constituents of dirt in her second dream. While this dream does not appear to directly spur Vera into revolutionary action, the conversation is an allegory for Cherneshevsky's belief that socioeconomic conditions shape individuals. Wagner says of this dream:"Chernyshevsky uses Liebig's theories regarding the fertility of different types of soil... to expound his own idea that socioeconomic conditions shape an individual's character, and that therefore the revolutionary transformation of these conditions will ensure social justice and prosperity by fostering appropriate personality traits."Vera Pavlovna's third dream exposes her doubts within her marriage to Lopukhov, forming the foundation for Vera's formation of a variety of relationships later in the novel that do not conform to the monogamous and heterosexual social norms.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: Ultimately, Vera's fourth dream constructs an agrarian utopia. Vera sees a crystal palace that is a technological and scientific marvel. The utopia in Vera's dream is reminiscent of Charles Fourier's phalanstères. Vera's dream-guide champions equal rights between all women and men as the foundation for this utopian society. It is here that Vera recognizes herself as her dream-guide, thus positioning utopian potential in the everyday through such actions and ideologies as Vera Pavlovna's.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: More than the novel itself, the book is perhaps best known in the English-speaking world for the response it garnered.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: The novel inspired several generations of revolutionaries in Russia, including populists, nihilists, and Marxists. Likewise, Vladimir Lenin, Georgi Plekhanov, Peter Kropotkin, Alexandra Kollontay, Rosa Luxemburg, and Swedish writer August Strindberg were all highly impressed with the book. Emma Goldman, a Russian-born anarchist, describes her intent to found a sewing cooperative based on Vera Pavlovna's model found in the novel.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: The novel came to be officially regarded as a Russian classic in the Soviet period, as Cherneshevsky was celebrated as a forefather of the revolution. According to Joseph Frank, "Chernyshevsky's novel, far more than Marx's "Capital", supplied the emotional dynamic that eventually went to make the Russian Revolution."


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: The novel was controversial upon its publishing and continues to be. Fyodor Dostoevsky mocked the utilitarianism and utopianism of the novel in his 1864 novella "Notes from Underground", as well as in his 1872 novel "Demons," as did Vladimir Nabokov in his final novel in Russian, "The Gift". Leo Tolstoy wrote his own "What Is to Be Done?", published in 1886, based on his own ideas of moral responsibility. Vladimir Lenin named his 1902 pamphlet What Is to Be Done? due to the influence the novel had on him.


title: What Is to Be Done? (novel)

text: The novel's influence spread beyond the Russian radical tradition and Russian radical intellectuals. For example, it is referenced by Tony Kushner multiple times in his play "Slavs!," by André Gide's "Les caves du Vatican (Lafcadio's Adventures)," and, some have argued, by Ayn Rand.


title: SS France (1960)

text: SS "France" was a Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT, or French Line) ocean liner, constructed by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard at Saint-Nazaire, France, and put into service in February 1962. At the time of her construction in 1960, the vessel was the longest passenger ship ever built, a record that remained unchallenged until the construction of the in 2004.


title: SS France (1960)

text: "France" was later purchased by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) in 1979, renamed SS "Norway and underwent significant modifications to refit her for cruising duties. She was renamed SS "Blue Lady and sold to be scrapped in 2005, and scrapping was completed in late 2008.


title: SS France (1960)

text: "France" was the French Line flagship from 1961 to 1974, combining regular five days/nights transatlantic crossings with occasional winter cruises, as well as two world circumnavigations. During her last years, to save fuel costs, crossings took six days/nights.


title: SS France (1960)

text: Some, like ship historian John Maxtone-Graham, believe that "France" was purposely built to serve as both a liner and a cruise ship, stating: "Once again, the company had cruise conversion in mind... for cruises, all baffle doors segregating staircases from taboo decks were opened to permit free circulation throughout the vessel." However, others, such as ship historian William Miller, have asserted that "France" was the "last purposely designed year-round transatlantic supership."


title: SS France (1960)

text: "France" was constructed to replace the line's other ageing ships like and SS "Liberté", which were outdated by the 1950s. Without these vessels the French Line had no ability to compete against their rivals, most notably the Cunard Line, which also had plans for constructing a new modern liner. It was rumoured that this ship would be a 75,000-ton replacement for their ships and . (This ship would eventually be the 68,000-ton "Queen Elizabeth 2".) Further, the United States Lines had put into service in 1952 , which had broken all speed records on her maiden voyage, with an average speed of .


title: SS France (1960)

text: At first, the idea of two 35,000-ton running mates was considered to replace "Ile de France" and "Liberté". Charles de Gaulle (the future President of France) opined that it would be better for French national pride, then flagging due to the then ongoing Algerian War of Independence, to construct one grand ocean liner, in the tradition of , as an ocean-going showcase for France. The idea of such a publicly funded liner was controversial, leading to raucous debates in the French parliament. The dealing lasted three and a half years, and though the letter commissioning the construction was finally signed by the Chairman of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, Jean Marie, on 25 July 1956, debate about the form, cost and construction schedule for "France" lasted a further year.


title: SS France (1960)

text: Beyond the luxuries, the French Line had to also face the realities that transatlantic passenger trade was forecast to decline due to increased air travel. Also, costs to operate ships were increasing, mostly due to prices of crude oil. Thus, the new ship would be larger than "Ile", but smaller and cheaper to operate than "Normandie". She would also only be a two-class liner, which would, like the recently built , be able to be converted from a segregated, class restricted crossing mode to a unified, classless cruising mode, thereby allowing the ship to be more versatile in its operations. Despite these requirements, she was still to be the longest ship ever built, as well as one of the fastest, meaning not only an advanced propulsion system, but also a hull design which would withstand the rigours of the North Atlantic at high speed.


title: SS France (1960)

text: Hull G19 was built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard, in Saint-Nazaire, France, her keel being laid down on 7 October 1957. She was built in a pioneering manner: rather than constructing a skeleton which was then covered in steel hull plating, large parts of the ship were prefabricated in other cities (such as Orléans, Le Havre and Lyon). The hull was fully welded, leading to weight savings, and two sets of stabilisers were fitted.


title: SS France (1960)

text: She was blessed by the Bishop of Nantes, Monseigneur Villepelet, and launched on 11 May 1960, at 4:15 pm, by Madame Yvonne de Gaulle, wife of the President, and was then named "France", in honour both of the country, and of the two previous CGT ships to bear the name. By 4:22 pm "France" was afloat and under command of tugs. President De Gaulle was also in attendance at the launch, and gave a patriotic speech, announcing that France had been given a new "Normandie", they were able to compete now with Cunard's "Queens", and the Blue Riband was within their reach. In reality, however, the speed of "United States" would prove impossible to beat.


title: SS France (1960)

text: After the launch, the propellers were installed (the entire process taking over three weeks), the distinctive funnels affixed to the upper decks, the superstructure completed, life boats placed in their davits, and the interiors fitted out. "France" then undertook her sea trials on 19 November 1961, and averaged an unexpected . With the French Line satisfied, the ship was handed over, and undertook a trial cruise to the Canary Islands with a full complement of passengers and crew. During this short trip she met, at sea, "Liberté" which was on her way to the shipbreakers.


title: SS France (1960)

text: "France's" maiden voyage to New York took place on 3 February 1962, with many of France's film stars and aristocracy aboard.


title: SS France (1960)

text: On 14 December 1962, "France" carried the "Mona Lisa" from Le Havre to New York, where the painting was to embark on an American tour.


title: SS France (1960)

text: She sailed the North Atlantic run between Le Havre and New York for thirteen years. By the beginning of the 1970s jet travel was by far more popular than ship travel, and the cost of fuel was ever increasing. "France", which had always relied on subsidies from the French government, was forced to take advantage of these subsidies more and more.


title: SS France (1960)

text: Using the ship's versatile design to its full potential, the CGT began to send "France" on winter cruises, which was off-season for the Atlantic trade. One design flaw was revealed when the ship reached warmer waters: her two swimming pools, one each for first and tourist class, were both indoors; the first class pool deep within the ship's hull, and the tourist class pool on an upper deck, but covered with an immovable glass dome. The latter, perhaps, was the more aggravating in hot weather. She also had limited outdoor deck space, with much of what was available protected behind thick glass wind-screens, useful on the North Atlantic, but frustrating when blocking cooling breezes in the tropics.


title: SS France (1960)

text: Nonetheless, "France's" cruises were popular, and her first world cruise took place in 1972. Too large to traverse the Panama and Suez Canals, she was forced to sail around Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope. That same year, with the destruction of the "Seawise University" (former RMS "Queen Elizabeth") by fire in Hong Kong, "France" became the largest in-service passenger ship in the world.


title: SS France (1960)

text: Still, as the opening years of the decade progressed, the cruise market expanded, seeing the construction of smaller, purpose-built cruise ships which could also fit through the Panama Canal. Worse, in 1973 the Oil Crisis hit, and the price of oil went from US$3 to $12 per barrel. When the French government, at the end of the Trente Glorieuses, realized that keeping "France" running would necessitate an additional ten million dollars a year, it opted instead to subsidize the then in-development Concorde. Without this government money, the French Line could not operate, and with a press release issued in 1974 it was announced that "France" would be withdrawn from service on 25 October that year.


title: SS France (1960)

text: At that, the crew decided to take matters into their own hands: an eastbound crossing on 6 September, her 202nd crossing, was delayed several hours while the crew met to decide whether to strike then and there, in New York, or six days later outside Le Havre. Le Havre won, and the ship was commandeered by a group of French trade unionists who anchored "France" in the entrance to the port, thereby blocking all incoming and outgoing traffic. The 1200 passengers aboard had to be ferried to shore on tenders, while approximately 800 of the crew remained aboard.


title: SS France (1960)

text: The strikers demanded that the ship be allowed to continue to serve, along with a 35% wage increase for themselves. Their mission failed, and the night of the takeover proved to be the ship's last day of service for the CGT. It took over a month for the stand-off to end, and by 7 December 1974, the ship was moored at a distant quay in Le Havre, known colloquially as "quai de l'oubli" – the pier of the forgotten.


title: SS France (1960)

text: By that time "France" had completed 377 crossings and 93 cruises (including two world cruises), carried a total of 588,024 passengers on trans-Atlantic crossings, and 113,862 passengers on cruises, and had sailed a total of 1,860,000 nautical miles.


title: SS France (1960)

text: The mothballing of "France" was met with dismay by much of the French population, resulting in a song by Michel Sardou, titled "Le France".


title: SS France (1960)

text: The ship sat in the same spot for approximately four years, with the interiors, including all furniture, still completely intact. There were no plans to scrap the ship, or to sell it. In 1977 Saudi Arabian millionaire Akram Ojjeh expressed an interest in purchasing the vessel for use as a floating museum for antique French furniture and artworks, as well as a casino and hotel off the coast of the south-east United States. Though he purchased the ship for $24 million, this proposal was never realised, and others were rumoured to have floated, including bids from the Soviet Union to use her as a hotel ship in the Black Sea, and a proposal from China to turn her into a floating industrial trade fair.