title: Kuala Lumpur

text: KLIA connects the city with direct flights to destinations on six continents around the world, and is the main hub for the national carrier, Malaysia Airlines and low-cost carrier, AirAsia. KLIA can be reached using the KLIA Ekspres, an airport rail link service from KL Sentral, which takes twenty-eight minutes and costs RM 55 (roughly US$13.50), while travelling by car or bus via highway will take about an hour but cost a lot less. Direct buses from KLIA to the city centre are plentiful (every 10 to 15 minutes during peak hours), air-conditioned and comfortable with fares ranging from RM 11 (roughly US$2.70) to RM 15 (roughly US$3.70). Air Asia and other low-cost carrier flights do not fly out of KLIA main terminal, but from KLIA2, which is two kilometres from KLIA. KLIA2 is served by an extension of the KLIA Ekspres and by a free shuttle bus service from KLIA. , Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport is only used for chartered and turboprop flights by airlines such as Firefly and Malindo Air.


title: Kuala Lumpur

text: "Bas Mini KL" or Kuala Lumpur Mini-Bus Service was one of the oldest and popular Malaysia public bus service, having served Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley region. The buses were primarily painted pink with a white stripe on the sides, and had a capacity of only 20-30 passengers, due to their smaller size. The buses operated on a commission basis, with service operators paid according to the fares they collected. The mini-bus service was from 23 September 1975 and discontinued on 1 July 1998, to be replaced by the Intrakota bus service and later, Rapid Bus in 2005.


title: Kuala Lumpur

text: Rapid Bus began the first phase of the revamp of its bus network in January 2006, introducing 15 City Shuttle bus routes which serve major areas in the Central Business District (CBD) of Kuala Lumpur. In 2008, Rapid Bus operated 167 routes with 1,400 buses covering 980 residential areas with a ridership of about 400,000 per day. The buses run between four hubs at the edge of the central business district, namely KL Sentral, Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Maluri, and Medan Pasar in the city centre. These bus hubs also serve as rail interchanges, with the exception of Medan Pasar, although it is at a walking distance from Masjid Jamek LRT station.


title: Kuala Lumpur

text: On June 18, 2020, Rapid Bus released a new feature: real-time location of bus in Google Maps, via collaboration with Google Transit.


title: Kuala Lumpur

text: Effective 10 April 2019, all RapidKL buses are implementing fully cashless journey for all routes by stages, in which the bus accepts Touch n Go cards only for user convenience. These systems were fully implemented by May 27, 2019. Almost 170 RapidKL bus routes are covered with the real time feature, which was expanded to the MRT feeder bus service. Rapid Bus is however not the only bus operator in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. Other bus operators are Selangor Omnibus, Setara Jaya bus, and Causeway Link.


title: Kuala Lumpur

text: In Kuala Lumpur, most taxis have distinctive white and red liveries. Many companies operate and maintain pools of different model of cars in their own brands. Before local car production began, the Mercedes-Benz 200, Mazda 323/Ford Laser, Toyota Mark II X80 series and the Opel Kadett were used. Most were scrapped and replaced by Protons, but there are still a large number of these models running the roads. Kuala Lumpur is one of the major ASEAN cities with taxis extensively running on natural gas. Taxis can be hailed from taxi stands or from the streets. Taxis may be flagged down at any time of the day along any public road outside of the Central Business District (CBD). However, increased usage of ridesharing services like Grab, MyCar and JomRides has resulted in a decrease in taxi use.


title: Kuala Lumpur

text: Nevertheless, the London-based website, LondonCabs.co.uk has claimed that taxis in the city charge passengers high rates, refusing to turn on their meters and offering instead over-priced flat-rate fares, although other passengers refute such claims. The heads of some taxi associations came out and distanced themselves from taxi drivers who had given the taxi industry a bad name, promising the public that not all taxi drivers were like that.


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players.


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: The draft lottery took place during the playoffs on May 16, 2017. The 53–29 Boston Celtics, who were also the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference and reached the Eastern Conference Finals at the time of the NBA draft lottery, won the #1 pick with pick swapping rights thanks to a previous trade with the Brooklyn Nets, who had the worst record the previous season. The Los Angeles Lakers, who had risked losing their 2017 first round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers, moved up two spots to get the Second overall pick, while Philadelphia moved up to receive the No. 3 pick due to the Sacramento Kings moving up in the draft, which activated pick swapping rights the 76ers had from an earlier trade. On June 19, four days before the NBA draft began, the Celtics and 76ers traded their top first round picks to each other, meaning the holders of the top four picks of this year's draft would be exactly the same as the previous year's draft.


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: The draft class was the youngest draft class to date, with the most freshmen and fewest seniors selected in the first round; the top seven picks in the draft were college freshmen. It was the third time, and the second in a row, that three players were selected from Serbian team KK Mega Basket in the same draft (Vlatko Čančar, Ognjen Jaramaz, Alpha Kaba), with it previously occurring during the 2014 and 2016 NBA draft. The draft also received much media coverage from ESPN pertaining to eventual second overall pick Lonzo Ball and his outspoken father, LaVar Ball, much to the chagrin of many sports fans and even some ESPN employees. This was one of the rare occasions where a player drafted from their year did not win Rookie of the Year; the award went to 2016 first overall pick Ben Simmons, the first player since Blake Griffin in 2011 to win the award in a year he was not drafted.


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: The draft was conducted under the eligibility rules established in the league's 2017 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its player's union. The CBA that ended the 2011 lockout instituted no immediate changes to the draft, but called for a committee of owners and players to discuss future changes.


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: The NBA has since expanded the draft combine to include players with remaining college eligibility (who, like players without college eligibility, can only attend by invitation).


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: Players who were not automatically eligible for the draft had to declare their eligibility by notifying the NBA offices in writing no later than 60 days before the draft. For the 2017 draft, this date fell on April 23. After that date "early entry" players were able to attend NBA pre-draft camps and individual team workouts to show off their skills and obtain feedback regarding their draft positions. Under the CBA, a player could withdraw from consideration from the draft at any time before the final declaration date, which was 10 days before the draft. Under NCAA rules, players had until May 24 (10 days after the draft combine) to withdraw from the draft and retain college eligibility.


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: A player who hired an agent forfeited his remaining college eligibility regardless of whether he was drafted.


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: At the time, a record-high 185 underclassed draft prospects (i.e., players with remaining college eligibility) had declared themselves for eligibility at the April 24 deadline (138 of them being from college), although college players who had not hired agents or signed professional contracts outside the NBA were able to decide to return to college by May 24, 10 days after the end of the NBA Draft Combine. These players have publicly indicated that they have hired agents, or had planned to do so around the start of the draft; those who hired agents immediately lost their eligibility to return to NCAA basketball in 2017–18. By the end of the May 24 deadline, 73 draft candidates from college decided to return to their respective colleges for at least another year, leaving 64 underclassmen to officially enter the draft this year. Additionally, two more players left entry at the end of the international player deadline, meaning both Maverick Rowan from North Carolina State and Darin Johnson from Cal State Northridge would not return for college, but one player managed to enter the college underclassman deadline, thus leaving 63 entries at hand for the NBA Draft.


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: International players that had declared this year and did not previously declare in another prior year can also drop out of the draft about 10 days before the draft begins on June 12. Initially, there were 46 players who originally expressed interest entering the 2017 draft. At the end of the international deadline, 36 players wound up declining entry for the draft, leaving only 10 international players staying in the NBA Draft. As a result, 73 total underclassmen entered the 2017 NBA Draft.


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: Players who do not meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: Players who meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: The invitation-only NBA Draft Combine was held in Chicago from May 9 to 14. The on-court element of the combine took place on May 11 and 12. This year's event had Under Armour as its primary sponsor. A total of 67 players were invited for this year's NBA Draft Combine, with 5 more named as alternates in the event some players could not come for whatever reason. Ten invited players declined to attend for various reasons, including three players completely on the international scale. Eighteen more players that were guaranteed invitations were also players testing out their draft stocks during the event. Eleven players participating in the event were seniors, the lowest number ever of combine participants who had exhausted their college eligibility. During the event, six different players were deemed injured either before or during this year's Draft Combine. At the end of the May 24 college deadline, eight players who originally declared for the NBA Draft and were invited to the Draft Combine this year, including potential "none-and-done" Kentucky freshman redshirt Hamidou Diallo, ultimately returned to college for at least one more season.


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: The NBA annually invites around 15–20 players to sit in the so-called "green room", a special room set aside at the draft site for the invited players plus their families and agents. When their names are called, the player leaves the room and goes up on stage. Other players who are not invited are allowed to attend the ceremony. They sit in the stands with the fans and walk up on stage when (or if) they are drafted. 10 players were invited to the 2017 NBA draft on June 8, with three more of them being invited two days later. Seven more players would be invited to complete the green room listing on June 14, bringing the total invite list to 20. The following players (listed alphabetically) were confirmed as invites for the event this year.


title: 2017 NBA draft

text: Prior to the day of the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of draft picks between the teams.


title: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)

text: Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an American computer-animated television series created by George Lucas. It is set in the fictional "Star Wars" galaxy during the three years between the prequel films "" and "". Lucas called it a continuation of the previous Genndy Tartakovsky produced . Dave Filoni served as supervising director of the series. The series began with that was released on August 15, 2008, and debuted on Cartoon Network two months later on October 3, 2008. Episodes had a running time of approximately 22 minutes to fill a half-hour time slot (compared to the 3–15 minute episodes of the previous series). The seventh season was released exclusively on Disney+, where it no longer needed to fit specific time slots, and run times were approximately 24 to 26 minutes.


text: In early 2013, Lucasfilm announced that "The Clone Wars" would be "winding down". Thirteen episodes comprising a new sixth season were made available in the U.S. for streaming on Netflix, along with the entirety of the series, beginning March 7, 2014. A project known as "The Clone Wars Legacy" adapted unproduced story arcs into other formats, such as comics and novels. The series was revived for a seventh and final season of 12 new episodes, which premiered on Disney+ on February 21, 2020.


text: "The Clone Wars" received mostly positive reception at first and later acclaim from critics and became a significant ratings success, becoming one of Cartoon Network's highest-rated shows during its initial run. The series was also nominated for numerous industry awards, including the Daytime Emmy Awards and the Annie Awards.


text: Some characters created for "The Clone Wars" have gone on to appear in other works, including the animated series "Star Wars Rebels" (2014–2018) and live-action series "The Mandalorian" (2019–present), and an upcoming spin-off of the latter focused on one of "The Clone Wars"' main characters, Ahsoka Tano. A sequel and spin-off of "The Clone Wars", "" (2021–present), centers on the titular clone trooper team introduced in "The Clone Wars"' seventh season, while a spin-off anthology series, "Tales of the Jedi" (2022–present), centers on Count Dooku and Ahsoka at different stages of their lives before, during, and after the events of "The Clone Wars".


text: "The Clone Wars" is set during the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy era, taking place over a span of three years in between the films "" and "". The protagonists comprise returning characters from the films, including Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala, Yoda, and Mace Windu, as well as new characters created specifically for the series, such as Anakin's Padawan Ahsoka Tano and clone Captain Rex of the 501st Legion.


text: The series is centered on the eponymous conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a separatist movement organized by the Sith Lord Count Dooku. The Jedi Knights of the Republic lead their legions of clone troopers against the Separatist droid armies headed by the cyborg commander General Grievous. Unbeknownst to the galaxy, the mysterious Darth Sidious controls and manipulates both sides of the war as part of his master plan to eliminate the Jedi and create a new governing state under his rule. Other antagonists include Dooku's apprentice and assassin Asajj Ventress, infamous bounty hunter Cad Bane, and rogue Sith Lord Darth Maul.


text: The series was initially conceived as an anthology, with episodes sharing few narrative connections, but later seasons would feature longer story arcs that span several episodes.


text: Season one focuses on various battles fought between the Republic and the Separatists. The Jedi compete with Count Dooku and General Grievous in an effort to convince different planetary systems to join their cause. There are also several episodes that do not focus on the conflict with the Separatists, but rather other aspects of the Clone Wars.


text: Season two focuses on the involvement of bounty hunter characters in the Clone Wars. Darth Sidious hires Cad Bane to steal a holocron from the Jedi Temple that jeopardizes the future of the galaxy's Force-sensitive children; a Separatist droid manufacturing facility on Geonosis creates new weapons that threaten to turn the tide of the war; Grievous increases his attacks on the Republic fleet and overwhelms the Jedi; the Mandalorian terrorist faction Death Watch takes advantage of their planet's neutrality to target the pacifistic Duchess Satine Kryze; and the assassin Aurra Sing mentors the young Boba Fett in seeking revenge against Mace Windu for the death of Boba's father.


text: Season three focuses on the development of certain characters as the war rages on. Anakin learns about the nature of the Force and his role as the Chosen One in an ancient Force realm; Ahsoka begins to grow into her own and is faced with several challenges that test her independence as a Padawan; and Asajj Ventress is betrayed by Dooku and left for dead, causing her to return to her Nightsister coven and attempt to exact revenge on Dooku through the use of her own pawn, the Nightbrother Savage Opress. Other episodes explore the democratic role of the Republic Senate in the Clone Wars, and how different planets are affected by the galaxy-wide conflict.


text: Season four focuses on the escalation of the Clone Wars through battles of growing intensity on different fronts. Captain Rex and the 501st Legion are forced to go against their orders and act independently to oppose the rogue Jedi general Pong Krell; Obi-Wan fakes his death and goes undercover as a bounty hunter to thwart a Separatist plot to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine; Ventress abandons her past and becomes a bounty hunter following the Separatists' massacre of the Nightsisters; and Savage finds his long-lost brother, Darth Maul, who seeks revenge against Obi-Wan for his over a decade prior.


text: Season five features five main story arcs. In the first one, the Republic helps a group of rebels from Onderon, led by siblings Steela and Saw Gerrera, liberate their planet from Separatist occupation. The second arc focuses on a group of Jedi younglings who, after completing their path to becoming Padawans, have to prove themselves by rescuing Ahsoka from pirates. The third arc revolves around a team of droids who, while undertaking a mission to intercept an encrypted Separatist message, encounter an amnesiac former clone commando and must help him recover his memories to escape the planet they have been stranded on. The fourth arc deals with the return of Darth Maul, who joins forces with Death Watch and other criminal syndicates to take over Mandalore and exact revenge on Obi-Wan. The final arc features Ahsoka being framed for bombing the Jedi Temple, and having to prove her innocence while on the run from the Republic. Though she is ultimately cleared of the charges against her after Anakin captures the real culprit, Ahsoka elects to abandon the Jedi Order, leaving Anakin devastated.


text: Season six consists of four story arcs: clone trooper Fives investigating the premature activation of Order 66 in a fellow trooper's mind, and discovering the truth about the inhibitor chips implanted in each clone's brain, only to be silenced by Palpatine before he can expose it; Padmé trying to help her old flame Rush Clovis expose the corruption in the Intergalactic Banking Clan, which causes tensions in her and Anakin's relationship when he learns about her secret mission and intervenes; Jar Jar Binks and Mace Windu rescuing the captured Queen of Bardotta from a cult headed by the Nightsisters' former leader, Mother Talzin; and Yoda embarking on a journey to learn more about the nature of the Force after he is visited by the spirit of the late Qui-Gon Jinn.


text: Season seven consists of three story arcs. The first one is focused on Captain Rex's character, as he, Anakin, and a team of clones with genetic mutations rescue ARC Trooper Echo, previously believed to have been killed in action, and defeat the Separatists on Anaxes with his help. The second one focuses on Ahsoka, who befriends sisters Trace and Rafa Martez and helps them settle a debt with the Pyke Syndicate, while trying to conceal her Force powers because of the sisters' hatred of Jedi. The final arc, which is set concurrently with "Revenge of the Sith", depicts the Siege of Mandalore, a battle that had been referenced in previous "Star Wars" media. Ahsoka reluctantly returns to the Republic to lead an assault alongside Rex and Mandalorian warrior Bo-Katan Kryze against Maul's forces on Mandalore. After Maul is captured, Sidious executes Order 66, causing Ahsoka to be attacked by her own clone troopers. She manages to restore Rex's free will, and releases Maul to cause a distraction, but he ends up disabling the ship they are on. All three ultimately escape. The final scene of the series shows Anakin, now Darth Vader, finding Ahsoka's lightsaber among the ship's wreckage some time later, and leaving with it in silence.


text: The series started with a ; this decision was made after the production team watched completed footage of several early episodes for the planned television series, which were ultimately combined into a single feature-length film. Warner Bros. Pictures distributed the film, while subsequent episodes aired separately on Cartoon Network. For the film, Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels, Samuel L. Jackson, and Matthew Wood reprised their roles as Count Dooku, C-3PO, Mace Windu, and the B1 Battle Droids, respectively, from the live-action movies, but Lee and Jackson did not return for the television series.


text: On December 5, 2011, a full-length feature cut of one of the Season 3 trilogies of episodes (the one composed by "Nightsisters," "Monster," and "Witches of the Mist") was released for download on iTunes as an uninterrupted movie that was previously shown at selected screenings in 2010. The three episodes were written by Katie Lucas, who had previously written the Season 1 episode "Jedi Crash" as well as the Season 3 episodes "Sphere of Influence" and "Assassin." A repeat of season one aired in "decoded" episode format. Each installment contained unobtrusive text windows giving supplemental information about the characters and events playing out on screen.


text: The series was cancelled in March 2013, after the conclusion of its fifth season, as a result of The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of Lucasfilm and the decision to remove most "Star Wars Expanded Universe" works from canon. Despite this, "The Clone Wars" was one of the few pieces of "Star Wars" media to remain part of the new continuity established by Disney, and a sixth season was released on March 7, 2014, on Netflix, along with additional media, such as comic books and novels, based on unfinished story arcs that would have been included in the season. On July 19, 2018, Lucasfilm announced at San Diego Comic-Con that "The Clone Wars" would return with 12 new episodes in a seventh season to be released on Disney+. A trailer for the season was released on April 14, 2019, at "Star Wars" Celebration Chicago. On August 23, 2019, series creator Dave Filoni announced at the D23 Expo that it will be the final season.


text: On March 17, 2014, in recognition of the release of the complete series on Netflix, StarWars.com released the official chronological episode order for the first six seasons; this was later updated to include links to the episodes on Disney+.


text: At April 2005's "Star Wars" Celebration III, George Lucas announced that "we are working on a 3-D continuation of that was on the Cartoon Network; we probably won't start that project for another year." Lucas hired Dave Filoni after having seen episodes of "" he had worked on. By July 2005, pre-production had begun on the series, according to Steve Sansweet, head of Lucasfilm fan relations. Sansweet referred to the series as "the next generation of the "Star Wars" saga, a cutting edge 30-minute, 3-D computer-animation series based on the Clone Wars that take place between "" ... and ""." Sansweet described the look of the new series as "a melding of Asian anime with unique 3-D animation styling." Primary production took place at the Lucasfilm Animation facility in Singapore.


text: According to another statement by Sansweet, "Lucasfilm Animation will be hiring a total of about 300 digital artists and others in both California and Singapore locations to produce not only the series but animated feature films in the years ahead." He said about the series, "to get the series underway, Lucasfilm Animation has hired key production and creative talent to lead the development of its first animation project." Sansweet has said that "a large component of the future of "Star Wars" and Lucasfilm is CGI animation."


text: Lucasfilm Animation used Autodesk software to animate both the film and the series. The Maya 3D-modeling program was used to create the highly detailed worlds, characters and creatures.


text: Character designer Kilian Plunkett referred to the character designs from Genndy Tartakovsky's original 2003 "Clone Wars" series, and animators reviewed designs from the 2D series when creating the animation style.


text: In 2007, Rob Coleman divulged that one episode was complete, with 15 more in production, and that he was going to direct five of the first 22 episodes. He revealed that the reaction from licensees was very positive, and that the final assembly of shows was done at Skywalker Ranch.


text: Speaking at PaleyFest on March 3, 2007, Lucas revealed that the series would be episodic, and as such would not focus on Anakin Skywalker's story; with episodes dedicated to clone troopers and other characters. Lucas revealed further information in a fan interview, including a new character named Ahsoka Tano, over 100 episodes and a possible appearance by Boba Fett. The first trailer for the series was released on the official "Star Wars" website on May 8, 2007. In an interview in the September 24, 2007 issue of "TV Guide", Lucas confirmed that 39 episodes of the series had been completed.


text: On April 8, 2007, "Ain't It Cool News" reported that musician Eric Rigler had recorded music for the series. Rigler disclosed that each planet in the "Star Wars" galaxy would have its own theme music. The episode Mr. Rigler performed on was based on Bulgarian music and played on Uilleann pipes. Kevin Kiner composed the original score for each episode.


text: Stuart Snyder, who oversaw Cartoon Network and other Turner Broadcasting System cable networks from 2007 to 2014, said he became interested in the new "Clone Wars" series immediately upon starting the job in May 2007. Snyder flew out to San Francisco, California to screen several episodes, and told Lucas the only place he wanted to see the show was on Cartoon Network. Snyder wished to create an action/adventure block of shows on Friday night in an attempt to rejuvenate Cartoon Network. Snyder expressed confidence that the shows would help boost ratings: "You catch me at a time where I have a smile on my face because of our internal results. I can say there's a little bit of bragging on the third quarter for us."


text: Lucas considered excluding the "Young Padawans" arc from Season 5 and airing it separately from "The Clone Wars" as a feature-length pilot for a spin-off series that never materialized. The pilot movie was shown at "Star Wars" Celebration. Seasons 6, 7, and 8, were in some form of production at the time of the show's cancellation in March 2013, shortly after Lucasfilm was purchased by Disney.


text: On August 31, 2008, a sneak peek of "The Clone Wars" was shown on Cartoon Network. The series premiered on October 3, 2008, at 9 p.m. on Cartoon Network. "The Clone Wars" on Cartoon Network is shown in a 16:9 (1.77:1) aspect ratio, cropped from its original aspect ratio (OAR) of 2.35:1 (as seen in the UK Sky Premiere screenings). The show began airing on their Adult Swim block on March 14, 2009, making the series the first Cartoon Network series to simultaneously air on both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. The series also aired from January 15 to March 26, 2009, on TNT, making it the first form of animation to air on that channel in over a decade.


text: The show entered an off-network syndication in 2012, and in the fall of that year Trifecta Entertainment & Media put it into barter syndication. on Weekends It aired on many affiliates on the Independent Stations as well as an affiliates of Fox MyNetworkTV and The CW (the latter network's CW Plus service also carries the program as part of its national schedule). The show has been taken off the air in off-network syndication since fall 2013 due to low costs and was not renewed for Season 2 in the 2013-2014 TV Season due to Disney's completed acquisitions of Lucasfilm Ltd In December 2012.


text: On March 11, 2013, it was announced that "The Clone Wars" would be "winding down" to focus on the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy and a new series, "Star Wars Rebels". On February 13, 2014, Netflix announced that starting on March 7, 2014, they would begin the US distribution of the entire TV series, including some previously unreleased director's cuts, and the previously unaired new season dubbed "The Lost Missions". The latter also became available for purchase on digital video stores, such as iTunes, in . The Netflix distribution of the series, along with the Blu-rays, included versions of some episodes with previously censored material. One of the most well-known edits was the removal of the character Ventress kissing a clone after she had stabbed him with her lightsaber.


text: The show was removed from Netflix on April 7, 2019. For the revival and final season, the remaining episodes of the series are exclusively available on Disney+. The first episode for Season 7 was released on February 21, 2020, with the final episode being released on May 4 of the same year.


text: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment distributed the videodisc releases of the first five seasons, while Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment handled the videodisc release of the sixth season as "Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Lost Missions".


text: Apart from the season-by-season videodisc sets, there were also three special DVD releases consisting of four episodes from a particular season that reflected a certain story arc or theme:


text: The theatrical film that served as was panned by critics. The series began with generally positive reviews at first and over time the series achieved critical acclaim for its writing, emotional depth, lore expansion and voice acting. On July 11, 2008, television critics were shown a completed episode of the series. "The Hollywood Reporter"s called the footage "likely the most photo-realistic animated TV series ever produced."


text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 69% based on 16 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.70/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With an agreeably entertaining first season, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" opens a fun, kid-friendly chapter of the franchise's sprawling mythology." On Metacritic, the first season has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 based on 9 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


text: "Slate" gave the season a positive review and stated, "The new series aspires to the level of a virtual-reality game. That's both the source of its great visual charm and the key to its emptiness, which is too dull to get worked up about."


text: Maureen Ryan of Chicago Tribune praised the season's "fine" complexity, but criticized its "byzantine" plot and lack of character depth, calling the result an "irritation or boredom".


text: In 2009, IGN named "The Clone Wars" the 89th best animated series, specifically praising the episodes "Rookies", "Cloak of Darkness", and "Lair of Grievous" as having some of the best storylines in the "Star Wars" Expanded Universe.


text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has an approval rating of 100% based on 5 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8/10.


text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the fifth season has an approval rating of 100% based on 5 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.90/10.


text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the sixth season has an approval rating of 100% based on 12 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.90/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Sophisticated storytelling and quality animation make the sixth season of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" a fitting end to the series."


text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the seventh season has an approval rating of 100% based on 24 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.70/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Thanks to its beautifully animated action-sequences and its impressively layered storytelling, "The Clone Wars" final chapter affirms its place as one of "Star Wars" greatest entries."


text: "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" became the most-watched series premiere in Cartoon Network history. The series averaged 4 million total viewers in its debut, according to Nielsen Media Research. Cartoon Network said the "Star Wars" spin-off ranked as the number one channel among all major animated networks in the time slot among total viewers (the largest in the demographic for any premiere telecast of an original Cartoon series). On July 23, 2010, at the San Diego Comic-Con, Craig Glenday, editor of the Guinness World Records, presented "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" supervising director Dave Filoni, CG supervisor Joel Aron, and lead designer Kilian Plunkett a certificate proclaiming the cartoon series "the highest rated sci-fi animation currently on television". "Tech Times" said that, "while the "Star Wars" prequel films fail to make audiences care about characters like Anakin Skywalker, "The Clone Wars" succeeds." During May 2020, following the release of the seventh season on Disney+, "The Clone Wars" became the most streamed digital original show in the United States.


text: The animated series "Star Wars Rebels" (2014–2018) continues the story of some characters from "The Clone Wars", including Ahsoka, Captain Rex, Maul, and Darth Vader, in addition to story arcs involving Mandalorians, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hondo Ohnaka, and Saw Gerrera. Forest Whitaker portrayed Gerrera in the live-action film "Rogue One" (2016). Some of these characters and elements are also featured in the live-action Disney+ streaming series "The Mandalorian" (2019–present), which Dave Filoni executive produces. An upcoming live-action series focused on Ahsoka is being spun off from "The Mandalorian", with Filoni .


text: At the time of cancellation in March 2013, 65 more episodes were in development. Thirteen of these episodes were finished to become part of "Season 6: The Lost Missions", but there were still additional arcs that were never released. In September 2014, StarWars.com released details of three story arcs from the unfinished episodes. In 2020, an additional twelve of the unfinished episodes were finished and released on Disney+ as part of the show's seventh and final season.


text: A four-episode arc continued the story of Maul following the events from the season 5 episode "The Lawless", detailing his escape from Sidious; Maul regains control of the criminal Shadow Collective, and battles Dooku, Grievous, and Sidious. The arc was adapted into a four-part limited comic book series, "", which debuted in May 2014.


text: An eight-episode arc with Nightsister Asajj Ventress and Jedi Quinlan Vos was adapted into "Dark Disciple", a novel by Christie Golden released on July 7, 2015. The story follows Vos partnering up with Ventress, hoping to execute Count Dooku.


text: Two arcs consisting each of four episodes were released on the official "Star Wars" website for free in the form of complete animatics, albeit with unfinished animation as those episodes only went through the earliest stages of production. Both were fully voiced by the cast.


text: In September 2014, four unfinished episodes were released on the official "Star Wars" website. The arc took place on Utapau with Obi-Wan and Anakin investigating an arms deal involving the Separatists and a Kyber crystal. The arc also dealt with Anakin's feelings after the departure of Ahsoka. It was also included in the season 6 Blu-ray.


text: The unfinished animatics for "The Bad Batch", a four-episode arc, were screened at the "Star Wars Celebration" convention in Anaheim, California, on April 17, 2015. Scripted by Brent Friedman, it is a four-part story arc focusing on a ragtag unit of clone commandos of the same name. The arc was subsequently released on StarWars.com for free shortly after on April 29, 2015. The completed episodes were aired as the first part of the seventh season. A spin-off sequel series titled "" which follows the titular clone trooper team premiered on May 4, 2021.


text: Seven video games have been released, which are based on the style and character designs of the series.


title: Eugene Levy

text: Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian actor and comedian. From 1976 until 1984, he appeared in the Canadian television sketch comedy series "SCTV". He has also appeared in the "American Pie" series of films and the Canadian sitcom "Schitt's Creek". He often plays flustered and unconventional figures. He is a regular collaborator of actor-director Christopher Guest, appearing in and co-writing four of his films, commencing with "Waiting for Guffman" (1996).


title: Eugene Levy

text: In 2004, Levy won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media for "A Mighty Wind" from the film of the same name that he co-wrote. Levy received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, in 2008. He was appointed to the Order of Canada on June 30, 2011. From 2015 to 2020, he starred as Johnny Rose in "Schitt's Creek", a comedy series that he co-created with his son and co-star Dan Levy. In 2019 and 2020, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, which he won in 2020. Levy has won multiple accolades throughout his career including four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award.


title: Eugene Levy

text: Levy was born to a Jewish family in downtown Hamilton, Ontario. His mother, Rebecca (Kudlatz), was a homemaker, and his father was a foreman at an automobile plant. He has a brother, Fred, and sister, Barbara. His mother was born in Glasgow, Scotland, to Polish Jewish parents, later moving to Canada. His father was Sephardi Jewish, with ancestors from Spain and Bulgaria.


title: Eugene Levy

text: Levy attended Westdale Secondary School, where he was student council president. He subsequently attended McMaster University. He was vice-president of the McMaster Film Board, a student film group, where he met moviemaker Ivan Reitman.


title: Eugene Levy

text: The 1972–1973 Toronto production of the hit musical "Godspell" opened at the Royal Alexandra Theatre and was intended to be a run of a few dozen performances for a subscription audience. The cast was drawn entirely from local performers, instead of a touring cast. The Toronto production launched the careers of many actors, including Levy, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, Gilda Radner, Dave Thomas, and Martin Short, as well as the show's musical director, Paul Shaffer. Howard Shore played saxophone for this production. After an enthusiastic response from the audience, the scheduled run at the Royal Alexandra ended and the show moved uptown to the Bayview Playhouse in Leaside. The Bayview Playhouse production ran until August 1973, with a then-record run of 488 performances.


title: Eugene Levy

text: An alumnus of both the Second City, Toronto and the sketch comedy series "Second City Television", Levy often plays unusual supporting characters with nerdy streaks. Perhaps his best-known role on "SCTV" is the dimwitted Earl Camembert, a news anchor for the "SCTV News" and a parody of real-life Canadian newsman Earl Cameron. Celebrities impersonated by Levy on SCTV include Perry Como, Ricardo Montalbán, Alex Trebek, Sean Connery, Howard Cosell, Henry Kissinger, Menachem Begin, Bud Abbott, Milton Berle, John Charles Daly, Gene Shalit, Judd Hirsch, Jack Carter, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Tony Dow, James Caan, Lorne Greene, Rex Reed, Ralph Young (of Sandler and Young), F. Lee Bailey, Ernest Borgnine, former Ontario chief coroner and talk show host Dr. Morton Shulman, Norman Mailer, Neil Sedaka and Howard McNear as Floyd the Barber.


title: Eugene Levy

text: Original Levy characterizations on "SCTV" are news reporter Earl Camembert, comic Bobby Bittman, scandal sheet entrepreneur Dr. Raoul Withers, "report on business" naïf Brian Johns, 3-D horror auteur Woody Tobias Jr., cheerful Leutonian accordionist Stan Schmenge, lecherous dream interpreter Raoul Wilson, hammer-voiced sports broadcaster Lou Jaffe, diminutive union patriarch Sid Dithers ("San Francisckie! Did you drove or did you flew?"), fey current-events commentator Joel Weiss, buttoned-down panel show moderator Dougal Currie, smarmy "Just for Fun" emcee Stan Kanter, energetic used car salesman Al Peck, guileless security guard Gus Gustofferson, Phil the Garment King (also of Phil's Nails), and the inept teen dance show host Rockin’ Mel Slirrup.


title: Eugene Levy

text: Though he has been the "above the title" star in only two films, "Armed and Dangerous" (1986) and "The Man" (2005), he has featured prominently in many films. He is the co-writer and frequent cast member of Christopher Guest’s mockumentary features, particularly "A Mighty Wind", where his sympathetic performance as emotionally unstable folksinger Mitch Cohen won kudos; his accolades included a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Musical or Comedy and the prestigious New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor. In the 1980s and 1990s, he appeared in "Splash", "National Lampoon’s Vacation", "Club Paradise", "Stay Tuned", "Multiplicity", "Serendipity" and other comedies. Levy was the creator of "Maniac Mansion", a television sitcom based on the LucasArts video game of the same name. He was also seriously considered for the role of Toby Ziegler on "The West Wing", a role that went to actor Richard Schiff.


title: Eugene Levy

text: Levy, along with his son Dan Levy, is co-creator of the CBC/Pop TV sitcom "Schitt's Creek". He also stars in the show alongside his son as head of the Rose family, Johnny Rose. His daughter, Sarah Levy, portrays Twyla Sands, the waitress at the Schitt‘s Creek diner. Eugene Levy's brother Fred is also a producer on the show.


title: Eugene Levy

text: Levy married Deborah Divine in 1977. Divine's career has been in TV production. The couple have two children whom they raised in Toronto: actors Dan and Sarah, both of whom starred alongside their father on "Schitt's Creek".


title: Eugene Levy

text: Levy is an advocate for autism awareness and treatment. He was a close friend of actor John Candy. Levy is a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.


title: Eugene Levy

text: Levy, along with Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, was awarded the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media for the title song from "A Mighty Wind".


title: Eugene Levy

text: In March 2006, it was announced that he would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. In 2002, the entire cast of "SCTV" was given a group star, and although Levy is not mentioned on the actual star, he was still inducted as a part of the group. This makes him one of only four two-time honourees, alongside fellow "SCTV" alumni John Candy, Martin Short and Catherine O'Hara. Levy is one of only a handful of people who have won at least five Canadian Comedy Awards, including two for Best Writing ("Best in Show" in 2001 and "A Mighty Wind" in 2004) and three for Best Male Performer ("Best in Show", "American Pie 2" in 2002, and "A Mighty Wind").


title: Eugene Levy

text: In 2008, the Governor General of Canada presented Levy with the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA), a lifetime achievement award considered "for their outstanding body of work and enduring contribution to the performing arts in Canada.". In 2010, Levy was awarded the ACTRA Award by the union representing Canada's actors. In 2011, Levy was made a Member of the Order of Canada "for his contributions as a comic actor and writer, and for his dedication to charitable causes."


title: Eugene Levy

text: On May 22, 2012, Levy delivered a commencement address at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and was awarded the degree Doctor of Laws (honoris causa). On June 11, 2012, Levy was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.


title: Eugene Levy

text: On March 13, 2016, Levy took home the award for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role" at the 4th Annual Canadian Screen Awards, for his performance as Johnny Rose in the CBC/Pop TV sitcom, "Schitt's Creek".


title: Kim Petras

text: Kim Petras (born 27 August 1992) is a German singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Between 2016 and 2020, she released music as an independent artist under her own imprint, BunHead Records, before signing with Amigo and Republic Records in 2021.


title: Kim Petras

text: Petras began recording music as a teenager, releasing her debut extended play "One Piece of Tape" in 2011. She independently released her debut international single in 2017, "I Don't Want It at All", which went on to top several viral music charts on Spotify. The song was followed by "Billboard"-charting singles "Feeling of Falling" (with Cheat Codes), "Heart to Break", and "1, 2, 3 Dayz Up" (featuring Sophie).


title: Kim Petras

text: Following her early success, Petras released a collection of digital singles which would later comprise her unofficial body of work known as "Era 1". Petras released her debut album "Clarity", on 28 June 2019. The record was preceded with a nine-week-long promotional campaign, during which Petras released one single per week with an accompanying visual lyric video. "Clarity" received acclaim from music critics, reached number seven on the Heatseekers Chart and number 26 on the Independent Albums chart. Following this, Petras released her second studio album, "Turn Off the Light" in October 2019. In 2020, Petras saw further success with her songs "Malibu" and "Broken Glass", the latter being a collaboration with Kygo.


title: Kim Petras

text: In 2021 Petras signed with Republic Records and released the 7-track EP "Slut Pop" in 2022. Later in the year Petras released the single "Unholy" alongside Sam Smith. It marked Petras' first number one single on the UK Singles Chart and on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The song also garnered Petras her first Grammy Award nomination, for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.


title: Kim Petras

text: Petras was born in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. Her mother is a choreographer and artist, her father is an architect, and her older sister is also a singer. She was assigned male at birth. In 2006, Petras, then aged 13, appeared on a German television current affairs show in which she discussed her medical gender transition. At age 14, Petras appeared in a documentary and a talk show, in a push to get permission for early sex reassignment surgery at age 16, before the minimum age of 18 in Germany. These appearances resulted in international media coverage of her transition, touting her as the "world's youngest transsexual".


title: Kim Petras

text: In September 2007, she was a model for a German chain of hair salons. Petras was evaluated by the head of the psychiatric unit at Frankfurt Hospital, Dr Bernd Meyenburg, and approved for gender confirmation surgery at 16 years old; Petras announced, in November 2008, that the surgery was completed. "The Daily Telegraph" claimed Petras was the youngest person in the world to have had that surgery at the time. About her surgery, she stated "I was asked if I feel like a woman now – but the truth is I have always felt like a woman – I just ended up in the wrong body".


title: Kim Petras

text: In an interview with BuzzFeed, Petras said the first song she ever wrote was "about this dude in second grade who didn't like me back".


title: Kim Petras

text: Between 2008 and 2009, Petras released a string of singles under Joyce Records: "Fade Away" (2008), "Last Forever," "Die for You," and "Boomerang" (all 2009). In 2009, she was featured on "Taste" by Sobertruth and in 2011 was featured on "Magnetic". Later in 2011, Petras released her debut extended play, "One Piece of Tape", under the imprint Bionic Ballroom.


title: Kim Petras

text: In 2013, Petras was featured on two singles named "Flight to Paris" and "Hearbeat" by German DJ Klaas. Throughout the next few years, Petras worked with producers including The Stereotypes, C.J. Abraham, Stephen Dresser, Johan "Jones" Wetterberg, Edward Ellis, and Aaron Joseph on a music career, releasing demos on her SoundCloud page, including one titled "STFU". For her contributions to social media, Petras was ranked at number 19 on "Billboard" Artist Chart, listing developing artists, in July 2013. In 2015, Petras appeared on "You" by Isaac Phase for his album, "Phase 00001".


title: Kim Petras

text: In August 2017, Petras released her debut single "I Don't Want It at All", The song went on to reach the Spotify Global Viral chart. The accompanying music video for the song premiered in October on Vevo, and features a cameo appearance by Paris Hilton. In the same month, she was picked by Spotify to be one of the four artists named as a RISE Artist, a "program designed to identify and break the next wave of music superstars." During the end of 2017, Petras was dubbed "most likely to dominate the pop charts" by "Paper" magazine, and appeared on Charli XCX's mixtape "Pop 2" (2017) for the track "Unlock It" alongside Jay Park.


title: Kim Petras

text: In January 2018, the Nicholas Harwood-directed video for Petras' single "Faded", which features Lil Aaron, premiered on "Noisey", That same month, she appeared in the January issue of "Galore". Petras released the breakup-inspired "Heart to Break" in February, to commemorate Valentine's Day. The song was given its radio debut on BBC Radio 1 on 19 February. Bryan Kress of "Billboard" noted how while the single is "still keeping Petras' upbeat, unabashed pop sound... [it] ventures into new territory for the songwriter."


title: Kim Petras

text: On 1 October 2018, Petras released "Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1", a Halloween-themed extended play. The project was seen as a departure from Petras' typical sound, and features a guest appearance from the horror hostess character Elvira. Afterwards, Petras announced plans to release a single a month as a lead up to her debut album. She was featured on Cheat Codes' song "Feeling of Falling" in November 2018. Petras has been credited with composing the song "Young & Wild" on Twice's 6th EP, "Yes or Yes".


title: Kim Petras

text: In February 2019, Petras released three singles titled "1, 2, 3 Dayz Up" featuring Sophie, "If U Think About Me...", and "Homework" featuring Lil Aaron. Petras has not publicly expressed plans to release an album with any of her digital singles from 2016 until early 2019, but has referred to this release period as "Era 1".


title: Kim Petras

text: In March 2019, Petras appeared as a headline act at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, noted as one of the world's largest pride festivals, which has been headlined by other notable acts including Kylie Minogue, Cher, Dua Lipa, Kesha, Sam Smith, The Veronicas and George Michael.


title: Kim Petras

text: Petras released her debut album, "Clarity", on 28 June 2019. Throughout May and June, Petras released one song a week as a lead-up to the album's release. In June, Petras embarked on the 24 date "Broken Tour" across North America and Europe. Petras was featured on the covers of "Galore" and "Notion" magazines that same month. The album was preceded by promotional singles including "All I Do Is Cry" and "Sweet Spot" and was accompanied by the lead single, "Icy", on its release date.


title: Kim Petras

text: In August, Petras announced that there would be a limited edition vinyl pressing of "Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1" through Urban Outfitters. Petras has announced that "Turn Off the Light, Vol. 2" will be released exactly a year after the first part. On 1 October 2019, Petras' second studio album "Turn Off the Light" was released. The album features all of the songs from "Vol. 1" as well as nine new tracks, with a bonus track added a year later. On 11 February 2020, she released the single "Reminds Me". That same month, she announced that she would be the supporting act on the European leg of Camila Cabello's The Romance Tour, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.


title: Kim Petras

text: On 7 May, Petras released the single "Malibu" as the lead single off of her next album. The song was promoted by a performance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and charted in the United Kingdom. Petras was later featured on the song "Broken Glass" by Kygo, from his album "Golden Hour," released 29 May"." On 23 October, Petras announced that "Turn Off the Light, Vol. 3" will be released some time in 2021 "when [she] can perform it live". She also released a new song "Party Till I Die". Petras' song "Reminds Me" was sampled by the Kid Laroi for his song "Reminds Me of You", a collaboration with Juice Wrld released on the first anniversary of his death.


title: Kim Petras

text: On 6 November 2020, Petras was featured on K/DA's EP "All Out", appearing on the song "Villain" alongside Madison Beer, which charted in New Zealand and on the US World Songs chart. In 2021, Petras was featured on remixes of several songs made popular on TikTok, including "Jenny" with Studio Killers, and "SugarCrash!" by ElyOtto and Curtis Waters. Additionally, her 2017 song "Unlock It" with Charli XCX and Jay Park went viral on the app. Petras additionally announced "Turn Off the Light, Vol. 3" would be released sometime in 2021, although this plan did not come to fruition.


title: Kim Petras

text: In August 2021, Petras signed to Republic Records and released "Future Starts Now" as the lead single from her upcoming major-label debut studio album. Petras performed the song at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards pre-show on 12 September 2021, as the first out trans artist to perform at the VMAs. In November 2021, she performed two more singles from the forthcoming album — "Coconuts" and "Hit It from the Back" — when she appeared at the 2021 MTV Europe Music Awards, becoming the first out trans artist to perform at the EMAs, a show that MTV had deliberately hosted in Budapest, as "an opportunity to stand in solidarity" in protest against the Hungarian anti-LGBT law; likewise Petras's performance was intentionally raunchy and "sex positive" and spoke out to say "It's going to be pretty powerful to be in Hungary and perform the show when these laws have just happened". Petras also performed at the 2021 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, becoming the first out trans performer to do so. She was featured in the 2021 holiday film "The Bitch Who Stole Christmas". On 3 December 2021, after overwhelming fan response on TikTok, Petras released Coconuts, doing so around a month earlier than scheduled.


title: Kim Petras

text: On 10 February 2022, after teasing some of the songs on TikTok, Petras announced a surprise EP titled "Slut Pop", which was released the following day.


title: Kim Petras

text: On 30 July 2022, Petras seemingly confirmed via Twitter that the album titled "Problématique" had been scrapped. On 2 August 2022, many songs believed to be on the album leaked online. Petras responded to these leaks on Twitter, saying "It's ok if u wanna listen to the leaks ... I'm not getting to put out any music anyways I'm fucked."


title: Kim Petras

text: On 22 September 2022, Petras released the song "Unholy", a collaboration with Sam Smith. The track went viral on TikTok and hit number one in various countries upon release, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. It was also her first career entry on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100, eventually topping the chart in October 2022. This made Petras the first openly transgender woman in history to have a number-one song on the chart, and Smith the first openly non-binary person to do so.


title: Kim Petras

text: Petras is a pop singer who also makes electronic dance music (EDM), dance-pop, electropop and bubblegum pop. She credits the late 1990s and early 2000s pop scene, as well as 1980s Italo disco, as the primary basis for her sound. Petras describes herself as a 'Kylie Minogue stan first', citing Minogue as a key influence to her sound as a pop artist. Petras' other inspirations include Katy Perry, Cher, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Madonna and the Spice Girls, as well as Boy George, Debbie Harry, Queen, Freddie Mercury, Judy Garland, Baby E, Lil Aaron, Liz Y2K, and Kesha. In an interview, Petras stated that "To me, pop music is an escape from my problems. I can put on my headphones and listen to it for three and a half minutes to forget about everything that's bothering me. It's always been that way for me. I feel like pop definitely saved my life in so many ways."


title: Kim Petras

text: On her song writing, Petras told "Noisey" that "there's something about making a song that everybody can sing and remember, and when you listen to it the first time you already know the words by the second chorus, like you've always known the song. I'm obsessed with that idea." She commented on themes, stating "I write about boys, heartbreak, sex, having fun and the things that I go through."


title: Kim Petras

text: Following her debut, Petras was dubbed as "the new princess of pop" by "Nasty Galaxy". The title was repeated by publications including "Billboard", "ABC News", "V", and "Idolator.


title: Kim Petras

text: Following the release of her debut album "Clarity" (2019), many reviewers praised the record but criticized her involvement with Dr. Luke, who had been accused of sexually and verbally assaulting American singer-songwriter Kesha in 2015. The same controversy was reignited in 2022 with the release of her EP "Slut Pop", also produced by Dr. Luke. After the release of the EP, "#FreeKesha" trended on Twitter and Petras faced further backlash over lyrics in the EP referencing Lady Gaga, a supporter of Kesha and a survivor of sexual assault herself.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Vajiralongkorn (; , ; born 28 July 1952) is the King of Thailand. He is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. After his father's death on 13 October 2016, he was expected to ascend to the throne of Thailand but asked for time to mourn before taking the throne.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: He accepted the throne on the night of 1 December 2016. His coronation took place from 4–6 May 2019. The Thai government retroactively declared his reign to have begun on 13 October 2016, upon his father's death. As the tenth monarch of the Chakri dynasty, he is also styled as Rama X. Aged 64 at that time, Vajiralongkorn became the oldest Thai monarch to ascend to the throne.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Vajiralongkorn was born on 28 July 1952 at 17:45 in the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall of the Dusit Palace in Bangkok. When the crown prince was one year old, Somdet Phra Sangkharat Chao Kromma Luang Vajirananavongs, the 13th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand of the Rattanakosin Era, gave the child his first name at birth, Vajiralongkorn Boromchakrayadisorn Santatiwong Thewetthamrongsuboribal Abhikkunupakornmahitaladulyadej Bhumibolnaretwarangkun Kittisirisombunsawangwat Boromkhattiyarajakumarn.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Vajiralongkorn began his education in 1956 when he entered kindergarten at the Chitralada School in Dusit Palace. After completing Mathayom 1 (grade seven), he was sent to be educated at independent schools in the United Kingdom, first at a prep school, King's Mead, Seaford, Sussex, and then at Millfield School, in Somerset, where he completed his secondary education in July 1970. In August 1970, he attended a five-week military training course at The King's School, in Sydney, Australia.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: In 1972, the prince enrolled at the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Canberra, Australia. His education at Duntroon was divided into two parts, military training by the Australian Army and a bachelor's degree course under the auspices of the University of New South Wales. He graduated in 1976 as a new corporal with a liberal arts degree.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: In 1982, he completed a second bachelor's degree in law, with second-class honors at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Vajiralongkorn was proclaimed crown prince on 28 December 1972 at 12:23 in the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, making him the third crown prince of the Chakri dynasty. An excerpt from the royal command to establish the title of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn reads:


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: He had taken up his duties while serving in the Royal Thai Armed Forces, including frequent provincial tours and representing King Bhumibol at a wide variety of official functions and ceremonies before he ascended the throne.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: On 6 November 1978, the prince was ordained as a monk at Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), at age 26. As is traditional for royals, he stayed at Wat Bowonniwet Vihara for 15 days and under the monastic name "Vajiralongkornno".


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: After completing his studies, Vajiralongkorn served as a career officer in the Royal Thai Army. He served as a staff officer in the Directorate of Army Intelligence and attended the Command and General Staff College in 1977. Vajiralongkorn trained for periods with the US, British, and Australian armed services, studying unconventional warfare and advanced navigation. He is a qualified fixed-wing and helicopter pilot. In 1978 he became head of the King's Own Bodyguard Battalion.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: He is a military pilot qualified to fly the Northrop F-5, F-16, and the Boeing 737-400. His military role in recent years has become increasingly ceremonial. As his father grew older, Vajiralongkorn took a more prominent part in royal ceremonial and public appearances. He officially opened the 2007 Southeast Asian Games, held in Nakhon Ratchasima. The event occurred one day after the 80th birthday of his father.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Vajiralongkorn established "Crown Prince Hospitals" through funds donated by the public to serve as medical and health care centers for people living in remote areas. Crown Prince Hospitals had been set up in 21 locations in 1977. These hospitals had become major community hospitals providing services of international standards to the general public in 2011.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Also interested in agricultural development, Vajiralongkorn has accepted the "Mobile Agricultural Clinic Project" under his patronage. The project provides prompt services to farmers to enhance efficiency in farm production and solve farmers' problems. It provides experts in various agricultural fields who can advise farmers on plants, livestock, fisheries, and land development. He also offers suggestions on tackling agricultural problems and applying agricultural technology to increase productivity and improvement in the quality of agricultural production.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Mobile Agricultural Clinic teams can move quickly to various spots in need of help. It has worked steadily and is ready to provide technical services and transfer technology. With this project, farmers have been urged to be aware of agricultural development and new technology.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: In the later years of his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej's reign, Vajiralongkorn represented the King in presiding over the annual Royal Ploughing Ceremony, which is meaningful to Thai farmers as an early practice of phytopathology in the country. Aware of the importance of efficient agriculture for better productivity, Vajiralongkorn emphasized full-cycle agricultural activities, believing they will help improve farmers' quality of life, who are traditionally considered the backbone of the nation. Since becoming King himself Vajiralongkorn has presided over and participated in the ceremony in his own right.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: In honour of his coronation the Rice Department released five new rice varieties/cultivars and the king has continued patronage of the royal rice varieties competition, the tradition of his ancestor Chulalongkorn.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Vajiralongkorn has initiated education projects to improve children's access to quality learning and instill the concept of lifelong learning. He has special ties to the Rajabhat University system of 40 institutions of higher learning. The chairman of the Council of Rajabhat University Presidents of Thailand said that Vajiralongkorn has presided over commencement ceremonies at all Rajabhat Universities nationwide and personally handed out degrees to all Rajabhat university graduates every year since 1978. It is estimated that over the past 35 years, at least 2,100,000 degrees have been handed out by the crown prince to Rajabhat graduates. Besides, every year, he donates 42 million baht to a scholarship fund benefiting Rajabhat students.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Vajiralongkorn was once known as the "Football Prince" but is known for his cycling involvement. He has also shown keen interest in other sports since he was young. He learned horseback riding when he was about 11 years old and soon became a capable rider. While studying in Thailand and abroad, he played several sports with friends, including football, rugby, and rowing.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Vajiralongkorn also competed in sailing with King Bhumibol and sister Princess Ubolratana when they stayed at Klai Kangwon Palace in Hua Hin. In football, Vajiralongkorn first played as a forward and later became a center-back at Chitralada School, Millfield School in England, and the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in Australia. He shares his love of the sport with his father.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Most of the time, Vajiralongkorn lives in Bavaria in Germany, where he has spent a significant amount of his adulthood. His 15-year-old son, Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, goes to school in the area. The King requested and received changes to the constitution to end the requirement that he appoint a regent when he is away from Thailand. In comparison, his father often made state visits early during his reign, but he left the country only once after the 1960s—an overnight stay in neighboring Laos. He has also received visits from Thai officials and dignitaries in Germany. According to the German foreign ministry, the Thai ambassador has been told multiple times that Germany opposes "having guests in our country who run their state affairs from here." Thai officials have told Germany that Prime Minister Prayut is responsible for government matters, while the King is in Germany for personal reasons.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: According to the 2007 Constitution, the cabinet instructed the president of the National Assembly to invite Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn to the throne. He became the first monarch to be born in Thailand since his great-uncle Prajadhipok died in 1935. After his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, died on 13 October 2016, Vajiralongkorn was expected to succeed to the throne of Thailand but asked for time to mourn before taking the throne. On the night of 1 December 2016, the fiftieth day after the death of Bhumibol, Regent Prem Tinsulanonda led the heads of the country's three branches of government to an audience with Vajiralongkorn to invite him to ascend to the throne as the tenth king of the Chakri dynasty. Vajiralongkorn accepted the invitation, saying in a televised statement: "I would like to accept in order to fulfill his majesty's wishes and for the benefit of all Thais." The government retroactively declared his reign to have begun upon his father's death, but it would not crown him formally until after the cremation of his father. The remains were then cremated on 26 October 2017. Currently, his main residence is Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, with the king having moved from Nonthaburi Palace in 2011.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Vajiralongkorn's three-day coronation ceremonies took place from 4 to 6 May 2019. The one billion baht coronation was anticipated to attract 150,000 people to Sanam Luang.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Following the resignation of the councillors to Bhumibol Adulyadej, Vajiralongkorn appointed 10 members of the Privy Council. The command was issued under Section 2 of the 2014 interim constitution, completed with Sections 12, 13 and 16 of the 2007 constitution on the king which were retained and remain in effect. The remaining seven members are Surayud Chulanont, Kasem Wattanachai, Palakorn Suwanrath, Atthaniti Disatha-amnarj, Supachai Poo-ngam, Chanchai Likhitjitta and Chalit Pukbhasuk, with three new members, Paiboon Koomchaya, Dapong Ratanasuwan, and Teerachai Nakwanich. Prem Tinsulanonda was re-appointed Privy Council president by royal command. On 13 December 2016, the King appointed two new members, Wirach Chinvinitkul and Charunthada Karnasuta. On 25 December 2016, the King appointed one more new member, Kampanart Rooddit. On 19 January 2017, Privy Councillor Chanchai Likhitjitta died at the age of 71. On 2 October 2018, Mr. Amphon Kittiamphon, General Chalermchai Sitthisart and ACM Chom Rungsawang were appointed privy councilors.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Thailand's military-appointed parliament voted overwhelmingly in January 2017 to make amendments to the interim constitution, so as to allow amendments to the draft constitution as suggested by the new king's office. Critics said the new constitution would give the military a powerful political say for years or decades. The 2017 Constitution of Thailand was approved in a referendum in 2016, and was endorsed by Vajiralongkorn on 6 April 2017, Chakri day, in a ceremony at the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that the office of King Vajiralongkorn had asked for several changes to clauses related to royal power in the draft constitution, a rare intervention by a reigning Thai monarch. After the death of King Bhumibol, political activity was paused during a period of mourning that ended in 2017.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: In February 2019, in an unprecedented move, the King's elder sister, Ubol Ratana, announced her candidacy for the Thai prime ministership in the 2019 general election, running as a candidate of the Thaksin-allied Thai Raksa Chart Party. Later that same day, Vajiralongkorn issued a strongly worded statement, stating that her candidacy for prime minister is "inappropriate...and unconstitutional". The Election Commission of Thailand then disqualified her from running for prime minister, formally putting an end to her candidacy. The Thai Raksa Chart Party was banned on 7 March 2019 by the Constitutional Court of Thailand for bringing a member of the royal family into politics and its political leaders were banned from politics for a decade.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Vajiralongkorn's reign has been plagued by controversies unheard of during the reign of his predecessor. His image is affected by his reputation as a philanderer. In 2020, widespread unprecedented protests against his reign were popping up all over Thailand.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: For most of 2020, Vajiralongkorn reportedly rented out the alpine Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl in Garmisch-Partenkirchen for himself and his entourage during the COVID-19 pandemic. He remained there during the nationwide protests and amidst a wave of anti-monarchy sentiments in Thailand, sparking controversy in both Thailand and Germany. German foreign minister Heiko Maas has warned the King not to govern from German soil. He also mentioned that the European state will be investigating his behavior during his stay in Germany.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: On 26 October 2020, protesters marched to the German Embassy in Bangkok, petitioning the German government to investigate the King's activities in Germany for the possibility that he had been exercising powers from German soil.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Vajiralongkorn is protected by one of the most strictly enforced "lèse majesté" laws in the world. For many years, criticism of the king, queen, crown prince, and more recently, former kings, members of the royal family, and even their pets have been strictly prohibited. Violations carry large fines and prison sentences of up to 35 years. However, Vajiralongkorn's private life continues to be a controversial subject of discussion in Thailand, although not publicly. In the 10 January 2002 edition of the "Far Eastern Economic Review" (FEER), an article appeared suggesting that Vajiralongkorn had business ties with then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. An immediate ban was placed on distribution of the magazine, and the Thai government, citing a threat to national security, suspended the visas of FEER's two Thailand correspondents, Shawn Crispin and Rodney Tasker.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: In 2002, "The Economist" wrote that "Vajiralongkorn is held in much less esteem (than the then-king Bhumibol). Bangkok gossips like to swap tales of his lurid personal life… Besides, no successor, however worthy, can hope to equal the stature King Bhumibol has attained after 64 years on the throne." This issue of "The Economist" was banned in Thailand. In 2010, another issue of "The Economist", also not distributed in Thailand, said that Vajiralongkorn was "widely loathed and feared" and "unpredictable to the point of eccentricity", while the online journal "Asia Sentinel" said that he was "regarded as erratic and virtually incapable of ruling"; the journal was blocked shortly thereafter. In a diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks, senior Singaporean foreign ministry official Bilahari Kausikan said that Vajiralongkorn had a gambling habit partly funded by exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: On 12 November 2009, a home video was released to WikiLeaks, showing Vajiralongkorn casually dressed and Princess Srirasmi Suwadee wearing only a G-string, all the while being attended to by several formally dressed servants, celebrating the birthday of the prince's poodle, Air Chief Marshal Fufu. Part of this video was broadcast on the programme "Foreign Correspondent", on the Australian ABC channel on 13 April 2010, as part of a half-hour documentary critical of the royal family of Thailand.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: On 19 January 2009, Harry Nicolaides, an Australian national, was sentenced to three years in prison for self-publishing a fictional book deemed to have violated "lèse majesté". The offending passage alluded to rumours that "if the prince fell in love with one of his minor wives and she betrayed him, she and her family would disappear with their name, familial lineage and all vestiges of their existence expunged forever". Nicolaides was later pardoned by the king. Nicolaides later stated that "it's entirely fiction from cover to cover".


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: In August 2011, the German judicial authorities in Munich impounded a Boeing 737 aircraft, one of two belonging to Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn. Administrators seized the aircraft because of a 20-year-old Thai government debt owed to a now-defunct German construction corporation for the Don Mueang Tollway, that had risen to some €30 million. German authorities, representing the corporation's interests in bankruptcy, stated the measure was a "last resort" in seeking repayment. The Thai government, which had not responded to German demands, called the move "highly inappropriate". On 1 August, Vajiralongkorn's office announced he would pay the deposit amounting to €20 million himself. One day later the Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya confirmed that the Thai government would pay the deposit.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: In November 2016, "Manager Magazin" published a report stating that the new king could be issued with an inheritance tax bill in excess of €3.5 billion. According to the report, the new King is domiciled in Bavaria where he owns two villas which makes him subject to local inheritance tax. On 16 May 2017, Thai officials warned Facebook after an online video was posted of the king wearing a crop top and with full view of his half sleeve tattoo.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: On 3 January 1977, Vajiralongkorn married Princess Soamsawali Kitiyakara (born 1957), a first cousin on his mother's side. They had one daughter, Princess Bajrakitiyabha, born in December 1978. Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn started living with actress Yuvadhida Polpraserth in the late 1970s and had five children with her. Although Princess Soamsawali had refused divorce for many years, Vajiralongkorn was finally able to sue for divorce in the Family Court in January 1993. In the court proceedings, Vajiralongkorn accused Princess Soamsawali of being completely at fault for the failed relationship. She was not able to refute the charges due to the prohibition against "lèse majesté". The divorce was finalized in July 1993. Despite the divorce, the king and Princess Soamsawali remain on cordial terms. Soamsawali and her daughter continue to play a significant role in royal ceremonies.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: When Vajiralongkorn was introduced to Yuvadhida Polpraserth, she was an aspiring actress. She became his steady companion and gave birth to his first son, Prince Juthavachara Mahidol, on 29 August 1979. He later had three more sons and a daughter by her. They were married at a palace ceremony in February 1994, where they were blessed by the King and the Princess Mother, but not by the Queen. After the marriage, she was allowed to change her name to Mom Sujarinee Mahidol na Ayudhaya, signifying she was a commoner married to royalty. She was also commissioned as a major in the Royal Thai Army and took part in royal ceremonies with Vajiralongkorn. In 1996, two years after the wedding, Mom Sujarinee (as she was now known) decamped to Britain with all her children, while Vajiralongkorn caused posters to be placed all around his palace accusing her of committing adultery with Anand Rotsamkhan, a 60-year-old air marshal. Later, the prince abducted the daughter and brought her back to Thailand to live with him. She was later elevated to the rank of princess, whilst Sujarinee and her sons were stripped of their diplomatic passports and royal titles. Sujarinee and her sons moved to the United States, and as of 2007, she was known as Sujarinee Vivacharawongse.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: Vajiralongkorn married for a third time on 10 February 2001, to Srirasmi Suwadee (royal name: "Akharaphongpreecha"), a commoner of modest background who had been in his service since 1992. The marriage was not disclosed to the public until early 2005. She gave birth to a son, Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, on 29 April 2005 and was then elevated to the rank of princess. Her son was immediately elevated to the rank of prince. In a magazine interview shortly after that, Vajiralongkorn stated his intention to settle down.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: In November 2014, however, Vajiralongkorn sent a letter to the interior ministry asking for Princess Srirasmi's family to be stripped of the royal name "Akharaphongpreecha" awarded to her, following allegations of corruption against seven of her relatives. The following month, Srirasmi relinquished her royal titles and the royal name and was officially divorced from Vajiralongkorn. She received 200 million baht (US$5.5 million) as a settlement. They had been married for 13 years.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: On 1 May 2019, three days before his coronation, Vajiralongkorn married Suthida Tidjai, former acting commander of Royal Thai Aide-de-Camp Department. Suthida was therefore made the queen consort of King Vajiralongkorn whose coronation took place in Bangkok on 4–6 May 2019. The marriage registration took place at the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall in Bangkok, with his sister Princess Sirindhorn and President of Privy Council Prem Tinsulanonda as witnesses.


title: Vajiralongkorn

text: On 28 July 2019, Vajiralongkorn bestowed the title of "Chao Khun Phra" or Royal Noble Consort, and the royal name of Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, to Major General Niramon Ounprom; the occasion marked the first official naming of a secondary consort for nearly a century. Three months later, on 21 October 2019, a palace order stripped Sineenat of her title and ranks, stating that she had been disrespectful to Queen Suthida and disloyal to the king. On 2 September 2020, Sineenat's titles were restored with a declaration that she "is not tarnished" and "Henceforth, it will be as if she had never been stripped of her military ranks or royal decorations".


title: Florence

text: Florence ( ; ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.


title: Florence

text: Florence was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of that era. It is considered by many academics to have been the birthplace of the Renaissance, becoming a major artistic, cultural, commercial, political, economic and financial center. During this time, Florence rose to a position of enormous influence in Italy, Europe, and beyond. Its turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family and numerous religious and republican revolutions. From 1865 to 1871 the city served as the capital of the Kingdom of Italy (established in 1861). The Florentine dialect forms the base of Standard Italian and it became the language of culture throughout Italy due to the prestige of the masterpieces by Dante Alighieri, Petrarch, Giovanni Boccaccio, Niccolò Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini.


title: Florence

text: The city attracts millions of tourists each year, and UNESCO declared the Historic Centre of Florence a World Heritage Site in 1982. The city is noted for its culture, Renaissance art and architecture and monuments. The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Pitti, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics. Due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage, "Forbes" ranked it as the most beautiful city in the world in 2010.


title: Florence

text: Florence plays an important role in Italian fashion, and is ranked in the top 15 fashion capitals of the world by Global Language Monitor; furthermore, it is a major national economic centre, as well as a tourist and industrial hub.


title: Florence

text: Florence originated as a Roman city, and later, after a long period as a flourishing trading and banking medieval commune, it was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. It was politically, economically, and culturally one of the most important cities in Europe and the world from the 14th to 16th centuries.


title: Florence

text: The language spoken in the city during the 14th century came to be accepted as the model for what would become the Italian language. Thanks especially to the works of the Tuscans Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio, the Florentine dialect, above all the local dialects, was adopted as the basis for a national literary language.


title: Florence

text: Starting from the late Middle Ages, Florentine money—in the form of the gold florin—financed the development of industry all over Europe, from Britain to Bruges, to Lyon and Hungary. Florentine bankers financed the English kings during the Hundred Years War. They similarly financed the papacy, including the construction of their provisional capital of Avignon and, after their return to Rome, the reconstruction and Renaissance embellishment of Rome.


title: Florence

text: Florence was home to the Medici, one of European history's most important noble families. Lorenzo de' Medici was considered a political and cultural mastermind of Italy in the late 15th century. Two members of the family were popes in the early 16th century: Leo X and Clement VII. Catherine de Medici married King Henry II of France and, after his death in 1559, reigned as regent in France. Marie de' Medici married Henry IV of France and gave birth to the future King Louis XIII. The Medici reigned as Grand Dukes of Tuscany, starting with Cosimo I de' Medici in 1569 and ending with the death of Gian Gastone de' Medici in 1737.


title: Florence

text: In the 9th–8th century BC, the Etruscans formed the small settlement of Fiesole (Faesulae in Latin). This was destroyed by Lucius Cornelius Sulla in 80 BC, in reprisal for supporting the populares faction in Rome. The present city of Florence was established by Julius Caesar in 59 BC as a settlement for his veteran soldiers and was named originally "Fluentia", owing to the fact that it was built between two rivers, which was later changed to "Florentia" ("flowering"). It was built in the style of an army camp with the main streets, the "cardo" and the "decumanus", intersecting at the present "Piazza della Repubblica". Situated along the "Via Cassia", the main route between Rome and the north, and within the fertile valley of the Arno, the settlement quickly became an important commercial centre.


title: Florence

text: In centuries to come, the city experienced turbulent periods of Ostrogothic rule, during which the city was often troubled by warfare between the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines, which may have caused the population to fall to as few as 1,000 people. Peace returned under Lombard rule in the 6th century. Florence was conquered by Charlemagne in 774 and became part of the Duchy of Tuscany, with Lucca as capital. The population began to grow again and commerce prospered. In 854, Florence and Fiesole were united in one county.


title: Florence

text: Margrave Hugo chose Florence as his residency instead of Lucca at about 1000 AD. The Golden Age of Florentine art began around this time. In 1013, construction began on the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte. The exterior of the church was reworked in Romanesque style between 1059 and 1128. In 1100, Florence was a "commune", meaning a city-state. The city's primary resource was the Arno river, providing power and access for the industry (mainly textile industry), and access to the Mediterranean sea for international trade. Another great source of strength was its industrious merchant community. The Florentine merchant banking skills became recognised in Europe after they brought decisive financial innovation (e.g. bills of exchange, double-entry bookkeeping system) to medieval fairs. This period also saw the eclipse of Florence's formerly powerful rival Pisa (defeated by Genoa in 1284 and subjugated by Florence in 1406), and the exercise of power by the mercantile elite following an anti-aristocratic movement, led by Giano della Bella, that resulted in a set of laws called the Ordinances of Justice (1293).


title: Florence

text: At the height of demographic expansion around 1325, the urban population may have been as great as 120,000, and the rural population around the city was probably close to 300,000. The Black Death of 1348 reduced it by over half, about 25,000 are said to have been supported by the city's wool industry: in 1345 Florence was the scene of an attempted strike by wool combers ("ciompi"), who in 1378 rose up in a brief revolt against oligarchic rule in the Revolt of the Ciompi. After their suppression, Florence came under the sway (1382–1434) of the Albizzi family, who became bitter rivals of the Medici.


title: Florence

text: In the 15th century, Florence was among the largest cities in Europe, with a population of 60,000, and was considered rich and economically successful. Cosimo de' Medici was the first Medici family member to essentially control the city from behind the scenes. Although the city was technically a democracy of sorts, his power came from a vast patronage network along with his alliance to the new immigrants, the "gente nuova" (new people). The fact that the Medici were bankers to the pope also contributed to their ascendancy. Cosimo was succeeded by his son Piero, who was, soon after, succeeded by Cosimo's grandson, Lorenzo in 1469. Lorenzo was a great patron of the arts, commissioning works by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli. Lorenzo was an accomplished poet and musician and brought composers and singers to Florence, including Alexander Agricola, Johannes Ghiselin, and Heinrich Isaac. By contemporary Florentines (and since), he was known as "Lorenzo the Magnificent" (Lorenzo il Magnifico).


title: Florence

text: Following Lorenzo de' Medici's death in 1492, he was succeeded by his son Piero II. When the French king Charles VIII invaded northern Italy, Piero II chose to resist his army. But when he realised the size of the French army at the gates of Pisa, he had to accept the humiliating conditions of the French king. These made the Florentines rebel, and they expelled Piero II. With his exile in 1494, the first period of Medici rule ended with the restoration of a republican government.


title: Florence

text: During this period, the Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola had become prior of the San Marco monastery in 1490. He was famed for his penitential sermons, lambasting what he viewed as widespread immorality and attachment to material riches. He praised the exile of the Medici as the work of God, punishing them for their decadence. He seized the opportunity to carry through political reforms leading to a more democratic rule. But when Savonarola publicly accused Pope Alexander VI of corruption, he was banned from speaking in public. When he broke this ban, he was excommunicated. The Florentines, tired of his teachings, turned against him and arrested him. He was convicted as a heretic, hanged and burned at the stake on the Piazza della Signoria on 23 May 1498. His ashes were dispersed in the Arno river.


title: Florence

text: Another Florentine of this period was Niccolò Machiavelli, whose prescriptions for Florence's regeneration under strong leadership have often been seen as a legitimization of political expediency and even malpractice. Machiavelli was a political thinker, renowned for his political handbook "The Prince", which is about ruling and exercising power. Commissioned by the Medici, Machiavelli also wrote the "Florentine Histories", the history of the city.


title: Florence

text: In 1512, the Medici retook control of Florence with the help of Spanish and Papal troops. They were led by two cousins, Giovanni and Giulio de' Medici, both of whom would later become Popes of the Catholic Church, (Leo X and Clement VII, respectively). Both were generous patrons of the arts, commissioning works like Michelangelo's "Laurentian Library" and "Medici Chapel" in Florence, to name just two. Their reigns coincided with political upheaval in Italy, and thus in 1527, Florentines drove out the Medici for a second time and re-established a theocratic republic on 16 May 1527, (Jesus Christ was named King of Florence). The Medici returned to power in Florence in 1530, with the armies of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the blessings of Pope Clement VII (Giulio de' Medici).


title: Florence

text: Florence officially became a monarchy in 1531, when Emperor Charles and Pope Clement named Alessandro de Medici as "Duke of the Florentine Republic". The Medici's monarchy would last over two centuries. Alessandro's successor, Cosimo I de Medici, was named Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1569; in all Tuscany, only the Republic of Lucca (later a Duchy) and the Principality of Piombino were independent from Florence.


title: Florence

text: The extinction of the Medici dynasty and the accession in 1737 of Francis Stephen, duke of Lorraine and husband of Maria Theresa of Austria, led to Tuscany's temporary inclusion in the territories of the Austrian crown. It became a secundogeniture of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty, who were deposed for the House of Bourbon-Parma in 1801. From 1801 to 1807 Florence was the capital of the Napoleonic client state Kingdom of Etruria. The Bourbon-Parma were deposed in December 1807 when Tuscany was annexed by France. Florence was the prefecture of the French département of Arno from 1808 to the fall of Napoleon in 1814. The Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty was restored on the throne of Tuscany at the Congress of Vienna but finally deposed in 1859. Tuscany became a region of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.


title: Florence

text: Florence replaced Turin as Italy's capital in 1865 and, in an effort to modernise the city, the old market in the Piazza del Mercato Vecchio and many medieval houses were pulled down and replaced by a more formal street plan with newer houses. The Piazza (first renamed Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, then Piazza della Repubblica, the present name) was significantly widened and a large triumphal arch was constructed at the west end. This development was unpopular and was prevented from continuing by the efforts of several British and American people living in the city. A museum recording the destruction stands nearby today.


title: Florence

text: The country's second capital city was superseded by Rome six years later, after the withdrawal of the French troops allowed the capture of Rome.


title: Florence

text: During World War II the city experienced a year-long German occupation (1943–1944) being part of the Italian Social Republic. Hitler declared it an open city on 3 July 1944 as troops of the British 8th Army closed in. In early August, the retreating Germans decided to demolish all the bridges along the Arno linking the district of Oltrarno to the rest of the city, making it difficult for troops of the 8th Army to cross. However, at the last moment Charles Steinhauslin, at the time consul of 26 countries in Florence, convinced the German general in Italy that the Ponte Vecchio was not to be destroyed due to its historical value. Instead, an equally historic area of streets directly to the south of the bridge, including part of the Corridoio Vasariano, was destroyed using mines. Since then the bridges have been restored to their original forms using as many of the remaining materials as possible, but the buildings surrounding the Ponte Vecchio have been rebuilt in a style combining the old with modern design. Shortly before leaving Florence, as they knew that they would soon have to retreat, the Germans executed many freedom fighters and political opponents publicly, in streets and squares including the Piazza Santo Spirito.


title: Florence

text: Florence was liberated by New Zealand, South African and British troops on 4 August 1944 alongside partisans from the Tuscan Committee of National Liberation (CTLN). The Allied soldiers who died driving the Germans from Tuscany are buried in cemeteries outside the city (Americans about south of the city, British and Commonwealth soldiers a few kilometres east of the centre on the right bank of the Arno).


title: Florence

text: At the end of World War II in May 1945, the US Army's Information and Educational Branch was ordered to establish an overseas university campus for demobilised American service men and women in Florence. The first American university for service personnel was established in June 1945 at the School of Aeronautics. Some 7,500 soldier-students were to pass through the university during its four one-month sessions (see G. I. American Universities).


title: Florence

text: In November 1966, the Arno flooded parts of the centre, damaging many art treasures. Around the city there are tiny placards on the walls noting where the flood waters reached at their highest point.


title: Florence

text: Florence lies in a basin formed by the hills of Careggi, Fiesole, Settignano, Arcetri, Poggio Imperiale and Bellosguardo (Florence). The Arno river, three other minor rivers (Mugnone, Ema and Greve) and some streams flow through it.


title: Florence

text: Florence has a humid subtropical climate ("Cfa"), tending to Mediterranean ("Csa"). It has hot summers with moderate or light rainfall and cool, damp winters. As Florence lacks a prevailing wind, summer temperatures are higher than along the coast. Rainfall in summer is convectional, while relief rainfall dominates in the winter. Snow flurries occur almost every year, but often result in no accumulation. The highest officially recorded temperature was on 26 July 1983 and the lowest was on 12 January 1985.


title: Florence

text: In 1200 the city was home to 50,000 people. By 1300 the population of the city proper was 120,000, with an additional 300,000 living in the Contado. Between 1500 and 1650 the population was around 70,000.


title: Florence

text: , the population of the city proper is 370,702, while Eurostat estimates that 696,767 people live in the urban area of Florence. The Metropolitan Area of Florence, Prato and Pistoia, constituted in 2000 over an area of roughly , is home to 1.5 million people. Within Florence proper, 46.8% of the population was male in 2007 and 53.2% were female. Minors (children aged 18 and less) totalled 14.10 percent of the population compared to pensioners, who numbered 25.95 percent. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06 percent (minors) and 19.94 percent (pensioners). The average age of Florence resident is 49 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Florence grew by 3.22 percent, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.56 percent. The birth rate of Florence is 7.66 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births.


title: Florence

text: , 87.46% of the population was Italian. An estimated 6,000 Chinese live in the city. The largest immigrant group came from other European countries (mostly Romanians and Albanians): 3.52%, East Asia (mostly Chinese and Filipino): 2.17%, the Americas: 1.41%, and North Africa (mostly Moroccan): 0.9%.


title: Florence

text: Much like the rest of Italy most of the people in Florence are Roman Catholic, with more than 90% of the population belonging to the Archdiocese of Florence.


title: Florence

text: Tourism is, by far, the most important of all industries and most of the Florentine economy relies on the money generated by international arrivals and students studying in the city. The value tourism to the city totalled some €2.5 billion in 2015 and the number of visitors had increased by 5.5% from the previous year.