title: Lupang Hinirang

text: "Lupang Hinirang" was not the first Philippine national anthem to ever be conceived. The composer and revolutionist Julio Nakpil composed "Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan" (Honourable Hymn of the Tagalog Nation/People) upon the request of Andrés Bonifacio, the leader of the Katipunan, the secret society that had spearheaded the Revolution. Bonifacio had converted the organization into a revolutionary government—with himself as President—known as the Tagalog Republic just before hostilities erupted. The term ""Katagalugan"" in Bonifacio's usage referred to the Philippine Islands and its population as a whole; not just ethnic Tagalogs, but all Filipinos. Nakpil composed his national anthem for Bonifacio in Balara (part of modern Quezon City) in November 1896, and Bonifacio later promoted its use in Cavite, where it was still known as late as 1898. But after Bonifacio's "Katipunan" and "Republika ng Katagalugan" were superseded by a succession of various governments led by Aguinaldo starting in 1897, Nakpil's anthem was never officially adopted by them.


title: Lupang Hinirang

text: Some sources assert that an English version written by Mary A. Lane and Camilo Osías was legalized by Commonwealth Act No. 382. The act, however, only concerns itself with the instrumental composition by Julián Felipe.


title: Lupang Hinirang

text: During World War II, Felipe Padilla de León composed "Awit sa Paglikha ng Bagong Pilipinas", commissioned as a replacement anthem by the Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic. It was later adapted during the martial law era under President Ferdinand Marcos into the patriotic song titled "Hymn of the New Society", not to be confused with the "March of the New Society".


title: Lupang Hinirang

text: The following Spanish, English and Tagalog versions of the national anthem have been given official status throughout Philippine history. However, only the current Filipino version is officially recognized by the Flag and Heraldic Code, approved on February 12, 1998, which specifies, "The National Anthem shall always be sung in the 'national language' within or outside the country; violation of the law is punishable by a fine and imprisonment." Several bills have been introduced to amend the Flag and Heraldic Code to highlight the importance of complying, abiding and conforming to the standard expression as prescribed by law, but none have been enacted into law.


title: Lupang Hinirang

text: The final line of the national anthem, "ang mamatay nang dahil sa 'yo" (literally "to die because of you [the country]" and translated above as "For us, thy sons to suffer and die."), is subject to certain proposed revisions for allegedly being defeatist. In 2013, Filipino musician Joey Ayala, tampered with the national anthem in a forum by changing the last line to "ang magmahal nang dahil sa 'yo" ("to love for the country") and arranged the time signature from 4/4 to 6/8, drawing mixed reactions from the public. In 2018, Senate President Tito Sotto suggested that last line should be revised to "ang ipaglaban ang kalayaan mo" ("to defend your freedom") as it reflects the commitment of the Filipinos to defend the country's independence, but his suggestion was not well-received by Filipino netizens.


title: Lupang Hinirang

text: R.A. 8491 specifies that in official or civic gatherings the anthem "shall be in accordance with the musical arrangement and composition of Julián Felipe." However, when literally followed, this would require performance by a pianist or by a brass band, as these were the only versions that were produced by Julián Felipe. The original version was composed in duple time (i.e., in a time signature of 2/4) and was changed to the present quadruple time (4/4) in the 1920s to make singing easier by reducing emphasis on syncopation.


title: Lupang Hinirang

text: During televised boxing matches featuring Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, singers have been both praised and criticized by the National Historical Institute (NHI) for singing too slow or too fast. The NHI says that the proper tempo is a 2/4 and 100 metronomes and that the anthem should last 53 seconds.


title: Lupang Hinirang

text: The anthem is usually played during public gatherings in the Philippines or in foreign countries where the Filipino audience is sizable. The Code also provides that it be played at other occasions as may be allowed by the National Historical Institute (now known as the National Historical Commission of the Philippines). It prohibits its playing or singing for mere recreation, amusement, or entertainment except during International competitions where the Philippines is the host or has a representative; local competitions; during the "sign-on" and "sign-off" of radio broadcasting and television stations in the country; and before the initial and last screening of films and before the opening of theatre performances.


title: Lupang Hinirang

text: Until 1999, the national anthem was played with four ruffles and flourishes as the presidential salute honors music during the beginning of civil or military parades following Spanish and Taiwanese tradition, especially on national holidays. Since that year it has been played solely during the presentation of award recipients on anniversary parades or following the presidential honors.


title: Lupang Hinirang

text: The national anthem is played each morning early breakfast on radio and television by GMA Network and at the sign-on and sign-off (replay rerun recorded sign-on) of its transmission for the day.


title: Lupang Hinirang

text: Article XVI, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution specifies that "The Congress may, by law, adopt a new name for the country, a national anthem, or a national seal, which shall be truly reflective and symbolic of the ideals, history, and traditions of the people. Such law shall take effect only upon its ratification by the people in a national referendum."


title: Lupang Hinirang

text: Republic Act No. 8491 ("The Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines") regulates usage of the National Anthem, and contains the complete lyrics of "Lupang Hinirang". Enacted in 1998, it requires that the anthem "shall always be sung in the national language" regardless if performed inside or outside the Philippines, and specifies that the singing must be done "with fervor".


title: Lupang Hinirang

text: The code specifies penalties for violation of its provisions. Section 48 provides for public censure and cancellation of licenses and permits, Section 49 requires the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to ensure that all students commit the national anthem to memory, section 50 specifies penalties of fine or imprisonment for violations.


title: Caspian tiger

text: The Caspian tiger was a "Panthera tigris tigris" population native to eastern Turkey, northern Iran, Mesopotamia, the Caucasus around the Caspian Sea, Central Asia to northern Afghanistan, and the Xinjiang region in western China. Until the Middle Ages, it was also present in Ukraine and southern Russia. It inhabited sparse forests and riverine corridors in this region until the 1970s. This population was regarded as a distinct subspecies and assessed as extinct in 2003.


title: Caspian tiger

text: Results of a phylogeographic analysis evinces that the Caspian and Siberian tiger populations shared a common continuous geographic distribution until the early 19th century.


title: Caspian tiger

text: "Felis virgata" was a scientific name used by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger in 1815 for the greyish tiger in the area surrounding the Caspian Sea.


title: Caspian tiger

text: "Tigris septentrionalis" was the scientific name proposed by Konstantin Satunin in 1904 for a skull and mounted skins of tigers that were killed in the Lankaran Lowland in the 1860s.


title: Caspian tiger

text: "Felis tigris lecoqi" and "Felis tigris trabata" were proposed by Ernst Schwarz in 1916 for tiger skins and skulls from Lop Nur and Ili River areas, respectively.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In 1929, Reginald Innes Pocock subordinated the tiger to the genus "Panthera". For several decades, the Caspian tiger was considered a distinct tiger subspecies.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In 1999, the validity of several tiger subspecies was questioned. Most putative subspecies described in the 19th and 20th centuries were distinguished on basis of fur length and colouration, striping patterns and body size, hence characteristics that vary widely within populations. Morphologically, tigers from different regions vary little, and gene flow between populations in those regions is considered to have been possible during the Pleistocene. Therefore, it was proposed to recognize only two tiger subspecies as valid, namely "P. t. tigris" in mainland Asia, and "P. t. sondaica" in the Greater Sunda Islands and possibly in Sundaland.


title: Caspian tiger

text: At the start of the 21st century, genetic studies were carried out using 20 tiger bone and tissue samples from museum collections and sequencing at least one segment of five mitochondrial genes. Results revealed a low amount of variability in the mitochondrial DNA in Caspian tigers; and that Caspian and Siberian tigers were remarkably similar, indicating that the Siberian tiger is the genetically closest living relative of the Caspian tiger. Phylogeographic analysis indicates that the common ancestor of Caspian and Siberian tigers colonized Central Asia via the Gansu−Silk Road region from eastern China less than 10,000 years ago, and subsequently traversed eastward to establish the Siberian tiger population in the Russian Far East. The Caspian and Siberian tigers were likely a single contiguous population until the early 19th century, but became isolated from another due to fragmentation and loss of habitat during the Industrial Revolution.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In 2015, morphological, ecological and molecular traits of all putative tiger subspecies were analysed in a combined approach. Results support distinction of the two evolutionary groups continental and Sunda tigers. The authors proposed recognition of only two subspecies, namely "P. t. tigris" comprising the Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese, South Chinese, Siberian and Caspian tiger populations, and "P. t. sondaica" comprising the Javan, Bali and Sumatran tiger populations. Tigers in mainland Asia fall into two clades, namely a northern clade formed by the Caspian and Siberian tiger populations, and a southern clade formed by populations in remaining mainland Asia.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In 2017, the Cat Specialist Group revised felid taxonomy and now recognizes the tiger populations in continental Asia as "P. t. tigris".


title: Caspian tiger

text: However, a genetic study published in 2018 supported six monophyletic clades, with the Amur and Caspian tigers being distinct from other mainland Asian populations, thus supporting the traditional concept of six living subspecies.


title: Caspian tiger

text: Photographs of skins of Caspian and Siberian tigers indicate that the main background colour of the Caspian tiger's fur varied and was generally brighter and more uniform than that of the Siberian tiger. The stripes were narrower, fuller and more closely set than those of tigers from Manchuria. The colour of its stripes was a mixture of brown or cinnamon shades. Pure black patterns were invariably found only on head, neck, the middle of the back and at the tip of the tail. Angular patterns at the base of the tail were less developed than those of Far Eastern populations. The contrast between the summer and winter coats was sharp, though not to the same extent as in Far Eastern populations. The winter coat was paler, with less distinct patterns. The summer coat had a similar density and hair length to that of the Bengal tiger, though its stripes were usually narrower, longer and closer set. It had the thickest fur amongst tigers, possibly due its occurrence in the temperate parts of Asia.


title: Caspian tiger

text: Male Caspian tigers had a body length of and weighed ; females measured in head-to-body and weighed . Maximum skull length in males was , while that of females was . Its occiput was broader than of the Bengal tiger.


title: Caspian tiger

text: Some individuals attained exceptional sizes. In 1954, a tiger was killed near the Sumbar River in Kopet-Dag, whose stuffed skin was put on display in a museum in Ashgabat. Its head-to-body length was . Its skull had a condylobasal length of about , and zygomatic width of . Its skull length was , hence more than the known maximum of for this population, and slightly exceeding skull length of most Siberian tigers.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In Prishibinske, a tiger was killed in February 1899. Measurements after skinning revealed a body length of between the pegs, plus a long tail, giving it a total length of about . Measurements between the pegs of up to are known. It was said to have been "a tiger of immense proportions" and "no smaller than the common Tuzemna horse." It had rather long fur.


title: Caspian tiger

text: Skull size and shape of Caspian tigers significantly overlap with and are almost indistinguishable from other tiger specimens in mainland Asia.


title: Caspian tiger

text: Historical records show that the distribution of the tiger in the region of the Caspian Sea was not continuous but patchy, and associated with wetlands such as river basins, lake edges and sea shores. In the Middle Ages, it inhabited the steppes and forest steppes of Ukraine and southern Russia. In the 19th century, tigers occurred in:


title: Caspian tiger

text: Its former distribution can be approximated by examining the distribution of ungulates in the region. Wild boar was the numerically dominant ungulate in forested habitats, along watercourses, in reed beds and in thickets of the Caspian and Aral Seas. Where watercourses penetrated deep into desert areas, suitable wild pig and tiger habitat was often linear, only a few kilometers wide at most. Red and roe deer occurred in forests around the Black Sea to the western side and around the southern side of the Caspian Sea in a narrow belt of forest cover. Roe deer occurred in forested areas south of Lake Balkash. Bactrian deer lived in the narrow belt of forest habitat on the southern border of the Aral Sea, and southward along the Syr-Darya and Amu Darya rivers.


title: Caspian tiger

text: Throughout the late Pleistocene and Holocene, the Caspian tiger population was likely connected to the Bengal tiger population through corridors below elevations of in the Hindu Kush, before gene flow was interrupted by humans.


title: Caspian tiger

text: The demise of the Caspian tiger began with the Russian colonisation of Turkestan during the late 19th century.


title: Caspian tiger

text: Until the early 20th century, the regular Russian army was used to clear predators from forests, around settlements, and potential agricultural lands. Until World War I, about 50 tigers were killed in the forests of Amu Darya and Piandj Rivers each year. High incentives were paid for tiger skins up to 1929. Wild pigs and deer, the prey base of tigers, were decimated by deforestation and subsistence hunting by the increasing human population along the rivers, supported by growing agricultural developments. By 1910, cotton plants were estimated to occupy nearly one-fifth of Turkestan's arable land, with about one half located in the Fergana Valley.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In China, tigers disappeared from the Tarim River basin in Xinjiang in the 1920s. They reportedly disappeared from the Manasi River basin in the Tian Shan Range west of Ürümqi in the 1960s.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In Turkey, a pair of tigers was allegedly killed in the area of Selçuk in 1943. Several tiger skins found in the early 1970s near Uludere indicated the presence of a tiger population in eastern Turkey. Questionnaire surveys conducted in this region revealed that one to eight tigers were killed each year until the mid-1980s, and that tigers likely had survived in the region until the early 1990s. Due to lack of interest, in addition to security and safety reasons, no further field surveys were carried out in the area.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In Azerbaijan, the last known tiger was killed in 1932; however, there were alleged sightings in the Talysh Mountains in later years.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In Iran, one of the last known tigers was shot in Golestan National Park in 1953. Another individual was sighted in the Golestan area in 1958.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In Turkmenistan, the last known tiger was killed in January 1954 in the Sumbar River valley in the Kopet-Dag Range. The last record from the lower reaches of the Amu Darya river was an unconfirmed observation in 1968 near Nukus in the Aral Sea area. By the early 1970s, tigers disappeared from the river's lower reaches and the Pyzandh Valley in the Turkmen-Uzbek-Afghan border region.


title: Caspian tiger

text: The Piandj River area between Afghanistan and Tajikistan was a stronghold of the Caspian tiger until the late 1960s. The latest sighting of a tiger in the Afghan-Tajik border area dates to 1998 in the Babatag Range.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In Kazakhstan, the last Caspian tiger was recorded in 1948, in the environs of the Ili River, the last known stronghold in the region of Lake Balkhash. In May 2006, a Kazakh hunter claimed to have seen a female Caspian tiger with cubs near Lake Balkash. However, this sighting remains uncertain and unconfirmed.


title: Caspian tiger

text: No information is available for home ranges of Caspian tigers. In search for prey, they possibly prowled widely and followed migratory ungulates from one pasture to another.


title: Caspian tiger

text: Wild pigs and cervids probably formed their main prey base. In many regions of Central Asia, Bactrian deer and roe deer were important prey species, as well as Caspian red deer and goitered gazelle in Iran; Eurasian golden jackals, jungle cats, locusts, and other small mammals in the lower Amu Darya River area; saigas, wild horses and Persian onagers in the Miankaleh Peninsula; Turkmenian kulans, Mongolian wild asses, and mountain sheep in the Zhana-Darya and around the Aral Sea; and Manchurian wapiti and moose in the area of Lake Baikal. They caught fish in flooded areas and irrigation channels. In winter, they frequently attacked dogs and livestock straying away from herds. They preferred drinking water from rivers, and drank from lakes in seasons when water was less brackish.


title: Caspian tiger

text: Two tigers in southwestern Tajikistan harbored 5–7 tapeworms ("Taenia bubesei") in their small and large intestines.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In 1938, the first protected area Tigrovaya Balka (), was established in Tajikistan. The name was given to this "zapovednik" after a tiger had attacked two Russian Army officers riding horseback along dried-up river channel known in Russian as "balka". Tigrovaya Balka was apparently the last refuge of Caspian tigers in the Soviet Union, and is situated in the lower reaches of Vakhsh River between the Piandj and Kofarnihon Rivers near the border of Afghanistan. A tiger was seen there in 1958.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In Iran, Caspian tigers had been protected since 1957, with heavy fines for shooting. In the early 1970s, biologists from the Department of Environment searched several years for Caspian tigers in the uninhabited areas of Caspian forests, but did not find any evidence of their presence.


title: Caspian tiger

text: A tiger from the Caucasus was housed at Berlin Zoo in the late 19th century. DNA from a tiger caught in northern Iran and housed at Moscow Zoo in the 20th century was used in the genetic test that established the Caspian tiger's close genetic relationship with the Siberian tiger.


title: Caspian tiger

text: Stimulated by recent findings that the Siberian tiger is the closest relative of the Caspian tiger, discussions started as to whether the Siberian tiger could be appropriate for reintroduction into a safe place in Central Asia, where the Caspian tiger once roamed. The Amu Darya delta was suggested as a potential site for such a project. A feasibility study was initiated to investigate if the area is suitable, and if such an initiative would receive support from relevant decision makers. A viable tiger population of about 100 animals would require at least of large tracts of contiguous habitat, with rich prey populations. Such habitat is not currently available, and cannot be provided in the short term. The proposed region is therefore unsuitable for the reintroduction, at least at the current stage.


title: Caspian tiger

text: While the restoration of the Caspian tiger has stimulated discussions, the locations for the tiger have yet to become fully involved in the planning. But through preliminary ecological surveys it has been revealed that some small populated areas of Central Asia have preserved natural habitat suitable for tigers.


title: Caspian tiger

text: In the Roman Empire, tigers and other large animals imported from Africa and Asia were used during gladiatorial games.


title: Caspian tiger

text: The "babr" (, tiger) features in Persian and Central Asian culture. The name "Babr Mazandaran" is sometimes given to a prominent wrestler. A Syrian mosaic in Palmyra depicts the Sassanids as tigers, possibly commemorating the victory of the Palmyrene King Odaenathus over Shapur I. The inscription on the mosaic conceals an earlier one that read: (Mrn), which is a title used by Odaenathus. It possibly celebrates Odaenathus' victory over the Persians, the archer representing Odaenathus and the tigers the Persians; Odaenathus is about to be crowned with victory by the eagle flying above him.


title: Stella Artois

text: Stella Artois ( ) is a pilsner beer, first brewed in 1926 by Brouwerij Artois in Leuven, Belgium. In its original form, the beer is 5.2 per cent ABV, the country's standard for pilsners. The beer is also sold in other countries like the UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia, where it has a reduced ABV. Stella Artois is owned by Interbrew International B.V. which is a subsidiary of the world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV.


title: Stella Artois

text: The Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven opened in 1366, when it was a tavern brewing its own beer for sale under the sign of a hunting horn. In 1708, Sébastien Artois became head brewer; then, in 1717, purchased the brewery, renaming it Brouwerij Artois.


title: Stella Artois

text: In 1926, Brouwerij Artois launched Stella as a Christmas beer, named after the Christmas star. First sold in the winter season, it eventually became available year-round, with exports into the broad European market commencing in 1930. Production was halted for a period when operations were suspended during World War II. By 1960, about 100 million gallons of Stella Artois were being produced annually. Whitbread began to brew it under contract in the United Kingdom in 1976.


title: Stella Artois

text: In 1988, Brouwerij Artois was a founding member in the merger creating Interbrew. That year, Taylorbrands founder David Taylor created a new package design, bottle design, and shape. The original 1926 bottle label inspired the design, which replaced a 1960s design. The design incorporates the horn symbol and the 1366 date of the original Den Hoorn brewery. The label also shows medals for excellence awarded to Brouwerij Artois at a number of trade exhibitions in Belgium in the 19th and 20th centuries. The name Stella Artois is held within a cartouche which was influenced by the style of Belgian architecture in Leuven.


title: Stella Artois

text: In 1993, Interbrew moved production of Stella Artois into a new, fully automated brewery in Leuven. In 2004, Interbrew was part of the merger creating InBev, and by 2006, total annual production volume of Stella Artois exceeded one billion litres.


title: Stella Artois

text: In 2008, InBev was part of the merger creating the Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) brewery company. That same year, a lower-alcohol version, Stella Artois 4%, was introduced in the UK market. In 2011, a cider, Stella Artois Cidre, was launched.


title: Stella Artois

text: In 2020, AB InBev reduced the alcohol content of their beers for the UK market, from 4.8% to 4.6%. The original UK strength of Stella Artois was 5.2% and 4.8% from 2008 until 2020. According to Freddy Delvaux, former head of the in-house laboratory, the Belgian version was 33 IBU when he joined the lab in 1973, compared to just 20 IBU in 2014.


title: Stella Artois

text: Stella Artois is brewed in Belgium (in the plants at Leuven and Jupille) and the United Kingdom, as well as in other countries. Much of the beer exported from Europe is produced at InBev's brewery in Belgium, and packaged in the Beck's Brewery in Bremen, Germany. Stella Artois is also brewed for the Australian market by Lion. In the United States, Stella Artois is imported and distributed by Anheuser-Busch. For the Hungarian market, Stella Artois is brewed in Bőcs, Hungary, by Borsod Brewery, under licence from InBev. For the Canadian market is brewed by Labatt Brewery in Ontario, Canada.


title: Stella Artois

text: Initially, brewers Whitbread launched Stella in the UK with advertisements featuring the slogan "Stella's for the fellas who take their lager strong". The images showed a Stella-monogrammed half-pint glass (due to its strength) – in one advertisement with a muscular 'glass arm' for a handle, in the other a glass sitting beside a torn-in-half telephone directory. This was the same creative unit which was involved, at the time, in Whitbread's launch of Trophy Bitter "The pint that thinks it's a quart".


title: Stella Artois

text: In the 1980s and 1990s, the Stella Artois advertising slogan in the United Kingdom was "Reassuringly Expensive". The UK television advertising campaigns became known for their distinctive style of imitating European cinema and their leitmotiv inspired by Giuseppe Verdi's "La forza del destino". The campaigns began with a series of advertisements based on the 1986 French film "Jean de Florette", directed by the British duo Anthea Benton and Vaughan Arnell, moving on to other genres, including war films, silent comedy and surrealism. They have used notable film directors such as Jonathan Glazer. Furthermore, the brand makes extensive use of the French language in its advertising campaigns, even though the beer brand originates from the monolingual Dutch-speaking city of Leuven. An example of this can be seen in the advertising campaign for Stella Artois Cidre, in which the tag-line "C'est cidre, not cider" is used, although this cider is produced in Zonhoven, which also lies in the Dutch-speaking Flemish Region.


title: Stella Artois

text: Stella Artois is advertised as containing "only 4 ingredients: hops, malted barley, maize and water". Yeast is also an ingredient used in the fermentation process, but almost all of it is removed before packaging. Since 2009, Stella Artois has been suitable for vegans, as isinglass (fish bladder) is no longer used to remove trace amounts of yeast.


title: Stella Artois

text: At least since the early 21st century, Stella Artois has carried the nickname of the "wife beater" in the United Kingdom, due to a perceived connection between binge drinking involving the brand and domestic violence against women. In January 2012, the online activities of AB InBev lobbyists, Portland Communications, were exposed in the United Kingdom when Tom Watson, a member of the Labour opposition party said that the company (then owned by Tim Allan, a former advisor to ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair) was trying to remove references to Stella Artois from the "wife beater" disambiguation page and the phrase "wife beater" from the article on Stella Artois in the English Wikipedia.


title: Stella Artois

text: Stella Artois has been associated with film in the UK since 1994, organising events, sponsoring television, and hosting a website. Stella Artois has been or is a primary sponsor of the Cannes, Melbourne, and Sundance film festivals, the Independent Spirit Awards, the Dallas International Film Festival, and the Little Rock Film Festival.


title: Stella Artois

text: Stella Artois has broadcast several Super Bowl ads, as part of Anheuser–Busch InBev's overall ad buys during the game. The brand made its debut during Super Bowl XLV in 2011, in an ad starring Adrien Brody. The commercial was heavily criticised in the Belgian media for giving the impression that the beer is French.


title: Tupac Shakur discography

text: The discography of Tupac Shakur, an American rapper, consists of 11 studio albums. Throughout his career, Shakur has sold 125 million records worldwide. He has scored 5 No. 1 albums on Billboard 200 and 8 No. 1 albums on Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums. In 2001, Guinness World Records hailed him as the then Best-selling artist of rap in the US. According to Recording Industry Association of America, he has sold 55.3 million albums and an additional 4 million under his alias "Makaveli" with "", making him the second best-selling hip-hop artist in history.


title: Tupac Shakur discography

text: Four were released before Shakur's death on September 13, 1996, and seven were posthumously released, the first being "", released on November 5, 1996 (although the album was finished before Shakur's death).


title: Atomic Kitten

text: Atomic Kitten is an English girl group formed in Liverpool in 1998, whose current members are Liz McClarnon, Jenny Frost and Natasha Hamilton. The group was founded by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) members Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, who served as principal songwriters during Atomic Kitten's early years. The group's debut album "Right Now" was released in October 2000 and charted at number 39 in the United Kingdom. After five top ten singles, original member Kerry Katona quit – four weeks before "Whole Again" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart – and was replaced by former Precious singer Jenny Frost. "Whole Again" became the group's most successful single, staying at number one for four weeks in the UK and six weeks in Germany, and reaching number one in many other territories; in Britain, it was the 13th best-selling single of the 2000s. The group re-released their debut album, with some tracks re-recorded with Frost's vocals: it peaked at number one in the UK and was certified double platinum after selling over 600,000 copies.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: Between 2002 and 2004, the group released a further two studio albums, "Feels So Good" (which also went double platinum in the UK) and "Ladies Night", and a greatest hits album before announcing a break following their 2004 tour. To date the group have had three UK number-one singles: "Whole Again", the fourth-best-selling song of all time by a girl group in the UK; "Eternal Flame", a song originally recorded by The Bangles; and "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)", a song originally recorded by The Paragons. They have sold over 10 million records worldwide.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: After making sporadic appearances from 2005 to 2008, it was announced that McClarnon, Hamilton, and Katona would reunite for the ITV2 series "The Big Reunion", alongside five other pop groups of their time: B*Witched, Five, Liberty X, Honeyz and 911. Frost was unable to take part in the comeback because of her pregnancy. Katona left the group for a second time in December 2017 leaving the group as a duo until Frost returned to the group in 2021.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: Atomic Kitten was first conceived in 1998 by English musician Andy McCluskey, best known as the frontman of new wave group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). Karl Bartos of Kraftwerk suggested he create a new band as a vehicle for his songs following the 1996 dissolution of OMD, who had been rendered unfashionable by the prevalence of grunge and indie rock. McCluskey founded Atomic Kitten alongside fellow OMD member Stuart Kershaw, and the pair would serve as principal songwriters on the group's studio recordings in the late 1990s and early 2000s.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: The lineup initially featured Liz McClarnon, Kerry Katona, and Heidi Range, but did not have a name. In her autobiography "Too Much, Too Young: My Story of Love, Survival and Celebrity", Katona mentions that they pondered names such as Exit and Honeyheads, before settling on Automatic Kitten, the name of a fashion label owned by designer Mary Lamb. When Katona went home to tell her mother about the band, her mother's friend was unable to pronounce "Automatic Kitten" and kept saying "Atomic Kitten". Katona liked the name and told her bandmates about it; they all felt the same way and the name stuck. Range later quit after being offered a different record deal, and was replaced by Natasha Hamilton. Range went on to have success with another girl group, the Sugababes.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: The group's debut single, "Right Now", was released in late November 1999 and reached number ten on the UK Singles Chart. "See Ya" followed in March 2000 and reached number six. Following this initial success, Atomic Kitten performed an Asian tour and achieved their first number-one hit in Asia with "Cradle". In 2000 they recorded a cover of "The Locomotion" for the movie "Thomas and the Magic Railroad". The album, also titled "Right Now", was first released in Japan on 16 March 2000 and released in the United Kingdom on 23 October 2000 following the release of two further singles, "I Want Your Love" and "Follow Me", with a slightly modified tracklist. The album's Japanese edition included a rare remix of "Cradle", an early version of "I Want Your Love" titled "All The Right Things", the original version of "Whole Again", which has only Kerry Katona speaking all the verses in the song, while Natasha Hamilton and Liz McClarnon sing the chorus, and a remix of "Right Now".


title: Atomic Kitten

text: In Europe, the album was unsuccessful upon its first release, peaking at number 39 on the UK Albums Chart. There were no initial plans to focus on the global market and Atomic Kitten's label, Innocent Records, was even considering dropping them because of their limited success. However, the record company was persuaded to let the group release one more single from the album. That single, "Whole Again", became their first number-one hit in the United Kingdom and stayed at the top for four consecutive weeks. Due to this success, "Whole Again" was released globally, and reached number one in 18 other countries, including 6 weeks in Germany and New Zealand. The song and video for "Whole Again" originally featured Kerry Katona (her vocals were also in "Hippy" and "Get Real"), but several days before the single's release, she left because of her pregnancy. Former Precious singer Jenny Frost replaced her in the line-up and the single's music video was re-shot; a US video for "Whole Again" was also released. The Katona-Frost switch led to the decision to partially re-record and re-release the "Right Now" album which then went to number one in the UK in August 2001, and was certified double Platinum. The album also reached the Top 10 in several European countries, including Germany and Denmark. Atomic Kitten's first album was repackaged with 3 brand-new tracks: "Eternal Flame", "Tomorrow & Tonight", and "You Are", and includes vocals from Jenny Frost in "Right Now", "Whole Again", "Hippy", and remixed versions of "Bye Now" and "Cradle".


title: Atomic Kitten

text: Their next single, "Eternal Flame", a cover of the Bangles' 1989 hit, became their second number-one single in the UK and New Zealand and is featured in the film "The Parole Officer" and the "So Far So Good" DVD. It became their biggest single in France—peaking at number two—and eventually went Gold. In late 2001, the band announced they would be releasing a final single from the repackaged album, "You Are". A video was recorded and promo singles were sent out to radio, but the single was ultimately shelved, never getting a full commercial release. That same year, "Right Now" was featured in Konami's hit arcade videogame, "Dance Dance Revolution 5th MIX".


title: Atomic Kitten

text: Following the success of "Right Now", a new album, "Feels So Good", was recorded. The songwriting and production agreement with Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw was an increasing source of tension within the group, and the pair departed during the recording of the album. McCluskey spoke of dissension between himself and the record company, whose "formula" demanded Whole Again', 'Whole Again' and more fucking 'Whole Again; he was essentially dismissed and legally prohibited from contacting the band, before exiting the "very dirty" business of "manufactured pop". Released tracks from "Feels So Good" were "It's OK", "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)", "The Last Goodbye","Love Doesn't Have to Hurt", and "Be With You". The title track was written by Kylie Minogue. "The Last Goodbye" was the 3rd single from their second studio album, "Feels So Good" and "Be With You" was from their third album, "Ladies Night".


title: Atomic Kitten

text: The first single, "It's OK", peaked at number three in the United Kingdom. The next single was "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)", a remake of the 1967 song by The Paragons that Blondie covered in 1980, which gave the group their third number-one single in the UK and New Zealand. In April 2002 Hamilton announced that she was pregnant but opted to continue with the promotion before going on maternity leave, which included the scheduled 2002 tour, the "Tide is High (Get the Feeling)" video, and a "Feels So Good" medley at Party in the Park. The band sponsored a team in the British Touring Car Championship.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: During January and February 2003, Atomic Kitten toured Southeast Asia, visiting Singapore, Thailand, and Korea. Hamilton, who had given birth to her son Josh on 24 August 2002, brought him on the tour.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: In April 2003, the album "Atomic Kitten" was released in the United States, which consisted of tracks from their first two albums. The album was unsuccessful, although "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" appeared on the soundtrack for the feature film, "The Lizzie McGuire Movie". Following this, the group opted to focus solely on the European, Oceanian, South African and Asian markets.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: Before recording their third album, Kool & the Gang approached the group about a collaboration for their album of duets, "The Hits: Reloaded". Kool & the Gang wanted to record an updated version of their hit "Ladies Night" and were looking for a girl group to sing the lyrics. Atomic Kitten liked the idea and inquired whether they could use it for their next album which was subsequently named "Ladies Night" in honour of this collaboration. After mainly relying on songwriters for their previous two albums, the group took significant creative control, co-writing eight of the fifteen songs. "Ladies Night" was released on 10 November 2003 and peaked at number five in the UK album chart. It was certified Platinum for sales in excess of 300,000 copies. The album included four UK top 10 singles; "Be With You", "Ladies Night", "If You Come To Me" and "Someone like Me".


title: Atomic Kitten

text: In March 2004, the group released the double A-side single "Someone like Me"/"Right Now 2004", and embarked on their Greatest Hits Tour to support the "Ladies Night" album and the upcoming release of their "Greatest Hits" album. Shortly before the tour began, the group announced they would be taking an extended break after the completion of the tour, which would serve as a "goodbye" to their fans. The tour's final concert was released on DVD under the title "The Greatest Hits Live at Wembley Arena" on 19 April 2004. During the group's 2012 reunion in "The Big Reunion", Hamilton revealed that she had decided to quit the group under the pressure of being a new mum and touring, having only been diagnosed with postnatal depression only nine months after she gave birth. This later led to the group splitting because they did not want to replace Hamilton.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: On Valentine's Day 2005, a partially re-recorded version of "Cradle" from their debut album "Right Now" with new vocals from McClarnon and Frost, titled "Cradle 2005", was released as a charity single, with proceeds going to World Vision. It was later included on a remix compilation titled "Access All Areas: Remixed & B-Sides", which was released in Asia in July that year packaged with the Greatest Hits Live DVD. In 2005, the group were featured on the soundtrack of Disney's "Mulan II" with the song "(I Wanna Be) Like Other Girls". They also performed together in Kraków on 28 August at the Coca-Cola SoundWave Festival. In 2006, they released a cover version of The Farm song "All Together Now". It became a charity single for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was released only in German-speaking countries. It peaked inside the German Top 20. The group performed at The Nokia New Year's Eve Music Festival in Hong Kong on 31 December 2006.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: They once again reunited to perform at The Number One Project at the Liverpool Echo Arena on 19 January 2008, which celebrated Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture and the fact that Liverpudlian artists have had a collective 56 UK number-one singles. Also to mark the event, in the same month the group released a cover of "Anyone Who Had a Heart", which peaked at number 78 on the UK Singles Chart. The group also performed at the Kings Lynn Festival on 12 July 2008 and at Haydock Park in Liverpool on 19 July 2008.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: In March 2012, Hamilton confirmed that the group were reuniting for a summer tour and were in talks to star in their own reality television show regarding the comeback, following on the success of the 2011 Steps reunion and reality show. She also said that she hoped Katona would join her, McClarnon and Frost on stage for a performance, having quit the group 11 years earlier. The reunion was later dismissed by all members due to the tension between Katona and Frost. However, on 18 October 2012, it was announced that the 1999 line-up of Atomic Kitten (McClarnon, Katona, and Hamilton) would reunite for an ITV2 series, "The Big Reunion", along with five other pop groups of their time: 911, Honeyz, B*Witched, Five and Liberty X. Frost had been involved in the early meetings to reform the group, but declined to rejoin due to her pregnancy. In 2015, she expressed dissatisfaction with how the reunion was handled, which left her estranged from both Hamilton and McClarnon.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: The groups in "The Big Reunion", including Atomic Kitten, were originally supposed to perform a one-off comeback concert at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. Atomic Kitten's setlist for the Hammersmith Apollo concert consisted of "Right Now", "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)", and "Whole Again". It was confirmed on 11 February that due to high ticket demands and the popularity of the series, a UK arena tour would take place from 3 to 14 May 2013. Two more dates were later added for 16 and 17 May, taking the tour total to 14 shows.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: Due to the massive success of "The Big Reunion", it was announced that the reunited groups would also be going on a "Christmas party tour" in December 2013. In December 2013, Atomic Kitten recorded their first new material in ten years when, along with the other groups from the show, they recorded a Christmas charity single for "Text Santa", a cover of Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday". The song peaked at number 13 in the UK.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: On 17 February 2013, Atomic Kitten made an appearance on "The Alan Titchmarsh Show" in which Katona announced that the group had signed a deal to release their own perfume fragrance. Hamilton later added that they would be releasing new material, saying: "We've already been in the studio, we want to write some more music, so it's all very exciting." On 14 March, Hamilton confirmed yet again that the group would release new material, saying "There is definitely going to be a single and there will be an album, hopefully". Also speaking about their fragrance deal, she added: 'We have got a perfume deal - we are going to be releasing our own Atomic Kitten fragrance. "Right Now", "The Tide Is High" and "Whole Again" are taken from "The Big Reunion Album". It's going to be three different smells to represent the three of us. Fans will get the three in one packet. We went to the company's offices and created our fragrances.' At the Health Lottery champagne tea at Claridge's in London, Hamilton spoke of a potential comeback single: "We actually recorded our new single last night. We've literally just done it. I got out of the studio at 11 pm and I couldn't stop singing the song. I couldn't get to sleep - I was in bed, singing! It's modern so we've progressed. That's all I can say right now. If there's a single, there's definitely going to be an album."


title: Atomic Kitten

text: Following the announcement of Katona's pregnancy, the group confirmed that they were unsure of the group's future, or if any new material would be released. McClarnon announced on 6 April that Atomic Kitten would be touring with East 17 and All Saints and others in November 2014. The next week it was announced that unforeseen circumstances had cancelled the tour.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: In November 2014, Katona said the group would release a new album in 2015, which would go back to their original "cheesy pop sound" and tour it "around the world". The group's planned '15: The Greatest Hits' tour was canceled in mid-May 2015 with no announcement as to why. In November 2015, the group released a compilation album entitled "Whole Again – The Best of Atomic Kitten".


title: Atomic Kitten

text: In late 2016, Liberty X's Michelle Heaton filled in for McClarnon during the group's international gigs as McClarnon has a debilitating fear of flying.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: On 12 November 2016, Katona, Hamilton, and McClarnon performed at the Pigs Nose Inn, a small live music venue in South Devon known for attracting high-profile acts. Atomic Kitten chose to perform a prelude to their tour in 2017. Atomic Kitten toured Australia and New Zealand alongside B*Witched, S Club 3, East 17 and Liberty X in February 2017 with Heaton once again filling in for McClarnon.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: In November 2017, Katona stated on her social media accounts that she was no longer a part of the group. Hamilton and McClarnon continued to perform as a duo.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: In June 2020, Frost joined Hamilton and McClarnon for an online interview as part of "Life Stories – The Interview Series" hosted by therapist Lisa Johnson and Hamilton herself. The band discussed their time together and the impact being in a girl band had on their individual mental health.


title: Atomic Kitten

text: On 6 July 2021, the group released a remake of "Whole Again" in support of England at UEFA Euro 2020, entitled "Southgate You're the One (Football's Coming Home Again)". Frost returned to the band for the first time since 2008 for the single release. They said: "It's been a whirlwind couple of days, but we are super excited and grateful to be able to contribute to the awesome energy and patriotism that is filling the England streets with this version of Whole Again. Totally inspired by the England football fans in support of Gareth Southgate and the super talented England football team, we will be singing loud and proud 'Football's coming home'."


title: Atomic Kitten

text: On 29 November 2021, the group confirmed that Frost was returning to the group full time, adding that they would be supporting boy band Blue on their arena tour in September 2022. For unknown reasons, however, they did not feature on the tour and Liz and Natasha have continued performing as a duo.


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: I Spit on Your Grave is a 2010 American rape and revenge horror film and a remake of the controversial 1978 cult film "I Spit on Your Grave" (originally titled "Day of the Woman"). It was directed by Steven R. Monroe and written by Stuart Morse, based on the original film's director/writer Meir Zarchi's screenplay, and stars Sarah Butler, Jeff Branson, Daniel Franzese, Rodney Eastman, Chad Lindberg, Tracey Walter, and Andrew Howard.


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: It was distributed by CineTel, and produced by the company's president and CEO Paul Hertzberg. Lisa Hansen, Jeff Klein, Alan Ostroff, Gary Needle, and Meir Zarchi (director of the original) served as executive producers. Principal photography began on November 2, 2009, with location filming taking place in Louisiana.


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: "I Spit on Your Grave" had its premiere on Texas Frightmare Weekend on May 1, 2010, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 8, 2010, by Anchor Bay. The film received negative reviews from critics and grossed $572,809 on a $2 million budget.


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: Novelist Jennifer Hills travels from New York City to Louisiana to work on her next book in privacy. The gas station attendant, Johnny Stillman, gives her directions to her rented cabin when she gets lost. He embarrasses himself by trying to flirt with her. When the cabin's plumbing becomes clogged, it is fixed by Matthew Duncan, a stuttering plumber with an intellectual disability. She rewards him with an abrupt kiss of gratitude. Matthew tells Johnny and his friends Andy Chirensky and Stanley Woods about what happened with Jennifer. Johnny, whose ego was bruised after the gas station incident, decides that Jennifer is snobbish and needs to be "taught a lesson".


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: That night, the four men sneak into the cabin and taunt and assault her, although Matthew refuses to participate. She escapes into the woods and bumps into the local Sheriff named Sheriff Storch and Earl, the owner of the cabin. Storch takes Jennifer back to the cabin, but when he finds her drugs and alcohol, he casts doubts on her story. After Johnny, Matthew, Andy, and Stanley return, all five men gang rape her, including an initially reluctant Matthew. Stanley records everything with his video camera. Afterward, just as Storch is about to shoot her, Jennifer falls into the river to escape.


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: Jennifer begins to stalk her rapists in order to learn details of their lives. Stanley tells Andy and Johnny that his camera has been stolen, along with the videotape of their assault. Storch intercepts a videotape sent to his wife and confronts the men to find out who sent it. Johnny and Andy suspect Matthew. When they go hunting, Storch kills Earl, saying that he is taking care of "loose ends".


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: Matthew returns to the cabin and meets Jennifer. He attempts to apologize to her, but she does not accept his apology and strangles him. She captures Stanley in a bear trap, ties him to a tree, smears fish guts on his face and then leaves his camera to record crows pecking out his eyes, which she pinned open with fish hooks. She then drowns Andy and burns his face off in a lye bathtub. Next, she ties Johnny to the rafters of an abandoned house and uses pliers to pull out his teeth and a pair of garden shears to emasculate him, leaving him to bleed to death. While torturing them, she repeats the taunts all of the men had used on her.


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: Jennifer visits Storch's wife, posing as their daughter Chastity's new teacher. She takes the daughter to the park and, when Storch tracks her there, she knocks him unconscious. When he wakes up, Jennifer stuffs his shotgun into his anus and reminds him that she was just as innocent as his own daughter. She attaches one end of a string to the trigger and the other end to the wrist of the unconscious Matthew, who is seated in front of Storch. When Matthew wakes up, he sees the bound sheriff and tries to move, triggering the shotgun, which fires a round through Storch's anus and mouth before hitting Matthew in the chest, killing both men. Sitting outside, Jennifer hears the gunshot and smiles.


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: Principal photography began on November 2, 2009, under Steven R. Monroe's direction. The film was distributed by CineTel, and produced by the company's president and CEO Paul Hertzberg. Lisa Hansen, Jeff Klein, Alan Ostroff, Gary Needle, and Meir Zarchi (director of the original) served as executive producers. Location filming took place in Louisiana. The film was written by Stuart Morse, based on Zarchi's screenplay.


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: CineTel Films handled the 2010 worldwide theatrical release. The film was part of the Texas Frightmare Weekend on May 1, 2010 in the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Irving, Texas, and part of the Film4 Frightfest on August 29, 2010. The Canadian unrated version premiered at the Fantasia Festival on July 20, 2010. The complete cast and Meir Zarchi, director of the original, were present. An unrated version opened theatrically in limited release on October 8, 2010, in the United States. Coincidentally, another unrated horror film, "Hatchet II", opened a week beforehand.


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: The film's video release in the United States, Canada, Australia and the UK is handled by Anchor Bay Entertainment. The DVD and Blu-ray were released in the United States on February 8, 2011. The DVD includes an audio commentary by director Steven R. Monroe and producer Lisa Hansen, as well as 11 deleted scenes, and teasers and trailers.


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: Critical reaction to the film has been generally negative, with a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 61 reviews with the consensus simply labeling it as a "Well shot exploitation that has less purpose and utility than in 1978". On Metacritic the film was assigned a rating of 27, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews."


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: Roger Ebert gave the film a zero star rating, as he did the original, and described it as the "despicable remake of the despicable 1978 film." He stated that it added "a phony sense of moral equivalency... If I rape you, I have committed a crime. If you kill me, you have committed another one. The ideal outcome would be two people unharmed in the first place." While he allowed that the movie was made "professionally," as opposed to the original version that was devoid of skill and artistry, he considered this largely in the service of the truly offensive material, the rape scenes. He summarized, "this [version] is more offensive, because it lingers lovingly and at greater length on realistic verbal, psychological and physical violence against the woman, and then reduces her 'revenge' to cartoonish horror-flick impossibilities."


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: Mick LaSalle of the "San Francisco Chronicle" wrote, "In addition to all the obvious things that are disgusting about this movie, "I Spit on Your Grave" is trying to get us to hate each other. Hate it instead. It makes more sense and the hatred is much more deserved." Critic Andrew O'Hehir also denounced the notion that the film has a message, writing that it "just piles imaginary atrocities on top of real ones, and then halfheartedly claims that it means something. Well, it doesn't."


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: Some support for the film in mainstream press came from "The New York Times", whose reviewer wrote, "Female-empowerment fantasy or just plain prurience, "Grave" is extremely efficient grindhouse." V.A. Musetto, from the "New York Post", also offered some support for the film, stating, "If you can handle it, see it."


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: Like the original, the film did find cult support. "Fangoria" magazine wrote that "I Spit on Your Grave" "...is just as raw and upsetting in its onscreen brutality as the original. Perhaps more so, since the acting is significantly better this time around."


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: A sequel titled "I Spit on Your Grave 2" directed by Steven R. Monroe, was produced, and had a limited theatrical release on September 20, 2013. The film does not feature Sarah Butler. The film's plot concerns a young aspiring model named Katie (Jemma Dallender) who accepts an offer to have photos taken for her modeling portfolio. The events turn into a nightmare of torture, rape, and kidnapping, with a revenge plot similar to the first film.


title: I Spit on Your Grave (2010 film)

text: In March 2015, Anchor Bay Entertainment announced the third installment in the series, titled "". Sarah Butler returned to her role as Jennifer Hills, and R.D. Braunstein directed the film.


title: Cory Wong

text: Cory Wong (born c. 1985) is a Grammy-nominated American guitarist, bassist, songwriter, podcast-host, and producer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has released many works as a solo artist and in partnership with others. His background spans several genres including jazz, rock and funk. He has performed with Vulfpeck, Dave Koz, Stay Human, The Fearless Flyers, Ben Rector, Dr. Mambo's Combo, Chris Thile and Dirty Loops. He released several albums in 2020, including "Live in Amsterdam", a collaboration with the Metropole Orkest, and "Meditations", a new-age album with Jon Batiste. His recent works include two albums released in conjunction with his variety show.


title: Cory Wong

text: Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, Wong was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is of mixed Chinese-American descent. Growing up, he was exposed to classic rock and jazz music by his father. He took piano lessons at age nine. He was fascinated by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Primus and decided to play bass and start a band. He took guitar and bass lessons and started a punk rock band. His first instruments were a Fender Jazz Bass, a Gretsch guitar, and a Fender Stratocaster. He acquired a second Stratocaster during his senior year of high school, which remained his primary instrument.


title: Cory Wong

text: Wong attended University of Minnesota and the McNally Smith College of Music. At age 20 he decided to pursue music professionally. He credits his music school environment and his mentors for putting him on the right track. In particular he credits Peruvian guitarist Andrés Prado and Prince's drummer Michael Bland for showing him the nuances and cohesion of performing in an ensemble. He names guitarists Dave Williams and Paul Jackson Jr. as early influences.


title: Cory Wong

text: In late 2000s and early 2010s, Wong focused on jazz music and performed in Minneapolis–Saint Paul jazz clubs. He released two records with jazz ensembles, "Even Uneven" in 2008 and "Quartet/Quintet" in 2012. He then performed in the Nashville music scene on a regular basis as a session musician and guitarist. He started touring with Ben Rector and worked with a variety of artists including Bryan White, Brandon Heath and Dave Barnes. In 2013, for a six-month period he performed in the Minneapolis-based band Dr. Mambo's Combo with several veterans of the city's R&B-pop-funk music scene including members of Prince's band: Michael Bland and bassist Sonny T. He calls this period his learning curve in performing "vibrant funk soul" music.


title: Cory Wong

text: In 2013, Wong met members of the Ann Arbor-based band Vulfpeck. He did a jam with the group which was later rerecorded and released as "Cory Wong". In 2016, he started recording and touring with the band. He has recorded on every Vulfpeck album since then and toured with the band. He said of his guitar sound with Vulfpeck: "part of my sound is kind of bringing rhythm guitar to the front". He is a member of The Fearless Flyers, an instrumental quartet (with Vulfpeck's bass player Joe Dart, Snarky Puppy's guitarist Mark Lettieri and drummer Nate Smith) and has released three EPs and an album with the group.


title: Cory Wong

text: In 2016, Wong released a six-track EP as a lead artist. In 2017, he released his debut solo album, "Cory Wong and The Green Screen Band". His second solo album "The Optimist" was released in 2018 and reached number 19 on the U.S. Jazz Albums chart. He released a third album "Motivational Music for the Syncopated Soul" in 2019. The albums feature contributions by Phoebe Katis, Antwaun Stanley, Michael Bland, Sonny T., Ben Rector, Jon Batiste, Louis Cato, Nate Smith and others. In 2020, Wong released his fourth solo album, "Elevator Music for an Elevated Mood", which he called a continuation of his third album.


title: Cory Wong

text: Wong has performed with Dave Koz, Metropole Orkest, Stay Human (the house band of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"), and with Chris Thile's band on the radio program "Live from Here". He has toured in the United States and Europe in support of his solo albums, and with Vulfpeck. He released several albums in 2020, including a Grammy nominated new-age album titled "Meditations" with Jon Batiste.


title: Cory Wong

text: In 2020 to 2022, in the absence of touring over the coronavirus pandemic, Wong released multiple solo and collaborative albums including "The Golden Hour" with Dave Koz, "Turbo" with Dirty Loops, and "Tailwinds" with The Fearless Flyers. He hosted a music podcast for "Premier Guitar" magazine and he produced a YouTube music-comedy-variety show. In 2021, the Fender company released the Cory Wong signature model Stratocaster guitar which incorporates Wong's design preferences.


title: Cory Wong

text: In 2021, Wong premiered a YouTube variety show titled "Cory and the Wongnotes". The show features a full ensemble band, original music, short comedy skits, and interviews on subjects such as gear, genre and rhythm. The band consists of Wong (guitar), Sonny T. (bass), Kevin Gastonguay (keys), Nêgah Santos (percussion), Petar Janjic (drums), Eddie Barbash (sax), Kenni Holmen (sax, flute), Sam Greenfield (sax, clarinet), Steve Strand (trumpet), Jon Lampley (trumpet), Michael Nelson (trombone, horn arrangement). The show featured collaborators Cody Fry and Antwaun Stanley and culminated in the release of an 11-track album.


title: Cory Wong

text: The second season of the show premiered in April 2022 and includes guests Larry Carlton, Mark Lettieri, Nate Smith, Victor Wooten, Sierra Hull, Béla Fleck, Chromeo, Big Wild, Billy Strings, Lindsay Ell and Joey Dosik. A 15-track album titled "Power Station" was released in conjunction with the show.


title: Cory Wong

text: Wong's primary equipment includes the following, "Guitar:" Fender Highway One Stratocaster with Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups, "Amplifiers:" Fender '65 Super Reverb reissue and Kemper Profiler, "Strings:" D'Addario NYXL (.010–.046), "Accessories:" Wampler Ego Compressor, Vertex Steel String Clean Drive, and Strymon Big Sky. He uses a variety of other instruments and accessories as well. He aims for a clean tone, and often records direct. In 2021, the Fender company released Wong's signature model Stratocaster guitar.


title: .50 Action Express

text: The .50 Action Express (AE, 12.7×33mmRB) is a large-caliber handgun cartridge, best known for its usage in the Desert Eagle. Developed in 1988 by American Evan Whildin of Action Arms, the .50 AE is one of the most powerful pistol cartridges in production.


title: .50 Action Express

text: The actual cartridge has a base, with a rebated rim. The rim diameter of the .50 AE is the same as the .44 Remington Magnum cartridge. A Mark XIX Desert Eagle in .50 AE can be converted to .44 with nothing more than a barrel and magazine change.


title: .50 Action Express

text: The introduction of the .50 AE in the US was met with a rocky start. US laws state that non-sporting firearms may not be over 0.500" in bore diameter (measured land to land) to meet Title I regulations. The original .50 Action Express bore diameter was .500" with conventional rifling, but the switch to polygonal rifling on production Desert Eagles allowed the gauge plug to drop through, rendering the gun a destructive device under Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) regulations. Actual bullet diameter was reduced to the current rather than the original .510" – thus the noticeably tapered case.


title: .50 Action Express

text: Recoil of the .50 AE in the Desert Eagle pistol is substantial, although only marginally more severe than the .44 Magnum, as the auto mechanism and weight of the gun smooth the recoil somewhat. Other firearms chambered for the .50 AE include the AMT AutoMag V, the LAR Grizzly Win Mag, the Magnum Research BFR, and the Freedoms Arms Model 555.


title: .50 Action Express

text: SAAMI specifies a maximum chamber pressure of for the .50 AE. Available factory loads can produce nearly of muzzle energy.


title: .50 Action Express

text: Like other handgun cartridges of such magnitude, the principal uses of the .50 AE are metallic silhouette shooting and medium/big game hunting. Like the .44 Magnum, .454 Casull, .460 S&W Magnum, and .500 S&W Magnum, it is also well suited for defense against large predators, such as bears. With heavier bullets, such as the TII Armory 410 grain loading or the Buffalo Bore 380 grain Outdoorsman offering, the .50 AE closely matches the performance of the .480 Ruger and approaches the ballistics of the .500 Linebaugh.


title: .50 Action Express

text: The .50 AE is the parent case for the .440 Cor-Bon (1998) by Cor-Bon and .429 DE (2018) by Magnum Research (a division of Kahr Firearms Group). Though similar, they are not interchangeable. Desert Eagle magazines for .50 Action Express cartridges can feed the derivative cartridges but need to use a barrel bored for 0.429 caliber [10.89 mm] (.44 Magnum).


title: Triangular trade

text: Triangular trade or triangle trade is trade between three ports or regions. Triangular trade usually evolves when a region has export commodities that are not required in the region from which its major imports come. It has been used to offset trade imbalances between different regions.


title: Triangular trade

text: The Atlantic slave trade used a system of three-way trans-Atlantic exchanges – known historically as the triangular trade – which operated between Europe, Africa and the Americas from the 16th to 19th centuries. A classic example is the colonial molasses trade, which involved the circuitous trading of slaves, sugar (often in liquid form, as molasses), and rum between West Africa, the West Indies and the northern colonies of British North America in the 17th and 18th centuries. The slaves grew the sugar that was used to brew rum, which in turn was traded for more slaves. In this circuit, the sea lane west from Africa to the West Indies (and later, also to Brazil) was known as the Middle Passage; its cargo consisted of abducted or recently purchased African slaves.


title: Triangular trade

text: During the age of sail, the particular routes were also shaped by the powerful influence of winds and currents. For example, from the main trading nations of Western Europe, it was much easier to sail westwards after first going south of 30° N latitude and reaching the so-called "trade winds", thus arriving in the Caribbean rather than going straight west to the North American mainland. Returning from North America, it was easiest to follow the Gulf Stream in a northeasterly direction using the westerlies. (Even before the voyages of Christopher Columbus, the Portuguese had been using a similar triangle to sail to the Canary Islands and the Azores, and it was then expanded outwards.)


title: Triangular trade

text: The most historically significant triangular trade was the transatlantic slave trade which operated between Europe, Africa and the Americas from the 16th to 19th centuries. Slave ships would leave European ports (such as Bristol and Nantes) and sail to African ports loaded with goods manufactured in Europe. There, the slave traders would purchase enslaved Africans by exchanging the goods, then sail to the Americas via the Middle Passage to sell their enslaved cargo in European colonies. Afterwards, the slave ship would sail back to Europe to begin the cycle again. The enslaved Africans were primarily purchased for the purpose of working on plantations to work producing valuable cash crops (such as sugar, cotton, and tobacco) which were in high demand in Europe. Slave traders from European colonies would occasionally travel to Africa themselves, eliminating the European portion of the voyage.


title: Triangular trade

text: A classic example is the colonial molasses trade. Merchants purchased raw sugar (often in its liquid form, molasses) from plantations in the Caribbean and shipped it to New England and Europe, where it was sold to distillery companies that produced rum. Merchant capitalists used cash from the sale of sugar to purchase rum, furs, and lumber in New England which their crews shipped to Europe. With the profits from the European sales, merchants purchased Europe's manufactured goods, including tools and weapons and on the next leg, shipped those manufactured goods, along with the American sugar and rum, to West Africa where they bartered the goods for slaves seized by local potentates. The crews then transported the slaves to the Caribbean and sold them to sugar plantation owners. The cash from the sale of slaves in Brazil, the Caribbean islands, and the American South used to buy more raw materials, restarting the cycle. The full triangle trip took a calendar year on average, according to historian Clifford Shipton.


title: Triangular trade

text: The first leg of the triangle was from a European port to one in West Africa (then known as the "Slave Coast"), in which ships carried supplies for sale and trade, such as copper, cloth, trinkets, slave beads, guns and ammunition. When the ship arrived, its cargo would be sold or bartered for slaves. Ports that exported these enslaved people from Africa include Ouidah, Lagos, Aného (Little Popo), Grand-Popo, Agoué, Jakin, Porto-Novo, and Badagry. These ports traded slaves who were supplied from African communities, tribes and kingdoms, including the Alladah and Ouidah, which were later taken over by the Dahomey kingdom.


title: Triangular trade

text: On the second leg, ships made the journey of the Middle Passage from Africa to the New World. Many slaves died of disease in the crowded holds of the slave ships. Once the ship reached the New World, enslaved survivors were sold in the Caribbean or the American colonies. The ships were then prepared to get them thoroughly cleaned, drained, and loaded with export goods for a return voyage, the third leg, to their home port, from the West Indies the main export cargoes were sugar, rum, and molasses; from Virginia, tobacco and hemp. The ship then returned to Europe to complete the triangle.


title: Triangular trade

text: The triangle route was not generally followed by individual ships. Slave ships were built to carry large numbers of people, rather than cargo, and variations in the duration of the Atlantic crossing meant that they often arrived in the Americas out-of-season. Slave ships thus often returned to their home port carrying whatever goods were readily available in the Americas but with a large part or all of their capacity with ballast. Cash crops were transported mainly by a separate fleet which only sailed from Europe to the Americas and back. In his books, Herbert S. Klein has argued that in many fields (cost of trade, ways of transport, mortality levels, earnings and benefits of trade for the Europeans and the "so-called triangular trade"), the non-scientific literature portrays a situation which the contemporary historiography refuted a long time ago.


title: Triangular trade

text: A 2017 study provides evidence for the hypothesis that the export of gunpowder to Africa increased the transatlantic slave trade: "A one percent increase in gunpowder set in motion a 5-year gun-slave cycle that increased slave exports by an average of 50%, and the impact continued to grow over time."


title: Triangular trade

text: New England also made rum from Caribbean sugar and molasses, which it shipped to Africa as well as within the New World. Yet, the "triangle trade" as considered in relation to New England was a piecemeal operation. No New England traders are known to have completed a sequential circuit of the full triangle, which took a calendar year on average, according to historian Clifford Shipton. The concept of the New England Triangular trade was first suggested, inconclusively, in an 1866 book by George H. Moore, was picked up in 1872 by historian George C. Mason, and reached full consideration from a lecture in 1887 by American businessman and historian William B. Weeden.


title: Triangular trade

text: Newport and Bristol, Rhode Island, were major ports involved in the colonial triangular slave trade. Many significant Newport merchants and traders participated in the trade, working closely with merchants and traders in the Caribbean and Charleston, South Carolina.


title: Triangular trade

text: According to research provided by Emory University as well as Henry Louis Gates Jr., an estimated 12.5 million slaves were transported from Africa to colonies in North and South America. The website assembles data regarding past trafficking in slaves from Africa. It shows that the top four nations were Portugal, Great Britain, France, and Spain.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) is the most widespread of the New World vultures. One of three species in the genus "Cathartes" of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South America. It inhabits a variety of open and semi-open areas, including subtropical forests, shrublands, pastures, and deserts.


title: Turkey vulture

text: Like all New World vultures, it is not closely related to the Old World vultures of Europe, Africa, and Asia. The two groups strongly resemble each other because of convergent evolution; natural selection often leads to similar body plans in animals that adapt independently to similar conditions.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The turkey vulture is a scavenger and feeds almost exclusively on carrion. It finds its food using its keen eyes and sense of smell, flying low enough to detect the gasses produced by the beginnings of the process of decay in dead animals. In flight, it uses thermals to move through the air, flapping its wings infrequently. It roosts in large community groups. Lacking a syrinx—the vocal organ of birds—its only vocalizations are grunts or low hisses. It nests in caves, hollow trees, or thickets. Each year it generally raises two chicks, which it feeds by regurgitation. It has very few natural predators. In the United States, the vulture receives legal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.


title: Turkey vulture

text: "Cathartes aura" is the scientific name of the turkey vulture. It is also known in some North American regions as buzzard or turkey buzzard and in some areas of the Caribbean as the John crow or carrion crow.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The turkey vulture received its common name from the resemblance of the adult's bald red head and its dark plumage to that of the male wild turkey, while the name "vulture" is derived from the Latin word "vulturus", meaning "tearer", and is a reference to its feeding habits. The word "buzzard" is used by North Americans to refer to this bird, yet in the Old World that term refers to members of the genus "Buteo". The turkey vulture was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus as "Vultur aura" in his 1758 10th edition of "Systema Naturae", and characterised as ""V. fuscogriseus, remigibus nigris, rostro albo"" ("brown-gray vulture, with black wing flight feathers and a white beak"). It is a member of the family Cathartidae, along with the other six species of New World vultures, and included in the genus "Cathartes", along with the greater yellow-headed vulture and the lesser yellow-headed vulture. Like other New World vultures, the turkey vulture has a diploid chromosome number of 80.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The taxonomic placement of the turkey vulture and the remaining six species of New World vultures has been in flux. Though both are similar in appearance and have similar ecological roles, the New World and Old World vultures evolved from different ancestors in different parts of the world. Some earlier authorities suggested that the New World vultures were more closely related to storks. More recent authorities maintained their overall position in the order Falconiformes along with the Old World vultures or place them in their own order, Cathartiformes.


title: Turkey vulture

text: However, recent genetic studies indicate that neither New World nor Old World vultures are close to falcons, nor are New World vultures close to storks. Both are basal members of the clade Afroaves, with Old World vultures comprising several groups within the family Accipitridae, also containing eagles, kites, and hawks, while New World vultures in Cathartiformes are a sister group to Accipitriformes (containing the osprey and secretarybird along with Accipitridae).


title: Turkey vulture

text: A large bird, it has a wingspan of , a length of , and weight of . Birds in the northern limit of the species' range average larger in size than the vulture from the neotropics. 124 birds from Florida averaged while 65 and 130 birds from Venezuela were found to average , respectively. It displays minimal sexual dimorphism; sexes are identical in plumage and in coloration, and are similar in size. The body feathers are mostly brownish-black, but the flight feathers on the wings appear to be silvery-gray beneath, contrasting with the darker wing linings. The adult's head is small in proportion to its body and is red in color with few to no feathers. It also has a relatively short, hooked, ivory-colored beak. The irises of the eyes are gray-brown; legs and feet are pink-skinned, although typically stained white. The eye has a single incomplete row of eyelashes on the upper lid and two rows on the lower lid.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The two front toes of the foot are long and have small webs at their bases. Tracks are large, between in length and in width, both measurements including claw marks. Toes are arranged in the classic, anisodactyl pattern. The feet are flat, relatively weak, and poorly adapted to grasping; the talons are also not designed for grasping, as they are relatively blunt. In flight, the tail is long and slim. The black vulture is relatively shorter-tailed and shorter-winged, which makes it appear rather smaller in flight than the turkey vulture, although the body masses of the two species are roughly the same. The nostrils are not divided by a septum, but rather are perforate; from the side one can see through the beak. It undergoes a molt in late winter to early spring. It is a gradual molt, which lasts until early autumn. The immature bird has a gray head with a black beak tip; the colors change to those of the adult as the bird matures. Captive longevity is not well known. there are two captive birds over 45 years old: the Gabbert Raptor Center on the University of Minnesota campus is home to a turkey vulture named Nero with a confirmed hatch-year of 1974, and another male bird, named Lord Richard, lives at the Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek, CA. Lord Richard hatched in 1974 and arrived at the museum later that year. The oldest wild captured banded bird was 16 years old.


title: Turkey vulture

text: Like most other vultures, the turkey vulture has very few vocalization capabilities. Because it lacks a syrinx, it can only utter hisses and grunts.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The turkey vulture has a large range, with an estimated global occurrence of . It is the most widely distributed vulture in the Americas and rivals its cousin the black vulture as the most abundant raptorial bird worldwide. Its global population is estimated to be 18,000,000 individuals. It is found in open and semi-open areas throughout the Americas from southern Canada to Cape Horn. It is a permanent resident in the southern United States, though northern birds may migrate as far south as South America. The turkey vulture is widespread over nearly all American habitats but they tend to show particular habitat preferences. It is most commonly found in relatively open areas which juxtapose with woodland, which are important both for nesting and roosting. Furthermore, turkey vultures in North America generally avoid enclosed forested areas that may hamper their ability to take flight and tend to often favor hill or low mountainous areas that make catching flight easier with less effort. This species can be seen over open country, including grasslands but are often absent from completely treeless areas such as some parts of the prairies or Great Plains. Additionally, they may adapt to tropical and subtropical forests, shrublands, deserts and semi-desert, wetlands and foothills. Evidence indicates agricultural land is key habitat for turkey vultures, mainly pastureland or other low-input farmland for foraging and roosting but they tend to only occur ephemerally as flyovers around row-crop type agriculture. Other manmade habitats can be used, with the species regularly seen over urban areas throughout its range, though they tend to use them more when not breeding, being unable to nest without appropriate habitats, and do not occur as an urban bird nearly as routinely as do black vultures in the tropics and subtropics.


title: Turkey vulture

text: This bird with its crow-like aspect gave foot to the naming of the Quebrada de los Cuervos (Crows Ravine) in Uruguay, where they dwell together with the lesser yellow-headed vulture and the black vulture.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The turkey vulture is gregarious and roosts in large community groups, breaking away to forage independently during the day. Several hundred vultures may roost communally in groups, which sometimes even include black vultures. It roosts often on dead, leafless trees as well as low-density conifers, and will also roost on man-made structures such as water or microwave towers. Though it nests in caves, it does not enter them except during the breeding season. The turkey vulture lowers its night-time body temperature by about 6 degrees Celsius to , becoming slightly hypothermic.


title: Turkey vulture

text: This vulture is often seen standing in a spread-winged or horaltic stance. The stance is believed to serve multiple functions: drying the wings, warming the body, and baking off bacteria. It is practiced more often following damp or rainy nights. This same behavior is displayed by other New World vultures, by Old World vultures, and by storks. Like storks, the turkey vulture often defecates on its own legs, using the evaporation of the water in the feces and/or urine to cool itself, a process known as urohidrosis. It cools the blood vessels in the unfeathered tarsi and feet, and causes white uric acid to streak the legs.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The turkey vulture has few natural predators and the few recorded predators appear to take them quite infrequently. Fledging, immature and adult vultures, in descending likelihood of predation, may fall prey to great horned owls, golden eagles, bald eagles and potentially red-tailed hawks, while eggs and nestlings may be preyed on by mammals such as raccoons and opossums. Foxes can occasionally ambush an adult but species that can climb are more likely to breach and predate nests than adults, while dogs may sometimes rarely kill a turkey vulture as well. Its primary form of defense is regurgitating semi-digested meat, a foul-smelling substance, which deters most creatures intent on raiding a vulture nest. It will also sting if the predator is close enough to get the vomit in its face or eyes. In some cases, the vulture must rid its crop of a heavy, undigested meal to take flight to flee from a potential predator. Its life expectancy in the wild ranges upward of 16 years, with a captive life span of over 45 years being possible.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The turkey vulture is awkward on the ground with an ungainly, hopping walk. It requires a great deal of effort to take flight, flapping its wings while pushing off the ground and hopping with its feet. While soaring, the turkey vulture holds its wings in a shallow V-shape and often tips from side to side, frequently causing the gray flight feathers to appear silvery as they catch the light. The flight of the turkey vulture is an example of static soaring flight, in which it flaps its wings very infrequently, and takes advantage of rising thermals to stay soaring.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The breeding season of the turkey vulture varies according to latitude. In the southern United States, it commences in March, peaks in April to May, and continues into June. In more northerly latitudes, the season starts later and extends into August. Courtship rituals of the turkey vulture involve several individuals gathering in a circle, where they perform hopping movements around the perimeter of the circle with wings partially spread. In the air, one bird closely follows another while flapping and diving.


title: Turkey vulture

text: Eggs are generally laid in the nesting site in a protected location such as a cliff, a cave, a rock crevice, a burrow, inside a hollow tree, or in a thicket. There is little or no construction of a nest; eggs are laid on a bare surface. Females generally lay two eggs, but sometimes one and rarely three. The eggs are cream-colored, with brown or lavender spots around their larger end. Both parents incubate, and the young hatch after 30 to 40 days. Chicks are altricial, or helpless at birth. Both adults feed the chicks by regurgitating food for them, and care for them for 10 to 11 weeks. When adults are threatened while nesting, they may flee, or they may regurgitate on the intruder or feign death. If the chicks are threatened in the nest, they defend themselves by hissing and regurgitating. The young fledge at about nine to ten weeks. Family groups remain together until fall.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The turkey vulture feeds primarily on a wide variety of carrion, from small mammals to large grazers, preferring those recently dead, and avoiding carcasses that have reached the point of putrefaction. They may rarely feed on plant matter, shoreline vegetation, pumpkin, coconut and other crops, live insects and other invertebrates. In South America, turkey vultures have been photographed feeding on the fruits of the introduced oil palm. They rarely, if ever, kill prey themselves; when they do it tends to comprise small weak offspring or very sick individuals of various animals, such as bird nestlings, as well as reptiles. Turkey vultures have also been observed eating coyote and domestic animal dung. The turkey vulture can often be seen along roadsides feeding on roadkill, or near bodies of water, feeding on washed-up fish. They also will feed on fish or insects that have become stranded in shallow water. Like other vultures, it plays an important role in the ecosystem by disposing of carrion, which would otherwise be a breeding ground for disease.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The turkey vulture forages by smell, an ability that is uncommon in the avian world, often flying low to the ground to pick up the scent of ethyl mercaptan, a gas produced by the beginnings of decay in dead animals. The olfactory lobe of its brain, responsible for processing smells, is particularly large compared to that of other animals. This heightened ability to detect odors allows it to search for carrion below the forest canopy. King vultures, black vultures, and condors, which lack the ability to smell carrion, follow the turkey vulture to carcasses. The turkey vulture arrives first at the carcass, or with greater yellow-headed vultures or lesser yellow-headed vultures, which also share the ability to smell carrion. It displaces the yellow-headed vultures from carcasses due to its larger size, but is displaced in turn by the king vulture and both types of condor, which make the first cut into the skin of the dead animal. This allows the smaller, weaker-billed turkey vulture access to food, because it cannot tear the tough hides of larger animals on its own. This is an example of mutual dependence between species. Black vultures tend to be more aggressive and often displace turkey vultures which appear to be intimidated especially by the feeding frenzy engaged in by the black vultures when they come in numbers (a behavior turkey vultures are apparently incapable of even when at a carcass in numbers), however pairs or individuals often seem to be able to peaceably share carrion with turkey vultures. However, in the tropics such as Peru, turkey vultures appeared to prevail regularly over black vultures, in 56% of cases, perhaps due to the smaller size of the region's black vultures. It is further subservient to large hawks such as red-tailed hawks, Harris's hawks and "Buteogallus" black hawks, as well as to large falcons like peregrine falcons and crested caracaras, despite most of these birds being rather smaller in body size than a turkey vulture. Often these raptors tend to engage in dive-bombing or other intimidation displays towards the vulture(s) to displace them from carrion or from perch sites. Presumably all sympatric eagles are also dominant, with bald eagles confirmed to easily dominate turkey vultures in Florida. However, in the tropics Swainson's hawks and yellow-headed caracara (as well as lesser yellow-headed vultures) appear to be subservient to turkey vultures. Furthermore, turkey vultures are dominant over crows at carrion, but not over common ravens.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The turkey vulture is sometimes accused of carrying anthrax or hog cholera, both livestock diseases, on its feet or bill by cattle ranchers and is therefore occasionally perceived as a threat. However, the virus that causes hog cholera is destroyed when it passes through the turkey vulture's digestive tract. This species also may be perceived as a threat by farmers due to the similar black vulture's tendency to attack and kill newborn cattle. The turkey vulture does not kill live animals but will mix with flocks of black vultures and will scavenge what they leave behind. Nonetheless, its appearance at a location where a calf has been killed gives the incorrect impression that the turkey vulture represents a danger to calves. The droppings produced by turkey vultures and other vultures can harm or kill trees and other vegetation. The turkey vulture can be held in captivity, though the Migratory Bird Treaty Act prevents this in the case of uninjured animals or animals capable of returning to the wild. In captivity, it can be fed fresh meat, and younger birds will gorge themselves if given the opportunity.


title: Turkey vulture

text: The turkey vulture species receives special legal protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 in the United States, by the Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds in Canada, and by the Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds and Game Mammals in Mexico. In the US it is illegal to take, kill, or possess turkey vultures, their eggs, and any body parts including but not limited to their feathers; violation of the law is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 for individuals or $200,000 for organizations, and/or a prison term of 1 year. It is listed as a species of least concern by the IUCN Red List. Populations appear to remain stable, and it has not reached the threshold of inclusion as a threatened species, which requires a decline of more than 30 percent in 10 years or three generations.


The 2020 United States presidential election in California was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. California voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, incumbent President Donald Trump, and running mate Vice President Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his running mate Kamala Harris, the junior senator from California. California had, in the 2020 election 55 electoral votes in the Electoral College, the most of any state. Prior to the election, most news organizations considered California a strongly Democratic state, or a safe blue state. It has voted Democratic in every presidential election from 1992 onward. California was one of six states where Trump received more percentage of the two-party vote than he did in 2016. This election also marked the first time since 2004 that the Republican candidate won more than one million votes in Los Angeles County, due to increased turnout statewide.


title: 2020 United States presidential election in California

text: Biden carried California with 63.5% of the vote and a margin of 29.2% over Trump. Biden earned the highest percentage of the vote in the state for any candidate since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936, although Biden's margin of victory was slightly smaller than Hillary Clinton's 30.1% in 2016, making it one of just seven states in which Trump improved on his 2016 margin. Biden became the first candidate in any race for any office in U.S. history to win more than 10 million votes in a single state, while Trump also received the most votes a Republican has ever received in any state in any race since the country's founding, even narrowly besting his vote total in Texas, a state that he won. Biden's vote margin was the largest vote margin for a presidential candidate in a singular state.


text: Per exit polls by Edison Research, Biden dominated key Democratic constituencies in the state including Latinos with 75%, African Americans with 82%, Asian Americans with 76%, and union households with 63%. Post-election analysis by Cook Political Report showed Trump made inroads with some Asian American constituencies, particularly Vietnamese American voters in Orange County.


text: Biden flipped Butte County and Inyo County into the Democratic column, which had not voted Democratic since 2008 and 1964, respectively. Biden's victory in Orange County was only the second time a Democrat carried the county since 1936. In contrast, while he improved his total vote share by nearly three percentage points, Trump did not flip any counties and his main regions of strength came from Republican strongholds in Gold Country, Shasta Cascade, and parts of the Central Valley. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla certified the results on December 4, and took Harris's seat in the Senate upon her resignation to become Vice President, having been appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom.


text: California was one of five states in the nation in which Biden's victory margin was larger than 1 million raw votes, the others being New York, Maryland, Massachusetts and Illinois. Over 5 million votes of Biden's 7 million vote lead nationwide were Californian votes.


text: In a departure from previous election cycles, California held its primaries on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020. Early voting began several weeks earlier.


text: Donald Trump secured the Republican nomination on March 17, 2020, defeating several longshot candidates, most notably former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld. Kamala Harris, the state's junior U.S. senator, was among the Democratic candidates declared until she dropped out on December 3, 2019. Representative Eric Swalwell from the 15th district was also a Democratic candidate but dropped out of the race on July 8, 2019. Other prominent state figures, including former Governor Jerry Brown, current Governor Gavin Newsom, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti declined to run.


text: The Republican Party's primary campaign was dominated by a lawsuit over the President's taxes. The suit alleges that the new requirement for several years of a candidate's taxes was unconstitutional and onerous. The law was blocked in September 2019 while State Supreme court heard testimony and made a ruling.


text: As a contingency, the Republican state committee changed its delegate selection process, turning the primary into a mere "beauty contest" and setting up an emergency state convention to Trump's delegate choices. If Trump were allowed on the ballot, the convention would be canceled and the so-called "winner-take-most" rules, which require a challenger to get 20% of the vote, would apply.


text: Candidates began filing their paperwork on November 4, 2019, and the final list was announced on December 9.


text: Leading California Democrats complained that Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren were snubbing the state by refusing to attend a forum at the State's "endorsement convention". Early voting began on February 11 and ended the day before primary day.


text: The Libertarian Party of California permitted non-affiliated voters to vote in their presidential primary.


text: The American Independent Party permitted non-affiliated voters to vote in their presidential primary.


text: Biden won California with a smaller margin of victory than Hillary Clinton in 2016. Nevertheless, he performed well in most urban areas of the state. Biden is also the first candidate for any statewide race in American history to receive over ten million votes.


text: Biden won 46 of the 53 congressional districts in California, including four that were flipped or held by Republicans in Congress.


title: Hélio Gracie

text: Hélio Gracie (October 1, 1913 – January 29, 2009) was a Brazilian martial artist who together with his brothers Oswaldo, Gastao Jr, George and Carlos Gracie founded and developed the self-defense martial art system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also known as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ).


title: Hélio Gracie

text: Considered as the Godfather of BJJ, according to his son Rorion, Gracie is one of the first sports heroes in Brazilian history; he was named Man of the Year in 1997 by the American martial arts publication "Black Belt" magazine. A patriarch of the Gracie family, multiple members of his family have gone on to have successful careers in combat sport competition including mixed martial arts (MMA).