title: Arduino Uno

text: The Arduino/Genuino Uno has a number of facilities for communicating with a computer, another Arduino/Genuino board, or other microcontrollers. The ATmega328 provides UART TTL (5V) serial communication, which is available on digital pins 0 (RX) and 1 (TX). An ATmega16U2 on the board channels this serial communication over USB and appears as a virtual com port to software on the computer. The 16U2 firmware uses the standard USB COM drivers, and no external driver is needed. However, on Windows, a .inf file is required. Arduino Software (IDE) includes a serial monitor which allows simple textual data to be sent to and from the board. The RX and TX LEDs on the board will flash when data is being transmitted via the USB-to-serial chip and USB connection to the computer (but not for serial communication on pins 0 and 1). A SoftwareSerial library allows serial communication on any of the Uno's digital pins.


title: Arduino Uno

text: Rather than requiring a physical press of the reset button before an upload, the Arduino/Genuino Uno board is designed in a way that allows it to be reset by software running on a connected computer. One of the hardware flow control lines (DTR) of the ATmega8U2/16U2 is connected to the reset line of the ATmega328 via a 100 nanofarad capacitor. When this line is asserted (taken low), the reset line drops long enough to reset the chip.


title: Arduino Uno

text: This setup has other implications. When the Uno is connected to a computer running Mac OS X or Linux, it resets each time a connection is made to it from software (via USB). For the following half-second or so, the bootloader is running on the Uno. While it is programmed to ignore malformed data (i.e. anything besides an upload of new code), it will intercept the first few bytes of data sent to the board after a connection is opened.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: The "State Anthem of the Russian Federation" is the national anthem of Russia. It uses the same melody as the "State Anthem of the Soviet Union", composed by Alexander Alexandrov, and new lyrics by Sergey Mikhalkov, who had collaborated with Gabriel El-Registan on the original anthem. From 1944, that earliest version replaced "The Internationale" as a new, more Soviet-centric and Russia-centric Soviet anthem. The same melody, but without any lyrics, was used after 1956. A second version of the lyrics was written by Mikhalkov in 1970 and adopted in 1977, placing less emphasis on World War II and more on the victory of communism, and without mentioning the denounced Stalin by name.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: The Russian SFSR was the only constituent republic of the Soviet Union without its own regional anthem. The lyric-free "Patrioticheskaya Pesnya", composed by Mikhail Glinka, was officially adopted in 1990 by the Supreme Soviet of Russia, and confirmed in 1993, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, by the President of the Russian Federation, Boris Yeltsin. This anthem proved to be unpopular with the Russian public and with many politicians and public figures, because of its tune and lack of lyrics, and consequently its inability to inspire Russian athletes during international competitions. The government sponsored contests to create lyrics for the unpopular anthem, but none of the entries were adopted.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: Glinka's anthem was replaced soon after Yeltsin's successor, Vladimir Putin, first took office on 7 May 2000. The federal legislature established and approved the music of the National Anthem of the Soviet Union, with newly written lyrics, in December 2000, and it became the second anthem used by Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The government sponsored a contest to find lyrics, eventually settling upon a new composition by Mikhalkov; according to the government, the lyrics were selected to evoke and eulogize the history and traditions of Russia. Yeltsin criticized Putin for supporting the reintroduction of the Soviet-era national anthem even though opinion polls showed that many Russians favored this decision.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: Public perception of the anthem is mixed among Russians. A 2009 poll showed that 56% of respondents felt proud when hearing the national anthem, and that 25% liked it.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: Before "The Prayer of the Russians" () was chosen as the national anthem of Imperial Russia in 1816, various church hymns and military marches were used to honor the country and the Tsars. Songs used include "Let the Thunder of Victory Rumble!" () and "How Glorious is our Lord" (). "The Prayer of the Russians" was adopted around 1816, and used lyrics by Vasily Zhukovsky set to the music of the British anthem, "God Save the King". Russia's anthem was also influenced by the anthems of France and the Netherlands, and by the British patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!".


title: National anthem of Russia

text: In 1833, Zhukovsky was asked to set lyrics to a musical composition by Prince Alexei Lvov called "The Russian People's Prayer", known more commonly as "God Save the Tsar!" (). It was well received by Nicholas I, who chose the song to be the next anthem of Imperial Russia. The song resembled a hymn, and its musical style was similar to that of other anthems used by European monarchs. "God Save the Tsar!" was performed for the first time on 8 December 1833, at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. It was later played at the Winter Palace on Christmas Day, by order of Nicholas I. Public singing of the anthem began at opera houses in 1834, but it was not widely known across the Russian Empire until 1837.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: "God Save the Tsar!" was used until the February Revolution, when the Russian monarchy was overthrown. Upon the overthrow, in March 1917, the "Worker's Marseillaise" (), Pyotr Lavrov's modification of the French anthem "La Marseillaise", was used as an unofficial anthem by the Russian Provisional Government. The modifications Lavrov made to "La Marseillaise" included a change in meter from 2/2 to 4/4 and music harmonization to make it sound more Russian. It was used at governmental meetings, welcoming ceremonies for diplomats and state funerals.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: After the Bolsheviks overthrew the provisional government in the 1917 October Revolution, the anthem of international revolutionary socialism, "L'Internationale" (usually known as "The Internationale" in English), was adopted as the new anthem. The lyrics had been written by Eugène Pottier, and Pierre Degeyter had composed the music in 1871 to honor the creation of the Second Socialist International organization; in 1902, Arkadij Jakovlevich Kots translated Pottier's lyrics into Russian. Kots also changed the grammatical tense of the song, to make it more decisive in nature. The first major use of the song was at the funeral of victims of the February Revolution in Petrograd. Lenin also wanted "The Internationale" to be played more often because it was more socialist, and could not be confused with the French anthem; other persons in the new Soviet government believed "La Marseillaise" to be too bourgeois. "The Internationale" was used as the state anthem of Soviet Russia from 1918, adopted by the newly created Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922, and was used until 1944.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: The music of the national anthem, created by Alexander Alexandrov, had previously been incorporated in several hymns and compositions. The music was first used in the Hymn of the Bolshevik Party, created in 1939. When the Comintern was dissolved in 1943, the government argued that "The Internationale", which was historically associated with the Comintern, should be replaced as the National Anthem of the Soviet Union. Alexandrov's music was chosen as the new anthem by the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin after a contest in 1943. Stalin praised the song for fulfilling what a national anthem should be, though he criticized the song's orchestration.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: In response, Alexandrov blamed the problems on Viktor Knushevitsky, who was responsible for orchestrating the entries for the final contest rounds. When writing the Bolshevik party anthem, Alexandrov incorporated pieces from the song "Life Has Become Better" (), a musical comedy that he composed. This comedy was based on a slogan Stalin first used in 1935. Over 200 entries were submitted for the anthem contest, including some by famous Soviet composers Dmitri Shostakovich, Aram Khachaturian and Iona Tuskiya. Later, the rejected joint entry by Khachaturian and Shostakovich became "Song of the Red Army", and Khachaturian went on to compose the Anthem of the Armenian SSR. There was also an entry from Boris Alexandrov, the son of Alexander. His rejected entry, "Long Live our State" (), became a popular patriotic song and was adopted as the anthem of Transnistria.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: During the 2000 debate on the anthem, Boris Gryzlov, the leader of the Unity faction in the Duma, noted that the music which Alexandrov wrote for the Soviet anthem was similar to Vasily Kalinnikov's 1892 overture, "Bylina". Supporters of the Soviet anthem mentioned this in the various debates held in the Duma on the change of anthem, but there is no evidence that Alexandrov consciously used parts of "Bylina" in his composition.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: After selecting the music by Alexandrov for the national anthem, Stalin needed new lyrics. He thought that the song was short and, because of the Great Patriotic War, that it needed a statement about the impending defeat of Germany by the Red Army. The poets Sergey Mikhalkov and Gabriel El-Registan were called to Moscow by one of Stalin's staffers, and were told to fix the lyrics to Alexandrov's music. They were instructed to keep the verses the same, but to find a way to change the refrains which described "a Country of Soviets". Because of the difficulty of expressing the concepts of the Great Patriotic War in song, that idea was dropped from the version which El-Registan and Mikhalkov completed overnight. After a few minor changes to emphasize the Soviet Fatherland, Stalin approved the anthem and had it published on 7 November 1943, including a line about Stalin "inspir[ing] us to keep the faith with the people". The revised anthem was announced to all of the USSR on January 1, 1944 and became official on March 15, 1944.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: After Stalin's death in 1953, the Soviet government examined his legacy. The government began the de-Stalinization process, which included downplaying the role of Stalin and moving his corpse from Lenin's Mausoleum to the Kremlin Wall Necropolis. In addition, the anthem lyrics composed by Mikhalkov and El-Registan were officially scrapped by the Soviet government in 1956. The anthem was still used by the Soviet government, but without any official lyrics. In private, this anthem became known the "Song Without Words". Mikhalkov wrote a new set of lyrics in 1970, but they were not submitted to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet until May 27, 1977. The new lyrics, which eliminated any mention of Stalin, were approved on 1 September, and were made official with the printing of the new Soviet Constitution in October 1977. In the credits for the 1977 lyrics, Mikhalkov was mentioned, but references to El-Registan, who died in 1945, were dropped for unknown reasons.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: With the impending collapse of the Soviet Union in early 1990, a new national anthem was needed to help define the reorganized nation and to reject the Soviet past. The Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR, Boris Yeltsin, was advised to revive "God Save The Tsar" with modifications to the lyrics. However, he instead selected a piece composed by Mikhail Glinka. The piece, known as "Patriotícheskaya Pésnya" (), was a wordless piano composition discovered after Glinka's death. "Patrioticheskaya Pesnya" was performed in front of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR on November 23, 1990. The song was decreed by the Supreme Soviet to be the new Russian anthem that same day. This anthem was intended to be permanent, which can be seen from the parliamentary draft of the Constitution, approved and drafted by Supreme Soviet, Congress of People's Deputies and its Constitutional Commission (with latter formally headed by President of Russia). The draft, among other things, reads that:


title: National anthem of Russia

text: The National Anthem of the Russian Federation is the Patriotic Song composed by Mikhail Glinka. The text of the National Anthem of the Russian Federation shall be endorsed by the federal law.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: However, conflict between President and Congress made passage of that draft less likely: the Congress shifted onto more and more rewriting of the 1978 Russian Constitution, while President pushed forward with new draft Constitution, which doesn't define state symbols. After 1993 Russian constitutional crisis and just one day before the constitutional referendum (i.e. on December 11, 1993) Yeltsin, then President of the Russian Federation, issued a presidential decree on December 11, 1993, retaining "Patrioticheskaya Pesnya" the official anthem for Russia, but this decree was provisional, since the draft Constitution (which was passed a day later) explicitly referred this matter to legislation, enacted by parliament. According to Article 70 of the Constitution, state symbols (which are an anthem, flag and coat of arms) required further definition by future legislation. As it was a constitutional matter, it had to be passed by a two-thirds majority in the Duma.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: Between 1994 and 1999, many votes were called for in the State Duma to retain "Patrioticheskaya Pesnya" as the official anthem of Russia. However, it faced stiff opposition from members of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, who wanted the Soviet anthem restored. Because any anthem had to be approved by a two-thirds supermajority, this disagreement between Duma factions for nearly a decade prevented passage of an anthem.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: When "Patrioticheskaya Pesnya" was used as the national anthem, it had official lyrics but was not accepted. The anthem struck a positive chord for some people because it did not contain elements from the Soviet past, and because the public considered Glinka to be a patriot and a true Russian. However, the lack of lyrics doomed "Patrioticheskaya Pesnya". Various attempts were made to compose lyrics for the anthem, including a contest that allowed any Russian citizen to participate. A committee set up by the government looked at over 6000 entries, and 20 were recorded by an orchestra for a final vote.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: The eventual winner was Viktor Radugin's ""Be glorious, Russia!"" (). However, none of the lyrics were officially adopted by Yeltsin or the Russian government. One of the reasons that partially explained the lack of lyrics was the original use of Glinka's composition: the praise of the Tsar and of the Russian Orthodox Church. Other complaints raised about the song were that it was hard to remember, uninspiring, and musically complicated. It was one of the few national anthems that lacked official lyrics during this period. The only other wordless national anthems in the period from 1990 to 2000 were "My Belarusy" of Belarus (until 2002), "Marcha Real" of Spain, and "Intermeco" of Bosnia and Herzegovina.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: The anthem debate intensified in October 2000 when Yeltsin's successor, Vladimir Putin, commented that Russian athletes had no words to sing for the anthem during the medal ceremonies at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games. Putin brought public attention to the issue and put it before the State Council. CNN also reported that members of the Spartak Moscow football club complained that the wordless anthem "affected their morale and performance". Two years earlier, during the 1998 World Cup, members of the Russian team commented that the wordless anthem failed to inspire "great patriotic effort".


title: National anthem of Russia

text: In a November session of the Federation Council, Putin stated that establishing the national symbols (anthem, flag and coat of arms) should be a top priority for the country. Putin pressed for the former Soviet anthem to be selected as the new Russian anthem, but strongly suggested that new lyrics be written. He did not say how much of the old Soviet lyrics should be retained for the new anthem. Putin submitted the bill "On the National Anthem of the Russian Federation" to the Duma for their consideration on 4 December. The Duma voted 381–51–1 in favor of adopting Alexandrov's music as the national anthem on 8 December 2000. Following the vote, a committee was formed and tasked with exploring lyrics for the national anthem. After receiving over 6,000 manuscripts from all sectors of Russian society, the committee selected lyrics by Mikhalkov for the anthem.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: Before the official adoption of the lyrics, the Kremlin released a section of the anthem, which made a reference to the flag and coat of arms:


title: National anthem of Russia

text: The above lines were omitted from the final version of the lyrics. After the bill was approved by the Federation Council on 20 December, "On the National Anthem of the Russian Federation" was signed into law by President Putin on 25 December, officially making Alexandrov's music the national anthem of Russia. The law was published two days later in the official government gazette "Rossiyskaya Gazeta". The new anthem was first performed on 30 December, during a ceremony at the Great Kremlin Palace in Moscow at which Mikhalkov's lyrics were officially made part of the national anthem.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: Not everyone agreed with the adoption of the new anthem. Yeltsin argued that Putin should not have changed the anthem merely to "follow blindly the mood of the people". Yeltsin also felt that the restoration of the Soviet anthem was part of a move to reject post-communist reforms that had taken place since Russian independence and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This was one of Yeltsin's few public criticisms of Putin.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: The liberal political party Yabloko stated that the re-adoption of the Soviet anthem "deepened the schism in Russian society". The Soviet anthem was supported by the Communist Party and by Putin himself. The other national symbols used by Russia in 1990, the white-blue-red flag and the double-headed eagle coat of arms, were also given legal approval by Putin in December, thus ending the debate over the national symbols. After all of the symbols were adopted, Putin said on television that this move was needed to heal Russia's past and to fuse the period of the Soviet Union with Russia's history. He also stated that, while Russia's march towards democracy would not be stopped, the rejection of the Soviet era would have left the lives of their mothers and fathers bereft of meaning. It took some time for the Russian people to familiarize themselves with the anthem's lyrics; athletes were only able to hum along with the anthem during the medal ceremonies at the 2002 Winter Olympics.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: The Russian national anthem is set to the melody of the Soviet anthem (used since 1944). As a result, there have been several controversies related to its use. Some such as cellist Mstislav Rostropovich vowed not to stand during the anthem. Russian cultural figures and government officials were also troubled by Putin's restoration of the Soviet anthem, even with different lyrics. A former adviser to both Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last President of the Soviet Union, stated that, when "Stalin's hymn" was used as the national anthem of the Soviet Union, horrific crimes took place.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: At the 2007 funeral of Yeltsin, the Russian state anthem was played as his coffin was laid to rest at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow. While it was common to hear the state anthem during state funerals for Soviet civil and military officials, honored citizens of the nation, and Soviet leaders, as was the case for Alexei Kosygin, Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko, Boris Berezovsky, writing in "The Daily Telegraph", felt that playing the anthem at Yeltsin's funeral "abused the man who brought freedom" to the Russian people. The Russian government states that the "solemn music and poetic work" of the anthem, despite its history, is a symbol of unity for the Russian people. Mikhalkov's words evoke "feelings of patriotism, respect for the history of the country and its system of government."


title: National anthem of Russia

text: In a 2009 poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center and publicized just two days before Russia's flag day (22 August), 56% of respondents stated that they felt proud when hearing the national anthem. However, only 39% could recall the words of the first line of the anthem. This was an increase from 33% in 2007. According to the survey, between 34 and 36% could not identify the anthem's first line. Overall, only 25% of respondents said they liked the anthem.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: In the previous year, the Russian Public Opinion Research Center found out that 56% of Russians felt pride and admiration at the anthem, even though only 40% (up from 19% in 2004) knew the first words of the anthem. It was also noted in the survey that the younger generation was the most familiar with the words.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: In September 2009, a line from the lyrics used during Stalin's rule reappeared at the Moscow Metro station Kurskaya-Koltsevaya: "We were raised by Stalin to be true to the people, inspiring us to feats of labour and heroism." While groups have threatened legal action to reverse the re-addition of this phrase on a stone banner at the vestibule's rotunda, it was part of the original design of Kurskaya station and had been removed during de-Stalinization. Most of the commentary surrounding this event focused on the Kremlin's attempt to "rehabilitate the image" of Stalin by using symbolism sympathetic to or created by him.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: The Communist Party strongly supported the restoration of Alexandrov's melody, but some members proposed other changes to the anthem. In March 2010, Boris Kashin, a CPRF member of the Duma, advocated for the removal of any reference to God in the anthem. Kashin's suggestion was also supported by Alexander Nikonov, a journalist with SPID-INFO and an avowed atheist. Nikonov argued that religion should be a private matter and should not be used by the state. Kashin found that the cost for making a new anthem recording will be about 120,000 rubles. The Russian Government quickly rejected the request because it lacked statistical data and other findings. Nikonov asked the Constitutional Court of Russia in 2005 if the lyrics were compatible with Russian law.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: Regulations for the performance of the national anthem are set forth in the law signed by President Putin on 25 December 2000. While a performance of the anthem may include only music, only words, or a combination of both, the anthem must be performed using the official music and words prescribed by law. During official performances of the national anthem, everyone present listens to it standing, and men remove their hats. If the National Anthem is played whilst the flag of the Russian Federation is being raised, the audience will face the flag.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: Once a performance has been recorded, it may be used for any purpose, such as in a radio or television broadcast. The anthem may be played for solemn or celebratory occasions, such as the annual Victory Day parade in Moscow, or the funerals of heads of state and other significant figures. When asked about playing the anthem during the Victory Day parades, Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov stated that because of the acoustics of the Red Square, only an orchestra would be used because voices would be swallowed by the echo.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: The anthem is mandatory at the swearing-in of the President of Russia, for opening and closing sessions of the Duma and the Federation Council, and for official state ceremonies. It is played on television and radio at the beginning and end of the broadcast day. If programming is continuous, the anthem is played once at 0600 hours, or slightly earlier at 0458 hours. The anthem is also played on New Year's Eve after the New Year Address by the President. It is played at sporting events in Russia and abroad, according to the protocol of the organisation hosting the games. According to the law, when the anthem is played "officially", everybody must stand up (in case the national flag is raising, facing to the flag), men must remove their headgear (in practice, excluding those in military uniform and clergymen). Uniformed personnel must give a military salute when the anthem plays.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: The anthem is performed in 4/4 (common time) or in 2/4 in the key of C major, and has a tempo of 76 beats per minute. Using either time signature, the anthem must be played in a solemn and singing manner (Russian: "Торжественно" and "Распевно"). The government has released arrangements for orchestras, brass bands and wind bands.


title: National anthem of Russia

text: According to Russian , state symbols and signs are not protected by copyright. As such, the anthem's music and lyrics may be used and modified freely. Although the law calls for the anthem to be performed respectfully and for performers to avoid causing offence, it does not define what constitutes offensive acts or penalties. Standing for the anthem is required by law but the law does not specify a penalty for refusing to stand.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: Tiny Toon Adventures is an American animated comedy television series that was broadcast from September 14, 1990, to December 6, 1992. It was the first collaborative effort of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation after being conceived in the late 1980s by Tom Ruegger. The show follows the adventures of a group of young cartoon characters who attend Acme Looniversity to become the next generation of characters from the "Looney Tunes" series.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: The pilot episode, "The Looney Beginning", aired as a prime-time special on CBS on September 14, 1990, while the series itself was featured in first-run syndication for the first two seasons. The final season was aired on Fox Kids. The series ended production in 1992 in favor of "Animaniacs", which premiered a year later; however, two specials were produced in 1994. A reboot series, "Tiny Toons Looniversity", was announced in October 2020.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: "Tiny Toon Adventures" is a cartoon set in the fictional town of "Acme Acres", where most of the "Tiny Toons" and "Looney Tunes" characters live. The characters attend "Acme Looniversity", a school whose faculty primarily consists of the mainstays of the classic Warner Bros. cartoons, such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat, Wile E. Coyote and Elmer Fudd. In the series, the university is founded to teach cartoon characters how to become funny. The school is not featured in every episode, as not all of its storylines revolve around the school.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: Like the Looney Tunes, the series makes use of cartoon violence (e.g. anvils falling on someone, liberal use of explosives) and slapstick. The series parodies and references the current events of the early 1990s and Hollywood culture. Occasionally, episodes delve into veiled ethical and morality stories of ecology, self-esteem, and crime.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: The series centers on a group of young cartoon characters who attend a school called Acme Looniversity to be the next generation of "Looney Tunes" characters. Most of the Tiny Toons characters were designed to resemble younger versions of Warner Bros.' most popular Looney Tunes animal characters by exhibiting similar traits and looks. The four main characters are Babs Bunny, a pink female rabbit, Buster Bunny, a blue male rabbit not related to Babs, Plucky Duck, a green male duck and Hamton J. Pig, a pink male pig. Other major characters in the cast are generally nonhuman as well. These include Fifi La Fume, a purple-and-white female skunk; Shirley the Loon, a white female loon; Dizzy Devil, a purple tasmanian devil; Furrball, a blue cat; Sweetie Pie, a pink canary; Calamity Coyote, a bluish-gray coyote; Little Beeper, a red-orange roadrunner; and Gogo Dodo, a zany green dodo. Two human characters, Montana Max and Elmyra Duff, are regarded as the main villains of the series and also are students of Acme Looniversity. As villains, Elmyra is seen as an extreme pet lover while Montana Max is a spoiled rich brat who owns either many toys or polluting factories. Supporting characters included Li'l Sneezer, a gray mouse with powerful sneezes; Concord Condor, a purple condor; Byron Basset, a usually sleeping basset hound; Bookworm, a pink worm with glasses; Arnold the Pit Bull, a muscular white pit bull; Fowlmouth, a white rooster with horrid language; Barky Marky, a brown dog, and Mary Melody, an African American girl.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: Feeding off the characters are the more traditional Looney Tunes such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig among others. Most of the adults teach classes at Acme Looniversity and serve as mentors to the Tiny Toons while others fill secondary positions as needed.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: According to writer Paul Dini, "Tiny Toons" originated as an idea by Terry Semel, the then-president of Warner Bros., who wanted to "inject new life into the Warner Bros. Animation department", and at the same time create a series with junior versions of Looney Tunes characters. Semel proposed that the new series would be a show based on "Looney Tunes" where the characters were either young versions of the original "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" characters or new characters as the offspring of the original characters. The idea of a series with the basis of younger and junior versions of cartoon characters was common at the time; the era in which "Tiny Toons" was produced for had such cartoons as "Muppet Babies", "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo" (which Ruegger worked on), "Tom & Jerry Kids" and "The Flintstones Kids". Warner Bros. chose to do the same because Spielberg wanted to make a series similar to "Looney Tunes", as series producer/show-runner Tom Ruegger explained: "Well, I think in Warner Bros. case, they had the opportunity to work with Steven Spielberg] on a project [...] But he didn't want to just work on characters that Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Bob McKimson and Bob Clampett made famous and created. He wanted to be involved with the creation of some "new" characters." The result was a series similar to "Looney Tunes" without the use of the same characters.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: On January 20, 1987, the Warner Bros. Animation studio approached Steven Spielberg to collaborate with Semel and Warner Bros. head of licensing Dan Romanelli on Semel's ideas. They eventually decided that the new characters would be similar to the "Looney Tunes" characters with no direct relation. However, "Tiny Toons" did not go into production then, nor was it even planned to be made for television; the series initially was to be a theatrical feature-length film.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: On December 27, 1988, "Tiny Toons" was changed from a film to a television series, with Jean MacCurdy overseeing production of the first 65 episodes. MacCurdy said that "Tiny Toons" was changed to a television series to "reach a broader audience". For the series, MacCurdy hired Tom Ruegger, who previously wrote cartoons for Filmation and Hanna-Barbera, to be a producer. In January 1989, Ruegger and writer Wayne Kaatz began developing the characters and the setting of "Acme Acres" with Spielberg.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: On January 9, 1989, Warner Bros. Animation chose its voice actors from over 1,200 auditions and put together its 100-person production staff. On April 13, 1989, full production of series episodes began with five overseas animation houses and a total budget of $25 million. The first 65 episodes of the series aired in syndication on 135 stations, beginning in September 1990. During that time, "Tiny Toons" was a huge success and got higher ratings than its "Disney Afternoon" competitors in some markets. After a successful run in syndication, Fox attained the rights for season 3. Production of the series halted in late 1992 to make way for "Animaniacs" to air the following year.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: The series and the show's characters were developed by series producer, head writer and cartoonist Tom Ruegger, division leader Jean MacCurdy, associate producer and artist Alfred Gimeno and story editor/writer Wayne Kaatz. Among the first writers on the series were Jim Reardon, Tom Minton, and Eddie Fitzgerald. Other writers included Arleen Sorkin. The character and scenery designers included Alfred Gimeno, Ken Boyer, Dan Haskett, Karen Haskett, and many other artists and directors. The series was actually planned to be a feature film. Once Steven Spielberg was attached, numerous things changed, including the idea of turning the movie into a television series.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: Voice director Andrea Romano auditioned over 1,200 voices for the series and chose more than a dozen main voice actors. The role of Buster Bunny was given to Charlie Adler, who gave the role, as producer Tom Ruegger said, "a great deal of energy". The role of Babs Bunny was given to Tress MacNeille. Writer Paul Dini said that MacNeille was good for the role because she could do both Babs' voice and the voices of her impressions. Voice actors Joe Alaskey and Don Messick were given the roles of Plucky Duck and Hamton J. Pig, respectively. Danny Cooksey played Montana Max and, according to Paul Dini, was good for the role because he could do a "tremendous mean voice." Cooksey was also the only voice actor in the cast who was not an adult. Cree Summer played the roles of Elmyra Duff and Mary Melody; former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Gail Matthius played Shirley the Loon, and Kath Soucie had the roles of Fifi La Fume and Li'l Sneezer. Other actors for the series included Maurice LaMarche as the voice of Dizzy Devil; Candi Milo as the voice of Sweetie, Frank Welker as the voice of Gogo Dodo, Furrball, Byron Basset, Calamity Coyote, Little Beeper, Barky Marky, and other voices; and Rob Paulsen as the voice of Fowlmouth, Arnold the Pit Bull, Concord Condor, and other characters. The legendary original voice actor behind the Looney Tunes, Mel Blanc, was initially set to reprise his roles as the classic characters, but due to his death in July 1989, his characters were recast to Alaskey, Jeff Bergman, Greg Burson, Bob Bergen, and Mel's son, Noel Blanc.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: During production of the series' third season, Adler left the show due to a feud with the producers. Adler was angry that he had not been offered a role in "Animaniacs" while voice actors with smaller roles in "Tiny Toon Adventures" such as Paulsen, LaMarche, and Welker were given starring roles in the new series. John Kassir replaced Adler for the remainder of the show's run (although Adler would eventually return to voice Buster in the cancelled video game, ""). Alaskey, the voice of Plucky Duck, briefly left "Tiny Toons" for financial reasons, but returned when an agreement was reached with the studio.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: In order to complete 65 episodes for the first season, Warner Bros. Animation and Amblin Television contracted several different North American and international animation houses. These animation studios included Tokyo Movie Shinsha (now known as TMS Entertainment), Wang Film Productions, Morning Sun Animation, AKOM, Freelance Animators New Zealand, Encore Cartoons, StarToons, and Kennedy Cartoons. Tokyo Movie Shinsha also animated the series' opening sequence. Some of the Warner Bros. staff disliked working with Kennedy Cartoons due to the animation studio's inconsistent quality, and episodes that they animated were often subject to multiple re-takes. In other cases, such as the debut episode "The Looney Beginning", portions of Kennedy Cartoons-animated episodes were re-animated by another animation studio. Kennedy Cartoons was actually dropped after the end of the series' first season.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: "Tiny Toon Adventures" was made with a higher production value than standard television animation. It had a cel count that was more than double that of most animated television shows then. The series had about 25,000 cels per episode instead of the standard 10,000, making it unique in that characters moved more fluidly. Pierre DeCelles, an animation producer, described storyboarding for the series as "fun but a big challenge because I always had a short schedule, and it's not always easy to work full blast nonstop".


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: During the development of the show Steven Spielberg said that Warner Bros. would use a full orchestra, which some thought too expensive and impossible, but they ended up agreeing. Warner Bros. selected Bruce Broughton to write the theme tune (for which he would win a Daytime Emmy along with Tom Ruegger and Wayne Kaatz, who both worked with Broughton on the lyrics) and serve as music supervisor. Screen credits for the composers were given based on the amount of music composed for, or composed and reused in, the episode.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: Twenty-six other composers were contracted to create original dramatic underscore for each different episode during the series run: Julie and Steve Bernstein, Steven Bramson, Don Davis, John Debney, Ron Grant, Les Hooper, Carl Johnson, Elliot Kaplan, Arthur Kempel, Ralph Kessler, Albert Lloyd Olson, Hummie Mann, Dennis McCarthy, Joel McNeely, Peter Myers, Laurence Rosenthal, William Ross, Arthur B. Rubinstein, J. Eric Schmidt, David Slonaker, Fred Steiner, Morton Stevens, Richard Stone, Stephen James Taylor and Mark Watters. The composers conducted their own music. Of these composers, Broughton, Bramson, Davis, Olson, Stone, Taylor and Watters wrote the score to "".


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: These composers would later write the musical scores for shows including "Animaniacs" and "The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries."


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: A feature-length film was released direct-to-video in 1992, entitled "". This was later re-edited and aired as part of the series. The length of the movie is 73 minutes. Fox aired "It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special" in prime time on December 6, 1992. This episode is a parody of "It’s a Wonderful Life". Although the Christmas episode is called a special, it is only called this as it is Christmas-themed and is just a regular episode. "The Tiny Toon Spring Break Special" was aired on Fox during prime time on March 27, 1994. Fox aired "Tiny Toons' Night Ghoulery" in prime time on May 28, 1995.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: In 1992, "The Plucky Duck Show" was produced as a spin-off for Fox Kids, based on the character Plucky Duck. Except for the premiere episode, "The Return of Batduck", the show was consisted entirely of recycled Plucky-centric episodes from "Tiny Toon Adventures".


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: In 1998, a second spin-off, entitled "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain", premiered on Kids' WB. This series featured the character Elmyra Duff as well as Pinky and the Brain, two other characters who were originally on "Animaniacs" before receiving their own spin-off series, also entitled "Pinky and the Brain". "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain" picks up after "Pinky and the Brain" leaves off where Pinky and the Brain become Elmyra's pets after Brain accidentally destroys their original home, ACME Labs, during an experiment. "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain" lasted for 13 episodes.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: The show was received with positive reviews; the Philadelphia Daily News remarked "It's the most cinematic first-run animated show on TV, mixing long shots, extra-tight closeups and odd perspectives for comic effect..." Citizens' Voice noted "Combining the animation of Warner Bros. and the creative direction of Spielberg, the collection of 65 half-hour cartoons is sure to make a big impression during the weekday late afternoon viewing period..." However, The Journal News criticized about the series "Adults looking for the smart-aleck attitude and wit of the old Warner Bros. classics will be disappointed, however; these are aimed squarely at kids and reflect a '90s sensibility, sneaking pro-social messages into madcap adventure stories."


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: "Tiny Toon Adventures Magazine", a quarterly children's magazine based on the series, debuted in October 1990. Issues #1–4 were published by DC Comics, and issues #5–7 were released by Welsh Publishing Group. The final issue was cover-dated Spring 1992. Also, various storybooks were published by the Little Golden Book company, including a few episode adaptations and some original stories ("Lost in the Fun House" and "Happy Birthday, Babs!"). "Tiny Toon Adventures" also had a comic book series made by Warner Bros. and DC. The characters also made occasional cameo appearances in the "Animaniacs", "Freakazoid!" and "Pinky and the Brain" comic books.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: Since its debut, numerous video games based on "Tiny Toons" have been released. There have been no less than nine titles based on the series released after its original television run and as recently as 2002. Many companies have held the development and publishing rights for the games, including Konami (during the 1990s), Atari, NewKidCo, Conspiracy Games, Warthog, Terraglyph Interactive Studios, and Treasure. Toys for the series included plush dolls and plastic figures, primarily made by Playskool.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: "" was released on DVD on August 21, 2012. There are currently no plans to release the two specials ("Spring Break" and "Night Ghoulery") on DVD. In the early to mid-1990s, Warner Bros. had released several videos, including "Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation" (a direct-to-video release which later aired as a four-part TV episode), "Best of Buster and Babs", "Two-Tone Town", "Tiny Toons: Big Adventures", "Tiny Toons: Island Adventures", "Tiny Toons: Music Television", "Tiny Toons: Fiendishly Funny Adventures", "Tiny Toons: Night Ghoulery" and "It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special".


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: A reboot, "Tiny Toons Looniversity", was announced on October 28, 2020 through the Amblin Entertainment website. It was ordered for two seasons, with each episode running 30 minutes. As with the original series, Steven Spielberg will return to his role as executive producer. Sam Register, Darryl Frank, and Justin Falvey will also be serving as executive producers, while Erin Gibson will be showrunner and co-executive producer. The series will premiere on HBO Max, and simulcast on Cartoon Network.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: The reboot's first piece of concept art showed Buster Bunny and Babs Bunny, redesigned with different clothes and a new art style.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: Tom Ascheim, then-current president of Cartoon Network, was quoted saying. ""Tiny Toons Looniversity" will capture all the clever, subversive and smart humor that made "Tiny Toon Adventures" such a standout series. Fans old and new will love to laugh at and with these characters all over again."


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: Shortly after the reboot's announcement, it was reported that several of the original voice actors were not going to be involved in the series. Cree Summer had revealed she was informed that Elmyra Duff was excluded. Additionally, Charlie Adler was not approached to reprise his role as Buster, nor was Maurice LaMarche as Dizzy Devil.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: However, during an interview on July 12, 2021, Candi Milo said she would be returning to voice Granny but it currently remains uncertain if she will be reprising Sweetie Bird. A few days later, on July 15, Jeff Bergman confirmed that he would be returning to the series as well, voicing Bugs Bunny, Sylvester and Foghorn Leghorn. He went into detail on the characters' roles in the series, explaining Foghorn would occupy as Acme Looniversity's coach, while Bugs would take on a "Dumbledore-like" personality. He also confirmed recording sessions had begun.


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: On July 9, 2022, it was announced that "Tiny Toons Looniversity" would be part of the "Looney Tunes" panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. On July 22, it was revealed that Ashleigh Crystal Hairston would be voicing Babs, instead of Tress MacNeille. Numerous pieces of concept art were shown, revealing a revamped Acme Looniversity and its interiors. This also confirmed many of the original series' major characters would be returning, some with updated appearances. Most notably, Elmyra was included in one of these pictures, disproving the claims of her removal. Some have suggested this meant Elmyra was added back at some point or was always intended to appear, but will be recast with a different voice actress, instead of Summer. Spielberg referred to the series as "the best iteration of "Tiny Toons" he'd ever seen".


title: Tiny Toon Adventures

text: Len Kiraly and showrunner Erin Gibson confirmed that Buster and Babs would be presented as twin siblings in the reboot, as opposed to best friends. This decision was criticized by fans of the original series. A July 2022 interview had crew members giving more details. They revealed the series was going to bring back all of the characters from the original show, "down to Arnold the Pit Bull". They also hinted at an episode which takes place in outer space. Gibson provided an explanation behind the choice to make Buster and Babs related, saying, "They’re fraternal twins, which was not an original plot point. I wanted to dive into a brother/sister relationship that looked really symbiotic and collaborative and supportive, not antagonistic. Seeing two people who are really on the same page, and then how do people who are so close make new friends? You know, find out who they are by these new relationships — these new college experiences while still having fun and doing the dumbest stuff you’ll ever see on TV, but having story and plot points and character development." Nate Cash added, "And they look up to the faculty, they’re established Tunes who are like their gods, but then they’re like, 'Who am I?' and 'What’s my voice?' — which is a cool place to develop them as their own characters and not just mini versions of their counterparts."


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Lawrence Michael Rotunda (born March 30, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s under the ring names Mike Rotunda, Mike Rotundo, Michael Wallstreet, Irwin R. Schyster, and V.K. Wallstreet.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Over the course of his career, Rotunda held several singles and tag team championships including the NWA World Tag Team Championship, NWA World Television Championship and WWF World Tag Team Championship. On July 23, 2022 Rotunda was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda was born on March 30, 1958, in St. Petersburg, Florida. He attended Newark Valley High School in Newark Valley, New York. He transferred to Owego Free Academy where he lettered in football and wrestling. He graduated from OFA in 1976. He participated in amateur wrestling, becoming a sectional champion in the 215 lb class in 1976, and placing 4th at the New York State Championships. After graduating from high school, Rotunda attended Syracuse University. He competed in football and amateur wrestling, becoming Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champion in 1981, in the heavyweight division and becoming a letterwinner in 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1981.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: After graduating from Syracuse University, Rotunda traveled to Germany where he trained as a professional wrestler under The Destroyer. He debuted in 1981, wrestling for promotions including Lutte Internationale, Jim Crockett Promotions and Championship Wrestling from Florida.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda and Barry Windham joined the World Wrestling Federation as The U.S. Express in 1984, during which time he would be billed as Mike Rotundo rather than Rotunda. They won the WWF World Tag Team Championship twice, first from Dick Murdoch and Adrian Adonis in January 1985. The US Express' most notable feud was with The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, to whom they lost the title at the first WrestleMania. The US Express regained the belts in June 1985, but lost them two months later to Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine. Windham left the WWF soon after.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda continued to wrestle in singles matches until he left the WWF himself, in early 1986. He briefly returned to the WWF in the fall of 1986 to team with "Golden Boy" Dan Spivey as a new version of "The U.S. Express", but they were more or less used as a jobber team against up-and-coming teams such as Demolition in house shows. They were not considered top contenders.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: The U.S. Express reunited in the AWA to wrestle at WrestleRock 86 on April 20, 1986, defeating The Fabulous Ones. The team did not stay long as Windham left the AWA very shortly after debuting. Rotunda stayed around for a few more months with little success.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda left the WWF in early 1987 and returned to Florida, where he won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship in March. There, he feuded with Sir Oliver Humperdink's "Shock Troops" stable.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Later in the year, Rotunda joined the National Wrestling Alliance affiliate Jim Crockett Promotions, where he lingered at mid-card level as a face before turning heel and joining Kevin Sullivan's Varsity Club, a group of wrestlers with amateur wrestling credentials. Rotunda began bickering with fellow Varsity Club member Rick Steiner, a graduate of the University of Michigan, over which of the two had a superior alma mater. This in turn led to the two arguing over which of them was the superior wrestler.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda won the NWA World Television Championship from Nikita Koloff in January 1988, and subsequently gave his Florida Heavyweight title to Steiner. He then began a feud with Jimmy Garvin, because Sullivan wanted Garvin's wife Precious. Steiner left the group and began feuding with Rotunda, the enemies trading the Television Championship before Rotunda lost it to Sting.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Dan Spivey joined the Varsity Club in late 1988, and Rotunda teamed with Williams to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship from The Road Warriors. Referee Theodore Long turned heel during the match and administered a fast three count, enabling Rotunda and Williams to overcome the champions. Long went on to become a manager following the controversial officiating.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: In May 1989, Williams and Rotunda were stripped of the title and, shortly after Sullivan and Rotunda concluded a feud with the Steiner Brothers, Rotunda briefly left the NWA. He returned in 1990 as a face, using the shipowner gimmick Captain Mike Rotunda. He formed a "crew" (consisting of Abdullah the Butcher and Norman the Lunatic) and feuded with Kevin Sullivan's new stable, "Sullivan's Slaughterhouse" (Cactus Jack, Buzz Sawyer, and Bam Bam Bigelow).


title: Mike Rotunda

text: In mid-1990, Rotunda turned heel again and became Michael Wallstreet, with Alexandra York (and her computer) as his manager. They founded The York Foundation. The two claimed to know (via computer analysis) how to win each match and how long it would take for Wallstreet to become victorious. In this brief run he was undefeated and often a timer was present onscreen to further the duo's claim. The partnership ended when Rotunda left the NWA for a new role in the WWF, in early 1991.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda returned to the WWF in April 1991, becoming Irwin R. Schyster, abbreviated to I.R.S.. Schyster had a heel gimmick as a former IRS tax collector from Washington, D.C., harassing wrestlers and fans as "tax cheats" and scolding them to "pay their fair share". For example, at a show in Rhode Island, he attacked the state for being a tax haven for yacht owners from New York, or when wrestling in New Hampshire, he would get on the microphone and criticize the fans there for not having to pay a state income tax. To further add to this persona, one of his finishing moves was called The Write-Off (i.e., a flying clothesline to an oncoming opponent).


title: Mike Rotunda

text: He made his pay-per-view debut at SummerSlam 1991, defeating Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. Schyster also made it to the finals of the 1991 King of the Ring tournament, defeating The Berzerker, Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Jerry Sags before losing to Bret Hart in the final match. He then had a short-lived feud with Big Bossman in the fall of 1991. This culminated in a 6-man elimination tag team match at Survivor Series, where he teamed with The Natural Disasters in a losing effort against Bossman and The Legion of Doom (the former Road Warriors). In January 1992, he competed in the Royal Rumble match entering at number 18 and lasted 28 minutes, giving him the third longest run behind Roddy Piper and winner Ric Flair.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: In February 1992, Schyster formed the tag team Money Inc. with Ted DiBiase; the two won the WWF Tag Team Championship together three times and was the dominant Tag-Team of 1992-1993. In the eighteen months Money Inc. were together, they held the titles for a total of almost fourteen months.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Money Inc.'s first title reign was at the expense of The Legion of Doom, making Rotunda the only wrestler to twice defeat them for a tag team title. They then feuded with the Natural Disasters, losing the titles to them and then regaining them a few months later. Finally, in spring 1993, Money Inc. entered into a months long feud with The Steiner Brothers, and in June the two teams traded the titles three times in ten days, with DiBiase and IRS losing the tag team title twice to the Steiners. Ted DiBiase retired from wrestling to become a commentator in the summer of 1993, resulting in Schyster going back to singles competition after a final attempt to reclaim the tag-titles in a cage match in the lead-up to Summerslam '93 in a losing effort against the Steiners.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: In the beginning of 1994, IRS feuded with Razor Ramon, challenging him for the Intercontinental Championship at the Royal Rumble. Though Schyster had seemingly won the title after interference by Shawn Michaels, a second referee restarted the match, unbeknownst to Schyster, who was then given the "Razor's Edge" while celebrating with the title belt. Schyster then feuded with Tatanka, whom he accused of failing to pay a gift tax on a "sacred headdress" he received from Chief Jay Strongbow.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: In mid-1994 he joined his former partner DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation, often teaming with fellow member Bam Bam Bigelow, in an unsuccessful effort to regain tag team gold. Schyster later refocused on singles wrestling. His feud with The Undertaker included Schyster repossessing the headstone of a child, and interfering in a Casket Match between The Undertaker and Yokozuna. When the two eventually squared off at the 1995 Royal Rumble, the Undertaker was victorious following a chokeslam, but Schyster stole his urn after the match. I.R.S. then competed less frequently on WWF TV. His final three appearances on TV being a loss to Savio Vega in a King of the Ring qualifying match in June 1995, the July 17, 1995 edition of Monday Night Raw in a losing effort against Shawn Michaels and later that month as a lumberjack at . His final appearance came on July 30, 1995 at a house show in Jean, NV where he unsuccessfully challenged Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship. After this Rotunda then left the WWF.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda returned to WCW in September 1995. On the debut of "WCW Monday Nitro", which aired on September 4, 1995, he was introduced as Michael Wallstreet, but by the next episode he was known as V.K. Wallstreet (the "V.K." an allusion to Vincent Kennedy McMahon) with announcer Eric Bischoff asking Bobby Heenan on-air why his name had suddenly changed. Rotunda used the name for nearly a year while wrestling in a lower midcard position. The highlight of this run came at the 1996 Battlebowl, where he teamed with Jim Duggan and made it to the semifinals before losing to Dick Slater and Earl Robert Eaton. Eventually his name returned to Michael Wallstreet and Mr. Wallstreet, and in December 1996, he joined the nWo after being offered a membership by former tag team partner Ted DiBiase. While in the nWo, Wallstreet remained in the low midcard. His highest profile match in this period was a loss to Jeff Jarrett at nWo Souled Out in January 1997. On the April 21 episode of "Nitro", Wallstreet was forced out of the nWo when his nWo contract was declared null and void by J. J. Dillon, due to his pre-existing WCW contract. Despite this, he appeared with the nWo weeks later on the May 5 "Nitro", before finally accepting Dillon's ruling and leaving the group. Although no longer an nWo member, he openly expressed his contempt for WCW (frequently wearing anti-WCW T-shirts to the ring). In the summer of 1997, he left for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, which had a business relationship with WCW.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: He returned (as Mike Rotunda) to WCW at Starrcade 1999, reforming the Varsity Club with Rick Steiner and Kevin Sullivan to team with Jim Duggan against The Revolution (Shane Douglas, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, and Asya). His team lost when they abandoned Duggan during the match. In early 2000, he took part in a "Lethal Lottery" tournament for the vacated WCW World Tag Team Championship, paired with Buzzkill. The two defeated Dean Malenko and Konnan in the first round, but lost in the quarterfinals to the Harris Brothers. Rotunda left WCW in the spring of 2000. He returned to Japan and also made some appearances for the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda jumped to New Japan Pro-Wrestling in the summer of 1997 (as Michael Wallstreet), where he joined nWo Japan. He toured full-time with New Japan and was used in the midcard. Like many gaijin, he wasn't used at Dome Shows and was left off New Japan's top tournaments such as the G1 Climax and the Super Grade Tag League tournaments. Wallstreet did participate in two other tournaments. In May 1998, he teamed with Big Titan in a tournament for the vacant IWGP Tag Team Championship, losing in the first round to Kensuke Sasaki and Kazuo Yamazaki. In September 1998, he teamed with Scott Norton in a tournament to decide the #1 contenders for the WCW World Tag Team Championship. They made it to the semifinals, where they lost to eventual tournament winners Kensuke Sasaki and Yuji Nagata.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: In 1999, Masahiro Chono left nWo Japan and formed a new group: Team 2000. Wallstreet and nWo Sting followed. Wallstreet, along with the rest of Team 2000, feuded with nWo Japan throughout 1999. In December, Rotunda left New Japan when he was called back to WCW.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda (as Mike Rotunda) joined All Japan Pro Wrestling in the summer of 2000, shortly after the Pro Wrestling Noah exodus. He reunited the Varsity Club, this time with "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. The team won the 2000 World's Strongest Tag Determination League and also challenged for the World Tag Team Championship, against Taiyō Kea and Johnny Smith on February 24, 2001, but lost. In late 2001, Rotunda returned to Team 2000 as part of the All Japan branch and returned to New Japan for one match, on October 28, teaming with Chono to defeat Tencozy. Rotunda finished the year teaming with Williams in the 2001 World's Strongest Tag Determination League, which they finished in 5th place with 6 points.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: In January 2002, Keiji Mutoh jumped to All Japan and eventually became the owner and president. With the arrival of Mutoh, a growing roster, and nagging injuries, Rotunda returned to the midcard. He entered the 2002 Champion Carnival, finishing in 5th place with 3 points. Shortly after, he entered the Giant Baba Six Man Tag Team Tournament, teaming with Steve Williams and Yoji Anjo. The team made it to the semifinals, losing to Genichiro Tenryu, Arashi, and Nobutaka Araya. On July 20, 2002, Rotunda and Williams entered the Stan Hansen Cup 4-Way, and lost to Mike Barton and Jim Steele, Rotunda being pinned by Barton. In autumn, Rotunda and Williams entered the 2002 World's Strongest Tag Determination League, finishing in 4th place with 9 points. Rotunda left All Japan in early 2003, after wrestling on the "New Year's Shining Series Tour".


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda retired from professional wrestling on a regular basis in 2003, but still had sporadic matches and makes sporadic appearances.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda was rehired by WWE as a road agent in 2006 and has made guest appearances as Irwin R. Schyster. One such appearance was on the August 6, 2007 edition of "WWE Raw"; Mr. McMahon was discussing his IRS troubles with Jonathan Coachman, and when the conversation ended, I.R.S lowered the paper covering his face ("Financial Times") and revealed himself.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda appeared as I.R.S. on the December 10, 2007 15th Anniversary edition of "Raw", winning a 15-man Battle Royal, only to be paid by his former tag team partner Ted DiBiase to eliminate himself and give DiBiase the win. This would be his final match.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: On the March 10, 2008 episode of "Raw", The U.S. Express were to have a rematch from WrestleMania I against Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik. However, the match was interrupted before it could begin by diva Jillian Hall, who offered to sing "Born in the U.S.A." for them; she was given an airplane spin by Rotunda.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: In early 2009, Rotunda once again appeared as I.R.S in multiple segments of "Top Rope Theatre" on WWE.com. He played a prominent role in the conspiracy of the exclusively online storyline of the series, drawing Kelly Kelly into his schemes in opposition to his arch enemy "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: I.R.S. appeared on the September 7, 2009 edition of "Raw," of which Bob Barker was the guest host. I.R.S was a contestant in a pricing game (similar to the "One Bid" qualifying segment of "The Price Is Right") along with Santino Marella, Jillian Hall, and Chris Jericho, bidding on a "Best of SmackDown" DVD. I.R.S inquired as to whether sales tax had been properly assessed, but overbid $50.00 (including tax); the DVD's actual retail price was $18.99. Chris Jericho won the pricing game with a bid of $1.00 (as erroneously proclaimed by Bob Barker). I.R.S was, later that night, one of the contestants during the second round of the pricing game. A. J. Pierzynski of the Chicago White Sox filled in the vacated spot Chris Jericho held. This time the bid was for a travel package to WrestleMania XXVI in Glendale, Arizona. Schyster bid $2,000.00 for the package. The actual retail price was $1,247.00, making Santino the winner after a bid of $1,200.00


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda appeared on an episode of "Monday Night Raw as" a lumberjack in the "'80s Legend Lumberjack Match", in which Christian defeated Ted DiBiase Jr.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: On June 7, 2010, I.R.S appeared on "Raw" in a comedy segment promoting the new A-Team film. After Ted DiBiase Jr. and Virgil were confronted by A-Team stars Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Sharlto Copley, in character as B.A. Baracus and H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdoch, respectively, Ted called in his "Uncle Irwin" (an allusion to the long-standing association of DiBiase Jr.'s father the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase with I.R.S dating back to Money Inc.) into the room wherein Schyster announced he had repossessed Jerry Lawler's crown, because Lawler had not paid long overdue taxes on the crown's gems. Later in the show, I.R.S, DiBiase Jr., Virgil and Rowdy Roddy Piper were confronted by the A-Team and Dusty Rhodes, who attacked them and reclaimed the crown.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: On the June 28 Raw, Rotunda was one of the four people who entered the ring to celebrate Ricky Steamboat's career, but were attacked by the Nexus.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda appeared on the April 9, 2012 edition of "Raw". He, along with numerous other WWE officials and superstars, attempted to break up a brawl between Brock Lesnar and John Cena.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: On the January 6, 2014 "Old School" episode of "Raw", Irwin R. Schyster encountered Big E Langston on his way to a match and told him to pay his taxes, to which Langston smiled. Immediately prior, Langston walked past fellow Million Dollar Corporation members, Nikolai Volkoff and Ted DiBiase.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: He was furloughed, along with many other WWE employees, on April 15, 2020 and was officially released on September 10, 2020.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: In January 2021, On Raw Legends Night, Rotunda, as I.R.S., made his first appearance since being released by the WWE in a segment backstage with Ric Flair.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: On September 3, 2021, the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame announced that Rotunda will be inducted into its 2022 Class, along with announcer Jim Ross and Trish Stratus. The induction ceremony took place July 21–23, 2022.


title: Mike Rotunda

text: Rotunda is married to Stephanie Rotunda (née Windham), the daughter of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan, and sister of wrestlers Barry and Kendall Windham. They have two sons and one daughter, Windham, Taylor, and Mika. The two sons are professional wrestlers that have both worked for WWE under the ring names Bray Wyatt (former WWE Universal Champion, WWE Champion, SmackDown Tag Team Champion and Raw Tag Team Champion) and Bo Dallas (former NXT Champion and Raw Tag Team Champion with Curtis Axel).


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: The 2026 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Victoria 2026, is a multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth scheduled to take place across four regional sites in the Australian state of Victoria: Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland. The opening ceremonies will be held in the state capital Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the closing ceremonies will be held at the Kardinia Park in Geelong. In a departure from previous Commonwealth Games, the event will not be held in one major city but will be hosted by the state and held across a number of regional cities outside the capital. The Games will take place over twelve days between 17 and 29 March 2026.


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be the first to be held since the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III as Head of the Commonwealth and reigning monarch of the Commonwealth Realms on 8 September 2022.


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: The host city was initially intended to be selected at the 2019 Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) General Assembly in Kigali, Rwanda. On 16 June 2019, the CGF confirmed that it would decide the host city in 2020, but the lack of interest from cities and the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the announcement. In December 2021, the CGF reported that it would announce a host some time in March 2022; however, Victoria was announced as the host on 12 April 2022, after two months of an exclusive dialogue process with the CGF.


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: During the CGF General Assembly on 31 March 2017 in Gold Coast, after the troubled 2022 Commonwealth Games host city bid process, the executive board announced that it had planned to award both 2026 and 2030 Commonwealth Games simultaneously at the CGF General Assembly scheduled for Kigali, Rwanda in September 2019. A new model called CGF Partnerships (CGFP) was implemented. This aims to give stronger support to the associations and cities that show interests in hosting future Games, and enhance the overall value of the event. This is similar to the process used by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2017. In January 2022 the Victorian State Government announced it was giving serious consideration to a late request from the CGF to host the Games. On 16 February 2022, Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews confirmed that the state was in exclusive negotiations with the CGF to host the Games. It was stated that if successful in hosting the Games a second time, a Victorian bid would aim to emphasise the state's regional centres—such as Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo—as opposed to being predominantly Melbourne-based, such as in 2006. Bendigo had previously hosted the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games. Acceptance of the bid will likely also be conditional upon agreement on ways to control costs, such as housing athletes and officials in hotels rather than a dedicated village. This bid was confirmed as successful on 12 April 2022.


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: In May 2022 the Victorian State Government allocated $2.6 billion to deliver the Commonwealth Games in the years leading to 2026. This money will be used to build housing, infrastructure and athletes hubs in each of the four regional sites. The Andrews Government said that the priority was to use existing facilities as much as possible, with spending concentrated on supporting infrastructure. The games are to be held in March to avoid clashes with the Australian Football League calendar in Melbourne. In June 2022, the State Government announced Jeroen Weimar had been appointed chief executive of the 2026 Games organising committee. Weimar is a public servant who rose to prominence as the state's COVID-19 Commander in charge of the pandemic response, and had previously served as the CEO of Public Transport Victoria.


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: While details are being released in relation to venue construction and upgrades for the games, all sports have been consolidated along with their locations. On 12th October 2022 the State Government announced a $150 million (AUD) upgrade to Eureka Stadium and its surrounds. Eureka Stadium upgrades will include expansion of permanent seating from 5,300 to 10-11,000 after the Games, upgrading of the lighting, and the installation of 18,000 temporary seats. Other upgrades to the precinct will include the addition of a nearby permanent athletics track.


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: In Geelong, the City Hall has identified the construction of a new indoor arena to host the gymnastics and table tennis events as a "priority project". Additionally, the Geelong deputy mayor Trent Sullivan has hinted at several possible venues for the Games, including using Eastern Beach as a venue for triathlon and beach volleyball, the newly redeveloped Kardinia Park for cricket T20, and new or upgraded facilities to host aquatics. In July 2022 the state government announced that Stead Park in Corio, a suburb of Geelong, would be upgraded to host the hockey events and have a capacity of 15,000 using a mix of permanent and temporary seating. It is to receive two new international-standard hockey pitches and is planned to become the state's premier field hockey facility. Shepparton will also host some cycling events.


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: A temporary pop-up velodrome will be installed at the Bendigo Showgrounds and shooting is also to be competed in Bendigo.


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: It is expected that the Midland Highway, which links four host cities (Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Shepparton) will receive upgrades in time for the games, with the possibility of a new northern train station to be constructed in Ballarat adjacent to Eureka Stadium.


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: An athlete's village will be built in the four host cities, with the villages to be converted to social and affordable housing after the Games. Village locations have been confirmed for the former Saleyards site in Ballarat, at Flora Hill in Bendigo and at Morwell in Gippsland.


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: Under new rules designed to encourage cities to bid for the Commonwealth Games, the CGF required only two sports must be played in future Games: athletics and swimming. Despite this, sixteen sports were agreed to for the 2026 Victorian Games, with a further seven the subject of discussion between the governing bodies and the Victorian Government. The list includes T20 cricket, for which a women's tournament was held at Birmingham 2022, alongside the following: swimming and diving, athletics, badminton, boxing, beach volleyball, cycling, gymnastics, hockey, lawn bowls, netball, rugby sevens, squash, table tennis, triathlon and weightlifting. In April 2022, the Indian Olympic Association demanded that the 2026 Games also include archery, shooting and wrestling. In July 2022 the State Government announced that they opened an expressions of interest process for the inclusion of sports beyond the initial 16 planned.


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: The final list of sports was announced in October 2022, with the addition of 3x3 Basketball, 3x3 Wheelchair Basketball, Shooting, Shooting Para Sport, Mountain Bike Cross Country, Track Cycling and Para Cycling Track added, along with the debut at Commonwealth Games of coastal rowing, golf and BMX. There will be a total of 21 sports and 26 disciplines, of which ten are fully integrated Para sports. Judo, wrestling and rhythmic gymnastics were dropped after featuring in the 2022 Games.


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: Venues will mostly be located within Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland and the Shepparton region. Melbourne will host the opening ceremonies, acting as a gateway to the four main regional athletics sites. The current list is open to change, and further venues are to be named in late 2022. The Victorian State Budget on 3 May 2022 allocated overall funding for the Games but planning work for the redevelopment of venues is ongoing.


title: 2026 Commonwealth Games

text: The closing ceremony will take place on 29 March 2026 at Kardinia Park, and the Commonwealth Games Federation flag will be handed over to the representatives of the 2030 Commonwealth Games, which will be known as the Centenary Games.


title: Trickle-down economics

text: Trickle-down economics is a term used in critical references to economic policies that favor the upper income brackets, corporations, and individuals with substantial wealth or capital. In recent history, the term has been used by critics of supply-side economics. Whereas general supply-side theory favors lowering taxes overall, trickle-down theory more specifically advocates for a lower tax burden on the upper end of the economic spectrum.


title: Trickle-down economics

text: Major examples of US Republicans supporting what critics call "trickle-down economics" include the Reagan tax cuts, the Bush tax cuts and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. In each of the aforementioned tax reforms, taxes were cut across all income brackets, but the biggest reductions were given to the highest income earners, although the Reagan Era tax reforms also introduced the earned income tax credit which has received bipartisan praise for poverty reduction and is largely why the bottom half of workers pay no federal income tax. Similarly, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 cut taxes across all income brackets, but especially favored the wealthy.


title: Trickle-down economics

text: The term "trickle-down" originated as a joke by humorist Will Rogers and today is often used to criticize economic policies that favor the wealthy or privileged while being framed as good for the average citizen. David Stockman, Ronald Reagan's former budget director, championed Reagan's tax cuts at first, but later became critical of them and told journalist William Greider that "supply-side economics" is the trickle-down idea:


title: Trickle-down economics

text: Political opponents of the Reagan administration soon seized on this language in an effort to brand the administration as caring only about the wealthy. Some studies suggest a link between trickle-down economics and reduced growth, and some newspapers concluded that trickle-down economics does not promote jobs or growth, and that "policy makers shouldn't worry that raising taxes on the rich ... will harm their economies".


title: Trickle-down economics

text: In 1896, Democratic presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan described the concept using the metaphor of a "leak" in his


title: Trickle-down economics

text: The "Merriam-Webster Dictionary" notes that the first known use of "trickle-down" as an adjective meaning "relating to or working on the principle of trickle-down theory" was in 1944 while the first known use of "trickle-down theory" was in 1954.


title: Trickle-down economics

text: After leaving the presidency, Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson alleged "Republicans ... simply don't know how to manage the economy. They're so busy operating the trickle-down theory, giving the richest corporations the biggest break, that the whole thing goes to hell in a handbasket."


title: Trickle-down economics

text: Economist Thomas Sowell consistently argues that trickle-down economics has never been advocated by any economist, writing in his 2012 book "Trickle Down"


title: Trickle-down economics

text: Sowell has also written extensively on trickle-down economics and opposes its characterization firmly, citing that supply-side economics has never claimed to work in a "trickle-down" fashion. Rather, the economic theory of reducing marginal tax rates works in precisely the opposite direction: "Workers are always paid first and then profits flow upward later – if at all."


title: Trickle-down economics

text: In a study of "zombie ideas", political scientists Brainard Guy Peters and Maximilian Lennart Nagel describe trickle-down economics as the most enduring "zombie idea" in American politics. By zombie idea, they refer to ideas which have been unsuccessful at achieving intended goals, yet still survived in public policy discourse.


title: Trickle-down economics

text: The economist John Kenneth Galbraith noted that "trickle-down economics" had been tried before in the United States in the 1890s under the name "horse-and-sparrow theory", writing:


title: Trickle-down economics

text: In 2016, Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz wrote that the post-World War II evidence does not support trickle-down economics, but rather "trickle-up economics" whereby more money in the pockets of the poor or the middle benefits everyone.


title: Trickle-down economics

text: A 2020 piece by the Washington Post finds that trickle-down economics succeeds only at making the rich gain more wealth


title: Trickle-down economics

text: A 2022 review of 18 countries' tax policies between 1965 and 2015 found no evidence that tax cuts for the rich trickled down to bolster the economy as a whole.


title: Trickle-down economics

text: While the term "trickle-down" is commonly used to refer to income benefits, it is sometimes used to refer to the idea of positive externalities arising from technological innovation or increased trade. Arthur Okun, and separately William Baumol, for example, have used the term to refer to the flow of the benefits of innovation, which do not accrue entirely to the "great entrepreneurs and inventors", but trickle down to the masses. And Nobel laureate economist Paul Romer used the term in reference to the impact on wealth from tariff changes.


title: Trickle-down economics

text: Speaking on the Senate floor in 1992, Hank Brown (Republican senator for Colorado) said: "Mr. President, the trickle-down theory attributed to the Republican Party has never been articulated by President Reagan and has never been articulated by President Bush and has never been advocated by either one of them. One might argue whether trickle-down makes any sense or not. To attribute to people who have advocated the opposite in policies is not only inaccurate but poisons the debate on public issues."


title: Trickle-down economics

text: While running against Ronald Reagan for the Presidential nomination in 1980, George H. W. Bush had derided the trickle-down approach as "voodoo economics". In the 1992 presidential election, independent candidate Ross Perot also referred to trickle-down economics as "political voodoo". In the same election during a presidential town hall debate, Bill Clinton said:


title: Trickle-down economics

text: The political campaign group, Tax Justice Network has used the term referring broadly to wealth inequality in its criticisms of tax havens.


title: Trickle-down economics

text: In 2013, Pope Francis referred to "trickle-down theories" in his apostolic exhortation with the following statement (No. 54):


title: Trickle-down economics

text: In New Zealand, Damien O'Connor, an MP from the Labour Party, called trickle-down economics "the rich pissing on the poor" in the Labour Party campaign launch video for the 2011 general election. In a 2016 presidential candidates debate, Hillary Clinton accused Donald Trump of supporting the "most extreme" version of trickle-down economics with his tax plan, calling it "trumped-up trickle-down" as a pun on his name. In his speech to a joint session of Congress on April 28, 2021, US President Joe Biden stated that "trickle-down economics has never worked". Biden has continued to be critical of trickle-down.


title: Vermicelli

text: Vermicelli (; , , , ) is a traditional type of pasta round in section similar to spaghetti. In English-speaking regions it is usually thinner than spaghetti, while in Italy it is typically thicker.


title: Vermicelli

text: The term "vermicelli" is also used to describe various types of thin noodles from Asia. In Vietnam vermicelli is the same as angel hair pasta or "capellini".


title: Vermicelli

text: In the United States, the National Pasta Association (which has no links with its Italian counterpart, the Unione Industriali Pastai Italiani) lists vermicelli as a thinner type of spaghetti.


title: Vermicelli

text: The Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America defines "spaghetti" and "vermicelli" by diameter:


title: Vermicelli

text: In 14th-century Italy, long pasta shapes had varying local names. Barnabas de Reatinis of Reggio notes in his "Compendium de naturis et proprietatibus alimentorum" (1338) that the Tuscan "vermicelli" are called "orati" in Bologna, "minutelli" in Venice, "fermentini" in Reggio, and "pancardelle" in Mantua.


title: Vermicelli

text: The first mention of a vermicelli recipe is in the book "De arte Coquinaria per vermicelli e maccaroni siciliani" ("The Art of Cooking Sicilian Macaroni and Vermicelli"), compiled by the famous Maestro Martino da Como, unequalled in his field at the time and perhaps the first "celebrity chef", who was the chef at the Roman palazzo of the papal chamberlain ("camerlengo"), the Patriarch of Aquileia. In Martino's "Libro de arte coquinaria", there are several recipes for vermicelli, which can last two or three years ("doi o tre anni") when dried in the sun.


title: Vermicelli

text: Vermicelli, called "shaʿīriyya" (شعيرية) in Arabic, is used in one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Egypt and the Levant. The vermicelli is browned by frying with oil or butter, then rice and water are added.


title: Vermicelli

text: In Somalia, it is used in a sweet dish called "cadriyad", originating from the Yemeni "ʿaṭriyah" (عطرية). The vermicelli is browned by frying with butter, then water, sugar and cardamom are added until it has softened slightly. The dish is similar to the Indian "Sheer khurma". However, no milk or cream is added. Bananas can also be added on top. It is usually eaten as a dessert or as a side-dish with Somali spiced rice dishes.


title: Vermicelli

text: "Cadriyad" is also a common dessert in certain parts of Ethiopia, particularly in the Arab-influenced Harar-ghe region, where it is known as "attriya" and is served cold, often with a thin layer of custard on top.


title: Vermicelli

text: Possibly due to the Umayyad influence, Spain and Portugal use a type of vermicelli called "aletria". It is mostly used for soups or desserts. In modern-day Portugal, "aletria" usually refers to a dessert similar to a rice pudding, but replacing the rice with "aletria".


title: Vermicelli

text: The "fideo" is a type of noodle, produced in Europe since medieval times, best known as "fideus" or "fidelis", which spread to Mexican and Latin American cuisine, and is often referred to by speakers of English as "vermicelli." It is commonly used in chicken soup and in "sopa seca", a type of side dish.


title: Vermicelli

text: In countries of the Indian subcontinent, vermicelli is available either as long strands or cut into about 2 cm long pieces. Vermicelli is known by various local names such as, "Sewiyun in Sindhi, Semya" in Telugu, "sémiya" when made with wheat & "sevai" when made with rice in Tamil, "Semiya" in Malayalam, "shavige" in Kannada, "shemai" in Bengali, "seviyan" in Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi, "shevaya" in Marathi, "simei" in Odia, "sev" in Gujarati, "semige" in Tulu. The noodles are used in a number of dishes including a variation of "kheer", a sweet dessert similar to rice pudding. Vermicelli are also used in many parts of India to make a popular dish called "upma". To prepare it, dry oil-roasted vermicelli and pre-sauteed vegetables such as onions, carrots, French-beans, peas etc. are cooked together with enough water that can be absorbed by the vermicelli. Roasted cashew or peanuts are used as garnish.


title: Vermicelli

text: In English, the Italian loanword "vermicelli" is used to indicate different sorts of long pasta shapes from different parts of the world but mostly from South or East Asia.


title: Vermicelli

text: Central Asian "Kesme" and Persian "reshteh" also resemble vermicelli. "Fālūde" or "faloodeh" is a Persian frozen dessert made with thin vermicelli noodles frozen with corn starch, rose water, lime juice, and often ground pistachios.


title: Vermicelli

text: In East and Southeast Asia, the term "vermicelli" is used to translate four different types of noodles. Rice vermicelli can refer to a thin dried type of rice noodle (Chinese: 米粉, pinyin: mǐfěn; Hokkien: "bee hoon"; Cantonese: mai fun; Thai: "sen mi" เส้นหมี่; Burmese: "kya zan" ). A second type of "vermicelli" is made from rice that has been fermented (Chinese: 米線; pinyin: "mǐxiàn;" Thai: "khanom chin" ขนมจีน; Vietnamese: "bún"). The latter are normally eaten fresh, rather than after drying. Thirdly, "vermicelli" sometimes indicates cellophane noodles made from mung bean or sweet potato flour (traditional Chinese: 粉絲, pinyin: "fěnsī"; Thai: "wun sen" วุ้นเส้น). Cellophane noodles turn translucent after cooking, whereas rice vermicelli remain opaque. The fourth type of "vermicelli" are made from wheat rather than rice flour, misua ().


title: Backronym

text: A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The word is a portmanteau of "back" and "acronym".


title: Backronym

text: An acronym is a word derived from the initial letters of the words of a phrase, such as "radar" from ""ra"dio "d"etection "a"nd "r"anging". By contrast, a backronym is "an acronym deliberately formed from a phrase whose initial letters spell out a particular word or words, either to create a memorable name or as a fanciful explanation of a word's origin." Many fictional espionage organizations are backronyms, such as SPECTRE ("sp"ecial "e"xecutive for "c"ounterintelligence, "t"errorism, "r"evenge and "e"xtortion) from the James Bond franchise.


title: Backronym

text: For example, the Amber Alert missing-child program was named after Amber Hagerman, a nine-year-old girl who was abducted and murdered in 1996. Officials later publicized the backronym "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response".


title: Backronym

text: An example of a backronym as a mnemonic is the Apgar score, used to assess the health of newborn babies. The rating system was devised by and named after Virginia Apgar. Ten years after the initial publication, the backronym "APGAR" was coined in the US as a mnemonic learning aid: Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration.


title: Backronym

text: Many United States Congress bills have backronyms as their names; examples include the American CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) of 2020, the USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act) of 2001, and the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act). In the 113th Congress (2013) there were over 240 bills with such names.


title: Backronym

text: Sometimes a backronym is reputed to have been used in the formation of the original word, and amounts to a false etymology or an urban legend. Acronyms were rare in the English language prior to the 1930s, and most etymologies of common words or phrases that suggest origin from an acronym are false.


title: Backronym

text: Examples include "posh", an adjective describing stylish items or members of the upper class. A popular story derives the word as an acronym from "port out, starboard home", referring to 19th-century first-class cabins on ocean liners, which were shaded from the sun on outbound voyages east (e.g. from Britain to India) and homeward voyages west. The word's actual etymology is unknown, but more likely related to Romani "påš xåra" ("half-penny") or to Urdu (borrowed from Persian) "safed-pōśh" ("white robes"), a term for wealthy people.


title: Backronym

text: Similarly, the distress signal SOS is often believed to be an abbreviation for "Save Our Ship" or "Save Our Souls" but was chosen because it has a simple and unmistakable Morse code representation three dots, three dashes, three dots, sent without any pauses between characters.


title: Backronym

text: More recent examples include the brand name "Adidas", named after company founder Adolf "Adi" Dassler but falsely believed to be an acronym for "All Day I Dream About Sport"; The word "Wiki", said to stand for "What I Know Is", but in fact derived from the Hawaiian phrase "wiki-wiki" meaning "fast"; or Yahoo!, sometimes claimed to mean "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle", but in fact chosen because Yahoo's founders liked the word's meaning of "rude, unsophisticated, uncouth" (taken from Jonathan Swift's book "Gulliver's Travels").


title: Melinda Dillon

text: Melinda Dillon is a retired American actress. She received a 1963 Tony Award nomination for her Broadway debut in the original production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", and she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles as Jillian Guiler in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) and Teresa Perrone in "Absence of Malice" (1981). She is well known for her role as Mother Parker in the holiday classic "A Christmas Story" (1983). Her other film roles include "Bound for Glory" (1976), "F.I.S.T." (1978), "Harry and the Hendersons" (1987), "The Prince of Tides" (1991), and "Magnolia" (1999), for which she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.


title: Melinda Dillon

text: Dillon was born October 13, 1939 in Hope, Arkansas but raised in Cullman, Alabama. After spending four years in Germany, Dillon attended Hyde Park High School and the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University) in Chicago.


title: Melinda Dillon

text: Though best known for her supporting performances in films, Dillon began as an improvisational comedian and stage actress. Her first major role was as Honey in the original 1962 Broadway production of Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play, and she also appeared in "You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running" and "Paul Sill's Story Theatre".


title: Melinda Dillon

text: In 1959, she acted in "The Cry of Jazz", an influential short film dealing with jazz music and Black culture. Dillon's first feature film was "The April Fools" in 1969. She also worked in television, notably in a guest-starring role in 1969 on an episode of the hit TV series "Bonanza" titled "A Lawman's Lot Is Not a Happy One" (Season 11). She co-starred with David Carradine in the 1976 Woody Guthrie biopic "Bound for Glory" and was nominated in the Best Female Acting Debut category of the Golden Globe for her role as Memphis Sue.


title: Melinda Dillon

text: The following year she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the role of a mother whose child is abducted by aliens in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". That same year, she made an uncredited cameo in "The Muppet Movie" and had a role in the comedy "Slap Shot" with Paul Newman. Four years later, Dillon was again nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as a suicidal teacher in "Absence of Malice" in 1981, working again with Newman.


title: Melinda Dillon

text: Dillon is perhaps best known for her role as the mother of Ralphie and Randy in Bob Clark's 1983 movie "A Christmas Story". The film was based on a series of short stories and novels written by Jean Shepherd about young Ralphie Parker (played by Peter Billingsley) and his quest for a Red Ryder BB gun from Santa Claus.


title: Melinda Dillon

text: Four years later, Dillon co-starred with John Lithgow in the Bigfoot comedy "Harry and the Hendersons". She continued to be active in stage and film throughout the 1990s, taking roles in the Barbra Streisand drama "The Prince of Tides", the low-budget Lou Diamond Phillips thriller "Sioux City", and the drama "How to Make an American Quilt".


title: Melinda Dillon

text: In 1999, she appeared in "Magnolia", directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, as Rose Gator, the estranged wife of terminally ill television game-show host Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall). In 2005, she guest-starred in the episode of "" titled "Blood".


title: Historical rankings of prime ministers of the United Kingdom

text: Academics, Members of Parliament, the general public and journalists alike have attempted to rank prime ministers of the United Kingdom and prime ministers of Great Britain. Those included below generally consist of only a subset of prime ministers, typically those of the 20th century or those who served after the Second World War.


text: Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, Clement Attlee, and Margaret Thatcher generally appear toward the top of rankings, while Anthony Eden generally appears at the bottom.


text: In December 1999 a BBC Radio 4 poll of 20 prominent historians, politicians and commentators for "The Westminster Hour" produced the verdict that Churchill was the best British prime minister of the 20th century, with Lloyd George in second place and Clement Attlee in third place. As Blair was still in office he was not ranked. The worst prime minister in that survey was judged to be Anthony Eden.


text: In 2004, the University of Leeds and Ipsos Mori conducted an online survey of 258 academics who specialised in 20th-century British history and/or politics. There were 139 replies to the survey, a return rate of 54% – by far the most extensive survey done so far. The respondents were asked, among other historical questions, to rate all the 20th-century prime ministers in terms of their success and asking them to assess the key characteristics of successful ones. Respondents were asked to indicate on a scale of 0 to 10 how successful or unsuccessful they considered each prime minister to have been in office (with 0 being highly unsuccessful and 10 highly successful). A mean of the scores was calculated and a league table based on the mean scores. The five Labour prime ministers were, on average, judged to have been the most successful, with a mean of 6.0 (median of 5.9). The three Liberals averaged 5.8 (median of 6.2) and the twelve Conservatives 4.8 (median of 4.1).


text: In a 2006 issue of "BBC History", historian Francis Beckett ranked the 20th-century prime ministers with points out of five in 2006, based on how well the leaders implemented their policies – not on the policies themselves. Margaret Thatcher and Clement Attlee shared the highest ranking.


text: In 2010, the University of Leeds and Woodnewton Associates carried out a survey of 106 academics who specialised in British politics or British history, to rank the performance of all 12 prime ministers who served between 1945 and 2010. Churchill's ranking was thus determined from his second term only.


text: In October 2016 the University of Leeds, in conjunction with Woodnewton Associates, surveyed 82 academics specialising in post-1945 British history and politics, following the Brexit referendum. Due to the date range, Churchill's oft-lauded war ministry and caretaker ministry were not in contention and he was judged solely on his second premiership.


text: In 2013, a group of academic staff and students at Royal Holloway, University of London, conducted a postal survey of British Members of Parliament, asking them to evaluate the success of post-war British prime ministers. Some 158 MPs replied to the survey, a response rate of 24%. The respondents were 69 Conservatives, 67 Labour MPs, 14 Liberal Democrats and 8 MPs from other parties.