title: Web crawler

text: The visual scraping/crawling method relies on the user "teaching" a piece of crawler technology, which then follows patterns in semi-structured data sources. The dominant method for teaching a visual crawler is by highlighting data in a browser and training columns and rows. While the technology is not new, for example it was the basis of Needlebase which has been bought by Google (as part of a larger acquisition of ITA Labs), there is continued growth and investment in this area by investors and end-users.


title: Web crawler

text: The following is a list of published crawler architectures for general-purpose crawlers (excluding focused web crawlers), with a brief description that includes the names given to the different components and outstanding features:


title: Brass knuckles

text: Brass knuckles (variously referred to as knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, knucklebusters, knuckledusters, knuckle daggers, English punch, iron fist, paperweight, or a classic) are "fist-load weapons" used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal shaped to fit around the knuckles. Despite their name, they are often made from other metals, plastics or carbon fibers. Designed to preserve and concentrate a punch's force by directing it toward a harder and smaller contact area, they result in increased tissue disruption, including an increased likelihood of fracturing the intended target's bones on impact. The extended and rounded palm grip also spreads the counter-force across the attacker's palm, which would otherwise have been absorbed primarily by the attacker's fingers. This reduces the likelihood of damage to the attacker's fingers. It also allows its user to break glass windows without injuring their hands, thus are widely utilized in vehicle theft to break car windows.


title: Brass knuckles

text: Metal ring and knuckle style weapons date back to ancient times and have been used all over the world for many hundreds of years. Vajra mushti has been practiced in India since at least the 12th century and mentioned in Manasollasa. The Nihang Sikhs used an early variant called Sher Panja in the 18th century. Cast iron, brass, lead, and wood knuckles were made in the United States during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Soldiers would often buy cast iron or brass knuckles. If they could not buy them, they would carve their own from wood, or cast them at camp by melting lead bullets and using a mold in the dirt.


title: Brass knuckles

text: Some brass knuckles have rounded rings, which increase the impact of blows from moderate to severe damage. Other instruments (not generally considered to be "brass knuckles" or "metal knuckles" "per se") may have spikes, sharp points and cutting edges. These devices come in many variations and are called by a variety of names, including "knuckle knives."


title: Brass knuckles

text: By the late 19th century, knuckledusters were incorporated into various kinds of pistols such as the Apache revolver used by criminals in France in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. During World War I the US Army issued two different knuckle knives, the US model 1917 and US model 1918 Mark I trench knives. Knuckles and knuckle knives were also being made in England at the time and purchased privately by British soldiers. By World War II, knuckles and knuckle knives were quite popular with both American and British soldiers. The Model 1918 trench knives were reissued to American paratroopers. British Commandos even had their very own "Death's Head" knuckle knife, featuring a skull-shaped brass knuckle handle.


title: Brass knuckles

text: A notable knuckle knife still in use is the Cuchillo de Paracaidista, issued to Argentinian paratroopers. Current-issue models have an emergency blade in the crossguard.


title: Brass knuckles

text: Brass knuckles are illegal in Hong Kong, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Bosnia, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Ireland, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Sweden, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.


title: Brass knuckles

text: Import of brass knuckles into Australia is illegal unless a government permit is obtained; permits are available for only limited purposes, such as police and government use, or use in film productions. They are prohibited weapons in the state of New South Wales.


title: Brass knuckles

text: In Brazil, brass knuckles are legal and freely sold. They are called , which means 'English punch', or , which means 'puncher'.


title: Brass knuckles

text: In Canada, brass knuckles, or any similar devices made of metal, are listed as prohibited weapons; possession of such weapon is a criminal offence under the Criminal Code. Plastic knuckles have been determined to be legal in Canada. Similar legislation has been instituted in Russia and Australia.


title: Brass knuckles

text: In France, brass knuckles are illegal. They can be bought as a "collectable" (provided one is over 18), but it is forbidden to carry or use one, whatever the circumstance, self-defense included. The French term is , which literally means 'American fist'.


title: Brass knuckles

text: In Germany, brass knuckles are by law "illegal weapons" () and are forbidden for carry or possession in any known variant. The German term is , which literally means 'punch ring'.


title: Brass knuckles

text: In Italy and Mexico, brass knuckles are legal and freely sold to people of legal age (over 18 years old), but carrying them is forbidden.


title: Brass knuckles

text: In Russia, brass knuckles were illegal to purchase or own during times of Russian Empire and are still forbidden according to Article 6 of 1996 Federal Law On Weapons. They are called (from French , literally 'head breaker').


title: Brass knuckles

text: In Sweden, brass knuckles are legal to purchase and own (for people 21 years of age) but are not legal to sell in stores or carry in public. The carrying of brass knuckles carries the same penalty as carrying a knife and falls under the same law. They are called , literally "knuckle iron".


title: Brass knuckles

text: In Serbia, brass knuckles are legal to purchase and own (for people over 16 years old) but are not legal to carry in public. They are called , literally 'boxer'.


title: Brass knuckles

text: In Taiwan, according to the Law of the Republic of China, possession and sales of brass knuckles are illegal. Under the regulation, brass knuckles are considered weapons. Without the permission of the central regulatory agency, it is against the law to manufacture, sell, transport, transfer, rent, or have them in a collection or on display.


title: Brass knuckles

text: In the United States, brass knuckles are not significantly regulated at the federal level, but various state, county and city laws prohibit their purchase and/or possession. Some state laws require purchasers to be 18 or older. Most states have statutes regulating the carrying of weapons, and many specifically prohibit brass knuckles or "metal knuckles". Where they are legal, brass knuckles can normally be purchased online or at flea markets, swap meets, gun shows, and at some sword and weapon shops. Some companies manufacture belt buckles or novelty paper weights that function as brass knuckles and are sold "for entertainment purposes only". Brass knuckles made of hardened plastic, rather than metal, have been marketed as "undetectable by airport metal detectors". Several states that ban brass knuckles also ban plastic knuckles. New York's criminal law statutes list both "metal knuckles" and "plastic knuckles" as prohibited weapons but do not define either.


title: Eden Lake

text: Eden Lake is a 2008 British horror thriller film written and directed by James Watkins and starring Kelly Reilly, Michael Fassbender and Jack O'Connell.


title: Eden Lake

text: The film was nominated for the Empire Award for Best British Film. It is among a group of roughly contemporaneous films that deal with concerns over "Broken Britain" and a fear of "hoodies". Some of the close up scenes were filmed at Frensham Small Pond.


title: Eden Lake

text: Steve Taylor takes his girlfriend Jenny Greengrass to a remote lake in the wooded English countryside for a relaxing weekend away, where he plans to propose. On the way, they meet a young boy named Adam.


title: Eden Lake

text: As Steve and Jenny attempt to wind down, the peaceful setting is disrupted by a gang of rowdy teenagers who have ridden their bicycles to a spot within a few metres of the young couple. Steve asks them to keep the noise down, but is met with abuse. The next morning, Steve and Jenny find their food supplies infested with insects and their car tire damaged by a bottle left behind by the teens. While driving into town for breakfast, Steve spots a house with bikes outside that he thinks belong to the teens. When no one answers the door, Steve enters the house and proceeds to snoop around. But on the return of Jon, the surly homeowner, Steve is obliged to make his escape from an upstairs window.


title: Eden Lake

text: Back at the lake after waking from a nap, Steve and Jenny discover the bag containing their car keys and Steve's phone and wallet is missing. They return to where they parked their car to discover it is also gone. Returning to town on foot, they avoid a collision with their own car, driven recklessly through the woods by the gang's psychopathic leader, Brett.


title: Eden Lake

text: Finding the gang in the woods after nightfall, Steve demands the return of his belongings, only to be pounced by the teens who pull out knives. In the scuffle, Brett's dog Bonnie is mortally stabbed, sending Brett into a maniacal rage. The couple grab the keys and flee, but the gang throws stones at the car, causing Steve to crash. With Steve trapped, Jenny is forced to run for help.


title: Eden Lake

text: At daybreak, Jenny stumbles upon the group who have tied Steve to a rock with barbed wire. Brett orders each reluctant teen to stab him. When Paige, the female gang member, records Steve's torture on her phone, they realise they have no choice but to kill him. Jenny acts as a decoy and the gang give chase while Steve buys time to free himself. Jenny evades the gang and finds Steve, but is unable to nurse his fatal wounds. She finds an engagement ring in his pocket, and Steve proposes to her before dying. Jenny runs off to find help but accidentally steps on a large spike and her screams get the gang's attention.


title: Eden Lake

text: Jenny runs into Adam and begs for help, but he ends up informing the gang of their location. They tie Jenny, along with Steve's dead body, to a pile of wood; Brett forces Adam to light a bonfire while Paige films it. Jenny is able to escape and Brett necklaces Adam in retaliation. Jenny continues to evade the gang, killing a younger gang member Cooper who was attempting to help her. After finding his body, Brett is thrown into further rage and beats Harry, another gang member, to death. Paige runs away in fear. Jenny reaches a road and is picked up by a driver who is looking for his brother Ricky, another gang member. When he exits the van to talk with Ricky, Jenny drives off, running over Paige in the process.


title: Eden Lake

text: As Jenny makes it back to town, she crashes into a fence at a large backyard party and collapses. She awakes to find herself being comforted by a woman and her husband Jon, and soon realises she is in Brett's house. Jon notices Reece's van on his lawn as one of the other parents receives a call informing her of the dead gang members, who are the children of the adults at the house.


title: Eden Lake

text: A commotion begins as Jenny locks herself in the bathroom. Jon kicks the door in and is confronted by all of the party guests, as well as Brett who has returned home. Brett has convinced the adults that Jenny and Steve sadistically murdered the gang members. Jenny begs Jon to call the police and then tries ineffectually to attack him with a razor she found in the bathroom, but Jon quickly subdues her. Jon tells Brett to go upstairs, then takes Jenny back into the bathroom with two other men. Brett shuts the door of his room, blocking out her screams. He deletes the videos of the gang's crimes from Paige's phone, puts on Steve's sunglasses, and stares blankly into a mirror.


title: Eden Lake

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, 80% of 28 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 6.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "A brutal and effective British hoodie-horror that, despite the clichés, stays on the right side of scary."


title: Eden Lake

text: Dennis Harvey reviewed the film for "Variety" and said that it was "an effectively harrowing Brit thriller-cum-horror pic," comparing it to "Last House on the Left" and "Lord of the Flies". "The Guardian"s Peter Bradshaw drew parallels with "Deliverance", "Straw Dogs" and "Blue Remembered Hills", and stated that "this looks to me like the best British horror film in years: nasty, scary and tight as a drum," concluding that the film was "exceptionally well made, ruthlessly extreme, relentlessly upsetting."


title: Eden Lake

text: Other critics, however, have savaged the film, denouncing it as an incitement to class prejudice against working class people in Britain. "The Sun" condemned the film's "nasty suggestion that all working-class people are thugs" while "The Daily Telegraph" concluded that "this ugly witless film expresses fear and loathing of ordinary English people". Owen Jones, in his book "" cites the film at length as an example of media demonisation of proletarian youth via the "Chav" stereotype. He comments, "Here was a film arguing that the middle classes could no longer live alongside the quasi-bestial lower orders."


title: Eden Lake

text: "Eden Lake" has been linked with other films that deal with concerns over "Broken Britain" and a fear of "hoodies," including "Harry Brown", "The Disappeared", "Summer Scars", "Outlaw", "The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael", "Cherry Tree Lane" and "Heartless".


title: Raghuvaran

text: Raghuvaran Velayutham (11 December 1958 – 19 March 2008) was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in films made in South India. He has acted in more than 200 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. According to the "Hindustan Times", "The actor had carved a niche for himself with his special style and voice modulation."


title: Raghuvaran

text: He played the protagonist of a Tamil soap opera, "Oru Manidhanin Kadhai", about a well-to-do man who becomes an alcoholic. He received critical acclaim for his role as Father Alphonso in the Malayalam movie "Daivathinte Vikruthikal", directed by Lenin Rajendran and based on M. Mukundan's novel of the same name.


title: Raghuvaran

text: Raghuvaran's six-song music album, composed and sung by him, were officially released by actor Rajinikanth and the album was received by actress Rohini and Raghuvaran's son Rishi Varan.


title: Raghuvaran

text: He was born as the eldest among four children in 1958 at Kollengode in Palakkad district in Kerala. He was the grandson of Mr. N. Radhakrishnan Nair and son of Chunkamannathu N. R. Velayudhan Nair and Kasthuri Chakkungal. When his father moved his hotel business from Mathur to Coimbatore, the family shifted to Coimbatore. He had his primary education from Stanes Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore. He also learned piano from Trinity College London.


title: Raghuvaran

text: He discontinued his Bachelor of Arts in history from Coimbatore (Government Arts College) to pursue a career in acting. He landed a minor role in the Kannada film "Swapna Thingalgal". He began acting in minor roles in Telugu and Kannada films.


title: Raghuvaran

text: From 1979 to 1983, he was part of an acting drama troupe in Chennai, Chennai Kings, which also included the Tamil actor, Nassar. He was spotted and cast as the lead actor in "Ezhavathu Manithan", which was his biggest role to date.


title: Raghuvaran

text: He married Rohini in 1996 and their son Rishi Varan was born in 2000. The couple later separated and divorced in 2004.


title: Raghuvaran

text: Following his beginnings on the stage, and a diploma in acting from M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute in Chennai, Raghuvaran approached many Kollywood studios aiming for performance oriented roles and finally got selected as hero. The offbeat film named "Ezhavathu Manithan" (Seventh Man), directed by Hariharan won many awards, but not many offers for him. A few more films followed with him as hero, like "Oru Odai Nadhiyagirathu" and "Nee Thodumbothu" released, but did not become successes. The villain role in "Silk Silk Silk" was noticed and the film's success opened the gate of offers for him. The villain act continued in films like "Kutravaaligal", "Mr. Bharath", "Poo vizhi vasalile", "Mandhira Punnagai" and "Oorkavalan". He appeared as hero as well as supporting actor in between releases as well. The major ones are "Mudivalla Arambam" and "Samsaram Adhu Minsaram".


title: Raghuvaran

text: In the mid 1980s, Raghuvaran did many films as hero and most of them did good business as well. The films "Michael Raj", "Megam Karuththirukku", "Kootu Puzhukkal" and "Kavithai Paada Neramillai" helped to stabilize his career. The lawyer in "Kaliyugam", the police officer in "Thaimel Aanai", the rowdy with a golden heart in "Kai Naattu", the honest Medical student turned Goonda in "Kuttravali" and the common man in "En Vazhi Thani Vazhi" helped Raghuvaran's market value as hero to reach greater heights. But his desire to try all types of roles, like supporting actor as well as villain simultaneously halted the progress as hero, even though he played hero roles in "Vyooham", "Kavacham" and "Anjali" later. His supporting roles in "Annanagar Mudhal Theru" and "Siva" were well received too.


title: Raghuvaran

text: Raghuvaran was pitted against Dilip Kumar in his Bollywood debut "Izzatdaar" and his popularity further soared at the national level with Ram Gopal Varma's gangster flick "Shiva", where he played the dreaded gangster "Bhawani". Other Bollywood films include "Rakshak" opposite Sunil Shetty (1996), "Lal Baadshah" opposite Amitabh Bachchan (1999), "Hitler" opposite Mithun Chakraborty (1998) and "Grahan" along with Jackie Shroff, where he replaced a busy Nana Patekar in 2001.


title: Raghuvaran

text: In a career span lasting for more than 26 years, Raghuvaran performed each role with his trademark mannerisms, often stealing the thunder from more established stars and even heroes. His magnetic baritone voice was an advantage and he modulated it to suit his variety of roles. He also set his own style of mannerisms and brought a distinct dialogue delivery and even changed his gait in many films. All this dedication won him more fans and helped his popularity soar ever higher.


title: Raghuvaran

text: He has received several state and Filmfare Awards for his performances in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. He began his career as a supporting actor in a number of films in Tamil including Mani Rathnam's "Anjali" as the father of an autistic child. He later played villains in "Baasha" as Mark Anthony, "Mudhalvan" as Aranganathan (corrupt Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu), "Shiva" and "Muthu" as Ilaimaran. He later returned to supporting roles – sometimes as a father or as a mentor in films such as "Alai", "Yaaradi Nee Mohini", "Thirumalai" and "Bala".


title: Raghuvaran

text: Raghuvaran died on 19 March 2008. The cause of death was due to organ failure because of excessive alcohol consumption. His death occurred during the filming stages of several films, including "Kanthaswamy" (2009),wherein Raghuvaran's portions were reshot with Ashish Vidyarthi, which resulted in the film's delayed release. His posthumous film, "Aatadista", released shortly after his death.


title: Seiko

text: , commonly known as Seiko ( , ), is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced one of the first quartz watches and the first quartz watch with a chronograph complication. Seiko was a wristwatch manufacturer for Japanese soldiers during World War II.


title: Seiko

text: In 1881, Seiko founder Kintarō Hattori opened a watch and jewelry shop called "K. Hattori" () in Tokyo. Kintarō Hattori had been working as clockmaker apprentice since the age of 13, with multiple stints in different watch shops, such as “Kobayashi Clock Shop”, ran by an expert technician named Seijiro Sakurai; “Kameda Clock Shop” in Nihonbashi; and “Sakata Clock Shop” in Ueno, where he learned how to both sell and repair timepieces.


title: Seiko

text: Around the time of Seiko's founding, watchmakers in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya were studying and producing pocket watches based on Western products. Japanese wholesalers needed to purchase all the imported timepieces from foreign trading companies established in Yokohama, Kobe, and other open port areas.


title: Seiko

text: In 1885, Mr. Hattori began dealing directly with these foreign trading firms in the Yokohama settlement focused on the wholesaling and retailing of western (imported) timepieces and machinery.


title: Seiko

text: Over the years, Kintarō Hattori developed a close partnership with multiple foreign trading firms, including C&J Favre-Brandt, F. Perregaux & Co., Zanuti & Cie. and Siber & Brennwald, allowing him to obtain exclusive imported timepieces and machinery, which was not available elsewhere at that time.


title: Seiko

text: Hattori's shop became increasingly popular due to the rarity of the imported watches the shop was selling, which couldn't be found anywhere else in Japan. The growing success allowed him to relocate the company to the main street of Ginza (Tokyo), still the epicenter of commerce in Japan to this day.


title: Seiko

text: In 1891, 10 years after the establishment of K. Hattori & Co., the 31-year-old Kintaro was appointed director of the Tokyo Clockmaker and Watchmaker Association and member of Tokyo Chamber of Commerce.


title: Seiko

text: In 1892, Hattori began to produce clocks under the name , meaning, roughly, "House of Exquisite Workmanship." According to Seiko's official company history, titled "A Journey In Time: The Remarkable Story of Seiko" (2003), Seiko is a Japanese word meaning ; it is homophonous with the word for .


title: Seiko

text: In 1895, the watch dealer purchased the corner of Ginza 4-chome (the present-day location of WAKO), and constructed a building with a clock tower (16 meters from top to bottom), setting up shop at the new address.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko released its first pocket watch in 1895, first wristwatch in 1913, and first Seiko-branded watch in 1924.


title: Seiko

text: In order to avoid an ill omen believed to be associated with the word "GLORY" in Japanese, Seikosha changed its trade mark to "Seiko" in 1924.


title: Seiko

text: In 1929, the Seiko pocket watch was adopted as the official watch for the drivers of Japanese Government Railways.


title: Seiko

text: Military watches produced for Japanese troops during World War II were manufactured by Seiko, which by 1938, produced timepieces a year. The scarcity of raw materials during the war diverted much of Seiko's production to on-board instruments for military aircraft and ships. In contrast to Japan, Germany utilized both domestically produced and Swiss-produced watches. (Switzerland maintained neutrality during the conflict.) Japan's isolation in the Pacific meant the country could not rely on importing foreign timepieces.


title: Seiko

text: In 1956, Seiko launched the Marvel, its first wristwatch to be designed and manufactured entirely in-house.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko released its first chronograph watch in Japan in 1964 and its first diver's watch in Japan in 1965.


title: Seiko

text: In 1967, Seiko won second and third place in a watch accuracy competition at a Neuchâtel Observatory competition; the competition was canceled after that year.


title: Seiko

text: In 1968, Seiko took first place in a Geneva Observatory competition with a score of 58.19, surpassing all previous records. Swiss companies ranked first to third for their quartz movements and Seiko ranked fourth to tenth for its mechanical movements. In the competition, there were special movements for the competition.


title: Seiko

text: In 1969, Seiko introduced the Astron, the world's first production quartz watch; when it was introduced, it cost the same as a medium-sized car. Seiko later went on to introduce the first quartz chronograph.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko released the world's first TV wristwatch in 1982, the first voice recording wristwatch in 1983, and the first wristwatch with UC -2000 computer function in 1984.


title: Seiko

text: In the late 1980s, Seiko produced the first automatic quartz, combining the self-energizing attributes of an automatic watch with quartz accuracy. The watch is entirely powered by its movement in everyday wear. In 1991, to increase popularity, the watches were relaunched under the name Seiko Kinetic.


title: Seiko

text: The company was incorporated (K. Hattori & Co., Ltd.) in 1917 and renamed Hattori Seiko Co., Ltd. in 1983 and Seiko Corporation in 1990. After reconstructing and creating its operating subsidiaries (such as Seiko Watch Corporation and Seiko Clock Inc.), it became a holding company in 2001 and was renamed Seiko Holdings Corporation on July 1, 2007. Seiko Holdings Corporation was renamed Seiko Group Corporation as of October 1, 2022.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko is perhaps best known for its wristwatches, all of which were at one time produced entirely in house, including not only major items such as micro-gears, motors, hands, crystal oscillators, batteries, sensors, and LCDs, but also minor items such as the oils used in lubricating the watches and the luminous compounds used on the hands and the dials. Seiko watches were originally produced by two different Hattori family companies (not subsidiaries of K. Hattori & Co); one was Daini Seikosha Co. (now known as Seiko Instruments Inc., a subsidiary of Seiko Holdings since 2009) and the other was Suwa Seikosha Co. (now known as Seiko Epson Corporation, an independent publicly traded company). Having two companies both producing the same brand of watch enabled Seiko to improve technology through competition and hedge risk. It also reduced risk of production problems, since one company can increase production in the case of decreased production in the other parties.


title: Seiko

text: Currently, watch movements are made in Shizukuishi, Iwate (Morioka Seiko Instruments); Ninohe, Iwate (Ninohe Tokei Kogyo); and Shiojiri, Nagano (Seiko Epson). Its subsidiaries are produced in China, Malaysia, and Singapore. The fully integrated in-house production system is still practiced for luxury watches in Japan.


title: Seiko

text: K. Hattori & Co. (currently Seiko Group Corporation) was one of the three core companies of the former Seiko Group. Seiko Group consisted of K. Hattori (SEIKO), Daini Seikosha (currently Seiko Instruments Inc., SII), and Suwa Seikosha (currently Seiko Epson Corporation, EPSON). Although they had some common shareholders, including the key members of the Hattori family (posterity of Kintarō Hattori), the three companies in the group were not affiliated; they were managed and operated independently.


title: Seiko

text: On January 26, 2009, Seiko Holdings and Seiko Instruments announced the two companies would merge on October 1, 2009, through a share swap. Seiko Instruments became a wholly owned subsidiary of Seiko Holdings as of October 1, 2009.


title: Seiko

text: On October 1, 2022, Seiko Holdings was renamed Seiko Group. Epson still develops and manufactures some of the Seiko's highest grade watches, but is managed and operated completely independently from Seiko Group.


title: Seiko

text: On January 10, 2014, on the eve of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Shinji Hattori, President of Seiko Watch Corporation, presented to Novak Djokovic a Seiko 5 limited edition worth $1700. It was launched worldwide with a million units, symbolizing Seiko's partnership with the world's no.1 professional tennis player.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko – often criticised for quality standards that let misaligned chapter rings and bezels slip through – decided to move its brand positioning upmarket; in 2015, the "Financial Times" reported the Spring Drive movement’s enthusiastic reception prompted Seiko's launch of higher-end pieces. Harvard Business School reported: "In 2003, Shinji Hattori, a great-grandson of Seiko's founder, became Seiko Watch Company's president and CEO and felt that Seiko should raise its perceived image outside Japan. In management's view, Seiko could claim distinction as the only 'mechatronic manufacturer' in the world – a vertically integrated watchmaker that excelled in both mechanical watchmaking and micro-electronics." The company's marketing to move its image upmarket was hampered by its reputation for misaligned chapter rings, bezels, etc. from 2003.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko Corporation of America distributes Seiko watches and clocks, as well as Pulsar and Lorus brand watches, in the United States. The models available in the United States are typically a smaller subset of the full line produced in Japan. Seiko Corporation of America is headquartered in Mahwah, New Jersey, alongside the Coserv repair center. In the United States, Seiko watches are sold primarily by fine jewelers, department stores, and 19 Seiko company stores.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko produces watches with quartz, kinetic, solar, and mechanical movements of varying prices, ranging from around ¥4,000 (US$45) to ¥50,000,000 (US$554,000). Seiko has created many different brands in Japan and the international market including Lorus, Pulsar, and Alba.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko has several lines such as the Seiko 5, luxury "Credor," "Prospex," "Presage," "Velatura" and the "Grand Seiko" series.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko 5 is a sub brand that spawned with the introduction of the Seiko Sportsmatic 5 in 1963. Since then, many models have been introduced into the lineup, comprising a variety of different styles.


title: Seiko

text: The name of the Seiko 5 sub brand is a reference to 5 attributes that any watch belonging to it would typically exhibit, those being:


title: Seiko

text: In spite of their association with the brand, not all of these characteristics are universal across the lineup, as certain models have omitted the Day-Date display (such as the SSA333) and/or the 4 o'clock positioning of the crown (such as the SRPG31K1 and the aforementioned SSA333).


title: Seiko

text: Seiko released many models under the Seiko 5 sub brand, including large and small divers; watches featuring different strap options, such as leather, nylon, or steel; transparent, or sterile case-back versions; and many other variations. Today, the Seiko 5 lineup mostly comprises entry-level mechanical watches as an affordable entry point for consumers entering the world of automatic watches.


title: Seiko

text: NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz wore a Seiko 5 model 6119-8460. It was on his wrist when the Apollo 11 crew touched down on the lunar surface, when the Apollo 13 explosion occurred, and throughout the remainder of his career at NASA.


title: Seiko

text: The Seiko Lord Matic series of wristwatches was a mid-range sub-luxury watch of the1970s that featured design innovations such as faceted crystals, colorful dials and sporty bracelets.


title: Seiko

text: The Seiko Presage series is an all-mechanical lineup, a step up from the entry-level Seiko 5 models. It has slightly more elaborate designs and complex movements, such as urushi-lacquer dials, and self-winding movements with power reserve indicators. The Presage line watches are usually priced between US$200 to US$3,000.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko entered a cooperation with the traditional cloisonné maker Ando Cloisonné Company from Nagoya to produce the dial for the limited edition in 2018.


title: Seiko

text: The Seiko Prospex series includes their professional series of watches such as their diving watches, which are typically ISO 6425 rated from 200 to 1000 metres of water resistance. Other watches in the Prospex line include field and pilot style watches.


title: Seiko

text: In 2021, Akio Naito, President of the Seiko Watch Corporation, said that enthusiasts' respect for the brand can "influence the wider range of consumers." This influence can be seen in the Prospex range, where Seiko fans' nicknames resulted in the company eventually adopting these product names. For example, Seiko's own London boutique identifies the Prospex SPB191J1 watch using the fans' sobriquet: "Nicknamed 'Shogun' by fans, meaning Japanese 'Commander-in-chief', because of its strong looks."


title: Seiko

text: Prior to 1960, to challenge the status of Swiss watches and change the perception of Japanese watches, Daini Seikosha and Suwa began the discussion of a product line that can match the quality of Swiss watches under the suggestion of the parent company. At the time, Suwa Seikosha Co. was in charge of manufacturing men's watches, so it was decided that Suwa would be producing the first Grand Seiko (GS).


title: Seiko

text: The first Grand Seiko, released in 1960, was based on Seiko's previous high-end watch, "CROWN". This Grand Seiko has a 25-jewel, manual-winding, 3180 caliber, and its production was limited to 36,000 units. The watch was also the first chronometer-grade watch manufactured in Japan and was based on Seiko's own chronometer standard.


title: Seiko

text: Some Grand Seiko timepieces also incorporate the company's Spring Drive movement, a movement that is a combination of both automatic and quartz timekeeping methods, leading to unparalleled accuracy in the world of automatic wristwatches. The most famous example is the SBGA011 Grand Seiko "Snowflake", housing the 9R Spring Drive movement.


title: Seiko

text: With the repositioning of Grand Seiko from a Seiko subbrand to an independent brand in 2017, Grand Seiko aimed to transition to a true luxury brand. In 2022, 'Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon SLGT 003', featuring the world's first combination tourbillon and constant-force mechanism on the same axis, was released, priced at 370,000 euros.


title: Seiko

text: The design language of the Grand Seiko was set in 1967, with the creation of Grand Seiko 44GS. The 44GS set the ground for all future Grand Seiko with nine elements. These elements help improve the legibility of the watch under different situations, and create a sharp, crisp visual impression:


title: Seiko

text: The King Seiko line was created by Daini Seikosha to compete directly with Grand Seiko. The first King Seiko was released the year after the first Grand Seiko, in 1961. The first King Seikos were made with unmarked, manual winding, 25 jewel movements, that were not internally tested chronometers. This was followed by the release of the '44KS' movement in 1964, a remake of the 44GS, a manual winding, 18,000 bph, movement with a screwdown case back. In 1968, the 45KS was introduced with a manual winding, 36,000 bph hi-beat movement – again meant to compete with the 45GS but generally less accurate and with less finishing. King Seiko Certified Chronometer and Superior Certified Chronometers were released between 1968 and 1970. These first two were produced by Daini Seikosha but one of the most impressive King Seiko’s, the 56KS, was actually made by the Suwa Seikosha. The King Seiko 56KS movements were the same as those used in Grand Seiko’s 56GS series, Seiko Lord Matic watches, and Seiko chronometers. It was also introduced in 1968 and featured an automatic, 28,800 bph movement with 25 jewels and a 47-hour power reserve. These watches were all marked ‘Hi-Beat’ on the dial despite being only 28,800 bph (instead of 36,000). The 56KS was made until 1975, when the King Seiko line was discontinued by the company.


title: Seiko

text: The last King Seiko collection was made by Daini, and was the 52KS, starting off in 1971 and made until 1975. This line used the 5245 and 5246 movement. These were meant to be high-end chronometers, with some even marked ‘V. F. A.’ (Very Fine Accuracy) or ‘Special’ on the dial. Many of these were of the "Vantac" sub-line and featured colorful dial faces and faceted crystals.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko produces electronic devices as well; during the 1980s, the company produced a notable range of digital synthesizers, such as the DS-202 and DS-250, for use in electronic music. Today the music division (part of Seiko Life Sports) produces metronomes and tuning devices.


title: Seiko

text: In 1968, Seiko introduced three ten beat (ten ticks per second) calibers, the automatic caliber 61GS, the manual winding 45GS and 19GS for women's watch. The 61GS was Japan's first automatic ten beat watch, and it was the most accurate mechanical watch due to the high beat calibers. The calibers are considered high beat because normal mechanical movements beat six to eight times per second, and higher beat makes the watch more resistant to shock, thus achieving the high accuracy.


title: Seiko

text: In 2009, Seiko released the new ten beat caliber 9S85, which is a completely new design from the previous high beat caliber. The new caliber also met the Grand Seiko Standard, a chronometer certification that the company claims to be more strict than the Chronometer Certificate in Switzerland.


title: Seiko

text: On December 25, 1969, Seiko released the world's first quartz watch, the Seiko Quartz ASTRON, marking the beginning of the quartz revolution. The watch used a crystal oscillator for accuracy, where the crystal generates steady vibration when voltage is applied to it. During the ten years of development at Suwa Seikosha, Seiko managed to create many parts which enabled the viable application of quartz in wristwatches. For example, Seiko cut the crystal oscillator into the shape of a tuning-fork, and developed an integrated circuit and step motor to operate with the signals from the crystal oscillator.


title: Seiko

text: Although creating the parts that enabled quartz watches, Seiko did not monopolize the patent rights for the unique pieces, but decided to open them.


title: Seiko

text: In 1978, Seiko released the Twin Quartz watch to address the impact of temperature on the frequency of the quartz crystal oscillator, which put a limitation on the accuracy of quartz watches. Seiko put a second crystal in the watch that is linked with a processor that detects the change in temperature and signals the main oscillator to compensate. The result was a huge improvement in the watch's accuracy from 5 seconds per month to 5 seconds per year.


title: Seiko

text: Kinetic watches were introduced by Seiko in 1986 at the Basel Fair Trade Show. These quartz watches use the motion of the wearer's wrist to charge their battery.


title: Seiko

text: The Spring Drive was announced in 1997, developed by Yoshikazu Akahane and his team, and inspired by Yoshikazu's vision: "a watch wound by a mainspring and with one-second-a-day accuracy, a precision that only the finest electronic watches could deliver." The movement achieved high accuracy with one second per day, long power reserve (72 hours) with its unique developed alloy, fast winding with the "Magic Lever" design and glide-motion movement with the watch hands.


title: Seiko

text: The movement uses a mainspring as a source of energy and transmits it through a gear train, just like a traditional mechanical watch, but instead of an escapement and balance wheel, Seiko used the newly developed "Tri-synchro regulator," which acts like a quartz movement. The Tri-synchro regulator has three main functions: controlling the mechanical energy of the mainspring, generate electricity for the low consumption (~25 nanowatts) quartz crystal oscillator and generate a magnetic force to regulate the glide wheel. By replacing the traditional escapement with a magnetic brake, the Spring Drive operates with lower noise and presents a glide motion hand that shows the continuous flow of time. The Spring Drive movement was also used as the basis for the first-ever watch designed to be worn by an astronaut during a space walk, the aptly named Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko also released official products for the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in Japan and South Korea, without being the official timekeeper.


title: Seiko

text: Currently, Seiko has an agreement with World Athletics to act as the timekeeper for the latest editions of the World Athletics Championships. The agreement started in 1985 and is set to continue until at least 2029.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko developed a digital watch styled after Venom Snake's timepiece in "" under its Wired brand. It was launched on September 2, 2015 with the Metal Gear installment. It was limited to 2,500 pieces worldwide and was sold out via pre-orders within 5 minutes of launch. The box of the watch was designed by Metal Gear Solid artist Yoji Shinkawa. Seiko is also named as the official timekeeper of the "Gran Turismo" racing game series, published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was also the sponsor of FC Barcelona from 2011 to 2014.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko previously sponsored Honda F1 (formerly known as BAR [British American Racing] Honda). The Honda team driver, Jenson Button, was the brand ambassador of Seiko. The company name appeared on the team's clothing, Button's helmet, and on the pitstop lollipops. The sponsorship lasted until the end of the 2008 season, when Honda discontinued participating in F1 racing.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko has a partnership with tennis player Novak Djokovic, which started in 2014 and is set to continue at least until 2020.


title: Seiko

text: Seiko is the current major sponsor for the No. 20 Team 18 Holden ZB Commodore driven by Scott Pye in the Supercars Championship.


title: Aorta

text: The aorta ( ) is the main and largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits into two smaller arteries (the common iliac arteries). The aorta distributes oxygenated blood to all parts of the body through the systemic circulation.


title: Aorta

text: One way of classifying a part of the aorta is by anatomical compartment, where the thoracic aorta (or thoracic portion of the aorta) runs from the heart to the diaphragm. The aorta then continues downward as the abdominal aorta (or abdominal portion of the aorta) from the diaphragm to the aortic bifurcation.


title: Aorta

text: Another system divides the aorta with respect to its course and the direction of blood flow. In this system, the aorta starts as the ascending aorta, travels superiorly from the heart, and then makes a hairpin turn known as the aortic arch. Following the aortic arch, the aorta then travels inferiorly as the descending aorta. The descending aorta has two parts. The aorta begins to descend in the thoracic cavity and is consequently known as the thoracic aorta. After the aorta passes through the diaphragm, it is known as the abdominal aorta. The aorta ends by dividing into two major blood vessels, the common iliac arteries and a smaller midline vessel, the median sacral artery.


title: Aorta

text: The ascending aorta begins at the opening of the aortic valve in the left ventricle of the heart. It runs through a common pericardial sheath with the pulmonary trunk. These two blood vessels twist around each other, causing the aorta to start out posterior to the pulmonary trunk, but end by twisting to its right and anterior side.


title: Aorta

text: At the root of the ascending aorta, the lumen has three small pockets between the cusps of the aortic valve and the wall of the aorta, which are called the aortic sinuses or the sinuses of Valsalva. The left aortic sinus contains the origin of the left coronary artery and the right aortic sinus likewise gives rise to the right coronary artery. Together, these two arteries supply the heart. The posterior aortic sinus does not give rise to a coronary artery. For this reason the left, right and posterior aortic sinuses are also called left-coronary, right-coronary and non-coronary sinuses.


title: Aorta

text: The aortic arch loops over the left pulmonary artery and the bifurcation of the pulmonary trunk, to which it remains connected by the ligamentum arteriosum, a remnant of the fetal circulation that is obliterated a few days after birth. In addition to these blood vessels, the aortic arch crosses the left main bronchus. Between the aortic arch and the pulmonary trunk is a network of autonomic nerve fibers, the cardiac plexus or "aortic plexus". The left vagus nerve, which passes anterior to the aortic arch, gives off a major branch, the recurrent laryngeal nerve, which loops under the aortic arch just lateral to the ligamentum arteriosum. It then runs back to the neck.


title: Aorta

text: The aortic arch has three major branches: from proximal to distal, they are the brachiocephalic trunk, the left common carotid artery, and the left subclavian artery. The brachiocephalic trunk supplies the right side of the head and neck as well as the right arm and chest wall, while the latter two together supply the left side of the same regions.


title: Aorta

text: The aortic arch ends, and the descending aorta begins at the level of the intervertebral disc between the fourth and fifth thoracic vertebrae.


title: Aorta

text: The thoracic descending aorta gives rise to the intercostal and subcostal arteries, as well as to the superior and inferior left bronchial arteries and variable branches to the esophagus, mediastinum, and pericardium. Its lowest pair of branches are the superior phrenic arteries, which supply the diaphragm, and the subcostal arteries for the twelfth rib.


title: Aorta

text: The abdominal aorta begins at the aortic hiatus of the diaphragm at the level of the twelfth thoracic vertebra. It gives rise to lumbar and musculophrenic arteries, renal and middle suprarenal arteries, and visceral arteries (the celiac trunk, the superior mesenteric artery and the inferior mesenteric artery). It ends in a bifurcation into the left and right common iliac arteries. At the point of the bifurcation, there also springs a smaller branch, the median sacral artery.


title: Aorta

text: The ascending aorta develops from the outflow tract, which initially starts as a single tube connecting the heart with the aortic arches (which will form the great arteries) in early development but is then separated into the aorta and the pulmonary trunk.


title: Aorta

text: The aortic arches start as five pairs of symmetrical arteries connecting the heart with the dorsal aorta, and then undergo a significant remodelling to form the final asymmetrical structure of the great arteries, with the 3rd pair of arteries contributing to the common carotids, the right 4th forming the base and middle part of the right subclavian artery and the left 4th being the central part of the aortic arch. The smooth muscle of the great arteries and the population of cells that form the aorticopulmonary septum that separates the aorta and pulmonary artery is derived from cardiac neural crest. This contribution of the neural crest to the great artery smooth muscle is unusual as most smooth muscle is derived from mesoderm. In fact the smooth muscle within the abdominal aorta is derived from mesoderm, and the coronary arteries, which arise just above the semilunar valves, possess smooth muscle of mesodermal origin. A failure of the aorticopulmonary septum to divide the great vessels results in persistent truncus arteriosus.


title: Aorta

text: The aorta is an elastic artery, and as such is quite distensible. The aorta consists of a heterogeneous mixture of smooth muscle, nerves, intimal cells, endothelial cells, fibroblast-like cells, and a complex extracellular matrix. The vascular wall is subdivided into three layers known as the tunica externa, tunica media, and tunica intima. The aorta is covered by an extensive network of tiny blood vessels called vasa vasora, which feed the tunica externa and tunica media, the outer layers of the aorta. The aortic arch contains baroreceptors and chemoreceptors that relay information concerning blood pressure and blood pH and carbon dioxide levels to the medulla oblongata of the brain. This information along with information from baroreceptors and chemoreceptors located elsewhere is processed by the brain and the autonomic nervous system mediates appropriate homeostatic responses.


title: Aorta

text: Within the tunica media, smooth muscle and the extracellular matrix are quantitatively the largest components, these are arranged concentrically as musculoelastic layers (the elastic lamella) in mammals. The elastic lamella, which comprise smooth muscle and elastic matrix, can be considered as the fundamental structural unit of the aorta and consist of elastic fibers, collagens (predominately type III), proteoglycans, and glycoaminoglycans. The elastic matrix dominates the biomechanical properties of the aorta. The smooth muscle component, while contractile, does not substantially alter the diameter of the aorta, but rather serves to increase the stiffness and viscoelasticity of the aortic wall when activated.


title: Aorta

text: Variations may occur in the location of the aorta, and the way in which arteries branch off the aorta. The aorta, normally on the left side of the body, may be found on the right in dextrocardia, in which the heart is found on the right, or situs inversus, in which the location of all organs are flipped.


title: Aorta

text: Variations in the branching of individual arteries may also occur. For example, the left vertebral artery may arise from the aorta, instead of the left common carotid artery.


title: Aorta

text: In patent ductus arteriosus, a congenital disorder, the fetal ductus arteriosus fails to close, leaving an open vessel connecting the pulmonary artery to the proximal descending aorta.


title: Aorta

text: The aorta supplies all of the systemic circulation, which means that the entire body, except for the respiratory zone of the lung, receives its blood from the aorta. Broadly speaking, branches from the ascending aorta supply the heart; branches from the aortic arch supply the head, neck, and arms; branches from the thoracic descending aorta supply the chest (excluding the heart and the respiratory zone of the lung); and branches from the abdominal aorta supply the abdomen. The pelvis and legs get their blood from the common iliac arteries.


title: Aorta

text: The contraction of the heart during systole is responsible for ejection and creates a (pulse) wave that is propagated down the aorta, into the arterial tree. The wave is reflected at sites of impedance mismatching, such as bifurcations reflected waves rebound to return to semilunar valves and the origin of the aorta. These return waves create the dicrotic notch displayed in the aortic pressure curve during the cardiac cycle as these reflected waves push on the aortic semilunar valve. With age, the aorta stiffens such that the pulse wave is propagated faster and reflected waves return to the heart faster before the semilunar valve closes, which raises the blood pressure. The stiffness of the aorta is associated with a number of diseases and pathologies, and noninvasive measures of the pulse wave velocity are an independent indicator of hypertension. Measuring the pulse wave velocity (invasively and non-invasively) is a means of determining arterial stiffness. Maximum aortic velocity may be noted as V or less commonly as AoV.


title: Aorta

text: Mean arterial pressure (MAP) is highest in the aorta, and the MAP decreases across the circulation from aorta to arteries to arterioles to capillaries to veins back to atrium. The difference between aortic and right atrial pressure accounts for blood flow in the circulation. When the left ventricle contracts to force blood into the aorta, the aorta expands. This stretching gives the potential energy that will help maintain blood pressure during diastole, as during this time the aorta contracts passively. This Windkessel effect of the great elastic arteries has important biomechanical implications. The elastic recoil helps conserve the energy from the pumping heart and smooth out the pulsatile nature created by the heart. Aortic pressure is highest at the aorta and becomes less pulsatile and lower pressure as blood vessels divide into arteries, arterioles, and capillaries such that flow is slow and smooth for gases and nutrient exchange.


title: Aorta

text: All amniotes have a broadly similar arrangement to that of humans, albeit with a number of individual variations. In fish, however, there are two separate vessels referred to as aortas. The ventral aorta carries de-oxygenated blood from the heart to the gills; part of this vessel forms the ascending aorta in tetrapods (the remainder forms the pulmonary artery). A second, dorsal aorta carries oxygenated blood from the gills to the rest of the body and is homologous with the descending aorta of tetrapods. The two aortas are connected by a number of vessels, one passing through each of the gills.


title: Aorta

text: The word "aorta" stems from the Late Latin "" from Classical Greek "aortē" (), from "aeirō", "I lift, raise" () This term was first applied by Aristotle when describing the aorta and describes accurately how it seems to be "suspended" above the heart.


title: Aorta

text: The function of the aorta is documented in the Talmud, where it is noted as one of three major vessels entering or leaving the heart, and where perforation is linked to death.


title: Proud Mary

text: "Proud Mary" is a song written by John Fogerty and first recorded by his band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was released by Fantasy Records as a single from the band's second studio album, "Bayou Country", which was issued by the same record company and is generally considered to have been released in early January 1969, although one source states that it came out just before Christmas 1968. The song became a major hit in the United States, peaking at No. 2 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in March 1969, the first of five singles to peak at No. 2 for the group.


title: Proud Mary

text: A cover version by Ike and Tina Turner, released two years later in 1971, did nearly as well, reaching No. 4 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and winning a Grammy Award.


title: Proud Mary

text: In a 1969 interview, Fogerty said that he wrote it in the two days after he was discharged from the National Guard. In the liner notes for the 2008 expanded reissue of "Bayou Country", Joel Selvin explained that the songs for the album started when Fogerty was in the National Guard, that the riffs for "Proud Mary", "Born on the Bayou", and "Keep on Chooglin'" were conceived by Fogerty at a concert in the Avalon Ballroom, and "Proud Mary" was arranged from parts of different songs, one of which was about a washerwoman named Mary. The line "Left a good job in the city" was written following Fogerty's discharge from the National Guard, and the line "rollin' on the river" was from a movie by Will Rogers.


title: Proud Mary

text: In the Macintosh application "GarageBand", Fogerty explained that he liked Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and wanted to open a song with a similar intro (descending by a third), implying the way "Proud Mary" opens with the repeated C chord to A chord. Fogerty wanted to evoke male gospel harmonies, as exemplified by groups he was familiar with such as the Swan Silvertones, the Sensational Nightingales, and the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi; especially on the line, "Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river"; and in the guitar solo he did his "best [imitation of] Steve Cropper." The basic track for "Proud Mary", as with the other songs on the album, was recorded by John Fogerty (lead guitar), Tom Fogerty (rhythm guitar), Stu Cook (bass), and Doug Clifford (drums) at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California, with John overdubbing instruments and all the vocals later.


title: Proud Mary

text: "Billboard" described "Proud Mary" as a "driving blues item with a strong beat." "Cash Box" described it as "a steady moving mid-speed chunk of funk and rhythm that will make itself felt in both pop and underground spots." "Cash Box" ranked it as the No. 55 single of 1969.


title: Proud Mary

text: "Proud Mary" was the only song by CCR to be kept from the No. 1 spot by two songs, first unable to dethrone "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone and then passed by "Dizzy" by Tommy Roe.


title: Proud Mary

text: In 1969 Solomon Burke had a small hit with his cover of the song, which was his second release for Bell and was co-produced by singer Tamiko Jones, who was being rehabilitated after a bout of polio, and was at the time Burke's fiancée and manager. Burke recalls: "We went to Muscle Shoals and recorded Proud Mary, which they didn't like at all. They thought it was stupid to record a song Proud Mary, which was already on the charts. I was explaining to them that it was a very big record, but it's a very white record, a pop record. We will redo the record, open up the doors for it to get on the r&b charts and make the black stations to play the record ... It was a Solomon Burke record made in Muscle Shoals. We proved that we can make a hit record without Jerry Wexler eating sandwiches with us. This record was a hit without anybody's help. Proud Mary was only promoted by Tamiko Jones and myself." According to Mark Denning, "While that may have seemed like a bald-faced bid for pop radio play, in Burke's hands the song became a bracing tale of life in the Deep South as African-Americans searched for liberation aboard the ship that carried them as slaves and put them to undignified labor serving wealthy whites."


title: Proud Mary

text: John Fogerty, the song's composer, was impressed by Burke's version of his song: "Two thousand miles away this man had crawled right up inside my head to learn what Proud Mary was all about. Sure, it's great when someone sings your song, but when he understands it, you listen like it was the first time." "Reworked as a celebration of black consciousness, his potent mix of gospel and country – the kind that defined his earlier sides for Atlantic – and driven by a Southern funk-like strut, . ... it returned Burke to the US R&B Top 20", with the single reaching No. 15 on the R&B charts and No. 45 on the pop charts. According to Burke in a 2002 interview: "I was in Vegas for sixteen weeks at the Sands Hotel. I missed this record being a hit, because we weren't there to promote the record, we had no backing. The greatest thing I ever did was tell Ike Turner, "Hey man, you should get on this record ... I think you and Tina could tear this thing up." On 24 May 1969 Burke sang his version of "Proud Mary" on "American Bandstand".


title: Proud Mary

text: Checkmates, Ltd. released a cover of Proud Mary Featuring Sonny Charles in 1969. The song peaked at No. 69 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart on the week of November 1, 1969. It also reached No. 42 in France.


title: Proud Mary

text: Ike & Tina Turner released "Proud Mary" In January 1971 as the second single from their 1970 album "Workin' Together". Their rendition differs greatly from the structure of the original, but is also well-known and has become one of Tina Turner's most recognizable signature songs.


title: Proud Mary

text: According to Tina, Ike was not keen on the original version, but the cover of "Proud Mary" by the Checkmates, Ltd. piqued his interest. Ike and Tina's version was substantially rearranged by Ike Turner and Soko Richardson. The song starts off with a slow, sultry soulful tone in which Tina introduces the song and warns the audience that she and the band are gonna start it off "nice and easy" as "we never do nothing nice and easy" but say they would finish it "nice and rough". After the lyrics are first sung softly by the Turners, the song is then turned into a funk rock vamp with Tina and the Ikettes delivering gospel-influenced vocals.


title: Proud Mary

text: The single peaked at No. 4 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart on March 27, 1971, two years after the original by Creedence Clearwater Revival was at its peak. It also reached No. 5 on the "Billboard" R&B chart, and earned the duo a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group in 1972.


title: Proud Mary

text: Ike and Tina first performed a version of the song on "Playboy After Dark" on December 3, 1969; episode aired on February 3, 1970. They also performed it on The Ed Sullivan Show on January 11, 1970, in the film "It's Your Thing" (1970), and on "Soul Train" on April 22, 1972. The song became a staple in all of their live shows. Live versions of the song were released on the albums "Live at Carnegie Hall" (1971) and "Live In Paris" (1971).


title: Proud Mary

text: The song continued to be an essential part of Tina's performances. In 1988, a live version was included on the album "Tina Live in Europe". In the biopic, "What's Love Got to Do with It", the song is performed in a timeline of events in Ike and Tina's career in which the couple are transformed from an opening act for the Rolling Stones to a major headlining act in the 1970s. Tina re-recorded the song for the biopic's 1993 soundtrack album of the same name. This track was released as a promotional single issued to radio stations and DJs. Tina's solo performance was later included on her 2004 greatest hits album "All the Best". After a contestant's take on the song on "The X Factor" in 2010, it entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 62 and fell to No. 121 the next week; it also entered the Scottish Singles Chart at No. 40. Another live version was released in 2009 on the "Tina Live" album. It was recorded on March 21, 2009, in Arnhem, Netherlands as part of Turner's . Tina also performed duets of "Proud Mary" with Beyoncé and Cher.


title: Proud Mary

text: "Billboard" (January 23, 1971): The John Fogerty classic gets a powerhouse treatment with the Turner originality and drive to put it back up the Hot 100 and soul charts. Dynamite entry.


title: Proud Mary

text: "Cash Box" (January 23, 1971): "Slow intro almost belies the power that grows into this revival of the Creedence monument. R&B sales could build enough momentum to put the side into top forty again."


title: Proud Mary

text: "Record World" (January 23, 1971): "Ike & Tina play it 'nice and rough' on Creedence Clearwater's contemporary classic. Great to hear Ike join in with his fine bass and Tina's far out intro is worth the price of admission alone."


title: Proud Mary

text: For their rendition, Ike & Tina Turner won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group in 1972. Both CCR and Ike & Tina Turner's versions of the song received Grammy Hall of Fame Awards, in 1998 and 2003, respectively. "Proud Mary" ranked at No. 155 on "Rolling Stone"s 2004 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.


title: Proud Mary

text: "Proud Mary" has, over the years, been recorded by a number of artists. Anthony Armstrong Jones' 1969 version reached number 22 on the U.S. country charts. Also in 1969, a version recorded by the Checkmates, Ltd. and produced by Phil Spector reached number 30 on the U.K. Singles Chart and number 69 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. In 1970, the song was recorded by Leonard Nimoy, in his album "The New World of Leonard Nimoy".


title: Proud Mary

text: Elvis Presley began incorporating "Proud Mary" into his live shows in 1970. Presley's version is a full-out rocker and is featured in his 1972 concert film "Elvis on Tour", and on his live albums "On Stage" (1970) and "As Recorded at Madison Square Garden" (1972).


title: Proud Mary

text: Amanda Ayala performed a rendition of "Proud Mary" in 2019 on Topgolf TV's "Who Will Rock You?" The performance was subsequently released exclusively on Spotify.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for multiple songs, one of them being "Despacito" featuring rapper Daddy Yankee.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: Fonsi received his first Latin Grammy Award nominations in the "Record of the Year" category and won "Song of the Year" thanks to the song "Aquí Estoy Yo". The song also won three "Billboard" Latin Music Awards. "Despacito" became Fonsi's biggest success, winning four Latin Grammy Awards, seven "Billboard" Latin Music Awards, five "Billboard" Music Awards and three Grammy Awards nominations. He also won one Latin American Music Award for "Échame la Culpa" with Demi Lovato.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: As of 2018, Fonsi has broken six Guinness World Records and sold more than 11 million records with "Despacito", whose music video was the most-watched YouTube video of all time until November 2020, with over 7 billion views.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: Fonsi was born on April 15, 1978 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the oldest child of Alfonso Rodríguez and Delia López-Cepero. He has two younger siblings: Jean Rodríguez, who also is a singer, and Tatiana Rodríguez.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: At the age of 10, his family decided to move from Puerto Rico and relocated to Orlando, Florida. He attended Westridge Middle School and Dr. Phillips High School, both in Orlando. During his high school years, he participated in an a cappella group called "The Big Guys". They sang at school parties and local festivals. One of the members of the group, Joey Fatone, later joined *NSYNC.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In 1995, Fonsi enrolled at Florida State University School of Music on a full scholarship, He also joined the school's choir, the Florida State University Singers, and sang with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Eventually, he dropped out in order to pursue a career in music. Soon after, he was offered a recording contract by Universal Music Latin.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In 1997, Fonsi recorded his debut album, "Comenzaré" ("I Will Begin"), released in 1998. The record peaked at number 11 on "Billboard"s Top Latin Albums chart and contained the singles "Si Tú Quisieras", "Perdóname", "Dime Como", and "Me Iré". "Comenzaré" became a hit in Puerto Rico and across Latin America, with Fonsi doing well in markets like Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, and Venezuela. His 2000 follow-up, "Eterno", was even more successful. Around this time, Fonsi also recorded a duet with Christina Aguilera for her 2000 Spanish-language album, "Mi Reflejo". On May 1, 2000, Fonsi performed at the Great Jubilee Concert for a Debt-Free World, an outdoor concert in Rome, attended by Pope John Paul II. That same year, Ednita Nazario won a Latin Grammy Award for a song composed by Fonsi. He also performed, with other artists, at the White House in honor of the victims of the September 11 attacks.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In 2002, Fonsi was the opening act for Britney Spears' Dream Within a Dream Tour in the US and Mexico. In the same year he debuted his English album "Fight The Feeling" trying to do a crossover with the first single "Secret" featuring Joey Fatone in the video. In 2003, Luis Fonsi performed to billions of viewers across the globe at Miss World 2003 in China.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: His fifth CD, "Abrazar la vida", sold very well, which opened new markets in Europe. "¿Quién Te Dijo Eso?" reached number one on the "Billboard" Latin charts. During his time in the studio for the next album, Fonsi recorded "Amazing", a duet with Spice Girl Emma Bunton for her 2004 album "Free Me". His sixth CD, "Paso a Paso", debuted at number one and sent him into international markets. "Nada Es Para Siempre" also reached number one on the music charts, and was a nominee for the Latin Grammy Awards. In 2006, he contributed to "El Piruli", a tribute album honoring Víctor Yturbe, singing a classic bolero, "Historia de un Amor".


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In 2007, Luis Fonsi was selected to be part of the jury of the new version of the Latino boy band Menudo. The band would be a fusion of urban, pop and rock music in English and Spanish to produce several albums with the label of Sony BMG Epic Records. Several auditions were held in different cities such as Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, New York, among others. Fonsi was a part of the Dallas competition where along the side of radio announcer Daniel Luna they chose various contestants and in their pickings, rising star JC Gonzalez was 1 of the 25 selected.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: His seventh CD, "Palabras del Silencio", debuted and stayed in the number one position for many weeks. Luis Fonsi entered the US "Billboard" Hot 100 for the first time in September 2008 with his song "No Me Doy por Vencido", debuting at number 98 and peaking at number 92. It reached number one on the "Billboard" Hot Latin Tracks chart, one of his biggest hits to date. "No Me Doy por Vencido" became "Billboard"s "Latin Pop Song of the Decade", and spent 21 weeks at number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In November 2009, Luis Fonsi was awarded a Latin Grammy Award for "Song of the Year" for his composition "Aquí Estoy Yo".


title: Luis Fonsi

text: On December 11, 2009, Fonsi performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, honoring recipient President Barack Obama.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In 2011, Fonsi released the album "Tierra Firme", and went on tour to promote it throughout Latin America.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In 2014, Fonsi released his album "8", a reference to his eighth career album. He then did a tour named "Somos Uno" in 2014–15. He also mentioned that acting would be on his career path and that he wouldn't mind acting with Mexican actors and actresses.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In January 2017, "Despacito" featuring Daddy Yankee was promoted and released. On April 5, 2018, the music video reached five billion views on YouTube, with the song becoming number one in nearly every Latin "Billboard" chart, and the most viewed video in the world. In April 2017, the song was given an English remix featuring Canadian singer Justin Bieber. The remix featuring Bieber reached number one on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 for the week ending May 27, 2017, becoming both Fonsi and Yankee's first number one on the chart, and Bieber's fifth. Bieber promoted the remix at one of his shows in Puerto Rico, inviting Fonsi onto stage to perform the duet with him. The song remained number one for 16 consecutive weeks, tying One Sweet Day, by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men as the longest reigning top song in the chart's history.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In November 2017, he released the song "Échame la Culpa", featuring Demi Lovato, which debuted at number three on the Hot Latin chart. The song won Song of the Year at the Latin American Music Awards of 2018 and received one nomination for Best Latin at the MTV Video Music Awards. As of 2018, the song had sold more than 1 million copies worldwide.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In June 2018, Fonsi released the single "Calypso", with Stefflon Don. The song peaked at number 11 on the Hot Latin chart. On November 2, 2018, he collaborated on the track "Baby" by Clean Bandit from their second studio album. The song peaked at number 13 on the "Billboard" Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In October 2018, he collaborated with Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti for the song "Per le strade una canzone", from the album "Vita ce n'è".


title: Luis Fonsi

text: On January 13, 2019, the singer joined with Wisin, Alejandra Guzmán and Carlos Vives as coaches of the first Spanish season of "La Voz" by Telemundo.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: After five years since "8", on February 1, 2019 his 10th studio album, "Vida" was released. The track list contains "Despacito (Remix) ", "Échame la Culpa" and "Sola". The album topped the "Billboard" Top Latin Albums chart and Spanish albums chart, and entered at number 18 on the "Billboard" 200.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In 2019, Fonsi performed "Right Where I'm Supposed to Be" as the official song of the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in collaboration with Ryan Tedder, Avril Lavigne, Hussain Al Jassmi, Assala Nasri and Tamer Hosny.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: On July 26, 2019, Fonsi performed at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. He sang his songs including his worldwide hit "Despacito" at the ceremony.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In 1992, Fonsi made a brief cameo in the romance film "Como Agua Para Chocolate" in which he played the friend of the male lead, Pedro Múzquiz.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In 2004, Fonsi made his second acting appearance on the Mexican telenovela named "Corazones al límite" in which he played Roy. He also had a special appearance in 2001 on the Nickelodeon television series "Taina". Fonsi joined the cast of Broadway's "Forever Tango" for a two-week engagement in August 2013


title: Luis Fonsi

text: In 2003, Fonsi started to become romantically interested in actress Adamari López, who, as a Univision artist and fellow Puerto Rican, constantly found herself near Fonsi. That same year, Fonsi released the song "Abrazar la vida" ("To Embrace the Life"), off the eponymous album. The song would later become one of López's favorites.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: During 2005, Fonsi was in the middle of an international tour that was abruptly cancelled when López was diagnosed with cancer. Fonsi promised to stay by her side, and traveled with her to Mexico, Miami, and Puerto Rico for various treatment and work-related trips. She had been in remission since 2006.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: On June 3, 2006, Fonsi and Adamari López were married in a religious ceremony in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, attended by many celebrities including Joey Fatone, Charytín Goyco, Ednita Nazario and Carlos Ponce, as well as his brother Jean Rodríguez. On November 8, 2010, they officially divorced.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: Fonsi and Spanish model Águeda López were married on September 10, 2014, after three years of living together. They had their first child together, a daughter, in December 2011 in Miami. On December 20, 2016, they welcomed their second child, a son.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: Since 2008, Luis Fonsi has been an ambassador of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which fights against childhood cancer. In 2017, the "Billboard" Latin Music Awards honored him with the Spirit of Hope Award for his humanitarian work.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: After Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic in 2017, the singer became one of the major helpers to raise the islands from the devastation. For his contribution, he was honored with the Global Gift Philanthropy Award.


title: Luis Fonsi

text: The Swiss Music Awards are presented the Press Play Association in conjunction with Media Control Switzerland to national and international musicians in over ten categories.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine) is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early fourth century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a princess and a noted scholar who became a Christian around the age of 14, converted hundreds of people to Christianity and was martyred around the age of eighteen. More than 1,100 years after Catherine's martyrdom, Joan of Arc identified her as one of the saints who appeared to and counselled her.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates her as a Great Martyr and celebrates her feast day on 24 or 25 November, depending on the regional tradition. In Catholicism, Catherine is traditionally revered as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and she is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on 25 November. Her feast was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969, but restored in 2002 as an optional memorial.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Some modern scholars consider that the legend of Catherine was probably based on the life and murder of the virgin Saint Dorothea of Alexandria and the Greek philosopher Hypatia, with reversed role of a Christian and Neo-Platonist in the case of the latter. On the other hand, the Catholic Encyclopedia states that, "Although contemporary hagiographers look upon the authenticity of the various texts containing the legend of St. Catherine as more than doubtful, it is not therefore meant to cast even the shadow of a doubt around the existence of the saint."


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: According to the traditional narrative, Catherine was the daughter of Constus, the governor of Alexandria during the reign of the emperor Maximian (286–305). From a young age she devoted herself to study. A vision of the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus persuaded her to become a Christian. When the persecutions began under Maxentius, she went to the emperor and rebuked him for his cruelty. The emperor summoned 50 of the best pagan philosophers and orators to dispute with her, hoping that they would refute her pro-Christian arguments, but Catherine won the debate. Several of her adversaries, conquered by her eloquence, declared themselves Christians and were at once put to death.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: The emperor gave orders to subject the saint to terrible tortures and then throw her in prison. During the confinement she was fed daily by a dove from heaven and Christ also visited her, encouraging her to fight bravely, and promised her the crown of everlasting glory. Angels tended her wounds with salve.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: During her imprisonment more than 200 people came to see her, including Maxentius' wife, Valeria Maximilla; all converted to Christianity and were subsequently martyred. Twelve days later, when the dungeon was opened, a bright light and fragrant perfume filled it and Catherine came forth even more radiant and beautiful.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Upon the failure of Maxentius to make Catherine yield by way of torture, he tried to win the beautiful and wise princess over by proposing marriage. Catherine refused, declaring that her spouse was Jesus Christ, to whom she had consecrated her virginity.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: The furious emperor condemned Catherine to death on a spiked breaking wheel, but, at her touch, it shattered. Maxentius ordered her to be beheaded. Catherine herself ordered the execution to commence. A milk-like substance rather than blood flowed from her neck.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: In the 6th century, the Eastern Emperor Justinian had established what is now Saint Catherine's Monastery in Egypt (which is in fact dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ). Countless people make the pilgrimage to the Monastery to receive miracle healing from Catherine.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: The "Catholic Encyclopedia", while not denying her historicity, states that most of the details that embellish the narrative, as well as the long discourses that are put into the mouth of Catherine are to be rejected as later inventions. According to the "Encyclopædia Britannica", no extant written mention of Catherine of Alexandria is known from before the 9th century, and "her historicity is doubtful".


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Donald Attwater dismisses what he calls the "legend" of Saint Catherine, arguing for a lack of any "positive evidence that she ever existed outside the mind of some Greek writer who first composed what he intended to be simply an edifying romance." Harold Davis writes that "assiduous research has failed to identify Catherine with any historical personage".


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Anna Brownell Jameson was the first to argue that the life of Catherine was confused with that of the slightly later Neo-Platonist philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria (d. 415). Hypatia was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher, who was murdered by a Christian mob after being accused of exacerbating a conflict between two prominent figures in Alexandria, the governor, Orestes, and the bishop, Cyril. The idea that Catherine's life was either based on or became confused with the life of the pagan Hypatia has become a popular theory among modern scholars since. However, while Christine Walsh accepts the many parallels between Catherine and Hypatia, she does not believe there is any evidence for or against the idea that Catherine was created based on Hypatia.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Sometimes cited as a possible inspiration of Catherine, the writer Eusebius wrote, around the year 320, that the Emperor Maximinus had ordered a young Christian woman to come to his palace to become his mistress, and when she refused he had her punished by having her banished and her estates confiscated. Eusebius did not name the woman.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: The earliest surviving account of Catherine's life comes around 600 years after the traditional date of her martyrdom, in the "Menologium", a document compiled for Emperor Basil II (976), although the alleged rediscovery of her relics at Saint Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai was about 800, and presumably implies an existing cult at that date (though the common name of the monastery developed after the discovery).


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: In her book "The Cult of St Katherine of Alexandria in Early Medieval Europe", Christine Walsh discusses "the historical Katherine":


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Her name appears in Greek as () or (). The etymology is debated: it could derive from (, "each of two"); it could derive from the name of the goddess Hecate; it could be related to Greek (, "insult, outrage, suffering, torture"); or it could be from a Coptic name meaning "my consecration of your name". In the early Christian era it became associated with Greek (, "pure"), and the Latin spelling was changed from Katerina to Katharina to reflect this.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Reflecting this confusion, Rufinus states that her first name was Dorothea () and that at her christening she acquired the name Aikaterina (), a name that signifies her pure, clean and uncontaminated nature (from the Greek , 'ever clean').


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Catherine was one of the most important saints in the religious culture of the late Middle Ages and arguably considered the most important of the virgin martyrs, a group including Agnes of Rome, Margaret of Antioch, Barbara, Lucia of Syracuse, Valerie of Limoges and many others. Her power as an intercessor was renowned and firmly established in most versions of her hagiography, in which she specifically entreats Christ at the moment of her death to answer the prayers of those who remember her martyrdom and invoke her name.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: The development of her medieval cult was spurred by the alleged rediscovery of her body around the year 800 (about 500 years after her death) at Mount Sinai, supposedly with hair still growing and a constant stream of healing oil issuing from her body. There are several pilgrimage narratives that chronicle the journey to Mount Sinai, most notably those of John Mandeville and Friar Felix Fabri. However, while the monastery at Mount Sinai was the best-known site of Catherine pilgrimage, it was also the most difficult to reach. The most prominent Western shrine was the monastery in Rouen that claimed to house Catherine's fingers. It was not alone in the west, however, and was accompanied by many scattered shrines and altars dedicated to Catherine throughout France and England. Some were better-known sites, such as Canterbury and Westminster, which claimed a phial of her oil, brought back from Mount Sinai by Edward the Confessor. Other shrines, such as St. Catherine's Hill, Hampshire were the focus of generally local pilgrimage, many of which are only identified by brief mentions in various texts, rather than by physical evidence.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: St. Catharine's College, Cambridge was founded on St Catharine's Day (25 November) 1473 by Robert Woodlark (the then-provost of King's College, Cambridge) who sought to create a small community of scholars who would study exclusively theology and philosophy. Wodelarke may have chosen the name in homage to Catherine of Valois, mother of Henry VI of England, although it is more likely that it was named as part of the Renaissance cult of Saint Catherine, who was a patron saint of learning.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Catherine also had a large female following, whose devotion was less likely to be expressed through pilgrimage. The importance of the virgin martyrs as the focus of devotion and models for proper feminine behavior increased during the Late Middle Ages. Among these, St Catherine in particular was used as an exemplar for women, a status which at times superseded her intercessory role. Both Christine de Pizan and Geoffrey de la Tour Landry point to Catherine as a paragon for young women, emphasizing her model of virginity and "wifely chastity." From the early 14th century the mystic marriage of Saint Catherine first appears in hagiographical literature and, soon after, in art. In the Western church the popularity of her cult began to reduce in the 18th century.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Her principal symbol is the spiked wheel, which has become known as the Catherine wheel, and her feast day is celebrated on 25 November by most Christian churches. However the Russian, Polish, Serbian and Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate it on 24 November. The exact origin of this tradition is not known. In 11th-century Kievan Rus, the feast day was celebrated on 25 November. Dimitry of Rostov in his ("Book of the Lives of the Saints"), T.1 (1689) places the date of celebration on 24 November. A story that Empress Catherine the Great did not wish to share her patronal feast with the Leavetaking of the feast of the Presentation of the Theotokos and hence changed the date is not supported by historical evidence. One of the first Roman Catholic churches to be built in Russia, the Catholic Church of St. Catherine, was named after Catherine of Alexandria because she was Catherine the Great's patron. A footnote to the entry for 25 November in "The Synaxarion" compiled by Hieromonk Makarios of Simonos Petra states: "Until the 16th century, the memory of St Catherine was observed on 24 Nov. According to a note by Bartholomew of Koutloumousiou inserted in the "Menaion", the Fathers of Sinai transferred the date to 25 Nov. in order that the feast might be kept with greater solemnity."


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: In many places her feast was celebrated with the utmost solemnity, servile work being suppressed and the devotions attended by great numbers of people. In several dioceses of France it was observed as a Holy Day of Obligation up to the beginning of the 17th century, the splendour of its ceremonial eclipsing that of the feasts of some of the apostles. Many chapels were placed under her patronage, and nearly all churches had a statue of her, representing her according to medieval iconography with a wheel, her instrument of torture.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: In France, unwed women who had attained the age of 25 were called "catherinettes". They would wear richly decorated bonnets on the day of her feast. This custom gave rise to the French idiom ("don St. Catherine's bonnet"), to describe an unmarried woman between the ages of 25 and 30.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: In memory of her sacrifice in some homes, Egyptian and other Middle Eastern foods are offered for her feast, such as hummus or tabbouleh salads. Favorites also are melons cut into circles with sherbet "hubs", or cookies shaped as spiked wheels with icing.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Meanwhile, owing to several circumstances in his life, Nicholas of Myra was considered the patron of young bachelors and students, and Catherine became the patroness of young maidens and female students. Looked upon as the holiest and most illustrious of the virgins of Christ after the Blessed Virgin Mary, it was deemed appropriate that she, of all others, should be worthy to watch over the virgins of the cloister and the young women of the world. The spiked wheel having become emblematic of the saint, wheelwrights and mechanics placed themselves under her patronage. Finally, as according to tradition she not only remained a virgin by governing her passions and conquered her executioners by wearying their patience, but triumphed in science by closing the mouths of sophists, her intercession was implored by theologians, apologists, pulpit orators, and philosophers. Before studying, writing, or preaching, they besought her to illumine their minds, guide their pens, and impart eloquence to their words. This devotion to Catherine which assumed such vast proportions in Europe after the Crusades, received additional éclat in France in the beginning of the 15th century, when it was rumoured that she had spoken to Joan of Arc and, together with Margaret of Antioch, had been divinely appointed Joan's adviser.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Devotion to Catherine remains strong amongst Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians. With the relative ease of travel in the modern age, pilgrimages to Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai have increased.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: In 2022, Catherine was officially added to the Episcopal Church liturgical calendar with a feast day she shares with Barbara of Nicomedia, and Margaret of Antioch on 24 November.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: The pyrotechnic Catherine wheel, which rotates with sparks flying off in all directions, took its name from the saint's wheel of martyrdom.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: The Gulf of Santa Catalina is located in the Pacific Ocean on the west coast of North America. Santa Catalina Island off the coast of California, was named by Sebastián Vizcaíno, who arrived there on her feast day. The Santa Catalina Mountains in Arizona are her namesake.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Kaarina, Finland, is named after her. One accepted origin of the namesake of St. Catharines, Ontario, is Saint Catherine of Alexandria, but there are other proposed explanations as "no definitive documentation exists to conclusively prove that the founders chose the unique spelling for any one particular reason".


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota was founded in 1905 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and named for St. Catherine of Alexandria. University of Saint Katherine in San Marcos, California is the first Eastern Orthodox Christian university in the United States and the English-speaking world. St. Catherine's School, is an independent Episcopal diocesan school in Richmond, Virginia. St Helen and St Katharine, girls' school in Oxfordshire, England celebrates "St. Katharine's Day" each November. The name of St. Catharine's School for Girls (Kwun Tong) in Hong Kong was chosen over that of St. Anne because it sounds better when translated into Chinese.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: Countless images of Saint Catherine are depicted in art, especially in the late Middle Ages, which is also the time that the account of Saint Catherine's Mystical Marriage makes its first literary appearance. She can usually be easily recognised as she is richly dressed and crowned, as befits her rank as a princess, and often holds or stands next to a segment of her wheel as an attribute. She also often carries either a martyr's palm or the sword with which she was actually executed. She often has long unbound blonde or reddish hair (unbound as she is unmarried). The vision of Saint Catherine of Alexandria usually shows the Infant Christ, held by the Virgin, placing a ring (one of her attributes) on her finger, following some literary accounts, although in the version in the "Golden Legend" he appears to be adult, and the marriage takes place among a great crowd of angels and "all the celestial court", and these may also be shown.


title: Catherine of Alexandria

text: She is very frequently shown attending on the Virgin and Child, and is usually prominent in scenes of the "Master of the Virgo inter Virgines", showing a group of virgin saints surrounding the Virgin and Child. Notable later paintings of Catherine include single figures by Raphael in the National Gallery, and by Caravaggio (in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid).


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Nicholas Brendon Schultz (born April 12, 1971), known professionally as Nicholas Brendon, is an American actor and writer. He is best known for playing Xander Harris in the television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997–2003) and Kevin Lynch in "Criminal Minds" (2007–2014).


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Brendon played Xander Harris for seven years and appeared in all but one of 144 episodes. For his role as Xander, Brendon was nominated for a Saturn Award in 1998 and 1999 for Best Genre TV Actor and in 2000 for Best Supporting Actor. He continues to regularly attend comic conventions and sci-fi conventions. He has been involved in development of Xander's character in follow-up comic books, and has been credited as a writer for several issues.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Although Brendon has continued to work as an actor, with regular recurring parts in TV series and starring roles in limited release films such as "Coherence" and "Big Gay Love", his struggles with substance misuse and depression have overshadowed his professional career. Brendon has attracted public attention for his multiple arrests and convictions on a variety of charges since 2010.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Nicholas Brendon was born Nicholas Brendon Schultz on April 12, 1971 in Los Angeles, three minutes after his identical twin brother, Kelly Donovan. He was born the second of four boys, with two younger brothers.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: As a child, he aspired to become a professional baseball player, but he "lost the passion for it" at 20. Instead, he decided to pursue acting to help manage his stutter, which had first become apparent at age seven or eight, and had made him so fearful of speaking or interacting with strangers that he did not begin dating until 21 or 22. Brendon comments, "Every day I still have to remind myself to slow down and concentrate. Constant repetition of tongue-twisters was like lifting weights for me, but patience and persistence have paid off." Brendon has done work for the Stuttering Foundation of America, which approached him around 2001, and made him its honorary chairperson for its National Stuttering Awareness Week in May 2001.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: He gave up acting after two years because he "couldn't stand the politics in Hollywood". Brendon returned to school to study medicine, which didn't work out; he also tried his hand at a variety of odd jobs, including plumber's assistant, veterinary janitor, day care counselor, waiter, and production assistant for the television show "Dave's World".


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: At the age of 25, Brendon had hit "rock bottom": his girlfriend had left him, he was working as a waiter and could barely afford his rent, and had almost given up on getting good work. After buying the wrong kind of Pop Tarts for his co-workers, his boss fired him and told him "You should be acting." Brendon was attracted to the pilot script for "Buffy" because of how much he had hated high school. Brendon recognised that Xander was based on Joss Whedon when he had attended high school, accounting for why Xander "gets all the good lines". He signed with a manager and obtained the role of Xander Harris on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" three months later.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Buffy Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) is the "Slayer", one in a long line of young women chosen by fate to battle evil forces. This mystical calling grants her the powers of dramatically increased physical strength, endurance, agility, accelerated healing, intuition, and a limited degree of precognition. In contrast, Brendon's character, Xander is the only character without supernatural abilities, and provides comic relief and a grounded perspective. It is Xander who often provides the heart to the series, and in season six, becomes the hero in place of Buffy who defeats the "Big Bad". Buffy and Willow are the only characters who appear in all 144 episodes; Xander is missing in only one.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Brendon shared the screen with his twin, Kelly Donovan, when his character was split in two in the fifth-season episode "The Replacement".


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: For his role as Xander, Brendon was nominated for Saturn Award in 1998 and 1999 for Best Genre TV Actor and in 2000 for the Supporting Actor.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: In 2014, Brendon was part of a summit for writers of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" comics, which included Joss Whedon, Jane Espenson, Drew Greenberg, Andrew Chambliss and the then-incoming "Buffy" writer Christos Gage. He was involved with the show's canonical comic book series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten," on stories centering on his character.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: Brendon continues to be a regular fixture at comic conventions and sci-fi fan conventions, and has streamed videos of himself reading fanfiction starring his character Xander Harris on his Facebook page.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: After the series ended in 2003, Brendon joined the cast of the Fox television pilot "The Pool at Maddy Breakers". The series was not picked up by the network. In 2004, he co-starred in his first ABC Family movie, "Celeste in the City." The following year, he returned to Fox as part of the cast of "Kitchen Confidential", based on the book by chef Anthony Bourdain. Thirteen episodes were made, but the series was canceled on December 9 of the same year after the fourth episode aired, due to low ratings.


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: In 2006, he voiced Huntsboy #89 for season 2 of the animated series "". That same year, he reunited with his former "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" co-star Charisma Carpenter in the ABC Family TV movie "Relative Chaos".


title: Nicholas Brendon

text: From July 26 through August 30, 2006, Brendon co-starred with Noah Wyle in the play "Lobster Alice" at the Blank Theatre Company in Los Angeles. He subsequently appeared in the Blank Theatre's annual Young Playwrights Festival and its productions of "The SantaLand Diaries" (November 20 to December 20, 2009), and "Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them".