title: Paradise

text: The structural layout of the gardens of the Alhambra in Grenada, embodies the idea of water as a symbol of representing paradise within Islamic gardens. In particular, the Courtyard of the Lions, which follows the Quarter Garden, or the 'Chahar-Bagh' layout, typical to Islamic gardens, features a serene water fountain at its centre. The fountain is carved with stone lions, with the water emerging from the mouths of these lions. The static nature of the locally sourced water features within the Courtyard of the Lions at the Alhambra, adds to the atmosphere of serenity and stillness which is typical of Islamic gardens that utilise water features, resembling the image of paradise as found in the Qur'an.


title: Paradise

text: There is not yet concrete evidence that Islamic gardens were solely intended to represent images of paradise. However, it can be deduced from certain inscriptions and intentions of structures, that creating an atmosphere of divinity and serenity were part of the artists' intentions.


title: Paradise

text: Tombs became the metaphorical 'paradise on Earth' for Islamic architecture and gardens; they were a place of eternal peace were devout followers of God could rest.


title: Paradise

text: Upon the exterior of the tomb mausoleum of the Taj Mahal, inscriptions of passages from the Qur'an adorn the exterior facades, encasing the iwans. These inscriptions rehearse passages of an eschatological nature, referencing the Day of Judgement and themes of paradise. Similarly, the placement of the tomb structure within the waterscape garden environment heightens the conceptual relationship between tomb gardens and a place of paradise as discussed in the Qur'an. Similarly, the white marble used for the construction of the tomb mausoleum, furthers the relationship between the purity and divinity of the tomb, elevating the status of the tomb to that of paradise.


title: Paradise

text: Preserved historical writings from an interview with the artisan of the Prophet's Mosque at Medina between 705 and 715, revealed how the mosaic depictions of gardens within this mosque were in fact created ""according to the picture of the Tree of Paradise and its palaces"". Structures that are similarly adorned with naturalistic mosaics, and were created during the same period as the Prophet's Mosque at Medina, can be said to have had the same intended effect.


title: Paradise

text: Constructed between 690 and 692, the Dome of the Rock at Jerusalem features a large-scale mosaic on the interior of the domed structure. It is likely that this richly embellished and detailed mosaic was intended to replicate an image of paradise, featuring fruit-bearing trees, vegetal motifs and flowing rivers. Accompanied by a calligraphic frieze, the mosaic depicts symmetrical and vegetal vine scrolls, surrounded by trees of blue, green and turquoise mosaics. Jewel-like embellishments as well as gold pigment complete the mosaic. Not only did mosaics of this kind seek to reflect paradise as described in the Qur'an, but they were also thought to represent and proclaim Muslim victories.


title: Paradise

text: In a similar instance, the mosaic within the Great Mosque of Damascus, constructed within a similar timeframe to the Dome of the Rock, features the most noticeable elements of a paradisiacal garden as described in the Qur'an. Therefore, it would not be unreasonable to suggest that the mosaic on the exterior facade of the Great Mosque of Damascus, was similarly intended to replicate an image of paradise in the viewer's mind.


title: Paradise

text: On the Origin of the World, a text from the Nag Hammadi library held in ancient Gnosticism, describes Paradise as being located outside the circuit of the Sun and Moon in the luxuriant Earth east in the midst of stones. The Tree of Life, which will provide for the souls of saints after they come out of their corrupted bodies, is located in the north of Paradise besides the Tree of Knowledge that contains the power of God.


title: Elliot Fletcher

text: Elliot Fletcher (born June 30, 1996) is an American actor. He is best known for his work in the MTV comedy series "Faking It", Freeform's drama series "The Fosters", and Showtime's series "Shameless".


title: Elliot Fletcher

text: Fletcher was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He is one of two children born to Julia Fletcher DeMita and John DeMita, who are both voice actors. He has an older brother, Conner DeMita. Fletcher is a trans man who came out shortly after his 17th birthday. He subsequently began using the name Elliot and he/him pronouns.


title: Elliot Fletcher

text: Fletcher joined the cast of "Faking It" as Noah in early 2016. In April 2016, the media announced that Fletcher would be joining the cast of "The Fosters" in a recurring guest-starring role as Aaron, an "attractive and intriguing law student" and potential romantic interest of Callie (Maia Mitchell). Fletcher originally considered auditioning for the role of Cole on "The Fosters", but decided against it. The role was later filled by Fletcher's close friend Tom Phelan.


title: Elliot Fletcher

text: Fletcher also appeared in season 7 and then became a recurring cast member in season 8 of the Showtime TV show "Shameless". He plays Trevor, a trans man who works for an organization that helps find homes for runaways and homeless LGBT+ teens. He then befriends and gets into a relationship with Ian Gallagher.


title: Elliot Fletcher

text: In 2017, transgender actors and actresses including Fletcher (with the help of GLAAD and "ScreenCrush") were part of a filmed letter to Hollywood written by Jen Richards, asking for more and improved roles for transgender people. In 2019, Fletcher played the character Max in multiple episodes of the third and final season of the Hulu original series "Marvel's Runaways".


title: Elliot Fletcher

text: In 2020, Fletcher was added to the main cast of the post-apocalyptic FX on Hulu show "". Fletcher's character, Sam Jordan, is a transgender man navigating a world without cisgender men.


title: UK garage

text: UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house, but also incorporates elements from dance-pop, R&B, and jungle. It is defined by percussive, shuffled rhythms with syncopated hi-hats, cymbals, and snares, and may include either 4/4 house kick patterns or more irregular "2-step" rhythms. Garage tracks also commonly feature 'chopped up' and time-stretched or pitch-shifted vocal samples complementing the underlying rhythmic structure at a tempo usually around 130 BPM.


title: UK garage

text: UK garage encompassed subgenres such as speed garage and 2-step, and was then largely subsumed into other styles of music and production in the mid-2000s, including bassline, grime, and dubstep. The decline of UK garage during the mid-2000s saw the birth of UK funky, which is closely related.


title: UK garage

text: The evolution of house music in the United Kingdom in the early to mid-1990s led to the term, as previously coined by the Paradise Garage DJs, being applied to a new form of music known as speed garage. In the early '90s, American DJ Todd Edwards, a pioneer of the speed garage sound, began remixing more soulful house records and incorporating more time-shifts and vocal samples than normal house records, whilst still living in the US. However, it was not until DJ EZ, the North London DJ, acquired one of Edwards' tracks and played it at a faster tempo in a nightclub in Greenwich, that the music genre really took off.


title: UK garage

text: In the late '90s, the term "UK garage" was settled upon by the scene. This style now frequently incorporated elements of other forms of music like soul, rap, reggae, ragga, and R&B, all broadly filed under the description of urban contemporary music. The pronunciation of UK garage uses , rather than .


title: UK garage

text: Cole once stated, "London is a multicultural city... it's like a melting pot of young people, and that's reflected in the music of UK garage."


title: UK garage

text: Notable female singers who have had the genre incorporated into their songs include Lisa Maffia, Ms. Dynamite, Kele Le Roc, Shola Ama, Sweet Female Attitude, Mis-Teeq, and Colour Girl.


title: UK garage

text: In the United Kingdom, where jungle was very popular at the time, garage was played in a second room at jungle events. After jungle's peak in cultural significance, it had turned towards a harsher, more techstep influenced sound, driving away dancers, predominantly women. Escaping the 170bpm jungle basslines, the garage rooms had a much more sensual and soulful sound at 130bpm.


title: UK garage

text: DJs started to speed up garage tracks to make them more suitable for the jungle audience in the UK. The media started to call this tempo-altered type of garage music "speed garage", 4x4 and 2-step's predecessor. DJs would usually play dub versions (arrangements without vocals) of garage tracks, because pitch-shifting vocals could sometimes render the music unrecognizable (although sped up and time-stretched vocals were an important part of the early jungle sound, and later played a key role in speed garage). The absence of vocals left space in the music for MCs, who started rhyming to the records.


title: UK garage

text: Since then, MCs have become one of the vital aspects of speed and UK garage parties and records. Early promoters of speed garage included the Dreem Teem and Tuff Jam, and pirate radio stations such as London Underground, Magic FM, Upfront FM, and Freek FM. During its initial phase, the speed garage scene was also known as "the Sunday Scene", as initially speed garage promoters could only hire venues on Sunday evenings (venue owners preferred to save Friday and Saturday nights for more popular musical styles). Labels whose outputs would become synonymous with the emerging speed garage sound included Confetti, Public Demand, 500 Rekords, Spread Love and VIP.


title: UK garage

text: Speed garage already incorporated many aspects of today's UK garage sound like sub-bass lines, ragga vocals, spin backs and reversed drums. What changed over time, until the so-called 2-step sound emerged, was the addition of further funky elements like contemporary R&B styled vocals, more shuffled beats and a different drum pattern. The most radical change from speed garage to 2-step was the removal of the 2nd and 4th bass kick from each bar. Although tracks with only two kick drum beats to a bar are perceived as being slower than the traditional four-to-the-floor beat, the listener's interest is maintained by the introduction of syncopating bass lines and the percussive use of other instruments such as pads and strings.


title: UK garage

text: Speed garage tracks were characterised by a sped-up house-style beat, complemented by the rolling snares and reverse-warped basslines that were popular with drum and bass producers of the time.


title: UK garage

text: Among those credited with honing the speed garage sound, Todd Edwards is often cited as a seminal influence on the UK garage sound. The producer from New Jersey introduced a new way of working with vocals. Instead of having full verses and choruses, he picked out vocal phrases and played them like an instrument, using sampling technology. Often, individual syllables were reversed or pitch-shifted. This type of vocal treatment is still a key characteristic of the UK garage style. Armand van Helden's speed garage remix of Sneaker Pimps' "Spin Spin Sugar" in 1997 further popularized the genre which is sometimes credited with breaking speed garage into the mainstream. Another van Helden remix which also proved popular is his Drum 'n' Bass Mix of CJ Bolland's "Sugar Is Sweeter". Huge club hits in 1997 came from speed garage duos Double 99, 187 Lockdown and Industry Standard. The former two both scored UK top 20 hits in 1997 and 1998; Double 99's "RipGroove" reached #14 in its second release and 187 Lockdown's "Gunman" and "Kung-Fu" reached #16 and #9, respectively. Industry Standard scored a top 40 hit with "Vol. 1 (What You Want What You Need)" peaking at #34 in January 1998, and the 1997 XL Recordings release of Somore featuring Damon Trueitt's "I Refuse (What You Want)" reached #21 also in January 1998, containing mixes by Industry Standard, Ramsey & Fen, R.I.P. Productions and Serious Danger. The Fabulous Baker Boys scored a #34 hit in 1997 with "Oh Boy" which samples Jonny L's 1992 rave track "Hurt You So".


title: UK garage

text: Arguably one of the earliest examples of a 2-step track is the 1997 Kelly G remix of "Never Gonna Let You Go" by Tina Moore, which peaked at #7 on the UK chart. Roy Davis Jr. was also influential in the UK garage scene, with the huge club hit "Gabriel" featuring Peven Everett, released in 1997 on XL Recordings and reaching #22 on the UK chart. Lovestation released their version of "Teardrops" which reached #14 in 1998. Doolally, the former name of Shanks & Bigfoot, scored a #20 hit in 1998 with "Straight from the Heart". A re-release of this song the following year fared even better, peaking at #9, due to the success of their #1 single "Sweet Like Chocolate". Jess Jackson was responsible for many garage records but one which stood out was "Hobson's Choice". The B-side of this record changed the UK garage scene from funky and soulful to dark and bassy. Another example of the evolution in 2-step was the release of "Troublesome" in 1999 by Shy Cookie and DJ Luck, in which non-sampled 2-step beats were merged with a full ragga vocal (performed by ragga artist Troublesome).


title: UK garage

text: The UK's counterpart to Todd Edwards was MJ Cole, a classically trained oboe and piano player, who had a string of chart and underground hits in the late 1990s and early 2000s, most notably with "Sincere" and "Crazy Love". MJ Cole has also won a BBC "Young Musician of the Year" award.


title: UK garage

text: Timbaland, a popular contemporary R&B producer in America, was the major innovator behind contemporary R&B at the time, from which UK rave culture borrowed heavily. The use of rhythmic patterns as melodic hooks is shared by both contemporary R&B and jungle, making it very appealing to the significantly ex-junglist UK garage scene. This style of Timbaland's R&B possesses a breakbeat aesthetic: breakup of the flow of four-to-the-floor rhythm, hesitations into the groove, and teasing and tantalizing gaps. As much as these R&B influences can be heard in early UK garage, the genre offered more complex drum beats, with heavy syncopation (swing) and a more energetic feel due to a higher tempo (normally between 130 and 138 BPM). However, in tracks like "Twentyfourseven" by Artful Dodger, a slower and simpler R&B infused drum pattern can be heard. This was to allow for these tracks to be aimed at a more commercial scene rather than for the dance floor. Garage producers then proceeded to churn out UK versions of US contemporary R&B hits, notably with Brandy and Monica's "The Boy Is Mine". The Architechs sped up the vocals through time-stretching and added sound effects to increase the competitive nature. "B&M Remix" eventually sold twenty thousand copies as a bootleg.


title: UK garage

text: Also borrowed from US contemporary R&B is the use of "vocal science", the technique of digitally altering vocal samples with devices such as the Autotuner. What results is a mix between natural voice and technology.


title: UK garage

text: With the continued support of pirate radio stations such as Rinse FM, Ice FM, Deja Vu, and Flex FM, the soaring popularity of UK garage saw 1999 take the genre into the mainstream, breaking into the music charts. Production duos Shanks & Bigfoot and Artful Dodger were very successful with the tracks "Sweet Like Chocolate" (the first UK garage track to hit number one in the UK) and "Re-Rewind", respectively. After the platinum-selling success of "Sweet Like Chocolate", the floodgates had opened. Although "Re-Rewind" was denied a #1 position by Cliff Richard and his song "The Millennium Prayer", it was also a platinum seller, one of the garage scene's first and last. They became anthems for the 2-step scene, and got onto BBC's "Top of the Pops". Other huge hits in 1999 include the #1 house/garage anthem "You Don't Know Me" by Armand van Helden. Although not UK garage, Mr. Oizo's #1 single "Flat Beat" received extensive airplay on pirate radio stations upon release, becoming a staple for house, breakbeat and UK garage DJs; thus leading to numerous UK garage/2-step remixes/bootlegs of the track. Da Click (Pied Piper, MC Creed, PSG, Unknown MC and singer Valerie M) had a #14 hit with "Good Rhymes". Garage trio the Dreem Teem had a #15 hit with "Buddy X 99", a garage remix of Neneh Cherry's 1992 song "Buddy X". DJ Luck & MC Neat also had a chart hit with "A Little Bit of Luck" in late 1999 into early 2000.


title: UK garage

text: Many more UK garage acts followed into the new millennium by releasing commercially successful singles, thus making UK garage and 2-step a stable fixture on the UK charts for the next couple of years. Debut singles of various UK garage artists were hitting the number one spot on the UK charts. Craig David's debut solo single "Fill Me In", a mix of R&B and 2-step, with single formats containing various garage remixes of the track, hit #1 in April 2000. A month later, Oxide & Neutrino's "Bound 4 Da Reload (Casualty)" reached the top of the charts. Other top 10 hits in 2000 include Artful Dodger's "Movin' Too Fast" (#2), "Woman Trouble" (#6) and "Please Don't Turn Me On" (#4), Sweet Female Attitude's "Flowers" (#2), True Steppers' "Buggin" (#6) and "Out of Your Mind" (#2), B-15 Project's "Girls Like Us" (#7), DJ Luck & MC Neat's "Masterblaster 2000" (#5) and "Ain't No Stoppin' Us" (#8), MJ Cole's "Crazy Love" (#10), Wookie's "Battle" (#10), Lonyo's "Summer of Love" (#8), Architechs' "Body Groove" (#3), and Oxide & Neutrino's "No Good 4 Me" (#6). Another huge hit in 2000 was the Timo Maas remix of the song "Dooms Night" (#8) by German producer Azzido Da Bass, which was heavily associated with UK garage at the time, having become a major club hit and appearing on several UK garage compilations. It was also remixed by garage duo Stanton Warriors, titled "Dooms Night (Revisited)".


title: UK garage

text: 2001 gave DJ Pied Piper and the Masters of Ceremonies their one and only number one hit record with "Do You Really Like It?". Two months later in August 2001, South London collective So Solid Crew hit the top spot with their second single "21 Seconds". The end of 2001 saw yet another 2-step anthem reach the top of the UK charts for Daniel Bedingfield, with his debut single "Gotta Get Thru This". Other top 10 hits in 2001 include the Sunship mixes of Mis-Teeq's "Why" (#8), "All I Want" (#2) and "One Night Stand" (#5), Artful Dodger's "TwentyFourSeven" (#6), Liberty's "Thinking It Over" (#5), Oxide & Neutrino's "Up Middle Finger" (#7), and So Solid Crew's "They Don't Know" (#3).


title: UK garage

text: 2002 saw an evolution as 2-step moved away from its funky and soul-oriented sound into a darker direction called "grime", now a genre in its own right. During this period, traditional UK garage was pushed back underground amongst the bad publicity emanating from the tougher side of the genre, and publicised violence surrounding members of the So Solid Crew. Nonetheless, several UK garage songs did appear on the charts from 2002 to 2004, including Heartless Crew's "The Heartless Theme" (#21), Distant Soundz' version of "Time After Time" (#20), So Solid Crew's "Ride wid Us" (#19) and "Haters" (#8), Ladies First's version of "I Can't Wait" (#19), Pay As U Go's "Champagne Dance" (#13), Mr Reds vs DJ Skribble's "Everybody Come On (Can U Feel It)" (#13), Mis-Teeq's "B with Me" (#5), Jaimeson's "True" (#4) and 3 of a Kind's "Baby Cakes" which was a number one hit in August 2004.


title: UK garage

text: Notable early grime artists around 2001–03 include Ruff Sqwad, More Fire Crew, Dizzee Rascal (who released his debut album "Boy in da Corner" in 2003), Roll Deep, and Wiley.


title: UK garage

text: During this time, there was also a strong division of class in UK garage. In the heyday of garage, the late 1990s, it was a highly aspirational genre. When people went to the club to hear garage, they dressed stylish and smart. Clubs such as Twice as Nice enforced a dress code of no tennis shoes, jeans, or baseball caps. Having a formal dress code changed the importance placed on nice clothes from a style to excluding people. The dress codes were meant to "encourage people to make an effort", but also to "keep trouble out." In time, the club installed a metal detector, because "gangstas like to dress expensive," but theoretically could still carry a gun. Eventually, when groups like So Solid Crew attracted more urban, lower-class audiences to raves because of their lyrics over the garage tracks, garage began to transition to grime because previous audiences were less likely to listen, so radios and clubs stopped giving garage opportunities.


title: UK garage

text: In 2007, several DJs helped promote and revive UK garage's popularity, with producers creating new UK garage, also known as "new skool" UK garage or "bassline".


title: UK garage

text: The end of 2007 saw "new skool" UK garage push to the mainstream again with notable tracks such as T2's "Heartbroken" and H "Two" O's "What's It Gonna Be" both reaching the mainstream charts. The revival was galvanised by DJ EZ releasing "Pure Garage Rewind: Back to the Old Skool", which contained three CDs of "old skool" UK garage and a fourth CD with fresh "new skool" UK garage.


title: UK garage

text: Early 2011 saw the start of a gradual resurgence of 2-step garage. Producers such as Wookie, MJ Cole, Zed Bias and Mark Hill (formerly one half of Artful Dodger) made a return to the scene, by producing tracks with more of a 2-step feel. Electronic music duos Disclosure and AlunaGeorge, both successful throughout 2012 and 2013, often use elements of UK garage in their music, and arguably, some of their biggest hits including "You & Me" and "We Are Chosen" respectively, are entirely 2-step with an updated cleaner sound. Shortly following this, "original" style garage had made a return in a big way, with producers such as Moony, DJD and Tuff Culture paving the way. One of the genre's pioneering labels, Ice Cream Records, responsible for anthems such as "RipGroove", True Steppers' "Out of Your Mind", Kele Le Roc's "My Love" and more, opened up their permanent roster for the first time to include DJs outside of the legendary trio that launched the label.


title: UK garage

text: AJ Tracey's song "Ladbroke Grove" initially debuted at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart in February 2019, then eventually peaked at number three in October 2019 following its release as a single. In September 2019, the British Phonographic Industry certified the song as platinum for exceeding chart sales of 600,000. It was one of the best-selling songs of 2019.


title: UK garage

text: Other hits in the 2010s include Toddla T's "Take It Back", All About She's "Higher (Free)", Naughty Boy's "La La La", Shift K3Y's "Touch", Chase & Status' "Blk & Blu", M.O's "Dance On My Own", Disclosure's "Omen" and Craig David's "When the Bassline Drops" and "One More Time".


title: UK garage

text: The 2020s saw new releases such as "West Ten" by AJ Tracey and Mabel, "Don't Play" by Anne-Marie, KSI and Digital Farm Animals, "Just for Me" and "Pain" (which interpolates Sweet Female Attitude's "Flowers") by PinkPantheress, "Grown Flex" by Chip and Bugzy Malone, and "House & Garage" by Morrisson and Aitch, all of which charted in the UK. Kurupt FM released their debut album "The Greatest Hits (Part 1)" which charted at No. 8 on the UK Albums Chart. The album includes appearances by Craig David (who features on lead single "Summertime"), Mist, Jaykae, D Double E, MC Creed, Big Narstie and General Levy.


title: UK garage

text: The dark garage sound that was being produced by the likes of Wookie, Zed Bias, Shy Cookie, El-B and Artwork (of DND) in the late 1990s would set the groundwork for both grime and dubstep. Developing in parallel to grime, dubstep would take a mostly instrumental stripped down form of dark garage and with it bring in production values and influences from dub reggae.


title: UK garage

text: Some UK garage/dubstep/grime/bassline producers have moved to a different sound called UK funky, which takes production values from many different shades of soulful house music with elements of UK garage and blends them at a standard house music tempo, and soca with tribal style percussion from afrobeat.


title: Rude boy

text: Rude boy, rudeboy, rudie, rudi, and rudy are slang terms that originated in 1960s Jamaican street culture, and that are still used today. In the late 1970s, there was a revival in England of the terms "rude boy" and "rude girl", among other variations, being used to describe fans of two-tone ska. The use of these terms moved into the more contemporary ska punk movement as well. In the UK, the terms rude boy and rude girl are used in a way similar to gangsta, yardie or badman.


title: Rude boy

text: The term "rude boy", and the rude boy subculture, arose from the poorer sections of Kingston, Jamaica, and was associated with violent discontented youths. Along with ska and rocksteady music, many rude boys favored sharp suits, thin ties, and pork pie or Trilby hats, showing an influence of the fashions of US jazz musicians and soul music artists. Well-known cowboy and gangster/outlaw films from that period were also influential factors in shaping the rude boy image, as scholars like Rob Wilson, Christopher Leigh Connory, and Deborah A. Thomas have shown. In that time period, unemployed Jamaican youths sometimes found temporary employment from sound system operators to disrupt competitors' dances (leading to the term dancehall crasher). The violence that sometimes occurred at dances and its association with the rude boy lifestyle gave rise to a slew of releases by artists who addressed the rude boys directly with lyrics that either promoted or rejected rude boy violence, for example the 1967 song "Rudy a Message to You" by Dandy Livingstone.


title: Rude boy

text: Starting in the 1970s, Jamaican reggae music replaced the ska and rocksteady music associated with the rude boys. In the 1980s, dancehall became the main Jamaican popular music genre, drawing some parallels with the earlier rude boys in its culture and lyrical content.


title: Rude boy

text: In the 1960s, the Jamaican diaspora introduced rude boy music and fashion to the United Kingdom, which influenced the mod and skinhead subcultures. In the late 1970s, the term rude boy and rude boy fashions came back into use after the 2 tone band the Specials (notably with a cover of "A Message to You Rudy") and their record label 2 Tone Records instigated a brief but influential ska revival. In this same spirit, the Clash contributed "Rudie Can't Fail" on their 1979 album "London Calling", and The Ruts their 1980 single "Staring at the Rude Boys". In more recent times in multicultural Britain, the term rudeboy has become associated with street or urban culture, and is a common greeting. The term rudeboy has become associated with music genres such as ragga, jungle, drum and bass, UK garage, and grime – although is still used by many ska and Ska Punk bands, old and new – predominantly in the UK and USA.


title: Dik-dik

text: A dik-dik is the name for any of four species of small antelope in the genus "Madoqua" that live in the bushlands of eastern and southern Africa.


title: Dik-dik

text: Dik-diks stand about at the shoulder, are long, weigh and can live for up to 10 years. Dik-diks are named for the alarm calls of the females. In addition to the females' alarm call, both the male and female make a shrill, whistling sound. These calls may alert other animals to predators.


title: Dik-dik

text: The name "dik-dik" comes from an onomatopoeia of the repetitive "dik" sound female dik-diks whistle through their long, tubular snouts when they feel threatened.


title: Dik-dik

text: Female dik-diks are somewhat larger than males. The males have horns, which are small (about ), slanted backwards and longitudinally grooved. The hair on the crown forms an upright tuft that sometimes partially conceals the short, ribbed horns of the male. The upper body is gray-brown, while the lower parts of the body, including the legs, belly, crest, and flanks, are tan. A bare black spot below the inside corner of each eye contains a preorbital gland that produces a dark, sticky secretion. Dik-diks insert grass stems and twigs into the gland to scent-mark their territories.


title: Dik-dik

text: Perhaps to prevent overheating, dik-diks (especially Guenther's dik-diks) have elongated snouts with bellows-like muscles through which blood is pumped. Airflow and subsequent evaporation cools this blood before it is recirculated to the body. However, this panting is only implemented in extreme conditions; dik-diks can tolerate air temperatures of up to .


title: Dik-dik

text: Dik-diks have special physiological adaptations to help them survive in arid environments. For instance, dik-diks have a lower density of sweat glands compared to other animals such as cattle. Similarly, in more arid environments, dik-diks can concentrate their urine.  These adaptations help dik-diks preserve body water. Because of their small body size, dik-diks are predicted to have among the highest metabolic rates and highest energy requirement per kilogram of all ruminants. However, dik-diks have a lower metabolic rate than would be predicted for their size as a physiological adaptation to heat and aridity.


title: Dik-dik

text: Dik-diks live in shrublands and savannas of eastern Africa. Dik-diks seek habitats with a plentiful supply of edible plants such as shrubs. Dik-diks may live in places as varied as dense forest or open plain, but they require good cover and not too much tall grass. They usually live in pairs in territories of about . The territories are often in low, shrubby bushes (sometimes along dry, rocky streambeds) with plenty of cover. Dik-diks, with their dusty colored coat, are able to blend in with their surroundings. Dik-diks have an established series of runways through and around the borders of their territories that are used when they feel threatened.


title: Dik-dik

text: Dik-diks are herbivores. Their diet mainly consists of foliage, shoots, fruit and berries, but little or no grass. They receive sufficient amounts of water from their food, which makes drinking unnecessary. Like all even-toed ungulates, they digest their food with the aid of micro-organisms in their four-chambered stomachs. After initial digestion, the food is repeatedly eructated and rechewed, a process known also as rumination, or 'chewing the cud'. Dik-diks' tapering heads may help them eat the leaves between the spines on acacia trees, and feed while still keeping their head high to detect predators.


title: Dik-dik

text: Dik-diks are monogamous, and conflicts between territorial neighbors are rare. When they occur, the males from each territory dash at each other, either stop short or make head-to-head contact, then back off for another round, with head crests erected. Males mark their territories with dung piles, and cover the females' dung with their own. One suggestion for monogamy in dik-diks is that it may be an evolutionary response to predation; surrounded by predators, it is dangerous to explore, looking for new partners. Pairs spend about 64% of their time together. Males, but not females, will attempt to initiate extra-pair mating if an opportunity arises.


title: Dik-dik

text: Females are sexually mature at six months and males at 12 months. The female gestates for 169 to 174 days and bears a single offspring. This happens up to twice a year (at the start and finish of the rainy season). Unlike other ruminants which are born forefeet first, the dik-dik is born nose first, with its forelegs laid back alongside its body. Females weigh about at birth, while males weigh . The mother lactates for six weeks, feeding her fawn for no longer than a few minutes at a time. The survival rate for young dik-diks is 50%. The young stay concealed for a time after birth, but grow quickly and reach full size by seven months. At that age, the young are forced to leave their parents' territory. The fathers run the sons off the territory and the mothers run off the daughters.


title: Dik-dik

text: Dik-diks are hunted by leopards, caracals, lions, hyenas, wild dogs and humans. Other predators include monitor lizards, cheetahs, jackals, baboons, eagles, hawks and pythons. Dik-diks' adaptations to predation include excellent eyesight, the ability to reach speeds up to , and high birth rates.


title: Texas (band)

text: Texas are a Scottish alternative rock band from Glasgow. They were founded in 1986 by Johnny McElhone (formerly of the bands Altered Images and Hipsway) and Sharleen Spiteri on lead vocals. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at the University of Dundee. They took their name from the 1984 Wim Wenders movie "Paris, Texas".


title: Texas (band)

text: The band released their debut album "Southside" in 1989, along with the debut single "I Don't Want a Lover", which was a top-ten hit on the UK Singles Chart and peaked within the top ten of the charts in many other European countries. "Southside" entered at number three on the UK Albums Chart and number 88 on the "Billboard" 200 album chart in the United States, and sold over two million copies worldwide. Despite the success of "Southside", the follow-up albums "Mothers Heaven" (1991) and "Ricks Road" (1993) were less successful, peaking at number 32 and number 18 on the UK Albums Chart respectively, but achieved moderate success on various European markets.


title: Texas (band)

text: The band's fortunes changed in 1997 with the release of their "White on Blonde" album, which entered at the top of the UK albums chart and became their biggest seller. To date it has been certified six times platinum in the United Kingdom. Follow up album "The Hush" (1999) was also successful, entering at the top of the UK albums chart and certified triple platinum. The band's "Greatest Hits" album, released in 2000, was another big-seller, again entering at the top of the UK albums chart, and certified six times platinum. Texas would go on to release a further two studio albums, "Careful What You Wish For" in 2003, and "Red Book" in 2005, both of which were certified gold in the United Kingdom. After the release of "Red Book" and a tour to support the album's release, Texas went on hiatus. Lead singer Sharleen Spiteri launched a solo career, releasing her debut solo album, "Melody", in 2008.


title: Texas (band)

text: As of 2017, Texas's worldwide sales were 40 million records and they have had thirteen top-ten singles on the UK singles chart and three number-one albums and eight UK top-ten albums on the UK albums chart. Their ninth studio album, "Jump on Board", released in May 2017, peaked within the top ten of the album charts in Belgium and France, whilst their tenth studio album, "Hi", released in May 2021, became their highest-charting album in the UK since 1999's "The Hush", debuting at number three on the official UK albums chart and number one on the UK independent albums chart, and entering at number one in their native Scotland.


title: Texas (band)

text: The band's debut single, "I Don't Want a Lover", was released in January 1989. It peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and No. 77 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, as well as top-40 positions in various countries worldwide. The band released their debut album, "Southside", in March 1989, which peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Gold by the BPI. However, three further singles from the album all failed to make the UK top 40, with "Thrill Has Gone" reaching No. 60, "Everyday Now" faring little better at No. 44 (though reaching the Top 30 in France), and "Prayer for You" stalling at No. 73.


title: Texas (band)

text: The band's second album, "Mothers Heaven", was released in September 1991. It was preceded by the single "Why Believe in You", but this failed to reach the UK top 40 stalling at No. 66 on the UK Singles Chart. This did not bode well for the album, which itself peaked at No. 32 in the UK. A second single, "In My Heart", fared worse and became Texas's lowest-charting single in the UK, reaching No. 74, making it their fifth single in a row to failed to break the top 40. A third single from the album, "Alone with You", was released in January 1992 and reached No. 32, giving them their second top-40 entry.


title: Texas (band)

text: Ironically, immediately following the disappointing performance of the album and its singles, Texas released a new cover version of the Al Green classic "Tired of Being Alone" in April 1992. The single, which was not included on the album, was more successful and returned the band to the UK top 20, peaking at No. 19.


title: Texas (band)

text: Texas released their third album, "Ricks Road" in November 1993. It was preceded by two more top-40 singles, "So Called Friend" (UK No. 30) and "You Owe It All to Me" (UK No. 39). The album peaked at No. 18 on the UK Albums Chart. The music video for "You Owe It All to Me" was directed by Dani Jacobs, and was filmed in Arizona and features Spiteri and McErlaine filmed in the style of a road movie with the pair encountering another version of themselves along the way. A third single from the album, "So In Love With You", reached No. 28 in the UK in February 1994.


title: Texas (band)

text: Following an endorsement by then Radio 1 presenter Chris Evans on his Channel 4 show "TFI Friday" in 1997, Texas came back to the music scene with the international hit "Say What You Want". The song was released internationally on 6 January 1997 and became the band's highest-peaking single to date on the UK Singles Chart, reaching No. 3 in its second week of release. In February, Texas released their fourth album, "White on Blonde", which went on to become the band's most successful album to date. The album debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and returned to the top spot again six months later. It remained in the UK top 75 for 91 weeks. A total of five singles were taken from the album, all of which were top-ten hits in the UK. "Halo", released in April 1997, peaked at No. 10, "Black Eyed Boy", released in July 1997, peaked at No. 5, and "Put Your Arms Around Me", released in November 1997, also peaked at No. 10. In 1998, the song was featured in the film "", starring Drew Barrymore. The band then released a double A-sided single of "Insane" along with "Say What You Want (All Day, Every Day)"—a new version of the first hit from the album but now with additional rap vocals from the Wu-Tang Clan. The single peaked at No. 4 in the UK.


title: Texas (band)

text: "White on Blonde" became the pinnacle of the band's success, and was certified 6 × Platinum by the BPI for UK sales in excess of 1.8 million copies. It was included in "Q" magazine's "50 Best Albums of 1997", and voted the 86th-best album of all time by "Q" readers in 1998. It also ranked No. 34 in "Q" "Best 50 Albums of Q's Lifetime", as well being included in "Q" "90 Best Albums of the 1990s". In 2010, it was nominated for the BRIT Awards "Best Album in the Past 25 Years".


title: Texas (band)

text: In April 1999, Texas released the first single from their forthcoming fifth studio album. "In Our Lifetime" peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart and was also included on the "Notting Hill" film soundtrack that year. The band's fifth album, "The Hush", was released in May 1999 and charted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart in its first week of release. A second single, "Summer Son", was released in August 1999, reaching No. 5, the band's seventh UK top-ten single at that point. A third and final single, "When We Are Together", was released in November 1999 and narrowly missed the UK top ten (peaking at 12). The album was certified 3 x Platinum by the BPI for UK sales in excess of 900,000 copies.


title: Texas (band)

text: In October 2000, Texas released their first compilation album, "The Greatest Hits". The album featured tracks spanning their career, from their 1989 debut to the current day and included three new songs. A new single, "In Demand" was released on 2 October 2000 and reached No. 6 in the UK, with a video that featured the actor Alan Rickman. When "The Greatest Hits" was released, it became the band's third consecutive album to debut at No. 1 in the UK. A second new single from the collection, "Inner Smile", was released at the end of 2000, also reaching No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The video for "Inner Smile" featured a homage to Elvis Presley (and specifically his '68 Comeback Special shows) with lead singer Spiteri dressed and made up to look like Elvis in his famous black leather suit. In July 2001, a remix of "I Don't Want A Lover" was released which made the UK top 20. By this time, "The Greatest Hits" album had become a huge success and was eventually certified 6 × Platinum by the BPI for UK sales in excess of 1.8 million copies.


title: Texas (band)

text: The single "Like Lovers (Holding On)" was featured during the closing credits of the 2000 animated feature film "Titan A.E." and also appears briefly in one scene as background music. The song was included on the "Titan A.E." soundtrack as well.


title: Texas (band)

text: In September 2002, Spiteri gave birth to her daughter, Misty Kyd, although motherhood did not prevent her from working on another album. In October 2003, Texas released the first single from their upcoming sixth album titled "Carnival Girl" which featured rapping vocals by Canadian artist Kardinal Offishall. The song reached No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart. Later that month, the album "Careful What You Wish For" was released. The album peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Gold by the BPI for sales of over 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom. In December 2003, a second and final single was released from the album entitled "I'll See It Through", though this peaked at a lowly No. 40 on the UK Singles Chart.


title: Texas (band)

text: The band returned in August 2005 with a new single "Getaway", which peaked at No. 6, becoming the band's tenth UK top-ten single. It was followed by another new single, "Can't Resist", released in October 2005. The song reached No. 13 in the UK, and was followed by the band's seventh studio album, "Red Book", released in November 2005. The album reached No. 16 in the UK Albums Chart, ending their run of top-10 albums though was certified Gold by the BPI for sales of over 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom. A third and final single from the album, "Sleep", was released in January 2006 and peaked at No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song featured vocals from Paul Buchannan from the Scottish band the Blue Nile and the video featured comedian Peter Kay. On 21 February 2006, a promo-only single, "What About Us", was released.


title: Texas (band)

text: On 24 September 2007, the band released "The BBC Sessions", which included radio sessions spanning from 1989 to 2005, with extensive liner notes and interviews with Spiteri. Cover songs include Elmore James's "It Hurts Me Too", the Beatles' "I've Got a Feeling", and Ashford & Simpson's "You're All I Need to Get By."


title: Texas (band)

text: In 2008, Spiteri embarked on a solo career. Her debut album "Melody" was released in July 2008 and debuted at No. 3 in the UK. Spiteri's second solo studio album "The Movie Songbook" was released on 1 March 2010, and peaked at No. 13 in the UK.


title: Texas (band)

text: On 8 September 2009, bandmember Ally McErlaine was hospitalised after he collapsed with a massive brain aneurysm at the age of 40. By February 2010, he was recovering well as reported by bandmate Spiteri in "The Sunday Mail": "Ally is the most stubborn person I have ever come across, and I think his sheer pigheadedness is the reason he's still here! When he asked what was happening with Texas, I said it was up to him. He told me he wanted to get back into the studio."


title: Texas (band)

text: After McErlaine survived his collapse—which kills in 80% of cases—Texas reunited for the first time since 2005. The band embarked on a tour in 2011 and lead singer Spiteri appeared on "Popstar to Operastar" on 12 June 2011 singing a version of the band's hit "Say What You Want". Prior to this, Texas had played at the Den Fynske Landsby Festival in Denmark. At the festival, they debuted a new track "The Conversation" which marked the first time the track has been played outside their native Glasgow.


title: Texas (band)

text: Spiteri was also invited to make a series of cameo appearances at different events, all of which involved film scores. She sang Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You" for a "Saturday Night Fever" tribute concert and duetted with Italian singer Mauro Gioia on the "Love Theme from The Godfather".


title: Texas (band)

text: In February 2013, Music Week announced the band had signed a new record deal with PIAS Recordings and were to release their first new album since reuniting. "The Conversation" was released on 20 May 2013. Physical formats included a single disc and double-disc deluxe edition. The latter featured a bonus disc entitled "Live in Scotland". Also in 2013, a UK tour was announced and the album launched at two gigs, one at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow and the other at the 100 Club in London. Spiteri performed a cover of "River Deep – Mountain High" at these gigs as well as a selection of new tracks from "The Conversation". Tracks are written mainly by Spiteri and McElhone, with Richard Hawley and Bernard Butler as collaborators. The album's lead single of the same name joined BBC Radio 2's playlist in April 2013 with two more singles, "Detroit City" and "Dry Your Eyes", following later that year. The album is certified Platinum in France and peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart.


title: Texas (band)

text: In November 2014, Texas contributed to BBC Radio 2's "Sounds of the 80s" album with a cover of "Don't Talk to Me About Love" by Altered Images, a band which also included current Texas member Johnny McElhone in its lineup.


title: Texas (band)

text: To celebrate the band's 25th anniversary, it was announced that some of their biggest hits would be re-recorded for a new album entitled "Texas 25". The collection features eight songs from the band's back catalogue completely reworked with the help of New York production team Truth & Soul, as well as four brand new songs, and was released on 16 February 2015. Deluxe packages include a second disc of the hits in their original form. The lead single, "Start a Family", premiered online on 6 January 2015. A music video followed, once again starring Alan Rickman who was previously featured in the video for "In Demand".


title: Texas (band)

text: The band also embarked on a new UK tour throughout April and May 2015. "An Evening with Texas" was a more intimate arrangement than previous shows and featured stories told by Spiteri from the band's 25 years together.


title: Texas (band)

text: The band released their ninth studio album, "Jump on Board" in May 2017 to critical acclaim, with "Let's Work it Out" serving as the lead single from the new album. "Jump on Board" performed well commercially in the band's native Scotland, debuting at number one on the Scottish Albums Chart. The album reached number one in France and performed well in the UK chart.


title: Texas (band)

text: On 28 February 2020, the band announced on Twitter that its next album was called "Hi", which was released on BMG on 28 May 2021. A single, also called "Hi", was released in December 2020 and reunited the band with the Wu-Tang Clan after 22 years. A video was released for the song with "Small Axe" actor Kadeem Ramsay, a promo video that also includes footage of Texas, RZA and Method Man performing "Say What You Want" at the BRIT Awards in 1998.


title: Texas (band)

text: In April 2021, the second single from "Hi" was released. Called "Mr Haze", the track sampled the melody from "Love's Unkind" (a Giorgio Moroder production which was a top-10 hit for Donna Summer in the late 1970s) and was performed on "The One Show" on BBC One. "Hi" is the tenth album released by Texas and includes collaborations with Richard Hawley and Altered Images' Clare Grogan, the latter duetting with Spiteri on the song "Look What You’ve Done".


title: Texas (band)

text: After the release of Texas's 2005 album "Red Book" the band members confirmed that they would enter a hiatus. Spiteri performed as guest vocalist on Rammstein's "Rosenrot" album. She began work on her debut solo album, working with some of her former bandmates. She wrote the vast majority of the tracks on the album. She released her debut solo album "Melody" on 14 July 2008 with "All the Times I Cried" serving as the album's lead single. The song charted at No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart. "Melody" was proven popular in the United Kingdom, debuting at a high No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart. In other European countries where Texas were popular like in Belgium, the album charted at No. 15 on the Belgium Flanders Chart and No. 13 on the Belgium Wallonia Chart. The song "Don't Keep Me Waiting" was released as a single in Switzerland only, in which it charted at No. 78 on the singles chart there. A further two singles were released worldwide, "Stop, I Don't Love You Anymore" and "It Was You" which were both unpopular in the United Kingdom, missing the UK Top 100, with "Stop, I Don't Love You Anymore" charting at No. 107 and "It Was You" at No. 178. By 2009, "Melody" has been certified Gold by the BPI (United Kingdom) with sales of over 100,000.


title: Texas (band)

text: Spiteri released her second solo studio album "The Movie Songbook" which consists of movie covers chosen by Spiteri herself was released on 1 March 2010. The album's lead single "Xanadu" was released in February 2010, and charted at No. 71 on the UK Singles Chart in March 2010. As for the album, it charted at No. 13 on the UK Albums Chart on 7 March 2010, thus becoming Spiteri's second UK top-40 album as a soloist, and her seventh UK top-40 album both as a soloist and a member of Texas. To promote the album, she performed in front of 55,000 fans supporting Paul McCartney on his Up and Coming Tour at Glasgow's Hampden Park.


title: Mafia (series)

text: Mafia is a series of action-adventure games originally created and developed by 2K Czech (formerly Illusion Softworks). Since the third installment, however, the games are developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K Games. The franchise consists of three mainline installments, along with a remake of the first game, a remastered version of the second game, and two spin-offs for mobile devices. A fourth game is in active development.


title: Mafia (series)

text: Games in the "Mafia" series are set in fictional locales modeled after real American cities, and typically feature historical settings, from Great Depression-era Lost Heaven in the first game, to 1960s New Bordeaux in "Mafia III". Gameplay focuses on an open world environment where players complete missions to progress an overall story, as well as engage in various side activities, albeit in a more linear manner than other open world series such as "Grand Theft Auto". However, most of the games include a bonus Free Ride mode, which allows players to trigger missions from the open world. The series centers on different protagonists who become involved with the Mafia in one way or another, either attempting to rise through its ranks or bring it down for wronging them. The antagonists are commonly characters who have betrayed the protagonist or their organisation, or characters who have the most impact impeding the protagonist's progress.


title: Mafia (series)

text: All games in the franchise have been well received by critics, with praise for their complex narratives, open world design, and focus on realism, although "Mafia III" reviewed significantly worse than the others due to its repetitive gameplay structure. The "Mafia" series has also been commercially successful, with combined lifetime sales of over 17 million units.


title: Mafia (series)

text: The first game in the series, "Mafia" (known during pre-release as "Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven"), was developed by Illusion Softworks and published by Gathering of Developers for Microsoft Windows in August 2002. It was later ported to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in February 2004 and March 2004, respectively. Set in the fictional city of Lost Heaven, loosely based on Chicago, from 1930 to 1938, the game follows Tommy Angelo, a taxi driver-turned-mobster, and his rise and fall within the Salieri crime family.


title: Mafia (series)

text: "Mafia: Definitive Edition" is a remake of the original "Mafia" game, developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K Games for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in September 2020. The remake builds upon the gameplay systems introduced in "Mafia III" while adding several new features, such as the introduction of motorcycles to the series, and closely follows the plot of the original, with several alterations, mainly to dialogue and locations.


title: Mafia (series)

text: "Mafia II" is the standalone sequel to "Mafia" and was developed by 2K Czech and published by 2K Games for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in August 2010. A Mac OS X version was also released in December 2011. The game is set in the fictional metropolis of Empire Bay, inspired by several American cities but primarily by New York, from 1945 to 1951. It tells the story of Vito Scaletta, a young Sicilian-American criminal and World War II veteran, who becomes caught in a power struggle among Empire Bay's various Mafia families while attempting to pay back his late father's debts and secure a better lifestyle.


title: Mafia (series)

text: On May 26, 2010, ahead of the game's release, four content packs were announced as pre-order bonuses in America and Europe, each one available through different retailers. The "Vegas Pack" containing two additional cars and suits for Vito and the "War Hero Pack" containing two military-style vehicles and suits were available from GameStop and EBGames. The "Renegade Pack" containing two sports cars and two jackets was available from Amazon and the "Greaser Pack" featuring two hot rods and two suits was available to Best Buy customers. All pre-order packs were available for purchase as game add-ons on the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, and Steam.


title: Mafia (series)

text: Following "Mafia II"'s release, 2K Games supported the game with three major downloadable content (DLC) packs. The first, titled "The Betrayal of Jimmy", was initially released as a PlayStation 3 exclusive, and features a new storyline starring the titular Jimmy, a gun-for-hire who works for various criminal outfits in Empire Bay. The second pack, titled "Jimmy's Vendetta", was released in September 2010 and is a continuation of Jimmy's story, while the third, titled "Joe's Adventures", was released in November 2010 and follows Vito's best friend Joe Barbaro during the missing chapters of "Mafia II"'s story.


title: Mafia (series)

text: A version of "Mafia II" containing the base game and all DLC packs, titled "Mafia II: Director's Cut", was released by Feral Interactive in December 2011.


title: Mafia (series)

text: "Mafia III" was developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K Games for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in October 2016. It was later released for macOS in May 2017, and for Google Stadia in October 2021. Set within the fictional city of New Bordeaux, based on New Orleans, in 1968, the game follows former criminal and Vietnam veteran Lincoln Clay, who is forced to return to a life of crime to help his adoptive family settle problems with the local branch of the Mafia. After the Mafia betray and murder his family, Lincoln embarks on a quest for revenge while slowly building a criminal empire and seizing power from other criminal organisations in the city.


title: Mafia (series)

text: Similarly to "Mafia II", 2K Games released three story-driven DLC packs for "Mafia III". The first, titled "Faster, Baby!", was released in March 2017; it introduces the town of Sinclair Parish, located on the outskirts of New Bordeaux, and follows Lincoln's efforts to expose the corruption of its racist sheriff, Walter Beaumont, with the help of civil rights activist Charles Laveau and his daughter Roxy. The second, titled "Stones Unturned", was released in May 2017, and sees Lincoln and his friend John Donovan teaming up to stop former CIA agent and Donovan's nemesis Connor Aldridge, who stole a nuclear bomb in hopes of ending the Vietnam War. The final DLC, titled "Sign of the Times", was released in July 2017, and follows Lincoln's investigation of a satanic cult called the Ensanglante.


title: Mafia (series)

text: A version of "Mafia III" containing the base game and all three DLC packs, titled "Mafia III: Definitive Edition", was released in May 2020, and later included in the "Mafia: Trilogy" collection.


title: Mafia (series)

text: To coincide with the release of "Mafia II", a mobile version was developed by Twistbox Games and published by Oasys Mobile; the iOS version was published by Connect2Media. However, the game is not a direct adaptation of "Mafia II", and instead serves as a prequel that bridges the gap between the first two "Mafia" games. The story follows Marco Russotto, a soldato in the Salieri crime family and the nephew of the family's gunsmith Vincenzo, who travels to Empire Bay to find and kill Tommy Angelo as revenge for his betrayal of the family. The game features two possible endings, but only one is canon and leads into the events of "Mafia II".


title: Mafia (series)

text: A mobile role-playing game titled "Mafia III: Rivals" was released to tie-in with the main game, developed by Cat Daddy Games for Android and iOS. "Rivals" is presented as a role-playing game with turn-based combat mechanics. A free demo of "Mafia III" was released on March 28, 2017, the same day as the first downloadable content pack of the game.


title: Mafia (series)

text: A remastered version of "Mafia II" and all its DLC packs, titled "Mafia II: Definitive Edition", was released in May 2020, at the same time as the "Definitive Edition" of "Mafia III". Both games were later included in the "Mafia: Trilogy" pack, which also contains "Mafia: Definitive Edition" (the remake of the first "Mafia" game) and was released alongside it in September 2020.


title: Mafia (series)

text: Each game in the "Mafia" series allows the player to take on the role of a criminal in a large city, typically an individual who plans to rise through the ranks of organised crime. The player character is given various missions by friends and mafia figures in the city underworld which must be completed to progress through the storyline.


title: Mafia (series)

text: The use of vehicles in an explorable urban environment provides a basic simulation of a working city, complete with pedestrians who generally obey traffic signals. Further details are used to flesh out an open-ended atmosphere that has been used in several other games. Traffic rules and regulations are stringently and realistically enforced in the games; failure to obey them through speeding or reckless driving are usually met with penalties such as citations, with further violations resulting in efforts by law enforcement to retaliate more aggressively and thus incapacitate the player.


title: Mafia (series)

text: Games in the "Mafia" series are set in fictional locales modeled after American cities, at various points in time during the 20th century, when the American Mafia was the height of its power.


title: Mafia (series)

text: "Mafia" is set in Lost Heaven during the 1930s. Lost Heaven is loosely based on New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. "Mafia II" is set in the 1940s and early 1950s in Empire Bay, which is based on New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Detroit. "Mafia III" is set in the late 1960s in New Bordeaux, a fictionalised version of New Orleans.


title: Mafia (series)

text: The first two games in the series, have received generally positive reviews, while the third game received mixed reviews. The series have been praised for their narratives, with the first installment particularly praised for its realism in its gameplay. However, "Mafia II" was criticized for its linear open-world design, and "Mafia III" was criticized for its repetitive gameplay and technical issues.


title: Mafia (series)

text: "Mafia: Trilogy", which collects "", the 2020 remake of the first "Mafia", as well as the "Definitive Editions" of "Mafia II" and "Mafia III", generated lifetime sales of more than 2 million units by November 2020.


title: Mafia (series)

text: "Mafia II" has generated some controversy following its release. Sonia Alfano, a member of the European Parliament and president of Italy's association for the families of Mafia victims and whose father was murdered by the Mafia, called for the game to be banned. Take-Two Interactive responded to the issue, stating that the game's depiction of the American Mafia was no different from organized crime films such as "The Godfather". They also responded to allegations of racism from Unico National, who claimed that the game portrayed Italian-Americans unfairly and "indoctrinating" youth into violent stereotypes.


title: Mafia (series)

text: "Mafia II" also used to hold the record for most profanity used in a video game, particularly with regards to the word "fuck", which appears more than 200 times, beating out previous record holder "." However, it was beaten in 2013 by "Grand Theft Auto V", in which the word "fuck" is either spoken or read in excess of 1,000 times.


title: 2022 Dallas Cowboys season

text: The 2022 season is the Dallas Cowboys' 63rd in the National Football League (NFL) and their third under head coach Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys attempt to improve on their 12–5 record from 2021, become the first team since the 2001–2004 Philadelphia Eagles to repeat as NFC East champions, and win a Super Bowl for the first time since 1995. The Cowboys clinched back-to-back winning seasons, the first time Dallas would do so since the 2016–2018 seasons.


title: 2022 Dallas Cowboys season

text: This is the first season since 2014 without offensive tackle La'el Collins on the roster, as he was released on March 18, 2022, and later signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15, the Cowboys clinched a playoff berth after a loss by the Washington Commanders later that day. This marks the first time since 2006–2007 the Cowboys qualified for the postseason in consecutive years.


title: 2022 Dallas Cowboys season

text: Despite a strong defensive effort, the Cowboys could not keep pace against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and failed to find the end zone in their season opener. The 19–3 loss dropped Dallas to 0–1 on the season and 0–7 all time against Brady-led teams. The three points were also the Cowboys' lowest total for a season opener since the infamous 1989 season, when they were shut out by the New Orleans Saints. Worsening matters further, quarterback Dak Prescott injured his right hand late in the fourth quarter, which was revealed after the game to be a thumb fracture. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced immediately after the game that Prescott would undergo surgery the following day, sidelining him for several weeks. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush was announced as the starter for Dallas in Prescott's absence.


title: 2022 Dallas Cowboys season

text: The Cowboys hosted the Bengals hoping to avoid their first 0–2 start since 2010. The Cowboys entered the game as 7-point underdogs without Dak Prescott. The Cowboys led 17–3 at halftime, though they allowed the Bengals to tie the game at 17. The Cowboys defense gave Joe Burrow and the Bengals a hard time throughout the game, as Micah Parsons registered multiple sacks on Joe Burrow. In the final minutes of the game, the Cowboys forced the Bengals to punt, and drove the ball to field goal range. In the fading seconds, Brett Maher kicked a game winning field goal to help the Cowboys stave off the Bengals comeback to improve to 1–1.


title: 2022 Dallas Cowboys season

text: The Cowboys led 6–3 at half but missed opportunities to blow the game open. Even though they blocked a Giants field goal attempt, referees missed a defensive pass interference call which would have given the Cowboys a 1st and Goal on the 1-yard line, and CeeDee Lamb uncharacteristically dropped a big catch that could've been a touchdown. The Giants got the ball to start the third quarter and scored on their first two drives, the second a touchdown run by Saquon Barkley to give the Giants a 13–6 lead. The Cowboys responded with a touchdown run by Ezekiel Elliott, then stopped the Giants on 4th down the next drive. On their next drive, Lamb converted on a 4th and 4 and finished the drive with a one-handed touchdown catch to take a 20–13 lead. The Cowboys forced a three-and-out and started their next drive in field goal range to make it a two-score game after a big punt return. The Giants responded with a field goal to cut the deficit and had a chance to tie the game, but Trevon Diggs sealed the win with his first interception of the season.


title: 2022 Dallas Cowboys season

text: DeMarcus Lawrence finished with 3 sacks on the night, and the Cowboys defense had 5 total. The Cowboys improved to 2–1, and Cooper Rush became 3–0 as the Cowboys starting quarterback.


title: 2022 Dallas Cowboys season

text: The Cowboys traveled to Philadelphia, looking to continue their momentum and hand the undefeated Eagles their first loss. Following a scoreless first quarter, Philadelphia scored first on a Miles Sanders touchdown run for a 7–0 lead. Cooper Rush would be intercepted by Chauncey Gardner-Johnson on the first play of the ensuing drive, and the Eagles would double their lead seven plays later on an A.J. Brown touchdown reception. The Eagles would add two field goals following a Cowboys three-and-out and another interception to make it 20–0. This time, the Cowboys would finally rebound, as KaVontae Turpin would return the kickoff after the second field goal to the Eagles' 41. Rush threw a pass to Noah Brown in the endzone for a touchdown, but the play was reversed after Brown was deemed to have landed out of bounds. The Cowboys settled for a Brett Maher field goal, cutting the deficit to 20–3. Dallas sprung to life in the second half, by getting a defensive stop against the Eagles and following it up with a quick scoring drive culminating in a 14-yard touchdown run by Ezekiel Elliott. The defense stopped Philadelphia again, and the offense again put together a scoring drive, capped by a 7-yard touchdown reception by Jake Ferguson to pull within three points. However, this would be the closest the Cowboys would get to the Eagles, as Philadelphia answered with a long drive of their own, culminating in a 7-yard touchdown catch by DeVonta Smith, making the score 26–17 following a failed two-point conversion. Rush would throw his third interception of the night four plays later, allowing the Eagles to burn more time off the clock before punting back to the Cowboys. Needing a touchdown and a field goal to take the lead, Dallas drove to the Philadelphia 41, but a 59-yard field goal attempt by Maher would sail wide right, sealing the Cowboys' fate. Dallas dropped to 4–2 with the 26–17 loss, and fell to third place in the NFC East thanks to the New York Giants winning earlier that day. This was also Cooper Rush's first career loss as a starter after beginning his career with a 5–0 record.


title: 2022 Dallas Cowboys season

text: In Dak Prescott's first game back from a thumb injury, the Cowboys initially slumped by trailing 6–3 at halftime. The Cowboys blew the game open after a key fumble in the Lions' red zone, but forced another punt. The Cowboys defense forced five turnovers as the Cowboys would dominate the remainder of the game. The Cowboys marched down the field in the fourth quarter after forcing a fumble on the Lions at the Dallas 1-yard line, denying the Lions a touchdown. Dak Prescott finished the game with his first touchdown pass of 2022. The Cowboys improved to 5–2, but remain in third place in the NFC East via the Giants winning that same day.


title: 2022 Dallas Cowboys season

text: Despite a weak defensive performance and the absence of Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys were superior to the Bears, who were just coming off an upset win against the Patriots. The Cowboys exploded in the first quarter, already going up by 14. The two teams exchanged two touchdowns to make the game 28–14. Shortly before halftime, an interception led to the Bears cutting the lead further. The Cowboys defense continued to struggle, as they left the game open after a fumble play was reversed. After the Bears cut the Cowboys lead to 28–23, the Cowboys offense marched down the field to pull their lead back up to make it 35–23. After several plays, Micah Parsons scored his first NFL touchdown after recovering a fumble untouched to give Dallas a 42–23 lead. The Cowboys and the Bears repeated exchange of touchdowns, with the Bears getting one but failing a two-point conversion attempt, and the former opting to converting an extra point, making the score 49–29. That was also the final score. This was Bears head coach Matt Eberflus' first return to Dallas in 5 years. Eberflus previously served as the Cowboys' linebackers coach and passing game coordinator from 2011–2017 under then-head coach Jason Garrett. The win not only improved the Cowboys to 6–2, but also moved them up to second place in the NFC East following a Giants loss to the Seahawks later that day.


title: 2022 Dallas Cowboys season

text: This was head coach Mike McCarthy's first return to Lambeau Field since his firing from the Packers late in the 2018 season. McCarthy previously served as Green Bay's head coach from 2006–2018, leading them to 9 playoff appearances and to the franchise's fourth Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XLV. The Cowboys blew a 28–14 lead and lost to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, 31–28, in overtime, on a 28-yard field goal by Mason Crosby, resulting in their first ever loss after leading by 14 going into the 4th quarter. They were previously 195–0 in those circumstances. With the upset loss, the Cowboys fell to 6–3, and third in the NFC East after the Giants won earlier in the day.


title: 2022 Dallas Cowboys season

text: The Cowboys demolished the Vikings on both sides of the ball. In Ezekiel Elliott's first game back from his knee injury, Elliott combined with Tony Pollard for four touchdowns against a Vikings team that had been rolling with a 7-game win streak. The Cowboys improved to 7–3 with this win, and the New York Giants' loss to the Detroit Lions earlier that day moved the Cowboys to second place.


title: 2022 Dallas Cowboys season

text: Despite a rocky first half, the Cowboys dominated the rest of the way. This was the Cowboys' first Thanksgiving Day win since 2018, and the Cowboys improved to 8–3 on the season. For the first time since 2012, the Cowboys wore their classic throwback uniforms, thanks to the NFL rescinding the one-helmet rule.


title: 2022 Dallas Cowboys season

text: The Cowboys entered the game as 17-point favorites against the 1-win Texans. The game began with an opening touchdown drive from Tony Pollard to allow the Cowboys to strike first. The Texans responded with a touchdown drive of their own to make it 7–7. The Cowboys trailed 10–7 after the first quarter, then regained the lead after Tony Pollard had another touchdown drive to make it 14–10 Cowboys. The Texans took the lead again after a touchdown drive from Jeff Driskel to Amari Rodgers. The two teams exchanged field goals before halftime, making the game 20–17 in favor of the Texans. In the third quarter, the Cowboys allowed the Texans to march down the field, but were able to hold Houston to a field goal. In the final quarter, the Cowboys trailed 23–20. In the final minutes of the game, the Cowboys forced a turnover on downs to get the ball back to get another chance to avoid embarrassment. The Cowboys moved the ball deep after two long plays via completed passes from Dak Prescott to Dalton Schultz. The Cowboys moved deep into Houston territory prior to the two-minute warning, and entered the red zone to put the Cowboys in position to take a late lead. Dallas would do so via an Ezekiel Elliott 2-yard rushing touchdown to give the Cowboys a 27-23 lead. After the Texans tried to respond, Cowboys' cornerback Israel Mukuamu, who substituted injured Anthony Brown, intercepted a Hail Mary pass to seal the Cowboys' win. The win improved the Cowboys to 10–3, giving Dallas back-to-back 10+ win seasons for the first time since 1995-1996.


title: Banijay

text: Banijay (formerly Banijay Entertainment and later Banijay Group) is a French television production and distribution company which is the world's largest international content producer and distributor with over 120 production companies across 22 territories, and a multi-genre catalogue containing over 120,000 hours of original programming. Headquartered in Paris, the company was founded in January 2008 by Stéphane Courbit, formerly president of Endemol France, and has risen since its inception, to become a €3bn turnover business. It is currently a subsidiary of FL Entertainment N.V., based in Amsterdam.


title: Banijay

text: The company has expanded over the years through multiple acquisitions, including its purchases of Zodiak Media in 2016 and Endemol Shine Group in 2020, when it adopted its current name.


title: Banijay

text: The group represents some of the world's most renowned non-scripted television formats including "Big Brother", "Survivor", "Deal or No Deal", "Temptation Island", "MasterChef", "Don't Forget the Lyrics" and "Hunted". Banijay is also behind long-running hits that include "Peaky Blinders", "Grantchester", "Wallander", and "Black Mirror" as well as the upcoming series "Marie Antoinette" and "".


title: Banijay

text: In 2009, Banijay acquired 51% of Spanish production company Cuarzo Producciones on 12 January, 50% of German producer Brainpool TV on 2 July and the entire television division of Copenhagen-based film studio Nordisk Film on 12 October. In March 2010, Banijay acquired American production company Bunim/Murray Productions for an undisclosed amount.


title: Banijay

text: In September 2012, Banijay acquired a majority stake in Australian production company Screentime, which included a New Zealand division (Screentime New Zealand) and a 49% stake in Irish producer Shinawil which was sold in 2015. That same year, French celebrity channel Non Stop People and Cyril Hanouna's became new members of the Group, followed in 2013 by Italian producer Ambra Multimedia and Spanish producer, DLO Producciones.


title: Banijay

text: In April 2014, Banijay launched Banijay Studios North America in Los Angeles, California. On 9 January 2015, Banijay acquired New York City-based Stephen David Entertainment.


title: Banijay

text: In July 2015, Banijay Group announced that it would merge with Zodiak Media; the merger was completed in February 2016. Vivendi also became a shareholder in 2016.


title: Banijay

text: In 2017, Banijay acquired BlackLight Television, Blast and Fearless Minds in the UK, launched YellowBird UK and acquired Shauna Events in France. In July of that year, Banijay announced it had acquired "Survivor" production company Castaway Television Productions.


title: Banijay

text: In February 2018, Banijay Group acquired Britain-based company Wonder and Neon Ink Productions in February Banijay Studios Italy, Banijay Asia and Banijay Productions Germany were created in June of that year. Portocabo and Terence Films also became members of the group in 2018.


title: Banijay

text: In October 2018, Banijay entered advanced talks to acquire rival Endemol Shine Group, with a deal approved a year later on 26 October 2019.


title: Banijay

text: In October 2019, Good Times and Funwood Media became part of the group and the company launched joint venture The Natural Studios alongside Bear Grylls and Delbert Shoopman.


title: Banijay

text: On 30 June 2020, the European Commission approved Banijay's purchase of Endemol Shine. The purchase was completed on July 3, 2020, whereby Banijay took on its current name (dropping off "Group") and upscaled from its 16 territories to 22. More recently, it signed a deal with Nineteen11, a production company. On December 15, 2021, Banijay Rights inked a deal with Viaplay which provided access to its Nordic drama titles. This led to the creation of Banijay Brands and in September 2020 Banijay Germany secured the majority stake in SR Management GmbH.


title: Banijay

text: In April 2021 it was announced Banijay acquired animation company Monello Productions to sit under Banijay Kids & Family. In addition, that month, Banijay Germany launched a new label before announcing in May that Banijay Germany had established a new documentary division. In June of the same year Endemol Shine Germany, part of Banijay Germany, had launched Rainer Laux Productions which is a collaboration with renowned TV producer Rainer Laux. Banijay Germany also partnered with Stephan Denzer in October to found fiction label Good Humor.


title: Banijay

text: In 2021, Marathon Studio, a joint venture with Banijay France was established and it was announced in July that Banijay France acquired DMLS TV. In July new French talent agency, Banijay Talent and IMA the new creative agency from Banijay Iberia were launched. Additionally, Banijay Benelux acquired a majority stake in leading Dutch sports producer Southfields.


title: Banijay

text: In September 2021, Banijay Americas launched new production studio Banijay Mexico & U.S. Hispanic, which is based in Mexico City and Los Angeles. Banijay UK also announced in October 2021 the creation of new scripted start-up Double Dutch.


title: Banijay

text: In February 2022, Endemol Shine Boomdog, announced the launch of its post-production studio. This month also saw the creation of Yasuke Production. This new production company between Endemol France and Teddy Riner will focus on the world of sport. Later this month, a partnership with award-winning French producer Alain Goldman via Pitchipoï Productions and Montmartre Films was confirmed.


title: Banijay

text: In March 2022, it was announced that Banijay had acquired the Rome-based production company, Grøenlandia Group.


title: Banijay

text: In April Banijay, announced it is further growing its premium scripted offering via a partnership between Banijay Iberia and Pokeepsie Films. <ref>


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: Chūichi Nagumo (, "Nagumo Chūichi"; 25 March 1887 – 6 July 1944) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Nagumo led Japan's main carrier battle group, the "Kido Butai", in the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Indian Ocean raid and the Battle of Midway. He committed suicide during the Battle of Saipan.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: Nagumo was born in the city of Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture in northern Japan in 1887. He graduated from the 36th class of the IJN Academy in 1908, with a ranking of 8 out of a class of 191 cadets. As a midshipman, he served in the protected cruisers and and the armored cruiser . After his promotion to ensign in 1910, he was assigned to cruiser .


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: After attending torpedo and naval artillery schools, he was promoted to sub-lieutenant and served in the battleship , followed by the destroyer . In 1914, he was promoted to lieutenant and was assigned to the battlecruiser , followed by the destroyer . He was assigned his first command, the destroyer , on 15 December 1917.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: Nagumo graduated from the Naval War College, and was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1920. His specialty was torpedo and destroyer tactics. From 1920 to 1921, he was captain of the destroyer , but was soon sent to shore duty with various assignments by the IJN General Staff. He became a commander in 1924. From 1925 to 1926, Nagumo accompanied a Japanese mission to study naval warfare strategy, tactics, and equipment in Western Europe and the United States.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: After his return to Japan, Nagumo was assigned to duties in Chinese territorial waters. He was appointed captain of the river gunboat from 20 March 1926 to 15 October 1926, followed by the gunboat from 15 October 1926 to 15 November 1927. He then served as an instructor at the IJN Academy from 1927 to 1929. Nagumo was promoted to captain in November 1929 and assumed command of the light cruiser and from 1930 to 1931 was commander of the 11th Destroyer Division. After serving in administrative positions from 1931 to 1933, he assumed command of the heavy cruiser from 1933 to 1934, and the battleship from 1934 to 1935. He was promoted to Rear Admiral on 1 November 1935.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: As a Rear Admiral, Nagumo commanded the 8th Cruiser Division to support Imperial Japanese Army movements in China from the Yellow Sea. As a leading officer of the militaristic Fleet Faction, he also received a boost in his career from political forces.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: From 1937 to 1938, he was commandant of the Torpedo School, and from 1938 to 1939, he was commander of the 3rd Cruiser Division. Nagumo was promoted to vice admiral on 15 November 1939. From November 1940 to April 1941, Nagumo was commandant of the Naval War College.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: On 10 April 1941, Nagumo was appointed commander-in-chief of the First Air Fleet, the IJN′s main carrier battle group, largely due to his seniority. Many contemporaries and historians have doubted his suitability for this command, given his lack of familiarity with naval aviation.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: By this time, he had visibly aged, physically and mentally. Physically, he suffered from arthritis, possibly from his younger days as a "kendoka". Mentally, he had become a cautious officer who carefully worked over the tactical plans of every operation in which he was involved.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: Admiral Nishizo Tsukahara had doubts about Nagumo's appointment, and commented, "Nagumo was an officer of the old school, a specialist of torpedo and surface maneuvers... He did not have any idea of the capability and potential of naval aviation." One son of Nagumo described him as a brooding father, obsessed with and later regretful about pressuring his sons into joining the IJN. In contrast, Nagumo's junior naval officers thought of him as a father figure.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: Despite his limited experience, he was a strong advocate of combining sea and air power, although he was opposed to Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's plan to attack the United States Navy Naval Station Pearl Harbor. While commanding the First Air Fleet, Nagumo oversaw the attack on Pearl Harbor, but he was later criticized for his failure to launch a third attack, which might have destroyed the fuel oil storage and repair facilities. This could have rendered the most important U.S. naval base in the Pacific useless, especially as the use of the submarine base and intelligence station at the installation were critical factors in Japan's defeat in the Pacific War.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: Nagumo was surrounded by able lieutenants such as Minoru Genda and Mitsuo Fuchida. He also fought well in the early 1942 campaigns, obtaining success as a fleet commander at the Bombing of Darwin and at the Indian Ocean raid on the Eastern Fleet, the latter of which sank an aircraft carrier, two cruisers, and two destroyers, and caused Admiral Sir James Somerville to retreat to East Africa.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: The Battle of Midway, in June 1942, brought Nagumo's near-perfect record to an end. During the Battle of Midway, a Martin B-26 Marauder, after being seriously damaged by anti-aircraft fire, flew directly towards the bridge of the aircraft carrier . The aircraft, either attempting a suicide ramming, or out of control due to battle damage or a wounded or killed pilot, narrowly missed crashing into the carrier's bridge, which could have killed Nagumo and his command staff, before it cartwheeled into the sea. This experience may well have contributed to Nagumo's determination to launch another attack on Midway, in direct violation of Yamamoto's order to keep the reserve strike force armed for anti-ship operations. However when Nagumo received scouting reports that American ships were in the area, he changed plans and ordered his planes be armed back to attack American ships.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: It appears the situation caught him somewhere in-between, with half his planes armed with torpedoes (for ships) and the other half with bombs (for land offensives) and no time to switch everything back to torpedoes. And, as an officer always going by naval doctrine, he decided to wait to arm the entire air fleet with torpedoes before launching an offensive, instead of starting it with whatever available at hand.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: During the bombing of the "Akagi", Nagumo would have experienced hard knocks while being tossed about the carrier as the explosions went off around him. The buffeting he encountered during the bombing, as well as the loss of two of his carriers, would have left him in no condition to exert even his remaining confidence in victory. As Nagumo began to grasp the enormity of what had happened, he appears to have gone into a state of shock. Witnesses saw Nagumo standing near the ship’s compass looking out at the flames on his flagship and two other carriers in a trance-like daze. Despite being asked to abandon ship, Nagumo didn’t move and was reluctant to leave the "Akagi", just muttering, “It's not time yet,”. Nagumo's chief of staff, Rear Admiral Ryūnosuke Kusaka, was able to persuade him to leave the critically damaged "Akagi". Nagumo, with a barely perceptible nod, with tears in his eyes, agreed to go. Nagumo and his staff were forced to evacuate through the forward windows of the bridge by rope. An expert in judo, Nagumo landed lightly, whereas Kusaka badly sprained both ankles and was burned during the evacuation. The First Air Fleet lost four carriers during the turning point of the Pacific War, and the massive losses of carrier aircraft maintenance personnel would prove detrimental to the performance of the IJN in later engagements. The loss of the four carriers, their aircraft, and their maintenance crews, plus the loss of 120 experienced pilots, resulted in Japan losing the strategic initiative in the Pacific. Nagumo contemplated suicide but was eventually talked out of taking his own life by Kusaka. Following the battle, Nagumo appeared to have lost his aggressiveness and effectiveness. He never recovered from the loss of his carriers, and teared up when talking about the defeat to his son in 1944.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: Afterwards, Nagumo was reassigned as commander-in-chief of the Third Fleet and commanded aircraft carriers in the Guadalcanal campaign in the battles of the Eastern Solomons and the Santa Cruz Islands. There his actions were largely indecisive and slowly frittered away much of Japan's maritime strength.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: On 11 November 1942, Nagumo was reassigned to Japan, where he was given command of the Sasebo Naval District. He transferred to the Kure Naval District on 21 June 1943. From October 1943 to February 1944, Nagumo was again commander-in-chief of First Fleet, which was by that time largely involved in only training duties.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: As Japan's military situation deteriorated, Nagumo was deployed on 4 March 1944 for the short-lived command of the 14th Air Fleet and the Central Pacific Area Fleet in the Mariana Islands.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: The Battle of Saipan began on 15 June 1944. The IJN, under Vice Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa, was overwhelmed within days by the U.S. 5th Fleet in the decisive Battle of the Philippine Sea, where Japan lost three fleet carriers and about 600 aircraft. Nagumo and his Army peer Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Saito were now on their own to keep control of Saipan.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: On 6 July, Nagumo killed himself with a pistol to the temple rather than the traditional "seppuku". His remains were recovered by U.S. Marines in the cave where he spent his last days as the Japanese commander of Saipan. He was posthumously promoted to admiral and awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Golden Kite.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: Nagumo's grave is located at the Ōbai-in sub-temple of Engaku-ji in Kamakura, next to the grave of his son, Susumu Nagumo, who was killed in battle aboard the destroyer on 4 December 1944.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: In the 2004 video game "Axis and Allies", Nagumo is one of four playable Japanese commanders, alongside his more famous superior, Yamamoto.


title: Chūichi Nagumo

text: Douglas Niles featured Nagumo in his alternate history novel "MacArthur's War: A Novel of the Invasion of Japan" (2007).


title: Civil defense siren

text: A civil defense siren, also known as an air-raid siren or tornado siren, is a siren used to provide an emergency population warning to the general population of approaching danger. It is sometimes sounded again to indicate the danger has passed. Some sirens, especially within small towns, are also used to call the volunteer fire department when needed. Initially designed to warn city dwellers of air raids in World War II, they were later used to warn of nuclear attack and natural destructive weather patterns, such as tornadoes. The generalized nature of sirens led to many of them being replaced with more specific warnings, such as the broadcast-based Emergency Alert System and the Cell Broadcast-based Wireless Emergency Alerts and EU-Alert mobile technologies.


title: Civil defense siren

text: A mechanical siren generates sound by spinning a slotted chopper wheel to interrupt a stream of air at a regular rate. Modern sirens can develop a sound level of up to 135 decibels at . The Chrysler air raid siren, driven by a Chrysler Hemi gasoline engine, generates 138 dB at .


title: Civil defense siren

text: By use of varying tones or binary patterns of sound, different alert conditions can be called. Electronic sirens can transmit voice announcements in addition to alert tone signals. Siren systems may be electronically controlled and integrated into other warning systems.


title: Civil defense siren

text: Sirens are sometimes integrated into a warning system that links sirens with other warning media, such as the radio and TV Emergency Alert System, NOAA Weather Radio, telephone alerting systems, Reverse 911, Cable Override, and wireless alerting systems in the United States and the National Public Alerting System, Alert Ready, in Canada. This fluid approach enhances the credibility of warnings and reduces the risk of assumed false alarms by corroborating warning messages through multiple forms of media. The Common Alerting Protocol is a technical standard for this sort of multi-system integration.


title: Civil defense siren

text: Siren installations have many ways of being activated. Commonly used methods are dual-tone multi-frequency signaling (DTMF) or public switched telephone network (PSTN) using telephone lines, but activation can also be done via radio broadcast. This method opens up vulnerability for exploitation, but there are protections from false alarms. These sirens can also be tied into other networks such as a fire department's volunteer notification/paging system. The basics of this type of installation would consist of a device (possibly the same pager the firefighters have) connected to the controller/timer system of the siren. When a page is received, the siren is activated.


title: Civil defense siren

text: A mechanical siren uses a rotor and stator to chop an air stream, which is forced through the siren by radial vanes in the spinning rotor. An example of this type of siren is the Federal Signal 2T22, which was originally developed during the Cold War and produced from the early 1950s to the late 1980s. This particular design employs dual rotors and stators to sound each pitch. Because the sound power output of this type of siren is the same in every direction at all times, it is described as omnidirectional. The Federal 2T22 was also marketed in a 3-signal configuration known as the Federal Signal 3T22, with the capability for a "hi-lo" (High-Low) signal.


title: Civil defense siren

text: While some mechanical sirens produce sound in all directions simultaneously, other designs produce sound in only one direction, while employing a rotator mechanism to turn the siren head through 360 degrees of rotation. One rare type of mechanical siren, the Federal Signal RSH-10 ("Thunderbeam"), does not rotate or produce equal sound output in all directions. It instead uses a slowly rotating angled disc below the siren which directs the siren's output throughout 360 degrees.


title: Civil defense siren

text: A variation of the electromechanical siren is a "supercharged" siren. A supercharged siren uses a separate source, usually a supercharger, which forces air into the rotor assembly of the siren. This increases the air pressure in the rotor assembly, causing the sound output of the siren to increase heavily, which in return increases the sound range by a large amount. The superchargers are generally driven by an electric motor, but in rare cases, can be driven by an engine. Federal Signal took advantage of this design and created their Thunderbolt Siren Series. Within the Thunderbolt product line, three different configurations were offered: the Thunderbolt 1000, a single-tone siren; the Thunderbolt 1000T, a dual-tone siren; and the Thunderbolt 1003, a variation of the 1000T that employs solenoid-actuated slide valves to create a "hi-lo" (High-Low) signal primarily used as a fire signal.


title: Civil defense siren

text: A very early model called the Thunderbolt 2000 was offered in both single tone and dual tone. The only notable difference between the Thunderbolt 2000 and later editions is that its blower is driven by an Onan two cylinder gasoline engine. Another example of a siren that has a separate blower is the Alerting Communicators of America (ACA) Hurricane. One more example of a siren with a blower is the SoCal Edison Model 120, built specifically for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. The SoCal Edison Model 120 is no longer standing out in public, as only one exists, and is owned privately.


title: Civil defense siren

text: Another variation on the electromechanical siren is the pneumatic (HLS), first produced by the German firm Pintsch-Bamag and later by the German firm Hörmann. Soon afterward, Hörmann improved on the design to create the HLS 273, which did away with the massive siren head of the original in favor of a more compact head and cast aluminum exponential-profile horns. These sirens stored a reservoir of compressed air, recharged periodically by a diesel engine-driven compressor in a vault in the base of the massive siren unit. The later HLS 273 placed the large (6,000 liter) air tank underground beside the machinery vault, instead of in the mast itself as in the earlier HLS units.


title: Civil defense siren

text: Electronic sirens consist of an electronic tone generator, a high-power amplifier, and a horn loudspeaker. Typically, the loudspeaker unit incorporates horn loading, causing them to be similar in appearance to some electromechanical sirens. Many of these loudspeakers incorporate a vertical array of horns to achieve pattern control in the vertical plane. Each cell of the loudspeaker horn is driven by one or more compression drivers. One type of compression driver for this type of loudspeaker handles 400 watts of electrical power and uses two doughnut-shaped permanent magnet slugs to provide magnetic flux. For siren applications, high-fidelity sound is a secondary concern to high output, and siren drivers typically produce large amounts of distortion which would not be tolerable in an audio system where fidelity is important. Most newer (and some older) electronic sirens have the ability to store digital audio files. These audio files could be custom sounds, or emergency messages. Depending on the situation, the stored sound file can broadcast through the siren. These sirens could also come with a Microphone Jack to broadcast live messages via microphone.


title: Civil defense siren

text: As with electromechanical sirens, there are both omnidirectional, directional, and rotating categories, though Whelen Engineering produces sirens which oscillate through 360 degrees, rotating in one direction and then in the other to allow a hard-wired connection between the amplifiers and the siren drivers. These sirens can also be set to rotate any amount from 0 to 360 degrees, allowing sirens to broadcast only in certain directions.


title: Civil defense siren

text: Electronic sirens may be mechanically rotated to cover a wide area, or may have transducers facing in all directions to make an omnidirectional pattern. A directional siren may be applied where notification is only required for a defined area in one direction.


title: Civil defense siren

text: Israel has more than 3,100 warning sirens. Most of the sirens in urban areas are German-made HLS sirens, models F71 and ECN3000. All the other sirens are HPSS32 models made by Acoustic Technologies (ATI). During the early 2010s, mechanical sirens were gradually phased out and replaced by electronic ones, although the mechanical ones were generally left standing. The air-raid sirens are called ("az'aka" 'alarm'), and consist of a continuous ascending and descending tone. The "all clear" signal, called ("tzfirat harga'a"), is a constant single-pitch sound. In recent conflicts, use of the "all clear" signal has been discontinued, as it was seen as causing unnecessary confusion and alarm. In certain regions in the south of Israel, which regularly undergo rocket attacks from Gaza, a specialized system called Red Color is used.


title: Civil defense siren

text: The "all clear" signal is used three times per year to denote a moment of silence (of one or two minutes): once on Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day and twice on the Day of Remembrance.