title: Pakistan Movement

text: In British-ruled Colonial India, Baluchistan contained a Chief Commissioner's province and princely states (including Makran, Las Bela and Kharan) that became a part of Pakistan. The province's Shahi Jirga and the non-official members of the Quetta Municipality, according to the Pakistani narrative, agreed to join Pakistan unanimously on 29 June 1947; however, the Shahi Jirga was stripped of its members from the Kalat State prior to the vote. The then president of the Baluchistan Muslim League, Qazi Muhammad Isa, informed Jinnah that "Shahi Jirga in no way represents the popular wishes of the masses" and that members of the Kalat State were "excluded from voting; only representatives from the British part of the province voted and the British part included the leased areas of Quetta, Nasirabad Tehsil, Nushki and Bolan Agency." Following the referendum, the Khan of Kalat, on 22 June 1947, received a letter from members of the Shahi Jirga, as well as sardars from the leased areas of Baluchistan, stating that they, "as a part of the Baloch nation, were a part of the Kalat state too" and that if the question of Baluchistan's accession to Pakistan arise, "they should be deemed part of the Kalat state rather than (British) Balochistan". This has brought into question whether an actual vote took place in the town hall "and that the announcement in favour of accession was secured through sheer manipulation." Political scientist Salman Rafi Sheikh, in locating the origins of the insurgency in Balochistan, says "that Balochistan's accession to Pakistan was, as against the officially projected narrative, not based upon consensus, nor was support for Pakistan overwhelming. What this manipulation indicates is that even before formally becoming a part of Pakistan, Balochistan had fallen a prey to political victimization."


title: Pakistan Movement

text: The pro-India Congress, which drew support from Hindus and some Muslims, sensing that geographic and demographic compulsions would not allow the province’s inclusion into the newly Independent India, began to encourage separatist elements in Balochistan, and other Muslim majority provinces such as NWFP.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: Kalat finally acceded to Pakistan on 27 March 1948 after the "strange help" of All India Radio and a period of negotiations and bureaucratic tactics used by Pakistan. The signing of the Instrument of Accession by Ahmad Yar Khan, led his brother, Prince Abdul Karim, to revolt against his brother's decision in July 1948. Princes Agha Abdul Karim Baloch and Muhammad Rahim refused to lay down arms, leading the Dosht-e Jhalawan in unconventional attacks on the army until 1950. The Princes fought a lone battle without support from the rest of Baluchistan.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: Dhaka was the birthplace of the All India Muslim League in 1906. The Pakistan Movement was highly popular in the Muslim population of Bengal. Many of the Muslim League's notable statesmen and activists hailed from East Bengal, including Khabeeruddin Ahmed, Sir Abdul Halim Ghuznavi, Anwar-ul Azim, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Jogendra Nath Mandal, Khawaja Nazimuddin, and Nurul Amin, many among whom later became Prime ministers of Pakistan. Following the partition of Bengal, violence erupted in the region, which was mainly contained to Kolkata and Noakhali.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: It is documented by Pakistani historians that Suhrawardy wanted Bengal to be an independent state that would neither join Pakistan or India but would remain unpartitioned. Despite the heavy criticism from the Muslim League, Jinnah realised the validity of Suhrawardy's argument and gave his tacit support to the idea of an Independent Bengal. Nevertheless, the Indian National Congress decided for partition of Bengal in 1947, which was additionally ratified in the subsequent years.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: During the Pakistan Movement in the 1940s, Rohingya Muslims in western Burma had an ambition to annex and merge their region into East-Pakistan. Before the independence of Burma in January 1948, Muslim leaders from Arakan addressed themselves to Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and asked his assistance in annexing of the Mayu region to Pakistan which was about to be formed. Two months later, the North Arakan Muslim League was founded in Akyab (modern: Sittwe, capital of Arakan State), it, too demanding annexation to Pakistan. However, it is noted that the proposal never materialised after it was reportedly turned down by Jinnah.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: The Ulama support for the Pakistan Movement came in the form of the New Medina construct, which was formulated by the Barelvis and a section of the Deobandi clergy. In its election campaign in 1946 the Muslim League drew upon the support of Islamic scholars and Sufis with the rallying cry of 'Islam in danger'. The majority of Barelvis supported the creation of Pakistan and Barelvi ulama issued fatwas in support of the Muslim League. In contrast, most Deobandi ulama (led by Hussain Ahmed Madani) opposed the creation of Pakistan and the two-nation theory. Husain Ahmad Madani and the Deobandis advocated composite nationalism, according to which Muslims and Hindus were one nation (cf. "Composite Nationalism and Islam"). Madani differentiated between "qaum" -which meant a multi-religious nation - and "millat" - which was exclusively the social unity of Muslims.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: However, a few highly influential Deobandi clerics did support the creation of Pakistan. Such Deobandi ulama included Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Muhammad Shafi Deobandi, Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, and Zafar Ahmad Usmani. Thanwi was one of the chief proponent of this Movement. He also sent groups of Muslim scholars to give religious advice and reminders to Jinnah, he dismissed the criticism that most Muslim League members were not practising Muslims. Thanwi was of the view that the Muslim League should be supported and also be advised at the same time to become religiously observant. Thanwi's disciples Shabbir Ahmad Usmani and Zafar Ahmad Usmani were key players in religious support for the creation of Pakistan.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: Acknowledging the services of these ulema, Shabbir Ahmad Usmani was honoured to raise the flag of Pakistan in Karachi and Zafar Ahamd Usmani in Dhaka. Once, the Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was asked whether there was any Islamic cleric who authenticated the division of India on religious bases. Jinnah replied that there was Arshraf Ali Thanwi, and his support to the cause of Muslim League was enough. The Barelvis had no representation in the constitutent assemblies of Pakistan, whereas the Deobandis had their representatives even in the first Constitutent Assembly.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's (1817–1898) philosophical ideas played a direct role in the Pakistan Movement. His Two-Nation Theory became more and more obvious during the Congress rule (1937-1939) in India. In 1946 it was proved that Muslim majorities in the North-west and North-east and Muslim minorities in all of India had agreed to the idea of Pakistan, as a response to Congress's policies, which were also the result of leaders such as Jinnah leaving the party in favour of the Muslim League, Congress had won in seven of the eleven provinces in 1937 but the Muslim League failed to achieve majority in any province. Prior to 1938, Bengal with 33 million Muslims had only ten representatives, fewer than the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, which were home to only seven million Muslims. Thus the creation of Pakistan became inevitable and the British had no choice but to agree to create two separate countries – Pakistan and India – in 1947.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: But the main motivating and integrating factor was that the Muslims' intellectual class wanted representation; the masses needed a platform on which to unite. It was the dissemination of western thought by John Locke, Milton and Thomas Paine, at the Aligarh Muslim University that initiated the emergence of Pakistan Movement. According to Pakistan Studies curriculum, Muhammad bin Qasim is often referred to as 'the first Pakistani'. Muhammad Ali Jinnah also acclaimed the Pakistan movement to have started when the first Muslim put foot in the Gateway of Islam.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: After the independence in 1947, violence and upheavals continued to be faced by Pakistan, as Liaquat Ali Khan became the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1947. The issue involving the equal status of Urdu and Bengali languages created divergence in the country's political ideology. The military take over in 1958 was followed by rapid industrialisation in the 1960s. Economic grievances, unbalanced financial payments, provincialism and ethnic nationalism led to a bloody armed struggle in East Pakistan in the early 1970s, which eventually resulted with East Pakistan becoming Bangladesh in 1971.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: In the successive periods of the tragedy of East-Pakistan, the country continued to rebuild and reconstruct itself constitutionally and embarked on its path to be transformed into republicanism in its full measure. The XIII amendment (1997) and XVIII amendment (2010) transformed the country into becoming a parliamentary republic as well as also becoming a nuclear power in the subcontinent.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: Jinnah's vision was supported by few of the Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Jews and Christians who lived in Muslim-dominated regions of undivided India.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: The most notable and influential Hindu figure in the Pakistan Movement was Jogendra Nath Mandal from Bengal. Jagannath Azad was from the Urdu-speaking belt. Mandal represented the Hindu contingent calling for an independent Pakistan, and was one of the founding fathers of Pakistan. After independence, Mandal was given ministries of Law, Justice, and Work-Force by Jinnah in Liaquat Ali Khan's government. Ironically, despite all his good contributions, Mandal was badly ignored in the emerging political scenario. He returned to India and submitted his resignation to Liaquat Ali Khan, the then-Prime Minister of Pakistan. He mentioned incidents related to social injustice and a biased attitude towards non-Muslim minorities in his resignation letter.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: Although the All India Conference of Indian Christians, which had a large amount of Punjabi participation, opposed the partition of India and creation of Pakistan, a minority of Christians dissented from this position and played a pivotal role in the creation of Pakistan. The notable Christians included Sir Victor Turner and Alvin Robert Cornelius. Turner was responsible for the economic, financial planning of the country after independence. Turner was one of the founding fathers of Pakistan, and guided Jinnah and Ali Khan on economic affairs, taxation and handling of the administrative units. Alvin Robert Cornelius was elevated as Chief Justice of Lahore High Court bench by Jinnah and served as Law Secretary in Liaquat Ali Khan's government.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: The Pakistan Movement became an inspiration in different countries of the world. Protection of one's beliefs, equal rights, and liberty were incorporated in the state's constitution. Arguments presented by Ali Mazrui pointed out that the South Sudan's movement led to the partition of the Sudan into Sudan proper, which is primarily Muslim, and South Sudan, which is primarily Christian and animistic.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: In Europe, Alija Izetbegović, the first President of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, began to embrace the "Pakistan model" in the 1960s, alienating Serbs who would use this ideology to attack Bosniaks later on, while in his "Islamic Declaration" he "designated Pakistan as a model country to be emulated by Muslim revolutionaries worldwide."


title: Pakistan Movement

text: The Pakistan Movement has a central place in Pakistan's memory. The founding story of the Pakistan Movement is not only covered in school and university textbooks but also in innumerable monuments. Almost all key events are covered in Pakistan's textbooks, literature, and novels as well. Thus, the Fourteenth of August is one of major and most celebrated national days in Pakistan. To many authors and historians, Jinnah's legacy is Pakistan.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: The "Minar-e-Pakistan" is a monument which has attracted ten thousand visitors. The "Minar-e-Pakistan" still continues to project the memory to the people to remember the birth of Pakistan. Jinnah's estates in Karachi and Ziarat has attracted thousands visitors.


title: Pakistan Movement

text: Historian of Pakistan, Vali Nasr, argues that the Islamic universalism had become a main source of the Pakistan Movement that shaped patriotism, meaning, and nation's birth. To many Pakistanis, Jinnah's role is viewed as a modern Moses-like leader; whilst many other founding fathers of the nation-state also occupy extremely respected places in the hearts of the people of Pakistan.


title: Michael Urie

text: Michael Lorenzo Urie (born August 8, 1980) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Marc St. James on the ABC dramedy television series "Ugly Betty". He can be heard as Bobby Kerns in "As the Curtain Rises", an original podcast soap opera from the Broadway Podcast Network.


title: Michael Urie

text: Urie was born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Plano. He is of Scottish and Italian descent. He graduated from Plano Senior High School in 1998.


title: Michael Urie

text: Urie then studied at Collin County Community College before being accepted at the Juilliard School in New York City. While there, he was a member of the Drama Division's "Group 32" from 1999 to 2003. Urie graduated from Juilliard in 2003.


title: Michael Urie

text: Urie, while still a student at Juilliard, performed in the world premiere of "Love and Happiness" (2001) at the Consolati Performing Arts Center, starring as a sixteen-year-old trying to get rid of his mother's boyfriend.


title: Michael Urie

text: He received the 2002 John Houseman Prize for Excellence in Classical Theatre from the Juilliard School. His classical credits include Shakespeare, Jacobean drama, and "commedia dell'arte".


title: Michael Urie

text: He is on the board of Plum Productions and serves as its casting director. With the same company he has produced and appeared in "Prachtoberfest" and "lowbrow (and a little bit tacky)". As a freelance producer, he has worked on "Like The Mountains" and "The Fantasticks" (Four Players Theatre). He also directed the latter production.


title: Michael Urie

text: In 2006, Urie began appearing in the ABC dramedy "Ugly Betty" as Marc St. James, the assistant of Wilhelmina Slater, played by Vanessa Williams. The show began with the concept that Wilhelmina would have a different assistant in each episode; thus Urie was originally billed as a guest star in the credits. However, Williams loved their chemistry, and Urie was signed on as a full-time regular midway through the first season. He and the cast were nominated for Screen Actors Guild awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2007 and 2008. The role earned Urie a Ewwy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2009. He remained with "Ugly Betty" until the show's cancellation in 2010.


title: Michael Urie

text: During the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, Urie hosted TLC's reality-based series "". The program followed the contestants participating in the 2008 Miss America Pageant.


title: Michael Urie

text: Urie has returned often to his theater roots, including directing a one-night celebrity-performed staging of Howard Ashman's unproduced musical "Dreamstuff". The musical was reimagined by Howard's partners Marsha Malamet and Dennis Green and performed one night only at Los Angeles's Hayworth Theatre as part of the Bruno Kirby celebrity reading series. He has also been on "Live with Regis and Kelly" and has also starred in the 2008 Disney blockbuster production "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" as the voice of Sebastian.


title: Michael Urie

text: Urie originated the role of Rudi Gernreich in the 2009 off-Broadway play "The Temperamentals", about the foundation of the early LGBT rights organization the Mattachine Society. Urie received a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor.


title: Michael Urie

text: In January 2012, Urie made his Broadway debut, joining the cast of the second revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" in the role of Bud Frump.


title: Michael Urie

text: Urie has also started his own website for videoblogging and live chats. In 2012, Urie also starred as the mysterious limo driver James in the film adaptation of Wendy Mass's children's book "Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life", written and directed by Tamar Halpern.


title: Michael Urie

text: Urie was one of the leads in CBS's short-lived series "Partners". The multi-camera comedy, from "Will & Grace" creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, centered on lifelong friends and business partners – one straight and one gay. The series premiered on September 24, 2012, but was cancelled after only six episodes had aired.


title: Michael Urie

text: His performance in 2013's one-man show "Buyer & Cellar" won him a Clarence Derwent Award as well as a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance.


title: Michael Urie

text: In April 2015, Urie became the host of "Cocktails & Classics" on Logo TV, in which he and panels of celebrity friends watch and comment on classic movies while imbibing cocktails named or made for the films. Films profiled on the series have included "All About Eve", "Steel Magnolias", "Valley of the Dolls", "Breakfast at Tiffany's", and "Mommie Dearest".


title: Michael Urie

text: In November 2018, Urie starred as Arnold Beckoff in Harvey Fierstein's "Torch Song" revival on Broadway.


title: Michael Urie

text: He had a recurring role as Redmond, the gossipy book agent, in the popular TVLand drama-comedy series "Younger", produced by Darren Star.


title: Michael Urie

text: In 2018, Urie played Prince Hamlet in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's production of "Hamlet" in Washington, DC. He reprised the role in mid-2019 for the company's "Free for All" production run.


title: Michael Urie

text: On September 13, 2019, it was announced that Urie would once again team up with his "Ugly Betty" co-star Becki Newton on a sitcom project for CBS and Warner Bros. Television called "Fun", for which both would co-star and co-executive produce with creator Michael Patrick King and fellow "Ugly Betty" showrunners Tracy Poust and Jon Kinnally. CBS passed on the pilot of the series on May 4, 2020.


title: Michael Urie

text: In 2009, Urie referred to himself as "a member of the LGBT community" on his website. In a 2010 interview with "The Advocate", he said that he was in a relationship with a man and identifies as "queer". He said it never felt wrong when he was with women previously.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Nanoid robotics, or for short, nanorobotics or nanobotics, is an emerging technology field creating machines or robots whose components are at or near the scale of a nanometer (10 meters). More specifically, nanorobotics (as opposed to microrobotics) refers to the nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots with devices ranging in size from 0.1 to 10 micrometres and constructed of nanoscale or molecular components. The terms "nanobot", "nanoid", "nanite", "nanomachine" and "nanomite" have also been used to describe such devices currently under research and development.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Nanomachines are largely in the research and development phase, but some primitive molecular machines and nanomotors have been tested. An example is a sensor having a switch approximately 1.5 nanometers across, able to count specific molecules in the chemical sample. The first useful applications of nanomachines may be in nanomedicine. For example, biological machines could be used to identify and destroy cancer cells. Another potential application is the detection of toxic chemicals, and the measurement of their concentrations, in the environment. Rice University has demonstrated a single-molecule car developed by a chemical process and including Buckminsterfullerenes (buckyballs) for wheels. It is actuated by controlling the environmental temperature and by positioning a scanning tunneling microscope tip.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Another definition is a robot that allows precise interactions with nanoscale objects, or can manipulate with nanoscale resolution. Such devices are more related to microscopy or scanning probe microscopy, instead of the description of nanorobots as molecular machines. Using the microscopy definition, even a large apparatus such as an atomic force microscope can be considered a nanorobotic instrument when configured to perform nanomanipulation. For this viewpoint, macroscale robots or microrobots that can move with nanoscale precision can also be considered nanorobots.


title: Nanorobotics

text: According to Richard Feynman, it was his former graduate student and collaborator Albert Hibbs who originally suggested to him (circa 1959) the idea of a "medical" use for Feynman's theoretical micro-machines (see biological machine). Hibbs suggested that certain repair machines might one day be reduced in size to the point that it would, in theory, be possible to (as Feynman put it) ""swallow the surgeon"". The idea was incorporated into Feynman's case study 1959 essay "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom."


title: Nanorobotics

text: Since nano-robots would be microscopic in size, it would probably be necessary for very large numbers of them to work together to perform microscopic and macroscopic tasks. These nano-robot swarms, both those unable to replicate (as in utility fog) and those able to replicate unconstrained in the natural environment (as in grey goo and synthetic biology), are found in many science fiction stories, such as the Borg nano-probes in "Star Trek" and "The Outer Limits" episode "The New Breed".


title: Nanorobotics

text: Some proponents of nano-robotics, in reaction to the grey goo scenarios that they earlier helped to propagate, hold the view that nano-robots able to replicate outside of a restricted factory environment do not form a necessary part of a purported productive nanotechnology, and that the process of self-replication, were it ever to be developed, could be made inherently safe. They further assert that their current plans for developing and using molecular manufacturing do not in fact include free-foraging replicators.


title: Nanorobotics

text: A detailed theoretical discussion of nanorobotics, including specific design issues such as sensing, power communication, navigation, manipulation, locomotion, and onboard computation, has been presented in the medical context of nanomedicine by Robert Freitas. Some of these discussions remain at the level of unbuildable generality and do not approach the level of detailed engineering.


title: Nanorobotics

text: A document with a proposal on nanobiotech development using open design technology methods, as in open-source hardware and open-source software, has been addressed to the United Nations General Assembly. According to the document sent to the United Nations, in the same way that open source has in recent years accelerated the development of computer systems, a similar approach should benefit the society at large and accelerate nanorobotics development. The use of nanobiotechnology should be established as a human heritage for the coming generations, and developed as an open technology based on ethical practices for peaceful purposes. Open technology is stated as a fundamental key for such an aim.


title: Nanorobotics

text: In the same ways that technology research and development drove the space race and nuclear arms race, a race for nanorobots is occurring. There is plenty of ground allowing nanorobots to be included among the emerging technologies. Some of the reasons are that large corporations, such as General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Synopsys, Northrop Grumman and Siemens have been recently working in the development and research of nanorobots; surgeons are getting involved and starting to propose ways to apply nanorobots for common medical procedures; universities and research institutes were granted funds by government agencies exceeding $2 billion towards research developing nanodevices for medicine; bankers are also strategically investing with the intent to acquire beforehand rights and royalties on future nanorobots commercialisation. Some aspects of nanorobot litigation and related issues linked to monopoly have already arisen. A large number of patents has been granted recently on nanorobots, done mostly for patent agents, companies specialized solely on building patent portfolios, and lawyers. After a long series of patents and eventually litigations, see for example the invention of radio, or the war of currents, emerging fields of technology tend to become a monopoly, which normally is dominated by large corporations.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Manufacturing nanomachines assembled from molecular components is a very challenging task. Because of the level of difficulty, many engineers and scientists continue working cooperatively across multidisciplinary approaches to achieve breakthroughs in this new area of development. Thus, it is quite understandable the importance of the following distinct techniques currently applied towards manufacturing nanorobots:


title: Nanorobotics

text: The joint use of nanoelectronics, photolithography, and new biomaterials provides a possible approach to manufacturing nanorobots for common medical uses, such as surgical instrumentation, diagnosis, and drug delivery. This method for manufacturing on nanotechnology scale is in use in the electronics industry since 2008. So, practical nanorobots should be integrated as nanoelectronics devices, which will allow tele-operation and advanced capabilities for medical instrumentation.


title: Nanorobotics

text: A "nucleic acid robot" (nubot) is an organic molecular machine at the nanoscale. DNA structure can provide means to assemble 2D and 3D nanomechanical devices. DNA based machines can be activated using small molecules, proteins and other molecules of DNA. Biological circuit gates based on DNA materials have been engineered as molecular machines to allow in-vitro drug delivery for targeted health problems. Such material based systems would work most closely to smart biomaterial drug system delivery, while not allowing precise in vivo teleoperation of such engineered prototypes.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Several reports have demonstrated the attachment of synthetic molecular motors to surfaces. These primitive nanomachines have been shown to undergo machine-like motions when confined to the surface of a macroscopic material. The surface anchored motors could potentially be used to move and position nanoscale materials on a surface in the manner of a conveyor belt.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Nanofactory Collaboration, founded by Robert Freitas and Ralph Merkle in 2000 and involving 23 researchers from 10 organizations and 4 countries, focuses on developing a practical research agenda specifically aimed at developing positionally-controlled diamond mechanosynthesis and a diamondoid nanofactory that would have the capability of building diamondoid medical nanorobots.


title: Nanorobotics

text: The emerging field of bio-hybrid systems combines biological and synthetic structural elements for biomedical or robotic applications. The constituting elements of bio-nanoelectromechanical systems (BioNEMS) are of nanoscale size, for example DNA, proteins or nanostructured mechanical parts. Thiol-ene e-beams resist allow the direct writing of nanoscale features, followed by the functionalization of the natively reactive resist surface with biomolecules. Other approaches use a biodegradable material attached to magnetic particles that allow them to be guided around the body.


title: Nanorobotics

text: This approach proposes the use of biological microorganisms, like the bacterium "Escherichia coli" and "Salmonella typhimurium".


title: Nanorobotics

text: Thus the model uses a flagellum for propulsion purposes. Electromagnetic fields normally control the motion of this kind of biological integrated device.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Chemists at the University of Nebraska have created a humidity gauge by fusing a bacterium to a silicon computer chip.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Retroviruses can be retrained to attach to cells and replace DNA. They go through a process called reverse transcription to deliver genetic packaging in a vector. Usually, these devices are Pol – Gag genes of the virus for the Capsid and Delivery system. This process is called retroviral gene therapy, having the ability to re-engineer cellular DNA by usage of viral vectors. This approach has appeared in the form of retroviral, adenoviral, and lentiviral gene delivery systems. These gene therapy vectors have been used in cats to send genes into the genetically modified organism (GMO), causing it to display the trait.


title: Nanorobotics

text: 3D printing is the process by which a three-dimensional structure is built through the various processes of additive manufacturing. Nanoscale 3D printing involves many of the same process, incorporated at a much smaller scale. To print a structure in the 5-400 µm scale, the precision of the 3D printing machine needs to be improved greatly. A two-step process of 3D printing, using a 3D printing and laser etched plates method was incorporated as an improvement technique. To be more precise at a nanoscale, the 3D printing process uses a laser etching machine, which etches the details needed for the segments of nanorobots into each plate. The plate is then transferred to the 3D printer, which fills the etched regions with the desired nanoparticle. The 3D printing process is repeated until the nanorobot is built from the bottom up.


title: Nanorobotics

text: This 3D printing process has many benefits. First, it increases the overall accuracy of the printing process. Second, it has the potential to create functional segments of a nanorobot. The 3D printer uses a liquid resin, which is hardened at precisely the correct spots by a focused laser beam. The focal point of the laser beam is guided through the resin by movable mirrors and leaves behind a hardened line of solid polymer, just a few hundred nanometers wide. This fine resolution enables the creation of intricately structured sculptures as tiny as a grain of sand. This process takes place by using photoactive resins, which are hardened by the laser at an extremely small scale to create the structure. This process is quick by nanoscale 3D printing standards. Ultra-small features can be made with the 3D micro-fabrication technique used in multiphoton photopolymerisation. This approach uses a focused laser to trace the desired 3D object into a block of gel. Due to the nonlinear nature of photo excitation, the gel is cured to a solid only in the places where the laser was focused while the remaining gel is then washed away. Feature sizes of under 100 nm are easily produced, as well as complex structures with moving and interlocked parts.


title: Nanorobotics

text: There are number of challenges and problems that should be addressed when designing and building nanoscale machines with movable parts. The most obvious one is the need of developing very fine tools and manipulation techniques capable of assembling individual nanostructures with high precision into operational device. Less evident challenge is related to peculiarities of adhesion and friction on nanoscale. It is impossible to take existing design of macroscopic device with movable parts and just reduce it to the nanoscale. Such approach will not work due to high surface energy of nanostructures, which means that all contacting parts will stick together following the energy minimization principle. The adhesion and static friction between parts can easily exceed the strength of materials, so the parts will break before they start to move relative to each other. This leads to the need to design movable structures with minimal contact area [].


title: Nanorobotics

text: In spite of the fast development of nanorobots, most of the nanorobots designed for drug delivery purposes, there is "still a long way to go before their commercialization and clinical applications can be achieved."


title: Nanorobotics

text: Potential uses for nanorobotics in medicine include early diagnosis and targeted drug-delivery for cancer, biomedical instrumentation, surgery, pharmacokinetics, monitoring of diabetes, and health care.


title: Nanorobotics

text: In such plans, future medical nanotechnology is expected to employ nanorobots injected into the patient to perform work at a cellular level. Such nanorobots intended for use in medicine should be non-replicating, as replication would needlessly increase device complexity, reduce reliability, and interfere with the medical mission.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Nanotechnology provides a wide range of new technologies for developing customized means to optimize the delivery of pharmaceutical drugs. Today, harmful side effects of treatments such as chemotherapy are commonly a result of drug delivery methods that don't pinpoint their intended target cells accurately. Researchers at Harvard and MIT, however, have been able to attach special RNA strands, measuring nearly 10 nm in diameter, to nanoparticles, filling them with a chemotherapy drug. These RNA strands are attracted to cancer cells. When the nanoparticle encounters a cancer cell, it adheres to it, and releases the drug into the cancer cell. This directed method of drug delivery has great potential for treating cancer patients while avoiding negative effects (commonly associated with improper drug delivery). The first demonstration of nanomotors operating in living organisms was carried out in 2014 at University of California, San Diego. MRI-guided nanocapsules are one potential precursor to nanorobots.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Another useful application of nanorobots is assisting in the repair of tissue cells alongside white blood cells. Recruiting inflammatory cells or white blood cells (which include neutrophil granulocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes, and mast cells) to the affected area is the first response of tissues to injury. Because of their small size, nanorobots could attach themselves to the surface of recruited white cells, to squeeze their way out through the walls of blood vessels and arrive at the injury site, where they can assist in the tissue repair process. Certain substances could possibly be used to accelerate the recovery.


title: Nanorobotics

text: The science behind this mechanism is quite complex. Passage of cells across the blood endothelium, a process known as transmigration, is a mechanism involving engagement of cell surface receptors to adhesion molecules, active force exertion and dilation of the vessel walls and physical deformation of the migrating cells. By attaching themselves to migrating inflammatory cells, the robots can in effect "hitch a ride" across the blood vessels, bypassing the need for a complex transmigration mechanism of their own.


title: Nanorobotics

text: , in the United States, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates nanotechnology on the basis of size.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Nanocomposite particles that are controlled remotely by an electromagnetic field was also developed. This series of nanorobots that are now enlisted in the Guinness World Records, can be used to interact with the biological cells. Scientists suggest that this technology can be used for the treatment of cancer.


title: Nanorobotics

text: The Nanites are characters on the TV show "Mystery Science Theater 3000". They're self-replicating, bio-engineered organisms that work on the ship and reside in the SOL's computer systems. They made their first appearance in Season 8.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Nanites are used in a number of episodes in the Netflix series "Travelers". They be programmed and injected into injured people to perform repairs. First appearance in season 1


title: Nanorobotics

text: Nanites also feature in the Rise of Iron 2016 expansion for Destiny in which SIVA, a self-replicating nanotechnology is used as a weapon.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Nanites (referred to more often as Nanomachines) are often referenced in Konami's "Metal Gear" series being used to enhance and regulate abilities and body functions.


title: Nanorobotics

text: In the "Star Trek" franchise TV shows nanites play an important plot device. Starting with "" in the third season of "", Borg Nanoprobes perform the function of maintaining the Borg cybernetic systems, as well as repairing damage to the organic parts of a Borg. They generate new technology inside a Borg when needed, as well as protecting them from many forms of disease.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Nanites play a role in the video game Deus Ex, being the basis of the nano-augmentation technology which gives augmented people superhuman abilities.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Nanites are also mentioned in the Arc of a Scythe book series by Neal Shusterman and are used to heal all nonfatal injuries, regulate bodily functions, and considerably lessen pain.


title: Nanorobotics

text: Nanites are also an integral part of the Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis, where grey goo scenarios are portrayed.


title: Tim Walz

text: Timothy James Walz ( ; born April 6, 1964) is an American politician and retired educator. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he has served as the 41st governor of Minnesota since 2019.


title: Tim Walz

text: Born in West Point, Nebraska, Walz was a member of the Army National Guard, and was a temporary teacher on a reservation in South Dakota after high school. He later graduated from Chadron State College and Minnesota State University, Mankato. He moved to Minnesota in 1996. Before running for Congress in 2006, he served for 24 years in the Army National Guard and as a social studies teacher in the Mankato school district. Walz was the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2019. He was first elected in 2006, defeating six-term Republican incumbent Gil Gutknecht. He was reelected five times.


title: Tim Walz

text: On November 6, 2018, Walz was elected governor, defeating the Republican nominee, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson. His tenure has been marked by the George Floyd protests and the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, his administration has focused on addressing the issues of racial and health inequality. Walz was reelected in the 2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election, defeating Republican nominee Scott Jensen.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska, the son of Darlene R. and James F. "Jim" Walz. The son of a public school administrator and community activist, Walz was raised in Chadron, Nebraska, a rural community in the northwestern portion of the state.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz graduated from Butte High School in a class of 25 students. In 1989, he earned a bachelor of science degree in social science education from Chadron State College. His first teaching experience was at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He then accepted a teaching position with WorldTeach in the People's Republic of China. In 2001, he earned a Master of Science in educational leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1981 and served for 24 years. Over his military career, he had postings in Arkansas, Texas, the Arctic Circle, New Ulm, Minnesota, and elsewhere. He worked in heavy artillery. During his career, he worked in disaster response postings following floods and tornados and was deployed overseas on active duty for months, although he never saw combat. In 1989, he earned the title of Nebraska Citizen-Soldier of the Year. Walz attained the rank of command sergeant major near the end of his career, but retired as a master sergeant in 2005 for benefit purposes because he did not complete coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy. He resumed teaching as a geography teacher and football coach at Mankato West High School.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz and his wife, Gwen, ran Educational Travel Adventures, accompanying high school juniors and seniors on summer educational trips to China.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz decided to run for Congress in 2006. He had no opponent for the DFL nomination in the September 12, 2006 primary election. He beat incumbent Republican Gil Gutknecht in the general election on November 7, and took office on January 3, 2007. After the election, Gutknecht was described as having been caught "off guard" and Walz as having "resolved never to get caught like that himself... He packaged himself as a moderate from Day One, built an office centered on constituent service and carved out a niche as a tireless advocate for veterans."


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz was reelected in 2008 with 62% of the vote, becoming only the second non-Republican to win a second full term in the district. He won a third term in 2010, defeating State Representative Randy Demmer with 50% of the vote. He was reelected in 2012, 2014, and 2016.


title: Tim Walz

text: Upon his swearing in, Walz became the highest-ranking retired enlisted soldier ever to serve in Congress, as well as only the fourth Democrat/DFLer to represent his district. The others were Thomas Wilson (1887–1889), William Harries (1891–1893), and Tim Penny (1983–1995).


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz served on the House Agriculture Committee, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and the Armed Services Committee. Along with fellow Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison, Walz opposed President Bush's plan to increase troop levels in Iraq. In his first week as a legislator, Walz cosponsored a bill to raise the minimum wage, voted for stem cell research, voted to allow Medicare to negotiate pharmaceutical prices, and voiced support for pay-as-you-go budget rules, requiring that new spending or tax changes not add to the federal deficit.


title: Tim Walz

text: Even as he represented a district that had usually voted Republican, pundits described Walz's stated policy positions as ranging from moderate to liberal. He voted against the act to Prohibit Federally Funded Abortion Services, and to advance the Affordable Care Act out of the House. He also voted to continue funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and against the 2008 TARP bill, which purchased troubled assets from financial institutions.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz received a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood in 2012, from the ACLU in 2011, from the American Immigration Lawyers Association in 2009–2010, from the AFL–CIO in 2010, from the Teamsters in 2009–2010, and from NOW in 2007. He also received single-digit ratings from the National Taxpayers' Union, Citizens against Government Waste, Americans for Tax Reform, and Freedom Works. The United States Chamber of Commerce gave him a 25% rating in 2010. Walz was ranked the 7th most bipartisan member of the House during the 114th Congress (and the most bipartisan member from Minnesota) in the Bipartisan Index created by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy that ranks members of Congress by measuring how often their bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party and how often they co-sponsor bills by members of the opposite party.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz announced he would run for governor after Mark Dayton, the incumbent Democratic governor, chose not to seek a third term. On November 6, 2018, Walz was elected governor, defeating the Republican nominee, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson.


title: Tim Walz

text: During the campaign, two senior NCOs of the Minnesota National Guard falsely accused Walz of fabricating facts about his service and lying about his military rank. The allegation about his military rank was debunked.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz sought reelection in 2022. He won the August 9 Democratic primary and faced Republican nominee Scott Jensen in the November general election. On November 8, 2022, Walz defeated Jensen, 52.3% to 44.6%. Though Jensen fared better than Walz's opponent had in 2018 and made gains against Walz in Greater Minnesota, he did not overcome Walz's lead in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz was sworn in as governor of Minnesota on January 7, 2019, at the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul. Walz took the oath of office alongside incoming Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, all Democrats. Walz spoke about education and healthcare reform in his inauguration speech.


title: Tim Walz

text: On May 26, 2020, the day after the murder of George Floyd, Walz and lieutenant governor Peggy Flanagan demanded justice and called the video of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck "disturbing". Walz elaborated, "The lack of humanity in this disturbing video is sickening. We will get answers and seek justice".


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz's initial response to the widespread protests following Floyd's murder was criticized by political opponents and other groups. He later responded to the murder by ordering the Minnesota legislature to reconvene for special sessions on legislation for police reform and accountability. After police reform failed to pass the first special session in June, a second special session was held in July. On July 21, the legislature passed major police reform legislation. The new compromise law includes a limited ban on police from using chokeholds so long as the officers are not at greater risk. It bans the old warrior training program, which was regarded as dehumanizing people and encouraging aggressive conduct. It requires training peace officers to deal with people with autism or in a mental health crisis and deescalation training for situations that could turn volatile. It also creates a special independent unit at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for investigations of fatal police encounters and a community relations advisory council to consult with the Police Officers Standards and Training Board on policy changes. Walz signed the legislation into law on July 23.


title: Tim Walz

text: During 2008, Walz repeatedly spoke out against using taxpayer money to bail out financial institutions; in late September he voted against the $700 billion TARP bill, which purchased troubled assets from these institutions. Walz released a statement after the bill's passage, saying, "The bill we voted on today passes the buck when it comes to recouping the losses taxpayers might suffer. I also regret that this bill does not do enough to help average homeowners, or provide sufficient oversight of Wall Street." For the same reasons, in December 2008 he voted against the bill that offered $14 billion in government loans to bail out the country's large automobile manufacturers. In June 2009 Walz introduced a bipartisan resolution calling on the federal government to "relinquish its temporary ownership interests in the General Motors Corporation and Chrysler Group, LLC, as soon as possible" and stated that the government must not be involved in those companies' management decisions.


title: Tim Walz

text: Despite his votes against bailout bills that loaned taxpayer money to large banks and auto manufacturers, Walz did vote with his Democratic colleagues to support the 2009 American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. As a member of the House Transportation Committee, Walz saw the stimulus bill as an opportunity to work "with his congressional colleagues to make job creation through investment in public infrastructure like roads, bridges and clean energy the cornerstone of the economic recovery plan". Walz has focused heavily on job and economic issues important to his southern Minnesota district, which has a mix of larger employers like the Mayo Clinic along with small businesses and agricultural interests. In July 2009 he voted for the Enhancing Small Business Research and Innovation Act, which he described as "part of our long-term economic blueprint to spur job creation by encouraging America's entrepreneurs to innovate toward breakthrough technological advancements".


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz also urged assistance for hog and dairy farmers who struggled with lower prices for their commodities in 2008 and 2009.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz was a public school teacher for 20 years. He opposes using merit pay for teachers. Voting in favor of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Walz pointed to its strong provisions in support of public school buildings. Walz is on record supporting legislation to lower tuition costs. In a February 12, 2009 speech, he said that the most important thing to do "to ensure a solid base for [America's] economic future … is to provide the best education possible for [American] children." He has received strong backing for these policies from many interest groups, including the National Education Association, the American Association of University Women and the National Association of Elementary School Principals.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz supports LGBT rights, including federal anti-discrimination laws on the basis of sexual orientation. In a 2009 speech he called for an end to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Walz voted in favor of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act and the Sexual Orientation Employment Nondiscrimination Act. In 2007, he received a 90% grade from the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBT organization. In 2011, Walz announced his support for the Respect for Marriage Act.


title: Tim Walz

text: Having served 24 years in the Army National Guard, as a freshman in Congress he was given a rare third committee membership when he was assigned to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Walz has championed enhanced veterans benefits since taking office in 2007. In May of that year the House unanimously passed his "Traumatic Brain Injuries Center Act" to set up five centers around the nation to study traumatic brain injuries and develop improved models for caring for veterans suffering from such injuries.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz also supported the GI Bill of 2008, which expanded education benefits for veterans and in some cases allowed them to transfer education benefits to family members. In 2009, Walz gave the keynote address at the American Legion National Convention in Louisville. He spoke about the need for the VA and Department of Defense to work together to make sure that returning service men and women "do not fall through the cracks when they transition to civilian life".


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz was the lead House sponsor of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, which directs the Veterans Administration to report on veteran mental health care and suicide prevention programs. It also gives the VA permission to provide incentives to psychiatrists who agree to join the VA medical system.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz supports abortion rights and has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood. The National Right to Life Committee gave him a rating of zero. In early 2009, Walz voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz and his wife Gwen married in 1994. They lived in Mankato, Minnesota, for nearly 20 years before moving to Saint Paul with their two children upon his election as governor.


title: Tim Walz

text: Walz's brother Craig was killed by a falling tree during a storm in 2016. He was survived by his wife Julie, and their son Jacob, who suffered severe injuries but survived.


title: Pleiades (Greek mythology)

text: The Pleiades (; , Ancient Greek pronunciation: ), were the seven sister-nymphs, companions of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Together with their seven sisters, the Hyades, they were called the Atlantides, Dodonides, or Nysiades, nursemaids and teachers of the infant Dionysus. The Pleiades were thought to have been translated to the night sky as a cluster of stars, the Pleiades, and were associated with rain.


title: Pleiades (Greek mythology)

text: The name Pleiades ostensibly derived from the name of their mother, Pleione, effectively meaning "daughters of Pleione". However, the name of the star-cluster likely came first, and Pleione was invented to explain it. According to another suggestion "Pleiades" derived from πλεῖν ("plein" , "to sail") because of the cluster's importance in delimiting the sailing season in the Mediterranean Sea: "the season of navigation began with their heliacal rising".


title: Pleiades (Greek mythology)

text: The Pleiades' parents were the Titan Atlas and the Oceanid Pleione born on Mount Cyllene. In some accounts, their mother was called Aethra, another Oceanid. Aside from the above sisters, the Hyades, the Pleiades' other siblings were Hyas and the nymph Calypso who was famous in the tale of Odysseus. Sometimes they were related as half-sisters to the Hesperides, nymphs of the morning star.


title: Pleiades (Greek mythology)

text: Several of the most prominent male Olympian gods (including Zeus, Poseidon, and Ares) engaged in affairs with the seven heavenly sisters. These relationships resulted in the birth of their children.


title: Pleiades (Greek mythology)

text: After Atlas was forced to carry the heavens on his shoulders, Orion began to pursue all of the Pleiades, and Zeus transformed them first into doves, and then into stars to comfort their father. The constellation of Orion is said to still pursue them across the night sky.


title: Pleiades (Greek mythology)

text: One of the most memorable myths involving the Pleiades is the story of how these sisters literally became stars, their "catasterism". According to some versions of the tale, all seven sisters committed suicide because they were so saddened by either the fate of their father, Atlas, or the loss of their siblings, the Hyades. In turn Zeus, the ruler of the Greek gods, immortalized the sisters by placing them in the sky. There these seven stars formed the star cluster known thereafter as the Pleiades.


title: Pleiades (Greek mythology)

text: The Greek poet Hesiod mentions the Pleiades several times in his "Works and Days". As the Pleiades are primarily winter stars, they feature prominently in the ancient agricultural calendar. Here is a bit of advice from Hesiod:


title: Pleiades (Greek mythology)

text: The Pleiades would "flee mighty Orion and plunge into the misty deep" as they set in the West, which they would begin to do just before dawn during October–November, a good time of the year to lay up your ship after the fine summer weather and "remember to work the land"; in Mediterranean agriculture autumn is the time to plough and sow.


title: Pleiades (Greek mythology)

text:
The poetess Sappho mentions the Pleiades in one of her poems:The moon has gone
The Pleiades gone
In dead of night
Time passes on
I lie aloneThe poet Lord Tennyson mentions the Pleiades in his poem Locksley Hall:Many a night I saw the Pleiads, rising through the mellow shade,
Glitter like a swarm of fire-flies tangled in a silver braid.The loss of one of the sisters, Merope, in some myths may reflect an astronomical event wherein one of the stars in the Pleiades star cluster disappeared from view by the naked eye.


title: Pleiades (Greek mythology)

text: Although most accounts are uniform as to the number, names, and main myths concerning the Pleiades, the mythological information recorded by a scholiast on Theocritus' Idylls with reference to Callimachus has nothing in common with the traditional version. According to it, the Pleiades were daughters of an Amazonian queen; their names were Maia, Coccymo, Glaucia, Protis, Parthenia, Stonychia, and Lampado. They were credited with inventing ritual dances and nighttime festivals.


title: Shanghai Noon

text: Shanghai Noon is a 2000 martial arts western action comedy film starring Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson and Lucy Liu. The first in the "Shanghai" film series and marking the directorial debut of Tom Dey, "Shanghai Noon" was written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The film received positive reviews and was a commercial success.


title: Shanghai Noon

text: The film, set in Nevada and other parts of the American West in the 19th century, is a juxtaposition of a Western with a kung fu action film with extended martial arts sequences, as reflected by its title, which is a wordplay on the iconic western "High Noon". It also has elements of comedy and the "Buddy cop film" genre, featuring two vastly different heroes (a Chinese Imperial Guard and an American Western outlaw) who team up to stop a crime. It is reminiscent of the iconic drama film of the genre from which it is largely inspired: "Red Sun", with Charles Bronson (Wanted Cowboy) and Toshiro Mifune (Imperial Samuraï), but in the comedy register.


title: Shanghai Noon

text: It was partially filmed in the Canadian Badlands, near Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, near Exshaw, Alberta, and also near Cochrane, Alberta.


title: Shanghai Noon

text: In 1881, Chon Wang – a homophone for John Wayne – is a Chinese Imperial Guard in the Forbidden City. After Princess Pei-Pei, aided by her foreign tutor, runs away to the United States, the Emperor of China sends three of his guards and the Royal Interpreter to retrieve her. Having failed to stop her escape, Wang insists on joining the mission. The Royal Interpreter, Wang's uncle, allows him to accompany the party, and the Captain of the Imperial Guards hopes the "foreign devils" will get rid of Wang. The party arrives in Nevada, where outlaw Roy O'Bannon and his gang hijack their train. Wallace, a new member of Roy's gang, kills Wang's uncle, and Wang, a skilled martial artist, fights off the gang before uncoupling the train cars and escaping on the engine. Wallace takes over the gang, leaving Roy buried up to his chin in the desert. Meanwhile, Pei-Pei, tricked into believing she was freely escaping her arranged marriage in China, learns she has been kidnapped by an agent of Lo Fong, a traitor who fled the Forbidden City.


title: Shanghai Noon

text: Wang finds Roy and demands to know the direction to Carson City. Roy tells him the city is on the other side of a mountain, and Wang leaves two chopsticks in Roy's mouth to dig himself out. Reaching the other side of the mountain, Wang saves a Sioux boy from the Crow tribe and half-consciously marries the Sioux chief's daughter, Falling Leaves, during the wild celebrations. Wang finds a small town and encounters Roy in a tavern, inciting a barroom brawl. The two are sent to jail, and share each other's stories. Tempted by mention of the gold ransom, Roy offers to help Wang find the princess. After Falling Leaves helps them escape, Roy trains Wang in the ways of the cowboy, assisted by Falling Leaves.


title: Shanghai Noon

text: In Carson City, Roy discovers that both he and Wang are wanted by Lo Fong's ally Marshal Nathan Van Cleef, narrowly escaping capture. They reach Roy’s "hideout” (a bordello), and bond with each other while recuperating there. They are arrested by Van Cleef after a drunken encounter with Wang, and discover that Lo Fong is behind the princess’ abduction. As they are about to be hanged, Wang frees himself, Falling Leaves shoots Roy loose, and they escape. Wang, upset at overhearing Roy tell a prostitute he is not Wang's friend, rides off alone. He finds Pei-Pei in Lo Fong's labor camp, but she wishes to stay and help the enslaved Chinese laborers. Lo Fong discovers Wang and attacks him, but Roy appears, saving Wang.


title: Shanghai Noon

text: The next day, the Imperial Guards bring gold to the Carson City Mission church to ransom Pei-Pei from Lo Fong, but the exchange is complicated by the appearance of Wang and Roy. Wang tells his fellow guards he will not allow them to take the princess against her wishes. As the guards and Lo Fong fight, Van Cleef arrives and engages Roy in a gunfight. Roy survives unscathed, and shoots Van Cleef through his sheriff's star, killing him. Wang fights the Imperial Guards as Lo Fong chases Pei-Pei through the rafters of the church, but Wang convinces his guards to let him go to Pei-Pei’s aid instead. Wang and Lo Fong reach the bell tower, and Pei-Pei is wounded. Wang dismantles the bell, causing the ropes to strangle Lo Fong to death. The Imperial Guards agree to let Pei-Pei remain in Nevada, and reward Wang and Roy with the ransom gold.


title: Shanghai Noon

text: Wallace and his gang arrive at the church, and demand that Roy and Wang come out and fight, but find themselves surrounded by the Sioux. At a Chinese cultural celebration, Roy shares a passionate kiss with Falling Leaves while Pei-Pei embraces Wang. Wang and Roy, who reveals his real name to be Wyatt Earp, become sheriffs and ride off after a new band of train robbers.


title: Shanghai Noon

text: Produced at a budget of $55 million, the film grossed $99,274,467. The film opened in third place at the North American box office grossing USD$19.6 million in its opening weekend behind "Dinosaur" and "".


title: Shanghai Noon

text: On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 80% "certified fresh", based on 135 reviews with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site's consensus reads: "Although the plot is really nothing to brag about, Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson work well together. The cinematography looks great, and Jackie delivers a hilarious performance. This is an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser."


title: Shanghai Noon

text: On Metacritic it has a score of 77 out of 100 based on 30 reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A−" on scale of A to F.


title: Shanghai Noon

text: Joe Leydon of "Variety" gave "Shanghai Noon" a favorable review, characterizing it as "Fast, furious and, quite often, very, very funny." Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" wrote: "If you see only one martial arts Western this year (and there is probably an excellent chance of that), this is the one."


title: BMW N20

text: The BMW N20 is a turbocharged four-cylinder DOHC petrol engine with variable valve lift and variable valve timing which replaced the N53 (or BMW N52 in some markets) and was produced from 2011 to 2017 by BMW. Although the N20 is a four-cylinder engine, it is considered a replacement for the naturally aspirated six-cylinder N52/N53 because it powers equivalent models, producing similar horsepower to the N52/N53 with greater low-rpm torque and better efficiency.


title: BMW N20

text: The N20 features a twin-scroll turbocharger, double-VANOS (variable valve timing), Valvetronic (variable valve lift), direct injection, automatic stop-start and an electric water pump. The N20 was sold alongside the smaller displacement BMW N13 turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The N20 was placed in "Wards Top 10 Engines" in 2012.


title: BMW N20

text: It has been well documented in online forums, that thousands of early production N20 engines were manufactured with faulty internal plastic timing chain guides. Evidence indicates that defective polycarbonate compositions were utilized in the manufacturing process for the timing chain guide, and as a result over a very short period of time the rigid plastic guides would break down and deteriorate in the engine with little or no warning. Upon failure of these internal plastic components, the timing chain slackens (becomes loose) and "skips time" by jumping teeth on upper cam shaft sprocket, a phenomenon that causes catastrophic damage to the engine by changing the piston-to-valve synchronization and causing these parts to contact each other.


title: BMW N20

text: In 2017, a class action lawsuit was filed by several owners against BMW seeking redress for the faulty units. Plaintiffs in the BMW engine defect class action seek to represent a nationwide Class of consumers affected by timing chain guide and secondary chain failure and wear as well as several subclasses for states such as New Jersey, Illinois, Florida, Utah, New York, Colorado, Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, California, Wisconsin, Oregon and North Carolina. In 2018 BMW attempted to dismiss the class action lawsuit. In 2019 U.S. District Judge William H. Walls partially granted and partially denied BMW's motion to dismiss claims that it sold vehicles with a known engine defect. Walls also ruled that the automaker cannot escape the suit entirely.


title: UTC+01:00

text: UTC+01:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +01:00. In ISO 8601, the associated time would be written as 2019-02-07T23:28:34+01:00. This time is used in:


title: UTC+01:00

text: "Principal cities: Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Rome, Milan, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Warsaw, Prague, Zagreb, Budapest, Brussels, Amsterdam, Vienna, Luxembourg City, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Bern, Zurich, Tirana, Sarajevo, Pristina, Valletta, Monte Carlo, Podgorica, Skopje, San Marino, Dogana, Belgrade, Bratislava, Ljubljana, Vatican City, Monaco, Monaco-Ville, Westside"


title: UTC+01:00

text: "Principal cities: Lagos, Kinshasa, Algiers, Tunis, Rabat, Casablanca, Yaoundé, Douala, Malabo, Libreville, Niamey, N'Djamena, Bangui, Porto-Novo, Cotonou, Luanda, Laayoune"


title: Bachelor in Paradise (American TV series)

text: Bachelor in Paradise is an American elimination-style reality competition television series, which premiered on August 4, 2014, on ABC. It is a spin-off of the American reality television shows "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette". The show features previous contestants who have been featured on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" as they travel to a secluded paradise in Mexico where the show will take place. The show was originally hosted by Chris Harrison.


text: In March 2013, ABC canceled "Bachelor Pad" after three seasons. Very similar to "Bachelor Pad", rejected contestants from "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" are isolated in a romantic paradise in an exotic tropical destination. The first season was filmed in Tulum, Mexico. Beginning in season 2, the show has been filmed in Sayulita, Mexico at Playa Escondida.


text: The show begins with an uneven number of women and men, with there being more women. At the first rose ceremony, the men are given a rose to hand out to a woman they’d like to spend more time getting to know in paradise. The women left without roses are immediately sent home. New men are then brought to the beach, so at the next rose ceremony, women can give a rose to a man they'd like to spend more time with and the remaining men are sent home. For seven weeks, this set up alternates between new men or new women joining the cast.


text: ABC renewed "Bachelor in Paradise" for a sixth season on February 5, 2019. On August 5, 2019, the series was renewed for a seventh season, which aired on August 16, 2021. In June 2021, it was confirmed that Lil Jon, Tituss Burgess, Lance Bass and others would serve as rotating guest hosts for the seventh season, replacing original host Chris Harrison. On April 7, 2022, ABC renewed "Bachelor in Paradise" for its eighth season, with Jesse Palmer set to host, which will premiere on September 27, 2022.


text: During initial filming of season 4, production was halted due to allegations of sexual misconduct between two contestants—DeMario Jackson and Corinne Olympios. After an internal investigation, it was determined that there was no misconduct and filming resumed shortly after.


text: Beginning in 2015, ABC began airing "", a regular weekly live after show. Chris Harrison and Jenny Mollen co-hosted the show starring a celebrity fan and one of the "Bachelor in Paradise" cast members. Season 2 saw the introduction of comedian and talk show host Michelle Collins, who co-hosted "After Paradise" alongside Bachelor season 17 star Sean Lowe.


text: "Bachelor in Paradise Australia" was commissioned by Network Ten in late 2017. In Germany premiered on May 9, 2018 on RTL. Bachelor in Paradise Canada premiered on October 10, 2021 on CityTV.


title: Rufus (software)

text: Rufus (The Reliable USB Formatting Utility, with Source) is a free and open-source portable application for Microsoft Windows that can be used to format and create bootable USB flash drives or Live USBs.


title: Rufus (software)

text: Rufus was originally designed as a modern open source replacement for the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool for Windows, which was primarily used to create DOS bootable USB flash drives.


title: Rufus (software)

text: The first official release of Rufus, version 1.0.3 (earlier versions were internal/alpha only), was released on December 04, 2011, with originally only MS-DOS support. Version 1.0.4 introduced FreeDOS support and version 1.1.0 introduced ISO image support. Until 1.2.0, two separate versions were provided, with one for MS-DOS and one for FreeDOS. UEFI boot support was introduced with version 1.3.2, localization with 1.4.0 and Windows To Go with 2.0. The last version compatible with Windows XP and Vista is 2.18.


title: Rufus (software)

text: Rufus supports a variety of bootable .iso files, including various Linux distributions and Windows installation .iso files, as well as raw disk image files (including compressed ones). If needed, it will install a bootloader such as SYSLINUX or GRUB onto the flash drive to render it bootable. It also allows the installation of MS-DOS or FreeDOS onto a flash drive as well as the creation of Windows To Go bootable media. It supports formatting flash drives using FAT, FAT32, NTFS, exFAT, UDF and ReFS filesystems.


title: Rufus (software)

text: Rufus is capable of downloading retail ISO DVD images of Windows 8.1, various builds of Windows 10 and Windows 11 directly from Microsoft's servers. This ISO download feature is available only if PowerShell 3.0 or later is installed, and 'Check for updates' is enabled in the program's settings (on first usage, Rufus prompts the user whether they want to enable the update check or not).


title: Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha

text: Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha ("Ibrahim Pasha of Parga"; c. 1495 – 15 March 1536), also known as Frenk Ibrahim Pasha ("the Westerner"), Makbul Ibrahim Pasha ("the Favorite"), which later changed to Maktul Ibrahim Pasha ("the Executed") His origin is thought to have been Albanian. After his execution in the Topkapı Palace, was the first Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire appointed by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.


title: Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha

text: Ibrahim, born a Christian, was enslaved during his youth. He and Suleiman became close friends in their youth, and later possibly lovers. In 1523, Suleiman appointed Ibrahim as Grand Vizier to replace Piri Mehmed Pasha, who had been appointed in 1518 by Suleiman's father, the preceding sultan Selim I. Ibrahim remained in office for the next 13 years. He attained a level of authority and influence rivaled by only a handful of other grand viziers of the Empire, but in 1536, he was executed on Suleiman's orders and his property (much of which was gifted to him by the Sultan) was confiscated by the state.


title: Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha

text: Ibrahim was born to Orthodox Christian parents in Parga, Epirus, then part of the Republic of Venice. His ethnicity is unknown, but he probably originally spoke a Slavic dialect and also knew Greek and Albanian. His father was either a sailor or a fisherman. Some time between 1499 and 1502 he was captured in a raid by Iskender Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Bosnia, becoming a slave. He first met Prince Suleiman while residing at Iskender Pasha's estate near Edirne, most likely in 1514. It was then that he was taken into Suleiman's service.


title: Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha

text: After his rival Hain Ahmed Pasha, the governor of Egypt, declared himself independent of the Ottoman Empire and was executed in 1524, Ibrahim Pasha traveled south to Egypt in 1525 and reformed the Egyptian provincial civil and military administration system. He promulgated an edict, the "Kanunname", outlining his system.


title: Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha

text: In a lavish ceremony in 1523, Ibrahim Pasha was married to Muhsine Hatun, the granddaughter of the same Iskender Pasha who had captured him more than two decades previously. This marriage appears to have been politically motivated as a method of integrating Ibrahim, an outsider, into the Ottoman elite. While Muhsine was initially skeptical about her new husband, they eventually formed a loving relationship. Although historians once believed that the woman Ibrahim married was Hatice Sultan, the sister of Sultan Suleiman, this had been based on scanty evidence and conjecture. As a result of research carried out by the historian Ebru Turan, including the discovery of multiple references to Muhsine in Venetian and Ottoman texts as well as a signed letter from her to Ibrahim, it is now accepted that Ibrahim's wife was Muhsine and not Hatice.


title: Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha

text: On the diplomatic front, Ibrahim's work with Western Christendom was a complete success. Portraying himself as "the real power behind the Ottoman Empire", Ibrahim used a variety of tactics to negotiate favorable deals with the leaders of the Catholic powers. The Venetian diplomats even referred to him as "Ibrahim the Magnificent", a play on Suleiman's usual sobriquet. In 1533, he convinced Charles V to turn Hungary into an Ottoman vassal state. In 1535, he completed a monumental agreement with Francis I that gave France favorable trade rights within the Ottoman Empire in exchange for joint action against the Habsburgs. This agreement would set the stage for joint Franco-Ottoman naval maneuvers, including the basing of the Ottoman fleet in southern France (in Toulon) during the winter of 1543–1544.


title: Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha

text: Although Ibrahim Pasha had long since converted to Islam, he maintained some ties to his roots, even bringing his parents to live with him in the Ottoman capital, where they also converted to Islam. His father took the name Yusuf and joined the Ottoman elite, becoming a governor in Epirus.


title: Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha

text: As his power and wealth grew, so did his arrogance, and he behaved as if he were in charge, not the Sultan. This deeply troubled the Sultan's wife, Hurrem, who plotted Ibrahim's downfall. After a dinner with the Sultan on 5 March 1536, Ibrahim Pasha went to bed. Upon arrival to his room, he was seized, and killed. Thus, Hurrem became the chief political advisor to her husband, the Sultan.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Apichatpong Weerasethakul (; ; ) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, Apichatpong has directed several features and dozens of short films. Friends and fans sometimes refer to him as "Joe" (a nickname that he, like many with similarly long Thai names, has adopted out of convenience).


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: His feature films include "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives", winner of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or prize; "Tropical Malady", which won a jury prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival; "Blissfully Yours", which won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard program at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival; "Syndromes and a Century", which premiered at the 63rd Venice Film Festival and was the first Thai film to be entered in competition there; and "Cemetery of Splendour", which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim. Apichatpong has received numerous additional accolades, including the 2016 Principal Prince Claus Award and the eighth edition of the Artes Mundi Prize. His first English-language film was "Memoria", a 2021 international collaboration set in Colombia.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Themes reflected in his films include dreams, nature, sexuality (including his own homosexuality), and Western perceptions of Thailand and Asia, and his films display a preference for unconventional narrative structures and for working with non-actors.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Apichatpong has also widely exhibited in galleries, including FACT in Liverpool, and the BFI Gallery in London, the contemporary art space within BFI Southbank.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Apichatpong was born in Bangkok, Thailand to a Thai Chinese family. Both his parents had been physicians who worked in a hospital in Khon Kaen, while his grandparents came from Canton. However Apichatpong never learned to speak Chinese as his father died when he was young.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Apichatpong grew up in a traditional Buddhist family, exposed to rituals that incorporate animism and Hinduism, spiritual practices retained in the surrealist tones of his works today. Among the filmmaker's early influences are the Dada movement and Joseph Cornell's "boxes".


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Apichatpong attended Khon Kaen University and received a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1994. He made his first short film, "Bullet", in 1993. He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received a Master of Fine Arts in filmmaking in 1997.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Apichatpong's feature-length debut, "Dokfa nai meuman" ("Mysterious Object at Noon") is a documentary and was conceptually based upon the "exquisite corpse" game invented by surrealists. He co-founded the production company, Kick the Machine, in 1999, and uses the company as a vehicle for his own works, alongside Thai experimental films and video. The list of other founders includes Gridthiya Gaweewong and Suaraya Weerasethakul and the company co-organised the Bangkok Experimental Film Festival in 1999, 2001, 2005 and 2008.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Apichatpong's 2002 film "Sud Sanaeha" ("Blissfully Yours") was his debut narrative feature film and was awarded the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, though it was censored in his native Thailand. His 2004 "Sud Pralad" ("Tropical Malady") won a Jury Prize from the same festival.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Between "Blissfully Yours" and "Tropical Malady", Apichatpong co-directed "The Adventure of Iron Pussy" with artist Michael Shaowanasai, who starred as the main character, a transvestite secret agent, while pop singer Krissada Terrence, better known as Noi from the Thai band Pru, portrayed the male lead. The low-budget, digital movie was a spoof of Thai films of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the musicals and action films of Mitr Chaibancha and Petchara Chaowarat. "The Adventure of Iron Pussy" was screened at the Berlin Film Festival in 2004. When asked about the film in May 2013, Apichatpong said: "I have had enough of Iron Pussy for now. I was having a good time making it but I was not inspired."


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Along with his features, Apichatpong is also known for his short films, videoworks and installations. For the 2005 Jeonju International Film Festival, he was commissioned to contribute to the "Three Digital Short Films" project, alongside two other Asian directors. His film was called "Worldly Desires", while Japanese filmmaker Shinya Tsukamoto made "Vital, Bullet Ballet" and Song Il-gon from South Korea created "Magician(s)".


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: In 2005 Apichatpong served as the consultant on the "Tsunami Digital Short Films", a series of 13 films commissioned by the Thailand Culture Ministry's Office of Contemporary Art and Culture as a memorial tribute to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and the resulting tsunami that struck Thailand. His contribution was the film "Ghost of Asia".


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: The Thai Office of Contemporary Art and Culture also honoured Apichatpong with its 2005 Silpathorn Award for filmmaking. The annual award is given to living contemporary artists in various disciplines.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: In 2006, Apichatpong released a feature film, "Syndromes and a Century", that was commissioned by Peter Sellars for the New Crowned Hope Festival in Vienna to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth. It premiered at the 63rd Venice Film Festival and screened at numerous film events, such as the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: The film's Thai release, originally slated for 19 April 2007, was indefinitely delayed after the Thai Censorship Board demanded the removal of four scenes. Apichatpong refused to recut the film and said he would withdraw the film from domestic circulation. He explained his reasons for doing so in an article in the "Bangkok Post":


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Two of the "sensitive" scenes involve doctors engaging in "inappropriate" conduct (kissing and drinking liquor) in a hospital; the others depict a Buddhist monk playing a guitar and two monks playing with a remote-control flying saucer. The censors refused to return the print unless the requested cuts were made. In 2007 the film was shown twice in privately arranged screenings at the Alliance française in Bangkok.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: The censorship of the film came about as a motion picture ratings system was being considered by the junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly. A replacement for the 1930 film act, the ratings law contained a restrictive ratings structure and retained the government's powers to censor and ban films it deemed would "undermine or disrupt social order and moral decency, or that might impact national security or the pride of the nation". The ratings board would comprise mainly bureaucrats in the Ministry of Culture, as well as members of the Royal Thai Police.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: To oppose the draft law, Apichatpong and other directors formed the Free Thai Cinema Movement. Apichatpong was quoted as saying: "We disagree with the right of the state to ban films ... There already are other laws that cover potential wrongdoings by filmmakers." Ladda Tangsupachai, director of the Ministry of Culture's Cultural Surveillance Department, said the ratings law was needed because moviegoers in Thailand are "uneducated". She further explained, "They're not intellectuals, that's why we need ratings ... Nobody goes to see films by Apichatpong. Thai people want to see comedy. We like a laugh."


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: The filmmakers sought a self-regulation approach, with the founding of an independent body run by film professionals. Apichatpong had written in a commentary earlier in the year:


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Free from state influence, this agency would be responsible for monitoring and assigning rating, and it would bear direct responsibilities towards the audience, who in turn would monitor the performance of the agency. This way, the film industry will be liberated from the state's shackles and begin to have a dialogue with the public.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: A protest against the draft ratings law was held outside the Parliament building in Bangkok, at which Apichatpong and fellow Thai directors Wisit Sasanatieng and Pen-Ek Ratanaruang held banners that read: "No Freedom. No Democracy. No Peace" The ratings law, with the "cut-and-ban" categories left intact, was passed on 20 December 2007.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Apichatpong presented the "Apichatpong On Video Works" session as part of the "Tomyam Pladib" art exhibition that featured both Thai and Japanese artists who produced works regarding the coexistence of traditional and modern cultures. The filmmaker's presentation consisted of three short films: "Ghost Of Asia", "0116643225059" and "The Anthem". Apichatpong also answered questions from the audience to conclude the presentation.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: The first English-language book on Apichatpong was published in March 2009. James Quandt is the editor and author of the analytical career overview that introduces the book. Other contributors include the cultural and political theorist Benedict Anderson, filmmaker Mark Cousins, art curator


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: "Primitive", Apichatpong's first solo exhibition—composed of a two-channel video installation, seven single-channel videos, and two giclée prints—was first shown at Haus der Kunst in February 2009. In September 2009, the exhibition was shown in Liverpool, United Kingdom (UK) at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology). The work was commissioned by Haus der Kunst, of Munich, Germany, with FACT and Animate Projects, and was produced by Illuminations Films, London and Kick the Machine. Curator Karen Newman wrote in the introduction for the exhibition: "His works are also vehicles that take us between different worlds, asking questions about the future and revealing a much bigger story than at first appears." Primitive was shot in the border town, Nabua, where the Mekong River divides Thailand and Laos. In 2011 the New Museum presented the American debut of "Primitive"


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: In 2010 Apichatpong's feature film, "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives", won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was also selected as the Thai entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards but it did not make the final shortlist.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: In 2012, Apichatpong's film "Mekong Hotel" was screened in the Special Screenings section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: In March 2013, Apichatpong and fellow Kick The Machine artist Chai Siri received the "Sharjah Biennial Prize" at the 2013 Sharjah Biennial 11 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), alongside five other artists, including Magdi Mostafa and Fumito Urabe. Apichatpong was also awarded Japan's "Fukuoka Art and Culture Prize" in June, alongside Indian visual artist Nalini Malani, worth 3,000,000 yen (US$30,530).


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: In March 2014, it was announced that Apichatpong will feature among 32 directors from four continents, including Vincent Gallo and Gaspar Noé, to direct "Short Plays", a soccer-themed omnibus production shot around the world. Apichatpong's short is set in his home town, features 22 shots of its lake, almost the only recognizable feature from his childhood, which are arranged like players in a soccer game.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: Apichatpong's latest film, "Memoria", a collaboration with Tilda Swinton, produced by Diana Bustamante and shot in Colombia in 2019, had its premiere in the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. It received the Jury Prize (ex aequo), alongside Nadav Lapid's "Ahed's Knee". Apichatpong also directed a segment of "The Year of the Everlasting Storm", an anthology film.


title: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

text: In a May 2013 interview for the "Encounter Thailand" journal, Apichatpong stated that all of his films are personal in nature and he does not consider himself a cultural ambassador for Thailand. In relation to the concept of "queer", he explained: "For me, the word queer means anything’s possible."


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: Bougainville ( ; ; Tok Pisin: "Bogenvil"), officially the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Tok Pisin: "Otonomos Region bilong Bogenvil"), is an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea. The largest island is Bougainville Island, while the region also includes Buka Island and a number of outlying islands and atolls. The interim capital is Buka, although this is considered temporary, with the capital likely to move. One potential location is Arawa, the previous capital.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: In 2011, the region had an estimated population of 250,000 people. The lingua franca of Bougainville is Tok Pisin, while a variety of Austronesian and non-Austronesian languages are also spoken. The region includes several Polynesian outliers where Polynesian languages are spoken. Geographically the islands of Bougainville and Buka are part of the Solomon Islands archipelago, but are politically separate from the independent country of Solomon Islands. Historically the region was known as the North Solomons.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: Bougainville has been inhabited by humans for at least 29,000 years. During the colonial period the region was occupied and administered by the Germans, Australians, Japanese, and Americans for various periods. The name of the region originates from French admiral Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who reached it in 1768.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: Bougainvillean separatism dates to the 1960s, and the Republic of North Solomons was declared shortly before the independence of Papua New Guinea in 1975; it was subsumed into Papua New Guinea the following year. Conflict over the Panguna mine became the primary trigger for the Bougainville Civil War (1988–1998), which resulted in the deaths of up to 20,000 people. A peace agreement resulted in the creation of the Autonomous Bougainville Government.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: In late 2019, a non-binding independence referendum was held with 98.31% voting for independence rather than continued autonomy within Papua New Guinea. As a result, the regional authorities intend to become independent by the end of 2027, pending ratification by the Papuan New Guinea government.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: Bougainville has been inhabited by humans for at least 29,000 years, according to evidence obtained from Kilu Cave on Buka Island. Until about 10,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Maximum, there was a single island referred to as "Greater Bougainville" that spanned from the northern tip of Buka Island to the Nggela Islands north of Guadalcanal.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: The first inhabitants of Bougainville were Australo-Melanesians who presumably arrived from the Bismarck Archipelago. Around 3,000 years ago, Austronesian peoples brought the Lapita culture to the islands, introducing pottery, agriculture, and domesticated animals such as pigs, dogs, and chickens. Both Austronesian and non-Austronesian languages are spoken on the islands to this day, however there has been significant mixing between the populations to the point that cultural and genetic differences are no longer correlated with language.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: The first Europeans to sight present-day Bougainville were the Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire, who glimpsed Takuu Atoll and Nissan Island in 1616. British naval officer Philip Carteret saw Buka Island in 1767 and also visited what became the Carteret Islands. In 1768, French admiral Louis Antoine de Bougainville sailed along the east coast of the island that now bears his name.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: The German Empire, which had already begun operations in New Guinea, annexed present-day Bougainville in 1886, after agreeing with the United Kingdom to divide the Solomon Islands archipelago between them. A German protectorate over the northern islands was established later that year, but the British Solomon Islands Protectorate was not established until 1893. The initial boundary between the two territories was much more southerly, with Choiseul Island, Santa Isabel Island, Ontong Java, the Shortland Islands, and part of the Florida Islands included in the German section. The current boundary between PNG and Solomon Islands is derived from the Tripartite Convention of 1899, which saw those islands ceded to the United Kingdom.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: The German Solomon Islands were administered through German New Guinea, although it took almost two decades for an administrative presence to be established. The German administrative station at Kieta, established in 1905, was preceded by a Marist mission, which succeeded in converting a majority of the islanders to Catholicism. The first fully commercial plantation was established in 1908, but German annexation had little economic impact.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force occupied Bougainville in December 1914, as part of the Australian occupation of German New Guinea. The 1919 Treaty of Versailles established the former colony as a League of Nations mandate, administered by Australia as the Territory of New Guinea. A civilian administration was established in 1920, after which German nationals were deported and their property expropriated. A number of punitive expeditions took place during both the German and Australian administrations, as part of "pacification" programs. The colonial period saw significant changes in the culture of the islanders.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: In 1942, Bougainville was invaded by the Japanese in order to provide a support base for the operations elsewhere in the South-West Pacific. The Allied counter-invasion resulted in heavy casualties, beginning in 1943, with full control of the islands not re-established until 1945. After the war the Australian government incorporated Bougainville and the rest of the mandate into the Territory of Papua and New Guinea, the immediate predecessor of present-day Papua New Guinea.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: Papua New Guinea gained its independence from Australia in 1975. As Bougainville is rich in copper and gold, a large mine had been established at Panguna in the early 1970s by Bougainville Copper Limited, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto. Disputes by regional residents with the company over adverse environmental impacts, failure to share financial benefits, and negative social changes brought by the mine resulted in a local revival for a secessionist movement that had been dormant. Activists proclaimed the independence of Bougainville (Republic of North Solomons) in 1975 and in 1990, but both times government forces suppressed the separatists.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: In 1988, the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) increased their activity significantly. Prime Minister Sir Rabbie Namaliu ordered the Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF) to put down the rebellion, and the conflict escalated into a civil war. The PNGDF retreated from permanent positions on Bougainville in 1990, but continued military action. The conflict involved pro-independence and loyalist Bougainvillean groups as well as the PNGDF. The war claimed an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 lives.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: In 1996, Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan made the controversial move to hire Sandline International, a private military company previously involved in supplying mercenaries in the civil war in Sierra Leone, to put down the rebellion.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: The Bougainville conflict ended in 1997 after negotiations brokered by New Zealand. In 2000, A peace agreement was completed and, together with disarmament, provided for the establishment of an Autonomous Bougainville Government. The parties agreed to have a referendum in the future on whether the island should become politically independent.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: On 25 July 2005, rebel leader Francis Ona died after a short illness. A former surveyor with Bougainville Copper, Ona was a key figure in the secessionist conflict and had refused to formally join the island's peace process.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: In 2015, Australia announced it would establish a diplomatic post in Bougainville for the first time. In 2016, it cancelled those plans acknowledging that it had not obtained the PNG government's approval.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: In 2019, a non-binding independence referendum was held with 98.31% voting for independence rather than continued autonomy within Papua New Guinea. As a result, the regional authorities intend to become independent between 2025 and 2027.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: The Bougainville region occupies the north of the Solomon archipelago with Bougainville Island, which is the largest island of this group. The border between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands lies just south in the middle of a strait that separates it from the Shortland Islands. The Solomon Island of Choiseul is further south.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: The island of Buka is north of Bougainville, separated by a narrow strait. The region includes other more or less remote islands and atolls:


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: The territory constitutes an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean that has an area of 9384 square kilometers.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: Elections for the first autonomous government were held in May and June 2005; Joseph Kabui, an independence leader, was elected president. He died in office on 6 June 2008. After interim elections to fill the remainder of his term, John Momis was elected as president in 2010 for a five-year term. He supports autonomy within a relationship with the national government of Papua New Guinea.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: The Constitution of Bougainville specifies that the Autonomous Bougainville Government shall consist of three branches:


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: The capital city is Buka, which became the centre of government after Arawa was damaged during the Bougainville Civil War. The status of Buka is considered temporary, and the government is deciding on the location of a permanent capital.


title: Autonomous Region of Bougainville

text: President John Momis confirmed that Bougainville would hold a non-binding independence referendum in 2019. The governments of both Bougainville and Papua New Guinea held a two-week referendum period which began on 23 November 2019 and closed on 7 December 2019, which is the final step in the Bougainville Peace Agreement. The referendum question was a choice between greater autonomy within Papua New Guinea, or full independence. Over 98% of the valid ballots were cast for independence.