title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: Rihanna released her debut album "Music of the Sun" in August 2005. An R&B album, "Music of the Sun" incorporated musical elements of dance-pop and Caribbean music genres such as dancehall and reggae. The album received mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented its dancehall and Caribbean-inspired songs, while others criticized some of the production. "Music of the Sun" debuted at number 10 on the US "Billboard" 200 and peaked in the top-forty of album charts in Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It produced two singles: "Pon de Replay" and "If It's Lovin' that You Want", the former of which peaked at number two on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: When discussing the conception for her second studio album with L.A. Reid—Chairman and CEO of The Island Def Jam Music Group—Rihanna talked about experimenting with different music by incorporating some rock on the album. In February 2006, Rihanna announced that she was going to release her second studio album in April 2006 under the name "A Girl like Me". When asked about the album in an interview with MTV News, Rihanna stated: "Vocally I've matured so much, and lyrically I'm speaking about stuff I would never sing about [before]. Now I'm singing about experiences that I've gone through and stuff that other 18-year-old girls go through, so it's all about progression." In regards to the title of the album, Rihanna explained: "It's called "A Girl Like Me" because it's a very personal album, it's my baby. It's all about what it's like to be a girl like me, speaking of personal experiences as well as things that girls like me have gone through."


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: For writing and production of "A Girl like Me" Rihanna teamed up once again with record producers Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, who produced most of the tracks on her previous album, J. R. Rotem and Norwegian production duo Stargate. While recording the track "If It's Lovin' That You Want" for her debut album, Rihanna received a visit from American singer Ne-Yo, in which they met for the first time, although they never got the chance to collaborate on "Music of the Sun". When production started, she came up with the idea of working with Ne-Yo. When asked about collaborating with Ne-Yo, Rihanna stated: "We never got around to it on the first album. So for the second album, I was like, 'You know what? I have to work with that guy Ne-Yo.' And it made it a lot easier because he's on the same label I am." For the album, Rihanna also worked with Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist Sean Paul on the track "Break It Off", which was recorded in Paul's hometown of Kingston, Jamaica.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: While working on "A Girl like Me", Rihanna not only recorded songs but also promoted "Music of the Sun". She commented: "We were so busy promoting the first album while trying to get this one done, working some crazy hours. That's why this album is so close to me, 'cause I really put my heart and soul into it." "SOS" was the first recorded track for the album, a song which was originally intended for Christina Milian's third studio album "So Amazin'"; however, she rejected it. L.A. Reid had Rihanna in mind as the next artist to record the song. The song was recorded within three days and eventually later released as the lead single from "A Girl like Me". "Kisses Don't Lie" was penned and produced by Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken and it was one of the three songs on the album on which Rihanna received writing credit. The song was written and recorded in her native Barbados, and was described by Rihanna as mixed with rock and reggae.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: In the song "Unfaithful", penned by Ne-Yo, Rihanna wanted to speak about personal things that girls her age at the time were experiencing, which was inspired by the album's title and according to her it is one of her favorite songs on the album. "We Ride" was written and produced by StarGate, who also produced and co-wrote "Unfaithful". For the song "Break It Off", which features Jamaican artist Sean Paul, Rihanna flew down to Jamaica to record the song. The song was written by Donovan Bennet and it was co-written by Sean Paul and Rihanna herself. The album's closing tracks were written by Rogers, Sturken and Rihanna, who co-wrote the album's title track "A Girl like Me". Rogers and Sturken produced and wrote eight of the album's 16 tracks.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: Musically, "A Girl like Me" reveals new types of musical genres compared to Rihanna's light and uptempo debut effort, "Music of the Sun". Her goal on the album was to find songs that express the many things young women want to say, but might not know how. In an interview, Rihanna said: "Now I'm singing about experiences that I've gone through and stuff that other 18-year-old girls go through, so it's all about progression." Reggae music, present in her debut album, subsequently continues into "A Girl like Me". For the album, Rihanna used influences of different music genres, including rock music, while keeping the reggae and dancehall roots of her previous album. The new effort also presents Rihanna's new side with some balladic elements. Although the album mostly follows the disco-ish mode of its predecessor, it was noted for its introduction of the rock genre to Rihanna's music, mostly represented by the rock and reggae mash-up "Kisses Don't Lie", though Rihanna herself stated that the album is not overall driven by rock influence. In an interview, Rihanna commented: "Growing up in Barbados, I wasn't exposed to a lot of rock music. We really love reggae and soca music and hip-hop. But when I moved to the United States last year, I was exposed to a lot of different types of music, rock being one of them, and I fell in love with it. [Now] I love rock music." Celia SanMiguel of "Vibe" magazine wrote that "A Girl like Me" is "a pop album, one informed but not bounded by Rihanna's Caribbean roots", and that it "dispels any lingering notions of her as a dancehall-meets-R&B ambassador." Sal Cinquemani from "Slant Magazine" called the album "a record that almost identically" veered between "sunny dancehall/dub-pop", "hip-hop-infused club bangers", and "adult-oriented ballads".


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: Lyrically, the album's theme speaks of girls' experiences. The album was widely addressed a personal album, speaking about what it is like to be "a girl like me"—things that girls Rihanna's age at the time were going through—as well as every aspect of her life: people being cheated on, falling in and out of love, people hating on you, having feelings towards a guy and partying. "SOS" tells about a guy who gives the girl a feeling that is very overwhelming—he drives the girl crazy, and she needs someone to rescue her from it. "Kisses Don't Lie" talks about a girl who's in love with a guy but is stuck between an ultimatum because she's afraid of getting hurt. "Unfaithful" documents the decay of a relationship when another person starts cheating. According to Rihanna, "I'm referred to as a murderer in that song, meaning I'm taking this guy's life by hurting him, cheating on him. He knows, and it makes him feel so bad. It's killing him to know that another guy is making me happy." "We Ride" talks about how a guy promises a girl that they will be together forever, while the girl describes moments which he did things that could tear them apart. The lyrics of "Dem Haters" portray a message about how "haters" try to bring people down and recommends excluding them from your life. "Final Goodbye" talks about a woman who wants to spend the rest of her life with a man but feels that she needs to reveal a secret before moving on. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" continues the theme of love in a similar vein to "SOS", however, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" portrays a message about being in love, whereas "SOS" talks about having an overwhelming feeling towards a guy.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: The album's opening track "SOS" is an uptempo dance song incorporating the key section, bass line, and drum beat of the 1981 recording of "Tainted Love" as performed by Soft Cell, although "SOS" contains a more dance-oriented beat to create a soulful anthem of young love. The song received positive reviews by critics, who called it "a sexy club tune." The song also features three different music videos, including two promotional music videos for Agent Provocateur and Nike, and the official music video, which was directed by Chris Applebaum. "Kisses Don't Lie", the album's second song, uses a mixture of Caribbean elements and electric guitar together with a mesmerizing bassline. On the ballad song "Unfaithful", the background instrumentation features a piano and strings. The song is the third track and the second single from the album, and was written by labelmate and fellow R&B musician Ne-Yo. Despite its strong chart performance, the song was panned by critics, who stated that "Rihanna's voice [on the song was] not particularly strong." The fourth track, "We Ride", features gently strummed acoustic guitar, with production handled by Stargate. The song received mixed reviews from critics and was less successful than the other singles. In the song's music video, directed by Anthony Mandler, Rihanna was featured hanging with her friends and scenes of her at the beach. After the song failed to chart in the United States, the song became the last single from the album to feature a music video.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: "Dem Haters" features guest vocals by Barbadian singer Dwane Husbands. The song is the album's fifth track and was produced by Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. The sixth track, "Final Goodbye", is a mid-tempo ballad containing ambient of strummed acoustic guitar. The seventh track, and the album's fourth and final single, "Break It Off", is a collaboration with Jamaican recording artist Sean Paul. The song contains dancehall influence. Although "Break It Off" did not feature a music video for its promotion, it still managed to reach the top ten in the singles charts in the United States, in ironic contrast to "We Ride", which did count with the support of an official music video. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", the album's eighth track, is another collaboration song featuring Jamaican music group J-Status. The Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers-produced "Selfish Girl", is the ninth song of the album and contains reggae elements. The tenth track, "P.S. (I'm Still Not Over You)", is an R&B song also produced by Sturken and Rogers. "A Girl like Me", the album's eleventh song and title track, is another R&B song also containing reggae elements. The album's third ballad, "A Million Miles Away", is the twelfth song on the album. It received mixed reviews from music critics, who commented that the song "kills whatever momentum the album has." The closing track on the standard version of the album is a remix serving as a sequel to "If It's Lovin' That You Want", which was Rihanna's second single from her debut album. The track, titled "If It's Lovin' That You Want - Part 2", features American rapper Corey Gunz.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: "SOS" was released as the album's lead single on February 14, 2006, and as a physical maxi single on March 27, 2006. The maxi single included both the radio edit and instrumental versions of "SOS", as well as the album track "Break It Off", which features Jamaican reggae singer Sean Paul. "SOS" contains a sped up sample of "Tainted Love", which was originally written by Ed Cobb in 1965 and popularized by English synthpop duo Soft Cell, when they released their cover version in 1981. It received positive reviews from music critics, especially for its energy and Rihanna's vocal performance. It peaked at number one on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, and became the singer's first number one single on the chart. It also peaked at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Play and Pop Songs charts, as well as number two on the UK Singles Chart. Two music videos, an official version and a Nike promotional version, were directed by Chris Applebaum.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: "Unfaithful" was released as the second single from "A Girl Like Me" on May 2, 2006. Written by American singer Ne-Yo and Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen of Stargate, the song was originally titled "Murderer" and was inspired by the works of American rock band Evanescence. It garnered a mixed response from critics; many praised its powerful balladry, but some criticized the lyrics. The single peaked at number six on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart as well as at number two on the UK Singles Chart. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Anthony Mandler, and features Rihanna in a love triangle in which she struggles to choose between her husband and her romantic interest, and regrets having cheated on the former. Rihanna performed the song at the 2006 MOBO Awards and it has been included on the set lists of her concert tours, the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour (2007–09), the Last Girl on Earth (2010–11) and the Loud Tour (2011).


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: "We Ride" was released as the third single from the album; the song was sent to US mainstream and rhythmic radio stations on August 21, 2006. It was written by Makeba Riddick, Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, while production of the song was handled by Eriksen and Hermansen under their production team name, StarGate. "We Ride" was well received by critics, many of whom praised it as a good cruising song. It failed to chart on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, but managed to top the US Hot Dance Club Play chart and peaked at number 34 on the US Pop Songs chart.<ref name="WeRideUSDance/Euro"></ref> It failed to match the success of the album's previous singles, though peaking within the top twenty of the singles charts in Ireland, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. Its accompanying music video was also directed by Anthony Mandler, who had previously directed the music video for "Unfaithful". According to Rihanna, the video for "We Ride" is not as "out there" as the videos for "SOS" and "Unfaithful" were, as she wanted to do something less provocative to re-connect with people her own age.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: "Break It Off" was released as the album's fourth and final single; it was released first in the United States on November 13, 2006 and internationally over four months later on February 27, 2007. The song was written by Donovan Bennett, Sean Paul, K. Ford and Rihanna, and it was recorded in Jamaica, where Rihanna joined Paul on vacation. The single garnered a positive reaction from critics, who hailed it as one of the album's highlights and a return to Rihanna's dancehall roots. "Break It Off" managed to attain chart success, in contrast to previous single "We Ride", and peaked at number nine on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and number six on the US Pop Songs chart. Aside from the US charting, the only singles chart the song made an appearance on was in Belgium, where it attained a peak position of number 10. No music video for the song was shot, although Rihanna performed the song at the Radio One Big Weekend in 2007, after her third studio album "Good Girl Gone Bad" had been released, and performed "Break It Off" as part of the set list with other songs from all three of her albums up to that point. The song was also included on the setlist of the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour (2007–09).


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: "A Girl Like Me" and "A Million Miles Away" made chart appearances on the Spanish Singles Chart in 2009, three years after the release of the album. The title track, co-written by Rogers, Sturken and Rihanna, peaked at number 25. The song prompted a mixed reaction from critics; Quentin B. Huff of "PopMatters" praised "A Girl Like Me", writing that the song is "refreshingly unpretentious" compared to "Unfaithful", which Huff labelled as "overboard with melodrama." However, Celia San Miguel of "Vibe" magazine criticized the song, and called it a "stumble" on the album and a "yawn-inducing slow jam." "A Million Miles Away" was also written by Rogers and Sturken, and peaked at number 38 on the Spanish Singles Chart. Huff wrote that the song, along with "Unfaithful", was not as good as the album's sixth track, "Final Goodbye".


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: During the recording process of "A Girl Like Me", Rihanna served as the opening act for Gwen Stefani during the Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005 in Japan to promote "Music of the Sun". While performing on the tour, she performed some of the songs that would appear on "A Girl Like Me". Before the release of the album, Rihanna was given substantial promotional support from MTV, which highlighted "SOS" on "Total Request Live" when she premiered the single's music video on March 23, 2006. She then took part in advertising Nike and J.C. Penney by shooting a promotional music video for the album's lead single supported by Nike. The album was released through Def Jam Recordings in North America as a digital download on April 11, 2006, and as a physical CD on April 25, 2006. On the album's release date, Rihanna made a guest appearance on MTV's "Total Request Live" to promote the album.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: The album was released only eight months after "Music of the Sun" had been released. Rihanna stated regarding the rapid album succession: "We just felt like it was time. It made no sense waiting...you should never put time on music. You should never say, "Okay, "Music of the Sun" has to be out at least a year and a half before we start with--" No. That's what's great about the music business. When you feel it's time, you just go for it. And we felt like it was time to come up with a new album." "SOS" was included on the soundtrack of the film "", where Rihanna made a cameo in the film as herself; her debut single, "Pon de Replay", was also included in the soundtrack.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: An expanded double-disc deluxe edition of the album was re-released in Germany, titled "A Girl LIke Me: Deluxe Edition", on November 17, 2006. Aside from the original track listing, the new edition features a bonus CD containing leftover tracks from "A Girl Like Me" and "Music of the Sun". It also included an enhanced CD featuring two of Rihanna's music videos. In order to promote further the album, Rihanna embarked on the Rock Tha Block Tour and then toured with the Pussycat Dolls on the PCD World Tour, from November 2006 to February 2007 in the United Kingdom. She also recorded songs for advertising the Happy fragrance by Clinique and deodorant Secret of the company Procter & Gamble.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: Rihanna performed the album's lead single "SOS" on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on February 20, 2006, and at the 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards on June 18, 2006. Rihanna then performed her single "Unfaithful" on AOL Music, where Rihanna recorded her first Sessions@AOL broadcast, among other content exclusive to AOL members. On July 27, 2006, she performed "SOS" and "Unfaithful" on the MTV series "Total Request Live". On September 20, 2006, Rihanna opened the 2006 MOBO Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London with a performance of "Unfaithful". On November 2, 2006, Rihanna performed "SOS" live at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards held in Copenhagen, Denmark. On November 15, 2006, Rihanna performed "Unfaithful" at the 2006 World Music Awards, which also took place in London. On November 22, 2006, Rihanna performed "SOS" and "Unfaithful" on the Australian morning show "Sunrise".


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: Rihanna further promoted "A Girl Like Me" through her debut concert tour, the . Taking place during the summer of 2006, the tour also supported her debut studio album "Music of the Sun" and traveled across North America.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: "A Girl Like Me" received generally mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics. Dan Charnas of "The Washington Post" observed a "much broader musical palette than the wannabe-yoncés" and stated: "Sophomore slump avoided, Rihanna actually digs into some ambitious pop ballads". David Jeffries of AllMusic commented: "Versatile urban dance-pop singer Rihanna gracefully avoids the sophomore slump with "A Girl like Me", a less tropical-flavored, more urban effort than her sun-and-fun debut." Jeffries compared the track "Kisses Don't Lie" to Damian Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock" and commented that "the album gets bolder and seamlessly bounces from genre to genre... Rihanna goes from a film noir song that elegantly uses murder as a metaphor for cheating ("Unfaithful") to an easy-flowing weekend cruiser ("We Ride")." Ruth Jamieson of "The Observer" noted: "Chuck in a bit of Sugababes-esque harmony, some M.I.A.-style electro and a dollop of reggae, and you're even closer to getting Rihanna. If you liked last year's ridiculously catchy "Pon de Replay", there's more of the same here."


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: In a negative review, Kelefa Sanneh of "The New York Times" wrote that apart from "SOS", "Unfaithful", and "Break It Off", "this scattershot album is full of duds". Barry Walters of "Rolling Stone" felt that the album "doesn't deliver anything else as ingenious as its lead single: Lightweight dancehall and R&B jams lack the single's ear-bending boldness. But the burning rock guitar of "Kisses Don't Lie" and haunted strings of "Unfaithful" help make "A Girl Like Me" much more likable." Sal Cinquemani of "Slant Magazine" felt that the album's ballads are "at least a decade too mature for the teenage singer's minor vocal talents." He added that, despite the clever sampling on "SOS", "comparatively gooey and spineless slow numbers like "Final Goodbye" and "A Million Miles Away" kill whatever momentum the album has." Robert Christgau of MSN Music graded the album a "dud", indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought."


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: "A Girl like Me" debuted at number five on the US "Billboard" 200, selling 115,000 copies in its first week, nearly twice the debut sales of Rihanna's debut album "Music of the Sun", which sold 69,000 copies in its first week. The album has since been certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States. As of June 2015, the album has sold 1.4 million copies in the US. The album debuted at number six in Ireland on the Irish Albums Chart. "A Girl Like Me" was later certified 2× Platinum by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). It also debuted at number six in the United Kingdom on the UK Albums Chart with sales of 24,000 copies on the issue dated April 24, 2006. The album reached its peak of number five in July 2006 due to the popularity of the single "Unfaithful" and it has so far sold almost 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom. In Europe, the album achieved a Platinum certification, granted by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. In Canada, the album topped the Canadian Albums Chart, becoming Rihanna's first number-one album in the country, and was later certified Platinum there.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: In Australia, the album debuted at number 12 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The album later reached the number nine position and remained on the chart for twenty-one weeks. It was certified Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipping 70,000 units. In Switzerland, "A Girl Like Me" peaked at number six and remained there position for two consecutive weeks and charted for 39 weeks. The album was certified Platinum there for selling over 30,000 copies. In Belgium, "A Girl Like Me" debuted at number 45 on the Belgian Albums Chart in April 2006. The album further climbed up the chart and reached the chart's top 10 by peaking at number 10. "A Girl Like Me" managed to reach the top 20 in Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, France and Denmark. The album ended 2006 as the 20th-best-selling album in the world that year and sold an estimated 3,600,000 units worldwide.


title: Kathryn Gallagher

text: Kathryn Gallagher (born July 23, 1993) is an American singer and actress best known for her portrayal of Bella Fox in the Broadway musical "Jagged Little Pill", for which she received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.


title: Kathryn Gallagher

text: Gallagher was born in New York, daughter of Peter Gallagher and Paula Harwood. She moved to Los Angeles at 11 years old, where she began to study theatre at the Adderley School. She also started seriously writing her own music when she was in middle school. She identifies as bisexual.


title: Kathryn Gallagher

text: Gallagher's song "Nothing Ever None" was featured on the soundtrack for the 2011 film "Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You", and her song "Damaged" appears on the 2012 film "Thanks for Sharing"s soundtrack. Gallagher has released four solo EPs of her original music. She released her debut EP, "I'm Fine", in 2014 and her second, "American Spirit", in 2015. She released three singles in 2019 and 2020. In 2020, Gallagher released her third and fourth EPs, "Demos, Vol. 1" and "Demos, Vol. 2", which she produced by herself in her family house in the woods of Connecticut during the coronavirus pandemic. Gallagher has done many live shows where she performs her music in Los Angeles and New York City.


title: Kathryn Gallagher

text: Gallagher made her Broadway debut as the Voice of Martha in Deaf West Theatre's 2015 Broadway revival of "Spring Awakening", also serving as the show's dance captain. She auditioned for the part after a suggestion from fellow theatre actor Ben Platt.


title: Kathryn Gallagher

text: Gallagher has done several television projects, her most notable role being Annika in the Lifetime series "You", in which she appeared in eight episodes of Season One. Gallagher also guest starred on "The Flash" and "Indoor Boys".


title: Kathryn Gallagher

text: In 2019, Gallagher joined the cast of "Jagged Little Pill" on Broadway in the role of Bella Fox. She was an original Broadway cast member. "The Daily Beast"s review of the show said Gallagher was "excellent in a truly tough part", while "Deadline Hollywood" noted that she "brings the focus of the many-issued musical to its most powerful note". In the show, she sings an original Alanis Morissette song, "Predator" that was created for the musical when Gallagher's part was upgraded from a featured ensemble role to a principal role. On October 15, 2020, Gallagher was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, her first Tony nomination. The show began previews on Broadway in November 2019, opened on December 5, 2019, and closed on December 17, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: David Moscow

text: David Raphael Moscow (born November 14, 1974) is an American actor, producer and activist. He is best known for his role as the young Josh Baskin in the 1988 film "Big" and as David in the 1992 musical film "Newsies."


title: David Moscow

text: In 1988, Moscow played the young Josh Baskin in "Big", in which his character was magically transformed into an adult played by Tom Hanks. Moscow landed the role of David Jacobs in the 1992 filmed version of the musical "Newsies", co-starring opposite Christian Bale. Moscow also appears in a leading role opposite Jessica Alba in the film "Honey" and has starred on several network television series including "Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane". He was also featured on the television series "Seinfeld" as the character Lomez Jr in the episode "The Van Buren Boys".


title: David Moscow

text: He has also appeared in leading roles on Broadway, including Artie in the production "What's Wrong with This Picture" at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Moscow ran A Theater Co. in New York alongside actors Tom Everett Scott and Michael Kelly.


title: David Moscow

text: Moscow also co-developed and co-produced Lin-Manuel Miranda's first production of "In the Heights" with his ex-fiance, actress Kerry Washington.


title: David Moscow

text: As a producer, his 2012 project, "Hellbenders", was acquired by Lionsgate for North American and foreign distribution; and his film, the psychological thriller "Desolation", was his directorial debut and was partially funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign. "Desolation" has already been screened and honored at film festivals around the world including the Wroclaw Festival in Poland. Recent producing projects include "Sylvio", "The Jingoist", "Blind", "Easy Living" and "Thirst Street". He launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund post-production with a video reenactment of the Zoltar "wish" scene from "Big". The campaign raised more than $70,000.


title: David Moscow

text: Moscow has a long history as an activist, which began in 1992 after dropping out of college to track wolves for the Round River Conservations Studies. He also built a mixed income green housing facility in Harlem in 2006. In 2007, the magazine "Time Out New York" reported Moscow's involvement in developing sustainable and economic housing in Harlem.


title: David Moscow

text: Moscow was born in The Bronx, the son of Patricia (née Sterner) and Jon Moscow. His mother's family is from Montana. His father is Jewish, and his mother is Mormon, but he was not raised in either religion.


title: David Moscow

text: His younger brother Lev was an extra in "Newsies" and is a history teacher at The Beacon School in New York City. Moscow is friends with Max Casella and Luke Edwards from "Newsies".


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The Civic Democratic Party (, ODS) is a liberal-conservative and soft eurosceptic political party in the Czech Republic. It holds 34 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and is the second strongest party by number of seats following the 2021 election. It is the only political party in the Czech Republic that has always been represented in the Chamber of Deputies.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: Founded in 1991 as the pro-free market wing of the Civic Forum by Václav Klaus and modeled on the British Conservative Party, the ODS won the 1992 legislative election, and has remained in government for most of the Czech Republic's independence. In every legislative election (except for that of 2013) it emerged as one of the two strongest parties. Václav Klaus served as the first Prime Minister of the Czech Republic after the partition of Czechoslovakia, from 1993 to 1997. Mirek Topolánek, who succeeded him as leader of the party in December 2002, served as Prime Minister from 2006 to 2009. In the 2010 election, the party lost 28 seats, finishing second, but as the largest party right of the centre, it formed a centre-right government with Petr Nečas as Prime Minister. In the 2013 legislative election, the party was marginalized by only securing 16 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, relegating the party to the opposition from July 2013 to December 2021. In the 2017 legislative election, it has partly recovered and secured 25 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, making it the second strongest party in chamber. The party is currently being led by the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala, who has been leader since the 2014 party convention.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The ODS is a member of the International Democratic Union, and co-founded together with the British Conservatives the eurosceptic European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party) and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR group) in the European Parliament.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The party was founded in 1991 as one of two successors to the Civic Forum, which was a big tent movement that consisted of two major wings. The strongest wing was the Interparliamentary Club of the Democratic Right which was transformed into the ODS when Civic Forum split. ODS represented followers of Václav Klaus and was pro-free market, as opposed to the centrist Civic Movement. An agreement was reached to split the party in half at the Civic Forum Assembly on 23 February 1991. This was followed on 21 April by a formal declaration of a new party, and Klaus was elected its first President. The party agreed to continue in a coalition government with the Civic Movement, but this collapsed in July 1991.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The Civic Democrats, who represented demands for a tighter Czechoslovak federation, began to organize in Slovakia. Ahead of the 1992 election, the ODS ruled out an electoral alliance with the Liberal Democrats, but agreed to an alliance with Václav Benda's Christian Democratic Party (KDS) to boost its appeal to conservatives. The ODS won the election, winning 66 seats (and the KDS another ten), and formed a centre-right coalition with the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) and the KDU-ČSL, with Klaus as Prime Minister.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: It was the dominant party in two coalition governments in the Czech Republic from 1992 to 1997, a majority administration (1992–96) and a short-lived minority government (1996–97).


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: On 2 June 1995, the ODS and KDS signed a merger agreement, which would come into effect on 18 March 1996, ahead of that year's election. However, at the election, whilst the ODS improved to 68 seats, its allies fell, leading to the government receiving only 99 seats: two short of a majority. Klaus continued with a minority government, relying on its acceptance by the Social Democratic Party (ČSSD).


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: In December 1997, allegations of the party receiving illegal donations and maintaining a secret slush fund caused the ODA and KDU-ČSL to withdraw from the coalition, and the government collapsed. Josef Tošovský was appointed caretaker, pending new elections in June 1998. Despite the scandal, Klaus was re-elected party chairman. In January 1998, some legislators opposed to Klaus, led by Jan Ruml and Ivan Pilip, left the party in the so-called 'Sarajevo Assassination' and formed the Freedom Union (US).


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: At the elections, the ODS fell even further, to 63 seats, while the US won 19. Due to the split, the Freedom Union refused to support the ODS, preventing them from getting a majority; the US's executive also refused to support the ČSSD. As a result, on 9 July 1998, the ODS signed the Opposition Agreement, which pledged the party to provide confidence and maintain a ČSSD government under Miloš Zeman. This agreement was then superseded by the more explicit 'Patent of Tolerance' in January 2000.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: In the 2002 legislative election, the party went from being the largest seat holder to being the second largest party in the Chamber of Deputies with 58 of 200 seats, and for the first time in its history assumed the role of a true opposition party. Mirek Topolánek took over the party leadership. The former Czech president, Václav Klaus, has been the party's honorary president for his first term in the office. In the European Parliament elections in June 2004 and in Senate and regional assembly elections in November 2004, it received over 30% of the votes.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: In the 2006 legislative election the ODS was the largest seat holder in the Chamber of Deputies with 81 seats. ODS originally aimed to make a deal with Czech Social Democratic Party but talks with the Social democratic leader Jiří Paroubek were unsuccessful. Mirek Topolánek then introduced his first minority cabinet that consisted of Civic Democrats and independents. It was designated on 4 September 2006 but lost a vote of confidence on 3 October 2006.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: ODS then formed a government in coalition with the Populars (KDU-ČSL) and the Green Party (SZ). Projects of the cabinet included reform of public finances. Topolánek also discussed possible emplacement of United States Missile defense in the Czech Republic which resulted in public resistance.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The party suffered heavy losses in regional and Senate elections in 2008, losing all 12 regional governorships it had previously held. However, a year later, ODS won the European Parliament election, keeping all 9 seats and gaining more votes than in previous elections.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: ODS-led government during Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2009. Czech presidency had to deal with problems such as Gas crisis in Ukraine, conflict in Gaza or economic crisis. There were also controversies like Entropa but some aspects such as resolution of gas crisis were positively evaluated.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The Cabinet had lost a no confidence vote on 24 March 2009. The country was then governed by a newly formed caretaker Cabinet, which was nominated by ODS, ČSSD and SZ. Early elections were set for 9–10 October 2009 but were postponed to May 2010 due to unexpected developments in the Constitutional Court and House of Deputies


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: Civic Democratic Party won the second place after Czech Social Democratic Party and formed a centre-right Government with TOP 09 and Public Affairs. Public Affairs split from the government on 22 April 2012 but were replaced by LIDEM. The Civic Democratic Party was widely defeated in the regional election that same year, finishing third overall and winning only in the Plzeň region. The party also lost 2010 and 2012 Senate elections.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: ODS nominated Přemysl Sobotka for president of the Czech Republic during the 2013 presidential election. Sobotka received only 2.46% of votes and didn't qualify for second round. ODS has held 2012 presidential primaries which Přemysl Sobotka has won. Sobotka's poor showing in the 2013 general election was seen as caused by the government's unpopularity and lack of support from the party. The party's leadership supported Karel Schwarzenberg of TOP 09 in the second round of the presidential election.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: After resignation and fall of Cabinet of Prime Minister Petr Nečas ODS proposed Miroslava Němcová to the position of the Prime Minister to President Zeman saying that she will be able to form a coalition and succeed a vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies. However, President Zeman refused to appoint her and instead appointed Jiří Rusnok's Cabinet. After that, opposition called for a dissolution of Chamber of Deputies and early election (such vote was only recently made possible by a constitutional amendment). The motion of dissolution passed with 147 out of 200 votes (120 required), all parties except ODS, whose deputies left the chamber, voted for dissolution, including their former coalition partners Public Affairs and TOP 09. President Zeman then called on early elections on 25–26 October 2013. ODS suffered heavy losses. It gained only 16 seats and finished 5th. The party also lost elections of the European parliament and of Senate and municipal in 2014.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The 24th Congress of the Civic Democratic Party elected on 18–19 January 2014 a new leadership of ODS. The former rector of Masaryk University and minister Petr Fiala was elected as chairman. Member of the European Parliament Jan Zahradil was elected as first-vice-chairman. In his book "Citizens, Democrats and Party Members" (Czech: "Občané, demokraté a straníci"), Fiala said the party needs to be attractive to new, young people and ODS shall have experts on economics, health care, education, etc.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: In the Chamber of Deputies ODS formed an informal coalition relationship with TOP 09 and both have been opposing laws such as Control report of Value-added tax. On 26 May 2015, ODS, TOP 09 and Dawn of Direct Democracy called an unsuccessful vote of no confidence of the Cabinet of Bohuslav Sobotka.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: As of December 2015 opinion polls showed ODS with 8.6% nationwide. Some polling agencies and political commentators are of the opinion that ODS was on the path to become main centre-right party again.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: On 16 January 2016, Fiala was re-elected as Leader of the ODS. ODS participated in 2016 regional and Senate election. It received about 10% of votes and its candidate's secured seats in all regions. 6 candidates nominated by ODS qualified for the second round for Senate. 4 of them were eventually elected Fiala then said that ODS returned to the position of the major right wing party.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: ODS agreed to participate in the 2017 legislative election together with Freeholder party. Parties will present themselves during the campaign as "ODS with the support of Freeholders". This agreement means that Freeholders will take 40 places on ODS candidacy list. In February 2017, ODS started a campaign called "We create program." which was series of tours to Czech regions with party leaders discussing priorities with supporters and potential voters for an upcoming election. On 19 April 2017, ODS introduced its tax program. The Civic Democrats want to lower taxes which they say would increase the income of Czech citizens. ODS also wants to decrease spending in social benefits and subsidies. Chief Whip Zbyněk Stanjura said that many people take advantage of social benefits even though they don't deserve it. These plans resembled those that ODS had in the 2006 legislative election manifesto. Tours concluded with Conference "Strong program for Strong Czechia" held on 22 April where ODS presented their election manifesto and candidates.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: Following the 2017 Czech government crisis, ODS grew in polls, approaching the Czech Social Democratic Party. According to a poll by TNS Kantar, ODS would become the second strongest party, surpassing ČSSD and KSČM. ODS introduced its campaign for 2017 election on 29 May 2017. It is inspired by the British Conservative Party's campaign for 2017 general election. In the 2017 election, ODS sought to get more than 10%. According to poll by STEM/Mark in September. ODS would get 7.5% of votes.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: ODS received 11% in 2017 legislative election and became the second largest political party in the Czech Republic. The party then won 2018 Senate election confirming its position as the main right wing party.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: Civic Democratic Party, KDU-ČSL and TOP 09 formed bloc of conservative opposition parties in late 2020. The alliance was known as the "Three Coalition", before the parties launched their slogan and program on 9 December 2020, announcing that they would run under the name Spolu ("together") in the 2021 Czech legislative election. The conservative bloc announced that Petr Fiala would be their candidate for the post of prime minister.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The Bloc ran in 2021 Czech legislative election with Fiala as a leader. Opinion polls suggested that ANO 2011 would win the election but in an electoral upset ODS-led Spolu won highest number of votes and opposition parties won majority of seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Opposition parties signed memorandum agreeing to nominate ODS leader Fiala for the position of the new Prime Minister.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: ODS formed coalition government with STAN, KDU-ČSL, TOP 09 and Piráti after the election. Petr Fiala became the new Prime Minister. ODS holds 6 seats in Fiala's Cabinet.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The ODS is described as liberal-conservative, conservative, and conservative-liberal, supports economic liberalism, and is Eurosceptic. There are also multiple ideological factions in the party, including the national conservative faction, the national liberal faction, the neoconservative faction and the Christian socially conservative faction (former Christian Democratic Party).


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The party's ideas are very close to those of the British Conservative Party, Swedish Moderate Party, and other liberal-conservative parties in Europe. The basic principles of the party's program are "low taxes, public finances and future without debts, support for families with children, addressable social system, reducing bureaucracy, better conditions for business, a safe state with the transatlantic links. No tricks and populism."


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: Many prominent politicians in the party openly oppose political correctness and call for tougher measures to combat radical Islam which they liken to Nazism.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: Although the party was in power when the Treaty of Lisbon was ratified in the Czech Republic, ODS supports maintaining Czech sovereignty and integrity against the European Union, calls for a fundamental reform of the EU and strongly opposes any federalization of Europe in the form of the EU becoming a quasi-state entity. Following the EU referendum in Britain which resulted in the United Kingdom voting to leave, ODS leader Petr Fiala said the Czech Republic "should reconsider its priorities and strategy in the European Union" and if the Treaties were to be re-opened, negotiate new conditions for the country such as an opt-out from asylum rules as well as from the obligation to adopt the euro. The party is a member of the national-conservative European Conservatives and Reformists group.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The ODS is against immigration. The party supports compulsory measures for immigrants to speak the Czech language, learn about Czech history and adapt to local customs and cultures. ODS is also opposed to compulsory EU migrant quotas by arguing that the Czech Republic should have sovereignty over its own border control and that forcing nations to take in migrants without sufficient vetting or orderly processing and integration poses a threat to national security, social cohesion and native European culture. ODS believes that all individual nations should have the right to determine their own immigration policies.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: ODS also supports the right of law abiding citizens to own and carry firearms, being the main reason Czech gun laws are much more liberal than in nearly all other European countries. This makes them different from parties they are based on, as most of them, especially British Conservatives, reject the idea that anyone has a right to own and carry firearms and other weapons, making the ODS much more similar to American Republicans in this matter, although they still support gun control measures (such as background checks, licenses and registration). ODS, especially its defense expert Jana Černochová, was one of the main supporters of embedding the right to keep and bear arms for the purposes of national security into the Czech constitution, although it was Social Democrat Milan Chovanec who originally proposed it. The amendment failed in the Senate. In 2021 a same bill passed.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: Václav Klaus stated that party's name represents the fact that ODS is based on the idea of the civic freedoms. It also shows that ODS is a Civic Party, which differentiates it from other parties that existed prior to 1991. The adjective Democratic represents that ODS should protect parliamentary democracy.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: Besides its official name, ODS also received some informal names from media. Party members are sometimes called ""the Blues"" or the ""Blue Birds"" and ODS is sometimes called the "Blue Party" due to party's association with the color blue.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The first logo was introduced on 4 June 1991, created by Aleš Krejča. It was chosen from over 250 entries to a public competition.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: A new logo was introduced in 1992, including the silhouette of a bird in blue. The logo was created by Petr Šejdl. In 1994 when the bird's tail was shortened and in 1998 the font was changed as a result of the "Sarajevo betrayal" of autumn 1997, in which ODS colleagues used allegations of bribery to precipitate the resignation of Václav Klaus' government while he was on a trip to Sarajevo. The party used this version until 2015 with modifications for individual election campaigns.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The ODS introduced a new party logo in a congress in Prague in 2015. The design of the bird was updated and flies upwards rather than to the left. The logo was designed by Libor Jelínek.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The highest body of the ODS is Congress which meets every year and elects leadership every two years. The party is led by the Executive Council and Republic Assembly in time between meetings of Congress. The executive body meets every Month and the party is led by Panel between meetings of the Executive Council. Panel consists of Party's Leader, Deputy Leaders and Chief Whips of the Parliamentary ODS.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: ODS is structured similarly to the subdivisions of the Czech Republic. The structure consists of local associations. Group of local associations forms area. Areas are organised as parts of Region.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: ODS had 18,500 Members in 1991. The number of members grew with the party's influence and soon rose to over 23,000. It decreased during political crisis in 1998 to 16,000. The party stopped the decrease after preliminary election and membership grew once again. It peaked in 2010 when it reached 31,011. The member base started to decline rapidly after 2010. It had only 17,994 members prior the 2013 election. ODS had 14,771 members in May 2015 and the member base was stabilised according to leaders of the party.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: The party runs a membership organisation known as Supporters of ODS. It is a looser form of involvement with the party. It is meant for people who doesn't want to be members of ODS but sympathize with its program. It replaced the organisation known as Blue Team


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: Faces of ODS is a project of party's members who share their life's story. It was described as honour for all members of the party who didn't abandon it in hard times.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: Young Conservatives (, MK) is a youth wing of ODS. Young people from the age of 15 to 35 can apply for a membership in the MK. The founding congress of MK was held on 8 December 1991 as a result of previous preparations through Charter of Young Conservatives by a group of students at the University of Technology in Brno and Law Students' Association "Všehrd" from Faculty of Law at the Charles University. The Young Conservatives organize a wide range of events from meetings with local or national politicians to elections campaigns and international events.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: CEVRO Liberal Conservative Academy () is a think-tank affiliated with ODS. It was established in 1999. Its goal is political education which tries to spread liberal-conservative thinking. In 2005, CEVRO established its own private university known as CEVRO Institute. CEVRO has four newspapers – "CEVRO Revue", "The Week in European Politics", "The Week in Czech Politics" and "Forthnightly".


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: ODS joined the European Democrat Union (EDU) in 1992 as one of the first parties in the former Eastern Bloc. Václav Klaus even became a Vice President of EDU. ODS remained in the EDU until it became part of the European People's Party (EPP) in 2002. ODS refused to join EPP due to its ideological differences and instead became a member of European Democrats.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: ODS joined International Democrat Union (IDU) in 2001. Chairmen of Civic Democratic Party served as Vice-presidents of IDU.


title: Civic Democratic Party (Czech Republic)

text: In July 2006, the Civic Democratic Party signed an agreement with the British Conservative Party to leave the European People's Party–European Democrats (EPP-ED) Group in the European Parliament and form the Movement for European Reform in 2009. On 22 June 2009, it was announced that ODS would join the newly formed European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) parliamentary group, an anti-federalist and Eurosceptic group, which currently its third largest bloc in the European Parliament. ODS then became one of founding members of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party), a conservative and Eurosceptic European political party, defending broader conservative and economically liberal principles. Other members of ECR Party include Conservative Party, Law and Justice or Freedom and Solidarity.


title: Teff

text: Eragrostis tef, also known as teff, Williams lovegrass or annual bunch grass, is an annual grass, a species of lovegrass native to the Horn of Africa, notably to both Eritrea and Ethiopia. It is cultivated for its edible seeds, also known as teff. Teff was one of the earliest plants domesticated. It is one of the most important staple crops in Ethiopia and Eritrea.


title: Teff

text: "Eragrostis tef" is a self pollinated tetraploid annual cereal grass. Teff is a plant, which allows it to more efficiently fix carbon in drought and high temperatures, and is an intermediate between a tropical and temperate grass. The name teff is thought to originate from the Amharic word "teffa", which means "lost". This probably refers to its tiny seeds, which have a diameter smaller than 1 mm. Teff is a fine-stemmed, tufted grass with large crowns and many tillers. Its roots are shallow, but develop a massive fibrous rooting system. The plant height varies depending on the cultivation variety and the environmental conditions. As for many ancient crops, teff is quite adaptive and can grow in various environmental conditions; particularly, teff can be cultivated in dry environments, but also under wet conditions on marginal soils.


title: Teff

text: Teff originated in the Horn of Africa, corresponding to what is today modern day Ethiopia and Eritrea, where it is one of the most important cereals. It is grown for its edible seeds and also for its straw to feed the cattle. The seeds are very small, about a millimeter in length, and a thousand grains weigh approximately 0.3 grams. They can have a color from a white to a deep reddish brown. Teff is similar to millet and quinoa in cooking, but the seed is much smaller and cooks faster, thus using less fuel.


title: Teff

text: Teff is mainly cultivated in Ethiopia and Eritrea, where it originates. It is one of the most important staple crops in these two countries, where it is used to make injera or Tayta. In 2016, Ethiopia grew more than 90 percent of the world's teff. It is now also marginally cultivated in India, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the US, particularly in Idaho, California, Texas, and Nevada. Because of its very small seeds, a handful is enough to sow a large area. This property makes teff particularly suited to a seminomadic lifestyle.


title: Teff

text: Teff was one of the earliest plants domesticated. Teff is believed to have originated in Ethiopia between 4000 BC and 1000 BC. Genetic evidence points to "E. pilosa" as the most likely wild ancestor. A 19th-century identification of teff seeds from an ancient Egyptian site is now considered doubtful; the seeds in question (no longer available for study) are more likely of "E. aegyptiaca", a common wild grass in Egypt.


title: Teff

text: Teff is the most important commodity produced and consumed in Eritrea and Ethiopia: The flat pancake-like injera provide livelihood for around 6.5 million small farmers in the country. In 2006, the Ethiopian government outlawed the export of raw teff, fearing export-driven domestic shortages like those suffered by South American countries after the explosion of quinoa consumption in Europe and the US. Processed teff, namely injera, could still be exported and was mainly bought by the Ethiopian and Eritrean diaspora living in northern Europe, the Middle East and North America. After a few years, fears of a domestic shortage of teff in the scenario of an international market opening decreased. Teff yields had been increasing by 40 to 50% over the five previous years while prices had remained stable in Ethiopia. This led the government to partially lift the export ban in 2015. To ensure that the domestic production would not be minimized, the export licenses have only been granted to 48 commercial farmers which had not cultivated the plant before. Lack of mechanization is a barrier to potential increases in teff exports. Yet the increasing demand, rising by 7–10% per year, and the subsequent increase in exports is encouraging the country to speed up the modernization of agriculture and is also boosting research. Because of its potential as an economic success, a few other countries, including the US and some European countries, are already cultivating teff and selling it on domestic markets.


title: Teff

text: Teff is a multipurpose crop which has a high importance for the Ethiopian diet and culture. In Ethiopia, teff provides two-thirds of the daily protein intake. It is not only important for human nutrition, but also as fodder for livestock, or as building material. Teff is the main ingredient to prepare injera, a sourdough-risen flatbread. During meals, it is often eaten with meat or ground pulses. Sometimes it is also eaten as porridge. Moreover, teff can be used to prepare alcoholic drinks, called "arak'e" or "katikalla" or beer, called "t'ella" or "fersso""." Finally, due to its high mineral content, teff is also mixed with soybeans, chickpeas or other grains to manufacture baby foods.


title: Teff

text: According to a study in Ethiopia, farmers indicated a preference among consumers for white teff over darker colored varieties. As a nutritious fodder, teff is used to feed ruminants in Ethiopia and horses in the United States. It is a source of animal feed, especially during the dry season, and it is often preferred over straw from other cereals. Teff grass can be used as a construction material when mixed with mud to plaster the walls of local grain storage facilities.


title: Teff

text: Teff is adaptable and it can grow in various environments, at altitudes ranging from sea level to . However, it does not tolerate frost. Highest yields are obtained when teff is grown between , with an annual rainfall of , and daily temperatures range from . Yields decrease when annual rainfall falls below 250 mm and when the average temperature during pollination exceeds 22 °C. Despite its superficial root system, teff is quite drought-resistant thanks to its ability to regenerate rapidly after a moderate water stress and to produce fruits in a short time span. It is daylight-sensitive and flowers best with 12 hours of daylight. Teff is usually cultivated on pH neutral soils, but it was noticed that it could sustain acidity up to a pH below 5. Teff has a C4 photosynthesis mechanism.


title: Teff

text: The cultivation of teff is labor-intensive and the small size of its seeds makes it difficult to handle and transport without loss. In Ethiopia, teff is mostly produced during the main rain season, between July and November. It is known as an "emergency crop" because it is planted late in the season, when the temperatures are warmer, and most other crops have already been planted. Teff germination generally occurs 3–12 days after sowing. Optimal germination temperatures range from 15 to 35 °C; below 10 °C, germination almost does not occur. Teff is traditionally sown or broadcast by hand, on firm, humid soil. Usual sowing density ranges from 15 to 20 kg/ha, though farmers can sow up to 50 kg/ha, because the seeds are hard to spread equally and a higher sowing density helps to reduce weed competition at the early stage. Seeds are either left at the soil surface or slightly covered by a thin layer of soil, but must not be planted at a depth greater than 1 cm. The field can be subsequently rolled. Sowing can also be done mechanically; row planting reduces lodging.


title: Teff

text: Recommended fertilization doses are 25–60 kg/ha for N, and 10–18 kg/ha for P. Teff responds more to nitrogen than to phosphorus; thus, high nitrogen inputs increase the biomass production and size of the plants, thereby increasing lodging. To avoid this, farmers can decrease nitrogen input, cultivate teff after a legume crop or adjust sowing time so that the rains have stopped when the crop reaches heading stage. In Ethiopia, teff is commonly used in crop rotations with other cereals and legumes.


title: Teff

text: Teff is harvested 2–6 months after sowing, when the vegetative parts start to turn yellow. If teff is harvested past its maturation, seeds will fall off, especially in windy or rainy weather conditions. In Ethiopia, harvest lasts from November to January; harvest is usually done manually, with sickles. Farmers cut the plants at the soil surface, pile them up in the field and transport them to the threshing area. Teff is traditionally threshed by using animals walking on the harvest. Alternatively, some farmers rent threshing machines used for other cereals. The seeds are easy to store, as they are resistant to most pests during storage. Teff seeds can stay viable several years if direct contact with humidity and sun is avoided. Average yields in Ethiopia reach around two tonnes per ha. One single inflorescence can produce up to 1000 seeds, and one plant up to 10,000. Moreover, teff offers some promising opportunities for breeding programs: the first draft of the "Eragrostis tef" genome was published in 2014 and research institutes have started selecting for more resistant varieties. In 1996, the US National Research Council characterized teff as having the "potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare."


title: Teff

text: The major challenges in teff production are its low yield and high susceptibility to lodging. Efforts to conventionally breed teff towards higher yields started in the 1950s and led to an average annual increase in yield of 0.8%. However, no considerable improvements concerning the susceptibility of lodging have been made, due mainly to low demand outside of Ethiopia and Eritrea.


title: Teff

text: High-yielding varieties, such as "Quencho", were widely adopted by farmers in Ethiopia. Sequencing of the teff genome improved breeding, and an ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS)-mutagenized population was then used to breed the first semi-dwarf lodging-tolerant teff line, called "kegne". In 2015, researchers tested 28 new teff varieties and identified three promising lines that generated yields of up to 4.7 tonnes per ha.


title: Teff

text: The "Teff Improvement Project" marked a milestone by releasing the first teff variety "Tesfa" to the Ethiopian markets in March 2017. Areas of further development include: "(i) improving productivity of teff; (ii) overcoming the lodging malady; (iii) developing climate-smart and appropriate crop and soil management options; (iv) developing tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought and soil acidity; (v) developing suitable pre- and post-harvest mechanization technologies suitable for smallholder farmers as well as commercial farms; (vi) food processing and nutrition aspects with special attention to the development of different food recipes and value-added products; (vii) developing crop protection measures against diseases, insect pests and weeds; and (viii) improving or strengthening socio-economics and agricultural extension services."


title: Teff

text: Uncooked teff is 9% water, 73% carbohydrates, 13% protein, and 2% fat. Cooked teff is 75% water, 20% carbohydrates, 4% protein, and less than 1% fat (table). A reference serving of cooked teff provides of food energy, is a rich source of protein, dietary fiber, and manganese, and contains moderate amounts of thiamin, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, and zinc (table). The fiber content in teff is also higher than in most other cereals.


title: Teff

text: While teff is gluten free, a method has been developed to process teff into a flour with a wider range of baking applications, such as for bread and pasta.


title: Teff

text: In 2003, a Dutch company, Health and Performance Food International (HPFI), paired with the Ethiopian Institute of Biodiversity Conservation to introduce teff to European markets. The original agreement was for Ethiopia to provide HPFI with a dozen strains of teff to market globally, and the two entities would split the proceeds.


title: Teff

text: HPFI's CEO, Jan Roosjen, had taken out two patents on teff in 2003 and 2007, claiming that his way of milling and storing the flour was unique. HPFI went bankrupt in 2009, allowing Roosjen to continue to utilize those patents and the marketing rights for the grain while being freed from the original agreement with Ethiopia. Ethiopia only received 4,000 euros over five years of collaboration.


title: Teff

text: Roosjen ended up suing a Dutch bakery company, Bakers, for patent infringement because they were selling teff baked goods. The Dutch patent office declared that the patent was void, citing that the methods used to bake and mix flours were 'general professional knowledge. The deadline for Roosjen to appeal the decision expired in 2019, officially allowing Ethiopia access to Dutch teff markets.


title: Teff

text: However, Roosjen's company Ancientgrains BV still maintains patent rights in Belgium, Germany, Britain, Austria and Italy.


title: Teff

text: Teff is inherent to Ethiopia's national culture and identity, and the government of Ethiopia has expressed intent to hold Roosjen accountable to the fullest extent of international patent law, as well as to regain ownership over international markets of its most important food.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego Ribas da Cunha (born 28 February 1985), commonly known as just Diego or Diego Ribas, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego began his career at Santos, where he won two Campeonato Brasileiro Série A titles before moving to Porto in 2004. Despite winning further trophies in Portugal, his personal form dropped. After two seasons, he moved for €6 million to Werder Bremen where his form improved, winning domestic honours and helping them to the 2009 UEFA Cup Final. He also won honours at Atlético Madrid, including the UEFA Europa League in 2012. Since 2016, he has played for Brazilian club Flamengo, with whom he has won the Copa Libertadores among other domestic and international honours.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: A full international for Brazil since 2003, Diego earned 34 caps and scored four international goals. He was part of the Brazilian squads which finished as runners-up at the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup, won the Copa América in 2004 and 2007, and earned a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: At age six, Diego started to show his talent when training with Comercial FC in Ribeirão Preto. After joining another team, São Carlos, when he was nine, Diego decided to take trials in the hope of impressing a bigger club. Diego was first signed by the São Paulo team Santos at the age of 12. He developed while in the Santos youth system, making his first team debut at the age of 16 in the Rio-São Paulo Championship in 2002 and in the same year won the domestic Campeonato Brasileiro championship. He, Robinho, Elano and Alex were known as a famous group when they played for Santos.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego was then signed by Primeira Liga club Porto in July 2004 as a replacement and the potential successor for Deco, but he could not produce the same calibre of performances as he did at Santos. Diego made his debut for Porto in a 1–1 draw against União de Leiria on 22 August and on 30 October, he scored his first goal for Porto in a 2–2 draw against Nacional.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: As Porto triumphed in the Intercontinental Cup against Once Caldas via a penalty shootout, Diego was sent off for swearing at goalkeeper Juan Carlos Henao after scoring his effort. Journalist Tim Vickery ascribed this action to Diego's experiences against the team in the previous season's Copa Libertadores, in which the physical Colombian side eliminated Santos in the quarter-finals.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: In his first season at Porto, Diego made 30 appearances, scoring two goals against Sporting CP and Braga. In 2005–06, however, he did not maintain a stable place in the Porto team under coach Co Adriaanse and also found life difficult at Porto. He eventually left the club to sign with Werder Bremen.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: In May 2006, Diego signed a contract with German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen until 2010 for a transfer fee of €6 million. His first match for Bremen came in the DFB-Ligapokal. Werder Bremen won the cup, beating Bayern Munich in the final on 5 August. The 2006–07 Bundesliga season began well for Diego. He scored the first goal and set up two more for Bremen in their 4–2 win over Hannover 96, on 13 August. In his second match in the Bundesliga, he set up both goals in the 2–1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Thanks to his good performances in August, both in the Bundesliga and in the Ligapokal, Diego won the August Player of the Month award. As the Bundesliga season progressed, Diego made several amazing performances and became one of the most valuable players for Bremen, along with his teammate Torsten Frings. Together, they were called the "two motors of Bremen's midfield". In October 2006, he won a second Player of the Month award, as well as again in December 2006. He was then named as the Best Player of the first half of the Bundesliga season.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Werder Bremen finished in third place in Group A in the Champions League group stages, and they moved to the UEFA Cup, where they reached the semi-finals after beating AZ in the quarter-finals due in part to Diego's creative play.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: On 15 April, Diego again played well, scoring in the 2–0 win over Borussia Dortmund. Five days later, on 20 April, Bremen played against Alemannia Aachen. Although Diego's performance was good, he did not score until stoppage time when he scored from 62.5 metres, which later was elected as goal of the year. Bremen won the game 3–1 and topped the table with 60 points.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Following his good performances in the first half of the Bundesliga, Diego got called up to the Brazil national team in November.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: After the 2006–07 season ended, Diego won the Bundesliga Player of the Season award organised by popular magazine "kicker". He received just over 50 percent of the votes. Unfortunately, his team did not win the Bundesliga after finishing third in the table, behind champions VfB Stuttgart and Schalke 04.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego started his season well, scoring a penalty on the first matchday. Diego gave many outstanding performances. He was crucial as Bremen progressed to the 2007–08 Champions League group stage. They beat Croatian club Dinamo Zagreb 3–2 in Zagreb, with Diego scoring two penalties.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: On the first Champions League group stage matchday, Bremen lost 2–1 to Real Madrid, but Diego's performance aroused interest in Real Madrid's coach Bernd Schuster. Rumours of his departure, however, were put to an end when Diego signed a new contract which would last until 2011.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: After the loss to Real Madrid, Bremen faced VfB Stuttgart, the defending German champions, at home. Werder won 4–1, with Diego leading the midfield. Later on in the season, Bremen achieved a historical 8–1 win over Arminia Bielefeld, with Diego assisting three goals and scoring one himself.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego was voted Player of the Month in September. He then scored two goals en route to the UEFA Cup round of 16 with Bremen, where they lost to Rangers.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego's last season with Bremen was his most successful. He scored 20 goals in total (more than his two first seasons in the club), although Bremen did finish just tenth in the 2008–09 Bundesliga and were knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage after finishing third in their group.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: In the UEFA Cup that season, Diego scored six goals, all in the knockout stages. He also scored against Milan in the round of 32, equalizing after 84 minutes, and assisting Claudio Pizarro in the second leg's only goal. He helped his team through the round of 16, and scored four of the six goals, and managed one assist in the quarter-final knockout of Udinese.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: In the semi finals, after losing 1–0 in their hometown to "North Derby" rivals Hamburger SV, Diego helped his team back in the second leg with an early equalizer to Ivica Olić's early critical goal. Later on that game, he assisted a corner to Frank Baumann's third Bremen goal. In that game, Diego received an unfortunate yellow card, preventing him from playing in the final, and with a 3–2 away win, he ended his UEFA Cup participation, leading Bremen to their first UEFA Cup final ever.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Without Diego in the 2009 UEFA Cup Final, Bremen lost the game 2–1 in extra time to Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk. In his last match with Bremen, Diego gave the assist to Mesut Özil's winning goal against Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal final to secure Bremen's sixth title in the competition.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: On 26 May 2009, Diego signed a five-year contract to join Juventus of Serie A at the end of the season 2008–09 season. The fee paid to Bremen by Juventus was worth €24.5 million, though the price can rise by a further €2.5 million in case of the fulfillment of established sports objectives in the next five years.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego made his Juventus debut against the Korean side Seongnam, a game they won 3–0. In the first half, Diego made the pass to Mauro Camoranesi, whose pass followed up to a goal. Diego then scored in the second half and was subbed out at the 60th minute. On his Serie A debut, he assisted Vincenzo Iaquinta's goal from a set-piece. In the second fixture of the campaign, Diego recorded his first Serie A goal, scoring twice in Juventus' 3–1 victory against Roma on 30 August 2009. He also scored goals against Bologna, Fiorentina and Napoli. One of his most noted assists was his backheel to Alessandro Del Piero's goal against Genoa. He has also scored in the 2010 TIM Trophy against Milan.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego's swaggering displays he produced during his time in Bremen were met with anger and confusion from Juventus fans; the formation did not suit him and he had a fall-out with then coach Ciro Ferrara. Juventus announced Diego would leave Juventus despite pleading to stay at the club. German clubs like VfL Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich and his former club Werder Bremen were linked to sign him. Bremen, however, ruled out signing him due to sporting director Klaus Allofs believing a deal to bring him back to Bremen would be "economically impossible", and Diego reiterated his desire to stay.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Eventually, on 27 August 2010, Diego moved from Juventus to VfL Wolfsburg for a club record transfer fee of €15.5 million, of which Juve would only receive €14.75 million as 5% of the transfer fee transferred to his youth clubs as solidarity contribution. Following his move to Wolfsburg, Diego criticized Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta for his exit and is the blame for letting Juventus make huge losses on some high-profile players.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: In Diego's first match for Wolfsburg, he scored his debut goal in a game which Wolfsburg lost 3–4 to Mainz 05. On 5 February 2011, he won a penalty for Wolfsburg; he subsequently took the ball from designated spot-kick taker Patrick Helmes, then hit the woodwork ten minutes from time. Wolfsburg later lost the match by one goal, prompting Wolfsburg manager Steve McClaren to fine him €100,000 (£86,000) for failing to follow instructions. Diego was defended by Dieter Hoeneß, claiming that Diego does not believe he should be banned for the incident. Nonetheless, Diego was also informed that he would be removed from the first team for Wolfsburg's upcoming game against Hamburger SV. He once again got in trouble with the management of Wolfsburg, when, on 14 May before a crucial relegation game against 1899 Hoffenheim, he left the hotel in which the team was staying when he was informed he would not be starting the game. This left Wolfsburg with only six players on the bench for the game that would determine whether they would play another season in the Bundesliga or be relegated. Wolfsburg went on to win the game 3–1 without Diego, ensuring another top flight season for the club, though Diego was fined €500,000 for his actions.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: After the 2010–11 season at Wolfsburg, new manager Felix Magath told Diego in May he had no future with the club. On the last day of the transfer season, Diego joined Atlético Madrid in La Liga on a season-long loan. On 10 September 2011, he made his debut for Atlético against Valencia. He scored his first goal for Atlético in the 60th minute of a UEFA Europa League game against Celtic to make it 2–0 and made an assist to Radamel Falcao in the third minute. The match finished in a 2–0 win for Atlético. Diego scored his first league goal in a 3–2 win over Levante on 20 November 2011.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: As a key player for Atlético, Diego provided assists and established himself in the first team. But on 19 February 2012, against Sporting de Gijón, Diego sustained a hamstring injury in the second half. It was announced that Diego would be out for a month. After a month out, Diego recovered from his injury and made his return to training. Diego made his return against Real Zaragoza on 26 March 2012.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: On 9 May 2012, Diego scored the third goal on Atlético's win over Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League Final, assuring the capital side won the title for the second time in three years. After the match, Diego told UEFA's official website, "We played against a tough rival like Athletic, but we played an almost perfect match, it was a difficult match, we never said it was going to be easy. I have to thank God for this [victory]."


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Atlético teammate Juanfran revealed that Diego wanted to stay at Madrid rather than go back to Germany, but confessed that it would be tough for the club to buy him outright. Diego admitted that his time with Atlético has been "magical", stating that his time in Spain was more than what he could have hoped for: "This season was positive on both an individual and collective level and I'm delighted." and made a farewell message to the club's fans, telling them about the club will be part of his life. Seven months on, Diego revealed he was unaware over a permanent move to Atlético, as the move never transpired.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego returned to VfL Wolfsburg following the end of his loan spell in Madrid. Upon his return, his relationship with manager Felix Magath continued to deteriorate: he was placed in the reserve side after Magath criticised his attitude on his first training session back. Despite the strained relationship between the two, he was selected by Magath in a series of pre-season friendlies in a tour of China. Although he was told by Magath he has no future in Wolfsburg, Diego nonetheless announced that he would stay at the club, as clubs overseas had no apparent interest in signing him.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego played his first game for the club in a 1–0 victory over VfB Stuttgart in the opening game of the 2012–13 Bundesliga. In the club's first game without Magath, who had been sacked with only five points in eight matches (and no goals and points in the last four games), Diego scored his first goal and provided his first assist of the Bundesliga season in Wolfsburg's 4–1 defeat of Fortuna Düsseldorf on 27 October 2012, which ended a run of four-straight defeats. Following the match, Diego stated that the club are enjoying their football again and he had given a chance under new interim manager Lorenz-Günther Köstner. Four days later, in the DFB-Pokal, Diego opened the scoring before providing an assist for Bas Dost as Wolfsburg defeated FSV Frankfurt 2–0. He then netted a brace in Wolfsburg's 3–1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on 11 November, bringing to an end Bayer's 11-game unbeaten run and giving Wolfsburg their first home win of the Bundesliga campaign. Then, on 8 December 2012, Diego scored and set up the second and third goal in match in a 3–2 win over Borussia Dortmund. Throughout the 2012–13 season, Diego continued to make an impressive display for the club, scoring 10 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions, making him the club's top-scorer.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Before and during the 2013–14 Bundesliga season, Diego was linked with a move back to Santos in Brazil, as well as with English Premier League side Arsenal. Despite the rumours, Diego stayed with Wolfsburg for the first half of the season, scoring 3 times in 15 appearances. Throughout the first half of the season, however, Diego's future at Wolfsburg was uncertain after he disagreed with sporting director Klaus Allofs. At this time, Diego earned the highest wages at the club. The club was keen to extend Diego's contract.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: On 31 January 2014, Diego moved back from Wolfsburg to Atlético Madrid. He signed a contract for the rest of the 2013–14 season. Prior the move, Diego desired to leave Wolfsburg in order to play in the Champions League.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego debuted on 2 February on Atlético's victory 4–0 against Real Sociedad, scoring the match's fourth and final goal. On 1 April, Diego scored from a long-range shot against Barcelona in the Champions League, as Atlético reached the semi-finals for the first time since 1974. Atlético would reach the final of the Champions League for the second time since 1974, after beating Chelsea 3–1 to face their rivals Real Madrid in their first ever Madrid derby in the Champions League final. Unfortunately for him, Diego was an unused substitute in the final, as Atlético Madrid lost 4–1. Nevertheless, Diego helped the club win the La Liga championship to earn his team its first league title in 18 years.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: After being linked a move away, Diego wrote on his Instagram account, giving the Atlético supporters a farewell message, as he left the club for the second time.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Upon his contract with Wolfsburg expiring at the end of the 2013–14 season, Diego was linked with a move to both Arsenal and Turkish Süper Lig side Fenerbahçe, and on 11 July 2014, Fenerbahçe confirmed a three-year deal after a medical. The next day, Diego was presented with the number 10 shirt.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego made his Fenerbahçe debut in the opening game of the season, coming on as a substitute for Emmanuel Emenike in the 62nd minute, in a 3–2 win over Karabükspor. Diego continued to be in the first team by the first half of the season until he suffered a partial muscle tear during a 1–1 draw against Bursaspor on 24 November 2014. After being on the sidelines for three weeks, Diego made his first team return against Altınordu in the Groupstage of Turkish Cup, which he scored in a 1–1 draw on 23 December 2014. On 24 January 2015, Diego played a vital role when he provided two assist for Dirk Kuyt and Caner Erkin in a 3–0 win over Kasımpaşa on 24 January 2015. Diego's second goal then came four months later on 3 April 2015 in the quarter-final of Turkish Cup in a 2–1 win over Mersin İdmanyurdu. Soon after, Diego soon made complaint, claiming he had not been paid by the club. Diego scored his first league goal for the club in a 4–3 win over Balıkesirspor on 2 May 2015 after making his first team from the previous game as a substitute. This was followed up his second league goal seven days later, in a 3–2 win over Sivasspor. Diego's third goal later came in a 2–2 draw against İstanbul Başakşehir. In his first season at Fenerbahçe, Diego made 30 appearances and scored five goals in all competitions.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: After various failed attempts to sign Diego in previous years, Flamengo was finally able to hire the player for three years on 19 July 2016. The player, who had already expressed a wish of playing for a Brazilian club chose Flamengo over other rival clubs. The great moment lived by Rubro-Negro, in the Brazilian Série A, according to Diego, resulted from "complicity and generosity."


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego made an instant impact in Flamengo and quickly became the team's most important midfielder. He debuted on 21 August 2016 in a Brazilian Série A match against Grêmio scoring the winning goal with a header. He went on to score another goal in the next match, this time in a 3–1 win over Chapecoense on 28 August 2016.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: In the 2019 Copa Libertadores Final on 23 November 2019, Diego came off the bench and helped set up both of Gabriel Barbosa's goals as Flamengo came back from a goal down to defeat River Plate 2–1.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego captained the side in the first leg of the 2020 Recopa Sudamericana on 19 February 2020. The match ended in a 2–2 draw with Copa Sudamericana winners Independiente del Valle of Ecuador. Flamengo won the second leg 3–0 to secure a 5–2 aggregate victory and claim their first Recopa Sudamericana title.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego made his international debut in April 2003 in a friendly match against Mexico. He was later included in Brazil under-23 team that competed in 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup alongside Santos' teammate Robinho. Although Brazil compete as an under-23 team, the international appearances and goals were recorded as FIFA acknowledge the tournament as senior team matches. He appeared five times and scored two goals as Brazil U-23 lost out to the Mexico senior team in the final.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: In 2004, Diego was called up for the Brazil national squad for the 2004 Copa América, and he was instrumental in securing the tournament victory for Brazil when he scored in the penalty shootout against Argentina in the final.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: However, due to his decline in performance with Porto between 2004 and 2006, he was often left out of the Brazil squad. He was mostly playing as deputy to Kaká and was also left out of the Brazil squad for the 2006 World Cup.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: He was then included in Brazil's squad for the 2007 Copa América, which Brazil went on to win, once again defeating Argentina in the final.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego also participated with Brazil U-23 team for 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Brazil went on to earn the bronze medal with a third-place finish in the tournament.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: On 19 January 2017, he came back to Brazilian team being called up by coach Tite for a friendly game against Colombia, six days later. Only footballers playing for Brazilian clubs were called up.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego is a creative offensive playmaker known for his technique, dribbling ability, vision and accurate passing; usually deployed as an attacking midfielder, he is also capable of playing as a supporting forward or on the wing on occasion. As well as being an effective assist provider, he is also known for his goalscoring ability, and he is an accurate set-piece taker. Diego is also known for his trickery and ball-skills, such as his use of back-heels, feints and overhead kicks, among an assortment of other tricks.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego is of Italian ancestry, with both of his paternal great-grandparents emigrating from Italy to Brazil. His great-grandfather, Carlo Lazzari, came from Ferrara, and his great-grandmother, Maria Concetta Viola, came from Naples. As a result of his Italian ancestry, Diego received his Italian passport in 2004.


title: Diego (footballer, born 1985)

text: Diego is married to Bruna Letícia Araújo, the couple have three children; two sons Davi (born in 2011) Matteo (born in 2013) and a daughter Letícia (born in 2021).


title: John Bull

text: John Bull is a national personification of the United Kingdom in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged, country-dwelling, jolly and matter-of-fact man. He originated in satirical works of the early 18th century and would come to stand for "English liberty" in opposition to revolutionaries. He was popular through the 18th and 19th centuries until the time of the First World War, when he generally stopped being seen as representative of the "common man".


title: John Bull

text: John Bull originated as a satirical character created by John Arbuthnot, a friend of Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope. Bull first appeared in 1712 in Arbuthnot's pamphlet "Law is a Bottomless Pit". The same year Arbuthnot published a four-part political narrative "The History of John Bull". In this satirical treatment of the War of the Spanish Succession, John Bull brings a lawsuit against various figures intended to represent the kings of France (Louis Baboon) and Spain (Lord Strutt), as well as institutions both foreign and domestic. The allegory was intended primarily as attack against the Whigs, their foreign policy and their financiers who were profiting from the war.


title: John Bull

text: William Hogarth and other British writers made Bull, originally derided, "a heroic archetype of the freeborn Englishman." Later, the figure of Bull was disseminated overseas by illustrators and writers such as American cartoonist Thomas Nast and Irish writer George Bernard Shaw, author of "John Bull's Other Island".


title: John Bull

text: Starting in the 1760s, Bull was portrayed as an Anglo-Saxon country dweller. He was almost always depicted in a buff-coloured waistcoat and a simple frock coat (in the past Navy blue, but more recently with the Union Jack colours). Britannia, or a lion, is sometimes used as an alternative in some editorial cartoons.


title: John Bull

text: As a literary figure, John Bull is well-intentioned, frustrated, full of common sense, and entirely of native country stock. Unlike Uncle Sam later, he is not a figure of authority but rather a yeoman who prefers his small beer and domestic peace, possessed of neither patriarchal power nor heroic defiance. John Arbuthnot provided him with a sister named Peg (Scotland), and a traditional adversary in Louis Baboon (the House of Bourbon in France). Peg continued in pictorial art beyond the 18th century, but the other figures associated with the original tableau dropped away. John Bull himself continued to frequently appear as a national symbol in posters and cartoons as late as World War I.


title: John Bull

text: Bull is usually depicted as a stout man in a tailcoat with light-coloured breeches and a top hat which, by its shallow crown, indicates its middle class identity. During the Georgian period his waistcoat is red and/or his tailcoat is royal blue which, together with his buff or white breeches, can thus refer to a greater or lesser extent to the "blue and buff" scheme; this was used by supporters of Whig politics, which was part of what John Arbuthnot wished to deride when he created and designed the character. By the twentieth century, however, his waistcoat nearly always depicts a Union Flag, and his coat is generally dark blue. (Otherwise, however, his clothing still echoes the fashions of the Regency period.) He also wears a low topper (sometimes called a John Bull topper) on his head and is often accompanied by a bulldog. John Bull has been used in a variety of different ad campaigns over the years, and is a common sight in British editorial cartoons of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Singer David Bowie wore a coat in the style of Bull.


title: John Bull

text: The cartoon image of stolid, stocky, conservative and well-meaning John Bull, dressed like an English country squire, sometimes explicitly contrasted with the conventionalised scrawny, French revolutionary "sans-culottes" Jacobin, was developed from about 1790 by British satirical artists James Gillray, Thomas Rowlandson and Isaac Cruikshank. (An earlier national personification was Sir Roger de Coverley, from a 1711 edition of "The Spectator.")


title: John Bull

text: A more negative portrayal of John Bull occurred in the cartoons drawn by the Egyptian nationalist journalist Yaqub Sanu in his popular underground newspaper "Abu-Naddara Zarqa" in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sanu's cartoons depicted John Bull as a coarse, ignorant drunken bully who pushed around ordinary Egyptians while stealing all the wealth of Egypt. Much of Sanu's humor revolved around John Bull's alcoholism, his crass rudeness, his ignorance about practically everything except alcohol, and his inability to properly speak French (the language of the Egyptian elite), which he hilariously mangled unlike the Egyptian characters who spoke proper French.


title: John Bull

text: Increasingly through the early twentieth century, John Bull became seen as not particularly representative of "the common man," and during the First World War this function was largely taken over by the figure of Tommy Atkins. According to Alison Light, during the interwar years the nation abandoned "formerly heroic...public rhetorics of national destiny" in favour of "an Englishness at once less imperial and more inward-looking, more domestic and more private". Consequently, John Bull was replaced by Sidney Strube's suburban Little Man as the personification of the nation. Some saw John Bull's replacement by the Little Man as symbolic of Britain's post-First World War decline; W. H. Auden's 1937 poem "Letter to Lord Byron" favourably contrasted John Bull to the Little Man. Auden wrote:


title: John Bull

text: John Bull's surname is also reminiscent of the alleged fondness of the English for beef, reflected in the French nickname for English people, "les rosbifs," which translates as "the 'Roast Beefs.'" It is also reminiscent of the animal, and for that reason Bull is portrayed as "virile, strong, and stubborn," like a bull.


title: John Bull

text: A typical John Bull Englishman is referenced in Margaret Fuller's "Summer on the Lakes, in 1843" in Chapter 2: "Murray's travels I read, and was charmed by their accuracy and clear broad tone. He is the only Englishman that seems to have traversed these regions, as man, simply, not as John Bull."


title: John Bull

text: In 1966, "The Times", criticising the Unionist government of Northern Ireland, branded the region "John Bull's Political Slum."


title: George Formby

text: George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961) was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he sang light, comic songs, usually playing the ukulele or banjolele, and became the UK's highest-paid entertainer.


title: George Formby

text: Born in Wigan, Lancashire, he was the son of George Formby Sr, from whom he later took his stage name. After an early career as a stable boy and jockey, Formby took to the music hall stage after the early death of his father in 1921. His early performances were taken exclusively from his father's act, including the same songs, jokes and characters. In 1923 he made two career-changing decisions – he purchased a ukulele, and married Beryl Ingham, a fellow performer who became his manager and transformed his act. She insisted that he appear on stage formally dressed, and introduced the ukulele to his performance. He started his recording career in 1926 and, from 1934, he increasingly worked in film to develop into a major star by the late 1930s and 1940s, and became the UK's most popular entertainer during those decades. The media historian Brian McFarlane writes that on film, Formby portrayed gormless Lancastrian innocents who would win through against some form of villainy, gaining the affection of an attractive middle-class girl in the process.