title: Diamond Sutra

text: Kalupahana explains the negation of the "Diamond Sūtra" by seeing an initial statement as an erroneous affirmation of substance or selfhood, which is then critiqued ("'all dharmas' are dharmaless"), and then finally reconstructed ("that is why they are called 'all dharmas'") as being conventional and dependently originated. Kalupahana explains this final reconstruction as meaning: "that each concept, instead of either representing a unique entity or being an empty term, is a substitute for a human experience which is conditioned by a variety of factors. As such, it has pragmatic meaning and communicative power without being absolute in any way." According to Paul Harrison, the "Diamond Sūtra" central argument here is that "all dharmas lack a self or essence, or to put it in other words, they have no core ontologically, they only appear to exist separately and independently by the power of conventional language, even though they are in fact dependently originated".


title: Diamond Sutra

text: The mind of someone who practices the "Prajñāpāramitā" or "perfection of insight" is then a mind free from fixed substantialist or "self" concepts:


title: Diamond Sutra

text: Throughout the teaching, the Buddha repeats that successful memorization and elucidation of even a four-line extract of it is of incalculable merit, better than giving an entire world system filled with gifts and can bring about enlightenment. Section 32 (of the Chinese version) also ends with a four-line gatha:


title: Diamond Sutra

text: There is a woodblock-printed copy of the "Diamond Sutra" in the British Library which, although not the earliest example of block printing, is the earliest example which bears an actual date.


title: Diamond Sutra

text: The extant copy is in the form of a scroll about long. The archaeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein purchased it in 1907 in the walled-up Mogao Caves near Dunhuang in northwest China from a monk guarding the caves – known as the "Caves of the Thousand Buddhas".


title: Diamond Sutra

text: In 2010 UK writer and historian Frances Wood, head of the Chinese section at the British Library, Mark Barnard, conservator at the British Library, and Ken Seddon, professor of chemistry at Queen's University, Belfast, were involved in the restoration of its copy of the book. The British Library website allows readers to view the "Diamond Sūtra" in its entirety.


title: Demolition (2015 film)

text: Demolition is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and written by Bryan Sipe. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper, and Judah Lewis. The film opened the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and was theatrically released on April 8, 2016, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.


title: Demolition (2015 film)

text: Davis is a successful investment banker at a firm founded and run by his father-in-law Phil. His wife, Julia, is driving them when they are struck by another vehicle, killing Julia. Recovering in the hospital, he attempts to purchase some candy from a vending machine which malfunctions. Davis drafts a complaint to the vending machine manufacturer that includes some venting of his personal experiences. This leads to a series of conversations with a customer service representative, Karen Moreno, in which they end up sharing details of each other's life burdens. Karen appears to be the only one he talks to, though he tells his stories in an understated and unemotional style. He brings this same unemotional process to work, which he has returned to much earlier than anyone expected. Davis does tell one other person, a fellow commuter train rider that he realizes that he didn't love Julia because he doesn't feel "...sad, or pain, or hurt...". When the commuter prompts the question, "What do you feel?" Davis abruptly stops the train.


title: Demolition (2015 film)

text: Davis's changing emotional state causes him to behave erratically. He notices that he is being followed by a green station wagon. The only thing Davis seems to connect with is trying to understand what's inside things, using a small toolkit to dismantle his household appliances, his work computer, a bathroom stall—eventually telling Phil that he has an urge to dismantle a 120-year-old grandmother clock in Phil's office.


title: Demolition (2015 film)

text: Karen follows Davis, talking with him on his commuter train without revealing her identity. She mistakenly leaves some identification, and Davis is sufficiently moved to track her down at home, where she lives with her boyfriend and boss, Carl, and her 15-year old troublemaker son, Chris. When Carl goes on a long business trip, Davis bunks at her house, where they develop a deep platonic friendship. Chris initially dislikes Davis, but later grows not only to like him but to help Davis cope, while Davis becomes his mentor in return.


title: Demolition (2015 film)

text: Davis joins his in-laws in funding a foundation in Julia's name that will award an annual scholarship; during interviews, Davis behaves disrespectfully towards one of the award candidates, and Phil asks him to sign a transfer of his beneficiary rights in Julia's $2.6 million life insurance policy, to the scholarship fund in her name. Davis purchases demolition tools from a hardware store (and, later, a bulldozer) and, with Chris's assistance, destroys his house. When Davis finds an ultrasound of Julia's from the previous year, he is devastated that she failed to inform him.


title: Demolition (2015 film)

text: A climactic night impacts everyone. Davis brings Karen to the party for the scholarship winner, greatly troubling Julia's parents. A young man makes an inappropriate advance on Karen, and she later laughs out loud when he is introduced as the scholarship winner. Davis announces to everyone that Julia had been pregnant and kept it secret. Julia's mother tells him his wife was seeing someone else, and the child was not his and she took her to get an abortion. Returning to Karen's house, Davis finds Carl has returned and is reading the letters Davis wrote to Karen. Carl beats on Davis, which pales compared to the homophobic swarm beating that Chris receives after coming out as gay.


title: Demolition (2015 film)

text: Davis visits his wife's grave and the green station wagon arrives and a man carrying flowers gets out of the car. He is Michael, the driver of the car that killed Julia. Davis forgives Michael and he experiences flashbacks of his wife and him together and he finally cries, bringing closure. He realizes he loved his wife.


title: Demolition (2015 film)

text: Davis has turned a corner. He reconciles with Julia's parents, asking Phil to contribute to refurbishing a carousel – destined for demolition – as a memorial for Julia.


title: Demolition (2015 film)

text: Davis receives a letter from Chris saying that he is recovering from his beating, his mother has left Carl, and Davis must be at Pier 54 at a particular time, which results in Davis witnessing the demolition of some waterfront buildings across the Hudson River. Chris watches Davis through binoculars from a nearby vantage point.


title: Demolition (2015 film)

text: In May 2013, director Jean-Marc Vallée was set to direct "Demolition", for a 2015 release date. On October 9, 2013, it was announced that Black Label Media would finance the film, and would co-produce along with Mr. Mudd. On June 6, 2014, Jake Gyllenhaal was in early talks to star in the film. On July 21, Naomi Watts was in talks to join the film. On September 4, Watts was confirmed cast in the film to play the female lead. On September 10, Chris Cooper was set to star in the film. On October 18, "The Hollywood Reporter" announced that Fox Searchlight Pictures has acquired U.S., U.K., Australia, France and Germany rights to the film, and director Vallée said, "I'm thrilled and excited to be back in business with Fox Searchlight. They have been wonderful, creative partners on "Wild". I look forward to collaborating again on Demolition." Judah Lewis' role as the son of Watts' character Karen Moreno was confirmed on July 15, 2015.


title: Demolition (2015 film)

text: Filming began on September 15, 2014, in New York City. On October 8, filming was taking place on Greenwich Street in NYC.


title: Demolition (2015 film)

text: In the United States and Canada, pre-release tracking suggested the film would gross $2–3 million from 854 theaters in its opening weekend, trailing fellow newcomers "The Boss" ($20–24 million projection) and "Hardcore Henry" ($7–10 million projection). It ended up grossing just $1.1 million in its opening weekend, finishing 15th at the box office.


title: Demolition (2015 film)

text: "Demolition" received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 54% approval rating based on 209 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The site's consensus reads, ""Demolition" benefits from a stellar cast, even if their solid work isn't always enough to prop up a confused story that aims for profundity but too often settles for clichés." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 49 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: Desiccant

text: A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that is used to induce or sustain a state of dryness (desiccation) in its vicinity; it is the opposite of a humectant. Commonly encountered pre-packaged desiccants are solids that absorb water. Desiccants for specialized purposes may be in forms other than solid, and may work through other principles, such as chemical bonding of water molecules. They are commonly encountered in foods to retain crispness. Industrially, desiccants are widely used to control the level of water in gas streams.


title: Desiccant

text: Although some desiccants are chemically inert, others are extremely reactive and require specialized handling techniques. The most common desiccant is silica gel, an otherwise inert, nontoxic, water-insoluble white solid. Tens of thousands of tons are produced annually for this purpose. Other common desiccants include activated charcoal, calcium sulfate, calcium chloride, and molecular sieves (typically, zeolites). Desiccants may also be categorized by their type, either I,II,III,IV, or V. These types are a function of the shape of the desiccant's moisture sorption isotherm.


title: Desiccant

text: One measure of desiccant efficiency is the ratio (or percentage) of water storable in the desiccant relative to the mass of desiccant.


title: Desiccant

text: The performance of any desiccant varies with temperature and both relative humidity and absolute humidity. To some extent, desiccant performance can be precisely described, but most commonly, the final choice of which desiccant best suits a given situation, how much of it to use, and in what form, is made based on testing and practical experience.


title: Desiccant

text: Sometimes a humidity indicator is included in the desiccant to show, by color changes, the degree of water-saturation of the desiccant. One commonly used indicator is cobalt chloride (CoCl). Anhydrous cobalt chloride is blue. When it bonds with two water molecules, (CoCl•2HO), it turns purple. Further hydration results in the pink hexaaquacobalt(II) chloride complex [Co(HO)]Cl.


title: Desiccant

text: One example of desiccant usage is in the manufacture of insulated windows where zeolite spheroids fill a rectangular spacer tube at the perimeter of the panes of glass. The desiccant helps to prevent the condensation of moisture between the panes. Another use of zeolites is in the "dryer" component of refrigeration systems to absorb water carried by the refrigerant, whether residual water left over from the construction of the system, or water released by the degradation of other materials over time.


title: Desiccant

text: Bagged desiccants are also commonly used to protect goods in barrier-sealed shipping containers against moisture damage: rust, corrosion, etc. Hygroscopic cargo, such as cocoa, coffee, various nuts and grains, and other foods can be particularly susceptible to mold and rot when exposed to condensation and humidity. Because of this, shippers often take measures by deploying desiccants to protect against loss. Pharmaceutical packaging often includes small packets of desiccant to keep the atmosphere inside the package below critical levels of water vapor.


title: Desiccant

text: Desiccants induce dryness in any environment and reduce the amount of moisture present in air. Desiccants come in various forms and have found widespread use in the food, pharmaceuticals, packing, electronics and many manufacturing industries.


title: Desiccant

text: Air conditioning systems can be based on desiccants, as drier air feels more comfortable and absorbing water itself removes heat.


title: Desiccant

text: Desiccants are used in livestock farming, where, for example, new-born piglets are highly susceptible to hypothermia owing to their wetness.


title: Desiccant

text: Desiccants are also used to remove water from solvents, typically required by chemical reactions that do not tolerate water, e.g., the Grignard reaction. The method generally, though not always, involves mixing the solvent with the solid desiccant. Studies show that molecular sieves are superior as desiccants relative to chemical drying reagents such as sodium-benzophenone. Sieves offer the advantages of being safe in air and recyclable.


title: Claremont, California

text: Claremont () is a suburban city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. It is in the Pomona Valley, at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 34,926, and in 2019 the estimated population was 36,266.


title: Claremont, California

text: Claremont is home to the Claremont Colleges and other educational institutions, and the city is known for its tree-lined streets with numerous historic buildings. Because of this, it is sometimes referred to as "The City of Trees and Ph.Ds." In July 2007, it was rated by CNN/"Money" magazine as the fifth best place to live in the United States, and was the highest rated place in California on the list. It was also named the best suburb in the West by "Sunset Magazine" in 2016, which described it as a "small city that blends worldly sophistication with small-town appeal." In 2018, Niche rated Claremont as the 17th best place to live in the Los Angeles area out of 658 communities it evaluated, based on crime, cost of living, job opportunities, and local amenities.


title: Claremont, California

text: The city is primarily residential, with a significant portion of its commercial activity located in "The Village," a popular collection of street-front small stores, boutiques, art galleries, offices, and restaurants adjacent to and west of the Claremont Colleges. The Village was expanded in 2007, adding a controversial multi-use development that includes an indie cinema, a boutique hotel, retail space, offices, and a parking structure on the site of an old citrus packing plant west of Indian Hill Boulevard.


title: Claremont, California

text: Claremont has been a winner of the National Arbor Day Association's Tree City USA award for 22 consecutive years. When the city incorporated in 1907, local citizens started what has become the city's tree-planting tradition. Claremont is one of the few remaining places in North America with American Elm trees that have not been exposed to Dutch elm disease. The stately trees line Indian Hill Boulevard in the vicinity of the city's Memorial Park.


title: Claremont, California

text: The city hosts several large retirement communities, among them Pilgrim Place, the Claremont Manor and Mt. San Antonio Gardens.


title: Claremont, California

text: Claremont was first mapped out by developers in a land boom precipitated by the arrival of transcontinental railroads to Southern California. It was likely named after Claremont, New Hampshire. The early history of the city was closely tied to that of Pomona College, which moved there in 1889. In 1902, a town meeting vote established that east–west streets would be numbered and north–south streets named after colleges and universities. The city was incorporated in 1907.


title: Claremont, California

text: The citrus groves and open space which once dominated the northern portion of the city have been replaced by residential developments of large homes. Construction of Stone Canyon Preserve, one of the final residential tract developments in the north of the city, commenced in 2003 as part of a complicated agreement between Pomona and the City of Claremont which resulted in the creation of the Wilderness Park. The foothill area also includes the Padua Hills Theatre (a historic site constructed in 1930) and the Claraboya residential area.


title: Claremont, California

text: According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.03%) is water. Claremont is located at the eastern end of Los Angeles County and borders the cities of Upland and Montclair in San Bernardino County, as well as the cities of Pomona and La Verne in Los Angeles County. It is geographically located in the Pomona Valley. Claremont is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles.


title: Claremont, California

text: Claremont has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification "Csa"). In the summer months, temperatures may get very hot, sometimes rising above . In the autumn months, Claremont can experience the gusty "Santa Ana Winds", which can bring fire danger to nearby foothill areas. In the winter months, most of the city's annual rainfall occurs, which is typical around the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Snow is rare in Claremont, but can be viewed in the nearby San Gabriel Mountains in winter. In spring, Claremont can receive many overcast days due to the strong onshore flow from the ocean, this is typically called "May Gray" or "June Gloom" in the region.


title: Claremont, California

text: The 2010 United States Census reported that Claremont had a population of 34,926. The population density was . The racial makeup of Claremont was 24,666 (70.6%) White (58.9% Non-Hispanic White), 1,651 (4.7%) African American, 172 (0.5%) Native American, 4,564 (13.1%) Asian, 38 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 2,015 (5.8%) from other races, and 1,820 (5.2%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,919 persons (19.8%).


title: Claremont, California

text: The Census reported that 29,802 people (85.3% of the population) lived in households, 4,926 (14.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 198 (0.6%) were institutionalized.


title: Claremont, California

text: There were 11,608 households, out of which 3,576 (30.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,305 (54.3%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,223 (10.5%) had a female householder with no husband present, 397 (3.4%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 429 (3.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 138 (1.2%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 2,957 households (25.5%) were made up of individuals, and 1,556 (13.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57. There were 7,925 families (68.3% of all households); the average family size was 3.10.


title: Claremont, California

text: The population was spread out, with 6,459 people (18.5%) under the age of 18, 6,778 people (19.4%) aged 18 to 24, 6,940 people (19.9%) aged 25 to 44, 8,979 people (25.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 5,770 people (16.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.


title: Claremont, California

text: There were 12,156 housing units at an average density of , of which 7,700 (66.3%) were owner-occupied, and 3,908 (33.7%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%. 21,209 people (60.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 8,593 people (24.6%) lived in rental housing units.


title: Claremont, California

text: During 2009–13, Claremont had a median household income of $87,324, with 7.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.


title: Claremont, California

text: As of the census of 2000, there were 33,998 people, 11,281 households, and 7,806 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,586.6 inhabitants per square mile (999.0/km). There were 11,559 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 73.48% White, 15.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race, 11.51% Asian, 4.98% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 5.20% from other races, and 4.14% from two or more races.


title: Claremont, California

text: 31.3% of households included children under the age of 18. 55.7% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.08.


title: Claremont, California

text: The population was widely distributed in age, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 18.6% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.


title: Claremont, California

text: According to a 2009 estimate, the median household income was $83,342 and the median family income was $107,287. The per capita income for the city was $39,648. About 3.5% of families and 5.4% of individuals were below the poverty line.


title: Claremont, California

text: According to the city's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:


title: Claremont, California

text: Each year, Claremont holds a springtime folk music festival, hosted by the Folk Music Center Store and Museum. The 35th event took place in May 2018.


title: Claremont, California

text: Local museums include the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology at The Webb Schools (the only high school in the United States to own and host a nationally accredited museum on campus) and the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College.


title: Claremont, California

text: Each July, Ophelia's Jump Productions presents their annual Midsummer Shakespeare Festival at The Sontag Outdoor Theatre in Pomona College. Productions are performed in repertory with local community and civic events and festivities.


title: Claremont, California

text: The Claremont Village hosts a Pie Day Festival every March 14. In past years, attendees could collect pie recipes as they walked around downtown Claremont and checked out different stores.


title: Claremont, California

text: In 2019, Claremont made national news after the Claremont United Methodist Church unveiled a nativity scene depicting Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus separated and locked up in individual chain-link pens. This was done to reflect the plight of immigrants and asylum seekers on the U.S. Southern Border in 2019. The Church had constructed similarly non-traditional nativity scenes in prior years.


title: Claremont, California

text: In the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Claremont is in the Fifth District, represented by Kathryn Barger.


title: Claremont, California

text: In the California State Legislature, Claremont is in the 25th Senate District, represented by Anthony Portantino since 2016, and in the 41st Assembly District, represented by Chris Holden since 2012.


title: Claremont, California

text: In the United States House of Representatives, Claremont is in since 2013. Claremont was previously represented by Republican David Dreier, who served from 1981 to 2013. Claremont was also represented by President Richard Nixon when he was a member of the House of Representatives from 1947 to 1950, prior to his becoming a United States senator.


title: Claremont, California

text: Claremont's school district is known as the Claremont Unified School District (CUSD). It has seven elementary schools, one intermediate school, and two high schools, Claremont High School (CHS) and San Antonio High School.


title: Claremont, California

text: The other high school in Claremont is The Webb Schools, a collective name for two private college preparatory schools for grades 9-12, founded by Thompson Webb in 1922. The two schools, officially the Webb School of California (boys' school) and the Vivian Webb School (girls' school), share the same campus in northwest Claremont. The Webb Schools is also home to the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, America's only accredited museum located on a high school campus.


title: Claremont, California

text: Private educational institutions host approximately 6,500 students every year from across the country and around the world. The Claremont Colleges, a consortium of seven schools of higher education, include five undergraduate institutions—Pomona College (founded in 1887), Scripps College (1926), Claremont McKenna College (1946), Harvey Mudd College (1955), and Pitzer College (1963)—and two graduate institutions—Claremont Graduate University (1925) and the Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences (1997). Many of these schools are consistently rated among the best in the nation.


title: Claremont, California

text: Just north of Foothill Boulevard is the college-owned Robert J. Bernard Field Station, which preserves natural coastal sage scrub on its property. The Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Lincoln University, two other schools of higher education, share some resources with the Claremont Colleges, but are separate entities.


title: Claremont, California

text: The "Claremont Courier" is widely regarded as Claremont's newspaper of record. In 2018, the "Courier" was named the top community newspaper in California by the California News Publisher's Association.


title: Claremont, California

text: There are also several media outlets based at the Claremont Colleges, including "The Student Life", the oldest college newspaper in Southern California, and the radio station KSPC.


title: Claremont, California

text: Commuter train service to Claremont is provided by Metrolink from the Claremont Metrolink Station. The station is on the San Bernardino Line, with trains traveling to Los Angeles Union Station (west) and San Bernardino – Downtown (east) 19 times on weekdays (20 on Fridays), 10 times on Saturdays, and seven times on Sundays. Claremont's train station is known as the Claremont Depot.


title: Claremont, California

text: Claremont will also connect with the Metro Gold Line once the Gold Line Foothill Extension is complete in 2026. This extension will also provide service to L.A. Union Station via Pasadena.


title: Claremont, California

text: The local transit bus service Foothill Transit covers Claremont and several other cities in the eastern San Gabriel Valley.


title: 2027 AFC Asian Cup

text: The 2027 AFC Asian Cup will be the 19th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The tournament will involve 24 national teams after the expansion in 2019.


title: 2027 AFC Asian Cup

text: AFC confirmed that the following member associations expressed their interests to host 2027 Asian Cup before the 30 June 2020 deadline, and they gave their necessary letters of undertaking in November. On 17 October 2022, the AFC Executive Committee announced that the host of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup would be chosen by the AFC Congress at its next meeting in February 2023. However, India, one of the last two bidders, withdrew on 5 December which left Saudi Arabia as the only remaining bidder.


title: 2027 AFC Asian Cup

text: The first two rounds of qualification will act as part of the Asian qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The host nation, which will receive automatic qualification for the Asian Cup, is also expected to participate in the qualifiers to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.


title: 2027 AFC Asian Cup

text: Northern Mariana Islands, whose football association became the 47th full AFC member during the confederation's 30th Congress on 9 December 2020, are eligible to enter the qualification tournament only for the Asian Cup.


title: Israel Folau

text: Israel Folau (; born 3 April 1989) is an Australian professional rugby union footballer who plays for the Shining Arcs in the Japan Rugby League One and the Tonga national rugby union team.


title: Israel Folau

text: He has previously played Australian rules football and rugby league. In 2019, he became the record holder for most tries scored in Super Rugby history.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau played rugby league for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL) from 2007 to 2008, where he broke the record for most tries in a debut year. He then played with the Brisbane Broncos from 2009 to 2010. Playing as a or , Folau represented Queensland in the State of Origin and Australia, becoming the youngest player to play for both teams. In 2020, Folau played for the French rugby league team the Catalans Dragons in the Betfred Super League.


title: Israel Folau

text: In 2011, Folau joined the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL) and played for two seasons. In December 2012, Folau announced he was to switch codes again, this time for rugby union, and signed a one-year contract with the Waratahs. He made his international debut for Australia in 2013 against the British & Irish Lions.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau's statements about what he understands the Bible to say about same-sex marriage and homosexuality brought him into conflict with the administrators of Rugby Australia, and in 2019, they terminated his contract. Alleging that Rugby Australia terminated his employment on the basis of religion, Folau commenced proceedings in the Fair Work Commission but was unable to reach a settlement with Rugby Australia; he subsequently commenced proceedings in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia and a confidential settlement between the two parties was released on 4 December 2019.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau was born in Minto, New South Wales to Tongan parents, Eni and Amelia. He attended Lurnea Public School and Westfields Sports High School before his family moved to Brisbane, Queensland, in 2004, after his father obtained work there. In Brisbane, Folau attended Marsden State High School from where he was selected for the Queensland Schoolboys squad in the Australian Under-15 Championships and also represented the Australian Schoolboys team in 2006. Folau also played several seasons of junior rugby league at the Goodna Eagles in Goodna.


title: Israel Folau

text: At the Australian championships, Folau was spotted by a Melbourne Storm scout and was invited to play his junior football with the Storm's feeder club at the time, Queensland Cup team, the Norths Devils. He won a premiership while playing with Norths and became the first player to represent Queensland Under-19's while still only 16 years old. From playing with the Queensland Schoolboys and the Devils, in 2006, while in year 12 at Marsden State High School where his classmates were Chris Sandow and Antonio Winterstein, Folau was selected to play in the Australian Schoolboys squad that toured Wales, England and France. Folau was strong, representing Australia and at the end of the tour was awarded the Australian Secondary School Rugby Leagues (ASSRL) Award for the best back of the tournament. Playing years above his age gave Melbourne the confidence to give Folau an opportunity in the NRL.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau was just 17 years of age when he made his debut in the 2007 NRL season. His debut came earlier than his coach Craig Bellamy intended, and he was named as a replacement on the for injured Steve Turner. He started in the side's first match of the 2007 NRL season, against the Wests Tigers, and became the youngest player ever to play for the Storm. In his first game, he scored the match-winning try to help Melbourne beat the Tigers 18–16. After such a solid performance in his opening game, and an injury-free year, Folau went on to play in every match of the season, the only player to do so for Melbourne in 2007. Playing superbly on the wing, coach Craig Bellamy brought Folau in to play in the s from time to time, where he would receive more ball and have more opportunity to score points. After 26 rounds Folau finished the regular season with 21 tries and 5 goals for a total of 94 career points. His try tally (21) saw him the equal top-try scorer for the 2007 regular season alongside North Queensland Cowboys full-back Matt Bowen.


title: Israel Folau

text: In his rookie year Folau broke a number of club and NRL records, the most prestigious being teammate Billy Slater's previous NRL record of most tries in a debut season (Slater scored 19 in 2003). Folau capped off a magnificent first season in the NRL by winning the 2007 Dally M "Rookie of the Year" Award and being a part of the successful 2007 Melbourne Storm premiership side, that only lost three matches all year. This premiership was later taken away due to mass salary cap breaches.


title: Israel Folau

text: Following an ankle injury to Brisbane Broncos centre Justin Hodges, Folau replaced him in the Australian test side to play New Zealand on 14 October 2007. On his international debut, Folau became the youngest ever player to represent Australia at 18 years and 194 days old, passing the previous record set by Brad Fittler (18 years and 247 days) in 1990. Folau then went on to score two tries in Australia's record-breaking 58–0 victory over New Zealand.


title: Israel Folau

text: In 2008, after Melbourne and New South Wales representative Matt King announced he would be leaving the Storm to play with the Warrington Wolves in the Super League, Folau filled the void as the starting centre for Melbourne. After seven rounds of the 2008 season, Folau was named on the wing in the starting squad to represent Australia for the second time in the Centenary Australia vs. New Zealand test, contributing a try in the 28–12 win for the Kangaroos. Folau was then selected in the starting squad as a winger in the Queensland State of Origin Team for game I of the 2008 Series. On 21 May 2008, Folau made his debut for Queensland at ANZ Stadium Sydney. In the final minutes of the match, Folau scored a try on debut, but Queensland lost 18–10 to New South Wales. Folau retained his position for game II at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Folau contributed one of the Maroons' four tries in the 30-point win over the Blues, levelling the series. In the final game of the series, game III, Folau scored two leaping tries and was awarded the "Man of the Match" in Queensland's 16–10 win over NSW.


title: Israel Folau

text: At the conclusion of the 2008 regular season, Folau was again honoured at the prestigious Dally M Awards night, winning the Dally M Centre of the Year award. Folau had been a part of his second minor premiership in as many years with the Melbourne Storm and played in his second consecutive grand final where they lost in a rematch of last years final to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. Earlier in the year away from the field, on 30 March 2008, it was announced Folau had signed with the Brisbane Broncos for the 2009 NRL season. Folau's decision to leave the Melbourne Storm at the end of 2008 was influenced by his desire to live closer to his family in Brisbane, Queensland.


title: Israel Folau

text: In October 2008, Folau was chosen to play for the Kangaroos in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. Folau scored two tries in Australia's successful opening match against New Zealand but would not score another try all through the series despite starting in Australia's 52 – 4 win over England and 52 – 0 win over Fiji. On 22 November he took part in his first World Cup Grand Final starting in the centres for Australia. Unfortunately for Folau he would not add a World Cup victory to his accolades as Australia lost 34 – 20 to under-dogs New Zealand.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau was a major signing for the Broncos at the same time several key players, as well as coach Wayne Bennett left the club.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau made his debut for the Brisbane Broncos in round one of the 2009 season, scoring the team's first try in a 19–18 win over the North Queensland Cowboys. The following week, Folau again opened the scoring in the highly anticipated clash against his former club, Melbourne Storm, soaring above his former teammates to take a catch in what would be the first try in the Broncos 16–14 win – the club's first home win over the Storm since 2005. Folau continued his try-scoring feats averaging a try-a-game by Round 10. This was helped by a massive four-try haul against the Gold Coast Titans in May, equalling Brisbane Broncos Steve Renouf's record for the most tries in a single game for the Queensland club.


title: Israel Folau

text: In April 2009, he was named in the preliminary 25-man squad to represent Queensland in the opening match of the 2009 State of Origin series, and was subsequently picked on the wing for the opening State of Origin match. He also played in Game 2, scoring a try, but missed Game 3 due to injury.


title: Israel Folau

text: Controversially despite signing mid-year with rival code the AFL, Folau was selected and played in all three Origin games in 2010. He continued to produce try-scoring form scoring 17 tries from 16 matches with the Brisbane Broncos but his rugby league career to date was cut shorter than anticipated as the Brisbane Broncos failed to make the finals series for the first time in over a decade. Folau was also overlooked to represent Australia in the Four Nations tournament and was subsequently dis-allowed by the Australian Rugby League to play for Tonga in a warm-up match against Samoa. In a further some-what controversial decision he was banned from being a member of the coaching staff as he had planned to run the water as a trainer for the Tongan team.


title: Israel Folau

text: In January 2020, Folau signed a one-year deal to play league for the Catalans Dragons. After playing just fifteen games for the Dragons, and scoring five tries, Folau was released. Following his release, Folau was set to join the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast Rugby League in a small stint before playing rugby union in the Japan Rugby League One, however was disallowed from being registered just three days before playing by the Queensland Rugby League (QRL).


title: Israel Folau

text: As his contract with the Brisbane Broncos was set to expire at the end of the 2010 season Folau was linked to the Melbourne Rebels rugby union team in Super Rugby and had also been linked with a move to the Greater Western Sydney Giants, an Australian Football League (AFL) team. After a three-way bidding war between rugby league, rugby union and Australian rules football, Folau signed a deal with the expansion AFL team Greater Western Sydney, estimated to be worth up to $6 million over four years.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau began his Australian rules football playing career in the North East Australian Football League playing for the Greater Western Sydney Giants. Initially playing in defence and struggling to make an impact, it wasn't until GWS coach Kevin Sheedy moved him into the forward line that his performances improved, including 4 goals in a game against Queanbeyan Football Club.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau made his AFL debut in the Greater Western Sydney Giants first match in the competition, against the Sydney Swans in Round 1, 2012.


title: Israel Folau

text: At the start of the season, Israel Folau was chosen to be one of 10 players announced by the AFL as that year's Multicultural Ambassadors. The then AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou remarked, "We're genuinely excited to provide 10 players with the opportunity to become leaders in the community, promoting the benefits of inclusion and diversity."


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau gave up on his AFL career at the end of the 2012 season, and although his time playing AFL on-field has been described as a failure, he is also credited with helping to establish the Giants in Western Sydney.


title: Israel Folau

text: In December 2012, it was announced that Folau, changing sports again, had joined Australian rugby union team the Sydney-based New South Wales Waratahs for the 2013 Super Rugby season, also announcing his ambition to play for the Australia national rugby team. It was also the first season for new coach Michael Cheika (whom later coached Folau as Australia coach). Melbourne Rebels Coach Damien Hill said he was sceptical about how the Waratahs, or any Super Rugby club, could fit Folau under the salary cap. Folau's potential positive impact in rugby union has been likened by several players and coaches to that of fellow league-turned-rugby star Sonny Bill Williams.


title: Israel Folau

text: Speaking in early in 2013 about his Waratahs pre-season training, Folau said he was training at both fullback and wing. Folau also said he welcomed the advice and mentorship of dual international and former Waratah Lote Tuqiri regarding the switch between league and union. Folau scored two tries in a pre-season match against Australian conference rivals, the Melbourne Rebels.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau's first Super Rugby appearance for New South Wales was against long-time rivals Queensland in the second round (23 February 2013) of the season at Lang Park, Brisbane. Folau's debut try for the Waratahs came in the forty-seventh minute, and was the first Waratahs try of the match. The Waratahs lost 25–17. Folau's first home appearance with the Waratahs was in the third round against the Melbourne Rebels. Although Folau didn't score, and with the Waratahs having to fight back a ten point deficit at half-time, the Waratahs won the match 31–26.


title: Israel Folau

text: Overall, by seasons end Folau had played a total of fourteen of the sixteen matches for the New South Wales Waratahs in his debut season. In the process, Folau racked up eight tries, tied second overall for the season. However, Folau's efforts were not enough for New South Wales to finish in a finals position. The Waratahs finished third in the Australian conference, and ninth overall (out of fifteen). Furthermore, the Waratahs had a balanced record of eight wins and eight losses, accruing a positive point differential of forty-five and taking five bonus points as well. A month post-season, Folau was named in the Australia squad against the British & Irish Lions, whom were on their 2013 tour of Australia.


title: Israel Folau

text: In July 2015, he signed a deal to play for NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes in the Japanese Top League. However, Folau did not play for the club due to injury and the relegation of the team to the Japanese second division.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau has been awarded the Rugby Australia John Eales Medal, the "Wallabies' Player of the Year" recognition, a record three times, in 2014, 2015 and 2017.


title: Israel Folau

text: On 5 July 2021 it was reported that Folau had switched back to play rugby union for Japanese club Shining Arcs Tokyo-Bay Urayasu (formerly NTT Communications) On his return to rugby union, Folau scored a double against Kobelco Kobe Steelers in round one of the 2022 Japan Rugby League One in Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium. The Shining Arcs won 23–24.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau made his international debut for Australia against the British & Irish Lions on the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia. Folau, scoring the first try of the game in the first game of the series, scored twice on 22 June at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland.


title: Israel Folau

text: In the 2013 Autumn tour, Folau scored his tenth try of the season against Wales and equalled the tally of Lote Tuqiri.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau is the fourth highest try scoring Australian international player, behind Adam Ashley-Cooper, Chris Latham and David Campese.


title: Israel Folau

text: In 2021 World Rugby slightly altered the international eligibility rules for players whom had already played for another union. The rule would allow rugby union players, such as Israel Folau, the ability to play for another union if they had a "stand-down period of three years" from one union, among other requirements. Given the rule change, and Folau's 'parental-link' eligibility, he would be allowed to represent Tonga from 2022 onwards. Coach Toutai Kefu, keen on having Folau play for Tonga, said of the decision: "We'd definitely be interested... We're not in a position to bypass players of Israel's calibre. We'd welcome him with open arms." Folau also expressed his eagerness to play for Tonga, in a consice quip to Kefu: 'Yeah, I'm keen to go'. The rule change would allow six or seven players to immediately represent Tonga, alongside Folau.


title: Israel Folau

text: In 2022 it was speculated that Folau would play for Tonga in the Pacific Nations Cup, which would include Australia A. Following confirmation of a four-team Pacific Nations Cup in July 2022, namely Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and Australia A, Tonga coach Toutai Kefu said Folau's eligibility is due to be reviewed by World Rugby and hopes to bring the former Wallaby in to play in the tournament. On 27 May 2022, it was announced that Folau, along with well-known former New Zealand internationals Charles Piutau, Malakai Fekitoa and Augustine Pulu, were selected for the Tonga squad ahead of the Pacific Nations Cup in July.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau made his international debut for Tonga in the first round (2 July 2022) of the 2022 Pacific Nations Cup against hosts Fiji. Folau was taken off after approximately a half-hour of play having obtained a hamstring injury. Folau and Tonga were kept scoreless, losing 36–0.


title: Israel Folau

text: His sponsorship deal with ASICS was terminated in 2019 after he was found guilty of breaching Rugby Australia's player code of conduct.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau has a sister and four brothers. He is the older brother of John Folau, who is also a rugby union player.


title: Israel Folau

text: "Israel Folau Street" was named in his honour in October 2010 in a suburb of Goodna, Queensland, where Folau played junior rugby league.


title: Israel Folau

text: On 23 October 2016, Folau announced his engagement to New Zealand netball player Maria Tuta'ia. They were married outdoors on a private estate in Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales on 15 November 2017.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau grew up as a Mormon, but moved to being an active member of the Assemblies of God Christian denomination in 2011. His father, Eni Folau, is a pastor. Folau has credited his relationship with God as a reason for his athletic success in the NRL, AFL and rugby union. In a 2017 article for "Players Voice", Folau wrote that he reads the Bible every day and that faith in Jesus Christ is the "cornerstone of every single thing in my life" and "I believe that it is a loving gesture to share passages from the Bible with others. I do it all the time when people ask me questions about my faith or things relating to their lives, whether that's in-person or on my social media accounts." Folau is nontrinitarian. He has been described as a fundamentalist Christian.


title: Israel Folau

text: In 2017, the Turnbull government called a national postal survey on the question of changing Australian law to recognise same-sex marriage. In September, the ARU management declared the Wallabies in support of the change, prompting Folau to announce his personal opposition a day later on Twitter, where he wrote: "I love and respect all people for who they are and their opinions. but personally, I will not support gay marriage." Folau later wrote in "Players Voice": "I didn't agree with Bill Pulver taking a stance on the same-sex marriage vote on behalf of the whole organisation, but I understand the reasons behind why he did."


title: Israel Folau

text: In March 2015, Israel Folau, playing for the New South Wales Waratahs Rugby team, told ABC radio that there was no room for homophobia in the game, amidst allegations of homophobic sledging originating from a player on his team, and denied there was homophobia in his club.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau's religious views became a subject of controversy in April 2018, when a follower of his Instagram account asked him what God's "plan for homosexuals" was, and Folau replied: "Hell.. unless they repent of their sins and turn to God."


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau later wrote in "Players Voice" "My response to the question is what I believe God's plan is for all sinners, according to my understanding of my Bible teachings, specifically 1 Corinthians 6:9–10". The tweet led to accusations of homophobia against Folau and of religious discrimination against him by accusers. The Wallabies chief sponsor Qantas condemned Folau's comments, announcing: "We've made clear to Rugby Australia that we find the comments very disappointing." Rugby Australia's CEO, Raelene Castle, said that they accepted Folau's position, though they did not agree with his views, and he would not be sanctioned by the organisation.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau wrote: "Since my social media posts were publicised, it has been suggested that I am homophobic and bigoted and that I have a problem with gay people. This could not be further from the truth. I fronted the cover of the "Star Observer" magazine to show my support for the Bingham Cup, which is an international gay rugby competition for both men and women. I believe in inclusion. In my heart, I know I do not have any phobia towards anyone."


title: Israel Folau

text: On Wednesday, 10 April 2019, the Tasmanian Parliament passed amendments to the Birth, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act to allow gender to be changed on Birth Certificates by a simple statutory declaration. Later on that day on his personal Twitter account, Folau posted a screenshot of the news headline that read: "Tasmania becomes first Australian jurisdiction to make gender optional on birth certificates". Folau then tweeted: 'The devil has blinded so many people in this world. Repent and turn away from your evil ways. Turn to Jesus Christ who will set you free".


title: Israel Folau

text: In response, Andy Brennan, Australia's only openly gay male professional soccer player at the time, said "If I was 16 years old and reading what he said, it would have made me feel awful", and "You can't let negativity win, otherwise what [Folau] says wins."


title: Israel Folau

text: Some hours later, in his personal Instagram account, Folau posted a screenshot of a meme, quoting 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 "WARNING Drunks, Homosexuals, Adulterers, Liars, Fornicators, Thieves, Atheists, Idolators HELL AWAITS YOU. REPENT! ONLY JESUS SAVES". Folau, in the same Instagram post also quoted Galatians 5:19-21, and two verses on repentance, salvation and justification, Acts 2:38 and Acts 17:30. Rugby Australia immediately denounced the post as homophobic. The next day, (11 April 2019) Rugby Australia announced their intention to terminate his contract "in the absence of compelling mitigating factors", and said they had been unable to contact him. Folau's post and the actions of Rugby Australia divided opinion amongst players and supporters and ignited a human rights debate across Australia, with Rugby Australia arguing its "inclusiveness" policy had been breached, and others calling for tolerance of the expression of religious views. Ahead of his disciplinary hearing, Folau expressed a determination to continue playing rugby, while still holding to his beliefs.


title: Israel Folau

text: Delivering a sermon at his church on Easter Sunday at the height of the controversy, he broke down while recalling the words from the Bible, Matthew 16:26, "For what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?"


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau, in a church sermon, said that the devil is behind primary school children being allowed to decide if they wanted to change gender by taking away the permission of their parents. He also said homosexuality is a sin.


title: Israel Folau

text: In November 2019, Folau was criticised following his preaching in regards to same-sex marriage and abortion. Quoting from the Book of Isaiah he said he believes the scripture is talking to Australia, and said, "Look how rapid these bushfires, these droughts, have come in a short period of time. Do you think it's a coincidence or not? God is speaking to you guys." In response, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described Folau's remarks as "appallingly insensitive".


title: Israel Folau

text: In May 2019, a "Code of Conduct" hearing was undertaken, during which the CEO of Rugby Australia, Raelene Castle, suggested she would have terminated Folau's contract if he had "photocopied Bible passages" and posted them to his social media. Folau was found to have breached Rugby Australia's code of conduct, and later that month he lost a sponsorship deal with ASICS. On 17 May 2019, his 4-year employment contract with Rugby Australia was terminated early, ending his career with the Waratahs and the Wallabies.


title: Israel Folau

text: At the May 2019 hearing, Folau said that at least 15 teammates and members of the coaching staff had either provided him with messages of support and/or urged for his return to the playing field.


title: Israel Folau

text: On 6 June 2019, Folau launched legal proceedings with the Fair Work Commission against Rugby Australia and the Waratahs under section 772 of the Fair Work Act, which makes it unlawful to terminate employment on the basis of religion. Folau launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign in mid-June and sought to raise $3 million to cover his legal costs. Some of his former teammates described Folau's appeal as selfish and greedy. Folau was also criticised for seeking crowdfunded money despite accumulating a multi-million dollar fortune. The appeal included a statement that "there will be no obligations on Israel Folau to ... apply the funds in any particular way". On 24 June 2019, GoFundMe shut down Folau's fundraising campaign, stating that it violated GoFundMe's terms of service by promoting discrimination or exclusion, and that all donations would be refunded. In a response to the termination of Folau's GoFundMe campaign, the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) announced on 25 June 2019 that it was donating $100,000 to Folau, was setting up an alternate donation site, and that any funds raised would only be used for his legal costs. The second campaign raised over $2 million in two days before being paused by the ACL with Folau's consent.


title: Israel Folau

text: On 19 July 2019, the Fair Work Commission issued a certificate confirming all reasonable attempts to resolve the dispute between Folau and Rugby Australia had been unsuccessful. On 1 August 2019, Folau launched legal action in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, against RA and NSW Rugby for unlawful termination on the basis of religion, breach of contract and restraint of trade. Folau sought an apology, compensation, penalties and the right to play rugby union again.


title: Israel Folau

text: In November 2019, Folau increased his compensation claim against Rugby Australia to $14 million, claiming that he could have been a Wallabies captain. This claim was viewed with bemusement and ridicule from past and present Australian rugby union players, as Folau had never held a captaincy or vice-captaincy position with any of the football teams he had been a part of.


title: Israel Folau

text: Folau and Rugby Australia issued a joint statement and apology on 4 December 2019 that stated no harm had been intended by either party and announced that a confidential settlement had been reached.


title: Israel Folau

text: In December 2019, the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW decided to investigate a complaint that Folau had engaged in homosexuality vilification. The case was rejected and dismissed during April 2020 initial proceedings, and was found to be of "collateral purpose, as a means to pressure the respondent to settle with him".


title: Israel Folau

text: After Folau signed for the Catalans Dragons in 2020, he caused controversy again, in the first game of the season against St Helens, being the only player of both teams refusing to take the knee, as a symbol of solidarity against police brutality and racism.


title: Snap!

text: Snap! is a German Eurodance group formed in 1989 by producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has been through a number of line-up changes over the years, including American singers, songwriters and rappers Thea Austin, Turbo B, Niki Haris and Penny Ford. Their best known hits are "The Power" and "Rhythm Is a Dancer", both of which took the No. 1 spot in multiple countries.


title: Snap!

text: Luca Anzilotti and Michael Münzing started working together in 1985 in the group Off (Organisation For Fun) with Sven Väth. They recorded two albums, Organisation For Fun (1988) and Ask Yourself (1989), and a series of singles, including "Electrica Salsa", until 1990.


title: Snap!

text: The two created the side project 16 BIT in 1986 and had a big success with their first single "Where Are You?". In 1987, they released the album "Inaxycvgtgb" for BMG.


title: Snap!

text: Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti formed Snap! in 1989 under the aliases Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III, as they thought that the public had negative preconceived ideas of German music. Their first hit, "The Power", which was fronted by rapper Turbo B. and American singer Penny Ford, peaked at No. 2 in Germany in April 1990 and spent five weeks in that position eventually going Gold for sales of 250,000 units. The single topped the charts in the United Kingdom, and picked up a Silver award for sales of 200,000 units.<ref name="UK's Singles/Albums Positions for Snap!"></ref> In the U.S., it reached No.2 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and was certified Platinum for 1,000,000 units.


title: Snap!

text: Jackie Harris was used to mime Penny Ford's voice in the video "The Power" and left the group shortly after and Penny Ford became its full-time lead singer, recording the second single "Ooops Up", a re-working of "I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Ooops!)", a 1980 hit by The Gap Band, with which Penny was a former backing singer. The song "Oops Up" was another No. 2 hit in Germany which spent nine weeks in the position. The single entered the Top 5 in the UK picking up another Silver award, it was also awarded a Gold certification in the U.S. Further hits followed with the oriental-sounding "Cult of Snap", which charted at No. 3 in Germany and No. 8 in the UK, and "Mary Had a Little Boy", which charted at No. 4 in Germany, and again No. 8 in the UK. Their first album, "World Power", reached No. 7 in Germany, No. 10 in the UK and No. 30 in the U.S. The album received Platinum in Germany, and Gold in the UK and the U.S.


title: Snap!

text: In 1991, after American singer, composer, songwriter and dancer Thea Austin joined the line-up and helped to write "Rhythm Is a Dancer", which was initially planned to be the lead single from the second album but later was pushed back to be the second single from the second album. The first single, "Colour of Love", managed to peak at No. 9 in Snap!'s home of Germany, but stalled at No. 54 in the UK. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" was released as the second single in July 1992 which uses a sample from the song "Automan" by early '80s American electronic hip-hop band Newcleus, it went on to become their biggest hit yet. The single shot to No. 1 in Germany, the UK, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In the U.S., it peaked at No. 5 collecting another Gold for sales of 500,000 units. At home in Germany, the single went Platinum for 500,000 units, and picked up a Gold in the UK for sales of 400,000 units. The third single "Exterminate" from the second album, which charted at No. 3 in Germany and No.2 in the UK, was awarded with a Gold certification in Germany.


title: Snap!

text: The second album, "The Madman's Return" did well in the charts, peaking at No. 3 in Germany and entering the Top 10 in the UK, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland, Turbo B decided to leave the project due to disagreements with the act's producers. The album went Gold in Germany and the UK, for sales of 250,000 units and 100,000 units respectively.


title: Snap!

text: Follow-up singles "Exterminate" (charting No. 2 in the UK and No. 3 in Germany) and "Do You See the light?" featured Niki Haris, a professional vocalist also known for her long-time work with Madonna, on lead vocals.


title: Snap!

text: The producers, Münzing and Anzilotti recruited Washington, D.C.-born American singer Summer to front the act for the third album. Summer was born Paula Brown and previously had worked as a dancer in the TV series Fame and in the Spike Lee movie, "School Daze". Snap! moved towards a progressive house sound and released their first single called "Welcome to Tomorrow (Are You Ready?)" in September 1994. The single peaked at No. 4 in Germany, No. 6 in the UK and was followed by the album, also titled "Welcome to Tomorrow". The second single "The First the Last Eternity (Till the End)" was a moderate hit in the UK, but managed to climb as high as No. 7 in Germany. Snap! released two more singles from the album "The World in My Hands" and "Rame" (featuring Rukmani), both of which experienced moderate chart entries.


title: Snap!

text: In 1996 the group was officially disbanded after releasing a greatest hits compilation called "". The album included a new version of their first hit "The Power '96" and "Rhythm Is a Dancer '96".


title: Snap!

text: However, the act made a surprising return in 2000 with a track entitled "Gimme a Thrill", complete with a rap performed by Turbo B. and vocal from the band's newest singer Maxayn. It didn't attract much attention and peaked only at No. 11 in the German Dance Charts. A new album called "One Day on Earth" was planned for release around this time but was canceled. However, promo copies of the album can be found online.


title: Snap!

text: A new version of "Do You See the Light" remixed by Plaything was released in 2002. The following year, a remixed album, "The Cult of Snap!" was released and re-worked singles were issued. "Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003" peaked at No. 7 in Germany and No. 17 in the UK, while "The Power (of Bhangra 2003)" charted moderately in Austria, Switzerland and Denmark. The act also released a re-done version of "Oops Up!" which featured vocals by NG3 and managed to enter the Swedish Charts at No. 40 and the German top 100 singles chart at No. 69.


title: Snap!

text: Buoyed by the success of the remixes, Münzing and Anzilotti went back into the studio with male singer Damien Behanan, also known as Loc, and released the single "Beauty Queen" in September 2005 through Luma Music, which peaked inside the top10 of the German Dance Charts but it failed to enter the official charts. They would also release another digital download single in 2008 featuring Loc, Jumping!, but this also failed to chart.


title: Snap!

text: On 16 June 2008, a new version of "Rhythm Is a Dancer '08" was released as a CD single in the UK which peaked at No. 23 there.


title: Snap!

text: In 2018, rights to all recordings of Snap!, previously owned by Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti themselves, were transferred to BMG Rights Management, a current incarnation of Bertelsmann Music Group.


title: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

text: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat (English: "The Great Emperor Ashoka") is a 2015 Indian historical drama TV series that aired on Colors TV from 2 February 2015 to 7 October 2016. The show was created and written by author and screenwriter Faizan Mohammad and cast by Radhesh More. It stars Mohit Raina as Ashoka with Siddharth Nigam portraying the young version of the character.


title: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

text: "Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat" was based on the life of Emperor Ashoka (304–232 BCE), the third emperor of the Mauryan dynasty of India. The series tells the story of how he faced the problems outside and inside Magadha, eventually rising to become its ruler. The historical drama was produced by Contiloe Entertainment and directed by Prasad Gavandi. The show premiered on 2 February 2015 with a 1-hour telecast duration for the first 20 episodes. The serial ended on 7 October 2016.


title: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

text: This series starts when Magadha is ruled by Emperor Bindusara Maurya. Bindusara's step-mother, Helena conspires against him. Bindusara is attacked but is saved by a Brahmin woman in Champa named Dharma. Bindusara is amazed at her and marries her. Dharma then conceives a child. She refuses to visit royal palace with Bindusara, who promised her to return. Bindusara's third queen, Noor and her father, Mir Khorasan, seek to assassinate Dharma. Mir attacks Dharma and kills her father. He then sets her hut on fire. Bindusara assumes Dharma to be dead, but Dharma survives and gives birth to a son, Ashoka.


title: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

text: Ashoka is now grown into a brave boy and lives with Dharma in a hamlet. Chanakya spots Ashoka and finds his truth, but promises Dharma to keep it a secret. Chanakya and his disciple, Radhagupta takes them to Pataliputra disguising Dharma as a royal physician. Ashoka impresses Bindusara and they develop a bond, irritating Bindusara's eldest son, Sushim, his mother Charumitra, Mir Khorasan, Helena and her son, Justin. Eventually, Ashoka finds about his father and reunites Bindusara and Dharma. Chanakya is trapped and set in fire by Helena, Khallatak, Charumitra, Sushim and Siamak. Ashoka saves him from fire and Chanakya dies asking Ashoka to become the Emperor and realize his dream of Akhanda Bharat. Ashoka is shattered and vows to catch the murderers.


title: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

text: Later, Ashoka is succeed in saving Taxila from Kichak. He falls in love with Kaurvaki, the princess of Kalinga. Helena reveals Ashoka about the murders of Chanakya and fakes a suicide. Ashoka is enraged and stabs Sushim and banished by Bindusara. Dharma and her newborn son Vitashoka (Vit) accompany him to Ujjain and Ashoka vows to come back stronger and avenge Chanakya's death.


title: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

text: Ashoka, now known as Chand, has become a ruthless, angry man who just wants revenge. He lives with Dharma and Vit in the house of a merchant named Dhaniram. Dhaniram's daughter, Devi cares about them. Sushima has become stronger with the help of the black magic of Charumitra. Siamak has grown into a cool-headed man but thirsts for the death of Ashoka. Ashoka takes part in a wrestling contest with Sushim as Chand. Dharma and Vit come there and stop Ashoka. Bindusara recognizes them, forgives Ashoka, and asks him to come back to Pataliputra.


title: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

text: Ashoka exposes Helena, who is still alive as Kondana. Siamak is tricked and kills Helena. Ashoka and Sushim are supposed to marry Kaurvaki and Chanda. Kaurvaki's father, Jagannath insults Bindusara and Dharma and asks the throne of Magadha. Ashoka is enraged and marries Devi, calling off his marriage with Kaurvaki. Dharma is killed by Sushim, leaving Ashoka broken. He suspects Siamak to be the murderer and kills him. Bindusara dies in a cardiac arrest. Sushim stabs Charumitra to death, mistaking her to be Kaurvaki. Khallatak teams up with Ashok. Sushim confesses his crimes. After a fierce war, Sushim falls into a lava pit and dies. Ashoka is crowned as the third emperor of Magadha.


title: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

text: Devi gives birth to their son, Mahindra and later their daughter, Sanghamitta. Ashoka captures Kalinga and draws a massive amount of bloodshed, killing millions of people. This incident leaves him traumatized at the waste of human lives. He later on, decides to give up violence and embraces Buddhism. With the help of his children and ministers, he propagates the principles of Buddhism around the world for the welfare of mankind and earns the title of "Ashoka the Great", also fulfilling Chanakya's dream of Akhanda Bharath (Greater India).


title: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

text: The set was erected in Karjat. The show was produced by Contiloe Entertainment. A team of at least 500 people worked on the series. Episodes were shot across Jaisalmer, Kerala, Mumbai's Film City and Karjat. A lightman died on the set in April 2015.


title: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

text: "Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat "was promoted on the comedy show Comedy Nights with Kapil on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri in February 2015 A game app "Ashoka:The Game" was launched by Colors TV in April 2015.


title: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

text: "The Times of India" praised Ashok Banker's reconstruction filled historical gaps and stated that they provide "interesting fictional turns" for the show.


title: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

text: "Bollywood Life" reviewer, Letty Mariam Abraham, gave the show 3 out of 5 stars; praising the sets, visual effects and production value of the show. She further heaped praise on child prodigy Siddharth Nigam as "undoubtedly a brilliant actor"; stating that "his agile body makes him the perfect actor for the role." Abraham gave her final verdict as "the show looks promising but has a lot of scope for improvement. I'd recommend that people watch this historical drama for Siddharth Nigam and the special effects of the show."


title: Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat

text: India.com reviewer, Prathamesh Jadhav, stated "going by the opening episode we must confess that this elaborate drama looks rather promising with its interesting tale." He further stated, "What we liked though is the visuals and the diligence that has been put in by the special effects and VFX team. The work is seriously commendable." He gave his final verdict as "going by what we have seen [in] it one must admit that the show looks promising with its actors, its sets and the details that have gone into making a tele-series of this nature."


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The Vickers Viscount is a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The Viscount was well received by the public for its cabin conditions, which included pressurisation, reductions in vibration and noise, and panoramic windows. It became one of the most successful and profitable of the first post-war transport aircraft; 445 Viscounts were built for a range of international customers, including in North America.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The Viscount was a response to the 1943 Brabazon Committee's proposed Type II design for a post-war small medium-range pressurised aircraft to fly less-travelled routes, carrying 24 passengers up to 1,750 mi (2,816 km) at 200 mph (320 km/h). During discussions between the committee and Vickers' chief designer, Rex Pierson, Vickers advocated turboprop power. The committee was not convinced and split the specification into two types, the Type IIA using piston power, which led to the Airspeed Ambassador, and the turboprop-powered Type IIB which Vickers was selected to develop in April 1945. British European Airways (BEA) was involved in the design and asked that the aircraft carry 32 passengers instead, but remained otherwise similar.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The first design in June 1945 was based on the Viking with four turboprop engines and 24 seats and designated the VC-2 or Type 453. Later a double-bubble fuselage was proposed to give extra underfloor cargo space. Neither was pressurised but it was soon realised that for economical operation an altitude above was needed. Thus pressurisation was required. The decision for pressurisation resulted in the double-bubble and elliptical fuselage designs being abandoned. A circular cross-section variant was offered at the beginning of 1946. The resulting 28-seat VC-2 was financed by the Ministry of Supply with an order for two prototypes. But, before the contract was signed, the government asked for the capacity to be increased to 32. This stretched the fuselage from to and meant an increased wingspan of .


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The contract for the aircraft to Air Ministry specification C.16/46 was signed on 9 March 1946 and Vickers allocated the designation Type 609 and the name "Viceroy". Although George Edwards had always favoured the 800 hp Rolls-Royce Dart other engines were considered, including the Armstrong Siddeley Mamba which the government specified for the two prototypes. The choice of the Mamba engine increased the weight but Vickers made sure the engine nacelle would fit either the Mamba or Dart. While the Dart progressed better in development, the government asked in August 1947 for the second prototype to be Dart-powered. The second prototype was designated the 630 and was named as the "Viscount". The first prototype already under construction was converted to the Dart as a 630 as well.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The resulting Vickers Type 630 design was completed at Brooklands by chief designer Rex Pierson and his staff in 1945, a 32-seat airliner powered by four Dart engines for a cruising speed of 275 mph (443 km/h). An order for two prototypes was placed in March 1946, and construction started in the company's Foxwarren Experimental Department. Originally "Viceroy" after the viceroy of India, Lord Louis Mountbatten, the aircraft was renamed "Viscount" following India's independence in 1947. There was work on replacing the Darts with the Mamba, but this was dropped by the time the prototypes were reaching completion. After Pierson's death in 1948, George Edwards (later Sir George Edwards) took over as chief designer and assumed all technical control over the Viscount project.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The prototype Type 630, registered "G-AHRF", made its maiden flight from the grass airfield at Wisley on 16 July 1948, piloted by Joseph "Mutt" Summers, Vickers' chief test pilot. The design was considered too small and slow at 275 mph (443 km/h), making the per passenger operating costs too high for regular service, and BEA had placed an order for 20 piston-engined Airspeed Ambassadors in 1947. Retrospectively commenting on Britain's aviation industry, Duncan Burn stated: "Had BEA committed itself to full support of the Viscount... it was quite likely that the smaller version would have gone into production... It was in a sense BEA's lack of enthusiasm for the [Type] 630 which made possible the [Viscount's] success."


title: Vickers Viscount

text: Early flight trials, however, showed the qualities of a turboprop, resulting in a February 1949 order from the Ministry of Supply for a prototype of a stretched version with more powerful engines, the Type 700. Meanwhile, the first prototype Type 630 was awarded a restricted Certificate of Airworthiness on 15 September 1949, followed by a full certificate on 27 July 1950, which allowed the aircraft to be placed into trial service with BEA on 29 July to familiarise the pilots and ground crew with the new aircraft. It flew scheduled flights between London and Paris, and London and Edinburgh until 23 August 1950. 29 July 1950 flight between Northolt and Paris – Le Bourget Airport with 14 paying passengers was the first scheduled airline flight by any turbine-powered aircraft.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The second prototype Viscount, the Type 663 testbed, had two Rolls-Royce Tay turbojet engines and first flew in RAF markings as serial "VX217" at Wisley on 15 March 1950. It was demonstrated at the Farnborough SBAC Show in September and was later used in the development of powered controls for the Valiant bomber. It later saw use as a test bed by Boulton Paul Ltd for the development of electronic flight control systems.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The designers then went back to the drawing board and the aircraft emerged as the larger Type 700 with up to 48 passengers (53 in some configurations), and a cruising speed of 308 mph (496 km/h). The new prototype "G-AMAV" first flew from Brooklands on 28 August 1950, and served as a development aircraft for the type for several years. In late August 1950, BEA placed an order for 20 aircraft; further orders would come in the following year from operators such as Air France, Aer Lingus and Misrair. In 1953, the basic cost given for a Viscount was £235,000.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: One reporter, after travelling on an Air France Viscount, wrote in 1953: "Noise level was less than that of piston engines. It was a definite relief to be rid of the rough vibrations... The turboprop is an excellent shorthaul airplane and a definite crowd pleaser. The substitution of a lower constant pitch noise and smoothness for the vibration, grunts, and groans of the piston engine gives the hesitant passenger a feeling of confidence." Viscount cabin windows were huge ellipses, 19 by 26 inches. Viscount operational costs were lower than many rival aircraft; Vickers projected a 700 could carry a 13,000-lb payload from Chicago to New York in 2 hours 45 minutes against a 10-mph headwind, burning 6395 lb of fuel.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: All production Viscounts were powered by the Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop; from its initial 800 hp, and then 1,000 hp and higher, Rolls-Royce extensively developed the Dart engine, due to its popularity and use on the Viscount and several later aircraft. One key model was the Dart 506 engine, with better fuel efficiency than earlier models, allowing airline Viscounts to fly longer routes, with more payload. With the availability of more powerful engines, Vickers continued to develop the Viscount's design. Later models could carry more passengers and had fewer load limitations.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: There were three basic versions of the Viscount. The first production version was the type 700 powered by R.Da.3 Dart 505 and later R.Da.3 Dart 506s. A sub variant were the type 700Ds powered by R.D.a Dart 510s.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The second version was the type 800. The 800s were shorter ranged, higher passenger capacity aircraft than the 700s. The fuselage was lengthened and the rear pressure bulkhead was moved aft , allowing more passengers to be carried. The 800s (excepting the 806s) were powered by the Dart 510.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The third and final type of Viscount were the 810s. They were the same size as the 800s but powered with R.Da. 7/1 Mk 225 or Mk 530 Darts. With the greater power the 810s were faster and longer ranged than the 800s.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The Viscount's good performance and popularity with customers encouraged Vickers to privately finance and develop an enlarged and re-engined variant of the Viscount, later designated as the Vickers Vanguard. The Vanguard drew extensively from the knowledge and design of the Viscount, and maintained its advantage of lower operating costs over jet airliners, but its disadvantage in being slower became critical as jets became more available.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: Regular passenger flights were launched by BEA on 18 April 1953, the world's first scheduled turboprop airline service. BEA became a large user of the Viscount, as well the rival Handley Page Dart Herald; by mid-1958 BEA's Viscount fleet had carried over 2.75 million passengers over 200,000 flight hours. Following BEA's launch of the type, multiple independent charter operators such as British Eagle were quick to adopt the Viscount into their fleets. During the 1960s, the Viscount formed the backbone of domestic air travel in Scotland.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The early operational service of the Viscount quickly proved it to have significant performance advances over its rivals, and orders rapidly rose as a result; up to November 1952 only 42 aircraft had been ordered; by the end of 1953, the order book had risen to 90, and 160 by the end of the following year. Vickers was able to quickly respond to the new orders as it had gambled on such orders emerging and early on the decision had been taken to commit to a high production rate at the company's own risk. In 1957, the Vickers production line was producing the Viscount at a rate of one aircraft every three days.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: In October 1953, the Viscount 700 prototype G-AMAV achieved the fastest time (40 hours 41 minutes flying time) in the transport section of the 12,367 mi (19,903 km) air race from London to Christchurch, New Zealand. The aircraft averaged 320 mph (520 km/h) in the event, crossing the finishing line nine hours ahead of its closest rival, a Douglas DC-6A of KLM, with the latter winning on handicap. "En route", equipped with extra fuel tanks, it flew 3,530 mi (5,680 km) nonstop from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands to Melbourne's Essendon Airport in 10 hours 16 minutes (343.8 mph).


title: Vickers Viscount

text: Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) received its first Viscount in 1954, and the aircraft quickly proved profitable, leading to additional orders. The Viscount proved to be an invaluable aircraft for TAA, aviation author John Gunn stating that "TAA had achieved dominance on Australia's trunk routes with its turboprop Viscounts". TAA procured over a dozen Viscounts, and purchased later turboprop aircraft such as the Fokker F27 Friendship; it later transitioned to jet aircraft as passenger demand outgrew the capacity of the Viscounts. To compete with its rival TAA, another Australian airline, Ansett-ANA also procured its own small Viscount fleet; the Viscount allowed Ansett to set out a faster and superior service than the larger TAA for the first time. The Two Airlines Policy was formally established in 1952 by the Fifth Menzies Ministry. The policy took practical effect when Ansett purchased the failing Australian National Airways in 1957, resulting in it being the only competitor for the government-owned TAA. Unstated was the requirement for both airlines to have identical equipment.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The first North American airline to use turboprop aircraft was Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA), with a small fleet of Type 700 Viscounts. Initially, TCA was cautious of the Viscount due to the turboprop engine being a new technology, and there had been a preference for acquiring the piston-engined Convair CV-240 instead; praise of the Viscount from pilots and a promise from Vickers to make any design changes desired by TCA persuaded it to procure the Viscount instead. On 6 December 1954, the first Viscount was delivered to Canada in a large media event which included an improvised aerial display.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: TCA became a prolific operator of the type, placing multiple follow-up orders for additional Viscounts. By 1958 TCA had an operational fleet of 51 Viscounts. Aviation author Peter Pigott later wrote that: "For TCA and Vickers, the Viscount was a public relations coup. Passengers loved the quiet ride and panoramic windows. No other airline in North America flew turbo-prop airliners then, and no other British aircraft was bought by American airlines in such quantity." TCA operated the Viscount for two decades until Air Canada (TCA relabelled with a name equally at home in English and French), ended Viscount services in 1974. The type was replaced by the McDonnell Douglas DC-9."Routine Flight" (1955) featured the TCA introduction of the Viscount in this National Film Board of Canada documentary.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: TCA's procurement of the Viscount generated considerable interest from airlines and industry figures across the United States, including American aviation pioneer Howard Hughes; Hughes purchased 15 Viscounts immediately after personally flying one. US Capital Airlines became an important operator of the Type 700 Viscount, using it heavily throughout the eastern US routes; it was reported in 1958 that Capital had accumulated over 350,000 flight hours on its Viscounts, more than any other operator. Continental Airlines and Northeast Airlines also became US Viscount operators.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: The first airline in Latin America to operate the Viscount was Cubana de Aviación. Cubana's −755D Viscounts, delivered in 1956, were placed on the Havana-Miami and Varadero-Miami routes, and were successful at raising Cubana's market share on these routes. During the 1958 Cuban elections, a Cubana Viscount was hijacked by gunmen aligned with the 26th of July Movement; the aircraft crash-landed in the sea, reportedly killing 17 of the 20 occupants. When the US government imposed its embargo on Cuba in 1962, Cubana decided to sell all of its Viscounts. They were replaced by Soviet-built turboprop aircraft.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: South African Airways (SAA) was another major operator of the Viscount; by January 1959 it was operating on all of SAA's domestic routes. In 1961, SAA had seven Viscounts, and acquired a further aircraft from Cuba in the following year. In 1965, SAA began receiving Boeing 727s, which had been selected the previous year as a jet-powered replacement for the Viscount. SAA sold its last Viscount to British Midland in the 1970s.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: Central African Airways (CAA) had been a traditional customer of Vickers, already operating a number of Vickers Vikings when it received its first Viscount on 25 April 1956. The introduction of the Viscount roughly coincided with the opening of a major airport at Salisbury, and the Viscount became the mainstay of the route between Johannesburg in South Africa, Salisbury (now renamed Harare) in modern-day Zimbabwe, and London, England. CAA had enough Viscounts to entirely replace its Viking fleet and to occasionally lease them to other operators. More Viscounts were purchased by CAA right up until 1965, at which point CAA announced its intention to procure the British Aircraft Corporation's jet-powered BAC 1-11 successor as the long-term successor to the Viscount.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: BEA, and its nationalised successor British Airways (BA), vigorously operated the Viscount on Britain's domestic routes. In the 1980s, British Airways began withdrawing its ageing Viscount fleet; all BA Viscount operations in Scotland had ended in 1982. Former BA aircraft were often sold on to charter operators such as British Air Ferries. Some airlines chose to replace the Viscount with a newer turboprop aircraft, the Hawker Siddeley HS 748. On 18 April 1996, British World Airlines conducted the last Viscount passenger service in Britain, exactly 46 years after BEA's inaugural flight; on board the flight were Sir George Edwards and Sir Peter Masefield.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: In late 1960, the People's Republic of China had begun negotiations with Vickers for as many as 40 Viscounts; however, negotiations were protracted due to political tensions. At this point, China sought arrangements to purchase Viscounts second-hand from existing operators, and later achieved successive deals regarding the Viscount with Britain directly. The last batch of six aircraft built were for the Chinese CAAC Airlines, which were delivered during 1964; at the end of production a total of 445 Viscounts had been manufactured. Many Viscounts were refurbished and saw new service with African operators; sales of these second-hand aircraft continued into the 1990s.


title: Vickers Viscount

text: It is believed that the last airworthy Viscount, 9Q-COD, last flew in January 2009 for Global Airways in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.


title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy

text: Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a platform video game developed by Toys for Bob and published by Activision. It is a collection of remasters of the first three games in the "Spyro" series: "Spyro the Dragon" (1998), "" (1999), and "" (2000). It was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2018 and for Nintendo Switch and Windows in September 2019.


title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy

text: "Spyro Reignited Trilogy" is a remaster of the original "Spyro" trilogy developed by Insomniac Games for the PlayStation: "Spyro the Dragon", "Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!", and "Spyro: Year of the Dragon". Each game is a 3D platformer featuring the titular protagonist, a juvenile purple dragon named Spyro, as he attempts to restore peace in a set of worlds specific to each game by vanquishing enemies. Spyro's sidekick, a dragonfly named Sparx, acts as an indicator of his health, defending him from a limited number of enemy attacks. Additionally, the games feature a number of collectibles which must be acquired to make progress, such as gems, which also act as currency, and dragon eggs.


title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy

text: "Spyro Reignited Trilogy" attempts to mostly remain faithful to the gameplay of the original games. Each level is designed to match the size and layout of the levels in the originals. A few features included only in one or two of the original trilogy were unified across all three games in "Reignited", such as the addition of "skill points" in the first game, or Spyro's ability to roll from side-to-side in later installments.


title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy

text: The remaster also made a few changes to content in the originals that was no longer considered appropriate. Some enemies in the first game, for example, wielded semi-automatic weapons in the original PlayStation version of the game; they wield paintball guns in the "Reignited" version. Additionally, a genie character in "Ripto's Rage!" had its name changed from "Bombo" to "Bob the Flagkeeper" to avoid referencing a stereotype of Arabs and Muslims common since before the publication of the original game.


title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy

text: However, most of the game's differences from the originals center around quality-of-life improvements. All the character's dialogues were re-recorded in their entirety with Tom Kenny providing Spyro's voice in all three games of "Reignited". Visual graphics were overhauled, and non-playable characters were given more distinct and varied personalities. The soundtrack was also re-recorded, with the options to play "dynamic" versions of the new recordings, where tempo is adjusted with Spyro's movement, or switch back to the original recordings.


title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy

text: Discussions around the revival of "Spyro the Dragon" began as early as 2014. In July 2014, now former Sony Computer Entertainment chairman Andrew House stated that his team was considering bringing "Spyro" back, adding that he believed longtime fans would be interested in revisiting a character from their youth. Later that same year, Insomniac Games CEO Ted Price also stated that making a new "Spyro" game was a possibility. In 2017, developer Vicarious Visions stated that they were aware of how high the popular demand was for a revival of the classic "Spyro" trilogy following the release of their previous remaster, "Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy".


title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy

text: The realization of "Spyro" remasters was originally teased in April 2018 when several media outlets received a package with a purple egg from someone under the alias "Falcon McBob". The "Reignited Trilogy" was officially revealed a few days later on April 5, 2018. After initially being scheduled for release on September 21, 2018, it was delayed and released on November 13 of the same year. The physical release of "Reignited Trilogy" contains the full game of "Spyro the Dragon", as well as a subset of levels from "Ripto's Rage!" and "Year of the Dragon". The remaining data must be downloaded as part of an in-game update. At E3 2019, versions for Nintendo Switch and Windows were announced and were released on September 3, 2019.


title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy

text: Unlike the "N. Sane Trilogy", development of "Reignited Trilogy" was a more collaborative effort between Toys for Bob and Insomniac Games. In the early planning stages, the staff from Toys for Bob brought their concept sketches of the titular character to the original team and held several discussions on how the character should look, with especially strong input from Ted Price. One of the key goals of the "Reignited Trilogy", according to art director Josh Nadelberg, was to "get Spyro right". This involved putting Spyro's model through rigorous stress tests to explore the range of emotions and expressions that could be yielded before and after the discussions with Insomniac staff. Because Insomniac Games could not provide source code or original assets to use as a reference, Toys for Bob utilized an in-house emulation tool called "Spyro-scope" which showed the schematics of a level's geometry and revealed patterns in enemy pathfinding.


title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy

text: Tom Kenny, who voiced Spyro the Dragon in the original "Ripto's Rage" and "Year of the Dragon", reprised his role in "Spyro Reignited Trilogy" after 16 years with re-recorded voice lines, including the first game in which Spyro was originally voiced by Carlos Alazraqui. Stewart Copeland, the music composer of the original trilogy, wrote a new main theme for the compilation, though did not write any other new tracks for the project. The rest of Copeland's score for the trilogy was re-recorded by Stephan Vankov, an employee of Toys for Bob, with the game including an option to freely choose between the two soundtracks. Controls were updated for modern platforms in several key ways, such as shooting fire set to the back right button and camera control set to the right analog stick, with an option to revert to the original control scheme at any point from the pause menu. "Reignited Trilogy" uses the Unreal Engine 4 game engine. The game also received development assistance from Sanzaru Games, whose previous works include "The Sly Collection" and "", in developing the alternate gameplay styles in "Year of the Dragon".


title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy

text: "Spyro Reignited Trilogy" received "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic. Multiple aspects of the game were praised, such as the upgraded visuals, attention to detail, and faithfulness to the original trilogy. Jonathon Dornbush of "IGN" praised the game's attention to detail, noting both the level design, with "gorgeous horizons" and layouts "pristine and accurate to the original", and character upgrades, such as non-playable characters exhibiting more unique and expressive personalities. Mitch Wallace of "Forbes" similarly highlighted the game's detail, calling the levels "childlike fantasy made playable", while also praising Toys for Bob's ability to faithfully recreate the games despite not having access to the original source code. Chris Moyse of "Destructoid" commended the game's soundtrack for its rerecording, "dynamic" aspect in which tempo adjusted to match Spyro's activity, and the option to switch to the original recordings.


title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy

text: The game was criticized for issues such as long loading times, glitches, and frame-rate. Wallace noted all of these aspects, calling the loading times in particular "a tad unacceptable" for being "slightly longer" than those of the original games, despite being produced two decades later for more advanced consoles. Moyse noted that the game, in remaining faithful, retained some of the original games' flaws, particularly the overall "bland" and linear objectives. Jeremy Winslow of "Slant" reiterated that criticism, calling "Ripto's Rage" and "Year of the Dragon" "mere reskins" of the first game, while also chiding the game's inconsistent frame-rate and "slippery" controls.


title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy

text: While publisher Activision has not released sales figures, it stated "Spyro Reignited Trilogy" "performed well" in its initial release. In the UK, the game reached first place on the all-formats sales chart in its first week; while it sold less than "", it outsold both its "Pikachu" and "Eevee" versions individually. It placed at the sixth position in the Switzerland all-format charts. It was also the best-selling PlayStation 4 game in its first week in Australia.


title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy

text: "Spyro Reignited Trilogy" won the award for "Family/Kids Title of the Year" at the Australian Games Awards, and was nominated for the Freedom Tower Award for Best Remake at the New York Game Awards, and for "People's Choice" at the Italian Video Game Awards.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: A Girl like Me is the second studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on April 10, 2006, by Def Jam Recordings. For the production of the album, Rihanna worked with Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken, Stargate, J. R. Rotem, and label-mate Ne-Yo, who wrote the album's second single. "A Girl like Me" is a pop and reggae album influenced by Rihanna's Caribbean roots. The album also incorporates elements of dancehall and rock, as well as ballads, which music critics were ambivalent towards.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: Some critics gave the album positive reviews, stating that Rihanna gracefully avoided the sophomore disappointment while others compared the album to her previous effort. "A Girl like Me" was released less than eight months after Rihanna's debut album. It peaked at number five on the US "Billboard" 200 and on the UK Albums Chart. The album was successful in other countries as well, entering the top ten in Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and Japan, while topping the Canadian Albums Chart.


title: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)

text: "A Girl like Me" spawned four singles: "SOS", which became Rihanna's first single to reach number one on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, "Unfaithful" and "Break It Off", both reaching the top ten on the "Billboard" Hot 100. However, the album's third single, "We Ride", failed to reprise the success of the album's other singles. The album was re-released as an expanded two-disc deluxe package in Germany, which includes remixes to both Rihanna's debut single, "Pon de Replay", and "If It's Lovin' That You Want". The album has been certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). To promote both "A Girl like Me" and her debut record, Rihanna embarked on her debut headlining concert tour, entitled in 2006.