title: The Chronicles of Amber

text: In the fictional Amber multiverse a "spikard" is a type of magical object with hyperdimensional "lines of power" which connect it to sorcerous power caches in various universes. In the Amber novels and short stories two shapes of spikards are explicitly cited: rings and swords. Benedict's metal arm is never explicitly listed as a spikard, but it does share with Corwin's spikard sword Grayswandir the rare magical ability to bypass an existential barrier of intangibility.


title: The Chronicles of Amber

text: Corwin's sword, "Grayswandir", contains a part of the Pattern like the Trumps. The sword appears in "The Guns of Avalon", in which Corwin, having escaped from his imprisonment, draws it from the trunk of a tree, noting that while it was previously in Amber, it was now with him, suggesting that it can be manifested wherever he needs it. "Grayswandir" has power against dark forces such as those besieging Lorraine in "The Guns of Avalon".


title: The Chronicles of Amber

text: In the Merlin cycle, "Grayswandir" has a counterpart in "Werewindle", formerly Brand's sword. Like Grayswandir, Werewindle also bears a portion of the Pattern upon its blade. In "The Salesman's Tale" the golden-colored spikard sword Werewindle possesses sentient intelligence. Werewindle is also labelled as the Day Sword, compared to Ferdinand Holthausen's translation of the name "Aurvandill/Auriwandal" as ""daybreak sword"".


title: The Chronicles of Amber

text: Corwin's brother Benedict is introduced in "The Guns of Avalon" as having lost his right arm in battle with the same dark forces menacing all of Shadow. In "Sign of the Unicorn" Corwin encounters Benedict's ghost in Tir na Nog'th. The ghost is wearing a remarkable prosthetic metal arm that can reach through unreality and attack him, even as Grayswandir can reach Benedict's ghost. Corwin strikes the arm from the ghost and returns to Amber with it. Later it is given to Benedict by Random, who performs the surgery to attach it. In the next novel this proves invaluable as the arm can overcome Brand's magic, allowing Benedict to strangle him despite being paralyzed, forcing Brand to vanish leaving the Jewel of Judgement behind. In "The Courts of Chaos" the arm is returned whence it came in a ghostly re-enactment of Corwin's fight with Benedict's ghost, occurring in the halls of Amber itself. These events are suspected to be caused by Oberon himself.


title: The Chronicles of Amber

text: The 1946 novel "The Dark World" by Henry Kuttner was acknowledged by Zelazny as an inspiration for his Amber novels. Similarities appear in the theme and in specific instances: some character names are common to both works, and they share the fantasy literary device of moving a present day, realistic character from the familiar world into a fantastical, alternate reality world, exposing the character to this shift as the reader experiences it. Zelazny is quoted as saying:


title: The Chronicles of Amber

text: Zelazny openly admitted that the series was also inspired by Philip José Farmer's "World of Tiers" series, specifically the concepts of an immensely powerful family in a deadly rivalry over the fate of multiple universes.


title: The Chronicles of Amber

text: Given Zelazny's academic interest in the Medieval European period, it is not a stretch to see a possible influence in Henry Adams' 1905 work "Mont Saint-Michel and Chartres", wherein he discusses the building of Chartres Cathedral, and the tidal-islet of Mont Saint-Michel, on the Normandy coast of France. However, these possible influences are not supported by Zelazny's own commentary about the origins of the Pattern. He indicated that he loosely based the Pattern in part on the Tree of Life or Sephiroth of Kaballah, and preferred to allow the reader to imagine what the actual Pattern looked like.


title: The Chronicles of Amber

text: More generally, the series draws from many mythological sources as inspirations, especially Celtic (see Tír na nÓg), Norse mythology, and Arthurian legend. Zelazny cited Jessie L. Weston's 1921 book "From Ritual to Romance" as a key influence: it examined the pagan and Christian roots of the legends of King Arthur, the Wasteland myths, and the Holy Grail. For example, the Celtic Wasteland myth ties the barrenness of a land to a curse that a hero must lift; Corwin's curse is in part responsible for the Black Road.


title: The Chronicles of Amber

text: Philosophical texts have influenced the series as well: many similarities exist between Amber and Plato's Republic (see the Allegory of the cave) and the classical problems of metaphysics, virtuality, solipsism, logic, possible worlds, probability, doubles and essences are also repeatedly reflected on.


title: The Chronicles of Amber

text: Sometimes the references made by Zelazny could be considered foreshadowing. For example, the name Ganelon was taken from the Matter of France, a body of classic French legends and literature that includes the "Song of Roland". Throughout the Matter of France, Ganelon was often called "Ganelon the Traitor"; thus, for readers familiar with the original Ganelon, Zelazny's use of the name foreshadowed events in "The Hand of Oberon" where Ganelon purposefully loses a battle to spite Corwin. In the "Song of Roland", Ganelon was also the stepfather of the protagonist Roland, which Zelazny may have used to foreshadow the relationship between Corwin and Ganelon at the conclusion of "The Hand of Oberon".


title: The Chronicles of Amber

text: Throughout the Chronicles, Zelazny alludes extensively to plays by William Shakespeare. It is not stated in the series whether the characters (who are usually well-read) are merely paraphrasing the bard for their own amusement, or if Shakespeare himself was telling stories that are reflections of Amber's history and future. It is implied that both variants are true simultaneously. The allusions include:


title: The Chronicles of Amber

text: In July 2016, Skybound Entertainment announced that it was developing "The Chronicles of Amber" as a television project under Disney-ABC Domestic Television with "Walking Dead" creator and producer Robert Kirkman as an executive producer. Kirkman stated that ""Chronicles of Amber" is one of my favorite book series of all time, and one of my main inspirations for working in film and television. Getting to produce this project is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. I can't wait to share this amazing story with a new generation of fans".


title: The Chronicles of Amber

text: In August 2017, Kirkman and Skybound announced an agreement with Amazon to develop television projects to debut exclusively on Prime Video with distribution under Disney-ABC Domestic Television, without identifying any specific project as part of the deal. , no indications of the Amber television project's status or fate have been reported.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: The Toyota Camry (XV40) is a mid-size car produced by Toyota from January 2006 to October 2011. Replacing the XV30 series, the XV40 represented the sixth generation of the Toyota Camry in all markets outside Japan, which followed a different generational lineage. Between 2006 and 2010, a badged engineered model called Daihatsu Altis sold alongside the Camry in Japan. Toyota replaced the XV40 series in 2011 with the XV50.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Introduced at the January 2006 North American International Auto Show, the XV40 made its North American sales debut in March 2006 as a 2007 model. For the first time, a gasoline/electric hybrid version of Camry was offered in addition to the naturally aspirated four- and six-cylinder engines.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Like the previous XV30 model, the XV40 was offered in two distinct forms. The Camry sold in Australasia and North America was the same as the version available in Japan; the version sold in China and the majority of Southeast Asia was based on the Australian-designed XV40 Aurion. The Aurion was essentially the same as the regular Camry, albeit, with revised front- and rear-end styling, and minor alterations to the interior.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Like the previous XV30, the design of the XV40 series Toyota Camry was split into two separate configurations: "regular" and "prestige". The "regular Camry" is sold in Australasia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, the Middle East, North America and Russia. However, the "prestige Camry" is an Australian-designed model sold alongside the "regular Camry" in Australasia and the Middle East as the Aurion. China and most Southeast Asian countries also receive the Aurion, although it is badged "Toyota Camry" as the regular car is not offered in those markets.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Making its debut at the January 2006 North American International Auto Show, the XV40 Camry takes a sleeker shape compared to its predecessor. The design is based on Toyota's "vibrant clarity" corporate design language, with a three-bar grille and stepped hood and trunk. The chief engineer for the XV40 was Kenichiro Fuse. Development began in early 2002 under the chief engineer Kenichiro Fuse. A final design was set in September 2003 and frozen in August 2004, 17 months ahead of production. Design patents were filed on 27 December 2005 at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: The XV40 was redesigned to incorporate a longer wheelbase, wider wheel tracks and a stiffer body. Although overall length is equal to its predecessor, Toyota maximized interior volume—especially fore-and-aft space. This was achieved by moving the base of the windshield and rear glass outwards and by the redesigning of the front seats. At , cargo space has been reduced by over the previous model. The SE/Sportivo provides due to the placement of bracing behind the rear seat, with the hybrid version falling to due to the placement of the battery pack. The XV40's underbody is stepped, creating a venturi effect and hence a low-pressure area under the front end to increase downforce. Other aerodynamic design features include a stepped engine undercover and rear wheel fairings to channel airflow around the tires. The coefficient of drag figure remains at 0.28, falling to 0.27 for the hybrid version (which makes it the most aerodynamic car built in Australia).


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: The sports-oriented model, known as the "SE" in North America and "Sportivo" in Australasia, was developed by Toyota Australia. It features a black "honeycomb" grille, black-tinted head and fog lamps, rear lip spoiler, body kit appendages, and a lower ride height coupled with wider and larger 17-inch diameter wheels. To increase rear-end downforce, the SE/Sportivo includes additional rear floor and fuel tank undercovers. Handling-specific upgrades see the use of firmer shock absorbers, a rise in spring rate, thicker anti-roll bars, additional floor and body side bracing, and a "V"-brace behind the rear seat (which prevents the rear seat from folding down, offering a ski-pass only). Interior changes include charcoal-colored sports fabric and a leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel. In addition to the sports-oriented suspension setup, Toyota Australia's standard-grade suspension calibration has also been adopted by New Zealand, the Middle East and North America. The suspension geometry consists of independent MacPherson struts, L-arms, coil springs, gas dampers and a ball-jointed stabilizer bar at the front, with the rear setup comprising dual-link independent MacPherson struts with coil springs, gas dampers and ball-jointed stabilizer bar.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Toyota introduced a refreshed "regular" Camry XV40 design in January 2009 at the North American International Auto Show. Visual changes include an updated front fascia, including grille and bumper with larger air intakes, larger projector headlamps, redesigned tail lamp lenses incorporating LEDs on all models (previously hybrids only) and revised wheel trims among other design changes. The interior received revised trim, improved power window switches and a revamped audio system. The audio system now supports satellite radio (in North America) and added USB connectivity, with the dashboard-mounted screen now integrating a backup camera for models fitted with satellite navigation.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: The Camry sold in the majority of Southeast Asia, China and Taiwan is referred to as the "prestige Camry" by Toyota officials in Japan. The prestige Camry is a rebadged XV40 Aurion, a regional product designed in Australia and based on the regular Camry. Although front and rear fascias are unique to the Aurion, the body sides including doors and rear quarters, the greenhouse and roof are interchangeable with the regular Camry. This component sharing also means that Aurion has the same wheelbase, axle tracks and interior dimensions. From the inside, the Aurion also shares a common interior design with the Camry, including an almost identical lower dashboard, but gaining a redesigned upper dash portion and revamped center console. In the Middle East, the Aurion shares its dashboard with the regular Camry.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Like the Camry, the Aurion was designed with Toyota's "vibrant clarity" design language. However, the Aurion also integrates a "vibrant clarity" theory known as "perfect imbalance" that involves body features that act as a counterpoint to other body features. Examples of this include intersecting concave and convex surfaces and vertical sculpted features on the front fascia, which are balanced by the horizontal headlamps. The front-end's "double concave architecture" can also be characterized by its protruding hood crease line and deep grille. The same architecture is applied at the rear, with a deep bumper, a clamshell-shaped trunk lid that envelops over the flanks, dual exhaust pipes and tail lamps.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: The XV40 was the first Camry series available with a gasoline/electric hybrid drivetrain (see: below). Known as the "Toyota Camry Hybrid", the gasoline–electric model premiered in January 2006—alongside the non-hybrid car. Camry Hybrids were initially built solely at the Tsutsumi plant in Toyota, Aichi, Japan, although the hybrid has never been available for purchase in its home market. Since October 2006, models for the North American market shifted production to Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky in the United States. Toyota Australia began local manufacture of the hybrid on 11 December 2009 at its Altona, Victoria plant. In Australasia, the car is known as the "Toyota Hybrid Camry", as opposed to "Camry Hybrid". Since May 2009, the hybrid model has also been produced at Toyota Motor Thailand's Gateway plant in Chachoengsao. Unlike the Camry Hybrid models produced elsewhere, the Thai models are based on the "prestige Camry" design. As of August 2009, worldwide sales of the Camry Hybrid represent 8.3 percent of Toyota's total hybrid sales, ranking second after the Toyota Prius, with more than 167,000 Camry Hybrids sold. As of December 2009, cumulative sales of the Camry Hybrid had reached 154,977 units in the US, placing it as the third best selling electric hybrid car in that market.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Compared to the gasoline-only variants, several features are unique to the hybrid. In addition to the hybrid powertrain, the Camry Hybrid employs electric power steering, brakes, and air conditioning that are fully operational once the internal combustion engine is deactivated. The car can run in an all-electric mode, gasoline-only or both. A real-time dashboard screen shows power distribution and the operation of the hybrid system and the tachometer is replaced by an analog fuel economy readout. The hybrid drivetrain has also necessitated a redesigned front subframe, along with remodeled rear and center floor pressings. This was required to accommodate the battery pack, which is stowed in the trunk. Other differences include wheel spats and underbody pans which reduce aerodynamic drag from 0.28 to 0.27 "c", an "Eco" operating mode for the HVAC system that reduces the output of air conditioning to assist fuel economy, and Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM). Cosmetic changes are limited to redesigned tail lights with LEDs, a chrome-lined grille, as opposed to the color-coded version on every other Camry trim, and hybrid-oriented emblems including "Hybrid" badging on the front fenders and a decklid-mounted "Hybrid Synergy Drive" logo.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: For the facelifted version that debuted at the January 2009 North American International Auto Show, Toyota worked to better differentiate the styling of the hybrid away from the rest of the Camry range. This was achieved by fitting a distinct front fascia with a large, central air dam, vertically slotted fog lamps, and a single-blade grille. From the rear, the tail lamps abstain from the primarily red lens inserts fitted previously, to predominantly clear lenses, while the interior receives a newly designed fuel economy gauge. The design registrations for the facelifted Camry Hybrid, noting changes made to the original were filed on 19 December 2008 at the US Patent and Trademark Office.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Powertrain options for the Camry XV40 comprised both four- and six-cylinder engines with manual and automatic transmissions. The entry-level engine was a 2.4-liter "2AZ-FE" four-cylinder in front-wheel drive configuration available with manual and automatic transmissions, both five-speed units. For the Japanese market only, an all-wheel drive variant of the 2.4-liter engine was available, although a four-speed automatic was the sole transmission fitted. All other XV40 series Camrys utilize front-wheel drive. XV40s produced in the United States from January 2009 saw the 2.4-liter "2AZ-FE" powerplant replaced by the 2.5-liter "2AR-FE" engine and with it bringing new six-speed manual and automatic transmissions. In some markets, the top-level powertrain combination was a 3.5-liter "2GR-FE" V6 engine paired exclusively to a six-speed automatic.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Toyota also offered a hybrid electric version of the 2.4-liter engine, designated "2AZ-FXE" that employs the Atkinson cycle to maximize fuel economy. The hybrid utilizes Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) system and makes use of Toyota's electronic continuously variable transmission (e-CVT)—a mechanism similar in function to a regular CVT. The gasoline engine produces and of torque, with the 650-volt electric motor providing and . Working in conjunction, both powerplants produce a total combined output of , however, due to the intricacy of quantifying a combined torque figure, Toyota has not provided one. The battery pack utilized by the hybrid version is a trunk-mounted nickel-metal hydride unit, weighing in at about . Approximately of hybrid hardware is fitted to the car in total. However, Toyota claims this is negated by the increased output courtesy of the electric motor that improves acceleration by an estimated 15 percent over the non-hybrid 2.4-liter, five-speed automatic variant. At the November 2008 LA Auto Show, Toyota unveiled a concept compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered hybrid electric version.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Toyota improved the Camry's safety by increasing the XV40's structural rigidity. This has been achieved through the application of ultra high-tensile steel, which is hot stamped to the Camry's roof, A- and B-pillars, and rocker panels. The structure of the front seat mounts were designed to transfer side collision impact loads across the car.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the Camry sedan an overall rating of "good" in both frontal offset and side impact crash tests. Both tests also receive the "good" rating in all 14 measured categories, and is also rated "good" in the roof strength test with a 5.31 strength-to-weight ratio withstanding a peak force of . The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) originally rated the XV40 the full five-star rating for the frontal driver, frontal passenger, side driver, and side rear passenger tests, and a four-star rating for the rollover test. However, under the new NHTSA testing methodology introduced in 2010, the 2011 model year XV40 was downgraded to a three-star rating. This overall vehicle score was broken down into the frontal barrier crash rating of four-stars for the driver (male), and two-stars for the front passenger (female), giving an overall front-impact protection rating of three-stars. A side barrier rating of five-stars for the driver (male), and two-stars for the front passenger (female), gave for an overall side-impact protection rating of three-stars. The third testing component, the rollover rating, resulted in a grading of four-stars. Subsequently, the NHTSA tested a later release of the 2011 model year Camry with enhanced safety. This resulted in an increase to the side barrier rating from two- to four-stars for the front female passenger, thus increasing the Camry's overall score to four-stars.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Testing conducted by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) resulted in the Camry XV40 receiving a four-star safety rating or a score of 27.53 out of 37. Dual frontal airbags were fitted to the model tested. ANCAP later tested the hybrid variant fitted with additional side and curtain airbags. The hybrid also scored four-stars, although did achieve a higher 28.22-point grading. Prompted by the five-star ANCAP safety rating mandate for all passenger cars purchased by the Australian federal government from 1 July 2011, Toyota Australia revised the XV40 specification including the fitment of a front passenger seatbelt reminder. This resulted in an upgraded five-star result for Australian models produced from May 2011. While the regular version scored 33.13 points, the hybrid rated marginally better at 33.22 out of 37. The offset crash yielded 14.29 out of 16, with 14.84 out of 16 for the side impact crash test. An additional two points came from completing the pole test, while the seatbelt reminders yielded the qualifying two points required for the five-star result. The hybrid fared identically except in the offset crash test where it gained 0.08 points then picking up 0.01 in the side impact crash. Both cars also scored a "marginal" pedestrian protection rating at 14.5 out of 36. The 2010 edition of Monash University's "Used Car Safety Ratings", found that the XV40 provides an "excellent" (five out of five stars) level of occupant safety protection in the event of an accident.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: On 26 September 2007, Toyota recalled the optional "all-weather" heavy-duty rubber floor mats from 2007 and 2008 model year Toyota Camry XV40s sold in North America. Toyota issued a second recall on 2 November 2009 asking owners to remove the driver floor mat and not replace it with any other type of mat. Toyota extended its floor mat recall on 25 November to reconfigure the accelerator pedal, replace the all-weather floor mats, and install a brake override system to prevent sudden unintended acceleration. Toyota issued a fourth unwanted acceleration-related recall for the Camry on 21 January 2010, this time in response to reports of accelerator pedals sticking in models without floor mats. Evaluations by "Car and Driver" and Edmunds found that the Camry's brakes were powerful enough to overcome the accelerator in all tests, bringing the car safely to a stop.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: The XV40 Camrys were produced at the Tsutsumi Plant in Toyota, Aichi, Japan; the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky production site at Georgetown, Kentucky in the United States; Toyota Australia's facility in Altona, Victoria; and Shushary, Saint Petersburg, Russia from December 2007. On 20 April 2007, additional US Camry manufacturing began at Subaru of Indiana Automotive in Lafayette, Indiana. A Camry manufactured in Japan is denoted with a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) starting with "J"; US-made models are denoted with a numeral.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: The Camry in Japan was released on 30 January 2006 with a sales target of 1,000 units per month. Two driveline combinations are offered—the 2.4-liter engine and five-speed automatic transmission in front-wheel drive (FWD) configuration—or the same engine paired with the four-speed automatic utilizing all-wheel drive (AWD).


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Offered in three levels of luxury: "G", "G Limited Edition" and "G Dignis Edition", AWD is optional on the two base trims ("G Four" and "G Four Limited Edition"). The base-line Camry "G" features 16-inch steel wheels, six airbags, keyless entry and start, "Optitron" gauges, speed-sensitive automatic door locks, a four-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift lever, a wood grain center console, dual-zone climate control air conditioning and an electric driver's seat (FWD only). The second level "G Limited Edition" gains 16-inch alloy wheels and cruise control, while the top-level "G Dignis Edition" features a metallic-finished grille insert, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), rain-sensing windscreen wipers, wood grain inserts for the steering wheel and shift knob and a widescreen touch LCD (incorporating satellite navigation, television, Bluetooth handsfree support and G-BOOK telematics). Daihatsu continued with its Altis variant for the Japanese market, also introduced on 30 January 2006. Offered in "G Limited Edition" (FWD) and "G Four Limited Edition" (AWD) specification levels, the Altis roughly correlates with the Camry equivalents. Visually, the Altis is identical to the Japanese market Camry, with only the badging unique to the Daihatsu.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: The wood grain interior trim of the Camry/Altis changed from yellow-brown to red-brown during a small update in July 2007, with VSC made standard fitment when the facelift version commenced sales on 13 January 2009. Toyota ceased manufacture of the Daihatsu-branded models in February 2010 due to low sales; just 447 units of the XV40 series Altis were registered in three years.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: For the Indian market, the Camry is available in four levels of specification: "W1", "W2", "W3" and "W4". The base "W1" is fitted with the 2.4-liter gasoline engine and five-speed manual transmission. It is fitted with dual-zone climate control air conditioning, a six-CD player, power front seats, rain-sensing wipers, six airbags and high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps. Upgrades to the "W2" grade include: a five-speed automatic transmission, cruise control, rear HVAC vents and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC). The "W3" and "W4" versions are specified identically to the "W1" and "W2", respectively, other than for the addition of a sunroof. In the Middle East, the Camry range is sourced from Toyota Australia and is only available with the 2.4-liter engine, with the option of both manual and automatic transmissions. Three trim levels are offered: "GL", "GLX" and "SE".


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: The Camry was officially retailed in South Korea in 2009 after Toyota launched their South Korean office.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: The Australian market version of the XV40 Camry made its media debut on 25 July 2006. Produced at the Toyota Australia plant in Altona, Victoria, Australian-manufactured XV40s were also exported to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, although the majority of exports went to the Middle East. As of 2008, the Camry was the best selling Australian-produced vehicle, when taking into account all sales, both domestic and exports.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: For the first time since 1988, the Camry was marketed in Australasia with a four-cylinder engine only. This decision was made as the Aurion—a model which derives from the Camry—was offered in V6 configuration only. This two-tier strategy went against Toyota Australia's previous formula of offering four- and six-cylinder engines in the mid-size Camry alongside the larger six-cylinder Avalon. The simplified Australian Camry range comprised "Altise", "Sportivo", "Ateva" and "Grande". The model range in New Zealand followed this closely, offered in three levels of specification: "GL" (Altise), "Sportivo" and "GLX" (Grande). Equipments levels correspond directly with the Australian cars, although the full suite of airbags were fitted as standard on the "GL".


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Equipment levels for the base model "Altise" comprised (at launch) air conditioning, cruise control, power windows and mirrors, 16-inch steel wheels and a single-disc CD player. The "Sportivo" grade added 17-inch alloy wheels, a body kit, front fog lamps, bolstered electrically adjustable front seats, leather-bound steering wheel, gear and handbrake levers, side and curtain airbags and an in-dash six-CD player. Building on the "Altise" specification, the "Ateva" gained 16-inch alloy wheels, a chrome grille surround, fog lamps, dual zone climate control air conditioning, side and curtain airbags, a six-stack CD audio system, power-adjustable front seats, automatic headlamps, trip computer and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, gear and handbrake levers. Furthering this, the "Grande" specification incorporates leather upholstery, wood grain inserts, satellite navigation, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Bluetooth connectivity, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, a sunroof and an electrically operated rear window blind.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: VSC was not available across the range until August 2007, where it became standard on all variants. In May 2008, the Grande variant received a change in specification to the same set of alloy wheels as the "Sportivo" variant, as opposed to the previous style shared with the "Ateva" grade. Toyota released the "Ateva L" at the same time as this running change. The limited edition "Ateva L" added a rear lip spoiler, "Sportivo" alloy wheels and leather trim. A second limited edition XV40, the "Touring" was launched in April 2009 based on and priced identically to the automatic transmission-equipped "Altise". The "Touring" added 17-inch alloy wheels, the "Sportivo" grille, a chrome exhaust outlet, front fog lamps, a six-disc CD changer, dual zone climate control air conditioning and a leather steering wheel, handbrake and gear selection lever.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Further equipment upgrades arrived on 20 July 2009 when the facelifted Australian range went on sale. All variants now offered six airbags, Bluetooth, an auxiliary audio-input jack for the sound system, sun visor lamps and seatback pockets. The "Ateva" grade received a new audio system with 4.3-inch color LCD incorporating a rear-view camera, while the "Sportivo" variant gained the same LCD and dual-zone climate control. Upgrades for the "Grande" comprised keyless entry and starting system, rear parking sensors, an electrochromatic rear-view mirror, backup camera and an upgraded sound system. From March 2010 production, alloy wheels were made as standard fitment to the base "Altise". The limited edition "Touring" was re-launched the following June, this time adding a reversing camera, a rear lip spoiler and manual transmission availability over the previous release. Due to lack of demand, Australian manufacture of Camrys fitted with manual transmissions ended at the end of May 2011.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: As part of the Australian Government's "Green Car Innovation Fund", Toyota received a 35 million grant in June 2008 to guarantee the commencement of local production of the hybrid powertrain Camry. Prior to release, Toyota Australia displayed an official concept model, the "HC-CV" (Hybrid Camry Concept Vehicle) at the 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show. The "HC-CV" is distinguished from the facelifted Hybrid Camry design from which it is based by the inclusion of a modified front-end fascia, redesigned wheels and side skirts, a custom rear spoiler and leather upholstery incorporating the "Hybrid Synergy Drive" logo. Full-scale production began on 11 December 2009, after a small batch of pre-production vehicles were produced from 31 August. Toyota released the Hybrid Camry for sales in Australia during February 2010, with plans to sell an estimated 10,000 units per year. After its release, the Hybrid Camry became the first Australian-built vehicle to be rated the top five star grading on the Australian Government's "Green Vehicle Guide". The hybrid model is offered in two levels of trim, equivalent to the mid-range "Ateva" and luxury "Grande" gasoline-only variants. The undesignated entry-level specification is equipped identically to the "Ateva", except for the omission of electric front seats and the addition of reversing sensors, keyless entry/start and VDIM. An option pack sees the addition of a premium eight-speaker sound system, Bluetooth connectivity and satellite navigation. The second-level Hybrid Camry "Luxury" acquires leather interior trim, power-adjustable front seats, rain-sensing wipers, an electro-chromatic rear-view mirror and a rear lip spoiler. An option pack for the "Luxury" includes equipment of the aforementioned "base" option pack, plus a sunroof and interior lighting upgrades for rear passengers.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Toyota began producing the Camry at its Russian facility in December 2007. In Russia, the XV40 is available with either the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine (with manual and automatic transmissions) or the 3.5-liter V6. Trim levels available in Russia comprise: Комфорт (Comfort), Элеганс (Elegance), Элеганс плюс (Elegance Plus), Престиж (Prestige) and Люкс (Deluxe).


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: In North America, the 2007 model year XV40 series Camry came with a standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine or optional 3.5-liter V6. The 2.4-liter comes standard with a five-speed manual transmission; a five-speed automatic was optional on the "CE" and "SE" trims, standard on "LE" and "XLE". The V6 engine with six-speed automatic was optional on all trims except the base "CE", which was only available in the United States. After the 2008 model year, Toyota dropped the "CE" identifier from the base-line offering.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Safety-wise, all XV40s in the United States and Canada came factory-equipped with dual frontal airbags, front seat-mounted side torso airbags, front and rear row side curtain airbags and a driver's knee airbag. A tire-pressure monitoring system, anti-lock brakes (ABS), brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution were also standard. In the United States, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) was optional on all models (except for the hybrid, where VDIM was standard) for the 2007 through to 2009 model years, but was standardized for 2009. Canadian specification 2007 and 2008 models had VSC standard on the V6-engined "SE" and "XLE" trims, optional on the "LE" V6, with VDIM again reserved for the hybrid. Toyota Canada extended VSC to all models during the 2009 model year, except the base "LE" four-cylinder model, where it was available as part of the "Convenience Package". The 2010 facelifted models, sold in Canada from April 2009, have VSC standard.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: On the entry level "CE", features included: 16-inch wheels, air conditioning, power windows and mirrors, cruise control and a six-speaker audio system with CD player and auxiliary input. Keyless entry and an eight-way power driver seat were added to the "LE" trim, with the "SE" gaining a firmer suspension tune, 17-inch alloy wheels, blue-tinged "Optitron" gauge illumination and sports-oriented interior and exterior trim modifications. The top-level "XLE" builds on the "LE" specification, with a six-CD JBL sound system rated at 440-watts, with integrated Bluetooth technology. Other "XLE" upgrades comprise a sunroof, automatic dual-zone climate control air conditioning with air filter, satellite navigation, wood grain highlights and reclining rear seats. On four-cylinder "XLE" models, the interior textile is coated using silkworm cocoon extract, while heated front seats and full leather upholstery are standard on the "XLE" fitted with the V6.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Features include an optional ion air purifier type filtration system. For 2010, a backup camera became optional on the SE and XLE trims. The new 2.5-liter straight-4 engines replace the previous 2.4-liter four-cylinder in non-hybrid models. A more powerful version is exclusive to the Camry SE, and Toyota's Smart Key System is now available for the SE (previously only available to the XLE).


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: Sales in the United States, the primary market for the Camry, significantly increased in the year following release. In April 2007, Toyota began producing additional Camry models at Subaru of Indiana Automotive in Lafayette, Indiana. In a Cars.com American-Made Index study, the Camry was ranked highest, all models sold in the US are assembled there.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: "Consumer Reports" 2007 Annual Car Reliability Survey gave the V6 version of the Camry a "below average" rating, due to transmission issues thus removing the V6 Camry from Consumer Reports' "Recommended" list. This rating does not apply to the four-cylinder and hybrid versions, which continued to be recommended. However, these problems have been corrected, and the V6 version has improved to "average". The first three model years of this generation Camry were also plagued by excessive oil consumption issues. Many owners claimed their engines would lose over one quart of oil in as little as 1,000 miles. Toyota later did a warranty enhancement program to correct this issue free of charge to customers. Toyota also offered full refunds to owners who previously paid for repairs, even if the repairs were performed before the warranty enhancement program.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: The Camry Hybrid is very similar to the XLE, but has standard cloth seats, the hybrid powertrain and VDIM. To commemorate 50 years of Toyota sales in the United States, Toyota built a special edition 2007 Camry Hybrid. The 50th Anniversary Edition was limited to 3,000 units and features unique wheels and badging, and is painted exclusively in the "Blizzard Pearl" color. The Hybrid Camry has also received two awards in North America: the 2007 Green Car of the Year awarded by Green Car Journal, and the 2007 Car of the Year in the Family Sedan (over ) category awarded by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: When released, the EPA rated the hybrid about 27 percent more economical on the combined cycle compared to the non-hybrid 2.4-liter automatic version. United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy ratings for the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid are (City) and (Highway). EPA's revised method of estimating fuel economy for 2008 and subsequent model years, which now considers the effects of air conditioning, rapid acceleration and cold temperatures, estimates (city) and (highway).


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has certified the Camry Hybrid as AT-PZEV, while the EPA has assigned it a Tier II, Bin 3 score for most states a cleaner version is sold to CARB states. The hybrid also meets the US Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) standards which means it produces minimal emissions of hydrocarbons, nitrous oxides and carbon monoxide, and up to year model 2010 it had an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "Greenhouse Gas Score" of 9.5 for California and 8.0 for federal certified vehicles.


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: In North America, the Camry Hybrid has benefited from several government incentives relating to taxation and special provisions in carpool lanes (see: hybrid tax credit and government incentives for fuel efficient vehicles in the United States for more information).


title: Toyota Camry (XV40)

text: This generation was entered into stock car racing in the United States in 2007 as part of Toyota's entry into NASCAR. The move made the XV40 Camry the first foreign vehicle in the NASCAR circuit since the British-built MG MGA was used in the Grand National Series in 1963. The succeeding XV50 generation would continue participation of the Toyota Camry in NASCAR.


title: Sola Aoi

text: Sora Aoi was born on April 26, 1981, in Kanagawa. As a student, she worked at various part-time jobs in the food-service industry, such as pizza parlors, pubs and sushi bars with the intent of becoming a pre-school teacher. While in her third year in high school, Aoi was scouted in Shibuya by a talent agency for gravure modelling. She decided to enter the adult entertainment industry with the aim of eventually working on TV and in other parts of the entertainment industry, stating that "If there was only the AV industry, I couldn't do it."


title: Sola Aoi

text: When asked how her stage name was chosen, Aoi explained: "My agency asked what color I liked. I said blue ["aoi" in Japanese]. He also asked what I like in general. I said sky ["sora" in Japanese]. So, he chose Aoi Sora."


title: Sola Aoi

text: Aoi appeared as a gravure idol in the June 2002 issue of Bejean and then made her debut in adult videos (AV) at age eighteen in July 2002, with "Happy Go Lucky!" for the Alice Japan studio, part of the Kuki Inc. group which was one of Japan's largest producers of pornography at the time. The next month, she appeared in the AV "The Blue Sky" on the Samansa label for the Max-A studio, also part of the Kuki group. For her video appearances in 2002, Aoi was awarded the Second Place Award as Best New Actress in the 2002 X City Grand Prix Awards. Aoi continued making videos for both Alice Japan and Max-A for almost two-and-a-half years until late 2004.


title: Sola Aoi

text: While continuing to perform in hardcore AVs, Aoi also appeared in the first video release of the Shuffle company's new label Believe. Entitled "The Naked Body", this June 2003 release was an "image video", which has nude modeling but features no sex.


title: Sola Aoi

text: During this period, Aoi also started making appearances in mainstream media. In May 2003, she had a role in the theatrical release "Gun Crazy 4: Requiem for a Bodyguard" and from July to December 2003, Aoi had a role in the TV Asahi J-dorama "Tokumei Kakarichō Tadano Hitoshi". For her starring role in the "pink film", , released to theaters in July 2004, Aoi was given a Best Actress Award at the 2004 Pink Grand Prix ceremony. The film was ranked the fourth-best "pink film" release of the year.


title: Sola Aoi

text: Aoi also starred in the October 2004 release of the manga-based theatrical thriller "Stop the Bitch Campaign: Hell Version". According to one reviewer of the June 2007 DVD release of the film: "The acting proves that Sora Aoi is no Dame Judi Dench but she is winsome enough to make you believe and care for her."


title: Sola Aoi

text: In November 2004, Aoi left Alice Japan and Max-A to move to the newly formed studio, S1 No. 1 Style, part of the large Hokuto Corporation. Her first video for S1, "Sell Debut", was directed by Hideto Aki and released on November 11, 2004. Aoi continued making about one video a month for S1 until mid-2006. By this time, Aoi had become one of the most popular AV idols in Japan. Her name was the second most popular internet search on a female celebrity in Japan for 2005.


title: Sola Aoi

text: Aoi's popularity enabled her to enter further into mainstream entertainment, including film, television and radio. In early 2005, she starred as a high-school girl in director Keisuke Yoshida's film . The romantic comedy, released theatrically in Japan in January 2005, won the Grand Prize in the Off Theater Competition at the 2006 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival where it was screened in February 2005. Along with another AV idol, Akiho Yoshizawa, Aoi appeared in the late-night TV Tokyo manga-based production which aired in 12 episodes from October to December 2005. Aoi later returned in a special guest appearance for the 2009 sequel to the show .


title: Sola Aoi

text: In another venue, Aoi was one of several AV actresses asked by a small Japanese publisher to take photographs of themselves as "if the [toy] cameras [were] their boyfriends or undetestable stalkers". The result, "Polgasun Aoisora", was warmly received by a reviewer for the journal "European Photography", who wrote, "It would appear that in "Polgasun" she is trying to swap the wretchedness and banality of the pornography genre for intimacy and authenticity."


title: Sola Aoi

text: By 2006, Aoi was appearing regularly on television, often appearing on variety shows and acting in several dramas including the 2006 midnight-drama "Shimokita GLORY DAYS" (下北GLORY DAYS) along with fellow S1 actresses Yuma Asami and Honoka and singer-actress Aya Sugimoto. Aoi plays the character "Nozomi Ichimonji" in the manga-based series about a ronin student moving to Tokyo and sharing a house with several beautiful women. She was also cast in the TV Asahi midnight drama which aired from July to September 2006, and in late 2007 she was a guest star on the popular J-dorama detective show "Galileo" (ガリレオ).


title: Sola Aoi

text: Aoi remained at S1, but her work in adult videos became irregular after mid-2006. One of her S1 videos, "Hyper Risky Mosaic – Special Bath House Tsubaki", with 11 other S1 actresses won the First Place Award at the 2007 AV Open contest. In July 2011, S1 released a new work, "Mega Semem Bukkake Facial", but since then the studio has only published compilation videos for Aoi through late 2013. The major Japanese adult video distributor DMM held a poll of its customers in late 2012 to choose the 100 all-time best AV actresses to celebrate the 30th anniversary of adult videos in Japan. Aoi was voted into 53rd place in the balloting.


title: Sola Aoi

text: As a singer, Aoi put out a CD in 2006 titled "Hadaka no Kiss". She was a member of the first generation Ebisu Muscats between 2008 and 2013.


title: Sola Aoi

text: Aoi traveled to Thailand for a part in a mainstream Thai teen movie, "Hormones" ("Pid Term Yai, Hua Jai Waa Wun"), released in March 2008. She plays a Japanese tourist who brings one character to the brink of infidelity to his girlfriend. "Hormones" won the Jury's Special Prize at the fourth Asian Marine Film Festival in Japan which journalist Wise Kwai ascribed to Aoi's presence.


title: Sola Aoi

text: Aoi made her debut in another Asian entertainment market when she appeared in a Korean TV drama "Korean Classroom" in May 2009. The four-part series follows three Japanese girls traveling to Korea and co-stars fellow AV Idols Mihiro and Rio. Aoi was subsequently scheduled to appear on several Korean variety shows while in Korea to promote the series. Back in Japan, Aoi starred as a zombie-killing stripper in director Takao Nakano's May 2010 comedy horror film "Big Tits Zombie", a film adaption of the cult manga "Kyonyū Dragon". Later that year Aoi was in Hong Kong starring in the erotic thriller "" which reached theaters in December 2010.


title: Sola Aoi

text: In late April 2010, Aoi's Twitter account was discovered by many Chinese netizens, despite the social networking site's typically being inaccessible in China. Fans of the AV model began distributing software allowing them to bypass the censorship of Twitter. Following the 2010 Yushu earthquake in China's Qinghai Province, Sola Aoi announced that she would raise funds to donate to the earthquake victims. This was received by a mixed response by Chinese netizens, with some praising her help and others finding it unseemly. In November 2010, she opened a microblog on Sina Weibo, China's most popular domestic microblog service, posting in Japanese, English, and Chinese. In her first six hours on Sina Webo, she attracted 130,000 followers and by September 2012 that figure had risen to more than 13 million. Her sizable following in China has also led to her debut as a singer in Mandarin Chinese with the song "mao yi" (毛衣 or Sweater) which was released digitally for mobile phone and computer download.


title: Sola Aoi

text: In April 2011, Aoi had a starring role in the Indonesian horror movie "Suster Keramas 2" ("Shampooing" or "Evil Nurse 2"), making her the third Japanese AV actress to appear in Indonesian films recently. (The others being Rin Sakuragi in the original "Suster Keramas" and Maria Ozawa, known in Indonesia as "Miyabi", in the 2009 film "Kidnapping Miyabi".) The earlier films, although very successful, engendered protests from conservative Muslim groups in Indonesia, so Aoi's trip to Indonesia and participation in the film were kept secret. Aoi said that working in Indonesia gave her pause but she wanted to expand her mainstream career and that she was "really looking forward to coming into contact with foreigners and engaging in communication."


title: Sola Aoi

text: Aoi retired from the AV industry around 2011 with her last original AV being "Sora Aoi Mega Cum Facials," directed by Hasumi Kuka and released on June 7, 2011. S1 also released several omnibus compilations over the next few years including a 3-disk, 12 hour long compilation titled "All 97 Production S1 12 Hours Sora Aoi Complete BEST" which compiled scenes from every film she's done with the studio. In 2019, distribution of her AV work has been discontinued from the Japanese e-commerce retailer FANZA (formerly known as DMM.com) and her profile from S1's website has also been deleted. In a blog post Aoi revealed that she herself requested this action due to her pregnancy and new family life: "By halting sales, I do not want to erase the past,” Aoi added in the blog post. “But I also do not want to do nothing. I can not erase the past even if wanted to erase it. I stopped selling the official titles. But illegal versions are scattered about the internet if one looks.”


title: Sola Aoi

text: Aoi's high profile in China has also led to controversy, exemplified by the taunts and insults directed towards her because of her plea in September 2012 for a peaceful solution to the Senkaku Islands dispute between Japan and China. In May 2013, a "culture war" ensued when a work of calligraphy created by Aoi as a guest promoting a theme park in Ningbo, China in April 2013 was reportedly auctioned for $95,000. A government-backed newspaper called the calligraphy "childish", her fans supported her, and many considered the auction simply a publicity stunt by the theme park.


title: Sola Aoi

text: On May 5, 2012, it was reported that Aoi would be debuting in South Korea as a singer and actress and would be cast in a future Korean movie, titled "Vacance". She continued to work as an actress in small roles including a small cameo appearance in the Chinese sex comedy "Naked Ambition 2." She also appeared in the 2014 Thai romantic comedy "Ai Fai.. Thank You Love You."


title: Sola Aoi

text: On January 3, 2018, Aoi announced her marriage to musician DJ Non and on December 12, 2018 she announced pregnancy with her first child. On May 1, 2019, Aoi gave birth to twin boys.


title: Sola Aoi

text: In 2022, Sola Aoi was named as the WE88 Global Brand Ambassador for 2022/23 to promote and boost the brand’s presence across Asia.


title: Sola Aoi

text: In December 2022, Sola Aoi collaborated with Malaysian rapper, singer, songwriter, filmmaker and actor, "Namewee". She played the main female lead of the music video for his latest single "別人的老婆 (Someone Else's Wife)". The music video production was sponsored by WE88.


title: Quentin Blake

text: Sir Quentin Saxby Blake (born 16 December 1932) is an English cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and children's writer. He has illustrated over 300 books, including 18 written by Roald Dahl, which are among his most popular works. For his lasting contribution as a children's illustrator he won the biennial international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2002, the highest recognition available to creators of children's books. From 1999 to 2001, he was the inaugural British Children's Laureate. He is a patron of the Association of Illustrators.


title: Quentin Blake

text: Blake was born in 1932 in Sidcup, Kent, son of William and Evelyn Blake. His father was a civil servant, and his mother a housewife. Blake was evacuated to the West Country during the Second World War. He attended Holy Trinity Lamorbey Church of England Primary School and Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School, where his English teacher, J. H. Walsh, influenced his life's work. His artistic development during his school years was helped by contact with the painter and cartoonist Alfred Jackson, the husband of Blake's Latin teacher, who encouraged his first submissions to "Punch", resulting in his first publication at the age of 16. In the sixth form, the school's art teacher, the painter Stanley Simmonds recognized Blake's talents and provided support and exposure to the work of other artists. He read English Literature at Downing College, Cambridge, under F. R. Leavis, from 1953 to 1956, received his postgraduate teaching diploma from the University of London Institute of Education, and later studied part-time at the Chelsea School of Art and later Camberwell College of Art. He has since denied that studying at the University of Cambridge contributed to his artistic or creative talent.


title: Quentin Blake

text: During the 1960s, Blake taught English at the Lycée Français de Londres which cemented his long association with France and culminated in the award of the Legion of Honour. He taught at the Royal College of Art for over twenty years, where he was head of the Illustration department from 1978 to 1986.


title: Quentin Blake

text: The first book that Blake illustrated was "The Wonderful Button" by Evan Hunter, published by Abelard-Schuman in 1961. In his subsequent career, he gained a reputation as a loyal, reliable and humorous illustrator of more than 300 children's books, including some written by Joan Aiken, Elizabeth Bowen, Sylvia Plath, Roald Dahl, Nils-Olof Franzén, William Steig, and Dr. Seuss. He illustrated the first Seuss book that Seuss did not illustrate himself, "Great Day for Up!" (1974). By 2006, Blake had illustrated 323 books, of which he had written 35 and Dahl had written 18. To date, Blake has illustrated two of David Walliams' books and has illustrated Folio Society Limited Editions such as "Don Quixote", "Candide" and "50 Fables of La Fontaine".


title: Quentin Blake

text: In the 1970s, Blake was an occasional presenter of the BBC children's storytelling programme "Jackanory", when he would illustrate the stories on a canvas as he was telling them. In 1993, he designed the five British Christmas issue postage stamps featuring episodes from "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.


title: Quentin Blake

text: Blake is a member of the Chelsea Arts Club. He is patron of the Blake Society, Downing College's arts and humanities society. He is also a patron of "The Big Draw" which aims to get people drawing throughout the United Kingdom, and of The Nightingale Project, a charity that provides art to hospitals. Since 2006 he has produced work for several hospitals and mental health centres in the London area, a children's hospital (hopital Armand Trousseau) in Paris, and a maternity hospital in Angers, France. These projects are detailed in Blake's 2012 book "Quentin Blake: Beyond the Page", which describes how, in his seventies, his work has increasingly appeared outside the pages of books, in public places such as hospitals, theatre foyers, galleries and museums. In 2007, he designed a huge mural on fabric, suspended over and thus disguising a ramshackle building immediately opposite an entrance to St Pancras railway station. The rendering of an "imaginary welcoming committee" greets passengers arriving on the Eurostar high-speed railway.


title: Quentin Blake

text: Blake is a supporter of and ambassador for the indigenous rights NGO Survival International. In 2009, he said, "For me, Survival is important for two reasons; one is that I think right that we should give help and support to people who are threatened by the rapacious industrial society we have created; and the other that, more generally, it gives an important signal about how we all ought to be looking after the world. Its message is the most fundamental of any charity I'm connected with."


title: Quentin Blake

text: Blake is the Founding Trustee of House of Illustration, a centre in London for exhibitions, educational events and activities related to the art of illustration. He was also the subject of the first exhibition at this venue, entitled Inside Stories", which opened in July 2014. In August 2020, it was announced that the centre will be relocating to the 18th century Engine House at New River Head in the Clerkenwell area of London, and will be renamed the "Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration".


title: Quentin Blake

text: Besides children's books, Blake is also the designer of Ben, the logo of the shop chain Ben's Cookies. He designed several illustrations for the story time segments for the Scottish TV series "Squeak!".


title: Quentin Blake

text: He also illustrated the British edition of Agaton Sax, a Swedish-language series of comedy detective novels by Nils-Olof Franzén (originally illustrated by Åke Lewerth, 1955 to 1978).


title: Quentin Blake

text: Blake was the inaugural British Children's Laureate (1999–2001) and he received the biennial Hans Christian Andersen Award from the International Board on Books for Young People for his career contribution to children's literature in 2002. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2005 New Year Honours for his services to children's literature. In France he was made a Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2002 and elevated to Officer in 2007.


title: Quentin Blake

text: For "Mister Magnolia", which he also wrote, Blake won the 1980 Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject. For the 50th anniversary of the Medal (1955–2005), a panel of experts named it one of the top ten winning works, which composed the ballot for a public election of the nation's favourite. He was also a highly commended Greenaway runner-up for "The Wild Washerwomen: A new folk tale", by John Yeoman (1979), and a commended runner-up for "Clown" (1995), which he wrote himself. He made the Greenaway shortlist for "Zagazoo" (1998), which he wrote, and for "Sad Book" (2004) by Michael Rosen.


title: Quentin Blake

text: Blake won the Kurt Maschler Award, or the Emil, for "All Join In" (Jonathan Cape, 1990), which he wrote and illustrated. The award from Maschler Publications and Booktrust annually recognised one British "work of imagination for children, in which text and illustration are integrated so that each enhances and balances the other." Blake was awarded the Prince Philip Designers Prize in 2011, and received the Eleanor Farjeon Award in November 2012. This annual award administered by Children's Book Circle recognises outstanding commitment and contribution to the world of British children's books. Blake was knighted in the 2013 New Year Honours for his services to illustration. In March 2014 he was awarded the insignia of a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur at a ceremony at the Institut Français in London. He is also a Companion of the Guild of St George.


title: Quentin Blake

text: Blake was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to illustration.


title: Berlin Victory Column

text: The Victory Column (, from "Sieg" ‘victory’ + "Säule" ‘column’) is a monument in Berlin, Germany. Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Second Schleswig War, by the time it was inaugurated on 2 September 1873, Prussia had also defeated Austria and its German allies in the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71), giving the statue a new purpose. Different from the original plans, these later victories in the unification wars inspired the addition of the bronze sculpture of Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory, high, designed by Friedrich Drake.


title: Berlin Victory Column

text: The Victory Column is a major tourist attraction in the city of Berlin. Its viewing platform, for which a ticket is required, offers a view over Berlin.


title: Berlin Victory Column

text: The base consists of polished red Swedish granite, measuring 18.8 meters square and 7.2 meters high. The base contains four bronze reliefs depicting scenes from the three victories. Measuring 12 meters wide and 2 meters high, they were designed by Moritz Schulz, Karl Keil, Alexander Calandrelli, and Albert Wolff. Upon the base is a round hall with 16 granite columns measuring 4.7 meters high. Along the hall's circumference is a glass mosaic designed by Anton von Werner. Four sandstone columns rise above this hall, the first three containing 20 gilded gun barrels each, 12 pounders from the Danish victory, 8 pounders from the Austrian victory, and 4 pounders from the French victory. On top of the fourth sandstone column resides the 8.52 meter tall gilded bronze victory.


title: Berlin Victory Column

text: The relief decoration was removed in 1945. It was restored for the 750th anniversary of Berlin in 1987 by the French president at that time, François Mitterrand.


title: Berlin Victory Column

text: The Victory Column originally stood in Königsplatz (now Platz der Republik). In 1939, as part of the preparation of the monumental plans to redesign Berlin into Welthauptstadt Germania, the Nazis relocated the column to its present site at the "Großer Stern" (Great Star). At the same time, the column was augmented by another 6.5 metres, giving it its present height of 66.89 metres. The monument survived World War II without much damage. Surrounded by a street circle, the column is also accessible to pedestrians through four tunnels, according to plans by Albert Speer. A spiral staircase leads to a viewing platform under the statue.


title: Berlin Victory Column

text: During the Battle of Berlin of 1945, Soviet troops nicknamed the column "the Tall Woman". Polish Army troops, fighting alongside their Soviet allies, hoisted the Polish flag on the column on 2 May 1945 at the end of the Battle in Berlin.


title: Berlin Victory Column

text: During the allied victory parade in 1945, the French tricolour was raised atop the column on the statue by French troops.


title: Berlin Victory Column

text: It served as the location for Barack Obama's speech in Berlin as a US presidential candidate during his visit to Germany on 24 July 2008.


title: Berlin Victory Column

text: The golden statue atop the column, cast in 1873 by the Aktien-Gesellschaft Gladenbeck foundry in Berlin, was featured in the music video to U2's 1993 "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)".


title: Berlin Victory Column

text: In Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire" (1987), the column is one of many such high places in the city where angels sit and look down.


title: Berlin Victory Column

text: During the years of the techno Love Parade, the column was a meeting point where large numbers of people danced together.


title: Berlin Victory Column

text: The Berlin queer monthly magazine "Siegessäule" was named after the monument, founded 1984 as a gay publication. The Berlin Pride (CSD parade) usually includes the column on its route for the symbolism.


title: Persistent Systems

text: Persistent Systems is an Indian multinational technology services company which was incorporated on 16 May 1990. Persistent Systems is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.


title: Persistent Systems

text: The company organizes an annual hackathon called Semicolons for its employees. The company also organizes IBM's Call for Code hackathon at its Goa, Nagpur and Pune offices.


title: Howard Gardner

text: Howard Earl Gardner (born July 11, 1943) is an American developmental psychologist and the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. He is currently the senior director of Harvard Project Zero, and since 1995, he has been the co-director of The Good Project.


title: Howard Gardner

text: Gardner has written hundreds of research articles and thirty books that have been translated into more than thirty languages. He is best known for his theory of multiple intelligences, as outlined in his 1983 book "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences".


title: Howard Gardner

text: Gardner retired from teaching in 2019. In 2020, he published his intellectual memoir "A Synthesizing Mind."


title: Howard Gardner

text: Howard Earl Gardner was born July 11, 1943, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Ralph Gardner and Hilde (née Weilheimer) Gardner, German Jewish immigrants who fled Germany prior to World War II.


title: Howard Gardner

text: Gardner described himself as "a studious child who gained much pleasure from playing the piano". Although Gardner never became a professional pianist, he taught piano from 1958 to 1969.


title: Howard Gardner

text: Education was of the utmost importance in the Gardner home. While his parents had hoped that he would attend Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts, Gardner opted to attend a school closer to his hometown in Pennsylvania, Wyoming Seminary. Gardner had a desire to learn and greatly excelled in school.


title: Howard Gardner

text: Gardner graduated from Harvard College in 1965 with an BA in social relations, and studied under the renowned Erik Erikson. After spending one year at the London School of Economics, he went on to obtain his PhD in developmental psychology at Harvard while working with psychologists Roger Brown and Jerome Bruner, and philosopher Nelson Goodman.


title: Howard Gardner

text: For his postdoctoral fellowship, Gardner worked alongside Norman Geschwind at Boston Veterans Administration Hospital and continued his work there for another 20 years. In 1986, Gardner became a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Since 1995, much of the focus of his work has been on The GoodWork Project, now part of a larger initiative known as The Good Project that encourages excellence, ethics, and engagement in work, digital life, and beyond.


title: Howard Gardner

text: In 2000, Gardner, Kurt Fischer, and their colleagues at the Harvard Graduate School of Education established the master's degree program in Mind, Brain and Education. This program was thought to be the first of its kind around the world. Many universities in both the United States and abroad have since developed similar programs. Since then, Gardner has published books on a number of topics including "Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our Own and Other People's Minds", "Five Minds for the Future, Truth, Beauty and Goodness Reframed," and "The App Generation" (written with Katie Davis).


title: Howard Gardner

text: In the last decade with Wendy Fischman and several other colleagues, Gardner has been co-directing a major study of higher education in the United States. Information about the study, including several dozen blogs, is available on Gardner's website. In March 2022, MIT Press published Wendy Fischman and Howard Gardner’s book "The Real World of College: What Higher Education Is and What It Can Be."


title: Howard Gardner

text: According to Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, humans have several different ways of processing information, and these ways are relatively independent of one another. The theory is a critique of the standard intelligence theory, which emphasizes the correlation among abilities, as well as traditional measures like IQ tests that typically only account for linguistic, logical, and spatial abilities. Since 1999, Gardner has identified eight intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. Gardner and colleagues have also considered two additional intelligences, existential and pedagogical. Many teachers, school administrators, and special educators have been inspired by Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences as it has allowed for the idea that there is more than one way to define a person's intellect.


title: Howard Gardner

text: Gardner's definition of intelligence has been met with some criticism in education circles as well as in the field of psychology. Perhaps the strongest and most enduring critique of his theory of multiple intelligences centers on its lack of empirical evidence, much of which points to a single construct of intelligence called "g". Gardner has responded that his theory is based entirely on empirical evidence as opposed to experimental evidence, as he does not believe experimental evidence in itself can yield a theoretical synthesis.


title: Howard Gardner

text: Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences can be seen as both a departure from and a continuation of the 20th century's work on the subject of human intelligence. Other prominent psychologists whose contributions variously developed or expanded the field of study include Charles Spearman, Louis Thurstone, Edward Thorndike, and Robert Sternberg.


title: Howard Gardner

text: In 1967, Professor Nelson Goodman started an educational program called Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, which began with a focus in arts education and now spans throughout a wide variety of educational arenas. Howard Gardner and David Perkins were founding Research Assistants and later Co-Directed Project Zero from 1972-2000. Project Zero's mission is to understand and enhance learning, thinking, and creativity in the arts, as well as humanistic and scientific disciplines at the individual and institutional levels.


title: Howard Gardner

text: For over two decades, in collaboration with William Damon, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and several other colleagues, Gardner has been directing research at The Good Project on the nature of good work, good play, and good collaboration. The goal of his research is to determine what it means to achieve work that is at once excellent, engaging, and carried out in an ethical way. With colleagues Lynn Barendsen, Courtney Bither, Shelby Clark, Wendy Fischman, Carrie James, Kirsten McHugh, and Danny Mucinskas, Gardner has developed curricular toolkits on these topics for use in educational and professional circles.


title: Howard Gardner

text: In 1981 Gardner was the recipient of a MacArthur Prize Fellowship. In 1990 he became the first American to receive the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Education. In 1985, The National Psychology Awards for Excellence in the Media, awarded Gardner The Book Award for "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences", which was published by Basic Books. In 1987, he received the William James Award from the American Psychological Association. SUNY Plattsburgh inducted Gardner selected Gardner for "honoris causa" membership in Omicron Delta Kappa in 1998. In 1999, Gardner received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. In 2000 he received a fellowship from the John S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Four years later he was named an Honorary Professor at East China Normal University in Shanghai. In the years 2005 and 2008 he was selected by Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines as one of the top 100 most influential public intellectuals in the world. In 2011, he won the Prince of Asturias Award in Social Sciences for his development of multiple intelligences theory. In 2015, he received the Brock International Prize in Education. In 2020, Gardner received the Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award from the American Education Research Association.


title: Howard Gardner

text: He has received 31 honorary degrees from colleges and universities around the world, including institutions in Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, South Korea, and Spain. He is also a member of several honorary societies: American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society, National Academy of Education, and The American Academy of Political and Social Science.


title: Howard Gardner

text: Howard Gardner is married to Ellen Winner, Professor Emerita of Psychology at Boston College. They have one child, Benjamin. Gardner has three children from an earlier marriage: Kerith (1969), Jay (1971), and Andrew (1976); and five grandchildren: Oscar (2005), Agnes (2011), Olivia (2015), Faye Marguerite (2016), and August Pierre (2019).


title: Samay Raina

text: Samay Raina is an Indian stand-up comedian, YouTuber, and chess enthusiast. He was the co-winner of the second season of the stand-up comedy contest Comicstaan. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he began streaming chess games along with multiple comedians and chess masters. He has raised substantial amounts of money for various causes through his YouTube channel, including help for waste pickers, and relief for West Bengal and Assam flood victims.


title: Samay Raina

text: Raina was born in Jammu city of Jammu and Kashmir into a conservative Kashmiri Pandit family. He enrolled in a print engineering course at Vidhyarthi Griha in Pune, Maharashtra which he said was a waste of time, and started doing open mic events and eventually became a regular in the local comedy scene.


title: Samay Raina

text: After performing at multiple open mics since 27 August 2017, Raina began opening for well-known comedians like Anirban Dasgupta and Abhishek Upmanyu in Pune. As he gained recognition, he moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in stand-up comedy and gave several successful shows in Mumbai and several cities across the nation.


title: Samay Raina

text: Eventually, he joined Comicstaan 2 from a suggestion from his co-winner Aakash Gupta. Later, he became the joint winner of Comicstaan 2 with Aakash Gupta, aired on Amazon Prime Video.


title: Samay Raina

text: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government cancelled all outdoor events, and thus, Raina could no longer perform stand-up comedy. He then began streaming chess games on his YouTube channel at the fellow comedian Tanmay Bhat's suggestion. His viewership boosted when he invited YouTuber Antonio Radić, popularly known as Agadmator, to his channel. In response to this, Indian GM Vidit Gujrathi tweeted that he would like to join Raina on his track. Eventually, Gujrathi appeared on Raina's channel, giving another boost to Raina's viewership. Since then, the two have fostered a strong relationship and frequently feature on each other's channels. Gujrathi attributes his moving from Twitch to YouTube to Raina's suggestion.


title: Samay Raina

text: According to many chess proponents, including GMs Viswanathan Anand, Vidit Gujrathi, Anish Giri, Teimour Radjabov, Baskaran Adhiban, Emil Sutovsky and IMs Tania Sachdev and Sagar Shah, Raina has been instrumental in popularising chess in India through his channel. Raina tries to make the game of chess more appealing to the masses through his humour which, according to many, has helped him reach a larger audience.


title: Samay Raina

text: Several well-known chess personalities like Pentala Harikrishna, Judit Polgár, former world chess champions Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand and the current world chess champion Magnus Carlsen have appeared on Raina's channel. He also organized chess tournaments featuring Indian celebrities such as cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal.


title: Samay Raina

text: , Raina has a rating of 1688 at rapid chess on chess.com, while the highest recorded rating was 1872. On 5 May 2021, Raina won the $10,000 Botez Bullet Invitational, a one-hour amateur bullet arena tournament sponsored by Chess.com and hosted by the Botez sisters. He was the only Indian streamer competing among some of the top international Twitch streamers and earned $4000.


title: Samay Raina

text: He started organizing online chess tournaments on his channel to attract the online audience to chess, called Comedians On Board (COB), inviting many of his comedian friends and other celebrities.


title: Samay Raina

text: Raina with ChessBase India and Nodwin Gaming organized an online chess league called Chess Super League consisting of some of the Top International and Indian Grandmasters, International Masters and Indian Junior Players, competing in six teams of six players each. For the prize pool of . The entire event was streamed on Raina's YouTube Channel.


Ukrainian collaboration with Nazi Germany took place during the occupation of Poland and the Ukrainian SSR by Nazi Germany in World War II.


title: Ukrainian collaboration with Nazi Germany

text: By September 1941 the German-occupied territory of the Soviet Ukraine was divided between two new German administrative units, the District of Galicia of the Nazi General Government and the Reichskommissariat Ukraine. Ukrainians who chose to resist and fight German occupation forces joined the Red Army or the irregular partisan units. However, the Ukrainian population of western Ukraine, had "little to no loyalty towards the Soviet Union", whose Red Army had seized Ukraine during the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939. Nationalists in western Ukraine hoped that their enthusiastic collaboration would enable them to re-establish an independent state.


text: Ukrainians who collaborated with the Nazi Germany did so in various ways including participating in the local administration, in German-supervised auxiliary police, Schutzmannschaft, in the German military, and serving as concentration camp guards. Ukrainian police auxiliaries "had been involved at least in preparations for the Babi Yar massacre".


text: Stalin and Hitler pursued the policy of territorial demands on their immediate neighbour, Poland. The Soviet invasion of Poland brought together Ukrainians of Soviet Ukraine and the Ukrainians of what was then Eastern Poland (Kresy), under the single Soviet banner. In the territories of Poland invaded by Nazi Germany, the size of Ukrainian minority became negligible and was gathered mostly around UCC (УЦК), formed in Kraków.


text: Less than two years later, Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union. The German Operation Barbarossa began on June 22, 1941. Operation Barbarossa brought together native Ukrainians of Soviet Ukraine and the prewar territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union as well. By September the occupied territory was divided between two brand new German administrative units: to the southwest, the District of Galicia of the Nazi General Government, and the northeast, Reichskommissariat Ukraine stretching all the way to Donbas by 1943.


text: Reinhard Heydrich noted in a report dated July 9, 1941 that "a fundamental difference between the former Polish and Russian [Soviet] territories. In the former Polish region, the soviet regime was seen as enemy rule... Hence the German troops were greeted by Polish as well as the White Ruthenian population [meaning Ukrainian and Belarusian] for the most part at least as liberators or with friendly neutrality... The situation in the current occupied White Ruthenian areas of the [pre-1939] USSR has a completely different basis." Actions of German field commanders also indicate a general hostility towards the German in the opening stages of the war, and an order dated August 8, 1941 saw all men between the ages of 18 and 45 rounded up to prevent sabotage.


text: Ukrainian nationalist partisan leader Taras Bulba-Borovets gathered a force of 3,000 in summer 1941 to assist the Wehrmacht in fighting the Red Army, before the Germans attempted to disarm them a few months later, forcing them to fight both Germany and the Soviet Union before reaching a truce with the latter in 1942. Because of the fluid nature of these allegiances, historian Alfred Rieber emphasized that labels such as "collaborators" and "resistance" were rendered useless in describing the actual loyalty of these groups. However, in the newly annexed portions of western Ukraine, there was little to no loyalty towards the Soviet Union, whose Red Army had seized Ukraine during the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939.


text: Those Ukrainians who did collaborate with the German occupiers did so in various ways including participating in the local administration, in German-supervised auxiliary police, Schutzmannschaft, in the German military, and serving as concentration camp guards. Nationalists in western Ukraine were among the most enthusiastic and hoped that their efforts would enable them to re-establish an independent state later on. For example, on the eve of Operation' Barbarossa, as many as 4000 Ukrainians, operating under Wehrmacht orders, sought to cause disruption behind Soviet lines. After the capture of Lviv, a highly-contentious and strategically-important city with a significant Ukrainian minority, OUN leaders proclaimed a new Ukrainian State on June 30, 1941 and simultaneously encouraged loyalty to the new regime in the hope that they would be supported by the Germans. Already in 1939, during the German-Polish War, the OUN had been "a faithful German auxiliary".


text: Despite initially acting warmly to the idea of an independent Ukraine, the Nazi administration had other ideas, particularly the Lebensraum programme and the total 'Aryanisation' of the population. It preferred to play the Slavic nations against one another. OUN initially carried out attacks on Polish villages to try to exterminate Polish populations or expel Polish enclaves from what the OUN fighters perceived as Ukrainian territory. This culminated in the mass killings of Polish families in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia.


text: According to Timothy Snyder, "something that is never said, because it's inconvenient for precisely everyone, is that more Ukrainian Communists collaborated with the Germans, than did Ukrainian nationalists." Snyder also points out that very many of those who collaborated with the German occupation also collaborated with the Soviet policies in the 1930s.


text: The atrocities against Jews during the Holocaust in Ukraine started within a few days of the beginning of the Nazi occupation. There are indications that the Ukrainian Auxiliary Police, formed on 20 August 1941, was used in the roundup of Jews for the Babi Yar massacre, and in other massacres in cities and towns of modern-day Ukraine, such as Stepan, Lviv, Lutsk, and Zhytomyr. On 1 September 1941, Nazi-sponsored Ukrainian newspaper "Volhyn" wrote: "The element that settled our cities (Jews)... must disappear completely from our cities. The Jewish problem is already in the process of being solved."


text: Reinforced by religious prejudice, antisemitism had turned violent in the first days of the German attack on the Soviet Union. Some Ukrainians derived nationalist resentment from the belief that the Jews had worked for Polish landlords. The NKVD prisoner massacres by the Soviet secret police while they retreated eastward were blamed on Jews. The antisemitic canard of Jewish Bolshevism provided justification for the revenge killings by the ultranationalist Ukrainian People's Militia, which accompanied German "Einsatzgruppen" moving east. In Boryslav (prewar Borysław, Poland, population 41,500), the SS commander gave an enraged crowd, which had seen bodies of men murdered by NKVD and laid out in the town square, 24 hours to act as they wished against Polish Jews, who were forced to clean the dead bodies and to dance and then were killed by beating with axes, pipes etc. The same type of mass murders took place in Brzezany. During Lviv pogroms, 7,000 Jews were murdered by Ukrainian nationalists, led by the Ukrainian People's Militia. As late as 1945, Ukrainian militants were still rounding up and murdering Jews.


text: While some of the collaborators were civilians, others were given a choice to enlist for paramilitary service beginning in September 1941 from the Soviet prisoner-of-war camps because of ongoing close relations with the Ukrainian "Hilfsverwaltung". In total, over 5,000 native Ukrainian soldiers of the Red Army signed up for training with the SS at a special Trawniki training camp to assist with the Final Solution. Another 1,000 of them defected during field operations. Trawniki men took major part in the Nazi plan to exterminate European Jews during Operation Reinhard. They served at all extermination camps and played an important role in the annihilation of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (see the Stroop Report) and the Białystok Ghetto Uprising among other ghetto insurgencies. The men who were dispatched to death camps and Jewish ghettos as guards were never fully trusted and so were always overseen by "Volksdeutsche". Occasionally, along with the prisoners they were guarding, they would kill their commanders in the process of attempting to defect.


text: In May 2006, the Ukrainian newspaper "Ukraine Christian News" commented, "Carrying out the massacre was the Einsatzgruppe C, supported by members of a Waffen-SS battalion and units of the Ukrainian auxiliary police, under the general command of Friedrich Jeckeln. The participation of Ukrainian collaborators in these events, now documented and proven, is a matter of painful public debate in Ukraine".


text: In total, the Germans enlisted 250,000 native Ukrainians for duty in five separate formations including the Nationalist Military Detachments (VVN), the Brotherhoods of Ukrainian Nationalists (DUN), the SS Division Galicia, the Ukrainian Liberation Army (UVV) and the Ukrainian National Army ("Ukrainische Nationalarmee", UNA). By the end of 1942, in Reichskommissariat Ukraine alone, the SS employed 238,000 Ukrainians and only 15,000 Germans, a ratio of 1 to 16.


text: The 109th, 114th, 115th, 116th, 117th, 118th, 201st Ukrainian Schutzmannschaft-battalions participated in anti-partisan operations in Ukraine and Belarus. In February and March 1943, the 50th Ukrainian Schutzmannschaft Battalion participated in the large anti-guerrilla action «Operation Winterzauber» (Winter magic) in Belarus, cooperating with several Latvian and the 2nd Lithuanian battalion. Schuma-battalions burned down villages suspected of supporting Soviet partisans. On March 22, 1943, all inhabitants of the village of Khatyn in Belarus were burnt alive by the Nazis in what became known as the Khatyn massacre, with participation of the 118th Schutzmannschaft battalion.


text: On 28 April 1943 the German Governor of the District of Galicia, Otto Wächter, and the local Ukrainian administration officially declared the creation of the SS Division Galicia. Volunteers signed for service as of 3 June 1943 and numbered 80,000. On 27 July 1944, the division was formed into the Waffen-SS as 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Ukrainian).


text: The prevailing belief is that these men eagerly volunteered to take part in a patriotic war against the Soviets, not because of any support for Nazi Germany. Also, at least some of them were victims of compulsory conscription, since Germany had now suffered defeats and lost manpower on the eastern front. Sol Litman of the Simon Wiesenthal Center state that there are many proven and documented incidents of atrocities and massacres committed by the unit against minorities, particularly Jews during World War II. However other authors, including Michael Melnyk, maintain that members of the division served almost entirely on the front lines against the Red Army and defend the unit against the accusations made by Litman and others. Official SS records show that the 4, 5, 6 and 7 SS-Freiwilligen regiments were under Ordnungspolizei command during the accusations. (See 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Galician)#Atrocities).


text: In March 1945, the Ukrainian National Committee was set up after a series of negotiations with the Germans. The Committee represented and had command over all Ukrainian units fighting for the Third Reich, such as the Ukrainian National Army. However, it was too late, and the committee and the army were disbanded at the end of the war.


text: Pavlo Shandruk became the head of the National Committee, while Volodymyr Kubijovyč, the head of the , became his deputy. The Central Committee was the officially recognized Ukrainian community and quasi-political organization under the Nazi occupation of Poland.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: Enter the Matrix is a 2003 action-adventure video game developed by Shiny Entertainment and published by Infogrames under the Atari brand name. It was the first game based on "The Matrix" film series. Its story is concurrent with that of the film "The Matrix Reloaded" and features over an hour of original footage, written and directed by the Wachowskis and starring the cast of the films, produced for the game.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: Released in May 2003, the same month as "The Matrix Reloaded", "Enter the Matrix" was simultaneously produced with "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions". While it received mixed reviews from critics, the game sold 5 million copies as of May 2004.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: "Enter the Matrix" gives players control of two of the supporting characters from "Reloaded" and "Revolutions", Ghost (Anthony Wong) and Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith), members of the same group of rebels as Morpheus, Trinity, and Neo, the protagonists of the series. Niobe is the Captain of the "Logos", the fastest ship in the rebel fleet. Ghost is the ship's first mate, weapons guru, and a deep-thinking, philosophical assassin. The game takes place at roughly the same time as the events in "Reloaded".


title: Enter the Matrix

text: Players play as either Niobe or Ghost, each of whom have slight variations during their story. Most levels involve controlling players in a third-person perspective, using guns and fighting skills to defeat opponents and complete level objectives. At any time, players can activate bullet time (called "Focus" in the game) which slows down time, giving players the ability to perform actions such as shooting in midair and dodging bullets. Some levels involve one on one martial arts fighting against single opponents. In levels involving vehicles, such as driving a car or piloting the "Logos", the style of game play depends on the selected player, with Niobe maneuvering the vehicles to avoid obstacles, whilst Ghost takes control of a gun to fight off incoming enemies (although Ghost is required to drive on one level as Niobe is fighting an Agent on a plane as part of a different level). A hacking system allows players to enter codes, which can unlock special skills, weapons and secrets, such as a 2-player versus mode.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: The story begins with Niobe, captain of the "Logos", and Ghost, her first mate, retrieving a package left in the Matrix by the crew of the recently destroyed rebel ship "Osiris". After being pursued by Agents, Ghost and Niobe escape from the Matrix with the package, which turns out to be a message to the human city Zion, warning them that the machines are approaching with an army of Sentinels. Niobe and Ghost are tasked with calling the rest of the ships back to Zion to coordinate a defense.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: With this in mind, the captains of the various ships hold a meeting in the Matrix to decide on how best to defend themselves. During the meeting, Agents attack the building they are in, although Niobe and Ghost are able to help their allies escape. They then encounter the Keymaker, a program capable of accessing any area in the Matrix, who leads them to safety through a door he created. The Keymaker gives the two a key that they are supposed to give to Neo. However, the key is stolen by henchmen of the Merovingian, a program created during the early days of the Matrix who now operates an illegal smuggling ring within the program. Ultimately, the Merovingian destroys the key, but Niobe and Ghost are able to escape, when the Keymaker realizes that it is too early for the key to be given to Neo.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: Niobe later volunteers to go find the "Nebuchadnezzar", the ship captained by Morpheus, upon which Neo serves, and the only ship yet to return to Zion. Upon finding the ship and its crew, and helping them escape from the Matrix, Niobe and Ghost agree to help in Neo's mission against the machines, agreeing to destroy a power plant. After this mission is completed, the Oracle, a program that often gives the humans advice, requests that the player character come and speak to her. After their conversation, the player is confronted by Agent Smith, a rogue Agent that seeks to destroy both the human and machine worlds. The player character barely escapes from the hundreds of Smith copies and the Matrix. Once out, the "Logos" is attacked by the machines. They defeat the machines by setting off an EMP, which disables their own ship in the process. As the game ends, Niobe and Ghost wait in the "Logos", hoping that they will be rescued. The two wonder what's coming but believe that it will be "a hell of a ride."


title: Enter the Matrix

text: "Enter the Matrix" was designed, like the 2003 animated film "The Animatrix", to be an integral part of the "Matrix" "milieu". The game includes one hour of live action 35 mm film footage written and directed specifically for the game by The Wachowskis. The martial arts moves and game engine cutscenes feature actions motion captured directly from the films' actors and stunt doubles to recreate their unique fighting style, and were created under the supervision of the series' fight scene choreographer Yuen Woo-ping.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: The player learns that Neo is not the only target of Persephone's predilection for trading kisses for esoteric information; Niobe and Ghost are both put into positions where they must submit to her whims in order to gain critical information. Significant also to the continuity of the "Matrix" universe is the first appearance of actress Mary Alice in the role of the Oracle. Gloria Foster, the original actress, had died of complications related to diabetes early in the production of "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions". She had filmed her scenes for "Reloaded", but was yet to complete her work on "Revolutions". The game includes a sequence specifically explaining her change of appearance, as a result of an attack on her by the Merovingian. The Merovingian's attack was facilitated by a sacrificial trade with the compassionate program Rama-Kandra. The Merovingian acquired the deletion codes for the Oracle's external "shell", and in exchange, he gave Rama-Kandra's daughter, Sati, her freedom, despite her lack of purpose in the machine world. The Oracle foretells, however, that Sati will play an important role in both the Matrix and the real world.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: Plans for a "Matrix" video game began in November 1999, following the film's release. The Wachowskis had talks with Shiny Entertainment and Konami to develop the title around this time. At E3 2000, the title was officially announced, with Shiny Entertainment as the developer and their then-owner Interplay Entertainment as the publisher. The game would be based on the then-untitled second movie and would be released for the PlayStation 2 in 2002, the same year the sequel was due to release.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: On May 1, 2001, Interplay announced that the game would also be released for the Xbox, with Microsoft paying $5 Million to secure a six-month exclusivity deal to release the title on the Xbox before any other console, supply exclusive content for the version, and also secureing exclusive online gaming rights to the franchise, however, Interplay would remain as publisher.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: Due to financial difficulties, Interplay sold Shiny to Infogrames in April 2002 for $47 Million, with the "Matrix" license transferring over. With the delay of the now-named "The Matrix Reloaded", the game was now scheduled for a May 2003 release. At E3 2002, the title for the game was officially announced as "Enter the Matrix", and would be released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Microsoft Windows simultaneously. In March 2003, the game was announced to be released on May 15th, the same day as "The Matrix Reloaded". It was also shown off at E3 2003 at the now-named Atari's booth, within the release of the title.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: Overall, "Enter the Matrix" took two and a half years to produce on a budget of $20 million, not including marketing expenses or the cost of the extra hour of movie footage.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: In March 2004, with the success of the title, Atari announced that the game would be re-released in Europe under Sony's Platinum, Nintendo's Player's Choice and Microsoft's Xbox Classics ranges at a new lower price, while the PC version would be re-released as well under Atari's own "Best of Atari" label. The budget PS2 and PC versions were newer versions, which include bonus minigames not found on the original releases.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: A promotional CD release of the soundtrack accompanied the video game, with compositions by Erik Lundborg in the style of Don Davis, who composed the music for the films.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: Other musical groups, such as Evanescence, Fluke, Clawfinger, and Celldweller, are featured in the game and are credited in the game's booklet.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: Within a week of release, Atari announced that the game had sold 1 million units for all four platforms in North America and Europe combined. By June, the game sold 2.5 million units and became the company's fastest-selling title in history. Within March 2004, the title sold 5 million units, and was reissued under the console's budget labels around this time. By July 2006, the PlayStation 2 version of "Enter the Matrix" had sold 1.2 million copies and earned $58 million in the United States. "Next Generation" ranked it as the 39th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. Combined sales of "Enter the Matrix" console releases reached 1.9 million units in the United States by July 2006. Worldwide, the game sold 5million units.


title: Enter the Matrix

text: "Enter the Matrix" received "mixed or average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.