text: Schengen Visa (Long Stay) - Holder's of a Valid Long Stay Category D Visa who arrive in the Schengen European country of their Visa and apply for a Residence Card shortly after arriving will be able to use their EU residence permit/ card for travel within the Schengen States, if granted.


title: Cattle egret

text: The cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the western cattle egret and the eastern cattle egret. Despite the similarities in plumage to the egrets of the genus "Egretta", it is more closely related to the herons of "Ardea". Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion in its distribution and successfully colonised much of the rest of the world in the last century.


title: Cattle egret

text: It is a white bird adorned with buff plumes in the breeding season. It nests in colonies, usually near bodies of water and often with other wading birds. The nest is a platform of sticks in trees or shrubs. Cattle egrets exploit drier and open habitats more than other heron species. Their feeding habitats include seasonally inundated grasslands, pastures, farmlands, wetlands, and rice paddies. They often accompany cattle or other large mammals, catching insect and small vertebrate prey disturbed by these animals. Some populations are migratory and others show postbreeding dispersal.


title: Cattle egret

text: The adult cattle egret has few predators, but birds or mammals may raid its nests, and chicks may be lost to starvation, calcium deficiency, or disturbance from other large birds. This species maintains a special relationship with cattle, which extends to other large grazing mammals; wider human farming is believed to be a major cause of their suddenly expanded range. The cattle egret removes ticks and flies from cattle and consumes them. This benefits both species, but it has been implicated in the spread of tick-borne animal diseases.


title: Cattle egret

text: The cattle egret was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in his "Systema Naturae" as "Ardea ibis", but was moved to its current genus by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1855. Its generic name "Bubulcus" is Latin for herdsman, referring, like the English name, to this species' association with cattle. "Ibis" is a Latin and Greek word which originally referred to another white wading bird, the sacred ibis, but was applied to this species in error.


title: Cattle egret

text: The cattle egret has two geographical races, which are sometimes classified as full species, the western cattle egret, "B. ibis", and eastern cattle egret, "B. coromandus". The two forms were split by McAllan and Bruce, but were regarded as conspecific by almost all other recent authors until the publication of the influential "Birds of South Asia". The eastern subspecies "B. i. coromandus", described by Pieter Boddaert in 1783, breeds in South Asia, Eastern Asia, and Australasia, and the western nominate form occupies the rest of the species range, including Western Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Some authorities recognise a third Seychelles subspecies, "B. i. seychellarum", which was first described by Finn Salomonsen in 1934.


title: Cattle egret

text: Despite superficial similarities in appearance, the cattle egret is more closely related to the genus "Ardea", which comprises the great or typical herons and the great egret ("A. alba"), than to the majority of species termed egrets in the genus "Egretta". Rare cases of hybridization with little blue herons "Egretta caerulea", little egrets "E. garzetta", and snowy egrets "E. thula" have been recorded.


title: Cattle egret

text: The cattle egret is a stocky heron with an wingspan; it is long and weighs . It has a relatively short, thick neck, a sturdy bill, and a hunched posture. The nonbreeding adult has mainly white plumage, a yellow bill, and greyish-yellow legs. During the breeding season, adults of the nominate western subspecies develop orange-buff plumes on the back, breast, and crown, and the bill, legs, and irises become bright red for a brief period prior to pairing. The sexes are similar, but the male is marginally larger and has slightly longer breeding plumes than the female; juvenile birds lack coloured plumes and have a black bill.


title: Cattle egret

text: "B. i. coromandus" differs from the nominate subspecies in breeding plumage, when the buff colour on its head extends to the cheeks and throat, and the plumes are more golden in colour. This subspecies' bill and tarsi are longer on average than in "B. i. ibis". "B. i. seychellarum" is smaller and shorter-winged than the other forms. It has white cheeks and throat, like "B. i. ibis", but the nuptial plumes are golden, as with "B. i. coromandus". Individuals with abnormally grey, melanistic plumages have been recorded.


title: Cattle egret

text: The positioning of the egret's eyes allows for binocular vision during feeding, and physiological studies suggest that the species may be capable of crepuscular or nocturnal activity. Adapted to foraging on land, they have lost the ability possessed by their wetland relatives to accurately correct for light refraction by water.


title: Cattle egret

text: The cattle egret has undergone one of the most rapid and wide-reaching natural expansions of any bird species. It was originally native to parts of southern Spain and Portugal, tropical and subtropical Africa, and humid tropical and subtropical Asia. At the end of the 19th century, it began expanding its range into southern Africa, first breeding in the Cape Province in 1908. Cattle egrets were first sighted in the Americas on the boundary of Guiana and Suriname in 1877, having apparently flown across the Atlantic Ocean. In the 1930s, the species is thought to have become established in that area. It is now widely distributed across Brazil and was first discovered in the northern region of the country in 1964, feeding along with buffalos.


title: Cattle egret

text: The species first arrived in North America in 1941 (these early sightings were originally dismissed as escapees), bred in Florida in 1953, and spread rapidly, breeding for the first time in Canada in 1962. It is now commonly seen as far west as California. It was first recorded breeding in Cuba in 1957, in Costa Rica in 1958, and in Mexico in 1963, although it was probably established before then. In Europe, the species had historically declined in Spain and Portugal, but in the latter part of the 20th century, it expanded back through the Iberian Peninsula, and then began to colonise other parts of Europe, southern France in 1958, northern France in 1981, and Italy in 1985. Breeding in the United Kingdom was recorded for the first time in 2008, only a year after an influx seen in the previous year. In 2008, cattle egrets were also reported as having moved into Ireland for the first time. This trend has continued and cattle egrets have become more numerous in southern Britain with influxes in some numbers during the nonbreeding seasons of 2007/08 and 2016/17. They bred in Britain again in 2017, following an influx in the previous winter, and may become established there.


title: Cattle egret

text: In Australia, the colonisation began in the 1940s, with the species establishing itself in the north and east of the continent. It began to regularly visit New Zealand in the 1960s. Since 1948, the cattle egret has been permanently resident in Israel. Prior to 1948, it was only a winter visitor.


title: Cattle egret

text: The massive and rapid expansion of the cattle egret's range is due to its relationship with humans and their domesticated animals. Originally adapted to a commensal relationship with large grazing and browsing animals, it was easily able to switch to domesticated cattle and horses. As the keeping of livestock spread throughout the world, the cattle egret was able to occupy otherwise empty niches. Many populations of cattle egrets are highly migratory and dispersive, and this has helped the species' range expansion. The species has been seen as a vagrant in various sub-Antarctic islands, including South Georgia, Marion Island, the South Sandwich Islands, and the South Orkney Islands. A small flock of eight birds was also seen in Fiji in 2008.


title: Cattle egret

text: In addition to the natural expansion of its range, cattle egrets have been deliberately introduced into a few areas. The species was introduced to Hawaii in 1959, and to the Chagos Archipelago in 1955. Successful releases were also made in the Seychelles and Rodrigues, but attempts to introduce the species to Mauritius failed. Numerous birds were also released by Whipsnade Zoo in England, but the species was never established.


title: Cattle egret

text: Although the cattle egret sometimes feeds in shallow water, unlike most herons, it is typically found in fields and dry grassy habitats, reflecting its greater dietary reliance on terrestrial insects rather than aquatic prey.


title: Cattle egret

text: Some populations of cattle egrets are migratory, others are dispersive, and distinguishing between the two can be difficult. In many areas, populations can be both sedentary and migratory. In the Northern Hemisphere, migration is from cooler climes to warmer areas, but cattle egrets nesting in Australia migrate to cooler Tasmania and New Zealand in the winter and return in the spring. Migration in western Africa is in response to rainfall, and in South America, migrating birds travel south of their breeding range in the nonbreeding season. Populations in southern India appear to show local migrations in response to the monsoons. They move north from Kerala after September. During winter, many birds have been seen flying at night with flocks of Indian pond herons ("Ardeola grayii") on the south-eastern coast of India and a winter influx has also been noted in Sri Lanka.


title: Cattle egret

text: Young birds are known to disperse up to from their breeding area. Flocks may fly vast distances and have been seen over seas and oceans including in the middle of the Atlantic.


title: Cattle egret

text: The cattle egret gives a quiet, throaty "rick-rack" call at the breeding colony, but is otherwise largely silent.


title: Cattle egret

text: The cattle egret nests in colonies, which are often found around bodies of water. The colonies are usually found in woodlands near lakes or rivers, in swamps, or on small inland or coastal islands, and are sometimes shared with other wetland birds, such as herons, egrets, ibises, and cormorants. The breeding season varies within South Asia. Nesting in northern India begins with the onset of monsoons in May. The breeding season in Australia is November to early January, with one brood laid per season. The North American breeding season lasts from April to October. In the Seychelles, the breeding season of "B.i. seychellarum" is April to October.


title: Cattle egret

text: The male displays in a tree in the colony, using a range of ritualised behaviours, such as shaking a twig and sky-pointing (raising his bill vertically upwards), and the pair forms over 3–4 days. A new mate is chosen in each season and when renesting following nest failure. The nest is a small, untidy platform of sticks in a tree or shrub constructed by both parents. Sticks are collected by the male and arranged by the female, and stick-stealing is rife. The clutch size can be one to five eggs, although three or four is most common. The pale bluish-white eggs are oval-shaped and measure . Incubation lasts around 23 days, with both sexes sharing incubation duties. The chicks are partly covered with down at hatching, but are not capable of fending for themselves; they become capable of regulating their temperature at 9–12 days and are fully feathered in 13–21 days. They begin to leave the nest and climb around at 2 weeks, fledge at 30 days and become independent at around the 45th day.


title: Cattle egret

text: The cattle egret engages in low levels of brood parasitism, and a few instances have been reported of cattle egret eggs being laid in the nests of snowy egrets and little blue herons, although these eggs seldom hatch. Also, evidence of low levels of intraspecific brood parasitism has been found, with females laying eggs in the nests of other cattle egrets. As much as 30% extra-pair copulations has been noted.


title: Cattle egret

text: The dominant factor in nesting mortality is starvation. Sibling rivalry can be intense, and in South Africa, third and fourth chicks inevitably starve. In the dryer habitats with fewer amphibians, the diet may lack sufficient vertebrate content and may cause bone abnormalities in growing chicks due to calcium deficiency. In Barbados, nests were sometimes raided by vervet monkeys, and a study in Florida reported the fish crow and black rat as other possible nest raiders. The same study attributed some nestling mortality to brown pelicans nesting in the vicinity, which accidentally, but frequently, dislodged nests or caused nestlings to fall. In Australia, Torresian crows, wedge-tailed eagles, and white-bellied sea eagles take eggs or young, and tick infestation and viral infections may also be causes of mortality.


title: Cattle egret

text: The cattle egret feeds on a wide range of prey, particularly insects, especially grasshoppers, crickets, flies (adults and maggots), beetles, and moths, as well as spiders, frogs, fish, crayfish, small snakes, lizards and earthworms. In a rare instance, they have been observed foraging along the branches of a banyan tree for ripe figs. The species is usually found with cattle and other large grazing and browsing animals, and catches small creatures disturbed by the mammals. Studies have shown that cattle egret foraging success is much higher when foraging near a large animal than when feeding singly. When foraging with cattle, it has been shown to be 3.6 times more successful in capturing prey than when foraging alone. Its performance is similar when it follows farm machinery, but it is forced to move more. In urban situations, cattle egrets have also been observed foraging in peculiar situations such as railway lines.


title: Cattle egret

text: A cattle egret will weakly defend the area around a grazing animal against others of the same species, but if the area is swamped by egrets, it will give up and continue foraging elsewhere. Where numerous large animals are present, cattle egrets selectively forage around species that move at around 5–15 steps per minute, avoiding faster and slower moving herds; in Africa, cattle egrets selectively forage behind plains zebras, waterbuck, blue wildebeest and Cape buffalo. Dominant birds feed nearest to the host, and thus obtain more food.


title: Cattle egret

text: The cattle egret sometimes shows versatility in its diet. On islands with seabird colonies, it will prey on the eggs and chicks of terns and other seabirds. During migration, it has also been reported to eat exhausted migrating landbirds. Birds of the Seychelles race also indulge in some kleptoparasitism, chasing the chicks of sooty terns and forcing them to disgorge food.


title: Cattle egret

text: Pairs of crested caracaras have been observed chasing cattle egrets in flight, forcing them to the ground, and killing them.


title: Cattle egret

text: This species has a large range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of . Its global population estimated to be 3.8–6.7 million individuals. For these reasons, the species is evaluated as least concern. The expansion and establishment of the species over large ranges, though, has led it to be classed as an invasive species (although little, if any impact has been noted yet).


title: Cattle egret

text: A conspicuous species, the cattle egret has attracted many common names. These mostly relate to its habit of following cattle and other large animals, and it is known variously as cow crane, cow bird or cow heron, or even elephant bird or rhinoceros egret. Its Arabic name, "abu qerdan", means "father of ticks", a name derived from the huge number of parasites such as avian ticks found in its breeding colonies. The Maasai people consider the presence of large numbers of cattle egrets as an indicator of impending drought and use it to decide on moving their cattle herds.


title: Cattle egret

text: The cattle egret is a popular bird with cattle ranchers for its perceived role as a biocontrol of cattle parasites such as ticks and flies. A study in Australia found that cattle egrets reduced the number of flies that bothered cattle by pecking them directly off the skin. It was the benefit to stock that prompted ranchers and the Hawaiian Board of Agriculture and Forestry to release the species in Hawaii.


title: Cattle egret

text: Not all interactions between humans and cattle egrets are beneficial. The cattle egret can be a safety hazard to aircraft due to its habit of feeding in large groups in the grassy verges of airports, and it has been implicated in the spread of animal infections such as heartwater, infectious bursal disease, and possibly Newcastle disease.


title: Terror Squad (group)

text: Terror Squad was an American hip hop collective that was first established in 1998. Based in the Bronx borough of New York City, the members of Terror Squad collectively debuted on a song in member Fat Joe's albums "Jealous One's Envy" and "Don Cartagena". Terror Squad released its debut album, "", in 1999, with its first major hit "Whatcha Gon' Do", credited mostly to Big Pun, who died of a heart attack in 2000. After Big Pun's death, his longtime partners Cuban Link and Triple Seis left the group and were subsequently replaced by Remy Martin (later known as Remy Ma) and Tony Sunshine. In 2004, their song "Lean Back" peaked at No. 1 on the "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Terror Squad (group)

text: In 1998, the members of Terror Squad debuted as a group on Fat Joe's album "Don Cartagena". Terror Squad, in its debut album "", consisted of rappers Fat Joe, Big Pun, Cuban Link, Prospect, Armageddon, and Triple Seis.


title: Terror Squad (group)

text: As the group was on hiatus following Pun's death, most of its former members fell into obscurity, with Fat Joe having the most successful solo career among all the former members. The group reunited and released their second album, "True Story", in 2004. It included the summer club hit "Lean Back", produced by Scott Storch, which peaked at number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and 24 in the UK. A remix to "Lean Back" featured Lil Jon, Mase and Eminem was released on Fat Joe's 2005 album "All or Nothing". Although the album failed to spawn other hit singles, Fat Joe and Remy, who contributed the vocals to "Lean Back", went on to release high-selling solo albums in 2006. Fat Joe commented in a 2006 interview that Armageddon and Prospect had become lazy.


title: Terror Squad (group)

text: Terror Squad signed to Koch Records that next year. Apart from the three new members, DJ Khaled and Cool & Dre are retained as regular crew along with Tony Sunshine. Tony Sunshine has since left Terror Squad to pursue a solo career. Furthermore, Terror Squad has since recruited affiliates from Texas, Florida, California, the Middle East, and Africa.


title: Courtney Gains

text: Courtney Gains (born August 22, 1965) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Malachai in the 1984 horror movie "Children of the Corn".


title: Courtney Gains

text: Gains achieved success during the 1980s with a variety of roles in films such as "Children of the Corn", "Hardbodies", "Lust in the Dust", "Back to the Future", "Can't Buy Me Love", "Secret Admirer", "Colors", "The 'Burbs", and "Memphis Belle". Later films include "Sweet Home Alabama", "Dorm Daze" (which he also executive-produced), "Desolation Canyon", and a cameo in Rob Zombie's "Halloween" remake.


title: Courtney Gains

text: In addition to his film work, Gains appeared in the video game "" and guest-starred on episodes of various television series, including "Seinfeld", "Monk", "In the Heat of the Night", "ER", "JAG", "Nash Bridges", "", "Charmed", "Alias" and "". Gains has also worked as an acting coach.


title: Courtney Gains

text: Gains worked as a musician and once performed live on stage with Phish, appearing at the band's December 6, 1996 concert in Las Vegas, which was later released on CD as "Vegas 96". Gains has since released a solo album.


title: Petco Park

text: Petco Park is a baseball stadium in Downtown San Diego, California. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres, and has also been used as a venue for concerts, soccer, golf, and rugby.


title: Petco Park

text: The ballpark is located between Seventh and 10th Avenues south of J Street. The park opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home stadium of the Padres. The southern side of the stadium is bounded by San Diego Trolley light rail tracks along the north side of Harbor Drive, which serve the adjacent San Diego Convention Center. The portion of K Street between Seventh and 10th now is closed to automobiles and serves as a pedestrian promenade along the back of the left and center field outfield seating and also provides access to the Park at the Park behind center field.


title: Petco Park

text: Two of the stadium's outfield entrance areas are located at K Street's intersections with Seventh and 10th avenues. The main entrance, behind home plate, is at the south end of Park Boulevard (at Imperial) and faces the San Diego Trolley station 12th & Imperial Transit Center. The ballpark is also located approximately away from Santa Fe Depot station, which is served by Amtrak and Coaster.


title: Petco Park

text: The ballpark was constructed by San Diego Ballpark Builders, a partnership with Clark Construction, ROEL Construction and Douglas E. Barnhart, Inc. The construction cost of more than $450 million was partially funded by a public-private partnership which included the Center City Development Corporation and the San Diego Redevelopment Agency. The stadium was intended to be part of a comprehensive plan to revitalize San Diego's aging downtown, particularly the East Village area. The stadium is across Harbor Drive from the San Diego Convention Center, and its main entrance behind home plate is two blocks from the downtown terminal of the San Diego Trolley light rail system.


title: Petco Park

text: The ballpark was scheduled to open for the 2002 season; however, construction was suspended temporarily for legal and political reasons. Part of this was a court decision, which nullified an already passed ballot proposition approving the city's portion of the stadium financing package and required the proposition be put to voters a second time. Construction encountered a further delay regarding the Western Metal Supply Co. building, which was a historic landmark. After negotiations with the preservation community, the builders agreed to rehabilitate the building in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's standards, and the building was renovated and included in the stadium design in an example of adaptive reuse.


title: Petco Park

text: The resulting delays required the Padres to play the 2002 and 2003 seasons at Jack Murphy/Qualcomm Stadium.


title: Petco Park

text: San Diego-based pet supplies retailer Petco originally bought naming rights to the stadium for $60 million in a 22-year deal. In 2021, Petco signed a new deal with the Padres that ensured the stadium would be named Petco Park through at least 2027.


title: Petco Park

text: The first baseball game was played at Petco Park on March 11, 2004. It was part of a four-team NCAA invitational tournament hosted by San Diego State University. The San Diego State Aztecs baseball team, of which retired Padres player Tony Gwynn was the head coach, defeated Houston. It was the largest attended game in college baseball history. Lance Zawadzki recorded the first hit, when he hit a double.


title: Petco Park

text: On April 8, 2004, the Padres played their first regular season game at Petco Park and defeated the San Francisco Giants 4–3 in 10 innings.


title: Petco Park

text: On April 15, 2004, Mark Loretta hit the first Padre home run off of Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was caught by Mike Hill, a bartender at the Kansas City Barbecue.


title: Petco Park

text: The stadium's first playoff game was played on October 8, 2005. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Padres, 7–4, to finish off the three-game sweep of the 2005 NLDS.


title: Petco Park

text: On March 18 and 20, 2006, the ballpark hosted the semifinals and finals of the first World Baseball Classic. It also hosted second-round games of the 2009 World Baseball Classic.


title: Petco Park

text: On April 4, 2006, Petco Park had its first rainout, postponing a Padres evening game against the San Francisco Giants.


title: Petco Park

text: On April 17, 2008, the Padres and Rockies played in a 22-inning game, the longest game in Petco Park history. The Rockies won the game, 2–1. It was the longest MLB game in nearly 15 years.


title: Petco Park

text: On July 2, 2009, MLB experienced the first game delayed/halted by a swarm of bees at Petco Park in a game between the Padres and the Houston Astros. A small swarm of honeybees took up residence around a chair in left field, causing the game to be delayed by 52 minutes. A beekeeper was called in and the swarm was exterminated. The Astros went on to win that game, 7–2.


title: Petco Park

text: On June 14, 2010, during a Toronto Blue Jays vs. San Diego Padres game, there was a magnitude-5.7 earthquake, which was centered about east of San Diego. Play stopped momentarily in the eighth inning. The Blue Jays went on to win 6–3.


title: Petco Park

text: Rain delays led to the suspension of the Padres' game with the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 8, 2011. The first delay caused the game to start 28 minutes late. Play then was stopped for more than 90 minutes in the second inning and again in the sixth inning for more than hour. The score was tied at 2–2 in the top of the ninth inning when play was suspended at 1:40 a.m. PDT April 9. After a fourth rain delay, the game was finished April 9, with the Dodgers winning in 11 innings, 4–2.


title: Petco Park

text: On April 30, 2012, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun became the first player to hit three home runs in one game at the park. Braun finished the game 4–5 with three home runs and a triple.


title: Petco Park

text: On July 13, 2013, Tim Lincecum threw the park's first no-hitter for the visiting San Francisco Giants as they defeated the Padres, 9–0.


title: Petco Park

text: For the 2020 MLB postseason, the park was one of two stadiums (along with Dodger Stadium) to host neutral-site games of the ALDS, and was also the only stadium to host neutral-site games of the ALCS.


title: Petco Park

text: Eduardo Escobar of the New York Mets was the first player to hit for the cycle in the history of Petco Park on June 6, 2022.


title: Petco Park

text: After the Padres classified themselves to the posteason as a wild card team during the 2022 season with a 89-73 record, Petco Park hosted its very first postseason game featuring the Padres in 16 years, as they squared off against the 110-win division rival Los Angeles Dodgers in game 3 of the NLDS.


title: Petco Park

text: In February 2007, Petco Park became the new host of the USA Sevens, a rugby union sevens event within the IRB Sevens World Series. Previous editions of the USA Sevens had been held at The Home Depot Center in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson. After the 2009 edition, the event moved to Las Vegas.


title: Petco Park

text: From January 31 through February 2 in 2014, Petco Park's left-center field temporarily was converted into a red clay tennis court for the Davis Cup tie between United States and Great Britain.


title: Petco Park

text: In January 2015, Petco Park hosted rounds of Monster Jam and AMA Supercross Championship, as a replacement for Qualcomm Stadium.


title: Petco Park

text: Since 2015, Petco Park has partnered with Callaway Golf Company to open a par-3 nine-hole golf course within the stadium the first week of each November. The holes are built within the outfield while many of the tees are in the upper decks of the stadium.


title: Petco Park

text: On December 7, 2015, Petco Park hosted its first college basketball game between the San Diego Toreros and the San Diego State Aztecs as part of the Bill Walton Basketball Festival held in San Diego.


title: Petco Park

text: On January 25, 2017, following the relocation of the Chargers NFL franchise to Los Angeles, it was announced that exploratory discussions were taking place regarding the possibility of playing the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park in future years. On June 24, 2021, the Padres announced a partnership with the San Diego Bowl Game Association for the Holiday Bowl to take place at Petco Park for a minimum of the next five years. The first Holiday Bowl at Petco Park would have taken place on December 28, 2021 between the UCLA Bruins and NC State Wolfpack. Hours before kickoff, UCLA withdrew due to positive COVID tests and the game was canceled.


title: Petco Park

text: Petco Park is considered a future venue for both AHL Outdoor Classic and NHL Winter Classic. As they are both under the same ownership, it is possible that the San Diego Gulls would play the Outdoor Classic on New Year's Eve with the Anaheim Ducks playing the Winter Classic on New Year's Day. If awarded the Winter Classic, the Ducks would invite teams such as the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche or Dallas Stars to be their opponent.


title: Petco Park

text: Season 11 auditions for the singing reality-television program "American Idol" were held Friday, July 8, 2011, at Petco Park.


title: Petco Park

text: In 2011, the Food Network filmed a "Chairman's Challenge" at Petco Park that was to air as part of Season 4, episode 2 of "The Next Iron Chef".


title: Petco Park

text: On October 18th, 2022, Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies hit the longest home run ever recorded at Petco Park at 488 feet in game one of the National League Championship Series.


title: Petco Park

text: Petco Park can be seen and can even be entered in the video game "Midnight Club 3" in the city of San Diego.


title: Petco Park

text: Petco Park and Fenway Park were visibly fused together to create "Greenway Park" in "Call of Duty Ghosts".


title: Petco Park

text: During stadium construction, the Padres offered fans the chance to purchase bricks outside of the concourse and to dedicate them. PETA tried to purchase a brick to protest Petco's treatment of animals (PETA and Petco have a long-standing dispute over this matter), but the first two attempts were denied. Undeterred, PETA succeeded on its third attempt by purchasing a brick, which read "Break Open Your Cold Ones Toast The Padres Enjoy This Champion Organization." When one reads the first letter of each word, it forms an acrostic which reads "BOYCOTT PETCO." The Padres decided to leave the brick, saying not enough people walking by would notice the secret meaning.


title: Petco Park

text: Due to a lack of space in the Convention Center, Comic-Con International and other companies associated with entertainment have been allowed to host activities in Petco Park. On July 29, 2018, Rocket League held their third birthday party as an offsite event part of San Diego Comic-Con 2018.


title: Petco Park

text: Petco Park differentiates itself from many other Major League ballparks built in the same era by eschewing "retro"-style red brick and green seats. The stadium is clad in Indian sandstone and stucco; its exposed steel is painted white and the 40,209 fixed seats are dark blue. The design is meant to evoke the sandy color of San Diego cliffs and beaches, the blue of the ocean, and the white sails of boats on the nearby bay.


title: Petco Park

text: Architects Populous (née HOK Sport) and Antoine Predock's design pulled restaurants, administrative offices and other amenities away from the seating bowl itself into other buildings surrounding the bowl. As a result, the ballpark's concourses are open not only to the playing field but also to the surrounding city. Unlike many outdoor ballparks, in which the batter faces northeast, at Petco the batter faces due north, and fans in the grandstands are treated to a view of San Diego Bay and the San Diego skyline beyond the left field seats, as well as a view of Balboa Park, which contains the San Diego Zoo, beyond center field. The "San Diego Union-Tribune" honored the ballpark in 2006 with an Orchid award for its design.


title: Petco Park

text: Petco Park's official address is 19 Tony Gwynn Way, in honor of the eight-time National League batting champion who wore that uniform number during his major league career. A statue of Gwynn was unveiled July 21, 2007, on the stadium grounds. On August 18, 2018, a statue of National League Saves Leader and longtime Padre Trevor Hoffman was unveiled along K Street behind the bullpen, facing Gwynn's statue.


title: Petco Park

text: The Park at the Park, a grassy berm sloping above the outfield fence, is open during games, allowing fans to sit and watch games for $10. When no games are being played, the Park at the Park serves as a free local park for area residents. An unusual feature Petco Park once had was that the home team bullpen was located behind the center field wall while the bullpen for the visiting team was in foul territory in right field. However, both bullpens were moved behind the center field wall after modifications to the ballpark were made prior to the start of the 2013 season. As of the 2012 season, the Park at the Park area also plays host to a semi-permanent stage used by the Padres' new broadcaster, Bally Sports San Diego, for pre-game and post-game programming.


title: Petco Park

text: Installed for the 2015 season, the centerpiece of the latest phase of Petco Park renovations is the state-of-the-art left-field HD videoboard manufactured by Daktronics. Measuring tall by wide, the new videoboard is nearly five times the size of the previous board and is, as of 2016, Major League Baseball's fifth-largest (behind Cleveland, Seattle, Kansas City, and Atlanta) and the National League's second-largest (edging out Philadelphia). The Padres can show full-screen live game action, video replays, or fan prompts or split the screen into sections for statistical information, graphics, and animations.


title: Petco Park

text: In addition to the left-field display, the Padres installed LED ribbon boards stretching nearly along the first- and third-base lines on the Toyota Terrace level, as well as of ribbon boards on the left-field grandstand.


title: Petco Park

text: The Padres also added eight mini scoreboards located under overhangs in the seating bowl on the field level, along with new 60-in. Sony TVs in the same areas, to give fans seated in the back of those sections better views.


title: Petco Park

text: To support the new HD videoboards, the Padres partnered with Sony and Diversified Systems on an HD control room. Located on the press level on the third-base side, the control room houses a Sony MVS8000x switcher, ChyronHego graphics servers, Click Effects CrossFire servers, and Evertz router, DreamCatcher replay servers, and terminal gear. The team will deploy a complement of Sony HSC300 cameras and two wireless roving cameras while it considers additional models for 4K acquisition.


title: Petco Park

text: The Western Metal Supply Co. building, a hundred-year-old brick structure that had been scheduled for demolition to make way for Petco Park, was saved and incorporated into the design of the ballpark. The building was renovated and contains the team store, private suites, a restaurant and rooftop seating. The southeast corner of the building serves as the left field foul pole, and is protected by a strip of bright yellow angle iron.


title: Petco Park

text: Fans in concession stands, in bars, restaurants or wandering the stands can watch the action on 244 HDTV monitors and an additional 500 SDTVs. More than 500 computer-controlled speakers throughout the park deliver the sound as a "distributed signal", eliminating the audio delay from a central bank of speakers, such as the system at Qualcomm Stadium. Four stationary cameras, one roving camera and use of six Cox-TV cameras provide videos for the park's screens.


title: Petco Park

text: Every time the Padres hit a home run and/or win the game, a ship's whistle is sounded and fireworks are shot off in center field. Beginning with the 2011 season, four torches were added to the center field wall that light up when the Padres hit a home run and/or win the game. The ship's whistle is a recording of the whistle of the Navy's , a nuclear aircraft carrier that was ported in San Diego.


title: Petco Park

text: Petco Park has been described as being an "extreme pitcher's park". During the 2005–06 offseason, Padres CEO Sandy Alderson adjusted the dimensions in right-center field in an attempt to make it more hitter friendly. At the end of the 2008 season, Petco Park ranked 29th in hits and 30th out of 30 in home runs per Major League ballpark.


title: Petco Park

text: Following the conclusion of the 2012 season, the Padres announced that they were moving the fences in to make this ballpark more favorable to hitters than it had been previously. The left-center field wall was moved in from to , the right-center field wall was moved from to , and the right field wall was moved in from to . In addition, the visiting team bullpen was moved from foul territory in right field to behind the left-center field wall, right behind where the Padres bullpen is. The right field wall was also lowered from to , and the out-of-town scoreboard was relocated.


title: Petco Park

text: After the conclusion of the 2014 season, more renovations to the park commenced. These include a new HD video board, slight changes to the distance to the left-field fence, and removal of some seats in the middle deck (which were replaced with standing-room seating). The alterations, including the new video board, were completed by Opening Day 2015.


title: Lake Bled

text: Lake Bled (; ) is a lake in the Julian Alps of the Upper Carniolan region of northwestern Slovenia, where it adjoins the town of Bled. The area is a tourist destination. The lake is from Ljubljana International Airport and from the capital city, Ljubljana. Lake Bled is from the Lesce–Bled train station.


title: Lake Bled

text: The lake is of mixed glacial and tectonic origin. It is long and wide, with a maximum depth of , and it has a small island. The lake lies in a picturesque environment, surrounded by mountains and forests. Medieval Bled Castle stands above the lake on the north shore and has a museum. The Zaka Valley lies at the west end of the lake.


title: Lake Bled

text: For centuries, Europeans have flocked to the shores of Lake Bled to enjoy recreation, but also the medicinal benefits. Emperor Henry II, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, enjoyed the lake so much that he built Bled Castle in 1004 to confer it as an estate. Today the castle is a popular tourist attraction.


title: Lake Bled

text: The lake surrounds Bled Island (). The island has several buildings, the main one being the pilgrimage church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary (), built in its current form near the end of the 17th century, and decorated with remains of Gothic frescos from around 1470 in the presbyterium and rich Baroque equipment.


title: Lake Bled

text: The church has a tower and there is a Baroque stairway dating from 1655 with 99 stone steps leading up to the building. The church is frequently visited and weddings are held there regularly. Traditionally it is considered good luck for the groom to carry his bride up the steps on the day of their wedding before ringing the bell and making a wish inside the church.


title: Lake Bled

text: The traditional transportation to Bled Island is a wooden boat known as a "pletna". The word "pletna" is a borrowing from Bavarian German "Plätten" 'flat-bottomed boat'. Some sources claim the "pletna" was used in Lake Bled as early as 1150 AD, but most historians date the first boats to 1590 AD. Similar in shape to Italian gondolas, a "pletna" seats 20 passengers. Modern boats are still made by hand and are recognizable by their colorful awnings. "Pletna" oarsman employ the "stehrudder" technique to propel and navigate boats across the lake using two oars. The role of the oarsman dates back to 1740, when Maria Theresa of Austria granted 22 local families exclusive rights to ferry religious pilgrims across Lake Bled to worship on Bled Island. The profession is still restricted. Many modern oarsmen descend directly from the original 22 families.


title: Lake Bled

text: The area's culinary specialty, a cream pastry ("kremna rezina" or "kremšnita" 'Cremeschnitte'), was designated a protected dish of designated origin in 2016 by the Slovene government. Although various Slovene cream pastries date back to the Habsburg era, the current "official" recipe was created in 1953 by Ištvan Lukačević, the former manager of the Hotel Park's patisserie. There is an annual festival dedicated to the pastry. It is estimated that 12 million cream pastries have been prepared at the Hotel Park's patisserie over the last 60 years.


title: Brady Corbet

text: Brady James Monson Corbet (; born August 17, 1988) is an American actor and filmmaker. Corbet is known for playing Mason Freeland in the film "Thirteen", Brian Lackey in the film "Mysterious Skin", Alan Tracy in the 2004 film "Thunderbirds", and Peter in the 2007 film "Funny Games". He has made guest appearances on many television shows. He made his feature film directorial debut with "The Childhood of a Leader" and won Best Debut film and Best Director award at 72nd Venice International Film Festival.


title: Brady Corbet

text: Corbet played Derek Huxley, the son of Jack Bauer's (Kiefer Sutherland) new girlfriend, in the first six episodes of the fifth season of the television series "24".


title: Brady Corbet

text: Corbet began an acting career at age eleven with a guest role in an April 2000 episode of CBS' "The King of Queens", and he followed it up with voice work in the English version of the Japanese anime series "NieA under 7". Over the next few years, he was a regular on another anime series, "I My Me! Strawberry Eggs" (2001), and he guest-starred in a May 2002 episode of the WB sitcom "Greetings from Tucson". He also appeared in a May 2003 episode of Fox’s sitcom "Oliver Beene".


title: Brady Corbet

text: In 2003, Corbet landed his first film role when he was cast opposite Holly Hunter, Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, Vanessa Hudgens and Jeremy Sisto in director Catherine Hardwicke's "Thirteen".


title: Brady Corbet

text: Following his big-screen debut, Corbet starred as Alan Tracy, the youngest son of a billionaire ex-astronaut (played by Bill Paxton) in "Thunderbirds" (2004), Jonathan Frakes' live-action movie based on the British TV series of the mid-1960s. Corbet once again shared the screen with Hudgens.


title: Brady Corbet

text: In 2004, California filmmaker Gregg Araki cast him opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the director's eighth film, "Mysterious Skin". In the film, based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Scott Heim, Corbet portrayed Brian Lackey, a troubled teen who is plagued by nightmares and believes that he may have been abducted by aliens. The film debuted in that year's Venice Film Festival and had a limited release in 2005.


title: Brady Corbet

text: In 2006, Corbet returned to television with a recurring role as Derek Huxley, son of Jack Bauer's new girlfriend (played by Connie Britton) in the fifth season of Fox's Emmy- and Golden Globe–winning show, "24." Corbet most recently played the role of Watts in the 2011 psychological thriller "Martha Marcy May Marlene".


title: Brady Corbet

text: Corbet also has appeared in the indie rock band Bright Eyes' music video "At The Bottom Of Everything" (2005). In October 2006, he was featured in the Ima Robot video for "Lovers in Captivity," which was produced independently of their Virgin record label and was featured in an "Out Magazine" article.


title: Brady Corbet

text: In 2013, Corbet signed to direct his first feature film "The Childhood of a Leader". It premiered in the Horizons section of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, where he won Best Director in the festival's Horizons (Orrizonti) section. In 2018, Corbet directed his second feature film "Vox Lux" starring Natalie Portman and Jude Law.


title: Brady Corbet

text: Corbet has been dating Norwegian director Mona Fastvold since the production of their film "The Sleepwalker". They had a daughter in 2014.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: The Socialist Republic of Serbia (), previously known as the People's Republic of Serbia (), was one of the six constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in what is now the modern day states of Serbia and the disputed territory of Kosovo. Its formation was initiated in 1941, and achieved in 1944–1946, when it was established as a federated republic within Yugoslavia. In that form, it lasted until the constitutional reforms from 1990 to 1992, when it was reconstituted, as the Republic of Serbia within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It was the largest constituent republic of Yugoslavia, in terms of population and territory. Its capital, Belgrade, was also the federal capital of Yugoslavia.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: After the collapse of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the April War (1941), the entire country was occupied and partitioned between Axis powers. Central territories of Serbia and the northern region of Banat were occupied by Nazi Germany, that enforced direct control over the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia, with a puppet Government installed in Belgrade. Southern regions of Metohija and Kosovo were occupied by Fascist Italy and annexed into the Italian Albania. Region of Bačka was annexed by Hungary, while Syrmia was possessed by the Independent State of Croatia. Southeastern parts of Serbia were occupied by Bulgaria.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: At the beginning of the occupation, there were two resistance movements: Chetniks and Partisans. They had conflicting ideological and political programs, and by 1943, Chetniks started to collaborate with Axis forces. Partisans advocated transformation of Yugoslavia into a federation, with Serbia becoming one of its federal units. In the autumn of 1941, first provisional institutions were established by partisans in some liberated territories, headed by the Main National Liberation Committee for Serbia. It was seated in Užice, and thus the movement became known as the "Republic of Užice". However, the German offensive crushed this proto-state in December of the same year. After that, main partisan forces moved to Bosnia.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: Serbia was liberated in the autumn of 1944, by partisan forces and the Red Army. Soon after the liberation of Belgrade on 20 October, creation of new administration was initiated. In November 1944, the Anti-fascist Assembly for the People's Liberation of Serbia was convened, affirming the policy of reconstituting Yugoslavia as a federation, with Serbia as one of its federal units. Thus was laid the foundation for the creation of the "Federated State of Serbia" (), as a federated state within new Democratic Federal Yugoslavia.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: The process was formalised in April 1945, when the provisional "People's Assembly of Serbia" was created, also appointing the first "People's Government of Serbia". Two newly created regions, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija, decided to merge into Serbia. On November 29 (1945), Yugoslavia was officially proclaimed as federal republic, and in January 1946, after the first Constitution of federal Yugoslavia was adopted, the Federated State of Serbia was renamed to "People's Republic of Serbia" ().


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: In November 1946, elections for the Constitutional Assembly of Serbia were held, and in January 1947, Constitution of Serbia was adopted, reaffirming its position within Yugoslav federation, and also regulating the position of autonomous units (Vojvodina as autonomous province; Kosovo and Metohija as autonomous region). In 1953, a constitutional law was adopted, introducing further social reforms.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: By that time, internal political life in Serbia was fully dominated by the Communist Party of Serbia, formed in May 1945 as a branch of the ruling Communist Party of Yugoslavia. In order to suppress remaining monarchist opposition, communists initiated the creation of a wider political coalition, thus establishing the People's Front of Yugoslavia (PFY), in August 1945. Other political parties were soon dissolved, and remnants of political life were constrained within the PFY, that was under full control of the ruling Communist Party.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: In 1963, a new Yugoslav Constitution was adopted, renaming the federal state into the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and its federal units into "socialist republics", thus introducing the name: "Socialist Republic of Serbia" ().


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: In 1966, one of the most prominent Serbs in the Communist party and also vice-president of Yugoslavia (1963–1966) and founder of Yugoslav intelligence agency OZNA, Aleksandar Ranković was removed from positions due to allegations of spying on SFRY President Josip Broz Tito.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: After the Croatian Spring in 1971, almost whole party leadership of Serbia was removed from office, under the charge of being "liberal". Latinka Perović and Marko Nikezić were marked as leaders of this liberal movement inside League of Communists of Serbia.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: In 1974, new constitution was adopted, increasing the powers of provinces, and making them "de facto" republics. For the first time the institution of president was formed, as President of the Presidency of Socialist Republic of Serbia. Assembly was electing 15 members of the presidency and one president for a 4-year term, and later 2-year term. The new constitution practically suspended Serbia's authority over the provinces.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: After the new constitution was adopted, Dragoslav Marković, then President of Serbia ordered a secret study on this issue. In January 1975, the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Serbia requested a revision of constitutional solutions with explanation that the constitution divided the republic into three parts, thus preventing Serbia from exercising its "historic right to a nation state in the Yugoslav federation". Furthermore, the study Marković requested was completed in 1977 and was named "The Blue Book". Although there were differing opinions in the state leadership on the position of the provinces – for example, Edvard Kardelj supported the demands of Serbian leaders – the result of the arbitration was the conclusion that the position of the provinces within Serbia should not be changed. The Federal leadership, led by Tito, believed that the constitutional solution from 1974 could satisfy all the claims of the Socialist Republic of Serbia, but also respect the specifics and special interests of the autonomous provinces. Although the conflict was (temporarily) pacified in this way, the issue remained unresolved.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: For most of its existence in the SFRY, Serbia was loyal and generally subordinate to the federal government. This changed after the death of Josip Broz Tito in 1980, when Albanian, as well as Serbian nationalism in Kosovo arose. In 1981, major protests erupted in Kosovo demanding the status of republic. The League of Communists was split on how to respond. At the same time, an economic crisis in Yugoslavia started. The leaders of the country were unable to carry out any reforms due to the political instability.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: President of League of Communists of Serbia Slobodan Milošević visited Kosovo in April 1987 and promised rapid action in order to protect peace and the Serbs of Kosovo. Ethnic tensions in Kosovo heated up when a Kosovo Albanian soldier opened fire on his fellow soldiers in Paraćin, in an event known as the Paraćin massacre. Then President of Serbia Ivan Stambolić wanted to make compromise, rather than fast solution. He found himself in a clash with Milošević. This conflict culminated with 8th Session and replacement of Stambolić with Petar Gračanin as President of Serbia.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: In 1988, new amendments to the Yugoslav Constitution were adopted, initiating a process of democratization. During 1988 and 1989, a successful round of coups in the Communist party leadership, known as "Antibureucratic revolution", in Vojvodina, Kosovo as well as Montenegro, replaced autonomous leaderships in this regions. The coups were led by Slobodan Milošević; supporter of Serbian nationalism. The events were condemned by the communist governments of the western Yugoslav republics (especially SR Slovenia and SR Croatia), who successfully resisted the attempts to expand the revolt onto their territories, and turned against Milošević. The rising antagonism eventually resulted in the dissolution of the ruling League of Communists of Yugoslavia in 1990, and subsequently in the breakup of Yugoslavia.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: In 1989, Slobodan Milošević was elected as President of the State Presidency of Serbia. He demanded that the federal Yugoslav government act for the interests of Serbia in Kosovo by sending in the Yugoslav People's Army to suppress separatism in the province. At the same time, several reforms of federal electoral system were proposed, with Serbia supporting a "one-citizen, one-vote" system, which would have given a majority of votes to Serbs. By that time, ethnic tensions in Yugoslavia increased, and the ruling League of Communists of Yugoslavia collapsed, followed by the crisis of federal institutions. After these events, in 1989 Assembly of Socialist Republic of Serbia voted for constitution amendments that revoked high autonomy for provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: After Slovenian authorities forbid a group of Serbs supporting his politics to gather in Ljubljana, Milosević started a trade war with Socialist Republic of Slovenia in late 1989. This Serbian–Slovenian conflict culminated in January 1990 on 14th Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia when Slovenians left the meeting followed by Croatian delegates.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: After 1990, the state was known simply as "Republic of Serbia" (), and in December of the same year, Slobodan Milošević was elected as first President of the Republic. In 1992, when the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was formed, Serbia became one of its two constituent republics. In 2003 this state union was re-formed into Serbia and Montenegro, and in 2006 Serbia became an independent republic after Montenegro separated.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: Within Socialist Republic of Serbia two autonomous provinces existed: Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo. The central part of the Socialist Republic of Serbia located outside of the two autonomous provinces was generally known as "Serbia proper" (""Uža Srbija"").


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: Geographically SR Serbia bordered Hungary to the north, Romania and Bulgaria to the east and Albania to the south-west. Within Yugoslavia, it bordered SR Macedonia to the south and SRs Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia to the west.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: During the socialist era in Yugoslavia, the only legal political party was the League of Communists of Serbia (SKS), which was part of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (SKJ). The party remained relatively stable and loyal to the federal party until the late 1980s, when the party became split over what action to take in Kosovo when protests and fights broke out between ethnic Albanians and Serbs.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: The more traditional Communists supported President Ivan Stambolić, who advocated continued neutrality as a means to solve the dispute; while more radical and nationalist-leaning members supported Slobodan Milosević, who advocated the protection of Kosovo Serbs, who had claimed that their population was being pressured to leave Kosovo by Albanian separatists. Milosević utilized public sentiment and opposition to Kosovo Albanian separatism to rally large numbers of supporters to help him overthrow the Communist leadership in Vojvodina, Kosovo and the Socialist Republic of Montenegro in what was known as the anti-bureaucratic revolution. Afterward, the Serbian League of Communists selected Milosević as its leader. Milosević took a hard stand on Albanian nationalism in Kosovo and pressured the Yugoslav government to give him emergency powers to deal with Kosovo Albanian separatists. Furthermore, he reduced the autonomy of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina and installed politicians loyal to him to serve as their representatives.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: In the congress of the Yugoslav League of Communists in 1990, Milosević and his subordinate representatives for Vojvodina, Kosovo and the Socialist Republic of Montenegro attempted to silence opposition from the Socialist Republic of Slovenia who opposed the actions taken against Kosovo Albanian leadership, by blocking all reforms proposed by the Slovene representatives. The tactic failed and Slovenia, along with its ally Croatia, abdicated from the Yugoslav Communist Party. This caused the Yugoslav Communist party to fall apart, and then the state of Yugoslavia itself one year later.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: Since 1945, the most senior state official in Serbia, and thus "de facto" head of state, was President of the People's Assembly of Serbia, who also presided over the collective "Presidency of the People's Assembly" (1945–1953), and "Presidency of the Assembly" (1953–1990). In 1974, new Constitution of Serbia was adopted, and collective state presidency was formed, not as a committee of the Assembly, but as a supreme governing body. Since then, President of the Presidency served as the most senior state official of the Socialist Republic of Serbia. At first, President was elected for 4 years mandate, but in 1982 it was lowered to 2 years.


title: Socialist Republic of Serbia

text: Main executive body, since 1945, was the People's Government of Serbia. In 1953, it was renamed as the Executive Council of Serbia. It served as the executive branch of the People's Assembly. President of the Executive Council had a role of Prime Minister.


title: A Sister's All You Need

text: The story follows the novelist Itsuki Hashima who is surrounded by various people, including a beautiful genius writer who loves him, a big-sisterly college classmate, a fellow male writer, a sadistic tax accountant, and his editor. As the story progresses, the underlying conflicts of dreams and goals surface, as each character attempts to achieve their dreams, in their own way. One such example is the rivalry between author Itsuki and his friend Haruto. Itsuki's stories are driven by a passion for stories about little sisters with praise from a selective yet strongly supportive fan-base, whereas Haruto's stories are driven by victory and romance through more common, yet popular cliches. Each of their stories are riddled with common light novel themes and concepts, such as romantic comedy elements and erotic illustrations. They are all looked after by Itsuki's younger "brother" Chihiro, who in fact is his younger stepsister.


title: A Sister's All You Need

text: "A Sister's All You Need" is written by Yomi Hirasaka and illustrated by Kantoku. Shogakukan published the first volume on March 18, 2015, under their Gagaga Bunko imprint. The limited editions of volumes 4 and 7 include a drama CD. Yen Press have licensed the novels in North America. The English version is translated by Kevin Gifford. The series is also published in Taiwan by Tong Li Publishing.


title: A Sister's All You Need

text: A manga adaptation, titled "Imōto Sae Ireba Ii. @comic" and illustrated by Idu, was serialized in Shogakukan's "Monthly Sunday Gene-X" magazine from December 19, 2015, to July 19, 2019. Shogakukan collected its chapters in nine "tankōbon" volumes, released from May 19, 2016, to October 18, 2019.


title: A Sister's All You Need

text: A spin-off manga, titled and illustrated by Kobashiko, was serialized in Square Enix's "Gangan Joker" from October 22, 2016, to February 22, 2018.


title: A Sister's All You Need

text: An anime television series adaptation, directed by Shin Oonuma and produced by Silver Link, aired from October 8 to December 24, 2017. Author Yomi Hirasaka wrote the scripts, Sumie Kinoshita designed the characters, and Tomoki Kikuya composed the music. The opening theme song was performed by ChouCho, while the ending theme song was performed by Aira Yūki. Crunchyroll streamed the series with Funimation streaming a simuldub. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll. Muse Communication licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia.


title: A Sister's All You Need

text: A short anime series titled is streamed online through the anime's official Twitter account following the broadcast of the anime television series. Each episode is two minutes long with super deformed characters. Kenshiro Morii serves as the director.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: A squad automatic weapon (SAW), also known as a section automatic weapon or light support weapon (LSW), is a man-portable automatic firearm attached to infantry squads or sections as a source of rapid direct firepower. Weapons fulfilling this role can be light machine guns, or modified selective-fire rifles fitted with a heavier barrel, bipod and a belt/drum-fed design.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: Squad automatic weapons usually fire the same cartridge (though heavier-bullet variants are preferred) as the assault rifles or battle rifles carried by other members of the unit. This reduces logistical requirements by making it only necessary to supply one type of service ammunition to a unit. These weapons are light enough to be carried and operated by one infantryman, unlike medium machine guns (such as the M1919 Browning) that require a crew to operate at full effectiveness; or heavy machine guns (such as the M2 Browning or the DShK) which fire more powerful cartridges but are also crew-served and typically also require a mounting platform to be operable.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: One of the first weapons used in this role was the Madsen machine gun. Although limited in today's terms, the Madsen was introduced in an era when the standard infantry rifle was a bolt-action repeater with fixed magazines reloaded with single rounds or chargers; sustained rapid fire with these weapons could be maintained only for very short periods of time. The Madsen was capable of fully automatic fire; despite having only limited magazine capacity, this was still more than that of the infantry rifle, and it was of the quick change detachable box magazine type. Though over 100 years old, the Madsen is still in limited use today. The standard machine guns of this era were of the Maxim type. Used by the British, Germans, and the Russians, these weapons were bulky, heavy, tripod-based, and water-cooled, they required a team of four men and, although excellent in the defence, were not suited to manoeuvre warfare.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: Another pioneering weapon in this role was the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). Introduced late in World War I, it remained in front-line service into the Vietnam War. Intended originally as an automatic rifle capable of delivering suppressing "walking fire" in the advance, the BAR came to be used in the light machine gun role. During World War II, as the importance of having a source of mobile automatic fire increased, the number of BARs in a unit also increased, until in some units it represented 1 in 4 of the weapons present in a squad. During its long service in the US military, it was pivotal in the evolution of U.S. fireteam tactics and doctrine that continues to the present day.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: Modern squad automatic weapons (such as the RPK and L86) are modified assault rifles or battle rifles (e.g. FN FAL 50.41 and M14A1) that may have increased ammunition capacity and heavier barrels to withstand continued fire and will almost always have a bipod. In the case of some assault rifles, such as the H&K G36 or Steyr AUG, the SAW is simply the standard rifle with a few parts replaced. However, the Austrian Army, though issuing the Steyr AUG rifle, does not issue the HBAR (heavy barrel) variant. Instead, the 7.62mm caliber MG74, a derivative of WW2-era German MG 42, is issued.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: Light machine guns, either belt-fed or magazine-fed, may be used as squad automatic weapons, as may general-purpose machine guns; for example, during most of the Cold War period, the standard squad automatic weapon in the British Army was the FN Mag-derived L7. The most common squad automatic weapons in use today are derived from two basic patterns: the Kalashnikov-based RPK or the purpose-designed FN Minimi.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: West Germany's original plan in the late 1980s was to adopt the new 5.56mm Heckler & Koch G41 assault rifle (a variant of the HK33) to replace the 7.62mm Heckler & Koch G3 battle rifle and the 4.7mm Heckler & Koch G11 carbine to replace the 9mm IMI MP2 Uzi and Heckler & Koch MP5. The end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany in 1990 forced everyone to scramble for a cheap alternative. The G36 family was created from a proof-of-concept prototype rechambered to fire the 5.56mm NATO cartridge. It is composed of an assault rifle (G36), light machine gun (MG36), assault carbine (G36K), and PDW (G36C). Though produced, presented and ordered, the MG36 was never adopted by the German Army as the differences and benefits to the G36 were seen as marginal, resulting in the order being cancelled. MG4 is standard platoon-level support weapon of the German Army, adopted in 2005. MG5 is general-purpose machine gun of the German Army, adopted in 2015.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: In the 1980s the Italian military considered the idea of adopting a heavy-barrelled magazine-fed 5.56mm automatic rifle. It was to accompany the 5.56mm Beretta AR70/90 assault rifle and supplement the 7.62mm MG 42/59 general purpose machine gun. A rethinking of the concept led to their adoption of the belt-fed FN Minimi instead.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: The Netherlands Marine Corps is the only part of the Dutch military to use the LOAWNLD (an updated version of the Colt Canada Light Support Weapon) as their squad automatic weapon. All other branches use the FN Minimi for this role.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: The Russian support weapon concept was designed around providing one standard cartridge that could be used by the clip-fed rifle (SKS), magazine-fed assault rifle (AK-47) and belt-fed light machine gun (RPD). The SKS and RPD were dropped as being less effective than hoped. The RPK, with its magazine and parts commonality with the base AK-47, was more effective. It replaced the RPD as soon as manufacturing techniques allowed it to be mass-produced.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: The SA80 program was designed to create a family of light assault weapons that had a commonality of parts, could use the same ammunition and magazines, and would replace the UK military's collection of submachine guns, rifles, and light machine guns. Originally designed around a lighter experimental 4.85mm cartridge, they were forced to redesign the weapon to take the 5.56mm NATO cartridge. The L85 IW ("Individual Weapon") was the rifle version and was designed to replace the 9mm L2 Sterling SMG and 7.62mm L1A1 SLR Rifle. The L86 LSW ("Light Support Weapon") was the automatic rifle version and was intended to replace the L4 BREN gun and supplement the FN MAG general-purpose machine gun, replacing it at section level. Teething problems, low quality parts, poor ergonomic design and an inability to be wielded left-handed made the SA80 suite unpopular. The magazine-fed L86 was found to not be as capable of sustained fire as a belt-fed system so it was initially supplemented by the L110A1 FN Minimi and then replaced by it. The L86's role was then changed to that of a designated marksman rifle.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: In United States usage, the M249 light machine gun is commonly referred to as the Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW).


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: In the 1970s the United States began realizing that they might have to fight a conflict in the deserts and mountains of the Middle East or Near East rather than the jungles of Asia or forests of Europe and Eurasia. The "Squad Automatic Weapon" program was designed to create an intermediate weapon between the M16 rifle and M60 machine gun. It would have to fire tracer ammunition out to a visible range of 800 meters or more, be capable of accurate high-volume sustained fire, and be lighter and more reliable than the M60. Initially the contenders were built around a new intermediate cartridge, but the problems with approval for a new third American-backed standard NATO cartridge forced its abandonment. The program then selected between the control group weapons: the FN Minimi (XM249) and Heckler & Koch HK 23 (XM262) chambered for the improved 5.56mm SS109 round. The FN Minimi was adopted as the M249 because it could optionally fire from magazines from an integral magazine port rather than requiring an exchange of parts in the field like the HK23.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: The Infantry Automatic Rifle program was launched by the United States Marine Corps in 2005. Its task was to find a replacement for the heavy and cumbersome M249 SAW that was serving as the Squad Automatic weapon in a fireteam at the time. Two of the weapons in the competition were the FN SCAR HAMR and a slightly modified HK416. The weapon chosen to replace the M249 was the modified HK416, later designated the M27 IAR. The M249 SAW is still in use as a squad automatic weapon by the US Army.


title: Squad automatic weapon

text: In 2019, US Army launched Next Generation Squad Weapon Program to find replacement for M249 SAW and replacement for 5.56×45mm NATO round. There are three competitors:


title: ES File Explorer

text: ES File Explorer is a file manager/explorer designed by ES Global, a subsidiary of DO Global, for Android devices. It includes features like cloud storage integration, file transfer from Android to Windows via FTP or LAN, and a root browser. It was removed from the Google Play Store for committing click fraud.


title: ES File Explorer

text: In the early 2010s, ES File Explorer was equipped with then extraordinary features well beyond that of vendors' pre-installed file managers, which popularized the application before it developed into adware.


title: ES File Explorer

text: The functionality included range selection, tabbed browsing, bookmarking directories, ability to create home screen shortcuts to items (files and folders), ability to create new blank files, three viewing modes for items (grid, basic list, and detailed list), where detailed list previews modification dates, file sizes, and listed folders' file counts; three on-display size levels for items; file transfers in background, FTP server hosting, network protocol client (ability to connect to other FTP, WebDav and SMB servers), Bluetooth file sharing, ability to manually select an application to open a file with, ability to automatically rename files during transfer in case of a file name conflict and merge directories, detailed statistics during file transfer, a built-in text editor with UTF-8 support, media player interface (video player and music player with playback controls and playlisting), image viewer and gallery browser, download manager, drag and drop support, bulk file renaming (adding prefix, changing extension and numbering), disk usage analysis, ZIP archive file creation and browsing, recycle bin (like Microsoft Windows Explorer) and the ability to define touch pattern shortcuts ("gestures"), ability to filter searches by date, size range, category (photo, audio, video, APK, and documents), and file type, ability to select multiple files from search results, ability to navigate to files' parent directory from search results, generation of MD5 and SHA-1 hash sums from files, ability to copy the full path of a selected file or folder into the clipboard, quick navigation history (list of recently opened files and directories), ability to install custom themes, ability to redirect shareable content into a file, and the ability list installed apps and to back them up Android application package (APK) files. A detail window which shows the total separate count of files and folders within a directory and their total size as both human-readable value and byte count to allow for an exact size verification after copying files. Since a 2015 version, files can be encrypted in a proprietary format named "ES lock".


title: ES File Explorer

text: Another early feature to allow the selection of many files and folders without the need to tap on each file individually was range selection, where only two items need to be highlighted to select all listed items inbetween.


title: ES File Explorer

text: Around May 2016, ES File Explorer began incorporating DU Charge Booster into the app, hijacking the user's lockscreen. Several news and blog websites such as AndroidPIT, which had once recommended the app, encouraged users to uninstall it. It was removed later after much criticism and many bad reviews.


title: ES File Explorer

text: Though ES File Explorer had originally been a freeware program, the app later converted into shareware. It began charging a monthly $9.99 fee in order to use its more advanced features, towards the end of 2019.


title: ES File Explorer

text: ES File Explorer was removed from the Google Play Store in April 2019, along with several other apps created by DO Global (formerly DU Group). It was reported by BuzzFeed News.


title: ES File Explorer

text: It was claimed the company who owns ES File Explorer, DO Global, was committing 'click fraud' by clicking ads in users' apps in the background without permission. DO Global responded to these claims with the following:


title: ES File Explorer

text: “In the past week, we have noticed a series of reports about our apps by the media. We fully understand the seriousness of the allegations. As such, we immediately conducted an internal investigation on this matter. We regret to find irregularities in some of our products’ use of AdMob advertisements. Given this, we fully understand and accept Google’s decision. Moreover, we have actively cooperated with them by doing a thorough examination of every app involved.


title: ES File Explorer

text: We would like to thank the media, our partners, and the public for their support. Moving forward, we will strictly follow relevant regulations and continue conducting a comprehensive review of our products. Lastly, during this process, we have caused misunderstandings and great concern due to our being unable to communicate in a timely manner and provide complete information. We offer our sincere apologies.”"


title: ES File Explorer

text: In June 2020, the Government of India banned ES File Explorer along with 58 other Chinese origin apps citing data and privacy issues.


title: North American porcupine

text: The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), also known as the Canadian porcupine, is a large quill-covered rodent in the New World porcupine family. It is the second largest rodent in North America, after the North American beaver ("Castor canadensis"). The porcupine is a caviomorph rodent whose ancestors crossed the Atlantic from Africa to Brazil 30 million years ago, and then migrated to North America during the Great American Interchange after the Isthmus of Panama rose 3 million years ago.


title: North American porcupine

text: The word "porcupine" comes from the middle or old French word , which means 'thorn pig'. Its roots derive from the Latin words or pig and meaning thorns. Other colloquial names for the animal include quill pig. It is also referred to as the Canadian porcupine or common porcupine. The porcupine's scientific name, "Erethizon dorsatum", can be loosely translated as "the animal with the irritating back". Native American terms for it include the Lakota name meaning quill, the Ho-Chunk name , and the Chipewyan name .


title: North American porcupine

text: The North American porcupine migrated from South America, where all New World porcupines or hystricomorphs evolved. "Erethizon" appeared in North America shortly after the two continents joined together in the later Tertiary period. Other hystricomorphs also migrated, but "Erethizon" was the only one to survive north of Mexico. No known fossils are attributed to hystricomorphs prior to the late Tertiary period. Some fossils, such as species from the family Paramyidae, show resemblance to the porcupine, but they are so primitive and generalized that they could be ancestors to all later rodents.


title: North American porcupine

text: South American hystricomorphs first appeared in the Lower Oligocene period. They are thought to have migrated from Africa, ancestors of the Old World porcupines or Hystricidae or they originated based on a migration of the North American Paramyidae.


title: North American porcupine

text: The earliest appearance of "E. dorsatum" is from the Pleistocene era found along the Arroyo del Cedazo near Aguascalientes, Mexico.


title: North American porcupine

text: Seven subspecies of "E. dorsatum" are recognized. They are subdivided by different ranges across North America. By far the most common is "E. d. dorsatum", which ranges from Nova Scotia to Alberta and from Virginia to the Yukon. "E. d. picinum" occupies a small range in northeastern Quebec and Labrador. "E. d. couesi" is the most southern ranging from northern Mexico to Colorado. "E. d. bruneri" can be found in the midwest from Arkansas to Montana. The last three are found in the west. From south to north they are "E.d. epixanthum", "E. d. nigrescens", and "E. d. myops".


title: North American porcupine

text: Porcupines are usually dark brown or black in color, with white highlights. They have a stocky body, a small face, short legs, and a short, thick tail. This species is the largest of the New World porcupines and is the second largest North American rodent, after the American beaver. The head-and-body length is , not counting a tail of . The hind foot length is . Weight can range from . Weight in adult females can average some while 5 wild-caught males averaged .


title: North American porcupine

text: The porcupine possesses antibiotics in its skin which may help prevent infection when a porcupine falls out of a tree and is stuck with its own quills upon hitting the ground. Porcupines fall out of trees fairly often because they are highly tempted by the succulent buds and tender twigs at the ends of the branches. The porcupine, the wolverine, and the skunk are the only North American mammals that have strongly contrasting black-and-white coloration, because they are the only mammals that benefit from letting other animals know where and what they are in the dark of night.


title: North American porcupine

text: The most distinguishing feature of the porcupine is its coat of quills. An adult porcupine has about 30,000 quills that cover all of its body except its underbelly, face, and feet. Quills are modified hairs formed into sharp, barbed, hollow spines. They are used primarily for defense, but also serve to insulate their bodies during winter. The quills are normally flattened against the body and in this position are less easily dislodged. Porcupines do not throw their quills, but when threatened contract superficial muscles which cause the quills to stand up and out from their bodies. In this position they become easier to detach from the body, especially when the tail is swung toward an attacker. The barbs at the end of the spines lodge in the flesh of a victim and are difficult and painful to remove.


title: North American porcupine

text: The North American porcupine has a strong odor to warn away predators, which it can increase when agitated. The smell has been described as similar to strong human body odor, goats, or some cheeses. The odor is generated by a patch of skin called the rosette, on the lower back where modified quills serve as osmetrichia to broadcast the smell. The characteristic odor comes from the R-enantiomer of delta-decalactone. Not present is the S-enantiomer which smells like coconut and is used in flavorings and perfumes.


title: North American porcupine

text: In eastern North America, porcupines range from Canada to the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia and Maryland. In the west they range from Alaska to northern mountains in Mexico. They are commonly found in coniferous and mixed forested areas, but have adapted to harsh environments such as shrublands and tundra. They make their dens in hollow trees or in rocky areas.


title: North American porcupine

text: During the summer, they eat twigs, roots, stems, berries, leaves, and other vegetation. Porcupines also eat certain insects and nuts. In the winter, they mainly eat conifer needles and tree bark. Porcupines are selective in their consumption; for example out of every 1,000 trees in the Catskill Mountains, porcupines will only eat from 1-2 linden trees and one big toothed aspen.


title: North American porcupine

text: Porcupines are nearsighted and slow-moving. They are mainly active at night (nocturnal); on summer days, they often rest in trees. They do not hibernate, but sleep in and stay close to their dens in winter. The strength of the porcupine's defense has given it the ability to live a solitary life, unlike many herbivores, which must move in flocks or herds. Consequently, the porcupine has "an extraordinary ability to learn complex mazes and to remember them as much as a hundred days afterward".


title: North American porcupine

text: The North American porcupine has specific behaviors to warn or defend against predators. The defense strategy is based on aposematism in several modalities. It has a strong warning odor which it can increase when agitated. When threatened, an adult porcupine can bristle its quills, displaying a white stripe down its back, and use its teeth to make a warning, clacking sound. If the olfactory, visual, and auditory warnings fail, then it can rely on its quills. An adult porcupine when attacked turns its rear to the predator. When approached, the porcupine can swing its tail at an attacker's face. Despite popular myth, the porcupine does not throw its quills. Instead, when a quill comes in contact with the attacker, it can easily penetrate and become embedded in its skin. Each quill contains microscopic barbs which allow it to stick into the flesh of an attacker. This strategy is successful against most attacks. With a face full of quills, an attacking creature often retreats. The porcupine's last line of defense is to climb a tree.


title: North American porcupine

text: Natural predators of this species include fishers (a cat-sized mustelid), wolverines, coyotes, wolves, American black bears, and cougars, as well as humans. The only known avian predators of this species are golden eagles and great horned owls. In many cases, injury or even death may occur in the predator from embedded porcupine quills even if they are successful in dispatching the porcupine.


title: North American porcupine

text: The North American porcupine is most at risk from the fisher ("Pekania pennanti"), the male of which may sometimes exceed a mass of . Fishers have two advantages that make them capable hunters of the porcupine. First, they are agile tree climbers, and may force a fleeing porcupine from a tree to the ground, where it is more vulnerable. There it will try to present its hindquarters and tail to the attacker, with the predator circling around and attempting to attack the prey. After repeated attacks, the porcupine eventually weakens, allowing the fisher to flip the porcupine over, rip open its underbelly, and consume its organs without exposing itself to the still dangerous quills. One study suggested that since male fishers are considerably larger than females (often weighing on average twice as much), only males are likely to hunt porcupines. It appears that female fishers usually favor prey such as snowshoe hares.


title: North American porcupine

text: Another effective predator is the cougar. It does not avoid the quills so much as seek to avoid being impaled by too many of them. Some individuals have been found with dozens of quills embedded in their gums to no ill effect. It can climb trees, so its favorite method is to position itself below the porcupine and knock it to the ground, quickly dispatching it. Other predators, such as canids (wolves and coyotes), may attack but do not pose much of a threat. In some parts of the Great Basin, cougars have greatly decreased numbers of porcupines in mountainous forests through predation. However, in some cases porcupine quills have indeed killed cougars, although usually this is after the cougar has already consumed the porcupine.


title: North American porcupine

text: Female porcupines are solitary for most of the year except during the fall when breeding season begins. At this time, they secrete a thick mucus which mixes with their urine. The resulting odor attracts males in the vicinity. Males that approach a female do not automatically begin mating. The first male that comes along typically sits in the same tree below a female. If another male approaches, he may fight for the right to mate. Once a dominant male is successful, he approaches the female and uses a spray of his urine on the female. Only a few drops touch the female, but the chemical reaction allows the female to fully enter estrus. Once this is accomplished high in the tree, the mating process takes place on the ground. When porcupines are mating, they tighten their skin and hold their quills flat, so as not to injure each other. Mating may occur repeatedly until the female loses interest and climbs back into the tree.


title: North American porcupine

text: The North American porcupine has a long gestation period relative to other rodents, an average of 202 days. By contrast, the North American beaver, which is comparable in size, has a gestation period of 128 days. The eastern grey squirrel ("Sciurus carolinensis") has a gestation period of just 44 days. Porcupines give birth to a single young. At birth, they weigh about 450 g, which increases to nearly 1 kg after the first two weeks. They do not gain full adult weight until the end of the second summer about 4.5 kg. Their quills harden soon after birth.


title: North American porcupine

text: Female porcupines provide all parental care. For the first two weeks the young rely on their mother for sustenance. After this they learn to climb trees and start to forage. They continue to nurse for up to four months, which coincides with the fall mating season. They stay close to their mothers. Mother porcupines do not defend their young, but have been known to care for them even after death. In one case, when a baby had fallen to its death from a tree, the mother came down and stayed by her offspring's side for hours waiting vainly for it to revive.


title: North American porcupine

text: North American porcupines have a relatively long life expectancy, with some individuals reaching 30 years of age. Common causes of mortality include predation, starvation, falling out of a tree, and being run over by motor vehicles.


title: North American porcupine

text: Porcupines are considered by some to be pests because of the damage that they often inflict on trees and wooden and leather objects. Plywood is especially vulnerable because of the salts added during manufacture. They also often injure domestic dogs who inspect or attack them.


title: North American porcupine

text: Their quills are used by Native Americans to decorate articles such as baskets and clothing. Porcupines are edible and were an important source of food, especially in winter, to the native peoples of Canada's boreal forests. They move slowly (having few threats in their natural environment) and are often hit by vehicles while crossing roads.


title: North American porcupine

text: Porcupines are infamous among backpackers and backpacking publications for their love of salt, especially eating road salt-covered boots left outside of tents overnight. They have a similar reputation among forestry workers of all types for trying to eat sweat-soaked gloves and wooden handles on tools.


title: North American porcupine

text: Globally, the North American porcupine is listed as a species of least concern. It is common throughout its range except in some U.S. states in the southeast part of its range. For example, it is listed as a species in need of conservation in Maryland. As of 1999, 15 remnant populations remain scattered throughout north-central Mexico. These live in riparian forests, mesquite scrubland, grasslands, and thorn forests. They are threatened by hunting and habitat loss. As of 1994, the animal was listed as an endangered species in Mexico.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: The music of the video game "Minecraft" was primarily composed by German musician Daniel Rosenfeld, better known by his pseudonym C418. Later on in the game's history, Gareth Coker, Lena Raine, Kumi Tanioka and Samuel Åberg contributed with several albums and EPs. These albums include music featured in the game, as well as other music included in trailers, and instrumentals not included in the game's final release.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: Rosenfeld was solely responsible for the soundtrack of "Minecraft" until 2020, with the releases of "Minecraft – Volume Alpha" in 2011 and "Minecraft – Volume Beta" in 2013. However, Coker had released seven albums in downloadable content for legacy console versions of the game from 2016 to 2020.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: In 2020, Raine released the EP "Minecraft: Nether Update" and has since produced the albums "Minecraft: Caves & Cliffs" (2021) and "Minecraft: Wild Update" (2022). In 2015, Rosenfeld hinted at a potential upcoming third album for the game, however this has not yet come to fruition.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: The game's soundtrack is mostly instrumental ambient music, and has been praised by critics; in 2011, the video game blog "Kotaku" chose the soundtrack as one of the best video game soundtracks of that year.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: Unlike the music for "Minecraft"'s downloadable content, which has only released on legacy console versions and the of the game, the following releases have been implemented in all versions of "Minecraft." However, not every track is available in-game.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: In a panel at MineCon in 2012, Rosenfeld stated that he has had a long-term interest in video games and was involved with several video game communities. He met Markus Persson in an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and began composing music for "Minecraft" when the game was in its very early stages as a tech demo. The two shared interest in Aphex Twin and exchanged each other's projects. Both were impressed by each other's work, and eventually, Persson chose to pair Rosenfeld's music with his game.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: On 4 March 2011, C418 released "Minecraft – Volume Alpha", the first "Minecraft" soundtrack album, and his second studio album overall. The album comprises most of the music featured in the game, as well as other music included in trailers, and instrumentals that were not included in the game's final release.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: The album was met with positive reviews, with Andy Kellman from AllMusic praising its replay value, stating that "none of the recurring elements is pronounced or simple enough to become fatiguing with repeated play". Rosenfeld has said that the minimalist nature of his work was "unavoidable", as ""Minecraft" has a terrible sound engine".


title: Music of Minecraft

text: In June 2015, the first physical versions of "Minecraft – Volume Alpha" were released by record label Ghostly, as an LP and CD. In 2022, the album was nominated for Top Dance/Electronic Album at the "Billboard" Music Awards.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: On 9 November 2013, C418 released "Minecraft – Volume Beta", the second "Minecraft" soundtrack album, and his fifth studio album overall. The album includes newer music that was added into the game after the release of "Minecraft – Volume Alpha", as well as audio from 10 of the 13 collectable music discs within the game. The album has a generally darker tone than its precursor.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: Rosenfeld hinted at a potential upcoming third album for "Minecraft" soundtrack in 2015, stating "I'll still work on Minecraft, so there'll probably be another album". In 2017, Rosenfeld confirmed the future release, claiming the album "is still far from done".


title: Music of Minecraft

text: After the game's 2018 Update Aquatic, three new songs were added to the game as underwater music. These singles – "Dragon Fish", "Shuniji" and "Axolotl" – were released by Rosenfeld on 9 August, 10 November, and 12 December 2018 respectively.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: Rosenfeld has confirmed on Twitter that the third album will not be called "Volume Gamma" and it will be longer than the previous two albums combined, which in total is over three hours and 18 minutes.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: On 8 January 2021, Rosenfeld was asked in an interview with Anthony Fantano whether or not there was still a third volume of the soundtrack in production. Rosenfeld responded that "I have something—I consider it finished—but things have become complicated, especially as "Minecraft" is now a big property, so I don't know".


title: Music of Minecraft

text: On 8 April 2020, it was announced Lena Raine, known for her work on the "Celeste" soundtrack, composed new music for "Minecraft"'s 1.16 Nether Update. Admitting to feeling intimidated by the task of composing music for the game, stating "introducing something new can possibly feel like an intrusion", Raine submitted a demo soundtrack to Mojang, based on her album "Oneknowing".


title: Music of Minecraft

text: Raine said she wanted "to give the music a personal flavor, while also holding true to the vibe of the original soundtrack". Predominantly performed on the piano, the three ambient tracks saw Raine challenge herself "to see how far I could push the sound of the piano until it resembled other things entirely". Alongside three new ambient tracks, Raine also composed "Pigstep" for an in-game music disc. On the soundtrack version, which was released on 14 June 2020, "Pigstep" has two different mixes.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: On 20 October 2021, the fourth official release of the "Minecraft" soundtrack was released, with songs written and produced by Lena Raine and Kumi Tanioka, known for working on music for "" and "". The album contains ten tracks that were introduced in the 1.18 update of "Minecraft" and "Otherside", composed by Raine, which is a new in-game music disc.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: On 20 April 2022, the fifth official release of the "Minecraft" soundtrack was released, with songs written and produced by Lena Raine and Samuel Åberg. The EP contains four tracks that were introduced in the 1.19 update of "Minecraft".


title: Music of Minecraft

text: While C418 composed holiday themed music in downloadable content for console editions of the game in 2014, British composer Gareth Coker has been responsible for the bulk of music for DLC in "".


title: Music of Minecraft

text: On 21 December 2016, albums "Minecraft: Battle & Tumble (Original Soundtrack)", "Minecraft: Chinese Mythology (Original Soundtrack)" and "Minecraft: Greek Mythology (Original Soundtrack)" were released alongside three downloadable packs on the Bedrock version of the game.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: Two more albums of similar themes, "Minecraft: Norse Mythology (Original Soundtrack)" and "Minecraft: Egyptian Mythology (Original Soundtrack)" were released on 19 December 2017 and 29 May 2018 respectively. Coker's final album for the Bedrock Edition of "Minecraft" – "Minecraft: Glide Mini Game (Original Soundtrack) –" was released on 22 December 2020.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: Unlike previous work by C418, Coker's albums for "Minecraft" are released under Microsoft's own label.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: Rosenfeld originally uploaded his two soundtrack albums to Bandcamp and streaming services, but have since received physical versions issued by Ghostly. In 2015 and 2020 respectively, "Volume Alpha" and "Volume Beta" received both CD and LP formats. Coker and Raine's releases are only available through digital formats.


title: Music of Minecraft

text: The soundtrack's minimalistic and melancholic composition has been praised by critics. The ambient music style of the soundtrack has been compared to the works of Brian Eno, Erik Satie, Aphex Twin, and Vangelis. In 2018, "the Boar" described the soundtrack's composition as "nostalgia in its purest form".


title: Music of Minecraft

text: In 2022, the "Minecraft" soundtrack placed at number 54 on the ABC Classic 100 countdown, as voted by listeners.