title: Yoga as exercise

text: Treated as a form of exercise, a complete yoga session with asanas and pranayama provides 3.3 ± 1.6 METs, on average a moderate workout. Surya Namaskar ranged from a light 2.9 to a vigorous 7.4 METs; the average for a session of yoga practice without Surya Namaskar was a light 2.9 ± 0.8 METs.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: Since the mid-20th century, yoga has been used, especially in the Western world, as physical exercise for fitness and suppleness, rather than for what the historian of American yoga, Stefanie Syman, calls any "overtly Hindu" purpose. In 2010, this ambiguity triggered what the "New York Times" called "a surprisingly fierce debate in the gentle world of yoga". Some saffronising Indian-Americans campaigned to "Take Back Yoga" by informing Americans and other Westerners about the connection between yoga and Hinduism. The campaign was criticised by the New Age author Deepak Chopra, but supported by the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, R. Albert Mohler Jr. Jain notes that yoga is not necessarily Hindu, as it can also be Jain or Buddhist; nor is it homogeneous or static, so she is critical of both what she calls the "Christian yogaphobic position" and the "Hindu origins position". Farmer writes that Syman identifies a Protestant streak in yoga as exercise, "with its emphasis on working the body. This effortful yoga is, she says, paradoxical, both 'an indulgence and a penance'."


title: Yoga as exercise

text: Authorities differ on whether yoga is purely exercise. For example, in 2012, New York state decided that yoga was exempt from state sales tax as it did not constitute "true exercise", whereas in 2014 the District of Columbia was clear that yoga premises were subject to the local sales tax on premises "the purpose of which is physical exercise". Similar debates have taken place in a Muslim context; for example, restrictions on yoga have been lifted in Saudi Arabia. In Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur permits yoga classes provided they do not include chanting or meditation. The yoga teacher and author Mira Mehta, asked by "Yoga Magazine" in 2010 whether she preferred her pupils to commit to a spiritual path before they start yoga, replied "Certainly not. A person's spiritual life is his or her own affair. People come to yoga for all sorts of reasons. High on the list is health and the desire to become de-stressed." Kimberley J. Pingatore, studying attitudes among American yoga practitioners, found that they did not view the categories of religious, spiritual, and secular as alternatives.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: However, Haṭha yoga's "ecstatic ... transcendent ... possibly subversive" elements remain in yoga used as exercise.The yoga teacher and author Jessamyn Stanley writes that modern Western society "does not respect the esoteric or spiritual at all", making people skeptical about any alignment of yoga as practised in the West with "chakras or spirituality". Stanley states that it is possible to start a practice without considering such matters, and that styles such as Bikram do not mention them, but that a deepening yoga practice will bring "an overall evolution of the self". Syman suggests that part of the attraction of Bikram and Ashtanga Yoga was that under the sweat, the commitment, the schedule, the physical demands and even the verbal abuse was a hard-won ecstasy, "a deep feeling of vitality, a feeling of pure energy, an unbowed posture, and mental acuity". That context has led to a division of opinion among Christians, some like Alexandra Davis of the Evangelical Alliance asserting that it is acceptable as long as they are aware of modern yoga's origins, others like Paul Gosbee stating that yoga's purpose is to "open up chakras" and release kundalini or "serpent power" which in Gosbee's view is "from Satan", making "Christian yoga ... a contradiction". Church halls are sometimes used for yoga, and in 2015 a yoga group was banned from a church hall in Bristol by the local parochial church council, stating that yoga represented "alternative spiritualities".


title: Yoga as exercise

text: In a secular context, the journalists Nell Frizzell and Reni Eddo-Lodge have debated (in "The Guardian") whether Western yoga classes represent "cultural appropriation". In Frizzell's view, yoga has become a new entity, a long way from the "Yoga Sutras" of Patanjali, and while some practitioners are culturally insensitive, others treat it with more respect. Eddo-Lodge agrees that Western yoga is far from Patanjali, but argues that the changes cannot be undone, whether people use it "as a holier-than-thou tool, as a tactic to balance out excessive drug use, or practised similarly to its origins with the spirituality that comes with it". Jain argues however that charges of appropriation "from 'the East' to 'the West'" fail to take account of the fact that yoga is evolving in a shared multinational process; it is not something that is being stolen from one place by another.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: Yoga as exercise has been popularized in the Western world by claims about its health benefits. The history of such claims was reviewed by William J. Broad in his 2012 book "The Science of Yoga"; he states that the claims that yoga was scientific began as Hindu nationalist posturing. Among the early exponents was Kuvalayananda, who attempted to demonstrate scientifically in his purpose-built 1924 laboratory at Kaivalyadhama that Sarvangasana (shoulderstand) specifically rehabilitated the endocrine glands (the organs that secrete hormones). He found no evidence to support such a claim, for this or any other asana.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: The impact of yoga as exercise on physical and mental health has been a topic of systematic studies (evaluating primary research), although a 2014 report found that, despite its common practice and possible health benefits, it remained "extremely understudied". A systematic review of six studies found that Iyengar yoga is effective at least in the short term for both neck pain and low back pain. A review of six studies found benefits for depression, but noted that the studies' methods imposed limitations, while a clinical practice guideline from the American Cancer Society stated that yoga may reduce anxiety and stress in people with cancer. A 2015 systematic review called for more rigour in clinical trials of the effect of yoga on mood and measures of stress.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: The practice of asanas has been claimed to improve flexibility, strength, and balance; to alleviate stress and anxiety, and to reduce the symptoms of lower back pain. A review of five studies noted that three psychological (positive affect, mindfulness, self-compassion) and four biological mechanisms (posterior hypothalamus, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein and cortisol) that might act on stress had been examined empirically, whereas many other potential mechanisms remained to be studied; four of the mechanisms (positive affect, self-compassion, inhibition of the posterior hypothalamus and salivary cortisol) were found to mediate the potential stress-lowering effects of yoga. A 2017 review found moderate-quality evidence that yoga reduces back pain. For people with cancer, yoga may help relieve fatigue, improve psychological outcomes, and support sleep quality and life attitudes, although results vary from reviews published in 2017.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: A 2015 systematic review noted that yoga may be effective in alleviating symptoms of prenatal depression. There is evidence that practice of asanas improves birth outcomes and physical health and quality of life measures in the elderly, and reduces hypertension.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: From its origins in the 1920s, yoga used as exercise has had a "spiritual" aspect which is not necessarily neo-Hindu; its assimilation with Harmonial Gymnastics is an example. Jain calls yoga as exercise "a sacred fitness regimen set apart from day-to-day life." The yoga therapist Ann Swanson writes that "scientific principles and evidence have demystified [yoga, but] ... surprisingly, this made my transformative experiences feel even more magical." Yoga practice sessions have, notes yoga scholar Elizabeth De Michelis, a highly specific three-part structure that matches Arnold van Gennep's 1908 definition of the basic structure of a ritual:


title: Yoga as exercise

text: For the separation phase, the yoga session begins by going into a neutral and if possible a secluded practice hall; worries, responsibilities, ego and shoes are all left outside; and the yoga teacher is treated with deference. The actual yoga practice forms the transition state, combining practical instructions with theory, made more or less explicit. The practitioner learns "to feel and to perceive in novel ways, most of all inwardly"; to "become silent and receptive" to help to get away from the "ego-dominated rationality of modern Western life". The final relaxation forms the incorporation phase; the practitioner relaxes in Savasana, just as dictated by the "Hatha Yoga Pradipika" 1.32. The posture offers "an exercise in sense withdrawal and mental quietening, and thus ... a first step towards meditative practice", a cleansing and healing process, and even a symbolic death and moment of self-renewal. Iyengar writes that savasana puts the practitioner in "that precise state [where] the body, the breath, the mind and the brain move toward the real self ("Atma")" so as to merge into the Infinite, thus explaining the modern yoga healing ritual in terms of the Hindu Vishishtadvaita: an explanation that, De Michelis notes, practitioners are free to follow if they wish.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: The yoga scholar Elliott Goldberg notes that some practitioners of yoga as exercise "inhabit their body as a means of accessing the spiritual... they use their "asana" practice as a vehicle for transcendence." He cites yoga teacher Vanda Scaravelli's 1991 "Awakening the Spine" as an instance of such transcendence: "We learn to elongate and extend, rather than to pull and push... [and so] an unexpected opening follows, an opening from within us, giving life to the spine, as though the body had to reverse and awaken into another dimension."


title: Yoga as exercise

text: In mindful yoga, the practice of asanas is combined with pranayama and meditation, using the breath and sometimes Buddhist Vipassana meditation techniques to bring the attention to the body and the emotions, thus quietening the mind.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: The idea of competitive yoga has been called an oxymoron by some people in the yoga community, such as the yoga teacher Maja Sidebaeck, but the fiercely contested Bishnu Charan Ghosh Cup, founded by Bikram Choudhury in 2003, is now held annually in Los Angeles.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: By the 21st century, yoga as exercise had become a flourishing business, professionally marketed; a 2016 Ipsos study reported that 36.7 million Americans practise yoga, making the business of classes, clothing and equipment worth $16 billion in America, compared to $10 billion in 2012, and $80 billion worldwide. 72 percent of practitioners were women. By 2010, "Yoga Journal", founded in 1975, had some 350,000 subscribers and over 1,300,000 readers.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: Fashion has entered the world of yoga, with brands such as Lorna Jane and Lululemon offering their own ranges of women's yoga clothing. Sales of goods such as yoga mats are increasing rapidly; sales are projected to rise to $14 billion by 2020 in North America, where the key vendors in 2016 were Barefoot Yoga, Gaiam, Jade Yoga, and Manduka, according to Technavio. Sales of athleisure clothing such as yoga pants were worth $35 billion in 2014, forming 17% of American clothing sales. A wide variety of instructional videos are available, some free, for yoga practice at beginner and advanced levels; by 2018, over 6,000 commercially produced titles were on sale. Over 1,000 books have been published on yoga poses. Yoga has reached high fashion, too: in 2011, the fashion house Gucci, noting the "halo of chic" around yoga-practising celebrities such as Madonna and Sting, produced a yoga mat costing $850 and a matching carry case in leather for $350.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: In India, participants typically wear loose-fitting clothes for yoga classes, while serious practitioners in yoga ashrams practice an arduous combination of exercise, meditation, selfless service, vegetarian diet and celibacy, making yoga a way of life.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: Yoga holidays (vacations) are offered in "idyllic" places around the world, including in Croatia, England, France, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, India, Italy, Montenegro, Morocco, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Turkey; in 2018, prices were up to £1,295 (about $1,500) for 6 days.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: Teacher training, as of 2017, could cost between $2,000 and $5,000. It can take up to 3 years to obtain a teaching certificate. Yoga training courses, as of 2017, were still unregulated in the UK; the British Wheel of Yoga has been appointed the activity's official governing body by Sport England, but it lacks power to compel training organisations, and many people are taking short unaccredited courses rather than one of the nine so far accredited.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: Bikram Yoga has become a global brand, and its founder, Bikram Choudhury, spent some ten years from 2002 attempting to establish copyright on the sequence of 26 postures used in Bikram Yoga, with some initial success. However, in 2012, the American federal court ruled that Bikram Yoga could not be copyrighted. In 2015, after further legal action, the American court of appeals ruled that the yoga sequence and breathing exercises were not eligible for copyright protection.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: Yoga has found its way into types of literature as varied as autobiography, chick lit, and documentary. The actress Mariel Hemingway's 2002 autobiography "Finding My Balance: A Memoir with Yoga" describes how she used yoga to recover balance in her life after a dysfunctional upbringing: among other things, her grandfather, the novelist Ernest Hemingway, killed himself shortly before she was born. Each chapter is titled after an asana, the first being "Mountain Pose, or Tadasana", the posture of standing in balance.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: The teacher of yoga and mindful meditation Anne Cushman's 2009 novel "Enlightenment for Idiots" tells the story of a woman nearing the age of thirty whose life as a nanny and yogini hopeful isn't working out as expected, and is sure that a visit to the ashrams of India will sort out her life. Instead, she finds that nothing in India is quite what it seems on the surface. The "Yoga Journal" review notes that underneath the chick lit "fun romp", the book is a serious "call to enlightenment and an introduction to yoga philosophy".


title: Yoga as exercise

text: Kate Churchill's 2009 film "Enlighten Up!" follows an unemployed journalist for six months as, on the filmmaker's invitation, he travels the globe – New York, Boulder, California, Hawaii, India – to practise under yoga masters including Jois, Norman Allen, and Iyengar. The critic Roger Ebert found it interesting and peaceful, if "not terribly eventful, but I suppose we wouldn't want a yoga thriller". He commented: "I'm glad I saw it. I enjoyed all the people I met during Nick's six-month quest. Most seemed cheerful and outgoing, and exuded good health. They smiled a lot. They weren't creepy true believers obsessed with converting everyone."


title: Yoga as exercise

text: Yoga is becoming a subject of academic inquiry; many of the researchers are "scholar practitioners" who do yoga themselves. Medknow (part of Wolters Kluwer), with Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana university, publishes the peer-reviewed open access medical journal "International Journal of Yoga". An increasing number of papers are being published on the possible medical benefits of yoga, such as on stress and low back pain. The School of Oriental and African Studies in London has created a Centre of Yoga Studies; it hosted the five-year Hatha Yoga Project which traced the history of physical yoga, and it teaches a master's degree in yoga and meditation.


title: Yoga as exercise

text: Academics have given yoga as exercise a variety of names, including "modern postural yoga" reflecting its emphasis on asanas (postures) and "transnational anglophone yoga" denoting its growth in the English-speaking world, especially America.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: Irkutsk Oblast (; ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is the city of Irkutsk. It borders the Republic of Buryatia and the Tuva Republic in the south and southwest, which separate it from Khövsgöl Province in Mongolia; Krasnoyarsk Krai in the west; the Sakha Republic in the northeast; and Zabaykalsky Krai in the east. It had a population of 2,428,750 at the 2010 Census.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: Irkutsk Oblast borders with the Republic of Buryatia and the Tuva Republic in the south and southwest, with Krasnoyarsk Krai in the west, with the Sakha Republic in the northeast, and with Zabaykalsky Krai in the east.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: The unique and world-famous Lake Baikal is located in the southeast of the region. It is drained by the Angara, which flows north across the province; the outflow rate is controlled by the Irkutsk Dam. The two other major dams on the Irkutsk Oblast's section of the Angara are at Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk; both forming large reservoirs. The Lena has its source in Irkutsk Oblast as well, and flows north-east into the neighboring Sakha Republic.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: Irkutsk Oblast consists mostly of the hills and broad valleys of the Central Siberian Plateau, with the Lena-Angara Plateau. The Primorsky Range and the Baikal Mountains stretch along Lake Baikal, and in the northeast rise the North Baikal Highlands and the Patom Plateau.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: The climate varies from warm summer continental in the south to continental-subarctic in the northern part (: "Dwc"). For almost half the year, from mid-October until the beginning of April, the average temperature is below . Winters are very cold, with average high temperatures in Irkutsk of and average lows of in January. Summers are warm but short: the average high in July is and the average low is . However, by September, the weather cools down significantly to an average daily high of and an average daily low of . More than half of all precipitation falls in the summer months, with the wettest month being July, with of rain. January is the driest month, with only of precipitation. Annual precipitation averages .


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: Mongolic-related Slab Grave cultural monuments survive in Baikal territory. The territory of Buryatia came under the control of the Xiongnu Empire (209 BC – 93 CE), of the Mongolian Xianbei state (93–234), of the Rouran Khaganate (330–555), of the Göktürk Khaganate (555-603), of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate (603-744), of the Uyghur Khaganate (744-847), of the Yenisei Kyrgyz (847-1219), of the Mongol Empire (1206–1368) and of the Northern Yuan (1368–1691).


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: Medieval Mongol tribes like the Merkit, Bayads, Barga Mongols and Tümeds inhabited Buryatia. Today Buryat-Mongols remain in the territory of the oblast.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: Russian presence in the area dates from the 17th century: the Russian Tsardom expanded eastward following the conquest of the Khanate of Sibir in 1582. By the end of the 17th century, Irkutsk had become a small town, monasteries were being built, and suburbs and agricultural settlements had started to form.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: From the 18th century trades and crafts began to develop, and gold- and silver-smiths appeared. As the Russian state expanded to the east of Irkutsk, the city became the capital of enormous territories from the Yenisey River to the Pacific Ocean, and played an important role in the exploration and securing of vast Eastern-Siberian and Far-Eastern territories for Russia. Gradually, Irkutsk gained more importance as the main transportation- and trade-center of Eastern Siberia; it became a center of trade routes from Kamchatka, Chukotka, Yakutia to Mongolia, and China. The administrative importance of the city also increased, and it became a center of a fifth of the provinces of Siberia; in 1764 it became the center of an independent province, the Irkutsk Governorate.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: For Irkutsk the 18th century was a time of research expeditions. Some of the organization of Vitus Bering's first (1725–1730) and second (1733-1743) expeditions to the shores of Kamchatka took place in Irkutsk.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: A merchant class developed in the city of Irkutsk. In the second half of the eighteenth century, the Irkutsk industrial and merchant companies of Golikov, Trapeznikov, , , began to explore the Aleutian Islands and later Alaska. In 1799 the merchant companies came together in a Russian-American Company "for the trades on the territory of the Aleutian and Kuril islands and the rest of the North-Eastern sea, belonging to Russia by the right of discovery". Grigorii Ivanovich Shelikhov, an outstanding seafarer, played an important role in controlling enormous spaces of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. He founded the first colonies of Russian America through the Shelikhov-Golikov Company. In 1727 the Russian Orthodox Church established the Irkutsk Eparchy.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: During the 18th century, schools, professional-technical education colleges, science museums, libraries, theaters, and book-printers developed in Irkutsk. Educational and cultural organizations opened. In 1725 the first school in Eastern Siberia, attached to the (founded in 1672), opened, and in 1754 sea (navigation) schools and secondary schools opened throughout the Irkutsk area. The 1780s saw the opening of the second public library in provincial towns in Russia, as well as a regional museum and an amateur theater. In Irkutsk outstanding citizens appeared, still remembered today. These included the architect, geographer and historian (1765–1829), the writer (1797–1863), and the teacher Semyon Semyonovich Schukin (1789—1863). Siberian science buildings opened. A.G. Laxman, Lomonosov's apprentice, one of the first Siberian mineralogists, worked in Irkutsk.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: The city landscape of Irkutsk was changing. The of 1706 (one of the oldest stone buildings in Eastern Siberia), the unique (1747), the "Prikaznaya izba" (order house), the first stone construction, and the Triumph gate were built.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: In the late eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century, Irkutsk Province gradually increased in importance as a center of trade, craft, and culture. It became the center of Russian trade with China and, from the 1830s, a gold-manufacturing center of Eastern Siberia. In 1803 Irkutsk became the center of the Siberian Governorate-General, and in 1822 it became the center of the Eastern Siberian Governorate-General. The Governors-General of Eastern Siberia greatly influenced the development of the city.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: Irkutsk merchants explored the Yeniseysky and Leno-Vitimsky gold regions and substantially increased their capital, which made them the richest merchants in Siberia. The Irkutsk merchant class began to play a major role in the city's development. Intensive city construction took place. Private residences, hospitals, orphanages, and schools were built, while significant funds went towards education and the development of science in the region.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: The architecture of the city of Irkutsk underwent change. The , done in Russian classic style in 1800–1804, and the – a monument of the nineteenth century, were built in honor of the tenth anniversary of Alexander I's reign.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: In the second half of the nineteenth century the book printing were released in Irkutsk, the first newspapers being, “Irkutsk province news” and “Amur”. The names of A.P.Schapov, M.B.Zagoskin, V.I.Vagin were connected with the newspaper “Siberia”. In 1851, the first scientific organization in Eastern Siberia – the Siberian branch of Russian geographical society, was opened. In 1877, it was called the Eastern-Siberian branch. V.I.Dybovskii, A.L.Chekanovskii, I.D.Cherskii, V.A.Obruchev, geologists, geographers and researchers of Siberia, worked in Irkutsk Oblast on exploring Lake Baikal and the Lena River.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: The summer of 1879 could be considered to be a dramatic period in the city of Irkutsk's history. During a July 22–24 fire almost all the central parts of the city were burnt, and more than two thirds of city buildings and 75 city districts were destroyed. The city began to revive, getting a new look. Stone and wooden constructions built after the fire have been preserved up to the present day. In 1898 the arrival of the first train via the Trans-Siberian Railway to Irkutsk Oblast was a major event. The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway contributed to further city development.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: Several politically exiled figures were connected with Irkutsk city. Among the first of the exiled was A.N. Radischev, who lived in Irkutsk for more than 3 months. Since the 1830s, the Decembrists lived in settlements and in colonies in the Irkutsk Oblast. The exiled houses of Volkonsky and Trubetskoy later became house-museums. N. A. Panov, I. V. Podzhio, A. Z. Muravyov, P. A. Mukhanov, A. P. Yushnevsky, V. A. Bechasnov, the wife of Trubetskoy and their children stayed in Irkutsk for the rest of their lives. In the late 1850s, the Petrashevtzy appeared in Irkutsk. The exiled historian-democrat, A.P. Schapov, lived here until his last days, and the Polish rebels and revolutionaries (including the "narodnik") also lived here.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: A well-known Russian publicist of the nineteenth century, N. Shelgunov, wrote about Irkutsk: “Irkutsk is the only Siberian city, which has the city character. ...As England created London, France - Paris, Siberia – created Irkutsk. Siberia is proud of Irkutsk, “not to see this city” means “not to see Siberia”.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: In the early nineteenth century the city was considerably changed, especially its center. Large buildings were being built, mason streets were being made, cab drivers and street lights appeared. The water supply and the first electrification stations were built. The Irkutsk Regional museum was stamped with the names of Siberian researchers on its walls (1883), the building of the first public community, city theater (1897), Kazan' cathedral, made in new Byzantine style (1893), and the Roman Catholic cathedral (1895) completed an architectural style of the city. In 1908 a monument to Alexander III was opened on the Angara embankment.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: The city was damaged and influenced by the political events of the twentieth century – the Russian revolution, the 1917 October Revolution, the Civil war and the Great Patriotic War (as the Soviet Union's part in WW2 is commonly referred to in Russia. This is distinct from WW2, in that it began with Operation Barbarossa, whereas WW2 began with the invasion of Poland).


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: Since the 1930s the industrial construction of the city had begun. Mechanical engineering plants, the air plant, brick and concrete plants, tea fabric, and food industry plants were being built. Economic development of the city contributed to scientific, educational and cultural development. The first Higher education in Eastern Siberia, Irkutsk State University was founded in 1918. Its departments were developing as independent institutes: medical, pedagogical, finance-economical. In 1930 the metallurgic institute was opened, in 1934 the agricultural institute was organized.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: Since the 1950s a rapid development of the city of Irkutsk took place. In 1947 streetcar routes were opened in the city and trolleybus routes were opened in 1972. In 1958 a TV center was established. The city's larger districts and micro regions construction period began. New districts such as Baykalsky, Solnechny, Yubileyny, Primorsky, Akademgorodok and others were created.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: The main industries of Irkutsk Oblast are metals, energy, logging, oil and fuels, machine-building, chemicals, food industry, and hydroelectricity. The average wages in Irkutsk Oblast are 10% higher than in Russia overall.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: During the Soviet period, the high authority in the oblast was shared between three persons: The first secretary of the Irkutsk CPSU Committee (who in reality had the biggest authority), the chairman of the oblast Soviet (legislative power), and the Chairman of the oblast Executive Committee (executive power). Since 1991, CPSU lost all the power, and the head of the Oblast administration, and eventually the governor was appointed/elected alongside elected regional parliament.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: The Charter of Irkutsk Oblast is the fundamental law of the region. The Legislative Assembly of Irkutsk Oblast is the province's standing legislative (representative) body. The Legislative Assembly exercises its authority by passing laws, resolutions, and other legal acts and by supervising the implementation and observance of the laws and other legal acts passed by it. The highest executive body is the Oblast Government, which includes territorial executive bodies such as district administrations, committees, and commissions that facilitate development and run the day to day matters of the province. The Oblast administration supports the activities of the Governor who is the highest official and acts as guarantor of the observance of the oblast Charter in accordance with the Constitution of Russia.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: The oblast is very thinly populated, with a population density of 3.5 people per square kilometer, compared to a national average of 8.7. Irkutsk is the administrative center and largest city, with 612,973 residents. Other large cities are Bratsk (238,825 people), Angarsk (229,592 people), Ust-Ilimsk (83,635 people), and Usolye-Sibirskoye (80,331 people).


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: Most of the population are ethnic Russians. A minority group, the Buryats, have a special Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug inside the oblast. Russians and other Slavic/Germanic groups make up 93.5% of the population, according to the 2010 Census, while Buryats are 3.3%. Tofalars number 837, an increase from 722 in 1989.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: One small ethnic group, concentrated in three villages (Pikhtinsk, Sredne-Pikhtinsk, and Dagnik) in Zalarinsky District is the so-called "Bug Hollanders": descendants of Polish-speaking Lutheran farmers who had moved to Siberia from the then Russian Volhynia in 1911–1912 in search of affordable land. Although they had long lost German (or Dutch) language of their ancestors (even in the early twentieth century they spoke Ukrainian and read Polish), they were still considered ethnic Germans, and during World War II were usually drafted for work in labor camps, instead of front-line military service.


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: Irkutsk Oblast registered natural population growth in 2008, the first time after 1993. Still, the future prospects for population growth in Irkutsk seems bleak. In 2007, women in Irkutsk were having an average of 1.602 children each. Fertility rate was extremely low in urban areas, where women were having just 1.477 children each. In rural areas however, the fertility rate was slightly above replaceable levels. In rural areas of Irkutsk Oblast, women were having an average of 2.165 children each. (Figures are not available for 2008, although for Russia as a whole fertility rates for 2008 were approx. 6% higher than that in 2007, and for Irkutsk 9% higher).


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: 2009: 1.88 | 2010: 1.82 | 2011: 1.86 | 2012: 1.97 | 2013: 1.98 | 2014: 1.97 | 2015: 2.01 | 2016: 1.98(e)


title: Irkutsk Oblast

text: According to a 2012 survey 28.1% of the population of Irkutsk Oblast adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, 7% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 6% are Orthodox Christian believers without belonging to any church or are members of other (non-Russian) Orthodox churches, 2% of the population adheres to the Slavic native faith (Rodnovery), and 1% to Islam. In addition, 37% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 17% is atheist, and 1.9% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: Andrew Eldritch (born Andrew William Harvey Taylor, 15 May 1959) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is the frontman and only remaining original member of the Sisters of Mercy, a band that emerged from the British post-punk scene, transformed into a gothic rock band, and, in later years, flirted with hard rock.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: Formerly a drummer, Eldritch also programs the tracks for the Sisters of Mercy's drum machine (known as "Doktor Avalanche") and plays guitars and keyboards in its studio recordings but uses live shows to focus solely on his vocal performance. Eldritch is well known for his deep and melancholic bass-baritone singing voice as well as his poetic (and sometimes politically charged) lyrics.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: The Sisters of Mercy is regarded as a major influence on gothic rock, and Eldritch, with his (former) shock of black hair, bass-baritone vocal style and pale and thin look (with prominent cheekbones), was described in the media as a poster boy for the genre, earning him the label "the Godfather of Goth", which he frequently rejects.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: He also established the record label Merciful Release. In addition to the Sisters of Mercy, in 1986 Andrew Eldritch established a side-project, the Sisterhood, which was quickly abandoned in favour of continuing working under the Sisters of Mercy.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: Andrew Eldritch was born in the small cathedral city Ely in 1959. He later wrote a piano song named "1959", referring to the year of his birth and starting with the line "Living as an angel in the place that I was born".


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: Eldritch studied French and German literature at the University of Oxford before moving to Leeds around 1978 to study Mandarin Chinese at the University of Leeds: he left both courses before graduating. He speaks fluent French and German and has some knowledge of Dutch, Italian, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, and Latin, but stated he had forgotten the Chinese he learned. During this period, Eldritch was a freelance drummer in the local Leeds punk scene.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: In 1980, Eldritch and Gary Marx formed the Sisters of Mercy. On the first single, "Damage Done/Watch/Home of the Hit-men", Eldritch played the drums, a task he was later relieved of by a series of drum machines referred to as Doktor Avalanche, allowing him instead to focus on his vocal performance. Over the years, nine members have left the group, several of them citing conflicts with the frontman as a reason for their departure. These former members include Patricia Morrison, who claimed she had been paid an average of £300 per month; and Wayne Hussey, with whom Eldritch had a personal feud which contributed to heavy criticism of both by the music press during the 1980s. Hussey formed a breakaway band called The Mission as a result of this conflict.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: Following the release of the band's last studio album to date, "Vision Thing", Eldritch initiated a 1991 US tour of the Sisters of Mercy in a triple bill with Gang of Four and hip-hop act Public Enemy. The tour was cancelled midway and the band relocated to Europe.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: In 1995 Eldritch interviewed David Bowie and Leonard Cohen for the German edition of "Rolling Stone" magazine. He also contributed articles on computers to German magazines. That year, he briefly rejuvenated his working relationship with erstwhile Sisters of Mercy guitarist Gary Marx. Marx wrote an album's worth of backing tracks, to which Eldritch could contribute lyrics for release as a new studio album. Eldritch eventually backed out of the project and Marx released the tracks over a decade later as a solo album.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: Prevented by contractual obligations from appearing under his own name, he is also rumoured to have produced a couple of techno albums under various pseudonyms during the 1990s, a rumour he would not deny when asked about it in an interview by Alexa Williamson in May 1997. Two musical projects Eldritch set up with his label, Merciful Release, have later been confirmed as "Paris Riots" (a collaboration with James Ray) and "Leeds Underground". Both projects were abandoned before any tracks were released to the public.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: In 1997 Eldritch produced the SSV album "Go Figure", featuring his vocals over drumless electronic music. The album finally freed him from his contractual obligations, as EastWest agreed to waive their claims for two more Sisters of Mercy albums in exchange for the recordings. The SSV tracks were, however, never officially released. The full name of the band is SSV-NSMABAAOTWMODAACOTIATW, said to be an acronym for "Screw Shareholder Value – Not So Much A Band As Another Opportunity To Waste Money on Drugs And Ammunition Courtesy of the Idiots at Time Warner".


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: The Sisters of Mercy tour every year, but no new recorded material has been released for sale since 1993.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: In 2009 Eldritch gave his first interview in 12 years to "Classic Rock" writer Joel McIver, in which he rejected the need for any new recorded material from the Sisters and talked at length about the band's career.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: Speculation about a new Sisters of Mercy album release was renewed in November 2016 when Eldritch was quoted by TeamRock website: "I can tell you one thing: If Donald Trump actually does become President, that will be reason enough for me to release another album. I don't think I could keep quiet if that happened." As of June 2022, no new album has been released.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: The devices in Eldritch's lyrics include literary allusions (notably to the works of T. S. Eliot, Leonard Cohen and Shakespeare), erotic imagery, and drug culture metaphors. He has made pointed criticism of the Republican Party of the United States, a group with which Eldritch claims to have a "hate-hate" relationship. Politically, he has claimed to be "traditionally a Labour supporter" despite his "anarcho-syndicalist tendencies".


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: Though Andrew Eldritch has been called the "Godfather of Goth", for inspiring and defining the gothic scene musically and aesthetically, the Sisters of Mercy, despite being formed in 1980, were originally not very popular in the early-1980s post-punk subgenre of bands and music fans which the British press had labelled Goth. The Sisters of Mercy were, however, accused by the press of plagiarising Joy Division, who were marketed by their management as "gothic" in the late 1970s.


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: Since the early 1990s, Eldritch has publicly rejected associations with the Goth subculture. He describes the Sisters of Mercy as humanist, modernist, and implies he wants nothing to do with Goth, stating: "it's disappointing that so many people have in all seriousness adopted just one of our many one-week-of-stupid-clothes benders." He also notes: "I'm constantly confronted by representatives of popular culture who are far more goth than we, yet I have only to wear black socks to be stigmatised as the demon overlord."


title: Andrew Eldritch

text: Eldritch is the subject of the song "Prince of Darkness" by fellow-Leeds band The Mekons and is also mentioned in the song "Charlie Cake Park", both of which appeared on their 1987 album "Honky Tonkin'"; he is also the subject of "Andrew Eldritch is Moving Back to Leeds" on the album "Goths" by the Mountain Goats, released May 19, 2017.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: The 2021 season was the Philadelphia Eagles' 89th season in the National Football League and their first under head coach Nick Sirianni. They improved on their 4–11–1 record from the previous season after a 40–29 win against the New Orleans Saints in Week 11 and returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence. This was the Eagles' first season since 2015 without quarterback Carson Wentz, as he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in March 2021.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: The Eagles started the season slowly with a 2–5 record. However, things turned around and the Eagles went 7–2 in their next 9 games and clinched a playoff berth after a one-year absence. The Eagles finished tied with the New Orleans Saints for the last Wild Card spot, but won the tiebreaker based on their . The Eagles went on to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round, but lost by a score of 31–15 to the defending champions.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: Despite the 9–8 record, the Eagles did not beat any team that made the playoffs in the 2021 season, going 0-6.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: After an Atlanta field goal, the Eagles would take the lead after an 18 yard pass from Jalen Hurts to DeVonta Smith and never looked back. The week one rout over the Falcons was the Eagles biggest win, scoring over 30 points, and have a winning record (1-0) for the first time since 2019. This is also the Eagles first win in Atlanta since 2009.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: The Eagles would start the game being able to march down the field throughout the first half, including a 91 yard bomb from Jalen Hurts to Quez Watkins. However, after a failed "Philly Special" attempt, and blocked field goal, the Birds could only muster 3 points in the first half. The 49ers would tack on 10 points in the 4th quarter before surrendering a late QB sneak TD from Hurts. The loss dropped the Eagles to 1-1 and their first loss to the 49ers since 2014.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: The Eagles traveled down to Arlington, Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. The Cowboys would jump on the board quickly after an Ezekiel Elliott 1 yard TD. The Eagles defense made a play by stripping the ball from Dak Prescott in their own endzone resulting in a touchdown from Fletcher Cox. From that point on, the Dallas offense had its way on the Eagles defense and didn't get any help from a pass heavy Eagles offense that could not gain much momentum. The Eagles would get a couple of garbage time TDs from Jalen Hurts to Zach Ertz and Greg Ward. With the loss, the Eagles would fall to 1-2 and lose their 4th straight game at AT&T Stadium.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: After a slow offensive start, the Eagles would rally a second half comeback with the help of a blocked punt and outscoring the Panthers 15-3 in the second half. With the win, the Eagles improved to 2-3.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: In a newly looking, run heavy offense, the Eagles would rush their way to a 44-6 blowout over the lowly Detroit Lions. The win marks the first time the Eagles win at Ford Field since 2010, as well as their first 40+ point game since Super Bowl LII. With the Win, the Eagles improve to 3-5.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: Going into Denver, the Eagles introduced their white jersey on black pants. With the win, the Eagles earn their first win in Denver since 1989 and matched their 2020 win total.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: The Eagles survived a late rally by the Saints to earn their first home win since Week 14 of the 2020 season, which coincidentally also came against New Orleans. Philadelphia improved to 5–6 on the season with the 40-29 win, improving on their win total from the previous season.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: Hurts played poorly throughout the game, throwing 3 interceptions. On the Eagles' final two plays, Jalen Reagor dropped two passes at the goal line, securing their defeat.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: With the loss, the Eagles 2-game winning streak was snapped as they fell to 5–7, and lost back-to-back games against the Giants for the first time since 2007-08.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: Thanks to a stellar performance by backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, the Eagles improved to 12–0 in their all-time series against the New York Jets.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: In the week leading up to the game, a COVID-19 outbreak among the Washington Football Team led to postponement of the game originally scheduled for December 19. The game was moved to Tuesday night. On the rare Tuesday Night Football, Washington got off to a quick start after a pair of Eagles turnovers starting from a flukey interception bouncing off of Dallas Goedert's foot to a Jalen Hurts' fumble. From the second quarter on, the Eagles would score 20 unanswered points before surrendering a Washington TD. A late back shoulder throw from Jalen Hurts to Greg Ward would secure the Eagles' victory. This is the first divisional win in the Hurts/Sirianni era and a win that keeps the Eagles alive in the playoff push.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: Despite a slow start, the Eagles rallied with 31 second-half points in a 34-10 rout of the shorthanded New York Giants, including a touchdown catch by Lane Johnson and a pick-six by Alex Singleton. This win was Philadelphia's eighth straight home win and 90th overall win over their rivals.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: Despite again playing less-than-stellar football to start the game, the Eagles rallied for their fourth straight win, improving to 9-7 on the year and earning their first winning season and playoff appearance since 2019, thanks to wins by the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers later that day. This was also Philadelphia's first sweep of Washington since that same season, and their fourth in their past five seasons.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: With a playoff spot already clinched, the Eagles rested Jalen Hurts, who was nursing an ankle injury, and most other key starters in the season finale. The Cowboys, who played nearly all of their key starters, had an offensive attack that was too powerful for the Eagles' backups to handle. The 51–26 loss ended the Eagles' regular season with a 9–8 record, and the 51 points were the most the Eagles surrendered in a single game at Lincoln Financial Field, surpassing the previous mark of 48 against the New Orleans Saints in 2009.


title: 2021 Philadelphia Eagles season

text: In a rematch of their Week 6 meeting, the Eagles visited the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay would jump out to an early lead and never look back in a 31-15 rout of Philadelphia. With this loss, the Eagles finished their season with a total record of 9-9.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Fantastic Four is the name of several comic book titles featuring the team Fantastic Four (created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby) and published by Marvel Comics, beginning with the original "Fantastic Four" comic book series which debuted in 1961.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: As the first superhero team title produced by Marvel Comics, it formed a cornerstone of the company's 1960s rise from a small division of a publishing company to a pop culture conglomerate. The title would go on to showcase the talents of comics creators such as Roy Thomas, John Buscema, John Byrne, Steve Englehart, Walt Simonson, Tom DeFalco, Mark Waid, and Jonathan Hickman. "The Fantastic Four" is one of several Marvel titles originating in the Silver Age of Comic Books that was continuously published through 2015 before returning to monthly publication in 2018.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Magazine and comic book publisher Martin Goodman, a publishing trend-follower, aware of strong sales on "Justice League of America", directed his comics editor, Stan Lee, to create a comic-book series about a team of superheroes. According to Lee, writing in 1974, "Martin mentioned that he had noticed one of the titles published by National Comics seemed to be selling better than most. It was a book called "The" "Justice League of America" and it was composed of a team of superheroes. ... 'If the Justice League is selling', spoke he, 'why don't we put out a comic book that features a team of superheroes?'"


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: The release of "The Fantastic Four" #1 (Nov. 1961) was an unexpected success. Lee had felt ready to leave the comics field at the time, but the positive response to "Fantastic Four" persuaded him to stay on. The title began to receive fan mail and Lee started printing the letters in a letter column with issue #3. With the third issue, Lee created the hyperbolic slogan "The Greatest Comic Magazine in the World!!" The following issue, the slogan was changed to "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine!" and became a fixture on the issue covers into the 1990s, and on numerous covers in the 2000s.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Issue #4 (May 1962) reintroduced Namor the Sub-Mariner, an aquatic antihero who was a star character of Marvel's earliest iteration, Timely Comics, during the late 1930s and 1940s period that historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comics. Issue #5 (July 1962) introduced the team's most frequent nemesis, Doctor Doom. These earliest issues were published bimonthly. With issue #16 (July 1963), the cover title dropped its "The" and became simply "Fantastic Four".


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Kirby left Marvel in mid-1970, having drawn the first 102 issues plus an unfinished issue, partially published in "Fantastic Four" #108, with alterations, and later completed and published as "Fantastic Four: The Lost Adventure" (April 2008), "Fantastic Four" continued with Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway and Marv Wolfman as its consecutive regular writers, working with artists such as John Romita Sr., John Buscema, Rich Buckler and George Pérez, with longtime inker Joe Sinnott adding some visual continuity. Jim Steranko also contributed several covers during this time. A short-lived series titled "Giant-Size Super-Stars" starring the team began in May 1974 and changed its title to "Giant-Size Fantastic Four" with issue #2. John Byrne joined the title with issue #209 (Aug. 1979), doing pencil breakdowns for Sinnott to finish.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Bill Mantlo briefly followed Wolfman as writer of the series and wrote a crossover with "Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man" #42 (May 1980). Byrne wrote and drew a giant-sized Fantastic Four promotional comic for Coca-Cola, which was rejected by Coca-Cola as being too violent and published as "Fantastic Four" #220-221 (July–Aug. 1980) instead. Writer Doug Moench and penciller Bill Sienkiewicz then took over for 10 issues. With issue #232 (July 1981), the aptly titled "Back to the Basics", Byrne began his run as writer, penciller and inker, the last under the pseudonym Bjorn Heyn for this issue only.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Byrne revitalized the slumping title with his run. Originally, Byrne was slated to write with Sienkiewicz providing the art. Sienkiewicz left to do "Moon Knight", and Byrne ended up as writer, artist, and inker. Various editors were assigned to the comic; eventually Bob Budiansky became the regular editor. Byrne told Jim Shooter that he could not work with Budiansky, although they ultimately continued to work together. In 2006, Byrne said "that's my paranoia. I look back and I think that was Shooter trying to force me off the book". Byrne left following issue #293 (Aug. 1986) in the middle of a story arc, explaining he could not recapture the fun he had previously had on the series.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Byrne was followed by a quick succession of writers: Roger Stern, Tom DeFalco, and Roy Thomas. Steve Englehart took over as writer for issues 304–332 (except #320). The title had been struggling, so Englehart decided to make radical changes. He felt the title had become stale with the normal makeup of Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny, so in issue #308 Reed and Sue retired and were replaced with the Thing's new girlfriend, Sharon Ventura, and Johnny Storm's former love, Crystal. The changes increased readership through issue #321. At this point, Marvel made decisions about another Englehart comic, "West Coast Avengers", that he disagreed with, and in protest he changed his byline to S.F.X. Englehart (S.F.X. is the abbreviation for Simple Sound Effects). In issue #326, Englehart was told to bring Reed and Sue back and undo the other changes he had made. This caused Englehart to take his name entirely off the book. He used the pseudonym John Harkness, which he had created years before for work he did not want to be associated with. According to Englehart, the run from #326 through his last issue, #332, was "one of the most painful stretches of [his] career." Writer-artist Walt Simonson took over as writer with #334 (December 1989), and three issues later began pencilling and inking as well. With brief inking exceptions, two fill-in issues, and a three-issue stint drawn by Arthur Adams, Simonson remained in all three positions through #354 (July 1991).


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Simonson, who had been writing the team comic "The Avengers", had gotten approval for Reed and Sue to join that team after Engelhart had written them out of "Fantastic Four". Yet by "The Avengers" #300, where they were scheduled to join the team, Simonson was told the characters were returning to "Fantastic Four". This led to Simonson quitting "The Avengers" after that issue. Shortly afterward, he was offered the job of writing "Fantastic Four". Having already prepared a number of stories involving the Avengers with Reed and Sue in the lineup, he then rewrote these for "Fantastic Four". Simonson later recalled that working on "Fantastic Four" allowed him the latitude to use original Avengers members Thor and Iron Man, which he had been precluded from using in "The Avengers".


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: After another fill-in, the regular team of writer and Marvel editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco, penciller Paul Ryan and inker Dan Bulanadi took over, with Ryan self-inking beginning with #360 (Jan. 1992). That team, with the very occasional different inker, continued for years through #414 (July 1996). DeFalco nullified the Storm-Masters marriage by retconning that the alien Skrull Empire had kidnapped the real Masters and replaced her with a spy named Lyja. Once discovered, Lyja, who herself had fallen for Storm, helped the Fantastic Four rescue Masters. Ventura departed after being further mutated by Doctor Doom. Although some fans were not pleased with DeFalco's run on "Fantastic Four", calling him "The Great Satan", the title's sales increased over the period.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: The ongoing series was cancelled with issue #416 (Sept. 1996) and relaunched with (vol. 2) #1 (Nov. 1996) as part of the multi-series "Heroes Reborn" crossover story arc. The yearlong volume retold the team's first adventures in a more contemporary style, and set in a parallel universe. Following the end of that experiment, "Fantastic Four" was relaunched with (vol. 3) #1 (Jan. 1998). Initially by the team of writer Scott Lobdell and penciller Alan Davis, it went after three issues to writer Chris Claremont (co-writing with Lobdell for #4-5), penciller Salvador Larroca, and inker Art Thibert; this team enjoyed a long run through issue #32 (Aug. 2000).


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Following the run of Claremont, Lobdell and Larroca, Carlos Pacheco took over as penciller and co-writer, first with Rafael Marín, then with Marín and Jeph Loeb. This series began using dual numbering, as if the original "Fantastic Four" series had continued unbroken, with issue #42 / #471 (June 2001). At the time, the Marvel Comics series begun in the 1960s, such as "Thor" and "The Amazing Spider-Man", were given such dual numbering on the front cover, with the present-day volume's numbering alongside the numbering from the original series. After issue #70 / #499 (Aug. 2003), the title reverted to its original vol. 1 numbering with issue #500 (Sept. 2003).


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Karl Kesel succeeded Loeb as co-writer with issue #51 / #480 (March 2002), and after a few issues with temporary teams, Mark Waid took over as writer with #60 / 489 (October 2002) with artist Mike Wieringo with Marvel releasing a promotional variant edition of their otherwise $2.25 debut issue at the price of nine cents US. Pencillers Mark Buckingham, Casey Jones, and Howard Porter variously contributed through issue #524 (May 2005), with a handful of issues by other teams also during this time. Writer J. Michael Straczynski and penciller Mike McKone did issues #527-541 (July 2005 - Nov. 2006), with Dwayne McDuffie taking over as writer the following issue, and Paul Pelletier succeeding McKone beginning with #544 (May 2007).


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: As a result of the events of the "Civil War" company-crossover storyline, the Black Panther and Storm temporarily replaced Reed and Susan Richards on the team. During that period, the Fantastic Four also appeared in "Black Panther", written by Reginald Hudlin and pencilled primarily by Francis Portela. Beginning with issue #554 (April 2008), writer Mark Millar and penciller Bryan Hitch began what Marvel announced as a sixteen-issue run. Following the summer 2008 crossover storyline, "Secret Invasion", and the 2009 aftermath "Dark Reign", chronicling the U.S. government's assigning of the Nation's security functions to the seemingly reformed supervillain Norman Osborn, the Fantastic Four starred in a five-issue miniseries, "Dark Reign: Fantastic Four" (May–Sept. 2009), written by Jonathan Hickman, with art by Sean Chen. Hickman took over as the series regular writer as of issue #570 with Dale Eaglesham and later Steve Epting on art.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: In the storyline "Three", which concluded in "Fantastic Four" #587 (cover date March 2011, published January 26, 2011), the Human Torch appears to die while stopping a horde of monsters from the other-dimensional Negative Zone. The series ended with the following issue, #588, and relaunched in March 2011 as simply "FF". The relaunch saw the team assume a new name, the Future Foundation, adopt new black-and-white costumes, and accept longtime ally Spider-Man as a member. In October 2011, with the publication of "FF" #11 (cover-dated Dec. 2011), the "Fantastic Four" series reached its 599th issue.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: In November 2011, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Fantastic Four and of Marvel Comics, the company published the 100-page "Fantastic Four" #600 (cover-dated Jan. 2012), which returned the title to its original numbering and featured the return of the Human Torch. It revealed the fate of the character of Johnny Storm after issue #587, showing that while he did in fact die, he was resurrected to fight as a gladiator for the entertainment of Annihilus. Storm later formed a resistance force called Light Brigade and defeated Annihilus.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: As part of Marvel NOW! "Fantastic Four" ended with #611, ending Jonathan Hickman's long run on "FF" titles, and the title was relaunched in November 2012 with the creative team of writer Matt Fraction and artist Mark Bagley. In the new title with its numbering starting at #1, the entire Fantastic Four family explore space together, with the hidden intent for Reed Richards to discover why his powers are fading.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Writer James Robinson and artist Leonard Kirk launched a new "Fantastic Four" series in February 2014 (cover dated April 2014).


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Robinson later confirmed that "Fantastic Four" would be cancelled in 2015 with issue #645, saying that "The book is reverting to its original numbers, and the book is going away for a while. I'm moving towards the end of "Fantastic Four". I just want to reassure people that you will not leave this book with a bad taste in your mouth." In the aftermath of the "Secret Wars" storyline, the Thing is working with the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Human Torch is acting as an ambassador with the Inhumans. With Franklin's powers restored and Reed having absorbed the power of the Beyonders from Doom, the Richards' family are working on travelling through and reconstructing the multiverse, but Peter Parker has purchased the Baxter Building to keep it "safe" until the team is ready to come back together.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Writer Dan Slott and artist Sara Pichelli launched a new "Fantastic Four" series in August 2018 to commemorate the 56th anniversary and part of Marvel's "Fresh Start" relaunch. The new series returned the Invisible Woman , Mister Fantastic, Valeria and Franklin Richards to the Earth 616 for the first time since "Secret Wars."


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: A new volume of "Fantastic Four" was launched in November 2022 by writer Ryan North and artist Iban Coello, after Slott had concluded his run with issue #46.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: The first issue of "The Fantastic Four" proved a success, igniting a new direction for superhero comics and soon influencing many other superhero comics. Readers grew fond of Ben's grumpiness, Johnny's tendency to annoy others and Reed and Sue's spats. Stan Lee was surprised at the reaction to the first issue, leading him to stay in the comics field despite previous plans to leave. Comics historian Stephen Krensky said that "Lee's natural dialogue and flawed characters appealed to 1960s kids looking to 'get real'".


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: The issue numbering of Volume 3 reverted to the legacy number of the title, beginning with the issue #500.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: "The Fantastic Four" has been published in translation around the world, beginning in 1962 in Mexico as "Los Cuatro Fantásticos" published by La Prensa until the mid-1970s, then by Macc Division until 1980 and finally by Novedades Editores from 1980 to 1982 and French-speaking Canada as "Les Fantastic Four", from 1969 to 1986, after which the title was merged with the Spider-Man title for three more years. Mexican translators were not consistent in their translations of the characters' code names; The Thing was called Coloso (Colossus) in the first series, La Mole in the second and the third (which was the name used for The Hulk in the first series). The other three main characters had more stable translated names: Mister Fantástico (sometimes translated as Señor Fantástico), La Chica (or La Mujer) Invisible, and La Antorcha Humana. Dr. Doom was Doctor Destino and She-Hulk was La Mujer Hulk in her run in the Fantastic Four. In the movie, and in current appearances in Mexico, Mister Fantastic is referred to as "El Hombre Elástico" (Elastic Man). Canada rarely translated character names from their English version, although sometimes switching back and forth between English and French names in the same issue (The Thing / La Chose, Mister Fantastic / Monsieur Fantastic, Invisible Girl / Fille (or Femme) Invisible, Human Torch / Torche Humaine). The names of Dr. Doom and She-Hulk were not translated into French for the Canadian reprints.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: British publication of the series began in the black and white anthology title "Mystic" in the 1960s. In 1972, the Fantastic Four's adventures were published starting with issue 1 of the US comic in "Mighty World of Marvel" alongside Spider-Man and Hulk reprints when Marvel Comics began its imprint Marvel UK. In 1976 the feature was moved to Marvel UK's "The Titans" to revive flagging sales, starting with issue #27. But after just a few months the feature was removed from "The Titans" (replaced by The Avengers) to form part of the line up of the new "Captain Britain Weekly" for its first issue in October 1976. After the demise of "Captain Britain Weekly" the FF went with Captain Britain into the merged "Super Spider-man and Captain Britain Weekly" in July 1977. A few months after the merger a new title "The Complete Fantastic Four" was launched in September 1977 starting with the story from the US Fantastic Four #133. Unusually "The Complete Fantastic Four" reprinted an entire issue of the US publication at a time when stories were always broken up into several installments. As a backup strip it started serializing the FF's adventures from US Fantastic Four 1, but this was replaced by The Invaders towards the end of the run. In 1978 that series merged into "Mighty World Of Marvel" returning the FF to their original home alongside the Hulk. Their last adventure in that title was issue 329, when they were moved out so that the comic could be relaunched as "Marvel Comic" in early 1979. Their adventures briefly moved back into "Spider-Man Comic" before stopping shortly after John Byrne took over pencilling chores on the strip. In March 1980 Marvel UK launched the Fantastic Four Pocketbook reprinting Lee and Kirby stories.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: From 1 April 1981, the "Fantastic Four" featured in 15 issues of the anthology title "Marvel Action". The FF strip then transferred to Marvel UK's weekly "Captain America" title from issue 21, which kept the "Captain America" numbering but temporarily adopting a new title "Marvel Action starring Captain America". The FF strip was dropped when "Captain America" was merged with another Marvel UK weekly anthology title, "Marvel Super Adventure", from issue 37.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: After cancellation of the Pocketbook in July 1982 the classic FF strips continued in the short lived "Fantastic Four" weekly title that ran from 6 October 1982 for a total of 29 issues. During 1985 the "Fantastic Four" and other Marvel titles such as "The New Mutants", "The Avengers", and "The X-Men" were included in the "Secret Wars II" reprint title. This mostly focused on issues which crossed over into the "Secret Wars II" maxi series. From 2005, around the release of the Fantastic Four film, the super-team appeared in "Fantastic Four Adventures", published by Panini Comics. The title ended in February 2010.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Publication history in France started with the reprinting of the first 10 pages of "Fantastic Four" #50 in 1967 in an anthology title called "Les Chefs-d'Oeuvres de la Bande Dessinée" [Comic Book Masterpieces]. In 1974, the first 4 issues of the title were published, one page at a time, in the daily newspaper "France Soir". But primarily, rights to the "Fantastic Four" in France were held by a company called Editions Lug, which began publishing "Fantastic Four" first in a 1969 anthology title called "Fantask", along with Spider-Man and Silver Surfer, then in another anthology called "Marvel". The censors objected to the content of the book, and citing "nightmarish visions" and "terrifying science fiction" as the reasons, forced their cancellations after respectively 7 and 13 issues. Although other anthologies featuring Marvel strips continued, notably "Strange" (featuring the X-Men, Iron Man, and the Silver Surfer), the Fantastic Four remained unpublished in France until 1973. Editions Lug created a format aimed more for adults; an 80-page series called "Une Aventure des Fantastiques" debuted where the old series left off, with the stories that introduced the Inhumans and Galactus. That series lasted over 15 years, coming out four times a year. In the mid-1970s, a title called "Spidey" was released by Editions Lug. Primarily featuring reprints from the juvenile comic book "Spidey Super Stories", it also featured a similarly themed FF series produced in France. These original stories had art that closely resembled the work of Jack Kirby or John Buscema, but the storylines themselves included watered-down super-villains, the FF on vacation and even Santa Claus. This series was replaced by 1960s era X-Men reprints when Marvel demanded the same royalties for Editions Lug's original stories that they did for the US reprints. Eventually, a regular monthly series began publication in France, and the Fantastic Four took over the headlining position in the pocket format anthology "Nova" (sharing the title with Spider-Woman, Peter Parker, She-Hulk, and Silver Surfer)and lasted until Marvel began publishing its own titles under the newly formed "Marvel France" line in the late 1990s. Fantastic Four shared space in the Silver Surfer's own book until the Heroes Reborn storyline created their own title, supported by Captain America. "Fantastic Four" then appeared in the anthology "Marvel Legends" and currently appears in "Marvel Icons", sharing that title with the Avengers.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Two different French companies held rights to Marvel Comics at the same time in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Editions Lug (which eventually changed its name to Semic Comics) published "Fantastic Four", "Spider-Man", "X-Men", "Daredevil", and "Iron Man", and most related series, while Aredit held the rights to Avengers, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Sub-Mariner and many of the 1970s-era modern series like Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Power Man and the first She-Hulk series. Often, crossovers would force one company to publish another's title, i.e. the Marvel Two-In-One and Fantastic Four annuals that crossed over into the Invaders story would have to be published by the "other" company, and in fact that particular cross-over was published twice, once by each company. This resulted in different translations of the characters' names — Susan Storm Richards was called Jane in her own title by Editions Lug, and Reed was called Red, a combination of letters easier to pronounce than the double E sound. When Aredit published a Fantastic Four appearance they kept the traditional US names. Generally speaking, their names in France were: Monsieur Fantastic (although Mister was often used as well), L'Invisible, La Chose, and La Torche. (Rarely was "Humaine" used in the French editions.) Dr. Doom was called Docteur Fatalis and She-Hulk was called Miss Hulk.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: "Die Fantastischen Vier" first appeared in "Hit Comics", a weekly title that rotated the main feature with other Marvel titles. Williams Comics eventually obtained the rights to Marvel's line and began publishing (for the first time in color) in the mid-1970s. "Fantastic Four" was backed up with "Daredevil" and began with issue #1. No annual was published by Williams and some early numbers were left out (5, 6, 10, 12, 21 and 44). Condor Comic carried the title in the 1980s and 1990s, and published a series of 47 pocket format books at about 168-196 pages each. It also published a paperback series in a similar format to the Marvel Graphic Novels with 12 issues of 52 pages each. Marvel Deutschland (later Panini Comics Deutschland) publishes "Die Fantastischen Vier". Since 2008 the series is named with its original title "The Fantastic Four". The German names of the characters are "Das Ding" (The Thing), "Die Fackel" or "Die menschliche Fackel" (The Human Torch), "Die Unsichtbare" (The Invisible One), and "Mr. Fantastisch" (Mr. Fantastic). Silver Surfer and She-Hulk retained their English names. Some early Williams editions refer to Dr. Doom as "Doktor Unheil". In one Williams publication Dr.Doom is also referred to as "Doktor Untergang". Later they call him by his original US name.


title: Fantastic Four (comic book)

text: Corno initially published "I Fantastici Quattro" in Italy (first with "Captain Marvel" as backup feature, then rotating with other backup features). Star Comics published the title in the 1990s, followed by Marvel Italia. Character names are typically translated as "la Cosa" (Thing), "la Torcia Umana" (Human Torch) and "la Donna Invisibile" (Invisible Woman), while Dr. Doom is "Dottor Destino". Mister Fantastic, She-Hulk and Silver Surfer kept their English names. Also released in Italy was the series "I Fantastici Quattro gigante", an oversized magazine reprinting in chronological order all the super-team's appearances including the Human Torch solo series from "Strange Tales".


Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix is a remix album by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released on May 20, 1997, by Epic Records, and is the second album also released by Jackson's own record label, MJJ Productions. The album is made up of eight remixes from Jackson's ninth studio album, "" (1995), and five new songs. Jackson was heavily involved with the production of the new material while the remixes were produced by other artists. "Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix" incorporates R&B, pop, industrial, hip hop, house, funk and new jack swing. It concerns themes such as drug addiction, sex, relationships and paranoia.


Though "Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix" received minimal promotion by Jackson's standards, particularly in the United States, the short film "Michael Jackson's Ghosts", two singles ("Blood on the Dance Floor" and "Ghosts"), a promotional single, and a music video were issued as promotion. Although initial sales in the United States were seen as disappointing for Jackson, the album peaked at number one in France, Belgium, Spain, and New Zealand. "Michael Jackson's Ghosts", was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, as part of "Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix"'s promotion. The short film, also considered the official music video for "Ghosts", won the Bob Fosse Award for Best Choreography in a Music Video.


Reviews at the time of "Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix" were largely mixed, with some critics feeling that Jackson had already explored these musical themes and others criticising what they perceived as weak vocals. Other critics were more favorable, noting the album for its incorporation of genres Jackson previously hadn't explored, justifying the use of previous themes but with "brutal honesty". "Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix" has sold over six million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling remix album of all time. On October 20, 2000, it was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).


title: Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix

text: The album was produced while Jackson traveled the globe on his HIStory World Tour, due to how impressed he was by Euro-dance remixes in Munich, some of which were financed by Jackson to be extended in order to be included in the album, and Trinidadian beat-music. Thus, the songs were produced in a variety of countries that included Sweden, Switzerland and Germany. The album is made up of eight remixes of songs from ""—"Scream", "Money", "2 Bad", "Stranger in Moscow", "This Time Around", "Earth Song", "You Are Not Alone" and "HIStory"—and five new songs—"Blood on the Dance Floor", "Morphine", "Superfly Sister", "Ghosts" and "Is It Scary".


text: Jackson was heavily involved in the writing, composition and production of the five new songs, and sang all of the lead vocals. Todd Terry remixed "Stranger in Moscow", Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis remixed "Scream", and The Fugees worked on the new track "Blood on the Dance Floor" and the remix of "2 Bad". Wyclef Jean, a member of The Fugees, told MTV of his involvement in the production, "We did a first remix for Michael, and he wanted us to do another one". The group spoke of their excitement at receiving a phone call from Jackson.


text: "Morphine" was a particularly dark track which contains an audio clip from "The Elephant Man", courtesy of Paramount Pictures. Robert Chausow was a studio violinist working in New York, when he was called on a Sunday morning to travel to the Hit Factory to lay down tracks for an upcoming project. Security at the studio was very tight and Robert had no idea what artist he was playing for. He arrived at the studio which was very dimly lit, sitting with Juliet Hafner, a fellow musician, who happened to know Brad Buxer, longtime producer of Michael Jackson's work. They could both hear Michael Jackson lay down his vocal tracks through the monitor speakers with Brad. After Michael Jackson finished, the musicians were asked to listen to the track a few times and thereafter "Play this. In this part, play eight measures of...". The two musicians had no clue as to the title of the new track and the experience of playing music in a dark studio was described as surreal. After around an hour to an hour and a half, the musicians were no longer needed. Robert was asked not to talk about the experience until after the project was complete, which was a common request in the studio circuit. On this song, Jackson was the sole arranger, doing such to the classical, vocal and orchestral aspects. Jackson also played solo percussion and drums and received joint guitar credit alongside longtime collaborator Slash. Andrae Crouch's choir is also featured on the piece. "Morphine"'s central themes is the drug usage of Demerol. In the track, he sings, "Trust in me/Just in me/Put all your trust in me/You're doin' morphine...Go on babe/Relax/This won't hurt you/Before I put it in/Close your eyes and count to ten/Don't cry/I won't convert you/There's no need to dismay/Close your eyes and drift away".


text: "Scream Louder" contains elements from "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", performed by Sly & the Family Stone. "2 Bad" contains a recreation of a melody line of Jackson's 1983 hit "Beat It" as well as a rap by John Forté and guitar solo by Wyclef Jean.


text: The 23-page album booklet contains the lyrics to "Blood on the Dance Floor", "Stranger in Moscow" and "HIStory". The eight remixes from "HIStory" are given additional titles such as "Flyte Tyme Remix" and "Tee's In-House Club Mix". The booklet contains many images from the HIStory World Tour and "Ghosts" film. Towards the end of the booklet, Jackson pays respect to friends such as Elizabeth Taylor and Elton John, his family, employees and fans.


text: The album was released by Epic Records on May 20, 1997. "HIStory on Film, Volume II" was released on the same day—a video collection of Jackson's music videos and television performances from the "HIStory" era of 1995–1997. By Jackson's prior standards, it was not widely promoted upon release. "The New York Times" described the US promotional effort as "subdued", creating "hardly a sound" and "perplexing to many people in the industry". Jackson's label Epic Records, refuted allegations they were not promoting the album sufficiently in the United States, saying, "We are completely behind the album...Michael is certainly one of our superstars and is treated as such...We just went into this one with our global hats on". "The New York Times" acknowledged that promotion was stronger internationally, where Jackson had more commercial force and popularity. Jackson effectively no longer needed the US market to have a hit record. By June 1997, only ten percent of sales from Jackson's prior studio album came from within the United States.


text: The singer released a film entitled "Ghosts", which he unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival, as part of the album promotion. It was released theatrically in the United States in October 1996; as for the United Kingdom, it debuted at the Odeon Leicester Square in May 1997. The UK event attracted fans, media and business organizations. It was released on cassette in most parts of the world. The film was written by Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston. The story was based loosely on the events and isolation Jackson felt after he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. In the plot, the Maestro—played by Jackson—is nearly chased out of his town by the residents and the mayor—who deliberately looks very similar to Tom Sneddon—because they believe him to be a "freak". The film had similar imagery and themes to that of "Thriller". It features many special effects and dance moves choreographed to original music, which Jackson himself authored. The film includes several songs and music videos from the albums "HIStory" and "Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix". "Ghosts" is over thirty-eight minutes long and previously held the "Guinness World Record" for the world's longest music video. It won the Bob Fosse Award for Best Choreography in a Music Video.


text: The album was also promoted with the singles "Blood on the Dance Floor" and "HIStory/Ghosts" as well as three corresponding music videos. The video for "Blood on the Dance Floor" premiered on Top of the Pops. It centered on Susie seducing Jackson in a courtship dance, before opening a switchblade. The lead single peaked at number one in several countries, including the United Kingdom. The double A-side "HIStory/Ghosts" was promoted with a video for each song. "HIStory" was set in a nightclub, in a futuristic era, and recalled Jackson's filmography. "Ghosts" was a five-minute clip taken from the much longer film "Ghosts". The double A-side would become a top five hit in the United Kingdom, but did not chart as highly elsewhere.<ref name="HIStory/Ghosts single charts ultratop"></ref>


text: Initial sales in the United States were seen as disappointing for Jackson. It peaked at number 24 on the US "Billboard" 200 chart and after four weeks the record had sold 92,000 copies. Despite this, long term sales were stronger, it was certified platinum in May 2000, for shipments of at least a million units. It was certified Gold in Canada for a minimum of 50,000 shipments.


text: In Europe the record has been certified for shipments of at least two million copies. "Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix" debuted atop the UK album chart, by July 1997 it had sold 250,000 units in the United Kingdom and 445,000 units in Germany. The album also peaked at number one in France, Belgium, Spain and New Zealand. Since its debut, the album has sold an estimated six million copies worldwide, making it the best selling remix album ever released.


text: Jim Farber of "New York Daily News" labeled the album's theme, "Predatory women, jealous underlings and the evil media continue to obsess him. He's once again playing the victim—the world's most powerless billionaire, it seems—mewling about forces conspiring against his heavenly self." He said of the lead single, "[Jackson] coughs up a series of strangulated mutters and munchkin hiccups in lieu of a vocal, while its chilly, faux-industrial music proves as appealing as a migraine." He continued, "'Ghosts' and 'Is It Scary' boast a few innovative sounds but no real melodies." Thor Christensen of "The Dallas Morning News" noted the album focused on "angry tales about a coldhearted 'Superfly Sister' or the back-stabbing women in 'Ghosts' and 'Blood on the Dance Floor'. Three of the five new songs on this remix album...involve mean, psychotic ex-lovers". He observed, "The dark, cryptic 'Morphine' is easily one of the most ambitious songs he's ever recorded. He fuels the song with narcotic industrial funk—lookout Trent Reznor—but then dilutes it by sticking [in] 90 seconds of goopy, string-laden balladry."


text: Neil Strauss of "The New York Times" gave the album a positive review, saying the record, "put Mr. Jackson halfway on the road to a very interesting concept album. There is real pain and pathos in these new songs...[he] frets about painkillers, sexual promiscuity and public image. In many of them, Mr. Jackson seems like The Elephant Man, screaming that he is a human being...With beats crashing like metal sheets and synthesizer sounds hissing like pressurized gas, this is industrial funk." He favorably compared Jackson's performance of "Is It Scary" to rock singer Marilyn Manson and noted the lyrics, "If you want to see eccentric oddities, I'll be grotesque before your eyes". Strauss suggested that the predatory woman, "Susie", from the title track, was a metaphor for AIDS. Finally, he described "Morphine" as "chilling... Mr. Jackson sings seductively from the point of view of the drug itself...he intones sweetly".


text: Anthony Violenti of "The Buffalo News" said of the lead single, "[it is] laced with Teddy Riley's new jack swing sound and a pounding techno beat". Violenti added, "'Superfly Sister', 'Ghosts' and 'Is It Scary' are programmed plastic soul that makes you wonder how someone as talented as Jackson can churn out such tracks". He said of "Morphine", "[it] has more synthesized beats and quickly fades into Jackson's current indistinguishable style". Music critic, Adam Gilham was particularly impressed with the musical sequence of the track, noting that Michael Jackson created a "moment of absolute genius". William Ruhlman of AllMusic said of the lead track, "'Blood on the Dance Floor' is an uptempo Jackson song in the increasingly hysterical tradition of 'Billie Jean' and 'Smooth Criminal' with Jackson huffing, puffing, and yelping through some nonsense about a stabbing...over a fairly generic electronic dance track. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, also of AllMusic, had a negative reaction to the record. He said that all five new tracks were, "embarrassingly weak, sounding tired, predictable and, well, bloodless". He described "Blood on the Dance Floor" as a "bleak reworking of 'Jam' and 'Scream'".


text: Chris Dickinson of "St. Louis Post-Dispatch", noted, "'Superfly Sister' comes on like a classic Michael dance track, with Michael and Bryan Loren playing all the instruments..."Blood On the Dance Floor" [album] is definitely a dance record. It's not "Thriller" or "Bad" or even "Off the Wall" and it's not trying to be." Jae-Ha Kim of "Chicago Sun-Times", noted "'Is It Scary' shows a darker side of Jackson than even the tabloids would have you believe...With the hypnotic 'Morphine', he sounds like a seductive cousin of Trent Reznor's." Sonia Murray of "The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution" gave the album a D grade. She claimed that "'Ghosts' pounds with funk until Jackson's weak vocals come in." She described "Morphine" as an "overblown rock hiss". "The Virginian-Pilot" gave the album a positive review, also expressing the opinion that "Morphine" sounded "eerily like 'State of Shock'", and continued, "'Scream Louder' a remix of his hit duet with sister Janet, is better than the original only because it takes away the overpowering guitar twangs." "The Washington Post" described "Superfly Sister" as "sex funk", adding, "'Morphine' apparently told from the drug's point of view and featuring both the Andrae Crouch Singers and an orchestra, alternates between a hard-edged rock and operatic pop."


text: A Jackson biographer, J. Randy Taraborrelli, gave a retrospective analysis of the album in the biography, "The Magic & the Madness". He felt the album "contained...kick-ass dance remixes...Several of the other songs on "Blood" are also memorable...The collection was not a success in America; it was dismissed by critics and much of his audience, who seemed confused as to whether it was a new release or some kind of hybrid combination of songs". He felt that "Blood on the Dance Floor" was one of Jackson's best songs, but that the US public was more interested in the controversial tabloid stories about his personal life.


text: William Ruhlman of AllMusic, agreed that part of the blame for a perceived commercial disappointment in the United States could be attributed to the ongoing public interest in the singer's private life. Nonetheless, Ruhlman still felt the album was artistically disappointing. In 2005, J T Griffith, of AllMusic, believed that in hindsight, "Blood on the Dance Floor" was actually a good song. He explained, "[it is] a second-rate mixture of 'Beat It' and 'Thriller' but Jackson's missteps are better than most pop music out there. This track showcases all the artist's trademarks: the ooohing, the grunts, and funky basslines. It is hard to hear 'Blood on the Dance Floor' and not want to moonwalk or dance like a ghoul".


text: Written by, Composed by, Arranged by, lead and backing vocals, guitar, percussion, drums by Michael Jackson


title: ElectroBOOM

text: Mehdi Sadaghdar ( ; ; born 13 January 1977), also known on YouTube as ElectroBOOM, is an Iranian-Canadian YouTuber, electrical engineer, and comedian.


title: ElectroBOOM

text: Sadaghdar was born in Iran on 13 January 1977 and resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was conferred a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Tehran in 1999 and, after moving to Vancouver, a Master of Applied Science from Simon Fraser University in 2006.


title: ElectroBOOM

text: Sadaghdar's videos are mainly focused around comedic electronics tutorials and education. He intentionally creates situations where a shock (or sometimes a fire) occurs for comedic effect, demonstrating the dangers of electricity when not properly handled. His most viewed video has over 19 million views, "How NOT to make an electric guitar", which demonstrates the hazards of electricity.


title: Dermatographic urticaria

text: Dermatographic urticaria is a skin disorder and one of the most common types of urticaria, affecting 2–5% of the population.


title: Dermatographic urticaria

text: The condition manifests as an allergic-like reaction, causing a warm red wheal to appear on the skin. As it is often the result of scratches, involving contact with other materials, it can be confused with an allergic reaction, when in fact it is the act of being scratched that causes a wheal to appear. These wheals are a subset of urticaria (hives), and appear within minutes, in some cases accompanied by itching. The first outbreak of urticaria can lead to other reactions on body parts not directly stimulated, scraped, or scratched. In a normal case, the swelling will decrease without treatment within 15–30 minutes, but, in extreme cases, itchy red welts may last anywhere from a few hours to days.


title: Dermatographic urticaria

text: Symptoms are thought to be the result of histamine being released by mast cells on the surface of the skin. Despite the lack of antigens, histamine causes the skin to swell in affected areas. If the membrane that surrounds the mast cells is too weak it will easily and rapidly break down under physical pressure, which then causes an allergic-like reaction.


title: Dermatographic urticaria

text: The underlying cause of dermographism is not known, and it can last for many years without relief. The condition may subside and be effectively cured; however, it is often a lifelong ailment. It is not a life-threatening disease, and it is not contagious.


title: Dermatographic urticaria

text: This condition is diagnosed by a health care provider writing or drawing on the patient's skin with a tongue depressor or other implement, to see whether a red wheal appears soon afterwards.


title: Dermatographic urticaria

text: Dermographism can be treated by substances which prevent histamine from causing the reaction (i.e. an antihistamine). These may need to be given as a combination of H antagonists, or possibly with an H-receptor antagonist such as cimetidine.


title: Dermatographic urticaria

text: Refraining from taking hot baths or showers may help if the condition is generalized (i.e. all over), as well as possibly for localized cases (i.e. in a specific area). If taking hot showers helps, it may be a condition called shower eczema. If it affects mainly the head, it may be psoriasis. In rare cases, allergy tests may uncover substances the patient is allergic to.


title: Dermatographic urticaria

text: While cromoglycate, which prevents histamine from being released from mast cells, is used topically in rhinitis and asthma, it is not effective orally for treating chronic urticaria.


title: Reverberation

text: Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is absorbed by the surfaces of objects in the space – which could include furniture, people, and air. This is most noticeable when the sound source stops but the reflections continue, their amplitude decreasing, until zero is reached.


title: Reverberation

text: Reverberation is frequency dependent: the length of the decay, or reverberation time, receives special consideration in the architectural design of spaces which need to have specific reverberation times to achieve optimum performance for their intended activity. In comparison to a distinct echo, that is detectable at a minimum of 50 to 100 ms after the previous sound, reverberation is the occurrence of reflections that arrive in a sequence of less than approximately 50 ms. As time passes, the amplitude of the reflections gradually reduces to non-noticeable levels. Reverberation is not limited to indoor spaces as it exists in forests and other outdoor environments where reflection exists.


title: Reverberation

text: Reverberation occurs naturally when a person sings, talks, or plays an instrument acoustically in a hall or performance space with sound-reflective surfaces. Reverberation is applied artificially by using reverb effects, which simulate reverb through means including echo chambers, vibrations sent through metal, and digital processing.


title: Reverberation

text: Although reverberation can add naturalness to recorded sound by adding a sense of space, it can also reduce speech intelligibility, especially when noise is also present. People with hearing loss, including users of hearing aids, frequently report difficulty in understanding speech in reverberant, noisy situations. Reverberation is also a significant source of mistakes in automatic speech recognition.


title: Reverberation

text: Reverberation time is a measure of the time required for the sound to "fade away" in an enclosed area after the source of the sound has stopped.


title: Reverberation

text: When it comes to accurately measuring reverberation time with a meter, the term "T" (an abbreviation for reverberation time 60 dB) is used. T provides an objective reverberation time measurement. It is defined as the time it takes for the sound pressure level to reduce by 60 dB, measured after the generated test signal is abruptly ended.


title: Reverberation

text: Reverberation time is frequently stated as a single value if measured as a wideband signal (20  Hz to 20 kHz). However, being frequency-dependent, it can be more precisely described in terms of frequency bands (one octave, 1/3 octave, 1/6 octave, etc.). Being frequency dependent, the reverberation time measured in narrow bands will differ depending on the frequency band being measured. For precision, it is important to know what ranges of frequencies are being described by a reverberation time measurement.


title: Reverberation

text: In the late 19th century, Wallace Clement Sabine started experiments at Harvard University to investigate the impact of absorption on the reverberation time. Using a portable wind chest and organ pipes as a sound source, a stopwatch and his ears, he measured the time from interruption of the source to inaudibility (a difference of roughly 60 dB). He found that the reverberation time is proportional to room dimensions and inversely proportional to the amount of absorption present.


title: Reverberation

text: The optimum reverberation time for a space in which music is played depends on the type of music that is to be played in the space. Rooms used for speech typically need a shorter reverberation time so that speech can be understood more clearly. If the reflected sound from one syllable is still heard when the next syllable is spoken, it may be difficult to understand what was said. "Cat", "cab", and "cap" may all sound very similar. If on the other hand the reverberation time is too short, tonal balance and loudness may suffer. Reverberation effects are often used in studios to add depth to sounds. Reverberation changes the perceived spectral structure of a sound but does not alter the pitch.


title: Reverberation

text: Basic factors that affect a room's reverberation time include the size and shape of the enclosure as well as the materials used in the construction of the room. Every object placed within the enclosure can also affect this reverberation time, including people and their belongings.


title: Reverberation

text: Historically, reverberation time could only be measured using a level recorder (a plotting device which graphs the noise level against time on a ribbon of moving paper). A loud noise is produced, and as the sound dies away the trace on the level recorder will show a distinct slope. Analysis of this slope reveals the measured reverberation time. Some modern digital sound level meters can carry out this analysis automatically.


title: Reverberation

text: Several methods exist for measuring reverberation time. An impulse can be measured by creating a sufficiently loud noise (which must have a defined cut-off point). Impulse noise sources such as a blank pistol shot or balloon burst may be used to measure the impulse response of a room.


title: Reverberation

text: Alternatively, a random noise signal such as pink noise or white noise may be generated through a loudspeaker, and then turned off. This is known as the interrupted method, and the measured result is known as the interrupted response.


title: Reverberation

text: A two-port measurement system can also be used to measure noise introduced into a space and compare it to what is subsequently measured in the space. Consider sound reproduced by a loudspeaker into a room. A recording of the sound in the room can be made and compared to what was sent to the loudspeaker. The two signals can be compared mathematically. This two port measurement system utilizes a Fourier transform to mathematically derive the impulse response of the room. From the impulse response, the reverberation time can be calculated. Using a two-port system allows reverberation time to be measured with signals other than loud impulses. Music or recordings of other sounds can be used. This allows measurements to be taken in a room after the audience is present.