title: IMVU

text: Users also devote time to customizing their individual homepages, setting up public and private rooms, creating and participating in user groups (similar to forums but personalized via the owner), and participating in the Community forums. users can create their own worlds, dance clubs, paradise resorts, even space stations, homes, and mansions. Additionally, there are numerous user-produced third-party websites providing additional forums and resources to the IMVU community. IMVU users are also able to conduct peer review on virtual products waiting to be submitted into the IMVU catalog, with a reward of 10 promo-credits per product review.


title: Italo Balbo

text: Italo Balbo (6 June 1896 – 28 June 1940) was an Italian fascist politician and Blackshirts' leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force, Governor-General of Libya and Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa. Due to his young age, he was sometimes seen as a possible successor of dictator Benito Mussolini.


title: Italo Balbo

text: After serving in World War I, Balbo became the leading Fascist organizer in his home region of Ferrara. He was one of the four principal architects ("Quadrumviri del Fascismo") of the March on Rome that brought Mussolini and the Fascists to power in 1922, along with Michele Bianchi, Emilio De Bono and Cesare Maria De Vecchi. In 1926, he began the task of building the Italian Royal Air Force and took a leading role in popularizing aviation in Italy, and promoting Italian aviation to the world. In 1933, perhaps to relieve tensions surrounding him in Italy, he was given the government of Italian Libya, where he resided for the remainder of his life. Balbo, hostile to anti-semitism, was among a minority of leading Fascists to oppose Mussolini's alliance with Nazi Germany. Early in World War II, he was accidentally killed by friendly fire when his plane was shot down over Tobruk by Italian anti-aircraft guns who misidentified it.


title: Italo Balbo

text: In 1896, Balbo was born in Quartesana (part of Ferrara) in the Kingdom of Italy. Balbo was very politically active from an early age. At 14 years of age, he attempted to join in a revolt in Albania under Ricciotti Garibaldi, Giuseppe Garibaldi's son.


title: Italo Balbo

text: As World War I broke out and Italy declared its neutrality, Balbo supported joining the war on the side of the Allies. He joined in several pro-war rallies. Once Italy entered the war in 1915, Balbo joined the Italian Royal Army ("Regio Esercito") as an officer candidate and served with the Alpini mountain infantry. His first assignment was with the Alpini Battalion "Val Fella", 8th Alpini Regiment, before volunteering for flight training on 16 October 1917. A few days later the Austro-Hungarian and German armies broke the Italian lines in the Battle of Caporetto, and Balbo returned to the front, now assigned to the Alpini Battalion "Pieve di Cadore", 7th Alpini Regiment, where he took command of an assault platoon. At the end of the war, Balbo had earned one bronze and two silver medals for military valour and reached the rank of Captain ("Capitano") due to courage under fire.


title: Italo Balbo

text: After the war, Balbo completed the studies he had begun in Florence in 1914–15. He obtained a law degree and a degree in Social Sciences. His final thesis was written on "the economic and social thought of Giuseppe Mazzini", and he researched under the supervision of the patriotic historian Niccolò Rodolico. Balbo was a Republican, but he hated Socialists and the unions and cooperatives associated with them.


title: Italo Balbo

text: Balbo returned to his home town to work as a bank clerk. In 1920, Balbo was initiated in the regular Masonic Lodge "Giovanni Bovio", affiliated to the Gran Loggia d'Italia. Subsequently, he received the degree of Orator in the Masonic Lodge" Girolamo Savonarola" in Ferrara, joined by various other party officials. He left the lodge on 18 February 1923, just three days before the vote of the Grand Council of Fascism which forbid fascists to be members of the Freemasonry.


title: Italo Balbo

text: In 1921, Balbo joined the newly created National Fascist Party ("Partito Nazionale Fascista", or PNF) and soon became a secretary of the Ferrara Fascist organization. He began to organize Fascist gangs and formed his own group nicknamed "Celibano", after their favorite drink. They broke strikes for local landowners and attacked communists and socialists in Portomaggiore, Ravenna, Modena, and Bologna. The group once raided the Estense Castle in Ferrara.


title: Italo Balbo

text: Italo Balbo had become one of the ""Ras"", adopted from an Ethiopian title somewhat equivalent to a duke, of the Fascist hierarchy by 1922, establishing his local leadership in the party. The ""Ras"" typically wished for a more decentralized Fascist Italian state to be formed, against Mussolini's wishes. At 26 years of age, Balbo was the youngest of the "Quadrumvirs": the four main planners of the "March on Rome." The "Quadrumvirs" were Michele Bianchi (age 39), Cesare Maria De Vecchi (38), Emilio De Bono (56), and Balbo. Mussolini himself (39) would not participate in the risky operation that ultimately brought Italy under Fascist rule.


title: Italo Balbo

text: In 1923, as one of the "Quadrumvirs", Balbo became a founding member of the Grand Council of Fascism ("Gran Consiglio del Fascismo"). This same year, he was charged with the murder of anti-Fascist parish priest Giovanni Minzoni in Argenta. He fled to Rome and in 1924 became General Commander of the Fascist militia and undersecretary for National Economy in 1925.


title: Italo Balbo

text: On 6 November 1926, though he had only a little experience in aviation, Balbo was appointed Secretary of State for Air. He went through an intensive course of flying instruction and began building the Italian Royal Air Force ("Regia Aeronautica Italiana"). On 19 August 1928, he became General of the Air Force and on 12 September 1929 Minister of the Air Force.


title: Italo Balbo

text: In Italy, this was a time of great interest in aviation. In 1925, Francesco de Pinedo flew a seaplane from Italy to Australia to Japan and back again to Italy. Mario De Bernardi successfully raced seaplanes internationally. In 1928, Arctic explorer Umberto Nobile piloted the airship "Italia" on a polar expedition.


title: Italo Balbo

text: Balbo himself led some transatlantic flights. The first was the 1930 flight of twelve Savoia-Marchetti S.55 flying boats from Orbetello Seaplane Base, Italy to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil between 17 December 1930 and 15 January 1931.


title: Italo Balbo

text: The "Crociera del Decennale" featured the so-called "Italian Air Armada." From 1 July to 12 August 1933, twenty-four seaplanes flew round-trip from Rome to the Century of Progress in Chicago, Illinois. The flight had eight legs: Orbetello – Amsterdam – Derry – Reykjavík – Cartwright – Shediac – Montreal ending on Lake Michigan near Burnham Park and New York City. In honor of this feat, Mussolini donated a column from Ostia to the city of Chicago: the Balbo Monument. It can still be seen along the Lakefront Trail, a little south of Soldier Field. Chicago renamed the former 7th Street "Balbo Drive" and staged a great parade in his honor. The Newfoundland Post Office overprinted one of their 75-cent airmail stamps, that had been issued just two months previously, for the event: General Balbo Flight, Labrador, The Land of Gold.


title: Italo Balbo

text: From Chicago they flew to New York City with an escort of 36 U.S. airplanes. New York gave a warm welcome to the pilots on Broadway (Manhattan). Millions of people watched the parade of dozens of cars escorted by police horses along the streets of Manhattan. Balbo was featured on 26 June 1933 cover of "Time".


title: Italo Balbo

text: During Balbo's stay in the United States, President Franklin Roosevelt invited him to lunch and presented him with the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was awarded the 1931 Harmon Trophy. The Sioux even honorarily adopted Balbo as "Chief Flying Eagle". Balbo received a warm welcome in the United States, especially by the large Italian-American populations in Chicago and New York City. To a cheering mass in Madison Square Garden he said: "Be proud you are Italians. Mussolini has ended the era of humiliations." The term "Balbo" entered common usage to describe any large formation of aircraft.


title: Italo Balbo

text: The return flight from New York stopped in Shoal Harbour at Clarenville, Newfoundland on 26 July. A road overlooking the bay used by the flying boats was renamed Balbo Drive, a name it still carries today. On 12 August 1933, Balbo's formation departed Clarenville for the Azores, Lisbon, and Rome.


title: Italo Balbo

text: Back home in Italy, he was promoted to the newly created rank of Marshal of the Air Force ("Maresciallo dell'Aria").


title: Italo Balbo

text: Following his return to Italy, Balbo proposed his vision for a reorganised Italian army. Balbo advocated that the army be reduced to twenty divisions, of which there would be ten motorised, five Alpine and five armoured, all well-equipped, trained and prepared for amphibious warfare, while the navy would have three marine divisions. The idea was that the army would become an expeditionary force that could rapidly deploy by sea or train to Italy's borders (including Libya). However, such a proposal was financially impossible as it would require an unprecedented increase in the defence budget.


title: Italo Balbo

text: On 7 November 1933, Balbo was appointed Governor-General of the Italian colony of Libya. Mussolini looked to the flamboyant Air Marshal to be the "condottiero" of Italian ambition and extend Italy's new horizons in Africa. Balbo's task was to assert Italy's rights in the indeterminate zones leading to Lake Chad from Tummo in the west and from Kufra in the east towards the Sudan. Balbo had already made a flying visit to Tibesti. By securing the "Tibesti-Borku strip" and the "Sarra Triangle", Italy would be in a good position to demand further territorial concessions in Africa from France and Britain. Mussolini even had his sights set on the former German colony of Kamerun. From 1922, the colony had become the League of Nations mandate territories of French Cameroun and British Cameroons. Mussolini pictured an Italian Cameroon and a territorial corridor connecting that territory to Libya. An Italian Cameroon would give Italy a port on the Atlantic Ocean, the mark of a world power. Ultimately, control of the Suez Canal and of Gibraltar would complete the picture.


title: Italo Balbo

text: As of 1 January 1934, Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan were merged to form the new colony and Balbo moved to Libya. At that stage, Balbo had apparently caused bad blood in the party, possibly because of jealousy and individualist behavior. Being appointed Governor-General of Libya was an effective exile from politics in Rome where Mussolini considered him a threat, both for his fame and, more importantly, because of his close relationship with the possibly anti-fascist Crown Prince Umberto. Italian newspapers reportedly could not mention Balbo's name more than once a month. "Benito in Balboland," an article in 22 March 1937 issue of "Time Magazine", played with the conflict between Mussolini and Balbo. Balbo was still well known in the United States for his visit to the Century of Progress exhibition. While Governor, Balbo ordered Jews who closed their businesses on the Sabbath to be whipped.


title: Italo Balbo

text: Balbo commissioned the Marble Arch to mark the border between Tripolitania and Cyrenaica. It was unveiled on 16 March 1937.


title: Italo Balbo

text: In 1935, as the "Abyssinia Crisis" worsened, Balbo began preparing plans to attack Egypt and Sudan. As Mussolini made his intentions to invade Ethiopia clear, relations between Italy and the United Kingdom became more tense. Fearing a "Mad Dog" act by Mussolini against British forces and possessions in the Mediterranean, Britain reinforced its fleet in the region and also its military forces in Egypt. Balbo reasoned that, should Britain choose to close the Suez Canal, Italian troop transports would be prevented from reaching Eritrea and Somalia. Thinking that the planned attack on Abyssinia would be crippled, Balbo asked for reinforcements in Libya. He calculated that such a gesture would make him a national hero and restore him to the centre of the political stage. The 7th Blackshirt Division (Cirene) and 700 aircraft were immediately sent from Italy to Libya. Balbo may have received intelligence concerning the feasibility of advancing into Egypt and Sudan from the famous desert researcher László Almásy.


title: Italo Balbo

text: By 1 September 1935, Balbo secretly deployed Italian forces along the border with Egypt without the British knowing anything about it. At the time, British intelligence concerning what was going on in Libya was woefully inadequate. In the end, Mussolini rejected Balbo's over-ambitious plan to attack Egypt and Sudan and London learned about his deployments in Libya from Rome.


title: Italo Balbo

text: The "Anglo-Italian Agreement" of April 1938 brought a temporary cessation of tensions between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Italy. For Balbo, the agreement meant the immediate loss of 10,000 Italian troops; it was characterised by renewed promises of undertakings that Mussolini had previously broken and he could easily break again. By the time of the "Munich Crisis", Balbo had his 10,000 troops back.


title: Italo Balbo

text: At this time, Italian aircraft were making frequent overflights of Egypt and Sudan and Italian pilots were being familiarised with the routes and airfields. In 1938 and 1939, Balbo himself made a number of flights from Libya across the Sudan to Italian East Africa ('Africa Orientale Italiana', or AOI). He even flew along the border between AOI and British East Africa (modern Kenya). In January 1939, Balbo was accompanied on one of his flights by German Colonel-General Ernst Udet.


title: Italo Balbo

text: There were distinct signs of German military and diplomatic co-operation with the Italians. General Udet was accompanied by the Head of the German Mechanization Department, and the German military attache to Rome paid a long visit to Egypt. A German Military Mission was present in Benghazi and German pilots were engaged in navigational training flights.


title: Italo Balbo

text: Balbo began road construction projects such as the "Via Balbia" in an attempt to attract Italian immigrants to Libya. He also made efforts to draw Muslims into the Fascist cause. In 1938, Balbo was the only member of the Fascist regime who strongly opposed the new legislation against the Jews, the Italian "Racial Laws".


title: Italo Balbo

text: In 1939, after the German invasion of Poland, Balbo visited Rome to express his displeasure at Mussolini's support for German dictator Adolf Hitler. Balbo was the only Fascist of rank to publicly criticize this aspect of Mussolini's foreign policy. He argued that Italy should side with the United Kingdom, but he attracted little following to his argument. When informed of Italy's formal alliance with Nazi Germany, Balbo exclaimed: "You will all wind up shining the shoes of the Germans!"


title: Italo Balbo

text: At the time of the Italian declaration of war on 10 June 1940, Balbo was the Governor-General of Libya and Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa ("Africa Settentrionale Italiana", or ASI). He became responsible for planning an invasion of Egypt. After the surrender of France, Balbo was able to shift much of the men and material of the Italian Fifth Army on the Tunisian border to the Tenth Army on the Egyptian border. While he had expressed many legitimate concerns to Mussolini and to Marshal Pietro Badoglio, the Chief-of-Staff in Rome, Balbo still planned to invade Egypt as early as 17 July 1940.


title: Italo Balbo

text: On 28 June 1940, Balbo was a passenger on a Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 headed for the Libyan airfield of Tobruk, arriving shortly after the airfield had been attacked by British aircraft. Italian anti-aircraft batteries defending the airfield misidentified the aircraft as British, opening fire upon it as it attempted a landing. It was downed and all on board perished.


title: Italo Balbo

text: Eyewitness General Felice Porro reported that the cruiser "San Giorgio", serving as a floating anti-aircraft battery, began firing on Balbo's aircraft, followed by the airfield's anti-aircraft guns. It remains unclear which of them ultimately led to his aircraft being downed.


title: Italo Balbo

text: Rumors that Balbo was assassinated on Mussolini's orders have been conclusively debunked. Instead, it is generally accepted that Balbo's aircraft was simply misidentified as an enemy target, as it was flying low and coming in against the sun, in addition to the fact of its arrival shortly after an aerial attack by British Bristol Blenheims.


title: Italo Balbo

text: Upon hearing of the death of Balbo, the Commander-in-Chief of the RAF Middle East Command ordered an aircraft dispatched to fly over the Italian airfield to drop a wreath, with the following note of condolence:


title: Italo Balbo

text: Balbo's remains were buried outside Tripoli on 4 July 1940. In 1970, Balbo's remains were brought back to Italy and buried in Orbetello by Balbo's family after Muammar Gaddafi threatened to disinter the Italian cemeteries in Tripoli.


title: Italo Balbo

text: In 1933, Benito Mussolini presented the city of Chicago with a monument to Balbo. Balbo Drive is a well-known street in the heart of downtown. In 2017, a campaign was launched to rename it. After encountering opposition, the city instead elected to rename another street, Congress Parkway, in honor of Ida B. Wells, a leading Chicago journalist, anti-lynching activist and suffragette.


title: Italo Balbo

text: In post-fascist Italy, most monuments and streets named after Balbo during the Fascist Regime reverted to their pre-Fascist names, such as in Palermo, liberated by the Allies in July 1943, where Piazza Italo Balbo reverted to its former name, Piazza Bologni, or were named after anti-fascist partisans, such as in Sanremo, where "Via Italo Balbo" was renamed after partisan Luigi Nuvoloni.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Tun Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi (Jawi: عبد الله بن احمد بدوي; born 26 November 1939) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia from October 2003 to April 2009. He was also the sixth president of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the largest political party (that time) in Malaysia, and led the governing Barisan Nasional (BN) parliamentary coalition. He is informally known as Pak Lah, "Pak" meaning 'Uncle', while "Lah" is taken from his name 'Abdullah'.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: He was also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Kepala Batas for eight consecutive terms, that was from 1978 to 2013. Currently, he serves as the Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP).


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah was born in Bayan Lepas, Penang to a prominent religious family. Badawi's paternal grandfather, Syeikh Abdullah Badawi Fahim, was of Hadrami descent. Syeikh Abdullah was a well-respected religious leader and nationalist, was one of the founding members of Hizbul Muslimin, later known as PAS. After independence, Syeikh Abdullah became the first mufti of Penang after Independence. His father, Ahmad Badawi, was a prominent religious figure and UMNO member. His mother, Kailan Haji Hassan died in Kuala Lumpur at the age of 80 on 2 February 2004. His maternal grandfather, Ha Su-chiang () (also known as Hassan Salleh), was an Utsul Muslim who came from Sanya in Hainan.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah is a former student of Bukit Mertajam High School. He studied at MBS (Methodist Boys' School) Penang for his 6th form. Abdullah obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Malaya in 1964.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: After graduating from the University of Malaya, he joined the Malaysian Administrative and Diplomatic Corps (the formal term for the civil service). He served as Director of Youth at the Ministry of Youth and Sport as well as Secretary of the National Operations Council (MAGERAN). He resigned in 1978 to become the member of parliament for his constituency of Kepala Batas in northern Seberang Perai (which had also been represented by his father).


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Early during Mahathir's tenure as prime minister, a bitter dispute erupted within the ruling UMNO party and it was divided into two camps, which were colloquially known as 'Team A', comprising Mahathir loyalists, and 'Team B', which supported former Minister of Finance Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and former Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam. Mahathir prevailed, leading to the exclusion of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah from the newly established UMNO (Baru) or New UMNO. Abdullah was a close supporter of his political mentor Musa Hitam in Team B and as a result, he was sacked from his post of Minister of Defence in the Cabinet. He did not join the Semangat 46 (Spirit 46) party which was set up by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Semangat 46 is now defunct.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: When UMNO (Baru) was formed in February 1988, Mahathir, the UMNO President and Prime Minister, brought Abdullah into the pro tem committee of UMNO (Baru) as the vice-president. In 1990, Abdullah retained his seat as vice-president. During the Cabinet reshuffle in 1991, Mahathir brought him back into the Cabinet as Foreign Minister. He held this post until November 1999, when Syed Hamid Albar succeeded him. Even though he lost his vice presidency in the 1993 UMNO elections, he remained in the Cabinet and was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. Prior to 1998, he also served as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Minister of Education, Minister of Defence, and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He completed his probation when he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia and Minister of Home Affairs following the dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim. After Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was dismissed, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad appointed Abdullah as Deputy Prime Minister in 1999. Abdullah went on to succeed Mahathir as Prime Minister in 2003.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Upon coming into power as prime minister, Abdullah Badawi promised to clamp down on corruption, thus empowering anti-corruption agencies and providing more avenues for the public to expose corrupt practices. He advocated an interpretation of Islam known as Islam Hadhari, which advocates the intercompatibility between Islam and economic and technological development. His administration emphasised a revival of the Malaysian agricultural sector.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: In the 2004 general election, Abdullah had scored a significant victory. In the 11th General Election, Abdullah Badawi's first as Prime Minister of Malaysia, he delivered a landslide victory for his party's coalition Barisan Nasional (of which UMNO is the dominant party) by winning 198 out of 220 seats in parliament and wresting control of the Terengganu state government from the Islamist opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), as well as coming close to capturing the traditional PAS stronghold of Kelantan. The victory was widely regarded as an approval of his vision of moderate Islam over religious fundamentalism as well as support for his anti-corruption policies.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, upon his release from prison in September 2004, publicly credited Abdullah Badawi for not interfering with the court's overturning of his sodomy conviction.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: On 10 September 2004, Abdullah Badawi became as Finance Minister, presented his maiden budget, which was seen by many as maintenance-oriented as opposed to the growth policies emphasised by Mahathir Mohamad. He also focused on Malaysia's internal security after the increase in corrupt practices, such as bribery, in the law enforcement in Malaysia.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah Badawi was heavily involved in foreign policy making. He was the chairman of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference since the start of his premiership in 2003.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: As of 2005, Abdullah Badawi was the chairman of the ASEAN, and he also served as chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) from October 2003 until September 2006.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah Badawi declared an end to the economic legacy and grandiose projects of his predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad, during the 57th UMNO General Assembly. He told delegates that he would not pursue the economic strategies adopted two decades ago by Dr. Mahathir.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: He said that in the past, wealth was generated not by innovation and creativity, but by foreign investment, government contracts, and privatisation.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Agriculture and biotechnology are some of the highlighted issues in 9MP that the government believes such sectors are still able to generate wealth for many Malaysians, especially those in rural areas.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: In late 2005, Badawi successfully led Malaysia into a historic free trade agreement with Japan enabling the two countries to scrap tariffs on essentially all industrial goods and most agricultural, forestry and fishery products within a decade.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Under the Abdullah Badawi administration, the country is moving down to a value chain economy by developing its inherent strengths in agriculture without losing its existing manufacturing base. However, Abdullah has been criticised as to his handling of the sudden hikes in the price of petrol and electricity through the restructuring of government subsidies, especially as it is detrimental to Malaysia's position as a traditional exporter.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: On 31 August 2007, Abdullah Badawi shouted 'Merdeka!' during the midnight celebrations of Malaysia's 50 years of nationhood. The celebrations were held at Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur, where thousands of people had congregated. This was a symbolic gesture which emulated the actions of Malaya's first prime minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, when the latter declared independence from the British in 1957.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah Badawi won a second term as prime minister by winning the 2008 general election, held in March 2008, with a reduced majority. In the 12th General Election, Barisan Nasional won a slim majority of seats but lost its two-thirds majority and also lost 5 states to Opposition Pact. He also lost four additional states to the opposition (Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor). Although his party, Barisan Nasional, suffered a major setback, Abdullah Badawi vowed to fulfill the promises in his manifesto amid calls from Mahathir, the opposition and even among UMNO members for him to resign. However, his deputy, Najib Razak, and others in his party voiced unreserved support for his leadership. It took a while before open dissent started brewing at grassroots levels, with petition and campaigns being launched to ask for his resignation.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: He was sworn in for a second term as prime minister on 10 March 2008. Badawi unveiled a streamlined 68-member Cabinet on 18 March 2008, dropping half the ministers in his previous administration and keeping the crucial finance portfolio for himself.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah faced a political crisis not only from the onslaught of the Opposition which gained much ground by taking the richest and most important states (Selangor and Penang, which incidentally is the hometown of Abdullah Badawi). He also faced growing discontent from within his own ranks in the UMNO party. Mukhriz Mahathir, the son of the former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, openly called for him to step down. The UMNO Youth chief, Hishammuddin Hussein, did not take any action against Mukhriz and dismissed it as a personal opinion.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Regarding the live telecast in Dewan Rakyat (the first time since after the 12th General Election), Abdullah said he was ashamed at what had transpired in the Dewan Rakyat on 30 April 2008 (Wednesday) and agreed that live telecast of the proceedings should be scrapped. He said what happened was just "too much."


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: "I felt ashamed if people watched television and saw what was happening in our Dewan. In my heart, I also felt that all this happened because there was a live broadcast at that time," said the Prime Minister.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: There were many ideas from the government MPs and opposition MPs. Some MPs suggested that the live telecast should not be scrapped to let the people know what was really happening in the Dewan Rakyat and judge the MPs in conducting the people's voice in the parliament. The live telecast of the proceedings is to be continued to show that there is transparency and to let the people know how the MPs are behaving and debating.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: On 19 May 2008, the dispute between Mahathir and Abdullah reached a "shocking" stage when Dr Mahathir, who had served as UMNO President for 22 years, announced that he was quitting the party after having lost confidence in Abdullah Badawi's leadership, and that he would only rejoin the party after Abdullah had stepped down as UMNO President and Prime Minister.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: On 15 September 2008, Abdullah's cabinet Minister in Prime Minister Department Senator Datuk Zaid Ibrahim submitted his resignation letter to the Prime Minister. He tendered his resignation as a protest to the government's action in detaining a blogger, a member of parliament and a reporter under the Internal Security Act. Abdullah later accepted his resignation.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah was under heavy pressure to step down after many within his UMNO party including former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad openly asked him to take full responsibility for the dismal performance during the 12th General Election in March 2008. On 10 July 2008, Abdullah announced he would step down as UMNO President and Prime Minister in mid-2009. He stepped down in favour of his successor, Najib Razak, during the UMNO General Assembly held on 1 April 2009. Nevertheless, shortly before he resigned, Najib gave promises to Abdullah that his constituency in Kepala Batas would continue to receive development funds, where he would continue to serve as its MP.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah Badawi handed his resignation letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on 2 April 2009. On 3 April 2009, he was succeeded by Najib Razak as prime minister. The Deputy Prime Minister, Najib, was sworn in as the new Prime Minister the following day. Abdullah was then conferred with a "Tun" title by King Mizan Zainal Abidin for his service to the nation.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah Badawi's administration has been criticised for failing to assert its anti-corruption credentials. After moves to charge prominent figures such as Eric Chia and the then Land and Co-operative Development Minister, Kasitah Gaddam, with corruption, Abdullah Badawi's administration's efforts to combat corruption allegedly became less transparent. It was noted by the Economist that little progress has been made on curbing corruption.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: In 2007 Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi first called Malaysia an Islamic state. Earlier that month he had made another statement, saying Malaysia was neither a theocratic or secular state. A similar statement was made by Prime Minister on 12 March 2009, where he stated Malaysia was a "negara Islam". The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a political group representing Malaysian Chinese, expressed reservations over this announcement. The MCA's position is that Malaysia is a fully secular state, and that the law transcends religion.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has been criticised for endorsing his relatives who were involved in abuses related to the Iraqi Oil-for-Food Programme.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has been criticised after one of his son's companies was found to be producing components for centrifuges purported to be intended for use in Libya's secret uranium enrichment program.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: In 2005, it was alleged that under Abdullah Badawi's administration, there had been a significant increase in cases of cronyism regarding the distribution of import permits for foreign-manufactured vehicles. Former Prime Minister Mahathir had called for an investigation of the issue. Later, Mahathir Mohamad criticised Abdullah for cancelling a number of development projects that the former had started, such as the construction of a bridge to replace the causeway linking Malaysia and Singapore.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: On 18 June 2008, the Sabah Progressive Party, a member of the 14-party ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, said its two legislators in the federal parliament will move or back a motion of no-confidence against Abdullah.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Malaysia has never experienced a serious no-confidence vote before and it is unclear what is the next step if, in the unlikely event, Abdullah loses the vote; whether a snap election is held, or whether the King dissolves parliament, or whether a new leader is given the opportunity to form a new government. No Malaysian Prime Minister has ever faced a vote of no-confidence presented by a member of his own coalition before. The Barisan Nasional has 140 lawmakers in the 222-member Parliament, enough to defeat any vote against Abdullah who is also president of the UMNO.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Nevertheless, the motion was rejected by the Speaker on the basis that there were no grounds for the motion to be put forward.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: On 20 October 2005, Abdullah Badawi's wife, Endon Mahmood, died of breast cancer. Endon discovered the disease in 2003 while her twin sister Noraini, who had earlier been diagnosed with the same illness, died in January 2003. She received treatment in the United States and returned to Malaysia 18 days before her death. She is buried at a Muslim cemetery, at Taman Selatan, Precinct 20, Putrajaya.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: On 6 June 2007, the Prime Minister's office announced Abdullah Badawi's marriage to Jeanne Abdullah. On 9 June, a private ceremony was conducted at the Prime Minister's residence, Seri Perdana, and attended by close relatives. Jeanne was formerly married to the younger brother of Abdullah Badawi's late wife. She was also a manager at the Seri Perdana residential complex and has two children from her previous marriage.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has been criticised for allowing his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, to become unduly influential in UMNO politics.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has been criticised for allowing his brother Fahim Ibrahim Badawi to buy 51 percent of the government-controlled MAS Catering Sdn Bhd. Fahim later sold this stake to Lufthansa's LSG Skychef at a huge profit.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is known also as a poet. His poem I Seek Eternal Peace was translated into more than 80 languages and published as a book.


title: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

text: On September 2022, Abdullah Badawi was reported to be suffering from dementia and is wheelchair-bound, according to Khairy.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is an action-adventure video game and the twelfth entry in "The Legend of Zelda" series. Developed by Capcom and Flagship, with Nintendo overseeing the development process, "The Minish Cap" was released for the Game Boy Advance in Japan and Europe in 2004 and in North America and Australia the following year. In June 2014, it was made available on the Wii U Virtual Console.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: "The Minish Cap" continues the story of the Four Sword, a weapon introduced in "" and "". The game retains many elements common to previous "Zelda" games, especially top-down predecessors such as "A Link to the Past", and includes new features and mechanics. Chiefly, the protagonist Link acquires a magical talking cap named Ezlo, who can shrink Link to the diminutive size of a Minish.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: "The Minish Cap" was well received among critics. It was named the 20th best Game Boy Advance game in an IGN feature and was selected as the 2005 Game Boy Advance Game of the Year by GameSpot.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: "The Minish Cap" features gameplay similar to previous "Zelda" installments. Link must explore an overworld and complete multiple dungeons, acquiring new items and abilities throughout the game.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: The titular "Minish cap" refers to a new ability that allows Link to transform into "Minish size" using portals throughout the world. Link's smaller size changes his ability to traverse his environments. For instance, a small portal inaccessible to Link in his normal size can be used by Minish-sized Link. A puddle that Link can normally walk over will be too deep for Minish-sized Link to traverse.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: Along with items common to "Zelda" games (such as bombs and arrows), "The Minish Cap" introduces three new items: the Mole Mitts (allowing Link to dig through earthen walls), the Gust Jar (which sucks up enemies and other objects), and the Cane of Pacci (which flips objects upside-down). In certain areas, the player can create multiple copies of Link; although "The Minish Cap" is a single-player game, this ability is inspired by the multiplayer-focused "Four Swords" games. The player can also collect "Kinstones", artifacts that are broken into two fragments. Finding a matching Kinstone piece can progress the game or award other prizes.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: Within the "Zelda" chronology, "The Minish Cap" takes place between "" and "", making it the second story in that timeline. As a prequel to "Four Swords", "The Minish Cap" tells the backstory of Vaati and the birth of the Four Sword, which both feature in "Four Swords" and its sequel "Four Swords Adventures".


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: The Minish (also referred to as the Picori by Hylians) are a race of tiny creatures that bestowed a young boy with a green garment, a sword, and a shining golden light to drive back the "darkness" many years before the game is set. The quest begins when Link is chosen by the king of Hyrule to seek the help of the Picori after Vaati, searching for the Light Force, had destroyed the Picori Blade acting as the seal to the Bound Chest, releasing evil monsters into Hyrule, and turning Princess Zelda into stone. Link learns he was chosen because only children can see the Picori.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: Soon into the voyage, Link finds and rescues Ezlo, a living green cap with a bird-like head. Ezlo joins Link by riding on his head as a cap. It will later be revealed that Ezlo and Vaati are actually Minish. Ezlo explains to Link that he is a renowned sage and craftsman and Vaati was his apprentice, but Vaati became corrupted by the madness and hatred of men and took a magic hat that Ezlo had made for the people in Hyrule. The hat grants any wish made by the wearer, and Vaati had wished to become a demon. Vaati then turned Ezlo into his cap form.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: With the help of Ezlo, Link retrieves the four elemental artifacts and brings them to the Elemental Sanctuary, which is a gateway between Hyrule and the Picori homeland. There, he uses the elemental artifacts to turn the Picori Blade, restored by the Picori, into the Four Sword, capable of defeating Vaati. During Link's quest, Vaati teleports into Hyrule Castle and assumes the form of the king of Hyrule, ordering his soldiers to search for the "Light Force".


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: After Link restores the Four Sword, Vaati turns Hyrule Castle into Dark Hyrule Castle. Link fights Vaati just before he can drain Zelda of all of the Light Force hidden within her, which would have killed her in the process. Link defeats Vaati, who shapeshifts into different monsters. When Link and Zelda flee from the collapsing castle to the Elemental Sanctuary, they are once again confronted by Vaati, who changes form one last time.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: After Vaati is defeated, Ezlo returns to his original form. He takes the recovered cap of wishes that he created and gives it to Zelda. She combines the cap with the Light Force energy and wishes for all who have been cursed by Vaati to be cured, Hyrule Castle to be turned back to normal, and the monsters in Hyrule to no longer exist. The cap disappears after granting this wish, and Ezlo gives Link a new hat before returning to the land of the Minish.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: After Capcom and its scenario writing subsidiary Flagship had finished developing for the Game Boy Color, they began work on a new "Zelda" game for the Game Boy Advance. Work on the title was suspended to allow the teams to focus on "Four Swords", but in February 2003 Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma revealed that development of what would later be called "The Minish Cap" was "well underway". Nintendo launched a website for "The Minish Cap" in September 2004, showing concepts of Link's shrinking ability. The game had a cartoonish art style similar to "The Wind Waker", as it has a fairy tale setting similar to said game, within "the world of tiny fairies, a universal fairytale story". An effort was made to make Hyrule Town, the overworld's central city hub, feel like a living breathing city with people going about their ordinary lives. This combined with Link's ability to shrink in size allowed for unique angles on the perspective of a "safe town", turning the town itself into a dungeon of sorts for the player. Aonuma was reportedly impressed by what the development team was able to achieve with Hyrule Town, particularly given the restrictions of a 2D game, commenting that it even surpasses Clock Town in "". The game's gust jar was inspired by a gourd that can suck up anything from the novel "Journey to the West". Several other aspects of the gameplay were inspired or directly lifted from "Four Swords" and "Four Swords Adventure", both of which Minish Cap serves as a prequel to. For example, the gameplay concept of shrinking to Minish size in "The Minish Cap" is a fleshed out extension of the function of the Gnat Hat from "Four Swords", a hat which allowed Link to shrink in to the size of a gnat.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: The game contains a developmental in-joke to the "Oracle of Ages" and "Oracle of Seasons" titles in an optional side-quest which sees the player aiding three females travelers from distant lands who are looking for a place to stay. These characters are Din, Nayru, and Farore, from the Oracle titles. The player will only able to provide housing for two of the three women, and although their landlord makes reference to building a third house for the third woman, this never occurs in the game. The description given for Farore on her in-game Figurine also mentions that people take advantage of her which makes her upset. This relates to the third planned "Oracle" game surrounding Farore, "Oracle of Secrets", which was scrapped.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: A first in the "Zelda" series, the game was released in European territories before North America. The main cited reason for this was the Nintendo DS: with the European DS Launch scheduled for Spring 2005, Nintendo of Europe pushed to make "The Minish Cap" its handheld Christmas "killer app". Conversely, Nintendo of America held back on its release so not to "cannibalize" the DS market. The game is included in the list of Game Boy Advance games that is now available for download for the Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console by Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: In Europe, the game was available either as a standalone packaged game, or as part of a special pack, which included one of only 25,000 limited edition, "Zelda"-themed Game Boy Advance SP. The "Triforce SP" is matte gold in color, with a Triforce logo stamped on the lid, and the Hyrule royal family crest printed on the lower right face. As a launch promotion, Nintendo Europe also produced seven 24-carat gold plated Game Boy Advance SP consoles, with six given away to people who found a golden ticket inside their Triforce SP package, and a seventh as a magazine promotion. Thirty were autographed by Miyamoto himself at the opening of the Nintendo World Store in New York.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: "The Minish Cap" was the best-selling game in its debut week in Japan, selling 97,000 copies. It became the 62nd best-selling game of 2004 with 196,477 copies, and had a total of 350,000 copies overall in the country. In North America, "The Minish Cap" sold 217,000 copies in its debut month of January 2005, being the fourth best-selling game of the month. It remained among the five best-selling games in February and March. "The Minish Cap" closed the year as the seventh best-selling game of 2005. By March 2005, the game already had sold 1 million units worldwide. In the United States alone, "The Minish Cap" sold 680,000 copies and earned $21 million by August 2006. During the period between January 2000 and August 2006, it was the 37th highest-selling game launched for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable in that country. The game ended up selling 1.76 million copies worldwide.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: The game received critical acclaim. IGN praised the game for continuing the legacy of the successful series, while GameSpot also praised the game for this aspect, saying "Classic Zelda gameplay and flavor will please fans". The graphical style especially—which continues the whimsical style of "Wind Waker"—was welcomed by most reviewers. The music of the game was commended by most sites; GameSpy stated that "even the music is outstanding, featuring some of the highest quality tunes to ever come out of the GBA's little speakers". Despite the criticism of the dungeon lengths, 1UP.com praised the dungeon design, proclaiming it as superior to that of other "Zelda" games.


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: The main criticism of the game among reviewers is the length of the game. Eurogamer says that "it's too short", while "RPGamer" state that "the typical player can fly through the game's six relatively short dungeons in about ten hours". There are also various other complaints from reviewers: IGN claims that the kinstone system is overly repetitive; Nintendo World Report criticises the game's visuals on a Game Boy Player, and RPGamer details the game's low difficulty level as a disadvantage. Despite this, IGN's Craig Harris liked the way that the ability to become tiny had been incorporated to create fresh puzzles in the "Zelda" series. He continued to comment that "it's an idea that's so well-conceived that I'd love to see worked in the series' 3D designs somewhere down the line".


title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

text: "The Minish Cap" won the 'Best Game Boy Advance of 2005' by GameSpot over such finalists as "" and ""; GameSpot labelled it as "the Game Boy Advance game we remember the most". In March 2007, the game was ranked as the 20th best "Game Boy Advance" game by IGN. In the acknowledgement, IGN commented that "the inclusion of the ability to shrink and grow was explored to some really good results". The game was ranked 47th in "Official Nintendo Magazine"s "100 Greatest Nintendo Games" feature. "The Minish Cap" received an average score of 90 percent from GameRankings, a site that compiles media ratings from several publishers to give an average score.


title: Gregg Williams

text: Gregg Williams (born July 15, 1958) is an American football coach. He most recently served as the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) from 2019 to 2020. Previously, he was head coach of the Buffalo Bills from 2001 to 2003, and defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints (with whom he won Super Bowl XLIV) from 2009 to 2011, and the Cleveland Browns, acting as an interim head coach in the 2018 season. Williams is known for running aggressive, attacking 4–3 schemes that put heavy pressure on opposing quarterbacks and for his key role in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, also known as "Bountygate".


title: Gregg Williams

text: In March 2012, Williams was suspended indefinitely from the NFL as a result of his admitted involvement in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, under which bounties were paid for causing injuries that would take targeted players on opposing teams out of games. Williams' suspension was lifted a year later, and he returned to the NFL.


title: Gregg Williams

text: Williams was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2004, Williams helped create a charity, the "Gregg Williams Foundation", that benefits the local schools and community in his hometown of Excelsior Springs, Missouri. The charity has contributed over $2,000,000 since 2004 to benefit the Excelsior Springs community.


title: Gregg Williams

text: After graduating from Excelsior Springs High School (MO) in 1976, Gregg Williams played quarterback at Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) in Kirksville, Missouri. He started his coaching career as an assistant football coach at this alma mater, Excelsior Springs High School (MO). After being passed over for the head coaching job at Excelsior Springs High School in 1983, he was hired as head coach for the Class 5 Belton High School Pirate football team in Belton, Missouri. After coaching at Belton High School for four seasons, Williams was hired in 1988 as an assistant coach at the University of Houston under former Washington Redskins head coach, Jack Pardee.


title: Gregg Williams

text: In 1990, Williams became the Special Teams coach of the Houston Oilers under then defensive coordinator, Buddy Ryan. From 1994–1996, Williams was the linebackers coach for the Oilers. From 1997–2000, Williams was promoted to defensive coordinator of the now Tennessee Titans after the Oilers moved out of Houston. As the defensive coordinator, the Titans led the league in total defense and only gave up 191 points, the third fewest in the NFL since the league adopted the 16-game schedule in 1978. The defense also helped lead the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV where they lost to the St. Louis Rams.


title: Gregg Williams

text: Williams joined the Buffalo Bills as head coach in 2001 along with new team President and general manager Tom Donahoe. After three seasons in which the team compiled records of 3–13, 8–8, and 6–10 under his leadership, Williams' contract was not renewed after the 2003 season.


title: Gregg Williams

text: After his release from Buffalo, Williams was at the top of several NFL teams' list for the position of defensive coordinator. Williams quickly signed with the Washington Redskins, the only team with which he interviewed, because Head Coach Joe Gibbs offered him total autonomy over his defensive players and defensive coaching staff.


title: Gregg Williams

text: In Washington, with Williams' aggressive defensive scheme, the Redskins' defense ranked third in the NFL in 2004 and ninth in 2005.


title: Gregg Williams

text: On January 3, 2006, Williams signed a three-year extension to remain with the Redskins, which made him the highest paid assistant coach in the NFL.


title: Gregg Williams

text: His defense struggled in 2006, at one point ranked 30th in the League. However, the 2007 season was a vast improvement for Williams. The defense ranked within the top ten in the NFC, and the team finished 9–7, with a loss in the wildcard round to the Seattle Seahawks. Williams had established a particularly close relationship with 24-year-old free safety Sean Taylor, calling him "the best player [he'd] ever coached." When Taylor was murdered mid-season on November 27, 2007, Williams was deeply affected. In tribute to Taylor, Williams called a defensive play with only ten men for the first play of the Redskins' first game after the tragedy, a December 2, 2007 game against the Buffalo Bills. For the remainder of the season, Williams ran an inspired defense which performed, along with the rest of the team, to honor Taylor's memory, highlighted by holding star running back Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings to 27 yards on December 23, 2007, and allowing a franchise-low one yard rushing to the Dallas Cowboys on December 30, 2007, sealing a playoff seed. After Joe Gibbs retired, Williams was considered to be the most popular candidate to take over as head coach of the Washington Redskins. He interviewed four times with team owner Daniel Snyder. However, on January 26, 2008, Williams was fired, along with offensive coordinator Al Saunders, with Jim Zorn ultimately getting the job.


title: Gregg Williams

text: On February 6, 2008, Williams became the defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The position was vacated by Mike Smith who was hired to coach the Atlanta Falcons.


title: Gregg Williams

text: Williams was hired by the New Orleans Saints on January 15, 2009. Head coach Sean Payton, who was heavily involved in the effort to recruit Williams to the team, raved about Williams "because he was so impressive and prepared" in his interview. In fact, Williams was so impressive that Payton offered and took a voluntary $250,000 cut in salary to help facilitate his signing with the team. He took over a Saints defense ranked 23rd in the NFL in yards allowed and tied for 26th in points allowed in 2008. Williams' approach yielded immediate results, as the 2009 Saints recorded 35 defensive takeaways, second in the league, and the aggressive defense played an integral role in the Saints' run to their first Super Bowl championship.


title: Gregg Williams

text: However, in the 2010 and 2011 seasons, the defense (although showing statistical improvement in some other categories) failed to repeat its turnover successes. The Saints were knocked out of the 2011 playoffs in a 36–32 loss to San Francisco, in which the defense played well for most of the game but twice failed to hold a Saints lead during the last four minutes. At that time, the relationship between Williams and Payton deteriorated, with Payton regarding Williams as a "rogue coach". Williams' departure from the Saints was originally publicized not as a dismissal since his contract was expiring, however Loomis and Payton fired Williams telling him "There's no place for this in this organization or this league" after the NFL informed the Saints that it had reopened its investigation in the illegal bounty fund. It was widely reported that Williams would leave the Saints to become defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams, under their new head coach Jeff Fisher, for whom Williams had also worked when Fisher was the head coach at Tennessee.


title: Gregg Williams

text: On March 2, 2012, it was revealed that during Williams' tenure, the Saints ran an illegal "bounty fund" which paid players for causing injuries to opponents that would result in those players leaving the game. The NFL found that Williams and as many as 27 Saints defensive players were involved in the scheme. An unidentified Saints player first alerted the NFL to the scheme in the 2010 offseason, but the investigation stalled until the NFL found irrefutable evidence of a bounty system just before the 2011–12 playoffs.


title: Gregg Williams

text: A league investigation revealed that Williams began the bounty system soon after he arrived in New Orleans, after Payton charged him to make the Saints' defense "nasty." Players usually earned $1,000 for "cart-offs" and $1,500 for "knockouts" during the regular season (though payments were known to triple during the playoffs), though they were encouraged to put their winnings back into the pot in order to raise the stakes as the season went on. The investigation also found that Payton tried to cover up the scheme, and that linebackers coach Joe Vitt, whom Payton had assigned to monitor Williams (the two reportedly did not get along), knew about the broad lines of the scheme and did nothing.


title: Gregg Williams

text: Soon after the investigation came to light, several former players and coaches with the Bills and Redskins claimed that Williams operated similar systems while he was with them. Former NFL coach and current NBC Sports analyst Tony Dungy said that he was certain Williams operated a similar system with the Oilers/Titans as well. However, several players, coaches and team executives who were with Williams in Houston/Tennessee, Buffalo and Washington have denied that Williams ever ran a bounty system.


title: Gregg Williams

text: Williams was summoned to NFL headquarters after the investigation concluded in mid-February. He initially denied any involvement, but recanted and admitted everything in a meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. He issued a statement apologizing for his role, saying that he had known it was wrong from the start. On March 21, 2012, the NFL suspended Williams indefinitely for "conduct detrimental" to the league, effective that day. In a statement, the NFL said that its investigation had found that Williams not only administered the bounty program and occasionally contributed some of his own money to the bounty pool, but also lied to league investigators about his role. Consequently, the suspension would run until the end of the 2012 season at the earliest. When Williams applied for reinstatement, Goodell considered how much Williams cooperated with the NFL in its continuing investigation; Goodell also expected Williams to participate in league efforts to eliminate bounty systems altogether. The NFL is still investigating allegations that Williams ran a bounty program in Washington.


title: Gregg Williams

text: Williams apologized again after he learned of his punishment, and said he hoped to return to coaching in the future. However, Fisher said that neither he nor the Rams knew about the bounty program, and he would have not have hired Williams had he known that Williams might be facing a year's suspension.


title: Gregg Williams

text: On April 5, documentary filmmaker Sean Pamphilon released audio of a meeting Williams held with his defense before their 2012 divisional playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. In a profanity-laced speech, Williams instructed his defense to target several 49ers players. He ordered his men to try to knock out running back Kendall Hunter, even if it meant hitting him out of bounds. He specifically directed them to try to tear wide receiver Michael Crabtree's ACL, and to go after wide receiver Kyle Williams specifically because he had a history of concussions. Pamphilon, who was doing a documentary on the media's effect on football from Pee-Wee all the way to the NFL, released the audio to Yahoo! Sports because he was sickened by what he heard.


title: Gregg Williams

text: On December 12, the Associated Press reported that, according to a transcript of the bounty appeal hearing, Williams had testified that he had wanted to shut down the system after the league began investigating, but was overruled by Saints linebackers coach Joe Vitt. Vitt, however, denied the claims.


title: Gregg Williams

text: On February 3, 2012, Williams was formally introduced as the Rams' new defensive coordinator. A little over a month later, on March 21, Williams was suspended indefinitely for his role in the Saints bounty scandal, and was fired on January 2, 2013, without ever working a day for the Rams.


title: Gregg Williams

text: On February 7, 2013, Williams was reinstated by the NFL and officially hired by the Tennessee Titans as a senior assistant defensive coach. In the official statement released by the league, commissioner Roger Goodell cited Williams' acceptance of responsibility for his role in the bounty program and pledge to never be involved in another such "pay for performance" system as the main reasons for Williams' reinstatement after just one year.


title: Gregg Williams

text: On December 12, 2016, the Los Angeles Rams fired head coach Jeff Fisher. His coaching staff, along with Williams, were fired at the end of the season.


title: Gregg Williams

text: On October 29, 2018, following head coach Hue Jackson's dismissal, Williams was named the Browns interim head coach, while Freddie Kitchens was named interim offensive coordinator. Williams guided the Browns to a 5–3 record, including a credible showing against the Kansas City Chiefs, and was responsible for the emergence of Baker Mayfield as the team's quarterback. There was growing support for Williams to take over as head coach on a permanent basis, although his previous history as Bills head coach and the Bountygate scandal may have hurt his cause.


title: Gregg Williams

text: Following the appointment of offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens as permanent head coach, Williams and several defensive coaching assistants were let go by the Browns. With a .625 winning percentage in eight games as coach, he was the first head coach since Marty Schottenheimer in 1988 to leave Cleveland with a winning record as coach.


title: Gregg Williams

text: On January 16, 2019, Williams was hired as the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets under new head coach Adam Gase. While the Jets offense struggled, Williams led the Jets to seventh in the NFL in overall defense including second against the run.


title: Gregg Williams

text: On December 7, 2020, Williams was fired from the Jets following a 31–28 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The firing came after Williams called a controversial zero blitz on a Hail Mary play as an attempt to sack Derek Carr. However Carr found Henry Ruggs open, beating corner Lamar Jackson for a game winning touchdown with five seconds left in the game dropping the Jets to 0–12. Had the Jets won, it would have given the Jets their first win of the season.


title: Gregg Williams

text: Williams has been married twice and has three children; two sons and a daughter from his first marriage.


title: Caodaism

text: Caodaism ( , Chữ Hán: ) is a monotheistic syncretic new religious movement officially established in the city of Tây Ninh in southern Vietnam in 1926. The full name of the religion is (The Great Faith [for the] Third Universal Redemption).


title: Caodaism

text: Adherents engage in practices such as prayer, veneration of ancestors, nonviolence, and vegetarianism with the goal of union with God and freedom from saṃsāra. Estimates of the number of Caodaists in Vietnam vary; government figures estimate 4.4 million Caodaists affiliated to the Cao Đài Tây Ninh Holy See, with numbers rising up to 6 million if other branches are added. However, estimates vary. The United Nations found about 2.5 million Cao Dai followers in Vietnam as of January 2015. An additional number of adherents in the tens of thousands, primarily ethnic Vietnamese, live in North America, Cambodia, Europe and Australia as part of the Cao Dai diaspora.


title: Caodaism

text: Ngô Văn Chiêu, a district head of the French administration in Cochinchina, was the first to worship and receive messages from Cao Đài in 1921. He received a vision of the Divine Eye which is now the symbol for Cao Đài as well as the focus for worship on all Cao Đài altars.


title: Caodaism

text: Adherents maintain that on Christmas Eve 1925, God identified himself to the first group of Cao Đài mediums, which included Phạm Công Tắc, Cao Quỳnh Cư and Cao Hoài Sang. These three figures were to play an essential role in the growing religion as the three founding spirit mediums of the Hiệp Thiên Đài or "Palace Uniting Heaven and Earth". Phạm Công Tắc was the head spirit medium or ("Defender of the Dharma), while Cao Quỳnh Cư was the (his Sacred Assistant) and Cao Hoài Sang was the (his Secular Assistant).


title: Caodaism

text: On 7 October 1926, Lê Văn Trung (a former elected official of the Colonial Council of Cochinchina and a member of the ), and a leading group of 27 Caodaists, the first disciples of Cao Đài, signed the "Declaration of the Founding of the Cao Đài Religion" and presented it to the French Governor of Cochinchina. The Cao Đài faith brought together a number of once underground sects into a new national religion.


title: Caodaism

text: Officially called the "Great Way of the Third Time of Redemption" (), it became popular in its first few decades, gathering over a million members and converting a fifth to a fourth of the population of Cochinchina by 1940.


title: Caodaism

text: Ngô Văn Chiêu, who had never intended Cao Đài to become a mass organization, left the movement and eventually established in 1932 an independent, esoteric branch known as Chiếu Minh, headquartered in Vĩnh Long, which still exists and only admits a limited number of committed adepts.


title: Caodaism

text: In the 1930s, the leader criticized the French colonial regime, though he also emphasized dialogue with the French. This stance was controversial, and contrasted with the liturgy of dozens of "dissident" branches of Caodaism that followed a more Taoist model.


title: Caodaism

text: During the First and Second Indochina Wars, members of Cao Đài (along with several other Vietnamese sects, such as Hòa Hảo) were active in political and military struggles against both French colonial forces and South Vietnamese Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm.


title: Caodaism

text: Their criticism of the communist forces until 1975 was a factor in their repression after the fall of Saigon in 1975, when the incoming communist government banned the practice of Caodaism. In 1997, Caodaism was granted legal recognition and unrestricted practice once again.


title: Caodaism

text: The official name of the Cao Đài religion (or Caodaism) is . Translated directly it means "The Third Great Universal Religious Amnesty" ( – "Great Faith", – "Third Period", – "to announce" and – "to save").


title: Caodaism

text: According to Cao Đài's dogma, this Third Period will be of intense religious activity which will unite God and humanity in ways not yet imagined. Cao Đài also states that the Third Amnesty will establish a new great faith for the salvation of living beings before the universal destruction. The primary objective of the Third Amnesty is the unity of all religions, which will bring mankind together in a universal family for universal peace.


title: Caodaism

text: Caodaism teaches that, throughout human history, God the Father has revealed his truth many times through the mouths of many prophets, but these messages were always either ignored or forgotten due to humanity's susceptibility to secular desires. Adherents believe that the age has now come when God speaks to humanity directly.


title: Caodaism

text: In the nineteenth century, Spiritism became established in Europe. The likes of Madam Blavatsky, Allan Kardec and Victor Hugo championed new religious possibilities. In Vietnam, the age-old traditions of Asian divination and mediumship began to mix with the new traditions of European Spiritism.


title: Caodaism

text: To highlight this objective of unity, there is a representation of the Divine Covenant of The Third Amnesty (The Third Alliance) inside every Cao Đài Temple. This Covenant between Heaven and Earth is written and presented to humanity by the Venerable Saints – Victor Hugo, Sun Yat Sen and Trạng Trình Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm. Their mission is said to guide humanity into the way of the Third Amnesty. The Covenant is written in French: ; and in Chinese: . This translates into English as: "God and Humanity [for] Love and Justice."


title: Caodaism

text: "Cao Đài" refers to God the Father (the Supreme Being, the Creator, the Ultimate Reality of the Universe, also identified as the Jade Emperor). , as God's full title, indicates a combination of the three main religions – Confucianism, Taoism, and Mahayana Buddhism.


title: Caodaism

text: Together, they represent not only the unification of the three main religions but also the humility of God who presents himself as the lowest rank of Divinity.


title: Caodaism

text: Caodaists adopt the traditional Chinese idea of (yin) and (yang) duality constituting the harmonious balance of the universe. Before the creation of the universe there was the "dao", the infinite, nameless, formless, unchanging, eternal source. The negative and positive principles of the universe are the components of the eternal nature.


title: Caodaism

text: There are two main Gods, the ("Highest Lord") and the or ("Holy Buddha Mother"). They represent respectively the yang and yin forces. is viewed as the heart of the universe, the common Father of all beings. He imparts part of him into each living being, including even rocks, in the form of consciousness. is venerated as the Mother of the universe, responsible for giving visible forms, consciousness and emotions to all life. Ultimately, she has to follow the orders of , who is revered as the Supreme Being of both Heaven and Earth.


title: Caodaism

text: All other Divine Beings are to obey the orders of these two Creators during the course of evolution of the universe. Each of them carries a specific role as designated by their Father and Mother. Any being who falls out against them is considered devils in nature. These devils are led by the most powerful being, named Kim Quang Sứ (Satan).


title: Caodaism

text: In terms of the cosmos, faithful Caodaists believe there are heaven and hell, which are the main destinations for souls after death. Heaven consists of thirty six planes and many heavenly realms upon each of them, e.g. the Realm of Saints, the Realm of the Holy Mother, the Realm of the Perfect Beings, the Divine Court Realm, The Paradise of Extreme Joy, Nirvana, etc. Meanwhile, hell has ten key realms to carry out punishments in accordance with sins of souls.


title: Caodaism

text: In order to go to heaven, souls are required to cultivate their virtues and/or devote themselves to spiritual causes. Without merit from the latter, they cannot escape the cycle of birth and death, but can improve their virtues and merit gradually to reach better places in the universe, including the 72 planets (Earth being the 68th), the 3,000 worlds, the four great cosmic regions, and the thirty six heavenly planes. True liberation can only be attained when souls reach Nirvana, i.e. the realm of Divine Beings with the most virtues, merits, and wisdom.


title: Caodaism

text: The father of the universe, Cao Đài, is believed to have communed with men since the beginning of times, revealing his will. According to Cao Đài doctrine, history is divided into three times () of revelation. In the first two periods, there were teachings of Dipankara Buddha, sages, Phục Hy/Fu Xi, Gautama Buddha, Laozi, Confucius and Jesus, who received the will of the Highest Power, and founded their respective religions to serve and/ or educate humanity. However, due to the frailty of the messengers and the common men, the will of the Highest Power was misled into corrupted forms. Caodaists also believe that former revelations were culture-bound, being applicable only for certain ethnicities, and primarily intended for specific ages. The third and final form of revelation is disclosed through the teachings of the Cao Đài faith.


title: Caodaism

text: Caodaists believe that there are various ranks of divine spirits: ("angels"), ("saints"), ("Immortals"), and ("Buddhas"). Each of these ranks can be further divided in the three grades of (Heavenly), (Human) and (Earthly), forming a twelve-fold hierarchy that reflects the twelve-fold earthly hierarchy of the Caodaist church. Below those ranks are the spirits of matters, plants, animals and humans. All spirits may evolve to attain higher rank based on present deeds. Disembodied spirits fulfill a number of roles: they are benefactors of mankind, messengers and instructors of the truth. Quan Âm is regarded as the exemplary goddess of the Buddhas, Lý Bạch (Li Bai) of the Immortals, and Quan Vũ (Guan Yu) of the Saints.


title: Caodaism

text: The Cao Đài pantheon counts three main prophets, as illustrated on a plaque at the entrance of the Tay Ninh Temple: Victor Hugo (to please the French), since he gave many teachings and also the text of a number of important prayers. He himself practiced spiritism on the island of Jersey from 1852 to 1855, and predicted that he would become the prophet of a new religion to merge European and Asian mysticism. Sun Yat-sen (for the Chinese) and Trang Trinh, the Vietnamese Nostradamus (for the Vietnamese). The Cao Đài pantheon also has many other well-known figures such as Joan of Arc, seen as having guided the Faith at its inception and promoted full equality for women (via séances). Muhammad, Moses, Louis Pasteur, Shakespeare, and Lenin. Reports that Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin were also "saints" are based on an inaccurate 1956 "Time" magazine article, since both of them were still alive at the time.


title: Caodaism

text: The doctrines of the Cao Đài faith tends not only to reconcile all religious views, but also to adapt itself to all degrees of spiritual evolution. A basic principle of Caodaism is "All Religions are One". Cao Đài has been described from five different points of view:


title: Caodaism

text: Believers worship God the Father, Holy Mother, and the Divine Beings with all their heart. They also venerate the Great Religious Prophets of history and honour the ancestors.


title: Caodaism

text: There are four daily ceremonies, that is, at 06:00, Midday, 18:00, and midnight, either at the temple or in front of the home altar. Monthly rituals take place at midnight on the 1st and 15th days of the lunar month. There is also a special anniversary ceremony once a year for God the Father, the Holy Mother, the five founders of the world's major religions, and the founders of the Cao Dai religion.


title: Caodaism

text: Ceremonial prescriptions such as actions, dress and music were organized in detail by God the Father. These include ceremonies for initiations, marriages and funerals. Particular attention is paid to death, and it has been revealed to the religion how the soul journeys towards heaven and how, on earth, co-religionists can pray for souls to help them on their way.


title: Caodaism

text: Cao Đài temples and religious buildings host a rich array of symbols, all of which are instructed by either God the Father or Divine Beings. No symbol is redundant, and none is meaningless. They each tell a different story that reveals the beliefs, values, cosmic secrets, prophecies, etc. When combined, they lay out the journey of the Tao throughout the history of mankind and the universe, as well as its way forward.


title: Caodaism

text: In spirit and in pictorial representation, the Eye serves to remind Cao Đài believers that the God witnesses everything, everywhere, constantly. At the Holy See, there are in total 50 Divine Eyes of five different shapes; each carrying a different meaning related to various spiritual aspects. The One on the globe shows the Supreme Being above the North Star in the Ursa Minor constellation. The One on the façade of the Holy See has 35 rays of light which represent the three major religions and five main religious doctrines of the world. At the local Cao Đài Temples, the Divine Eye has 16 rays of light emanating from it. Nine radiate upward representing the nine levels of heaven, and seven radiating downward representing the seven emotions, which believers must control.


title: Caodaism

text: In accordance with the religious mission, the three colors of Cao Đài banner represent the three main non-Hinduistic Asian religions of the world; yellow stands for Buddhism, blue for Taoism, and red for Confucianism. Under the Divine Eye is the religious emblem which also represents the essence of the three religions; the bowl of charity for Buddhist compassion and asceticism, the feather duster for Taoist purification; the Spring and Autumn Annals for Confucianist virtue and love.


title: Caodaism

text: There are various Caodaist scriptures. Some of those belonging to the Holy See of Tây Ninh are: "Kinh Thiên Đạo Và Thế Đạo" ("Prayers of the Heavenly and the Earthly Way"), "Pháp Chánh Truyền" ("the Religious Constitution of Cao Đài Religion"), "Tân Luật" ("The Canonical Codes"), and "Con Đường Thiêng Liêng Hằng Sống" ("Divine Path to Eternal Life"). Other sects have additional scriptures.


title: Caodaism

text: This scripture sets out the rules and boundaries for different aspects of the religion, from a believer to the Pope, from education to marriage, etc. There are ten sections in the scripture with the following content:


title: Caodaism

text: The Phap-Chanh-Truyen (The Religious Constitution of Caodaism) was delivered to the religion as a series of divine messages. These are the guiding texts of the religion's organisation, stipulating the authority, responsibility, limits, as well as religious vestment for each rank in the religion.


title: Caodaism

text: The organisational structure of the Caodaist church has similarities with that of a state. There are similarities between the hierarchy of the Caodaist clergy and that of the Catholic Church. Besides the Pope, the Caodaist hierarchy has Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, and further ranks.


title: Caodaism

text: Caodaism stresses equality among men and women in society. However, in the spiritual domain, ordained women may not attain the two highest positions: the Legislative Cardinal and the Pope. The church claims this is ordered by the Highest Lord, who declared that because "Dương" (Yang) represents male and "Âm" (Yin) corresponds to female, Yin cannot dominate Yang spiritually or else chaos ensues.


title: Caodaism

text: The spiritual power (Bát Quái Đài): This is the heavenly council, that is, the Spirit and Soul of the New Religion. The council directs all activities of the universe. The council is the invisible part, made up of the Divine Beings, and directed by Duc Cao Dai (God the Father). The Divine Beings represent different religions of the world, including:


title: Caodaism

text: The earthly power: To avoid dictatorship, God divided the earthly power into two bodies – an Executive Body (Cửu Trùng Đài) headed by the Pope, and a Legislative Body (Hiệp Thiên Đài) headed by the Hộ Pháp (Protector of Laws and Justice). The former takes charge of the administration of the Religion and its missionary activities, while the latter oversees legislation, jurisdiction and communication with God or Divine Beings. There is also the Charitable Body placed under the supervision of the Legislative Body, and a Lay Committee of selected professional specialists among worthy followers.


title: Caodaism

text: The "Cửu Trùng Ðài" is the Executive Body of Caodaism which takes charge of the administration of the Religion and missionary activities. Head of "Cửu Trùng Ðài" is "Giáo-Tông" (Pope).


title: Caodaism

text: For male dignitaries of the Executive Body, from the rank of Censor Cardinal to that of Student Priest, each echelon is subdivided into three branches corresponding to the three principal religions:


title: Caodaism

text: All plans made by the Popular Council and favoured by the Sacerdotal Council are submitted to High Council for approval.


title: Caodaism

text: In addition, there is also a Central Administration body chaired by three Cardinals. Each of them is assisted by three Principal Archbishops to oversee three religious ministries:


title: Caodaism

text: This Body has the duty of communicating with Divine Beings, to preserve the religious laws and listen to the complaints of the unhappy. It is headed by the "Hộ Pháp" (protector of laws and justice), and assisted by the "Thượng Phẩm" (Director of religious affairs) and "Thượng Sanh" (Director of secular affairs).


title: Caodaism

text: Four "zodiacal dignitaries" under each of these branches carry the four key responsibilities of conservation, renovation, reformation, and legislation. They are further assisted by twelve technical academicians, including Bảo Huyền Linh Quân (Theosophy), Bảo Tinh Quân (Astronomy), Bảo Cô Quân (Orphanage), Bảo Văn pháp quân (Culture), Bảo Học Quân (Education), Bảo Y Quân (Health), Bảo Vật Quân (Science and Industry, Bảo Sĩ Quân (Literature), Bảo Sanh Quân (Social work), Bảo Nông Quân (Agriculture), Bảo Công Quân (Public Works), Bảo Thương Quân (Economics).


title: Caodaism

text: Any local area having more than 500 believers is authorized to establish a Parish (Họ Đạo/Tộc Đạo) with a Thánh-Thất (Temple, Church, Holy House) which is led by the authority of a dignitary.


title: Caodaism

text: Twice a month, the first and the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, the believers must meet at the Thánh-Thất (Temple, Holy House) of the local area to attend the ceremony and listen to the teachings. Exception can be made for those with reasonable excuses.


title: Caodaism

text: Located north-west of Saigon in Tây-Ninh Province is the Caodaist Holy See. At the centre of this city stands the Great Divine Temple. This temple, like the religion, is a fusion of world influences. As well as being a major centre of pilgrimage, the Caodaist Holy See is also one of Vietnam's major tourist attractions.


title: Caodaism

text: “The period between 1934 and 1975 witnessed not only the robust development of the Cao Dai religion but also saw the separation of the Cao Dai religion into different independent sects, sometimes as many as 30" As of July 2014, "central and provincial authorities have granted legal recognition" to 11 Cao Dai sects.


title: Caodaism

text: These sects generally divide along geographic lines. The largest is based in Tây Ninh Province, where the religion was founded in 1926 and where the seat of the Caodaist authority is located.


title: Caodaism

text: The Caodaist Executive Council of Tây Ninh Province received official government recognition in 1997. Independent Caodaist groups allege that government interference has undermined the independence of the Tây Ninh group, and it no longer faithfully upholds "Cao Đài"'s principles and traditions. Religious training takes place at individual temples rather than at centralized seminaries. Some Caodaist sects that have broken away from the Tây Ninh Holy See are Cầu Kho, Bến Tre, Minh Chơn Lý, Minh Chơn Đạo, Tiên Thiên, and Hội Thánh Truyền Giáo Trung Việt. Ngô Văn Chiêu founded Chiếu Minh when he left the original church structure, refusing his appointment as Caodaism's first pope.


title: Nicola Zalewski

text: Nicola Zalewski (born 23 January 2002) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Roma. Born and raised in Italy to Polish parents, he plays for the Poland national team at international level.


title: Nicola Zalewski

text: Zalewski made his professional debut for Roma on 6 May 2021 in the Europa League semi-final against Manchester United, replacing Pedro at the 76th minute and being instrumental to the winning goal, an own goal by Alex Telles, seven minutes later. He made his Serie A debut three days later, on 9 May, during a home game against Crotone. On 29 December, Roma announced his contract had been extended until 2025. On 28 February 2022, he first played as a starter for Roma in their 1–0 against Spezia.


title: Nicola Zalewski

text: Zalewski, while born in Italy, doesn't hold an Italian citizenship. He was first selected by the youth selections of the Poland national team after being discovered by Zbigniew Boniek, head of the Polish Football Association and former Roma player. He made his debut for the senior team on 5 September 2021, in the World Cup Qualifier against San Marino where he came on in 66th minute and assisted Adam Buksa in the 94th minute who made it 7–1 for Poland.


title: Nicola Zalewski

text: Zalewski was born in Tivoli to Polish parents and grew up in Poli. His father, Krzysztof Zalewski, died on 24 September 2021.


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: In music theory, a dominant seventh chord, or major minor seventh chord, is a seventh chord, usually built on the fifth degree of the major scale, and composed of a root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh. Thus it is a major triad together with a minor seventh, denoted by the letter name of the chord root and a superscript "7". An example is the dominant seventh chord built on G, written as G, having pitches G–B–D–F:


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: Dominant seventh chords contain a strong dissonance – a tritone between the chord's third and seventh.


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: Dominant seventh chords are often built on the fifth scale degree (or dominant) of a key. For instance, in the C major scale, G is the fifth note of the scale, and the seventh chord built on G is the dominant seventh chord, G (shown above). In this chord, F is a minor seventh above G. In Roman numeral analysis, G would be represented as V in the key of C major.


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: Similarly, this chord also occurs on the seventh degree of any natural minor scale (e.g., G7 in A minor).


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: The dominant seventh is perhaps the most important of the seventh chords. It was the first seventh chord to appear regularly in classical music. The V chord is found almost as often as the V, the dominant triad, and typically functions to drive the piece strongly toward a resolution to the tonic of the key.


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: A dominant seventh chord can be represented by the integer notation {0, 4, 7, 10} relative to the dominant.


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: Renaissance composers conceived of harmony in terms of intervals rather than chords, "however, certain dissonant sonorities suggest that the dominant seventh chord occurred with some frequency." Monteverdi (usually credited as the first to use the V chord without preparation) and other early Baroque composers begin to treat the V as a chord as part of the introduction of functional harmony.


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: An excerpt from Monteverdi's "Lasciatemi Morire", "Lamento d'Arianna" (1608) is shown below. In it, a dominant seventh chord (in red) is handled conservatively, "prepared and resolved as a suspension, clearly indicating its dissonant status."


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: The V was in constant use during the Classical period, with similar treatment to that of the Baroque. In the Romantic period, freer voice-leading was gradually developed, leading to the waning of functional use in the post-Romantic and Impressionistic periods including more dissonant dominant chords through higher extensions and lessened use of the major minor chord's dominant function. Twentieth-century classical music either consciously used functional harmony or was entirely free of V chords while jazz and popular musics continued to use functional harmony including V chords.


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: An excerpt from Chopin's Mazurka in F minor (1849), Op. 68, No. 4, mm. 1–4 is shown below with dominant sevenths in red: "the seventh factor had by this time achieved nearly consonant status."


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: The opening bars of Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C, K545 features dominant seventh chords in both second and first inversions:The concluding cadence of the same movement features the chord in root position:A striking use of inversions of the dominant seventh can be found in this passage from the first movement of Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 127. Here, the second and third inversions contribute to the "magnificently rich harmony" :


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: This dominant seventh chord is useful to composers because it contains both a major triad and the interval of a tritone. The major triad confers a very "strong" sound. The tritone is created by the co-occurrence of the third degree and seventh degree (e.g., in the G chord, the interval between B and F is a tritone).


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: In a diatonic context, the third of the chord is the leading-tone of the scale, which has a strong tendency to pull towards the tonic of the key (e.g., in C, the third of G, B, is the leading tone of the key of C). The seventh of the chord acts as an upper leading-tone to the third of the scale (in C: the seventh of G, F, is a half-step above and leads down to E). This, in combination with the strength of root movement by fifth, and the natural resolution of the dominant triad to the tonic triad (e.g., from GBD to CEG in the key of C major), creates a resolution with which to end a piece or a section, often in a cadence.


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: Because of this original usage, it also quickly became an easy way to trick the listener's ear with a deceptive cadence. The dominant seventh may work as part of a circle progression, preceded by the supertonic chord, ii.


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: Importantly, non-diatonic dominant seventh chords (sometimes called a "chromatic" seventh), borrowed from another key, can allow the composer to modulate to that other key. This technique is extremely common, particularly since the Classical period, and has led to further innovative uses of the dominant seventh chord such as secondary dominant (V/V, shown below), extended dominant (V/V/V), and substitute dominant (V/V) chords.


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: According to Heinrich Schenker, "The dissonance is always passing, "never a chord member" ("Zusammenklang"),'" and often (though by no means always) the voice leading suggests either a passing note:


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: In rock and popular music songs following the blues progression, the IV and V chords are "almost always" dominant seventh chords (sometimes with extensions) with the tonic chord most often being a major triad. Examples include Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" and Buster Brown's "Fanny Mae", while in Chuck Berry's "Back in the U.S.A." and Loggins and Messina's "Your Mama Don't Dance" the tonic chord is also a dominant seventh. Used mostly in the first fifteen years of the rock era and now sounding somewhat "retrospective" (e.g., Oasis' "Roll With It"), other examples of tonic dominant seventh chords include Little Richard's "Lucille", The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There", Nilsson's "Coconut", Jim Croce's "You Don't Mess Around With Jim", and The Drifters' "On Broadway". Chuck Berry's "Rock and Roll Music" uses the dominant seventh on I, IV, and V.


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: The dominant seventh is enharmonically equivalent to the German sixth. For example, the German sixth A–C–E–F (which typically resolves to G) is equivalent to the dominant seventh A–C–E–G (which typically resolves to D):


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: The dominant seventh chord is frequently used to approximate a harmonic seventh chord, which is one possible just tuning, in the ratios 4:5:6:7 , for the dominant seventh. Others include 20:25:30:36 , found on I, and 36:45:54:64, found on V, used in 5-limit just tunings and scales.


title: Dominant seventh chord

text: Today, the dominant seventh chord enjoys particular prominence in the music of barbershop quartets, with the Barbershop Harmony Society describing the chord as the "signature" of the barbershop sound. A song may use the chord type (built on any scale degree, not just ), for up to 30 percent of its duration. As barbershop singers strive to harmonize in just intonation to maximize the audibility of harmonic overtones, the practical sonority of the chord tends to be that of a harmonic seventh chord. This chord type has become so ingrained into the fabric of the artform that it is often referred to as the "barbershop seventh chord" by those who practice it.


title: Mark Sanford

text: Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 to 2019, and also as the 115th governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.


title: Mark Sanford

text: Sanford was first elected to Congress in 1994. He represented South Carolina's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001. He decided against running for a third term in the house and instead focused on running in the 2002 gubernatorial election. In the election, he defeated Democratic incumbent Jim Hodges with 52% of the vote. Sanford ran for reelection in 2006, defeating businessman Tommy Moore with 55% of the vote. As governor, Sanford attempted to reject $700 million in stimulus funds for South Carolina from the federal Recovery Act passed in 2009, but the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that only the state legislature—not the governor—had the authority to accept or decline the funds.


title: Mark Sanford

text: In June 2009, after having disappeared from the state for nearly a week, Sanford publicly revealed that he had engaged in an extramarital affair. He had led his staff to believe that he was going hiking on the Appalachian Trail, but actually went to visit his mistress, Maria Belén Chapur, in Argentina. Although the scandal made national headlines, leading to his censure by the South Carolina General Assembly and his resignation as chair of the Republican Governors Association, Sanford did complete his second term as governor.


title: Mark Sanford

text: Sanford ran for Congress again in a 2013 special election for his old seat. He won the election and served in Congress from 2013 to 2019. He lost his 2018 reelection bid in a Republican primary. In September 2019, Sanford announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2020 United States presidential election. He dropped out of the race on November 12, 2019.


title: Mark Sanford

text: Marshall Clement Sanford Jr. was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Marshall Clement Sanford, a cardiothoracic surgeon, and Margaret Elise "Peggy" Pitz. His family was fairly well-to-do, but slept in the same room to conserve electricity. Before his senior year of high school, Sanford moved with his family from Fort Lauderdale to the Coosaw Plantation near Beaufort, South Carolina. Sanford attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.


title: Mark Sanford

text: Sanford received a Bachelor of Arts degree in business from Furman University in 1983 and a Master of Business Administration degree from Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia in 1988.


title: Mark Sanford

text: In 1994, Sanford entered the Republican primary for the Charleston-based 1st Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. The seat had come open after four-term Republican incumbent Arthur Ravenel declined to seek re-election in his ultimately unsuccessful run for governor. Despite having never run for office before, Sanford finished second in a crowded primary behind Van Hipp Jr., a former George H. W. Bush administration official and former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party. Sanford defeated Van Hipp in the runoff and easily defeated state representative Robert A. Barber Jr. in the November general election, winning by 66.3% to 32.4%.


title: Mark Sanford

text: Sanford was unopposed by Democratic candidates in 1996 and 1998. In 1996, he beat Joseph Innella of the Natural Law Party by 96.36% to 3.55%. He beat Innella again in 1998, this time by 91% to 8.9%.


title: Mark Sanford

text: While in Congress, Sanford was recognized as its most fiscally conservative member by the Cato Institute. He was also recognized by Citizens Against Government Waste, as well as the National Tax Payers Union, for his efforts to rein in government spending and reduce the national deficit. He garnered a lifetime rating of 92 from the American Conservative Union.


title: Mark Sanford

text: He was known for voting against bills that otherwise received unanimous support. For example, he voted against a bill that preserved sites linked to the Underground Railroad. He voted against pork barrel projects even when they benefited his own district; in 1997, he voted against a defense appropriations bill that included funds for Charleston's harbor. Seeing himself as a "citizen-legislator", he did not run for reelection in 2000, in keeping with a promise to serve only three terms in the House.


title: Mark Sanford

text: In 2002, just before announcing he would run for governor, Sanford joined the Air Force Reserve. He entered the gubernatorial election of 2002; he first defeated Lt. Gov. Bob Peeler in the Republican primary and then defeated the Democratic incumbent, Jim Hodges, in the general election, by a margin of 53% to 47% to become the 115th governor of South Carolina. In accordance with South Carolina law, Sanford was elected separately from the state's Republican lieutenant governor, Andre Bauer. Sanford and Bauer's wins gave the Republicans full control of state government for the first time since Reconstruction.


title: Mark Sanford

text: In 2003, after becoming governor, Sanford attended two weeks of training with the Air Force Reserve in Alabama with his unit, the 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. While in training in 2003, Sanford did not transfer power to Bauer, saying he would be in regular contact with his office, and would transfer authority in writing only if he were called to active duty.


title: Mark Sanford

text: Sanford sometimes had a contentious relationship with the South Carolina General Assembly, even though it was dominated by his party for his entire tenure. During his administration, governmental power was largely held by three members of the General Assembly: Senators Hugh Leatherman and Glenn F. McConnell and House Speaker Bobby Harrell. The Republican-led state House of Representatives overrode 105 of Sanford's 106 budget vetoes on May 26, 2004. The following day, Sanford brought live pigs, who subsequently defecated on the House floor, into the House chamber as a visual protest against "pork projects."