title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: On 10 October in a speech in front of the Catalan parliament Puigdemont stated that he considered the referendum results to be valid and in consequence used the following wording: "I assume the mandate of the people for Catalonia to become an independent state in the shape of a republic", before adding that he would "ask Parliament to suspend the effects of the declaration of independence". In response the Central government made a formal request for him to answer before the Monday 16 October 2017 if he declared independence asking specifically for yes or no answer clarifying that any answer different than a "no" would be interpreted as a "yes". Along with the formal request there was also an offer from the central government negotiated with the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party to evaluate the situation of Catalonia within Spain and to study possible reforms, if needed, to the Spanish Constitution. On 16 October 2017 Puigdemont gave a response that did not address the issue of whether or not there had been a declaration of independence. this triggered a second deadline of 10 am on Thursday 19 October for them to backtrack before direct rule was imposed. The Spanish government subsequently offered to abort the suspension of self-rule if the Catalan government called for regional elections. The response from Puigdemont to the second deadline was again not clear. Since he refused to abandon his independence push, on 21 October the Spanish government initiated the implementation of article 155 of the Spanish constitution.


title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: On 27 October 2017, the Parliament of Catalonia unilaterally declared independence from Spain. The proposal presented by the pro-independence political parties Junts pel Sí and Popular Unity Candidacy was approved with 70 votes in favor 10 against and 2 blank votes. 55 MPs from the opposition refused to be present during the voting after the legal services of the Catalan Parliament advised that the voting could not take place as the law in which it was based had been suspended by the Constitutional Court. Within hours, the Spanish Senate approved actions proposed by the Spanish government to invoke Article 155 and assume direct control over some of Catalonia's autonomous powers. The measure was passed with 214 votes in favour, 47 against and 1 abstention. The measure is intended to be temporary; its claimed objective being to "re-establish the rule of law" and restore autonomy after new elections. The first measures taken by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy after the approval by the senate was to fire the Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and his cabinet, dissolving the Parliament of Catalonia and scheduling fresh Catalan elections on 21 December 2017.


title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: On 16 January 2018, the Spanish Constitutional Court issued a temporary restraining order regarding the work of the Catalan Government commission that investigates the violation of fundamental rights in Catalonia.


title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: Different sources describe aspects of the events differently according to their political stance. Notable examples include the coverage of Spanish TV channel TVE (Televisión Española) and Catalan channel TV3. TV3 covered the referendum and the police violence regularly while TVE mainly emphasised the Spanish government's position on its legality. TVE media coverage was criticised by Televisión Española information council, calling for the resignation of the entire direction. TV3 has been criticized both within and outside Catalonia as a mouthpiece for the independence movement.


title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: Various media reported on fake images of police violence against civilians that were posted in social networks. They included images of people injured in other events, including footage from strikes and anti-austerity protests 4–5 years prior, Turkish police charges and protests by miners. The news sites "Okdiario" and "Periodista Digital" were also accused of falsely trying to discredit some of those involved in police violence episodes.


title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: Some non-Spanish media outlets have criticized the Mariano Rajoy's government, police violence against civilians or Spain's media coverage, including "The Guardian", "The Independent", "Al-Jazeera", "The Daily Telegraph", and "The New York Times".


title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: The Spanish newspaper "El País" argued that "the network of fake-news producers that Russia has employed to weaken the United States and the European Union is now operating at full speed on Catalonia", involving a network of Russian media outlets and social network bots which, according to the argument, aimed to influence local and global discussion of events. Later investigations by Medium-DFRL said it found support for some but not all of the arguments made by Spanish outlets. It is argued that the goal wasn't specifically to support Catalan independence but to "foment divisions to gradually undermine Europe's democracy and institutions" and at discrediting Spanish legal and political authorities, while Russian authorities have denied that Russian actors had any involvement.


title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: Several documentaries have been made about the day of the referendum, the most known ones being produced by Mediapro , "El primer dia d'octubre" produced by La Directa and released for free in YouTube. and "L'endemà" produced by Massa D’Or produccions. All three were produced by independentist production companies and were criticised for being too propagandistic and biased, the last one even received harsh criticism by independentist politicians and journalists.


title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: Another well known documentary about the same topic but with a more unbiased approach was "Dos Catalunyas" directed by Gerardo Olivares and Álvaro Longoria.


title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: Many books about the topic were published as well, including "Operació urnes" (""Operation Ballot Boxes""), explaining how the ballot boxes were distributed around Catalonia, and "Dies que duraran anys" (""Days That Will Last for Years""), a photo book by Jordi Borràs. Those two being the first and the third top-sellers in the category of non-fiction in Catalan language during the Diada de Sant Jordi of 2018.


title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: Several Catalan groups also composed songs specially dedicated to that day, including "Agafant l'horitzó" ("Catching the horizon") by Txarango and "Rojos y separatistas" ("Red and separatists") by Lágrimas de Sangre. Some international groups used images from the police violence during the day of the referendum in their concerts and music videos, including A Sound of Thunder and Steven Patrick Morrissey.


title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: On 15 June, the exhibition "55 Ballot Boxes for Freedom" opened in Brussels, with artwork inspired by the ballot boxes of the Catalan referendum.


title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: Netflix used images from the police action during the day of the referendum to promote "Black Mirror" series in Spain.


title: 2017 Catalan independence referendum

text: In February 2020, the Catalan nationalist-led government and the Spanish left-wing coalition government agreed to start a dialogue on Catalonia's political future. Included in Catalan nationalists' two points was a retroactive legalization of the 2017 independence referendum. The central government's plan aims rather at a negotiation on the region's financial and political autonomy within the current legal framework. Fifteen representatives began talks with a discussion of the history of the Catalan crisis. Despite disagreement on when it began, the two sides concurred that their common political opponent, the People's Party, bore the overall responsibility in its fight against the Statute of Autonomy. It was agreed that negotiations would continue, with plans for monthly meetings and plenary sessions every six months, although this has been followed by a continued internal conflict within the nationalist parties, a fraction of which wishes no dialogue beyond a new legally binding referendum. The COVID-19 pandemic cancelled these plans, which may resume in September 2021.


title: Tara Lynne O'Neill

text: Tara-Lynne O'Neill (born 16 November 1975) is a film, theatre and television actress from Northern Ireland.


title: Tara Lynne O'Neill

text: Growing up she was an aspiring dentist, but abandoned this, after failing her General Certificate of Secondary Education in Chemistry. At Sixth form college she opted for a career in acting.


title: Tara Lynne O'Neill

text: O'Neill started work as a television presenter on Saturday Disney from 1993 to 1996. She was also a main presenter on a young-people television show, "The Over the Wall Gang" for BBC Northern Ireland. She later played Joanne Ryan in "EastEnders" between 20 September 2002 and 21 August 2003.


title: Tara Lynne O'Neill

text: O'Neill also appeared in film roles such as the town's seductress in "The Most Fertile Man in Ireland" (1999). 2013-2016 saw her appear in "The Fall". In 2018, she joined the main cast of "Derry Girls" as Mary Quinn. The second series of Derry Girls premiered on 5 March 2019.


title: Tara Lynne O'Neill

text: In addition to television and film, at age 19 she appeared on stage at the Grand Opera House in Belfast as Sandy in a production of the musical ""Grease"".


title: Tara Lynne O'Neill

text: In 2006 O'Neill appeared as Rita in a theatre production of "Educating Rita" staged at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast.


title: Tara Lynne O'Neill

text: In 2021 she wrote and starred in "Rough Girls", a play about women's football in Belfast in 1917–21; it was aired on BBC Four in 2022.


title: 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

text: The 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018. It occurred concurrently with a Senate election in the state, elections to the state's U.S. House seats, and various other elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Scott Walker sought re-election to a third term, and was challenged by Democratic candidate and then-Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers, as well as Libertarian Phil Anderson and independent Maggie Turnbull. Evers, along with his running mate Mandela Barnes, managed to defeat Walker and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch in a closely fought and widely watched race, ending unified Republican control of the state.


title: 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

text: The result was considered "too close to call" on election night, with Walker and Evers being separated by a mere few hundred votes for much of the night as counties reported their results. Shortly after midnight on November 7, Milwaukee County reported around 46,000 late absentee ballots. From those late ballots, Evers received 38,674 votes, or 84% of the total, and Walker 7,181, giving Evers a narrow lead. The race was called for him shortly after.


title: 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

text: Wisconsin was the only state in the 2018 gubernatorial election cycle to elect a Democratic governor while voting more Republican than the national average. With a margin of 1.1%, this election was also the second-closest race of the 2018 gubernatorial election cycle, behind only the election in Florida. Walker was one of two Republican incumbent governors to be defeated for re-election in 2018, the other being Bruce Rauner in neighboring Illinois, who had lost decisively to J.B. Pritzker.


title: 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

text: The primary election for the Democratic nomination featured a crowded field of candidates. The race was ultimately won by Tony Evers with around 40% of the vote.


title: 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

text: Mandela Barnes, a former state representative from Milwaukee, defeated opponent Kurt Kober by a 2 to 1 margin for the nomination, becoming the first African American to be nominated by a major party for a Wisconsin gubernatorial ticket.


title: 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

text: Despite the fact that Scott Walker had won three prior races for Governor in 2010, 2012, and 2014 by fairly comfortable margins, his bid for a third term was complicated by rising unpopularity due to his policies concerning public education and infrastructure. Walker also faced backlash for a deal his administration made with Taiwanese company Foxconn in 2017 to create jobs in the state in exchange for around $4.5 billion in taxpayer subsidies. In 2018, the deal resulted in around $90 million of funding for roads being diverted to a stretch of I-94 that was set to be near a future Foxconn plant from the rest of state. The poor condition of many roads around the state as well as the lack of work being done to redo them prompted a campaign where potholes were being labeled as “Scott”-holes.


title: 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

text: Walker's approval ratings were hobbled further by the unpopularity of Republican U.S. President Donald Trump in Wisconsin. Walker himself sounded the alarm on this several times in early 2018 after Democrats won two special elections to the Wisconsin State Senate in typically Republican districts and an election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In April 2018, Walker warned that Wisconsin was “at risk of a blue wave“ in November. The Walker campaign generally focused on promoting the popular parts of his record, such as a freeze on tuition at public universities and record low unemployment.


title: 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

text: The result was expected to be close, with a record $93 million spent on the race by the two major campaigns and special interest groups from in and out of the state. In the end, Walker was ultimately defeated by Democrat Tony Evers, who garnered a slightly more than 1% margin of victory, as Democrats swept every statewide race up for election.


title: 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

text: Despite the close result, Scott Walker was unable to request a recount due to a law he had signed himself two years prior, which requires the margin of difference to be within 1%.


title: 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

text: Early in December 2018, a special legislative session was called by Walker to pass a series of bills to limit the powers of Governor-elect Evers, as well as incoming Democratic State attorney general Josh Kaul who had defeated incumbent Brad Schimel.


title: 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

text: Other bills being considered included restrictions on early voting and the passage of Medicaid work requirements, which Walker had previously held off on due to the election. A similar law restricting early voting that was passed several years prior had been ruled as unconstitutional.


title: 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

text: The bills were widely denounced by Democrats and others as a “power grab.” Congresswoman Gwen Moore described the move as a “coup” that “hijacked the voters’ will.” Walker and other Republicans meanwhile argued that the bills were necessary ”checks on power” and that they did not actually strip any real powers from the executive. Lawsuits were filed by Evers and various labor unions almost immediately after Walker signed the bills into law.


title: Pastitsio

text: Pastitsio (, "pastítsio") is a Greek baked pasta dish with ground meat and béchamel sauce, with variations of the dish found in other countries of the Mediterranean Sea.


title: Pastitsio

text: Pastitsio takes its name from the Italian "pasticcio", a large family of baked savory pies that may be based on meat, fish, or pasta, with many documented recipes from the early 16th century, and continuing to modern times. Italian versions include a pastry crust; some include béchamel.


title: Pastitsio

text: The word "pasticcio" is attested by the 16th century as "any manner of pastie or pye" and comes from the vulgar Latin word "pastīcium" derived from "pasta", and means "pie", and has developed the figurative meanings of "a mess", "a tough situation", or a "pastiche".


title: Pastitsio

text: In the Albanian-speaking regions of the Balkans, the dish is called "pastiçe", deriving from "pasticcio". It is, however, often meatless and made with an egg and cheese mixture instead of béchamel.


title: Pastitsio

text: Among Turks and Turkish Cypriots, this dish is known as "fırında makarna" (literally, "macaroni in the oven").


title: Pastitsio

text: The most recent and most popular contemporary variant of pastitsio was invented by Nikolaos Tselementes, a French-trained Greek chef of the early 20th century. Before him, pastitsio in Greece had a filling of pasta, liver, meat, eggs, and cheese, did not include béchamel, and was wrapped in filo, similar to the most Italian pasticcio recipes, which were wrapped in pastry: "he completely changed the dish and made it a kind of "au gratin"".


title: Pastitsio

text: The Tselementes version—which is now ubiquitous—has a bottom layer that is bucatini or other tubular pasta, with cheese or egg as a binder; a middle layer of ground beef, or a mix of ground beef and ground pork with tomato sauce, cinnamon and cloves. Other spices like nutmeg or allspice are used in the top layer that is a béchamel or a mornay sauce. Grated goat cheese is often sprinkled on top. Pastitsio is a common dish, and is often served as a main course, with a salad.


title: Pastitsio

text: The Egyptian version is called "makarōna beshamel" in Egyptian Arabic, "i.e." "macaroni with béchamel". The dish is typically made with penne or macaroni pasta, a minced-meat sauce with tomato and onion, and a white sauce often enriched with Rumi cheese. Egg or cheese (cheddar and mozzarella) may also be baked on top. The dish was introduced to Egypt by Greek and Italian immigrants in the 19th century.


title: Pastitsio

text: In Malta, "timpana" (the name probably derived from "timballo") is made by tossing parboiled macaroni in a tomato sauce containing a small amount of minced beef or corned beef, bound with a mixture of raw egg and grated cheese. Hard-boiled eggs are sometimes added. The macaroni is then enclosed in a pastry case or lid before being baked. A similar dish without the pastry casing is imqarrun.


title: Claude Frollo

text: "Monseigneur" Claude Frollo () is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Victor Hugo's 1831 novel "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" (known in French as "Notre-Dame de Paris"). He is the Archdeacon of Notre Dame, as well as an Alchemist and Intellectual.


title: Claude Frollo

text: Dom Claude Frollo is a pious and highly knowledgeable man who was orphaned along with his younger brother Jehan when their parents died of the plague. His studies led him to become the Archdeacon of Josas, which is his position during the events of the novel. He also has a small fief that provides him with a minor source income, most of which goes to fund his brother's alcoholism.


title: Claude Frollo

text: During a holiday at Notre Dame called Quasimodo Sunday, he rescues a deformed hunchback child whom he finds abandoned on the cathedral's foundlings bed. He adopts the boy, names him "Quasimodo" after the holiday, raises him like a son, and teaches him a sort of sign language when Quasimodo is deafened by the cathedral's bells. Frollo is a respected scholar and studies several languages, law, medicine, science and theology. He becomes infatuated with alchemy, however, which leads townspeople to spread the rumor that he is a sorcerer. He also believes strongly in fate. All this, along with his extreme and irrational fear of women, contribute further to his isolation from society.


title: Claude Frollo

text: Frollo also has strong passions, even though he is a celibate due to his station within the church. These passions erupt in him through his contact with the 16-year-old Roma (Gypsy) girl Esmeralda, and eventually they prove his undoing. He considers her to be a temptation sent by the Devil to test his faith, and curses her as a demon. He finds he cannot resist her, however, and determines to give in to temptation. Esmeralda, however, is repulsed by his advances. Frollo orders Quasimodo to abduct her for him, and then abandons him when the hunchback is suddenly captured by Captain Phoebus de Chateaupers and his guards. Frollo even ignores Quasimodo when he sees him being publicly humiliated for the crime. When Frollo discovers that Esmeralda is in love with Phoebus, he spies on the meeting between them, which Esmeralda has arranged with Phoebus' consent. Phoebus only wants one night of passion. As Phoebus and Esmeralda are about to make love, Frollo, in a jealous rage, stabs Phoebus, and kisses Esmeralda when she faints before fleeing.


title: Claude Frollo

text: Frollo does not attempt to intercede when Esmeralda is turned over to the magistrate on charges of witchcraft and attempted murder, but he stabs himself during her torture and shows her the wound as a proof of his lust for her. She is unmoved, however. She is also still in love with Phoebus. Shortly before the day she is to be executed, Frollo leaves Paris in a feverish madness, not realizing that Quasimodo – who is also in love with her – has rescued her from the gallows. When he returns to the news that Esmeralda is still alive, he becomes as jealous of Quasimodo as he was of Phoebus. Frollo later attempts to rape her at her sanctuary in the cathedral, but Quasimodo – who doesn't realize who Esmeralda's attacker is at first – comes to the girl's defense and beats Frollo up. Angered and humiliated, Frollo decides to rid himself of Esmeralda by handing her over to the authorities.


title: Claude Frollo

text: Frollo's opportunity to abduct and force Esmeralda comes when a group of scoundrels, enraged by news that the French monarchy has ordered Esmeralda to be taken from the cathedral and hanged within three days, arm themselves to assault Notre Dame Cathedral. While Quasimodo is busy fighting off the scoundrels, Pierre Gringoire, Esmeralda's legal husband – whom she only married to save his life – and a hooded figure sneak into the Cathedral and convince Esmeralda to sneak out with them. The man's face is hidden behind a hood, leaving Esmeralda to guess his identity. They flee to a boat on the River Seine, then separate when they head to shore, with Gringoire taking Esmeralda's goat, Djali, and leaving her with the unknown man. The hooded figure drags Esmeralda to a nearby gallows and identifies himself as Frollo by removing his hood.


title: Claude Frollo

text: Frollo issues Esmeralda his final ultimatum: either she must submit to him, or he will hand her over to the authorities. She rejects him, so he leaves her to an anchoress to hold her for the royal soldiers coming to hang her and goes back to Notre Dame Cathedral. He then walks up to one of the cathedral's towers to watch the girl being hanged, unaware that Quasimodo has spotted him and followed him upstairs. He watches calmly while Esmeralda is taken to the gallows.


title: Claude Frollo

text: When Quasimodo sees him laughing at Esmeralda's hanging, he becomes enraged and pushes Frollo off the balustrade. A gargoyle stops his fall, and he cries out to Quasimodo for help, but Quasimodo remains silent. Then Frollo falls down off the cathedral, colliding with the roof of a house. He slides down the roof, hits the pavement of the town square and dies.


title: Claude Frollo

text: Victor Hugo's novel has been adapted to film on numerous occasions. Due to policies of the NAMPI Thirteen Points, the filmmakers of the 1923 film adaptation would not portray a member of the Roman Catholic Church in a negative and controversial light. As a result, Claude Frollo (played by Nigel de Brulier) is not the villain, but instead a good-hearted archdeacon of Notre Dame, and the villain of the film is actually his younger brother Jehan (played by Brandon Hurst). The 1939 film had a similar change for the same reason due to policies of the Hays Production Code; the only difference is that Jehan (played by Sir Cedric Hardwicke) is portrayed as King Louis XI's Chief Justice of Paris, and Claude (played by Walter Hampden) is portrayed as the Archbishop of Paris. In Disney's 1996 animated film, Claude Frollo (voiced by Tony Jay) is Paris' judge/Minister of Justice and the villain as in the novel, the Archdeacon of Notre Dame is a separate character entirely (and voiced by David Ogden Stiers), and the character of Jehan is omitted.


title: Internal audit

text: Internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization's operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control and governance processes. Internal auditing might achieve this goal by providing insight and recommendations based on analyses and assessments of data and business processes. With commitment to integrity and accountability, internal auditing provides value to governing bodies and senior management as an objective source of independent advice. Professionals called internal auditors are employed by organizations to perform the internal auditing activity.


title: Internal audit

text: The scope of internal auditing within an organization may be broad and may involve topics such as an organization's governance, risk management and management controls over: efficiency/effectiveness of operations (including safeguarding of assets), the reliability of financial and management reporting, and compliance with laws and regulations. Internal auditing may also involve conducting proactive fraud audits to identify potentially fraudulent acts; participating in fraud investigations under the direction of fraud investigation professionals, and conducting post investigation fraud audits to identify control breakdowns and establish financial loss.


title: Internal audit

text: Internal auditors are not responsible for the execution of company activities; they advise management and the board of directors (or similar oversight body) regarding how to better execute their responsibilities. As a result of their broad scope of involvement, internal auditors may have a variety of higher educational and professional backgrounds.


title: Internal audit

text: The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) is the recognized international standard setting body for the internal audit profession and awards the Certified Internal Auditor designation internationally through rigorous written examination. Other designations are available in certain countries. In the United States the professional standards of the Institute of Internal Auditors have been codified in several states' statutes pertaining to the practice of internal auditing in government (New York State, Texas, and Florida being three examples). There are also a number of other international standard setting bodies.


title: Internal audit

text: Internal auditors work for government agencies (federal, state and local); for publicly traded companies; and for non-profit companies across all industries. Internal auditing departments are led by a chief audit executive (CAE) who generally reports to the audit committee of the board of directors, with administrative reporting to the chief executive officer (In the United States this reporting relationship is required by law for publicly traded companies).


title: Internal audit

text: The internal auditing profession evolved steadily with the progress of management science after World War II. It is conceptually similar in many ways to financial auditing by public accounting firms, quality assurance and banking compliance activities. While some of the audit technique underlying internal auditing is derived from management consulting and public accounting professions, the theory of internal auditing was conceived primarily by Lawrence Sawyer (1911–2002), often referred to as "the father of modern internal auditing"; and the current philosophy, theory and practice of modern internal auditing as defined by the International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) of the Institute of Internal Auditors owes much to Sawyer's vision.


title: Internal audit

text: With the implementation in the United States of the "Sarbanes–Oxley Act" of 2002, the profession's exposure and value was enhanced, as many internal auditors possessed the skills required to help companies meet the requirements of the law . However, the focus by internal audit departments of publicly traded companies on SOX related financial policy and procedures derailed progress made by the profession in the late 20th century toward Larry Sawyer's vision for internal audit. Beginning in about 2010, the IIA once again began advocating for the broader role internal auditing should play in the corporate arena, in keeping with the IPPF's philosophy.


title: Internal audit

text: While internal auditors are hired directly by their company, they can achieve independence through their reporting relationships. Independence and objectivity are a cornerstone of the IIA professional standards; and are discussed at length in the standards and the supporting practice guides and practice advisories. Professional internal auditors are mandated by the IIA standards to be independent of the business activities they audit. This independence and objectivity are achieved through the organizational placement and reporting lines of the internal audit department. Internal auditors of publicly traded companies in the United States are required to report functionally to the board of directors directly, or a sub-committee of the board of directors (typically the audit committee), and not to management except for administrative purposes.


title: Internal audit

text: The required organizational independence from management enables unrestricted evaluation of management activities and personnel and allows internal auditors to perform their role effectively. Although internal auditors are part of company management and paid by the company, the primary customer of internal audit activity is the entity charged with oversight of management's activities. This is typically the audit committee, a committee of the board of directors.


title: Internal audit

text: Organizational independence is effectively achieved when the chief audit executive reports functionally to the board. Examples of functional reporting to the board involve the board:


title: Internal audit

text: Approving the internal audit charter; Approving the risk based internal audit plan; Approving the internal audit budget and resource plan; Receiving communications from the chief audit executive on the internal audit activity's performance relative to its plan and other matters; Approving decisions regarding the appointment and removal of the chief audit executive; Approving the remuneration of the chief audit executive; and Making appropriate inquiries of management and the chief audit executive to determine whether there are inappropriate scope or resource limitations.


title: Internal audit

text: Internal auditing activity is primarily directed at evaluating internal control. Under the COSO Internal Control Framework, internal control is broadly defined as a process, effected by an entity's board of directors, management, and other personnel, designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of the following core objectives for which all businesses strive:


title: Internal audit

text: Management is responsible for internal control, which comprises five critical components: the control environment; risk assessment; risk focused control activities; information and communication; and monitoring activities. Managers establish policies, processes, and practices in these five components of management control to help the organization achieve the four specific objectives listed above. Internal auditors perform audits to evaluate whether the five components of management control are present and operating effectively, and if not, provide recommendations for improvement.


title: Internal audit

text: In the United States, the internal audit function independently assesses management's system of internal control and reports its results to top management and the company's audit committee of the board of directors.


title: Internal audit

text: Internal auditing professional standards require the function to evaluate the effectiveness of the organization's Risk management activities. Risk management is the process by which an organization identifies, analyses, responds, gathers information about, and monitors strategic risks that could actually or potentially impact the organization's ability to achieve its mission and objectives.


title: Internal audit

text: Under the COSO enterprise risk management (ERM) Framework, an organization's strategy, operations, reporting, and compliance objectives all have associated strategic business risks – the negative outcomes resulting from internal and external events that inhibit the organization's ability to achieve its objectives. Management assesses risk as part of the ordinary course of business activities such as strategic planning, marketing planning, capital planning, budgeting, hedging, incentive payout structure, credit/lending practices, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, legislative changes, conducting business abroad, etc. Sarbanes–Oxley regulations require extensive risk assessment of financial reporting processes. Corporate legal counsel often prepares comprehensive assessments of the current and potential litigation a company faces. Internal auditors may evaluate each of these activities, or focus on the overarching process used to manage risks entity-wide. For example, internal auditors can advise management regarding the reporting of forward-looking operating measures to the board, to help identify emerging risks; or internal auditors can evaluate and report on whether the board and other stakeholders can have reasonable assurance the organization's management team has implemented an effective enterprise risk management program.


title: Internal audit

text: In larger organizations, major strategic initiatives are implemented to achieve objectives and drive changes. As a member of senior management, the chief audit executive (CAE) may participate in status updates on these major initiatives. This places the CAE in the position to report on many of the major risks the organization faces to the audit committee, or ensure management's reporting is effective for that purpose.


title: Internal audit

text: The internal audit function may help the organization address its risk of fraud via a fraud risk assessment, using principles of fraud deterrence. Internal auditors may help companies establish and maintain Enterprise Risk Management processes. This process is highly valued by many businesses for establishing and implementing effective management systems and ensuring quality is maintained & professional standards are met Internal auditors also play an important role in helping companies execute a SOX 404 top-down risk assessment. In these latter two areas, internal auditors typically are part of the risk assessment team in an advisory role.


title: Internal audit

text: Internal auditing activity as it relates to corporate governance has in the past been generally informal, accomplished primarily through participation in meetings and discussions with members of the board of directors. According to COSO's ERM framework, governance is the policies, processes and structures used by the organization's leadership to direct activities, achieve objectives, and protect the interests of diverse stakeholder groups in a manner consistent with ethical standards. The internal auditor is often considered one of the "four pillars" of corporate governance, the other pillars being the board of directors, management, and the external auditor.


title: Internal audit

text: A primary focus area of internal auditing as it relates to corporate governance is helping the audit committee of the board of directors (or equivalent) perform its responsibilities effectively. This may include reporting critical management control issues, suggesting questions or topics for the audit committee's meeting agendas, and coordinating with the external auditor and management to ensure the committee receives effective information. In recent years, the IIA has advocated more formal evaluation of corporate governance, particularly in the areas of board oversight of enterprise risk, corporate ethics, and fraud.


title: Internal audit

text: Based on the risk assessment of the organization, internal auditors, management and oversight boards determine where to focus internal auditing efforts. This focus or prioritization is part of the annual/ multi-year annual audit plan. The audit plan is typically proposed by the CAE (sometimes with several options or alternatives) for the review and approval of the audit committee or the board of directors. Internal auditing activity is generally conducted as one or more discrete assignments.


title: Internal audit

text: It should be adapted to the specific purpose of audit, and the selection of audit method must be adapted to its specific purpose. Otherwise, it will deviate from the purpose of the audit.


title: Internal audit

text: Audit assignment length varies based on the complexity of the activity being audited and internal audit resources available. Many of the above steps are iterative and may not all occur in the sequence indicated.


title: Internal audit

text: In addition to assessing business processes, specialists called information technology (IT) auditors review information technology controls.


title: Internal audit

text: Internal auditors typically issue reports at the end of each audit that summarize their findings, recommendations, and any responses or action plans from management. An audit report may have an executive summary – a body that includes the specific issues or findings identified and related recommendations or action plans, and appendix information such as detailed graphs and charts or process information. Each audit finding within the body of the report may contain five elements, sometimes called the "5 C's":


title: Internal audit

text: The recommendations in an internal audit report are designed to help the organization achieve effective and efficient governance, risk and control processes associated with operations objectives, financial and management reporting objectives; and legal/regulatory compliance objectives.


title: Internal audit

text: Audit findings and recommendations may also relate to particular assertions about transactions, such as whether the transactions audited were valid or authorized, completely processed, accurately valued, processed in the correct time period, and properly disclosed in financial or operational reporting, among other elements.


title: Internal audit

text: Under the IIA standards, a critical component of the audit process is the preparation of a balanced report that provides executives and the board with the opportunity to evaluate and weigh the issues being reported in the proper context and perspective. In providing perspective, analysis and workable recommendations for business improvements in critical areas, auditors help the organization meet its objectives.


title: Internal audit

text: Internal audit functions may also develop functional strategies described in multi-year strategic plans. Professional guidance on building an Internal Audit strategic plan was issued by the "Institute of Internal Auditors" in July 2012 via a Practice Guide called "Developing the Internal Audit Strategic Plan". A key aspect of developing IA strategy is understanding the expectations of stakeholders, such as the audit committee and top management. This helps guide the IA function in its mission of helping the organization address the risks it faces. Specific topics considered in IA strategic planning include:


title: Internal audit

text: Building the IA strategy may involve a variety of strategic management concepts and frameworks, such as strategic planning, strategic thinking, and SWOT analysis.


title: Internal audit

text: The measurement of the internal audit function can involve a balanced scorecard approach. Internal audit functions are primarily evaluated based on the quality of counsel and information provided to the audit committee and top management. However, this is primarily qualitative and therefore difficult to measure. "Customer surveys" sent to key managers after each audit engagement or report can be used to measure performance, with an annual survey to the audit committee. Scoring on dimensions such as professionalism, quality of counsel, timeliness of work product, utility of meetings, and quality of status updates are typical with such surveys. Understanding the expectations of senior management and the audit committee represent important steps in developing a performance measurement process, as well as how such measures help align the audit function with organizational priorities.


title: Internal audit

text: Independent peer reviews are part of the quality assurance process for many internal audit groups as they are often required by standards. The resulting peer review report is made available to the audit committee.


title: Internal audit

text: The chief audit executive (CAE) typically reports the most critical issues to the audit committee quarterly, along with management's progress towards resolving them. Critical issues typically have a reasonable likelihood of causing substantial financial or reputational damage to the company. For particularly complex issues, the responsible manager may participate in the discussion. Such reporting is critical to ensure the function is respected, that the proper "tone at the top" exists in the organization, and to expedite resolution of such issues. It is a matter of considerable judgment to select appropriate issues for the audit committee's attention and to describe them in the proper context.


title: Internal audit

text: Some of the philosophy and approach of internal auditing is derived from the work of Lawrence Sawyer. His philosophy and guidance on the role of internal audit was a forerunner of the current definition of internal auditing. It emphasized assisting management and the board in achieving the organization's objectives through well-reasoned audits, evaluations, and analyses of operational areas. He encouraged the modern internal auditor to act as a counsellor to management rather than as an adversary. Sawyer saw auditors as active players influencing events in the business rather than criticizing all degrees of errors and mistakes. He also foresaw a more desirable auditor future involving a stronger relationship with members of audit committee and the board and a divorce from direct reporting to the chief financial officer.


title: Internal audit

text: Sawyer often talked about "catching a manager doing something right" and providing recognition and positive reinforcement. Writing about positive observations in audit reports was rarely done until Sawyer started talking about the idea. He understood and forecast the benefits of providing more balanced reporting while simultaneously building better relationships. Sawyer understood the psychology of interpersonal dynamics and the need for all people to receive acknowledgment and validation for relationships to prosper.


title: Internal audit

text: Sawyer helped make internal auditing more relevant and more interesting through a sharp focus on operational or performance auditing. He strongly encouraged looking beyond financial statements and financial-related auditing into areas such as purchasing, warehousing and distribution, human resources, information technology, facilities management, customer service, field operations, and program management. This approach helped catapult the chief audit executive into the role of a respected and knowledgeable adviser who was thought to be reasonable, objective, and concerned about helping the organization achieve the stated goals.


title: Internal audit

text: is a framework outlining the relationship between business functions, risk management, and internal audit, delineating how responsibilities should be divided; it is designed "to assure the effective and transparent management of risk", by making accountabilities clear. The terminology is analogized from the military "Line of defence".


title: Internal audit

text: Under later iterations of the model, assurance from "external independent bodies" is seen as a fourth line of defence; here the external auditor, and others, provide assurance and insights to the Board and are "clearly seen to be independent".


title: Internal audit

text: Finally, the "last line of defence" against risk is that of capital, as a sufficient quantum "ensures that a firm can continue as a going concern even if substantial and unexpected losses are incurred"; see .


title: Matthew Sweet

text: Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990s as a solo artist. His companion albums, "Tomorrow Forever" and "Tomorrow's Daughter", were followed by 2018's "Wicked System of Things" and 2021's "Catspaw", his 15th studio effort.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: Sweet was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. He graduated from Southeast High School in Lincoln, in 1983. Upon graduation he moved to Athens, Georgia to attend college.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: As a high school student in 1980, Sweet wrote songs and recorded them on four-track cassettes. He joined the band The Specs and released his first recording on a battle of bands LP produced by a local radio station, and fronted his own local band called The Dialtones. After graduating, Sweet traveled to Athens, Georgia, to attend college during the vibrant Athens music scene. That same year, Sweet, who had met the band R.E.M. when they played a show in his hometown the previous year, collaborated with frontman Michael Stipe in a duo group under the name Community Trolls, as well as played guitar in Stipe's sister Lynda Stipe's band, Oh-OK. In addition, he formed another duo, The Buzz of Delight, with Oh-OK drummer David Pierce, releasing an EP, "Sound Castles", in 1984 on DB Records. On the strength of this 12" vinyl, Sweet was signed to a solo recording contract with Columbia Records.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 1986, he released "Inside", his debut album, to good reviews but little commercial success. In 1989, he released "Earth" after signing with A&M Records; likewise, it was well-received critically, yet not commercially. This marked a personal and professional low period as his record company lost interest and his marriage failed.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 1990, A&M released Sweet from his contract, and he signed with rival Zoo Entertainment, which evolved into Volcano Entertainment. Sweet formed a new band (which included Richard Lloyd, Robert Quine, Greg Leisz, Lloyd Cole, and Fred Maher), and together they spent that year assembling his next work, originally titled "Nothing Lasts".


title: Matthew Sweet

text: The following year, Sweet released "Girlfriend", which was widely considered an artistic breakthrough. It quickly garnered impressive U.S. sales, spawning a Top 10 single with the title track. The music video for "Girlfriend" (heavily aired on MTV, MuchMusic and "Night Tracks") featured clips from the anime film, "", while the video for "I've Been Waiting" used clips of the "Urusei Yatsura" character Lum.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 1993, Sweet released "Altered Beast", an album which drew mixed reactions with its intense and brooding tracks (such as "Someone to Pull the Trigger" and "Knowing People"). The music video for the single "The Ugly Truth" (directed by Sweet) featured the singer being chased in the desert by police while driving his own 1970 Dodge Challenger, while the video for "Time Capsule" was a literary homage to Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels."


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 1995, Sweet released "100% Fun", an alt-rock album best known for its lead-off track, the self-deprecating "Sick of Myself". The album itself fared better commercially, and even made it onto "Entertainment Weekly" critic David Browne's year's-best list.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 1997, Sweet released "Blue Sky on Mars", a new-wave album which featured the synth-laden singles "Where You Get Love" and "Come to California". The music video for the former featured Sweet as an astronaut traveling through outer space.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 1998 his version of Walter Egan's Magnet and Steel was recorded on the Sabrina The Teenage Witch album with Lindsey Buckingham on guitar.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 1999, Sweet released "In Reverse", a psychedelic album which featured Wall of Sound singles "What Matters" and "Trade Places". The album is noteworthy for its 10-minute closing track, "Thunderstorm", a combination of several demos.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2001, Sweet and Darius Rucker performed The Beach Boys song "Sail On, Sailor" on the special "A Tribute to Brian Wilson"; the musicians later performed the same song with Brian Wilson himself on "Late Show with David Letterman".


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2002, Sweet released "", a retrospective compilation which featured unreleased material. Also that year, he formed the supergroup The Thorns with Shawn Mullins and Pete Droge.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2003, Sweet released "Kimi Ga Suki", a garage-rock album initially released in Japan, where Sweet has a following.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2004, he released "Living Things", an acoustic album mainly consisted of material he wrote while recording w/ The Thorns.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2006, Sweet and Susanna Hoffs released "Under the Covers, Vol. 1", which featured covers of popular 1960s songs.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2008, Sweet released "Sunshine Lies," his 10th studio album, which also incorporated a 2-LP set featuring 4 bonus tracks.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2009, Sweet and Hoffs released "Under the Covers, Vol. 2", which featured covers of popular 1970s songs.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2010, the musical "Girlfriend", using songs from Sweet's eponymous album, was staged by the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2011, Sweet released "Modern Art", a labyrinthine album which featured the single, "She Walks the Night".


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2012, Sweet celebrated the 20th anniversary of "Girlfriend" with a tour performing the entire album from start to finish.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2013, Sweet and Susanna Hoffs released "Under the Covers, Vol. 3", which features covers of popular 1980s songs.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2014, Sweet was featured on "The Simpsons", the longest-running American sitcom. He wrote "Hopin' for a Dream", a song by fictitious 1980s band SunGazer, in the episode. Sweet and his wife Lisa were also research consultants for the Tim Burton film "Big Eyes", a biography on painter Margaret Keane.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2015, Sweet and Susanna Hoffs released "Completely Under the Covers", a limited 4-disc box set of all three "Under the Covers" albums, with 15 bonus tracks.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2017, Sweet released "Tomorrow Forever", a rootsy album funded entirely by fans on Kickstarter; over the course of one month in 2014, the project exceeded its $32,000 goal by 75% from fewer than 800 backers.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2018, Sweet released "Tomorrow's Daughter" on May 18, a companion album to "Tomorrow Forever". Also that year, Sweet was paid tribute in the compilation album, "Altered Sweet", which included artists such as Lisa Mychols, Andy Reed, Greg Pope, Nick Bertling, Fireking, Chris Richards & The Subtractions, simple friend, Michael Simmons, Gretchen's Wheel, The Well Wishers, Elvyn, Pop Co-Op, Stabby Robot, Lannie Flowers, Stereo Tiger, Michael Carpenter, Phil Ajjarapu, CokeRoque, Donny Brown, Nick Piunti, Paranoid Lovesick, Trolley, Keith Klingensmith, Arvidson & Butterflies, Robyn Gibson and Popdudes. Also that year, independent vinyl reissue label Intervention Records announced it would release Artist-Approved 2 LP Expanded Editions of 100% Fun, Altered Beast, and Girlfriend on vinyl and CD/SACD, along with a vinyl reissue of "Son of Altered Beast". On Record Store Day's Black Friday, he released "Wicked System of Things", a tribute to midwestern power pop, and a 3-inch colored vinyl of a live 1997 recording from Disney Orlando's Pleasure Island for Record Store Day in 2019.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: In 2021, Sweet released "Catspaw", his 15th studio album, and the first to feature Sweet playing all lead guitar parts.


title: Matthew Sweet

text: Sweet and his wife Lisa have resided in Omaha, Nebraska since 2013. He was married at least once before; a 1989 divorce strongly inspired the songs on Sweet's commercial breakthrough album "Girlfriend".<ref name="Azerrad/RS"> Available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required).</ref>


title: Bandipur National Park

text: Bandipur National Park is a national park covering in Chamarajnagar district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It was established as a tiger reserve under Project Tiger in 1973.


title: Bandipur National Park

text: The Maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore created a sanctuary of in 1931 and named it the Venugopala Wildlife Park. The Bandipur Tiger Reserve was established under Project Tiger in 1973 by adding nearly to the Venugopala Wildlife park.


title: Bandipur National Park

text: Bandipur National Park is located between 75° 12’ 17" E to 76° 51’ 32" E and 11° 35’ 34" N to 11° 57’ 02" N where the Deccan Plateau meets the Western Ghats, and the altitude of the park ranges from to . As a result, the park has a variety of biomes including dry deciduous forests, moist deciduous forests and shrublands. The wide range of habitats help support a diverse range of organisms. The park is flanked by the Kabini river in the north and the Moyar river in the south. The Nugu river runs through the park. The highest point in the park is on a hill called Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta, where there is a Hindu temple at the summit. Bandipur has typical tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The dry and hot period usually begins in early March and can last till the arrival of the monsoon rains in June.


title: Bandipur National Park

text: Bandipur supports a wide range of timber trees including: teak ("Tectona grandis"), rosewood ("Dalbergia latifolia"), sandalwood ("Santalum album" V), Indian-laurel ("Terminalia tomentosa"), Indian kino tree ("Pterocarpus marsupium"), giant clumping bamboo ("Dendrocalamus strictus"), clumping bamboo ("Bambusa arundinacea") and "Grewia tiliaefolia".


title: Bandipur National Park

text: There are also several notable flowering and fruiting trees and shrubs including: kadam tree ("Adina cordifolia"), Indian gooseberry ("Emblica officinalis"), crape-myrtle ("Lagerstroemia lanceolata"), axlewood ("Anogeissus latifolia"), black myrobalan ("Terminalia chebula"), "Schleichera trijuga", "Odina wodiar", flame of the forest ("Butea monosperma"), golden shower tree ("Cassia fistula"), satinwood ("Chloroxylon swietenia"), black cutch ("Acacia catechu"), "Shorea talura (E)", indigoberry ("Randia uliginosa").


title: Bandipur National Park

text: Bandipur National Park harbours Indian elephant, gaur, Bengal tiger, sloth bear, mugger crocodile, Indian rock python, four-horned antelope, golden jackal and dhole.


title: Bandipur National Park

text: The commonly seen mammals along the public access roads in the park include chital, gray langur, Indian giant squirrel and Indian elephant. A list of medium to large-sized mammals in the park is given in the following census table published in 1997:


title: Bandipur National Park

text: Peafowl are among the most commonly seen birds in Bandipur along with grey junglefowl, crows and drongos. Bandipur is home to over 200 species of birds including honey buzzards, red-headed vultures, Indian vultures, flowerpeckers, hoopoes, Indian rollers, brown fish owls, crested serpent eagles, changeable hawk-eagles, bee-eaters and many kingfishers and ospreyss are a common sight in winter.


title: Bandipur National Park

text: Reptile species include spectacled cobra, Indian rock python, vipers, rat snake, muggers, monitor lizards, Indian chameleon, Indian pond terrapin, agamids and flying lizards.


title: Bandipur National Park

text: Butterflies include common rose, crimson rose, common jay, lime butterfly, Malabar raven, common Mormon, red Helen, blue Mormon, southern birdwing, common wanderer, mottled emigrant, common grass yellow, spotless grass yellow, one spot grass yellow, Nilgiri clouded yellow, common Jezebel, Psyche, common gull, caper white or pioneer, small orange tip or lesser orange tip, white orange tip, large salmon Arab, common evening brown, great evening brown, common palmfly, common bushbrown, glad eye bushbrowm, red disk bushbrown, red eye bushbrown, Lepcha bushbrown, common threering, common fourring, common fivering, tawny coster, rustic, common leopard, Indian fritillary, common sailer, colour sergeant, chestnutstreaked sailer, grey count, red baron or baronet, angled castor, common castor, yellow pansy, lemon pansy, peacock pansy, chocolate pansy, orange pansy, blue pansy, grey pansy, blue admiral, glassy blue tiger, blue tiger, dark blue tiger, plain tiger, striped tiger/ common tiger, Danaid eggfly, great eggfly, common crow, brown king crow, common Pierrot, angled Pierrot, banded blue Pierrot, striped Pierrot, dark Pierrot, red Pierrot, lime blue, zebra blue, gram blue, common cerulean, tiny grass blue, dark grass blue, Indian cupid, large four-line blue, common silverline, plum Judy, plain scupid, pea blue, metallic cerulean, chestnut Bob, dark palm dart, brown awl.


title: Bandipur National Park

text: Ant species include Anenictus sp1, Anoplolepis longipes, Camponotus parius, Crematogaster biroi, Crematogaster sp 1*, Crematogaster sp 2*, Diacamma rugosum, Lepisiota capensis, Leptogenys chinesis, Leptogenys coonorensis, Leptogenys diminuta, Lophomyrmex quadripinosus, Meranoplus bicolor, Monomorium indicum, Myrmicaria striata, Myrmicaria brunnea, Oligomyrmex wroughtonii, Pachycondyla sp1*, Paratrechina sp1*, Pheidole sharpi, Pheidole sp1*, Pheidole sp2*, Pheidologeton diverus, Polyrhachis exercita, Solenopsis geminate, Tetraponera rufonigra, Tetraponera sp1*


title: Bandipur National Park

text: Dung beetles include Catharsius granulatus *, Copris indicus *, Oniticellus cinctus*, Onitis singhalensis *, Onthophagus beesoni*, Onthophagus ensifer *, Onthophagus rana *, Onthophagus sp.107* #, Onthophagus tarandus*, Picnopanaleus rotundus, Caccobius diminutives, Caccobius ultor, Copris furciceps, Copris sp.1#, Heliocopris dominus, Pseudonthophagus sp.2#, Sisyphus neglectus, Caccobius inermis, Caccobius meridionalis., Caccobius torticornis, Caccobius sp.1#, Copris sodalist, Onthophagus socialis, Onthophagus sp.301#, Onitis phelemon, Onthophagus furcillifer, Caccobius gallinus, Onthophagus rufulgens, Onthophagus sp.302#, Copris repertus, Pseudonthophagus sp.1#, Copris davisoni, Onitis falcatus, Onthophagus turbatus, Copris imitans, Onthophagus quadridentatus, Caccobius vulcanus, Liatongus affinis, Oniticellus spinipes, Sisyphus longipus, Onthophagus dama.


title: Bandipur National Park

text: The National Highways NH-181 and NH-766 pass through Bandipur national park. This road has been a major concern as speeding vehicles have killed many wild animals in spite of frequent warnings to travelers from the forest department officials and restriction on movement of vehicles in some stretches between 6 P.M to 6 A.M. This has raised fears of extinction of habitat of wild animals exclusively found in this national park.


title: Bandipur National Park

text: On October 9, 2018 the National Park lost one of its prized possession, a tusker named 'Rowdy Ranga' was hit by a bus in the night after which the government of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka agreed to ban night traffic in the forest. However, Kerala condemns the 'Night Ban' and has asked for the ban to be lifted to save a reroute that increases the distance by 45 km.


The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the 27 U.S. representatives from the State of New York, one from each of the state's 27 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primary election was held on June 23, 2020.


title: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in New York

text: The 1st district is based in eastern Long Island, and includes most of central and eastern Suffolk County, including most of Smithtown and all of Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, East Hampton, and Shelter Island. The incumbent is Republican Lee Zeldin, who was reelected with 51.5% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 2nd district is based on the South Shore of Long Island, and includes the southwestern Suffolk County communities of Amityville, Copiague, Lindenhurst, Gilgo, West Babylon, Wyandanch, North Babylon, Babylon, Baywood, Brentwood, Brightwaters, Central Islip, Islip, Great River, Ocean Beach, Oakdale, West Sayville, Bohemia, West Islip and Ronkonkoma, in addition to a sliver of southeastern Nassau County encompassing Levittown, North Wantagh, Seaford, South Farmingdale and Massapequa. The incumbent is Republican Peter T. King, who was reelected with 53.1% of the vote in 2018. On November 11, 2019, King announced he would retire after more than 26 years in Congress.


text: The 3rd district is based on the North Shore of Long Island, and includes the northwestern Suffolk County and northern Nassau County communities of West Hills, Sands Point, Laurel Hollow, Upper Brookville, Munsey Park, Brookville, Oyster Bay Cove, Old Brookville, Kings Point, Lattingtown, Matinecock, Muttontown, Lloyd Harbor, Syosset, Glen Cove, Roslyn, Manhasset, Huntington, Dix Hills, Plainview, Bethpage, northern Farmingdale, Hicksville, Northport, Commack, Port Washington and Great Neck. Queens neighborhoods in the district include Little Neck, Whitestone, Glen Oaks and Floral Park. The incumbent is Democrat Thomas Suozzi, who was re-elected with 59.0% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 4th district is based central and southern Nassau County, and includes the communities of Baldwin, Bellmore, East Rockaway, East Meadow, the Five Towns, Lynbrook, Floral Park, Franklin Square, Garden City, Hempstead, Long Beach, Malverne, Freeport, Merrick, Mineola, Carle Place, New Hyde Park, Oceanside, Rockville Centre, Roosevelt, Uniondale, Wantagh, West Hempstead, Westbury and parts of Valley Stream. The incumbent is Democrat Kathleen Rice, who was re-elected with 61.3% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 5th district is based mostly in southeastern Queens, and includes all of the Rockaway Peninsula and the neighborhoods of Broad Channel, Cambria Heights, Hollis, Jamaica, Laurelton, Queens Village, Rosedale, Saint Albans, Springfield Gardens, and South Ozone Park, as well as John F. Kennedy International Airport, as well as parts of Nassau County including Inwood and portions of Valley Stream and Elmont. The incumbent is Democrat Gregory Meeks, who was re-elected unopposed in 2018.


text: The 6th district encompasses northeastern Queens, taking in the neighborhoods of Elmhurst, Flushing, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, and Bayside. The incumbent is Democrat Grace Meng, who was re-elected with 90.9% of the vote, without major-party opposition.


text: The 7th district takes in the Queens neighborhoods of Maspeth, Ridgewood, and Woodhaven; the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Bushwick, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Dumbo, East New York, East Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Gowanus, Red Hook, Sunset Park, and Williamsburg; and parts of Manhattan's Lower East Side and East Village. The incumbent is Democrat Nydia Velázquez, who was re-elected with 93.4% of the vote, without major-party opposition.


text: The 8th district is centered around eastern Brooklyn, taking in Downtown Brooklyn, Bed-Stuy, Canarsie, and Coney Island, as well as a small portion of Queens encompassing Howard Beach. The incumbent is Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, who was re-elected with 94.3% of the vote, without major-party opposition.


text: The 9th district encompasses Central and Southern Brooklyn, and includes the neighborhoods of Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Kensington, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Midwood, Sheepshead Bay, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach and Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Prospect Park, Grand Army Plaza and the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket. The incumbent is Democrat Yvette Clarke, who was re-elected with 89.3% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 10th district stretches across the southern part of Morningside Heights, the Upper West Side, the west side of Midtown Manhattan, the west side of Lower Manhattan including Greenwich Village and the Financial District, and parts of southern Brooklyn, including Borough Park. The incumbent is Democrat Jerry Nadler, who was re-elected with 82.1% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 11th district contains the entirety of Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn, including the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, southwestern Gravesend, western Sheepshead Bay, and parts of southern Bensonhurst. The incumbent is Democrat Max Rose, who flipped the district and was elected with 53.0% of the vote in 2018, only the second time the House district flipped blue for the Democratic Party since Republicans won the seat in 1980.


text: Based on city and state-reported election night results, with all election districts reporting, in 2020 the traditionally conservative 11th district reverted to the Republican Party. While polls had predicted a close race, Conservative/Republican challenger Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis defeated Democratic freshman incumbent Rose to win the seat back for the GOP by a 6.4 point margin. Malliotakis earned 53.2 percent of the vote in the district over Rose's 46.8 percent. Malliotakis won her home borough of Staten Island while Rose won the Brooklyn portion of the district. Rose formally conceded the race to Malliotakis on November 12. Final recanvassing and certification of results happened within 25 days of the November 3 general election.


text: The 12th district includes several neighborhoods in the East Side of Manhattan, the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, western Queens, including Astoria and Long Island City. The incumbent is Democrat Carolyn Maloney, who was re-elected with 86.4% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 13th district encompasses the Upper Manhattan neighborhoods of Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood, as well the western Bronx neighborhoods of Kingsbridge and Bedford Park. The incumbent is Democrat Adriano Espaillat, who was re-elected with 94.6% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 14th district covers the eastern part of the Bronx and part of north-central Queens, including the neighborhoods of College Point, Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside. The incumbent was Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who had been elected with 78.2% of the vote in 2018. Ocasio-Cortez easily won the Democratic primary against former CNBC anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, her large margin of victory was partly attributed by "Fortune"s Rey Mashayekhi to her substantial fundraising advantage and focus on digital advertising.


text: The 15th district is located entirely within the Bronx, including the neighborhoods of Hunts Point, Castle Hill, and Tremont. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, the 15th district is one of the most Democratic congressional districts in the country, with a PVI of D+39. As a result, victory in the Democratic Primary in the district would be tantamount to election. The incumbent Democrat, José E. Serrano, announced on March 25, 2019, that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and would not be seeking re-election.


text: The 16th district contains the northern parts of the Bronx and the southern half of Westchester County, including the cities of Mount Vernon, Yonkers, and Rye. The incumbent was Democrat Eliot Engel.


text: The 17th district encompasses the lower Hudson Valley taking in Rockland County as well as northwestern and central Westchester County. The incumbent was Democrat Nita Lowey, who was re-elected with 88.0% of the vote in 2018, without major-party opposition. On October 10, 2019, Lowey announced she was retiring from Congress and would not seek re-election.


text: Incumbent representative Nita Lowey had served as U.S. Representative for the area since 1988, and had not faced a primary challenger or serious Republican opponent in that time. On August 19, 2019, attorney and former Justice Department official Mondaire Jones announced a primary challenge to Lowey, her first since 1988, citing a range of issues on which he felt Lowey was not left-wing enough. On October 10, Lowey announced that she was retiring in a surprise announcement. Following Lowey's retirement, several Democratic candidates announced campaigns for the seat. In the resulting primary, four frontrunners emerged; Jones, Evelyn Farkas, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence, David Carlucci, a state senator and former member of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), and Adam Schleifer, a former federal prosecutor who used his considerable personal wealth to self-finance his campaign.


text: In the ensuing campaign, Carlucci attacked the other three main candidates, accusing them of being carpetbaggers, while Jones also attacked the other major candidates, accusing them of being more akin to Republicans than Democrats. Carlucci was felt to be a formidable candidate, as he was considered to have a lock on support from voters west of the Hudson River, which bisects the district. However, his past association with the IDC earned him the enmity of both progressive and more moderate Democrats. Six of the eight members of the former IDC had been primaried in 2018, with Carlucci being one of the two survivors. Pro-choice groups devoted money and resources to opposing his bid, as during his period in the state senate he had helped block pro-abortion legislation.


text: By January 2020, Schleifer was leading the field in fundraising, having raised $1 million largely through self-financing. Schleifer attracted personal criticism for self-financing rather than campaigning through donations, and Farkas also criticised him for refusing to divest from stocks while campaigning. In response, Schleifer called Farkas a "snake", and declared that "all [she] knows is the fog of the beltway". Controversy arose between the two campaigns when Farkas sent a mailer to voters in the district denouncing Schleifer, which featured an image of a man stuffing money into another man's pocket. Schleifer, who is Jewish, accused Farkas of anti-semitism in response to the mailer, claiming that it played on negative stereotypes of Jews. Farkas campaign spokesperson Wellesley Daniels rejected the accusations, calling them "disgusting".


text: Carlucci's campaign began to falter as the primary went on, suffering from poor fundraising and a lack of prominent endorsements, while Jones began to gain traction as endorsements and donations from national progressives boosted his candidacy.


text: Originally, businessman Josh Eisen was considered the Republican frontrunner, as he had posted relatively strong fundraising numbers. However, his campaign imploded when allegations were revealed that he had threatened former employees, and that while embroiled in a legal dispute he had told his opponents' wife that she would "bathe in the warm semen of Mengele" and had also written sexual polemics about this same opponents' daughter. This revelation caused the local Rockland and Westchester Republican parties to disavow Eisen's campaign, and he withdrew from the race. Eisen's withdrawal paved the way for two other candidates, retired firefighter Maureen McArdle-Schulman and chemical engineer Yehudis Gottesfeld, to compete for the nomination.


text: The 18th district is located in the mid-Hudson Valley covering all of Orange County and Putnam County, as well as parts of southern Dutchess County and northeastern Westchester County, including the city of Poughkeepsie. The incumbent is Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney, who was re-elected with 55.5% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 19th district is based in the upper Hudson Valley and Catskills. The incumbent is Democrat Antonio Delgado, who flipped the district and was elected with 51.4% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 20th district is located in the Capital District and includes all of Albany and Schenectady Counties, and portions of Montgomery, Rensselaer and Saratoga Counties. The incumbent is Democrat Paul Tonko, who was re-elected with 66.5% of the vote in 2016.


text: The 21st district is based in upstate New York, encompassing the Adirondack Mountains and North Country regions. The incumbent is Republican Elise Stefanik, who was re-elected with 56.1% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 22nd district is based in central New York and the Mohawk Valley, including the cities of Utica, Rome, Cortland and Binghamton. The incumbent is Democrat Anthony Brindisi, who flipped the district and was elected with 50.9% of the vote in 2018. This was a rematch of the 2018 election where Brindisi unseated Tenney.


text: The election went into lengthy legal proceedings during the counting of absentee ballots. Several errors by county boards of election were uncovered during the proceedings, affecting thousands of voters.


text: The Oneida County Board of Elections used sticky notes to mark disputed ballots, which fell off and adhered to other ballots: this came to be called "stickygate".


text: and incorrectly rejected 700 absentee ballots. Oneida County would later face legal action from the federal Department of Justice over these errors. Other county boards of elections also made errors affecting dozens of ballots.


text: The 23rd district is based in the Southern Tier, adjacent to Lake Erie and the state's border with Pennsylvania, and is home to the cities of Jamestown, Olean, Elmira, and Ithaca. The incumbent is Republican Tom Reed, who was re-elected with 54.2% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 24th district is centered around the Syracuse area and contains Cayuga, Onondaga, and Wayne counties, as well as western Oswego County. The incumbent is Republican John Katko, who was re-elected with 52.6% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 25th district is located entirely within Monroe County, encompassing Rochester and the surrounding suburbs, including Irondequoit and Brighton. The incumbent is Democrat Joseph Morelle, who was elected with 59.0% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 26th district is centered around the city of Buffalo and its inner suburbs, including Cheektowaga, Tonawanda, Amherst, Grand Island, and Niagara Falls. The incumbent is Democrat Brian Higgins, who was re-elected with 73.3% of the vote in 2018.


text: The 27th district is based in rural western New York and covers the outer suburbs of Buffalo and Rochester. The former incumbent Republican Chris Collins, pled guilty to charges of insider trading and resigned his seat effective immediately on October 1, 2019. Republican Chris Jacobs won the special election to replace Collins on June 23, 2020.


title: Gangsta (manga)

text: Gangsta (stylized as GANGSTA.) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kohske. It has been published in Shinchosha's "Monthly Comic @BUNCH" magazine since March 2011. The series has inspired a spin-off manga, an audio drama series, an anime television series, and an original novel.


title: Gangsta (manga)

text: The series revolves around two "Handymen" who take on jobs for both the mob and the police force that no one else can handle. The two, named Worick Arcangelo and Nicolas Brown, work in the town of Ergastulum, which is full of mafia, hoodlums, prostitutes, and dirty cops. After a job of crushing a gang, Worick decided to spare and help the (amnesiac) sole survivor, Alex, under their wing for the time being.


title: Gangsta (manga)

text: The manga, which is written and illustrated by Kohske, was launched in March 2011 in Shinchosha's "Monthly Comic @ Bunch" magazine. "Gangsta." is the author's first manga series, after she debuted in "Shōnen Gangan" in 2009 with a short story. Viz Media announced in July 2013 that it had acquired the rights to publish "Gangsta." in North America, with plans to release a new volume on a tri-monthly basis. The series went on hiatus due to Kohske's health in November 2015. In January 2016, she posted on Twitter that she was preparing to resume the series. The series resumed publication on 20 May 2017.


title: Gangsta (manga)

text: The manga inspired a spin-off series, titled "Gangsta.:Cursed. EP_Marco Adriano", which began serialization in the fourth volume of the "Quarterly Comic Go Go Bunch" magazine, preceded by a prologue in the third volume, which was published on 9 April 2014. The series is illustrated by Syuhei Kamo. "Gangsta.:Cursed. EP_Marco Adriano" focuses on mafia staff member Marco Adriano, a character from the original manga. The first collected volume was published on 9 July 2015. In December 2016, Viz Media announced that it had licensed the manga and would release it on December 20. "Go Go Bunch" ceased publication in 2018, and the manga's final chapter was featured in the last issue on February 9, 2018. Viz Media announced in April 2016 that it had licensed the series under the title "Gangsta.: Cursed".


title: Gangsta (manga)

text: The series has been collected into eight "tankōbon" volumes, seven of which have been republished in English. The fifth volume made it onto "The New York Times" manga best sellers list, ranking at number three.


title: Gangsta (manga)

text: The manga has been adapted into a series of audio drama CDs, released by Frontier Works, the first of which was released on 21 August 2014. The series was originally intended to end with the third CD, but five have been released as of June 2015. It was announced in November 2015 that the sixth and seventh CDs, scheduled for 25 November 2015 and 27 January 2016, respectively, had been delayed until further notice. They were eventually released in March and May 2016.


title: Gangsta (manga)

text: An anime adaptation was announced through a wrap-around jacket on the sixth tankōbon volume in Japan. It was later confirmed through the series' official Twitter account for the drama CD and anime project that it would be a TV anime, and would be produced by Manglobe as their final anime television series before succumbing to bankruptcy. The series is directed by Shūkō Murase and Kōichi Hatsumi, with character designs by Yōichi Ueda and music by Tsutchie. Shinichi Inotsume is in charge of series composition, while Koichi Hatsumi serves as series director. Additional crew include Masahiro Kubota (art design), Masatoshi Kai (art direction), Yuuko Saitou (color design), and Shinobu Tsuneki (prop design). Yuuichirou Nagata from Asahi Production serves as the series' director of photography. Tomoki Nagasaka is the series' editor, and Yukio Nagasaki serves as sound director. The cast from the audio drama return to voice their characters in the anime. The opening theme song is "Renegade" by STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION, while the ending theme song, performed by Annabel, is .


title: Gangsta (manga)

text: The series began airing in Japan on 1 July 2015, and was broadcast on Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Tokyo MX, TV Aichi, and BS11 in Japan, and was streamed on the Bandai Channel and Niconico. The anime is licensed by Funimation in North America, and was simulcast on their website as it aired in Japan. Funimation also streamed an English dub of the series. Crunchyroll licensed the series for simulcast in France and French speaking territories (Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, New Caledonia, and Quebec). AnimeLab licensed the series for simulcast streaming in Australia and New Zealand, and Anime Limited licensed the series for streaming on Viewster in the United Kingdom. The series switched from a Wednesday broadcast date to a Sunday one starting with the fifth episode.


title: Gangsta (manga)

text: The first two episodes were released on Blu-ray/DVD on 25 September 2015, with each further two episodes originally scheduled to be released once a month, followed by the complete box set on 24 February 2016. Starting with the third volume, however, the home video releases were delayed until further notice. The releases were finally resumed 16 months after the original delay, with the third volume released on 24 March 2017 and the sixth and final volume released simultaneously with the complete set on 23 June 2017.


title: Gangsta (manga)

text: An original novel based on the series and written by Jun'ichi Kawabata was released on 1 August 2015 as part of Shinchosha's Shincho Bunko nex series.


title: Gangsta (manga)

text: Rebecca Silverman, reviewing the first English volume for the Anime News Network, gave it an overall score of B+, giving the story a B+ grade and the art a grade of B. She was positive toward the characters and story, commenting that the author "makes some interesting choices with her characters", but felt the art was occasionally subpar, pointing out an image that was reused three times, and commented that the name of the city "sounds like some sort of stomach disorder". Reviewing the second volume, she remarked on improvements in the author's art style and praised the development of Worick, but criticized Alex's reduced presence. She was also positive toward the third volume, writing ""Gangsta." is so gritty that you kind of feel like brushing off your skin after reading it, but it's that way with a purpose that is starting to become clear and it's going to feel like a really long wait for volume four".


title: Gangsta (manga)

text: Reviewing the first three episodes of the anime, Gabriella Ekens stated that it was "a languid execution of a promising story". She also criticized the series' musical score and animation. She stated, however, that she was looking forward to the show, and that "its flaws are as intriguing as its strengths."


title: Stirrup

text: A stirrup is a light frame or ring that holds the foot of a rider, attached to the saddle by a strap, often called a "stirrup leather". Stirrups are usually paired and are used to aid in mounting and as a support while using a riding animal (usually a horse or other equine, such as a mule). They greatly increase the rider's ability to stay in the saddle and control the mount, increasing the animal's usefulness to humans in areas such as communication, transportation, and warfare.


title: Stirrup

text: In antiquity, the earliest foot supports consisted of riders placing their feet under a girth or using a simple toe loop appearing in India by the 2nd century BC. Later, a single stirrup was used as a mounting aid, and paired stirrups appeared after the invention of the treed saddle. The stirrup was invented in China in the first few centuries AD and spread westward through the nomadic peoples of Central Eurasia. The use of paired stirrups is credited to the Chinese Jin Dynasty and came to Europe during the Middle Ages. Some argue that the stirrup was one of the basic tools used to create and spread modern civilization, possibly as important as the wheel or printing press.


title: Stirrup

text: The English word "stirrup" stems from Old English "stirap, stigrap", Middle English "stirop, styrope", i.e. a mounting or climbing-rope. Compare Old English "stīgan" "to ascend" and "rap" "rope, cord".


title: Stirrup

text: The stirrup, which gives greater stability to a rider, has been described as one of the most significant inventions in the history of warfare, prior to gunpowder. As a tool allowing expanded use of horses in warfare, the stirrup is often called the third revolutionary step in equipment, after the chariot and the saddle. The basic tactics of mounted warfare were significantly altered by the stirrup. A rider supported by stirrups was less likely to fall off while fighting, and could deliver a blow with a weapon that more fully employed the weight and momentum of horse and rider. Among other advantages, stirrups provided greater balance and support to the rider, which allowed the knight to use a sword more efficiently without falling, especially against infantry adversaries. Contrary to common modern belief, however, it has been asserted that stirrups actually did not enable the horseman to use a lance more effectively (cataphracts had used lances since antiquity), though the cantled saddle did.


title: Stirrup

text: The invention of the stirrup occurred relatively late in history, considering that horses were domesticated in approximately 4000 BC, and the earliest known saddle-like equipment were fringed cloths or pads with breast pads and cruppers used by Assyrian cavalry around 700 BC.


title: Stirrup

text: The earliest foot supports was a toe loop that held the big toe and was used in India late in the second century BC, though may have appeared as early as 500 BC. This ancient foot support consisted of a looped rope for the big toe which was at the bottom of a saddle made of fibre or leather. Such a configuration was suitable for the warm climate of south and central India where people used to ride horses barefoot. Buddhist carvings in the temples of Sanchi, Mathura and the Bhaja caves dating back between the 1st and 2nd century BC figure horsemen riding with elaborate saddles with toes slipped under girths. In this regard archaeologist John Marshall described the Sanchi relief as "the earliest example by some five centuries of the use of stirrups in any part of the world".


title: Stirrup

text: A pair of first century BC, double bent iron bars, approximately 17cm in length, with curvature at each end, excavated from a grave near Junapani, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh have been postulated as either full foot stirrups or bridle bits.


title: Stirrup

text: Some credit the nomadic Central Asian group known as the Sarmatians as developing the first stirrups.


title: Stirrup

text: The invention of the solid saddle tree allowed development of the true stirrup as it is known today. Without a solid tree, the rider's weight in the stirrups creates abnormal pressure points that make the horse's back sore. Modern thermography studies on "treeless" and flexible-tree saddle designs have found that there is considerable friction across the center line of a horse's back. A coin of Quintus Labienus, who was in service of Parthia, minted circa 39 BC depicts on its reverse a saddled horse with hanging objects. Smith suggests they are pendant cloths, while Thayer suggests that, considering the fact that the Parthians were famous for their mounted archery, the objects are stirrups, but adds that it is difficult to imagine why the Romans would never have adopted the technology.


title: Stirrup

text: In Asia, early solid-treed saddles were made of felt that covered a wooden frame. These designs date to approximately 200 BC One of the earliest solid-treed saddles in the west was first used by the Romans as early as the 1st century BC, but this design did not have stirrups either.


title: Stirrup

text: It is speculated that stirrups may have been used in China as early as the Han dynasty (206 BC– 220 AD). The paired stirrups was invented in China during the Jin Dynasty by the early 4th century AD. A funerary figurine depicting a stirrup dated 302 AD was unearthed from a Western Jin dynasty tomb near Changsha. The stirrup depicted is a mounting stirrup, only placed on one side of the horse, and too short for riding. The earliest reliable representation of a full-length, double-sided riding stirrup was also unearthed from a Jin tomb, this time near Nanjing, dating to the Eastern Jin period, 322 AD. The earliest extant double stirrups were discovered in the tomb of a Northern Yan noble, Feng Sufu, who died in 415 AD. Stirrups have also been found in Goguryeo tombs dating to the 4th and 5th centuries AD, but these do not contain any specific date. The stirrup appeared to be in widespread use across China by 477 AD.


title: Stirrup

text: The appearance of the stirrup in China coincided with the rise of heavily armoured cavalry in the region. Dated to 357 AD, the tomb of Dong Shou shows fully armoured riders as well as horses. References to "iron cavalry" and "iron horse" began to appear at the same time and instances of captured horse armour in numbers as high as 5,000 and 10,000 are recorded. In addition to the stirrups, Feng Sufu's tomb also contained iron plates for lamellar armour. Armoured heavy cavalry would dominate Chinese warfare from the 4th century AD to the early Tang dynasty when the military transitioned to light cavalry. A. von Le Coo's theory on the invention of the stirrup is that it was a contraption created by either mounted people who wanted to make riding less tiring, or those unused to riding to gain the necessary skills to match their adversaries.


title: Stirrup

text: Stirrups ("abumi") were used in Japan as early as the 5th century. They were flat bottomed rings of metal-covered wood, similar to European stirrups. The earliest known examples were excavated from tombs. Cup-shaped stirrups ("tsubo abumi") that enclosed the front half of the rider's foot eventually replaced the earlier design.


title: Stirrup

text: During the Nara period, the base of the stirrup which supported the rider's sole was elongated past the toe cup. This half-tongued style of stirrup ("hanshita abumi") remained in use until the late Heian period when a new stirrup was developed. The "fukuro abumi" or "musashi abumi" had a base that extended the full length of the rider's foot and the right and left sides of the toe cup were removed. The open sides were designed to prevent the rider from catching a foot in the stirrup and being dragged.


title: Stirrup

text: The military version of this open-sided stirrup ("shitanaga abumi") was in use by the middle Heian period. It was thinner, had a deeper toe pocket and an even longer and flatter foot shelf. This stirrup stayed in use until European style-stirrup rings were reintroduced in the late 19th century. It is not known why the Japanese developed this unique style of stirrup. These had a distinctive swanlike shape, curved up and backward at the front so as to bring the loop for the leather strap over the instep and achieve a correct balance. Most of the surviving specimens from this period are made entirely of iron, inlaid with designs of silver or other materials, and covered with lacquer. In some examples there is an iron rod from the loop to the footplate near the heel to prevent the foot from slipping out. The footplates are occasionally perforated to let out water when crossing rivers, and these types are called "suiba abumi". There are stirrups with holes in the front forming sockets for a lance or banner.


title: Stirrup

text: By the late 6th or early 7th century AD, primarily due to invaders from Central Asia, such as the Avars, stirrups began spreading across Asia to Europe from China. In terms of archaeological finds, the iron pear-shaped form of stirrups, the ancestor of medieval European types, has been found in Europe in 7th century Avar graves in Hungary. A total of 111 specimens of early Avar-age, apple shaped, cast-iron stirrups with elongated suspension loop and flat, slightly inward bent tread had been excavated from 55 burial sites in Hungary and surrounding regions by 2005. The first European literary reference to the stirrup may be in the Strategikon, traditionally ascribed to the Roman Emperor Maurice, and therefore written sometime between 575 and 628, but this is widely disputed, and others place the work in the eighth or ninth century. Maurice's manual notes the appropriate equipping of Imperial cavalry: "the saddles should have large and thick clothes; the bridles should be of good quality; attached to the saddles should be two iron steps ["skala"], a lasso with a thong..." Dennis notes that the lack of specific Greek word for stirrup evidences their novelty to the Byzantines, who are supposed to have adopted these from their bitter enemy the Avars, and subsequently passed them on to their future enemies, the Arabs. An early 7th-century date is secured for most Hungarian finds of stirrups with elongated suspension loops, though some of these must even be dated to before 600. Literary and archaeological evidence taken together may indicate that the stirrup was in common military use in South-Central Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean by the latter half of the 6th century, with the Roman Empire having them in use by the year 600.


title: Stirrup

text: By the 8th century stirrups began to be adopted more widely by Europeans. The earliest stirrups of western Europe, those of Budenheim and Regensburg, were either brought from the Avar Khaganate as booty or gifts, or were local imitations of stirrups in use at that time among Avar warriors. However, the Avar-style stirrups were not as widely adopted in western Europe. Stirrups do not appear in the Merovingian and Italo-Lombard milieu in large numbers, nor as frequently as within the Carpathian Basin. Most other stirrups found in Germany that date to the 7th century do not resemble the iron Avar style commonly found in burial assemblages from Hungary and neighboring regions. Instead, hanging mounts occasionally found in burial assemblages in southern Germany suggest the use of wooden stirrups. The scarcity of early-medieval stirrup finds in western Europe was noted by Bernard Bachrach: "Out of 704 eighth century male burials excavated in Germany until 1967, only 13 had stirrups."


title: Stirrup

text: The earliest stirrups in the Baltic region are replicas of those in existence in Germany during the 7th century. In northern Europe and Britain the metamorphosis of earlier wood, rope and leather forms of stirrups to metal forms can be seen in the archeological record, “suggesting that one or more of the early forms have parallel development with those in Hungary, rather than being derived solely from the latter region.” "In Scandinavia two major types of stirrups are discerned, and from these, by the development and fusion of different elements, some almost certainly of central European origin, most other types were evolved." The first main type, Scandinavian type I, appears to owe little to Hungarian forms. The earliest variety of this type can be dated to the 8th century in Vendel grave III in Sweden. The second principal type in North Europe has, as its most characteristic feature, a pronounced rectangular suspension loop set in the same plane as the bow, as found amongst the Hungarian examples, and is predominantly centered in Denmark and England during the later 10th and 11th centuries. A variant of this type, called the North European stirrup, has been dated to the second half of the 10th century in Sweden, found at the boat-burial cemetery at Valsgärde.


title: Stirrup

text: In Denmark from the 920s to the 980s, during the reign of the Jelling kings, many leading Danes were buried with military honors and equipped with stirrups, bits and spurs, in what are called cavalry-graves, found mostly in north Jutland. Into England, it is argued, stirrups were not introduced by the Scandinavian settlers of the 9th century but are more likely related to later Viking raids led by Cnut the Great and others during the reign of king Aethelred (978-1013).


title: Stirrup

text: In what today is France, Charles Martel distributed seized lands to his retainers on condition that they serve him by fighting in the new manner, which some attribute to his recognizing the military potentialities of the stirrup. Later, Charlemagne ordered his poorer vassals to pool their resources and provide a mounted and armed knight, though the system proved unworkable, and instead the system of distributing land to vassals based on a knight's service was developed.


title: Stirrup

text: Accounts of the Empire of Mali mention the use of stirrups and saddles in the cavalry. Stirrups resulted in the creation and innovation of new tactics, such as mass charges with thrusting spear and swords.


title: Stirrup

text: The introduction of the stirrup not only made the mounted warrior supreme in medieval warfare, but may have initiated complex and far-reaching social and cultural changes in Europe. Some scholars credit the birth of feudalism and its subsequent spread into Northern Italy, Spain, Germany and into the Slavic territories to this use of the stirrup. It is argued that the rising feudal class structure of the European Middle Ages derived ultimately from the use of stirrups: "Few inventions have been so simple as the stirrup, but few have had so catalytic an influence on history. The requirements of the new mode of warfare which it made possible found expression in a new form of western European society dominated by an aristocracy of warriors endowed with land so that they might fight in a new and highly specialized way."


title: Stirrup

text: Other scholars dispute this assertion, suggesting that stirrups may provide little advantage in shock warfare, but are useful primarily in allowing a rider to lean farther to the left and right on the saddle while fighting, and simply reduce the risk of falling off. Therefore, it is argued, they are not the reason for the switch from infantry to cavalry in medieval armies, nor the reason for the emergence of feudalism.


title: Stirrup

text: For the comfort of the horse, all stirrups require that the saddle itself be properly designed. The solid tree of the saddle distributes the weight of the rider over a greater surface area of the horse's back, reducing pressure on any one area. If a saddle is made without a solid tree, without careful engineering, the rider's weight in the stirrups and leathers can create pressure points on the horse's back and lead to soreness. This is especially noticeable with inexpensive bareback pads that add stirrups by means of a strap across the horse's back with a stirrup at each end.