title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: In terms of major surface ships, Iran relies on its s as well as the new s which were indigenously developed in Iran and are reverse engineered "Alvand" class with modern electronics, radar and armament. Iran's three destroyers are over 50 years old and are kept in material reserve at Bushehr. The navy does not include capital ships; its largest ships are four frigates and three corvettes, all of which are armed with modern anti-ship missiles. The main focus of the IRI Navy seems to be on developing new frigates, corvettes and medium to large fast boats capable of carrying modern precision anti-ship missiles. Three of four frigates (Vosper Mark 5), however, were commissioned over 25 years ago and these ships have been updated with Chinese C-802 missiles. Iran's three corvettes were commissioned over 30 years ago; one ("Hamzeh") was originally a government yacht but has now been armed with C-802 missiles as well, but it is deployed at Anzali on the Caspian Sea. These eight ships are supported by three Russian built SSK attack submarines and and mini submarines.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: In July 2016, the Navy said that it would establish a presence in the Atlantic Ocean, of unspecified duration.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: In December 2019, the Iranian Navy's head Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi acknowledged in a televised interview that the Navy was now dependent on annual joint exercises with Russia and China, and that efforts by other countries to form alliances against Iran in the Persian Gulf were "pointless."


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: For the first time in its history, the Navy captured two U.S. Navy sea drones in the Red Sea on 6 September 2022.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: According to 'The Military Balance 2020' of the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), the inventory includes:


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: Based on reports published by Flightglobal Insight and the IISS, as of 2020, Iranian naval aircraft inventory includes:


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: In 1977, the bulk of the fleet was shifted from Khorramshahr to the new headquarters at Bandar-e Abbas. Bushehr was the other main base; smaller facilities were located at Khorramshahr, Khark Island, and Bandar-e Imam Khomeini (formerly known as Bandar-e Shahpur). Bandar-e Anzali (formerly known as Bandar-e Pahlavi) was the major training base and home of the small Caspian Sea fleet, which consisted of a few patrol boats and a minesweeper. The naval base at Bandar Beheshti (formerly known as Chah Bahar) on the Gulf of Oman had been under construction since the late 1970s and in late 1987 still was not completed. Smaller facilities were located near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran also announced that new base is established in the Oman Sea.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: Suffering from decaying Western-supplied weapons purchased by the Shah, Tehran has been acquiring new weapons from Russia, China and North Korea. Iran has expanded the capabilities of the naval branch of the IRGC, acquired additional mine warfare capability, and upgraded some of its older surface ships. Iran's exercises have included a growing number of joint and combined arms exercises with the land forces and air force. Iran has also improved its ports and strengthened its air defences, while obtaining some logistic and technical support from states like India and Pakistan.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: As far as major new equipment is concerned, Iran has been building up its naval strength by acquiring three Kilo-class submarines from Russia, as well as other equipment, including 10 "Houdong" fast attack craft from China. Russia and India were reported to be assisting Iran with training and operating its Kilo-class submarines. As regards other requirements, in December 1997, Rear Admiral Mohammad Karim Tavakoli, commander of the First Naval Zone, with HQ at the Persian Gulf port of Bandar Abbas, claimed that the Iranian Navy had completed design work on three multirole corvettes and a small submarine, to be built in Iran.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: In August 2000, Iran announced that it had launched its first domestically produced light submarine or swimmer delivery vehicle, named the Al-Sabiha 15 because of its 15 meters length, in an official ceremony at the Bandar Abbas naval base. In May 2005, Iran navy announced that it had launched its first Ghadir-class midget submarine and on 8 March 2006 announced that it had launched another submarine named "Nahang" (Persian: whale).


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: During 2000, the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Aviation significantly improved its capability by taking delivery, from Russia, of a number of Mi-8 AMT (Mi-171) transport/attack helicopters. Under a contract signed in 1999, Russia agreed to supply 21 Mi-171s to Iran. Delivery was completed in 2001; although the exact number destined for the navy was unknown. In summer 2001, there were indications that Iran would order a further 20 Mi-171s, although as of mid-2004, it was not known if this had occurred.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: In November 2002 sources at both Iran's Aerospace Industries Organisation (AIO) and the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (COSIC) confirmed that the two groups were working on common anti-ship missile production and development. The effort, which Iranian sources call Project Noor, covers the short-range C-701 and the long-range C-802 weapons developed by COSIC's China National Precision Machinery Import and Export Co subsidiary. The possibility that a formal collaborative project was under way was first raised in 1998, when Iran displayed an Anti-Ship missile design similar to the range C-701 shortly after the Chinese system was unveiled.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: An AIO spokesperson confirmed that Project Noor involves the C-701. However, officials in the same company describe the weapon as "a long-range, turbojet-powered, sea-skimming Anti-Ship missile," which better fits the range C-802, and suggests that the co-operation agreement may cover both weapon systems. In early 2004, Iran announced the release of a new cruise missile program named Raad (Thunder). The Raad appears to be a modification of the Chinese HY-2 (CSSC-3) anti-ship missile, one of a series of missiles China developed from the original Soviet-era P21 (SS-N-2C) design.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: On 29 September 2003, Iran's domestically produced Sina-class (reverse engineered from the "Kaman" class) missile boat , equipped with modern anti-ship missiles and modern electronics entered service in the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy. The ship was launched in the Caspian Sea to protect Iran's interests there and was mentioned among the achievements of the Iranian Navy by Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: On 22 September 2006, Iran announced to have commissioned their second self-made "Kaman"-class missile boat, . Built in memory of the original "Joshan", lost in the Persian Gulf during Operation Praying Mantis on 18 April 1988. According to Iran's Navy commander Admiral Kouchaki, "Joshan" has a claimed speed of over [3] and "enjoys the world's latest technology, specially with regard to its military, electrical and electronic systems, frame and chassis, and it has the capabilities required for launching powerful missiles."


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: In 2002, Iran announced it would start the production of its first domestically produced destroyer. By most international standards the ship, the first of the Moudge class, would be considered a light frigate or a corvette. On 24 November 2007 Iran's rear admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced that Iran would launch its first domestically produced destroyer, , though internationally rated as a frigate, and an Iranian Ghadir-class submarine. It is said to be a sonar evading stealth submarine. Initially known as "Moje", then "Moje I", finally "Jamaran", appears to be a development of the "Alvand" class. The Moudge or Moje-class guided missile frigate entered service in 2010. Another frigate in the same class, named "Damavand", has been commissioned in the port of Bandar Anzali in the Caspian Sea in 2013. This ship just like the Jamaran has the capability to: carry helicopters, anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles, torpedoes, modern guns and air defence guns. The ship is also equipped with electronic warfare devices. The two mentioned frigates have brought Iran's frigate arsenal from 3 to 5, while two others are being built, to be added to Iran's fleet of warships in the Persian Gulf.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: In March 2006, the navy deployed a submarine named "Nahang" (Whale), with pictures broadcast by state media at the time showing a minisub.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: On 22 February 2008, the Iranian Defense Ministry announced that 74 domestically produced "gunboats" (small missile boats) had entered service with the Iranian Navy. The Navy has had reported to have the Hoot supercavitating torpedo and the Thaqeb (missile) in trials or service, though reliable information is scarce.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: Iran's Deputy Navy Commander Captain Mansour Maqsoudlou announced in February 2010 that Iran has begun planning to design, and manufacture domestically built aircraft carriers. The initial designs for building the carriers has been approved as of 2010 and the process of research and the design for the aircraft carrier is currently being looked into by the Iranian government. However, as of August 2013, the Iranian Navy was still in the research and design stages due to lack of government support and funding.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: In 2012, Iran overhauled one of the Kilo-class submarines in its possession, IRS "Younis". Iran was able to complete this re-haul at Bandar Abbas naval base. In addition the Iranian Navy has modernized and re-commissioned the 1,135-ton s; equipped with Noor anti-ship cruise missiles and torpedo launchers. Another modern frigate named "Sahand", with 2,000 tons displacement was being fitted up with weapons and equipment in Bandar Abbas naval base; and was planned for launch in 2013.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: In July 2012, foreign analysts reported that Iran was gaining new deployment capabilities, allegedly to strike at US warships in the Persian Gulf in the case of an armed conflict, amassing an arsenal of anti-ship missiles while expanding its fleet of fast-attack crafts and submarines. Many of the systems were developed with foreign assistance, such as the anti-ship missiles Silkworm, which is Chinese-made, and high-speed torpedoes based on Russian designs. In weeks prior, Iranian leadership had been threatening to shut down shipping in the gulf region as retaliation for any attacks by the United States on its nuclear facilities.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: In December 2014, Iran conducted joint wargames involving the Iranian Army, Air Force and Navy. Naval phase took part on a wide area, ranging from Persian Gulf to northern Indian Ocean and to Gulf of Aden. New systems were tested, including new anti-ship cruise missiles, electro-magnetic and acoustic naval mine-sweeping system and Fateh submarine.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: On February 17, 2019, news papers reported that Iran has unveiled domestically produced submarine capable of firing cruise missiles. On November 30, 2019, Iran's navy announced the mass production of the Jask cruise missile, which is launched from Iranian submarines. It also unveiled a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) naval drone named Pelican-2, which had already been deployed on "naval fleets in international waters."


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: Iran's navy deployed two warships to the Gulf of Aden in August 2019 to protect commercial shipping, including the destroyer Sahand and the supply ship/replenishment oiler Kharg. In September 2019, the head of the Iran navy said it was ready to defend its marine borders, and denied US and Saudi claims that Iran had orchestrated recent attacks on Saudi oil sites. On November 20, 2019, Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Iran's navy had sent a fleet of 64 ships to the Gulf of Aden to "safeguard Iran's interests" in an "insecure seafaring region." The month prior, a maritime coalition led by the United States had formally launched operations in the Gulf. The Iran and US navies subsequently encountered each other in the Strait of Hormuz on November 23, 2019, with no conflict.


title: Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

text: On December 4, 2019, Khanzadi stated that exercises, called Marine Security Belt, with China and Russia would begin on December 27 in the northern Indian Ocean. On December 30, 2019, Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi acknowledged during a televised interview with the semi-official Mehr News Agency that the Iranian Navy conducted joint exercises with Russia and China and will continue to do so on an annual basis. However, Khanzadi also stated that the drills were now needed due to a lack of coordination. He also stated that invitations which invited other countries to participate in the drills were unsuccessful. All participants described the exercise as defensive in nature, with Khanzadi also stating that it was a "highly significant message" to the United States and allies.


title: GoodRx

text: GoodRx Holdings, Inc. is an American healthcare company that operates a telemedicine platform and a free-to-use website and mobile app that track prescription drug prices in the United States and provide free drug coupons for discounts on medications. GoodRx checks more than 75,000 pharmacies in the United States. In 2017, the website got about fourteen million visitors a month. As of February 25, 2020, "millions of people" had downloaded the GoodRx app.


title: GoodRx

text: GoodRx was founded in Santa Monica, California in 2011. In 2017, GoodRx announced partnerships with major prescription drug companies in the country to negotiate lower prescription drug costs. In September 2019, GoodRx acquired the telemedicine company HeyDoctor and rebranded the telemedicine platform as "GoodRx Care". The platform allows individuals to consult with a doctor online and obtain a prescription for certain types of medications at a cost of US$20 regardless of insurance status. Medical testing services, which vary in price, are also offered through the platform. In 2021, GoodRx acquired the health video company HealthiNation.


title: GoodRx

text: The Santa Monica, California-based startup was founded in September 2011 by Trevor Bezdek and former Facebook executives Doug Hirsch and Scott Marlette. Marlette was one of the first 20 employees at Facebook and built Facebook's photo application. In 2005, Hirsch was the Vice President of Product at Facebook, working closely with Mark Zuckerberg. In 2017, Jordan Michaels joined as director of operations. In 2019, technology executive John Asalone joined as a General Manager to add Telehealth to GoodRx's comparison-shopping platform.


title: GoodRx

text: On February 25, 2020, Consumer Reports published an article stating that GoodRx shared user data − specifically, pseudonymized advertising ID numbers that companies use to track the behavior of web users across websites, the names of the drugs that users browsed, and the pharmacies where user sought to fill prescriptions − with Google, Facebook, and around 20 other internet-based companies. A few days after the Consumer Reports article was published, GoodRx published a statement saying it made changes to prevent user search data on medical conditions and pharmaceuticals from being shared with Facebook.


title: Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac

text: The exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac, frequently known as the Miracle of the (Gadarene) Swine and the exorcism of Legion, is one of the miracles performed by Jesus according to the New Testament. The story shows Jesus exorcising a demon or demons out of a man and into a herd of swine, causing the swine to run down a hill into a lake and drown themselves.


title: Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac

text: The story appears in the three Synoptic Gospels, but not the Gospel of John. All accounts involve Jesus exorcising demons, identified collectively in Mark and Luke as "Legion".


title: Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac

text: The story was interpreted by Saints Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas to mean that Christians have no duties to animals. It has been a point of contention in discussions of Christianity and animal rights.


title: Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac

text: The earliest account is from the Gospel of Mark (), in which Jesus goes across the sea into the "region of the Gerasenes". There, a man "possessed by a demon" comes from the caves to meet him. People had tried to tie him down but he was too strong to be bound, even with chains for he would always break out of them; night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. Jesus approaches and calls the demon to come out of the man, who replies "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you in the name of God never to torment me!" Jesus asks the demon for his name and is told "My name is Legion, for we are many". The demons beg Jesus not to send them away, but instead to send them into the pigs on a nearby hillside, which he does. The herd, about two thousand in number, rush down the steep bank into the sea and are drowned. The man is now seen, dressed and restored to sanity: he asks to be included among the disciples who travel with Jesus, but he is refused and instructed to remain in the Decapolis region, to tell of "the great things the Lord has done ... and [how he] has had compassion on you". Theologian Tom Wright calls him "the first apostle to the gentiles".


title: Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac

text: The Gospel of Matthew shortens the story more dramatically () and writes not of one possessed man, but of two. In this version, Jesus does not ask for the demon's name—an important element of traditional exorcism practice.


title: Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac

text: The location is also changed to the region of the "Gadarenes" (Gadara) as in most Bible translations. The King James Version in () has the location as "Gergesenes" which corresponds to the modern "Kursi" (Kheras), the most plausible location of the Gospel event.


title: Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac

text: The Gospel of Luke version () shortened this but retained most of the details. One detail that the Lucan gospel has but the other gospel writers lack is a reference to "both" the demoniac’s nakedness and his subsequent clothing. At Luke 8:27, the gospel writer notes that the demoniac wore no clothes. Then he notes that he “was clothed and in his own mind” (Luke 8:35). Clothing is an important prop in the Lucan narrative (see Biblical clothing), which in this scene portrays the demoniac’s development from his animal-like state to his restoration as a human being. Initially the possessed man has been expelled from the human race—that is, he is no better off than an animal without clothing—but, after his exorcism, his humanity is fully restored and he rejoins the human race, “clothed and in his right mind” (Luke 8:35).


title: Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac

text: The story appears to be set close to the Sea of Galilee, but neither Gadara nor Gerasa is nearby; both cities are southeast of the lake, Gadara 10 km away or a two-hour walking distance, and Gerasa well over twice as far. Origen speculated that there had been a town called "Gergasa" on the shores of the Sea.


title: Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac

text: The differing geographical references to Gadara and Gerasa can be understood in light of the social, economic, and political influence each city exerted over the region. In this light, Matthew identified the exorcism with the local center of power, Gadara, located about ten kilometres southeast of Sea of Galilee, whereas Mark identified the event with the regional center of power, Gerasa, located further inland. The city of Gerasa had been a major urban center since its founding and during the Roman period it was the more widely known among the ten-city league known as the Decapolis.


title: Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac

text: As to the candidate for the location of the Gospel event, the most common consensus is that the miracle took place near the town of Gergesa, the modern Kursi, close by the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and therefore in the country of Gergesenes.


title: Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac

text: The revealing of the demon's name has parallels with other examples in Jewish exorcism lore in the Second Temple period.


title: Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac

text: It has been widely accepted by scholars that several motifs throughout the account refer to the Roman legion. Further possible echoes include Isaiah 65:4 with parallels to both graves and swine:


title: Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac

text: Classical theological commentary cited this story to argue that animals have no moral importance in Christianity. Saint Augustine of Hippo concluded from the story that Christians have no duties towards animals, writing:


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: The resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) is a small bird found in southern Mexico and Central America, with two recognized subspecies, "P. m. mocinno" and "P. m. costaricensis". These animals live in tropical forests, particularly montane cloud forests and they are part of the family Trogonidae. Like other quetzals, the resplendent is omnivorous; its diet mainly consists of fruits of plants in the laurel family, Lauraceae, but it occasionally also preys on insects, lizards, frogs and snails.


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: The species is well known for its colorful and complex plumage that differs substantially between sexes. Males have iridescent green plumes, a red lower breast and belly, black innerwings and a white undertail, whilst females are duller and have a shorter tail. Grey lower breasts, bellies, and bills, along with bronze-green heads are characteristic of females. These birds hollow holes in decaying trees or use ones already made by woodpeckers as a nest site. They are known to take turns while incubating, males throughout the day and females at night. The female usually lays one to three eggs, which hatch in 17 to 19 days. The quetzal is an altitudinal migrant, migrating from the slopes to the canopy of the forest. This occurs during the breeding season, which varies depending on the location, but usually commences in March and extends as far as August.


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: The resplendent quetzal is considered near threatened on the IUCN Red List, with habitat destruction being the main threat. It has an important role in Mesoamerican mythology, and is closely associated with Quetzalcoatl. Presently, it is the national animal of Guatemala, being pictured on the flag and coat of arms; it also gives its name to the country's currency, the Guatemalan quetzal.


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: The resplendent quetzal was first described by Mexican naturalist Pablo de La Llave in 1832. It is one of five species of the genus "Pharomachrus", commonly known as quetzals. Quetzal is usually specifically used to refer to the resplendent, but it typically applies to all members of the genera "Pharomachrus" and "Euptilotis". Some scholars label the crested quetzal as a very close relative of the resplendent, and either suggest the crested quetzal to be subspecies of the resplendent or the two form a superspecies. The quetzal clade is thought to have fanned out from where it emerged in the Andes, the resplendent quetzal being the youngest species. The name of the genus, "Pharomachrus", refers to the physical characteristics of the bird, with "pharos" meaning "" and "makros" meaning "long" in Ancient Greek. The word "quetzal" came from Nahuatl (Aztec), where "quetzalli" (from the root "quetza", meaning "stand") means "tall upstanding plume" and then "quetzal tail feather"; from that, Nahuatl "quetzaltotōtl" means "quetzal-feather bird" and thus "quetzal".


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: Two subspecies are recognized, "P. m. mocinno" and "P. m. costaricensis", although there is an ongoing debate in the scientific community about whether "costaricensis" should be recognized as a distinct species. The specific epithet "mocinno" is a Latinization of the name of the biologist José Mariano M. Mociño, a mentor of his.


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: The resplendent quetzal is the largest trogon. It is long; in the nominate subspecies, the tail streamers measure between and , with the median being for males. The nominate subspecies weighs about , while the subspecies "costaricensis" is slightly smaller than the nominate race, with shorter wings and bills. The tail plumes are shorter and narrower, measuring between and , with the median being .


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: Resplendent quetzals have a green body (showing iridescence from green-gold to blue-violet) and a red lower breast and belly. Depending on the light, quetzal feathers can shine in a variant of colors: from green, cobalt, lime, and yellow to ultramarine. Their green upper hide their tails and are particularly splendid in breeding males, being longer than the rest of the body. Though the quetzal's plumage appears green, they are actually brown due to the pigment melanin. The primary wing coverts are also unusually long and have a fringed appearance. The male has a helmet-like crest. The bill, which is partly covered by green filamentous feathers, is yellow in mature males and grey in females. Their iridescent feathers, which cause them to appear shiny and green like the canopy leaves, are a camouflage adaptation to hide within the canopy during rainy weather. The quetzal's skin is very thin and easily torn, so it has evolved thick plumage to protect its skin. It has large eyes, adapted to see in the dim light of the forest. Their song is an array of full-toned, mellow, slurred notes in plain patterns and is often remarkably melodious: "keow", "kowee", "keow", "k'loo", "keeloo".


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: This species inhabits amidst lush vegetation, in specially moist rainforests at high elevations (). They populate trees that make up the canopy and subcanopy of the rainforest, though they can also be found in ravines and cliffs. It prefers to live in decaying trees, stumps, and abandoned woodpecker hollows. The vivid colors of the quetzal are disguised by the rainforest. The resplendent quetzal can be found from southern Mexico (southernmost Oaxaca and Chiapas) to western Panama (Chiriquí). The ranges of the two subspecies differ: "P. m. mocinno" is found in southern Mexico, northern El Salvador, and northwestern Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras, while "P. m. costaricensis" is found in Costa Rica and western Panama. The geographical isolation between the two subspecies is caused by the Nicaraguan depression, a wide, long bottomland that contains the two largest lakes in Central America, Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua, and the deficiency of the breeding habitats in regions adjoining to. The quetzal migrates from its breeding areas in the lower montane rainforest to the pre-montane rainforest on the Pacific slopes for three to four months (July–October), after which they move across the continental divide to the Atlantic slopes.


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: A 2006 study showed that quetzal's abundance in its mating areas was correlated with the total number of fruiting species, although the correlation between quetzal abundance and the number of fruiting Lauraceae species was only marginal.


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: Resplendent quetzals generally display shy and quiet behaviour to elude predators. In contrast, they are rather vocal during the mating season and their behavior is designated to exhibit and attract mates. Their known predators include the ornate hawk-eagle, golden eagle, and other hawks and owls as adults, along with emerald toucanets, brown jays, long-tailed weasels, squirrels, and kinkajous as nestlings or eggs.


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: Resplendent quetzals are considered specialized fruit-eaters, feeding on 41 to 43 species, although they also feed on insects (primarily wasps, ants, and larvae), frogs, lizards, and snails. Particularly important are the "Symplococarpon purpusii" and wild avocados, as well as other fruits of the laurel family, which the birds swallow whole before regurgitating the pits, which helps to disperse these trees. Quetzals feed more frequently in the midday hours. The adults eat a more fruit-based diet than the chicks, who eat insects primarily and some fruits. Over fifty percent of the fruit they eat are laurels. Quetzals use the methods of "hovering" and "stalling" in order to selectively pick the fruit from near the tips of the branches.


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: Resplendent quetzals create their nests over up in the air and court in the air with specific calls. Six specific vocal calls have been recorded: the two-note whistle, "gee-gee", "wahc-ah-wahc", "wec-wec", whistle, "coouee", "uwac", chatter, and buzzing. The first call is related to male territorial behavior, while the "coouee" whistle is a mating call. Resplendent quetzals usually live alone when not breeding. They are monogamous territorial breeders, with the size of their territory in Guatemala being . They are also seasonal breeders, with the breeding season lasting from March to April in Mexico, May to June in El Salvador, and March to May in Guatemala. When breeding, females lay one to three pale blue eggs with a mean of x in a nest placed in a hole which they carve in a rotten tree. Resplendent quetzals tend to lay two clutches per year and are known to have a high rate of nest failure, 67-78%. One of the most important factors when choosing a nest location for the quetzal is that the tree must be in a stage of decomposition and decay. They often reuse their previous sites. The height of nest stubs is and the nest holes .


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: Both parents take turns at incubating, with their long tail coverts folded forwards over out of the hole, giving them the appearance of a bunch of fern growing out of the hole. The incubation period lasts about 17 to 19 days, during which the male generally incubates the eggs during the day while the female incubates them at night. When the eggs hatch, both parents take care of the young, feeding them entire fruits, such as berries and avocados, as early as the second day. However, chicks are primarily fed insects, lizards, snails and small frogs. It was observed that males generally give more food, namely insects, than females. Nestlings are often neglected and even abandoned by females near the end of the rearing period, leaving it up to the male to continue caring for the offspring until they are ready to survive on their own. During the incubation period, parents land and rotate their heads side to side before entering the nest, a process known as "bowing in". This process ends when the chicks hatch. Young quetzals begin flying after a month, but the distinctive long tail feathers can take three years to develop in males.


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: The population trend varies between subpopulations but is generally decreasing although certain populations may be increasing or are at least stable. It is classified as being near threatened on the IUCN Red List, with an estimated population of 20,000–49,999 individuals. Due to the remote habitat of the quetzal, more monitoring is required to confirm the rate of decline, and depending on the results it could lead to it moving to a higher threat category. In 2001, the quetzal survived only in 11 small, isolated patches of forest. Its biggest threats are habitat loss because of deforestation, forest fragmentation, and agricultural clearing. The quetzal is also sometimes hunted for food and trapped for illegal trading. Cloud forests, the resplendent quetzal's habitat, are one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world, but the species occurs in several protected areas and is a sought-after species for birdwatchers and ecotourists.


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: It was thought that the resplendent quetzal could not be bred or held for a long time in captivity, and was noted for usually dying soon after being captured or caged as a result of assimilation of iron through water ingestion, with this now understood they are now given tannic acid and iron is avoided in their diet. For this reason, it is a traditional symbol of liberty. The national anthem of Guatemala even includes the verse "" (Be rather dead than a slave). However, the scientific discovery about the bird's susceptibility to iron has allowed some zoos, including Miguel Álvarez del Toro Zoo in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, to keep this species. Breeding in captivity was announced in 2004.


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: The resplendent quetzal is of great importance to Guatemalan culture, being present in various legends and myths. It was considered divine and associated with Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent and god of life, light, knowledge and the winds, by pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations. Its scintillating green tail feathers, symbolizes spring plant sprout, were venerated by the Aztec and Maya. The Maya also regarded the quetzal as figurative of freedom and wealth on account of quetzals deceasing in captivity and the worth of their feathers along with jade, correspondingly. Mesoamerican rulers and some high ranked nobles wore diadems created from quetzal feathers, symbolically linking them to Quetzalcoatl. Since the killing of quetzals was forbidden under the Mayas and Aztec criminal law, the bird was merely seized, its prolonged tail feathers deplumed, and was set loose. In ancient Mayan culture, the quetzal feathers were considered so precious that they were even used as a medium of exchange. Thus the name of the Guatemala currency, the quetzal. In various Mesoamerican languages, the word "quetzal" can as well mean "precious", "sacred", or "king", "warrior", "prince".


title: Resplendent quetzal

text: One Mayan legend has it that a resplendent quetzal accompanied the hero, Tecún Umán, prince of the Quiché (K'iche') Maya, during his battle against Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado. Tecún, equipped with just an arrow and bow, nevertheless is able to incapacitate Alvarado's horse on the first strike. Alvarado was then given a second horse and counter-charged against Tecún, running his chest through with a spear. The quetzal flew down and alighted on Tecún's body, drenching its chest in his blood. It was then that the species, which used to be completely green, obtained its characteristic red chest feathers. Additionally, from that day on, the quetzal, which sang delightfully before the Spanish conquest, has been mute ever since; it will sing anew solely when the land is fully liberated.


title: Frank Sánchez (boxer)

text: Frank Sánchez Faure (born 18 July 1992) is a Cuban professional boxer who has held the NABO heavyweight title since 2019 and the WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title since 2020.


title: Frank Sánchez (boxer)

text: Sánchez made his professional debut on 22 September 2017, scoring a first-round technical knockout (TKO) victory against Justin Thornton at the Mel Ott Recreation Center in Gretna, Louisiana.


title: Frank Sánchez (boxer)

text: After winning his first six fights, all by stoppage, he faced Lamont Capers on 4 May 2018. Capers received a point deduction in the first round for excessive holding before the contest was halted in the second round after Capers was shoved through the ropes and out of the ring. With capers not able to continue, the bout was scored a no contest (NC).


title: Frank Sánchez (boxer)

text: Following six more wins, four by stoppage, Sánchez faced Victor Bisbal for the vacant WBO-NABO heavyweight title on 31 August 2019 at the Minneapolis Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sánchez defeated Bisbal via fourth-round corner retirement (RTD) after Bisbal's corner informed referee Celestino Ruiz that Bisbal was unwilling to continue before the start of the fifth round. After Efe Ajagba pulled out of a bout with Jack Mulowayi due to a back injury sustained during training, Sánchez was brought in as a late replacement. The bout took place on 26 October at the Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania. Sánchez won a shutout unanimous decision (UD) to capture the vacant WBO-NABO title for a second time, with all three judges scoring the bout 100–90. His next fight came against Joey Dawejko for the vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title on 7 March 2020 at the Barclays Center in New York City. Sánchez captured his second professional title via UD over ten rounds, with two judges scoring the bout 100–90 and the third scoring it 98–92.


title: Frank Sánchez (boxer)

text: Following his win against Dawejko, Sánchez recorded back-to-back knockout wins against Brian Howard and Julian Fernandez, before facing Nagy Aguilera on the undercard of Canelo Álvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders on 8 May 2021. Sánchez won the bout by unanimous technical decision after six rounds, after Aguilera told officials that he was not able to continue after an unintentional foul.


title: Frank Sánchez (boxer)

text: Sánchez faced undefeated Efe Ajagba on 9 October 2021 on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III. Sánchez knocked down Ajagba en route to a unanimous decision victory, with scores of 98–91, 98–91 and 97–92.


title: Frank Sánchez (boxer)

text: Sánchez was expected to face Carlos Negrón on 1 January 2022, on the undercard of the Luis Ortiz and Charles Martin heavyweight bout. It was announced on 28 December 2021 that Negrón had withdrawn from the bout due to a positive COVID-19 test, and would be replaced by Christian Hammer. Sánchez won the fight by unanimous decision. He was awarded every single round of the fight, and scored a debatable knockdown in the tenth round.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: In electrical engineering, electromagnetic shielding is the practice of reducing or blocking the electromagnetic field (EMF) in a space with barriers made of conductive or magnetic materials. It is typically applied to enclosures, for isolating electrical devices from their surroundings, and to cables to isolate wires from the environment through which the cable runs (). Electromagnetic shielding that blocks radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation is also known as RF shielding.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: EMF shielding serves to minimize electromagnetic interference. The shielding can reduce the coupling of radio waves, electromagnetic fields, and electrostatic fields. A conductive enclosure used to block electrostatic fields is also known as a "Faraday cage". The amount of reduction depends very much upon the material used, its thickness, the size of the shielded volume and the frequency of the fields of interest and the size, shape and orientation of holes in a shield to an incident electromagnetic field.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: Typical materials used for electromagnetic shielding include sheet metal, metal screen, and metal foam. Common sheet metals for shielding include copper, brass, nickel, silver, steel, and tin. Shielding effectiveness, that is, how well a shield reflects or absorbs/suppresses electromagnetic radiation, is affected by the physical properties of the metal.  These may include conductivity, solderability, permeability, thickness, and weight. A metal's properties are an important consideration in material selection. For example, electrically dominant waves are reflected by highly conductive metals like copper, silver, and brass, while magnetically dominant waves are absorbed/suppressed by a less conductive metal such as steel or stainless steel. Further, any holes in the shield or mesh must be significantly smaller than the wavelength of the radiation that is being kept out, or the enclosure will not effectively approximate an unbroken conducting surface.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: Another commonly used shielding method, especially with electronic goods housed in plastic enclosures, is to coat the inside of the enclosure with a metallic ink or similar material. The ink consists of a carrier material loaded with a suitable metal, typically copper or nickel, in the form of very small particulates. It is sprayed on to the enclosure and, once dry, produces a continuous conductive layer of metal, which can be electrically connected to the chassis ground of the equipment, thus providing effective shielding.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: Electromagnetic shielding is the process of lowering the electromagnetic field in an area by barricading it with conductive or magnetic material. Copper is used for radio frequency (RF) shielding because it absorbs radio and other electromagnetic waves. Properly designed and constructed RF shielding enclosures satisfy most RF shielding needs, from computer and electrical switching rooms to hospital CAT-scan and MRI facilities.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: One example is a shielded cable, which has electromagnetic shielding in the form of a wire mesh surrounding an inner core conductor. The shielding impedes the escape of any signal from the core conductor, and also prevents signals from being added to the core conductor.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: Some cables have two separate coaxial screens, one connected at both ends, the other at one end only, to maximize shielding of both electromagnetic and electrostatic fields.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: The door of a microwave oven has a screen built into the window. From the perspective of microwaves (with wavelengths of 12 cm) this screen finishes a Faraday cage formed by the oven's metal housing. Visible light, with wavelengths ranging between 400 nm and 700 nm, passes easily through the screen holes.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: RF shielding is also used to prevent access to data stored on RFID chips embedded in various devices, such as biometric passports.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: NATO specifies electromagnetic shielding for computers and keyboards to prevent passive monitoring of keyboard emissions that would allow passwords to be captured; consumer keyboards do not offer this protection primarily because of the prohibitive cost.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: RF shielding is also used to protect medical and laboratory equipment to provide protection against interfering signals, including AM, FM, TV, emergency services, dispatch, pagers, ESMR, cellular, and PCS. It can also be used to protect the equipment at the AM, FM or TV broadcast facilities.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: Another example of the practical use of electromagnetic shielding would be defense applications. As technology improves, so does the susceptibility to various types of nefarious electromagnetic interference. The idea of encasing a cable inside a grounded conductive barrier can provide mitigation to these risks.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: Electromagnetic radiation consists of coupled electric and magnetic fields. The electric field produces forces on the charge carriers (i.e., electrons) within the conductor. As soon as an electric field is applied to the surface of an ideal conductor, it induces a current that causes displacement of charge inside the conductor that cancels the applied field inside, at which point the current stops. See Faraday cage for more explanation.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: Similarly, "varying" magnetic fields generate eddy currents that act to cancel the applied magnetic field. (The conductor does not respond to static magnetic fields unless the conductor is moving relative to the magnetic field.) The result is that electromagnetic radiation is reflected from the surface of the conductor: internal fields stay inside, and external fields stay outside.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: Several factors serve to limit the shielding capability of real RF shields. One is that, due to the electrical resistance of the conductor, the excited field does not completely cancel the incident field. Also, most conductors exhibit a ferromagnetic response to low-frequency magnetic fields, so that such fields are not fully attenuated by the conductor. Any holes in the shield force current to flow around them, so that fields passing through the holes do not excite opposing electromagnetic fields. These effects reduce the field-reflecting capability of the shield.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: In the case of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation, the above-mentioned adjustments take a non-negligible amount of time, yet any such radiation energy, as far as it is not reflected, is absorbed by the skin (unless it is extremely thin), so in this case there is no electromagnetic field inside either. This is one aspect of a greater phenomenon called the skin effect. A measure of the depth to which radiation can penetrate the shield is the so-called skin depth.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: Equipment sometimes requires isolation from external magnetic fields. For static or slowly varying magnetic fields (below about 100 kHz) the Faraday shielding described above is ineffective. In these cases shields made of high magnetic permeability metal alloys can be used, such as sheets of permalloy and mu-metal or with nanocrystalline grain structure ferromagnetic metal coatings. These materials don't block the magnetic field, as with electric shielding, but rather draw the field into themselves, providing a path for the magnetic field lines around the shielded volume. The best shape for magnetic shields is thus a closed container surrounding the shielded volume. The effectiveness of this type of shielding depends on the material's permeability, which generally drops off at both very low magnetic field strengths and at high field strengths where the material becomes saturated. So to achieve low residual fields, magnetic shields often consist of several enclosures one inside the other, each of which successively reduces the field inside it. Entry holes within shielding surfaces may degrade their performance significantly.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: Because of the above limitations of passive shielding, an alternative used with static or low-frequency fields is active shielding; using a field created by electromagnets to cancel the ambient field within a volume. Solenoids and Helmholtz coils are types of coils that can be used for this purpose, as well as more complex wire patterns designed using methods adapted from those used in coil design for magnetic resonance imaging. Active shields may also be designed accounting for the electromagnetic coupling with passive shields, referred to as "hybrid" shielding, so that there is broadband shielding from the passive shield and additional cancellation of specific components using the active system.


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: Suppose that we have a spherical shell of a (linear and isotropic) diamagnetic material with relative permeability with inner radius formula_1 and outer radius We then put this object in a constant magnetic field:


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: Since there are no currents in this problem except for possible bound currents on the boundaries of the diamagnetic material, then we can define a magnetic scalar potential that satisfies Laplace's equation:


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: In this particular problem there is azimuthal symmetry so we can write down that the solution to Laplace's equation in spherical coordinates is:


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: at the boundaries (where formula_7 is a unit vector that is normal to the surface pointing from side 1 to side 2), then we find that the magnetic field inside the cavity in the spherical shell is:


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: where formula_9 is an attenuation coefficient that depends on the thickness of the diamagnetic material and the magnetic permeability of the material:


title: Electromagnetic shielding

text: This coefficient describes the effectiveness of this material in shielding the external magnetic field from the cavity that it surrounds. Notice that this coefficient appropriately goes to 1 (no shielding) in the limit that formula_11. In the limit that formula_12 this coefficient goes to 0 (perfect shielding). When formula_13, then the attenuation coefficient takes on the simpler form:


title: Busby Babes

text: The "Busby Babes" were the group of footballers, recruited and trained by Manchester United F.C. chief scout Joe Armstrong and assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, who progressed from the club's youth team into the first team under the management of the eponymous Matt Busby from the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. The squad most associated with the name "babes" was that of the 1957–58 season, many of whom died in the Munich air disaster, and who, with an average age of 22, had been touted to dominate European football for the next few years.


title: Busby Babes

text: The Busby Babes were notable not only for being young and gifted, but for being developed by the club itself, rather than bought from other clubs, which was customary then. The term, coined by "Manchester Evening News" journalist Tom Jackson in 1951, usually refers to the players who won the league championship in seasons 1955–56 and 1956–57 with an average age of 21 and 22 respectively.


title: Busby Babes

text: Eight of the players – Roger Byrne (28), Eddie Colman (21), Mark Jones (24), Duncan Edwards (21), Liam Whelan (22), Tommy Taylor (26), David Pegg (22) and Geoff Bent (25) – died in or as a result of the Munich air disaster in February 1958, while Jackie Blanchflower (24 at the time of the crash) and senior player Johnny Berry (31 at the time of the crash) were injured to such an extent that they never played again. Berry was the senior player in the team by the time of the crash, having been signed from Birmingham City in 1951, by which time he was already 25.


title: Busby Babes

text: A few of the players in the team at this time had actually been bought from other clubs, although one of them, goalkeeper Ray Wood, was just 18 when he joined United from Darlington in 1949. Wood's successor in the first team, Harry Gregg, signed in December 1957, was signed from Doncaster Rovers as the world's most expensive goalkeeper at the time for £23,500. Tommy Taylor had been one of the most expensive players in English football when United paid £29,999 for him as a 21-year-old from Barnsley in 1953, whereas Johnny Berry had already been at the club for two years when Taylor arrived.


title: Busby Babes

text: Other notable "Busby Babes" include full-back Bill Foulkes, wingers Kenny Morgans and Albert Scanlon, forward Dennis Viollet, wing-half Wilf McGuinness (who later became manager of Manchester United) and forwards John Doherty, Colin Webster and Eddie Lewis. McGuinness and Webster were not on the plane when it crashed at Munich, whereas Doherty had just been sold to Leicester City.


title: Busby Babes

text: The last remaining player from the pre-Munich side, Bobby Charlton (20 at the time of the crash), retired from playing in 1975; though he had left Manchester United two years earlier, he had continued playing as player-manager of Preston North End. As a player, he set the all-time goalscoring record for Manchester United and England, which was later broken by another United player Wayne Rooney, and his appearance record was unbroken for 35 years after his last game for United, while his England record was not broken until 2015 when Rooney scored his 50th England goal. Bill Foulkes, who retired in 1970, had still been at the club when the European Cup was finally won in 1968.


title: Busby Babes

text: Harry Gregg had left the club in the 1966–67 season, signing for Stoke City, who had signed Dennis Viollet from United five seasons earlier. Kenny Morgans had moved to Swansea City in 1961, having rarely played for United after the end of the 1957–58 season. Albert Scanlon was sold to Newcastle United in November 1960. Ray Wood had been sold to Huddersfield Town within a year of the Munich crash, having been unable to win back his place in the team from Harry Gregg, leaving Old Trafford around the same time as Colin Webster, who was sold to Swansea Town. Wilf McGuinness suffered a broken leg in a reserve match during the 1959–60 season and never returned to the first team, although he stayed with the club as a member of the coaching staff and spent 18 months as United's manager after the retirement of Sir Matt Busby in May 1969. Injury also ended the career of John Doherty, who played his last game for Leicester City less than a year after United sold him to the East Midlands club.


title: Busby Babes

text: Sammy McIlroy was born in Belfast and moved to Manchester United in 1969, making him Matt Busby's final signing and "the last of the Busby Babes".


title: Happy Meal

text: A Happy Meal is a kids' meal usually sold at the American fast food restaurant chain McDonald's since June 1979. A small toy or book is included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a red cardboard box with a yellow smiley face and the McDonald's logo. The packaging and toy are frequently part of a marketing tie-in to an existing television series, film or toyline.


title: Happy Meal

text: The Happy Meal contains a main item (a hamburger, cheeseburger or small serving of Chicken McNuggets), a side item (French fries, apple slices, a Go-Gurt tube or a salad in some areas) and a drink (milk, juice or a soft drink). The choice of items changes from country to country and may depend on the size of the restaurant.


title: Happy Meal

text: In some countries, the choices have been expanded to include items such as a grilled cheese sandwich (known as a "Fry Kid"), or more healthy options such as apple slices, a mini snack wrap, salads or pasta, as one or more of the options.


title: Happy Meal

text: In the mid-1970s, Yolanda Fernández de Cofiño began working with her husband operating McDonald's restaurants in Guatemala. She created what she called the "Menú Ronald" (Ronald menu), which offered a hamburger, small fries and a small sundae to help mothers feed their children more effectively while at McDonald's restaurants. The concept was eventually brought to the attention of McDonald's management in Chicago. The company gave the development of the product to Bob Bernstein, who then came up with the idea for the Happy Meal.


title: Happy Meal

text: In 1977, the McDonald's restaurant owner clients who regularly met with Bernstein were looking for ways to create a better dining experience for families with kids. Bernstein reasoned that if kids could get a packaged meal all their own instead of just picking at their parent's food, everybody would be happier. He had often noticed his young son at the breakfast table poring over the various items on cereal boxes and thought, "Why not do that for McDonald's? The package is the key!" He then called in his creative team and had them mock up some paperboard boxes fashioned to resemble lunch pails with the McDonald's Golden Arches for handles. They called in nationally known children's illustrators and offered them the blank slate of filling the box's sides and tops with their own colorful ideas from art to jokes to games to comic strips to stories to fantasy: whatever they thought might appeal to kids, at least eight items per box. Inside the box would be a burger, small fries, packet of cookies and a surprise gift. A small drink would accompany these items. Bernstein then named it the Happy Meal and it was successfully introduced with television and radio spots and in-store posters in the Kansas City market in October 1977. Other markets followed and the national roll-out happened in 1979.


title: Happy Meal

text: Bernstein received #1136758 (Serial #73148046) for his idea in 1977 which he assigned to his valued client, McDonald's Corporation, on June 10, 1980. In 1987 at the annual McDonald's marketing meeting, he was recognized for his accomplishment with a full-size golden replica of the Happy Meal box with the following inscription:


title: Happy Meal

text: Your insight and conviction truly has made McDonald's a fun place for children for the past 10 years!


title: Happy Meal

text: Often, the Happy Meal is themed to promote a children and family-oriented film or television series. The first such promotion was the ""Star Trek" Meal", which promoted "" in December 1979. The packaging used for the "Star Trek" Meal consisted of various images and games related to the film, as well as a comic strip adaptation of the film. Consumers had to buy numerous meals in order to complete the set. In 1982, McDonald's recalled Happy Meal toys because they could have been dangerous to children under three years of age. In 1992, McDonald's withdrew their range of Happy Meal toys for the film "Batman Returns", after complaints from parents that the film was unsuitable for children.


title: Happy Meal

text: In July 2011, McDonald's announced plans to make Happy Meals healthier, including the addition of apples. The redesigned meals will contain a smaller portion (1.1 ounces) of fries, along with the apples. On February 4, 2013, McDonald's announced that Fish McBites (fried Alaskan pollock, the same fish used in Filet-O-Fish) would be added as an entree, which would run until March, intended to coincide with Lent.


title: Happy Meal

text: In 2014, McDonald's introduced a mascot to Happy Meals in the United States named Happy, who originated in France and some international countries as early as 2009. Reactions were mixed, including criticism that the mascot's design was too frightening.


title: Happy Meal

text: The Happy Meal did not introduce the practice of providing small toys to children. When the Happy Meal was launched in 1979, the toys were a McDoodle stencil, a McWrist wallet, an ID bracelet, a puzzle lock, a spinning top or a McDonaldland character-shaped eraser. In Canada, the promotion prior to the Happy Meal was called the "Treat of the Week", where a different toy was available free on request each week. This promotion continued after the Happy Meal was introduced in 1979 while Happy Meal toys have also become increasingly elaborate in recent years. While they were initially cheap items such as a Frisbee or ball, they have gradually been replaced with increasingly sophisticated toys, many of which are a tie-in to an existing TV series, film, video game or toy line.


title: Happy Meal

text: On November 2, 2010, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a law requiring that children's meals sold in restaurants must meet certain nutritional standards before they could be sold with toys. The law, urged in part by an increase of childhood obesity in the United States, would allow toys to be included with children's meals that have fewer than 600 calories and fewer than 640 milligrams of sodium, contain fruits and vegetables, and include beverages without excessive fat or sugar. The board overturned the veto of Mayor Gavin Newsom on November 23, 2010, to pass the law. The law has been ridiculed by the satirical news program "The Daily Show". McDonald's circumvented the ban by charging 10 cents for the toys.


title: Happy Meal

text: A class action lawsuit seeking to ban Happy Meal toys in California was filed in 2010. The suit was dismissed in April 2012.


title: Happy Meal

text: In Chile, the Happy Meal, along with kids' meals at other fast food chains, no longer includes free toys, in response to a 2012 law banning such toys in a move to prevent obesity.


title: Happy Meal

text: An adult version of the Happy Meal was released in 2022 as a limited release collaboration with Cactus Plant Flea Market. The meal, which includes a standard Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets combo meal, comes with a collectible toy of Cactus Buddy or four-eyed caricatures of McDonaldland characters Grimace, Birdie or the Hamburglar.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Büsingen am Hochrhein (, "Büsingen on the Upper Rhine"; Alemannic: "Büesinge am Hochrhi"), commonly known as Büsingen, is a German municipality () in the south of Baden-Württemberg and an enclave entirely surrounded by the Swiss cantons of Schaffhausen, Zürich and Thurgau. It has a population of about 1,450 inhabitants. Since the early 19th century, the village has been separated from the rest of Germany by a narrow strip of land (at its narrowest, about wide) containing the Swiss village of Dörflingen. The distance to this enclave is approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) from the town of Schaffhausen and 3 km (1.8 mi) from Dörflingen, the nearest village.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Politically Büsingen is part of Germany, forming part of the district of Konstanz, but economically it forms part of the Swiss customs union, along with the principality of Liechtenstein and up until 2019, albeit unofficially, the Italian village of Campione d'Italia. As such there have been no border controls between Switzerland and Büsingen since 4 October 1967.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Büsingen is a holiday destination for much of the year and attracts a significant number of visitors from around the region as well as from further afield, for its recreational areas along the Rhine and proximity to the Rheinfall waterfalls in nearby Neuhausen am Rheinfall. Many dwellings in Büsingen are holiday flats that are accompanied by a number of small guest houses.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: The municipality was long under Austrian control (Vorderösterreich), although Austrian sovereignty did not go unchallenged by the Confederate Swiss of neighbouring Schaffhausen. An incident in 1693 in which Austrian feudal lord Eberhard Im Thurn was abducted and incarcerated by Swiss authorities, and the subsequent diplomatic dispute, played a particular role in the village being kept away from Swiss control.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: The village became part of the German kingdom of Württemberg under the 1805 Peace of Pressburg agreement during the Napoleonic Wars.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: In 1918, after the First World War, a referendum was held in Büsingen in which 96% of voters voted to become part of Switzerland. However no land transfer took place as Switzerland could not offer anything suitable in exchange. Later attempts to transfer the village to Swiss sovereignty were unsuccessful and consequently Büsingen has remained an exclave of Germany ever since.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: During the Second World War, Switzerland effectively shut down the border, leaving Büsingen cut off from the rest of the Third Reich. German soldiers on home leave were required to deposit their weapons at the border guards' posts in Gailingen am Hochrhein. The Swiss customs officers would then supply them with greatcoats to cover up their German uniforms for the duration of their short journey through Dörflingen (Swiss territory) to their homes in Büsingen.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: By the time of Yalta Conference in early 1945, a complete German defeat was inevitable. The inter-zonal borders of Allied-occupied Germany were finalized at this conference, with Büsingen assigned to the French zone. Once again, the Swiss government refused to consider annexing the town on the grounds that any transfer of territory could only be negotiated with a sovereign German government, which ceased to exist following the German surrender. From the Swiss perspective, any unilateral annexation of the territory of her defeated neighbour (no matter how small) would have been viewed both within and outside Switzerland as a tacit recognition of the victors' right to also adjust Germany's postwar borders. The country's large German-speaking majority, although generally hostile to Nazism, was deeply offended by the wholesale annexation of Germany's eastern territories and the expulsion of Germans from these lands, so it would have been politically unacceptable for the Swiss government to act in any sort of similar manner with respect to Büsingen.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Nevertheless, the Swiss shared Allied concerns that the exclave might become a haven for Nazi war criminals; thus, an agreement was quickly reached to allow limited numbers of French soldiers to cross Switzerland for the purpose of maintaining law and order in Büsingen. Following the formation of the Federal Republic, Büsingen eventually became part of the new state of Baden-Württemberg.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: On 9 September 1957, a conference between Switzerland and what was then West Germany was held in Locarno, with the aim of regulating the jurisdictions of both countries in Büsingen.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Büsingen's official name was altered from "Büsingen (Oberrhein)" to "Büsingen am Hochrhein" on 6 December 1961.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: A treaty signed much later (on 23 November 1964) came into effect on 4 October 1967. The exclave of Büsingen was formally defined in this treaty. At the same time, the West German exclave of Verenahof, consisting of just three houses and eleven West German citizens, became part of Switzerland, whilst Büsingen's "de facto" customs union with Switzerland, begun in 1947, was made official.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Büsingen am Hochrhein has an area of . Its border with Switzerland is long and is marked by 123 stones. One named stone, the Hattinger Stone, marks the Büsingen-Dörflingen boundary. Along with several other border points, it is situated in the river Rhine.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Büsingen is situated close to the city of Schaffhausen. In the outlying hamlet of "Stemmer" the border between German and Swiss territory runs down the middle of a road. Houses on one side of the road are in Switzerland, houses on the other side are in Germany.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Büsingen is not part of the customs territory of the European Union but belongs to Swiss customs territory. Although Büsingen is otherwise a German village, EU economic regulations (other than those covered by SwissEU treaties) do not apply there.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Within the territory of Büsingen am Hochrhein are the sites of two abandoned villages Eggingen and Gluringen.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Büsingen is the only German village in which people pay mostly with Swiss francs, although technically the euro is legal tender as throughout Germany. Until the late 1980s, the Deutsche Mark was not accepted in Büsingen. Even the Büsingen post office accepted only Swiss francs for payment of German stamps. Despite the Deutsche Mark and later the euro being accepted, today Swiss francs are still more popular, since most residents in employment are cross-border commuters working in Switzerland and as such are paid in Swiss francs.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Electricity is provided by Switzerland and as such is billed in Swiss francs with there being no choice of supplier. Wall sockets are generally standard German Schuko sockets, as in the rest of Germany, though some owners may have opted to install Swiss sockets in their properties.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Residents of Büsingen am Hochrhein can opt to take out a health insurance policy either in Switzerland or in Germany (coverage is mandatory for residents of both countries).


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: The treaty between the two countries defines which areas of law are governed by Swiss legislation and which ones come under German legislation. Since there are no border checks between Büsingen and Switzerland, the cantonal police of Schaffhausen are permitted to arrest people in Büsingen and bring them into Switzerland. The number of Swiss police officers is limited to ten at any one time and the number of German police officers to three per 100 inhabitants, which means roughly forty-five, given the current population of around 1,540. German police officers travelling to Büsingen however must use designated routes and refrain from all official acts while crossing Swiss territory.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: There is a German post office in Büsingen that also provides Swiss postal services at Swiss inland rates. Büsingen has two postal codes, one German, D-78266, formerly D-7701, and one Swiss, CH-8238. Letters from Büsingen may be franked with a Swiss or a German stamp. A standard letter from Büsingen to Switzerland needs either an 85 Rappen Swiss stamp or a 80 euro cent German one.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Deutsche Post is responsible for delivering of post (letters and almost all parcels) in Büsingen, though some services are provided by Swiss Post. Other letter and parcel delivery services that operate in Germany such as Hermes do not deliver to Büsingen as they are not authorized to cross into the Swiss customs area to be able to reach the German exclave.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Goods sent from outside of the European customs area may pass through two separate customs checks: the first upon entering Germany proper, the second upon entering Büsingen itself. This can however be avoided by addressing mail shipped to Büsingen as if it were part of Switzerland, using the Swiss postal code. Goods entering Büsingen must comply with Swiss customs rules and are subject to Swiss customs duties and taxes.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Residents of Büsingen can be reached by telephone using either a German number (with the prefix +49) or a Swiss one (with the prefix +41) or both, depending on which telephone or internet service provider(s) the resident has opted to have a contract with. Dwellings generally have both countries' phone sockets.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Büsingen has a kindergarten, the current building of which opened in 1987. By 1988, however, it was overcrowded, so the building was extended. Children attend primary school in Büsingen, and subsequently their parents may choose either a Swiss school or a German school for their secondary education.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: The local association football team, FC Büsingen, is the only German team to play in the Swiss Football League.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: The much lower (compared to standard German VAT at 19%) Swiss VAT is applied to purchases made in Büsingen. It is levied at a rate of 7.7% on most commercial exchanges of goods and services. Certain exchanges, including those of basic or essential foodstuffs, drugs, books and newspapers, are subject to a reduced VAT of 2.5%. A special reduced rate of 3.7% is in use in the hotel industry.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Büsingen residents, regardless of nationality, are treated as third-country nationals with regards to VAT payable in the rest of Germany and the EU. As such residents who export purchases made in the EU to Büsingen are able to claim back the VAT paid on said purchases subsequent to exporting. Nevertheless, imports into Büsingen (via Switzerland) where applicable, are subject to Swiss importing limits, duty and VAT.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Despite further income tax breaks specific to Büsingen, younger Büsingers who work (in Switzerland or Germany) pay approximately double the amount of income tax compared to their colleagues who reside in neighbouring Swiss towns and villages, causing many young people to move away from Büsingen into Switzerland and thus the village's population to decrease notably in recent years. Büsingen has the highest average age of residents in the whole of Baden-Württemberg.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Most Büsingen residents are pensioners; many are from Switzerland, for as in the rest of Germany they pay little or no tax on their pensions. This advantage is however progressively being phased out and by 2040 will no longer exist.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Büsingen is one of just a handful of municipalities in Germany not to levy any property tax. The business tax levied in Büsingen is the lowest in Baden-Württemberg.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Payable Skype services have been unavailable in Büsingen since 1 January 2015 due to a change in VAT laws.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: In the time zone database, there is a special area Europe/Büsingen that had a different time compared to the rest of West Germany in 1980 when West Germany, but not Switzerland, observed daylight saving time.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Büsingen is served by PostBus Switzerland with a regular connection to the German village Randegg, the Swiss villages Ramsen, Buch and Dörflingen, as well as the city and railway station of Schaffhausen.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Südbadenbus from Germany also serves the village with a twice daily bus connection to Gailingen am Hochrhein. The bus passes through Swiss territory to reach the main village of Büsingen and the outlying settlement Stemmer.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: Büsingen has its own licence plate "(BÜS)", even though it is part of Constance district, which has the "KN" sign. These special licence plates were created to simplify the job of Swiss customs officers. Vehicles with "BÜS" licence plates are treated as if they were Swiss vehicles for customs purposes.


title: Büsingen am Hochrhein

text: "BÜS" is one of the rarest licence plates in use in Germany as there are only around 700 in use at any one time. The letters "BÜS" are almost always followed by an "A" with the occasional exception for provisionally admitted vehicles or those purchased in Switzerland, which have the letter "Z".


title: Hatice Sultan (daughter of Selim I)

text: Hatice Sultan (; "respectful lady"; Trabzon, c.1490/93 - Costantinople, after 1543) was an Ottoman princess, daughter of Sultan Selim I and Hafsa Sultan. She was the sister of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.


title: Hatice Sultan (daughter of Selim I)

text: Hatice's birth date is unknown, but she had to be born before 1494. She was the daughter of Şehzade Selim (the future Selim I) and his concubine Hafsa. She married Damat Iskender Pasha in 1509, an Ottoman governor and later admiral who was executed in 1515.


title: Hatice Sultan (daughter of Selim I)

text: It had long been believed that Hatice Sultan subsequently married the Grand Vizier Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha. However, in the late 2000s research conducted by the historian Ebru Turan revealed that this claim was not based on solid evidence, and that in fact no such marriage ever took place between them. As a result, historians now agree that Ibrahim married another woman, Muhsine Hatun, and not Hatice. She secondly married Çoban Mustafa Pasha son of Iskender Pasha, widower of her half-sister Şahzade Sultan .


title: Hatice Sultan (daughter of Selim I)

text: Hatice Sultan had her mosque built in Aksaray in 1543-44 and later died and was buried in a separate tomb next to her parents in the graveyard of Yavuz Sultan Selim Mosque. She was buried next to her sister Hafize Sultan.


title: Hatice Sultan (daughter of Selim I)

text: In the TV series "Muhteşem Yüzyıl", Hatice Sultan is played by Turkish-German actress Selma Ergeç. In the series, she is inaccurately portrayed as Ibrahim Pasha's wife and mother of his children, a fact which other historians have disputed. However, the series was produced in 2011, when the marriage had not yet been denied with certainty.


title: Ishq Vishk

text: Ishq Vishk ( "Love Shmove") is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age romantic comedy film starring Shahid Kapoor in his debut film performance, Amrita Rao, Shenaz Treasurywala, Yash Tonk, Satish Shah and Vishal Malhotra.


title: Ishq Vishk

text: It is about Rajiv (Kapoor) and Payal (Rao) who are friends since childhood. While Payal is in love with Rajiv, it takes him a bit longer to return her feelings. The film became a success and launched both Kapoor's career and Rao's career. Internationally the film was distributed by UTV Motion Pictures.


title: Ishq Vishk

text: Rajiv wants to be one of the popular kids of his college. However, due to the lack of a girlfriend, Danny and Javed mock him and his best friend Mambo. Javed and Danny plan a trip to Alibagh and invite Rajiv and Mambo to come along with girls. Rajiv decides to ask Payal, his reserved childhood friend, to become his girlfriend and tells her that he's in love with her. He does that only for the trip as he doesn't believe in love and serious relationships. Payal reciprocates his "feelings" and agrees, as she has been in love with him since their school days. Both of them start spending time with each other, and Rajiv finds out that Payal loves him.


title: Ishq Vishk

text: Then comes the time for the trip, and by some persuasion, Payal is allowed by her father to go. Both of them accompany Danny, Javed, and their girlfriends and stay at Danny's beach house; however, misbehaves with Payal. Payal realizes that Rajiv doesn't love her and slaps him. After the midnight picnic incident, Danny and Javed's girlfriends try to clear the misunderstanding by making Payal understand that Danny was the reason for Rajiv's misbehavior at a drunken state, so Rajiv wasn't at fault. Rajiv doesn't accept her apology and asks her to kiss him in front of everyone. Payal refuses to say that she doesn't need to prove her love by doing such a cheap act. Their relationship falls apart, and Rajiv challenges that he'll have the college's most beautiful girlfriend. Rajiv's best friend Mambo, who was in support of Rajiv and Payal's friendly relation, does not like this and insists that he gets back with Payal. But Rajiv rebukes him.


title: Ishq Vishk

text: Soon after, Alisha Sahay, a stylish and beautiful girl, starts at Spencer College. Rajiv is smitten by her and manages to woo her with the help of his friend Rocky. Meanwhile, Mambo and Payal become close, Mambo tries to cheer her up and always be with her. Payal still cares a lot for Rajiv and is silently hurt at seeing Alisha and Rajiv together. Nevertheless, she continues to talk to Rajiv and wishes him a happy birthday. Rajiv is taken aback because Payal and not Alisha bothered to wish him first, as Alisha is busy with her modeling shoot. Rajiv starts noticing that Payal and Mambo are coming close, which concerns him a lot. Rajiv is surprised to find Payal at his birthday party in a pub. Payal gets emotional and tells him she now thinks that her views about love were wrong, and that is why Rajiv is so happy with Alisha, something which was not with Payal. Mambo and Rajiv come to blows because of Payal, and Alisha slowly starts disliking Payal. The final straw is when Alisha sees Rajiv and Payal talking, and she learns from a mutual friend that they were together before she entered the college. She confronts Payal, behaves rudely with her, and accuses her of stealing her boyfriend. Mambo tries to defend Payal, and Alisha puts him off, which infuriates him. Rajiv and Mambo get into a big fight. Alisha and Rajiv leave with everyone accusing him of fighting with his friends. At Alisha's flat, Rajiv cannot think of anything else but how Payal loved him and let her go, and how after their break up, she still cared for him and the recent fight. Alisha gets insecure and keeps asking him to profess his love. He, imagining Alisha to be Payal, hugs her and says, "I love you, Payal."


title: Ishq Vishk

text: At the Farewell party of the college, Rajiv apologizes to Mambo with a thought that Mambo was planning to propose to Payal. He then realizes his mistake as Payal still loves him, and Mambo was her friend. Rajiv tries to apologize to Payal, but she doesn't listen to him. Rajiv then takes the mic and publicly apologizes to Payal. He tells her he loves her a lot, even though she might not believe him. Payal is still angry with him and tells him that doing a drama in front of everyone and proclaiming his love will not make her relent. Rajiv stands before her and gazes pleadingly into her eyes. Payal is convinced that Rajiv does love her and embraces him. Alisha comes there and finds Rajiv and Payal dancing on a slow tune. She apologizes to Payal for her behavior and wishes them good luck. The movie ends with Rajiv and Payal's dance.


title: Ishq Vishk

text: According to "Box Office India", movie collected approximately 122.63 million on a budget of 50 million.


title: Ishq Vishk

text: The music was composed by Anu Malik. Lyrics were penned by Sameer. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 1,200,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's eleventh highest-selling.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: Palestinian Christians () are Christian citizens of the State of Palestine. In the wider definition of Palestinian Christians, including the Palestinian refugees, diaspora and people with full or partial Palestinian Christian ancestry this can be applied to an estimated 500,000 people worldwide as of 2000. Palestinian Christians belong to one of a number of Christian denominations, including Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Catholicism (Eastern and Western rites), Anglicanism, Lutheranism, other branches of Protestantism and others. Bernard Sabella of Bethlehem University estimates that 6% of the Palestinian population worldwide is Christian and that 56% of them live outside of the region of Palestine. In both the local dialect of Palestinian Arabic and in Classical Arabic or Modern Standard Arabic, Christians are called "Nasrani" (the Arabic word Nazarene) or "Masihi" (a derivative of Arabic word "Masih", meaning "Messiah"). Hebrew-speakers call them "Notzri" (also spelt "Notsri"), which means Nazarene (originated from Nazareth).


title: Palestinian Christians

text: , Palestinian Christians comprise approximately 1–2.5% of the population of the West Bank, and less than 1% in the Gaza Strip. According to official British Mandatory estimates, Palestine's Christian population in 1922 constituted 9.5% of the total Mandatory Palestine population (10.8% of the Palestinian Arab population), and 7.9% in 1946.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: A large number of Arab Christians fled or were expelled from the Jewish-controlled areas of Mandatory Palestine during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and a small number left during the period (1948–1967) of Jordanian control of the West Bank for economic reasons. From 1967, during the Israeli military rule, the Palestinian Christian population has increased while as a percentage of the population continued to decrease.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: There are also many Palestinian Christians who are descendants of Palestinian refugees from the post-1948 era who fled to Christian-majority countries and formed large diaspora Christian communities. Worldwide, there are nearly one million Palestinian Christians in these territories as well as in the Palestinian diaspora, comprising around 6–7% of the world's total Palestinian population. Palestinian Christians live primarily in Arab states surrounding historic Palestine and in the diaspora, particularly in Europe and the Americas.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: In the 1922 census of Palestine there were approximately 73,000 Christian Palestinians: 46% Orthodox, 40% Catholic (20% Roman Catholic, and 20% Eastern Catholic.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: The census recorded over 200 localities with a Christian population. The totals by denomination for all of Mandatory Palestine were: Greek Orthodox 33,369, Syriac Orthodox (Jacobite) 813, Latin Catholic 14,245, Greek Catholic (Melkite) 11,191, Syriac Catholic 323, Armenian Catholic 271, Maronite 2,382, Armenian Orthodox (Gregorian) 2,939, Coptic Church 297, Abyssinian Church 85, Church of England 4,553, Presbyterian Church 361, Protestants 826, Lutheran Church 437, Templars Community 724, others 208.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: In 2009, there were an estimated 50,000 Christians in the Palestinian territories, mostly in the West Bank, with about 3,000 in the Gaza Strip. In 2022, about 1,100 Christians lived in the Gaza Strip - down from over 1300 in 2014. About 80% of the Christian Palestinians live in an urban environment. In the West Bank, they are concentrated mostly in Jerusalem and its vicinity: Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour, Ramallah, Bir Zayt, Jifna, Ein Arik, Taybeh.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: Of the total Christian population of 154,000 in Israel, about 80% are designated as Arabs, many of whom self-identify as Palestinian.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: Around 50% of Palestinian Christians belong to the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, one of the 15 churches of Eastern Orthodoxy. This community has also been known as the Arab Orthodox Christians. There are also Maronites, Melkites, Jacobites, Chaldeans, Latin Catholics, Syriac Catholics, Orthodox Copts, Coptic Catholics, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholics, Quakers (Society of Friends), Methodists, Presbyterians, Anglicans (Episcopal), Lutherans, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Nazarene, Assemblies of God, Baptists and other Protestants; in addition to small groups of Jehovah's Witnesses, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and others.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: Patriarch Theophilos III is the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem since 2005. He replaced Irenaios (in office from 2001), who was deposed by the church synod after a term surrounded by controversy and scandal given that he sold Palestinian property to Israeli Orthodox Jews. The Israel government initially refused to recognize Theophilos's appointment but finally granted full recognition in December 2007, despite a legal challenge by his predecessor Irenaios. Archbishop Theodosios (Hanna) of Sebastia the highest ranking Palestinian clergyman in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is the leader of the Latin Catholics in Jerusalem, Palestine, Jordan, Israel and Cyprus. The office has been held by Pierbattista Pizzaballa since his appointment by Pope Francis on 6 November 2020. George Bacouni, of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, is Archbishop of Akka, with jurisdiction over Haifa, Acre and the Galilee, and replaced Elias Chacour, a Palestinian refugee, in 2014. Moussa El-Hage, of the Maronite Church, is since 2012 simultaneously Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Haifa and the Holy Land and Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem and Palestine.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: The Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem is Suheil Dawani, who replaced Bishop Riah Abou Al Assal. Bishop Dr. Munib Younan is the president of the Lutheran World Federation and the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).


title: Palestinian Christians

text: The first Christian communities in Roman Judea originated from the followers of Jesus of Nazareth, who was put to death and crucified by order of Prefect Pontius Pilate in 30-33; they were Aramaic speaking Messianic Jews and, later, Latin and Greek-speaking Romans and Greeks, who were in part descendants from previous settlers of the regions, such as Syro-Phoenicians, Arameans, Greeks, Persians, and Arabs such as Nabataeans.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: Contrary to other groups of oriental Christians such as the largely Assyrian Nestorians, the vast majority of Palestinian Christians went under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Roman emperors after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD (which would be part of the Eastern Orthodox Church after the Great Schism), and were known by other Syrian Christians as Melkites (followers of the king). The Melkites were heavily Hellenised in the following centuries, abandoning their distinct Western Aramaic languages in favour of Greek. By the 7th century, Jerusalem and Byzantine Palestine became the epicentre of Greek culture in the Orient.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: Soon after the Muslim conquests, the Melkites began abandoning Greek for Arabic, a process which made them the most Arabicised Christians in the Levant.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: Most Palestinian Christians nowadays see themselves as culturally and linguistically Arab Christians with ancestors dating back to the first followers of Christ. They claim descent from Romans, Ghassanid Arabs, Byzantines, and Crusaders. The region consisting mainly of modern Israel and the State of Palestine is considered to be the Holy Land by Christians. Major Christian holy cities such as Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem are located in Israel and the State of Palestine.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: That Christian Arabs in Palestine see themselves as Arab nationalistically reflects also the fact that, as of the beginning of the twentieth century, they shared many of the same customs as their Muslim neighbors. In some respects, this was a consequence of Christians adopting what were essentially Islamic practices, many of which were derived of "sharî'ah". In others, it was more the case that the customs shared by both Muslims and Christians derived from neither faith, but rather were a result of a process of syncretization, whereby what had once been pagan practices were later redefined as Christian and subsequently adopted by Muslims. This was especially evident in the fact that Palestine's Muslims and Christians shared many of the same feast days, in honor of the same saints, even if they referred to them by different names. "Shrines dedicated to St. George, for instance, were transformed into shrines honoring Khidr-Ilyas, a conflation of the Prophet Elijah and the mythical sprite Khidr". Added to this, many Muslims viewed local Christian churches as saints' shrines. Thus, for instance, a "Muslim women having difficulties conceiving, for instance, might travel to Bethlehem to pray for a child before the Virgin Mary". It was even not uncommon for a Muslim to have his child baptized in a Christian church, in the name of Khaḍr.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: The category of 'Palestinian Arab Christian' came to assume a political dimension in the 19th century as international interest grew and foreign institutions were developed there. The urban elite began to undertake the construction of a modern multi-religious Arab civil society. When the British received from the League of Nations a mandate to administer Palestine after World War I, many British dignitaries in London were surprised to discover so many Christian leaders in the Palestinian Arab political movements. The British authorities in the Mandate of Palestine had difficulty understanding the commitment of the Palestinian Christians to Palestinian nationalism.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: Palestinian Christian owned Falastin was founded in 1911 in the then Arab-majority city of Jaffa. The newspaper is often described as one of the most influential newspapers in historic Palestine, and probably the nation's fiercest and most consistent critic of the Zionist movement. It helped shape Palestinian identity and nationalism and was shut down several times by the Ottoman and British authorities, most of the time due to complaints made by Zionists.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: The Nakba left the multi-denominational Christian Arab communities in disarray. They had little background in theology, their work being predominantly pastoral, and their immediate task was to assist the thousands of homeless refugees. But it also sowed the seeds for the development of a Liberation Theology among Palestinian Arab Christians. There was a differential policy of expulsion. More lenience was applied to the Christians of the Galilee where expulsion mostly affected Muslims: at Tarshiha, Me'eliya, Dayr al-Qassi, and Salaban, Christians were allowed to remain while Muslims were driven out. At Iqrit and Bir'im the IDF ordered Christians to evacuate for a brief spell, an order that was then confirmed as a permanent expulsion. Sometimes in a mixed Druze-Christian village like al-Rama, only the Christians were initially expelled towards Lebanon, but, thanks to the intervention of the local Druze, they were permitted to return. Important Christian figures were sometimes allowed to return, on condition they help Israel among their communities. Archbishop Hakim, with many hundreds of Christians, was allowed reentry on expressing a willingness to campaign against Communists in Israel and among his flock.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: After the war of 1948, the Christian population in the West Bank, under Jordanian control, dropped slightly, largely due to economic problems. This contrasts with the process occurring in Israel where Christians left "en masse" after 1948. Constituting 21% of Israel's Arab population in 1950, they now make up just 9% of that group. These trends accelerated after the 1967 war in the aftermath of Israel's takeover of the West Bank and Gaza.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: Christians within the Palestinian Authority constituted around one in seventy-five residents. In 2009, Reuters reported that 47,000–50,000 Christians remained in the West Bank, with around 17,000 following the various Catholic traditions and most of the rest following the Orthodox church and other eastern denominations. Both Bethlehem and Nazareth, which were once overwhelmingly Christian, now have Muslim majorities. Today about three-quarters of all Bethlehem Christians live abroad, and more Jerusalem Christians live in Sydney, Australia than in Jerusalem. Christians now comprise 2.5 percent of the population of Jerusalem. Those remaining include a few born in the Old City when Christians there constituted a majority.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: In a 2007 letter from Congressman Henry Hyde to President George W. Bush, Hyde stated that "the Christian community is being crushed in the mill of the bitter Israeli-Palestinian conflict" and that expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, were "irreversibly damaging the dwindling Christian community".


title: Palestinian Christians

text: In November 2009, Berlanty Azzam, a Palestinian Christian student from Gaza, was expelled from Bethlehem and was not allowed to continue her studying. She had two months left for the completion of her degree. Berlanty Azzam said the Israeli military handcuffed her, blindfolded her, and left her waiting for hours at a checkpoint on her way back from a job interview in Ramallah. She described the incident as "frightening" and claimed Israeli official treated her like a criminal and denied her an education because she is a Palestinian Christian from Gaza.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: In July 2014, during operation Protective Edge an Israeli-Arab Christian demonstration was held in Haifa in a protest against Muslim extremism in the Middle East (concerning the rise of the Islamic State) and in support of Israel and the IDF.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: Christian Arabs are one of the most educated groups in Israel. Statistically, Christian Arabs in Israel have the highest rates of educational attainment among all religious communities, according to a data by Israel Central Bureau of Statistics in 2010, 63% of Israeli Christian Arabs have had college or postgraduate education, the highest of any religious and ethno-religious group. Despite the fact that Arab Christians only represent 2.1% of the total Israeli population, in 2014 they accounted for 17.0% of the country's university students, and for 14.4% of its college students. There are more Christians who have attained a bachelor's degree or higher academic degrees than the median Israeli population. Also Christian Arabs have one of the highest rates of success in the matriculation examinations, (73.9%) in 2017 both in comparison to the Muslims and the Druze and in comparison to all students in the Jewish education system as a group. Arab Christians were also the vanguard in terms of eligibility for higher education, and they have attained a bachelor's degree and academic degree more than the median Israeli population. Christians schools in Israel went on strike in 2015 at the beginning of the 2015 academic year in protest at budget cuts aimed at them. The strike affected 33,000 pupils, 40 percent of them Muslim. In 2013, Israel covered 65% of the budget of Palestinian Christian schools in Israel, a figure cut that year to 34%. Christians say they now received a third of what Jewish schools receive, with a shortfall of $53 million.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: The rate of students studying in the field of medicine was also higher among the Christian Arab students, compared with all the students from other sectors. The percentage of Arab Christian women who are higher education students is higher than other sectors.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: In September 2014, Israel's interior minister signed an order that the self-identified <nowiki>"</nowiki>Aramean Christian<nowiki>"</nowiki> minority in Israel could register as Arameans rather than Arabs. The order will affect about 200 families.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: The mayors of Ramallah, Birzeit, Bethlehem, Zababdeh, Jifna, Ein 'Arik, Aboud, Taybeh, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour are Christians. The Governor of Tubas, Marwan Tubassi, is a Christian. The former Palestinian representative to the United States, Afif Saffieh, is a Christian, as is the ambassador of the Palestinian Authority in France, Hind Khoury. The Palestinian women's football team has a majority of Muslim girls, but the captain, Honey Thaljieh, is a Christian from Bethlehem. Many of the Palestinian officials such as ministers, advisers, ambassadors, consulates, heads of missions, PLC, PNA, PLO, Fateh leaders and others are Christians. Some Christians were part of the affluent segments of Palestinian society that left the country during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. In West Jerusalem, over 50% of Christian Palestinians lost their homes to the Israelis, according to the historian Sami Hadawi.


title: Palestinian Christians

text: Though numbering only a few hundred, there is a community of Christians who have converted from Islam. They are not centered in one particular city and mostly belong to various evangelical and charismatic communities. Due to the fact that official conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal in accordance with Islamic sharia law in Palestine, these individuals tend to keep a low profile.