title: Smetana (dairy product)

text: "Schmand mit Glumse" (whipped cream with quark) is used in Prussian and other Germanic cuisines. Of note, it is not only used in savory dishes, but also for cakes called "Schmandkuchen" and desserts. A German medical book published in 1677 recommended "Schmant" or "Milchraam" as the best part of the milk. Schmand is the cream of the milk, or the foam that rises up, like the "white" on the beer. Schmand or Schmant also describes other fatty foamy material and is known as a byproduct of mining ("Grubenschmant") for example in vitriol development. The Balkan name for fattier varieties of Smetana, "mileram" is probably a variation of the earlier Bavarian name for the product "Millirahm" meaning "milk cream".


title: Smetana (dairy product)

text: When comparing brands or suppliers of smetana, the Polish and Russian practice is to compare the fat content of the varieties. Fat content can range from 10% (runny) to 70% (thick). The most common supermarket smetana is 10% to 40% fat (milk fat only for an authentic product). The addition of thickeners such as gelatine is not forbidden by relevant regulations, so today one hardly can find real, thickener-free smetana in an ordinary shop, which is regarded by discriminating buyers as cheating and the product is considered substandard and unsuitable for culinary use, since some recipes are easily spoiled by the presence of a thickener. Farmer's smetana should be used instead.


title: Smetana (dairy product)

text: The word smetana comes from the common Slavic "sъmętana", in turn from the verb "sъmětati" - to remove, to dump. Under this name, this product has spread in most languages: in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus (“smyatana / śmiatana”), Finland (“smetana” and “crème fraîche”). In German, smetana is called saure Sahne, Schmand, Armenian - թթվասեր (thtvaser), Slovenian - kisla smetana, Polish - śmietana, Bulgarian - заквасена сметана, Slovak - smotana, Czech - zakysaná smetana, Romanian - smântână.


title: Smetana (dairy product)

text: In Finland, the name is used only for a product with a high fat content (30% or more), while ordinary smetana is called ("sour cream").


title: Smetana (dairy product)

text: Smântână is a Romanian dairy product that is produced by separating the milk fat through decantation and retaining the cream. It will not curdle when cooked or if added to hot dishes. Smântână's taste is tangy and sweet; soured smântână is considered spoiled.


title: Smetana (dairy product)

text: Smântână is widely used in Romanian cuisine, particularly in appetizers, main courses, soups and desserts. It is often added to ciorbă and other soups, and is used as a condiment for mămăligă and dishes like sarmale.


title: Crisis actor

text: A crisis actor (aka actor-patient or actor victim) is a trained actor, role player, volunteer, or other person engaged to portray a disaster victim during emergency drills to train first responders such as police, firefighters or EMS personnel. Crisis actors are used to create high-fidelity simulations of disasters in order to allow first responders to practice their skills and help emergency services to prepare and train in realistic scenarios as part of full-scale disaster exercises.


title: Crisis actor

text: Actors take on the role of mock victims and simulate specific injuries from a disaster to add life-like realism to an emergency exercise. Theatrical makeup and cosmetics, plus rubber and latex appliances, are often used to simulate a variety of wounds or medical conditions that realistically portray victim's injuries, a practice known as medical moulage.


title: Crisis actor

text: Actors who portray news reporters, relatives of victims, and concerned citizens are also used during drills to train emergency operations center personnel to cope with a variety of emotionally-charged demands and requests.


title: Crisis actor

text: In the United States, the term has been used by conspiracy theorists who claim that mass shootings and other disasters are staged, and victims and their families are being played by crisis actors in order to pass gun control laws. Conspiracy theorists' use of the term is thought to have originated in 2012, when a blog post by former professor and professional conspiracy theorist James Tracy suggested that the government could have hired an acting agency named Visionbox to help stage the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Visionbox offered dramatic training "in criminal and victim behavior" to actors intended to help "bring intense realism to simulated mass casualty incidents in public places".


title: Crisis actor

text: Tracy also promoted a crisis actor conspiracy theory of the Boston Marathon bombing. Conspiracy theorists have falsely claimed such attacks are "false flag operations" staged by conspirators, usually government or corporate forces, in order to achieve some goal such as justifying increased government surveillance, disarmament of the population, or military action against blamed nations or groups. Crisis actors are claimed in this context to play the part of bystanders or witnesses, emergency response personnel, and (with the aid of stage makeup) wounded victims of the attack.


title: Crisis actor

text: Advocates of the conspiracy theory include Alex Jones and outlets such as "True Pundit". In April 2018, the parents of two children killed in the Sandy Hook shooting launched a lawsuit against Jones for defamation "accusing him and his website "InfoWars" of engaging in a campaign of 'false, cruel, and dangerous assertions'". In November 2021, Jones was found liable by default after failing to provide documents to the court and announced he would appeal the decision. In August 2022, the Heslin v. Jones jury ordered that Jones pay $4.1M in compensatory damages and $45.2M in punitive damages. During the trial, Jones admitted that the Sandy Hook shooting was "100% real", and he agreed with his own attorney that it was "absolutely irresponsible" to push falsehoods about the shooting and its victims.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: Neutron Holdings, Inc., doing business under the name Lime, formerly LimeBike, is a transportation company based in San Francisco, California. It runs electric scooters, electric bikes and electric mopeds in various cities around the world. The system offers dockless vehicles that users find and unlock via a smartphone app that knows the location of available vehicles via GPS.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: LimeBike was founded in January 2017 by Brad Bao and Toby Sun, both of whom were executives of Fosun International's venture capital arm. It raised US$12 million in venture funding led by Andreessen Horowitz in March 2017. The company's first location, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, launched in June 2017 with 125 bicycles.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: LimeBike expanded in July 2017 to the cities of Key Biscayne, Florida, South Bend, Indiana, and South Lake Tahoe, California. On July 27, 2017, LimeBike launched with 500 bicycles in Seattle, Washington, becoming the city's second bikeshare operator.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: The company closed a Series B round of venture funding in October 2017, announcing that it was valued at $225 million. A $335 million funding round in 2018 led to a valuation of $1.1 billion for the company, making it a unicorn.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In January 2018, Lime announced at CES 2018 that they would begin a trial of electric bikes, branded Lime-E, in San Francisco. The following month Lime-S electric scooters were announced. There was criticism in April 2018 when Lime left several hundred scooters on the streets of US cities without the permission of municipal authorities. Public criticism increased in June when it emerged that the scooters were programmed to play a recording of the message "Unlock me to ride me, or I'll call the police" repeatedly, at high volume, when their controls were touched.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In May 2018, the company announced plans to begin development of transit pods, small self-driving electric vehicles. Lime applied for car-sharing permits in Seattle in October 2018 and later launched a service in December 2018 with a fleet of Fiat 500 Lounge cars branded as "LimePod."


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In August 2018, the company signed a deal with Uber to provide them with electric bikes for the expansion of their "Uber Bikes" service.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In September 2018, a 24-year-old man in Dallas, Texas in United States died in a single vehicle Lime scooter accident. The responding police officer found a Lime electric scooter broken in half about 500 feet from where the victim was found unresponsive.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In October 2018 Lime announced the release of a new model e-scooter with larger wheels, built-in suspension and an aluminum frame to combat vandalism and extend vehicle life.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In May 2019, co-founder and chief executive officer Toby Sun stepped down reportedly to focus on R&D while Brad Bao, a Lime co-founder, took his place as CEO.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In September 2019, Lime was recognized as one of the LinkedIn's Top Startups for 2019. This was the first time Lime has been listed, and it was ranked at No. 12 amongst the list of 50 startups.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In January 2020, Lime laid off about 100 employees, approximately 14 percent of its workforce, and ended its scooter rental service in a dozen markets, including Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego and San Antonio. Further layoffs in April were attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the CEO saying, "We had to pause operations in 99% of our markets worldwide to support cities’ efforts at social distancing."


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: Starting in March 2020, due to reduced demand for electric scooters during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Lime suspended services in nearly two dozen countries.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: Lime acquired the Jump e-bike and scooter business from Uber in May 2020, along with a $170 million funding round led by Uber, with Bain Capital Ventures and GV participating. The deal valued Lime at $510 million, down 79% from its $2.4 billion valuation in April 2019. At the same time, Brad Bao stepped down as CEO, replaced by Wayne Ting.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In November 2020, Lime reported the first profitable quarter and predicted 2021 full-year profitability.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In April 2021, Lime is listed as one of the 2021 Time100 Most Influential Companies by Time Magazine.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In November 2021, Lime closed an oversubscribed funding round raising $523 million and announced an intention to take the company public in 2022. The company also announced in 2021 that riders had surpassed 250 million rides using Lime services, making it the largest shared micromobility operator globally in terms of total trips.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: The user installs the Lime app on a device (typically a smartphone), on which are displayed all the vehicles available (tracked by GPS) nearby. Before starting a trip, the user supplies payment information. The user then scans the QR code on the vehicle, beginning the trip. To end the trip, the user parks the vehicle then ends the ride through the app. The price of the trip is immediately withdrawn from the user's payment method, unless using a pre-loaded Ride Pass. Lime requires users to take a picture of the parked vehicle and its surroundings to review whether the vehicle was parked improperly. If any problems were encountered with the trip (like a malfunctioning vehicle) the user can report it through the app.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: As part of trials approved by the UK Department for Transport, Lime began operating e-scooters in the UK - where the use of e-scooters outside of trials remains illegal in public - from mid-2020. Lime trial areas in the UK currently include Greater Manchester and Milton Keynes. A trial in London, operated by Dott, Lime and TIER Mobility commenced in June 2021.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: Some of Lime's electric scooters have been recalled due to mechanical failures. In October 2018, Lime recalled a number of its Segway Ninebot scooters after cases of batteries "smoldering, or in some cases, catching fire".


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In November 2018, Lime issued a recall of its Okai-model scooters on reports that the baseboards could "break in half". The recall was issued following internal comments by employees that its scooters were unsafe for public use.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In February 2019, Lime issued a safety update, announcing that some of its scooters could malfunction and their wheels could "lock up". The company was forced to temporarily withdraw its scooters from circulation in Auckland and Dunedin, New Zealand, after injuries caused by irregular braking incidents. According to "Consumer Reports," affected Lime scooters had buggy faulty firmware.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In some locations, Lime scooters are charged by private contractors who sign up to become "Juicers". The company sends approved Juicers charging equipment, and pays them to charge scooters overnight then place them at designated "LimeHubs" throughout the company's service area in the morning. Juicing can become competitive, with Juicers in some markets using vans and other creative means to pick up scooters all over a city.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In February 2019, a Fort Lauderdale Lime user was placed in a vegetative state after a violent collision with a car while riding a Lime scooter on the road, not the legally permitted sidewalk use. The injured woman was allegedly instructed to use the road by Lime's app.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In June 2020, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission found that Lime covered up at least 50 incidents on its scooters that resulted in injuries such as broken bones and damaged teeth.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: In September 2018, Lime sued San Francisco for denying Lime a permit. Lime had been operating in San Francisco without permission and received a cease-and-desist letter.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: Scooters were initially banned in Milwaukee when Bird Rides Inc. started their scooter business without permission. Wisconsin's Governor Tony Evers signed a bill July 11, 2019 regulating scooters. Shortly after the Governor's decision, Lime began operating in Milwaukee in a pilot program, until the city again halted scooter rentals because of complaints about riders riding on sidewalks. Lime wanted to increase its fleet of 500 scooters in the Milwaukee area but were denied permission.


title: Lime (transportation company)

text: Lime has received cease-and-desist letters from numerous cities across the US, including Reno and Indianapolis.


title: Gemsbok

text: The gemsbok or South African oryx (Oryx gazella) is a large antelope in the genus "Oryx". It is native to the extremely dry, arid regions of Southern Africa; notably, the Kalahari Desert. Some authorities formerly classified the East African oryx, or "beisa" oryx, as a subspecies.


title: Gemsbok

text: The gemsbok is depicted on the coat of arms of Namibia, where the current population of the species is estimated at 373,000 individuals. In the town of Oranjemund, resident gemsbok wander freely around the streets, taking advantage of the vegetation in the town, such as the grass in parks, road medians, and browsing on low branches of the many trees.


title: Gemsbok

text: The name "gemsbok" is from Afrikaans, which itself is from the Dutch word of the same spelling, meaning "male chamois", composed of (“chamois”) + (“buck, male goat”). The Dutch is further from German ("chamois"). Although some superficial similarities in appearance (especially in the facial pattern) are noticed, the chamois and the oryx are not closely related. The usual pronunciation in English is .


title: Gemsbok

text: Gemsbok is light taupe to tan in color, with lighter patches toward the bottom rear of the rump. Their tails are long and black in color. A blackish stripe extends from the chin down the lower edge of the neck, through the juncture of the shoulder and leg along the lower flank of each side to the blackish section of the rear leg. They have muscular necks and shoulders, and their legs have white 'socks' with a black patch on the front of both the front legs, and both sexes have long, straight horns. Comparably, the East African oryx lacks a dark patch at the base of the tail, has less black on the legs (none on the hindlegs), and less black on the lower flanks. One very rare color morph is the "golden oryx", in which the gemsbok's black markings are muted and appear to be golden.


title: Gemsbok

text: Gemsbok are the largest species in the genus "Oryx". They stand about at the shoulder. The body length can vary from and the tail measures . Male gemsbok can weigh between , while females weigh .


title: Gemsbok

text: Gemsbok are widely hunted for their spectacular horns that average in length. From a distance, the only outward difference between males and females is their horns, and many hunters mistake females for males each year. In males horns tend to be thicker with larger bases. Females have slightly longer, thinner horns.


title: Gemsbok

text: Female gemsbok use their horns to defend themselves and their offspring from predators, while males primarily use their horns to defend their territories from other males.


title: Gemsbok

text: Gemsbok are one of the few antelope species where female trophies are sometimes more desirable than male ones. A gemsbok horn can be fashioned into a natural trumpet and, according to some authorities, can be used as a "shofar".


title: Gemsbok

text: Gemsbok live in herds of about 10–40 animals, which consist of a dominant male, a few nondominant males, and females. They are mainly desert-dwelling and do not depend on drinking water to supply their physiological needs. They can reach running speeds of up to .


title: Gemsbok

text: The gemsbok is generally a grazer but changes to browsing during the dry season or when grass is sparse. It may dig up to a meter deep to find roots and tubers, supplementing its water intake by eating wild tsamma melons and cucumbers, which can provide all the water required (3 liters per 100 kg bodyweight and day).


title: Gemsbok

text: The gemsbok is polygynous, with one resident male mating with the receptive females in the herd. The male is known to secure exclusive mating access to the females by attempting to herd mixed or nursery herds onto his territory. The gemsbok has no specified breeding season, but the young in a given herd tend to be of a similar age due to reproductive synchrony between females. Pregnant females leave the herd before giving birth. The gestation period lasts 270 days and mothers give birth to 1-2 offspring. The calf remains hidden 6 weeks after birth, after which mother and calf rejoin the herd. The calf is weaned at 3.5 months, becomes independent at 4.5 month, and achieves sexual maturity at 1.5–2 years in both sexes.


title: Gemsbok

text: In 1969, the New Mexico State Department of Game and Fish decided to introduce gemsbok to the Tularosa Basin, New Mexico, in the United States. Ninety-three were released from 1969 to 1977, with the current population estimated to be around 3,000 individuals. As they are capable of year-round breeding, the transplanted population thrives in the absence of their natural predators, such as the lion ("Panthera leo"), cheetah ("Acinonyx jubatus") and leopard ("Panthera pardus"). Except for calves, the oryx is too large to be preyed on by the cougar ("Puma concolor") and most other major American desert carnivores, since the jaguar ("Panthera onca") is extirpated from the state, and the reintroduced Mexican wolf ("Canis lupus baileyi") is too low in population numbers (and all known Mexican wolf populations are over 100 miles away). The species is therefore primarily managed by regulated hunting. Gradually expanding their range from Tularosa Basin towards the west and northwest, an unknown number of animals are now also established in the San Andres National Wildlife Refuge, the Jornada Biosphere Reserve as well as the endorheic drainage basins east of Caballo Mountains, especially where these are traversed by the Jornada del Muerto trail north of Upham.


title: Travis Schuldt

text: Travis Schuldt (born September 18, 1974) is an American actor. He originated the role of Ethan Winthrop on "Passions", and played the recurring roles of Keith Dudemeister on "Scrubs", Rick/Subway on "Community", and Ben Smith on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia".


title: Travis Schuldt

text: Schuldt was born in Topeka, Kansas. He became engaged to actress Natalie Zea after eleven years together, in June 2013. The couple married on July 16, 2014, in Hawaii. In June 2015, they announced that they were expecting their first child together. In October 2015, Zea gave birth to a daughter.


title: Travis Schuldt

text: His theatre credits include "Glengarry Glen Ross", "The Taming of the Shrew", "Macbeth", and "The Madwoman of Chaillot". Schuldt co-produced and starred in Sam Shepard's "Icarus's Mother", James Kerwin's adaptations of Shakespeare's "Venus and Adonis" and "Cardenio", and Amber Benson's "Albert Hall".


title: Travis Schuldt

text: Schuldt's first major television role was on the NBC soap opera "Passions", in which he originated the role of Ethan Crane, before leaving the series at the end of his three-year contract in 2002. He played the recurring role of Keith Dudemeister on "Scrubs" from 2006 to 2009. He also has made appearances on other television shows, such as "Veronica Mars", "My Boys", "True Jackson, VP", and "Rules of Engagement", and was a regular on the ABC police drama "" from 2003 to 2004. He appeared in the 2007 horror films "The Hitcher" and "Hack!".


title: Travis Schuldt

text: In 2008, he appeared in the original pilot for the ABC sitcom "Cavemen", as well as in an episode of the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory". That same year, Schuldt had roles in the comedy films "" alongside Jessica Simpson and "An American Carol". In October 2009, he guest-starred on the "Fringe" episode "Dream Logic" and the "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" episodes "The Gang Wrestles for the Troops", "The D.E.N.N.I.S. System", "Mac's Big Break", and "Dee Gives Birth" as recurring character Ben Smith. In March 2012, he guest-starred as Subway/Rick on the "Community" episode "Digital Exploration of Interior Design". Schuldt reprised his role on the season six episode "Advanced Safety Features" in April 2015. In November 2017, it was announced Schuldt would guest-star on "General Hospital".


title: Philip Kotler

text: Philip Kotler (born May 27, 1931) is an American marketing author, consultant, and professor emeritus; the S. C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (1962–2018). He is known for popularizing the definition of marketing mix. He is the author of over 80 books, including "Marketing Management", "Principles of Marketing", "Kotler on Marketing", "Marketing Insights from A to Z", "Marketing 4.0", "Marketing Places", "Marketing of Nations", "Chaotics, Market Your Way to Growth, Winning Global Markets, Strategic Marketing for Health Care Organizations, Social Marketing, Social Media Marketing, My Adventures in Marketing, Up and Out of Poverty," and "Winning at Innovation." Kotler describes strategic marketing as serving as "the link between society's needs and its pattern of industrial response."


title: Philip Kotler

text: Kotler helped create the field of social marketing that focuses on helping individuals and groups modify their behaviors toward healthier and safer living styles. He also created the concept of "demarketing" to aid in the task of reducing the level of demand. He also developed the concepts of "prosumers," "atmospherics," and "societal marketing." He is regarded as "The Father of Modern Marketing" by many scholars.


title: Philip Kotler

text: Kotler's latest work focuses on economic justice and the shortcomings of capitalism. He published "Confronting Capitalism: Real Solutions for a Troubled Economic System" in 2015, "Democracy in Decline: Rebuilding its Future" in 2016, "Advancing the Common Good" in 2019, and "Brand Activism: From Purpose to Action" in 2018.


title: Philip Kotler

text: Kotler's parents, Betty and Maurice, emigrated from Ukraine and Russia as teenagers and settled in Chicago. Kotler was the eldest of their three sons, born in Chicago on May 27, 1931. He studied at DePaul University for two years and was accepted without a bachelor's degree into the Master's program at the University of Chicago (1953) and completed his PhD at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1956), earning both degrees in economics. He studied under three Nobel Laureates in Economic Science: Milton Friedman, Paul Samuelson, and Robert Solow. He did a year of postdoctoral work in mathematics at Harvard University (1960) and in behavioral science at the University of Chicago (1961).


title: Philip Kotler

text: Kotler started teaching marketing in 1962 at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. He believed marketing was an essential part of economics and saw demand as influenced not only by price but also by advertising, sales promotions, sales forces, direct mail, and various middlemen (agents, retailers, wholesalers, etc.) operating as sales and distribution channels.


title: Philip Kotler

text: "the organization's marketing task is to determine the needs, wants and interests of target markets and to achieve the desired results more effectively and efficiently than competitors, in a way that preserves or enhances the consumer's or society's well-being."


title: Philip Kotler

text: He links the profit motive to the satisfaction of consumer wants and society's well-being. In order to market effectively, Kotler believes the marketing purpose of elevating consumer well-being has to be put at the heart of company strategy and be practiced by all managers.


title: Philip Kotler

text: In 2003, the "Financial Times" cited Kotler's three major contributions to marketing and to management:


title: Philip Kotler

text: First, he has done more than any other writer or scholar to promote the importance of marketing, transforming it from a peripheral activity, bolted on to the more "important" work of production. Second, he continued a trend started by Peter Drucker, shifting emphasis away from price and distribution to a greater focus on meeting customers' needs and on the benefits received from a product or service. Third, he has broadened the concept of marketing from more selling to a general process of communication and exchange, and has shown how marketing can be extended and applied to charities, museums, performing arts organizations, political parties and many other non-commercial situations.


title: Philip Kotler

text: Kotler argued for "broadening the field of marketing" to cover not only commercial operations but also the operations of non-profit organizations and government agencies. He held that marketing can be applied not only to products, services, and experiences, but also to causes, ideas, persons, and places. Thus a museum needs the marketing skills of Product, Price, Place, and Promotion (the 4P's) if it is to be successful in attracting visitors, donors, staff members, and public support. Kotler and Gerald Zaltman created the field of social marketing, which applies marketing theory to influence behavior change that would benefit consumers, their peers, and society as a whole. Kotler and Sidney Levy developed the idea of demarketing, which organizations must employ to reduce overall or selective demand when demand is too high. Thus, when water is in short supply, the government needs to persuade various water consumers to reduce water usage so that enough water will be available for essential uses. In 2018, Christian Sarkar and Kotler began promoting brand activism, the idea that businesses must go beyond Corporate Social Responsibility to tackle the world's most urgent problems.


title: Philip Kotler

text: Kotler has also written books on such subjects as corporate social responsibility, education, environment, government marketing, healthcare, hospitality, innovation, museums, performing arts, place marketing, poverty alleviation, professional services, religious institutions, tourism, capitalism, and democracy.


title: Philip Kotler

text: In 2014, he started a blog on fixcapitalism.com that featured many articles on making capitalism work better for more people.


title: Philip Kotler

text: In 2016, he co-founded (with Christian Sarkar) "The Marketing Journal", an online site dedicated to sharing insights and next practices in marketing.


title: Philip Kotler

text: In 2017, Kotler published his autobiography - "My Adventures in Marketing", an account of his experiences from his formative years to the present, including his views on topics such as demarketing, brand activism, marketing of the arts, place marketing, as well as the challenges facing capitalism, democracy, and the common good.


title: Philip Kotler

text: In 2018, Kotler co-founded a think tank with futurist David Houle and Jason Voss called The Sarasota Institute. The TSI sponsors public meetings and publishes peer-reviewed articles in ten areas: Technology, Public Policy, Natural Resources, Marketing and Media, Intelligence, Health Care, Education, Democracy, Climate Change, and Economics.


title: Philip Kotler

text: In 2018, with Christian Sarkar, he co-founded "ActivistBrands.com", an online resource on progressive brand activism.


title: Philip Kotler

text: In 2019, Christian Sarkar and Kotler began an open-source project to model the world's most urgent problems. "The Wicked7 Project" aims to create an online movement of individuals and institutions interested in finding "virtuous solutions" to pressing wicked problems.


title: Philip Kotler

text: In 2021, Kotler co-founded the Regenerative Marketing Institute with Enrico Foglia and Christian Sarkar.


title: Philip Kotler

text: In 1975, Kotler was the first person to receive the "Leader in Marketing Thought" award voted on by the academic members of the American Marketing Association.


title: Philip Kotler

text: The "Financial Times" on November 18, 2005 surveyed 1,000 executives in 25 countries about the Most Influential Business Writers/Management Gurus, and Kotler ranked fourth after Peter Drucker, Bill Gates, and Jack Welch. Kotler's contributions are described in at least one chapter found in every book written about the "gurus" of business and management (see References below).


title: Philip Kotler

text: In 2007, Kotler was appointed a special Ambassador at large for Indonesian Tourism. In May 2011, the city of Denpasar in Bali bestowed the title of honorary resident of Denpasar.


title: Philip Kotler

text: On February 16, 2013, he was the first recipient of the William L. Wilkie "Marketing for a Better World" award from the American Marketing Association to "honor marketers who have significantly contributed to the understanding and appreciation for marketing's potential to improve the world." Also, in 2013 he was the first recipient of the Sheth Foundation Medal for Exceptional Contribution to Marketing Scholarship and Practice.


title: Philip Kotler

text: On November 7, 2013, Kotler received the Badge of Honor of Officer of the Order of Academic Palms established in France in the 19th Century.


title: Philip Kotler

text: On November 19, 2013, Kotler was inducted into the Management Hall of Fame, along with 10 other management gurus.


title: Philip Kotler

text: On March 1, 2014, Kotler is number 16 in the list of the 30 World's Top Management Professionals and the only marketer.


title: Philip Kotler

text: On April 23, 2016, Kotler received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Leaders International at the 6th Global Leadership Awards.


title: Philip Kotler

text: Kotler is also the founder (2011) along with Fahim Kibria of the World Marketing Summit. WMS sponsors global conferences with top speakers discussing the latest developments in marketing and business practice that will improve commerce and the quality of life. He also established with Hermawan Kartajaya the world's first Museum of Marketing (3.0) in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.


title: Philip Kotler

text: Kotler is a collector of fine Japanese netsukes and swordguards. He and his wife Nancy are major collectors of studio art glass. They contributed a major portion of their glass collection to the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. The Kotlers and the Covilles funded the Glass Pavilion building at the museum.


title: Philip Kotler

text: Kotler has received 22 honorary degrees from around the world (at Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, Athens School of Economics, BI Norwegian School of Management, Budapest School of Economic Science and Public Administration, Catholic University Santo Domingo, DePaul University, Cracow School of Economics, Groupe HEC, HHL Graduate School of Management, Iliria University, Istanbul Ticaret University, La Sapienza University, Mackenzie University, Mediterranean University, National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy, Nyenrode Business University, Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics, Universidad Americana, Universidad del Pacifico, University American College, University of Bucharest, University of Stockholm, and University of Zurich).


title: Philip Kotler

text: Philip has two brothers, Milton and the late Neil Kotler. Philip met Nancy at Radcliffe (Harvard) and they married in 1955. They have three daughters, Amy, Melissa and Jessica and nine grandchildren.


title: Philip Kotler

text: Philip started a strategic marketing community to ensure marketing and economic progress through diversity. As a part of this initiative, every year Marketing Summits and Conferences are held across the world that acts as a potpourri of young minds. In India, the board works with Niti Ayog and the project is spearheaded by Dr. Somdutta Singh.


title: Philip Kotler

text: "Guru" books that contain a complete chapter on Professor Kotler's contributions include such titles as:


title: Meet Dave

text: Meet Dave is a 2008 American science fiction comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and written by Bill Corbett and Rob Greenberg. It stars Eddie Murphy in the title role, Elizabeth Banks, Gabrielle Union, Ed Helms, Scott Caan and Kevin Hart. The film was released on July 11, 2008 and grossed $50 million against a $60 million budget.


title: Meet Dave

text: In his New York City apartment, a young boy named Josh Morrison stares through his telescope at an object falling from the sky. It is a golf-ball-sized metal ball that flies through the window and lands in his fishbowl, quickly draining the water along with the goldfish. He decides to show it at his school's science class presentation.


title: Meet Dave

text: Three months later, a massive fireball crashes into the water near Liberty Island. It is revealed to be a spaceship that resembles a human, controlled by 100 tiny humanoid aliens. Its Captain pilots the spaceship from the command deck located in its head, with the help of his second-in-command Number 2, and researcher Number 3. The spaceship looks very human, and displays numerous superpowers, but the aliens don't know how to make the "ship" act like a human. A superstitious cop named Dooley desperately searches for the alien.


title: Meet Dave

text: The aliens need to save their planet, Nil, from an energy crisis. They need salt, which they plan to take by draining the Earth's oceans using the metal ball, so they have to recover the ball. After the spaceship is hit by Josh's single mother, Gina Morrison while driving, the Captain decides to befriend Gina and Josh. He tells them his name is Dave Ming Chang, based on a quick scan of common Earth names. At Gina's home the crew see their missing ball in a photograph taken at the science presentation. After having breakfast with Gina, "Dave" goes to Josh's school where he pretends to be a substitute teacher and eventually is able to talk to Josh alone. Josh tells him that the ball was taken from him by a bully. With Josh's help, Dave takes the metal ball back from the bully.


title: Meet Dave

text: The Captain (via Dave) spends some time with Josh and Gina and realizes that humans are more advanced than they originally thought. The crew observes humans displaying feelings and love, such as witnessing Gina's painting or a homeless man offering to share his blanket with Dave when he sleeps in a doorway. The Captain decides to cancel the plan to drain the oceans because it would destroy life on Earth. The police track Dave down using the impression of his face found in the dirt at the crash site and they arrest him. After spending so much time on Earth, most of the crew begin to exhibit new "feelings", adopting Earth's culture, mannerisms and general laid-back attitude. Believe that the Captain and the rest of the crew's changing behavior is ruining their mission, Number 2 takes command of the "ship" and imprisons the Captain. Under Number 2's command, Dave breaks out of the police station and another attempt is made to arrest him. Number 3, who has become infatuated with the Captain, becomes jealous of Gina. She first cooperates in the command change but later agrees with the Captain's view on humans. Both are caught by Number 2 and they are expelled from the spaceship. In the meantime, Number 17, a young, fun-loving alien, jumps out of the "ship" while drunk from the alcohol Dave has imbibed. The Captain apologizes to Number 3 for ignoring her. He admits that he too loves her and wants to be with her. Back at the police station, Dooley discovers Number 17 in his coffee and interrogates him to find out where Dave is going.


title: Meet Dave

text: Number 2 takes Dave to the harbor, where he tries to throw the metal orb into the ocean, but is stopped by the Captain and Number 3, both of whom managed to gain reentry back onto the ship. They convince the rest of the crew that the real Captain is in charge again. Reinstated, he orders Number 2 to be stuck in the ship's "butt" forever. The metal orb meanwhile slips out of Dave's hand and rolls into the ocean. The Captain attempts to retrieve the orb but is told that they only have enough power to either retrieve it or return home. The Captain decides to save the Earth and the rest of the crew agrees. The ball, thrown in the ocean by Number 2, is retrieved. Dave powers down while Dooley and his partner catch up and point their guns at him. With no power, Dave's shields are disabled, leaving the crew defenseless. Josh tries to tell the police officers that Dave is harmless but is ignored. He then grabs Dooley's taser which he uses on Dave, recharging him. The Captain and Number 3 reveal themselves to the police officers who stand down. The Captain says goodbye to Josh and Gina saying he now understands love. Number 17 is then returned to Dave by Dooley. About to fly away, a team from the FBI arrives and throws a net over Dave. While the FBI agents wrestle the body down, "Dave's" crew evacuates to one of the ship's "lifeboat" shoes, activate the engines, detaches the shoe and heads home to Nil, leaving behind both the ship and Number 2. While in the lifeboat, the Captain asks for Number 3's hand in marriage. She accepts and they kiss.


title: Meet Dave

text: Screenwriter Bill Corbett originally pitched the story for SciFi.com, the website for the Sci Fi Channel, which previously aired "Mystery Science Theater 3000", where Corbett worked as a writer and actor. The concept was eventually dropped and Corbett, along with other MST3K alumni, instead developed the online mini-series "The Adventures of Edward the Less" for the site. Corbett later revived the idea for a movie and discussed it with friend and fellow writer Rob Greenberg, who would become his screenwriting partner for the project. Although both writers acknowledged several other "little people inside big people" movies had been made in the past, Corbett thought the aspect of an entire "Star Trek" like crew operating a human being bore some originality.


title: Meet Dave

text: During filming, "Meet Dave" was transferred from Paramount Pictures (which released many of Murphy's early films) to 20th Century Fox (which released "Dr. Dolittle").


title: Meet Dave

text: "Meet Dave" was written under the title "Starship Dave", but studio executives insisted on a title change in part because of the poor box office performance of "The Adventures of Pluto Nash", a 2002 science-fiction comedy that also starred Eddie Murphy. Corbett said the executives also wanted the title changed because they felt having any semblance of science-fiction in the title would isolate a large percentage of audiences. Corbett unsuccessfully argued against the new title, which he described as "beyond generic" and said was repetitive of a comedy released earlier in the year called "Meet Bill".


title: Meet Dave

text: Although the project as it was originally conceived appealed to both children and slightly older audiences, the final script aimed for a much more solidly family-based audience. Corbett and Greenberg wrote the original draft and some subsequent drafts and, although they were given the sole writing credit, Corbett said other writers "have romped through the script as well," including one unnamed writer who spent one week adding material after the final draft was submitted. A large amount of improvising and rewriting was also done on the set, and Corbett and Greenberg had little creative control during filming. Corbett said most of the people they worked with were pleasant and some of the notes from the studio were helpful, but that "Meet Dave" ultimately suffered from a "too-many-cooks thing."


title: Meet Dave

text: Filming was expected to begin in March 2007. As of early June, they were filming scenes at the Statue of Liberty in New York City. There was also some filming in early 2007 at an elementary school in Pasadena, California.


title: Meet Dave

text: The soundtrack album for the film was composed by John Debney and released by Varèse Sarabande. Debney recorded his score with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Newman Scoring Stage in February 2008.


title: Meet Dave

text: "Meet Dave" began receiving criticism and virulence months before it was actually released, especially by die-hard film fans, Corbett compared to the Comic Book Guy character in "The Simpsons". Greenberg enjoyed reading the negative comments on the Internet Movie Database, whereas Corbett said he would "rather take an acid bath" than read them. Corbett, who did not see the final film until after it was widely released, said he did not know how the final result would come out:


title: Meet Dave

text: Murphy skipped the "Meet Dave" premiere, claiming it was because he was working on the (subsequently-delayed) comedy "A Thousand Words" – even though Robbins, who had directed both films, "was" at the premiere. Screenwriter Bill Corbett also missed the premiere, which he said was due to family plans, "not an act of protest, per se".


title: Meet Dave

text: "Meet Dave" grossed $11.8 million in the United States and Canada and $38.8 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $50.7 million, against its production budget of $60 million.


title: Meet Dave

text: The film opened on July 11, 2008, in 3,011 theaters in North America and grossed $5.3 million, ranking seventh at the box office. 20th Century Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston said, "It was a tough concept to get across. It's upsetting for all of us and for Eddie. He's very funny in this. Just not enough people came."


title: Meet Dave

text: In its third weekend, it broke the record for the highest number of theater drops for a film in wide release, losing 2,523 theaters (77%). It held the record until "Live by Night" was dropped from 2,659 theaters (94.1%) in January 2017.


title: Meet Dave

text: On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 20% based on 102 reviews, with an average rating of 4.30/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Easy gags and slack direction drag this occasionally clever alien-out-of-planet comedy down to unimaginative lows." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 43 out of 100, based on reviews from 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B" on scale of A to F.


title: Meet Dave

text: Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" gave the film a negative review and wrote: "Murphy, teaming again with his "Norbit" director Brian Robbins, is assuming we'll all line up for lazyass toilet jokes and pay for the privilege. Prove him wrong, people, please." Claudia Puig of USA Today wrote: "If only the movie had heeded its own advice and tried to be different from the standard formula. We might have enjoyed the powerful force of this big star and his gift for physical comedy if the movie offered fresh scenarios and fewer predictable jokes."


title: Meet Dave

text: Joe Leydon of "Variety " gave it a positive review and wrote: "Aimed squarely at the same family audiences that flocked to Murphy's "Doctor Dolittle" comedies, this is a lightly amusing and surprisingly sweet Fox release."


title: Meet Dave

text: The film's poor performance became a joke for comedians. Jay Leno said that the film's title was going to be changed to "Meet Dave: At Blockbuster", insinuating that the movie should have been a straight-to-DVD release. In the also Fox-produced "Family Guy" episode "Friends of Peter G", during the "Mr. Booze" song number, Carl mentioned that since he started drinking, he has never left his couch and has seen every movie ever made. "Meet Dave" is the first movie called out, and Carl mentions he has seen it.


title: Meet Dave

text: Bill Corbett said he would love to record a "Meet Dave" track on RiffTrax, a site featuring downloadable audio commentaries recorded by "Mystery Science Theater 3000" alum Michael J. Nelson and other regular commentators, including Corbett. Corbett said the track was not likely to ever be recorded since comedies rarely work as spoofs. A reference to the film was included in the RiffTrax Presents commentary for "Planet of the Apes" recorded by Matthew J. Elliott (in which he suggested that the filmmaker's original intention had been to launch Charlton Heston's character into space inside a giant Eddie Murphy), as well as the commentary for "The Day After Tomorrow" recorded by Corbett and Kevin Murphy, in which Corbett claims the natural phenomena hitting Los Angeles were "almost as big a Hollywood disaster as "Meet Dave"s box office".


title: Meet Dave

text: It was nominated for two Razzie Awards, Worst Actor (Eddie Murphy) and Worst Screen Couple (Eddie Murphy "in" Eddie Murphy).


title: Line of Duty (series 4)

text: The fourth series of "Line of Duty", consisting of six episodes, began broadcasting on 26 March 2017 on BBC One. The series follows Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and DS Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) as they investigate the corrupt actions of DCI Roseanne Huntley (Thandiwe Newton). Supporting characters include Forensic Investigator Tim Ifield (Jason Watkins), DS Sam Railston (Aiysha Hart) and DC Jodie Taylor (Claudia Jessie).


title: Line of Duty (series 4)

text: Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes holds an approval rating for series 4 at 100% based on 15 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads: "Line of Duty's gripping fourth season is an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride from start to finish."


title: Line of Duty (series 4)

text: Louise Wise of the "Sunday Times" wrote "Line of Duty is animated by a sharp intelligence in both the plotting and the writing." John Boland of the "Irish Independent" wrote "Line of Duty (BBC1) came to a nail-bitingly exciting end, or rather to three nail-bitingly exciting ends, two of them unforeseeable by even the most imaginative of viewers."


title: Line of Duty (series 4)

text: David Zurawik of the "Baltimore Sun" particularly praised the performance of Adrian Dunbar, stating "what I love is the great moral center to the series provided by Hastings, a quirky, sometimes cranky, hard to love, but easy to admire leader of this beleaguered anti-corruption team."


title: Line of Duty (series 4)

text: Series 4 saw a notable increase in viewing ratings from previous series, securing its largest audience as of 2017. On average viewing ratings of around nine million were achieved for the show’s first five episodes, with the series' finale achieving 10.4 million, the highest rating the show had achieved as of 2017.


title: Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

text: Tabuk ( ""), also spelled Tabouk, is the capital city of the Tabuk Region in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It has a population of 667,000 (as of 2021). It is close to the Jordanian–Saudi Arabia border, and houses the largest air force base in Saudi Arabia.


title: Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

text: Ptolemy mentioned a place by the name 'Tabawa', at the northwestern corner of Arabia. This name may be a reference to 'Tabuka' or 'Tabuk'. If this is true, the town may be as old as Ptolemy's time. Pre-Islamic Arab poets, such as Antra and Nabiqa, mentioned its mountain 'Hasmi' in their poems.


title: Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

text: Tabouk became famous for the Expedition to Tabuk in 630 CE, during the period of prophet Muhammad. Since then, it remained a gateway of North Arabia. It was also visited by a number of European travelers such as Doughty in 1877 and Huber in 1884.


title: Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

text: Tabuk became a centre of military activity during the 1991 Gulf War as the city faced threats from Iraqi scuds and air attacks.


title: Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

text: The region is rich in antiquities and archaeological sites such as petroglyphs, inscriptions, forts, palaces, walls, Syrian-Egyptian pilgrimage route, and the remains of the Hejaz Railway line, the main station of which is located in Tabuk.


title: Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

text: Hundreds of localities with Rock art and inscriptions dating to different chronological periods and ranging from Paleolithic to the Islamic period were recorded at Wadi Dam and the region west of Tabuk. Study of the art revealed rich stylistic variability and both human and animal figures were represented in it. Tens of sites in the area with Thamudic, Greek and Nabataean inscriptions have been found.


title: Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

text: It is also known as the castle of "Aṣ-ḥāb al-Aykah" (, "Companions of the Wood"), who are mentioned in the Quran. The castle dates back to about 3500 BCE and has been restored many times; the last was in 1062 AH (1652 CE). Several forts and stations were built along the Syrian pilgrimage route, from the Jordanian border to Al-Medinah to welcome the pilgrims. The fort consists of two floors built around an open courtyard with a mosque, a well, and a stairway leading to the watch towers used by the guards. Tabuk castle is considered an archaeological landmark of the region and is open to visitors.


title: Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

text: This is an ancient "‘ayn" (, 'spring') dating to the Era of "Jahiliyyah" (, 'Ignorance'). It is said that during the expedition of Tabuk, Muhammad camped more than ten days near the spring and drank from its water.


title: Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

text: It is also known as the Repentance Mosque. It was originally built with mud and roofed with palm trunk trees. It was restored in 1652. Eventually, its complete renewal was ordered by the late King Faisal ibn Abdul-Aziz, along the pattern of the Prophet's Mosque in Al-Medinah.


title: Spinosauridae

text: The Spinosauridae (or spinosaurids) are a clade or family of tetanuran theropod dinosaurs comprising ten to seventeen known genera. They came into prominence during the Cretaceous period. Spinosaurid fossils have been recovered worldwide, including Africa, Europe, South America and Asia. Their remains have generally been attributed to the Early to Mid Cretaceous.


title: Spinosauridae

text: Spinosaurids were large bipedal carnivores. Their crocodilian-like skulls were long, low and narrow, bearing conical teeth with reduced or absent serrations. The tips of their upper and lower jaws fanned out into a spoon-shaped structure similar to a rosette, behind which there was a notch in the upper jaw that the expanded tip of the lower jaw fit into. The nostrils of spinosaurids were retracted to a position further back on the head than in most other theropods, and they had bony crests on their heads along the midline of their skulls. Their robust shoulders wielded stocky forelimbs, with three-fingered hands that bore an enlarged claw on the first digit. In many species, the upwards-projecting neural spines of the vertebrae (backbones) were significantly elongated and formed a sail on the animal's back (hence the family's etymology), which supported either a layer of skin or a fatty hump.


title: Spinosauridae

text: The genus "Spinosaurus", from which the family, their subfamily (Spinosaurinae), and their tribe (Spinosaurini) borrow their names, is the longest known terrestrial predator from the fossil record, with an estimated length of up to and body mass of up to . The closely related genus "Sigilmassasaurus" may have reached a similar or greater size, though its taxonomy is disputed. Direct fossil evidence and anatomical adaptations indicate that spinosaurids were at least partially piscivorous (fish-eating), with additional fossil finds indicating they also fed on other dinosaurs and pterosaurs. The osteology of spinosaurid teeth and bones has suggested a semiaquatic lifestyle for some members of this clade. This is further indicated by various anatomical adaptations, such as retracted eyes and nostrils; and the deepening of the tail in some taxa, which has been suggested to have aided in underwater propulsion akin to that of modern crocodilians. Spinosaurs are proposed to be closely related to the megalosaurid theropods of the Jurassic. This is due to both groups sharing many features such an enlarged claw on manual ungual I and an elongated skull. However, some propose that this group (which is known as the Megalosauroidea) is paraphyletic and that spinosaurs represent either the most basal tetanurans or as basal carnosaurs which are less derived than the Megalosaurids. Some have proposed a combination of the two ideas with spinosaurs being in a monophyletic Megalosauroidea inside a more inclusive Carnosauria that is made up of both allosauroids and megalosauroids.


title: Spinosauridae

text: The first spinosaurid fossil, a single conical tooth, was discovered circa 1820 by British paleontologist Gideon Mantell in the Wadhurst Clay Formation. In 1841, naturalist Sir Richard Owen mistakenly assigned it to a crocodilian he named "Suchosaurus" (meaning "crocodile lizard"). A second species, "S. girardi", was later named in 1897. However, the spinosaurid nature of "Suchosaurus" was not recognized until a 1998 redescription of "Baryonyx."


title: Spinosauridae

text: The first fossils referred to a spinosaurid were discovered in 1912 at the Bahariya Formation in Egypt. Consisting of vertebrae, skull fragments, and teeth, these remains became the holotype specimen of the new genus and species "Spinosaurus aegyptiacus" in 1915, when they were described by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer. The dinosaur's name meant "Egyptian spine lizard", in reference to the unusually long neural spines not seen previously in any other theropod. In April 1944, the holotype of "S. aegyptiacus" was destroyed during an allied bombing raid in World War II. In 1934, Stromer referred a partial skeleton also from the Bahariya Formation to a new species of "Spinosaurus;" the specimen has since been alternatively assigned to another African spinosaurid, "Sigilmassasaurus."


title: Spinosauridae

text: In 1983, a relatively complete skeleton was excavated from the Smokejacks pit in Surrey, England. These remains were described by British paleontologists Alan J. Charig and Angela C. Milner in 1986 as the holotype of a new species, "Baryonyx walkeri." After the discovery of "Baryonyx," many new genera have since been described, with the majority from very incomplete remains. However, other finds bear enough fossil material and distinct anatomical features to be assigned with confidence. Paul Sereno and colleagues described "Suchomimus" in 1998"," a baryonychine from Niger, on the basis of a partial skeleton found in 1997. In 2004, partial jaw bones were recovered from the Alcântara Formation, these were referred to a new genus of spinosaurine named "Oxalaia" in 2011 by Alexander Kellner.


title: Spinosauridae

text: On 2021 a recent discovery in Isle of Wight an island off the south coast of England, remains of a spinosaurid which is said to be of a new species is found. As per the findings, it is about 10 meters in length and weighed several tons. The prehistoric bones of the spinosaurid were found in a geological layer of rock known as the Vectis Formation in Compton Chine, it is the first identifiable theropod from the Vectis Formation. The study was led by Christopher Barker, a PhD doctoral student in vertebrate paleontology at the University of Southampton.


title: Spinosauridae

text: Although reliable size and weight estimates for most known spinosaurids are hindered by the lack of good material, all known spinosaurids were large animals. The smallest genus known from good material is "Irritator", which was between long and around in weight. "Ichthyovenator", "Baryonyx", and "Suchomimus" ranged from long, and weighed between . "Oxalaia" may have reached a length of between and a weight of . The largest known genus is "Spinosaurus", which was capable of reaching lengths of and weighed around , making it the longest known theropod dinosaur and terrestrial predator. The closely allied "Sigilmassasaurus" may have grown to a similar or greater length, though its taxonomic relationship with "Spinosaurus" is uncertain. This consistency in large body size among spinosaurids could have evolved as a byproduct of their preference for semiaquatic lifestyles, as without the need to compete with other large theropod dinosaurs for food, they would have been able to grow to massive lengths.


title: Spinosauridae

text: Spinosaurid skulls—similar in many respects to those of crocodilians—were long, low and narrow. As in other theropods, various fenestrae (openings) in the skull aided in reducing its weight. In spinosaurs however, the antorbital fenestrae were greatly reduced, akin to those of crocodilians. The tips of the premaxillae (frontmost snout bones) were expanded in a spoon shape, forming what has been called a "terminal rosette" of enlarged teeth. Behind this expansion, the upper jaw had a notch bearing significantly smaller teeth, into which the also expanded tips of the dentaries (tooth bearing bones of the mandible) fit into, with a notch behind the expansion of the dentary. The maxillae (main upper jaw bones) were long and formed a low branch under the nostrils that connected to the rear of the premaxillae. The teeth at the frontmost part of the maxillae were small, becoming significantly larger soon after and then gradually decreasing in size towards the back of the jaw. Analysis of the teeth of spinosaurids and their comparison to the teeth of tyrannosaurids suggest that the deep roots of spinosaurids helped to better anchor the teeth of these animals and distribute the stress against lateral forces generated during bites in predation and feeding scenarios.


title: Spinosauridae

text: Lengthwise atop their skulls ran a thin and shallow sagittal crest that was usually tallest near or above the eyes, either becoming shorter or disappearing entirely towards the front of the head. "Spinosaurus"'s head crest was comb-shaped and bore distinct vertical grooves, while those of "Baryonyx" and "Suchomimus" looked like small triangular bumps. "Irritator"s median crest stopped above and behind the eyes in a bulbous, flattened shape. However, given that no fully preserved skulls are known for the genus, the complete shape of "Irritator"'s crest is unknown. "Cristatusaurus" and "Suchomimus" (a possible synonym of the former) both had narrow premaxillary crests. "Angaturama" (a possible synonym of "Irritator") had an unusually tall crest on its premaxillae that nearly overhung the tip of the snout with a small forward protrusion.


title: Spinosauridae

text: Spinosaurid nostrils were set far back on the skull, at least behind the teeth of the premaxillae, instead of at the front of the snout as in most theropods. Those of "Baryonyx" and "Suchomimus" were large and started between the first and fourth maxillary teeth, while "Spinosaurus"'s nostrils were far smaller and more retracted. "Irritator"'s nostrils were positioned similarly to those of "Baryonyx" and "Suchomimus", and were between those of "Spinosaurus" and "Suchomimus" in size. Spinosaurids had long secondary palates, bony and rugose structures on the roof of their mouths that are also found in extant crocodilians, but not in most theropod dinosaurs. "Oxalaia" had a particularly elaborate secondary palate, while most spinosaurs had smoother ones. The teeth of spinosaurids were conical, with an oval to circular cross section and either absent or very fine serrations. Their teeth ranged from slightly recurved, such as those of "Baryonyx" and "Suchomimus", to straight, such as those of "Spinosaurus" and "Siamosaurus", and the crown was often ornamented with longitudinal grooves or ridges.


title: Spinosauridae

text: The coracoid bones of the shoulders in spinosaurids were robust and hook shaped. The arms were relatively large and well-built; the radius (long bone of the forearm) was stout and usually only half as long as the humerus (upper arm bone). Spinosaurid hands had three fingers, typical of tetanurans, and wielded an enlarged ungual on the first finger (or "thumb"), which formed the bony core of a keratin claw. In genera like "Baryonyx" and "Suchomimus", the phalanges (finger bones) were of conventional length for large theropods, and bore hook-shaped, strongly curved hand claws. Based on fragmentary material from the forelimbs of "Spinosaurus", it appears to have had longer, more gracile hands and straighter claws than other spinosaurids.


title: Spinosauridae

text: The hindlimbs of "Suchomimus" and "Baryonyx" were somewhat short and mostly conventional of other megalosauroid theropods. "Ichthyovenator"'s hip region was reduced, having the shortest pubis (pubic bone) and ischium (lower and rearmost hip bone) in proportion to the ilium (main hip bone) of any other known theropod. "Spinosaurus" had an even smaller pelvis and hindlimbs in proportion to its body size; its legs composed just over 25 percent of the total body length. Substantially complete spinosaurid foot remains are only known from "Spinosaurus". Unlike most theropods—which walk on three toes, with the hallux (first toe) being reduced and elevated off the ground—"Spinosaurus" walked on four functional toes, with an enlarged hallux that came in contact with the ground. The unguals of its feet, in contrast with the deeper, smaller and recurved unguals of other theropods, were shallow, long, large in relation to the foot, and had flat bottoms. Based on comparisons with those of modern shorebirds, it is possible that "Spinosaurus"'s feet were webbed.


title: Spinosauridae

text: The upward-projecting neural spines of spinosaurid vertebrae (backbones) were very tall, more so than in most theropods. In life, these spines would have been covered in skin or fat tissue and formed a sail down the animal's back, a condition that has also been observed in some carcharodontosaurid and ornithopod dinosaurs. The eponymous neural spines of "Spinosaurus" were extremely tall, measuring over in height on some of the dorsal (back) vertebrae. "Suchomimus" had a lower, ridge-like sail across the majority of its back, hip, and tail region. "Baryonyx" showed a reduced sail, with a few of the rearmost vertebral spines being somewhat elongated. "Ichthyovenator" had a sinusoidal (wave-like) sail that was separated in two over the hips, with the upper ends of some neural spines being broad and fan-shaped. A neural spine from the holotype of "Vallibonavenatrix" shows a similar morphology to those of "Ichthyovenator", indicating the presence of a sail in this genus as well. One partial skeleton possibly referable to "Angaturama" also had elongated neural spines on its hip region. The presence of a sail in fragmentary taxa like "Sigilmassasaurus" is unknown. In members of the subfamily Spinosaurinae, like "Ichthyovenator" and "Spinosaurus", the neural spines of the caudal (tail) vertebrae were tall and reclined, accompanied by also elongated chevrons—long, thin bones that form the underside of the tail. This was most pronounced in "Spinosaurus", in which the spines and chevrons formed a large paddle-like structure, deepening the tail significantly along most of its length.


title: Spinosauridae

text: The family Spinosauridae was named by Stromer in 1915 to include the single genus "Spinosaurus". The clade was expanded as more close relatives of "Spinosaurus" were uncovered. The first cladistic definition of Spinosauridae was provided by Paul Sereno in 1998 (as "All spinosauroids closer to "Spinosaurus" than to "Torvosaurus"").


title: Spinosauridae

text: Traditionally, Spinosauridae is divided into two subfamilies: Spinosaurinae, which contains the genera "Icthyovenator", "Irritator", "Oxalaia", "Sigilmassasaurus" and "Spinosaurus", is marked by unserrated, straight teeth, and external nares which are further back on the skull than in baryonychines, and Baryonychinae, which contains the genera "Baryonyx", "Cristatusaurus", "Suchosaurus", "Suchomimus", "Ceratosuchops", and "Riparovenator," which is marked by serrated, slightly curved teeth, smaller size, and more teeth in the lower jaw behind the terminal rosette than in spinosaurines. Others, such as "Siamosaurus", may belong to either Baryonychinae or Spinosaurinae, but are too incompletely known to be assigned with confidence. "Siamosaurus" was classified as a spinosaurine in 2018, but the results are provisional and not entirely conclusive.


title: Spinosauridae

text: The subfamily Spinosaurinae was named by Sereno in 1998, and defined by Thomas Holtz and colleagues in 2004 as all taxa closer to "Spinosaurus aegyptiacus" than to "Baryonyx walkeri". The subfamily Baryonychinae was named by Charig & Milner in 1986. They erected both the subfamily and the family Baryonychidae for the newly discovered "Baryonyx", before it was referred to Spinosauridae. Their subfamily was defined by Holtz and colleagues in 2004, as the complementary clade of all taxa closer to "Baryonyx walkeri" than to "Spinosaurus aegyptiacus". Examinations in 2017 by Marcos Sales and Cesar Schultz indicate that the South American spinosaurids "Angaturama" and "Irritator" were intermediate between Baronychinae and Spinosaurinae based on their craniodental features and cladistic analysis. A study by Arden "et al." 2018 named the tribe Spinosaurini to include "Spinosaurus" and "Sigilmassasaurus", the latter of which's validity as a spinosaurid is debated. In 2021 Barker "et al." named the new tribe Ceratosuchopsini within the Baryonychinae to encompass "Suchomimus", "Riparovenator", and "Ceratosuchops".


title: Spinosauridae

text: The 2017 study mentioned above indicates that Baryonychinae may in fact be non-monophyletic. Their cladogram can be seen below.


title: Spinosauridae

text: The next cladogram displays an analysis of Tetanurae simplified to show only Spinosauridae from Allain colleagues in 2012:


title: Spinosauridae

text: The 2018 phylogenetic analysis by Arden and colleagues, which included many unnamed taxa, resolved Baryonychinae as monophyletic, and also coined the new term Spinosaurini for the clade of "Sigilmassasaurus" and "Spinosaurus".


title: Spinosauridae

text: In 2021, Chris Barker, Hone, Darren Naish, Andrea Cau, Lockwood, Foster, Clarkin, Schneider, and Gostling described two new spinosaurid species, "Ceratosuchops inferodios" and "Riparovenator milnerae". In the paper, they performed a phylogenetic analysis incorporating a general range of theropods, but mostly focusing on Spinosauridae. The results of the analysis appear below:


title: Spinosauridae

text: Spinosaurid teeth resemble those of crocodiles, which are used for piercing and holding prey. Therefore, teeth with small or no serrations, such as in spinosaurids, were not good for cutting or ripping into flesh but instead helped to ensure a strong grip on a struggling prey animal. Spinosaurid jaws were likened by Romain Vullo and colleagues to those of the pike conger eel, in what they hypothesized was convergent evolution for aquatic feeding. Both kinds of animals have some teeth in the end of the upper and lower jaws that are larger than the others and an area of the upper jaw with smaller teeth, creating a gap into which the enlarged teeth of the lower jaw fit, with the full structure called a terminal rosette.


title: Spinosauridae

text: In the past, spinosaurids have often been considered piscivores (fish-eaters) in the main, based on comparisons of their jaws with those of modern crocodilians. In 2007, British paleontologist Emily J. Rayfield and colleagues conducted biomechanical studies on the skull of "Baryonyx", which had a long, laterally compressed skull, comparing it to gharial (long, narrow, tubular) and alligator (flat and wide) skulls. They found that the structure of baryonychine jaws converged on that of gharials, in that the two taxa showed similar response patterns to stress from simulated feeding loads, and did so with and without the presence of a (simulated) secondary palate. The gharial, exemplar of a long, narrow, and tubular snout, is a fish specialist. However, this snout anatomy does not preclude other options for the spinosaurids. The gharial is the most extreme example and a fish specialist; Australian freshwater crocodiles, which have similarly shaped skulls to gharials, also specialize more on fish than sympatric, broad snouted crocodiles and are opportunistic feeders which eat all manner of small aquatic prey, including insects and crustaceans. Thus, spinosaurids' snouts correlate with piscivory; this is consistent with hypotheses of this diet for spinosaurids, in particular baryonychines, but it does not indicate that they were solely piscivorous.


title: Spinosauridae

text: Further study by Andrew R. Cuff and Rayfield in 2013 on the skulls of "Spinosaurus" and "Baryonyx" did not recover similarities in the skulls of "Baryonyx" and the gharial that the previous study did. "Baryonyx" had, in models where the size difference of the skulls was corrected for, greater resistance to torsion and dorsoventral bending than both "Spinosaurus" and the gharial, while both spinosaurids were inferior to the gharial, alligator, and slender-snouted crocodile in resisting torsion and medio-lateral bending. When the results from the modeling were not scaled according to size, then both spinosaurids performed better than all the crocodilians in resistance to bending and torsion, due to their larger size. Thus, Cuff and Rayfield suggested that the skulls were not efficiently built to deal well with relatively large, struggling prey, but that spinosaurids may overcome prey simply by their size advantage, and not skull build. In 2002, Hans-Dieter Sues and colleagues studied the construction of the spinosaurid skull, and concluded that their mode of feeding was to use extremely quick, powerful strikes to seize small prey items using their jaws, whilst employing the powerful neck muscles in rapid up-and-down motion. Due to the narrow snout, vigorous side-to-side motion of the skull during prey capture is unlikely. Based on the size and positions of their nostrils, Marcos Sales and Cesar Schultz in 2017 suggested that "Spinosaurus" possessed a greater reliance on its sense of smell and had a more piscivorous lifestyle than "Irritator" and baryonychines.


title: Spinosauridae

text: Direct fossil evidence shows that spinosaurids fed on fish as well as a variety of other small to medium-sized animals, including dinosaurs. "Baryonyx" was found with scales of the prehistoric fish "Scheenstia" in its body cavity, and these were abraded, hypothetically by gastric juices. Bones of a young "Iguanodon", also abraded, were found alongside this specimen. If these represent "Baryonyx"’s meal, the animal was, whether in this case a hunter, or a scavenger, an eater of more diverse fare than fish. Moreover, there is a documented example of a spinosaurid having eaten a pterosaur, as one "Irritator" tooth was found lodged within the fossil vertebrae of an ornithocheirid pterosaur found in the Romualdo Formation of Brazil. This may represent a predation or a scavenging event. A fossil snout referred to "Spinosaurus" was discovered with a vertebra from the sclerorhynchid "Onchopristis" embedded in it. In the Sao Khua Formation of Thailand, isolated tooth crowns from "Siamosaurus" have been found in association with sauropod remains, indicating possible predation or scavenging.


title: Spinosauridae

text: A 2018 study by Auguste Hassler and colleagues of calcium isotopes in the teeth of North African theropods found that spinosaurids had a mixed diet of fish and herbivorous dinosaurs, whereas the other theropods examined (abelisaurids and carcharodontosaurids) mainly fed on herbivorous dinosaurs. This might indicate ecological partitioning between these theropods. Later in 2018, Tito Aureliano and colleagues presented a possible scenario for the food web of Brazilian Romualdo Formation. The researchers proposed that the diet of spinosaurines from this environment may have included—in addition to pterosaurs—terrestrial and aquatic crocodyliforms, juveniles of their own species, turtles, and small to medium-sized dinosaurs. This would have made spinosaurines apex predators within this particular ecosystem.


title: Spinosauridae

text: The use of the robust forelimbs and giant recurved claws of spinosaurs remains a debated topic. Charig and Milner speculated in 1986 that "Baryonyx" may have crouched by the riverbank and used its claws to gaff fish out of the water, similarly to grizzly bears. In 1987, British biologist Andrew Kitchener argued that with both its crocodile-like snout and enlarged claws, "Baryonyx" seemed to have too many adaptations for piscivory when one would have been enough. Kitchener instead postulated that "Baryonyx" more likely used its arms to scavenge the corpses of large dinosaurs, such as "Iguanodon", by breaking into the carcass with the large claws, and subsequently probing for viscera with its long snout. In their 1997 article, Charig and Milner rejected this hypothesis, pointing out that in most cases, a carcass would have already been largely emptied out by its initial predators. Later research has also ruled out this sort of specialized scavenging.


title: Spinosauridae

text: In 1986, Charig and Milner suggested that the robust forelimbs and giant thumb claws would have been "Baryonyx"'s primary method of capturing, killing, and tearing apart large prey; whereas its long snout would have been used mostly for fishing. A 2005 study by Canadian paleontologist the François Therrien and colleagues agreed that spinosaur forelimbs were probably used for hunting larger prey items, given that their snouts could not resist the bending stress. In a 2017 review of the family, David Hone and Holtz considered possible functions in digging for water sources or hard to reach prey, as well as burrowing into soil to construct nests.


title: Spinosauridae

text: Theropod heads are often decorated with some form of crest, horn, or rugose structure, which in life, would have been extended by keratin. Though there has been little discussion on the head crests of spinosaurs, Hone and Holtz in 2017 considered that their most likely use was for displaying to potential mates or as a means of threatening rivals and other predators. Such has been suggested for theropod cranial structures before, which may have been aided by unusual or bright coloration to provide further visual cues.


title: Spinosauridae

text: Many theories have been proposed over the years for the use of spinosaurid dorsal sails, such as thermoregulation; to aid in swimming; to store energy or insulate the animal; or for display purposes, such as intimidating rivals and predators, or attracting mates. Many elaborate body structures of modern-day animals serve to attract members of the opposite sex during mating. It is possible that the sail of "Spinosaurus" was used for courtship, in a way similar to a peacock's tail. In 1915, Stromer speculated that the size of the neural spines may have differed between males and females. In 2012, French paleontologist Ronan Allain and colleagues suggested considering the high diversity in neural spine elongation observed in theropod dinosaurs, as well as histological research done on the sails of synapsids (stem mammals), the sinusoidal sail of "Ichthyovenator" was likely used for courtship display or recognising members of its own species. In a 2013 blog post, Darren Naish considered the latter function unlikely, favouring the hypothesis of sexual selection for "Ichthyovenator"s sail because it appears to have evolved on its own, without very close relatives. Naish also notes it is possible similar relatives have not yet been discovered.


title: Spinosauridae

text: Juvenile spinosaurid fossils are somewhat rare. However, an ungual phalanx measuring belonging to a very young "Spinosaurus" indicates that "Spinosaurus," and probably by extent other spinosaurids, may have developed their semiaquatic adaptations at birth or at a very young age and maintained the adaptations throughout their lives. The specimen, found in 1999 and described by Simone Maganuco, Cristiano Dal Sasso and colleagues in 2018, is believed to have come from a very small juvenile measuring , making said specimen the smallest known example of a spinosaurid currently described.


title: Spinosauridae

text: A 2010 publication by Romain Amiot and colleagues found that oxygen isotope ratios of spinosaurid bones indicates semiaquatic lifestyles. Isotope ratios from teeth from "Baryonyx", "Irritator", "Siamosaurus", and "Spinosaurus" were compared with isotopic compositions from contemporaneous theropods, turtles, and crocodilians. The study found that, among theropods, spinosaurid isotope ratios were closer to those of turtles and crocodilians. "Siamosaurus" specimens tended to have the largest difference from the ratios of other theropods, and "Spinosaurus" tended to have the least difference. The authors concluded that spinosaurids, like modern crocodilians and hippopotamuses, spent much of their daily lives in water. The authors also suggested that semiaquatic habits and piscivory in spinosaurids can explain how spinosaurids coexisted with other large theropods: by feeding on different prey items and living in different habitats, the different types of theropods would have been out of direct competition.


title: Spinosauridae

text: In 2018, an analysis was conducted on the partial tibia of an indeterminate spinosaurine from the early Albian, the bone was from a sub-adult between 7–13 m (22–42 ft) in length still growing moderately fast before its death. This specimen (LPP-PV-0042) was found in the Araripe Basin of Brazil and taken to the University of San Carlos for a CT Scan, where it revealed osteosclerosis (high bone density). This condition had previously only been observed in "Spinosaurus," as a possible way of controlling its buoyancy. The presence of this condition on the leg fragment showed that semi-aquatic adaptations in spinosaurids were already present at least 10 million years before "Spinosaurus aegyptiacus" appeared. According to the phylogenetic bracketing method, this high bone density might have been present in all spinosaurines. In 2020, a scientific paper by paleontologists published in the scientific journal Cretaceous Research found taphonomic evidence in the Kem Kem group that would support "Spinosaurus" being a semi-aquatic dinosaur.


title: Spinosauridae

text: Confirmed spinosaurids have been found on every continent except for North America, Australia and Antarctica, the first of which was "Spinosaurus aegyptiacus", discovered at the Bahariya Formation in Egypt. Baryonychines were common, such as "Baryonyx", which lived during the Barremian of England and Spain. "Baryonyx"-like teeth are also found from the earlier Hauterivian and later Aptian sediments of Spain, as well as the Hauterivian of England. Baryonychines were represented in Africa, with "Suchomimus" "tenerensis" and "Cristatusaurus lapparenti" as well as "Baryonyx"-like teeth from the Aptian of Niger. as well as in Europe, with "Suchosaurus cultridens" and "S. girardi" from the England. "Baryonyx-"like teeth are also reported from the Ashdown Sands of Sussex, in England, and the Burgos Province, in Spain. Other European spinosaurids "Camarillasaurus cirugedae" and "Iberospinus natarioi" are known from the Barremian of Spain and Portugal, respectively.


title: Spinosauridae

text: The earliest record of spinosaurines is from Europe, with the Barremian species "Vallibonavenatrix cani" from Spain. Spinosaurines are also present in Albian sediments of Tunisia and Algeria, and in Cenomanian sediments of Egypt and Morocco. In Africa, baryonychines were common in the Aptian, and then replaced by spinosaurines in the Albian and Cenomanian. such as in the Kem Kem beds of Morocco, which housed an ecosystem containing many large coexisting predators. A fragment of a spinosaurine lower jaw from the Early Cretaceous was also reported from Tunisia, and referred to "Spinosaurus". Spinosaurinae's range also extended to South America, particularly Brazil, with the discoveries of "Irritator challengeri, Angaturama limai," and "Oxalaia quilombensis." There was also a fossil tooth in Argentina which has been referred to the Spinosauridae by Leonardo Salgado and colleagues. This referral is doubted by Gengo Tanaka "et al.", who offers "Hamadasuchus", a crocodilian, as the most likely animal of origin for these teeth.


title: Spinosauridae

text: Partial skeletons and numerous fossil teeth indicate spinosaurids were widespread in Asia; three taxa—all spinosaurines—have been named: "Siamosaurus suteethorni" from Thailand, ""Sinopliosaurus"" "fusuiensis" from China, and "Ichthyovenator laosensis" from Laos. Spinosaurid teeth have been found in Malaysia; they were the first dinosaur remains discovered in the country. Some intermediate specimens extend the known range of spinosaurids past the youngest dates of named taxa. A single baryonychine tooth was found from the mid-Santonian, in the Majiacun Formation of Henan, China. However, the tooth lacks spinosaurid synapomorphies. At la Cantalera-1, a site in the early Barremian Blesa Formation in Treul, Spain, two types of spinosaurid teeth were found, and they were assigned, tentatively, as indeterminate spinosaurine and baryonychine taxa. An indeterminate spinosaurid was discovered in the Early Cretaceous Eumeralla Formation, Australia. It is known from a single 4 cm long partial cervical vertebra, designated NMV P221081. It is missing most of the neural arch. The specimen is from a juvenile estimated to be about 2 to 3 meters long (6–9 ft). Out of all spinosaurids, it most closely resembles "Baryonyx". In 2019, it was suggested that the vertebra instead belonged to a megaraptorid theropod, as opposed to a spinosaur.


title: Robert Peston

text: Robert James Kenneth Peston (born 25 April 1960) is an English journalist, presenter, and author. He is the political editor of ITV News and host of the weekly political discussion show "Peston" (previously "Peston on Sunday"). From 2006 until 2014, he was the business editor of BBC News and its economics editor from 2014 to 2015. He became known to the wider public with his reporting on the late 2000s financial crisis, especially with his exclusive information on the Northern Rock crisis. He is the founder of the education charity Speakers for Schools.


title: Robert Peston

text: Robert James Kenneth Peston was born into a Jewish family on 25 April 1960, the son of Helen Conroy and Maurice Peston, Baron Peston (1931–2016), an economist and Labour life peer. As the son of a life baron, he is entitled to the courtesy title "The Honourable", but does not use it. He attended Highgate Wood Secondary School in London. He graduated with a second-class degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Balliol College, Oxford, and then studied at the Université libre de Bruxelles.


title: Robert Peston

text: Peston briefly worked as a stockbroker at Williams de Broë, becoming a journalist in 1983 at the "Investors Chronicle" and joining "The Independent" newspaper on its launch in 1986. From 1989 to 1990, Peston worked for the short-lived "Sunday Correspondent" newspaper as Deputy City Editor, before being appointed City Editor of the "Independent on Sunday" in 1990.


title: Robert Peston

text: From 1991 to 2000, he worked for the "Financial Times". At the "FT", he was – at various times – Political Editor, Banking Editor and head of an investigations unit (which he founded). During his time as Political Editor, he memorably fell out with the then Downing Street Press Secretary Alastair Campbell, who regularly mimicked Peston's habit of flicking back his hair, and once responded to a difficult question with the words: "Another question from the Peston school of smartarse journalism." He became close friends with fellow journalist, now PR man, Roland Rudd, where the two were known as the "Pest and the Rat". His last position at the "FT" was Financial Editor (in charge of business and financial coverage).


title: Robert Peston

text: In 2000, he became editorial director of the online financial analysis service Quest, owned by the financial firm Collins Stewart. At the same time, he became a contributing editor of "The Spectator" and a weekly columnist for "The Daily Telegraph". In 2001, he switched allegiance from the "Telegraph" to the "Sunday Times", where he wrote a weekly business profile, Peston's People, and left "The Spectator" for the "New Statesman," where he wrote a weekly column. In 2002, he joined "The Sunday Telegraph" as City editor and assistant editor. He became associate editor in 2005.


title: Robert Peston

text: In late 2005, it was announced that Peston would succeed Jeff Randall as BBC Business Editor, responsible for business and City coverage on the corporation's flagship TV and radio news programmes, the BBC News Channel, its website and on Radio 4's "Today".


title: Robert Peston

text: While no impropriety on the part of Peston was implied, it was claimed in "The Observer" on 19 October 2008, that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) could enquire into the source of one of Peston's scoops which, in September 2008, in the fraught atmosphere of the global financial crisis, revealed that merger talks between HBOS and Lloyds TSB were at an advanced stage. In the minutes before the broadcast, buyers purchased millions of HBOS shares at the deflated price of 96p; in the hour following it, they could be sold for 215p. The Conservative MP Greg Hands had written to the SFO about this.


title: Robert Peston

text: On 4 February 2009, Peston appeared as a witness at the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee, along with Alex Brummer (City Editor, "Daily Mail"), Lionel Barber (editor of the "Financial Times"), Sir Simon Jenkins ("The Guardian") and Sky News Business Editor Jeff Randall to answer questions on the role of the media in financial stability and "whether financial journalists should operate under any form of reporting restrictions during banking crises."


title: Robert Peston

text: On 28 August 2009, Peston had a highly publicised row with James Murdoch, following the latter's MacTaggart lecture. More recently, he repeatedly broke stories relating to News International's involvement with phone hacking at times which were perceived as advantageous to the company for Cameron Stout, leading to criticism that he had become a Murdoch stooge.


title: Robert Peston

text: Peston is the founder of Speakers for Schools, a pro-bono education venture which organises speakers from the worlds of business, politics, media, the arts, science, engineering and sports to give talks for free in state schools.


title: Robert Peston

text: On 17 October 2013, Peston was appointed Economics Editor of BBC News, replacing Stephanie Flanders who was appointed as Chief Market Strategist at JP Morgan Asset Management. He continued as Business Editor, as well until his replacement Kamal Ahmed took over the post on 24 March 2014.


title: Robert Peston

text: On 4 October 2015, it was announced that Peston would leave the BBC to join ITV News as their Political Editor, replacing Tom Bradby who became the main presenter of "News at Ten". Peston made his last appearance on BBC News on 25 November 2015, and his first appearance on ITV's "News at Ten" on 11 January 2016. He had a significant scoop in April 2016, when Prime Minister David Cameron stated in an interview he had profited from his father's offshore Blairmore Holdings trust, after information about the trust had been disclosed in the Panama Papers release.


title: Robert Peston

text: He presents ITV's new weekly political discussion show, "Peston on Sunday", which started on 8 May 2016. In 2018, the programme moved to a Wednesday night timeslot, rebranded as "Peston".


title: Robert Peston

text: In December 2019, Peston apologised for incorrectly tweeting, without verification, that a Labour activist had punched a Conservative Party adviser. Footage was soon released showing that this was not true; he later apologised for his remarks and retracted them. In 2020, he said that Boris Johnson's government had become socialistic, and was "more Castro than Castro".


title: Robert Peston

text: Peston has won the Harold Wincott Senior Financial Journalist of the Year Award (2005), the London Press Club's Scoop of the Year Award (2005), Granada Television's "What the Papers Say" award for Investigative Journalist of the Year (1994) and the Wincott Young Financial Journalist of the Year (1986).


title: Robert Peston

text: At the Royal Television Society's Television Journalism Awards 2008/09 Peston won both "Specialist Journalist of the Year" and "Television Journalist of the Year" for his coverage of the credit crunch and a string of 'scoops' associated with it. Also, his scoop on Lloyds TSB's takeover of HBOS won the Royal Television Society's "Scoop of the Year" award. He was voted Best Performer in a Non-Acting Role in the Broadcasting Press Guild's 2009 awards and Business Journalist of the Year in the London Press Club's 2009 awards. In the 2008 Wincott Awards, he won the Broadcaster of the Year Award and he won the online award for his blog.


title: Robert Peston

text: In 2009, he was named Political Journalist of the Year in the Political Studies Association Awards, and he topped polls of the general public and journalists carried out by "Press Gazette" to find the highest rated finance and business journalist.


title: Robert Peston

text: Peston's scoop on Northern Rock seeking emergency financial help from the Bank of England won the Royal Television Society's Television Journalism Award for Scoop of the Year in the 2007/8 awards and the Wincott Award for Business News/Current Affairs Programme of the Year. He was Journalist of the Year in the Business Journalism of the Year Awards for 2007/08, and also won in the Scoop category.


title: Robert Peston

text: Peston won the Work Foundation's Broadcast News Journalism Award and the Foundation's Radio Programme of the Year Award (for his "File on 4", "The Inside Story of Northern Rock"). His blog won the digital media category in the Private Equity and Venture Capital Journalist of the Year Awards.


title: Robert Peston

text: Peston received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 2010. In 2011, he was honoured as a Fellow of Aberystwyth University in recognition of "his success in journalism, his insightful writing and his contribution to the local community".


title: Robert Peston

text: Peston's delivery on radio and television news has attracted comment. Tim Teeman in "The Times" described his "intonation" as "raggedy [and] querulous" in 2008, and Ann Treneman described Peston as "excruciatingly hard to listen to" in 2009. Elizabeth Grice in "The Daily Telegraph" identified "strangulated diction" and "repetition of small words" among his traits; in the same article, maintaining he is "loads better than [he] was", Peston himself conceded he is "still not as polished as some". His characteristic mannerisms have been observed by impressionist Rory Bremner.


title: Robert Peston

text: Peston published his biography of Gordon Brown, "Brown's Britain", in January 2005. It details the rivalry between Brown and the then Prime Minister Tony Blair. "Brown's Britain" was described by Sir Howard Davies, former director of the London School of Economics, as "a book of unusual political significance". The cover of the book describes how "Peston was given unprecedented access to Gordon Brown and his friends and colleagues." Having told Brown's side of the Blair/Brown power struggle, it is believed that Peston used the relationship then built up with Brown for many of his later financial news story "scoops" at the BBC.


title: Robert Peston

text: In February 2008, Hodder & Stoughton published Peston's book "Who Runs Britain? How the Super-Rich are Changing our Lives." In "The Guardian", Polly Toynbee said of it: "Reading Peston's book, you can only be flabbergasted all over again at how Labour kowtowed to wealth, glorified the City and put all the nation's economic eggs into one dangerous basket of fizzy finance."


title: Robert Peston

text: In September 2012, Hodder & Stoughton published "How Do We Fix This Mess? The Economic Price of Having it All and the Route to Lasting Prosperity". "The Observer" described it as "A must read...mandatory reading for anyone who wants to have a voice in where we go from here."


title: Robert Peston

text: His book "WTF?" was published by Hodder & Stoughton in November 2017 and charts the events that led up to the 2016 Brexit referendum. "Whistleblower", his first novel, appeared in September 2021. The protagonist is a lobby journalist (political reporter) for the fictional "Financial Chronicle" and the colourful background to the story, set at the time of the 1997 general election in Britain, reflects Peston's detailed knowledge of his subject.


title: Robert Peston

text: Peston married British-Canadian writer Siân Busby in 1998, and the two had a son named Maximilian. They had known each other since their teenage years and only rekindled their relationship after her friend, Peston's sister Juliet, was hospitalised after a car crash. In the intervening years, Busby had been married and divorced; Peston became the step-father of her son from that marriage. Busby died in September 2012, at the age of 51, of lung cancer. In September 2018, Peston said he felt guilty after falling in love with another woman several years after his wife's death, and revealed that he was now in a relationship with author and journalist Charlotte Edwardes.


title: Robert Peston

text: Peston lives in the Muswell Hill area of London. After his home was burgled in December 2012, he made an appeal for the return of rings that had belonged to his late wife.


title: Robert Peston

text: Peston is a lifelong supporter of Arsenal FC. He was born into a non-religious Jewish family, and has described himself as culturally Jewish rather than religiously so. In a similar vein, his father was a patron of the British Humanist Association and an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society, as well as once describing himself as someone "who regards all religious belief as failing to meet even the most elementary epistemological and deontological criteria".


title: Freddie Blassie

text: Frederick Kenneth Blassman (February 8, 1918 – June 2, 2003) was an American professional wrestler and manager, known by the ring name "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Renowned as "The Hollywood Fashion Plate", he was a one-time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, and was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994. He is regarded as one of the greatest wrestling heels, or villains, of all time.


title: Freddie Blassie

text: Blassie was born Frederick Kenneth Blassman in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1918. His parents, Anna (née Sind) and Jacob Blassman, were German immigrants who arrived in the United States prior to World War I.


title: Freddie Blassie

text: Frederick was an only child, which he claimed was because he weighed 15 pounds when he was born and his mother didn't want to go through childbirth again. His father was abusive and an alcoholic, and Frederick often had to take refuge with his grandparents whenever Jacob would beat his mother. His parents continually separated, then reunited. At the age of 13, after his father hit his mother again, Frederick threatened to attack his father with a baseball bat, but didn't do it and stayed with his aunt for six months until his mother asked him to return home. Throughout his life, Frederick didn't touch alcohol after seeing what kind of person it turned his father into.


title: Freddie Blassie

text: He graduated from McKinley High School and got a job at a meatpacking plant, which his family hoped he would turn into a lucrative meat cutting job with the local trade union. However, he started boxing at Seward Community Center and won the heavyweight championship. He was more interested in wrestling, though, and would sneak into the matches whenever he could. He would often go to matches at Harry Cook's Gym to watch the hookers (wrestling shoot fighters) of the day lock up. As they began to recognize him, the wrestlers would teach him a hold here and there. His first wrestling match was actually a shoot fight which he accepted in order to impress a girl he brought to the show. Later, he began to get regular work wrestling at local carnivals. His cousin John Frank Holaus would often referee his matches.