title: Owen Coyle

text: In March 1990 a £175,000 transfer took him to Airdrieonians for the first of three spells at the club. This move was instantly successful, Coyle scoring a hat-trick on his debut and going on to finish as the Scottish League's top scorer for 1989–90. Over the next two seasons his goals helped Airdrie to promotion, a Scottish Cup final appearance in 1992, and an appearance in the 1992–93 European Cup Winners' Cup (as the Scottish Cup winners Rangers also won the Scottish Premier Division title and qualified for the UEFA Champions League).


title: Owen Coyle

text: In the summer of 1993, Bolton Wanderers paid £250,000 to sign Coyle, and his two-year spell in England included promotion and a brief chance to play in the FA Premier League. He was a key part of their Division One promotion winning side in 1995, scoring a 75th-minute goal against Reading in the playoff final which gave Bolton a lifeline to peg the scoreline back to 2–1. With 90 minutes on the clock, the score was 2–2 and Bolton won 4–3 in extra time to end their 15-year exile from the top flight.


title: Owen Coyle

text: However, in October 1995, a £400,000 transfer fee took him to Dundee United, where he was once again part of a promotion-winning side, scoring the winning goal in extra time in the second leg of the playoff against Partick Thistle.


title: Owen Coyle

text: Coyle's next move was to Motherwell in January 1997, after a move to Hibernian fell through. In March 1999 he moved to Dunfermline Athletic. After losing his place in the "Pars" team, he went on loan to Ross County. He rejoined Airdrieonians in 2001 and won the Challenge Cup (scoring in the final) but they went into liquidation in May 2002.


title: Owen Coyle

text: Coyle then joined Falkirk, being promoted to co-player-manager alongside John Hughes in 2003. After leaving this post he returned to Dundee United, primarily in a coaching capacity but also registering as a player. A lack of first team opportunities, however, led to him being loaned out to Airdrieonians' successors, Airdrie United; the move was subsequently made permanent. He also took up the post of assistant manager to Sandy Stewart.


title: Owen Coyle

text: He played in an emergency for Burnley Reserves on 9 April 2009, scoring with a lob in a 2–0 win against Accrington Stanley, helping them win the Reserve League title. On 7 October, Coyle played again for Burnley Reserves in a 1–0 defeat to the Liverpool Reserves at Prenton Park.


title: Owen Coyle

text: On 15 November 2010, Coyle returned to playing action at the age of 44 when turning out for Bolton in their friendly match with Northern Ireland side Cliftonville. It was the first time in fifteen years that he had started a game for Bolton and he chipped in with a goal in a 2–0 Wanderers win.


title: Owen Coyle

text: Although born in Scotland, Coyle represented the Republic of Ireland under-21 team. Regarding his choice to represent Ireland, Coyle stated "My ambition was to play at the highest level possible and, if I'm being totally honest, I didn't and still don't think I would have been good enough to play for Scotland. But the Irish watched me play six or seven times for Dumbarton and my first game for them was actually against Scotland." Coyle's debut was in February 1987; he opened the scoring within two minutes, with Scotland going on to win 4–1.


title: Owen Coyle

text: Coyle made two substitute appearances (replacing David Kelly each time) for Republic of Ireland B against England B: at Turners Cross in Cork on 27 March 1990, and at Anfield on 13 December 1994.


title: Owen Coyle

text: Coyle went on to earn one full international cap for the Republic of Ireland team, in a friendly match played against the Netherlands in Tilburg in April 1994. The match ended in a 1–0 victory for the Republic, with Coyle coming on to replace the goalscorer Tommy Coyne in the 83rd minute.


title: Owen Coyle

text: In April 2005, Coyle was named as the new manager of St Johnstone. In March 2006, he was awarded Manager of the Month for the Scottish First Division for his team's performance. Coyle led St Johnstone to a 2–0 victory over Rangers at Ibrox to reach the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup. It was their first win over the Glasgow club at Ibrox in 35 years. St Johnstone lost 3–1 after extra time to Hibernian in that semi-final. Saints also reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup thanks to away wins against SPL clubs Falkirk and Motherwell, but lost 2–1 to Celtic at Hampden in the semi-final.


title: Owen Coyle

text: In the same season, Saints also competed for the First Division championship and promotion to the SPL. On 30 March 2007, Coyle was awarded his second Scottish First Division Manager of the Month award of the 2006–07 season. Saints took the title fight with Gretna to the final day of the season, and only a last minute goal by James Grady that gave Gretna victory at Ross County denied Saints promotion.


title: Owen Coyle

text: Coyle signed a one-year extension to his contract with St Johnstone in July 2007, which would have kept him at the club until the end of the 2009–10 season. In the early part of the 2007–08 season, Coyle led Saints to the 2007 Scottish Challenge Cup Final. He accepted an offer from Burnley in the week before the final and left the club. Coyle's assistant Sandy Stewart took charge of the team for the final, which was won 3–2 against Dunfermline Athletic.


title: Owen Coyle

text: On 21 November 2007, Burnley were granted permission to discuss their managerial vacancy with Coyle after a compensation fee was agreed with St Johnstone. He was appointed as Burnley's new manager the following day. Coyle was given a reference by then Scotland manager Alex McLeish to support his Burnley application, and was also recommended by Bolton chairman Phil Gartside after they appointed Gary Megson as their new manager, as Coyle was Gartside's second choice for the Bolton job after Megson.


title: Owen Coyle

text: In September 2008, former England striker Andrew Cole credited Coyle as the reason he re-thought his decision to retire from playing at the end of the 2007–08 season. Cole spent three months on loan at Burnley that season, and Cole stated, "I went to Burnley and spoke to Owen and got a great vibe. He brought the best out of me and made me feel a lot younger than my age."


title: Owen Coyle

text: He won the September 2008 Championship Manager of the Month award after leading Burnley to five wins and a draw, which included a League Cup win over Premier League side Fulham. In November Burnley secured a victory over Premier League side Chelsea on penalties at Stamford Bridge to put them in the quarter-finals of the League Cup. In the quarter-final, Burnley defeated Arsenal 2–0. They were knocked out in the semi-finals in dramatic fashion, after overturning a 4–1 deficit by winning 3–0 at Turf Moor after 90 minutes. Burnley were little more than three minutes away from a famous win and a trip to Wembley, when Roman Pavlyuchenko scored to win the tie in extra time for Tottenham Hotspur.


title: Owen Coyle

text: Burnley, under Coyle, won promotion to the Premier League by beating Sheffield United 1–0 in the Championship Play-off Final at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 2009.


title: Owen Coyle

text: The 2009–10 season was the first time Burnley had played in top tier of English football for 33 years. Coyle added to his squad by signing Tyrone Mears from Derby County for £500,000 and Steven Fletcher from Hibernian for a club record fee of £3,000,000 and also David Edgar signed on a free transfer from Newcastle United on 1 July 2009.


title: Owen Coyle

text: After speculation linking Coyle with the vacant manager's position at Celtic, on 18 June 2009, Coyle signed a contract extension at Turf Moor to stay with Burnley until the end of the 2012–13 season.


title: Owen Coyle

text: On 19 August 2009, Burnley defeated the defending Premier League champions Manchester United 1–0 at Turf Moor in their first top-flight match at home for 33 years. They went on to win their first four home games with wins against Everton 1–0 Birmingham 2–1 and Sunderland 3–1 and lose their first 5 away games.


title: Owen Coyle

text: In January 2010, Bolton Wanderers expressed their interest in Coyle becoming their new manager to replace the recently sacked Gary Megson, with Coyle expressing a desire to leave Burnley and take up the position. On 5 January, Burnley's chairman announced that Coyle had left the club. On 8 January, Coyle was appointed as Bolton manager. His first game in charge was a 2–0 home defeat to Arsenal. He achieved his first win on 23 January 2010, 2–0 in the FA Cup 4th Round at home to Sheffield United and achieved his first league victory against former club Burnley, 1–0 on 26 January 2010. He achieved his first away victory at the club on 6 March, 2–1 at West Ham United. When Bolton next played Burnley Coyle was called "Judas" by the Burnley fans as they felt that he had betrayed them. He responded to these comments by saying that if they (Burnley fans) were going to use biblical terms about him and his time in charge of their club, he should be referred to as 'Moses' for leading them out of the wilderness. Coyle's first signings for the club were Stuart Holden from MLS side Houston Dynamo on a short-term contract and Manchester City winger Vladimir Weiss and Arsenal's Jack Wilshere on loan until the end of the season. Coyle achieved his goal of keeping Bolton in the Premier League by finishing 14th with 39 points, nine clear of relegated Burnley.


title: Owen Coyle

text: On 1 July, he signed Martin Petrov from Manchester City and Robbie Blake from Burnley on free transfers, making them his first summer signings. Coyle also later signed Marcos Alonso from Real Madrid for an undisclosed fee and also brought Ivan Klasnić back to the club on a free transfer after spending the previous season on loan at the Reebok. In January 2011, he made two further signings, buying David Wheater from Middlesbrough and signing Daniel Sturridge on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season. In his first full season at the club, Coyle's team finished 14th in the Premier League and reached the semi-final stage of the FA Cup, where they were beaten 5–0 by Stoke City.


title: Owen Coyle

text: On 13 May 2012, Bolton were relegated to The Championship, following a 2–2 draw at Stoke City on the final day of the season.


title: Owen Coyle

text: Bolton started the 2012–13 season against his former club Burnley, against whom they lost 2–0. They then went on to win against Derby County and draw against Nottingham Forest, both of which were at the Reebok Stadium. This meant the club had played three matches in a week. The following week, Bolton lost 3–1 to Hull City. In The Bolton News' report of the match, chief sports editor Marc Iles wrote, "Sections of Wanderers fans called for Owen Coyle to leave his post as the club fell to a dire 3–1 defeat at the KC Stadium, The anti-Coyle chants continued after the final whistle, leaving the club potentially with a lot to think about heading into the international break." The following match, against Watford was won 2–1, although fans still booed after the full-time whistle. They then lost to Birmingham City 2–1 at St Andrew's. Coyle's time at the Reebok Stadium came to an end on 9 October 2012, when it was confirmed by the club that Coyle's contract with Bolton had been terminated.


title: Owen Coyle

text: On 14 June 2013, Coyle was announced as the manager of Wigan Athletic following the departure of Roberto Martínez to Everton. His first game in charge of Wigan was against Barnsley in the Championship, which Wigan won 4–0. His second game was against Manchester United in the Community Shield where United won 2–0.


title: Owen Coyle

text: Coyle left Wigan on 2 December 2013, with Wigan losing for the third time in a week, and lying 14th in the table.


title: Owen Coyle

text: On 8 December 2014, Coyle signed a three-year contract to become the head coach of Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo. The announcement was previously delayed due to the MLS Cup Final.


title: Owen Coyle

text: On 25 May 2016, Coyle and the club announced his departure by mutual consent, with Coyle stating his desire to be closer to his family who remained residing in the United Kingdom, while the Dynamo were not satisfied with the results on the pitch.


title: Owen Coyle

text: Coyle was appointed manager of Championship club Blackburn Rovers on a two-year contract on 2 June 2016. After thirty-seven games in charge, Coyle mutually parted company with Blackburn on 21 February 2017.


title: Owen Coyle

text: On 28 September 2017, Scottish Premiership club Ross County appointed Coyle as their manager on a two-year contract. He resigned from this position on 1 March 2018, with the club sitting bottom of the league.


title: Owen Coyle

text: On 3 December 2019, Indian Super League club 2 times champions Chennaiyin appointed him as their head coach. After his arrival at Chennaiyin FC came back to their winning track, he changed their style of play. Chennaiyin FC scored majority goals in the season after his arrival as manager. Chennaiyin FC qualified to playoffs and reached the final under him and in final they lost to ATK 3–1 and became runners up of ISL.


title: Owen Coyle

text: On 7 August 2020, Coyle was appointed the head coach of Indian Super League club Jamshedpur. He helped the team winning their first ever trophy, the League Winner's Shield in 2021–22 season.


title: Owen Coyle

text: In March 2022, it was confirmed that Coyle would be returning to Scottish football after being appointed as the head coach of Queen's Park and would take up the role officially on 1 June.


title: Owen Coyle

text: Coyle was raised in the 'Little Donegal' area of the Gorbals, Glasgow, to parents from Ireland and is a frequent visitor to Gweedore, County Donegal. He made an appearance in the Scottish football film "A Shot at Glory", in 2000, alongside "The Godfather" star Robert Duvall, Michael Keaton and Ally McCoist.


title: Thuramukham (2022 film)

text: Thuramukham () is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language period action-drama film directed and filmed by Rajeev Ravi. The screenplay, written by Gopan Chidambaran, is based on the play of the same name by his father K. M. Chidambaran. The film stars Nivin Pauly, Indrajith Sukumaran, Joju George, Arjun Ashokan, Sudev Nair, Manikandan R. Achari, Senthil Krishna, Nimisha Sajayan, Poornima Indrajith and Darshana Rajendran in prominent roles.


title: Thuramukham (2022 film)

text: The story is set in the backdrop of workers' struggles, and protests against the infamous ‘Chappa’ system of casual labour allocation and primitive "work guarantee" scheme that was practiced at the Mattancherry harbour in Kochi during the 1940s and 50s. Metal tokens called Chappa were thrown into the waiting crowds of labourers, where they would fight for the tickets (Chappa). Whoever manages to get one would be given work for the day at the wharves or godowns. The protests against this system had resulted in the police firing and killing of three labourers. The story further revolves around two brothers being on opposing sides, in the day labourers epic struggle against dock bosses.


title: Thuramukham (2022 film)

text: The principal photography of the film was completed in January 2020, but the release was delayed for a long time due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Thuramukham (2022 film)

text: "Thuramukham" was scheduled for worldwide theatrical release on 13 May 2021, but was postponed due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Kerala. The film was later scheduled to be released on 10 December 2021, but it was postponed again, to avoid the clash with Mohanlal starrer "" which released on 2 December 2021. Later, the film was announced to be released on 24 December 2021 during the festival time of Christmas, but it was postponed. The film was postponed yet again after being scheduled to be released on 7 January 2022.


title: Thuramukham (2022 film)

text: The film competed at the 51st International Film Festival Rotterdam in the 'Big Screen' section for VPRO award. The festival was held from 26 January to 6 February 2022. Due to the problems between the producers and production house, the release of the film continued its uncertainty to confirm the release date.


title: U-KISS

text: U-KISS (; ) is a South Korean boy band formed in 2008. Their name is an acronym, standing for Ubiquitous Korean International Idol Super Star. The group's current lineup is composed of Soohyun, Hoon, Kiseop and Jun.


title: U-KISS

text: Their breakthrough hit was "Man Man Ha Ni" (2009) from their EP "ContiUKiss". They released their first full-length album, "Only One", on February 3, 2010. In September 2011, U-KISS released their second full-length album, "Neverland". They made their formal debut in Japan in 2011 with the release of the single "Tick Tack". Their second Japanese single was "Forbidden Love", while their first Japanese full-length album was "A Shared Dream" (2012).


title: U-KISS

text: Since their debut, U-KISS has released three full-length albums, twelve mini-albums/EPs, one special mini-album (created for their fans), and various singles. They have released seven Japanese full-length albums, one Japanese compilation album, and five Japanese mini-albums/EPs. The group and individual members have also participated in various musicals, radio programs, web shows, TV series, and films.


title: U-KISS

text: The group has recorded and/or performed songs in Korean, Japanese, Chinese, English and Spanish. U-KISS has earned six entries on "Billboard"'s World Albums chart and has had 9 songs on the K-pop Hot 100 chart.


title: U-KISS

text: In 2012, U-KISS was the first K-pop group to hold a fan meeting in Cambodia. During that same year, U-KISS was not only the first K-pop act, but also the first Asian group, to perform at the "Los 40 Principales" concert in Colombia. In 2013, U-KISS was the second Korean artist to hold a solo concert in Mexico. U-KISS was also one of the first K-pop groups to release original albums in Japanese. In Japan, they ranked #1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with "Action" in 2015.


title: U-KISS

text: U-KISS was formed as a six-member boy band in 2008. Kibum and Kevin were previously members of the boy band , but had left that group in early 2007. The other four members were all individually selected by NH Media through auditions.U-kiss did their first showcase(mini-live) in August16th(originally planned to be on July 27) Tokyo Takeshiba NONAME.


title: U-KISS

text: U-KISS first performed on August 15, 2008, at Power of Atamix 08 in Japan. The group officially debuted in South Korea on August 28, with a live performance of their debut song, "Not Young", on Mnet. This was followed by the release of their first mini-album, "New Generation" (N-Generation), on September 3.


title: U-KISS

text: Although they were newcomers in the industry, U-KISS was considered for a Japan-Korea collaborative project. A Japanese entertainment company, Yashimoto Group, invested 150 billion KRW to groom U-KISS as an internationally known group.


title: U-KISS

text: On February 3, 2009, U-KISS released their second mini-album "Bring It Back 2 Old School", with the title song "I Like You", which gained them popularity, especially in Thailand.


title: U-KISS

text: On November 6, their third mini-album, "ContiUKiss", launched Kiseop as the seventh member of the group. The title track, "Man Man Ha Ni", was released following the change in their line-up.


title: U-KISS

text: On February 3, 2010, the group's first full-length album, "Only One", was released, generating their highest chart-topping single in the Philippines, "Bingeul Bingeul". The song peaked at #2 on the MYX Music Channel Hit and International Top 20 charts for the period of April 25 - May 1. The support of Filipino fans helped it stay on the Philippines' MYX Music Channel charts for more than a month. The album also topped Hanteo Charts, Hot Tracks, Syn-nara Records, and Evan Records in just one day. U-KISS then played in Malaysia, Mongolia, and Japan to promote the album. U-KISS promoted the album in the Philippines through a series of mall shows, where they sold more than 1,000 copies in one day, breaking the record for the highest sales in a launch and earning a million pesos. Due to its success, the group had their first major concert in the Philippines, later released on DVD as "U-KISS First Kiss Tour in Manila".


title: U-KISS

text: On October 4, their fourth EP, "Break Time", was released along with the title track "Shut Up!". The U-KISS First Kiss Live in Tokyo & Osaka (2010) concerts were held December 6 in Osaka and December 10 in Tokyo. On December 10, their Japanese compilation album, "First Kiss", placed #2 on the Oricon daily charts on the day of its release. In addition to their music career, U-KISS starred in their own variety shows, including "All About U-KISS", "UKISS Vampire", and "Chef Kiss".


title: U-KISS

text: In 2011, Soohyun was officially appointed the leader of U-KISS. Alexander and Kibum left the group, being replaced by former Paran member Kim Jae-seop (AJ) and a former solo artist, Yeo Hoon-min (Hoon). As a result, a U.S. album was canceled due to member termination of contract.


title: U-KISS

text: On March 30, the new formation of U-KISS released their fifth EP, "Bran New Kiss", and a new ballad song, "0330". U-KISS released the Japanese version of "Bran New Kiss" on August 24. The EP reached #3 on Japan's daily Oricon Albums Chart. On September 1, U-KISS released their second full-length album, "Neverland", with the singles "Neverland" and "Someday". At the Asia Song Festival in October, The Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange selected U-KISS as an Asia Influential Artist. On December 14, U-KISS released their first Japanese single, "Tick Tack", which marked the group's official Japanese debut date after signing a contract with Avex Trax. Also in 2011, member AJ was accepted to Columbia University in the United States.


title: U-KISS

text: In 2012, U-KISS was chosen as the #1 Hallyu Group to Watch in Japan, while Kevin was chosen as the Luckiest Hallyu Star of 2012. On February 8, U-KISS participated in the Music Bank concert held in Paris, France. It featured a special presentation by Soohyun singing a duet with Sistar's Hyolyn of "Love Always Finds a Reason", with the original English lyrics. On February 29, U-KISS released their second Japanese single, "Forbidden Love", simultaneously with their first Japanese full-length album, "A Shared Dream". "Forbidden Love" ranked #9 on the Oricon Daily Single Chart, while "A Shared Dream" ranked #6 on the Oricon Daily Album Chart.


title: U-KISS

text: U-KISS held a sold-out concert tour, "U-KISS 1st Japan Live Tour 2012", in Zepp Hall venues across Japan. The tour lasted from March 2–25. In the second week of June, two additional shows were also sold out. The U-KISS Japan Live Tour "A Shared Dream" (2012) held performances on March 2 in Sapporo, March 4 in Sendai, March 10 in Osaka, March 11 in Fukuoka, March 17 in Nagoya, and March 24–25 in Tokyo. Due to its success, more dates were added: July 7 in Hiroshima, July 8 in Osaka, July 14 in Sendai, July 16 in Nagoya, July 18 in Fukuoka, July 20 in Nagasaki, July 25 in Sapporo, July 27 in Niigata, and July 28–29 in Tokyo. A DVD titled "U-KISS Days in Japan" debuted at #8 on the Oricon Daily Chart published on March 30.


title: U-KISS

text: On April 25, U-KISS released their sixth EP in South Korea, "DoraDora". In May, "DoraDora" gained the #1 spot on the German Asian Music Chart. On May 12, U-KISS became not only the first K-pop act, but also the first Asian group, to perform in Colombia at "Los 40 Principales" (the biggest pop concert in Latin America) along with Shakira. The group released their seventh EP, "The Special to Kissme", on June 5. On June 1, the second single from it, "Te Amo", had been released on various music sites and immediately placed #4 on Soribada. On July 2, U-KISS performed at the 2012 K-POP Nation Concert in Macao, along with Girls' Generation and SHINee. U-KISS released their third Japanese single, "Dear My Friend", on July 5. It was used as the theme song for a Japanese anime movie, "Stormy Night (Secret Friends)". On July 29, it was announced during the Japanese Live Tour that AJ would be on hiatus for 5 months, and he would no longer attend U-KISS activities starting in August, in order to concentrate on his studies. According to NH Media, AJ would return in early 2013, therefore the U-KISS comeback in September 2012 would only feature six members.


title: U-KISS

text: Before AJ's temporary departure from the group, U-KISS attended the A-Nation opening ceremony at the Tokyo National Stadium on August 3. On August 9, 2012, U-KISS represented Korea in Asia Progress M, part of A-Nation, the biggest music festival in Japan. On August 26, the group also performed with Hamasaki Ayumi, M-Flo, and Big Bang at Ajinomoto Stadium.


title: U-KISS

text: On September 5, the group ended their Japanese tour with the U-KISS Japan Live In Budokan (2012), where they attracted an audience of 10,000, their biggest to date. Meanwhile, the group released their fourth Japanese single, "One of You", on September 5. During its first week, it peaked at #1 on the Tower Records weekly chart. On September 14, U-KISS received a special achievement award in recognition of their contribution to the Hallyu Wave. The group attended Arirang TV's celebration event for the milestone of reaching over 100 million clients. At the event, U-KISS was awarded the Special Hallyu Achievement Award from the minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. On September 20, the group released their seventh EP, "Stop Girl", and planned to actively promote it in 10 countries including Thailand, the Philippines, the United States, and China. The mini-album also included an English version of the title track, "Stop Girl". U-KISS released their fifth Japanese single, "Distance", on December 12.


title: U-KISS

text: On January 19, 2013, U-KISS participated in the "Dream KPOP Fantasy Concert" in Manila, Philippines. The Japanese single "Alone" was released on February 13. It was used as the theme song for NHK's TV drama, "Bookstore Worker Michiru’s Personal Story". U-KISS released their third full-length album "Collage" on March 7, with the lead single, "Standing Still" (composed by Ryan Jhun), was released on March 6. The group also performed at the "Formula 1" event held at the Petronas Tower in Malaysia on March 22, sharing the stage with K-pop group 2NE1 and American artists Backstreet Boys and Demi Lovato.


title: U-KISS

text: The sub-unit uBEAT debuted at the end of April, composed of Eli and AJ, with Kevin featuring as the main vocalist. In June, U-KISS went on tour in Latin America, traveling to Peru, Colombia, and Mexico. The group became the second Korean artist to have a solo concert in Mexico, after JYJ's Junsu. All 4,000 tickets were sold out, and fans who couldn't buy tickets sang along with the songs outside the concert hall. U-KISS performed a Spanish version of "Dear My Friend", specially prepared for their Latin American fans. Just the previous year, U-KISS had launched their official South American fan club.


title: U-KISS

text: Avex Trax announced that U-KISS would release their second full-length Japanese album, "Inside øf Me", on July 24. The U-KISS Japan Live Tour "Inside Of Me" (2013) held performances on July 27 in Yokohama, July 30–31 in Tokyo, August 7 in Fukuoka, August 12–13 in Osaka, August 22 in Hokkaido, August 26 in Tokyo (added because two previous Tokyo concerts sold out), and August 30 in Aichi. In October 2013, Dongho was leaving the group, due to health and personal issues. On October 30, U-KISS released their eighth EP, "Moments", along with the music video for “She’s Mine”. This single mixed R&B and hip-hop, which were genres that the group hadn't tried before. On December 15, U-KISS participated in the 15th Korea-China Music Festival in Beijing. It featured a special presentation by Soohyun singing a duet with Wanting Qu of "You Exist in My Song", with the original Chinese lyrics.


title: U-KISS

text: In January 2014, U-KISS toured America, making stops in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Presales of VIP tickets sold out in just 30 seconds for the Los Angeles date, and eight minutes for the one in New York. U-KISS also made media appearances along the way, including an interview on ABC's national TV program, "Good Morning, America". On May 15, NH Media introduced new member Jun through U-KISS' official Korean website to replace the positions of AJ due hiatus for continued his studies at Columbia University. On June 2, Jun made his debut with UKISS. They released their 9th EP, "Mono Scandal", along with the 19+ rated MV for "Quit Playing". With this song, U-KISS become the first boy band to be temporarily banned from broadcast in South Korea for “inappropriate choreography”, causing them to make changes to the original dance routine.


title: U-KISS

text: The "U-KISS JAPAN LIVE TOUR 2014" started with a performance in Tokyo on July 16, toured 12 cities, and attracted a total of about 120,000 attendees. U-KISS finished the tour with their 2nd performance at the Budokan on September 12, which was called "U-KISS Japan ～Returns in Budokan～". The U-KISS "Scandal" In Europe Tour (2014) held performances on September 21 in Moscow, September 24 in London, and September 28 in Paris. In Paris, they were the subject of an exclusive video documentary.


title: U-KISS

text: U-KISS made an appearance on M! Countdown with a performance of their single "Playground" on January 22, 2015. This single was later released along with their tenth mini-album, "Always", on January 23. On March 3, U-KISS accepted SBS MTV's The Show - China Choice award for "Playground", their 1st trophy won on a weekly music show. U-KISS' 4th Japanese album, "Action", was released on March 18. It charted #2 on the Oricon Daily Chart the day of release, and then topped the chart at #1 on the day after release. It also ranked at #4 on the Oricon Weekly Chart, with 20,297 copies sold.


title: U-KISS

text: The U-KISS Japan Live Tour "Action" (2015) held performances on August 16 in Osaka, August 18–19 in Tokyo, August 22 in Hokkaido, August 24–25 in Aichi, August 27 in Osaka, August 28 in Fukuoka, and August 30 in Miyagi. U-KISS released their 11th Japanese single, "Stay Gold", on September 9. It charted #2 on the Oricon Daily Chart and #3 on the Oricon Weekly Chart, with a total reported sales of 44,418. On December 23, U-KISS continued their Japanese promotions with the release of their first Christmas mini-album, simply titled "The Christmas Album".


title: U-KISS

text: On February 23, 2016, U-KISS released their 12th Japanese single "Kissing to Feel", and their fifth Japanese album, "One Shot One Kill", on March 23. U-KISS' 11th Korean EP, "Stalker", was released on June 7. On August 29, AJ announced that his contract had expired with NH Media, and he officially left the group. The U-KISS Japan Best Live Tour ～5th Anniversary Special～ (2016) held performances on December 2 in Fukuoka, December 4 in Hiroshima, December 9–10 in Hyogo, December 15 in Aichi, December 23 in Miyagi, and December 25 in Kanagawa.


title: U-KISS

text: On March 2, 2017, Kevin announced his official departure from the group after his contract had expired with NH Media. U-KISS continued to be active as a five-member group. Soohyun and Eli, the remaining original members, renewed their contracts with NH Media. On May 5, U-KISS was the headline act for a K-pop concert that was a finale of the week-long Seoul Food Festival. They were supported by their label mates, Laboum. U-KISS contributed a song, "RUN A WAY", to the OST for KBS2's TV drama "Manhole", which aired August–September and starred Jaejoong from JYJ. On August 20, 2017, U-KISS performed at The Star of Asia music festival in Kazakhstan, where they were presented with a special prize trophy during the broadcast on KAZAKH TV. On September 6, NH Media reported that Kiseop had suffered second degree burn injuries due to an explosion that took place during the group's "FLY" music video filming. They went on to explain that ten fragments of material had become lodged in his body and that he had been transferred to a hospital in Incheon to receive treatment.


title: U-KISS

text: U-KISS held a tour of Japan called "U-KISS LIVE EVENT 2017 ~Stay with U~", performing September 30 in Chiba, October 7 in Saitama, and October 9 in Osaka. On October 10, U-KISS' Japanese single, “FLY”, ranked #3 on the daily Oricon Singles Chart. This achievement was even more meaningful because all the members took part in producing the EDM-influenced song and its accompanying tracks. U-KISS contributed an English-language cover version of Shakira's "Try Everything" (from the movie "Zootopia") to the compilation album "Thank You Disney", which was released on October 25. On November 20–21, U-KISS held the "2017 U-KISS FANMEETING IN KOREA ~KISS HOLIC~". On December 9, U-KISS put on a special concert in Tokyo for an ongoing endorsement with CHIC-Smart electric scooters. On December 26, U-KISS released a Korean digital single, “Ready for U”. On December 28, Soohyun enlisted in the Army for his mandatory military service.


title: U-KISS

text: On March 31, 2018, U-KISS released their 7th Japanese full-length album, "LINK", which included songs recorded by Soohyun before his enlistment. It ranked #3 on the daily Oricon Albums Chart. All the members of U-KISS (including Soohyun, who was on temporary leave from military duty) celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Korean debut. On October 10, the group returned with their 15th Japanese single "Scandal", which ranked #8 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart. On December 19, U-KISS released their 8th Japanese full-length album, "Glory", which featured a Christmas song for the title track. The song was used in an endorsement for Huis Ten Bosch, one of the biggest theme parks in Japan.


title: U-KISS

text: On March 18, 2019, Hoon enlisted in the Marine Corp for his mandatory military service. On May 16, nhemg (NH Media) announced that Eli and Kiseop left the group after their contracts expired with the agency. On September 1, Soohyun completed his mandatory military service and was discharged from the Army. Soon after, "Soohyun & Jun (from U-KISS) Fan Meeting in SEOUL ～autumn memory～" was held on September 22–23. To honor the 8th anniversary of U-KISS' Japanese debut on December 14, Soohyun will hold an anniversary talk and video screening of "JUN (from U-KISS) 1st Event 2019 ~Phenomenal World~" in Tokyo.


title: U-KISS

text: Kevin temporarily rejoined U-KISS as a duo with Soohyun as part of a special throwback-themed "Guilty Pleasures" concert from SBS and its variety show "MMTG" in October 2020. The duo also performed "Shut Up!!" with Teen Top in a special collaboration stage.


title: U-KISS

text: On October 20, Hoon completed his mandatory military service and be discharged from the Marine Corp. On October 21, 2020, Soohyun and Jun released the Japanese single 'Eyes on Me', which also contained the Ballad track '星も見えない夜に'.


title: U-KISS

text: U-KISS' second sub-unit, Soohyun & Hoon, was formed and released the single 'I Wish' in both Korean & Japanese in 2021. The Korean version was released on January 27, and the Japanese version on February 24. Soohyun left NH Media on April 15 following his contract expiration, however he stated he will remain as part of U-KISS. In August, Hoon and Jun also left NH Media after their contracts expired.


title: U-KISS

text: On January 24, 2022, Soohyun, Hoon, and Kiseop signed exclusive contracts with Tango Music, with Kiseop officially rejoining U-KISS. In May 2022, U-KISS launched a YouTube channel official and announcement of various activities.


title: U-KISS

text: On June 7, 2011, U-KISS – along with other K-pop groups including 2NE1, MBLAQ, 4Minute, F.T. Island and B2ST – held a special show called "Seoul-Osaka Music of Hearts", raising funds to help victims of the 2011 Japan earthquake. Earlier in March of that year, U-KISS had volunteered to take part in another fundraising concert put on by veteran Korean singers for the same cause, where they worked together with several boy and girl bands to answer donation phone calls.


title: U-KISS

text: On June 18, 2012, U-KISS became the first K-pop group to hold a fan meeting in Cambodia, called "Share The Love Charity Concert". The fan meeting led to a charity organization in a nearby school, where members interacted with the children, passing out baseball bats and other baseball equipment. The show, as a part of the benefit project, was sponsored by famous Cambodians and was even attended by the prime minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen.


title: U-KISS

text: On February 1, 2013, Soohyun and Kevin hosted a charity event for Jakarta after the heavy flooding in Indonesia. They auctioned 2 CDs, with which they interacted to raise the value, along with clothing that they'd worn. Two albums were auctioned live, with total proceeds of Rp3.500.000 (roughly US$350). The two members also held a press conference explaining why their showcase would be postponed to April. Along with the press conference, they also visited Pluit, where they held the charity session and interacted with kids who were affected by the flooding.


title: U-KISS

text: On June 6, 2016, U-KISS revealed that a portion of the proceeds from their "Stalker" album sales would be donated to the Culture and Arts Education Division of AbleArt Center, which helps handicapped artists.


title: U-KISS

text: Photos of the members were featured on Visa credit cards issued by The Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (one of Japan's top three banks). Card users accumulated points that could be redeemed for U-KISS merchandise. U-KISS was the first K-pop band to be featured on Sumitomo's Visa cards. U-KISS also collaborated with Dresscode Inc to create special clothing for their Korean album, "Only You".


title: Art Parkinson

text: Art Parkinson (born 19 October 2001) is an Irish actor from Moville in Inishowen, County Donegal, in Ireland. He began his professional acting career at the age of seven. He is best known for his role as Rickon Stark on the HBO series "Game of Thrones" (2011–2013; 2016), and Kubo in the film "Kubo and the Two Strings" (2016).


title: Art Parkinson

text: Parkinson was raised in Moville, a coastal town on the Inishowen Peninsula in the north of County Donegal in Ireland. His mother, Movania, also an actor, runs a local drama school which Art and his two older brothers, Pearce and Padhraig, attended from a very young age. His two older brothers have also acted in several Irish and British television productions.


title: Art Parkinson

text: He is bilingual, having been educated through the Irish language at both primary school level and latterly at Coláiste Chineal Eoghain. He was selected as Ambassador for Seachtain na Gaeilge le Energia in 2017.


title: Art Parkinson

text: Parkinson played the role of 'Young Kenneth' in the movie "Freakdog". He also appeared in the Irish horror film "Dark Touch". In July 2014, Parkinson was cast in the 2014 American dark fantasy epic action "Dracula Untold" directed by Gary Shore. On 6 October 2014, Parkinson confirmed that his character and Natalia Tena's character Osha would not be returning for the fifth season of "Game of Thrones". Parkinson also starred in the Hollywood movie "San Andreas" (2015) as Ollie, a ten-year-old boy caught up in a massive earthquake in California.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The United States Foreign Service is the primary personnel system used by the diplomatic service of the United States federal government, under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of over 13,000 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S. citizens abroad. The current director general is Marcia Bernicat.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Created in 1924 by the Rogers Act, the Foreign Service combined all consular and diplomatic services of the U.S. government into one administrative unit. In addition to the unit's function, the Rogers Act defined a personnel system under which the United States Secretary of State is authorized to assign diplomats abroad.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Members of the Foreign Service are selected through a series of written and oral examinations. They serve at any of the 265 United States diplomatic missions around the world, including embassies, consulates, and other facilities. Members of the Foreign Service also staff the headquarters of the four foreign affairs agencies: the Department of State, headquartered at the Harry S Truman Building in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C.; the Department of Agriculture; the Department of Commerce; and the


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The United States Foreign Service is managed by a Director General, an official who is appointed by the President of the United States, with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Director-General is traditionally a current or former Foreign Service Officer. Congress created the position of Director-General of the Foreign Service through the Foreign Service Act of 1946.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Between 1946 and 1980, the Director-General was designated by the Secretary of State. The first Director General, Selden Chapin, held the position for less than six months before being replaced by Christian M. Ravndal, who held the position of Director General until June 1949. Both men were Career FSOs.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Starting on November 23, 1975 until October 2, 2016 under a departmental administrative action, the Director General concurrently held the title of Director of the Bureau of Human Resources. The two positions are now separate. As the head of the bureau, the Director General held a rank equivalent to an Assistant Secretary of State. Three of the last four Directors General have been women.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: On September 15, 1789, the 1st United States Congress passed an Act creating the Department of State and appointing duties to it, including the keeping of the Great Seal of the United States. Initially there were two services devoted to diplomatic and consular activity. The Diplomatic Service provided ambassadors and ministers to staff embassies overseas, while the Consular Service provided consuls to assist United States sailors and promote international trade and commerce.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Throughout the 19th century, ambassadors, or ministers, as they were known prior to the 1890s, and consuls were appointed by the president, and until 1856, earned no salary. Many had commercial ties to the countries in which they would serve, and were expected to earn a living through private business or by collecting fees. This was an arrangement challenged in the first professional survey of the service, David Baillie Warden's pioneering work "On the Origin, Nature, Progress and Influence of Consular Establishments" (1813). As acting consul in Paris, Warden had found himself being treated by American merchants as no more than a hireling agent.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: In 1856, Congress provided a salary for consuls serving at certain posts; those who received a salary could not engage in private business, but could continue to collect fees for services performed.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Lucile Atcherson Curtis was the first woman in what became the U.S. Foreign Service. Specifically, she was the first woman appointed as a United States Diplomatic Officer or Consular Officer, in 1923 (the U.S. did not establish the unified Foreign Service until 1924, at which time Diplomatic and Consular Officers became Foreign Service Officers).


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The Rogers Act of 1924 merged the diplomatic and consular services of the government into the Foreign Service. An extremely difficult Foreign Service examination was also implemented to recruit the most outstanding Americans, along with a merit-based system of promotions. The Rogers Act also created the Board of the Foreign Service and the Board of Examiners of the Foreign Service, the former to advise the Secretary of State on managing the Foreign Service, and the latter to manage the examination process.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: In 1927 Congress passed legislation affording diplomatic status to representatives abroad of the Department of Commerce (until then known as "trade commissioners"), creating the Foreign Commerce Service. In 1930 Congress passed similar legislation for the Department of Agriculture, creating the Foreign Agricultural Service. Though formally accorded diplomatic status, however, commercial and agricultural attachés were civil servants (not officers of the Foreign Service). In addition, the agricultural legislation stipulated that agricultural attachés would not be construed as public ministers. On July 1, 1939, however, both the commercial and agricultural attachés were transferred to the Department of State under Reorganization Plan No. II. The agricultural attachés remained in the Department of State until 1954, when they were returned by Act of Congress to the Department of Agriculture. Commercial attachés remained with State until 1980, when Reorganization Plan Number 3 of 1979 was implemented under terms of the Foreign Service Act of 1980.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: In 1946 Congress at the request of the Department of State passed a new Foreign Service Act creating six classes of employees: chiefs of mission, Foreign Service Officers, Foreign Service Reservists, Foreign Service Staff, "alien personnel" (subsequently renamed Foreign Service Nationals and later Locally Employed Staff), and consular agents. Officers were expected to spend the bulk of their careers abroad and were commissioned officers of the United States, available for worldwide service. Reserve officers often spent the bulk of their careers in Washington but were available for overseas service. Foreign Service Staff personnel included clerical and support positions. The intent of this system was to remove the distinction between Foreign Service and civil service staff, which had been a source of friction. The Foreign Service Act of 1946 also repealed as redundant the 1927 and 1930 laws granting USDA and Commerce representatives abroad diplomatic status, since at that point agricultural and commercial attachés were appointed by the Department of State.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The 1946 Act replaced the Board of Foreign Service Personnel, a body concerned solely with administering the system of promotions, with the Board of the Foreign Service, which was responsible more broadly for the personnel system as a whole, and created the position of Director General of the Foreign Service. It also introduced the "up-or-out" system under which failure to gain promotion to higher rank within a specified time in class would lead to mandatory retirement, essentially borrowing the concept from the U.S. Navy. The 1946 Act also created the rank of Career Minister, accorded to the most senior officers of the service, and established mandatory retirement ages.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The new personnel management approach was not wholly successful, which led to an effort in the late 1970s to overhaul the 1946 Act. During drafting of this Act, Congress chose to move the commercial attachés back to Commerce while preserving their status as Foreign Service Officers, and to include agricultural attachés of the Department of Agriculture in addition to the existing FSOs of the Department of State, U.S. Information Agency, and U.S. Agency for International Development.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The Foreign Service Act of 1980 is the most recent major legislative reform to the Foreign Service. It abolished the Foreign Service Reserve category of officers, and reformed the personnel system for non-diplomatic locally employed staff of overseas missions (Foreign Service Nationals). It created a Senior Foreign Service with a rank structure equivalent to general and flag officers of the armed forces and to the Senior Executive Service. It enacted danger pay for those diplomats who serve in dangerous and hostile surroundings along with other administrative changes. The 1980 Act also reauthorized the Board of the Foreign Service, which "shall include one or more representatives of the Department of State, the United States Information Agency, the United States Agency for International Development, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor, the Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Management and Budget, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and such other agencies as the President may designate."


title: United States Foreign Service

text: This board is charged with advising "the Secretary of State on matters relating to the Service, including furtherance of the objectives of maximum compatibility among agencies authorized by law to utilize the Foreign Service personnel system and compatibility between the Foreign Service personnel system and the other personnel systems of the Government."


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Additionally, Diplomats in Residence are senior Foreign Service Officers who act as recruiters for the United States Foreign Service. They operate in designated regions and hold honorary positions in local universities.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: While employees of the Department of State make up the largest portion of the Foreign Service, the Foreign Service Act of 1980 authorizes other U.S. government agencies to use the personnel system for positions that require service abroad. These include the Department of Commerce (Foreign Commercial Service), the Department of Agriculture (specifically the Foreign Agricultural Service, though the Secretary of Agriculture has also authorized the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to use it as well), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID, Commerce, and Agriculture senior career FSOs can be appointed to ambassadorships, although the ranks of career ambassadors are in the vast majority of cases drawn from the Department of State, with a far smaller sub-set drawn from the ranks of USAID Mission Directors.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The total number of Foreign Service members, excluding Foreign Service Nationals, from all Foreign Service agencies (State, USAID, etc.) is about 15,600. This includes:


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The process of being employed in the Foreign Service is different for each of the five categories as defined in the Foreign Service Act.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The evaluation process for all Department of State Foreign Service Officers and specialists can be broadly summarized as: Initial application, Qualifications Evaluation Panel (QEP), Oral Assessment, clearances and final suitability review, and the register.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: All evaluation steps for Generalist and Specialist candidates are anchored using certain personality characteristics. For Generalists there are 13, for Specialists there are 12. Familiarity with these characteristics dramatically improves a candidate's probability of success.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Step 1 for a Generalist is the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT). For a Specialist, it is an application on USAJobs.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Generalist candidates take the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT), a written exam consisting of three sections job knowledge, hypothetical scenarios (changed from biographical information), English grammar and usage, and an essay. Those who pass the FSOT are invited to submit short essays called Personal Narrative Questions (PNQs) for review by the Qualifications Evaluation Panel (QEP). Approximately 25 to 30 percent of candidates pass both the FSOT and the Personal Narrative Questions/Qualifications Evaluation Panel phase of the process. After the screening process, less than 10% of those that pass the FSOT are invited to an oral assessment, administered in person in Washington, D.C., and other major cities throughout the United States. Approximately 10% of the original applicants at the written exam will ultimately pass the oral assessment.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Specialists fill out applications tailored to their particular knowledge areas. Given how varied the specialties are, applications vary. Candidates are asked to rate their own levels of experience, citing examples and references who can verify these claims.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: As of 2019, a candidate first submits Personal Narrative Questions. Recently, these have been six essays that ask for examples of how the candidate met certain challenges, anchored by the 13 personality characteristics. Soon after the submission deadline, the candidate takes the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT). If a Generalist candidate's score on the FSOT meets or exceeds cutoff, their application in its entirety will be reviewed by a Qualifications Evaluation Panel. The Qualifications Evaluation Panel (QEP) (which is composed of three current Foreign Service Officers), was one of the most significant changes to the Foreign Service hiring process in decades. To be invited to take the Oral Assessment an applicant must not only pass the FSOT but also the Qualifications Evaluation Panel review. The Department of State's Board of Examiners can find some candidacies unacceptable despite the fact that they passed the FSOT.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Specialists also undergo a QEP, but their essays were collected as part of the initial application on USAJobs. Foreign Service Specialist (FSS) candidates are evaluated by Subject Matter Experts for proven skills and recommended to the Board of Examiners for an oral assessment based on those skills.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The oral assessment also varies for Generalists and Specialists. For Specialists there is a structured oral interview, written assessment, and usually an online, objective exam. For Generalists, there is a written assessment, structured oral interview, and structured group exercise.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The various parts of the oral assessment are aggregated and scored on a seven-point scale. At the end of the day a candidate will be informed if their score met the 5.25 cutoff score necessary to continue their candidacy. This score becomes relevant again after the final suitability review. Successfully passing the oral assessment grants a candidate a conditional offer of employment.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Candidates must then obtain a Class 1 (Worldwide Available) medical clearance, top secret security clearance, and suitability clearance. Depending upon the candidate's specific career track, they may also require eligibility for a top secret Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance. Once a candidate's clearance information has been obtained, a Final Suitability Review decides if this candidate is appropriate for employment in the Foreign Service. If so, the candidate's name is moved to the Register.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Failure to obtain any of these clearances can result in a candidate's eligibility being terminated. It can be difficult for a candidate to receive a TOP SECRET clearance if they have extensive foreign travel, dual citizenship, non-United States citizen family members, foreign spouses, drug use, financial problems or a poor record of financial practices, frequent gambling, and allegiance or de facto allegiance to a foreign state. Additionally, it can be difficult for anyone who has had a significant health problem to receive a Class 1 Medical Clearance.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The Foreign Service rejected all candidates with HIV until 2008 when it decided to consider candidates on a case by case basis. The State Department said it was responding to changes in HIV treatment, but the policy change came after a decision by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in "Taylor v. Rice" that suggested the ban on HIV-positive applicants would not survive a lawsuit challenging it.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Once an applicant passes the security and medical clearances, as well as the Final Review Panel, they are placed on the register of eligible hires, ranked according to the score that they received in the oral assessment. There are factors that can increase a candidate's score, such as foreign language proficiency or Veteran's Preference. Once a candidate is put on the register, they can remain for 18 months. If they are not hired from the register within 18 months, their candidacy is terminated. Separate registers are maintained for each of the five Generalist career cones as well as the 23 Specialist career tracks.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Technically, there are many registers. One for each Foreign Service Specialty, and one for each Generalist Cone. The rank-order competitiveness of the register is only relevant within each candidate's career field. Successful candidates from the register will receive offers of employment to join a Foreign Service Class. Generalists and Specialists attend separate orientation classes.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Generalist candidates who receive official offers of employment must attend a 6-week training/orientation course known as A-100 at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) in Arlington, Virginia. Specialist orientation at FSI is 3 weeks long. Depending upon the specialty, employees will then undergo several months of training before departing for their first assignment.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: All Foreign Service personnel must be worldwide available: that is, they may be deployed anywhere in the world based on the needs of the service. They also agree to publicly support the policies of the United States Government.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Members of the Foreign Service are expected to serve much of their career abroad, working at embassies and consulates around the world. By internal regulation the maximum stretch of domestic assignments should last no more than six years (extensions are possible at the six-year limit for medical reasons, to enable children to complete high school, etc. The eight year limit is difficult to pierce and is reserved for those who are deemed "critical to the service" and for those persons at the Deputy Assistant Secretary level). By law, however, Foreign Service personnel must go abroad after ten years of domestic service. The difficulties and the benefits associated with working abroad are many, especially in relation to family life.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Dependent family members generally accompany Foreign Service employees overseas. Unfortunately, this has become more difficult in regions marked by conflict and upheaval (currently many posts in the Middle East) where assignments are unaccompanied. The children of Foreign Service members, sometimes called Foreign Service brats, grow up in a unique world, one that separates them, willingly or unwillingly, from their counterparts living continuously in the United States of America.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: While many children of Foreign Service members become very well developed, are able to form friendships easily, are skilled at moving frequently and enjoy international travel, other children have extreme difficulty adapting to the Foreign Service lifestyle. For both employees and their families, the opportunity to see the world, experience foreign cultures firsthand for a prolonged period, and the camaraderie amongst the Foreign Service and expatriate communities in general are considered some of the benefits of Foreign Service life.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Some of the downsides of Foreign Service work include exposure to tropical diseases and the assignment to countries with inadequate health care systems, and potential exposure to violence, civil unrest and warfare. Attacks on US embassies and consulates around the worldBeirut, Islamabad, Belgrade, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Baghdad, Kabul, and Benghazi, among othersunderscore the dangers faced.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Foreign Service personnel stationed in nations with inadequate public infrastructure also face greater risk of injury or death due to fire, traffic accidents, and natural disasters. For instance, an FSO was one of the first identified victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: For members of the Foreign Service, a personal life outside of the U.S. Foreign Service can be exceptionally difficult. In addition to espionage, there is also the danger of personnel that use their position illegally for financial gain. The most frequent kind of illegal abuse of an official position concerns Consular Officers. There have been a handful of cases of FSOs on Consular Assignments selling visas for a price.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Members of the Foreign Service must agree to worldwide availability. In practice, they generally have significant input as to where they will work, although issues such as rank, language ability, and previous assignments will affect one's possible onward assignments. All assignments are based on the needs of the Service, and historically it has occasionally been necessary for the Department to make directed assignments to a particular post in order to fulfill the Government's diplomatic requirements. This is not the norm, however, as many Foreign Service employees have volunteered to serve even at extreme hardship posts, including, most recently, Iraq and Afghanistan.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The State Department maintains a Family Liaison Office to assist diplomats, including members of the Foreign Service and their families, in dealing with the unique issues of life as a U.S. diplomat, including the extended family separations that are usually required when an employee is sent to a danger post.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Clientitis (also called clientism or localitis) is the tendency of resident in-country staff of an organization to regard the officials and people of the host country as "clients". This condition can be found in business or government.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: A hypothetical example of clientitis would be an American Foreign Service Officer (FSO), serving overseas at a U.S. Embassy, who drifts into a mode of routinely and automatically defending the actions of the host country government. In such an example, the officer has come to view the officials and government workers of the host country government as the persons he is serving. Former USUN Ambassador and White House National Security Advisor John Bolton has used this term repeatedly to describe the mindset within the culture of the US State Department.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The State Department's training for newly appointed ambassadors warns of the danger of clientitis, and the Department rotates FSOs every 2–3 years to avoid it. During the Nixon administration the State Department's Global Outlook Program (GLOP) attempted to combat clientitis by transferring FSOs to regions outside their area of specialization.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: Robert D. Kaplan writes that the problem "became particularly prevalent" among American diplomats in the Middle East because the investment of time needed to learn Arabic and the large number of diplomatic postings where it was spoken meant diplomats could spend their entire career in a single region.


title: United States Foreign Service

text: The Foreign Service personnel system is part of the Excepted Service and both generalist and specialist positions are competitively promoted through comparison of performance in annual sessions of Selection Boards. Each foreign affairs agency establishes time-in-class (TIC) and time-in-service (TIS) rules for certain categories of personnel in accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Service Act. This may include a maximum of 27 years of commissioned service if a member is not promoted into the Senior Foreign Service, and a maximum of 15 years of service in any single grade prior to promotion into the Senior Foreign Service. Furthermore, Selection Boards may recommend members not only for promotions, but for selection out of the service due to failure to perform at the standard set by those members' peers in the same grade. The TIC rules do not apply to office management specialists, medical specialists, and several other categories but most members of the Foreign Service are subject to an "up or out" system similar to that of military officers.


title: University of East London

text: University of East London (UEL) is a public university located in the London Borough of Newham, London, England, based at three campuses in Stratford and Docklands, following the opening of University Square Stratford in September 2013. The University of East London began as the West Ham Technical Institute and it was officially opened in October 1898 after approval was given for the construction of the site by the West Ham Technical Instruction Act Committee in 1892 following the Technical Instruction Act of 1889. It gained university status in 1992.


title: University of East London

text: UEL can trace its roots back to 1892, when the newly formed County Borough of West Ham decided to establish a West Ham Technical Institute to serve the local community. The institute was to be, in the words of John Passmore Edwards speaking at the building's opening ceremony, a "people’s university". The college provided courses in science, engineering and art, and also established its own internal degree courses in science and engineering, which were ratified by the University of London. In addition, it had a women's department.


title: University of East London

text: As demand for technical education grew throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Essex County Council created two further colleges at Walthamstow and Dagenham (South West Essex Technical College and South East Essex Technical College). In 1970 these three colleges (West Ham, Walthamstow, Dagenham) were combined as a merger of higher education colleges, to create the North East London Polytechnic. Campuses were modernised and revitalised by buildings such as the Arthur Edwards building on the Stratford campus, completed in 1982.


title: University of East London

text: In 1988 the North East London Polytechnic became a higher education institution, and was renamed the Polytechnic of East London in 1989.


title: University of East London

text: In 1992 the Polytechnic of East London became the University of East London, one of a number of "new universities". UEL's succession of founding institutions exemplify the developments that took place in British further and higher education policy throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries. The University of East London consisted of the Barking Campus (closed 2006) and the Stratford Campus. In 1999 the Docklands Campus was opened, the first new university campus built in London for over 50 years.


title: University of East London

text: In 2012, following previous opposition, UEL adopted the full increased tuition rates of £9,000 permitted by legislation enacted in 2010, an increase from the previous rate of £3,290. The university is a lead academic sponsor of Hackney University Technical College which opened in 2012, one of the first university technical colleges in England.


title: University of East London

text: UEL has three campuses, at Stratford and Docklands, the newest of which, University Square Stratford, opened in September 2013. The Barking campus was closed in 2006.


title: University of East London

text: UEL delivers programmes and short courses at the Barking Learning Centre in a nearby borough. Off campus, there are students registered on programmes with UK and non-UK academic partners, such as the Women's Institute of Management in Malaysia.


title: University of East London

text: The Stratford Campus is close to the 2012 Olympic Park. It is centred around University House, a 19th-century listed building. The campus is home to the School of Education and Communities, the School of Health Sport and Bioscience and the School of Psychology. The Centre for Clinical Education was opened in January 2008. Operating in partnership with the National Health Service, the centre is London's only provider of podiatric education.


title: University of East London

text: In 2011 UEL appointed Make Architects to lead the design of a replacement library at the Stratford Campus. The project had a budget of £13 million and the library opened in June 2013.


title: University of East London

text: The Docklands Campus, opened in 1999, is the largest of the three campuses, It is in the redeveloped Docklands area of east London, at the Royal Albert Dock, closed to commercial shipping since the 1980s and now largely used as a water sports centre and rowing course, for example for the London Regatta Centre.


title: University of East London

text: London City Airport is across the dock from the campus. The Cyprus station of the Docklands Light Railway is adjacent to the campus, and offers links to Canary Wharf and central London.


title: University of East London

text: The campus was shortlisted for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' "Building of the Year" in 2001.


title: University of East London

text: New student accommodation opened in 2008 and the campus now has 1,200 student rooms, together with shops, cafés and a restaurant, launderettes and an open-air fitness suite. SportsDock, a £21 million sports and academic centre, opened in March 2012. SportsDock served as the High-Performance Training Centre for Team USA during the London 2012 Olympic Games. The campus library is housed in the Royal Docks Business School building.


title: University of East London

text: A third campus, University Square Stratford (USS – not to be confused with University Square at the Docklands Campus), opened for the 2013–14 academic year. Co-owned with Birkbeck, University of London it is situated in Stratford and delivers part-time and full-time study for adults. The project was the first time two higher education institutions created a new shared building. The building provides shared teaching spaces for both higher education institutions and their partners. It is home to the Royal Docks School of Business Law, as well as UEL's Institute of Performing Arts. Facilities include performance studios, editing suites, a mooting room and lecture theatres.


title: University of East London

text: Degree programmes and other courses are taught by one of the seven teaching schools. In addition, the Graduate School provides support and administrative services for postgraduate research students.


title: University of East London

text: The School of Business and Law (RDBSL) is a combined school which offers undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD degree programmes, as well as non-degree executive education for individuals and companies. The School's main location is at the Stratford Campus but it also offers programmes at the Docklands Campus. Its programmes are recognised by professional bodies including the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, (ACCA), the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, (CIPD).


title: University of East London

text: The school also offers a range of business support, enterprise development services and conferencing facilities. Knowledge Dock helps students start their own companies by supplying help and business start-up incubators. Knowledge Dock is accredited by the European Business Network as a Business Innovation Centre (BIC) and is the only BIC in London, and one of only 12 in the UK.


title: University of East London

text: The School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering was established in 2011. It delivers undergraduate programmes in architecture, computing, civil engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, mathematics and product design.


title: University of East London

text: The School of Education and Communities delivers teaching and supports research in comparative education, early childhood, diversity and language, multilingualism, professional education, race and community, social work, teacher education and technology-enhanced learning.


title: University of East London

text: The School of Health, Sport and Bioscience supports research and delivers teaching in nursing, health studies, physiotherapy, microbiology, biomedical science, physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, forensic science, sports science, conservation and ecology.


title: University of East London

text: The School of Psychology delivers programmes such as BSc (Hons) Psychology, accredited by the British Psychological Society, and a qualification in counselling training, BSc (Hons) Counselling and Mentoring.


title: University of East London

text: The School of Arts and Creative Industries delivers courses that cover fashion, film, design, fine art and media, digital arts and communications, games design and animation, music, theatre and dance, creative writing, cultural and heritage studies, journalism, advertising and performing arts.


title: University of East London

text: The Graduate School provides support for postgraduate research students, research and scholarly activities.


title: University of East London

text: In 2018, UEL partnered with renowned theatre arts school Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and became validators of their BA (Hons) Musical Theatre course. The course takes place at two locations; The academy, Barbican and Italia Conti Arts Centre, Guildford.


title: University of East London

text: UEL offers both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. In addition, extended degree programmes are available for many of the single honour programmes. In these programmes, students add a preliminary foundation year to the usual three-year programme. UEL offers a range of postgraduate degrees, including taught master's degrees, professional doctorates and research degrees including MPhils and PhDs.


title: University of East London

text: UEL has an MBA programme in Malaysia via collaboration with "Women's Institute of Management Malaysia".


title: University of East London

text: UEL's campuses are in Newham, the host borough of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, close to two Olympic venues; the Olympic Park in Stratford and the Excel Centre in Docklands. UEL has had Olympic and Paralympic projects including research, student involvement and sporting partnerships underway since it was announced that London's bid to host the Games was successful in 2005.


title: University of East London

text: Asics had a five-year partnership with UEL, and provided bursaries and scholarships to support research athletes at the university. During the 2012 Games, ASICS played host to athletes, ambassadors and business partners in their brand centre at UEL's Stratford campus


title: University of East London

text: The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) was a Games-time partner with UEL and students volunteered as Games-makers during the Games.


title: University of East London

text: The United States Olympic Committee's Team USA used SportsDock as its training centre during the Games. UEL sites acted as a base for USOC's sports performance services, logistical operations and media relations. Michelle Obama addressed the Team USA athletes at the SportsDock facility on Friday, 27 July 2012, speaking of the pride and excitement that the Games bring to people.


title: University of East London

text: UEL students volunteered with Team USA in a number of roles during the Olympic season, including writing for the team's Games-time publication.


title: University of East London

text: Team Singapore (SSC)'s recovery centre was based at UEL, providing high-performance athletic services including an athletes' lounge. UEL also provided accommodation for SSC's medical team.


title: University of East London

text: In the seven years to 2012, UEL produced around 70 pieces of research work, including the Westfield Transport Observation, Newham Impact Evaluation and LOCOG Impact Evaluation.


title: University of East London

text: The University of East London Students' Union (UELSU) is the university-wide representative body for students at the university. It exists to represent UEL students in university decision-making, to act as the voice of students in the national higher education policy debate, and to provide direct services to the student body. It is affiliated to the National Union of Students, which represents students nationwide. Elections are held every year to elect a new executive committee. The Students' Union runs a number of clubs and societies, campaigns and entertainment. There is also a social meeting space, on the Docklands campus and another, the Dome, on the Stratford campus


title: University of East London

text: There are over 50 societies at UEL. There is a student e-zine called Your Universe, a joint partnership between UEL and student writers.


title: University of East London

text: UEL's sports clubs participate in the British Universities and Colleges Sport leagues and sports activities are managed by UELSports. In 2011, UEL was named the most improved university for sport at the BUCS awards, having jumped 43 places in the league table.


title: University of East London

text: A sports centre at the Docklands campus, Sportsdock, opened in 2012. This was used by Team USA for their training during the 2012 Summer Olympics. The centre features a gym and fitness suite, two large indoor sports arenas, ten badminton courts, two competition basketball courts, volleyball and netball courts, cricket bays, two five-a-side football pitches, a sports café and covered seating for 400 people.


title: University of East London

text: UEL and its predecessor institutions have a number of notable academic staff and alumni, including politicians, business people, authors, actors, musicians and sports people.


title: Greninja

text: It appeared prominently in the "XYZ" series of the Pokémon anime as one of Ash Ketchum's primary Pokémon, voiced by Yūji Ueda. This Greninja used its bond with Ash to transform into a unique and powerful form, Ash-Greninja, which was later released to the games as an empowered form of Greninja accessible to players of the "Pokémon Sun and Moon Special Demo Version." Greninja was introduced as a playable fighter to the "Super Smash Bros." franchise with "Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS" and "Wii U" as one of the Pokémon series' five representatives, and was integrated into manga such as "Pokémon Adventures".


title: Greninja

text: Greninja has been met with a very positive reception, quickly becoming one of the most popular Pokémon of the sixth generation, and of all time in the 2020 vote with 140559 votes, because of its endearing design and strength in competitive play. Its popularity has resulted in its integration into various merchandising and promotions of the "Pokémon" franchise.


title: Greninja

text: Greninja is a streamlined frog-like creature with dark blue skin and a beige underbelly, with long limbs and thin, slender physique particularly reminiscent of tree frogs. What resembles a pink scarf is actually its prehensile tongue wrapped around its head. Two long, ear-like protrusions extend from both sides of its head and connect with a smaller horn-like structure in the middle by azure blue-colored webbing. Spots of the same azure coloring can be found on each thigh, arguably resembling ninja stars or battle scars along with a stubby tail that wraps inwards. Much like a frog, Greninja has webbed feet, wall-clinging suction cups on each digit, and powerful hind legs. It shoots streams of compressed water patterns from its palms. A large bubble can be found on each limb. A bipedal creature, Greninja can comfortably stand on its hind legs, but leans on one of its front limbs in a crouching stance when in battle. When at rest its eyes are white with hyphen-shaped pupils, but when engaged they gain red, oval-shapes irises, white pupils, and a narrow gaze. It only weighs 88.2 lbs. (40 kg), but is still quite tall at 4' 11" (1.5 m).


title: Greninja

text: It shares a motif of role-playing game classes with its Grass-type (Chesnaught) and Fire-type (Delphox) counterparts; while the former resemble a knight and witch respectively, Greninja draws heavy inspiration from the ninja. In Japan, frogs and toads have long been associated with ninjutsu through the folk story "The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya" (児雷也豪傑物語 "Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari"), a story about a ninja who can shapeshift into a large toad.


title: Greninja

text: Greninja is able to move with "a ninja's grace", and has a design and set of abilities associated with Ninjutsu. Among its attacks are the formerly exclusive Water Shuriken, which lets it quickly fire throwing stars made from compressed water, Shadow Sneak, and Double Team. It is also the only Pokémon to learn Mat Block, which shields the user's side with a flipped-up mat. The Protean ability, which lets the user camouflage to the type of the attack it uses, is exclusive to Greninja and the chameleon Pokémon Kecleon (as well as the former's pre-evolutions). Capable of vanishing and reappearing quickly, it enjoys toying with enemies in such a manner. It is very adaptable, learning many moves such as Bounce, Extrasensory, and Low Kick from different types.


title: Greninja

text: Greninja's stealth and swiftness are unique among Water-type starters, contrasting with previous designs like Blastoise and Swampert. It shoots jets of compressed water from its hands, as opposed to many other Water-types that shoot water from their mouths. It was created by Yusuke Ohmura, who designed the Water-type starters of the previous two generations as well as the mascot creatures for "X" and "Y", Xerneas and Yveltal. Greninja's design was finalized by Ken Sugimori, Game Freak's art director.


title: Greninja

text: As "Pokémon X" and "Y" take place in Kalos, a fictional region inspired by France, Greninja's name combines the French word for frog ("grenouille") and "ninja". It is used for the English, Spanish, and Italian localizations of "X" and "Y." Ironically, a completely different name is used in the French localization, with "Amphinobi" combining the French word for amphibian ("amphibie") and "shinobi". Its Japanese name is "Gekkouga", combining the Japanese word for croak (げこっ "geko") and the Koga ninjutsu school (甲賀流 "Kōga ryū").


title: Greninja

text: Greninja debuted in "Pokémon X" and "Y", which was released internationally on October 12, 2013, for the Nintendo 3DS. As is the case for most Pokémon evolved from starters, Greninja is rare except for choosing Froakie at the game's beginning and fully training it. It can only be obtained otherwise by evolving a Friend Safari Frogadier, by fully evolving the Froakie named "Froabble" in-game rival Shauna trades to the player after the game's completion, if Fennekin was the chosen starter, or through trading with another player. It can be transferred to "Omega Ruby" and "Alpha Sapphire" through trade, or into "Sun" and "Moon" and "Ultra Sun" and "Ultra Moon" through the online storage system Pokémon Bank. Though very rare, Greninja has a Shiny variant obtainable in the games that is jet black with a red tongue.


title: Greninja

text: Greninja has been incorporated in spin-off "Pokémon" games as well. In the action game "Pokémon Rumble World," Greninja is the back boss of Dewdrop Bay's Castle Moat, and can be recruited as a playable character. It is the boss of Area 03's fifth stage in "Pokémon Picross", of Renegade Meadow in puzzle game "Pokémon Battle Trozei", and of Expert Stage 24 in "Pokémon Shuffle". Through evolving the player character of Froakie, Greninja is playable in "Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon," and is even included on the game's box art. It also appeared in "Pokémon Go", "Pokémon UNITE", and "Pokkén Tournament DX".


title: Greninja

text: Outside of the "Pokémon" series, Greninja also appears in Nintendo's "Super Smash Bros." series. Greninja was included as a new fighter in "Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS" and "Wii U" in 2014, returning in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" in 2018. Greninja's inclusion was revealed during the Super Smash Bros. Direct on April 8, 2014, alongside returning characters Zero Suit Samus, Sheik, Yoshi, and fellow Pokémon Charizard. The game's director, Masahiro Sakurai, stated that he decided to include finishing development, and he working very closely with Game Freak's conceptual illustrations and making his own interpretations of the character. Its characteristics in the "Pokémon" games are reflected in "Smash", being an agile fighter with ninja-like stealth capable of attacking opponents with water from its palms. Its final smash, Secret Ninja Attack, incorporates Greninja's signature move Mat Block. Its home stages include Prism Tower, the Pokémon Gym of Kalos' capital city on the 3DS version, and Kalos Pokémon League on the Wii U version. "Ultimate" granted Greninja its anime debuted Battle Bond form, “Ash-Greninja” as part of its Final Smash move, confirming the playable Greninja in this game series as a male.


title: Greninja

text: In Super Mario Maker, by scanning a Greninja amiibo, the player can unlock a Mystery Mushroom for Greninja that can be used in the player's customizable levels. When Mario makes contact with the Mushroom, he takes on Greninja's likeness and animations until he finishes the level, makes contact with an enemy, or loses a life. Greninja has the same sound bits as Mario, instead of those from "Pokémon" games; this is also true for Pikachu, Charizard, Jigglypuff, Mewtwo and Lucario but not for Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle.


title: Greninja

text: Multiple Greninja have made appearances in the of the Pokémon anime. While the Pokémon was first alluded to in the episode "A Rush of Ninja Wisdom!", it made its formal debut in the 17th Pokémon movie, "Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction", under the ownership of a thieving ninja named Riot. Ippei and Sanpei, two recurring characters in the anime, both have a Greninja. They both chose Froakie as their starter in tribute to a folkloric Greninja that saved their home village. Series protagonist Ash Ketchum's Greninja is the most prominent; he first appeared as a Froakie in the first episode "Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!", was caught by Ash in the following episode "Lumiose City Pursuit!", and evolved from Frogadier into Greninja in episode seven of "XYZ", "A Festival of Decisions!". Uniquely, Greninja and Ash are able to temporarily link their consciousnesses during battle. When such an exchange occurs, the former physically morphs to somewhat resemble Ash, a form called "Ash-Greninja". However, while well received by fans, Ash-Greninja is the main reason why the writers failed to give Ash a genuine Mega-Evolved Pokémon until Journeys; the writers wanted Ash to catch Generation VI only Pokémon in the XY series to promote the XY games, but the traditional concept of giving Ash current generation only Pokémon to promote the current generation games had worn out its welcome with fans. Greninja is also the first main protagonist owned Water-type Starter that fully evolved in the series because fans are sick of the overused concepts of not letting a main protagonist Water starter reach their final forms (Ash's Squirtle, Totodile and Oshawott, Dawn's Piplup, Brock's Marshtomp and May's Wartortle) and having six of Ash's Water-types not fully evolve (Squirtle, Totodile, Oshawott, Corphish, Buizel and Palpitoad). In episode 46 of the XYZ season, "Facing the Needs of the Many!", Ash released Greninja in order to assist Zygarde and Squishy in destroying some of the remaining roots of the Giant Rock, which threatened to destroy Kalos and the whole world, symbolizing someday that Ash's Greninja will rejoin Ash in the future after all of the remaining roots of the Giant Rock are all destroyed. However, this decision resulted in a lot of controversy, with fans and critics alike labeling "Facing the Needs of the Many!" as the worst episode in Pokémon anime history. Greninja returned in Journeys after a long absence and reunites with Ash, while Squishy and the other Zygarde were already written out of this anime due to irrelevance. Greninja teaches Ash and his Mega Lucario new moves and how to boost up its aura powers. While the reunion episode is well received by fans, some are disappointed that Greninja did not officially rejoin Ash's team, unlike Ash's Charizard in the Black and White series. Additionally, Ash-Greninja did not appear in the episode, with flashback scenes featuring it having it omitted in favor of normal Greninja.


title: Greninja

text: A band of Greninja appears in the live-action film "Pokémon Detective Pikachu", but as minor antagonists working as hired guns for Clifford Enterprises against Tim Goodman, Harry Goodman as Detective Pikachu, and Lucy Stevens. Lucy's Psyduck manages to defeat them by using its full power. The Greninja had been victims of illegal experimentation by the mastermind Howard Clifford.


title: Greninja

text: Since its introduction, Greninja has regularly been featured in "Pokémon" merchandise. In the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Greninja-EX is one of the flagship cards associated with the Kalos Power Tin set and in promotion for BREAKpoint Wave Slasher Theme Deck. Ash-Greninja has also been incorporated into the trading card game and lineup of plushies. Key chains, soft toys, and figures of the Pokémon are all available on the online Pokémon Center store as well as in local toy store chains. Greninja was introduced among the fourth wave of amiibo, Nintendo's lineup of collectible toys-to-life figures. The figure is based on its appearance in "Super Smash Bros." and is compatible with many different video games for the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch. Initially released on April 3, 2015, as a Toys "R" Us exclusive, Greninja proved to be so desirable that the figure sold out within just 30 minutes.


title: Greninja

text: Greninja has proven to be one of the most popular Pokémon introduced in "X" and "Y", described as likely to be popular just from its design upon reveal. A 2016 Japan election held by The Pokémon Company determined that Greninja was the most popular Pokémon species in the country. Greninja was named the 2020 "Pokémon of the Year", based on results of a vote by fans in a poll run by Google and The Pokémon Company. Michael Derosa of "Screen Rant" called Greninja was one of the most popular Pokémon from the entire series, while "Mic" author Alex Borkowski described Ash-Greninja as "stylish." Kevin Slackie of "Paste" listed Greninja as 9th of the best Pokémon. Dale Bishir of "IGN" described Greninja as the most important Pokémon that impacted the franchise's history, and further stated that it rose through popularity to become one of the most beloved Pokémon of all time, getting its own slot in "Super Smash Bros." and even getting its own Super Saiyan-like form. Steven Bogos of "The Escapist" listed Greninja as 30th of their favorite Pokémon, stating that its probably the most popular X and Y starter. It even managed to find its way into "Super Smash Bros. 4". "International Business Times" cited Greninja as an example of best Pokémon design in "Pokémon X and Y".


title: Greninja

text: Reception to its inclusion in "Super Smash Bros." has been mostly positive, with many online reviewers appreciating the uniqueness of the character and being genuinely surprised by its unveiling. Gavin Jasper of "Den of Geek" ranked Greninja as 27th of "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" characters, praising its design as fitting for such an "outrageous" game. Jeremy Parish of Polygon ranked 73 fighters from "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" "from garbage to glorious", listing Greninja as 35th and stated that a frog ninja is a pretty heady character concept. In 2014, Ben Reeves of "GameInformer" claimed Greninja is the easily the best new "Super Smash Bros." character. The inclusion of Greninja in the "Detective Pikachu" film also received praise for staying true to its ninja-like portrayal in the video games and anime, though some reviewers found its tongue scarf "disgusting" when rendered in CGI.


title: Greninja

text: In 2015, an Amiibo of Greninja was made available at Toys 'R Us, Ash-Greninja figure and a plush of it was released during Pokémon's 25th anniversary.


title: Musica universalis

text: The musica universalis (literally universal music), also called music of the spheres or harmony of the spheres, is a philosophical concept that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies – the Sun, Moon, and planets – as a form of music. The theory, originating in ancient Greece, was a tenet of Pythagoreanism, and was later developed by 16th-century astronomer Johannes Kepler. Kepler did not believe this "music" to be audible, but felt that it could nevertheless be heard by the soul. The idea continued to appeal to scholars until the end of the Renaissance, influencing many schools of thought, including humanism.


title: Musica universalis

text: The concept of the "music of the spheres" incorporates the metaphysical principle that mathematical relationships express qualities or "tones" of energy which manifest in numbers, visual angles, shapes and sounds – all connected within a pattern of proportion. Pythagoras first identified that the pitch of a musical note is in inverse proportion to the length of the string that produces it, and that intervals between harmonious sound frequencies form simple numerical ratios. Pythagoras proposed that the Sun, Moon and planets all emit their own unique hum based on their orbital revolution, and that the quality of life on Earth reflects the tenor of celestial sounds which are physically imperceptible to the human ear. Subsequently, Plato described astronomy and music as "twinned" studies of sensual recognition: astronomy for the eyes, music for the ears, and both requiring knowledge of numerical proportions.


title: Musica universalis

text: Aristotle rejected the idea, however, as incompatible with his own cosmological model, and on the grounds that "excessive noises ... shatter the solid bodies even of inanimate things", and therefore any sounds made by the planets would necessarily exert a tremendous physical force upon the body.


title: Musica universalis

text: Boethius believed that "musica mundana" could only be discovered through the intellect, but that the order found within it was the same as that found in audible music, and that both reflect the beauty of God.


title: Musica universalis

text: "Musica universalis" — which had existed as a metaphysical concept since the time of the Greeks — was often taught in quadrivium, and this intriguing connection between music and astronomy stimulated the imagination of Johannes Kepler as he devoted much of his time after publishing the "Mysterium" "Cosmographicum" (Mystery of the Cosmos), looking over tables and trying to fit the data to what he believed to be the true nature of the cosmos as it relates to musical sound. In 1619, Kepler published "Harmonices Mundi" (literally Harmony of the Worlds), expanding on the concepts he introduced in "Mysterium" and positing that musical intervals and harmonies describe the motions of the six known planets of the time. He believed that this harmony — while inaudible — could be heard by the soul, and that it gave a "very agreeable feeling of bliss, afforded him by this music in the imitation of God." In "Harmonices", Kepler — who took issue with Pythagorean observations — laid out an argument for a Christian-centric creator who had made an explicit connection between geometry, astronomy, and music, and that the planets were arranged intelligently.


title: Musica universalis

text: "Harmonices" is split into five books, or chapters. The first and second books give a brief discussion on regular polyhedron and their congruences, reiterating the idea he introduced in "Mysterium" that the five regular solids known about since antiquity define the orbits of the planets and their distances from the sun. Book three focuses on defining musical harmonies, including consonance and dissonance, intervals (including the problems of just tuning), their relations to string length which was a discovery made by Pythagoras, and what makes music pleasurable to listen to in his opinion. In the fourth book, Kepler presents a metaphysical basis for this system, along with arguments as to why the harmony of the worlds appeals to the intellectual soul in the same manner that the harmony of music appeals to the human soul. Here, he also uses the naturalness of this harmony as an argument for heliocentrism. In book five, Kepler describes in detail the orbital motion of the planets and how this motion nearly perfectly matches musical harmonies. Finally, after a discussion on astrology in book five, Kepler ends "Harmonices" by describing his third law, which states that — for any planet — the cube of the semi-major axis of its elliptical orbit is proportional to the square of its orbital period.


title: Musica universalis

text: In the final book of "Harmonices", Kepler explains how the ratio of the maximum and minimum angular speeds of each planet (i.e., its speeds at the perihelion and aphelion) is very nearly equivalent to a consonant musical interval. Furthermore, the ratios between these extreme speeds of the planets compared against each other create even more mathematical harmonies. These speeds explain the eccentricity of the orbits of the planets in a natural way that appealed to Kepler's religious beliefs in a heavenly creator.