title: Ottoman Algeria

text: In the early Dey period the country worked similarly to before, with the Pasha still holding considerable powers, but instead of the Janissaries electing their own leaders freely, other factions such as the Taifa of Rais also wanted to elect the deys. Mohammed Trik, taking over during a time instability was faced with heavy issues. Not only were the Janissaries on a rampage, removing any leaders for even the smallest mistakes (even if those leaders were elected by them), but the native populace was also restless. The conflicts with European powers didn't help this either. In 1677, following an explosion in Algiers and several attempts at his life, Mohammed escaped to Tripoli leaving Algiers to Baba Hassan. Just 4 years into his rule he was already at war with one of the most powerful countries in Europe, the Kingdom of France. In 1682 France bombarded Algiers for the first time. The Bombardment was inconclusive, and the leader of the fleet Abraham Duquesne failed to secure the submission of Algiers. The next year, Algiers was bombarded again, this time liberating a few slaves. Before a peace treaty could be signed though, Baba Hassan was deposed and killed by a Rais called Mezzo Morto Hüseyin. Continuing the war against France he was defeated in a naval battle in 1685, near Cherchell, and at last a French Bombardment in 1688 brought an end to his reign, and the war. His successor, Hadj Chabane was elected by the Raïs. He defeated Morocco in the Battle of Moulouya and defeated Tunis as well. He went back to Algiers, but he was assassinated in 1695 by the Janissaries whom once again took over the country. From there on Algiers was in turmoil once again. Leaders were assassinated, despite not even ruling for a year, and the Pasha was still a cause of unrest. The only notable event during this time of unrest was the recapture of Oran and Mers-el-Kébir from the Spanish.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Baba Ali Chaouche, also written as Chaouch, took over the country, ending the rule of the Janissaries. The Pasha attempted to resist him, but instead he was sent home, and told to never come back, and if he did he will be executed. He also sent a letter to the Ottoman sultan declaring that Algiers will from then on act as an independent state, and will not be an Ottoman vassal, but an ally at best. The Sublime Porte, enraged, tried to send another Pasha to Algiers, whom was then sent back to Constantinople by the Algerians. This marked the "de facto" independence of Algiers from the Ottoman Empire.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: In the mid-1700s Dano-Norwegian trade in the Mediterranean expanded. In order to protect the lucrative business against piracy, Denmark–Norway had secured a peace deal with the states of Barbary Coast. It involved paying an annual tribute to the individual rulers and additionally to the States.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: In 1766, Algiers had a new ruler, dey Baba Mohammed ben-Osman. He demanded that the annual payment made by Denmark-Norway should be increased, and he should receive new gifts. Denmark–Norway refused the demands. Shortly after, Algerian pirates hijacked three Dano-Norwegian ships and allowed the crew to be sold as slaves.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: They threatened to bombard the Algerian capital if the Algerians did not agree to a new peace deal on Danish terms. Algiers was not intimidated by the fleet, the fleet was of 2 frigates, 2 bomb galiot and 4 ship of the line.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: There were numerous battles between the Regency of Algiers and the Sharifian Empires for example: the campaign of Tlemcen in 1551, the campaign of Tlemcen in 1557, the Battle of Moulouya and the Battle of Chelif. The independent Kabyle Kingdoms also had some involvement, the Kingdom of Beni Abbes participated in the campaign of Tlemcen in 1551 and the Kingdom of Kuku provided Zwawa troops for the capture of Fez in 1576 in which Abd al-Malik was installed as an Ottoman vassal ruler over the Saadi Dynasty. The Kingdom of Kuku also participated in the capture of Fez in 1554 in which Salih Rais defeated the Moroccan army and conquered Morocco up until Fez, adding these territories to the Ottoman crown and placing Ali Abu Hassun as the ruler and vassal to the Ottoman sultan. In 1792 the Regency of Algiers managed to take possession of the Moroccan Rif and Oujda, which they then abandoned in 1795 for unknown reasons.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: During the early 19th century, Algiers again resorted to widespread piracy against shipping from Europe and the young United States of America, mainly due to internal fiscal difficulties, and the damage caused by the Napoleonic Wars. This in turn led to the First Barbary War and Second Barbary War, which culminated in August 1816 when Lord Exmouth executed a naval bombardment of Algiers, the biggest, and most successful one. The Barbary Wars resulted in a major victory for the American, British, and Dutch Navy.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: During the Napoleonic Wars, the Regency of Algiers had greatly benefited from trade in the Mediterranean, and of the massive imports of food by France, largely bought on credit by France. In 1827, Hussein Dey, Algeria's ruler, demanded that the restored Kingdom of France pay a 31-year-old debt contracted in 1799 by purchasing supplies to feed the soldiers of the Napoleonic Campaign in Egypt.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The French consul Pierre Deval refused to give answers satisfactory to the dey, and in an outburst of anger, Hussein Dey hit the consul with his fan. King Charles X used this as an excuse to break diplomatic relations and to start a full-scale invasion of the Algerian Regency on 14 June 1830: Algiers capitulated to the French on 5 July 1830 and Hussein Dey went into exile to Naples. The Regency was subsequently dismantled and its territory directly annexed to the Kingdom of France.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Charles X was overthrown a few weeks later by the July Revolution; however, the new monarch Louis Philippe I chose to continue the efforts of colonization of Algeria.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Each "beylik" was divided into " outan" (counties) with at their head the "caïds" directly under the bey. To administer the interior of the country, the administration relied on the tribes called "makhzen". These tribes were responsible for securing order and collecting taxes on the tributary regions of the country. It was through this system that, for three centuries, the State of Algiers extended its authority over the north of Algeria. However, society was still divided into tribes and dominated by maraboutic brotherhoods or local "djouads" (nobles). Several regions of the country thus only lightly recognised the authority of Algiers. Throughout its history, they formed numerous revolts, confederations, tribal fiefs or sultanates that fought with the regency for control. Before 1830, out of the 516 political units, a total of 200 principalities or tribes were considered independent because they controlled over 60% of the territory in Algeria and refused to pay taxes to Algiers.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The Divan of Algiers was started in the 16th century by the Odjak. It was seated in the Jenina Palace. This assembly, initially led by a Janissary Agha would soon go from a way to administer the Odjack to a central part of the country's administration. This change started in the 17th century, and the Diwan became an important part of the state, albeit it was still dominated by the Janissaries. Around 1628 the Divan was expanded to include 2 subdivisions. One called the private (Janissary) Divan ("diwan khass"), and the Public, or Grand Diwan ("diwan âm"). The latter was composed of Hanafi scholars and preachers, the raïs, and native notables. It numbered between 800 and 1500 people, but it was still less important than the Private Divan used by the Janissaries. During the period when Algiers was ruled by Aghas, the leader of the Divan was also the leader of the country. The Agha called himself the Hakem. In the 18th century, following the coup of Baba Ali Chaouche, the Divan was reformed. The grand divan was now the dominant one, and it was the main body of the government which elected the leader of the country, the Dey-Pacha. This new reformed Divan was composed of:


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The Janissary Divan remained completely under the control of the Turkish Janissary commanders, albeit it lost all authority other than decisions in the affairs of Janissaries.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: This Divan normally met once a week, albeit this wasn't always true, since if the Dey felt powerful enough he could simply stop the Divan's functions. At the beginning of their mandate, the deys consulted the divan on all important questions.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: However, as the Deys became stronger, the Divan became weaker. By the 19th century, the Divan was mostly ignored, especially the private Janissary Divan. The dey's council, (also called Divan by the British) became more and more powerful. Dey Ali Khodja weakened the Janissary Divan to the point where they held no power. This angered the Turkish Janissaries, who launched a coup against the Dey. The coup failed, since the Dey successfully raised an army of Kabyle Zwawa cavalry, Arab infantry and Kouloughli troops. Many of the Turkish Janissaries were executed, while the rest fled. The Janissary Divan was abolished, and the Grand Divan was moved to the citadel of the Casbah.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The Dey, along with the Diwan, also relied and appointed 5 ministers to govern Algiers. These were the:


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The levy militia composed from Arab-Berber warriors numbered in the tens of thousands, being overwhelmingly the largest part of the Algerian army. They were called upon from loyal tribes and clans, usually Makhzen ones. They numbered up to 50,000 in the Beylik of Oran alone. The troops were armed with muskets, usually moukahlas, and swords, usually either Nimchas or Flyssas, both of which were traditional local swords. The weaponry wasn't supplied by the state, and instead it was self-supplied. As nearly every peasant and tribesman owned a musket, it was expected from the soldiers to be equipped with one. As many of these tribes were traditionally warrior ones, many of these troops were trained since childhood, and thus were relatively effective especially in swordsmanship, albeit they were hampered by their weak organization, and by the 19th century their muskets became outdated.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The Odjak of Algiers was a faction in the country which encompassed all janissaries. They often also controlled the country, for example during the period of Aghas from 1659 to 1671. They usually formed the main part of the army as one of the only regular unit they possessed.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The Odjak was initially mainly composed of foreigners as local tribes were deemed unreliable and their allegiance would often shift. Thus Janissaries were used to patrol rural tribal areas, and to garrison smaller forts in important locations and settlements (bordjs).


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: With the emancipation of Algiers from direct Ottoman control, and the worsening of relations with the Ottoman porte, the Odjak of Algiers became much less prominent. From there on, they only numbered in the thousands. A lot of the Janissaries, possibly the majority at some point albeit it is not clear, were recruited among Kouloughlis (mixed Algerian-Turks). Despite the fact that previously all locals were barred from joining the Odjak, Arabs, Berbers, and Moors were allowed to join it after 1710, as a way to replenish the unit. In 1803, 1 in 17 troops of the Odjak were Arabs and Berbers, and by 1830 the Odjak of Algiers possessed at least 2,000 native Algerian janissaries mainly from the Zwawa tribes. According to historian Daniel Panzac about 10-15% of the Odjak was composed of native Algerians and renegades (not counting Kouloughlis). By the 1820s, even Jewish people were allowed to join the Odjak of Algiers, although this was a highly controversial choice, and denounced by several members of the Algerian society.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The exact size of the Odjak varied greatly, and they were usually divided into several hundred smaller units ("ortas"). These units were mostly stationed in Algiers, Constantine, Mascara, Medea etc. although usually every town with a few thousand inhabitants had at least 1 orta stationed in it. Unlike the noubachis, regular units, and tribal levy, the Odjak had their own system of leadership, and they operated freely from the Beys and Deys.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Not much is known about the Spahis of Algiers, other than the fact that they were a regular standing unit, and were mainly composed of locals (although there were Turks amongst them). They differed greatly from the traditional Ottoman Sipahis, in both military equipment, and organization, and hardly had anything in common with them other than their names, and both being cavalry units. The Dey also periodically possessed several thousand spahis in his service acting as a personal guard. Other than the Dey's guard, Spahis were not recruited or stationed in Algiers, instead being usually recruited by the Beys. They were usually more organized than the irregular tribal cavalry, although far less numerous.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Algiers hardly possessed units based on Napoleonic or post-Napoleonic warfare, and many of their units, including the Odjak of Algiers were organized on outdated 17th and 18th century Ottoman standards. The only two main units which existed as Modern-style units were the small Zwawa guard established by Ali Khodja Dey in 1817 to counter-balance the influence of the Odjak, and the small army of Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Chérif, the last Bey of Constantine, who organized his army on the lines of Muhammad Ali's Egyptian Army. Ahmed Bey's army was composed of 2,000 infantry, and 1,500 cavalry. His entire army was composed of native Algerians, and he also built a complex system of manufactories to support the army and invited several foreigners to train technicians and other specialists.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: In 1625, Algiers' pirate fleet numbered 100 ships and employed 8,000 to 10,000 men. The piracy "industry" accounted for 25 percent of the workforce of the city, not counting other activities related directly to the port. The fleet averaged 25 ships in the 1680s, but these were larger vessels than had been used the 1620s, thus the fleet still employed some 7,000 men.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: These troops were headed by the Beys, and a Khalifa (general) appointed by them. The supreme commander of the army was the Agha al-Mahalla Levying these troops was the job of the Bey. The Odjak was headed by an Agha elected by the Odjak itself. When Algiers came under attack, the Beyliks would send their troops to help the besieged city, such as in 1775 during the Spanish Invasion of Algiers. As the Beys were regional commanders, they also fought the wars in their own region, occasionally reinforced by troops from the Dar as-Soltan army. For example, in 1792, during the reconquest of Oran the Bey of Oran, Mohamed el-Kébir (Bey of Oran) was the one to besiege the city using the army of the Beylik of the West, numbering up to 50,0000 with some additional reinforcements from Algiers. During the Algerian-Tunisian war of 1807 the Eastern army fought the war against the Tunisian armies. Its composition was 25,000 levy warriors from Constantine, and 5,000 reinforcements from Algiers. Sub-commanders usually included powerful tribal Sheiks, djouads, or caids.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The command structure of the Odjak relied on several tiers of military commanders. Initially based on basic Janissary structures, after the 17th century it was slightly changed to better fit the local warfare styles and politics. The main ranks of the Odjak were:


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Initially using various forms of Ottoman and old Zayyanid and Hafsid coins such as the Mangır (a sub-unit of the Akçe), Algiers soon developed its own monetary system, minting its own coins in the Casbah of Algiers and Tlemcen. The "central bank" of the state was located in the capital, and was known locally as the ""Dâr al-Sikka"".


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The agricultural production of the country was mediocre, although fallowing and crop rotation were the most common way of production, techniques and tools were obsolete by the 18th and 19th century. Agricultural products were varied: wheat, corn, cotton, rice, tobacco, watermelon and vegetables were the most commonly grown things. In and around towns grapes and pomegranates were cultivated. In mountainous areas of the country, fruit trees, figs and olive trees were grown. The main agricultural export of the country was wheat.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Milk was not often consumed and did not form a major part of the Algerian cuisine. The price of meat was low in Algeria before 1830, and many tribes brought in large amounts of income solely through the sale of cattle leather, although after the collapse of the Deylik and the arrival of the French the demand for cattle meat rapidly increased. Wool and lamb meat were also produced in very high numbers.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The majority of the western population south of the Tell Atlas and the people of the Sahara were pastoralists whose main produce was wool which was sometimes exported to be sold on the markets of the north, while the population in the north and east were settled in villages and did agriculture. The state and urban notables (mainly Arabs, Berbers, and Kouloughlis) owned lands near the main towns of the country which were cultivated by tenant farmers under the ""khammas"" system.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Manufacturing was poorly developed and restricted to shipyards, but craftsmanship was rich and was present throughout the country. Cities were the seat of great craft and commercial activity. The urban people were mostly artisans and merchants, notably in Nedroma, Tlemcen, Oran, Mostaganem, Kalaa, Dellys, Blida, Médéa, Collo, M'Sila, Mila and Constantine. The most common forms of craftmanship were weaving, woodturning, dyeing and production of ropes, and various tools. In Algiers, a very large number of trades were practiced, and the city was home to many establishments: foundries, shipyards, various workshops, shops, and stalls. Tlemcen had more than 500 looms in it. Even in the small towns where the link with the rural world remained important, there were many craftsmen.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Despite this, Algerian products were severely outcompeted by European products especially after the start of the industrial revolution in the 1760s.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: In the 1820s modern industry was first introduced by Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Chérif who built and opened large numbers of manufactories in the east of the country mainly focused around military production.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The road system throughout Algeria was poorly developed, and often used neglected Roman roads. Generally transport and trade happened on the back of mules, donkeys, and camels. Rural roads controlled by autonomous Makhzen sheikhs were often unpredictable and sometimes dangerous thanks to bandits, although a few main roads often based on old roman ones were regularly policed and protected by authorities, such as the main road passing along the coast all the way to Tunis, and another one passing through the main cities of the inland regions.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Algiers possessed its own, very well developed sewage system based on ones found in Constantinople and Iberia.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Internal trade was extremely important, especially thanks to the Makhzen system, and large amounts of products needed in cities such as wool were imported from inner tribes of the country, and needed products were exported city to city. Foreign trade was mainly conducted through the Mediterranean Sea and land exports to other neighbouring countries such as Tunisia and Morocco. When it came to land trade (both internal and external) transport was mainly done on the backs of animals, but carts were also used. The roads were suitable for vehicles, and many posts held by the Odjak and the Makhzen tribes provided security. In addition, caravanserais (known locally as fonduk) allowed travelers to rest.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Although control over the sahara was often loose, Algiers's economic ties with the sahara were very important, and Algiers and other Algerian cities were one of the main destinations of the Trans-Saharan slave trade.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: In between 1518 and 1671, the rulers of the Regency were chosen by the Ottoman sultan. During the first few decades, Algiers was completely aligned with the Ottoman Empire, although it later gained a certain level of autonomy as it was the westernmost province of the Ottoman Empire, and administering it directly would have been problematic.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: During this period a form of Dual leadership was in place, with the Aghas, after 1671 Deys, sharing power and influence with a Pasha appointed by the Ottoman sultan from Constantinople. After 1671, the Deys became the main leaders of the country, although the Pashas still retained some power.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Some sources describe it as completely independent from the Ottomans, albeit the state was still nominally part of the Ottoman Empire.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Despite the Ottomans having no influence in Algiers, and the Algerians completely ignoring orders from the Ottoman Sultan, such as in 1784. In some cases Algiers also participated in the Ottoman Empire's wars, such as the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792), albeit this was not common, and in 1798 for example Algiers sold wheat to the French Empire campaigning in Egypt against the Ottomans through two Jewish traders.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: In some cases, Algiers was declared to be a country rebelling against the holy law of Islam by the Ottoman Caliph. This usually meant a declaration of war by the Ottomans against the Deylik of Algiers. This could happen due to many reasons. For example, under the rule of Haji Ali Dey, Algerian pirates regularly attacked Ottoman shipments, and Algiers waged war against the Beylik of Tunis, despite several protests by the Ottoman Porte, which resulted in a declaration of war.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: It can be thus said that the relationship between the Ottoman Empire and Algiers mainly depended on what the Dey at the time wanted. While in some cases, if the relationship between the two was favorable, Algiers did participate in Ottoman wars, Algiers otherwise remained completely autonomous from the rest of the Empire similar to the other Barbary States.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Several hospitals were present throughout the bigger cities in Algeria, especially Algiers. There existed hospitals in Algeria before the establishment of the Regency, and the first hospital built by the authorities of Algiers was built by Hassan Veneziano in the 1570s to treat military personnel. Just before the French invasion, the city of Algiers itself housed two Military hospitals one known as the "Hospital of the Dey" capable of housing 2,000 sick, and another called the "Mustapha hospital" capable of housing 800. When under Algerian rule from 1708 to 1732, several hospitals were built in Oran by Mustapha Bouchelaghem Bey. Cities known to have hospitals were Algiers, Oran, Constantine, Tlemcen, Médéa, Béjaïa, and many more.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The Algerian administration donated under charities to existing small infirmaries and hospices. it designated several lands in cities under the law of Waqf (known as hubous locally), for use of public baths, water fountains, schools and hospices and asylums for the sick and vulnerable, along with sometimes distributing corsair loot to such establishments. Many infirmaries, hospitals and hospices were directly tied to mosques under waqf designation, operating next to them, or sometimes inside of them. There also existed some charitable hospices maintained directly by the state made for taking care of the poor and infirm, the largest of which was the Sidi Ouali Dada hospice in Algiers, which was directly tied to the Sidi Ouali Dada mosque.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: There existed a Christian hospital operated by the Lazarist society used to treat Christians in Algeria and European diplomats, along with a small hospital financed by the Kings of Spain and Portugal and operated by priests for treating, taking care of, and burying Christian slaves. The authorities of Algiers allowed this institution to exist for a sum of $40,000/year (approximately $1,270,800 in modern-day dollars adjusted for inflation), although they personally never invested into the building of edifices made for taking care of Christians. Algiers was not the only city possessing hospitals for taking care of Christians, both free and enslaved. The city of Tlemcen possessed 12 hospitals in total, 4 of which were "Moor" hospitals (some of which were built by the Zayyanid dynasty) made for taking care of the urban Muslim population, 2 of which were Christian hospitals maintained by the Venetians and the Republic of Genoa, and 6 of which were smaller hospitals for "foreigners" (such as merchants, local tribesmen, etc.) and Jews.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Education in Algeria was done mainly through small primary schools focused on teaching reading, writing, religious basics and other such skills, while in rural areas especially, most of education was done by local Imams, zawiyas, marabouts, and elders. Secondary and tertiary education could be pursued in various madrasas located mainly in bigger cities of the country, often maintained through waqf and Islamic donations from the central government. The levels of these madrasas varied, and the biggest madrasas functioned as both places of secondary and tertiary learning. Algiers alone had several madrasas, zawiyas, and midrashims (Jewish schools), and also having very famous bookstores "warraqates" located throughout the city. The state of these madrasas depended mainly on the stance of the local authorities at the time. Initially, western Algeria, especially the city of Tlemcen was the main center of learning in the country, but thanks to negligence, these schools and universities declined with some, mainly Abu Hammu II's madrasa falling into complete ruin. The decline was only stopped when Mohammed el Kebir, Bey of Oran made a significant investment into the complete renovation and rebuilding of several places of education throughout the region, although many of these centuries old madrasas, such as the Tashfiniya Madrasa fell into ruin and neglect under French rule, and many were demolished by the French. Most major mosques of the country also possessed Quranic schools in them.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: The total population of the Regency of Algiers is a highly debated subject. The best estimates put it between 3,000,000 and 5,000,0000, although Algerian dignitary Hamdan Khodja estimated the total population of Algeria to be about 10,000,000 before the French invasion in his book written in 1833. In 1830, there were about 10,000 'Turks' (including people from Kurdish, Greek and Albanian ancestry) and 5,000 Kouloughli civilians (from the Turkish "kul oğlu", "son of slaves (Janissaries)", i.e. creole of Turks and local women). By 1830, more than 17,000 Jews were living in the Regency.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: During this period Algiers developed into a major town and witnessed regular architectural patronage, and as such most of the major monuments from this period are concentrated there. By contrast, the city of Tlemcen, the former major capital of the region, went into relative decline and saw far less architectural activity. Mosque architecture in Algiers during this period demonstrates the convergence of multiple influences as well as peculiarities that may be attributed to the innovations of local architects. Domes of Ottoman influence were introduced into the design of mosques, but minarets generally continued to be built with square shafts instead of round or octagonal ones, thus retaining local tradition, unlike contemporary architecture in Ottoman Tunisia and other Ottoman provinces, where the "pencil"-shaped minaret was a symbol of Ottoman sovereignty. The oldest surviving mosque from this era is the Ali Bitchin (or 'Ali Bitshin) Mosque in Algiers, commissioned by Ali Bitchin in 1622. The most significant mosque of this era is the New Mosque ("Djamaa el-Djedid") in Algiers, built in 1660–1661 by al-Hajj Habib, which became one of the most important Hanafi mosques in the city.


title: Ottoman Algeria

text: Algiers was protected by a wall about long with five gates. A citadel, the "qasba" (origin of the name "Casbah"), occupied the highest point of the town. By the end of the 18th century the city had over 120 mosques, including over a dozen congregational mosques. The lower part of the city, near the shore, was the center of the Ottoman and Regency administration, containing the most important markets, mosques, wealthy residences, Janissary barracks, government buildings (like the mint), and palaces. The residential palace of the ruler in Algiers, the Janina or Jenina ('Little Garden'), was situated at the center of a larger palatial complex known as the Dar al-Sultan in the lower part of the city. This complex served as the ruling palace until 1816, when the Dey moved to the "qasba" following a British bombardment of the city that year. The only example of architecture from the Dar al-Sultan complex that is still preserved today is the Dar 'Aziza Bint al-Bey, believed to have been built in the 16th century.


title: The Air That I Breathe

text: "The Air That I Breathe" is a ballad written by British-Gibraltarian singer-songwriter Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, initially recorded by Hammond on his debut album, "It Never Rains in Southern California" (1972). It was a major hit for the Hollies in early 1974, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart.


title: The Air That I Breathe

text: "The Air That I Breathe" was a major hit for the Hollies in early 1974, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart. In mid 1974, it reached number six in the United States on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and number three on the Adult Contemporary chart. In Canada, the song peaked at number five on the "RPM" magazine charts. The audio engineering for "The Air That I Breathe" was done by Alan Parsons. In an interview, Parsons mentioned that Eric Clapton said the first note of "The Air That I Breathe" had more soul than anything he had ever heard.


title: The Air That I Breathe

text: This version of the song featured a string orchestra arrangement, which also featured a horn section.


title: The Air That I Breathe

text: The 1992 Radiohead song "Creep" uses a similar chord progression and shares some melodic content with the 1972 version of "The Air That I Breathe". As a result, the song's publisher sued Radiohead for copyright infringement and a settlement was reached in which Hammond and Hazlewood were given co-writing credits and a portion of the royalties.


title: The Air That I Breathe

text: British soul and pop band Simply Red released a cover of "The Air That I Breathe" on their sixth album, "Blue" (1998). It peaked at number five in Scotland, number six in the UK and number 17 in Austria. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number 35. A music video was also produced to promote the single.


title: The Air That I Breathe

text: Gene Armstrong from "Arizona Daily Star" described the Simply Red version as "a sexy version". Larry Flick from "Billboard" wrote, "Mick Hucknall and pals preview the new album "Blue" with an inspired, groove-laden interpretation of the Hollies pop evergreen. Hucknall brings his signature soul to the track, vamping with glee while the band pumps a mild, jeep-styled beat that is hard enough for R&B listeners but soft enough to tickle the fancy of AC and triple-A radio listeners." He added, "Popsters will soon be treated to a bevy of remixes by Sean "Puffy" Combs and Stevie J., which should make top 40 punters quickly sit up and take notice." A reviewer from "Daily Record" commented, "You'll be looking for a breath of fresh air after hearing Mick Hucknall's middle-of-the-road reworking of this song which was originally a hit for The Hollies. The band desperately need a dose of originality."


title: Steve Mac

text: Steve McCutcheon (born 15 January 1972), known professionally as Steve Mac, is a British record producer, songwriter and musician. A multi-award-winning producer, he is one of the most prolific songwriters and record producers in modern British music, with contributions to 30 number one singles in the UK Singles Chart.


title: Steve Mac

text: Mac got his break in the music industry in the early 1990s when he wrote and produced the Nomad hit "(I Wanna Give You) Devotion", that reached no.2 in the UK Singles Chart. In 1992, he became part of dance group Undercover, who had several European hit singles, including "Baker Street" and "Never Let Her Slip Away".


title: Steve Mac

text: He then met songwriter Wayne Hector, with the pair striking up a partnership that has seen them co-write and produce a range of chart songs.


title: Steve Mac

text: Mac has gone on to work with some of the most recognised names in the music industry. He has written, co-written and produced hits for musicians including Ed Sheeran, Melanie C, Pink, Westlife, Little Mix, and many other UK and international singers.


title: Steve Mac

text: From his Rokstone Studios in London, the artists he has written and produced for have racked up over 200 million sales worldwide during his career. As well as a string of no.1 UK and international hits, Mac has also penned top 10 singles for artists such as Calvin Harris, Demi Lovato, One Direction, The Saturdays, Leona Lewis, and Rita Ora, among others.


title: Steve Mac

text: The producer has had a long-standing collaboration with Irish boyband, Westlife, dating back to the late 1990s. This artistic partnership resulted in him co-writing and producing four no.1 UK singles for the band. He has co-produced another five no.1 hits and produced three top five singles. Mac also co-wrote and produced the band's 2000 hit Christmas single, "What Makes a Man" reaching no.2 in the UK singles chart.


title: Steve Mac

text: Mac won the first of his two Brit Awards in 2010 for co-writing and producing the no.1 single "Beat Again" for British pop/R&B band, JLS.


title: Steve Mac

text: In 2012, the producer worked with a host of artists including Little Mix, The Wanted, The Saturdays, Susan Boyle, Il Divo, Boyzone, and Gareth Gates.


title: Steve Mac

text: Mac was recognised in 2012, and then again in 2013 by picking up the ASCAP Song of the Year Award. The awards were in recognition of co-writing and producing the hits "Glad You Came" for The Wanted, and "You Make Me Feel..." by Cobra Starship, respectively.


title: Steve Mac

text: Between 2013 and 2015, Mac worked with several musicians include James Blunt, John Newman, Union J, Calvin Harris, The Vamps, and Demi Lovato. He made several contributions to both James Blunt's Moon Landing album that reached no.2 in the UK album chart and The Vamps’ Wake Up album that was a top 10 hit.


title: Steve Mac

text: Mac scored another number one hit in 2016 with "Rockabye" by Clean Bandit featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie. The song reached the top of the UK singles chart, staying there for nine consecutive weeks. The single also won in the EDM Winning Songs category alongside his other co-produced track for Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson, "Symphony".


title: Steve Mac

text: In 2017, Mac picked up the Songwriter of the Year and Producer of the Year at the Music Business Worldwide A&R Awards and the ASCAP Founders Award for "his pioneering contribution to music, global success and a 27 year body of work".


title: Steve Mac

text: The same year, Mac co-wrote Ed Sheeran's No. 1 single "Shape of You" with Sheeran and Johnny McDaid. The song broke chart history, spending 14 weeks at the top of the UK chart, and remaining in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the US for 33 weeks. It also claimed the unique achievement of being the most-streamed song of all time on Spotify.


title: Steve Mac

text: He also received another Grammy nomination for Pink's US top twenty single "What About Us", which he wrote and produced.


title: Steve Mac

text: 2018 saw the producer work with some of music's most prolific names such as Scottish group Chvrches, Years & Years, Celine Dion, Little Mix, Craig David, and Westlife.


title: Steve Mac

text: Mac won the 2018 Brit Award for British Producer of the Year. As well as the Brit Award, he also won both Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year at the Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards 2018 in LA.


title: Steve Mac

text: In another award recognising Mac's work, the multi-platinum hit "Shape of You" he co-wrote and produced for Ed Sheeran picked up both a Grammy Award and the Ivor Novello Award for PRS for Music Most Performed Work in 2017.


title: Steve Mac

text: Song of the Year – Shape of You, Ed Sheeran | Strip That Down, Liam Payne ft. Quavo | Rockabye, Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul | What About Us, P!nk


title: Rewrite the Stars

text: "Rewrite the Stars" is a song performed by Zac Efron and Zendaya for the film "The Greatest Showman" (2017). It was released on November 17, 2017 by Atlantic Records as a promotional single from "". In Australia, "Rewrite the Stars" was released to radio on July 20, 2018. The song sees Efron's character, Phillip, serenading Zendaya's character, Anne, trying to convince her that they're meant to be together, despite their different races. Anne was treated differently because of the colour of her skin and she felt it all the time. Phillip genuinely loved her and was most oblivious of how she felt about people seeing it thinking about them being together.


title: Rewrite the Stars

text: According to sheet music published at Sheetmusicdirect.com, "Rewrite the Stars" is a moderately fast tempo of 125 beats per minute. Written in common time, the song is in the key of B major. Throughout the track, Efron's vocal range spans from the low note of E to the high note of B, and Zendaya's vocal range spans from the low note of E to the high note of E. "Rewrite the Stars" had many melodic inspirations, most notably being "Unconditionally" by Katy Perry, produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Cirkut.


title: Rewrite the Stars

text: Sam Damshenas from "GayTimes" called the song a "stunning duet" with perfectly fitting romance, and Michael Ordoña from the "Los Angeles Times" called the song "a standout duet" and "a signature karaoke duet". However, Emily Yoshida from "Vulture" described the song as a "Jason Derulo castoff circa 2012."


title: Rewrite the Stars

text: On November 16, 2018, "" was released, which features a cover of "Rewrite the Stars" by English singers James Arthur and Anne-Marie as a single. The pair performed the song on the fifteenth season of British "The X Factor" on December 1 and the fifteenth season of American "The Voice" on December 4. It was released to Australian radio, and a remix by Wideboys was released on December 14.


title: M320 Grenade Launcher Module

text: M320 Grenade Launcher Module (GLM) is the U.S. military's designation for a new single-shot 40 mm grenade launcher system to replace the M203 for the U.S. Army, while other services initially kept using the older M203. The M320 uses the same High-Low Propulsion System as the M203.


title: M320 Grenade Launcher Module

text: In 2004, the Army announced a requirement for a commercial off-the-shelf 40 mm grenade launcher. It had to be more reliable, ergonomic, accurate, and safer than the M203. It had to be able to fire all 40 mm low-velocity grenades, but be loaded from the breech to accept future longer projectiles. Heckler & Koch's submission was selected in May 2005.


title: M320 Grenade Launcher Module

text: After the U.S. Army at Picatinny Arsenal conducted a competitive bidding process for a new 40 mm grenade launching system, Heckler & Koch was awarded a contract to provide the XM320 beginning in 2006. The M320 was developed from but is not identical to the Heckler & Koch AG36 (a key distinguishing feature being the addition of a folding foregrip ahead of the trigger for use when the weapon is in stand-alone configuration, a feature the AG36 lacks). The M320 entered production in November 2008.


title: M320 Grenade Launcher Module

text: Fielding of the M320 was planned to begin in February 2009, with 71,600 GLMs planned to phase out the M203 by 2015. The weapon was officially fielded in July 2009 at Fort Bragg by the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. In June 2017, Bravo Company, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion became the first U.S. Marine Corps unit to be issued the M320. Following initial experiments, the Marines expect to issue 7,000 launchers between 2019 and 2022.


title: M320 Grenade Launcher Module

text: The M320 has three major parts: a grenade launcher with rifled barrel, Day/Night Sight (DNS) produced by Insight Technology, Inc and a hand held Laser Range Finder (LRF). Some of the benefits are:


title: M320 Grenade Launcher Module

text: The M320 is based on the earlier Heckler & Koch AG-C, but with some Army-specific modifications. It includes a folding foregrip and shorter barrel for a more compact package. The sights had to be reconfigured to shoot accurately with the slightly different ballistics from the shorter barrel length. The system was supposed to be lighter than the M203 (it is actually slightly heavier) and does not require specific mounting hardware. Breech loading allows the grenadier to load a shell while keeping the sight on target. It weighs in its base configuration, with the LRF and electronic sight, and with the stock attached. The sights on the M320 are located to the side of the launcher, avoiding the problems that the M203 had with its sight design, which were mounted on top of the launcher and could interfere with the rifle's sights, so they had to be attached separately. This meant two separate operations had to be performed when adding the grenade launcher to the weapon, and since the sights were not integral to the M203, they had to be re-zeroed every time the launcher was reattached to the rifle. The LRF helps eliminate range estimation errors common in shots greater than 100 meters, thus increasing first round hit probability.


title: M320 Grenade Launcher Module

text: The M320 can fire all NATO high-explosive, smoke, and illumination grenades. Its breech opens to the side, allowing it to fire a variety of newer rounds which are longer, in particular certain non-lethal rounds, such as Federal Laboratories' "exact impact" (brand name) non-lethal sponge batons or sponge grenades. The M320 operates in double-action mode, with an ambidextrous safety. In case of misfire, the M320 operator merely has to pull the trigger again. The M203 used a single-action mode, which cocks the weapon as the barrel is opened. The M203 operator has to open the barrel by unlocking it and pushing forward to cock the weapon and then re-close the barrel, then pull the trigger again. The problem with this is that in opening the barrel, the grenade is designed to eject and the operator must ensure that it does not fall to the ground.


title: M320 Grenade Launcher Module

text: The M320 is one of two 40 mm grenade launchers capable of firing Pike Missile (developed by Raytheon) without modification—the other being the FN EGLM (Enhanced Grenade Launching Module) developed for the FN SCAR.


title: Creamline Cool Smashers

text: The Creamline Cool Smashers is a professional women's volleyball team playing in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL). The team is owned by the Republic Biscuit Corporation and named after its Creamline Dairy brand.


title: Creamline Cool Smashers

text: In August 2022, the initial roster of the Philippines women's national volleyball team consists mainly of NU Lady Bulldogs was released by the PNVF after NU begs off to join the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference. As the result, the Champion or the best performing local team in the Invitational Conference will represent the Philippine national team. The eventual champions, the Creamline Cool Smashers accepted the federation's invite to represent the country.


title: Creamline Cool Smashers

text: On August 17, 2022, the PNVF announces the official lineup for the 2022 Asian Women's Volleyball Cup. Only 14 players were allowed to play, Rizza Jane Mandapat and Lorielyn Bernardo were originally not part of the Philippine team in the AVC Cup but a few days before the game, Coach Sherwin Meneses confirmed that Alyssa Valdez would not play for the tournament due to dengue and Rizza Jane Mandapat will replace her. Lorielyn Bernardo became the replacement of Risa Sato due to Sato's health reasons.


title: Creamline Cool Smashers

text: After the recently held AVC Cup, the squad is tasked to join the 2022 ASEAN Grand Prix. This time, Sato will join the team, meanwhile Valdez will join the trip but she is still not part of the lineup due to its recovery from dengue.


title: Creamline Cool Smashers

text: The following persons were assigned by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation as part of the coaching staff.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: "Power" (often stylized as "POWER") is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, released as the lead single from his fifth studio album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" (2010). The song features additional vocals by soul singer Dwele and is co-produced by West and Symbolyc One. It is built around samples of "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson, "Afromerica" by Continent Number 6, and "It's Your Thing" by Cold Grits. After having recorded it in Hawaii, West reported that 5,000 man-hours were spent developing "Power". In its lyrics, West comments about the United States, his mental health and his critics. Its chorus features an abrasive vocal-riff.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: "Power" was West's comeback single following his 2008 album "808s & Heartbreak" and his controversial incident with Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. The song received acclaim from music critics and was listed among the best tracks of 2010 by several publications, including "Time", Pitchfork Media, "Spin", and "Rolling Stone". Critics described it as a return to form for West, praising its intricate production, lyrical merit, and scope. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 53rd Grammy Awards.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: The song debuted on the "Billboard" Hot 100 at position 22 and thereafter declined. The track was promoted by a music video, which was directed by Marco Brambilla. The video features a long take of the camera pulling away from West. The video received positive reviews from critics and received two nominations for MTV Video Music Awards. West performed the song on "Saturday Night Live", at the 2010 BET Awards, at the 2011 Coachella Music Festival, and his Watch the Throne Tour. A remix of the track featuring Jay-Z was released on August 20, 2010, as a part of West's weekly GOOD Fridays series.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: 2009 was a troubled year for Kanye West, who had faced various controversies, including the divisive nature of his previous album, "808s & Heartbreak" and his interruption of country singer-songwriter Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards during her acceptance speech. West explained that the motivation of some of his questionable decisions stemmed from over-work. The ensuing media controversy caused West to exile himself to Oahu, Hawaii and record his fifth studio album mostly in a reclusive nature, shying away from collaborating with artists he wasn't personally close to. While composing the album, West assembled a large staff of established producers including Pete Rock, the RZA and Q-Tip, with West handling portions of the production himself.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: Despite having several well-known producers on his recording team, the majority of the production featured on "Power" was done by the lesser-known Symbolyc One. The song was primarily produced by him and was initially intended to be given to rapper Rhymefest, until West listened to the song and expressed interest in using the beat himself. According to Symbolyc One, West was an admirer of the composition, and asked him to fly down to Hawaii, where he discovered that West had already recorded some of his version of the song. A month later, the producer was asked to return to Hawaii and discovered that the beat had been further modified by West, who added "polish" to the track. Symbolyc One expressed surprise that West was so interested in using the beat, since the song features drums reminiscent of a song from West's "Late Registration" entitled "Crack Music". S1 would later state that tons of verses didn't make the final cut, as well as there being 8 or 9 different versions of the song itself.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: In an outtake from the 2012 documentary "" directed by rapper Ice-T, West mused that he had never actually written down his lyrics before, and that "Power" represented a turning point in his songwriting process:


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: “I didn't write my raps down for my first four albums—like at all, I did it from the head straight to the booth. But on this last album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", I wrote it. I really put myself in the zone that my life was dependent on the success of this album. With that being the case, I said, ‘You know what? No matter what anybody says about me, they won’t—I can write something that can make someone that hates me the most have to really respect or love the song.’ So even a song like ‘Power,’ I spent 5,000 hours writing it, and it’s really the psychology behind the lyrics; it’s not just blatantly, ‘I’ve got all the power’—‘No one man should have all that power.’ It’s worded it in a really sensitive way that opens it up for everyone. Even if I use first person and say ‘I, I, I,’ it’s always for everyone."


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: West also declared influence from his previous singles "Stronger" and "Good Life" from his third album "Graduation" stating that the track was meant to be inspirational for the listener. According to West, he wanted his music to be appealing in an economy facing a recession. On June 30, 2010, the single was released on iTunes for digital download. The cover art work for "Power" was produced by American visual artist George Condo, who also designed the artwork for "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". The artwork depicts a decapitated bleeding head wearing a crown, pierced with a sword through it. The single had two other alternate cover designs, both produced by Condo. A second one was released featuring a depiction of West with a gaping, demented mouth. In a January 2020 interview with "GQ", West claimed that "Power" was his weakest first single to ever be released because he "felt like it was bowing to the expectations." West explained, viewing the track as "the ultimate Kanye West song" but claiming that it was a mix of his previous works, rather that one of his "songs that people never heard before."


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: "Power" marked a stylistic return to hip hop for West after the sparse electro of "808s & Heartbreak". It has been described as surreal, frightening, dark, and strange in nature. The production of "Power" centers on samples of "21st Century Schizoid Man" by English progressive rock band King Crimson, "Afromerica" by French disco act Continent Number 6, and "It's Your Thing" by American funk band Cold Grits. The song's production is reinforced with a vocal harmony provided by Dwele, with a line delivery mostly inspired by braggadocio rapping methods. The song has been described as dark thematically and was called "apocalyptic." According to Alex Denney of "NME", the track is the first moment of catharsis on "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", stating that the track made use of "tribal fanfare and supercharged lyrics." He mused that lines like “I guess every superhero need his theme music” appear to be West's imagining of a warm welcome to heaven. Pitchfork Media's Ryan Dombal described West's delivery as urgent, summarizing the production;


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: "More than ever, though, "Power" has Kanye internalizing his multiple minds and coming to an ecstatic peace with them. "Power" is not a bitchfest. It's an exaltation. All of his various guises-- King of the Assholes, drama queen, Red Bull'd 12-year-old, Next Chappelle, strangely relatable Megaman-- are mashed up in this proudly schizoid roll call. Every sound is ready for the arena, and every couplet is ready for the 140 character treatment, including this one: "I don't need yo pussy, bitch, I'm on my own dick/ I ain't gotta power trip, who you goin' home with?" He knows the answer, and so do we."


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: The song takes several influences from previous projects by West and was called a summation of his prior styles. The song takes cues from the militant chants of West's song "Jesus Walks" from his first album "The College Dropout", the drum-style of "Crack Music" from West's "Late Registration", the inspirational aspect of "Stronger" from "Graduation" and the atmospheric piano and strings featured on "808s & Heartbreak". The chorus is "simultaneously boastful, condemning, and anxious," and anthemic in nature, featuring a wordless vocal chant. West utilizes a military-inspired, "take-no-prisoner" approach on the song, purposely failing to be apologetic, even going as far as mocking some of his critics. Other topics discussed on the song include social commentary on the state of the United States, and his thoughts on race issues.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: The lyrics of the song have been cited as "classic Kanye," featuring many of the traits that have been exhibited in his lyricism in the past. Themes that have defined much of his work, such as egotism, cultural criticism, and personal issues, are featured prominently in the song. West self-described the song as "superhero theme music," with the track darting back from being depressing and bombastic in nature, with the sample occasionally cutting through the song in an abrasive manner. The track seemingly culminates with the suicide of its main character, ending with a menacing laugh provided by West. During an interview with New York radio station Power 105.1, West said he spent thousands of hours working on this carefully crafted song. "A song like 'Power' took 5,000 hours, like literally 5,000 man-hours to do this one record."


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: "Power" received rave reviews from music critics upon release, many calling it West's best single in years. Jon Dolan of "Rolling Stone" gave a positive review to the song, describing it as West's best single since "Stronger", writing that West "rides a torrid whipsaw beat, as he takes on his spelunking media image, pinballing from self-aware ('I'm an asshole') to defiant ('Kiss my asshole'). The sentiment is classic Kanye, but he hasn't melted down this brilliantly in a long time." Jason Lipshutz from "Billboard" praised the song, saying, "with its stunning mix of rock-leaning production, memorable rhymes and unadulterated attitude, new single 'Power' is a pissed-off shot of adrenaline that plays upon all of the controversial rapper's strengths. Rhyming over a soulful vocal harmony and an abrasive sample of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man," West dismisses his doubters, takes a shot at "Saturday Night Live" and shrugs off his recent hiatus from hip-hop." Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork Media dubbed the track 'Best New Music' in June 2010, and viewed it as an adequate response to West's self-imposed exile and public scrutiny.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: Talking about the album version of the song, David Amidon of "PopMatters" praised the new minor additions featured in the production, musing "from mere sonic details to a litany of background histrionics on guitar that play off of West's delivery throughout," and compared the production favorably to "Late Registration". HipHopDX writer Jake Paine felt that one of the best moments of the album occurred early on, during "Power" and that track will likely be the most remembered song "in lyrical circles." Nathan Rabin of "The A.V. Club" called the track a terrific single, declaring that it "soars to adrenaline-fueled heights on the strength of urgent, stomping percussion-driven, serpentine electric guitar, and a show-stopping sample of King Crimson’s "21st Century Schizoid Man", stating that the song best showcases West's vision on the album. BBC's Stephen Kelly called the song "brilliantly pompous."


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: "Chicago Tribune" writer Greg Kot called the song exhilarating in nature, with a furious, layered, percussion beat, praising the song's narrative about a man who "lost in translation with a whole... nation." MT Richards of "Slant Magazine" stated that "Power" sounded nothing like any hip-hop song of recent memory, going as far as saying that the single signified that West was in a "league of his own." Richards largely praised, the song, musing that the "misanthropic 'Power' will surely alienate those longing for another sunny hit like "Hey Mama". At last, West has emerged steely-eyed, bold, and out of his mind." AbsolutePunk's Drew Beringer stated that the track was a classic West song, with the track featuring a "brilliant sample of King Crimson" and infectious hand claps.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: The song was also well received by former King Crimson member Greg Lake, the original lead vocalist and bassist on "21st Century Schizoid Man." When asked for his own stance on sampling during an interview with O2 Academy, Lake gave a positive response. He stated, "What I was pleased with was, is the relevance of '21st Century Schizoid Man' today. You know, it still sounds current. It still sounds relevant. That’s really gratifying after all of these years. I mean, that record is what—40, 50 years old? I don’t know, but very old. Old like me! But it’s lovely to hear a really contemporary artist doing it." In an interview with "Rolling Stone", Lake further commented, "In a way, that song still sounds modern to me. I think when you hear Kanye West do it, or include it in his own song, it's relevant. He's speaking about that crazy world that we live in. It's as true now as it was then. It's an honor when something like that happens." Due in part to West's usage, "21st Century Schizoid Man" has since become a favorite of Lake, who became known for opening each of his one-man shows by performing the song during his 2012 Songs of a Lifetime theatre tour. Lake went into detail regarding a typical performance of "21st Century Schizoid Man" at his concerts:


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: "It starts with the lights going out and everything is black. The first thing you hear is the Kanye West piece. When the hook comes on, "21st Century Schizoid Man," the spotlight comes on and there's no one on the stage. Then the track carries, but the second time the hook comes, it's me, and me singing it. And I open up with "Schizoid Man." It's a great shocker, but it's a statement too. It's enabled me to link the past with the present."


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: Pitchfork Media named the song the sixth best song of 2010, with the staff writing "it's all of "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy's" pathology and genius in digest form, the vicarious, timeless thrill of hearing a crazy talented person act crazy and talented." "Rolling Stone" placed the song at position 40 amongst their 50 best tracks of the year. The song was on an unordered list of the 20 best songs of the year by "Spin", with critic Charles Aaron musing that "as if he's inciting an Afro-futurist convocation, Kanye creates the theme music for his spectacularly ambivalent "superhero" alter ego." MTV News declared the track the third best of the year, citing it as a definitive single from the album. "Time" listed the song third in its list of the 10 best songs of the year. "Complex" magazine listed it as the sixth best of the year, commenting that with "all the great music Kanye released this year, you might have forgotten just how absolutely amazing 'Power' was." In January 2011, "The Village Voice"s Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll named "Power" the fifth-best song of 2010 to find the best music of that year; West's other singles "Runaway" and "Monster" were ranked at numbers four and six, respectively. Their parent album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" was ranked the best album of 2010 on the same poll. "NME" named it the fourth best song of 2010. The song was named the third best song of 2010 by "Spectrum Culture". "Pop Matters" named it the fifth best song of 2010. "Consequence of Sound" named "Power" the best song of 2010.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: As "Power" was released before the Grammy cutoff date of August, it was the only work by West eligible for Grammy consideration that year, with the rest of the album eligible the following year. The track was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 53rd Grammy Awards, being West's only Grammy nomination that year. It lost the award to "Not Afraid" by Eminem. Though the album, and its songs, later won three Grammys at the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012. In 2019, The song was included "Billboards" "100 Songs That Defined the Decade" list, with writer Bryan Kress' summarising; "the most endearing aspect of “Power” is the hard-earned salvation of Kanye’s reputation at a pivotal juncture in his career. At the eve of a new decade with his legacy tarnished and largely unfulfilled, West rewrote the narrative, and changed the course of the music industry as a continually groundbreaking force that could not be stopped." "NME" named it the sixth best song of the 2010s decade in 2019.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: While a significant critical success, "Power" performed less well commercially. During the week entering 8 July 2010, "Power" charted on the "Billboard" Hot 100 at number 22; named as the week's "Hot Shot Debut". While the song attained a high debut, the song only remained there for one week, which was also the song's peak. Despite this fall in the charts, the song did eventually go platinum. On 4 September 2010, the single also debuted on the UK Singles Chart and UK R&B Chart at number 36 and 10 respectively, before falling to number 42 on its second week in the chart. It debuted with sales of 6,254 downloads and marked West's 6th singles chart entry in less than six years. On 18 September 2010, the single fell 38 places to number 80, marking its third week within the Top 100. Following the release of the album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", the single re-entered the chart at number 57 and as of 23 October 2010 has spent a total of five weeks within the Top 100. In 2011, the single re-entered the UK singles chart and urban chart, at number 38 and 12 respectively.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: By 2017, Official Charts Company revealed that "Power" was the 83rd best-selling hip-hop song of all time in the UK. In 2018, Spotify named the song the fourth most popular workout song of all time, while West's "Stronger" was third on the list. As of October 24, 2019, the former ranks as West's seventh most popular track of all time on the UK Singles Chart.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: In promotion of West's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", he launched GOOD Fridays, a weekly free music giveaway. The intention was to release a free new song every Friday for a few months to promote his album, and the weekly tracks generally featured various rappers from his label, GOOD Music, and other artists he usually collaborated with. A remix of "Power" was the very first GOOD Friday released, and in an interview with "Hot 97", West said that the remix was to feature his good friend and rapper Jay-Z. It was originally intended to be released on August 13, 2010, but was premiered on August 20, 2010, on "Hot 97" by Funkmaster Flex. The song also features vocals and production from Swizz Beatz and all new verses provided by West. Swizz Beatz produced the second half of the song which samples Snap!'s hip house hit, "The Power." The remix was described as more intricate than an average remix, with Jay-Z discussing the ups and downs of life and referencing Norman Mailer.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: West debuted "Power" live at the 2010 BET Awards, where he performed the song atop a mountain-like prop, with a video compilation of footage shot on top of a mountain playing in the back. West performed the track on "Saturday Night Live" on October 2, where he also substituted a verse containing profane language, as well as a diss towards the show itself ("Fuck "SNL" and the whole cast"), with an entirely new version. For the first time in the show's history, the signature black instrument filled stage gave place to an all-white, backlit canvas.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: West's performance was heavily publicized and received positive notices. HitFix's Gregory Ellwood praised the performance, writing "note to Lorne Michaels: whatever West had to do to let you break form and come up with such a visually stunning and impressive performance was well, well worth it. This is memorable television. Hands down." E! Online's Megan Masters mused that "West's SNL performance proved once again that no matter what's going on in his personal life, he is an artist and will continue to take chances in the music industry—ultimately breaking new ground," adding that "Kanye West is a comeback king." Kevin O'Donnell of "Spin" wrote that West delivered one of the show's "most unique performances of all-time." West performed the song in an entirely red outfit.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: West also performed the track live at the EMAs 2010, in Madrid, during Thirty Seconds to Mars's performance of their song "Hurricane", which also features a verse by West. The remixed version of the song were performed by West and Jay-Z during their


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: Watch the Throne Tour. The remixed version was performed at Jay-Z's and Eminem's "Home & Home" concert in the new Yankee Stadium, during Jay-Z portion of the performance. West joined Jay-Z on stage and also performed single "Monster". During his set at the 2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, West performed "Power" during the start of the performance. West's performance was described as "one of the most memorable performances in Coachella history." Matthew Perpetua of "Rolling Stone" noted that "with its stomping beat and chanted chorus, 'Power'—one of West's most grandiose songs anyway—was an early highlight of his show." When performing with a choir at the festival in 2019, West directed the choir through a re-make of the song that praised God's capacity.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: "The New York Times" previewed a clip of the music video directed by artist Marco Brambilla, featuring Irina Shayk, Jessica White and African-American albino fashion model Diandra Forrest. The video premiered on MTV on August 5, 2010, preceding a new episode of "Jersey Shore". The "Power" video commences with a portrait-view headshot of West staring intensely into the camera with illuminated eyes and wearing a large, low-hanging gold chain necklace with an equally large pendant of Horus.


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: As the music begins, the camera slowly tracks out in one continuous take to reveal West standing at the end of a hallway of black columns, and surrounded by partially dressed female characters. Some kneel before him, some embrace, four figures wear ibex-like horns; and some are inverted, pouring water that flows upward. Two horned, staff-bearing figures, loosely resembling interpretations of Isis and Hathor, stand on either side of West; each slowly strikes the ground with their staff, in time to the music. The Sword of Damocles hangs over the rapper’s head, while other slowly moving figures appear ready to strike West with blades. The various figures within the painting are presented in poses similar to the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana of the Etteilla occult tarot deck. Anthony Beningo of "Daily News" described the ending of the video:


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: "The focus of the video turns out to be West's death. After a few close-up shots of the rapper's surroundings, Brambilla's camera pulls back and everyone disappears, leaving only West and the two warriors. Realization dawns that they aren't swinging at each other, but rather converging on King Kanye. But before they can decapitate him, however, the video cuts to black."


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: West has called the video a "moving painting." Brambilla mused about the video that “it’s kind of apocalyptic, in a very personal way," and that "it’s a very exaggerated hyper-sensational version of what the song is saying.” The video is much shorter than the actual song, lasting less than two minutes and only covering the first verse. It was later revealed that the 103-second video, which invokes cultural references from the Renaissance period to Greek mythology, is a teaser for a longer clip, though the full-length version of the video never surfaced. One of the reasons proposed why the full version never was released was because "Power" was also used during "Runaway", a 35-minute music video directed by West set to music from "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy".


title: Power (Kanye West song)

text: MTV Buzzworthy's Chris Ryan gave a positive review of the video, stating that it "marks a change in the way we look at music videos as a medium—it's less a music video, more a modern art montage with a heavy dose of ancient Egyptian imagery and possible references to Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam" (with a fair Kanye-esque helping of chesty females). In it, Kanye West ironically builds an unattainable artistic empire fit for a king (or pharaoh), while condemning the role power plays in our lives. So much to think about." Beningo of "Daily News" compared the video to the work of Michael Jackson, calling it an event of a video. Hitfix's Katie Hasty mused that West "put on a crown for 'Jesus Walks,' so it was only a matter of time before he ascended into heaven," describing the video as a "little weird, a little funny." The video for "Power" earned multiple nominations; Best Special Effects and Best Art Direction at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, Best Visual Effects and Best Urban Video at the 2010 UK Music Video Awards., along with Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2011 MTV Video Music Aid Japan. "NME" named it the second best music video of 2010. "Rolling Stone" listed it among the ten best music videos of 2010.


title: Home improvement

text: The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), exterior (masonry, concrete, siding, roofing) or other improvements to the property (i.e. garden work or garage maintenance/additions). Home improvement projects can be carried out for a number of different reasons; personal preference and comfort, maintenance or repair work, making a home bigger by adding rooms/spaces, as a means of saving energy, or to improve safety.


title: Home improvement

text: While "home improvement" often refers to building projects that alter the structure of an existing home, it can also include improvements to lawns, gardens, and outdoor structures, such as gazebos and garages. It also encompasses maintenance, repair, and general servicing tasks. Home improvement projects generally have one or more of the following goals:


title: Home improvement

text: Home or residential renovation is an almost $300 billion industry in the United States, and a $48 billion industry in Canada. The average cost per project is $3,000 in the United States and $11,000–15,000 in Canada.


title: Home improvement

text: Professional home improvement is ancient and goes back to the beginning of recorded civilization. One example is Sergius Orata, who in the 1st century B.C. is said by the writer Vitruvius (in his famous book De architectura) to have invented the hypocaust. The hypocaust is an underfloor heating system that was used throughout the Roman Empire in villas of the wealthy. He is said to have become wealthy himself by buying villas at a low price, adding spas and his newly invented hypocaust, and reselling them at higher prices.


title: Home improvement

text: Perhaps the most important or visible professionals in the renovation industry are renovation contractors or skilled trades. These are the builders that have specialized credentials, licensing and experience to perform renovation services in specific municipalities.


title: Home improvement

text: While there is a fairly large ‘grey market’ of unlicensed companies, there are those that have membership in a reputable association and/or are accredited by a professional organization. Homeowners are recommended to perform checks such as verifying license and insurance and checking business references prior to hiring a contractor to work on their house.


title: Home improvement

text: Because interior renovation will touch the change of the internal structure of the house, ceiling construction, circuit configuration and partition walls, etc., such work related to the structure of the house, of course, also includes renovation of wallpaper posting, furniture settings, lighting, etc. It is worth noting The thing is, the decoration construction team must be approved by the established interior design company to guarantee.


title: Home improvement

text: Aggregators are companies that bundle home improvement service offers and act as intermediary agency between service providers and customers.


title: Home improvement

text: Home improvement was popularized on television in 1979 with the premiere of "This Old House" starring Bob Vila on PBS. American cable channel HGTV features many do-it-yourself shows, as does sister channel DIY Network.


title: Home improvement

text: Danny Lipford hosts and produces the nationally syndicated "Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford". Tom Kraeutler and Leslie Segrete co-host the nationally syndicated "The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show".


title: Home improvement

text: Movies that poked fun at the difficulties involved include: "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" (1948), starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy; "George Washington Slept Here" (1942), featuring Jack Benny and Ann Sheridan; and "The Money Pit" (1986), with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. The sitcom "Home Improvement" used the home improvement theme for comedic purposes.


title: Anwar (2007 film)

text: Anwar () is a 2007 Indian romantic thriller film written and directed by Manish Jha, who is famous for his work in "Matrubhoomi". The film stars Siddharth Koirala, Manisha Koirala, Rajpal Yadav and Nauheed Cyrusi.


title: Anwar (2007 film)

text: Anwar lives a middle-class lifestyle in Lucknow, India, with his mother and sister Suraiya. Anwar is researching ancient Hindu Temples. The family rents out a room to a poor widow and her attractive daughter, Mehru, whom Anwar falls in love with.


title: Anwar (2007 film)

text: Anwar is certain of Mehru's love for him, but Mehru has her heart set on settling in America. She is tired of the dust, the summer heat, and the struggles and tragedy of her poverty-stricken country. Anwar tells Mehru it is not possible for him to take her to the U.S. Even if he works all day, it is impossible and out of his reach. Mehru expresses her interest in Udit, an engineer that has plans to settle in America. Mehru begins a relationship with Udit, which one day is revealed to Anwar. One day Anwar visits Udit who tells him of his plan to marry Mehru before going to USA as his visa is ready. Anwar tells him that he should think once again before doing this because of the differences in religion, as Mehru is a follower of Islam and Udit is a follower of Hinduism. If Mehru's strict and conservative family members come to know about this, they will shatter the dreams of Mehru and Udit and even their life will not be spared. Seeing that Udit has ignored his warning, Anwar confesses his feelings to Mehru when they meet at the terrace and he begs her not to leave him. He cannot imagine his life without her, but Mehru says that she never loved Anwar. Mehru runs away with Udit. Later, seeing Mehru's mother cry her heart out for her daughter, Anwar out of impulsiveness tells her and the family that she has run away with a hindu man. Mehru's uncle along with 2 other men find the two, shoot Udit and bring injured Mehru back home. Mehru commits suicide at the tragedy of Udit's death. A guilt-ridden Anwar takes shelter in an ancient Hindu temple in Dholpur carrying a bag containing drawings of mandirs and notes on Lord Krishna, Devi Meera, and Mehru. This bag ends up with the police, who come to the conclusion that Anwar is a terrorist who is planning to detonate bombs in sacred Hindu temples.


title: Anwar (2007 film)

text: The place is surrounded by the police, politicians who are anxious to win the Hindu vote, the media, and a huge crowd drawn by the spectacle. Set against post 9/11 scenario, amidst the craze for Valentine's Day, Britney Spears, Osama bin Laden, George W. Bush, and the American way of life, Anwar must now examine his options.


title: Anwar (2007 film)

text: In the end, Anwar gets shot by the cops and he dies immediately. While dying, he has a vision of himself as Lord Krishna and his love Mehru as Meera, re-uniting with each other.


title: Anwar (2007 film)

text: The film set in Lucknow, is about stereotyping of Muslims in the post-9/11 era. The film was inspired by the director's experience in New York two days after the 9/11 attacks when he was detained by the police and interrogated for five hours, who presumed him to be a Muslim, since he was unshaven and had long hair.


title: Anwar (2007 film)

text: The film was directed by Manish Jha with Faiza Ahmad Khan, Arghya Lahiri, Rishab Seth and Meghna Sethy as assistant directors. It was shot in Kakori, Bakshi Ka Talab and Lucknow during April 2006.


title: Anwar (2007 film)

text: The music is composed by Mithoon and Pankaj Awasthi, released on Saregama label. The movie is most notable for actor Siddharth Koirala.


title: Anwar (2007 film)

text: Vipin Vijayan of "Rediff.com" gave 2 out of 5 stars stating "Movie is strictly okay, the saving graces are the music and cinematography".


title: Anwar (2007 film)

text: Taran Adarsh of "Bollywood Hungama" gave 1 out of 5 stars stating "Anwar tries to make a statement, but too many sub-plots in the screenplay spoil the show. The songs are sure to appeal to the connoisseurs of good music and called 'Maula Mere' and 'Tose Naina Lagey' standout winning tracks by composer Mithoon. Cinematography is up to the mark".


title: Frog legs

text: Frog legs (French: "Cuisses de grenouille") are one of the better-known delicacies of French cuisine, where it has been considered as a national delicacy.


title: Frog legs

text: The legs of edible frogs are also consumed in other parts of the world, including Vietnam, Southern China, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, Northern Italy, the Alentejo region of Portugal, Spain, Albania, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Northwestern Greece, South Africa and the Southern regions of the United States.


title: Frog legs

text: As of 2014, the world's largest exporter of edible frogs is Indonesia, second is China, third is Turkey. In Turkey, Brazil, Mexico and the Caribbean, many frogs are still caught wild. Balıkesir, Adana, Edirne and Hatay are the popular Turkish cities for edible wild frogs.


title: Frog legs

text: Frog legs are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and potassium. They are often said to taste like chicken because of their mild flavor, with a texture most similar to chicken wings. The taste and texture of frog meat is approximately between chicken and fish. Frogs are raised commercially in certain countries, for example Vietnam. Frog muscles do not resolve rigor mortis as quickly as muscles from warm-blooded animals (chicken, for example) do, so heat from cooking can cause fresh frog legs to twitch.


title: Frog legs

text: Frog legs or "cuisses de grenouille" as it is known in France are a traditional dish particularly found in the region of the Dombes ("département" of Ain). Eaten for over a thousand years, they have been part of the national diet of France. Roughly 4,000 tonnes of frog legs are consumed every year in France.


title: Frog legs

text: Frog, known as「田鸡」(field chicken) when described in cuisine, legs are also eaten in China, but are generally restricted to Southern Chinese cuisine tradition such as Cantonese cuisine. Bullfrogs and pig frogs are farmed on a large scale in some areas of China, such as Sichuan. They are also known as ().


title: Frog legs

text: In Chinese cuisine, frog legs are usually stir fried and mixed with light spices, stewed, fried, or made into congee; a popular dish in Cantonese cuisine.


title: Frog legs

text: In Indonesian cuisine, frog-leg soup is known as "swikee" or "swike", most probably brought by the Chinese community in Indonesia and popular in Chinese Indonesian cuisine. Swikee is mainly frog-leg soup with a strong taste of garlic, gingers, and fermented soya beans ("tauco"), accompanied with celery or parsley leaves. Swikee is a typical dish from Purwodadi Grobogan, in Central Java province. There are also frog-legs fried in margarine and sweet soy sauce or tomato sauce, battered and deep fried, grilled, or frog eggs served in banana leaves ("pepes telur kodok"). The dried and crispy fried frog skin is also consumed as "krupuk" cracker, the taste is similar to fried fish skin.


title: Frog legs

text: Indonesia is the world's largest exporter of frog meat, exporting more than 5,000 tonnes of frog meat each year, mostly to France, Belgium and Luxembourg. Most supply of frog legs in western Europe originate from frog farms in Indonesia; however, there is concern that frog legs from Indonesia are poached from wild frog populations that may be endangering wild amphibians.


title: Frog legs

text: Frogs are a common food in the northern part of Italy, especially throughout Piemonte and Lombardy and within these two regions especially in the Vercelli area in Piemonte and in the Pavia and Lomellina areas in Lombardy. In these places frogs are part of the ancient culinary tradition and a typical staple food. Consumption of frogs is mainly related to the availability of the animals due to the rural activities and typical agriculture in these places.


title: Frog legs

text: The large presence of frogs is mainly due to the agriculture typical of these areas which have always been known for their famous rice. The large cultivation of rice means that there is large presence of artificial water channels used to flood rice fields during growing season, which makes a perfect habitat for frogs. During the growth period when fields stay flooded, and even more during the draining of the fields farmers and others often gather to go frog hunting armed with nets. Some towns even organize collective hunting sessions and games.


title: Frog legs

text: Frogs gained much culinary relevance in these areas, with many rural towns hosting food festivals called "sagre" centered on frogs and where frogs are prepared in various ways. They typically take place during the rice harvesting periods. With frog consumption closely connected to rice production and this being the native land of the Italian dish risotto, one of the most common dishes is frog risotto, "risotto alle rane". Other local frog dishes include them being dipped in egg batter, breadcrumbed and then fried, or in soups and stews.


title: Frog legs

text: Frog legs ("žabji kraki") are a popular dish in Slovenian cuisine, especially in areas of eastern Slovenia (Prekmurje and north-eastern Styria).They are also quite popular in the country's capital, Ljubljana, and have been considered as the "basis of the traditional city cuisine of Ljubljana". Up to modern times, they have been traditionally considered Lent food, and were especially popular in spring. They are also a popular traditional dish in the Vipava Valley in western Slovenia and are served in numerous restaurants in the Slovenian Littoral.


title: Frog legs

text: Frog legs are popular in some parts of Croatia, especially in the "Gorski kotar" region in the northwest of the country. They are considered a specialty in the Lokve municipality, where they are served cooked, fried or in a stew, sometimes with polenta on the side.


title: Frog legs

text: In the western part of Spain, Extremadura and Castilla y Leon, frog legs are served deep fried. They are a delicacy among its citizens. Frog legs also have great culinary value on the sides of the Ebro.


title: Frog legs

text: In Albania, frog legs are regarded as a very delicious food. Frogs are mostly collected from the wild.


title: Frog legs

text: In Greece, eating frogs' legs is particularly associated with the city of Ioannina and its adjacent lake Pamvotida.


title: Frog legs

text: In Romania, edible frogs are known as "pui de baltă" (pond chicken). The legs are eaten breaded and fried.


title: Frog legs

text: Frog legs are eaten in parts of the Southern United States, particularly in the Deep South and Gulf states where French influence is more prominent, including South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. They are also eaten in Eastern states, but not as commonly. Frog legs are a popular dish in Cleveland, OH, especially in its Little Italy and Asiatown neighborhoods. The most common kinds of frogs eaten are bullfrogs and leopard frogs, as these are abundant in most of the country, including the South. Although the consumption of wild native frogs is generally discouraged, the harvest and cooking of invasive bullfrogs, especially in the Western US, has been encouraged as a form of control and to promote local cuisine.


title: Frog legs

text: Some methods of cooking include egg/cracker crumb breading or battered. They are either fried or grilled. Deep fried frog legs can also be found at fairs.


title: Frog legs

text: Raccoon, possum, partridges, prairie hen, and frogs were among the fare Mark Twain recorded as part of American cuisine.


title: Frog legs

text: Mountain chicken ("Leptodactylus fallax") are frogs named for their habitat and flavor which are eaten in Montserrat and Dominica. The frogs are now critically endangered.


title: Frog legs

text: Cooked bones of frog legs have been discovered in an archaeological dig in Amesbury Wiltshire, dating back to between 7596 and 6250 BC, evidence that indicates that they were part of the local diet. Some view this as evidence that Britons started eating them before the French. For several centuries however, frogs have been considered repellent to the British due to their historic rivalry with the French. "Frog" has been an abusive English nickname for a French person since the late 18th century. In the late 19th century, the French restaurateur, Auguste Escoffier, tried to rename them "nymphs" in a vain attempt to sell them to London diners. In recent decades, adventurous British chefs have introduced frog leg dishes to their menus, notably Heston Blumenthal whose recipes have included frog blancmange.


title: Frog legs

text: In Australia and New Zealand, frogs are more exotic, usually eaten at Asian or French restaurants and mainly the hind legs are the priority. In Canada, they are a little more common, mainly in eastern and northeastern Canada.


title: Frog legs

text: Each year about US$40 million worth of frog legs are traded internationally, with most countries in the world participating in this trade. The world's top importers of frogs legs are France, Belgium and the United States, while the biggest international exporters are Indonesia and China. While these figures do not account for domestic consumption, when production from frog farms is taken into account, it is conservatively estimated that humans consume up to 3.2 billion frogs for food around the world every year.


title: Frog legs

text: Movement of live or unfrozen, unskinned amphibians is a potential way for deadly amphibian diseases such as "Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis" and Ranavirus to be transported around the world, and despite recommendations on preventing disease spread from the OIE, which regulates the international spread of epizootic diseases, few countries have adopted these recommendations as law.


title: Frog legs

text: In Canada, the sale of fresh or frozen frog legs is illegal unless they are determined free from bacteria of the genus "Salmonella," as per the official method MFO-10, Microbial Examination of Froglegs.


title: Frog legs

text: Many environmentalists urge the restriction of frog consumption—especially those harvested from the wild—because amphibian populations are declining and frogs are an essential element of ecosystems. Conservationists warn that gastronomic demand for frogs is seriously depleting regional populations. Frogs are sensitive to environmental changes, disease, habitat degradation, and pollution.


title: Frog legs

text: The exception to this is where the American bullfrog is not native and has been introduced. In these ecosystems, American bullfrogs can decimate local amphibian populations, upset ecosystem balance and have negative impacts on other species of wildlife as well.


title: Frog legs

text: A 2011 paper raised animal welfare concerns over methods such as live removal of legs and methods of hunting, recommending that countries of origin "establish humane standards to govern the capture, handling, packaging and export of live frogs and for the capture,


title: Frog legs

text: According to Jewish dietary laws all reptiles and amphibians are considered unclean animals. Therefore, frog legs are not kosher, and are forbidden to observant Jews in Orthodox Judaism. However, more liberal streams of Judaism such as Reform, do not prohibit the eating of non-kosher animals. Traditional Judaism also includes universal laws that define which activities are considered to be sinful even for non-Jews according to Jewish law, known as the Noahide laws. Under this rubric, there is a prohibition against eating limbs taken from live animals, known as "eiver min hachai", thus Jewish law would consider it to be sinful for any person to eat frogs legs that were removed from live frogs. This is also considered to be under the prohibition of cruelty to animals, which liberal Jewish streams accept as forbidden just as traditional Judaism considers to be forbidden.


title: Frog legs

text: Frog meat is considered as "haraam" (non-"halal") according to some Islamic dietary laws. Those who consider it haraam cite the hadith that prohibits the killing of frogs, together with ants, bees, and seabirds. This "haraam" status has caused controversy in Demak, Indonesia, where the authorities urged the swikee (frog leg soup) restaurant owners not to associate swikee with Demak city, since it would tarnish Demak's image as the first Islamic city in Java, and also opposed by its inhabitants that mainly follow Shafi'i school that forbids the consumption of frogs. Within Islamic dietary law there are some debates and differences about the consumption of frog legs. The Islamic "madhhab" (school) of Shafi'i, Hanafi and Hanbali strictly forbids the consumption of frogs, but according to the Maliki school, opinions vary, between the consumptions of all frogs being halal to only the green frog commonly found in rice fields being halal to consume, while other species, especially those with blistered skin, are considered to be unclean.


title: Frog legs

text: In medieval and early modern Europe, frogs were not classified as meat and could therefore be eaten during the Christian fast of Lent, along with fish and bird flesh. Monks in Lorraine were recorded as eating frogs during Lent in the 13th century. The famous French chef, Grimod de La Reynière, wrote in the early 19th century that frogs were known as "Alouettes de Carême" (Lenten larks).


title: Up! (album)

text: Up! is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 19, 2002, by Mercury Nashville. As her first studio album in five years, three versions of the album were released: a pop version (red disc), a country version (green disc), and a version in the style of Indian film music (blue disc); all three discs feature distinctly identifiable picture labels (for example, Twain sports a cowboy hat on the green country disc). "Up!" spawned eight singles; "I’m Gonna Getcha Good!", "Up!", "Ka-Ching!", "Forever and for Always" "Thank You Baby!", "She’s Not Just a Pretty Face" "When You Kiss Me", and "It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing", with six of these being sent to country radio.


title: Up! (album)

text: In the US, "Up!" debuted at No. 1 with sales of 874,000 copies. On September 23, 2004, the RIAA certified "Up!" at 11× Platinum, giving her the distinction of being the only female artist to have three consecutive diamond albums released in the United States. The album was promoted with interviews and television performances including the Super Bowl XXXVII halftime show. It was further promoted with the successful Up! Tour, which visited North America and Europe, and eight singles with each accompanied by a music video.


title: Up! (album)

text: Writing and recording for the album took place across the world. According to the album booklet, Twain and Lange wrote and recorded in Berlin, Rome, Vienna, Paris, Avignon, Provence, Milan, Dublin, the Bahamas (at the famous Compass Point Studios), The Grenadine Islands, and Mumbai. For the blue international disc, the pair enlisted British-Asian music producers Simon and Diamond Duggal for production collaboration. Canadian folk music group Leahy provided group fiddles throughout the album.


title: Up! (album)

text: When the album was originally released, different regions received different versions of the album. North America received a two-disc set, containing the red disc and the green disc. Most international markets received a two-disc set, referred to as the "International Version," containing the red disc and the blue disc. Both two-disc versions contain a note from Shania offering free downloads of whichever set of mixes not included (e.g. a download of the blue version is offered with the red/green set), for a limited time on her website. Australia received both two-disc sets, with the red/green version being subtitled "U.S. Version". The album was later re-released in some territories as a single-disc set, containing only the red mixes, and an alternate cover with a red background.


title: Up! (album)

text: The red and green versions were released on vinyl in the United States and Europe on October 14, 2016. They are sold separately, and are featured on translucent red and green vinyl, respectively. This marks the first time the green version was released physically in Europe.


title: Up! (album)

text: Twain launched an extensive promotional tour for the album, starting in October 2002. Major events included the Super Bowl XXXVII halftime show, the 2002 and 2003 Country Music Association Awards, the 2003 American Music Awards, the 2003 Juno Awards, the 2003 ECHO Awards, the 2003 Billboard Music Awards, and the 2003 CMT Flameworthy Awards.


title: Up! (album)

text: On October 2, 2002, Twain performed on the Dutch program "TROS TV Show". On October 5 she appeared on "Wetten, dass..?". On October 19 she appeared on the BBC show "Parkinson" and on France's "Star Academy". On October 26 she filmed a mini-concert for "". On November 6, she launched the US leg of the promotional tour by opening the 2002 Country Music Awards. On November 24, Twain performed in Edmonton at the 2002 Grey Cup halftime show.


title: Up! (album)

text: Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 72/100 from Metacritic. AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated it 4.5/5 stars, praising Twain for: "writing well crafted songs as universal anthems, so listeners can hear themselves within these tales." Erlewine further commented that: "The album had big, polished, multipurpose hooks and big, sweeping emotions. This is Super-Size pop, as outsized and grandiose as good pop should be", he concluded. Matthew Bjorke from About.com rated it four-stars out of five and said that: "This 19 track opus is sure to please most fans of both pop and modern country." The "Blender" review was also positive, saying that: "Twain's songs are never deep, but they have hooks tattooed on their skin and harmonies that glow like bar lights." Also with a positive review, "Billboard" said that: "[It's] quintessential Shania, light as vapor, sweet as sugar, rendered with personality and undeniable charisma. Expect precious metal." Andrew Lynch from Entertainment.ie rated it three-stars out of five and said that: "The songs, themselves, meanwhile, are as bland and one-dimensional as they were on the smash hit "Come on Over", sassily upbeat stuff with a dash of girl power thrown in for good measure. A high proportion of them, however, are also infuriatingly catchy – suggesting that Twain may well have another global success on her hands."