title: .338 Norma Magnum

text: In May 2017 the United States Special Operations Command, in conjunction with the United States Marine Corps issued a sources sought notice for 5,000 Lightweight Medium Machine Guns (LWMMG) chambered for .338 Norma Magnum polymer-cased ammunition. The aim is to identify a machine gun with a long barrel weighing or less, which offers sufficient accuracy out to to engage area targets and vehicles.


title: .338 Norma Magnum

text: In 2019 the U.S. Special Operations Command awarded Barrett Manufacturing a $50,000,000 contract, ordering the Barrett MRAD, designated MK22 Advanced Sniper Rifle (ASR), chambered in .338 Norma Magnum (designated XM1162) as well as 7.62×51mm NATO and .300 Norma Magnum.


title: .338 Norma Magnum

text: In 2020 the U.S. Special Operations Command awarded SIG Sauer a contract, ordering the MG 338 machine gun chambered in .338 Norma Magnum.


title: Gregor Fisher

text: Gregor Fisher (born 22 December 1953) is a Scottish comedian and actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the title character in the comedy series "Rab C. Nesbitt", a role he has played since the show's first episode in 1988. He has also had roles in films such as "Without a Clue" (1988), "Love Actually" (2003), "The Merchant of Venice" (2004) and "Whisky Galore!" (2016).


title: Gregor Fisher

text: Fisher was born in Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, and following the death of his mother was brought up in Edinburgh, Langholm, and Neilston and attended Barrhead High School. He attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, at which he did not complete his studies.


title: Gregor Fisher

text: Fisher worked with Scottish comedian Rikki Fulton on his hit sketch series "Scotch and Wry" (whose broadcast was mainly restricted to BBC One Scotland). Another Scottish comedian he worked with was Hector Nicol, in the BBC drama "Just a Boys' Game" (1979).


title: Gregor Fisher

text: Later, he appeared in Michael Radford's 1984 film "Nineteen Eighty-Four" as Winston Smith's neighbour Parsons. In 1988, he had a leading role in "Silent Mouse", a dramatised television documentary telling the story of the creation of the Christmas carol "Silent Night". In the same year he had a cameo (as a Victorian policeman) in the Michael Caine/Ben Kingsley vehicle, "Without a Clue".


title: Gregor Fisher

text: Fisher is best known for his portrayal of his character Rab C. Nesbitt in the sitcom of the same name, this itself was a spin-off from the BBC2 sketch comedy "Naked Video", where the Nesbitt character originated, along with "The Baldy Man" who also obtained his own eponymous spin-off series, and is particularly associated with two Hamlet adverts involving photography, the first of which where he cannot get a satisfactory passport photo from a photobooth and lights up a cigar to calm himself down; the second of which where he cannot get a satisfactory family portrait and lights up a cigar to calm himself down. Johnny Depp based his Glaswegian accent for the role of Tarrant Hightopp, The Mad Hatter in the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland, on that used by Fisher’s Rab C. Nesbitt character.


title: Gregor Fisher

text: In 1994/95, he played the title role in the BBC series "The Tales of Para Handy", in which he was reunited with Rikki Fulton. Fisher had also appeared in the 1999 sitcom "Brotherly Love" and in the 2002 sitcom "Snoddy". He also appeared with Iain Glenn in the BBC Masterpiece theatre version of "Kidnapped".


title: Gregor Fisher

text: Fisher appeared in the 2000 BBC adaptation of "Gormenghast". Fisher starred as a main character D.S. Doug Duvall in the drama "Missing", made by SMG Productions in 2006: however, the two-part thriller was not broadcast on STV until November 2008. In November 2006, he starred as Grandpa Potts in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", in a three-month run of the show in Edinburgh. Most recently he has starred in the BBC's adaption of "Oliver Twist", in the role of Mr Bumble.


title: Gregor Fisher

text: In 2003, he appeared in the romantic comedy film "Love Actually", where he played the role of the manager to fading music star, Billy Mack (Bill Nighy). In 2004, he played the role of Solanio in the Michael Radford film, "The Merchant of Venice."


title: Gregor Fisher

text: In an interview in "The Metro" on 20 February 2008 he stated that he is no longer recognised as Rab C. Nesbitt, and rather is more likely to be stopped by fans for his recent role as Mr Bumble in "Oliver Twist".


title: Gregor Fisher

text: "Empty", a comedy series starring Fisher, began on BBC2 on 28 February 2008. On BBC2, on 23 December 2008, he reprised his role as Rab C Nesbitt in a Christmas special.


title: Gregor Fisher

text: Fisher's autobiography, "The Boy from Nowhere", was published in 2015. To coincide with the publication, BBC One Scotland broadcast a documentary, "In Search of Gregor Fisher", which followed Fisher and ghostwriter Melanie Reid during part of their research for the book.


title: MCM Worldwide

text: MCM Worldwide is a luxury fashion brand originally founded in 1976 as the initialism of "Michael Cromer Munich". The brand’s signature logo-printed material, called Cognac Visetos, appears on many of its products. Its brass plate insignia is found on all heritage collection bags and most products; each brass plate is identified by a unique number at the bottom. MCM sells its products through wholesale accounts, franchises and directly operated stores.


title: MCM Worldwide

text: The MCM label, originally stood popular during the 1980s for being "ostentatious and flashy". At the height of its popularity in 1993, it owned 250 branches worldwide and recorded sales of $250 million. Following a 1995 investigation of Cromer for alleged tax evasion by German tax authorities, banks and investors lost faith in MCM's financial stability. In 1997, the company was restructured, and its stores and trademark rights were split and sold.


title: MCM Worldwide

text: In 2005, the worldwide rights to the MCM brand were acquired from a Swiss financier by Sungjoo Group, a South Korean retail business founded by Sung-Joo Kim, the youngest daughter of South Korean magnate Kim Soo-Keon. At the time, MCM's global sales stood at $100 million. Kim hired designer Michael Michalsky and re-launched the brand in 2006 with a new store in Berlin. MCM thereafter reopened stores in New York, Toronto, Paris, London, Singapore, Tokyo, and China among others. In 2011, MCM debuted its largest store in Hong Kong’s Entertainment Building.


title: MCM Worldwide

text: MCM makes roughly 70% of its sales in Asia, and roughly 30% in Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. The brand aimed to have sales of $2 billion by 2019.


title: Laundry Service

text: Laundry Service () is the fifth studio album and first English-language album by Colombian singer Shakira, globally released on 13 November 2001 by Epic Records. It is her first album to be primarily recorded in English. After the release of her fourth studio album "Dónde Están los Ladrones?", which became a success in Latin America, Spain, Middle East and the Latin community in the United States, Shakira was encouraged by American singer Gloria Estefan to record songs in English as she believed the singer had the potential to crossover into the English-language pop market. Shakira was initially hesitant to undertake the project, but later decided to learn English well enough to be able to write songs in the language herself. The title of the album was chosen to reflect Shakira's views on love and music. It was also released as "Servicio de Lavandería" in Hispanic regions in January 2002. Musically, "Laundry Service" is primarily a pop rock record but it also experiments with a variety of other musical styles, including Andean music, dance-pop, Middle Eastern music, rock and roll and tango music. The lyrical theme of the album is mostly based around love and romance. Every song on the album was written and produced by Shakira under the guidance of Emilio Estefan.


title: Laundry Service

text: Six singles were released from the album. The lead single "Whenever, Wherever" became an international success and reached number one on record charts of countries like Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The second English-language single "Underneath Your Clothes" repeated its success, topping the charts of Australia, Austria, and Belgium. Both singles charted inside the top ten in the United Kingdom and United States. Spanish-language singles "Te Dejo Madrid" and "Que Me Quedes Tú" performed well in Hispanic regions, becoming hits in Spain and on the Latin record charts in the United States, respectively. The fourth single "Objection (Tango)" became a top ten hit in most countries around the world, while the sixth and final single "The One" was a moderate commercial success. To promote the album, Shakira embarked on her Tour of the Mongoose between 2002 and 2003. It was her first major worldwide tour and visited numerous countries and cities.


title: Laundry Service

text: Upon its release, "Laundry Service" received favourable to mixed reviews from music critics. Many critics complimented Shakira's incorporation of different musical styles in the production and her originality, while some critics argued that the album sounded too generic. Shakira's vocal talent also attracted praise. "Laundry Service" topped the charts of countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada and Switzerland, while reaching the top five in other countries like Argentina, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. In the United States, "Laundry Service" peaked at number three on the "Billboard" 200 chart. The album received numerous record certifications in various countries, including sextuple platinum in Australia, quintuple in Canada, Spain and Switzerland. It was also certified multi-platinum in the United Kingdom and the United States, proving to be a successful crossover for Shakira. Globally, "Laundry Service" was the seventh best-selling album in 2002. The album sold around 13 million copies making it one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century.


title: Laundry Service

text: In 1998, Shakira released her second major label studio album "Dónde Están los Ladrones?" ("Where Are the Thieves?"), which became a success in Latin America and received record certifications in various countries like Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Spain. The rock en español-influenced Latin pop album drew comparisons to the work of Canadian-American singer songwriter Alanis Morissette and "cracked the lucrative US market wide open", spending a total of 11 weeks atop the "Billboard" Top Latin Albums chart. It became Shakira's first album to receive a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Dónde Están los Ladrones?" spawned the Arabian-styled single "Ojos Así" ("Eyes Like Yours"), which became a hit and was deemed the "signature track" of the album.


title: Laundry Service

text: Shakira's record label at that time, Epic Records, opposed the decision to release and commission "Laundry Service" as they "wanted her just to throw a couple of songs in English on a Latin record." Gloria Estefan argued with Tommy Mottola, then head of Sony Music Entertainment (the parent company of Epic Records), and convinced him to release the album, arguing that an "American audience" would not buy a Spanish record simply due to its inclusion of a few English tracks. In an interview with "Latina", she said "I got in the trenches there with Tommy [Mottola] - I fought for that. Because they didn't believe it. Just like they told us [her and Emilio during the Miami Sound Machine days]. They were trying to think in the box and I wanted to take her out of the box. And fortunately, Tommy, whom I love and adore and is a good friend, he really listened to me."


title: Laundry Service

text: The success of "Dónde Están los Ladrones?" prompted American singer Gloria Estefan in 1999, whose husband Emilio Estefan was managing Shakira at that time, to persuade Shakira to attempt to crossover into the mainstream pop industry. However, Shakira was initially hesitant to record songs in English as it was not her first language, so Estefan offered to translate "Ojos Así" into English in order to show her that "it could translate well." Shakira then began translating the song herself and showed it to Estefan, who responded "Quite honestly, I can't do this better!." As Shakira wanted to have full control over her recordings, she decided to learn English better to enable her to write her own songs. Wanting to find a method to express her "day-to-day stories in English", Shakira bought rhyming dictionaries, started analysing the lyrics of songs by Bob Dylan, reading poetry and the work of authors like Leonard Cohen and Walt Whitman and took English lessons from a private tutor.


title: Laundry Service

text: The first song she wrote was "Objection (Tango)" and in an interview with "Faze", she revealed that writing songs in English proved to be challenging for her: "I prayed and asked God to send me a good song today, and I remember I started writing the song ['Objection (Tango)'] a couple of hours after. I wrote the music and lyrics at the same time, and when that happens it's really magical to me." After completing "Objection (Tango)", Shakira decided to write ten more songs and began setting up portable recording studios in the rural region of Uruguay. She wrote various songs with a "dictionary in one hand and a thesaurus in the other." During the songwriting process, Shakira wrote "Underneath Your Clothes" as a love song for de la Rúa. She explained that, "If you check the subject of my songs, most of them talk about my own experiences and feelings and what I was actually going through in my life."


title: Laundry Service

text: Shakira collaborated with various writers and producers on the album including Estefan, Lester Mendez, Luis Fernando Ochoa and Tim Mitchell. Being "more in control than ever", Shakira closely supervised the development of the album. The singer also served as the primary producer of the album.


title: Laundry Service

text: Although primarily a pop rock album, "Laundry Service" also draws influences from a variety of musical genres. The singer credited this to her mixed ethnicity, saying "I am a fusion. That's my persona. I'm a fusion between black and white, between pop and rock, between cultures - between my Lebanese father and my mother's Spanish blood, the Colombian folklore and Arab dance I love and American music." Arabian and Middle Eastern elements, which had a high influence on "Dónde Están los Ladrones?", are also present in "Laundry Service", most prominently on "Eyes Like Yours" (Ojos Así). Musical styles from different South American countries surface on the album. Tango, a style of fast-paced ballroom dance that originated in Argentina, is evident on "Objection (Tango)", which also combines elements of rock and roll. The uptempo track features a guitar solo and a bridge in which Shakira delivers rap-like vocals. "Whenever, Wherever" blends pop rock with Andean music and contains instrumentation from panpipes and the "charango" - traditional instruments generally associated with the genre.


title: Laundry Service

text: A few songs are also influenced by dance-based genres; the "feisty" "Rules" is laced with new wave and "Ready for the Good Times" is inspired by disco music. The power ballad "Underneath Your Clothes" has Shakira delivering "racked" vocals and features brass instrumentation influenced by English rock band The Beatles. It contains a melody similar to the one in "Eternal Flame", a 1989 song by American all-female band The Bangles. Similarly, the tune of "The One", another power ballad on the album, is similar to that of "Michelle", a 1965 song by The Beatles. "Fool" and "Poem to a Horse" are more directly influenced by rock music. The former received comparisons to the work of Alanis Morissette while the latter also displays indie elements and contains instrumentation from a soul music-styled horn section and guitar riffs similar to the one present in songs by American grunge band Nirvana. "Laundry Service" also contains four Spanish tracks: "Que Me Quedes Tú" ("That You Remain With Me"), "Te Dejo Madrid" ("I Leave You Madrid"), "Suerte" ("Luck") and "Te Aviso, Te Anuncio (Tango)" ("I'm Warning You, I'm Announcing to You"); the latter two are Spanish translations of "Whenever, Wherever" and "Objection (Tango)", respectively.


title: Laundry Service

text: The lyrics of most songs in "Laundry Service" are based on issues and themes related to love, as they had been written after Shakira began a relationship Antonio de la Rúa, the son of former Argentine president Fernando de la Rúa. "Underneath Your Clothes" is an "ode" to the positivity one gains when pursuing a relationship with a good person. Shakira shows an "important side" in "The One", which is a song about how "you love your guy so much that you're actually going to learn to cook" and contains lines like "To buy more thongs and write more happy songs, it always takes a little help from someone." In "Rules", she aims to make her lover realise that he is "condemned" to her and lists "all the things your new boy can do." Songs like "Objection (Tango)" and "Fool" also deal with issues related to love but in a different manner. The former is dramatic and humorous in approach as Shakira commands her partner to end a love triangle and choose between her and the other lady; it was described as a "hell-hath-no-fury it's-her-or-me steam train." In the song, Shakira asserts that "Next to her cheap silicon I look minimal/That's why in front of your eyes I'm invisible", which a reviewer commented was a "brave statement in these days of suspiciously ripe teenybop flesh peddlers ." "Fool" discusses how Shakira continues to try to build up a relationship with a "shitty, self-absorbed man" even after suffering a "soul-crushing defeat."


title: Laundry Service

text: The album was globally released on 13 November 2001 in nations including Australia, France, Italy, Switzerland and the United States. In Latin American countries like Mexico, the album was released as "Servicio de Lavandería" in January 2002. In the United Kingdom, "Laundry Service" was released on 11 March 2002. On 12 November 2002, a limited edition version of the album entitled "Laundry Service: Washed and Dried" was released; this version of the album features three additional remixes and a bonus disc which contains multimedia content related to "Objection (Tango)".


title: Laundry Service

text: Shakira chose to entitle the album "Laundry Service" as she wanted to represent her passion for love and music, which she compared to soap and water, saying "The reason I named it "Laundry Service" is because I've spent the year dedicated to my two great passions: love and music. Those two elements are like soap and water. It was a deep cleansing, almost like being reborn." The artwork of the album was also designed by Shakira and shows a close-up of the back of a blonde-haired Shakira; a star and the name of the album are seen tattooed on her arm.


title: Laundry Service

text: "Whenever, Wherever" was released as the lead single from "Laundry Service" in early October 2001. The song was commercially successful, peaking at number one in countries including Australia, Austria, France, Germany Italy, and more than 14 countries worldwide. In the United States, "Whenever, Wherever" became Shakira's first single to chart on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and peaked at number six. It stood as the singer's highest peaking single on the chart until "Hips Don't Lie" reached number one in 2006. "Whenever, Wherever" narrowly missed peaking atop the chart in the United Kingdom by reaching number two. "Suerte", the Spanish-language version of the song, was also released and peaked at number one in Spain and on the US "Billboard" Hot Latin Songs chart. "Whenever, Wherever" attained numerous record certifications around the world, including multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Belgium, and Switzerland, platinum certifications in the United Kingdom, and a diamond certification in France. The accompanying music video of the song, which features Shakira belly dancing in various locations, was directed by Francis Lawrence and became popular on music video television channel MTV.


title: Laundry Service

text: "Te Dejo Madrid" was released as the second single from the album in January 2002. It peaked at number seven in Spain but performed poorly on the Latin record charts in the United States, peaking at number 45 on the "Billboard" Hot Latin Songs chart. Spanish bullfighter Julián López Escobar, better known by his stage name El Juli, filed a lawsuit against Shakira for using scenes of one of his performances in the music video for "Te Dejo Madrid" without his permission.


title: Laundry Service

text: "Underneath Your Clothes" was released as the third single from the album in February 2002. The song peaked atop the charts in Australia, Austria, and Belgium; it was certified platinum in the three countries. In other countries, it became a top five hit. "Underneath Your Clothes" entered the top ten of the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, peaking at number nine, while in the United Kingdom it reached number three. The accompanying music video for "Underneath Your Clothes" was directed by Herb Ritts and depicts Shakira's life on tour. Shakira's then boyfriend Antonio de la Rua makes an appearance in the video and this led to music retailer Tower Records Argentina banning sales of her albums in the country. The reason behind the ban was that Antonio de la Rua's father Fernando de la Rúa, who was the President of Argentina at that time, had resigned "in the midst of profound economic and political turmoil in the country," and the decision to ban sales of Shakira's albums was a "direct protest against Antonio De la Rua—not Shakira."


title: Laundry Service

text: "Objection (Tango)" was released as the fourth single in May 2002. Although it was not a commercial success as big as "Whenever, Wherever" or "Underneath Your Clothes", the song performed well nonetheless. "Objection (Tango)" became a top ten hit in most countries and reached the top five in Australia and Netherlands. The song was certified platinum in Australia and gold in France. It became the last single from "Laundry Service" to chart on both the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, on which it peaked at numbers 55 and 17, respectively. Directed by Dave Meyers, the music video for "Objection (Tango)" features Shakira fighting her unfaithful lover and his mistress.


title: Laundry Service

text: "Que Me Quedes Tú" was released as the fifth single in November 2002 and peaked at number 10 on the Spanish Singles Chart. It became a success on the Latin record charts in the United States, topping both the "Billboard" Hot Latin Songs and Latin Pop Airplay charts.


title: Laundry Service

text: "The One" was released as the sixth and final single from the album in December 2002. It was a moderate chart success and reached the top 20 in most countries. "The One" became the only single from the album to not appear on any US "Billboard" chart. The music video for "The One" was directed by Esteban Sapir and Ramiro Agulla and shows Shakira singing the song while walking outside in the rain.


title: Laundry Service

text: To promote "Laundry Service", Shakira embarked on the Tour of the Mongoose from 2002 to 2003. The tour was the singer's first worldwide tour and visited 50 cities and 30 countries, with its kick-off concert show held in San Diego, California. Various brands and franchises co-sponsored the tour, including international clothing brand Reebok and soft drink brand Pepsi. Seven buses and ten trailers were also employed to transport all the staff members. A stage covering 350 square meters was set up and preparations to arrange 280,000 watts of sound and light were made. A "solid nine-piece band" was hired to provide live instrumentation. Regarding the title of the tour, Shakira explained her decision to name it after the mongoose, saying:


title: Laundry Service

text: "It's called the Tour of the Mongoose, and the mongoose is basically one of the few animals who can defeat the most venomous snakes with just one bite. And that's why I decided to name my tour that way, because I think that if we all have a little mongoose inside that can defeat the hatred and the resentment and the prejudice of everyday, we can probably win the battle."


title: Laundry Service

text: Likewise, the theme of the tour was highly influenced by Shakira's political views, and this was prominently seen during the performance of "Octavo Día", a song from "Dónde Están los Ladrones?", during which a film showing puppet caricatures of George W. Bush, then-President of the United States, and Saddam Hussein, then-President of Iraq, playing chess with their moves being controlled by the Grim Reaper. During the opening of the concert shows, a "massive" stage curtain showing a "mongoose and a cobra preparing for battle" split and a giant cobra slowly began rising from the centre of the stage to reveal Shakira, who wore "black leather pants and a black bikini top" and performed barefoot. Shakira incorporated belly dancing moves in her performances and often played various instruments throughout the shows herself, including the harmonica. Eight songs from "Laundry Service" were included on the setlist of the tour. A more afro-punk oriented version of "Objection (Tango)" was performed and featured instrumentation from bongos. As an intro to "Rules", Shakira played the harmonica, guitar, and drums. She also played an electric guitar during the performance of "Fool". "Whenever, Wherever" was included in the encore segment of the shows and was "made to feel even more celebratory by the massive amount of confetti shot on the crowd midway through." Shakira also performed covers of "Dude Looks Like a Lady", a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith, and "Back in Black", a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. Many performances made use of pyrotechnics and "six-foot flames that shot from the stage."


title: Laundry Service

text: In 2004, a live album of the tour was released as "Live & Off the Record". Aside from recording of the performances, the album included an hour-long documentary that shows Shakira "touring the world and doing such fun things as blowing bubbles, getting massages, and being serenaded by a mariachi band." A promotional CD single featuring the live performances of "Poem to a Horse" and "Whenever, Wherever" was also released to promote "Live & Off the Record". The live album was certified platinum in France and gold in the United States.


title: Laundry Service

text: Critical reception towards "Laundry Service" ranged from favourable to mixed, with critics expressing different opinions regarding the production and composition of the album. Alex Henderson from AllMusic commended Shakira's songwriting abilities in English, calling it a "challenge that she handles impressively well. Shakira, it turns out, sings quite convincingly in English," and also praised her different mixes of musical styles, saying "Like Shakira's Spanish-language albums, this self-produced CD is enjoyably eclectic; she successfully combines pop/rock with everything from tango on "Objection (Tango)" and Andean music on "Whenever, Wherever" to Middle Eastern music on "Eyes Like Yours". He concluded that ""Dónde Están los Ladrones?" remains Shakira's most essential album, but "Laundry Service" is an excellent English-language debut for the South American vocalist." A critic from "Billboard" also favoured the presence of various musical styles on the album and commented that ""Laundry Service" finds the 24-year-old artist unafraid of merging musical flavors," and complimented Shakira's vocal talent. Similarly, the Entertainment.ie review of the album deemed the lyrical content "surreal" and the production "no less bizarre [...] imposing breakneck tangos, twanging guitar solos and bizarre raps onto a familiar soft rock template." They felt that "Laundry Service" could not be called a "great album", reasoning that "the line between fascinatingly strange and offputtingly weird is a thin one, and "Laundry Service" crosses it far too often," but also stated that "Even so, Shakira's star quality can hardly be denied - and in today's increasingly conformist pop industry that deserves at least two cheers."


title: Laundry Service

text: Alexis Petridis from "The Guardian" lauded Shakira's originality, opining that "In an age of personality-free pop idols, Shakira's glorious eccentricity makes her a true star," and commented that "Every song contains at least one non sequitur so eccentric that it could be the work of 1970s rock surrealist Captain Beefheart" and "The music on "Laundry Service" gives the lyrics a run for their money in the oddball handicap." Although he felt that the use of samples on various songs "displays an attitude to plagiarism that Noel Gallagher would consider cavalier" and that "no one could claim "Laundry Service" was a groundbreaking work of art," he concluded that "its ramshackle production and imponderable lyrics are striking and unique. And these days, it's hard not to find any pop record that provokes those adjectives rather cheering." Music critic Robert Christgau termed "Laundry Service" "the Cher album Cher never made" and attributed this to Shakira's blend of Middle Eastern styles in her music; he commented that the "stylistic appetite of this Colombian superstar is pure rock en Español" and appreciated Shakira's confident songwriting. Christgau also noted Shakira's strong vibrato and constant changing of timbre in her vocals. Lisa Oliver from Yahoo! Music said that Shakira's experimentation with different styles yield "results ranging from corking to minging," but experienced difficulty with the formatting of the CD, saying "the biggest problem with 'Laundry Service' is the anti-copying device that renders the CD useless in anything other than a conventional CD player [...] A shame then, because this Latino hottie could dilate the musical pupils of even the most ardent homebody if only they could get off the computer long enough to hear it."


title: Laundry Service

text: At the same time Shakira's album evoked sharp criticism by a number of authors. David Browne from "Entertainment Weekly", for instance, called the album a "the ultimate in crossover nightmares" and opined that Shakira's incorporation of different musical genres made it sound confusing, saying "Its wan ska-pop, faux-country ballads, and generic rock barely betray a Spanish accent or any musical heritage. (She can't decide if she wants to sound like Alanis or Shania)". Matt Cibula from PopMatters gave a more mixed view in his review of "Laundry Service"; he complimented some of the lyrics of the songs but expressed disappointment in Shakira's production of the album, writing it off as "generic". He felt that the album was "extremely safe" and speculated that the reason behind the album's "generic" sound was due to the Estefans' involvement, saying "when I read that she's [Gloria Estefan] helping you with lyrics and he's [Emilio Estefan] 'executive producer', and I hear the unmistakable hum of 'moneymoneymoneymoney' in the background ." Ernesto Lechner from "Rolling Stone" complimented the singer's voice as a "wild and beautiful instrument [...] capable of delivering scorching moments of musical passion," but commented that the involvement of a "battalion of producers and songwriters" led to Shakira sounding "downright silly" on "Laundry Service" and also criticised "her efforts to spice things up with obvious touches of Latin American folklore."


title: Laundry Service

text: Some authors criticised Shakira's first English album for the clumsy rhyme of its songs. Elizabeth Mendez Berry's article in "Vibe" is particularly indicative in this sense. In reference to Shakira's texts in English, the journalist wrote: "While her Spanish-language albums sparkled with elegant wordplay, this record is rife with cliches, both musically and lyrically. [...] For Anglophone Latin lovers, Shakira's lyrics are best left to the imagination."


title: Laundry Service

text: "Laundry Service" garnered Shakira a number of awards. At the 2002 American Latino Media Arts Awards (ALMA Awards) ceremony, the album won the award for "Album of the Year" and Shakira won the award for "Outstanding Female Performer". At the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards Latin America (VMALA) ceremony in 2002, Shakira won a total of five awards, which included "Artist of the Year", "Video of the Year" (for "Suerte"), "Female Artist of the Year", "Pop Artist of the Year" and "Best Artist - North Latin America". At the inaugural Premios Oye! in the same year, the album received a nomination in the category of "Record of the Year", while Shakira won the awards for "International Female Artist of the Year" and "Latin Pop Female Artist of the Year". At the 2002 Premio Lo Nuestro ceremony, Shakira won the "Premio del Pueblo" ("People's Choice Award") in the category of "Pop/Rock" for "Laundry Service". At the 2003 NRJ Music Awards, "Laundry Service" was announced as the winner of "Best International Album" and Shakira was named the "Best International Female Artist". The album was also nominated for "International Album of the Year" at the 2003 Juno Awards.


title: Laundry Service

text: In Austria, "Laundry Service" entered the Ö3 Austria Top 40 albums chart at number five and peaked at number one, spending a total of 71 weeks on the chart. The album was certified double-platinum by the IFPI Austria for selling 80,000 units. In the Dutch-speaking Flanders region of Belgium, it reached number one on the Ultratop chart, while it peaked at number five in the French-speaking Wallonia region of the country. After debuting at number 40 on the Finnish Albums Chart, "Laundry Service" quickly ascended to number one and charted for a total of 49 weeks. By 2007, the album had gone triple-platinum in the country and had sold a total of 90,140 units. In France, "Laundry Service" debuted at number nine on the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) albums chart and peaked at number five for three weeks; its stay on the chart lasted for 89 weeks. It was certified double-platinum by the SNEP for sales of 600,000 units. It remained as Shakira's greatest certified album in the country until her ninth studio album "Sale el Sol" was certified diamond in 2011. In Germany, it peaked at number two on the Media Control chart and charted for 31 weeks. Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) certified "Laundry Service" quintuple-gold in Germany for shipments of 750,000 units. In Hungary, it peaked at number four on the MAHASZ chart and was her highest charting album in the country until "Sale el Sol" reached the same position in 2010. The album was certified platinum in Hungary.


title: Laundry Service

text: After debuting at number three on the Italian Albums Chart, "Laundry Service" ascended to number two the following week but was kept from attaining the top position by Alanis Morissette's 2002 album "Under Rug Swept". In Spain, "Servicio de Lavanderia" reached number two on the PROMUSICAE albums chart. It also charted in 2005 in the country along with Shakira's fifth and sixth studio albums "Fijación Oral, Vol. 1" and "Oral Fixation, Vol. 2", respectively. The album has been certified quintuple-platinum by PROMUSICAE for shipments of 500,000 units. In Sweden, "Laundry Service" debuted atop the Sverigetopplistan chart and stayed on the top position for three weeks. It was certified double platinum by IFPI Sweden in 2003. In Switzerland, the album entered the Schweizer Hitparade chart at number 81 and peaked at number one, spending a total of 84 weeks on the chart. "Laundry Service" was later certified quintuple-platinum by the IFPI for selling 200,000 units in Switzerland. In the United Kingdom, "Laundry Service" debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart. It later peaked at number two. The album was certified double-platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 600,000 copies. By 2002, "Laundry Service" had sold more than four million copies in Europe alone and thus was certified quadruple-platinum by IFPI Europe. "Laundry Service" has become one of the best selling album of all time in Turkey and she has received a platinum disc by Sony Music Turkey in a press conference in Istanbul in 2002.


title: Laundry Service

text: In Australia, "Laundry Service" became Shakira's first album to chart on the ARIA Albums Chart after debuting at number two. It later peaked at number one for two weeks and in total it spent 54 weeks on the charts. Consequently, it became the second best-selling album of the year 2002 in the country, behind only American rapper Eminem's album "The Eminem Show". The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) certified "Laundry Service" quintuple-platinum for shipments of 350,000 units, making it Shakira's most successful album in the country and one of the best selling albums of all time in Australia, entering the all time chart at position of 29. The album also performed well in New Zealand, peaking at number four on the national albums chart and appearing on the chart for 47 weeks. By 2003, "Laundry Service" had been certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for shipping 45,000 units.


title: Laundry Service

text: In Canada, the album peaked atop the "Billboard" Canadian Albums Chart and is Shakira's only album to reach number one in the country. Eventually, "Laundry Service" was certified quintuple-platinum by Music Canada for shipments of 500,000 albums. In the United States, "Laundry Service" debuted and peaked at number three on the "Billboard" 200 chart, selling 200,000 copies in its first week. It stayed on the chart for a total of 61 weeks. The album also debuted and peaked at number six on the "Billboard" Top Internet Albums chart. It has sold over 1 million copies less than a month after its release. After around six months since its release, "Laundry Service" had been certified triple-platinum by the RIAA for shipments of 3,000,000 units in the United States. It is Shakira's best-selling album in the country, with sales of 3,526,000 units as of March 2014. According to Sony Music Canada, the album has been certified 4× Platinum in the United States. The album in its first year of release managed to sell 10 million copies worldwide making Shakira an award given by Sony Music for the highest recorded sales. According to the IFPI, "Laundry Service" was the seventh best-selling album in the world in 2002 with platinum certifications in 32 countries and gold certification in 10 countries. The album was named as one of the 100 biggest albums of the century by female artists in the United Kingdom by Official Charts, ranking at number 81.


title: Laundry Service

text: The album's commercial success led to Shakira being deemed one of the most successful Latin crossover artists of all time, with Steve Huey from AllMusic calling her "Latin pop's biggest female crossover artist since Jennifer Lopez" and "an instant pop sensation, thanks to her quirky poetic sense and a sexy video image built on her hip-shaking belly dance moves." The success of the album also received considerable backlash, with many calling Shakira a "sellout". This negative response was further heightened by the fact that Shakira, a natural brunette, had bleached her hair blonde prior to the album's release, which many viewed as a tactic to "fit into the US market." Regarding this backlash, Shakira said, "I know my Latin people find this difficult. And I want [my success] to be good news to my country. But it's typical that when you see somebody who is so close to you growing, you feel that the very word 'growing' is synonymous with leaving. My hair is a coincidence. I dyed it more than two and a half years ago." On the other hand, many viewed Shakira's crossover success as a "strong cultural statement" as her musical style represented her mixed ethnicity.


title: Laundry Service

text: In 2002, the singer was interviewed by Nobel Literature Prize-winning Colombian novelist and journalist Gabriel García Márquez, who was "astonished by her fantastical work-rate" and said that "Shakira's music has a personal stamp that doesn't look like anyone else's and no one can sing or dance like her, at whatever age, with such an innocent sensuality, one that seems to be of her own invention." In the United States and the United Kingdom, Shakira drew comparisons to American pop singer Britney Spears as they looked similar and sported "bleached blonde curls and butter-wouldn't-melt smiles for the kids down the front." However, critics argued that Shakira's vocal style was very different from Spears', with Ted Kessler from "The Observer" calling the former an "operatic diva" and writing that "as soon as she opens her mouth, she slips into gear and motors powerfully past Britney's breathy bump'n'grind." In 2009, Julia Llewellyn Smith from "The Daily Telegraph" commented that "Shakira makes comparable Spanish-English 'crossover' acts such as Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias seem like minnows." In an interview with "Latina" magazine in 2011, Gloria Estefan was asked whether she felt another crossover artist like Shakira could emerge in her lifetime, to which she responded, "I'm always hopeful that somebody, any Latino, is going to succeed in what they do. And of course in music, undoubtedly." Shakira's crossover success has been such that the media point out that possibly without its crossover many Latin artists such as Karol G, Becky G, Bad Bunny, Maluma or J Balvin would possibly not have the recognition that they enjoy today, and it is seen as a great step in the Latin industry since with the voice of Shakira the music industry would stop only focusing on American artists and Latinas would enter the arena such as Paulina Rubio, Thalía and even Fey who also ventured to conquer other audiences. Noting that thanks to Shakira, Latino artists now have a greater space in an international music industry in which prejudice and even racism continue to exist.


title: Laundry Service

text: Shakira's belly-dancing ability came into attention and gathered coverage during this period, especially due to the music video of the lead single "Whenever, Wherever". The song also became famous for one of its lines in which Shakira sings "Lucky that my breasts are small and humble, so you don't confuse them with mountains"; it is often cited as an example of the unusual lyrical content of the singer's songs. According to Steve Huey from AllMusic, many critics were "divided as to the effectiveness of Shakira's English lyrics, but nearly all agreed on her unique poetic imagery." Huey further commented that the song and its video turned Shakira into a "star in the English-speaking world almost overnight." "Whenever, Wherever", along with "Underneath Your Clothes", is considered to be one of Shakira's signature songs.


title: Jan Koller

text: Jan Koller (; born 30 March 1973) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a striker. He was noted for his height, strong physique, and heading ability.


title: Jan Koller

text: He began his career at Sparta Prague, then moved to Belgium, where he became the Belgian First Division top scorer with Lokeren. He won the league championship twice with Anderlecht and the Belgian Golden Shoe. In 2001, he joined Borussia Dortmund, where he won the Bundesliga title in his first season and scored 73 goals in 167 official games over five campaigns. He moved frequently in his later career, with stops in France, Germany and Russia.


title: Jan Koller

text: Koller is the all-time top scorer for the Czech Republic national team, with 55 goals in 91 appearances in a decade-long career starting in 1999. He represented the nation at three UEFA European Championships and the 2006 FIFA World Cup.


title: Jan Koller

text: Koller started his football training as a goalkeeper, but was converted to striker by the time he started his professional career with Czech club Sparta Prague. He made his début for Sparta in the spring of 1995 in a match against Benešov, coming on as a substitute with 20 minutes of the game remaining. In 1996, Koller caught the eye of Belgian football and signed with the club Lokeren for a fee equivalent to €102,000.


title: Jan Koller

text: After a successful three-year stint, in which he managed to finish as Belgian First Division top-scorer in his last season at Lokeren, Koller was signed by Belgian club Anderlecht. He quickly built up a successful partnership with Canadian striker Tomasz Radzinski, excelling in his debut season and earning him the Belgian Golden Shoe in 2000. At the end of the season, he was bought by German side Borussia Dortmund after turning down English side Fulham.


title: Jan Koller

text: While Koller was at Dortmund, the club won the 2001–02 Bundesliga, thanks in part to Koller's 11 league goals. Besides the Bundesliga title his biggest success whilst at Dortmund was helping them to the 2002 UEFA Cup Final, where his goal could not prevent them losing 3–2 to Feyenoord.


title: Jan Koller

text: His training as a goalkeeper saw some use in the 2002–03 season. In a Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich, Dortmund's goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off in the second half for a second yellow card, and Dortmund had already used their three substitutions. Koller, who had already opened the scoring in the 8th minute, moved from striker to goalkeeper after 67 minutes of the match. He prevented any more goals for the rest of the match, despite Dortmund having been reduced to nine players due to the earlier expulsion of Torsten Frings. Koller was named by "kicker" as the Bundesliga's top goalkeeper of the week for his performance.


title: Jan Koller

text: In a surprising move, Koller signed with French side AS Monaco in 2006 but a two-season disappointing campaign, despite a decent scoring record, forced him to move back to Germany to play with Nürnberg. Unfortunately for Koller, who wasn't the only Czech in the team as he was partnered with Tomáš Galásek and Jaromír Blazek, the Nürnberg-based club had performed poorly throughout the season and were relegated to 2. Bundesliga at the end of the 2007–08 season.


title: Jan Koller

text: On 23 June 2008, Koller was transferred to Russian club Krylia Sovetov Samara in a deal worth €1 million. On 5 December 2009, Koller returned to France, joining Championnat National team AS Cannes, with a contract until June 2011. Koller announced his retirement from football in August 2011 after a series of injuries.


title: Jan Koller

text: Koller made his debut for the Czech Republic in a friendly away to Belgium at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on 9 February 1999, and netted the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute. He scored six goals in six games in UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying as the Czechs topped their group; this included two in a 4–0 win in Lithuania. At the finals in Belgium and the Netherlands, he started each game as his team exited in the group stage. In 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification, Koller only scored twice in eight games, both in a 4–0 win over Iceland in Teplice.


title: Jan Koller

text: His best performance in a major tournament was in Euro 2004, when his side reached the semi-finals and he scored two goals, forming a pivotal partnership with fellow striker Milan Baroš. He became the all-time leading scorer for the Czech Republic on 8 June 2005, following a match against Macedonia in which he scored four goals in just 11 minutes of a 6–1 win, taking his international total to 39. In the 2006 World Cup, Koller scored the opening goal of a 3–0 win against the United States in their first game, but later suffered a minor thigh injury; the Czech Republic lost their next two matches without him and were eliminated.


title: Jan Koller

text: Into his third month with Nürnberg, Koller announced that he would retire from the Czech national team after Euro 2008. He finished his international career with 55 goals, including a crucial headed goal in their deciding Euro 2008 Group A match against Turkey; However, his goal was not enough as the Czechs conceded three goals in the last 15 minutes, losing the match 3–2, and failing to progress to the knock-out stage, prompting Koller to announce his retirement from the national team.


title: Jan Koller

text: In July 2009, he announced that he would rejoin the national team because of poor results in the 2010 World Cup qualification. He played in the match against Slovakia, but on 6 September 2009, he again announced his retirement from international football.


title: Jan Koller

text: Koller was particularly noted for his height, strong physique and heading ability, being referred to as a "towering forward" and a "human lighthouse". Due to his stature, he was often nicknamed "Dino" throughout his career.


title: Freelancer.com

text: Freelancer is an Australian freelance marketplace website, which allows potential employers to post jobs that freelancers can then bid to complete. Founded in 2009, its headquarters is located in Sydney, Australia, though it also has offices in Vancouver, London, Buenos Aires, Manila, and Jakarta.


title: Freelancer.com

text: Freelancer is a marketplace where employers and employees are able to find each other. The site allows employers to post work for site members who place bids in a competitive tender process. The site also allows members to host and enter contests for which prize money is offered as a reward. Freelancers and employers develop profiles on the site as they offer, win and complete work and write and receive reviews of people they work with or for. The site's members receive a finite number of bids to use on the site, which are periodically replenished. A series of account options are offered, ranging from free accounts through to professional subscriptions.


title: Freelancer.com

text: Freelancer takes a 10% fee, which can be reduced with paid monthly membership, with a minimum fee of $5. The company has recently announced its new move into home and local services, staying first in its home market of Australia.


title: Freelancer.com

text: Most of Freelancer's users come from India, the United States, Philippines, Pakistan and the United Kingdom, but it is represented through its user network in 247 countries, regions and territories; and in both emerging and developed markets. The top three job categories that most frequently get job requests are IT and software, 34%; design, media and architecture, 31%; and writing and content, 13%. The company has offices in Manila, Philippines; Sydney, Australia; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Buenos Aires, Argentina; London, United Kingdom; and Jakarta, Indonesia.


title: Freelancer.com

text: Freelancer has acquired several crowdsourcing marketplaces including Get A Freelancer.com and EUFreelance.com (founded by Magnus Tibell in 2004, Sweden), Scriptlance.com (founded by Rene Trescases in 2001, Canada)- one of the early pioneers in freelancing, Freelancer.de Booking Center (Germany), Freelancer.co.uk (United Kingdom), Webmaster-talk.com (USA), a forum for webmasters, and vWorker (founded by Ian Ippolito, USA).


title: Freelancer.com

text: As of 29 March 2016, the company has set up 44 regional marketplaces and operates in 34 languages and 21 currencies. India and Latin America. On 2 April 2014, Freelancer acquired Ukraine based digital content marketplace-Fantero.


title: Freelancer.com

text: In April 2015, Freelancer acquired Escrow.com, a provider of Internet escrow services based in the United States.


title: Freelancer.com

text: In December 2016, the company acquired Brazilian job market service Prolancer as well as Spanish career marketplace Nubelo.


title: Freelancer.com

text: Freelancer has taken steps to enter the freight marketplace business through their subsidiary Frieghtlancer.com. In 2018, Freelancer acquired Australian enterprise marketplace Channel 40, which connects freight owners with transport operators. In May 2021, the company acquired Loadshift, a business that connects shippers and carriers in heavy transport services.


title: Freelancer.com

text: In December 2015, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) found Freelancer at fault for breaching the Privacy Act by violating the privacy rights of a former user and awarded that individual $20,000 in aggravated damages when Freelancer employees publicly exposed on Wikipedia and elsewhere the individual's private information, IP addresses, pseudonyms and other details after the individual wrote several critical comments and personal blog posts about the company. OAIC further ordered Freelancer to issue a written apology to the individual and for staff to undergo additional training on the handling of sensitive personally identifiable information. Spokespersons speaking on behalf of the company expressed their intent to appeal the ruling.


title: Freelancer.com

text: In March 2018 it was reported that Freelancer is facing another complaint with the OAIC. Claiming damages over $60,000 a complainant from the European Union alleges Freelancer's conduct in regard to privacy is in violation of Australian and European privacy legislation alike, a fact that would affect all of Freelancer's European customers, according to the complaint. Freelancer has not commented on the allegation.


title: Brennan Brown

text: Brennan Brown (born November 23, 1968) is an American film, television, and stage actor. He currently plays Dr. Samuel Abrams on NBC's "Chicago Med". He played Robert Childan on Amazon's "Man in the High Castle".


title: Brennan Brown

text: He first came to widespread attention in the UK for playing "Mr. Dresden" the spoof film board executive in Orange UK's long-running series of cinema adverts. Brown's other film and television credits include "I Love You Phillip Morris" with Jim Carrey; "Focus" opposite Will Smith and Margot Robbie; "State of Play"; "Turn the River"; two seasons playing Edward Biben on Amazon's "Mozart in the Jungle"; HBO's "John Adams" playing Robert Treat Paine; and two seasons playing Special Agent Nicholas Donnelly on "Person of Interest".


title: Brennan Brown

text: Brown has appeared in numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway stage productions. At the Atlantic Theater he appeared in Harold Pinter's "Celebration" and Ethan Cohen's "Offices". At the National Actor's Theater he appeared in Aeschylus' "The Persians" and Pirandello's "Right You Are (If You Think You Are)". He played Snobby Price in The Roundabout Theatre Company's "Major Barbara".


title: Muhammad Ali Mirza

text: Muhammad Ali Mirza, commonly known as Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza (; born 4 October 1977) is a Pakistani Islamic scholar and commentator.


title: Muhammad Ali Mirza

text: Muhammad Ali Mirza was born on 4 October 1977 in Jhelum, a city in Punjab, Pakistan. He is a 19th grade mechanical engineer in a government department.


title: Muhammad Ali Mirza

text: Ali gives online lectures where he talks about different religious issues runs a research academy where he imparts religious education based on his own understanding of Quran and Sunnat. His critics claim that he uses derogatory terms for Islamic Saints and present out of context clips from his lectures as evidence.


title: Muhammad Ali Mirza

text: Ali allegedly opined that present day Ahmadis are better than Jews and Christians (the people of the book). He, however still declared them as non-Muslims and said that his video clips have been presented out of context. He was arrested on 4 May 2020 in suspicion of spreading hate speech towards religious scholars. Pakistani actor Hamza Ali Abbasi and anchor Shafaat Ali posted on social media condemning his arrest. He was later released on 6 May 2020. According to Ali, one of his lectures was presented completely out of context. He later said that if one starts presenting other opinions in such a way then even the verses of the Qur'an can be presented out of context.


title: Muhammad Ali Mirza

text: Muhammad Ali Mirza has had a long rivalry with scholar Tariq Masood. The debate between both scholars is particularly about Muawiyah, the First Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate. Mirza challenged Masood to arrive in Jhelum and have a debate face to face. In May 2021, the debate was postponed since Masood didn't come in After many months, Masood finally accepted the challenge and went to Jhelum for the debate. However, Masood claimed that he had tried to make contacts with Mirza, but there was no answer. Masood claimed that he took a very long journey from Karachi to Jhelum for discussion.


title: Muhammad Ali Mirza

text: On June 2022, Mirza Ali criticized Taslim rehmani for badmouthing Hindu Gods in front of BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on times Now. He said Nupur Sharma abused Prophet Muhammad in reaction of that. Rubika Liakat praised Engineer Mirza Ali for his stand with Nupur Sharma on her Twitter account. Bjp IT cells on social media also appreciated Mirza for criticizing Taslim rehmani. Many Indian and Pakistani Ulemas were furious on Mirza Ali for justifying Nupur Sharma's blasphemy not checking the fact that Nupur initiated the controversial comments against Prophet Muhammad first and rehmani didn't abuse Hindu Gods.


title: Muhammad Ali Mirza

text: On 14 March 2021, Ali survived a second assassination attempt, first in 2017. The attacker visited his Quran academy in Jhelum, Pakistan at weekly meeting and attempted to kill him with a knife while taking a picture with him. Ali escaped with minor injuries. Police arrested two suspects and registered an FIR against them. The attacker had traveled from Lahore to Jhelum to kill Ali.


title: Moonshiners (TV series)

text: Moonshiners is an American docudrama television series on the Discovery Channel produced by Magilla Entertainment that dramatizes the life of people who produce (illegal) moonshine in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The series dramatizes their liquor production efforts, law-evading techniques and life.


title: Moonshiners (TV series)

text: There have been claims by local officials that the show is not what it portrays itself to be. Virginia authorities have stated that no illegal liquor is actually being produced by the people depicted in the show. The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) said in March 2012 that, "If illegal activity was actually taking place, the Virginia ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement would have taken action." They also said that they had requested for the producers to add a disclaimer to clarify that the show was only a dramatization, "but the request was overlooked", and the show's producers, Magilla Entertainment, have stated their documentary content is real.


title: Moonshiners (TV series)

text: Portions of the show that feature Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton were taken from a documentary film by Neal Hutcheson. Hutcheson's documentary was filmed in 2002 and released the same year with the title "This is the Last Dam Run of Likker I'll Ever Make". In 2008, a version of the documentary that was edited for television was broadcast on PBS and the with the title "The Last One", and it received a Southeast Emmy Award in 2009. Sutton was arrested in 2007 by ATF agents in Cocke County, Tennessee (led by Jim Cavanaugh of Waco siege fame) for illegally distilling liquor and possession of a handgun by a felon, and was sentenced to eighteen months in jail in 2009. He subsequently died by suicide, apparently to avoid serving the federal prison term.


title: Moonshiners (TV series)

text: The twelfth season premieres on November 9, 2022, with a preseason special airing on November 2, 2022.


title: Moonshiners (TV series)

text: In May 2013, it was announced that, in addition to renewing "Moonshiners" for a third season, Discovery Channel would be purchasing a spinoff about Steven Ray Tickle, to be called "Tickle". The series premiered on August 13, 2013.


title: Moonshiners (TV series)

text: In February 2019, a new series titled "Moonshiners: Whiskey Business" was announced through Discovery Channel. The spinoff sprouted from a "Moonshiners" season seven special titled "Whiskey Business", in which Tim Smith travels to help out struggling Missouri Ridge Distillery and keep them in business. The special proved successful and four more episodes were made to air at the end of Moonshiners' season 8. The spin-off started airing March 13, 2019.


title: Moonshiners (TV series)

text: A new Moonshiners series titled "Moonshiners: Master Distiller" premiered on March 3, 2020 on Discovery Channel.


title: Moonshiners (TV series)

text: The theme song for the show is Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road". The intro montage introduces the cast members, and also shows some of the difficulties they face while making the moonshine.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Dylan Martin Alcott, (born 4 December 1990) is an Australian former wheelchair tennis player, former wheelchair basketball player, radio host and motivational speaker. Alcott was a member of the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team, known colloquially as the Australian "Rollers". At the age of 17, he became the youngest Rollers gold medal winner at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, and was the youngest to compete in the wheelchair basketball competition. In 2014, he returned to wheelchair tennis with the aim of participating at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, at which he won gold medals in the Men's Quad Singles and Doubles. He was named the 2016 Australian Paralympian of the Year due to his outstanding achievements at Rio.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Alcott is the only man to complete the Golden Slam in quad singles, winning all four majors and the Paralympics in 2021. In addition, he also won a separate non-calendar-year Grand Slam in quad singles between 2018 and 2019. He is also the only man to complete the Grand Slam in quad doubles, winning all four major titles in 2019.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Alongside his sporting career, Alcott hosted the weekend afternoon radio show on Australian radio station Triple J, and the ABC live music show "The Set", as well as being a commentator for the 2019 Australian Open. He also was a member of the panel on the "AFL Footy Show" in 2019 until its cancellation.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: In 2022, Alcott was named Australian of the Year and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia. A portrait by Felix von Dallwitz titled "Dylan Alcott, AOTY" was a finalist in the 2022 Archibald Prize.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Dylan Alcott was born in Melbourne, Victoria, on 4 December 1990 to parents Martin and Resie. He has an older brother named Zack. He was born with a tumour wrapped around his spinal cord which was operated on during the first few weeks of his life. The tumour was successfully cut out; however, it left Alcott a paraplegic, requiring him to use a wheelchair.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Alcott attended Brighton Grammar School from year 6, and he competed for Victoria in swimming, and Australia for wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball. Alcott graduated Brighton Grammar school in 2008.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Alcott's first sport of choice was wheelchair tennis, where he represented Australia on numerous occasions, reaching a ranking of 100 in the world by age 16 (4th in the world for under-18s).


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Alcott played his first game of wheelchair basketball aged 14. Alcott made his debut for the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team, the Rollers, at the 2006 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship, where the team won the bronze medal. Alcott continued to hold his spot and was a member of the Rollers when the team travelled to the Beijing Olympic warm-up tournament in January 2008. Alcott made his name in basketball through his performances in the national league competition, competing for the Dandenong Rangers (no affiliation with the female team of the same name) and being selected in the all-star team for 2008. He has achieved success through junior competition as well, being named the Most Valuable Player at the Junior National Basketball Championships.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Alcott was part of the gold medal-winning Rollers team at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia. In his first Paralympics, Alcott was quoted: "To be 17 and win gold... well it just doesn't get any better than that."


title: Dylan Alcott

text: In 2009, Alcott accepted a scholarship at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he went on to win the College Championship division with the University of Illinois wheelchair basketball team. After one year of study, he decided to move back to Melbourne to train for the 2012 London Paralympic Games.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: In 2010, Alcott was a part of the Rollers' success at the 2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Birmingham, England. It was the first world championship the Australian wheelchair basketball team had ever won, and Alcott was named in the World All Star 5 for the tournament.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Alcott was part of the Australian men's wheelchair team that won silver.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: In 2014, Alcott returned to wheelchair tennis. At the age of 16, he was ranked inside the top five juniors in the world. In July 2014, he defeated world number three Andy Lapthorne 7–5, 6–1 in the British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championship final in Nottingham to win his first Super Series crown. Early in the year, he won the New Zealand Open in just his second tournament appearance. In January 2015, he won the quad wheelchair Australian Open title by defeating David Wagner in straight sets. It was his maiden grand slam title. At the conclusion on 2015, he was ranked number 1 after winning eight titles including two grand slam singles titles.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Alcott teamed up with Heath Davidson to win the Men's Quad Doubles gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. They defeated the reigning champions David Wagner and Nick Taylor in the gold medal match 4–6, 6–4, 7–5. The day after winning gold in the Men's Doubles, he defeated Andy Lapthorne 6–3, 6–4 to win the gold medal in the Men's Quad Singles.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: In 2021, Alcott became the third professional tennis player and only male player to win the calendar-year Golden Slam, winning singles titles in the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open and the singles gold medal at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. He joined fellow professional wheelchair tennis player Diede de Groot in achieving the feat in 2021. They were the first two professional tennis players since Steffi Graf in 1988 to accomplish the feat.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: After winning the Paralympics gold medal, Alcott announced he would not be featuring in the 2024 Paris Paralympics, retiring from the competition. In November 2021, Alcott announced his intention to retire from professional tennis entirely following the January 2022 Australian Open.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Alcott has hosted "Invictus Games Today" alongside Chris Bath and Anthony "Lehmo" Lehmann – and ABC's live music show "The Set". He is a TV Week Logie award winner.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Alcott's return to wheelchair tennis after playing basketball resulted from an injury sustained in the leadup to the 2012 Summer Paralympics. At an event, an inebriated person attempted to lift Alcott out of his wheelchair, leading to a fall in which Alcott sustained cuts from broken glass on the floor. He required a full hand reconstruction; once rehabilitated, he became eligible for a quad classification in tennis.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Alcott has a Commerce degree from the University of Melbourne. He currently works as a motivational speaker and as a radio host on Triple J. In his spare time, Alcott attends music festivals, and he has become known for his "wheelchair crowdsurfing". In 2018, he launched Ability Fest, a universally accessible music festival, featuring pathways for wheelchairs, quiet areas for people with sensory disabilities, and Auslan (Australian Sign Language) interpreters.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Alcott's advice to young people with a disability is: "The biggest thing is that for every one thing you can’t do, there are 10,000 others you can. For every one idiot to give you a hard time, there are 10,000 others worth your time."


title: Dylan Alcott

text: In 2017, Alcott established the Dylan Alcott Foundation "with the core purpose of helping young Australians with disabilities gain self-esteem and respect through sport and study". In September 2017, Alcott was appointed Australian Patron for International Day of People with Disability.


title: Dylan Alcott

text: Alcott's biography, "Able: Gold Medals, Grand Slams and Smashing Glass Ceilings", written with Grantlee Kieza, was published by ABC Books in 2018.


title: Chinese Dream

text: The Chinese Dream () is a term closely associated with Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and China's paramount leader. Xi began promoting the phrase as a slogan during a high-profile tour of an exhibit at the National Museum of China in November 2012, shortly after he became leader of the CCP. The exhibit at that time was called the "Road to National Rejuvenation", and Xi said that the Chinese Dream is the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" ().


title: Chinese Dream

text: Since then, use of the phrase has become widespread in official announcements and as the embodiment of the leadership's political ideology under Xi Jinping. Xi said that young people should "dare to dream, work assiduously to fulfill the dreams and contribute to the revitalization of the nation." There are various connotations and interpretations of the term.


title: Chinese Dream

text: The phrase "Chinese Dream" () corresponds with the associated idea of a hope for restoring earlier dynasties lost national greatness and has ancient origins in Chinese literary and intellectual history. In the Classic of Poetry ("Shi Jing"), the poem "Flowing Spring" () describes a poet waking up in despair after dreaming of the former Western Zhou dynasty. During the troubled Southern Song dynasty, the poet Zheng Sixiao wrote a poem in which he coined the phrase "Heart full of [the] Chinese Dream (中国梦), the ancient poem 'Flowing Spring'" (), referring back to the classical poem. It should be noted, however, that the concept of "China" did not exist in the Southern Song Dynasty and is actually a 16th-century European invention. The word "中国" , literally "Middle" or


title: Chinese Dream

text: "Central Kingdom", referred actually to the capital region (see ). Popular patriotic literary and theatrical works in early 20th century China also made reference to a "China Dream."


title: Chinese Dream

text: In 2008, architect Neville Mars, author Adrian Hornsby, and the Dynamic City Foundation published "The Chinese Dream – a society under construction". The book investigates China's initial wave of rapid urbanization as it transitions to a socialist market economy. Maps of the emerging spatial forms and analysis of the economic development processes that have originated within the extreme conditions of the 1980s and 1990s are combined with progressive planning concepts and personal portraits of a rapidly changing society. As such it synthesizes a body of research to tackle the main paradoxes at the heart of China's struggle for change and a more equitable and sustainable future.


title: Chinese Dream

text: According to Mars, "The present is so all-consuming that fast realities threaten to eclipse the slow dream of tomorrow." The overarching premise of the book is that China reveals a direct correlation between its shifting urban forms and its waning societal objectives. Written eight years ahead of the 12th FYP that holds the same thematic title "The Chinese Dream" (), it introduces the notion that China's highly fragmented, unchanging urban patterns determine a path of increasing inefficiency and energy-dependence. Mars introduces the term "MUD," or Market-driven Unintentional Development to describe this new hybrid urban condition, and suggests that planning itself needs to be radically redefined to be effective and not contribute to ex-urbanization. The conclusion of the book is "No New Cities" (), and a call for models of upgrading existing urban centers and suburbs.


title: Chinese Dream

text: In 2010, author Helen H. Wang published her first book "The Chinese Dream". The book is based on over 100 interviews of the new members of the middle class in China. In the book, Wang did not define the Chinese Dream; rather, she conveyed the hopes and dreams of the Chinese people through intimate portraits of this growing demographic.


title: Chinese Dream

text: "The Chinese Dream" was translated into Chinese (中国梦) and published in China in 2011. In 2012, the second edition of "The Chinese Dream" with a foreword by Lord Wei was published. In the foreword, Wei wrote:


title: Chinese Dream

text: The British publication "The Economist" credits a column written by the American journalist Thomas Friedman for popularizing the term in China. A translation of Friedman's article, "China Needs Its Own Dream," published in "The New York Times" (October 2012) was widely popular in China. Friedman attributes the phrase to Peggy Liu, the founder of the environmentalist NGO JUCCCE. According to Isaac Stone Fish, former Asia editor for the magazine "Foreign Policy", Friedman said, "I only deserve part credit... ensuing the concept of 'China Dream' was promoted by my friend Peggy Liu, as the motto for her NGO about how to introduce Chinese to the concept of sustainability."


title: Chinese Dream

text: James Fallows of "The Atlantic" has pointed out that the phrase has frequently been used in the past by journalists. He mentions Deborah Fallow's book "Dreaming in Chinese", his own article "What Is the Chinese Dream?," and Gerald Lemos' book "The End of the Chinese Dream" as examples. In response to Fallows, "The Economist" cites an article in the "Xinhua Daily Telegraph" that directly credits Friedman.


title: Chinese Dream

text: "The Economist" writes that references to Friedman's article have also appeared in other Chinese media outlets, including a translation in "The References News", in an article written for China's State Council Information Office, on the cover of the magazine "Oriental Outlook" as the main caption, in a magazine article published by "Frontline", and in an article for a local newspaper written by China's ambassador to Romania, Huo Yuzhen. In the preface of the "Oriental Outlook" "Chinese Dream" issue, the editor states that "the 18th national congress of the Chinese Communist Party convened November 8th. "Does the next generation of Chinese leaders have a 'Chinese Dream' that is different from the "American Dream"?... This was a question raised by one of America's most influential media figures, Thomas Friedman."


title: Chinese Dream

text: Just after becoming General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in late 2012, Xi announced a political slogan that would become the hallmark of his administration. "The Chinese Dream," he said, is "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." Formulated by Wang Huning, Xi's Chinese Dream is described as achieving the Two Centenaries: the material goal of China becoming a "moderately well-off society" by 2021, the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, and the modernization goal of China becoming a fully developed nation by about 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic.


title: Chinese Dream

text: In May 2013, Xi Jinping called upon young people "to dare to dream, work assiduously to fulfill the dreams and contribute to the revitalization of the nation." He called upon all levels of the Party and the government to facilitate favorable conditions for their career development. Xi told young people to "cherish the glorious youth, strive with pioneer spirit and contribute their wisdom and energy to the realization of the Chinese dream."


title: Chinese Dream

text: According to an opinion piece by Robert Lawrence Kuhn, published by China's state-controlled newspaper "China Daily", the Chinese Dream has four parts: "strong China", "civilized China", "harmonious China", and "beautiful China". Khun states, "the Chinese dream is described as achieving the 'Two 100s'", a concept promoted by Xi Jinping, adding, "The material goal of China becoming a 'moderately well-off society' by about 2020" and "The modernization goal of China becoming a fully developed nation by about 2050".


title: Chinese Dream

text: "The Economist" reported that Xi "had seen the American dream up close, having spent a couple of weeks in 1985 with a rural family in Iowa. (He revisited them during a trip to America last year as leader-in-waiting.)" Since the idea was put forward by Xi in November 2012 and repeated by him on numerous important occasions, the CCP's propaganda chief, Liu Yunshan, has directed that the concept of the Chinese Dream be incorporated into school textbooks.


title: Chinese Dream

text: In an article for the "Huffington Post", French sinologist David Gosset () presented the idea that the so-called "Liyuan Style" is an illustration of the China Dream. Gosset said that China's new First Lady Peng Liyuan is at the intersection of what he labeled "Modern China," "Civilizational China", and "Global China".


title: Chinese Dream

text: The Chinese Dream is vaguely defined, and has led to multiple interpretations describing the phrase's meaning.


title: Chinese Dream

text: Author Helen H. Wang was one of the first to connect the Chinese Dream with the American Dream. In her book "The Chinese Dream", Wang wrote: "The Chinese Dream, taking its title from the American Dream, alluding to an easily identifiable concept..." Wang attempts to demonstrate that the Chinese people have similar dreams as those of the American people. "This new [Chinese] middle class," Wang wrote, "which barely existed a decade ago, will reach the size of more than two Americas in a decade or two. They number in the hundreds of millions, with the same hopes and dreams that you and I have: to have a better life, to give our children an even better life..." Wang has also claimed that "Chinese people must define their own dream."


title: Chinese Dream

text: According to Shi Yuzhi, a professor at the National University of Singapore, the Chinese Dream is about Chinese prosperity, collective effort, socialism, and national glory. Shi compared the relationship between the phrase and the American Dream.


title: Chinese Dream

text: The China Dream has been defined as sustainable development. Peggy Liu and the NGO JUCCCE coined the phrase "China Dream" as a movement based on sustainability, which was later popularized in China through a "New York Times" article and adopted by Xi Jinping. Pollution and food safety are popular concerns in China. Cities are frequently covered by smog and the country's rivers are polluted with industrial waste. China's rising middle class is expected to increase by 500 million people by 2025 and will continue to put a strain on the country's dwindling resources. According to Liu, the Chinese Dream of sustainability can be achieved through the promotion of green technologies and the reduction of widespread conspicuous consumption. China's high growth has caused widespread environmental damage, and without environmental reforms, the deterioration could threaten the legitimacy of the Communist Party. The Chinese Dream is a dream of a prosperous lifestyle reconciled with a sustainable lifestyle.


title: Chinese Dream

text: The Chinese Dream has been viewed as a call for China's rising international influence. Xi Jinping refers to the dream as a form of national rejuvenation. Young Chinese are envious of America's cultural influence and hope that China could one day rival the US as a cultural exporter. Members of the Chinese military support China's military development, opining that the "strong-nation dream of a great revival of the Chinese people" can only result from a "strong-army dream." Former United States Secretary of State John Kerry has promoted the idea of a "Pacific Dream" to accommodate China's rise through regional collaboration over shared interests like the environment and economic growth.


title: Chinese Dream

text: The Chinese Dream is also a process to promote national rejuvenation through domestic ethnic policy. In 2012, when Xi Jinping first proposed the "Chinese Dream" during his visit to the "Road to Rejuvenation" exhibition, he suggested that "realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream of the Chinese nation in modern times." In the next few years, Xi formulated new ethnic policies to achieve the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The goal of achieving national rejuvenation is to create an ethnically homogeneous "nation-state" and replace identities of ethnic minorities by a (Han) Chinese cultural identity. The Central Government aims to strengthen control over ethnic minorities through an assimilation project and to subject ethnic minorities to the exclusive rule of the Chinese Communist Party.


title: Chinese Dream

text: The phrase is used in local propaganda. In August 2014, local authorities in Cherchen County (Qiemo County) announced, "Incentive Measures Encouraging Uighur-Chinese Intermarriage," including a 10,000 CNY (US$1,450) cash reward per annum for the first five years to such intermarried couples as well as preferential treatment in employment and housing plus free education for the couples, their parents and offspring. County CCP Secretary Zhu Xin remarked:


title: Chinese Dream

text: The purpose of the second-generation ethnic policy is to cooperate with the ethnic assimilation project as part of the "national rejuvenation" to create a whole "Chinese nation-state." Some scholars suggest the first-generation of policy focuses on the recognition of 56 nationality ("minzu") and on keeping the national unity while developing all groups. The second-generation ethnic policy was originally introduced in line with Xi Jinping's "national rejuvenation" theory of the Chinese dream. It was first proposed in 2011 by two Chinese scholars of National Conditions Institute of Tsinghua University, Hu Lianhe and Hu An’gang. Hu and Hu suggest that the proof of multiculturalism in the US, Brazil, and India adopting the model of the "ethnic melting pot" can prove the correctness of second-generation ethnic policies in China. Hu and Hu published their second paper of 2012 to deepen research on the relationship between national rejuvenation and the second-generation "minzu" policy. They suggest that the realization of the Chinese dream must rely on the integration of the peoples of China into a single nation-race ("guo zu"). Deepening the ethnic minorities’ adoption of the identity of the Chinese nation is the main thrust of the second-generation ethnic policy. The purpose is to cultivate a unified national identity under the Communist regime. Therefore, the second-generation ethnic policy is the enlightenment of the ethnic policy in Xi's era.


title: Chinese Dream

text: The new policy of "ethnic mingling"("jiao rong") proposed by Xi in 2014 is an assimilation policy based on "national integration" and "national unity." Xi attended the Second Xinjiang Work Forum, and stressed that,


title: Chinese Dream

text: The Forum's full set of document have not been made public. In his speech, Xi emphasized the term "national integration" many times. His goal is to establish a unified national identity between each ethnic group and to replace ethnic identities with the "Chinese race" ("Zhonghua minzu"). The substance of the "ethnic mingling" policy is a step in addition to the theory of the "melting pot" of the second-generation ethnic policy. For Xi's regime, the creation of the unified identity of the Chinese nation is a key factor in realizing the great rejuvenation of Chinese Dream; however, some scholars argue that the national revival campaign will make China lose cultural diversity and "indigeneity" ("tuzhuxing").


title: Chinese Dream

text: Scholars claim that the “ethnic mingling” policy implementation by the government evolved into cultural genocide since 2017. The period from 2017 to 2020 is the stage when the government took tough measures to implement the assimilation of ethnic minorities. The cultural genocide is a stage to deepen destruction of the group identity of ethnic minorities. Article 14 was the new regulations to lay the foundations to establish mass internment “re-education" system. Chinese government promulgated new regulations on the grounds of “de-extremification of Muslims" in Article 14. The Xinjiang internment camps aim to destroy Uyghurs’ religion and identity through a collective educational transformation. Since 2018, the government also encouraged intermarriage between Uyghurs and Han people to achieve "ethnic integration." A significant percentage of young Uyghur men are in the re-education camps and have been removed from Uyghur social life; a young Uyghur woman, called Bahar, pointed out that "this absence adds to the new social pressure to marry Han men." Since 2014, the trial implementation of intermarriage project established in some places of Xinjiang. The local government of Qiemo County in Xinjiang established a new regulation in 2014, called "Regarding the Incentive Measures for Families Encouraging Intermarriage Between Ethnic Minorities and Han." This policy is very generous with regard to ethnic-Han intermarriage families, with priority consideration and resolution in politics, housing, and children's employment, including a 10,000 yuan award each year for no more than five consecutive years and free tuition for their children from elementary school to high school, etc. James A. Millward, a scholar of Xinjiang at Georgetown University, claims that "state-sponsored efforts at ‘blending’ and ‘fusion’ will be seen by Uighurs in China or by China's critics anywhere as really aimed at assimilating Uighurs into Han culture.".


title: Chinese Dream

text: Chinese cultural nationalism under Xi Jinping’s leadership has promoted the forced assimilation of the Uyghur minority, which was condemned by international human rights groups such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and UN’s official website and its human rights experts, the abusing of human rights in Xinjiang in the name of counter-terrorism with 1-2 million people or more in ‘rehabilitation camps’ who are subjected to political indoctrination, forced abortions, tortures, suppression of religious and cultural practices such as forcing the Uyghurs to eat pork and abandon Islamic prayers. The conditions of the concentration camps are horrific with daily expense less than 4.5 yuan (US$0.67) per person. The birth rate of Uyghurs has deceased and the incarceration rate in Xinjiang is 14 times higher than national average. Frequent deaths in custody have been reported in these camps due to the poor conditions. The practices of the Chinese government have been widely criticized as cultural genocide, ethnocide, or genocide.


title: Chinese Dream

text: A recent UN report has confirmed the widespread existence of slave labor in Xinjiang and Tibet, and possible enslavement. The UN also confirms that crimes against humanity might have been committed by the Chinese communist authorities. in the name of counter-terrorism against the Uyghurs.


title: Chinese Dream

text: On 30 August 2022: the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances; activists from Tibet, East Turkistan, and South Mongolia implored the UN and the world to “take urgent steps to stop disappearance and cultural genocide in China’s colonies.”


title: Chinese Dream

text: Some Chinese have interpreted the Chinese dream as the pursuit of individual dreams. Evan Osnos of "The New Yorker" comments that "Xi Jinping has sought to inspire his people by raising the flag of the China Dream, but they have interpreted it as China "Dreams"—plural." According to Osnos, the Chinese Dream is "the proliferation of 1.3 billion China Dreams." Sujian Guo and Baogang Guo argue, "To a great extent, the American dream has been exported to China and has become the Chinese dream." According to Shi Yuzhi, a professor at the National University of Singapore, the Chinese Dream is not about individual glory, but about collective effort. Measuring public sentiment on Sina Weibo, Christopher Marquis and Zoe Yang of CivilChina.org found that the Chinese Dream refers more to the common goods bestowed by civil society than it does to individual achievements. A main aim of the Chinese state propaganda is therefore the construction of links between individual and national aspirations, which also signifies the convergence of the values of the market economy and state nationalism. This is evident in Chinese entertainment television. In a genre of reality shows in public speaking, for example, contestants frequently connect between their "dreams" and the triumph of China and further emphasize the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party in delivering a better future.


title: Chinese Dream

text: Some government officials and activists view the Chinese Dream as a need for economic and political reform. Sustaining China's economic growth requires economic reform encompassing urbanization, the reduction of government bureaucracy, and weakening the power of special interests. Chinese liberals have defined the Chinese Dream as a dream of constitutionalism. "Southern Weekly", a liberal newspaper based in Guangzhou, attempted to publish an editorial titled "The Chinese dream: a dream of constitutionalism" which advocated the separation of powers, but was censored by the authorities. Both Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang support economic reform, but have shied away from discussing political reform. Premier Li has said that "But however deep the water may be, we will wade into the water. This is because we have no alternative. Reform concerns the destiny of our country and the future of our nation." According to official party sources, the Chinese Dream is the "essence of Socialism with Chinese characteristics."


title: Chinese Dream

text: In October 2013, Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, described the Chinese Dream as a political reform that includes "rebalancing from investment to consumption."


title: Chinese Dream

text: In October 2015, Roderick MacFarquhar, a China expert at Harvard University, spoke at a conference on Marxism in Beijing. He said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping's talk of the so-called "Chinese Dream" was "not the intellectually coherent, robust and wide-ranging philosophy needed to stand up to Western ideas."


title: Chinese Dream

text: Ravi Kant, a financial writer, commented on "Asia Times" that Xi Jinping himself is hindering the Chinese people from realizing their dreams. He said that much of Xi's rise can be attributed to his belief in "fajia", which emphasizes absolute power and authority of the ruler. He compared and contrasted Xi to Deng Xiaoping, who he said believed in empowering people instead of leaders, and whose policy contributed to China's economic rise. Kant said, "The only man standing between the Chinese people and the Chinese dream is Xi Jinping."


title: Chinese Dream

text: Derek Hird, a China expert at Lancaster University, said that Xi Jinping has built Confucian values, including conservative views of Chinese women's role in the family, into his Chinese Dream of nationalist revival. "The Wall Street Journal" reported that in the Xi era, new political slogans emphasizing "family, family education and family virtues" or "pass on the red gene" have come along with efforts to censor voices on women's rights.


title: Chinese Dream

text: According to some commentators, the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" (), on which the Chinese Dream is based, is a mistranslation. A better translation of the phrase would be the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese race". Jamil Anderlini, an editor for the "Financial Times", said that the concept of "Chinese race" nominally includes 56 officially recognized ethnicities (including Tibetans and Uyghurs) in China, but is "almost universally understood to mean the majority Han ethnic group, who make up more than 90 per cent of the population." He said that such race-based ideas are deeply connected to the history of the 20th century and earlier European colonialism.


title: Impossible trinity

text: The impossible trinity (also known as the impossible trilemma or the Unholy Trinity) is a concept in international economics which states that it is impossible to have all three of the following at the same time:


title: Impossible trinity

text: It is both a hypothesis based on the uncovered interest rate parity condition, and a finding from empirical studies where governments that have tried to simultaneously pursue all three goals have failed. The concept was developed independently by both John Marcus Fleming in 1962 and Robert Alexander Mundell in different articles between 1960 and 1963.


title: Impossible trinity

text: Historically in advanced economies, the periods pre-1914 and 1970–2014 were characterized by stable foreign exchange rates and free capital movement, whereas monetary autonomy was limited. The periods 1914–1924 and 1950–1969 had restrictions on capital movement (e.g. capital controls), but exchange rate stability and monetary autonomy were present.


title: Impossible trinity

text: According to the impossible trinity, a central bank can only pursue two of the above-mentioned three policies simultaneously. To see why, consider this example (which abstracts from risk but this is not essential to the basic point):


title: Impossible trinity

text: Assume that world interest rate is at 5%. If the home central bank tries to set domestic interest rate at a rate lower than 5%, for example at 2%, there will be a depreciation pressure on the home currency, because investors would want to sell their low yielding domestic currency and buy higher yielding foreign currency. If the central bank also wants to have free capital flows, the only way the central bank could prevent depreciation of the home currency is to sell its foreign currency reserves. Since foreign currency reserves of a central bank are limited, once the reserves are depleted, the domestic currency will depreciate.


title: Impossible trinity

text: Hence, all three of the policy objectives mentioned above cannot be pursued simultaneously. A central bank has to forgo one of the three objectives. Therefore, a central bank has three policy combination options.


title: Impossible trinity

text: Currently, Eurozone members have chosen the first option (a) after the introduction of the euro. By contrast, Harvard economist Dani Rodrik advocates the use of the third option (c) in his book "The Globalization Paradox", emphasising that world GDP grew fastest during the Bretton Woods era when capital controls were accepted in mainstream economics. Rodrik also argues that the expansion of financial globalization and the free movement of capital flows are the reason why economic crises have become more frequent in both developing and advanced economies alike. Rodrik has also developed the political trilemma of the world economy where "democracy, national sovereignty and global economic integration are mutually incompatible: we can combine any two of the three, but never have all three simultaneously and in full."


title: Impossible trinity

text: The formal model underlying the hypothesis is the uncovered Interest Rate Parity condition which states that in absence of a risk premium, arbitrage will ensure that the depreciation or appreciation of a country's currency vis-à-vis another will be equal to the nominal interest rate differential between them. Since under a peg, i.e. a fixed exchange rate, short of devaluation or abandonment of the fixed rate, the model implies that the two countries' nominal interest rates will be equalized. An example of which was the consequential devaluation of the Peso, that was pegged to the US dollar at 0.08, eventually depreciating by 46%.


title: Impossible trinity

text: This in turn implies that the pegging country has no ability to set its nominal interest rate independently, and hence no independent monetary policy. The only way then that the country could have both a fixed exchange rate and an independent monetary policy is if it can prevent arbitrage in the foreign exchange rate market from taking place - institutes capital controls on international transactions.


title: Impossible trinity

text: The idea of the impossible trinity went from theoretical curiosity to becoming the foundation of open economy macroeconomics in the 1980s, by which time capital controls had broken down in many countries, and conflicts were visible between pegged exchange rates and monetary policy autonomy. While one version of the impossible trinity is focused on the extreme case with a perfectly fixed exchange rate and a perfectly open capital account, a country has absolutely no autonomous monetary policy the real world has thrown up repeated examples where the capital controls are loosened, resulting in greater exchange rate rigidity and less monetary-policy autonomy.


title: Impossible trinity

text: In 1997, Maurice Obstfeld and Alan M. Taylor brought the term "trilemma" into widespread use within economics. In work with Jay Shambaugh, they developed the first methods to empirically validate this central, yet hitherto untested, hypothesis in international macroeconomics.


title: Impossible trinity

text: Economists Michael C. Burda and Charles Wyplosz provide an illustration of what can happen if a nation tries to pursue all three goals at once. To start with they posit a nation with a fixed exchange rate at equilibrium with respect to capital flows as its monetary policy is aligned with the international market. However, the nation then adopts an expansionary monetary policy in order to try to stimulate its domestic economy.


title: Impossible trinity

text: This involves an increase of the monetary supply, and a fall of the domestically available interest rate. Because the internationally available interest rate adjusted for foreign exchange differences has not changed, market participants are able to make a profit by borrowing in the country's currency and then lending abroad a form of carry trade.