title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: "Dark Horse" was issued as the album's lead single in the US on 18 November. Harrison played the title track, "Hari's on Tour" and "Māya Love" throughout the tour, but due to his delay in completing the album, the new material combined with new arrangements of his better-known songs to produce a setlist that lacked the familiarity expected of a former Beatle. The tour alienated some of rock music's most influential critics, notably Ben Fong-Torres of "Rolling Stone" magazine.<ref name="Cavanagh/Uncut">David Cavanagh, "George Harrison: The Dark Horse", "Uncut", August 2008, pp. 43–44.</ref> Titled "Lumbering in the Material World", Fong-Torres' article covered the Vancouver and US West Coast stops, ending on 12 November, and was followed by Larry Sloman's reviews of some of the East Coast shows. These articles and "Rolling Stone"s subsequent album review established what became the "given" view, according to Leng, that the Harrison–Shankar tour was a failure. The majority of critics – or those "without axes to grind", author Robert Rodriguez writes – reviewed the concerts favourably.


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: The negative press Harrison received stemmed from his decision to feature Indian music so heavily in the concert programme, the tortured quality of his singing voice, and especially his refusal to pander to the Beatles' legacy. The Beatles were represented in the setlist in four songs. In addition to reworking the arrangements, however, Harrison altered some of the lyrics to reference his deity or his failed marriage in the case of "Something", Harrison's most popular Beatles track. In his pre-tour press conference, Harrison had dismayed some commentators by stating that he would be happy to be in a band with Lennon but not McCartney, and that he preferred Weeks as a bass player to McCartney. When invited to visit US president Gerald Ford in Washington on 13 December, Harrison told journalists that he enjoyed playing with his tour band more than he had being a member of the Beatles.


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: "Dark Horse" was released on 9 December 1974 in the United States (as Apple SMAS 3418), two-thirds of the way through the tour. In Britain, where the lead single was "Ding Dong, Ding Dong", the album's release took place on 20 December (with the Apple catalogue number PAS 10008). The UK release coincided with the final show of the tour, at Madison Square Garden in New York. It came the day after Harrison and McCartney signed legal papers known as the "Beatles Agreement", to finally dissolve the Beatles partnership, at the Plaza Hotel.


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: In the US, "Dark Horse" received a gold disc from the RIAA on 16 December, and peaked at number 4 on the "Billboard" Top LPs & Tape chart, although it dropped out of the top 200 after a chart run of seventeen weeks. The album also reached number 4 on the national charts compiled by "Cash Box" and "Record World". In Canada, it peaked at number 42 on the "RPM" Top 100 in early February 1975.


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: The title track performed well as a single in the US, climbing to number 15 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Issued as a follow-up on 23 December, "Ding Dong" peaked at number 36, which was also an achievement since the late release date meant the song was excluded from prearranged holiday-season programming. In the UK, "Ding Dong" stalled at number 38, making it the first Harrison single to miss the top ten there.


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: "Dark Horse" peaked inside the top ten in Austria, the Netherlands and Norway, but failed to place on the UK Albums Chart, then a top 50 list. This was a poor result for a former Beatle, further to Starr's "Beaucoups of Blues" not charting there in 1970. It was an especially dramatic turnaround in Harrison's commercial fortunes, after his three previous solo releases (including the "Concert for Bangladesh" live album) had all made number 1 or 2 in the UK. Issued as a UK single on 28 February 1975, "Dark Horse" also failed to chart.


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: "Dark Horse" was released on CD in January 1992. The album was remastered again and reissued in September 2014, as part of the Harrison box set "The Apple Years 1968–75".<ref name="Marchese/Review">Joe Marchese, "Review: The George Harrison Remasters – 'The Apple Years 1968–1975 , "The Second Disc", 23 September 2014 (retrieved 26 September 2014).</ref> As bonus tracks, the reissue includes a previously unreleased demo of "Dark Horse" and the long-unavailable "I Don't Care Anymore".<ref name="Marchese/Preview">Joe Marchese, "Give Me Love: George Harrison's 'Apple Years' Are Collected on New Box Set" , "The Second Disc", 2 September 2014 (retrieved 3 September 2014).</ref> Author Kevin Howlett supplied a liner note essay in the CD booklet, while the DVD exclusive to the box set contains Harrison's promotional video for "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" and Capitol's 1974 television ad for the album.


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: "Dark Horse" received some of the most negative reviews of any release by a Beatle up to that point and the worst of Harrison's career. Released amid the furore surrounding his refusal to play "Beatle George" during a tour that was a "whirlwind of pent-up Beatlemania", in Leng's words, it was as if Harrison had already committed "acts of heresy". Rather than having his new work judged on its own merits, it was "open season" on Harrison; another biographer, Elliot Huntley, has written of the "tsunami of bile" unleashed on the ex-Beatle in late 1974.


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: In his review subtitled "Transcendental Mediocrity", Jim Miller of "Rolling Stone" called "Dark Horse" a "disastrous album" to match the "disastrous tour", and a "shoddy piece of work".<ref name="Miller/RS">Jim Miller, "Dark Horse: Transcendental Mediocrity", "Rolling Stone", 13 February 1975, p. 76 (archived version retrieved 31 January 2014).</ref> In contrast with the praise that the same publication had lavished on Harrison for "Living in the Material World" the year before, Miller described "Dark Horse" as a "chronicle of a performer out of his element, working to a deadline, enfeebling his overtaxed talents by a rush to deliver new 'LP product, and stated: "In plain point of fact, George Harrison has never been a great artist ... the question becomes whether he will ever again become a competent entertainer." The "NME"s Bob Woffinden derided Harrison's songwriting, production and vocals, particularly on two tracks dealing with his troubled personal life, "Simply Shady" and "So Sad". Woffinden concluded: "I find "Dark Horse" the product of a complete egoist – no one, you see, is in "my" tree – someone whose universe is confined to himself. And his guru ... I'll repeat that this album is totally colourless. Just stuff and nonsense."<ref name="Woffinden/NME">Bob Woffinden, "Platters: George Harrison "Dark Horse"", "NME", 21 December 1974, p. 18; available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required; retrieved 15 July 2012).</ref>


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: Writing in "The Village Voice", Robert Christgau bemoaned the album's "transubstantiations" and particularly ridiculed the lyrics to "Māya Love", "in which 'window-pane' becomes 'window brain.' Can this mean that pain (pane, get it?) is the same as brain? For all this hoarse dork knows..." Mike Jahn provided a withering assessment in "High Fidelity", saying that the US Food and Drug Administration should arrest Harrison for "selling a sleeping pill without a prescription, for a downer this definitely is". Jahn added that only "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" registered with him after three listens, but only due to his incredulity at the lyrics.


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: By contrast, "Billboard"s reviewer described the album as "an excellent one" and compared it favourably with Harrison's acclaimed 1970 triple LP, "All Things Must Pass".<ref name="BB review/google">Bob Kirsch (ed.), "Top Album Picks" , "Billboard", 21 December 1974, p. 63 (retrieved 27 May 2015).</ref> Brian Harrigan of "Melody Maker" credited Harrison with establishing "a new category in music – Country and Eastern" and lauded his "nifty" slide-guitar playing and "tremendous" singing. Although he found some of the tracks overlong, Harrigan concluded: "Yep, the Sacred Cowboy has produced a good one."<ref name="Harrigan/MM">Brian Harrigan, "Harrison: Eastern Promise", "Melody Maker", 21 December 1974, p. 36.</ref> Combined with his feature on the tour in "Circus Raves", in which he questioned the accuracy of the negative reports about the Harrison–Shankar concerts and defended Harrison's desire to move on from the Beatles, Michael Gross described "Dark Horse" as matching "All Things Must Pass" in quality, and "surpassing" it at times, thanks to the new album's "clarity of production and lovely songs". He highlighted "So Sad" as a "luxurious track" and described "Ding Dong, Ding Dong", "Dark Horse" and "Far East Man" as "all, simply, good songs".<ref name="Gross/CircusRaves">Michael Gross, "George Harrison: How "Dark Horse" Whipped Up a Winning Tour", "Circus Raves", March 1975; available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required; retrieved 14 July 2012).</ref>


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: Taken as a metaphor for the album itself, the plea for tolerance inside the LP sleeve – "Be kindly Wanderer through this Garden's ways..." – was ridiculed at the time by some critics. In the 1978 edition of their book "", Roy Carr and Tony Tyler termed these lines of verse "a self-pitying slab of sub-Desiderata". Carr and Tyler conceded that the playing on "Dark Horse" was "impeccable", but opined that Harrison's lyrics were "sanctimonious, repetitive, vituperative and self-satisfied"; as for the album as a whole: "One wishes it had not come from an ex-Beatle." Writing in his 1977 book "The Beatles Forever", Nicholas Schaffner found some justification in reviewers' sniping at the "shoddy performance" and "preachy, humorless message" on "Dark Horse". Schaffner singled out "Bye Bye, Love" and "Ding Dong" for derision, but praised the title track and Harrison's guitar work on "Hari's on Tour (Express)" and especially "So Sad". Schaffner said that neither the album nor the tour deserved the level of abuse it received in some sections of the press. "It was George's turn anyway", Schaffner reflected, "to be inflicted with the poison-pen treatment that the critics had earlier accorded Paul and John. Knocking idols off their pedestals makes for excellent copy."


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: Writing for "Rolling Stone" shortly after Harrison's death in November 2001, Greg Kot approved of "Dark Horse"s "jazzier backdrops" compared with "Material World", but opined that his voice turned much of the album into an "unintentionally comic exercise". In the same publication, Mikal Gilmore identified "Dark Horse" as "one of Harrison's most fascinating works – a record about change and loss". Writing in the 2004 edition of "The Rolling Stone Album Guide", Mac Randall said that, in persevering with "Dark Horse" despite his laryngitis, Harrison "ruins several decent songs with croaky vocals".


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: Richard Ginell of AllMusic highlights "Dark Horse" and the "exquisite" "Far East Man" but rues that, in issuing an album when his voice was ravaged by laryngitis, Harrison eroded much of the prestige he had gained over his former bandmates as a solo artist. "Mojo"s John Harris describes "Dark Horse" as "Not pretty... a tanking long-player", with "Far East Man" the only redeeming track. Paul Du Noyer, writing for "Blender", also highlights the Harrison–Wood collaboration, while deeming the album "ragged, unhappy" and indicative of Harrison's "uncharacteristic spell of rock-star excess".


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: Among reviews of the 2014 "Apple Years" reissue, Richard Williams wrote in "Uncut" that "Dark Horse" is an album that "only a devoted Apple scruff could love",<ref name="Williams/Uncut">Richard Williams, "George Harrison "The Apple Years 1968–75"", "Uncut", November 2014, p. 93.</ref> while Scott Elingburg of "PopMatters" opined: "What makes "Dark Horse" so unique is that, aside from "All Things Must Pass", "Dark Horse" sounds and "feels" like Harrison is playing music like he has nothing to lose and all the world to gain." Writing for "PopMatters" in 2012, Pete Prown said that, as with Lennon and McCartney solo releases, the album displayed a lack of focus but it remained the target of unfair critical scorn. In Prown's view, the same quality that incensed critics originally – "its sloppy, jammy sound, which would have been heresy in the over-produced '70s" – had since been validated in a pop culture informed by post-punk and grunge, and had lent the album a redemptive "garage/DIY grit".<ref name="Prown/PM">Pete Prown, "The Worst of George Harrison: How a Pop Icon Made Some of the Most Disappointing Albums Ever", "PopMatters", 5 August 2012 (archived version retrieved 13 June 2021).</ref>


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: In his review of the "Apple Years" box set, for "Classic Rock" magazine, Paul Trynka writes that "The surprise of this set... is the albums whose quietness and introspection were out of tune with the mid-70s. "Dark Horse"... [is] packed with beautiful, small-scale moments." While identifying "Simply Shady" and the title track among the standouts, Trynka adds: "Only 'Ding Dong, Ding Dong' embarrasses..." AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes "Dark Horse" as "a mess but... a fascinating one".<ref name="Erlewine/AM">Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "George Harrison "The Apple Years"" , AllMusic (retrieved 1 November 2014).</ref>


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: In his book on the Beatles' first ten years as solo artists, Robert Rodriguez rates "Dark Horse" a "near-great" work, like Lennon's "Mind Games" and "Rock 'n' Roll", adding that Harrison's "hot streak" only ended with "Extra Texture". "Ultimate Classic Rock" ranked "Dark Horse" 31st (out of 63) in their list of the best Beatles solo albums released up to late 2018. In a similar list, "Junkee" ranks it at number 5, describing the album as a "big, footstomping masterpiece" that has improved with age, and "a work of considerable beauty, held in place by the crushing, excellent titular song".


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: Dave Thompson, in his 2002 article on Harrison's career for "Goldmine", wrote that "Dark Horse" signalled the end of the artist's post-Beatles "magic" and that, rather than being listened to in its own right, the LP had since been remembered for its association with Harrison's record label and the controversial 1974 tour, and for being the first "major Beatle album" to miss the UK chart.<ref name="Thompson/Goldmine">Dave Thompson, "The Music of George Harrison: An album-by-album guide", "Goldmine", 25 January 2002, p. 17.</ref> Harrison never completely forgave "Rolling Stone" – which had previously championed his work since 1970 – for the treatment he received during this period. In his biography of "Rolling Stone" founding editor Jann Wenner, Joe Hagan cites the magazine's treatment as indicative of Wenner's willingness to create enemies. He says that Harrison's disdain for "Rolling Stone" "put him in good company" in the mid-1970s – namely, Lennon, Mitchell, Bob Dylan and the Eagles.


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: Simon Leng bemoans the state of Harrison's voice and the "sonic patchwork" nature of the set, but comments that "So Sad" and "Far East Man" were received positively when first released by Alvin Lee and Ron Wood, respectively. In the case of "So Sad", he attributes this to "the difficulty of being George Harrison in 1974", during a year when other artists, including Lennon with "Walls and Bridges" and Clapton with "461 Ocean Boulevard", were incorporating elements of Harrison's sound in their work and enjoying favourable reviews. The difference in winter 1974–75, Leng continues, was that, by championing Shankar's Indian music segments during the tour and neglecting his duties as an ex-Beatle in America, Harrison had "committed the cardinal counterculture sin – he had rejected 'rock 'n' roll. Cultural historian Michael Frontani recognises the reception afforded "Dark Horse", particularly by "Rolling Stone", and the tour as a reflection of Harrison's "growing hostility with the rock press". He finds Jim Miller's review for the magazine "relentlessly negative" and unjustified in its vitriol, given the record's musicianship and its place as Harrison's "most funky and R&B-inflected album" up to that time.


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: Nick Hasted, writing in the "Uncut Ultimate Music Guide" issue on Harrison, credits the album with possessing a captivating quality, and he describes the record as a "raw and ragged diary" of the year when Harrison "lost his wife and his solo superstardom". With Harrison maintaining his friendships with Clapton and Starr, Hasted continues, the "incestuous absurdity" behind "Dark Horse" makes it a "recording studio soap opera" that anticipates Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours".


title: Dark Horse (George Harrison album)

text: According to 1974 LP credits, via Castleman and Prodrazik's book "All Together Now" (except where noted). Track numbers refer to CD and digital versions of the album.


title: Katherine Tai

text: Katherine Chi Tai (born March 18, 1974) is an American attorney serving as the 19th United States Trade Representative since March 18, 2021. The daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, she is the first Asian-American to serve in the position. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the chief trade counsel for the United States House Committee on Ways and Means.


title: Katherine Tai

text: Tai was born on March 18, 1974, in Connecticut. Tai grew up in Washington, D.C., where she attended Sidwell Friends School. Her parents, who are of "waishengren" descent, grew up in Taiwan and later immigrated to the United States. Tai is fluent in Mandarin. In 1996, Tai graduated from Yale University (Pierson College) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. After her undergraduate education, she taught English at Sun Yat-sen University as a Yale-China Fellow for two years, from 1996 to 1998. Tai went on to study at Harvard Law School, where she earned a Juris Doctor in 2001.


title: Katherine Tai

text: After law school, she worked for several law firms, including Powell Goldstein, Sidley Austin, Baker McKenzie, and Miller & Chevalier, and clerked for U.S. District Courts in Washington, D.C., and Maryland.


title: Katherine Tai

text: From 2007 to 2014, Tai served in the Trade Representative's Office of General Counsel, becoming chief counsel for China trade enforcement from 2011 until her departure. At the Office of General Counsel, she worked on trade cases at the World Trade Organization. In 2014, she became trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee. She was named chief trade counsel in 2017.


title: Katherine Tai

text: During Tai's tenure with the Committee on Ways and Means, she played a significant role in the House's negotiations with the Trump administration regarding the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), advocating for stronger labor provisions. The Associated Press has described her as a "problem-solving pragmatist on trade policy".


title: Katherine Tai

text: Tai was nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to serve as Trade Representative in December 2020. Tai has been described as both an "avowed progressive" and as a "consensus builder [who can] help bridge the Democratic Party's varying views on trade".


title: Katherine Tai

text: Hearings on Tai's nomination were held before the Senate Finance Committee on February 25, 2021. Tai was reported out of the committee by unanimous consent on March 3, 2021. The entire Senate confirmed her on March 17, 2021, in a 98–0 vote; Senators Bernie Sanders and Mazie Hirono were absent for the vote. She became the only member of Biden's cabinet to receive unanimous support.


title: Katherine Tai

text: Tai was sworn into office on March 18, 2021. In her service as Trade Representative, Tai holds the rank and style of 'Ambassador,' and is a member of the Cabinet of the United States. As Trade Representative, Tai was credited by some advocates for pushing the Biden Administration in favor of the TRIPS Waiver. In June 2021, Tai became the first Trade Representative to address the AFL–CIO in what was described as an effort to reset the USTR's relations with labor unions. As Trade Representative, Tai has been a co-chair of the Trade and Technology Council since its creation in 2021.


title: Estadio Benito Villamarín

text: Estadio Benito Villamarín is a stadium in Seville, Spain, and the home of Real Betis since its completion in 1929. It has a capacity of 60,720.


title: Estadio Benito Villamarín

text: As early as 1912, the Spanish architect Aníbal González Álvarez-Ossorio had an initial design of a stadium for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. The executive committee has commissioned the architect Antonio Illanes del Río to complete the design in 1923. Several locations were considered for the new stadium when finally the current location was chosen by commissar Cruz Conde. The technical study for its construction was carried out by Manuel María Smith who has designed the San Mamés Stadium of Bilbao in 1913. The construction works were launched in 1923 and finally completed by the end of 1928.


title: Estadio Benito Villamarín

text: The newly built Estadio de la Exposición was officially inaugurated on March 17, 1929, hosting an international match where Spain defeated Portugal 5-0. In 1936, Real Betis gained the lease of the stadium and became its sole tenant.


title: Estadio Benito Villamarín

text: During the Spanish Civil War, Seville City Council requisitioned the stadium and handed it over to the military. The stadium suffered major damages as a result of the war and required renovation. The work was carried out with the help of Gonzalo Queipo de Llano, and the stadium was reopened on March 12, 1939.


title: Estadio Benito Villamarín

text: In 1958, the extension of the northern and southern stands was carried out by the architect Antonio Delgado y Roig. In 1959 electric lighting was installed with 4 towers of 48 spotlights each.


title: Estadio Benito Villamarín

text: On August 12, 1961, the stadium became owned property by Real Betis. Few days later, the stadium was renamed after Benito Villamarín who served as the club president between 1955 and 1965. The stadium was blessed by Cardinal José Bueno y Monreal.


title: Estadio Benito Villamarín

text: Between 1971 and 1973, the northern and southern stands were entirely demolished to be rebuilt. With continuous expansion works during the 1970s, the capacity of the stadium was increased up to 48,500 spectators. However, major renovation works were carried out between 1979 and 1982 for the 1982 FIFA World Cup and the capacity of the stadium was increased up to 50,253. The stadium hosted 2 group matches during the tournament.


title: Estadio Benito Villamarín

text: In 1997, the stadium was renamed after the then-club president Manuel Ruiz de Lopera. However in 2010, Real Betis fans voted to change the name of the stadium back to honor former club president Benito Villamarín.


title: Estadio Benito Villamarín

text: In 2016, the southern stand of the stadium was demolished for expansion. After the most recent redevelopments, the total capacity of the stadium was increased from 52,000 to 60,720. The expansion work was completed in August 2017 in time for the 2017–18 La Liga season.


title: Ki-67 (protein)

text: Antigen KI-67, also known as Ki-67, Ki-67 or MKI67 (Marker Of Proliferation Ki-67), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the "MKI67" gene (antigen identified by monoclonal antibody Ki-67).


title: Ki-67 (protein)

text: Antigen KI-67 is a nuclear protein that is associated with cellular proliferation. Altering Ki-67 expression levels did not significantly affect cell proliferation in vivo. Ki-67 mutant mice developed normally and cells lacking Ki-67 proliferated efficiently. Furthermore, it is associated with ribosomal RNA transcription. Inactivation of antigen KI-67 leads to inhibition of ribosomal RNA synthesis.


title: Ki-67 (protein)

text: The Ki-67 protein (also known as MKI67) is a cellular marker for proliferation, and can be used in immunohistochemistry. It is strictly associated with cell proliferation. During interphase, the Ki-67 antigen can be exclusively detected within the cell nucleus, whereas in mitosis most of the protein is relocated to the surface of the chromosomes. Ki-67 protein is present during all active phases of the cell cycle (G, S, G, and mitosis), but is absent in resting (quiescent) cells (G). Cellular content of Ki-67 protein markedly increases during cell progression through S phase of the cell cycle. In breast cancer Ki67 identifies a high proliferative subset of patients with ER-positive breast cancer who derive greater benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy


title: Ki-67 (protein)

text: Ki-67 is an excellent marker to determine the growth fraction of a given cell population. The fraction of Ki-67-positive tumor cells (the "Ki-67 labeling index") is often correlated with the clinical course of cancer. The best-studied examples in this context are prostate, brain and breast carcinomas, as well as nephroblastoma and neuroendocrine tumors. For these types of tumors, the prognostic value for survival and tumor recurrence have repeatedly been proven in uni- and multivariate analysis.


title: Ki-67 (protein)

text: Ki-67 and MIB-1 monoclonal antibodies are directed against different epitopes of the same proliferation-related antigen. Ki-67 and MIB-1 may be used on fixed sections. MIB-1 is used in clinical applications to determine the "Ki-67 labelling index". One of its primary advantages over the original Ki-67 antibody (and the reason why it has essentially supplanted the original antibody for clinical use) is that it can be used on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections, after heat-mediated antigen retrieval (see next section below).


title: Ki-67 (protein)

text: The Ki-67 protein was originally defined by the prototype monoclonal antibody Ki-67, which was generated by immunizing mice with nuclei of the Hodgkin lymphoma cell line L428. The name is derived from the city of origin (Kiel, Germany) and the number of the original clone in the 96-well plate.


title: Crystal Head Vodka

text: Crystal Head Vodka is a brand of vodkas manufactured by Globefill Inc. in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It was conceived and founded by actor Dan Aykroyd and artist John Alexander in September 2008. The vodkas are quadruple-distilled, filtered seven times and packaged in a Crystal Skull bottle.


title: Crystal Head Vodka

text: Actor Dan Aykroyd and artist John Alexander conceived Crystal Head Vodka in 2008. Due to the lack of additive-free vodka on the market, Aykroyd decided to make one himself. Alexander designed the bottle based on the pair's shared fascination with the legend of the thirteen crystal skulls.


title: Crystal Head Vodka

text: In 2010, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario refused to carry Crystal Head Vodka in its stores, saying that people might find the bottle offensive. They reversed their decision after a change was made to the box design.


title: Crystal Head Vodka

text: In May 2011, 21,000 bottles of the vodka were stolen from a warehouse in Southern California. Aykroyd joked that he was "happy that some consumers will be afforded the opportunity of tasting it at significantly lower than retail price".


title: Crystal Head Vodka

text: As of 2013, Aykroyd was spending over 90 days a year on the road promoting the vodka through signings and appearances. The brand was the official vodka of the Rolling Stones' 50th Anniversary Tour in 2013.


title: Crystal Head Vodka

text: As of November 2020, three varieties of the vodka are for sale. The original formula, which comes in a colorless bottle, is made from Canadian “Peaches and Cream” sweet corn.


title: Crystal Head Vodka

text: The second formula, known as Aurora, is made from English wheat and has a flavor described as drier and spicier than the original. The Aurora bottle has an opalescent finish that is meant to evoke the aurora borealis.


title: Crystal Head Vodka

text: The most recent addition to the line, introduced in October 2020, is a blue agave based vodka branded as "Crystal Head Onyx" and comes in a black bottle.  The blue agave is grown in Mexico's Jalisco region, and is one of the first agave-based vodkas available commercially. All three varieties are made with Newfoundland water.


title: Crystal Head Vodka

text: In 2014, forensic artist Nigel Cockerton used clay to make a muscle, skin and hair construction on one of the skull bottles to see what it would look like if the bottle had been an actual person. The result resembled a laughing man. Dan Aykroyd was pleased with the face, although he had previously thought of the bottle as being feminine due to its size, and had nicknamed the bottle Joy due to the joy it brought him. He said he was relieved that the face didn't turn out to look like him.


title: Crystal Head Vodka

text: In 2018, the limited edition John Alexander artist series was created, in commemoration of the tenth year of business. Only 25,000 bottles were produced. They are hand decorated with John Alexander's expressive painting “Dancing on the waterlilies of life”.


title: Crystal Head Vodka

text: In 2020, Crystal Head Vodka released its limited-edition rainbow-hued Pride bottle in celebration of diversity, equality and to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.


title: Crystal Head Vodka

text: Crystal Head Vodka is manufactured by Globefill Incorporated at the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation distillery called Rock Spirits in Newfoundland, Canada. Ontario sweet corn grown in the Chatham-Kent region of Ontario is processed and distilled four times and not aged, to produce a neutral grain spirit at 95% alcohol by volume. The raw spirit is then reduced with Newfoundland water to 40% alcohol by volume. The liquid is then filtered seven times with the final three filtrations through Herkimer diamond crystals, which are actually a type of double-terminated quartz rather than diamond. Crystal Head does not use any additives in the production of their vodka. The factory and product is certified kosher, as well as gluten-free.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: Zaifeng (12 February 1883 – 3 February 1951), also known as Tsai Feng, Prince of Ch'ün, formally known by his title Prince Chun, was a Manchu prince and regent of the late Qing dynasty. He was a son of Yixuan, the seventh son of the Daoguang Emperor, and the father of Puyi, the Last Emperor. He served as Prince-Regent from 1908 to 1911 during the reign of his son until the Qing dynasty was overthrown by the Xinhai Revolution in 1911.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: Zaifeng was born on 12 February of the 9th year of the Guangxu Emperor in the Aisin Gioro clan as the fifth son of Yixuan (Prince Chun). He was the second of Prince Chun's sons who managed to survive into adulthood. His mother was Liugiya Cuiyan, who was a maid in Prince Chun's residence before becoming one of the prince's concubines. Born to a Han bannerman family, her family name was "Liu" (劉) but was later changed to the Manchu-sounding "Liugiya" (劉佳) after she married Prince Chun and was transferred to a Manchu banner.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: In 1875, after the childless Tongzhi Emperor's death, Zaifeng's elder half-brother, Zaitian was selected by the Empress Dowagers Cixi and Ci'an to be the new emperor. Zaitian was "adopted" by the empress dowagers as their son, which meant he was no longer nominally Prince Chun's son. He was then enthroned as the Guangxu Emperor. Prince Chun, as the biological father of the reigning emperor, received the highest accolades as well as high rank in the imperial court. In addition, he also had a close relationship with Empress Dowager Cixi, and his primary consort, Yehenara Wanzhen, was one of Cixi's sisters. In January 1891, after Prince Chun's death, an eight-year-old Zaifeng immediately inherited his father's princely title and became the second Prince Chun.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, when the armies of the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied Beijing, Prince Chun's fiancée reportedly committed suicide to prevent herself from being raped and humiliated by the foreign invaders.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: Around late February or early March 1901, Prince Chun was appointed as an army inspector by the Qing imperial court, which had moved to Xi'an after evacuating Beijing. In June 1901, at the insistence of the foreign powers, the 18-year-old Prince Chun was appointed by as a Special Ambassador to offer regrets on behalf of the Qing government to Germany for the murder of German diplomat Baron von Ketteler. In July, Prince Chun left for Germany by sea and met Kaiser Wilhelm II in Potsdam in September. Although he first planned to subsequently tour around Europe and visit Belgium and London, he had to cancel his plans and return to China prematurely because of health issues of Empress Dowager Cixi.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: Empress Dowager Cixi was pleased with how Prince Chun executed his diplomatic mission in Germany. He allegedly refused to kneel in front of the Kaiser even when the Germans insisted; the diplomatic slight was forgiven thanks to the negotiation skills of his adviser, Liang Cheng. In China, however, it was mandatory for foreign ambassadors to kneel in front of the Emperor. Due to his success, Prince Chun was subsequently given several key appointments over the following years. At the same time, Cixi grew wary of Prince Chun because the latter was a favorite of foreign powers. In fact, one reason why Prince Chun took up so many important positions in the imperial court after 1901 was that he was a protégé of the foreign powers, which Cixi was careful not to displease. However, she was as intent as ever on thwarting any challenge to her power, and so Prince Chun clearly posed a problem for her. Cixi saw an opportunity in 1902 on Prince Chun's return from Germany – she ordered him to marry Youlan, the daughter of Ronglu, a conservative politician in the imperial court and a staunch supporter of Cixi. Prince Chun loathed Ronglu because the latter played a leading role in ending the Hundred Days' Reform in 1898, and in the subsequent internment of the Guangxu Emperor. However, he still agreed to marry Ronglu's daughter because he felt it was unwise to oppose Cixi. The marriage between Prince Chun and Youlan was an unhappy one. With Prince Chun now firmly tied to her, Cixi no longer viewed him as a threat. When Prince Chun and Youlan's first son, Puyi, was born in 1906, Puyi became a likely heir to the throne. Prince Chun and Youlan had another son, Pujie, and three daughters – Yunying, Yunhe and Yunying.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: The Guangxu Emperor died on 14 November 1908. On the same day, Empress Dowager Cixi issued an imperial edict proclaiming Prince Chun's eldest son, Puyi, as the successor. Puyi was "adopted" as the Guangxu Emperor's son; like the Guangxu Emperor before him, he was no longer nominally his biological father's son. Prince Chun was appointed Prince-Regent to assist the new emperor. Cixi died the following day, ending her 47-year-long control over China, while Prince Chun ruled as regent for the next three years. Prince Chun's first concern was to punish the Beiyang Army general Yuan Shikai, who had betrayed the Guangxu Emperor and supported Ronglu in putting an end to the Hundred Days' Reform in 1898. Prince Chun was prevented from executing his plan of having Yuan Shikai assassinated, but managed to have Yuan dismissed from office and sent home to Henan on an excuse of "curing his foot disease".


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: Over the next three years from 1909 to 1911, Prince Chun carried out the economic and political reforms that were initiated after the Boxer Rebellion ended in 1901, but he was torn between the conservative (mainly Manchu officials) and reformist (mostly Han Chinese officials) factions in the imperial court. The inexperienced Prince Chun concentrated more power in the hands of a small ruling court which angered bureaucrats on lower levels. He promised a constitution by 1916 with preparatory stages in between. Beginning on 5 February 1909, China held its first provincial assembly and local council elections (a council election was held in Tianjin as early as 1907). 21 provincial assemblies took their seats on 14 October. The vast majority elected were constitutional monarchists with a few crypto-revolutionaries and they turned the assemblies into hotbeds of dissent. Alarmed, the National Assembly, which convened in Beijing on 3 October 1910, had half of its 200 members appointed to balance the other half elected by the provincial assemblies. The provinces sent 98 members to the capital since Xinjiang, the 22nd province, had yet to hold elections to form an assembly due to its extreme underdevelopment. Prince Chun only appointed 96 members. Nevertheless, it was the elected members that dominated the floor and wooed the appointed ones to their side. The National Assembly urged Prince Chun to speed up the constitutional process and create a true parliament so the prince responded by pushing forth the expected deadline to 1913.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: The Grand Council was replaced by an Imperial Cabinet led by Prince Qing on 8 May 1911. It dismayed constitutionalists as the Imperial Cabinet was not responsible to the National Assembly and contained seven Manchu imperial kinsmen with only four Han Chinese among its 13 members, breaking a long-standing policy of appointing equal numbers of both ethnicity. More power was concentrated in the hands of the Manchu minority than at any time since the dynasty's early years. The following day, the government announced that it would nationalize major railroads, a policy which infuriated many businessmen who invested heavily in railways. They were told that they would be compensated with only a portion of the amount they invested. This alienated many bourgeoisie and gentry, who started the Railway Protection Movement as a means of opposition while themselves becoming disposed towards revolution.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: The period saw the revolutionaries attempting several insurrections to overthrow the Qing dynasty, and there was even one attempt by Wang Jingwei to assassinate Prince Chun in February 1910. Prince Chun did not have the maneuvering talent nor the lust for power of Empress Dowager Cixi, and he proved often indecisive and probably unfit for this troubled period.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: In 1910, Prince Chun ousted from Tibet the 13th Dalai Lama, who would not return from India until 1913, whereupon the Dalai Lama declared Tibet independent.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: On 10 October 1911, the Wuchang Uprising marked the start of the Xinhai Revolution, which aimed to topple the Qing dynasty and end imperial rule in China. The Qing imperial court was forced to recall back Yuan Shikai, despite Prince Chun's deep aversion for him, as Yuan was the only one capable of suppressing the revolution. Yuan became Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet on 16 November. Prince Chun, now deprived of any real power, stepped down on 6 December 1911, and was replaced by his sister-in-law, Empress Dowager Longyu, as regent. When he returned home that day, he told his family, "Now I am back in the family, and I can finally care for my children". The three years of regency were certainly the most painful years in Prince Chun's life; he never relished power the way Empress Dowager Cixi or Yuan Shikai did, and witnesses say he felt relieved when he left office.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: Sir Reginald Johnston, tutor to Puyi, said that upon the Prince's appointment as regent it was already common knowledge that he was incapable of the enormous task ahead of him. He states Chun was:


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: Even after returning to private life, Prince Chun remained a respected figure, among both the Nationalist and later the Communist parties, who appreciated his peaceful stepping down from power and acceptance of China becoming a republic. Sun Yat-sen even visited him in Beijing in September 1912, during which he congratulated Prince Chun, and the latter formally declared his support for the Republic of China.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: After the death of Empress Dowager Longyu in 1913, Prince Chun was put in charge of the small imperial court that remained around his son Puyi (no longer a ruling emperor), and he managed all the court's affairs until 1924 when Puyi was expelled from the Forbidden City. In 1917, when Puyi was briefly restored on the throne by the warlord Zhang Xun, Prince Chun played no significant role, as Zhang Xun's slogan for the restoration was "Do not allow the relatives of the emperor to participate in the government".


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: Prince Chun lived in the Northern Residence in Beijing until 1928. He spent most of his time in the library reading books on history and newly published magazines. Sometime after 1911, he married another wife, Lady Dengiya, with whom he had several children. His primary consort, Youlan, committed suicide in 1921 by swallowing opium after being publicly scolded by Dowager Consort Duankang (the highest-ranked woman in the imperial court after Empress Dowager Longyu's death in 1913) for the misconduct of her son, Puyi.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: In 1928, Prince Chun moved to Tianjin, where he lived in the British and Japanese concessions. In August 1939, he relocated back to the Northern Residence in Beijing when Tianjin was flooded. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Prince Chun was against the establishment of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, and warned Puyi not to be involved. However, Puyi ignored his advice and was installed by the Japanese as the puppet figurehead ruler of Manchukuo. Prince Chun visited his son thrice in Manchukuo but ostensibly refused to participate in state affairs. Puyi wanted his father to live in Manchukuo but his father refused and returned to Beijing on an excuse that he was ill. At the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, when the National Revolutionary Army recovered Beijing from the Japanese, a letter of sympathy was sent to Prince Chun by the Beijing Municipality in recognition of his attitude during the Japanese occupation.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: After the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949 and the Communist Party established the People's Republic of China, Prince Chun was held in high regard by the party's members. However, his son Puyi was arrested and imprisoned for ten years. Prince Chun sold the Northern Residence to the government out of financial difficulties. He also donated his library and art collection to Peking University, and provided relief aid to the victims of the Huai River flooding in 1950.


title: Zaifeng, Prince Chun

text: Prince Chun died on 3 February 1951 in Beijing. Many of his descendants reside in Beijing to this day, including Jin Youzhi, Jin Yuzhang and Jin Yulan. Many have changed their Manchu clan name Aisin Gioro to a Chinese family name Jin (金), which means "gold" ("Aisin" also means "gold" in Manchu).


title: Dragon Rider (film)

text: Dragon Rider (), also known as Firedrake the Silver Dragon by Netflix, is a 2020 3D computer-animated fantasy film; while officially based on the 1997 novel of the same name by Cornelia Funke, the film takes influence from the "How to Train Your Dragon" series by Cressida Cowell, with its visuals and marketing based on that of the DreamWorks franchise. The film was due to be released in theatres on 6 August 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film release was postponed until 1 October 2020.


title: Dragon Rider (film)

text: Netflix acquired global distribution rights to the film, and it was released on the streaming platform on 10 September 2021.


title: Dragon Rider (film)

text: Firedrake is a young silver dragon, who has had enough of constantly having to hide in a wooded valley. He wants to show the older generations of dragons that he is a real dragon. When humans are about to destroy his family's very last refuge, Firedrake secretly sets off on an adventurous journey with Sorrel a bad-tempered cat-like forest brownie. He wants to find the "Rim of Heaven", the dragons' mysterious haven. On their quest, Firedrake and Sorrel encounter Ben, an orphan and stray, who claims to be a dragon rider. While Ben and Firedrake make friends quickly, Sorrel becomes increasingly distrustful and tries her best to get rid of the orphan at every opportunity. But the unlikely trio have to learn to pull together, because they are being hunted by Nettlebrand, an evil dragon-eating monster which was created by an alchemist with the aim of tracking down and destroying every dragon on Earth.


title: Dragon Rider (film)

text: It was announced in June 2017 that production had begun on an animated adaptation of Cornelia Funke's novel. The film is a German-Belgian co-production. The animation was handled by Spain's Able & Baker and Cyborn Studios, while additional parts of the lighting and compositing took place at Rise FX and Big Hug FX. The production work took place in Berlin, Munich and Antwerp.


title: Dragon Rider (film)

text: In May 2018, the castings of Felicity Jones, Patrick Stewart, Freddie Highmore, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Nonso Anozie, Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar were announced.


title: Dragon Rider (film)

text: Robbie Collin of "The Daily Telegraph" gave it 3 out of 5. Collin said the film borrows heavily from other recent films and wrote: ""Dragon Rider" is unlikely to spawn many imitators of its own—even if it did, how could anyone tell?—but as a half-term diversion, it ticks every box." Cath Clarke of "The Guardian" gave it 3 out of 5 and called it a "bland but entertaining family film".


title: Aval (2017 film)

text: Aval () in Tamil and The House Next Door in Hindi, is a 2017 Indian horror film co-written and directed by Milind Rau. Shot simultaneously in the Tamil and Hindi, it stars Siddharth and Andrea Jeremiah, with Siddharth also its co-producer and co-writer. It was released on 3 November 2017 to mostly positive reviews in all languages and became a success. It was dubbed in Telugu as "Gruham" and released on November 17.


title: Aval (2017 film)

text: The movie starts with a series of incidents of a happy life of mom and a daughter back in 1934. At present in 2016 Dr. Krishnakanth Acharya / Krish (Siddharth), a successful neurosurgeon, and his wife Lakshmi (Andrea Jeremiah) live peacefully in their beautiful house under the mountains in Rosina Valley. Their perfect life together is now disturbed after a family moves into the house next door where the mother and the daughter lived in 1934.


title: Aval (2017 film)

text: Jennifer D'Costa / Jenny (Anisha Angelina Victor) is a troubled teenager and neighbour of Krish and Lakshmi. Losing her mother at the young age, she has turned out to be a rebel. While she doesn't despise her caring stepmother, she never misses a chance to throw tantrums at her either. But, she loves her halfsister Sarah. One day soon after relocating to the new house Jenny comes to meet Laxmi with Sarah and make friends with her. She is instantly attracted to Krish's charm and makes an attempt to come closer to him. That night while exploring the house Krish saw Jenny jumping into the well and saves her.


title: Aval (2017 film)

text: Jennifer's rebellious nature makes her do things like smoking for example. During one such time when she sneaks out of the house for a smoke, she picks up some belongings of a dead person. Jenny starts to act weird soon her family moves in the house. So, Jenny's grandfather contact a nomad but Paul refuses to take any help from him. So, Jenny's father Paul D'Costa (Atul Kulkarni) with Krish's recommendation contacts Dr Prasad (Suresh). After Jenny tells her that there is someone who is telling her to leave the house and a few strange incidents happened to her the doctor concludes she has developed Paranoia with visual and auditory hallucinations. They have also arranged a hypnotherapy session where Jenny tells her it is Li-Jing and not her who has gone to the hills. And a series of paranormal incidents abound that affects the lives of the people around her. Jennifer's new house is haunted by three ancient Chinese spirits, and one of them is a man and he is bloodthirsty while the other two spirits are the mom and the daughter who helps the family to get out of the house without trouble. The mother daughter duo continues to warn the people to leave the house but they don't leave. Paul calls the Pastor to perform exorcism on Jenny but the session leaves Pastor in Coma with Krish and Paul heavily injured. Later on, when it is believed to be everything is fine, Laxmi becomes pregnant and the maid in Paul's house disappeared. Paul agrees to call the Nomad witnessing this and he revealed there is a spirit of mother and daughter who are asking them to leave. He also discovered the bodies where they were buried. Krish accompanies Dr Prasad when he decides to visit a lady from the neighbor village to know what has happened to Paul's house 80 years ago. The lady revealed to them how the man of house Lu Wei has killed her own daughter to get a baby boy. The major twist comes up in the end of the story where DR Prasad is killed as he understood the truth that not only Jenny is possessed by the woman's spirit but Lu-Wei has possessed Krish to fulfil his unsuccessful work 80 years back. Aval is not just a conventional humans vs devil narration. It has an angle of good spirits vs bad spirits and how the living suffer as they are jammed between this supernatural tug-of-war.


title: Aval (2017 film)

text: The film was planned by Siddharth in June 2016, who revealed that he would work on a horror film alongside actress Andrea Jeremiah to be directed by Milind Rau, who had earlier made the unreleased "Kadhal 2 Kalyanam". The title of the film was said to be "The House Next Door", and the film was subsequently shot simultaneously in three languages namely Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil. However, the Telugu version was dropped in favor of a dubbed release. The principal photography of the film commenced in August 2016.


title: Nguyễn Quang Hải (footballer, born 1997)

text: Nguyễn Quang Hải (born 12 April 1997) is a Vietnamese professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Ligue 2 club Pau and the Vietnam national team. In 2018 and 2019, Quang Hải was nominated by a panel of sports journalists and football experts for Best Footballer in Asia.


text: A product of the capital club Hanoi, Quang Hải made his professional debut in 2014 for the club. In just three years, he rose to become one of the most promising products of the club, winning the 2015 V.League 2 before repeating the feat in the 2016 V.League 1. Following a successful Vietnam run in 2018 AFC U-23 Championship, in which he demonstrated a stellar performance, he became a regular face of the club as he played a major role in the club's winning two consecutive V.League seasons in 2018 and 2019. He also helped the club to win two consecutive Vietnamese National Football Cup in 2019 and 2020.


text: In March 2022, he announced that he would leave the club, expressing his desire to go to Europe to cement his career. His last match for his home club came on 7 April 2022 when his club won 4–0 over Cong An Nhan Dan FC. Though not scoring, Quang Hải provided an assist in this win.


text: On 29 June 2022, following numerous rumors about his future, Quang Hải joined Ligue 2 club Pau on a two-season contract, making him the first Vietnamese player to join a French football club. On 30 July 2022, he made his first league appearance for Pau, subbed on for Eddy Sylvestre in the 59th minute in the 4–0 away loss against En Avant Guingamp. On 8 October 2022, he scored his first goal for Pau in the 86th minute in a home match against Rodez in Ligue 2. He scored Pau's second goal of the match, after a brief 8-minute period of playing time, to tie the match 2–2. This scoreline remained to full-time.


text: Nguyễn Quang Hải was called up for the 2012 AFC U-16 Championship qualification at the age of only 14.


text: After an impressive performance in the 2014 under-19 National Championship, Quang Hải was called up to the national U19 side. He went on to represent the U19 team in the 2014 AFF U-19 Youth Championship and the Bruneian Hassanal Bolkiah Championship, where Vietnam finished as runner-up on both occasions.


text: He made a significant contribution in the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship campaign. In the second game against the United Arab Emirates, he assisted Hồ Minh Dĩ in Vietnam's opening goal. Vietnam went on to beat host Bahrain in the quarterfinal, thus qualified for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. This was Vietnam's first appearance in a youth FIFA World Cup tournament.


text: He captained the Vietnam U20 in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup group stage matches against Honduras and France.


text: Quang Hải was first called up to the U23 national team for a friendly against the Malaysia U23 in February 2017. He was then included in the Vietnam squad for the 2017 Southeast Asian Games. In the decisive game against Thailand, he was on the bench for the first half, and immediately made an impact in the second one, being fouled by Ratthanakorn Maikami in the penalty area. Nguyễn Công Phượng, however, missed the spot-kick as Vietnam lost 3–0 and was eliminated.


text: The appointment of head coach Park Hang-seo saw a significant improvement in the under-23 team hierarchy, as Quang Hải started becoming untouchable in the team's front 3. He was widely praised as a national hero during the historic 2018 AFC U-23 Championship campaign, as the Vietnam U23 upset major title contenders en route to their very first continental final.


text: Quang Hải had been instrumental for the team from the group stage, scoring both of the team's two goals. The one against Australia ensured him a Man of the match award. He also converted his penalty kick during the shootout in the quarterfinal against Iraq, thus securing Vietnam a spot in the semi-final. Quang Hải's performance against the Qatar in the semi-final was widely believed to be his most plausible. Quang Hải leveled the score with a low range half-volley in the 69th minute, only for Almoez Ali to regained Qatar's lead in the 87th. He immediately struck back, beautifully controlled the loose ball following a free-kick, then faking a shot to dribble past through two defenders flamboyantly before placing the shot into the far corner; all happened within a minute from the Almoez Ali's goal. He later missed his own in the penalty-shootout, but Vietnam ended up winning 4–3 and advanced to the final. In the final, Quang Hải once again impressed, equalized the score with a free-kick goal. The goal, nicknamed "rainbow in the snow" by the media, has become a symbol for the unprecedented emotional excitement brought to the Vietnamese people by the historic campaign, as well as the national spirit that goes with it. The goal was later voted as the goal of the tournament. Vietnam, however, lost to the Uzbekistan in the last minute of extra time.


text: He was widely considered to be one of the best players of the tournament, being inducted into several teams of the tournament by various sources. His ability to score from long range was one of the key technical talking points mentioned by the AFC. There were even aggressive criticisms by the Southeast Asian media towards the AFC for not awarding the Most Valuable Player to Quang Hải. At the end of the tournament, Quang Hải, along with teammate Bui Tien Dung, was awarded the 3rd class Labor Order for his impressive performance.


text: Quang Hải was named into Vietnam’s Asian Games 2018 lineup. Quang Hải scored one goal in Vietnam’s 3–0 win over Pakistan. In a match against Japan, he scored the only goal of the match as Vietnam defeated Japan to top the Group. Vietnam later went all the way to the semi-finals for the first time in their history at the Asian games, where they were defeated by South Korea 3–1. Vietnam later lost to the UAE in a penalty shootout in the Bronze Medal Match.


text: Quang Hải captained and scored one goal for Vietnam in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in a 6–1 win against Laos before he was injured in a match against Singapore and missed the rest of the tournament. However, Vietnam still went on without him to defeat Indonesia in the final to win the gold medal, their first gold in the SEA games football competition since South Vietnam won in 1959.


text: On 13 June 2017, Quang Hải made his international debut for the Vietnam senior team, against Jordan, in a match that ended in a 0–0 draw. He scored his first senior goal for Vietnam against Cambodia on 5 September 2017, coming on as a substitute and scored a late winner.


text: In the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup Quang Hải played every very minute but 2 as Vietnam won its first Southeast Asian football championship in ten years. In the first three games of the group stages, he was given a midfield position by head coach Park Hang-seo, which raised the question among the fans. In the last one against Cambodia, he reclaimed a slot in the front 3 and was immediately awarded Man of the match. He played as an advanced playmaker for the rest of the tournament, being awarded Man of the match twice. The first one was in the semi-final second leg against the Philippines, where he broke the deadlock and helped secure the first home win in the knockout phase of the AFF Championship for Vietnam. The last one was clinched as he assisted Nguyễn Anh Đức the winning goal in the final against the Malaysia. At the end of the tournament, he was a part of the team of AFF Cup's Best XI, and was chosen as the Most valuable player. He was honorably given the 2nd class Labor Order by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc. He won the Vietnamese Golden Ball few days later, thanks largely to his performance in the AFF Championship.


text: Quang Hải gained international reputation in 2019 AFC Asian Cup when he played an instrumental part on Vietnam's amazing run in the tournament, including a stunning free kick goal against Yemen as Vietnam won 2–0, and sneaked into the Knockout rounds. Vietnam defeated Jordan in the Round of 16, but fell short 1–0 to the eventual runners up of the tournament, Japan in the quarterfinals. Still, Quang Hải was named Man of the Match on both Vietnam's wins in the tournament, and was inducted into the tournament's official all-star squad by the AFC Technical Committee. On 8th November 2019, he defeated Chanathip Songkrasin of Thailand to win the AFF's Men Player of the year, an award for the best Southeast Asian player in recent two years.


text: Quang Hải scored three goals in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, which helped Vietnam to reach the final round of qualification for the first-time ever. He also scored two goals in 2020 AFF Championship, but his team was eliminated 0-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals against Thailand where he hit the bar twice in the first leg.


title: Fantasy comedy

text: Fantasy comedy or comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Typically set in imaginary worlds, fantasy comedy often involves puns on and parodies of other works of fantasy.


title: Fantasy comedy

text: The subgenre rose in the nineteenth century. Elements of fantasy comedy can be found in such nineteenth century works


title: Fantasy comedy

text: as some of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, Charles Dickens' "Christmas Books", and Lewis Carroll's Alice books. The first writer to specialize in the subgenre was "F. Anstey" in novels such as "Vice Versa" (1882), where magic disrupts Victorian society with humorous results. Anstey's work was popular enough to inspire several imitations, including E. Nesbit's light-hearted children's fantasies, "The Phoenix and the Carpet" (1904) and "The Story of the Amulet" (1906). The United States had several writers of fantasy comedy, including James Branch Cabell, whose satirical fantasy "Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice" (1919) was the subject of an unsuccessful prosecution for obscenity. Another American writer in a similar vein was Thorne Smith, whose works (such as "Topper" and "The Night Life of the Gods") were popular and influential, and often adapted for film and television. Humorous fantasies narrated in a "gentleman's club" setting are common; they include John Kendrick Bangs' "A Houseboat on the Styx" (1895), Lord Dunsany's "Jorkens" stories, and Maurice Richardson's


title: Fantasy comedy

text: According to Lin Carter, T. H. White's works exemplify fantasy comedy, L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt's Harold Shea stories are early exemplars. The overwhelming bulk of de Camp's fantasy was comic. Pratt and de Camp were among several contributors to "Unknown Worlds", a pulp magazine which emphasized fantasy with a comedic element. The work of Fritz Leiber also appeared in "Unknown Worlds", including his Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories, a jocose take on the sword and sorcery subgenre.


title: Fantasy comedy

text: In more modern times, Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" books, Piers Anthony's "Xanth" books, Robert Asprin's "MythAdventures" of Skeeve and Aahz books, and Tom Holt's books provide good examples, as do many of the works by Christopher Moore. There are also comic-strips/graphic novels in the humorous fantasy genre, including Chuck Whelon's Pewfell series and the webcomics "8-Bit Theater" and "The Order of the Stick". Other recent authors in the genre include Toby Frost, Stuart Sharp, Nicholas Andrews, and DC Farmer, and the writing team of John P. Logsdon and Christopher P. Young.


title: Fantasy comedy

text: The subgenre has also been represented in television, such as in the television series "I Dream of Jeannie", "Kröd Mändoon". Examples on radio are the BBC's "Hordes of the Things" and "ElvenQuest". Fantasy comedy films can either be parodies ("Monty Python and the Holy Grail"), comedies with fantastical elements ("Being John Malkovich") or animated ("Shrek"). It has also been used in the film "".


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Due to the multiple benefits from cattle, there are varying beliefs about cattle in societies and religions. In some regions, especially most states of India, the slaughter of cattle is prohibited and their meat may be taboo.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Cattle are considered sacred in world religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and others. Cattle played other major roles in many religions, including those of ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, ancient Israel, ancient Rome.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Legislation against cattle slaughter is in place throughout most states of India except Kerala, West Bengal and parts of the North-East.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Hinduism specifically considers the zebu ("Bos indicus") to be sacred. Respect for the lives of animals including cattle, diet in Hinduism and vegetarianism in India are based on the Hindu ethics. The Hindu ethics are driven by the core concept of Ahimsa, i.e. non-violence towards all beings, as mentioned in the Chandogya Upanishad (~ 800 BCE). By mid 1st millennium BCE, all three major religions – Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism – were championing non-violence as an ethical value, and something that impacted one's rebirth. According to Harris, by about 200 CE, food and feasting on animal slaughter were widely considered as a form of violence against life forms, and became a religious and social taboo. India, which has 79.80% Hindu population as of (2011 census), had the lowest rate of meat consumption in the world according to the 2007 UN FAO statistics, and India has more vegetarians than the rest of the world put together.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: According to Ludwig Alsdorf, "Indian vegetarianism is unequivocally based on "ahimsa" (non-violence)" as evidenced by ancient "smritis" and other ancient texts of Hinduism." He adds that the endearment and respect for cattle in Hinduism is more than a commitment to vegetarianism and has become integral to its theology. The respect for cattle is widespread but not universal. According to Christopher Fuller, animal sacrifices have been rare among the Hindus outside a few eastern states. To the majority of modern Indians, states Alsdorf, respect for cattle and disrespect for slaughter is a part of their ethos and there is "no "ahimsa" without renunciation of meat consumption".


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Several scholars explain the veneration for cows among Hindus in economic terms, including the importance of dairy in the diet, the use of cow dung as fuel and fertilizer, and the importance that cattle have historically played in agriculture. Ancient texts such as Rig Veda, Puranas highlight the importance of cattle. The scope, extent and status of cows throughout ancient India is a subject of debate. According to D. N. Jha, cattle, including cows, were neither inviolable nor as revered in ancient times as they were later. A "Gryhasutra" recommends that beef be eaten by the mourners after a funeral ceremony as a ritual rite of passage. In contrast, according to Marvin Harris, the Vedic literature is contradictory, with some suggesting ritual slaughter and meat consumption, while others suggesting a taboo on meat eating.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Many ancient and medieval Hindu texts debate the rationale for a voluntary stop to cow slaughter and the pursuit of vegetarianism as a part of a general abstention from violence against others and all killing of animals.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: The interdiction of the meat of the bounteous cow as food was regarded as the first step to total vegetarianism. Dairy cows are called "aghnya" "that which may not be slaughtered" in Rigveda. Yaska, the early commentator of the Rigveda, gives nine names for cow, the first being "aghnya". According to Harris, the literature relating to cow veneration became common in 1st millennium CE, and by about 1000 CE vegetarianism, along with a taboo against beef, became a well accepted mainstream Hindu tradition. This practice was inspired by the beliefs in Hinduism that a soul is present in all living beings, life in all its forms is interconnected, and non-violence towards all creatures is the highest ethical value. Vegetarianism is a part of the Hindu culture. The god Krishna and his Yadav kinsmen are associated with cows, adding to its endearment.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: According to Nanditha Krishna the cow veneration in ancient India during the Vedic era, the religious texts written during this period called for non-violence towards all bipeds and quadrupeds, and often equated killing of a cow with the killing of a human being specifically a Brahmin. Nanditha Krishna stated that the hymn 8.3.25 of the Hindu scripture "Atharvaveda" (~1200–1500 BCE) condemns all killings of men, cattle, and horses, and prays to god Agni to punish those who kill.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: In Puranas, which are part of the Hindu texts, the earth-goddess Prithvi was in the form of a cow, successively milked of beneficent substances for the benefit of humans, by deities starting with the first sovereign: Prithu milked the cow to generate crops for humans to end a famine. Kamadhenu, the miraculous "cow of plenty" and the "mother of cows" in certain versions of the Hindu mythology, is believed to represent the generic sacred cow, regarded as the source of all prosperity. In the 19th century, a form of Kamadhenu was depicted in poster-art that depicted all major gods and goddesses in it. Govatsa Dwadashi which marks the first day of Diwali celebrations, is the main festival connected to the veneration and worship of cows as chief source of livelihood and religious sanctity in India, wherein the symbolism of motherhood is most apparent with the sacred cows Kamadhenu and her daughter Nandini.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: The reverence for the cow played a role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company. Hindu and Muslim sepoys in the army of the East India Company came to believe that their paper cartridges, which held a measured amount of gunpowder, were greased with cow and pig fat. The consumption of swine is forbidden in Islam and Judaism. Because loading the gun required biting off the end of the paper cartridge, they concluded that the British were forcing them to break edicts of their religion.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: A historical survey of major communal riots in India between 1717 and 1977 revealed that 22 out of 167 incidents of rioting between Hindus and Muslims were attributable directly to cow slaughter.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: The cow protection was a symbol of animal rights and of non-violence against all life forms for Gandhi. He venerated cows, and suggested ending cow slaughter to be the first step to stopping violence against all animals. He said: "I worship it and I shall defend its worship against the whole world", and stated that "The central fact of Hinduism is cow protection."


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Jainism is against violence to all living beings, including cattle. According to the Jaina sutras, humans must avoid all killing and slaughter because all living beings are fond of life, they suffer, they feel pain, they like to live, and long to live. All beings should help each other live and prosper, according to Jainism, not kill and slaughter each other.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: In the Jain religious tradition, neither monks nor laypersons should cause others or allow others to work in a slaughterhouse. Jains believe that vegetarian sources can provide adequate nutrition, without creating suffering for animals such as cattle. According to some Jain scholars, slaughtering cattle increases ecological burden from human food demands since the production of meat entails intensified grain demands, and reducing cattle slaughter by 50 percent would free up enough land and ecological resources to solve all malnutrition and hunger worldwide. The Jain community leaders, states Christopher Chapple, has actively campaigned to stop all forms of animal slaughter including cattle.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: In ancient Meitei mythology and folklore of Ancient Manipur (Kangleipak), Kao (bull) is a divine cattle that plays a significant role in the legend of the Khamba Thoibi epic of ancient Moirang realm. , a nobleman, acting as an oracler, prophesied that calamities would arrive at the kingdom of Moirang, if the powerful Kao (bull) roaming freely in the Khuman kingdom, wasn't offered to God Thangjing (), the guardian deity of Moirang. Spreading the rumour, Nongban chose Khamba, the orphan Khuman prince, on purpose to eliminate him, as the two were rivals. Before encountering the dangerous divine bull, Khamba's elder sister disclosed to Khamba the secrets of the bull, with whose help he succeeded in capturing the bull.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: The texts of Buddhism state ahimsa to be one of five ethical precepts, which requires a practicing Buddhist to "refrain from killing living beings". Slaughtering cow has been a taboo, with some texts suggesting that taking care of a cow is a means of taking care of "all living beings". Cattle are seen in some Buddhist sects as a form of reborn human beings in the endless rebirth cycles in samsara, protecting animal life and being kind to cattle and other animals is good karma. Not only do some, mainly Mahayana, Buddhist texts state that killing or eating meat is wrong, it urges Buddhist laypersons to not operate slaughterhouses, nor trade in meat. Indian Buddhist texts encourage a plant-based diet.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: According to Saddhatissa, in the "Brahmanadhammika Sutta", the Buddha "describes the ideal mode of life of Brahmins in the Golden Age" before him as follows:


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Saving animals from slaughter for meat, is believed in Buddhism to be a way to acquire merit for better rebirth. According to Richard Gombrich, there has been a gap between Buddhist precepts and practice. Vegetarianism is admired, states Gombrich, but often it is not practiced. Nevertheless, adds Gombrich, there is a general belief among Theravada Buddhists that eating beef is worse than other meat and the ownership of cattle slaughterhouses by Buddhists is relatively rare.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Meat eating remains controversial within Buddhism, with most Theravada sects allowing it, reflecting early Buddhist practice, and most Mahayana sects forbidding it. Early suttas indicate that the Buddha himself ate meat and was clear that no rule should be introduced to forbid meat eating to monks. The consumption, however, appears to have been limited to pork, chicken and fish and may well have excluded cattle.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: According to the Bible, the Israelites worshipped a cult image of a golden calf when the prophet Moses went up to Mount Sinai.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Moses considered this a great sin against God. As a result of their abstention from the act, the Levite tribe attained a priestly role.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: According to the Hebrew Bible, an unblemished red cow was an important part of ancient Jewish rituals. The cow was sacrificed and burned in a precise ritual, and the ashes were added to water used in the ritual purification of a person who had come in to contact with a human corpse. The ritual is described in the Book of Numbers in Chapter 19, verses 1–14.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Observant Jews study this passage every year in early summer as part of the weekly Torah portion called Chukat. A contemporary Jewish organization called the Temple Institute is trying to revive this ancient religious observance.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Traditional Judaism considers beef kosher and permissible as food, as long as the cow is slaughtered in a religious ritual called "shechita", and the meat is not served in a meal that includes any dairy foods.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Some Jews committed to Jewish vegetarianism believe that Jews should refrain from slaughtering animals altogether and have condemned widespread cruelty towards cattle on factory farms.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Islam allows the slaughter of cows and consumption of beef, as long as the cow is slaughtered in a religious ritual called "dhabīḥah" or "zabiha" similar to the Jewish "shechita".


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Although slaughter of cattle plays a role in a major Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha, many rulers of the Mughal Empire had imposed a ban on the slaughter of cows owing to the large Hindu and Jain populations living under their rule.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: The second and longest surah of the Quran is named Al-Baqara ("The Cow"). Out of the 286 verses of the surah, 7 mention cows (Al Baqarah 67–73). The name of the surah derives from this passage in which Moses orders his people to sacrifice a cow in order to resurrect a man murdered by an unknown person. Per the passage, the "Children of Israel" quibbled over what kind of cow was meant when the sacrifice was ordered.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Classical Sunni and Shia commentators recount several variants of this tale. Per some of the commentators, though any cow would have been acceptable, but after they "created hardships for themselves" and the cow was finally specified, it was necessary to obtain it any cost.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: The red heifer or red cow is a particular kind of cow brought to priests for sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible. Jews and some Christian fundamentalists believe that once a red heifer is born they will be able to rebuild the Third Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Oxen are one of the animals sacrificed by Greek Orthodox believers in some villages of Greece. It is specially associated to the feast of Saint Charalambos. This practice of kourbania has been repeatedly criticized by church authorities.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Among the Visigoths, the oxen pulling the wagon with the corpse of Saint Emilian lead to the correct burial site (San Millán de la Cogolla, La Rioja).


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: The term "geush urva" means "the spirit of the cow" and is interpreted as the soul of the earth. In the Ahunavaiti Gatha, Zoroaster accuses some of his co-religionists of abusing the cow while Ahura Mazda tells him to protect them. After fleeing to India, many Zoroastrians stopped eating beef out of respect for Hindus living there.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: The lands of Zoroaster and the Vedic priests were those of cattle breeders. The 9th chapter of the "Vendidad" of the "Avesta" expounds the purificatory power of cow urine. It is declared to be a panacea for all bodily and moral evils and features prominently in the 9-night purification ritual Barashnûm.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: In ancient Egyptian religion, bulls symbolized strength and male sexuality and were linked with aggressive deities such as Montu and virile deities such as Min. Some Egyptian cities kept sacred bulls that were said to be incarnations of divine powers, including the Mnevis bull, Buchis bull, and the Apis bull, which was regarded as a manifestation of the god Ptah and was the most important sacred animal in Egypt. Cows were connected with fertility and motherhood. One of several ancient Egyptian creation myths said that a cow goddess, Mehet-Weret, who represented the primeval waters that existed before creation, gave birth to the sun at the beginning of time. The sky was sometimes envisioned as a goddess in the form of a cow, and several goddesses, including Hathor, Nut, and Neith, were equated with this celestial cow.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: The Egyptians did not regard cattle as uniformly positive. Wild bulls, regarded as symbols of the forces of chaos, could be hunted and ritually killed.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: As cattle were a central part of the pastoralist economy of Ancient Nubia, they also played a prominent role in their culture and mythology, as evidenced by their inclusion in burials and rock art. Starting in the Neolithic period, cattle skulls, also known as bucrania, were often placed alongside human burials. Bucrania were a status symbol, and they were used frequently in adult male burials, occasionally in adult female burials, and rarely in child burials. In cemeteries at Kerma, there is a strong correlation between the number of bucrania and the quantity and lavishness of other grave goods. Dozens if not hundreds of cattle were often slaughtered as tribute for the burial of one individual; 400 bucrania were found at one tumulus alone at Kerma. The use of cattle skulls rather than those of sheep or goats reveals the importance of cattle in their pastoral economy, as well as the cultural associations of cattle with wealth, prosperity, and passage into the afterlife. Sometimes complete cattle were buried alongside their owner, symbolic of their relationship continuing into the afterlife.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Beginning in the third millennium BCE, cattle became the most popular motif in Nubian rock art. The bodies are usually depicted in profile, while the horns are facing forward. The length and shape of the horns and the pattern on the hide varied widely. Human silhouettes are often drawn alongside the cattle, symbolic of the important symbiotic relationship between cattle and humans. For pastoralists, drawing cattle may have also been a way to ensure the health of their herd. The role of cattle in Nubian mythology is more covert than in Egypt to the north, where several gods are often depicted as cattle; however, the significance of cattle in Nubian culture is evident in burial practices, understandings of the afterlife, and rock art.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: In Greek mythology, the Cattle of Helios pastured on the island of Thrinacia, which is believed to be modern Sicily. Helios, the sun god, is said to have had seven herds of oxen and seven flocks of sheep, each numbering fifty head. A hecatomb was a sacrifice to the gods Apollo, Athena, and Hera, of 100 cattle ("hekaton" = one hundred).


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Tarvos Trigaranus (the "bull with three cranes") is pictured on ancient Gaulish reliefs alongside images of gods. There is evidence that ancient Celtic peoples sacrificed animals, which were almost always cattle or other livestock. Early medieval Irish texts mention the "tarbfeis" (bull feast), a shamanistic ritual in which a bull would be sacrificed and a seer would sleep in the bull's hide to have a vision of the future king.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Cattle appear often in Irish mythology. The Glas Gaibhnenn is a mythical prized cow that could produce plentiful supplies of milk, while Donn Cuailnge and Finnbhennach are prized bulls that play a central role in the epic "Táin Bó Cúailnge" ("The Cattle Raid of Cooley"). The mythical lady Flidais, the main figure in the "Táin Bó Flidhais", owns a herd of magical cattle. The name of the goddess of the River Boyne, Bóinn, comes from Archaic Irish "*Bóu-vinda" meaning the "bright or white cow"; while the name of the Corcu Loígde means "tribe of the calf goddess".


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: In Norse mythology, the primeval cow Auðumbla suckled Ymir, the ancestor of the frost giants, and licked Búri, Odin's grandfather and ancestor of the gods, out of the ice.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Today, in Hindu-majority countries like India and Nepal, bovine milk holds a key part of religious rituals. For some, it is customary to boil milk on a stove or lead a cow through the house as part of a housewarming ceremony. In honor of their exalted status, cows often roam free, even along (and in) busy streets in major cities such as Delhi.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Constitution of India mandates the protection of cows in India. The slaughter of cattle is allowed with restrictions (like a 'fit-for-slaughter' certificate which may be issued depending on factors like age and gender of cattle, continued economic viability, etc.), but only for bulls and buffaloes and not cows in fourteen states. It is completely banned in six states with pending litigation in the supreme court to overturn the ban, while there is no restriction in many states.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Gopastami, a holiday celebrated by the Hindus once a year, is one of the few instances where cows receive prayers in modern-day India. While the cow is still respected and honored by most of the Indian population, there has been controversy over the treatment of the cows during the holiday.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: In Nepal, the cow is the national animal. Cows give milk from which the people produce dahi (yogurt), ghee, butter, etc. In Nepal, a Hindu-majority country, slaughtering of cows and bulls is completely banned. Cows are considered like the Goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth and prosperity). The Nepalese have a festival called Tihar (Diwali) during which, on one day called Gaipuja, they perform prayers for cows.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: According to a "Lodi News-Sentinel" news story written in the 1960s, in then contemporary Nepal an individual could serve three months in jail for killing a pedestrian, but one year for injuring a cow, and life imprisonment for killing a cow.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Cows roam freely and are sacred. Buffalo slaughtering was done in Nepal at specific Hindu events, such as at the Gadhimai festival, last held in 2014. In 2015, Nepal's temple trust on announced to cancel all future animal sacrifice at the country's Gadhimai festival.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: The beef taboo is fairly widespread in Myanmar, particularly in the Buddhist community. In Myanmar, beef is typically obtained from cattle that are slaughtered at the end of their working lives (16 years of age) or from sick animals. Cattle is rarely raised for meat; 58% of cattle in the country is used for draught animal power (DAP). Few people eat beef, and there is a general dislike of beef (especially among the Bamar and Burmese Chinese), although it is more commonly eaten in regional cuisines, particularly those of ethnic minorities like the Kachin. Buddhists, when giving up meat during the Buddhist (Vassa) or Uposatha days, will forego beef first. Almost all butchers are Muslim because of the Buddhist doctrine of ahimsa (no harm).


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: During the country's last dynasty, the Konbaung dynasty, habitual consumption of beef was punishable by public flogging.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: In 1885, Ledi Sayadaw, a prominent Buddhist monk wrote the "Nwa-myitta-sa" (), a poetic prose letter that argued that Burmese Buddhists should not kill cattle and eat beef, because Burmese farmers depended on them as beasts of burden to maintain their livelihoods, that the marketing of beef for human consumption threatened the extinction of buffalo and cattle, and that the practice was ecologically unsound. He subsequently led successful beef boycotts during the colonial era, despite the presence of beef eating among locals, and influenced a generation of Burmese nationalists in adopting this stance.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: On 29 August 1961, the Burmese Parliament passed the State Religion Promotion Act of 1961, which explicitly banned the slaughtering of cattle nationwide (beef became known as "todo tha" (); lit. hush hush meat). Religious groups, such as Muslims, were required to apply for exemption licences to slaughter cattle on religious holidays. This ban was repealed a year later, after Ne Win led a coup d'état and declared martial law in the country.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: In Sri Lanka, in May 2013, 30-year-old Buddhist monk Bowatte Indrarathana Thera of the Sri Sugatha Purana Vihara self immolated to protest the government allowing religious minorities to slaughter cows.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: A beef taboo in Ancient China was historically a dietary restriction, particularly among the Han Chinese, as oxen and buffalo (bovines) are useful in farming and are respected. During the Zhou Dynasty, they were not often eaten, even by emperors. Some emperors banned killing cows. Beef is not recommended in Chinese medicine, as it is considered a hot food and is thought to disrupt the body's internal balance.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: In written sources (including anecdotes and Daoist liturgical texts), this taboo first appeared in the 9th to 12th centuries (Tang-Song transition, with the advent of pork meat.) By the 16th to 17th centuries, the beef taboo had become well accepted in the framework of Chinese morality and was found in morality books (善書), with several books dedicated exclusively to this taboo. The beef taboo came from a Chinese perspective that relates the respect for animal life and vegetarianism (ideas shared by Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism, and state protection for draught animals.) In Chinese society, only ethnic and religious groups not fully assimilated (such as the Muslim Huis and the Miao) and foreigners consumed this meat. This taboo, among Han Chinese, led Chinese Muslims to create a niche for themselves as butchers who specialized in slaughtering oxen and buffalo.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Due to water buffalo being the primary working animal for farming, beef consumption was generally considered a taboo in early 20th century. This gradually changed with Japanese rule, the retreat of the Republic of China to Taiwan, the mechanization of farming, and the economy transitioning away from farming. Most Taiwanese people today consume beef, although some have maintained the tradition.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Historically, there was a beef taboo in Ancient Japan, as a means of protecting the livestock population and due to Buddhist influence. Meat-eating had long been taboo in Japan, beginning with a decree in 675 that banned the consumption of cattle, horses, dogs, monkeys, and chickens, influenced by the Buddhist prohibition of killing. In 1612, the shōgun declared a decree that specifically banned the killing of cattle.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: This official prohibition was in place until 1872, when it was officially proclaimed that Emperor Meiji consumed beef and mutton, which transformed the country's dietary considerations as a means of modernizing the country, particularly with regard to consumption of beef. With contact from Europeans, beef increasingly became popular, even though it had previously been considered barbaric.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Several shrines and temples are decorated with cow figurines, which are believed to cure illnesses when stroked.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: In Kudus, Indonesia, Muslims still maintain the tradition of not slaughtering or eating cows, out of respect for their ancestors, who were Hindus, allegedly imitating Sunan Kudus who also did as such.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: In religiously diverse countries, leather vendors are typically careful to clarify the kinds of leather used in their products. For example, leather shoes will bear a label identifying the animal from which the leather was taken. In this way, a Muslim would not accidentally purchase pigskin leather, and a Hindu could avoid cow leather. Many Hindus who are vegetarians will not use any kind of leather.


title: Cattle in religion and mythology

text: Judaism forbids the wearing of shoes made with leather on Yom Kippur, Tisha B'Av, and during mourning.


title: Smoked salmon

text: Smoked salmon is a preparation of salmon, typically a fillet that has been cured and hot or cold smoked.


title: Smoked salmon

text: Due to its moderately high price, smoked salmon is considered a delicacy. Although the term lox is sometimes applied to smoked salmon, they are different products.


title: Smoked salmon

text: In New York City and Philadelphia and other cities of North America, smoked salmon is known as "nova" after the sources in Nova Scotia, and is likely to be sliced very thinly and served on bagels with cream cheese or with sliced red onion, lemon and capers. In Pacific Northwest cuisine of the United States and Canada, smoked salmon may also be fillets or nuggets, including hickory or alder-smoked varieties and candied salmon (smoked and honey, or sugar-glazed, also known as "Indian candy").


title: Smoked salmon

text: In Europe, smoked salmon may be found thinly sliced or in thicker fillets, or sold as chopped "scraps" for use in cooking. It is often used in pâtés, quiches and pasta sauces. Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon mixed in is another popular dish. Smoked salmon salad is a strong-flavored salad, with ingredients such as iceberg lettuce, boiled eggs, tomato, olives, capers and leeks, and with flavored yogurt as a condiment.


title: Smoked salmon

text: Slices of smoked salmon are a popular appetizer in Europe, usually served with some kind of bread. In the United Kingdom they are typically eaten with brown bread and a squeeze of lemon. In Germany they are eaten on toast or black bread.


title: Smoked salmon

text: In Jewish cuisine, heavily salted salmon is called lox and is usually eaten on a bagel with cream cheese. Lox is often smoked.


title: Smoked salmon

text: Smoked salmon is sometimes used in sushi, though not widely in Japan; it is more likely to be encountered in North American sushi bars. The Philly Roll combines smoked salmon and cream cheese and rolls these in rice and nori.


title: Smoked salmon

text: Smoking is used to preserve salmon against microorganism spoilage. During the process of smoking salmon the fish is cured and partially dehydrated, which impedes the activity of bacteria. An important example of this is "Clostridium botulinum", which can be present in seafood, and which is killed by the high heat treatment which occurs during the smoking process.


title: Smoked salmon

text: Smoked salmon has featured in many Native American cultures for a long time. Smoked salmon was also a common dish in Greek and Roman culture throughout history, often being eaten at large gatherings and celebrations. During the Middle Ages, smoked salmon became part of people's diet and was consumed in soups and salads. The first smoking factory was from Poland in the 7th century A.D. The 19th century marked the rise of the American smoked salmon industry in the West Coast, processing Pacific salmon from Alaska and Oregon.


title: Smoked salmon

text: Salmon is a fish with high fat content and smoked salmon is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Smoked salmon has a high sodium content due to the salt added during brining and curing. of smoked salmon contains approximately 660 mg of sodium, while an equivalent portion of fresh cooked salmon contains about 50 mg. Although high salt content prevents the growth of microorganisms in smoked salmon by limiting water activity, the American Heart Association recommends limiting sodium consumption.


title: Smoked salmon

text: Smoked foods, including smoked salmon also contain nitrates and nitrites which are by-products of the smoking process. Nitrites and nitrates can be converted into nitrosamines, some of which are carcinogenic. However, smoked salmon is not a major source of nitrosamine exposure to humans.


title: Smoked salmon

text: Studies have been conducted in which some of the sodium chloride used in smoking salmon had been replaced by potassium chloride. The study found that up to one third of the sodium chloride can be replaced by potassium chloride without changing the sensory properties of the smoked salmon. Although potassium chloride has a bitter and metallic taste, the saltiness of the smoked salmon might have masked its undesirable flavor.


title: Smoked salmon

text: In the Atlantic basin all smoked salmon comes from the Atlantic salmon, much of it farmed in Norway, Scotland, Ireland and the east coast of Canada (particularly in the Bay of Fundy). In the Pacific, a variety of salmon species may be used. Because fish farming is prohibited by state law, all of Alaska's salmon species are wild Pacific species. Pacific species of salmon include chinook ("King"), sockeye ("red"), coho ("silver"), chum ("keta"), and pink ("humpback").


title: Smoked salmon

text: Most smoked salmon is cold smoked, typically at 37 °C (99 °F). Cold smoking does not cook the fish, resulting in a delicate texture. Although some smoke houses go for a deliberately 'oaky' style with prolonged exposure to smoke from oak chips, industrial production favours less exposure to smoke and a blander style, using cheaper woods.


title: Smoked salmon

text: Originally, prepared fish were upside hung in lines on racks, or tenters, within the kiln. Workers would climb up and straddle the racks while hanging the individual lines in ascending order. Small circular wood chip fires would be lit at floor level and allowed to smoke slowly throughout the night. The wood fire was damped with sawdust to create smoke; this was constantly tended as naked flames would cook the fish rather than smoke it. The required duration of smoking has always been gauged by a skilled or 'master smoker' who manually checks for optimum smoking conditions.


title: Smoked salmon

text: Smoked salmon was introduced into the UK from Eastern Europe. Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland brought the technique of salmon smoking to London's east End, where they settled, in the late 19th century. They smoked salmon as way to preserve it as refrigeration was very basic. In the early years, they were not aware that there was a salmon native to the UK so they imported Baltic salmon in barrels of salt water. However, having discovered the wild Scottish salmon coming down to the fish market at Billingsgate each summer, they started smoking these fish instead. The smoking process has changed over the years and many contemporary smokehouses have left the traditional methods using brick kilns behind in favour of commercial methods. Only a handful of traditional smokehouses remain such as John Ross Jr (Aberdeen) Ltd and the Stornoway Smokehouse in the Outer Hebrides. The oldest smokehouse in Scotland is the Old Salmon Fish House built on the banks of the River Ugie in 1585, although not at first for smoking. The oldest smokehouse in England is the 1760 Old Smokehouse in Raglan Street, Lowestoft.


title: Smoked salmon

text: Indigenous peoples in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska have a cold smoking style that is wholly unique, resulting in a dried, "jerky-style" smoked salmon. In the Pacific Northwest this style of salmon has been used for centuries as a primary source of food for numerous indigenous folk. Traditionally smoked salmon has been a staple of north-western American tribes and Canadian First Nations people. To preserve indefinitely in modern times, the fish is typically pressure-cooked.